Winds of Change (25 page)

She sat on the bed, wondering what to do next? She was too tired to drive anywhere, didn't want to ring Regina yet.

In the end she gave in to her sleepiness and lay down on the bed.

She woke five hours later in mid-afternoon, furious with herself for sleeping so long. Not stopping to unpack, she grabbed her handbag and went down to the café for a snack. She managed to chat to the waitress, who was happy to tell her where to go to do some shopping.

Only when she got out of the hotel grounds, she found the directions didn't work. Lost, she had to stop to ask directions and program her satnav.

In the end she got herself to a big shopping centre and bought herself something to read and a couple of casual tops, plus new jeans. The clothes Lou had bought her were too smart for everyday use – well, too smart for her. Prices seemed very reasonable and she had plenty of choice. She also bought some fruit and snack food.

Then, feeling very happy with her purchases, she made her way back to the car, to stare in dismay at a smashed window and the space where the satnav had been fixed to the bottom of the windscreen.

A woman came to the car next to hers. ‘Oh, dear! I don't know what the world's coming to when you can't even leave your car here in safety. Lost much?'

‘Just the satnav system.'

‘They're always after those. You'll have to ring the police.'

‘I can't. I've only just arrived in England from Australia and I don't have a mobile phone yet.'

By this time a man had joined them. He thrust a mobile at her. ‘Here. Use mine, love. Dial 999.'

She held back tears only with an effort. ‘Thank you. You're very kind.'

It was two hours before the police let her go and she then had to wait for the car rental firm to bring her another car and help her program this new satnav system with her hotel, because without that, she had no idea how to get back.

She was way beyond tears by the time she entered her room, unplugging the satnav system and taking it inside with her this time. She dumped her shopping and went down to the café, ordering a glass of white wine first and then, almost as an afterthought, a proper meal.

First day in England and she'd already been robbed. Fine start that was. What would her family say?

It wasn't till she'd taken a sip of her second glass of wine that she realized that, even so, she'd coped with the emergency. She hadn't panicked or fallen to pieces. She'd done what was necessary and got a new car to drive.

That was good, wasn't it? Yes, of course it was. She raised her glass in a toast to herself.

But she wished she wasn't on her own. She envied the couples sitting chatting, smiling sometimes, touching one another without realizing it.

Oh, she was being stupid, wishing for the moon.
Get on with it!
she told herself. She finished her wine and went to her room. She'd go car hunting tomorrow morning.

Then what? Her daughter? Was she ready to face Katie? Not yet, no. Definitely not.

When Regina picked up the phone at work, it was her daughter.

‘I won't keep you a minute, Mum. Just wanted to know how Auntie Min was. I'm really looking forward to catching up with her tonight.'

‘I don't know how she is, I'm afraid. There was an accident on the M4 and by the time I'd got to Heathrow the passengers had disembarked. She didn't know I was coming so she didn't wait around.'

‘Oh, no! You mean she's all on her own in a strange country? Poor Auntie Min?'

‘I'm afraid so. And if she has a mobile for use here, I don't know her number, so I've no way of getting in touch with her. I don't know why she hasn't rung me, though.' After a short silence she changed the subject. ‘Do you and Tim still want to come to tea tonight?'

‘If you don't mind.'

‘If I minded, I'd not have asked you.'

Silence and a sniffle.

‘I'm sorry. I shouldn't have spoken sharply.'

‘I'm sorry too. I cry for nothing these days. It's not much fun being pregnant, is it?'

‘No.'

‘How on earth did you cope on your own?'

‘I coped because I had to.'

Another silence, then, ‘I have to go now, Mum. Another test to do.'

Regina stared at the phone after her daughter rang off. She kept forgetting how fragile Nikki must be feeling. What on earth was she going to do about her daughter? She wasn't going to look after another baby, or have her life upset by one coming to live with her, but she didn't want to leave Nikki in such a horrible slum, either.

Only, there was Tim to think about too. His parents were moving north soon and he'd be on his own as well. Nikki might not want to marry him, but she'd not want to hurt him, either, by moving out to a place on her own.

Regina frowned. She could use some of her father's money to buy a small flat or house for her daughter to live in. She'd earmarked it for a retirement fund, which was a boring thing to do with a windfall like that, but once an accountant always an accountant. It'd be sensible to make sure she was financially secure when she got older. After all, she had only herself to rely on.

She'd been wrestling with this problem of how to use her inheritance ever since she got back from Australia. It must be wonderful to have someone to share your problems and toss ideas around with. She'd never been that fortunate. But she'd coped, and coped well, too, if she did say so herself.

Miranda woke at two o'clock in the morning, wide awake, because it would be early morning in Australia. She had trouble getting back to sleep and hoped her internal clock would adjust to the northern hemisphere more quickly.

Should she call Regina? she wondered, quailing at the thought of what she had to do today. No. No, she was going to do this on her own. Had to, if she was to regain her self-respect.

After she'd finished breakfast she questioned the hotel's concierge about where to go to look at cars, and with his help found some postcodes to enter into her satnav system. It seemed as if everything went by postcode here.

She visited four car yards and could find nothing she felt certain of, though several cars she'd looked at would do at a pinch. She didn't particularly take to the salesmen, though, so didn't trust them not to palm off a lemon on her. What did she know about English cars?

She wasn't going to try anywhere else because jetlag had kicked in again and was making her feel dopey, but as she turned a corner she found another car yard straight in front of her, a smaller one, so pulled over to the side of the road. It'd be stupid to drive past. She might not find it again

This time the salesman was less pushy and more understanding of her problems.

He laughed at her when she said she'd only driven automatics because hardly anyone in Australia bought manual gear changes any more.

‘No fun having the car do it all for you,' he teased.

‘I'm happy to leave it to the car. I'll have enough trouble dealing with the crowded roads here. People drive faster than in my part of Australia. Um . . . where do I find the rules for driving?'

‘I'll give you a copy of the Highway Code, whether you buy a car or not. From what I've heard, it's not that different from the Australian one. And of course you can find it on line, once you get a computer connection.'

He steered her towards a Renault Modus and gave it an affectionate pat. ‘This one might suit you nicely. It's automatic and has air conditioning. Some people say you don't need air with our climate, but park your car in the sun and you'll soon find how useful it is. Here. Sit in it. Because they're higher than a normal car, they're easier to get in and out of. I bought one for my wife, who's got a bad back. She loves it.'

She slid into the car and found it very comfortable. ‘Can I have a drive?'

‘Sure.' He fumbled in his pocket and fitted the key for her. ‘I'll sit beside you since you don't know the town. My name's Don, by the way.'

‘Mine's Miranda.'

‘Nice name.'

‘Do you think so? I've always hated it.'

‘You should be proud of a pretty name like that.'

Which was a different and more positive way of thinking about it, at least. ‘Can you take me somewhere that isn't narrow and crowded?'

Half an hour later she signed the papers to buy the car and gave him a small deposit by credit card. ‘Now I have to find a bank and open a UK account.'

Don grinned and pointed across the road. ‘Couldn't be more convenient, eh? You can have the car as soon as the money comes through.'

She felt pleased with herself for sorting out a car so quickly.

It took over half an hour to arrange for her bank account to be transferred and she paid extra to have her money sorted out quickly. She went back to give the news to Don.

‘It must be hard,' he said suddenly.

‘What?'

‘Coming to a new country on your own.'

She made a non-committal noise. It would have been harder to stay in Australia but she wasn't going to tell people about Sebastian. As far as she was concerned, he was out of her life for good.

‘Do you have somewhere to stay?' Don asked.

‘Not yet. I'm going to buy a house later, but I don't want to rush into anything so I thought I'd rent.' Even though she liked the looks of the pretty cottage whose details Lou had downloaded from the Net, she was going to hold back, look at others, and make absolutely certain she got something that suited her.

He frowned. ‘Look. I have an idea. My wife's cousin is going to Canada for three months to visit her daughter and meet her new grandson. Hazel's worrying about leaving her house empty. Maybe you could stay there and pay her a bit of rent? She lives in Wootton Bassett. I could get my wife to ask her if you like.'

‘That'd be wonderful. Do you want me to get references? My sister lives there too. She's an accountant, very respectable.'

He chuckled. ‘With a face like yours, you couldn't possibly be a criminal, but maybe it'd be a good idea. We'll see what my wife finds out from Hazel, first.'

Feeling hopeful about this possibility, Miranda made her way back to the hotel.

It was exhilarating to sort things out from her list of things to do, she thought when she got back to her room. Some were big tasks, others small, but each one was a step that she'd taken without help. She was more than coping, she decided. She was making progress.

But she was tired again now. Should she ring Regina? No. Not yet. She wanted some time absolutely on her own. She was going to prove to her family that she could manage her own life, because even Regina always treated her in a protective way.

The only person she was going to contact for the time being was her daughter. For that she had to find an Internet café because there was no Wi-Fi in this hotel.

She yawned. Tomorrow.

Sebastian had been trying to contact his stupid sister all day, but it seemed as if Miranda had disappeared from the face of the earth. In the end he was forced to contact her lawyer.

‘Ah, Sally. I'm really worried about my sister.'

‘I thought Regina had gone back to the UK.'

‘Not that sister. Why would I worry about her? Regina is a capable woman.'

‘So is Miranda.'

Stupid bitch! he thought. She was just trying to needle him. ‘That's a matter of opinion. Anyway, as I was saying, I can't find her anywhere. Do you have any idea where she is? You may not realize how fragile she is. She shouldn't be left without support.'

‘She's not at all fragile.'

‘I think I know her better than you do.'

‘I doubt it. Anyway, I know where she is. She's left the country and— Are you all right?'

He controlled the choking with some difficulty. ‘Where has she gone?'

‘That's not your business.'

‘I think it is.'

‘We'll have to agree to disagree about that. Now, if that's all you wanted, Fox, I'm a busy woman.'

She put the phone down on him before he could answer. He glared at the handset and slammed it down into its holder. No doubt Miranda had gone to Regina's. Well, they'd see about that. He checked the clock. Regina would just be getting up. A good time to ring.

‘Ah, Sebastian here. Could I speak to Minnie, please?'

‘Minnie's not here. I've not seen her since I left Australia.'

‘If you're hiding her from me—'

‘Why would I want to do that, Sebastian?'

‘Has she stopped over somewhere on the way to see you?'

‘As far as I know, she's not on her way to see me. She hasn't contacted me at all.'

He stared at the phone in shock. ‘Are you telling me the truth, Regina? If I find you've been hiding her . . .'

‘Firstly, I'm not hiding her. Secondly, don't threaten me, Sebastian Fox. Thirdly, why is it your business what Miranda does, anyway?'

‘Because I'm her trustee.'

‘The trustee of that stupid fund, you mean. You're not her guardian or her jailer. She's an adult with every right to do what she wants.'

‘She needs someone to support her, look after her.'

‘Rubbish. I can't believe you're hounding her like that. Have you run mad?'

He slammed the phone down and sat there with his head throbbing. They were all ganging up on him now. He had no doubt whatsoever that Minnie was in England at Regina's. Well, he had the purse strings, and though she'd got some money from selling those damned antiques, it'd not last for ever then she'd have to come to him for more. With a smile, he picked up the phone again and rang his fellow trustee.

‘Tressman? Fox here. Look, Miranda's gone off to England so I think we should stop her payments.'

‘Why should we do that? She'll need the money for her holiday.'

‘I haven't authorized a holiday.'