Private Lives. Karen Young

was a subdued trio who were seated for lunch in a restaurant near the courthouse half an hour later. “I’m sorry, Gina. I made a mess of that.” Elizabeth rubbed at her temples, eyes closed, but unable to banish Ryan Paxton’s smug expression from her mind. If only she’d been more clever, faster on the uptake on the stand. Instead, she’d been pathetically inept in Paxton’s skillful hands. “You were right about Paxton. He’s tough.”

      “Worse yet, I think the judge is on Austin’s side,” Gina said, gazing morosely into a glass of iced tea. “His body language during the entire morning says it all.”

      “Not all. The game isn’t over, ladies.” With reading glasses resting at half-mast on her aristocratic nose, Maude Kennedy studied the menu. “It’s never possible to predict a judge’s ruling. Has anyone tried the trout amandine?”

      “How can you have an appetite, Maude?” Gina exclaimed. “I’m never going to eat again.”

      “Of course, you are.” Maude looked at them both. “How about a cup of crab bisque and that old standby, a Caesar salad?”

      “I’ll just have the bisque,” Elizabeth said, laying down her menu.

      “Did you see the way he slammed the door of his chambers when he left?” Gina asked, clearly still focused on the judge.

      “I repeat, judges are unpredictable.” Maude paused and motioned a waiter over. “And whether he may have seemed so or not, Judge Hetherington has a reputation for fairness. He’s tough, even a bit chauvinistic, but when it comes to the welfare of a child, he’ll be very careful.” She removed her glasses and looked at Elizabeth. “By the way, Elizabeth, you didn’t mess up on the stand. Your reputation and demeanor go far in adding credibility to your testimony. Judge Hetherington won’t dismiss lightly the fact that you’ve actually seen Gina bruised and hurting.”

      “Even though he thinks we’re two lesbians?” Elizabeth said bitterly.

      “That was below the belt,” Maude conceded. “I was surprised at Paxton.”

      “A barracuda,” Gina repeated. “Didn’t I say it?”

      “I have to think the lie originated with his client,” Maude said.

      “Austin knows that’s pure garbage!” Gina said. “I knew he’d play dirty, but I didn’t expect him to go that far.” She crushed a roll in her fingers. “But the worst thing was dredging up that old drunk driving charge.”

      “I believe Judge Hetherington heard Elizabeth’s explanation even though he had to silence her,” Maude said, taking a sip of water. “Let’s order, ladies. I’m famished.”

      “I hope the worst is over.” Elizabeth leaned her head back against the leather padding in the restaurant booth and closed her eyes. They were due to return after lunch at two o’clock, but after being subjected to Ryan Paxton’s ruthlessness, she wanted nothing more than to go home, close up in her office and turn on her computer where she could enter a safe and idealistic world, a world he’d described as whimsical, somehow making the word sound weird.

      “Remember, Ryan Paxton is used to winning,” Maude Kennedy said, “but there is enough substance in both your testimonies that I have hope the judge will not rule in Austin’s favor.”

      After taking their orders, the waiter collected the menus and hurried away. “What was that about media?” Elizabeth asked, frowning. “Was the reporter who did that feature on me lurking around?”

      “He wasn’t in the courtroom,” Gina said. “I looked.”

      Maude broke open a roll and buttered it lavishly. “There are always reporters assigned to the courthouse beat, but they seldom have an interest in custody hearings unless the people involved are in the public eye. As much as Austin might fancy being in the public eye, he isn’t. No, I think Ryan was just trying to rattle your cage, Elizabeth. Trust me, you did very well up there. Your sincerity shone through.” She smiled at them both. “I, for one, find the friendship between you heartwarming.”

      “Excuse me…” A woman, smiling slightly, stopped at the booth.

      “Yes?” Maude said, her thinly penciled brows going up. But it wasn’t Maude the woman’s gazed fixed on. It was Elizabeth.

      “I know this is so…well, pushy, but I told myself if I don’t grab the opportunity, I might not get another.” Her pretty face lit up in a wide, warm smile. “Hi, Elizabeth. I’m Lindsay.”

      Elizabeth could think of absolutely nothing to say. After the fiasco of both her and Gina’s testimony, she’d thought the day couldn’t get any worse. She’d been mistaken.

      “Lindsay,” she repeated.

      Gina gave a little gasp, then covered her lips with her fingers. She glanced quickly at Elizabeth. “Is this—”

      “Lindsay Blackstone.” Lindsay’s smile went even brighter, if possible. “And I’ve just sat in on your hearing so I know who you are.” She gave Elizabeth an imploring look. “Please don’t be offended, but I just wanted to introduce myself.” She stuck out her hand and her smile flashed again. “I don’t think you’d welcome a hug, would you?”

      “Hello.” Elizabeth took her hand, gave it a brief squeeze. What else could she do? “This is my friend, Gina D’Angelo, and her lawyer, Maude Kennedy. Gina, Maude, this is Lindsay…” She paused, unable to bring herself to say the S word.

      “I’m Elizabeth’s sister,” Lindsay said with a wide smile.

      There was a moment of stunned silence at the table. “We’ve had some e-mail correspondence lately,” Elizabeth explained in the lull.

      “I was aware that you had a sister,” Maude said, studying them both with frank interest. “And now that I’ve seen you together, the physical resemblance is definitely there.”

      “I never made a connection with the Lindsay Blackstone on TV,” Gina said on a note of wonder. She gave Elizabeth a wide-eyed look. “This is the Lindsay you mentioned who sent you the e-mail? Your sister?”

      “It seems so,” Elizabeth said dryly.

      “You mean you didn’t go around bragging about me?” Lindsay teased with an amusing laugh. “I’m hurt.”

      “Sorry.” Elizabeth was vaguely familiar with the canceled show—”Lindsay’s Hour”—but she hadn’t made a habit of watching it. Mornings were her peak writing time, so she didn’t watch much television at all during the day. She recalled seeing it, though, but had never guessed at any connection between herself and the woman who was the show’s star. The woman whose life seemed charmed.

      Lindsay’s charm was now fully unleashed. “Well, as they say, pride goes before a fall. I guess that’ll show me.”

      “I was a big fan,” Gina said.

      “Thank you.”

      “The similarities between you two are quite amazing,” Maude said, gazing from one to the other. “But you’re certainly different types as far as hair and eyes go.” Elizabeth’s dark auburn hair and clear green eyes were startlingly different from perky, blue-eyed and blond Lindsay.

      “I’ve only figured it out recently,” Lindsay said, still smiling. “According to my adoptive parents, we were separated by some stupid mix-up in the courts. This happened when Megan, our other sister, and I were still infants. We never knew that Elizabeth existed, can you believe that? It all came out when she won the Newbery. I guess you could call our reaction a mix of delight and amazement and…well, we were furious and sad, too. You should have been there when we confronted our parents. They had a lot of explaining to do, I can tell you.”

      Elizabeth drew a long breath. “Lindsay, I don’t think this is the time to discuss our personal circumstances.” But inside she was trying to take in the fact that her sisters hadn’t known