Carl Jackson caught on quickly – much too quickly for Della's liking. Within a week, Perry was dictating half of his correspondence to the law clerk, rather than to his secretary.

Della was at a complete loss as to what to do. Should she confront Perry and ask directly whether he was unsatisfied with her performance? Or should she quietly try to work harder and try to improve his opinion of her?

Before she could make up her mind, Perry announced that he was going abroad for a fortnight. An old friend of his and Paul Drake's was getting married, and in lieu of a bachelor party, had decided to organize a camping trip to Scotland.

"You know I've always wanted to go trout fishing in Scotland," Perry had told her. "We will be staying in a very remote area, so do not expect to hear anything from me or Paul for the next two weeks. Show Carl Jackson anything that he has not learned yet, and then take a bonus vacation for yourself."

Plastering a professional smile upon her face, Della merely nodded and thanked him. She could see through his ploy – this was a trial run, to see if Carl Jackson could run the office on his own, at least on quiet days.

…..

Twenty-four hours into Perry's absence, Carl Jackson had come up to her and said with a rather anxious voice,

"Ms. Street, there is a Mr. Joseph Garner on the phone. He says that Mr. Mason was reviewing some paperwork regarding a property sale that Mr. Garner was planning on making, and that he was going to give him a final answer after his vacation. However, a new buyer has approached Mr. Garner with a much better offer, and Mr. Garner has decided to sell to him right away. Unfortunately, this means that he will need his property deed back today, and the last I remember, that deed was among documents which Mr. Mason took home with him to review."

"It is quite alright, Mr. Jackson," Della said. "A long time ago, Mr. Mason provided me with a spare key to his apartment, just for situations like this one. I will go and fetch the paperwork, and you can tell Mr. Garner that he can come pick up his deed by four o'clock today." She silently rejoiced that there was still at least one task that she could do, and Carl Jackson could not.

She had accordingly gone to Perry's deserted abode. Instinctively, she had turned towards the small desk which stood in the corner of the room, and had started to look through the pile of paper on it. As expected, Mr. Garner's property deed was situated near the top.

As Della plucked the document out of the stack, the back of her hand accidentally pushed another piece of paper and a small black box off the desk.

As the items fell to and hit the floor, the black box opened and released a gold and sapphire ring, which bounced off the floor before landing on it again with a decisive clink.

Bending down, Della scooped up the beautiful piece of jewelry and eyed it curiously. It was of an elegant, yet old-fashioned design, and clearly meant for a feminine hand. Why did Perry Mason have such a trinket in his possession? Did it have to do with a case that he had not told her about? Her heart twisted painfully at the thought of him keeping yet another secret from her. He probably trusted Hamilton Burger more than her at this point!

Suppressing her curiosity, however, she replaced it in the black box. Then she picked up the piece of paper which had fallen to the floor with it.

She had not meant to peruse it. But the first few lines of the elegant script caught her eye, and once they had, she completely forgot herself and started reading the rest of it madly.

My dearest Perry,

As you requested, I am sending your grandmother's heirloom engagement ring, and am eagerly waiting to meet your sweet Isabella, after you slip the ring on her finger. My son, I have always been proud of you and your career, but now, I am so happy that you have managed to pick your head up from your law books long enough to appreciate the beauty in life which lies all around you. Old woman though I am, I felt my own heart melting when I heard you describe your feelings for Isabella, so I can only imagine what she will feel like when you tell her about them. She is a lucky woman, indeed! Let me know as soon as your betrothal becomes official.

Love,

Mom

In a stupor, Della heavily sank into the desk chair, which was conveniently stationed behind her. She felt that being struck with a wooden log would have been a softer blow than the one she had just received. Perry was in love? He was planning to propose to an Isabella?

Her mind moved at a thousand miles per minute. Who in Perry's social circle had that name?!

There was just one woman amongst his friends and clients who was called 'Isabella'.

"Isabella Scalding!" Della gasped out. "It has to be!"

The lady in question was a very pretty blond heiress, twenty-five years of age, and a former client. However, the girl seemed to lack any sort of confidence in herself, and could burst into tears at the drop of a hat. She had been accused of the murder of her uncle after she had inherited his millions and had pleaded with Perry to defend her. It had been a difficult enough case, as Miss Scalding had spent substantially more time weeping on his shoulder than answering his questions, but Perry had persevered and secured her acquittal. Since then, he had been managing the legal aspects of her finances. As a result, every month Miss Scalding used come into his office with her bank books and other papers, and say in a quivering voice,

"I just don't know what to do, Mr. Mason…I have not the slightest idea," before bursting into soft sobs.

Perry had always offered her his handkerchief and dealt with her with a patience which Della had admired, and had reassured and explained the bank statements and legal documents hour after hour, until the girl's tears were dry. At last, he had gotten into the habit of preemptively visiting Isabella Scalding at home on the first of every month, to explain any legal or financial changes before the young woman could work herself up into a frenzy. In the beginning, he had taken Della along on these outings, but about six months ago, he had stopped requesting her company, saying,

"You know, we both don't need to go."

Back then, Della had thought him to mean that they did not both need to waste their time listening to Miss Scalding's hysterics, and had only been too glad to be spared the experience. Now, she realized that Perry might have been deliberately angling for time alone with a woman with whom he was smitten!

What had happened during those unchaperoned visits? Had love slowly blossomed? Had talk of finances given way to talk of feelings? Della knew full well that Perry had a weakness for damsels in distress, and if Isabella Scalding was anything, she was a damsel in perpetual distress. Besides, Perry had the uncanny ability to not judge a book by its cover – he could see the murderer in little old ladies and an honest man in the homeless drifter. Had he eventually discovered a warm, wonderful woman under all the self-doubt and tears? Had he brought out the best in her, as he had a tendency to do with people, and loved what he saw? Besides, it was obvious that Isabella Scalding held Perry Mason in the highest esteem and trusted him implicitly. It would not take much encouragement for her gratitude to be converted to a more special sentiment.

With a pang, Della imagined them together, and realized what a fine couple they would make. Miss Scalding was a gorgeous and wealthy woman, and, with a little guidance in manners and courage, would make quite a fine wife for a prominent lawyer.

Suddenly, the strange occurrences of the past month began to make perfect sense. All of Perry's disappearances from the office in the middle of the day had probably been lunch dates with Isabella! And the sandstone mansion in Beverley Hills would make an ideal home for a socialite such as Miss Scalding. She remembered the crafty smile with which Perry had said 'You'll find out soon enough' when she had asked him about the reason for their visit to the house. He had meant that he would soon be announcing his engagement! Impulsively, Della began to search through the other papers on the desk, and sure enough, there it was – a deed for that very property, in Perry Mason's name. He had bought it for his bride-to-be. Considering Isabella's limited experience of housekeeping or entertaining, it was no surprise that he had sought input from another woman about the practicalities of the building. As Della had been very careful to conceal her feelings from her employer, he probably had no idea how cruel he had been when he asked her to inspect a house for his new wife.

An upcoming marriage would also perfectly explain why Perry was planning to discharge her. After all, how many wives wanted their husbands to work late nights with attractive female secretaries? No wonder then, that Perry, trying to avoid impropriety, had decided to replace her with a male law clerk.

Shuddering, Della knew that she could not bear to hear Perry tell her about his engagement or his feelings for Isabella. Even with advanced notice and time to prepare her reaction, the look in her eyes would surely betray her. She would rather move to Antarctica than hear him say those words, and have him find out what a pitiable, lovesick fool she was!

No, she would not stay and wait for the inevitable, her heart tearing itself to pieces whenever she looked at Perry. She would quit and leave quietly. At once. As soon as she got back to the office, she would type up a letter of resignation. Perry was far away, unreachable by phone and would continue to be so for two weeks, thus exempting her from the courtesy of informing him in person. And after all, with Carl Jackson already knowing how to run the office, her departure would not be any great inconvenience to her employer. If anything, Perry would consider it fortuitous to be spared the awkward conversation where he requested her resignation.

Of course, leaving in such a manner might preclude receiving a good reference from her boss, but Della found that she did not care. She did not need a reference. She could not imagine being a secretary for anyone else. She had poured her heart into every keystroke of her typewriter when she worked for Perry. The work had become more than a job – participating in his crusade for justice had become a calling. She knew that steno pencils, notepads, schedules and all the things which went with office work would forever be painful reminders of the man and mission she had loved and lost. She would not subject herself to that. She would find and lead a life that was completely devoid of such things.

And, fortunately, her parents had a rent-free room waiting for her, and feeding chickens and milking cows was quite different than being a secretary!

An impending engagement to another woman...looks like Della was not overreacting to Perry's strange behavior after all!

Please, please review :)