‘Fine, maybe you should have an affair with him.’
Barbara went for him, tried to hit him, but he caught her wrist and pushed her away. This time she fell against the stairs.
‘Stay away from me, you disgust me.’
‘I disgust you? I disgust you? Well, fuck you . . .’
‘That’s it, Barbara, come on, let’s hear what you really are, let’s hear it. Bet all those society friends of yours would love to see you now, crawling up the stairs.’
Hauling herself to her feet, Barbara was in such a rage that she screamed. Alex laughed at her, turned away and walked up the stairs, with Barbara screaming after him.
‘You’ll never get me crawling to you, the only person you can crawl to is Edward . . . When he says jump, you jump . . . when he’s drunk you run round there and clean him up like he was your big baby . . . You are married to him, only you don’t even know it . . .’
Alex froze, unable to move. He was fighting for control, because he wanted to kill her. All he had to do was turn round and hit her and she would fall backwards down the stairs . . .
She kept coming close, shouting at him. ‘It’s always been Edward, hasn’t it, you keep on about how much you hate him, you don’t hate him, you love him . . . he means more to you than I ever did, than ever your son did . . . Yes, he’s his!’
Alex turned; the sight of his face, like a mask, made her shut her mouth. She pressed herself against the wall, terrified. ‘Don’t touch me, Alex, or I’ll scream, Scargill will see you . . . Don’t touch me.’
Alex smiled and looked down at her. His quiet voice was icy. ‘Don’t worry, Barbara, I’ll never touch you again.’
He left her sobbing on the stairs. He packed a case, then went into Evelyn’s room and packed his. Then he gently shook him awake. ‘Come on, Daddy’s got a surprise, we’re going to New York for Christmas . . . come on, darling, wakey, wakey.’
Barbara was still crying when she saw Alex carry his son, Edward’s child, out to the Rolls-Royce and drive away.
As the plane took off, Evelyn slipped his hand into Alex’s. He was always a little afraid of flying. Alex gave him a fatherly pat, then helped him unbuckle his safety belt as the indicators went off. The air hostess placed a glass of champagne on Alex’s table.
‘Oh, can I have one too, please?’
The air hostess looked at Alex and he gave a small nod, so Evelyn sipped his glass of champagne. ‘Why don’t you like Uncle Edward, Daddy, did he do something wrong?’
Slipping his arm around Evelyn, Alex told him he asked too many questions, then kissed the top of his head.
‘I wish I had a brother, he is your brother, isn’t he?’
Alex leaned back and closed his eyes. ‘Yes, he is my brother, we just don’t get along, that’s all. Now, I don’t want to hear any more, just let me rest.’
Kicking his feet against the seat, Evelyn sipped his champagne in silence. He turned to look at his father, whose head was resting on the pillow, his eyes still closed. He studied Alex’s profile sternly, and then decided that Uncle Edward was better-looking, and he was also . . . He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but there was something different about the Big Bad Wolf.
Alex was not asleep, he was irritated by the knocking of Evelyn’s heels against the bottom of the seat. The dark head was resting against his arm, and he could smell the boy’s hair. ‘I used to love him so, Evelyn, we used to be like one person.’
Evelyn didn’t hear, he was fast asleep. Alex eased the empty glass from his hand and covered him with a red airline blanket.
Edward could not bear to see Harriet, but the doctors confirmed his suspicions that this time her recovery would be very slow, if at all. Arrangements were made for her to be moved to a mental institution and, as always, Edward provided the best medical care money could buy. Jinks was placed in a boarding school. The clothes of the bewildered child were packed by a heartbroken Dewint. Edward spent days shut in his office. Eventually he handed Miss Henderson a thick dossier of instructions, plus a chequebook with his signature already written for Alex’s use. Miss Henderson had never seen Edward so subdued, as if mourning a loved one. In a way he was; the Harriet he knew had gone for ever, and he had no one to blame but himself. In one night he had lost his family; he had also lost his hope of forming a relationship with his son. He knew that by now Alex would be suspicious, not like Harriet, but intuitively aware that the boy was his. It was Evelyn that Edward wanted more than anything else in his life. His sense of loss was all-consuming, as if a shadow lay across his heart, weighing him down. Just as he knew Alex would be more than able to cope without him, and more than likely pleased to be rid of him, he knew his brother would never give him his son. He owed Alex for his years spent in jail. At times he even thought the debt was repaid. Edward’s mind reeled. Not concerned with the fact that he had destroyed his own and Alex’s family, he attempted to push the shadow from him, to search for something that would make Alex give up his son. What if he made Alex an offer of such magnitude he could not turn it down?
Miss Henderson heard Edward locking his office. As he passed her desk he dropped a sealed envelope into her lap. ‘Make sure my brother gets that, would you, Henny?’
‘Will you be away long, Mr Barkley?’
‘I don’t know. I don’t know where I’m going and I don’t know when I’ll be back. I’m trying for the deal of a lifetime, Henny. Take care of yourself.’
She watched him walk out to the corridor, press for the lift. As it arrived he turned back to her and gave her a strange dejected look, and was gone.
Ming was waiting at Kennedy Airport, waving to them both as they came through the barrier. Alex kissed the Japanese woman on both cheeks, and Evelyn shook the delicate hand.
‘Well, Alex, you never mentioned what a handsome boy your son is.’
Evelyn might not have been very old, but he didn’t miss a trick. His father had never mentioned this pretty lady, and he seemed very friendly with her.
‘Do you have a big Christmas tree?’
Evelyn got no reply to his question. Alex and Ming were already discussing business, and he was ignored.
Throughout the journey across New York, Evelyn stared open-mouthed from the limo. He had never seen such tall buildings, and he asked many questions, repeating the phrase ‘skyscrapers’ with a chuckle. All the cars drove on the wrong side of the road, and the taxis were bright yellow . . . Eventually Alex patted his head and told him not to keep chattering, as he was very tired. So Evelyn kept his nose pressed to the window, and didn’t say anything when thick snow began to fall. He wondered what Uncle Edward would be doing, New York was much colder, and he hoped the lady would have big log fires like they had at the manor house.
Evelyn thought Ming’s apartment was very nice, if a bit too tidy. Everything looked sparse, and there was a place for every precious ornament. The Christmas tree was just some weird-looking, white-painted twigs with a few gold balls.
The tiny boxroom to which Evelyn was shown contained only a white-painted bed, a single white chair and a polished, lacquered chest with a single white cushion on it. The floor was of polished pine. He was afraid to sit down or move in case he left fingermarks.
Ming had not asked why Alex called her in the middle of the night, why he had wanted to spend Christmas with her, why he had trailed his small son along. She was too clever, waiting until they sat alone by the gas ‘log’ fire. Alex took his time, eventually slipping his arm around her. ‘I need you, I need you, thank you for letting us stay.’
Ming smiled and closed her eyes. Once, she had wanted to hear him say that, once, but it was a long time ago. She wondered what had sparked off this unscheduled visit, knew there was something else.
‘I don’t want to talk business tonight, but in the morning, we have a lot to discuss . . .’
Ming smiled again, but said nothing, she simply held out her hand and guided Alex into her white bedroom.
Evelyn woke in the n
ight, and the white shapes in the room scared him, so he slipped along the corridor, barefooted, to his father’s room. Alex lay beside Ming, both fast asleep, and Evelyn stared, dumbfounded.
Christmas came and went, and Evelyn spent the majority of his time either alone in his room or being driven around New York by a Japanese chauffeur who could hardly speak a word of English. He visited the zoo, the cartoon cinemas, and behaved impeccably. Ming was civil, always smiling, but there was no warmth, no affection. She gave Evelyn a strange game with silver balls rolling around as a Christmas gift.
The bell chimed for dinner, and Evelyn washed his face and scrubbed his hands, then hurried towards the dining room. He could hear Ming’s voice.
‘I am thinking of going public, selling off the shares in the boutiques and shops. This will give me the cash flow to move into opening a construction company. It makes sense, as I do most of the designs for the major companies, so why not offer construction facilities as well?’
Evelyn reached the half-open door.
‘My company could help you there, we have facilities both here and in . . .’
Ming interrupted. Evelyn heard the chill in her high-pitched, snapping voice, and paused in the doorway.
‘You don’t have to tell me what you have, and isn’t it really more what Edward has? From what you have told me there is very little “we” in your company, you can’t even sign a cheque without Edward.’
Ming sounded the chimes again for Evelyn to come, and at the same time she pulled out a chair to sit down at the table. Evelyn entered and sat down, apologizing for being two minutes late. Ming flicked him a cold look of irritation.
The food, which Evelyn found dreadful, consisted of raw vegetables and rubber-tasting fish, and made him feel sick. Throughout the meal, Alex and Ming discussed business, but they were both cool and controlled, choosing their words carefully. Ming’s tiny hands folded her starched, white napkin into the shape of a flower.
‘Daddy . . . Daddy, can we go to see a movie?’
‘Not now, Evelyn, I’m busy. Ask the chauffeur . . . go along, I’ll see you later.’
Evelyn wandered back to his room and sat on the white bed. He felt lonely, and even as young as he was he could detect a change in his father’s attitude. He curled up and wept, trying to think what he had done to turn his father against him.
Ming leaned back against her white sofa, her delicate fingers cupping her brandy glass. Alex stood by the window, looking down on the busy avenue below.
‘Did Barbara admit it? She actually admitted it?’
‘It’s hard not to, you only have to look at him to see the resemblance. I have been such a fool, such a bloody fool . . .’
Ming said nothing, carefully placing her glass down on the polished coffee table. This was not the time to discuss her own business, to repeat her persistent request for the brothers to sell their shares in her company. Instead she commiserated, her voice soft and soothing. Alex joined her on the sofa and gripped her hand tightly . . .
‘He beats me at every turn. You were right, some partner he is! I had no idea what was going on in Mexico, but I accepted it without a murmur when he dropped the contracts on to my desk, accepted it because he’d included me. I’m a dumb piece of meat that he has squeezed every drop of blood from . . .’
‘I’m glad you came to me, because I have always been there for you. You know that, don’t you, Alex?’
He smiled, his grip relaxing, and she slipped her arm through his. ‘So what are you going to do? Divorce?’
He sighed and closed his eyes. ‘Barbara has millions tied up in the company. It won’t be that easy. It’s Edward I have to deal with first. Barbara is simple in comparison. You know, I think, truthfully, that Edward is insane. I’m not just saying it, but if you could have seen him when I went back the last time he was drunk and incoherent . . .’
Ming massaged Alex’s shoulders, her eyes more cat-like than ever.
‘Had anyone else ever mentioned that he could be unstable?’
‘You just have to read the papers – drunk, thrown out of night clubs, his driving licence has been taken away so many times, he’s crashed his car. Wish to God he’d smash himself up in it, then we would be rid of him.’
‘Well, that could be arranged, but surely it would be simpler to prove to the board members that he is incapable of running the Barkley Company, even if he is who he is, and then you could take the reins legally . . .’
Alex turned to her and smiled, cupping her face in his hands. ‘I knew I was right to come here.’
‘You must tread carefully, Alex. Don’t let him get round you the way he always does, not this time . . . You can get control of the company, I know it.’
He threw back his head and laughed. ‘Yes, I know it too, and the first thing you’ll want me to do is sell back your shares. Am I right, you little minx? Well, sweetheart, I promise you that will be the first thing I’ll do.’
‘And the second, Alex, is divorce Barbara. Promise me that, too, Alex.’
He looked at her and knew his brother had been right. She was as dangerous as Edward had always said, but he had not bargained for her genuinely loving him. Alex kissed her, swept her up in his arms and carried her to her bedroom. ‘First, my darling, I am going to take you to bed.’
Evelyn peeked from his bedroom to see his father with Ming in his arms. He quietly closed the door, afraid to be caught, confused and lonely. He wished he was still at the manor house, wished he was still with his uncle. He took out the gift he had taken from beneath the big Christmas tree, the shiny police car with the bells and the lights, his face twisted as he tried not to cry.
Later that night Alex lay wide awake, unable to sleep, thinking how he should go about taking over the company. Beside him Ming slept, as composed in sleep as she was awake. He studied her face, wondered what their life together would have been like if Edward had never interfered; but then they would never have met if it had not been for Edward. The realization of the immense power his brother had always had over him made Alex even more determined to beat him. He began to twist his gold chain round his fingers, unaware that Edward had in a way already beaten him. There would be no satisfaction in removing Edward because he had quite simply removed himself.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The following day Alex and Evelyn returned to England. Dewint rushed to change out of the taffeta frock he had bought from the Blue Cross charity shop. He scurried downstairs as the doorbell rang again, wiping the cream from his face, still trying to get his make-up off. ‘I’m afraid Mr Barkley is not at home, sah.’
Alex pushed past him and ran up to Edward’s bedroom, began to search through his desk, through his drawers.
Dewint hovered at the door. ‘I really don’t think you should, sah.’
Alex straightened up. He was sweating, red in the face. ‘Where does he go? Do you know? All these months away from London, where does he go?’
Flustered by Alex’s anger, Dewint stuttered, ‘W-Well, sah, I-I really don’t know, he has f-friends in California, and, er, he goes to Africa, but I really d-don’t know where he is at this p-precise moment in time, sah.’
Looking around, Evelyn saw the drooping, bald Christmas tree, the dead fire in the grate. The place seemed cold and lifeless. Dirty dishes were left on a tray, and the warmth, the Christmas atmosphere, were gone. He shivered – the house frightened him. ‘Daddy, who are all these people in the paintings?’
Alex pushed past him into the lounge, and snapped to Dewint that he should clean the place up.
‘When will my brother be back, do you know?’
‘I’m s-sorry, sah, but he never tells me when he is departing or returning, I just . . . I suppose you heard about Mrs Barkley? She was taken very bad again just before Christmas, and Jinks has been sent to boarding school. I’m here alone, you see . . .’
Evelyn was more confused than ever. The manor house was different – cold and ugly. It was as if he had only imagine
d the warmth and happiness of the Christmas festivities. He was looking forward to seeing his mother.
Barbara was resting. The stitches were still there but the swelling and initial tenderness of her breasts had subsided. She would soon be back in circulation, and she was already planning functions and parties.
Evelyn rushed to his mother to give her a hug, and she screamed, pushing him away. ‘Don’t touch me! My God you’re so rough.’
Evelyn walked out, pausing in the doorway to give his mother a cold look. Then he slammed the door behind him.
Alex, unaware of Barbara’s many cosmetic operations, or the present condition of her breasts, saw only his son’s hurt face. ‘He only wanted to kiss you, for Chrissake.’
Barbara got up, flustered. She hadn’t expected them to return from New York for at least another week. ‘Did you have a pleasant Christmas? How is Ming, well?’
Alex smiled. Barbara could never resist getting her small digs in. He ignored the question. ‘I don’t suppose you’ve heard from Edward at all, have you?’
Barbara inspected her face in the mirror, gave him a veiled look. ‘I’m not likely to, am I?’
Alex looked at her reflection and was struck by her flawless skin, her still-beautiful face. She caught him staring at her, and made a move towards him. ‘Alex . . . Alex, I’ve missed you, can’t we at least talk?’
Just like his son he walked away from her, annoyed that he had even given her the opportunity to see the effect she still had on him. Unlike Evelyn he did not slam the door but closed it quietly and firmly behind him.
Alex was handed all the documents Edward had left for him. He asked Miss Henderson what had happened, if she knew where his brother could be contacted. All she could tell him was what had taken place the last time she had seen him, and then she handed him the sealed envelope.
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