A Groom for Maggie

“Margaret Weller,” the older woman repeated, “Margaret We—” There was an audible gasp. “Surely you’re not talking about the nanny!”

“The same.”

“That’s impossible.”

“I don’t think so.”

“She’s a servant!”

“That’s not exactly the way I think of things, Marlene. Kate couldn’t ask for a better stepmother.”

“But Kate…why, she needs family. There’s no substitute for blood, Alex. No one could be better for her than her own flesh and blood. Some outsider can’t give her that.”

He let a moment of silence linger after her outburst, then said mildly, “She has that. I’m her father, you remember.”

The derisive snort on the line was answer enough.

“And now she’s going to have a stepmother who loves her, too.” He waited a beat. “So I trust I won’t be hearing from you again about custody.”

“You do, do you? Well, think again. We don’t even know where that woman’s from, what her background is. She could be a criminal for all we know about her—”

Alex shifted his grip on the receiver. “My people screened her before I hired her. So drop it, Marlene. You know you don’t have a case, and I’d really rather not have to describe your schemes to my fiancée.”

“Isn’t that why you’re marrying her?” Marlene shot back. “To keep me from my grandchild?”

“Of course not,” he snapped, unable to quell a small tremor of guilt. “I’m marrying her because I want Kate to have a good family, a rational environment.”

“I see.” Marlene drew out the last word. “But you’re mistaken if you think this will help your case.”

“Your attempts to get custody don’t hold water,” he lied. “They never have. You have no grounds.”

“Have you forgotten that I lived with Sandra and Kate? I practically raised that child!”

Cold washed over Alex. “We both know that’s not true.”

“Oh, but it is.” Her voice echoed her daughter’s cruel sarcasm.

Alex swallowed. His lawyer had told him it was extremely unlikely she could win a custody battle, but recent headlines and news stories about custody hearings had made Alex nervous. Stranger things than a grandmother winning guardianship had happened. Besides, even his lawyer had acknowledged that Marlene’s having lived with Kate and Sandra had given her a tiny bit of leverage.

“I’ve got a call holding.” Alex’s mouth was dry. “I just wanted to let you know that I would be marrying again and that Kate will have a stepmother. One who will love her and take excellent care of her. I thought that would be important to you.”

“That girl is a foreigner, isn’t she?” Marlene snapped, as though Alex hadn’t spoken at all.

He let out a weary sigh. “She’s British.”

“How very convenient for her. Of course you know all she wants is to become an American. They all want to become Americans.”

He increased his grip on the phone. “I’m hanging up now. It was a pleasure talking with you, as always.”

His tone was unmistakably dismissive, but she still managed to add, “This isn’t over, Alex. Margaret Weller has got a few things to prove to me, I can tell you. I shall be calling the British Embassy and U.S. immigration authorities right away to have them look into the matter.”

He knew he shouldn’t ask but he couldn’t help it. “Matter?”

“The matter of this hasty wedding, of course.” Her voice was syrupy with malice. “I’d hate for Kate to be caught in the middle of an immigration scandal.”

Chapter Three (#ulink_db0a9738-1bea-53c9-a982-7c810fd823ba)

Maggie and Kate sat on Kate’s bed, playing with dolls when Alex came looking for them.

“You can’t keep me from going to that ball,” Kate squeaked in a high, false voice. She waved her doll in another doll’s face. “The prince wants me to go!”

Alex smiled at the already-small voice raised further in imitation of another, and leaned against the door frame to watch.

“I’ll lock you in the attic,” Maggie returned, in a cartoon-bad-guy voice that made Alex chuckle to himself. “And your little mouse friends, too.”

“No! No!” Kate bounced the doll away, pogo-stick fashion. “I won’t stay!”

“Aaargh!” Maggie’s doll fell on its face in the covers. “I can’t move! Hellllp!” She dropped the doll down, then looked up, smiling, and took another doll. “I’m here now,” the doll said with Maggie’s help. “Your fairy godmother will save you.”

“No, go away!”

Maggie looked surprised. “But I’m your fairy godmother. I’m good.”

Still talking in the doll’s voice, Kate said, “Good mothers aren’t any better than bad ones. They leave you. Go away!”

The doll in Maggie’s hand trembled ever so slightly. “But I won’t leave you.”

“Yes, you will! Mommies leave.” Kate hurled her doll against the one in Maggie’s hand and fell silent.

Maggie put the dolls aside gently and moved a bit closer to Kate. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

Kate didn’t meet her eyes. “It’s true. My mommy left. Now I don’t have a mother at all.”

Maggie looked choked up. With absolutely no idea how to help the situation, Alex cleared his throat and walked in. “What are you two doing?” he asked, as casually as he could.

Maggie looked at him, composure sweeping her features. “Well, I’m glad you’re here. Kate just asked me an important question. She wanted to know why her mommy had to leave her.” She focused her attention on Kate. “Your mommy didn’t want to leave you, darling, but she had to.”

“Because she died?” Kate asked.

Alex winced at her bluntness.

“Yes,” Maggie said, with what sounded like an effort. “The truth is that sometimes things happen that we don’t understand right away.”

Kate looked down and said in a horribly quiet voice. “I understand. She died because I was naughty.”

Maggie’s sharp intake of breath echoed Alex’s own feelings. “Why do you say that, Kate?” he asked her gently.

Kate looked up with tear-filled eyes. “I was too noisy. I played too loud. Grandma told me if I didn’t be quiet then Mommy was going to get sicker, and I tried to be as quiet as a mouse…”