The Next Adventure

by Janice Horton

  She thanked all the people who had helped her to bring the event together to raise funds for children born with life-threatening and deformative conditions caused by mosquito borne viruses. I, and everyone else in the room, applauded her heartily as she handed over the microphone to the auctioneer who kicked off the sale.

  ‘The first item this evening is a highly collectable watercolour by a sought-after artist. An investment for the future. Shall we start the bidding at $10,000?’

  The immediate hail of responses faded into the background as I made my way across the room to where Gloria was making her way off the stage. When she reached the bottom stair, I was standing right in front of her.

  ‘Hello, Gloria. I don’t know if you remember me? I’m Lori. I’m Ethan’s friend.’

  She stared blankly at me for a moment and then I saw her red lips part and the corners of her perfectly made-up eyes crease into a friendly smile. ‘Yes, of course. We met on the island. How wonderful to see you again, Lori. Are you interested in buying some art?’

  ‘Erm, no, actually. I came here to speak with you about a matter of some importance.’

  Her eyes sparkled with curiosity. ‘Does it have anything to do with Ethan?’

  ‘Yes. It does.’ I held my breath hoping his name was the password to her attention.

  ‘Okay, Lori. I’d love to chat but I’m working tonight. It’s my job to sell paintings.’

  ‘Tomorrow, then?’ I suggested.

  ‘Yes. If you ask at reception, they’ll escort you over to my villa. Say, around 10a.m?’

  ‘Great. I’ll see you then. Good luck tonight with your fundraiser.’

  She thanked me and I watched her gracefully launch herself into the room, saying: ‘Ah, Sir Gordon, how lovely to see you. Have you picked out a painting you like yet?’

  The following morning at 10a.m. sharp, I was back at The Cove, after being sat on a bus jam packed with almost naked people carrying towels and floaties and wishing that once again I’d had the foresight to stay there too. I remembered to leave the dress and the shoes that I’d promised to Jennifer with the receptionist, who then quickly and kindly arranged for me to be whisked over to Gloria’s residence in an electric golf cart.

  I sat next to a smiling butler who was wearing white shorts and a short sleeved pale blue shirt. We whizzed along a winding yellow stone path that looked like it was paved with gold and after a few minutes we came to a halt outside a villa that overlooked the beach.

  Not just any piece of beach, of course, as this patch of white-sand paradise was easily as heavily guarded as a G7 Summit Meeting.

  ‘Hello?’ I shouted into the open doorway and was soon greeted by Gloria herself.

  She rushed towards me wearing a long flowing sheer white dress held together at her narrow waist by a gold rope belt. She looked like she was gliding across the polished Mediterranean terrazzo tile floor towards me like a Greek goddess in her temple and with her arms open wide in welcome. In my white cotton shorts and a pale blue blouse, it’s a wonder that she hadn’t confused me with one of her staff, but she was warm and friendly and kissed me on both cheeks.

  ‘Lori, how lovely to see you again. Do come inside. Join me for some tea on the terrace.’

  She led me through the villa and outside again, through a billowing white cotton drape and onto the terrace, where there were several big comfortable lounging sofas and a small private swimming pool.

  ‘Please, make yourself comfortable. I’m sorry we couldn’t talk last night. I was kept so busy; I didn’t even manage to grab a glass of champagne all evening. Can you believe it?’

  I sat down on a squashy sofa and looked around me at the fabulous villa and its beautiful terrace with pots of tropical flowers and opulent outdoor furnishing and the exquisite tray containing a tall glass jug of iced lemon tea and matching tumblers on the low coffee table.

  And, I thought to myself, what a far cry all of this was from just a couple of days ago when I’d been standing outside a supermarket on a cold and dismal dark winter’s day, to this heavenly scene. ‘And I trust it was all a great success?’ I enquired.

  She rolled her eyes with joy. ‘Yes. It was fantastic. Surpassing all my expectations!’

  I watched her as she poured our tea steadily. The sharp morning sunlight catching both the crystal glass jug and the huge diamond ring that Gloria was wearing, sending shards of light in all directions. This morning, without any make up on her face and with her blood red hair worn loose and tousled, Gloria, whom I know from my research is much the same age as me, looked much younger and even prettier than she had last night.

  ‘I’m intrigued.’ she said. ‘Do tell me — how is Ethan?’

  ‘He’s in the Antarctic, actually.’ I felt a little agitated that she’d mentioned Ethan so quickly but also quite pleased that we could get straight down to the reason I was here. ‘We can only assume that right now he’s happily counting seals and penguins.’

  Gloria giggled, showing a glimpse of small and perfect dazzlingly white teeth.

  ‘So he’s still off trying to save the world?’ she concluded.

  ‘Gloria. I’m here because I want to talk to you about Ethan and Waterfall Cay.’

  She passed me a glass of iced lemon tea. ‘Okay. I’m listening.’

  ‘You and your husband are planning to build a hotel resort on the island.’

  ‘Yes. But let me tell you straight away that Ethan is quite wrong about us stealing the island from him. That’s just ridiculous. We’ve acquired it legally and authentically. I’m afraid he must just have sour grapes about it!’

  ‘On the contrary. Ethan says his brother intercepted his agreed deal. Illegally.’

  ‘And do you have proof of this?’

  ‘Erm, no. I don’t.’

  ‘Then why are you here? And why is Ethan in the Antarctic, if it means that much to him?’

  ‘Ethan doesn’t know I’m here. I’ve come to ask if you’d be willing to collaborate with me in convincing your husband to stop his development on the island and to relinquish the lease.’

  Gloria looked horrified. ‘You’re asking me to turn against my husband in favour of Ethan?’

  ‘No. I’m simply asking you to speak to your husband so that he can appreciate that Ethan, his brother, has set his heart on having Waterfall Cay as his principle home. Our home. The island is very special to both of us.’

  I saw her eyes drop quickly from my face to my finger in search of a ring.

  ‘I heard he’d divorced Marielle. Are you and Ethan — getting married?’

  I ignored the question. ‘Look, we really want it back!’

  Gloria started laughing. Her laughter sounded like a peel of tinkling bells.

  ‘And, in exchange for what, exactly?’ she questioned.

  ‘In exchange for a reconciliation with his brother. Think of it as a peace offering.’

  Gloria looked surprised and suddenly fell silent. Her next words came out in a sigh.

  ‘You mean like a white feather?’

  ‘More of a golden chalice, actually.’ I retorted. ‘One that could reconnect them as family. If Damion gave the island back to Ethan, no matter how it was obtained, it’s a gesture that could bring them together as friends and brothers again. Don’t you see, the fact that they are both interested in this island, is a perfect opportunity to reunite them.’

  ‘Lori, it’s a wonderful sentiment and it would be amazing if you could pull it off.’

  My heart soared. ‘Then will you help me?’

  But then she shook her head despondently. ‘No. I can’t get involved. But I wish you the best of luck because I too would love to see them reconciled. All the time I’ve known them they’ve been sworn enemies. So, unfortunately, I don’t expect Damion will want to hear about a white feather or a golden chalice. And, you say, Ethan isn’t even aware of your plan?’

  ‘But they are family. Brothers. Have you any idea what caused this terrible rift?’

  Gloria
shrugged her delicate shoulders. ‘What can I say except that it’s complicated? I do know Ethan had just finished high school and Damion had just completed his master’s degree when their parents died. There’s quite an age gap between them and they’ve never seen eye to eye. So afterwards they both went their separate ways.’

  I pondered this for a while. Sibling rivalry could explain an awful lot.

  ‘I just know that Ethan isn’t a quitter.’ I told her, my tone now betraying my anguish. ‘He fights the good fight every single day with governments and bureaucrats and yet for some reason, he’d rather relinquish the island, than fight Damion.’

  Gloria raised her perfectly arched eyebrows. ‘And do you think they should fight over it?’

  ‘No, not physically. But it’s clear to me that Damion wants the island for business reasons and Ethan has set his heart on it for very personal ones. I feel so strongly that Ethan has the stronger case and he shouldn’t give up on the island or indeed on his brother. Family is family!’

  Gloria nodded and smiled sweetly. ‘Yes. I absolutely agree with you. I too wish they would try to understand each other. They are both grown men for goodness sakes. But they are polarised. And, try as I might, I really don’t see how I can help you or they can be persuaded.’

  ‘I only know Ethan. But you said earlier that you know both of them?’ I ventured.

  She stared at me for the longest time without speaking but her eyes spoke volumes.

  I prompted her further. ‘I recognised that you already knew each other on the beach a couple of weeks ago. And you said that it had been a long time since you’d last seen each other?’

  Unexpectedly, Gloria reached out and took my hand in hers, as if she was trying to comfort me and to soften the blow of me hearing something I might find either traumatic or distasteful.

  ‘Lori, if you’re going to marry Ethan, then you probably do need to know that I knew him a long time ago and before I met Damion. And, maybe, you’ll also appreciate why I can’t help you.’

  ‘Go on — tell me.’ I whispered to her in both dread and encouragement.

  Gloria took a deep breath. ‘Other than when we all met on the island, the last time I saw Ethan, was fifteen years ago at a high-profile fundraiser in Boston. It was the last time Damion and Ethan saw each other too – at a chance rendezvous – that almost cost me my marriage.’

  ‘Your marriage? Oh, my goodness. Do you mind telling me what happened?’

  ‘Ethan and I first met in New York many years ago. We were young and were together for just one wonderful summer before we went our separate ways. I’d just started modelling and working between London, Paris, and New York. Ethan, at that time, was just starting to get famous for his conservation work – some of it controversial as it was the early days of campaigning for things like the ozone layer – and he was incredibly busy setting up his foundation and starting to travel all over the world. I suppose I never expected to see him again.’

  Gloria paused to sip her tea and I saw that she was now trembling.

  ‘Please, do go on.’ I coaxed. I was quite breathless with anticipation.

  ‘When I’d only been married to Damion for a few months, we bumped into Ethan in Boston. I couldn’t believe it. But I was excited to see him again. I did the introductions. I was justly proud of my new husband, and I honestly thought that these two handsome Scotsmen would enjoy each other’s company, at what was otherwise a rather tedious event. It was only then that I discovered my favourite ex-boyfriend and my new husband were brothers.’

  I almost choked on my iced lemon tea.

  Gloria now looked much paler than she had a moment ago.

  ‘Well, as you might imagine, it didn’t go down so well.’ She told me. ‘Especially when it later became clear how much the two of them hated each other. It was terrible. Awful.’

  ‘And what an amazing coincidence.’ I stammered, imagining the awkwardness. ‘Only, how was it that you didn’t realise they were brothers? After all, they both have the same last name?’

  Gloria shook her head. ‘But they didn’t. Ethan was using the name Ethan Jones.’

  I was suddenly sat bolt upright at her making this point. I immediately cast my mind back to the terrible quarrel I’d once had with Ethan when we were on an assignment in Malaysia when I thought he’d deliberately lied to me about his name. I too knew him as Ethan Jones.

  The discovery that he was really Ethan Goldman had almost ended our fledgling relationship. But he explained to me how he’d been using an alias in order to disguise the fact that he was the Goldman Global Foundation and not just someone working for it. I remember how some of the other volunteers at the time liked to call him ‘Indiana Jones’.

  ‘Well, if it makes you feel better,’ I confessed to Gloria. ‘I fell for the same trick. I’d had no idea who he was when I first met him either and I had assumed he was Ethan Jones too.’

  Gloria sighed heavily. ‘You can just imagine what happened when Damion found out that I’d slept with his brother. Even though it had been many years before and long before we were married. It caused us terrible problems in our marriage. When the extent of their rivalry came to light, I really thought I’d lost Damion forever.’

  I was so shocked by this that I didn’t know what to say. I just sat there with my mouth open.

  Gloria continued. ‘Luckily for me, my husband loves me. He eventually agreed to marriage counselling. But I had to work very hard over a long period of time to persuade Damion that I’d only ever loved him, and that I’d never been in love with Ethan. In turn, during our counselling, I discovered the root of the deep-seated rivalry with his younger brother and he actually cried while telling me his parents had loved Ethan more than they’d ever loved him.’

  ‘Really? How heartbreaking. But how can this possibly be true?’ I asked.

  Gloria shrugged her slim shoulders and looked sad. ‘Well, it was substantiated when both parents died. Apparently, they left everything to Ethan. Damion never got over it. He’s deeply hurt. However, like you, I’d like nothing more than to see an end to their rivalry.’

  I was stunned. I knew from snippets of information garnered from Ethan that his Scottish parents had become incredibly wealthy from investments they’d made during the early days of North Sea offshore oil and gas production. Is that where all of Ethan’s money came from?

  And why didn’t he want to share it with his only brother?

  Seeing how sad Gloria looked I tried desperately to put a positive spin on things.

  ‘But Damion is now incredibly wealthy too. Except he’s a self-made man. That must be far more satisfying for him, surely? And, I imagine his disappointment over not inheriting, has helped to shape him into the successful man that he is today?’

  ‘Oh, yes.’ Gloria immediately agreed. ‘I’m sure it’s the prime motivational force behind his incredible work ethic. It’s just a shame that Damion only ever measures his success against Ethan’s. Last year, for example, Damion made the cover of Time magazine. He was listed as number one in the T100 and the most influential man in America. Damion came home that day, with a copy of the magazine and a bottle of champagne. He was triumphant. It was like he’d just conquered the whole world. Then, on the TV news that same night, we hear that Ethan has just been knighted by the Queen of England.’

  Gloria suddenly looked at me with great concern, as if she feared she’d been far too candid.

  ‘Oh Lori, please tell me that you will keep this information to yourself? Just between us? This is highly confidential. If you are trying to help Ethan, then believe me, I want to help you. I also want you to succeed in bringing these two brothers together for the benefit of all of us. But I can’t be seen to be a part of it. I do truly love my husband. But he really can be quite ruthless when it comes to giving out second chances to anyone – especially to me and certainly to Ethan – and so I’m afraid I might lose him forever if all this gets stirred up again!’

  I stared at her in aw
e and felt incredibly grateful for her honesty.

  ‘I promise you faithfully, Gloria. I will keep all you’ve told me in complete confidence.’

  She then smiled and looked more relaxed. ‘I feel I can trust you, Lori.’

  We finished our iced tea and then Gloria’s phone pinged with a message.

  She apologised to me, saying it was about last night’s auction and she had to make a call.

  ‘Then I must head off.’ I said to her. ‘I’m flying back to London later today. Thank you for everything, Gloria. Especially for being so candid with me. I came all this way to meet you with high hopes and good intentions and I’m so very glad I did. Let’s keep in touch but of course discreetly. It’s clear that your husband loves you very much and that you love him. I suspect, from what you’ve said about him that he does have a forgiving side, but to be honest I’m feeling far less optimistic now about my chances of getting the island back for Ethan.’

  We swapped phone numbers and Gloria embraced me and kissed me again on both cheeks.

  It was hard not to like her. She seemed generous, kind, charitable, and unpretentious.

  All something of a refreshing surprise when faced with my assumptions of her.

  ‘I hope we can meet again, Lori. But under easier circumstances next time.’

  ‘Yes. I hope so too. Happy Christmas for when it comes, Gloria.’

  I started to walk away when she called out to me once more.

  I turned and hesitated. I saw her expression had recovered to one of strength and resolution.

  ‘Lori, if you’re still determined to get the island back for Ethan, there’s really only one way.’

  I caught my breath in anticipation. ‘Okay. I’m listening.’

  ‘You’ll have to play Damion at his own game. Find a way to take it back!’

  Chapter 10

  I took a taxi back over the bridge that connects Paradise Island with Nassau Town and then I found a nice traditional style Bahamian café in which to have lunch before heading out to the airport. I needed time to think about everything that Gloria and I had talked about. I also needed to come up with another plan to take back the island as she had so bravely suggested.