The doors to his quarters slid open. Richard entered the lounge. Donna quickly wiped her eyes, on the back of her hand. “Are they gone?”
Donna nodded. “Juanita said she would try to visit for my birthday and maybe Christmas. It depends on how her mother is doing.”
Richard sat next to her on the sofa. Donna snuggled next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. “We’ll go get her.”
“It also depends on whether or not Juanita has the funds.”
“Juanita will have the funds. We’ll either fly over and get her, or I’ll make arrangements for John and McGowan to go pick her up. Trust me. If you want Juanita here for your birthday, or any other day – for that fact - she will be here if her mother is well enough.”
“Why does everyone I love end up walking away from me?”
Richard rested his cheek on top of her head. “Not everyone, pet. You don’t ever have to worry about that happening with me. I will stand by you when no one else will.”
Donna smiled. “Where’s your dad?”
“Probably in his office – why?”
“He might like to know that his only son is getting married.”
Richard’s heart turned over. “When do you want to have the wedding?”
“As soon as possible.” Before I lose my nerve.
“I’ll tell you what. Why don’t we go and tell Dad, and go from there? Normally, the banns take three weeks, but I’m sure we can find a way around that since my father and grandmother are both close friends to the Bishop of Newcastle. We probably could have the wedding in a couple of weeks, if that’s not too soon?”
Donna sighed. “No, that’s fine. Like I said the sooner the better. How much longer are we going to be in your apartment at the castle?”
“Our apartment,” he stressed. “Why, you don’t like it there?”
“No, it’s not that. I was just thinking, with Jared gone, we could move into your quarters – our quarters – here in the complex, that way we could continue working.”
“What about our honeymoon?”
“We could go somewhere for the weekend, and go on a proper honeymoon later.”
Richard grinned. “I’ll make you a deal. Give me a week and I’ll agree.”
“As long as it’s not too far away, in case something happens to Alan.”
“I promise it won’t be. Now, the next thing to do is decide where to have the wedding. Dad and my mom were married at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Newcastle. Would that be OK for you?”
“I don’t want something big, Richard.”
“Well, I’ll try to keep Grandma reined in, but I’m sure she’s going to insist that it be on a grand scale. After all, I’m her only grandchild, and I think she’s been planning on this wedding ever since I flew over to get you.”
“So you’re admitting that was why you came to America? It had nothing to do with business. Did it?”
Richard smiled and studied her eyes. “I did need to check on my apartment complex there, but… my main reason was because of you.”
“Richard, you didn’t have anything to do with Jared leaving me, did you? Please, be honest with me.”
“No pet, I didn’t,” Richard responded and kissed her.
“But, you’re glad he’s gone.”
“Of course,” Richard answered without hesitation. “With Jared out of the way, the only person I have to worry about stealing you is Sam.”
“Richard, you don’t have to worry about Sam or Jared. I want to try and make this work.”
“We will make it work, pet.” Richard stood and took her hand. “Let’s go talk to Dad.” He led her to Sir Richard’s office and pushed the door panel. The door slid open.
“Hello, Ricky, Donna. Have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?”
“We’d like to talk to you about organising our wedding. Donna has agreed to marry me.”
“Is this because of the baby?”
Donna glanced at Richard. “Not entirely, Sir Richard, but obviously, that’s part of it.”
Sir Richard sighed and leaned forward in his chair. “Ricky, Donna, I commend you for wanting to do the right thing for your baby,” he smiled. “And, of course, I want him to be born a Triplet, but Donna, I want you to understand, if this is not what you want, I will love him just as much if he’s born a Rigden. I will acknowledge him as my grandson and will see that he’s suitably taken care of.”
Richard frowned. “Dad, whose side are you on?”
“Sir Richard,” Donna interjected. “I appreciate what you’re saying, but I love Richard, and I want to marry him. He’s not forcing me. If I hadn’t wanted to marry him, I wouldn’t have accepted his proposal.”
Richard smiled and squeezed her hand. “You already know how I feel about Donna.”
Sir Richard smiled and sighed. “Yes, I guess I do. OK, first off, where do you want to have the wedding?”
“We were thinking about St. Nicholas Cathedral. The place where you and Mum got married.”
“That takes care of the where, now the when? Bear in mind, the banns take about a month. Unless, of course, you’re bypassing that.”
“We don’t want to wait that long, Sir Richard.”
“We were shooting for some time next week. Donna doesn’t want a big wedding, so we’ll keep it small.”
“That’s what your Mum and I wanted before Grandma took over. You know what’s going to happen, Ricky. I’ll do what I can. Donna, pick out the dress you want, make a list of things we’ll need and who you want to be there. I’ll speak to the bishop and see when the cathedral is free.”
Donna sighed. “I can do that, Sir Richard.”
“I’d like to fly one of the choppers back to the castle.”
“Sure, that’s fine. So, Donna, what do you think about the complex?”
“It’s a little overwhelming.”
Sir Richard chuckled. “I suppose it could be. Did Ricky show you the genetics lab?”
“Yes he did. He let me see our son. Sir Richard, it was so special.”
“I linked Donna’s initial body scan through the HIC and had VICi use the information on the baby to create a holographic projection of what he’ll look like after he’s born and at several other growth stages. Would you like to see your grandson?”
Sir Richard smiled. “Yes, I would.”
------------
When Liu went back to his hotel room after having breakfast, he almost dropped the cup of green tea he was holding. Sitting in a chair, reading a copy of the Newcastle Journal and drinking a cup of coffee was Forrest. His face was still a bit pale, but the doctor’s treatment had worked. Liu’s eyes were wide with shock. Forrest looked up as Liu closed the door; a sadistic grin on his mouth. “Surprised to see me?”
Liu swallowed hard. “Pleased, would be a better description,” he said.
Forrest studied Liu’s eyes. “Really? I thought you wanted me dead. You really should be careful what you say around people in a coma, Mr. Liu.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Of course you don’t. Have you heard from our informant since you stopped by to see her?”
Liu furrowed his brow. “Sir?”
“Don’t play coy with me, Mr. Liu. Sit, before you fall down. I know you went to see Tina Phillips. Did she tell you anything useful?”
“Mr. Forrest, Tina Phillips is dead.”
“Then I’ll assume what she told you wasn’t useful. I didn’t trust her anyway. I think she’s been double-crossing us.”
“I didn’t kill her!”
Forrest arched an eyebrow. “She died of cerbera poisoning, didn’t she?”
“No, Sir. She died of an overdose of cocaine.”
“You’re changing your methods, then. Going for something more practical these days, Mr. Liu?”
“Mr. Forrest, I did not kill Tina.”
“OK, Mr. Liu, calm yourself. I trust you have a plan in place to get what I need from Dr. Rigden? You, do know where she’s at, don’t you, Mr. Liu?”
“Yes, Mr. Forrest. Donna is living at Triplet Hall with Sir Richard.”
“Are you certain of that, Mr. Liu? My informants tell me they don’t know where she is. She’s no longer at Triplet Hall, and she didn’t go to work today at the Centre. Are you lying to me, Mr. Liu? No, of course you’re not. You know better than to do that. That would make me very unhappy, and you wouldn’t do anything to make me unhappy, now would you? So tell me, Mr. Liu. Where exactly is Dr. Rigden and Triplet’s brat?”
Liu sighed and slumped to a nearby chair. “If Dr. Rigden is not at Triplet Hall then I’m afraid I don’t know where she is, but I will find her.”
“Miss Phillips wasn’t your only informant in the UK, was she?”
“No, Sir! Of course not.”
“Have you found Kevin Wilson and Linda?”
“Ah – no Sir – not since they disappeared from the Centre.”
Forrest narrowed his eyes. “You’re not being very useful to me these days. If you don’t show me some progress, I may have to consider replacing you.”
“That is not necessary, Mr. Forrest. I promise you, I will find Dr. Rigden and the Wilsons.”
“Good because time is running out for me, and if I go down, you’re going down with me. Find out where Rigden is and find out whether or not she has completed her research. Now get out. I have important things to do, and so do you.”
------------
“Donna, I need to talk to Dad alone.”
“I’ll wait for you in the park,” Donna responded and stood to leave.
Richard stood and softly kissed her. “I won’t be long.”
“It’s OK,” Donna smiled. “Take your time. I like the park. I’ll see you later, Sir Richard.” Donna left.
“What did you need to talk to me about, Ricky?”
“First thing, did my delivery come?”
“You mean all those boxes from the Centre? Jason and Jaime put them in your bedroom. Didn’t you see them?”
“I haven’t shown Donna the upper part of our quarters yet.”
“Are the boxes for her?”
“Yes. I picked them up while we were in London.”
Sir Richard narrowed his eyes. “But she was with Sam then.”
Richard grinned. “I took a chance that it wouldn’t last.”
“I see... have you shown her the entertainment hall?”
“No. The crew is still working on the final touches. It should be ready, by the time we get back from our honeymoon, though. At least, it better be. I want to take Donna to Thirlmere for a week.”
“I assume you mean the coach house?”
“Yes.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem, as long as you take at least two guards with you.”
“Dad, did you take security guards on your honeymoon with Mum?”
“No, but we weren’t under as big a threat as you and Donna are. You’re a little more important to society than we were,” he chuckled. “Besides, the coach house has plenty of rooms, and you’ll have plenty of privacy. I know that’s not what you want. You want Donna all to yourself, and I don’t blame you, but it’s too risky. I believe, at least for the moment, we’ve eluded him. He has his people running all over the place, looking for us. I’m a little concerned about what he’s up to, though.”
“What do you mean?”
“Something Donna told me. She thinks he’s faking. She doesn’t think Forrest is as near gone as we think he is. I’ve watched the two conflicting videos and it does seem a little odd that he could be wheeled in on a gurney, and the next day, be giving a press conference.”
“Have you had any of our people check to make sure he’s there?”
“One of our agents at the hotel checked his room. He’s there. He has private medical staff looking after him, so I expect he’ll make another one of his surprise appearances.”
“No doubt to bad-mouth us. It’s a good thing you decided not to get the police involved in the Wilsons murders.”
“Yet – Ricky – yet. If I find out for sure who is responsible for that slaughter, you can bet I’ll make them pay. I didn’t like Kevin, but what happened in our guest house goes beyond revenge. So, tell me, how does it feel?”
“How does what feel?”
“To know that you’ll finally get what you want – Donna?”
Richard sighed contentedly and smiled. “I can’t describe the way it feels. It’s like, I’m standing at one side of a row of giant dominoes, and she’s at the other. Everything is falling into place.”
“Ricky, be sure you know what you’re doing here. Donna is a rare black pearl. You’ll have to hang on tight because everybody will want it. She’s like her mother, Son. Marie had an attraction that seemed to draw men to her. She never paid it any mind – not even with Ken. She only married him because he got her pregnant.”
He studied Sir Richard’s eyes. “You think that’s the only reason Donna is marrying me.”
“No, but we both know why she’s with us. If the obstacles should be removed between her and Jared…” he broke off.
“I know Dad, but I love her, and I’m willing to wait for her to love me.”
“Let me ask you something, and I want you to be completely honest with me. I would never tell Donna, but, other than the obvious, did you have anything to do with Donna getting pregnant?”