Authors: Lily Baxter
‘Yes, and I’m whacked.’ Rita slid off the saddle.
‘My
legs have turned to jelly and I seem to have missed the bloody wedding.’
Jack took the bike from her and tossed it onto the cart. ‘You could have come with me. I got a lift with the Wingco who happened to be going into town.’
Rita pulled a face. ‘Yes, I’m sure he would have approved of me going absent without leave for a few hours, Jack. I’m not supposed to be here.’
‘Come back to the house and have something to eat,’ Miranda said, smiling. ‘You might as well enjoy yourself before they slam you in jankers.’
‘Try and stop me.’ Rita slipped her arm around Miranda’s waist. ‘Are we walking, or what?’
‘You’re a dreadful girl,’ Maggie said, shaking her head. ‘I suppose we can give you a lift, but we’re taking Mrs Beasley and Annie, so you’ll have to sit on Miranda’s lap or else ride in the cart with your bike.’ She glared at Ivy and Dolly. ‘You’re welcome too, I suppose, but you’ll have to find your own way. Come along, George. Let’s get home before the next shower.’
‘I suppose we’ll just have to get the bus then, Dolly,’ Ivy said, sighing.
Jack beckoned to Elzevir. ‘Could you make the ladies comfortable in the wagon, old man? There’s a drink in it for you if you can.’
Mumbling, Elzevir shuffled round to the rear of the cart and pulled down the tailgate. ‘You can make yourselves comfy on them sacks, ladies.’
Ivy hesitated for a moment, exchanging anxious
glances
with Mrs Dowsett who looked distinctly put out. ‘I don’t know if I can climb up there.’
Elzevir advanced on her, leering and revealing a set of stained and broken teeth. ‘I’ll lift you up, lady.’
‘Thank you, but that won’t be necessary. I think we’ll catch the bus.’
The look on Ivy’s face was one of absolute horror and Miranda had to suppress a giggle. She could not help thinking that it served Ivy right for all the trouble she had caused, but while she was waiting for her to come to a decision Mrs Dowsett pushed past Ivy, holding her arms out to Elzevir. ‘Come on then, my good man. I’ll take advantage of your kind offer.’ She gasped as Elzevir put his arms around her and hefted her into the wagon as if she had been a sack of logs. She straightened her hat and beckoned to Ivy. ‘What are you waiting for? Or do you want to walk to the bus stop?’
Reluctantly, Ivy faced Elzevir. ‘All right, but be very careful where you put your hands.’ She uttered a squeak of protest as he grabbed her round her waist and heaved her up beside Mrs Dowsett, allowing his hands to cup her generous bosom before moving away to secure the back of the wagon. ‘I likes a nice rounded woman,’ he said, licking his lips. ‘I’d let that ’un warm me bed any night she fancied a bit of slap and tickle.’
‘Behave yourself, Elzevir,’ Annie said, tapping him on the wrist. ‘We’ll have none of your lewd remarks, thanks very much.’
‘Don’t let him upset you,’ Miranda said, trying not to laugh. ‘We all know what he’s like and I expect Ivy enjoyed it really. She just likes making a fuss.’
Annie shook her head. ‘He’ll be the death of me, that brother of mine. But at least he can’t get drunk on the embrocation. It’s all gone and your grandfather’s promised he won’t make any more.’ She sighed. ‘Mind you, it was good for rubbing into sore muscles. It smelt awful, but it was a wonderful cure for backache.’
Miranda waited until Elzevir had climbed onto the driver’s seat and she uttered a sigh of relief. ‘At least it’s all passed off without any terrible scenes. We can go home now and enjoy the rest of the day.’
But despite her surge of optimism, she could not help worrying during the drive home. Crushed against the rear door of the Bentley with Rita perched on her lap and Mrs Beasley squashed in the middle of the back seat with Annie on the far side, it was not the most comfortable way in which to travel. Miranda could see very little as her view was obscured by Rita’s back, but she heard her grandmother’s cry of distress as the car came to a halt outside Highcliffe and it was not hard to guess the cause.
‘If that’s who I think it is, there’s going to be trouble,’ Rita said in a low voice.
‘Oh, dear. That’s torn it.’ Mrs Beasley clapped her hand to her mouth. ‘I knew I shouldn’t have come.’
‘Open the door and let me out,’ Miranda said urgently.
‘I’m trying, but I’ve got my leg stuck behind the seat.’ Rita wriggled round and finally managed to open the door and clamber out of the car. As Miranda extricated herself from the back seat she spotted Raif standing by the garden gate. Anger turned to dismay when she saw the man standing next to him. They were so alike that they had to be father and son. Even if she had not seen the likeness between them she would have known by the expressions on her grandparents’ faces that the man with Raif was none other than the notorious Max Carstairs. She had been dreading this moment, and yet she had not really believed that it would happen. She cast an anxious glance at the main road and in the distance she could see Elzevir’s wagon. With a sinking feeling in her stomach she knew that there was nothing she could do to prevent the inevitable scene. She moved a little closer to her grandmother.
‘You’re not welcome here, Max.’ Maggie’s voice shook with emotion. ‘You shouldn’t have come.’
‘I’ll deal with this,’ George said, stepping in between them. ‘We’ll settle this man to man.’
Max shook his head. ‘I’ve got nothing to say to either of you. This is between me and my daughter.’
‘You’re too late to do anything about it,’ Maggie said icily. ‘Isabel and my son are married.’
‘I think you mean our son.’
‘George is Jack’s father, not you.’
Max curled his lip. ‘I wouldn’t bet on it, my dear. And incest is illegal, so the marriage is invalid.’
‘Dad, is this really necessary?’ Raif said, frowning. ‘Do we need to air our dirty linen in public?’
‘You’ve said enough, Carstairs.’ George opened the garden gate. ‘If you’ve got any feeling for your daughter you’ll come into the house and talk this matter over in private.’
‘That’s rich, coming from a man who attempted to sabotage my career out of spite. If you’d managed to satisfy your wife she wouldn’t have fallen into my arms.’
Maggie caught hold of George’s arm as he took a menacing step towards Max. ‘Don’t, darling. That’s just what he wants.’ She glared at Max. ‘Come indoors and behave like a civilised human being, or leave now and let your daughter enjoy her wedding day.’
‘It’s a farce.’ Max fisted his hands. ‘I came here to settle an old score with your husband, Maggie. Keep out of this.’
‘I won’t,’ she cried, flying at him and pushing him so that he cannoned into his son. ‘You almost wrecked my marriage and I won’t let you do the same to Jack and Isabel.’
Raif grabbed his father by the arm. ‘I think this has gone far enough, Dad.’
Miranda held her breath. She had never felt so helpless in her whole life, and she could see that matters were going to escalate as Elzevir drew the
cart
to a standstill behind the Bentley. Jack leapt to the ground barely giving the vehicle time to stop, and Isabel’s face crumpled with obvious distress as she climbed down more slowly. Mrs Beasley rushed to her side to put a comforting arm around her shoulders, defying her employer with a stubborn tilt of her chin. Only Ivy and Dolly Dowsett seemed to be enjoying the spectacle as they craned their necks to get a better view.
Jack hurried towards them. ‘What’s going on?’ He glared at Raif. ‘I suppose this is your doing. You couldn’t bear to let Izzie have her day, could you?’
‘I wanted to stop her making the mistake of her life,’ Raif said coldly. ‘But it seems that we’re too late.’
Max pushed him aside, squaring up to Jack with a pugnacious outthrust of his jaw. ‘I’ll get this marriage annulled. I’m calling my solicitor as soon as I get home.’
‘There’s nothing you can do about it, Mr Carstairs. Izzie and I are legally married and I’m afraid you’ll just have to get used to the idea.’
Miranda moved to Isabel’s side. ‘Don’t get involved, Izzie. Your father can’t do anything about it now.’
She shook off Mrs Beasley’s restraining hand. ‘Thanks, Miranda, but I know my father. He’s like a dog with a bone when he gets an idea in his head.’ She ran to Jack and wrapped her arms around him. ‘We’re married, Father. I’d hoped you’d relent when
you
saw how happy I am and how much I love my husband.’
‘Would you feel the same if you discovered that he’s my son, Isabel?’
She seized Jack’s hand and held it to her cheek. ‘I know all about your affair with his mother, and I’ve found out the real reason why you hate the family. It has to do with your beastly pride, and it’s become twisted into a vendetta that’s affecting all of us.’
‘That’s right,’ Jack said, giving her a reassuring smile. ‘We have no secrets from each other, sir. I was hoping that you might be able to accept the fact that we love each other and we want to spend the rest of our lives together.’
‘Never.’ Max took a step closer to Jack, glaring at him with narrowed eyes. ‘Hell will freeze over before I acknowledge you as my daughter’s husband.’
‘Leave them alone.’ Miranda could see that Isabel was close to tears. She turned to Raif. ‘Can’t you do something to stop this? I know you care for Izzie.’
‘I think this has gone far enough,’ George said firmly. ‘Jack, take your wife into the house. It’s not good for her to get upset.’
Max rounded on him. ‘What the hell do you mean by that?’
‘She’s pregnant, you idiot,’ Maggie said in a low voice. ‘You’re going to be a grandfather, Max.’ She turned her back on him. ‘Come along, George. This is a wedding and we should be celebrating.’ They
linked
arms and made their way towards the house.
‘Mother’s right.’ Jack took Isabel by the hand. ‘This is our day and I’m not going to let anyone spoil it.’
Isobel hesitated, sending a mute plea to her father, but he turned his head away. With a barely perceptible shrug of her shoulders she allowed Jack to lead her towards the house. Miranda could only imagine what it must have cost Isabel to break the habit of a lifetime and stand up to her father. She would have liked to applaud her bold gesture, but she decided that it would be inappropriate and she did not want to antagonise Max any further. She beckoned to Rita. ‘This might be a good time to take the guests indoors,’ she said in a low voice.
‘Cor blimey, what a show,’ Rita whispered, grinning. ‘Come with me, ladies. I could do with a drink, I don’t know about you.’ She held the gate while they filed into the garden.
‘You’re sacked, Beasley,’ Max roared as she scuttled past him.
‘No, Father.’ Raif faced him angrily. ‘This has gone far enough. I’m going to join the party and wish Izzie all the happiness in the world. What’s more I’m going tell Mrs Beasley that she’s still got her job. We’d be lost without her and Mother would be livid if she knew you’d sacked our housekeeper in a fit of temper.’
Rita strolled up to Max, looking him in the eyes. ‘I don’t know what Mrs B ever saw in you, mister.’
She
gave Raif a sideways glance. ‘Good for you, Flight Lieutenant Carstairs. I didn’t think you had it in you. And before you open your big gob – yes, I’m absent without leave. You can report me if you want to, but it was worth it to see Mrs B face up to your old man.’ She hurried after the others, leaving Miranda and Elzevir alone with Raif and his father.
Miranda held her hand out to Raif. ‘You’ve gone up in my estimation today.’ She flicked her gaze to his father. ‘And you were never my favourite person, even though I hadn’t met you. Now I can understand why your children have turned out the way they have.’
Max flushed crimson and the veins in his neck stood out as he spluttered with rage. ‘You little bitch. Who do you think you are, talking to me like that?’
‘I’m Izzie’s friend and actually she’s now my aunt, which feels rather odd, but you’d better get used to the idea that she’s married to Jack.’ She turned to Elzevir as she heard him clearing his throat. ‘Yes? What is it?’
He shuffled his feet, glancing at Max beneath his shaggy eyebrows. ‘Someone mentioned a drink, miss.’
‘Yes, of course. Follow the others.’ She stood aside to let him pass. ‘You’re still welcome to come in, Mr Carstairs. But if you upset the happy couple, I’ll have to get Elzevir to throw you out.’
‘I’ll come in for a drink,’ Raif said, relaxing visibly.
‘But
I can’t stay long. I’ve got to get back to the aerodrome.’
Max glowered at them both. ‘I’m damned if I’ll ever set foot in that house again. You can tell Jack Beddoes that he hasn’t heard the last of this.’ He stormed off towards his car.
‘I’m sorry about the old man,’ Raif said with a reluctant smile.
‘But you brought him here. You must have told him that Izzie was getting married today.’
‘Believe it or not, I thought he might mellow a bit if he saw that she was happy. I don’t pretend to like Jack and I probably never will, but I love my sister and I genuinely want the best for her.’ He proffered his arm. ‘Life’s too short to bear grudges, Miranda. Can we at least be friends?’
She laid her hand on his sleeve. ‘I hope so, Raif.’ She chuckled. ‘I suppose we’re related now in some odd way. If Izzie is my aunt then you must be my uncle-in-law, if there is such a thing.’
‘It’s high time the family feud ended, although I don’t think Father will ever let it go.’
‘What about your mother? What will she say when she finds out?’
He shrugged his shoulders. ‘Mother is in Los Angeles making a movie. I think the only thing that will upset her is the fact that she’s going to be a grandmother. I can imagine she’ll want to keep very quiet on that particular subject.’
‘How sad for both of them,’ Miranda said with
feeling
. ‘I’m afraid it’s their loss. Anyway, let’s go and join the party.
They found the guests assembled in the drawing room and the atmosphere had lightened considerably now that Max had gone. Ivy and Dolly were already well away, having found the gin bottle, and Elzevir had taken his beer out onto the veranda and was huddled on one of the steamer chairs drinking steadily.