Winds of Change (7 page)

Miranda

She wished she could see his face when he read the note, but on second thoughts was glad she'd not be there. She left it on the hall table, knowing he had a key to the house and would come in if he found the door locked. She'd had a new lock fitted to her bedroom door the year before and hadn't given him a key, so felt her personal possessions would be safe from his prying.

She should have taken her jewellery to the bank today. She had to pull herself together and do that, if nothing else, tomorrow. If the worst came to the worst and she needed money to tide her over, she could probably sell some of the pieces. Her father had always said it was quite good stuff.

Lou got out two of his best wine glasses, feeling happier than he had for a while. Having a friend made such a difference and he'd been travelling a lot till the heart attack, so his friends were mostly scattered round the world. Most of the people he knew in Perth were up to their eyeballs in deals and business, a world he could no longer keep up with.

He studied the contents of the casserole dish: chicken and some strips of vegetables. He tasted it and found it totally bland, like all Hilary's dishes. He'd told her there was nothing wrong with his digestive system, but she still kept providing food for invalids.

He smiled when he heard the doorbell and pressed the button that opened the outer door without checking who it was. Who else could it be but his new friend?

Miranda stopped in the doorway. ‘You're sure you don't mind me inviting myself round?'

‘I'm delighted. I get lonely on my own.'

‘So do I.'

She was looking better, he decided, had some colour in her cheeks. If she wore prettier clothes and had her hair restyled instead of tying it back in an untidy bunch, she'd be quite good-looking for a woman of her age. He'd always found fair-haired, blue-eyed women attractive. ‘How old are you?'

‘Forty-seven.'

‘You're wearing well. You don't look more than forty, if that.'

‘How old are you, Lou?'

‘Sixty-eight physically, and it varies between ten and twenty-five mentally. Now, before you sit down and try this lovely wine, come and give me your opinion of this sad-looking casserole.'

They stared at the beige concoction together.

‘It's not very attractive,' she said. ‘Can I have a taste?'

‘If you can face it.'

She took a small amount of the sauce and shook her head as she swallowed it. ‘Your niece could easily have made this more interesting. If you have some herbs and spices, I could tiddle with it. It's a shame to waste good food.'

‘Go for your life. I usually dump her offerings in the rubbish bin and order a takeaway.'

‘I like cooking, though Father only ever wanted plain, old-fashioned meat and two veggies. Can I look in your kitchen cupboards?'

‘Be my guest. I'll pour the wine.'

Half an hour later they sat down to a much-enhanced casserole with a curry sauce, served with rice fried with onions and shreds of this and that.

‘Politically incorrect, so much fried stuff,' he teased.

‘I know. But I love spicy food and Father hated it, wouldn't have it in the house.'

‘I love it, too.'

When they'd finished, he raised his glass. ‘Here's to us. We're going to make an excellent team.'

‘We are?'

‘Definitely. Come and sit down. Leave the washing-up.'

‘Why leave the washing-up when you have a dishwasher? It won't take me a minute to load it.'

When they were sitting down, she glanced at the clock and sighed happily. ‘Sebastian will be getting to the house just about now.'

Lou raised his glass. ‘May he be extremely irritated. He deserves it.'

She clinked her glass against his.

Lying on the sofa with her head on his lap, Nikki told Tim about the call from her aunt.

‘She sounds lovely.'

‘I've always thought her colourless. She hardly has a word to say for herself. Mind you, Uncle Sebastian tends to dominate the conversation and from what I remember, my grandfather was even worse. Fancy my little aunt Minnie having had a child! But I don't want to ask for her help unless I have to, because they'll create a fuss and she's so soft she lets them boss her around.'

Tim began fiddling with her hair absent-mindedly. ‘I'm going to tell my family about the baby tomorrow. Father's away on a training programme till then. I don't know whether they'll help us, but if not, maybe we could borrow some money from your aunt, just to get us into rented accommodation till we can sort out jobs.'

‘I want to finish school first and get my A Levels, at least. I'm pretty sure Mum will let me stay here to do that, even if I don't agree to an abortion. But it won't be pleasant, so I may have to move out.'

He began fiddling with the neckline of her tee shirt. ‘You've decided then? About the baby?'

‘I'm pretty sure I'm going to keep it.'

He let out a deep sigh. ‘I'm so glad. I hated the thought of you killing our child.'

She heard him swallow hard and when he said nothing for a few moments, she stole a glance up and saw tears trickling down his cheeks. He was such a softie. That was one of the many things she loved about him. ‘I'm glad we're together again, Tim.'

‘Me, too. I really love you, Nikki. Look, I think we should get married, and the sooner the better.'

It was her turn to fall silent. Did she want to get married? She wasn't sure. Eighteen was a bit young to commit yourself for life. ‘Let's . . . um, think about that sort of thing later. One step at a time. We'll see what your parents say first. And we don't have to get married to live together. These days it's the done thing to try before you buy.'

‘Having a baby makes me feel rather old-fashioned,' Tim said thoughtfully.

Out of politeness Sebastian rang the doorbell at what he still thought of as his father's house. There was no answer and the front door was locked, so he used his key and led the way inside.

It was Regina who saw the piece of paper on the hall table. ‘There's a note from Minnie!' She read it then held it out to him.

He stared down at it, outrage on his face. ‘What does she think she's playing at? I told her to be ready at seven.'

‘She says she had a prior engagement. Did you even ask her if she was free?'

‘Of course not. Why should I? She's never had engagements before. She was with Father most of the time.'

‘There's no reason she can't have friends.'

‘I'd prefer to know about them.'

Regina looked at him in surprise. ‘Why? It's none of your business.'

‘I promised Father I'd keep an eye on her.'

‘You mean you want to control what she does.'

‘Well, why not? She's as naïve as they come, as well as being unstable. She'd get cheated out of that money in no time flat if I let go of the purse strings.'

Regina went to the kitchen with her brother trailing behind her, still radiating annoyance. ‘You're out of order, you know, Sebastian. That will is totally unfair. You've got your money and I've got mine. Why should hers be tied up?'

‘I've told you.'

‘No. You've told me the cover story. What you really mean is you want the money for your children.'

He shrugged and didn't deny it. ‘Yours too. And let's face it, Minnie isn't going to do much with it, is she? She's a homebody, doesn't travel, isn't likely to marry.'

‘Why not?'

‘Have you looked at her? She dresses like a cleaning woman, has no style. And what if she left the money to some loony charity or other? That'd be wrong, that's what upset Father.'

She kept the thought to herself that Sebastian had probably used that as a selling point for setting up the trust. ‘What's the flat like?'

‘Compact but very nice. It's in a good area.'

‘She hasn't even seen it. She may hate it.'

‘Even Minnie isn't that stupid.'

She picked up a bottle. ‘Want a glass of wine?'

‘I'm driving.'

‘I'll drink your share, then. Father certainly didn't stint himself on wine, did he?'

‘He liked a drop in the evening. I must take this lot over to my house.'

‘What about Minnie? She likes the odd drink, too.'

He went to inspect the rows of bottles in the little room attached to the kitchen and whistled. ‘There's some really good stuff here. It'd be wasted on her. She has no palate for good wines or she'd not be drinking that wooded Chardonnay that bludgeons the taste buds.'

Miranda sipped her second glass with appreciation. ‘I really like this wine. It's light on the palate yet with a full-bodied taste.'

‘You know about wine?'

‘A little. Father considered himself a connoisseur and insisted I share a special bottle with him sometimes. He could be good company until recently, when there were just the two of us.'

‘I just buy what my wine merchant recommends. He's not let me down. I've more bottles where that came from and you can help me get through them.'

She looked at him ruefully. ‘You're leading me astray.'

‘I hope so. It's about time you stepped off the narrow, stony path and ran through a meadow full of buttercups at dawn.'

‘What a lovely image!'

‘It's a real memory not an image. I've done it. Have you?' He leaned forward and took her glass gently from her hand. ‘Miranda, I really meant what I said. I'd like you to come and live with me, help me enjoy these last few months, and, in return, I'll leave you some of my money.'

She looked at him in shock. ‘I don't need you to leave me money to persuade me to help you.'

‘I have to leave it to someone. I can't leave it all to my niece. There's far more than she needs.'

‘Oh.' She didn't know what to say.

‘The main thing is to get you installed here, so you're safe from his bullying. Hilary was on at me again yesterday to go into a hospice – she's careful not to say the “H” word aloud, calls it a care home, but that's what it is. When you fled to me from your brother tonight, it all seemed so right. I'd love some company – but not in this dump. Is your new flat any better?'

‘I don't know. I've not seen it.'

‘Then go and do that tomorrow, just to be sure.'

‘Will you come with me?'

‘You're that frightened of your brother?'

She nodded. ‘I always wind up doing what he wants because he makes it seem so reasonable and what I want sound stupid. I suppose that comes of him being a lawyer.'

Lou leaned back. ‘Yeah, lawyers can certainly twist your words. But the good ones can be enormously helpful.' He pulled a face. ‘All right. I'll come. But tell him we'll meet him there. I'll drive you.'

‘You'll find him . . . intimidating.'

He grinned. ‘No, I won't. One thing about being in your last few months of life is you don't find people intimidating any more. Though I never did, actually, always was a cocky devil. Will Sebastian wait for you at your house tonight?'

‘I doubt it.'

‘Then you can go home safely and get a good night's sleep. We'll call you a taxi.'

‘It's not far. I can walk.'

‘Not at night, you can't, not these days. I'll give the taxi driver a big tip to see you safely inside and he'll be delighted to earn so much for a short trip.'

‘Are you rich enough to throw money around?'

‘I am pretty comfortable. Look . . . didn't your father leave you any money at all?'

‘No. It's all in a trust, to be doled out by Sebastian and the lawyer. I don't even know how much.'

‘We'll have to challenge the will, I think. Trouble is, I won't be here to see that through. It's a time-consuming business.'

‘I wish you wouldn't keep talking about dying.'

He looked at her very steadily. ‘I have to keep saying it because
you
need to understand that it's going to happen, and quite soon. I don't want you doing anything stupid like falling in love with me. And I shan't fall in love with you, either.' He held out his hand. ‘Bargain?'

She took it reluctantly and shook it.

‘Do you have Sebastian's home phone number with you?'

‘I know it by heart.'

‘Then ring him and say you'll meet him or a representative from the lawyer at the flat at eleven o'clock in the morning.'

‘What if he refuses?'

‘You just repeat the same thing and keep on saying it. It's called the broken record trick and it's very useful when someone disagrees with you or you want to make a point. You have to stop running away from trouble, Miranda my dear. You're an intelligent woman and can rely on your own judgement. One day, if we play this game properly, we'll destroy your dragon of a brother's power over you and you'll be free to enjoy the rest of your life in your own way.'

‘I can't imagine that. Even when he's not there, I seem to feel his presence.' She picked up Lou's hand and raised it to her cheek. ‘I shan't promise not to get
fond
of you.'

He grinned. ‘OK. It's a bargain. You can get fond of me, and I'll get fond of you, but don't fall in love with me. Now, make that call to the big, bad dragon.'

She picked up the phone. ‘Sebastian?'

‘Where the hell are you, Minnie?'

‘With my friend. I'm just ringing to say I'll be available to see the flat at eleven o'clock in the morning.'

‘Not convenient for me.'

‘Then send someone to let me in. I can perfectly well walk round the flat on my own. I'll meet whoever it is there.'

There was a silence, then, ‘Oh, very well.' He gave her the address.

She clicked off the phone and let out her breath in a whoosh. ‘I did it.'