Married Under The Mistletoe. Linda Goodnight
so honest, he’d often confessed to childhood mischief before being confronted. “Have you talked to John about it?”
“Actually, the first clue came from him. He asked me to balance the dates when the money disappeared with all the other transactions filtering in and out of the three restaurants. There were some interesting inconsistencies, but nothing definite yet.”
“So what’s your decision? Is our pretty manager guilty?”
“I’m still watching, but, like I said, I don’t want to think Stephanie is involved. She isn’t the type.”
Daniel didn’t think so either, though he barely knew the woman. He’d much rather believe her anxiety around him was personal than an embezzler’s guilty conscience.
The idea gave him pause and, before he could stop the words, he asked, “What about her personal life? Does she see anyone?”
Dominic tossed his glasses onto the desk and tilted back, his gaze assessing. Daniel shifted in his chair. Okay, he’d admit it. He wanted to know about his flatmate as a woman, not as a restaurant manager.
“She goes out now and then, though the gossip mill says she never dates seriously.”
“Why? Too busy with work?”
“That’s my guess. But Rachel thinks she’s had her heart broken.”
“Rachel?” Daniel frowned. “Employee or relative?” He was having trouble keeping track.
“A cousin. Our uncle Robert’s daughter. Her sister, Rebecca, is a close friend of Stephanie’s. I think she may know more about your lovely manager than anyone.”
“She’s not my anything,” Daniel groused. “I was just asking.” And he didn’t know why, so he decided to let the subject of his flatmate drop. “So, tell me about you, Dominic. How’s the job? The family?”
Dominic’s gaze flicked to the computer screen. He picked up a pen and twirled it in his fingers.
“Alice is pregnant again.”
Daniel tried not to let the surprise show. Dominic looked stressed enough without being reminded that his other kids were nearly grown. “How many does this make? Four? Five?”
Daniel spent so little time in England that he couldn’t keep up. Never fond of his brother’s wife, he hadn’t tried too hard. Alice’s well-to-do family had vigorously protested when she had married a nobody like Dominic, and since then she had maintained an air of superiority that rankled Daniel.
“This makes four.” Dominic ran a hand over his face, and Daniel noticed again how much his brother had aged. “Alice is thrilled. She thinks another baby will keep us young. And a new addition also gives her a reason to shop.”
As if she needed one. Daniel remembered his sister-in-law’s propensity for spending. Luckily, his brother had done so well that his family could afford the best of everything. They lived in a fashionable area of London. His children attended private school, and both Dominic and Alice drove a Mercedes. Holidays in Rome or Madrid or anywhere they fancied were the norm. Daniel was glad for his brother’s success.
Dominic had only taken the extra position here at the restaurant as a way to get acquainted with the family he’d never known, and now to help ferret out the thief in the ranks. He certainly didn’t need the money.
“What about you? How do you feel about a new baby?”
Dominic drew in a deep breath and let it slowly out. “Stunned. I never expected to be a father again at forty.”
“Forty’s not too old.”
“Easy for you to say,” Dominic said with a rueful grin. “You aren’t losing your hair.”
Daniel returned the grin. “Is Alice all right, then? The pregnancy going well?”
“Sure. Everything’s fine. Great. You’ll have to come to the house for dinner one night and see for yourself.” He gave a self-conscious laugh. “Get that haircut first, though.”
In other words, Alice would have a fit if her uncivilized brother-in-law embarrassed her in front of her friends.
“How about one night next week?” Dominic went on. “I’ll invite John as well.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Come on, Daniel. Don’t be a hard case. We wanted a father all our lives and now we have one. He wants to get to know us.”
Tension coiled in Daniel’s gut. John Valentine was not his favorite subject. “He has a daughter—he adopted Louise; he wanted her. Why would he want to know us?”
“Because we’re blood. You and I have a right to be in this family.”
“Not according to Ivy.” John’s wife had thrown a fit to discover her husband had two sons with a former lover. “And maybe she has a point. Being adopted is better than being illegitimate.” The word left a nasty taste in his mouth.
“Louise doesn’t think so. She’s very upset. She’s even started one of those birth-parent searches. Has John worried sick. He says she’s not herself at all.”
“Do you blame her? This must be a terrible shock to her.” It had been to him. And he blamed the parents, not the children. Though he’d only briefly met Louise, she seemed nice enough, a quiet, accommodating woman dedicated to her family. She didn’t deserve to be blindsided by two long-lost brothers and the revelation that she had been adopted by John and Ivy Valentine.
“Maybe.” Dominic lifted a doubting brow. “Maybe not.”
“Meaning?”
“John phoned earlier, fretting over her as usual. Which is very bad for his heart, by the way, and she well knows that. Says Louise is planning to leave for Meridia tomorrow for some nonsense. A make-over, I think he called it, for Emma.”
Daniel searched his memory banks but came up empty, sighing in resignation. “Am I supposed to know Emma?”
“Cousin. Yet another of Uncle Robert’s numerous offspring. Emma’s the chef. Quite a renowned one, I hear. She was commissioned for a king’s coronation. That’s why she’s in Meridia though who knows why Louise thinks she needs a make-over.”
“Ah.” Not that Daniel comprehended any of this. After living a lifetime with a handful of family to his name, he was now swimming in relatives he didn’t know. From Dominic, he knew that their father John and his half-brother Robert were at odds. He also knew that the recent death of their grandfather William had increased the rivalry and battle for control of the restaurants. Beyond that, Daniel was lost. Even if he cared, which he hadn’t yet decided if he did or not, sorting out all the Valentines would require time and exposure. “So how does this relate to our sister?”
“Our father thinks Louise is going off the deep end and needs him more than ever.” His nostrils flared. “I think she’s an attention seeker, drumming up sympathy to keep a wedge between John and his blood children.”
“You and me.”
“Right. She’s on the defensive, trying to hold John’s allegiance. After growing up in the wealth and society that actually belonged to us, she’s unwilling to share. I, for one, think it’s time you and I reaped the benefits she’s had all her life.”
The answer bothered Daniel. Though he didn’t necessarily feel the same, he could understand his brother’s emotional need to embrace their birth family. But he and Alice were well set. They didn’t need the Valentine “benefits”, either social or financial.
Settling back against the plush office chair, he studied his twin. They had always been different, but in the years since they’d spent any real time together the differences had increased tenfold.
Daniel wasn’t sure he liked the changes.