Early to Bed

by Cara Summers

  "I'm not wearing it anymore." Then she burst into laughter as he scooped her up, carried her into the bedroom and fell with her onto the bed.

  The living room of the suite was once more filled with Romanos. And they were eating again. Lily shook her head in amazement at the trays that Gina and Lucy were passing. As usual everyone was talking at once. Frustration and fear were fueling tempers. Drew had gotten a positive ID on the man who'd shot at them and nearly run them down, but so far, he hadn't been picked up. Sam had struck pay dirt with a contact at the mayor's office who had a seat on the city planning commission. There were rumors that a new luxury hotel and conference center in the theater district was about to be placed on their meeting agenda. So there was a lot riding on McNeil Enterprises getting hold of Henry's Place. They still had nothing concrete, but Giles Fortescue had risen to the top of the suspect list. The question fueling the current debate was how to trap him.

  The Romanos were shouting ideas at one another. Nick and Sam were hunched over Sam's laptop, Drew was pacing, and Tony sat on one of the love seats listening to and discarding ideas.

  The only other person in the room not yelling out her opinion was Tyler Sheridan who was sitting on the couch next to Lily. Even A.J. was pounding her fist on the table to argue about something Nick had said.

  "It's the Mediterranean temperament," Tyler said, leaning close and pitching her voice so that Lily could hear her. "They'll run out of steam sooner or later, and then's a good time to pitch your own idea."

  She would if she had one. She glanced at the kitchen area where Alistair was lounging against the counter sipping coffee. Dame Vera sat next to him on a stool, waving her silver cigarette holder to emphasize something she was saying. They were dressed in their Thin-Man costumes, and they were the embodiment of all the late-night TV mysteries she'd ever seen.

  It was then that the germ of an idea struck her. And by the time the chaotic discussion in front of her had mellowed somewhat, she was ready to share it.

  _____10_____

  Tony didnt like the plan Lily had come up with the day before one bit. But he'd been outvoted. Gripping the iron railing that bordered the patio garden, he stared out at the city. Nerves had tied oily knots in his stomach. The men had been banished to the patio by the Romano women so that if they got into a fight, they wouldn't ruin the setting for the little play that they were about to enact.

  Drawing in a deep breath, he looked out at the rows and rows of buildings—spires of steel and concrete, reaching for the sky. Usually, the city calmed him in a way that he imagined a sailor was soothed when he looked out over the sea.

  But not tonight, not while he was replaying the little charade Lily had cooked up to trap whoever was behind the shootings. She'd called it a fitting April Fools' joke. He didn't think it was funny.

  It didn't matter how good her idea was or how much sense it made. The bottom line was that she'd come up with a plan that might trap the one man she'd spent her whole life trying to please—her father. He didn't think J. R. McNeil was behind the attempts on his life and Lily's. His favorite candidate was Giles Fortescue. Still, he wasn't sure. And he didn't like that Lily had been put in this very awkward position. But like it or not, in the end, his family had used logic to argue away every objection he made. Logic was something he'd always prided himself on, but he couldn't seem to summon any up where Lily was concerned.

  So they were throwing an impromptu engagement party.

  Giles Fortescue along with J.R., Pamela, and Jerry McNeil, had been invited to the penthouse suite at Henry's Place to celebrate Lily and Tony's engagement. Not that the engagement had been Lily's idea. No, that little detail had been added by his family as they discussed, debated and fought over the trap that they were going to set.

  "Make it an engagement party," Nick had said. "If you're going to set a trap, make sure it has teeth."

  One by one, everyone had agreed. But Lily had not looked happy about it. That only added a twist to the knot in his stomach,

  "An engagement announcement is bound to push somebody's buttons," A.J. had said.

  That was the comment that had stuck in Tony's mind. Whoever's buttons they pushed might decide to take action against Lily.

  If he could have been objective about it—the way his brothers and cousins could—Tony would have described the plan that Lily had come up with as brilliant. But he'd lost all objectivity where Lily was concerned. If she'd broached her idea to him privately, he would have nipped it in the bud. But she'd sprung it in front of his family, and after that it had taken on a life of its own.

  Even Drew had been enough in favor of the plan to get a judge to sign off the recording devices they were going to use, and Sam had wired the entire suite. Tony

  glanced at his watch. In less than thirty minutes, Giles Fortescue, J.R., Pamela, and Jerry McNeil would arrive for cocktails. The curtain would go up.

  He turned just as Nick joined him at the railing.

  "This is the quickest way to catch the bastard," Nick said.

  Drew was pacing, talking into his cell phone. Sam was focused on his laptop, Alistair was looking over his shoulder. They were working, but the answers weren't coming quickly enough.

  Tony sighed. "I know. It's only on TV and in the movies that the police and P.I.s solve cases in sixty minutes. But what if Lily's little charade doesn't work?"

  Nick nodded toward Sam and Drew. "Then we'll let the cop and the P.I. solve it, and you can lock Lily up for however long it takes."

  "Shit," Drew said into his cell phone.

  "Dammit," Sam said in disgust, shaking his head at his laptop.

  "The happy sounds of progress," Nick said, patting Tony on the back. Then he added, "Too bad we're too dressed up to play a little hoop. That would take the edge off."

  "I could beat you even wearing a monkey suit," Sam said, closing his laptop.

  Nick laughed. "Not a chance. I know your tricks."

  Drew pocketed his cell phone and looked at his cousin. "Care to put your money where your mouth is?"

  "Absolutely not," Alistair said. It had boon at his insistence that the Romano men all wore tuxedo. "Do you want to meet with Fortescue and the McNells looking like a bunch of hooligans? The whole purpose behind the tuxedos is to intimidate your guests. Do you want to lose your edge?"

  "He's right," Tony said. "We have to hold it together until this whole thing is over." That was what he'd been telling himself all day.

  "What you're all experiencing is stage fright," Alistair said. "A little deep breathing will alleviate the problem, and there will be no wear and tear on the costumes. Balanchine created this routine for the American Ballet Company. Now just bend over at the waist and let your arms flop." Alistair demonstrated. "Shake out your wrists."

  There was a definite plea in the glances Tony's family shot him. Drew, the closest one to Tony, muttered under his breath. "Ballet? I agreed to the monkey suit, but—"

  Tony bit back a grin and said, "We'll behave, Alistair. But what would settle my nerves even more than deep-breathing exercises would be to run over the plan one more time."

  His brothers were more than happy to oblige him.

  "I'M always nervous before a performance," Dame Vera said.

  Lily stared into the full-length mirror as the older woman dabbed color onto her cheeks. The other women had exited the room only a few minutes before, claiming that they had to get into their costumes. Lucy, Dame Vera and Alistair were in charge of serving food and drinks. Gina and Grace were assigned to the kitchen. The rest were supposed to mingle with the

  guests—just as she was supposed to do until it was time to give the performance of her life.

  "Now just remember, let all your muscles go lax and sink to the floor—just like we rehearsed," Vera said. "Watch," Stabbing a hand into her stomach, Vera groaned, then crumpled onto the floor. After a moment, she opened one eye. "I did this for two hundred and sixty straight performances of Romeo and Juliet at the Old Vic." />
  "That's the point. You've had practice. This will be my debut performance," Lily said.

  "You know what they say. Dying's easy. Comedy's hard. You'll be fine." Dame Vera got to her feet. Lily had to admire the flexibility the older woman had. In the trim black pants and white jacket that she was wearing to tend bar, Dame Vera looked younger than she had when Lily had first met her in the lobby of the hotel. That day she'd reminded Lily of a witch, a tired one. But tonight, there was...something in her eyes. Of course, Vera had tied her long white hair into a neat bun, and that made a difference. But it was more than that. She looked less remote, more...

  "The costume should help, too," Vera said, backing off so that she could study it. "Gina outdid herself."

  Lily couldn't have agreed more. The dress was a deep royal blue that fell from thin straps on her shoulders to just above her knees. A Gina original would give any woman's confidence a boost.

  And Lily needed it the next moment when Tony walked into the room. For a space of time she couldn't say a word. All she could do was stare at the image next to hers in the full-length mirror. He was a handsome man, charming, but in a tuxedo, he looked ruthless and invincible.

  "Bond," he said finally, breaking the spell. "James Bond."

  She smiled then and turned to face him. "I've always wanted to be a Bond girl."

  "Well," Dame Vera said as she looked from one to the other and backed toward the door, "I'll just leave you two alone for a minute. But don't take too long. Curtain is in ten minutes."

  For a moment after the door to the bedroom shut, neither of them said anything. Nerves. She could see them in his eyes, hear them hum above the silence stretching between them.

  "It's going to be all right," she said, taking a quick step towards him. "Your family has thought of everything, I think."

  "Except for this." He reached into his pocket. "An engagement needs a ring."

  She was afraid to look at it, so she stalled until he'd taken her hand and slipped it on her finger. Then he lifted her hand and kissed it. "It was my mother's. And it fits you just right. I'm going to take that as a good-luck omen, Goldilocks."

  She did look at it then—a diamond flanked by two emeralds. Her chest constricted. The engagement wasn't real, she reminded herself. It couldn't be real.

  There was a knock on the door and Dame Vera poked her head in. "Alistair says five minutes to curtain. We have to take our places."

  Tony kept his eyes on Lily's. "When this is over—"

  "Sorry," Nick said as he joined Dame Vera in the doorway. "Drew has something he wants you to see."

  With a sigh, Tony released Lily's hand and exited with his brother. Dame Vera hurried forward and took Lily's hand. "Perfect."

  But it wasn't perfect, Lily thought. The diamond ring made her hope for something that couldn't be.

  "It isn't the little charade we're staging that has you so worried, is it?" Vera asked.

  Lily had to smile. "Have you always had this talent for reading minds?"

  Dame Vera laughed. "I'm an actress. I've had to learn over the years to observe people very closely, to guess what they're thinking, what makes them tick. But I wouldn't need any special talent or even my crystal to see that you've fallen in love with Tony."

  Lily sighed. "It's that obvious?"

  Laughing again, Vera slipped an arm around her waist. "I'm psychic, remember?"

  "I wish I knew what to do," Lily said.

  "Deception clouds your thinking—especially self-deception. You just have to clarify what you want and go after it. That's what I'm doing with Alistair. I never married, never moved in with a man, because I always wanted to be independent. Thanks to the sabotaged plumbing, I've decided that I rather like living with Alistair. And I intend to take him up on the many offers of marriage he's made me over the past twenty years. Only," she paused to laugh again, "he doesn't know that yet."

  Lily couldn't prevent a smile. "When will you let him know?"

  "I'm going to break it to him gently. I'm sure it will come as a shock, and he's not as young as he used to be." She paused to take Lily's hand and study the ring. "And he never put an engagement ring on my finger."

  "It's a fake. I mean, the engagement's a sham—it's just part of the whole charade we're playing tonight." Just looking at the diamond and emeralds, had her stomach clenching. "I wish you could look into your crystal ball and tell me that Tony is going to be safe."

  Dame Vera squeezed Lily's hand. "I wish I could, too. But the danger isn't over yet. That's why we're en- acting this scene tonight."

  "I'm just not as sure as Tony is that the villain is Giles."

  Dame Vera's pencil-thin brows shot up. "Why not?"

  "Because when I cast Giles as the man behind everything—I can't make all the puzzle pieces fit together."

  "Which ones don't fit?" Vera asked.

  "Your prediction about the Ides of March for one. You said the coming disaster was connected to the Ides of March." As she stood there trying to put the thoughts tumbling around in her head into words, Lily pictured the scene vividly in her mind. When Dame Vera had first said the words, lightning had flashed and thunder had rattled the glass doors of the hotel. "For a long time, I thought that I was going to trigger some disaster because my birthday is the fifteenth of March and I was lying about why I'd really come to Henry's Place. Today we learned that my father was once engaged to Isabelle Sheridan and they were supposed to be married on the fifteenth of March. If Tony's father was involved in the breakup, then my father could be out for revenge. But surely, he wouldn't want to kill me."

  Vera took Lily's hands in hers. "This is very difficult for you."

  "Tony's sure that Giles is behind everything. But he doesn't have any connection to the Ides of March."

  "Not that we know of."

  "True." Lily let out a breath on a sigh. Even as she did, something flickered at the edges of her mind, then faded away.

  Dame Vera slipped her arm around Lily's waist and stood with her facing the mirror. "Well, we'll know the truth soon enough. In the Thin Man movies Myrna Loy and William Powell were always most confused just before they solved the mystery. And that's what's going to happen tonight."

  "I hope you're right."

  "The great thing about acting is that when you throw yourself into the role and step out on that stage, you just have to concentrate on playing the part. The world and its worries just fade away. A play is much simpler than real life."

  Lily couldn't have agreed more.

  Tony glanced around the penthouse suite. Thanks to Alistair and Dame Vera, the set was perfect. Candlelight flickered, silver champagne buckets gleamed, and string quartet music drifted out of speakers. Drew was in the living room. He was wired so that he could keep in contact with the men monitoring the electronic surveillance equipment that Sam had installed. Sam and Nick were still on the patio with their wives. They would stay there until the guests started to arrive. Dame Vera was at her station behind the bar ready to take drink orders. Gina, Grace and Lucy were in the kitchen seeing to the hors d'ouevres. The only person missing was Lily.

  Just as he was about to move across the room and knock on the bedroom door, it opened and she stepped into the room. Even though he'd already seen her for that brief moment in the bedroom, Tony felt his mind go blank. He'd thought her beautiful whenever the light struck her in a certain way, but right now she was stunning.

  "She looks like a Hitchcock heroine," Alistair said in a low tone. "Grace Kelly in Dial M for Murder."

  As long as it wasn't Janet Leigh in Psycho, Tony thought.

  The doorbell rang and he pushed the thought out of his mind. He needed a clear head to play his part.

  Giles was the first arrival, and Alistair greeted him at the door. Fortescue had brought a rose and a box of chocolates. Smiling, Lily moved to take both out of his hands. In spite of the fact that Lily had promised Giles was as predictable as snow in December, Tony breathed a sigh of relief. They could have st
aged the scene without the chocolates, but it would have been trickier. He hoped the candy was an omen that the rest of the evening would run smoothly.

  "You're breathtaking in that dress," Giles said.

  Smiling, Lily decided to follow Dame Vera's advice and throw herself into the role. "I'm glad you came. I was hoping that you would forgive me for yesterday. I was upset."

  His eyebrows shot up. "Indeed, you were. I thought for a minute you were going to upend the contents of that vase on my head. The Lily I remember was shy and very mild-mannered."

  A smile tugged at her lips. "I've changed."

  He let his gaze roam over her. "Indeed you have."

  "Let's drink to that." Lily led the way to the bar and waited while Dame Vera filled two flutes with champagne. She set down the rose and then opened the box of chocolates before placing it on the bar and reaching for her champagne.

  Giles took her hand and examined the ring. "I'd offer my congratulations, but I'm worried about you."

  "Why?"

  "Romano works fast. Hasn't it occurred to you that this whirlwind courtship might be connected to the fact that he feels you're his ticket to hanging on to his hotel?"

  Because she wasn't sure how to reply, she opted for saying nothing.

  Giles squeezed her hand again before he released it. "I have a solution to your dilemma. Encourage your Mr. Romano to sell out to me, and you can be sure he's marrying you for yourself."

  Leave it to Giles to figure a way to play all the angles. Lily couldn't help but admire him for it. "Are you going to tell me why you're really so anxious to get hold of this place?"

  The look on his face was all innocence. "But I have." He touched his flute to hers. "Here's to your future happiness."

  The doorbell rang again just as Tony entered through the patio doors. When Giles turned toward him, she put a hand on his arm. "One question. What do you think of when I say the Ides of March?"

  She could have sworn that the puzzlement on his face was genuine.