Fortunately, Jeff had had to put off visiting his mother himself this time, and the best they could do was promise to go back East shortly. Now Mrs. Hamilton had to take a backseat to his movie, which did not please her.

And by the time Carmen started shooting on the first of June, Allegra was so busy and overwrought, she felt as though she was going to have a nervous breakdown. Carmen was calling her every five minutes to complain about something, the rest of the time she cried, and she swore she'd never work again without Alan in the film with her. She was being completely unreasonable. Allegra lost five pounds in the first week of Carmen's movie. She was getting messages from Bram on tour too, and whenever the group ran into problems somewhere it was up to Allegra to solve them. She felt as though she never saw Jeff anymore. They were never in the house at the same time, unless one of them was sleeping.

Sam was seven months' pregnant by then, but she seemed in slightly better spirits than she had been. And she was working closely with Suzanne Pearlman. And whenever Allegra dropped by to see Sam these days, she noticed that Jimmy Mazzoleri was there too, just hanging around or helping her do homework. She had finally admitted to him that she was pregnant, and he had been surprisingly supportive about it. They didn't have a romance going, but he seemed to be very devoted to Sam. She was wearing maternity clothes now, and the baby had suddenly popped out. And sometimes Jimmy thought it was funny to put his hand on her stomach and feel it kick, but most of the time he just took her for rides to the beach, or to get something to eat, or he helped her do homework. He felt really sorry for her, and he thought she didn't deserve the bad luck that she'd had getting pregnant. She talked to him sometimes about the people who were considering adopting it. She was leaning heavily toward a couple in Santa Barbara. They were in their late thirties and they said they loved kids. And the wife reminded Sam a little of Allegra. She was also an attorney. And he was a doctor. Their qualifications were excellent, and they seemed to have a fair amount of money. Sam didn't want her baby having to struggle, or doing without anything, or not getting a good education. In fact, they said they wanted to adopt more children after they adopted this one. Their names were Katherine and John Whitman.

And in the midst of everything else, Blaire kept reminding Allegra to do something about the wedding. Allegra had ordered the invitations at Carrier, and she had tried on wedding dresses at Saks, I. Magnin, and Neiman's, and none of them had struck her fancy. But the greatest shock of all came when her mother told her she had hired Delilah Williams.

Who in God's name is that? Allegra smiled at the name, wondering what her mother was up to.

She came highly recommended. She's a wedding consultant, and she's going to do everything for us, for the wedding. I told her to call you at the office.

I can't believe this, Allegra said to Jeff that night, with a look of amusement. But she was in no way prepared for the woman who came to see her in her office three days later. She came armed with albums and photographs, lists and files, and she never seemed to stop talking. She stood well over six feet tall, and when Allegra tried to describe her to Jeff, all she could say was that she looked like a transvestite. She had been wearing a lavender dress with a matching hat, amethysts everywhere, she had dyed blond hair, and her arms were so long that she looked like a large bird ready to take flight off the couch in Allegra's office. Her own office was somewhere in the valley.

Now, let's reiterate, dear, she said, patting Allegra's hand as Allegra stared at her in total disbelief. She couldn't even begin to imagine her mother hiring this woman. She must have been desperate. You have to pick your bridesmaids, finalize the dress for them and for yourself, of course ‘ shoes don't forget shoes ‘ We have to talk about the cake ‘ the flowers ‘ I told your mother we're going to need a tent in the garden ‘ menu ‘ the band we can't forget the band ‘ photography ‘ video ‘ long veil or short ‘ She went on ad infinitum while Allegra listened in total horror. The words Las Vegas kept ringing in her head, and she couldn't imagine why she and Jeff had decided on a wedding at home with everyone imaginable in attendance.

We'll meet here again one week from today, Delilah told her, rising from the couch with her giraffelike legs at odd angles, as Allegra tried not to stare at her. And I want you to promise me you'll do your homework.

Absolutely, Allegra said solemnly, accepting the album and the books and the checklists. There was even a video to select her cake from.

You're a dear, now off to go shopping. You have lots of work to do. She waved and was gone like a comic figure in a New York play, and Allegra just stood there, staring. Two minutes later, she walked to her office phone, and dialed her mother. She was in a meeting, as usual, but for once, Allegra told them to get her.

Allegra? What's wrong?

Are you kidding? Allegra said, sitting down at her desk. She looked shell-shocked.

About what, dear?

That woman. I can't believe you'd do this to me.

You mean Delilah? Everyone who's ever had her says she's fabulous. I think we'll be glad to have her.

You must be kidding. I can't do this, Mother. But at least Allegra was grinning at the absurdity of it all. The wedding was becoming more ridiculous every day. Maybe she and Jeff should just live together.

Darling, be patient. She'll help you. You'll like her. Her mother had obviously lost her marbles.

I've never in my whole life seen anything like her. And all of a sudden, Allegra couldn't stop laughing. She laughed until tears ran down her face, and Blaire started to laugh too. I can't believe you hired her. Allegra said through convulsive giggles.

She's very efficient, don't you think?

Just wait till Daddy sees her. And Mom she really had to laugh at the whole thing I just want you to know I love you.

I love you too. And it's going to be a beautiful wedding. That seemed so insignificant now, in the midst of everything else. All she really cared about was Jeff, not the wedding. And now they had Sam to think about, and her baby. What kind of wedding cake they had, or what color dresses for the bridesmaids, not to mention shoes, as Delilah had said, seemed totally unimportant.

And while she was still laughing over it, the phone on her desk rang again and she picked it up. It was Jeff. Good news, was the first thing he said.

I've had a totally insane morning and I think I can use some. She was smiling when she answered.

I'm free this weekend, Tony says he can hold the fort without me, and I just told my mother we'd fly out to see her. We can fly into Kennedy and go straight to Southampton. Allegra's heart stopped for the briefest of minutes. She had thought she was off the hook indefinitely. He seemed so busy with his movie. She was really pleased. We've been promising for so long, I don't think she even believed me. You can get away, can't you? He had noticed her silence; she was trying to adjust again to the idea of having to meet his mother. She wasn't sure why, but she still had the feeling that Mrs. Hamilton didn't like her.

For once, I don't see a single obstacle, she said, feeling somewhat disappointed. But no one was in crisis. Not even Carmen.

Don't say that too loud. We're leaving on Friday, he said solemnly. He wanted to introduce her to his mother.

I'll be there, she said, praying silently that this time nothing would happen to stop them, or his mother would never forgive her. She knew from Jeff how angry his mother had been the last time they canceled. But all Allegra could do was pray that nothing would happen, and steel herself to go with him. If nothing else, it was a weekend away together, and they both needed that desperately. The only problem was that Allegra suspected, long before they left, that nothing about their weekend would be relaxing. All she could think of was the face in the photograph he had shown her in the New York apartment, and the memory of it still scared her.

Chapter 16

Allegra felt like she was walking on eggs all week before they went to meet his mother. She knew that Jeff would be furious if she couldn't make it. But by Thursday, nothing untoward had happened, and she heaved a sigh on Thursday night when they packed, and decided she had been apprehensive for nothing. No crisis had occurred to interfere with the trip, and she realized that she was foolish to be so nervous about meeting his mother. That was also what Jeff said. He told her constantly that his mother was going to love her.

They were both tired, after long weeks of pressure, but everything seemed to be going well for both of them, and all of Allegra's clients. Even Carmen had been a little better for the past few days. Her mind was at least occupied now that she'd started shooting the film. She was still terribly lonely without Alan, but she talked to him constantly, mostly on the cellular phone she carried around in the pocket of her dressing gown. She seemed to call him at all hours of the day and night. Even more than she called Allegra. Allegra had finally asked her to at least try not to call her too much at night. And Carmen had promised. Most of the time she called Alan instead now.

I can't believe we're actually going, Jeff said, as he set both their bags down in the front hall that night. They both had meetings in the morning, and they were leaving right after that. Southampton is great this time of year, he told her, but Southampton wasn't what she was worried about. It was meeting his mother that was still making her edgy, despite his reassurances.

She did her hair and her nails, and she planned to wear a navy linen Givenchy suit for the plane trip. She wanted to look respectable when she met her. She was even planning to tie back her hair. And when they went to bed that night, Jeff smiled at her, and talked about how much he had loved the Hamptons in the summer as a kid, and Vermont where they used to go when his grandmother was alive. They fell asleep like two children whispering at a slumber party, and Allegra thought she was dreaming when she heard bells. Something was ringing in the distance, and she had no idea what it was. Maybe church bells in Vermont, she mused as she half listened through the mists of her dreams, and then, suddenly, with a start, she realized it was the phone. She leapt out of bed, as she always did, so Jeff wouldn't hear it, but as usual, he was already awake before she was. And as she picked up the phone, she saw on the clock at her bedside that it was four-thirty in the morning.

If it's Carmen, tell her I'm going to kill her, Jeff said as he rolled over. There's absolutely no way to get any sleep in this house, as long as you're here. He was not amused, and Allegra spoke into the phone quietly, sure, as Jeff was, that Carmen would be on the other end.

Hello? Who is this? Allegra said, furious for the intrusion at that hour, and terrified it would be something that would keep them from leaving for New York.

It's Malachi O'Donovan, darlin', he said with a brogue and a belch. He was roaring drunk.

Don't call me at this hour, Mai. It's four-thirty in the morning.

Well, top of the mornin' to you, m'dear. And wouldn't you know that I'm in jail. They said they'd let me call my lawyer. So here I am, and now you be a good girl and come bail me out of jail.

Oh, for heaven's sake. Another DUI? He collected Driving Under the Influence charges the way other people did tickets, and she kept warning him that one of these days he'd have to stay in jail. And lose his license. But so far, he had pulled every string he could, and he had been extremely lucky. His frequent stays in rehabs made them overlook his record, but Allegra was sure that this time his license would be pulled. This is really bullshit, she said.

I know, I know. I'm sorry. He sounded contrite, but he also expected her to come and bail him out. After all, she was his lawyer.

Is there anyone else who can come and get you, Mai? I'm in Malibu, and it's the middle of the night. Jeff was right. If she hadn't answered the phone at that hour, he would have just had to wait until the next morning for her to call. But she had answered, and now he expected her to come and get him. It was difficult getting out of it, and he was insistent that he wanted her to come down immediately to bail him out.

All right, she finally said. Where are you? He was in Beverly Hills. He'd been driving on the wrong side of the street down Beverly, and they busted him with an open fifth of Jack Daniel's between his legs, and a bag of grass in the glove compartment of the car. He was just lucky they hadn't found more, but they hadn't looked that hard either. The officers who had arrested him knew who he was. I'll be there in half an hour. She put down the phone, and looked at Jeff's still form. He looked as though he was asleep again, but she could sense that he wasn't. And as she started tiptoeing out of the room, she discovered that she was right.