The Mysterious Twin

Neither of them responded to her promises. Both of the children were staring at her with their original belligerent frowns, and she knew that she had lost the first round by default.

“The nursery is this way,” Kyle said, leading the way down the hall. Pamela and Benny didn’t follow but remained in the sitting room. “I hope you’ll be very comfortable here,” he said as they reached the nursery, with a connecting bedroom and bath. “We want to make certain that you have a very pleasant and entertaining summer.”

Something in his tone didn’t quite match the look he was giving her. She’d seen the way he’d managed the children, and she wondered if somehow he was manipulating her in the same fashion. Right then and there, she decided that she’d warn Jill about him. Ashley’s intuitive sense had always stood her in good stead when dealing with people, and something about Kyle Stone did not ring true. There was a secret remoteness about him that wasn’t hidden by his pleasant smile or his accommodating manner.

He set the carrier down in the nursery. “I think your little fellow’s tired of traveling. I’ll send Mrs. Borsch, the housekeeper, up to see if there’s anything you need. She told me that she thought the nursery was pretty complete, but I’m sure you’ll want everything to your own liking.”

To my own liking?

“I’m sure everything will be fine,” Ashley said, seeing diapers, a bottle warmer and other baby paraphernalia ready and waiting. Thank heavens, someone had anticipated the demands of caring for a baby twenty-four hours a day. If she could just get through the next few hours, things would surely smooth out.

Kyle had seen her eyes narrow as he spoke, and he knew she’d picked up the edge of sarcasm in his tone. Even though her reputation as the rather spoiled wife of a notable sports figure had preceded her, he’d have to be more careful. He didn’t want to antagonize her. If Jill Gordon got her back up, she could cause a lot of trouble for everyone.

“Well, then, I guess I’ll leave you. Mrs. Borsch will answer any questions you have about settling in. I’ll take Pamela and Benny downstairs and keep them busy in the library until dinnertime. I’ll see you then.”

As he paused in the doorway and looked back at her, he was struck by the awkward way she was handling the crying baby. Instead of putting the infant over her shoulder and patting his bottom to soothe him, she held him so that he was lying on his back, kicking his feet and waving his arms.

He sighed inwardly. Some nanny. It’s a good thing Pamela and Benny are old enough to manage most things themselves.

As he herded Benny and Pamela downstairs, his thoughts centered on what he was going to tell Hugo when his boss called him that night.

Nobody played Hugo Vandenburg for a fool and got away with it. All that illegal betting money was supposed to come home to him. All along, he’d used Budge to cover his behind-the-scenes involvement in the scam, but the basketball star had double-crossed him. Not only had Budge gotten away with Hugo’s money, but he had the information that could put the wealthy team owner behind bars. The missing Budge was a loaded cannon that could go off at any minute. Hugo needed to get to him before the law did, and the whole story came out.

Thanks to a letter that Budge had written to Jill before he disappeared, Hugo was using Jill as bait to get Hugo. In the letter, Budge had declared his love for his wife and promised not to leave the country without her. Budge had given the letter to one of his player friends to deliver to Jill, but the friend had betrayed him and given the letter to Hugo instead.

Hugo had offered the deserted Jill Gordon a nanny’s job in order to have her under surveillance. He’d put Kyle in charge of keeping close tabs on her. Kyle’s orders were to carefully monitor any contact that Budge might make with his wife so that any plans the couple made to leave the country together could be foiled.

But relating to Jill Gordon was going to be a harder job than Kyle had thought. She was less than competent caring for her own baby and having her handling two more children was likely to result in a fiasco. Unfortunately, there was too much at stake to let her sink or swim on her own. Hugo had really hoodwinked her into thinking that he considered her another one of Budge’s victims and wanted to make it up to her out of the goodness of his heart.

Chapter Two

After she’d diapered Davie and heated the last bottle of formula, Ashley collapsed in a rocking chair with the baby in her arms. Fighting his little fists away from his mouth so she could stick in the bottle, she soothed him and breathed a sigh of relief when he finally recognized the rubber nipple. At first he almost choked on the flow of the warm liquid, but after a moment, he settled into a quiet nursing rhythm.

As she sat there in the quiet room, the silence broken only by Davie’s contented slurping, some of the stiffness went out of her body. She leaned her head back against the chair. I can do this. It’s only for a few days. Jill had always been able to take life at a gallop. She’d probably thrive on all the commotion and excitement of living in a grand southern mansion.

The baby was almost finished with his bottle when Ashley realized someone was standing in the doorway watching her.

“May I come in?” the woman asked briskly.

Ashley nodded. “Please, do.”

“Mr. Stone told me you had arrived, Mrs. Gordon. I’m Ina Borsch, the housekeeper.” Her unsmiling eyes flickered over Ashley and the baby.

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Borsch,” Ashley said politely to the large-boned woman, obviously stiffly corseted under a plain navy blue dress. She recognized her voice; this was the woman who had answered the telephone.

“I trust you have found everything to your satisfaction. Mr. Vandenburg left instructions that you were to be made comfortable. I have done my best to carry out his orders.”

“Thank you for your concern, Mrs. Borsch,” Ashley responded in the same formal tone. The woman’s manner indicated that she didn’t share the same concern about Ashley’s comfort. It was hard to judge the housekeeper’s age—fiftyish, Ashley guessed. Her broad face held an expression of disapproval that reminded Ashley of a general looking over new recruits and finding them wanting. One thing was clear. Ina Borsch expected everyone to acknowledge her position and authority as housekeeper and behave accordingly.

It wasn’t Ashley’s nature to knuckle under anyone, but the whole situation had put her off-balance. At the moment, she had little choice but to play the role that Jill had forced on her.

Mrs. Borsch glanced around the nursery. “I think you’ll find all the supplies you need. Even though it’s been some time since we had a baby in the house, I made sure that all the necessities are here.”

“Yes, I found the diapers and bottle warmer.” Ashley told her, hoping she sounded more motherly than she felt. “I’ll be needing to sterilize some bottles for Davie and make some more formula for his next feeding.”

“Lily will see to those needs,” the housekeeper said with a dismissing wave of her large hand.

“Lily?”

“One of the housemaids. Mr. Vandenburg has left instructions that Lily is to be assigned to the nursery while you are here.”

Once again, Ashley could tell from the woman’s tone that this decision wasn’t hers. Obviously the welcome mat wasn’t out for Jill Gordon as far as Ina Borsch was concerned. Was it a personal prejudice, or was there something deeper at the root of her simmering hostility? Ashley decided to play the innocent and see what she could find out about the household from this martinet housekeeper.

“Mr. Vandenburg is such a nice man,” Ashley said in her sister’s bubbly tone. “He’s always been so good to Budge and me. I just know I’m going to love being here. Benny and Pamela are such darlings. And that nice Mr. Stone, meeting me the way he did and all. Is he related to Hugo, too?” Her chatter sounded so false in her own ears that Ashley was secretly embarrassed by it.

“No, Kyle Stone is an employee like the rest of us. Mr. Vandenburg leaves him in charge when he’s away on business.” Then her heavy chin lifted. “The house and staff are my responsibility, and I handle them as I see fit.”

“It can’t be easy,” Ashley said, sinking so low as to try and soften her up by the use of flattery. “You must have an awfully big staff to run this house.”

“Only when Mr. Vandenburg is in residence, then the staff is doubled. When he’s away, there are two maids, a cook, my husband, Joseph, and Mr. Stone…and now you,” she added. Once again, her disapproval was obvious. “This is the first time the grandchildren have required a nanny. Usually they travel in the summer with their parents.”

Ashley remembered Pamela’s remark that it was their grandfather’s fault that they were spending the summer here. “Then the children are not used to a nanny?”

“Not at their grandfather’s house. You’re the first.” And her tone inferred that she hoped she would be the last.

“Have you been here a long time, Mrs. Borsch?” Ashley prodded. She wanted to relay all the information she could to Jill, so her twin wouldn’t have to start from square one learning about the staff.

Surprisingly enough, Ina Borsch seemed willing to talk about herself. “Up until five years ago we were in Mr. Vandenburg’s Atlanta household. When his wife died, he bought this place. My husband enjoys the island more than I do,” she said flatly. “Joseph is the groundskeeper and helps me in the house when there are extra duties. He’ll be bringing up your luggage. And as soon as Lily finishes her chores in the kitchen, she can tend to your needs.” Her tone made it clear that a nanny’s presence in the house caused everyone more work. “You will be responsible for making your own bed daily and for keeping your room and the nursery in presentable order. Once a week, one of the maids will clean.”

Ashley nodded. Keeping the nursery, bedroom and bath in presentable condition wouldn’t be any hardship. She wasn’t used to hired help, but she didn’t know about Jill. Housekeeping wasn’t one of her twin’s strong suits.

Apparently, Mrs. Borsch had decided that she’d wasted enough time in chitchat. She took a sheet of folded paper from her pocket and placed it on a small table near the rocking chair where Ashley was rocking the baby. “Mr. Vandenburg left this for you. It’s a daily schedule for the children. You are to spend from nine until twelve every morning in the library with them, supervising organized activities such as reading, art and music. They have all the materials they need, and he assumed that you would be able to manage such educational supervision.”

“I believe I can handle it,” Ashley said, smothering a smile. She was quite practiced in lecturing a theater of college students on those subjects. She was certain she could manage the studies of an eight- and a ten-year-old.

“Mr. Vandenburg has requested that you spend two to three hours in the afternoon on outside activities. These could include swimming, hiking, outdoor games, beach walking and any other activities that seem appropriate.”

Ashley nodded. The schedule seemed deceptively easy, and mingled with a sense of relief was a suspicion that the formidable housekeeper was holding something back.

“During your morning and afternoon activities, Lily will tend the baby and also, during the lunch and dinner hours. You will eat in the small dining room with Mr. Stone when he’s present, and alone when he’s away from the house.”

“And the evenings?”

“The children will amuse themselves with television, games or other chosen activities. Lily will make certain that lights are out by eight-thirty. Are there any questions?”

Mrs. Borsch’s authoritative manner did not invite any discussion, and Ashley wondered how soon it would be before the two children rebelled against such a regimented routine. If Pamela and Benny had never stayed here without their parents, she doubted that this rigid daily structure was one they were used to.

“The schedule seems workable,” Ashley lied.

Mrs. Borsch surveyed the contented baby in Ashley’s arms, and for a moment Ashley thought she might say something soft and gentle, but instead she frowned. “I hope you can keep him quiet during the night. None of us want to lose our sleep listening to a crying baby.”

“I’ll do my best, but he’s had a touch of colic that makes him fretful at night.”

Without commenting, the housekeeper turned toward the door, and Ashley watched her broad straight back disappear into the hall. No welcome mat, for sure, on Mrs. Borsch’s part. Maybe Jill would be able to thaw the housekeeper out, Ashley thought, feeling as if she’d just flunked some kind of test.

Ashley had the baby over her shoulder, burping him when a tall, angular, gray-haired man appeared in the doorway of the nursery.

“Where do you want the bags?” His weathered face, shadowed eyes and lean cheeks lacked any hint of a smile. If anything, Joseph Borsch was more reticent than his wife.

“In the bedroom, please.” She could sort out the baby’s things later and put them away in the chest of drawers under the diapering table. “Thank you.”

He just nodded, left the luggage and then disappeared without any indication that she was any more than a chore to be finished with as soon as possible.

Carefully getting to her feet, Ashley put the sleeping baby down in the crib that had been made up with pretty bedding. Davie looked perfectly happy and contented in his new surroundings, which was more than she could say for herself. She’d never felt more out of place in her life.

When she went into the adjoining bedroom to unpack, Jill’s leather luggage looked totally unfamiliar sitting in the middle of a beautiful Asian rug. Just as the purse she’d been carrying with all of Jill’s identification felt foreign to her, Ashley had trouble identifying with the matching suitcases and cosmetic bag bearing her sister’s name.

As she hung up Jill’s wardrobe, the charade she was playing suddenly hit home. The whole idea of trying to live her sister’s life for her, even for a few days, demanded a kind of deceit that went against every grain in her body. She had always prided herself on her integrity, and something about the house and the people in it warned her that they would not take any hint of deceit lightly. She shivered as a bone-deep chill went through her.

“I could have hung those clothes up for you.”

Ashley swung around, startled to see a young woman standing only a couple of feet behind her, watching.

“Sorry if I frightened you, Mrs. Gordon. I’m Lily, ma’am.” She gave Ashley a wide, broad smile that crinkled the corners of her brown eyes. Carrot-red hair lay in a thick braid around Lily’s full face, and a scattering of freckles marched across her nose. Her white blouse and blue skirt were rather rumpled, and she nervously smoothed the folds over her ample hips. Ashley doubted if she was more than eighteen or nineteen. Her open friendliness was a surprise.

“Nice to meet you, Lily. I’m Jill.” Using her sister’s name didn’t come easily, but Ashley knew that she’d have to get used to answering to it during the next few days. “I have a feeling you’re going to be a godsend.”

“Hope so, ma’am.” Lily’s tentative smile broadened as she reached for the hanger that Ashley had in her hands, and deftly hung it beside the other clothes. As Lily’s eyes passed over the riot of colors and fancy fabrics, she murmured appreciatively, “You sure have pretty clothes.”

Ashley smothered a smile. A good sign. Jill and Lily would get along fine. Suddenly, she felt much better about the whole situation.

Ashley asked Lily about sterilizing the baby’s bottles and making more formula, and she was relieved at the easy but efficient way Lily worked to do everything Ashley asked her. They put the baby’s things away, and when Davie woke up, Lily cooed over him and deftly began to change his diaper.

Watching out of the corner of her eye, Jill was relieved to see how confidently Lily handled the infant. Not only did she seem perfectly at ease, but she seemed to enjoy herself as she chattered to Davie, telling him what a fine fellow he was, and trying to coax a smile.

“You’re very good with him, Lily,” Ashley said, wondering if she had babies of her own even though there was no sign of a wedding ring.

“My mother had eight children and I’m the oldest. There are four still at home.” Then she added, “We moved to the island a year ago from the mainland. My Da is a fisherman, and he thought he could bring in a better catch living here.” She sighed. “I sure need to keep this job.”

“I’m sure you will. A big place like this must need lots of help.”

She frowned. “There aren’t many people around for such a big place. Most of the house is shut off. It’s a funny thing, though. Even when there are people in the guest cottage, it’s off-limits to the house staff. I guess they bring their own help. Right now only Mr. Stone is living there, but none of us are allowed to go there to clean or anything.” She looked puzzled. “Sometimes I hear people coming and going in the night. Once I asked Mr. Stone about it, and he just laughed and told me not to worry my pretty head about it.” A hint of color rose in her cheeks. “He teases me sometimes, and Mrs. Borsch gets mad when he pays me any attention. I think he’s a really nice guy, don’t you?”

“He seems pleasant enough,” Ashley conceded, but she wasn’t about to give him a rave review. She had the feeling he was adept at manipulating everyone, including Lily. Having her meals with Kyle Stone could turn out to be a tense affair. She’d have to watch everything she said.

ASHLEY WENT DOWNSTAIRS a few minutes before eight o’clock, following the directions that Lily had given her. “Go down the main hall, past the solarium, and turn right. There’s a small family dining room that overlooks the back garden and stone patio. A lovely spot, it is,” Lily assured. “The large dining room isn’t used unless Mr. Vandenburg is here with guests.”

She had changed her mind several times about what to wear; had been tempted to wear slacks and a summer top, but she didn’t want to embarrass herself if dressing up for dinner was expected. There was no doubt in Ashley’s mind that her sister would delight in wearing some of her nice dresses in the evening, so she’d chosen a bright red sheath with a short, tight skirt and spaghetti straps—the simplest and most colorful of all her sister’s dresses.

Even though dangling earrings were anathema to Ashley, Jill wore jewelry with everything, so she had put on a silver pair that swung easily with the turn of her head. In some ways she felt as if she were dressed for a costume party, but the excitement churning her stomach was not from joy.

Maybe Kyle Stone won’t be here for dinner. Maybe I’ll have a nice quiet dinner by myself, and I won’t have to face his inquisitive eyes.

Hope was born as she reached the small dining room, and paused for a moment in the doorway. The room was beautifully furnished in ivory and burgundy. A crystal chandelier with loops of roped glass glittered over a round table, and gold-tinted ivory chairs with burgundy velvet seats flanked the table. A mirrored buffet facing the door reflected an unfamiliar Ashley, standing there with apprehension in her rounded eyes.

When the slender man wearing a white coat and dark trousers turned around from a small bar at the end of the room, she knew her hopes were only wishful thinking.

“Good evening, Mrs. Gordon. You look lovely tonight.”

Chapter Three

Kyle had been betting with himself that Jill Gordon would show up for dinner in some sexy outfit, but he wasn’t prepared for the sudden start he experienced when he saw her in the doorway. Her honey-blond hair was swept up in a casual twist, and silver earrings glittering like moving stars framed her lovely face. As she came toward him, the soft material of her red dress rippled over long silk stockings and clung to her waist and breasts.

“Lovely,” he repeated, and tightened the hold on his glass as he greeted her. She was one sexy female.

“Thank you. I wasn’t certain whether or not I should dress for dinner, but I see that I made the right choice,” she said as she let her eyes travel over his jacket, pleated white shirt and gold cuff links. Dark eyebrows accented his dark brown eyes and a generous mouth was nicely framed with a dimpled chin and firm cheeks. He was what Jill would have called “drop-dead handsome.”

“I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make this an occasion,” he answered smoothly. “Your first night here should be treated as something special. Putting our best foot forward, so to speak.”

“Do you do that for all the new help?”

He mentally stiffened. There was a depth to her eyes that was disconcerting. The usual bland flattery wasn’t working the way he expected. Above everything else, he didn’t want to alert her to the fact that her presence here was anything beyond her duties as a nanny.

“Hugo gave instructions to make you welcome,” he said smoothly. “May I offer you a drink? I don’t want to brag but my skills as a bartender are equal to any challenge.”

For some perverse reason, Ashley remembered a popular drink the college students had touted for a while. Before she had time to think about it, she said, “How about Sex on the Beach?”

He was tempted to ask if that was an offer, but he restrained himself. This was the good-time, party girl that he’d been expecting. In a way, he was relieved. Keeping Jill Gordon happy might be easier than he thought.

He set down his Scotch and soda. “Sex on the Beach coming up. I’ll make you the best one you ever had.”

That won’t be hard, since I’ve never had one, thought Ashley, already put-out with herself for not asking for her usual daiquiri. Now she had one more thing she’d have to warn her twin about when they switched places. Asking Jill what she was drinking nowadays had never occurred to her. It would be just like Jill to say, “I never drink anything but martinis.”

“Here you go.” Kyle handed her a bubbling pink drink, and waited for her to take a sip.

“Mmmm,” Ashley murmured, hoping she was making the right response. The drink had a pleasant punch flavor, but she worried about how much of a kick was hidden in its sweetness.

He picked up the small pitcher that contained the remainder of her drink, and set it on the dining table where two places had been set facing each other. “Gerta will be serving in a few minutes. She knows I like to enjoy a drink before dinner. Please sit down, Jill. May I call you, Jill?” he asked as he guided in her chair.

“Yes, of course,” she said, trying to quell a nervous tightening in her stomach. How in the world could she avoid the dangerous pitfalls inherent in any idle dinner conversation when the truth must be laced with lies?

“First names seem better all around even though Hugo frowns on too much familiarity amongst the staff,” he said. “We all toe the mark when he’s around, but you know the old adage—when the cat’s away.” He took the chair opposite her. “I’m delighted to have such a vivacious dinner partner. Since we’ll be seeing a lot of each other, we might as well get better acquainted.”

Ashley tried to keep a pleasant smile on her face as she fought off a rising sense of panic. Now what? He obviously expected some entertaining table conversation. What if he started asking her questions whose answers he already knew?

Deciding offense was her own defense, she asked, “Where’d you learn to tend bar?”

Kyle set down his drink slowly. The question took him by surprise because he’d expected the conversation to totally revolve around Jill Gordon. From what he’d heard, this gal pretty much commanded the center of attention wherever she went. “A pretty dull story,” he parried. “Not the kind to interest a pretty lady.”

“Try me,” she challenged, steadily meeting his eyes over the rim of her glass.

“All right.” He leaned back in the chair. “My father had a small tavern in a New York Irish ghetto, where I grew up. We lived in a flat above the bar, and I guess I was more at home working with my pa than upstairs with my five sisters and my mother. What about you? Where’d you learn to appreciate Sex on the Beach—the drink, I mean?” he added with a flirtatious grin.