Secrets by Jude Deveraux Page B

Doing this beats sitting in an office and answering telephones.”
    â€œSorry,” Dana said, ducking her head. “I’m complaining too much. Maybe I’m just jealous. I had an image of spending fascinating afternoons with the Great Althea, but instead, I’ve spent two days in her attic.”
    â€œShe’d rather be with Thomas,” Cassie said, looking down at her clipboard.
    â€œI don’t blame her. He’s a very handsome man.” Dana hesitated.
    â€œLike his son. Jeff will look just like him when he’s that age.”
    Cassie put her head closer to the clipboard.
    Dana sat down on a purple stool. “On Saturday when we met Althea she suggested that you…well, that you liked Jeff.”
    â€œHe’s a great guy,” Cassie said quickly. “Is there anything more in that box?” She was recording every item, then putting a number on the container. After they were done, it would be easy to see what Althea had and where it was.
    â€œLook,” Dana began, “I think you and I got off on the wrong foot.”
    â€œNo,” Cassie said. “I understand. You were taking care of Elsbeth and I took her away from you. If I were you, I wouldn’t like me either.”
    â€œDamn!” Dana said. “Why do you have to be so blasted nice ?”
    â€œI grew up with a mother who doesn’t know the meaning of the word. I figured I had to be the opposite of her to balance the world.”
    Dana dug into the bottom of a hatbox and pulled out a silk scarf. “This important?”
    Cassie’s eyes widened. “ Wednesday’s Child ,” she said. “Althea was about sixteen—give or take twenty years—and she murdered a little girl with that scarf.”
    Grimacing, Dana dropped it back into the box. “Do you have any idea why Jeff wants to marry Skylar?”
    Cassie looked up. “None whatever.”
    â€œMaybe she knows some fabulous tricks in bed,” Dana said as she lifted the lid of an old wooden crate. “She likes to tell a disgusting story about how she had a boyfriend in college that she went through the entire Kama Sutra with. Sometimes I have nightmares that she’s actually talking about Roger. I—” She broke off at a noise from Cassie.
    â€œSorry,” Cassie said. “Pen broke.”
    Dana looked at the ink on the page on the clipboard. It wasn’t just the tip of the roller ballpoint pen that had broken but the barrel.
    â€œI, uh, better wash my hands,” Cassie said and got up.
    It was on Wednesday, at about 10 A.M ., that everything changed. Althea sent Elsbeth up to the attic to ask that Dana come downstairs.
    â€œI wonder what I did to be so honored?” Dana asked sarcastically. Her enthusiasm for getting to know Althea had petered out on Tuesday afternoon when an old trunk lid had just missed slamming on her hand. She’d had to cancel three meetings at the Hamilton Hundred country club to be able to spend so much time at Althea’s house, but now all she wanted was to get out of the dusty attic.
    But Cassie was more than content. To her, every item was a piece of wonderment, something she remembered from her lonely childhood. Althea’s movies had been a close friend to her when she was growing up.
    Somehow, Althea had known exactly what was happening in the attic and who had done what. She lavished praise on Cassie, thanking her profusely. “You’re too good for Jefferson,” she’d said. “I don’t think he appreciates you.”
    Cassie smiled her thanks, but Dana stepped forward and said that she also thought Cassie was doing a great job. “Maybe we should talk about her salary and when she’s to start working for you officially.”
    Althea wasn’t about to be bullied by someone a third her age. “I think that’s a wonderful idea. Just as soon as Cassie quits her other job we can talk about terms. Now,