She gave a delighted laugh. “Because it’s me, you silly man. I bought the stables. I told you I’d always wanted to get involved with horse racing, and I knew the stables wouldn’t be part of that auction and that there were several parties interested in acquiring them. So I made a little deal with Mr. Lennox, paid a fair price and they were never put up to auction. And I have a favor to ask, dear Thaddy. I know nothing about horses or racing stables. Will you take over and run it for me?”

I saw the conflicting emotions on Lord Kilhenny’s face. His wounded pride that someone else had had the money to buy his stables and his relief that Zou Zou had made it safe for him and essentially handed it back to him. He struggled for a moment until Zou Zou said, “How about saying thank you, darling Alexandra, and how happy you are that I’ll be part of your life, annoying you for years and years to come?”

He got to his feet and took her hands in his. “You, madam, are a remarkable woman and I am extremely happy that you’ll be part of my life, annoying me for years and years to come.”

Darcy shot me a glance. It seemed as if there might be more than one wedding in the summer. I couldn’t have been happier.

Historical Note

Southern Ireland broke away from the United Kingdom to become the Irish Free State in 1921. Its police force is known as the Garda (guards).

Darcy, having been born a British citizen, has opted to retain loyalty to the UK while his father has opted to become an Irish citizen. In spite of conflicts the two are still closely linked. You do not need to show a passport to travel from England to Ireland and can cross freely between the republic and Northern Ireland.

The American gangster story is based on a real heist of a mail truck in which the gang got away with two million dollars in money, bonds and jewels. They were never recovered. And I have to confess to tweaking history just a little for this story:

Alcatraz did not actually become a federal prison until a year or two after I sent Bugsy there. Sorry if you’re a history buff. But after all, it is fiction!

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