"So you did want me to help look for your mother?" she asked with relief, glad to have the matter cleared up.
"Yes," Bastien said and then there was a short silence, followed by a curse, followed by, "I forgot to mention that part, didn't I?" A wry laugh came down the line. "I'm sorry, Inez. I'm a little distracted at the moment. So much has been happening, what with Lissianna having her baby, the trouble with Morgan, and then Mother going missing..."
Inez raised an eyebrow as she heard him blow out a long, calming breath. She had no idea who this Morgan was he spoke of, but knew Lissianna was his sister, and had met his mother while in New York. Marguerite Argeneau was a beautiful woman who didn't look a day over twenty-five. It was very difficult to believe she was the mother of Bastien Argeneau who she would guess was in his mid to late twenties himself.
"I guess I owe you another apology. I know you have a lot to do, but I want you to put everything aside for now and help Thomas find my mother," he explained grimly.
"Okay," Inez said slowly, then cleared her throat and said, "Sir? Wouldn't it be better to hire a private detective and-"
"She is a private detective," Bastien interrupted impatiently, and then said, "Well, not really. She's just started into the career, but Tiny, the man she's with, is a proper private detective. A very good one, in fact, and he's missing too."
"Oh," she murmured.
"Look, I know this isn't part of your job, but we're all quite worried about my mother. Thomas knows her habits, but has never spent much time in England. You know it better than he and you're the most organized, details-oriented person I know. Between the two of you, I think you can track her down. It's probably just a case of her getting wrapped up in the case and forgetting to call."
Bastien didn't sound as if he believed what he was saying, but Inez didn't question him on it and merely said, "Okay. I'll do what I can, sir."
"Well...good. I really appreciate your assistance with this, Inez."
"Yes sir, but..." Inez hesitated and then said, "you mentioned Thomas and the sun. Is he allergic like you are?"
She shifted, uncomfortable in the sudden silence that came from the other end of the phone, and then explained apologetically, "I only ask because if he is, I should probably arrange to use the car with the treated windows that you use when you are here and need to travel in sunlight."
"Yes," Bastien said finally. "Yes, he has the same allergy. It runs in the family. You'd best arrange for my car to take you around."
"Okay."
"Now I'd best let you get to your breakfast before it gets cold. Would you put Thomas on the phone? I've just recalled something I forgot to mention to him."
"Of course. Just a minute." Lowering the phone, Inez moved to the door, unlocked it, and slid out into the hall. She hurried through the dining room and found Thomas in the sitting room, seated on one of the two love seats facing each other in front of the fireplace. He was apparently writing something down in a binder.
"Bastien wants to speak to you," she said quietly, as she approached holding out the phone.
"Oh, thanks," Thomas muttered, not looking at all pleased at the interruption. He set the binder on the coffee table between the love seats, and accepted the phone. "Now, go have your bath before it gets cold."
Nodding, Inez turned away, but not before glancing curiously at the binder to see that he hadn't been writing at all, at least not words. The binder held pages with musical tables on them, scored with musical notes scratched in bold black. He'd been writing music.
Inez pondered that and listened absently as Thomas greeted his cousin in impatient, irritated tones as she crossed back to the door. She had nearly passed into the dining room when Thomas suddenly yelped, "What?"
Inez turned back with concern, but Thomas glanced her way with wide eyes, and seeing her still there, pulled the phone from his ear and slammed it to his chest.
"It's all right. He just surprised me. Go on, have your bath."
Inez hesitated. His tone hadn't sounded surprised so much as shocked, perhaps even horrified, but he was waving her away, obviously wanting privacy for his call, so she turned away to return to the bathroom.
It was none of her business, Inez told herself as she crossed the dining room. Besides, her bath would get cold if she didn't hurry. Bastien had said to take the bath and enjoy it and he was the boss, she told herself a smile slowly spreading her lips. Breakfast in the bath...how decadent was that?
She was about to find out.
Chapter Two
"You have got to be kidding me," Thomas said into the phone the moment he heard the bathroom door close. "You arranged for someone who doesn't know about our people to help me find Aunt Marguerite? What were you thinking?"
"I-"
"Besides, I thought all the senior executives in Argeneau Enterprises and Argent knew about our kind," Thomas interrupted with a frown. "Isn't Inez a vice president or something? She should know."
"Yes she should," Bastien agreed quickly. "We bring anyone promoted to an executive position to Canada or New York under the pretext of a tour of the head offices. We then reveal the truth to them and read their minds repeatedly over the next week to see how they accept it. If they are able to accept the information and keep the secret, all is well and they are promoted. If not..."
Thomas grimaced, actually able to visualize his cousin shrugging. "If not..." meant the person's memory would be wiped and they didn't get the promotion. In fact, they'd most likely find themselves working for a different company shortly after that, hired away by a headhunter who suddenly noticed how brilliant the individual was...with a little help from an immortal. It was hard to work with someone who was horrified by what you are.
"Right," Thomas said dryly. "So how did Inez get promoted without the indoctrination?"
"Where did you meet her, Thomas?" Bastien asked quietly.
"In New York," Thomas answered.
Bastien rarely spent much time in the New York office, keeping Canada as his main base to work from, but the whole family had been there for Lucern and Kate's wedding. It was where Bastien had met and briefly lost his lifemate, Terri.
"The afternoon Inez arrived, I knew she'd be tired from the flight," Bastien informed him quietly. "So we just had the meeting to introduce her to everyone-the meeting you walked in on-and then I sent her to her hotel. I intended to indoctrinate her the next day, but Terri arrived from England and...I got distracted by her turning and everything and..." He blew his breath along the phone line. "I ended up just telling Inez she was promoted and sending her back. I called Wyatt in England and told him to just keep her away from any information that was too revealing and I'd fly over and indoctrinate her at the first chance, but then there was the trouble in California with Vincent's saboteur, then Morgan cropped up to cause his own difficulties, and now Mother is missing and I'm trying to arrange the wedding, but now it's a double wedding with Lucian and Leigh, and Donny is driving me absolutely mad, and-"
"Bastien," Thomas interrupted his ranting. "I get it. Despite all outward appearances, you're not perfect, dude. You screwed up. Get over it."
Another long, drawn-out sigh slid down the phone line. It was followed by a quiet, "Thomas?"
"Yeah?" he asked with amusement, hearing the annoyance in his voice.
"Never mind," Bastien muttered and then asked, "Do you have any ideas on how you're going to find Mother?"
"A few," he admitted reluctantly. "I thought I'd call the other hotels in London to make sure she hasn't just booked into another one. If that doesn't turn up anything, we'll have to check car rental agencies and trains and flights..."
"That's a hell of a lot of calls. Even with the two of you working at it, it could take forever. There are hundreds of hotels in London," Bastien muttered unhappily.