“This doesn’t bode well,” she murmured as he pulled up in front of her cottage.
They climbed from the car and walked carefully up to the front door, and as they stepped inside and she flicked the light switch, nothing happened.
“It appears you’ll be coming home with me,” Henry declared.
“You don’t mind?”
“Don’t mind? I’m sorry things here aren’t as they should be, but I’m delighted,” he said, putting his arms around her and giving her a bear hug. “I told you, I like having you around. You might as well stay through the weekend, unless you have plans.”
“No,” she replied, snuggling against him. “My work will have to wait because of the mess the roads are in. I’ll set up everything for Monday.”
“Dare I ask, set up what exactly?”
“Probably better you didn’t,” she sighed, “but once I’m done with this job I can take a break for a bit.”
Henry grimaced. A bit? What did that mean? He hated that she was embroiled in an ongoing scam, and hated even more that he felt powerless to do anything about it. The website thing though, was that a way out for her?
“I want to check the refrigerator,” she said, breaking into his thoughts. “I need to clear out anything out that will spoil or melt.”
“If it hasn’t already,” he remarked.
As they walked through to the kitchen, Jane scanned her surroundings. Nothing had been disturbed, but she wasn’t surprised. No one would have ventured out during the storm. Opening up the fridge, they stared at the contents. Things weren’t as bad as she’d feared.
“I’ll take out what might go bad while you pack,” Henry offered. “Do you have rubbish bags?”
“Would you mind if we made a stop on our way back to your house? It’s a bit out of your way.”
“Not at all, I don’t have to be anywhere. Do you have an errand to run?”
“Yes, and rather than throw those things away, could you please put them in a box for me? Hold on, I have one in this back room.”
Bewildered, Henry waited until she returned holding a solid carton.
“Pack up the box with whatever it will hold,” she said, placing it on the counter. “There’s some chicken in the freezer, take that as well, and any packets of biscuits that I haven’t opened yet. You’ll find them in that cupboard.”
“Jane, what’s this about?”
“There’s a family I try to help. The mother has two young children. She lost her husband in a freak accident, and life is very difficult for her. She works as a waitress while the kids are at school. If she doesn’t work, she doesn’t get paid. I’m sure this storm will have been a nightmare.”
“How do you know her?”
“I don’t, I just know her circumstances. I’ll only be a few minutes. Thanks, Henry.”
His eyes followed her as she headed off down the hall. She had told him she gave away half of what she made. Now he believed her. She was constantly surprising him.
Entering her bedroom, Jane locked the door behind her and moved swiftly through her wardrobe and into her hidden room, propping the door open with a thick book. The room was soundproof, and with no monitors to watch due to lack of power, she needed to make sure she could hear Henry if he called, or the front doorbell if it rang.
“Why was Bernie so against a generator,” she frowned. “It makes no sense.”
Standing at the secretary, she tried to decide if she should take the stock certificates, the Qantas boarding pass, and the gold nuggets back to Henry’s house. If she made arrangements over the weekend to meet the girls at Heathrow on Monday, it would be a pain to have to return home to pick them up, and she didn’t want to postpone things any further.
“I’ll take them,” she muttered, “and if something unexpected happens and things are moved up, I’ll be ready.”
Picking up her laptop, she placed it in its carrying case, then after slipping the gold nuggets and boarding pass into an envelope, she put it in the side zippered compartment of the bag, along with the envelopes containing the stock certificates. Looking around to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything, she decided to leave the struggling mother some cash. Opening one of the secretary’s secret drawers, she peeled off three one hundred pound notes, scrawled for something nice on a piece of paper, and secured it to the notes with a butterfly clip, then grabbed a large amount of cash for herself. Bernie always insisted she keep at least five hundred pounds on her at all times.
“Emergencies can happen. Better to have cash on hand just in case.”
So she did.
Hurrying back into her bedroom, making sure the door closed properly behind her, she quickly packed enough for the weekend.
“I’m ready,” she called, leaving her room.
“Me too,” he grinned, meeting her in the hallway with the box full of groceries. “Where does this woman live?”
“About twenty minutes from here, but I’ll direct you. It’s not the best part of town. Is that okay?”
“I didn’t expect to be driving into Mayfair,” he chuckled. “Is it a block of flats?”
“No,” she replied, leading the way to the front door. “The front door is on the street, thank goodness.”
They settled into the car, and as they reached the end of the block, Henry stopped and had a brief talk with the utility workers. The news wasn’t great. They were expecting it would take at least another day before power was restored, possibly longer.
“I’m so lucky,” Jane sighed as they drove away. “I should get a generator. Bernie wouldn’t, and I don’t know why. Maybe he was worried about the service people coming to the house. He knew so many people though, I’m sure he could have found someone trustworthy. Mind you, he had a lot of idiosyncrasies like that.”
“You don’t need a generator now. You have a place to stay whenever you need it.”
“That is very reassuring,” she smiled, “and you truly are a lifesaver.”
“Tell me more about your website designing.”
“What would you like to know?”
“What sorts of sites have you done? Have you ever worked for others? There’s money in that business, and demand for good people.”
She’d created some beautiful sites for cohorts who needed something slick and professional, and though she described them in detail, she didn’t let on they’d been created for nefarious purposes. The conversation helped the drive pass quickly, and it seemed only a short time before Henry was parking across the street from the place where the woman lived. Looking up and down the street, he couldn’t help but frown. It was grim.
“Do you come here by yourself?” he asked, seeing a gang of hooded adolescent boys skulking down the block.
“Only when my chauffeur is in Paris picking up my winter wardrobe.”
“Very funny, but I’m serious. This doesn’t look like a safe area.”
“It’s not, but I know how to take care of myself, believe me.”
“Somehow, I do,” he muttered, “but I still don’t like it.”
“I’ll just wait until those boys turn the corner, then I’ll take this across.”
“No, I will, it’s heavy, and the ground’s probably slippery.”
“Thanks anyway, but I need to do it.”
“Why?”
“Because I know what it’s like to have nothing,” she mumbled.
She’d misunderstood his question, and he knew why. The errand reminded her of her early struggles in life, but her remark sent a chill through him. She’d told him how she’d taken off from her foster home, and the many ways she’d found to survive, but the way she’d described using her wit and cleverness, she had almost made it sound like some kind of romantic adventure. Clearly it had been anything but.
The ominous-looking boys were turning a corner, and it was important to her that she be the one to leave the box, but Henry decided there was no reason she had to cross the menacing road, so he did a U-turn and stopped at the door.
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“There you go, you can slip out and right back in.”
“Thanks,” she said, digging her hand into her pocket. “I just need to get this.”
Withdrawing the cash, she wedged it between two packages of biscuits at the top.
“What’s that?” Henry asked.
“Cash. Food is great, but it doesn’t pay the bills, or buy a new coat for one of her girls. The moment I jump back in, take off—I don’t want her to see me—but stop up the street so I can make sure she gets it.”
She handed him the box until she was out of the car, then grunting, she picked it up and carried to the front door, rang the bell, then hurried back and quickly climbed into her seat, staring out the car’s side mirror as Henry drove off. He was about to stop when she told him to keep going.
“She’s taken it inside, thank goodness. I always worry that some jerk is going to get to it before she does.”
“What do you know about her?”
“Enough,” Jane replied sharply, then quickly added, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap.”
“No, it’s all right. I probably shouldn’t have asked you that.”
“She’s amazing. She walks those girls to their school every single morning, and meets them every afternoon. She absolutely dotes on them, and they’re such happy little things. They have no idea how hard her life is. Any little girl would be blessed to have a mother like that. Someone to love them and keep them safe.”
Her voice had grown wistful, and hearing the emotion brimming below the surface, he felt an uncomfortable heat at the back his throat.
“You’re a remarkable person, Jane,” he said softly, pulling his car to the side of the road.
“Why are you parking?”
“Because there’s something I have to do.”
Unbuckling his seat belt, he leaned across the center console, took her head into his hands, placed his lips against hers, and kissed her, gliding his mouth over hers with warm, loving energy.
“What was that for?” she asked breathlessly as they broke apart.
“To show you how much I adore you, and because it’s an honor to know you.”
“I, uh, don’t know what to say.”
“Let’s go somewhere for an early lunch,” he suggested. “There’s no rush for us to back.”
“What about your sister, and aren’t you supposed to be working?”
“My sister can wait another couple of hours, and so can my work; besides, we’ve been in the house for three days.”
“Do you think we can find a place that’s open?”
“I know exactly where to go,” he grinned, starting his car up and pulling back on to the road. “St. James’s Hotel.”
“You mean, Seven Park Place? But I’m not dressed.”
“You’re not naked,” he chuckled.
“Can we get in?”
“I wouldn’t be taking us some place we couldn’t,” he replied, shooting her a wink. “Don’t worry. I’m connected.”
“I’ll put some makeup on,” she exclaimed, opening her bag and pulling out her cosmetics pouch.
Her mood had brightened. Henry’s mission had been accomplished. She deserved lunch at a lovely restaurant, and he was going to make sure she started to enjoy the finer things in life, without any jeopardy attached.
Later that afternoon, he was making a cup of tea while Jane was working on Sara’s website at the kitchen table. As he brought in her cup and saucer, and a plate with some buttered scones, he found her mumbling to herself.
“Henry,” she said briskly, lifting her head from the screen, “this website is a mess. I don’t know who did it, or how much she paid for it, but I can do something so much better. Not only that, I can teach her how to keep it updated. I can fix the problems on her old site so it’s back online and functioning again, but I can build her a new one in the meantime. It will only take me a few days. I could do it over the weekend.”
“So… you’re saying she should scrap the old one?”
“That’s what I’m saying, and I’ll build her something much better.”
“That’s such a generous offer.”
“I’m happy to do it. It’s fun, and her current site isn’t right for what she’s doing. It’s too slick. She’s selling doll’s clothes to mothers. The site has to reflect the product. She needs something warm and homey.”
“If she wanted to take you up on the offer, how much do you think it would cost?”
“What? I wouldn’t charge her!” Jane exclaimed. “Is that what you thought?”
“Sorry,” Henry said quickly. “I didn’t know. I didn’t want to assume.”
“She’s your sister. Of course I’m not interested in her money. Heavens!”
Seeing the hurt on her face, Henry grabbed a chair and pulled it next to hers.
“I’m truly sorry,” he said softly. “I didn’t mean anything by it. No one should work for nothing, and that includes you. I wasn’t suggesting anything otherwise.”
“I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have been so defensive.”
“She’ll be thrilled, and you will be paid. I’m going to ask her how much she spent on the site she has, and we’ll figure it out. Do we have a deal?”
“I don’t want to charge her.”
“That’s not going to happen,” he said firmly, “so stop arguing. It’s time to take a break and drink your tea.”
“You can be very bossy sometimes,” she declared, a cheeky grin on her face.
“Are you complaining?”
“Not for a moment,” she smiled, “not about a single thing.”
Chapter Sixteen
Three days later
It was Sunday afternoon. The weather was milder, and a soft drizzle had descended over the city. Henry hadn’t visited his gym for several days, and with Jane busy at her computer finishing up his sister’s website, he decided to go for a jog.
“I’ll only be about thirty minutes,” he declared, walking up behind her dressed in his running gear. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“Why should I mind?” she replied, shifting her gaze from the computer screen and smiling up at him. “I’m so close to finishing, I’m completely obsessed.”
“How much more do you have to do?”
“I’ll be done in about an hour. She’ll probably find some bits and bobs she’ll want tweaked, but that stuff doesn’t take very long.”
“You’re amazing,” he declared, kissing her on the cheek. “You’ve made my sister so happy, and me too.”
“I’m glad! Now please go for your run and let me get back to work.”
“Right, I’m off!”
She waited until she heard the front door close, then picked up her phone. She’d been trying to find some time alone to call Sylvia, but it had been impossible. Since it was a drizzly Sunday, she was confident Sylvia would pick up the phone, and as the call went through she prayed the chatty actress wouldn’t keep her talking ad nauseam as she usually did.
“Hi, it’s so good to hear from you,” Sylvia exclaimed the moment she answered the call. “We’ve been wondering about you. We thought maybe you’d fallen down a mineshaft or something. Where have you been? You know we had an unbelievable snowstorm here. Everything was shut down. Did you hear about it?”
“Hi, Sylvia, yes, I did hear about the storm, it was all over the news here. Did you get stranded anywhere? Is everyone okay?”
“We had to shut down production, which was a drama, and I saw Amanda and Susan last night for the first time since it came through. When are you coming back? How is it down there?”
“Don’t shoot me, but warm and sunny,” she laughed, staring at the weather forecast on her computer screen. “November and December are nice months here. It’s weird though. With Christmas around the corner, I keep thinking it should be cold and wet.”
“I’m jumping on a plane,” Sylvia said enthusiastically. “Warm and sunny, that sounds like heaven.”
“I’ll try to bring the w
eather back with me. Is there any chance of one you picking me up tomorrow? What’s your schedule like?”
“I’m available in the afternoon. You know Amanda and Susan, they’re always free, unless they’re in a yoga class or something.”
“My flight gets in at 2:22 p.m.; can you believe they narrow it down like that? Not 2:25 p.m. or 2:20 p.m., but 2:22! Anyway, I figure I’ll be through all the customs crap about forty-five minutes later. I’m flying first class of course, so that should help.”
“Sure, I’ll be there, and I’m sure Amanda and Susan will be excited to come too. What’s the news? How was the goldmine?”
“It’s such a story,” she said dramatically, “but it’s all fantastic, and I even have a special something for each of you. A valuable special something that I know you’ll love. Just one thing though, I refuse to eat airline food, so I’ll be starving. How would you feel about going somewhere straight from the airport for an early dinner? That way I can tell you all the news, then grab a cab home from there.”
“Won’t you be too tired?”
“I doubt it. I’ll be more wired than tired. After some decent food and wine I’ll probably feel like crashing, but I really want to tell you about everything, and give you your very special present. You won’t believe it.”
“I’m so excited,” Sylvia said happily. “Let’s go to Wetherby’s. I’m craving their chicken pie.”
“Wetherby’s is perfect. I love their chicken pie too. By the time we get there it will be around four o’clock, so that’s great. Thanks, Sylvia; shoot, I’d better go. I can hear my dad coming in. I’ll see you tomorrow outside the Qantas terminal at around three. My flight number is Qantas flight 2, but I’ll be curbside.”
“I wish you could talk some more. I’m sitting here watching the drizzle. Kind of bored, to be honest.”
“Sorry, but now dad is here and he’s waving at me to get off the phone. We have to head to the airport. I’ve called you at the last minute. Long story.”
Reforming Jane Page 13