Just Rewards

by Barbara Taylor Bradford

  “Angharad’s hugely besotted by him, hangs on his every word, clings to him. At least she did on Sunday evening,” Sarah explained. “As for Jonathan, he can’t take his eyes off her, nor can he keep his hands off her. The lust, the passion were patently obvious, not only to me but to Yves as well. My husband, by the way, thought she oozed sex appeal.” Sarah finished with a small, dry laugh of amusement.

  “I’m hoping it is a sexual affair and nothing else,” Paula informed Sarah, her voice suddenly brisk. “She’s too close for comfort as far as Evan and Gideon are concerned.”

  “Yes, I know,” Sarah answered quietly. “But if this is any consolation, I think he might actually be falling for her. Hard. I haven’t seen him act like this since the days of Arabella Sutton.”

  “What makes you say that?” Paula asked, her tone still businesslike and crisp.

  “The look in his eyes, the expression on his face, the way he’s somewhat … solicitous of Angharad. He was very much in love with Arabella Sutton, and when it all blew up, he was devastated. Truly, he was, Paula. I know because I got him through that awful period. He’s never loved a woman since. Oh, he’s had plenty, that I know only too well, since I’ve usually had to entertain them. But this one, well, it could be the real thing, just as it was with Arabella. If you’ll excuse the expression, Angharad’s sexually entrapped him, that’s what Yves said when we got home. And Yves has a lot of insight into our cousin.”

  “I see.” There was a moment’s silence, and then Paula asked, “Are you planning to see them again?”

  “Oh, yes, since I promised to help you determine the situation. I invited them to dinner later this week. Jonathan’s going to let me know, but he did murmur something about taking off for Hong Kong. I must tell you, Paula, Angharad looked crushed when he said this, and Jonathan quickly added that he wanted to show her the sights. So he’s obviously hooked.”

  “For the moment,” Linnet remarked pithily. “But we can’t leave things to chance, Mummy.” All of her attention was now focused on Paula as she added, “Evan and Gideon have to be informed of this development at once, and so does Marietta. In fact, the entire Hughes family has to know. They have to be warned not to give Angharad any information about Evan’s movements, or any of our movements for that matter.”

  “You’re absolutely right,” Paula responded, nodding. “And what’s your opinion, Sarah?”

  “The same as Linnet’s. They should be warned to keep her at arm’s length.”

  “I think she ought to be ostracized by the family, cut off completely,” Linnet suddenly announced in a tough voice. “As a matter of fact, I’m going to see that this happens. And immediately. We can’t afford any slipups here.”

  “That might not be necessary,” Paula pointed out. “It could be that her family will do that without any encouragement from you.”

  “True,” Linnet conceded, although she didn’t entirely agree with her mother’s assessment of the Hughes family.

  After thanking Sarah and asking her to continue to socialize with Jonathan, Paula hung up, switched off the speakerphone, and stared across the desk at Linnet. “I know you’ll talk to Evan and Gid, but what about Marietta? Are you sure you want to break this news to her, or should I do it?”

  “Oh, Mummy, don’t bother, you’ve so much on your plate, I’ll talk to her later today. I think I have to do it in person actually, don’t you?”

  “That would be nicer.”

  “I like Marietta, she’s a lovely woman, and I think she’s going to be horrified when she hears about Angharad’s behavior.”

  “Very disloyal.” Paula shook her head. “But then I’ve gained the impression that Angharad’s not on such good terms with anyone.”

  “No, she’s not. Leave it to me. And by the way, what do you think of Sarah’s opinions about the situation?”

  “She’s always been very intelligent and sharp-eyed. So I tend to trust her judgment. And I am certain she is on our side. She thinks Jonathan is dangerous. Sarah’s been turned off him for some time now and stays in touch with him only to help me.”

  “You do really believe that, don’t you, Mummy?”

  “Yes, I do, Linnet. I trust Sarah all the way. You see, she wants very much to be part of the family. She’ll do anything she can to get back into my good graces.”

  Linnet nodded. “Okay. Anyway, about the spa idea, will you consider it?”

  “I’ll think about it. But I’m not sure you’re right about closing down the hair salon.” Paula’s voice trailed off. Her head was buzzing, and she suddenly felt tired out, yet the clock on her desk told her it was only eleven o’clock. Taking a deep breath, she went on slowly, “Do the research I need, Linnet, and then we’ll talk again.”

  “I’ll have it for you in a few days, Mummy. In the meantime, did you call me in to talk about the Fashion Week at Easter? Or the spa idea?”

  “The spa, actually. I was curious after your father mentioned you’d been talking to Bonnadell Enloe.”

  “I see.”

  Leaning across her desk, Paula said in a warmer tone, “There’s another thing, Linny. Don’t you think you have your hands full at the moment? Evan’s on maternity leave for three months, and Tessa’s now engaged to Jean-Claude. Eventually she will leave Harte’s, you know.”

  “I wouldn’t count on that!” Linnet cried, sitting up straighter. “She’ll want to have the top job and commute from Paris to London, you’ll see.”

  Paula sat back, staring at her daughter, but she made no comment. She had a strange feeling that Linnet was correct; Tessa had not yet given up on the idea of taking over as head of Harte’s one day. After all, she had considered herself the Dauphine since childhood. But what of Jean-Claude? Wouldn’t he object? Or, maybe he wouldn’t. Perhaps he liked the idea of a young wife with modern ideas and a career.

  “Is something wrong? You have a funny look on your face, Mums,” Linnet said with a frown.

  “No, I’m fine,” Paula reassured her. “I was just thinking about Tessa. Perhaps you’re right, maybe she will want too … cling on. However, I’m not retiring. Nor do I plan to for a very long time. You should all remember that.”

  “I’m sorry I’m late,” Marietta apologized as Evan greeted her in the entrance hall of Gideon’s flat.

  “It doesn’t matter, Mom, I was just making lists of the everyday things we’re going to need for the new apartment. Kitchen stuff and all that.”

  Mother and daughter hugged, and then Marietta took off her topcoat, hung it in the hall closet, and followed Evan into the sitting room, explaining, “The estate agent delayed me.”

  “Real estate agent?” Evan repeated, looking at her mother, her lovely, bluish gray eyes full of questions.

  Marietta took a seat opposite her in the sitting room and explained, “That’s one of the reasons I wanted to see you today, to tell you something. I’m going to take an apartment here, Evan. Not only because of you and my grandchildren but because I love London, and I realized I want to spend part of the year here.”

  “Oh, Mom, I think that’s just great! And it’ll be wonderful to have you and Dad here, getting to know the twins. I bet he’s real excited. And Robin must be thrilled as well.”

  At first Marietta didn’t respond. She simply sat, staring at Evan blankly, wondering how to break the news to her, hoping she wouldn’t be upset when she understood how things really were.

  “Mom. What is it? You’re looking peculiar.”

  “I’m just wondering how to explain to you that your father won’t be spending much time in London, Evan.”

  “Oh, you mean because of his business, the shops?”

  Taking a deep breath, Marietta said, “I’m leaving your father. We’re separating.”

  Evan leaned back against the cushions on the sofa, gaping at her mother. For a split second she was rendered speechless, and then she said, “Oh, my God, why didn’t you tell me before?”

  “Because I didn’t want to upset you
when you were about to get married, and also because of your pregnancy. It was bad enough that you had the fall in the office, all Angharad’s fault, I’m positive of that. She’s worse than she ever was …” Marietta paused, shook her head. “Your grandmother used to say we didn’t know anything about her, what kind of people she came from, and Glynnis was right. She used to say it’s all in the genes, and again she was correct. Angharad was a foundling, left on the doorstep of the church.”

  “Mom, please don’t digress. Tell me about you and Dad. Why are you splitting up?”

  “Goodness, Evan, how can you ask that? You and I talked about my marriage last year. You know very well it hasn’t worked in years. And less now than ever.”

  “Since your aunt left you everything? That’s part of it, isn’t it?” Evan suggested, gazing at her mother intently. “Isn’t it?” she pressed.

  “Not as far as your father’s concerned, no. It doesn’t matter to him that my aunt left me her entire estate and made me quite wealthy. He’s not interested in the money; he’s doing very well himself these days.”

  “But surely he’s sort of put out. Kind of … ticked off? Because you’re now independent and can do what you want. In a way, her money has set you free.”

  Marietta nodded and looked into the distance for a moment. And as she thought of all that had happened between her and Owen, a shadow fell across her face. For a moment she was unable to speak. All she could think about was the past, and the past was immutable. That she had come to understand in the last few years. You could never.escape the past. Not ever, no matter how hard you tried.

  Watching her acutely, Evan recognized that her mother was wrestling with something, and she decided not to probe. Better to wait for her mother to tell her what she wanted to tell her in her own time. And so Evan kept still on the sofa, her hands resting lightly on her stomach, as if protecting her boys. She couldn’t wait for them to be born now; she longed to hold them in her arms, and longed for her body to be back to normal. There were times, like right now, when Evan felt like a beached whale.

  Marietta suddenly sat up and said, “Our marriage went wrong a long time ago, Evan, when you were small. I left your father at that time. Eventually I came back for many reasons, mostly because of you. But it was only to discover that he—”

  - “Had taken me for himself,” Evan said, cutting her mother off. “And that’s why you adopted Elayne and then Angharad, isn’t it? Because you wanted girls of your own. And you wanted a family.”

  “Yes, that’s true. We discussed this, you and I, last summer. Adopting the girls was Glynnis’s idea. She loved me and she loved her son and she loved you … we were all so important to her. And so she begged Owen to take me back, and eventually he did, but—”

  The telephone jangled, interrupting Marietta. “I’ll get it, don’t move,” she instructed, jumping up. “Harte residence,” she said, smiling across at her daughter as she spoke.

  “Is that you, Marietta?”

  “Yes, it is, Linnet.” .

  “Hello! And I’m so glad you’re there. I need to see you and Evan about something. Can I come over? Take you both to lunch? Or better still, I can bring a picnic lunch over from Harte’s.”

  “Let me just ask Evan what her plans are, Linnet. Hold on a moment, please.” Covering the receiver, Marietta looked over at her daughter. “Obviously you know it’s Linnet. She wants to take us out to lunch, or bring a picnic lunch over; she says she needs to speak to us both. So which do you prefer? Or do you have a doctor’s appointment or anything?”

  “No, Mom, I’m free all day, and I think I’d prefer a picnic lunch, wouldn’t you?”

  “Why not, it’ll be lovely.” Marietta now spoke to Linnet at the other end of the phone, saying, “It’s fine for you to come over. Evan says she’d love a picnic lunch, and so would I. What time should we expect you?”

  “In about thirty minutes, if that’s all right.”

  “Yes, I’m sure it is. See you later.” Replacing the receiver, Marietta returned to the chair. “What can I do, Evan? She’s coming in thirty minutes. Shall I set the table?”

  “Yes, let’s do that, Mom. But did Linnet say why she’s coming over?”

  “No. She just said she needed to talk to us both.”

  “I see.” Evan sat quietly, her heart sinking. Then she looked at her mother, her eyes narrowing, and asked softly, “Where is Angharad? Do you know?”

  “No, I don’t, not really. She said she was going to go to the South of France, perhaps via Paris,” Marietta replied.

  “I see.”

  Marietta gave Evan a probing glance. “Why do you look like that?”

  “Like what, Mom?”

  “Come on, Evan, don’t play dumb. You know very well how you’re looking … like someone who knows what this is all about but isn’t going to say. Conspiratorial, that’s how you look.”

  “Don’t be silly!” Evan cried, shaking her head. “How could I know why Linnet’s coming to talk to us? But I do have an imagination, and I suspect it could be about the dreaded Jonathan.”

  “Oh, God, no, not that.” Marietta turned pale.

  “Well, maybe not,” Evan said quickly, not wanting to alarm her mother. “Listen, let’s not speculate. Let’s get back to Dad and your marriage. How did he take it, I mean when you told him?”

  “With his usual indifference,” Marietta murmured, slowly standing up. “I’m going to set the table for lunch, Evan. I’d prefer to drop the matter of my separation for the moment. We can discuss it after lunch, when we’re alone again.”

  “All right,” Evan agreed, pushing herself to her feet. “I’ll hold you to that, you know.”

  “I don’t doubt,” Marietta muttered.

  23

  Marietta opened the door, and Linnet came breezing into the apartment as if she didn’t have a care-in the world, carrying several large Harte’s shopping bags, exclaiming, “Hello! Here I am with lunch. Hot vegetable soup, mixed finger sandwiches, and fruit. I hope it tempts you.”

  “It sounds yummy,” Marietta answered, taking some of the bags from her. “Let’s put all of this in the kitchen. Do you think I should reheat the soup?”

  “The containers keep it fairly hot, but why not?” Linnet followed Marietta, helped to take the food out of the bags, then returned to the hall and hung up her topcoat.

  A moment later Evan came out of the bedroom, hurried into the sitting room, and greeted Linnet warmly. “What a nice surprise, Linny, you coming over today.” Dropping her voice, she then asked, “Is this about Jonathan Ainsley? Or Angharad?”

  “Both. But let’s have lunch first. This news can wait.”

  “All right,” Evan answered, knowing better than to argue. “Can I get you anything?”

  “Not right now, thanks. I’ll just have water with lunch. Where do you want us to eat? In the kitchen or in here?”

  “I think it’s easier in the kitchen, don’t you?” Evan said. Linnet nodded, and together they went to join Marietta in the next room.

  Within minutes Marietta was serving the soup as Linnet told Evan about the meeting with her mother regarding the day spa. “And I think with a little luck she’ll go along with it,” Linnet finished.

  “Oh, I do hope so. It’ll be great to have a spa, won’t it? I’d certainly make use of it, and so would you.”

  Linnet began to laugh. “Let’s not forget, it’s for the customers, not us.”

  Evan laughed with her and went on. “When are you going to break the news about the floor devoted to brides? Soon, I hope.”

  “Yes, very soon. Later this week, in fact. I’m just finishing up the various memos. Then I’m going to jump in the deep end and give them all to her, along with my plan for the next couple of years. I hope that Mummy sees what I see, and that she will share my vision.”

  “Do you mean you’re going to mention the cafés in the Food Halls as well as everything else?” Evan asked, experiencing a flicker of apprehension. “Like the d
eli and the cheese bar?”

  “Well, yes, I am. I’m doing memos on everything. I think it’s easier to comprehend a plan when it’s down on paper. Anyway, my mother’s always liked memos, you know.”

  Marietta was listening with great interest, and when there was a break in the conversation, she said, “I certainly like the sound of a floor devoted to brides, that’s a great idea, and so is the spa. I’ve become addicted to them in the last year. They’re so pampering, relaxing.”

  Evan glanced at her mother, then, turning to Linnet, she said, “By the way, my mother’s going to take an apartment here. She’s planning to spend part of the year in London.”

  “That’ll be lovely. After all, you’re going to have grandchildren growing up here. And where’s the flat? Or haven’t you found one yet?” Linnet asked. She liked Marietta, was interested in her plans.

  “I have. It’s just off Sloane Street, and I think it would work well for me. I’d love you both to see it.” Marietta stood, picked up two of the empty bowls, and carried them to the sink; Linnet followed with hers, and a moment later the two women were putting the rest of the food on the kitchen table.

  “How about a cup of tea?” Marietta asked, filling the kettle and plugging it in.

  Evan shook her head.

  Linnet said, “I think I’d like a cup after all. Thank you, Marietta.” She sat down, took a cucumber sandwich, and bit into it. Evan followed suit, and they ate in silence. In fact, silence reigned even after Marietta had joined them at the table; all three of them concentrated on lunch, not wanting to embark on what might prove to be a difficult and disturbing conversation.

  Once lunch was over and the dishes cleared away it was Evan who broke the silence. “All right, Linnet, give us the bad news,” she prompted. “Because it’s bad, isn’t it?” She held her breath as she waited for Linnet to answer.

  “Peculiar,” Linnet replied, then carefully told them about the conversation Paula had had with Sarah earlier that morning, not missing one detail.