Winds of Change (35 page)

‘Even so, I still don't want to talk about it.' She walked inside and began chatting brightly to Ned.

Brody let the subject go for the moment but he intended to have that talk. If they could clear the air, perhaps they could become friends again. He didn't have a lot of friends – he wasn't good at social chit-chat – and had spent too much of his life working alone.

And, heaven help him, he was still attracted to her. What was there about her that had coloured his view of women over so many years? He'd read of people hooking up with their childhood sweethearts in later life, but had never expected to meet his again, let alone want to get to know her again.

When Regina left Brody she went straight to the hospital, not bothering to check up on visiting hours.

She found Nikki alone. ‘Where's Tim?'

‘He was driving me crazy fussing over me. I told him to go to school.'

Regina sat down by the bed. ‘What do you want to do now? Tell me the truth.'

‘You did say I could come home?'

‘Yes, and I meant it, too. What about Tim?'

‘I feel horribly guilty, but I don't want to live with him any more. He's so noisy and clumsy and . . . Well, if I ever marry, it'll be someone I've tried out for a year or two, someone who doesn't talk all the time when I'm trying to study.'

‘You can't just leave Tim on his own with no family nearby.'

‘I can't go back to him. Please don't make me, Mum.'

‘No. I won't make you. But we'd better make sure he can afford the rent, with his family being up north.'

‘I'd forgotten about that. Mum . . . am I terrible? I feel so relieved to be free again. I wasn't ready for a baby.'

‘I know. I was older when I had you and I still didn't feel ready. But I think being that bit older made a big difference.' She stood up. ‘Let me find the sister in charge and ask about taking you home.'

She came back a few minutes later, beaming. ‘We have to wait for the doctor, but she's due shortly. If she says you're all right, you can go home and just get checked up by your own doctor in a day or two.'

Nikki promptly burst into tears and Regina had to comfort her as if she were a small child before she could settle down.
Hormone upheaval
, she thought.
It's going to be hell.
She tried to distract her daughter. ‘Has Tim gone to school?'

‘Yes.'

‘Then I'd better ring the school nurse and ask her to tell him you're out of hospital. Then when he comes round to see you this afternoon, you'll have to tell him what you've decided.'

‘Can't you . . . ?'

‘No, you have to do it. It'd be dreadfully unkind, and ungrateful too, to leave it to someone else to tell him.'

What a family they were for getting pregnant easily! She'd bet Nikki would be very careful about having sex from now on. As she had been. She didn't think Miranda had had any chance of getting to know other men. Still, she'd worn well, so it mightn't be too late to remedy that.

It wasn't going to be easy having Nikki back, though. Apart from the hormones settling down, her daughter had been changed by this experience; was more of an adult, not a child to be ordered around. There were bound to be clashes.

She was getting her daughter back, though, and her daughter was getting a chance to make a good life for herself. She couldn't help feeling happy about that.

Sebastian had lunch sent into his office. He had to go to the damned mediation conference this afternoon and was feeling even more reluctant to cooperate than last time. He had enough on his plate managing at home without Dorothy to look after him and was thinking of hiring a private investigator to find out where she'd gone. He'd guess she was with one of their sons, but they were both refusing to answer his calls.

He'd get her back, whatever it took. He needed her. And he'd have something to say about his sons' disloyalty.

He'd have to hire a housekeeper, if this took much longer. He wasn't doing menial chores and he didn't know how to cook, nor did he want to learn. His father never had and he didn't intend to either.

The phone rang and his clerk said, ‘Ms Patel to see you, sir.'

What was Sally doing here when they'd be meeting later? Couldn't he have even an hour of peace? He was strongly tempted to refuse to see her, but his clerk had clearly given away the fact that he was here.

Besides, she was too well known to offend, however much she deserved it. He was quite sure she'd be a judge within a year or two. Women had such an unfair advantage over men these days. ‘Send her in.'

He stood up as Sally entered the room, wondering what the hell this was about. ‘Do take a seat. Have you come to withdraw your client's ridiculous appeal against her father's will?'

‘Certainly not. I've come because your wife has contacted me and asked me to discuss something with you.'

He couldn't think what to say to that. Had Dorothy run mad? She knew he was in the opposing camp from Sally Patel and— Then he realized. The bitch was trying to stab him in the back. He'd make sure she regretted that, too.

‘I gather your wife has left you for a rather unpleasant reason.'

‘I'd appreciate it if you'd keep the information about this to yourself. It's an unfortunate misunderstanding, that's all.'

‘The fact that you've been beating her?'

‘I don't beat her. It was just . . . a moment of weakness. I'd had a trying day.'

‘That's not a good reason for thumping someone. And I gather it's not the first time. I will keep quiet about it, though, at her request, as long as certain conditions are met.'

‘Which are?'

‘That you agree to support revisions to your father's will, so that Miranda has the same benefits from her inheritance as you and your sister Regina. Your wife seems to think you brought unfair pressure to bear on your father to create that trust and she wants to set the matter right.'

Dark anger blurred his vision for a moment or two.

‘Are you all right, Fox?'

He blinked at her. ‘Sorry. I have a migraine starting. What exactly did my wife say to make you think there was unfair pressure?'

‘She said the trust hadn't been your father's idea, and you'd boasted to her about persuading him to set it up. This happened while your sister was on holiday, I believe, which ties in with the date the will was signed.' She looked at him, head on one side, like a bird about to peck something off the ground.

‘Hearsay. Won't hold up in court.'

‘And she also told me what happened years ago when your sister was pregnant, how Miranda was unlawfully imprisoned, thanks to you and her father.'

‘She was
not
imprisoned, she was kept in a very expensive private mental home until she recovered from a breakdown.'

‘My first instinct was to lay that particular matter before the police and let them decide, but your wife says she has no desire to become a
cause célèbre
. My client holds similar views about becoming an object of public pity. All Miranda wants from you now is her financial independence.'

‘I shall not change my mind about that.'

Sally gave him a pitying look –
pitying!
– and that was the final straw. His head was pounding with pain and she was making it worse. With a roar of fury he lunged for her, bumping into a corner of the desk as he moved round it. cursing as he stumbled.

Screaming for help at the top of her voice, she managed to get the door open before he reached her. The force of the blow made his hand sting and he paused as her screams cut off abruptly. She crashed into the wall and slid to the floor, not moving.

He took a step forward, hands outstretched to pull her to her feet. She was feigning unconsciousness, he knew it. The bitch! Making this look worse than it was, threatening to destroy his reputation. Well, he wasn't going to let her do that.

But as he reached out to get hold of her, someone grabbed his arm. He fought them off, but others took hold and brought him down to the floor. He couldn't see, couldn't think, couldn't . . .

The group of lawyers stepped back and waited for Mr Fox to stand up, sure he was faking unconsciousness because they hadn't hit him and he hadn't bumped his head on anything.

But he continued to lie there, not moving. They looked at one another, not keen to touch him again.

One of the younger female lawyers bent over Ms Patel, who was beginning to stir, but no one attempted to touch Mr Fox.

As the moments ticked past, the chief clerk decided someone had to make sure he was all right and bent down. Warily he felt for a pulse, ready to jump out of the way if Mr Fox let fly again.

That evening, even after Ned had gone to bed, Miranda refused point-blank to discuss anything with Brody.

‘But we need to talk some more,' he protested.

‘
You
need to talk. I don't. I've sorted out my life and am perfectly satisfied with what I'm doing. I refuse to discuss anything with you after the distrust you've shown in me. We can be civil when we meet, for Ned and Katie's sake, but that's as far as I'm prepared to go.'

He looked at her so sorrowfully she felt a shiver run through her. She didn't want him to touch her emotions in any way; didn't dare go down that path again. She'd escaped from Sebastian, moved on as much as she could, been reunited with her daughter, and that was it – unless Sally managed to get the will overthrown.

She was relieved when her mobile phone rang and fumbled in her handbag. ‘Excuse me. This might be Katie. Hello?'

‘Is that Miranda?'

‘Yes.'

‘It's Jonathon Tressman here, calling from Australia.'

‘Oh. How can I help you?'

‘I thought someone should let you know – your lawyer gave me your phone number and . . .'

His voice tailed off and she frowned in puzzlement. He was the last person she'd have expected to call, especially at this hour. ‘Let me know what?' she prompted.

‘Your brother Sebastian is dead. He had some sort of a seizure – well, apparently he ran mad and they had to restrain him. He attacked your lawyer and—'

‘My brother's dead? But Sally's all right, isn't she?'

‘She's in hospital for observation because he knocked her unconscious, but she's expected to make a full recovery. He was . . . very angry, beyond reason, they tell me.'

Miranda knew about that temper only too well. ‘Why was he furious?'

‘It's quite complicated. Apparently Dorothy has left Sebastian, who's been beating her for years.'

‘
No!
' Miranda found it hard to believe the so-proper Sebastian could be a wife beater. The attack on Sally, in a fit of anger, was credible, but this . . . ‘I can't believe it.'

‘I too was surprised when I heard. If he had been beating her, I can't understand why she didn't get help sooner. Anyway, it seems he fell into a rage when Sally gave him a message from his wife and then he attacked poor Sally, out of the blue. The other lawyers had to restrain him and then he just . . . keeled over.'

His voice lowered and he cleared his throat. ‘He died instantly, I'm afraid. They think it might have been a massive stroke. They won't know for certain until the autopsy.'

Sebastian dead! This time it really sank in what that meant. Relief flooded through Miranda like a flood tide. She couldn't help it, didn't care if it was wrong. She felt as if a huge burden had been lifted from her. ‘I don't know what to say or do.'

‘I don't think there's much you can do. As to your own situation, I'm sure we can get a judgement now to have the trust overthrown and your inheritance handed over to you, as your brother's and sister's were. In the meantime, I'll certainly pay the whole amount of income from the trust into your bank account and, if you wish, we can put that flat on the market. You'll receive considerably more money for it than before, about three times as much. It
was
a good investment. He was right about that, at least.'

‘Oh. Well, thank you.' But it was the relief from Sebastian that she cared about most. Oh, the blessed relief!

‘I'll . . . um, let you know what happens about your brother's funeral, in case you wish to attend.'

‘I shan't.'

‘I can understand that. Let me just say that if I'd had any idea of how badly they'd treated you, I'd not have been a party to this trust.'

‘Thank you.'

‘I gather Dorothy is returning to Perth with her elder son to deal with everything. And Sally says she'll be in touch with you when her head stops thumping.'

Would he never stop talking? Miranda wanted to think about the news, get used to true freedom. ‘Thank you for letting me know, Mr Tressman. I won't keep you. You must have a lot to do.'

‘Yes. I've only just come back from the hospital. There was no one else to deal with the situation, so, as I'm the family lawyer, they called me out.'

At last he finished the call and Miranda switched off the phone, her head spinning.

And suddenly she was weeping. She had no need to be brave any longer because Sebastian couldn't touch her now.

She was free! Really and truly free.

When Brody put his arms round her, she leaned against him. When he guided her to the couch, she let him.

She'd still been afraid of Sebastian, even here in England. She hadn't realized how afraid till now.

Just think of all the years wasted because of him. So much of her life ruined.

It was a while before she could stop weeping and even then she didn't move away from the incredible comfort of Brody's warm body against hers.

‘I don't think I've ever heard anyone weep like that,' he said gently. ‘Do you want to tell me about it?'