Page 68 of Close Up

“I may not have been dangerous before,” Lyra said, “but I am now. I am a changed woman. I’m going to follow in your footsteps, Vivian. From now on I am a free spirit. I will never again be bound by the boring conventions of society. I shall never marry.”

“It’s probably best to never say never,” Vivian cautioned. “Regardless, I am very glad you discovered the truth about Hamilton in time to call off the wedding.”

“Consider it a stroke of luck,” Nick offered.

Lyra studied him, deep interest sparking in her eyes. “You sound like you’ve been through a divorce, Mr. Sundridge.”

“Annulment.” Nick tossed a small sandwich to Rex, who caught it neatly in midair.

Shock flickered in Lyra’s eyes. She recovered quickly. “I see.”

The phone rang inside the villa.

Nick grabbed another sandwich and stood. “I’ll get it. That will probably be Luther Pell.”

He disappeared inside the villa.

Lyra turned back to Vivian, eyes wide.

“An annulment?” she whispered. “Dare I ask about the grounds?”

“It’s not my story to tell.”

“I see,” Lyra said. She nodded in a commiserating way. “You must have felt sorry for him. That is very kind of you, but pretending to be married to him is probably not the best way to cure Mr. Sundridge. Impotence is a serious affliction for a man. He ought to see a doctor.”

“Hold on, I think you misunderstand—”

“Mother has assured me a woman can always fake things in bed if necessary. But a man, well, a man must perform or be labeledincapacitatedor something. You are a very capable woman, Viv, but you don’t have any medical training. Mr. Sundridge should seek help from a physician.”

“For pity’s sake, Lyra, you have got this all wrong. Mr. Sundridge is not impotent—”

She broke off because she realized Lyra was looking past her.

“Don’t let me interrupt,” Nick said. “The conversation just keeps getting more interesting by the minute.”

Vivian pulled herself together. “Was that Mr. Pell on the phone?”

“Yes,” Nick said. Satisfaction heated his eyes. “He said the Broker called to inform him the buyer who is eager to acquire the journal has agreed to Pell’s price.”

“No negotiation?” Vivian asked.

“None.”

Lyra glanced from Nick to Vivian. “What are you two talking about?”

“I’ll explain in a minute,” Vivian said. She looked at Nick.

“The buyer must want that journal very badly,” she said.

“Evidently, but he’s not going to get it tonight,” Nick said. “Luther and I agree that we need to drag things out a bit to make sure the buyer is hungry enough to meet us on territory we control.”

Lyra was following the conversation very intently but she did not interrupt again.

“Is Mr. Pell coming here to help put this strategy together?” Vivian asked.

Nick shook his head. “No. If the buyer is watching, and we must assume that he is, another visit to the hotel by Pell might make him skittish.”

“What do we do now?” Vivian asked. “Sit around and wait?”

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