Family Divided

by Allen, Anne

  funeral. A reasonable compromise, I thought. Do you agree?’

  She did and as they finished the call, was left experiencing a mix of sadness and relief. As she scrolled to

  Andy’s number on her mobile the thought crossed her mind the ‘John’ Martin referred to might be John

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  Ferguson, the retired inspector who helped Louisa track down her mother’s killer. If it was, then she thought

  Maud’s statement would be in safe hands. And now she had good news for Andy.

  The fog lifted on Monday and with it Charlotte’s spirits. She made an early start and was in the office by eight

  thirty, much to the surprise of the receptionist who, judging by her flustered appearance, had only just arrived

  herself. Charlotte smiled and after exchanging greetings, headed to her office. The Georgian building, minutes

  away from her house in the heart of Bloomsbury, had been divided into three and Townsend Publishers

  occupied the entire first floor. The rooms were light and airy, enjoying high, elaborate ceilings and original

  marble fireplaces. Charlotte’s father always referred to it as “a home from home” and she could see why. It was

  like a cosy club, with panelled rooms leading off the central staircase. Charlotte had just settled at her desk when

  Tony appeared.

  He grinned at her. ‘The grapevine announced your arrival and it’s good to see you here, Charlotte. How’s

  things?’

  ‘Fine, thanks. You’d better sit down, Tony, we’ve a lot to discuss. First of all, can we talk about Chris’s books?’

  Once they had discussed those books and others in the pipeline, Charlotte explained about her ideas for the

  future and her intended move to Guernsey. Tony was surprised and pleased she had met someone and

  confirmed he would be happy to take on a bigger role within the company.

  The walk back to the house took five minutes and Charlotte dawdled, keen to enjoy some fresh air after a

  morning in the office. The deciduous trees in the square were shadows of their former selves, stark against their

  evergreen neighbours. The overcast sky emphasised the bleaching of colour from the area, leaving only white,

  grey and splashes of green. Charlotte felt as if the city was telling her to move on, find somewhere with more

  light and colour. As she approached her house, a taxi drew up outside, depositing her mother on the pavement.

  The driver carried the case up the short flight of steps before leaving.

  ‘Hello, Mother. Did you have a good journey?’ Charlotte asked, kissing her cheek before opening the front

  door.

  ‘Yes thank you. For once the train was on time and the heating worked.’ Annette was muffled up in a heavy

  wool coat, scarf and gloves as if venturing to the arctic rather than London in November. Charlotte left the case

  in the hall and went in search of Mrs Thomas while her mother unwrapped herself. She came back to find her in

  the sitting room, rubbing her hands by the fire.

  ‘Lunch will be ready in fifteen minutes, Mother.’ She went and stood by her, trying to examine her face as she

  warmed her own hands. The dark shadows had gone and it looked as if her mother had put on some weight.

  Good. ‘You’re looking well. How’s it going with the treatments?’

  ‘Quite well, I believe. It’s why I’m here as Gillian wants to run some tests to check my progress. Are you free

  to take me this afternoon? I have an appointment at four.’

  ‘Of course. Will you be seeing her again this week?’

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  ‘On Wednesday or Thursday, depending when the results are ready. Then we’re to discuss the new protocol

  she’s excited about and wants me to consider.’ Annette turned to face her. ‘What are your plans, Charlotte? Are

  you back for good?’

  ‘Not exactly. I’m happy to stay if you need my help with anything and I’ve things to sort out here, but I might

  need to return to Guernsey next week. A funeral,’ she added, thinking at least that was true.

  Her mother’s eyebrows shot up. ‘A funeral! But surely you haven’t lost a friend so soon?’

  ‘No, no, it’s…a friend’s aunt, and they would like my support. But it’s not important, if you–’

  Annette waved her hand. ‘I don’t need you to be here, Charlotte. Go and be with your friend if you wish, I’m

  sure she would appreciate your thoughtfulness.’

  Charlotte felt her cheeks redden but didn’t correct her mother’s assumption. But one day there’d be a lot of

  explaining to do…

  Mrs Thomas came to announce lunch was ready and they moved to the morning room at the back of the

  house. They were greeted by the enticing aroma of home-made vegetable soup, accompanied by plates of salad

  and glasses of freshly made juices, Mrs Thomas having been advised of Annette’s strict diet. Once settled at the

  table conversation was desultory, consisting mainly of observations on the weather and what the local WI had

  planned for the winter months.

  Later Charlotte drove her mother to Richmond and waited while she was with Gillian. She was pleased to see

  them come out smiling from the consulting room.

  ‘Your mother’s doing really well, Charlotte, and assuming the blood tests are good, I think we can say the

  programme’s working,’ Gillian said, patting Annette’s arm. ‘It might mean Annette spends some further time at

  La Folie and I’m sure a room could be found, if it suits you both?’

  ‘It’s fine by me, if Mother’s happy to go back,’ Charlotte said, giving Annette a quizzical look.

  ‘I can hardly refuse to go if it’s improving my chances of recovery, can I?’

  ‘Good. I’ll see you on Wednesday afternoon and we can go over the results and confirm the ongoing

  treatment,’ Gillian said, guiding them to the front door. After exchanging goodbyes, they left.

  Once in the car Charlotte asked her mother if Gillian had said when she would need to return to Guernsey.

  Annette replied the following week had been suggested, subject to room availability. Charlotte nodded, thinking

  it could work out well with her own plan to return for Maud’s funeral. And she and Andy could announce their

  engagement to both sets of parents at the same time. Perfect!

  The next morning Annette disappeared to meet up with a fellow WI chairwoman, saying she would be out for

  lunch. Charlotte was happy to return to the library and her writing, glad to be relieved of chauffeur duties. She

  had not made much progress when she received a call from the rector. He started off by saying the funeral was

  arranged for the following Monday at 2 pm, if she still wished to attend.

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  ‘It looks as if I might be coming back next weekend anyway, Martin, so that’s fine. How…how did it go with

  the police?’ she asked, keeping her fingers crossed.

  ‘The Chief Officer was, to put it mildly, astonished to be presented with evidence relating to a crime which

  took place more than sixty years ago, but he agreed it would be pursued. Mr Batiste will be taken in for

  questioning after the funeral as I’d suggested and, in the meantime, the police will dig out the old files. I’m glad

  my friend John was with me as apparently he solved another war-time case, which meant the Chief took it

  seriously. Right, I’d better get on and I hope to see you next week,’ he said, briskly, before ending the call.

  Charlotte immediately rang Andy with the news and he, in turn, said he’d pass it on to his fath
er. They had

  arranged to see an advocate later in the week to discuss Jim’s claim to the estate. She heard the excitement in his

  voice as the time was fast approaching for Harold’s downfall.

  ‘I only wish I could be there when he’s arrested but guess I’ll have to settle for reading it in the Guernsey

  Evening Press. Dad’s still not taken it in, but once we’ve seen the advocate, it should become more real. Mum’s

  already looking at holiday brochures!’ he said, laughing.

  ‘Good for her! They deserve it. Perhaps they should consider a world cruise, it would give them a chance to

  enjoy some well-earned pampering while seeing the sights. You said they haven’t travelled much.’

  ‘No, they couldn’t afford it. A cruise sounds a good idea, I’ll suggest it. But as it could take ages for the legal

  stuff to get sorted, I’d better tell Mum to hang fire for the moment.’

  Once Charlotte had said goodbye she returned to her writing powered up by the phone calls and looking

  forward to seeing Andy, trying not to think of their own unresolved issue. And as long as her mother’s blood test

  results were good it wouldn’t be long before they were back together.

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  chapter thirty-three

  Charlotte paced up and down Gillian’s waiting room, a pretty little sitting room decorated in soft tones and

  furnished with linen-covered sofas. Intriguing artefacts from around the world lined the shelves. It was a room

  exuding calm and peace, but Charlotte was not seduced. She wanted to know what was happening in the

  adjoining consulting room.

  Finally she heard the sound of voices as the door opened and Gillian preceded her mother into the room. Her

  smile said it all and she sagged with relief.

  ‘The tests look good, in fact better than I expected, and I’ve contacted La Folie about a room for Annette and

  she can arrive on Sunday,’ Gillian said, standing between them. ‘I’ll be spending more time in Guernsey myself

  while I wind down this practice. Malcolm wants me to be a consultant naturopathic doctor for the clinic.’

  Charlotte’s eyebrows rose. ‘That’s good news, on both counts.’ She turned to her mother who, dressed

  immaculately in Armani, looked as if she’d been invited for afternoon tea rather than to receive vital test results.

  ‘I’m so happy for you, Mother.’

  Annette nodded, a brief smile touching her lips.

  The women said their goodbyes and left. Charlotte’s heart was singing. Not only was the prognosis looking

  better for her mother, but she could now plan her return to Guernsey. Annette was booked on an evening train

  to Somerset, having refused Charlotte’s offer of a lift, saying she was quite capable of travelling on her own.

  During the drive back to Bloomsbury, Charlotte said she would book her own flight for the next day and would

  keep in touch when they were both in Guernsey. Her mother made no comment and for once Charlotte was glad

  she showed a lack of interest in her life.

  ‘Did Gillian say whether or not your cancer can be…cured?’ she asked, tentatively.

  A shadow crossed her mother’s face. ‘Hmm. No-one talks about a cure, only remission, particularly with liver

  cancer. However, she’s having good results with other patients and thinks I have a good chance of long-term

  remission myself. So in theory I could become cancer-free,’ she said, her voice wobbling.

  ‘Oh, Mother! I do hope so. I’m glad you’re at least giving yourself this chance to beat it,’ she said, gripping her

  mother’s hand. Unusually, Annette did not shrug it off. Charlotte had to let go to steer the car, but for a moment

  felt they were a little closer. With an inward sigh, she joined the line of traffic heading into central London.

  Charlotte’s gaze swept over the waiting crowd and when her eyes caught those of Andy, her pulse raced as she

  ran into his arms and kissed him.

  ‘Hey, have you missed me so much? It’s only been a few days,’ he said, laughing.

  ‘Seems longer. So much has happened this week…’ She clung onto his arm as he steered her outside to his car.

  After stowing her case in the boot he took the driving seat, leaning over for a quick kiss before starting the

  engine.

  ‘I’ve given myself the afternoon off, thinking we could go shopping after lunch.’

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  Charlotte was puzzled. Andy, like many men, avoided shopping as much as possible.

  ‘Shopping? What for, groceries?’

  ‘No, silly. Don’t we need to choose something sparkly?’ he said, his eyes crinkled up in amusement.

  ‘Oh! A ring. I hadn’t expected you to buy it so soon.’ Her heart thumped with excitement at the thought and

  she leant across and kissed him.

  ‘I take it that’s a yes?’ he said, pulling away from the kerb. She nodded in agreement and settled back in the

  seat, looking forward to what promised to be a fabulous afternoon.

  On Friday morning Andy left early to collect his father for their appointment with the advocate, leaving

  Charlotte to catch up with her writing. In theory. In practice she gazed dreamily at her ring, which caught the

  light while she attempted to type. Her first engagement ring, a traditional ruby and diamond, had been chosen

  by her ex-husband and she had never liked it, whereas both she and Andy had fallen in love with this ring, a

  pear-shaped emerald, surrounded by diamonds. Andy, saying the emeralds matched her eyes, had insisted on

  buying her matching earrings. She was touched by his thoughtfulness and generosity and planned to buy him an

  engagement present, once she had found something suitable. Giving up on her writing, she leant back in the

  chair and found herself thinking about the previous evening.

  Andy had cooked supper and afterwards they had cuddled up together on the sofa, drinking wine and

  planning the future. Charlotte knew she had to say something, albeit belatedly, about the pretty important topic

  of children. The conversation about where they were to live would have to wait.

  ‘Andy, we haven’t really discussed whether or not we want children. What…what are your thoughts? Do you

  want children?’ she said, avoiding his gaze as the mass of butterflies once again filled her stomach.

  He reached up and tilted her face towards him. ‘I’d always hoped to be a father one day, but I appreciate

  neither of us are as young as we were. If you’re happy to try it’s fine by me. But if you’d rather not, that’s okay

  too. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, darling, with or without children. Okay?’

  The butterflies flew away and Charlotte smiled at her gorgeous, generous hearted man.

  ‘In which case, I’d like us to try for a baby, before we both become old and shrivelled.’

  ‘Great, from now on we can forget the, er, safety barrier and see what happens, shall we? And there’s no time

  like the present,’ he said, putting their glasses of wine out of harm’s way. She laughed and began to unbutton his

  shirt…

  The memory of their passionate lovemaking brought a flush to her cheeks and Charlotte got up and went to

  make a coffee. It was going to be difficult to concentrate on the antics of Lady Emma Hamilton today, she

  thought, although there were similarities. She daydreamed instead about what it would be like to be a mother.

  Scary – and wonderful. She was sure Andy would make a brilliant father and for a moment felt the loss of her

  own. Her child – if she had one – would b
e deprived of a lovely grandfather and she would have loved her father

  to be around to dote on it, as he had her.

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  Twisting her ring around her finger, she thought of the potential grandparents she had yet to meet. Charlotte

  thought they sounded lovely and she and Andy had agreed they would visit them together on Saturday with

  their news. On Sunday she would introduce Andy to her mother, relieving them of the need for secrecy. Except

  where the ‘other’ Batistes were concerned. She would go alone to Maud’s funeral and slip away unnoticed after

  the service. Harold would find out soon enough who she really was.

  ~ ~

  Andy was jubilant as he and his father left the advocate’s office, but his father looked pensive.

  ‘What’s the matter, Dad? I know he said it could take months to sort out the legal stuff, but at least he was

  convinced your case is watertight and Harold should never have tried to bamboozle you the way he did. You and

  Mum will be able to buy whatever you need,’ he said, glancing at his father’s frowning face.

  Jim turned towards him, saying, ‘I’m not too sure about this DNA lark, son. If we do need to use one as proof,

  how are we going to get Harold or Dave to agree? Don’t think I would, in their shoes.’

  ‘Oh, that’s what’s bothering you! I shouldn’t worry, Dave’s DNA will be on file thanks to his police record, and

  once Harold’s arrested the police could take his DNA. In any event, the advocate was sure it wouldn’t come to it.

  Trust me, Dad, it’ll be fine. Why don’t you and Mum start looking for a cruise, sometime next year? Do you good

  to travel a bit,’ Andy said, opening the car door for Jim.

  His father’s face lightened. ‘Well, if you think we could. I’ve always wanted to visit the Mediterranean

  countries, somewhere warm for my old bones. I suppose we should be able to afford it.’

  Andy, slipping into his seat, burst out laughing. ‘Afford it? Dad, the estate’s worth millions, and I’d guess