Free The Master's Chair (The Chronicles of Terah) by Mackenzie Morgan

than a child.”
    “That may be true, but even so, they’d feed him and clothe him, and they’d teach him what he needs to know to run the farm. Would it be fair to them to let Badec’s son grow up there?” Kalen asked. “He won’t be there to take over when they get old.”
    “True enough,” Duane agreed.
    “Couple C lives in one of the largest cities on Earth. They are quite wealthy, but they don’t flash it around. Their living room is comfortable, a place where a child could play without causing a lot of damage, and both of them are down to earth. No pretentiousness, no arrogance, just plain simple people who happen to be incredibly well off,” Pallor said as he began to describe the Johanssons, their work, their travels, and their housekeeper, who would probably end up raising the child.
    “Their lives sound so full already,” Laryn said thoughtfully. “Wonder why they decided to get a child?”
    Pallor hesitated and then said, “I’m not sure, but I think they’re doing it for the housekeeper.”
    “Why?” Kalen asked, frowning.
    “I think she pretty much raised the wife, and it was obvious that she’s more a member of the family than anything else. The man and his wife were looking forward to specifics, like places they could take him, things they could show him, experiences they could give him, almost like a favorite aunt and uncle, but the housekeeper talked about everyday things, like milk and cookies, like a mother.”
    Duane frowned. “That could be a problem when the time comes for him to return to Terah.”
    Pallor nodded and then continued, “Couple D was a bit strange.” He described his first reaction to Tracy Troxler and the way she was dressed. “When I got there, the wife all but pushed me off the porch in her hurry to get rid of me and told me to meet her at a small tavern a few miles away. She didn’t want her husband to see me.”
    “So her husband doesn’t know she’s thinking about adopting a child?” Laryn asked with a frown.   
    Pallor shook his head. “She’s in her twenties, he’s in his seventies. He already has three grown sons, a bunch of grandchildren and even some great-grandchildren.”
    “So why bother?” Kalen asked.
    “Money,” Pallor answered and proceeded to describe Tracy’s motives and her plans to deceive her husband.
    “And she thinks he won’t know she’s lying?” Duane’s eyebrows were arched almost to his hairline.
    “That’s what she thinks,” Pallor answered, “She said that she plans to use padding and insist that he sleep in another room while she’s pregnant, but I have my doubts that a man smart enough to have made the fortune he’s made is going to be foolish enough to fall for this one.”
    “I think we can rule her out right now,” Laryn said, shaking her head.
    “The next couple, couple E, has tried and tried to have a baby of their own, but it just hasn’t happened, and they’re running out of time,” Pallor said.
    “Out of time?” Laryn asked. “Is she that old?”
    Pallor shook his head. “They’re in their mid-thirties. The time issue has to do with his job,” Pallor began as he described the O’Reillys, their home, his job, her social life, and the fact that his becoming a partner in his law firm hinged on their having a child.
    “I’m not sure I like the idea of my nephew being used to secure a promotion, but at least they’d have a good reason for not letting him or anyone else know he’s adopted,” Laryn said. “Do you think she’ll take care of him herself?”
    Pallor shook his head. “I asked. They’re planning to hire someone to do that.”
    Laryn nodded and waited for Pallor to move on to the last couple.
    “Our last couple makes quite a bit of money, but they live up to their incomes, so if anything were to happen to either of their jobs, or if they ran into an unexpected expense, they’d be in trouble,” Pallor began as he described the Livingstons, his desire for a son, and her