Beauchamp Hall

by Danielle Steel

  The flight to Detroit left only a few minutes late, and landed shortly before noon. She went straight to the rental car desk, picked up a car, and was on the road fifteen minutes later. She was going to go right to the hospital to meet her sister. She saw Erik crying in the parking lot when she got there and nearly had a heart attack. She parked the car at an angle in the nearest parking spot, jumped out of the car and ran over to him.

  “What happened?”

  “Nothing. I was just calling my office. Thank you for coming home, Win.” He put his arms around her and hugged her and they both cried, and then went upstairs to the ICU together. Erik said they had picked Jimmy up by police rescue helicopter right from the neighbor’s front lawn.

  Marje saw her and came out and hugged her. She looked ravaged and pale and frightened, and Winnie wasn’t prepared for the sight of her nephew, with tubes and monitors attached all over his body. His heart was beating steadily, and Marje said he had brain waves but he hadn’t regained consciousness since the accident. But the swelling of his brain was coming down, so they had postponed surgery for now.

  “I just want him to stay alive. I don’t care if he’s a vegetable,” Marje said, sobbing, and Winnie turned to talk to Jimmy, and told him she had come to visit him all the way from England and she had a lot to tell him, so she expected him to wake up. She talked to him for about half an hour and then went out to the hall with Marje while Erik stayed with him.

  They walked up and down the corridor for a while, and then went back, the trauma team was checking Jimmy, and left after a few minutes. And at six o’clock Erik went to take Adam to dinner, who was worried sick about his brother too. When Erik left, Winnie went down to the cafeteria and brought back sandwiches for her and her sister, and the nurses brought them each a cup of coffee. It was one in the morning in England by then, and the time difference and travel were starting to catch up with Winnie. She needed the coffee. They took another walk around the floor, after they ate the sandwiches while sitting in the hall outside ICU, and when they went back, Winnie saw that a whole team of doctors were with Jimmy. Winnie couldn’t see past them, with their backs turned, and both women were terrified of what they’d see when they entered the cubicle, but when they got there, one of the doctors turned and smiled at them. Jimmy opened his eyes, and looked straight at his mother. They had taken the tube out of his mouth, and his voice was a hoarse croak when he spoke to her.

  “Hi, Mom,” he said, and then he looked at his aunt. “Why are you here?”

  “I missed you,” she said as tears filled her eyes and spilled over onto her cheeks. “Actually, I came to beat you up for scaring the hell out of your mother,” she added, and he smiled.

  “Sorry, Mom.” Marje was smiling through her tears and hiccupping on sobs.

  “I love you. Thank you for waking up,” she said to her son and touched his leg.

  “Yeah, you’ve been pretty boring. I drove to London in an Aston Martin. I wanted to tell you about that,” Winnie said to him.

  “Cool,” he said, and closed his eyes, tired from the effort he’d made, and he drifted back to sleep for a few minutes as the chief neurologist ushered them out of the room, walked out to the hallway with them, and gave them the rundown on his condition.

  “He’s not out of the woods yet. He’s still at risk for seizures and complications from the brain injury. But I’m guardedly optimistic. We’re heading in the right direction. And it’s a great sign that he’s regained consciousness.” Marje was still crying in relief, and Winnie’s legs felt like Jell-O. She had been terrified that they had lost him when they walked back in from the hall. “We should see ongoing progress from now on,” the doctor told them. “Pool accidents can be ugly. Boys his age usually get cervical injuries from them, and wind up quadriplegic.”

  “I’m cementing over the neighbor’s pool myself when we get home,” she whispered to Winnie after the doctors left, and they walked back into Jimmy’s room in the ICU. Erik returned from dinner ten minutes later, and Marje had saved the surprise for him. Jimmy said, “Hi, Dad,” when Erik walked in, and Erik burst into tears like Marje and Winnie. He kissed Jimmy’s cheek and told him how worried they’d been about him. And then Jimmy turned to Winnie.

  “Where’d you get the Aston Martin?” he asked her, and they all laughed.

  “Now we know you’re not brain damaged. It belongs to my boss. He drove me to the airport.”

  “I want one, one day,” he said dreamily.

  “You must have fallen on your head,” Winnie joked with him. It was a very different scene than it had been when she’d arrived five hours earlier. “Tell you what, I’ll buy you one someday, if you promise never to scare us like this again.” They talked to him for a while, then the nurses wanted him to go to sleep and get some rest. Marje had been planning to spend the night with him, but they told her she didn’t need to, and they’d call if there were any problems. The three of them left Jimmy a few minutes later, and walked out to the parking lot together. The two sisters hugged each other in relief, and then Marje kissed her husband, and said she wanted to pick up Adam on the way home. They wanted to tell him the good news too.

  Winnie followed them back to the house in her rented car, and when they got there, Marje turned to her sister.

  “Do you want to stay here tonight?” Winnie nodded. She didn’t want to go back to her place just yet. She wanted to be with them. They’d all been through a lot worrying about Jimmy. Marje pulled out the convertible couch in the playroom for her, and they made the bed together, and then Winnie put on her nightgown while she talked to her sister. She had been terrified of a very different outcome when she caught the plane at Heathrow that morning. And from everything the doctor had said, Jimmy had been very lucky.

  “You’re happy over there, aren’t you?” Marje asked her sadly.

  “I like my job, and I love the show. I’m glad I went. I don’t know how I got the guts to do it, but I’m glad I did.”

  “And Nigel?”

  Winnie shrugged in answer. “It’s kind of up and down. They’ve had some problems on the show, and he’s worried about his job. That doesn’t bring out the best in anyone. And he’s insanely jealous of my boss, and afraid I’m going to sleep with him.” She looked tired as she said it.

  “And are you?” Marje looked interested and Winnie shook her head.

  “No, he’s a great guy, in love with a terrific woman. They’ve been together for thirteen years, and I actually think he’s faithful to her. But Nigel doesn’t believe it. I’m not sure we’re going anywhere, or that we should. His jealousy has really turned me off.” Marje was disappointed to hear it. There was no point going all the way to England to wind up in another dead-end situation. And Winnie thought that herself, she just hadn’t dealt with it yet.

  “I ran into Rob and Barb the other day,” Marje said cautiously, not sure if she should tell her.

  “Separately or together?” Winnie asked her.

  “Together. I gather from her mother that the dentist found out about Rob and canceled the wedding, so she and Rob have been dating since you left.”

  “They deserve each other,” Winnie said without regret and lay down on the bed. Marje bent down to kiss her and the two sisters smiled at each other. “I’m glad you got your boy back. I think telling him about the Aston Martin did it.” They both laughed and Marje walked up the stairs from the playroom, feeling a hundred years old. They had been the worst days of her life, and she was grateful to Winnie for coming home. Erik was waiting for her in their bedroom, and Adam was already in bed.

  Marje was so tired she could hardly brush her teeth and put her nightgown on, and Erik put an arm around her as she got into bed.

  “Thank God he woke up,” Erik said with deep emotion in his voice.

  “I don’t think I could have survived it if he didn’t,” she said, exhausted.
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  “We’d have had to for Adam. We don’t have to think about that now.”

  “The doctor said he may have headaches for a while. And he’s not going back to that pool again.” Erik smiled at what she said.

  “How long is your sister here for?”

  “I didn’t ask her. I’m just glad she came.” He nodded and turned off the light. They lay in bed, holding each other, slowly returning from the terror they’d lived through. Winnie was already sound asleep in the playroom. It had been the longest, most terrifying day of her life.

  Chapter Eleven

  Winnie texted Edward and Nigel when she woke up the next morning to tell them that her nephew was out of the coma, though still under observation and in the ICU. Edward texted her back immediately to tell her he was relieved, and to stay as long as she needed to. Nigel sent a message a few minutes later, telling her he was happy for her and wanting to know when she was coming back. She answered him that she didn’t know, but would let him know when she did.

  They stopped at Winnie’s house on the way to the hospital. Everything looked clean and in good order. It hadn’t rented yet. Marje said the realtor had shown it to a doctor who had just come from Detroit to work at the hospital, and liked the idea of renting a furnished house until he got situated and found something to buy, but he hadn’t made a decision yet.

  “How long do you think you’ll stay over there?” Marje asked when they were back in the car, on their way to see Jimmy.

  “I just don’t know. I have a job I love, and I have nothing to rush back for here except you and the kids. And I won’t find a job here I like as much.”

  “Not working for a TV star,” Marje said regretfully. And as they drove down the street, everything looked familiar to Winnie, but she suddenly realized she had no attachment to it. It didn’t feel like home anymore. It felt like someone else’s town, her mother’s, her sister’s, but no longer hers. Something inside her had come unhooked, but she didn’t mention it to Marje. It would panic her sister if she thought Winnie wasn’t coming back. Winnie didn’t know if she would or not. But it was interesting being here, and being aware of how little she felt. It was good seeing Marje, Erik, and the kids, but not much else.

  “Thanks for telling me about Rob and Barb last night. I’d have been pissed if I’d seen them walking down the street together and you hadn’t told me.”

  “That’s what I thought. Do you care?”

  “Not a bit,” Winnie said honestly. “They’re both dead as far as I’m concerned.” Marje nodded and didn’t comment. She didn’t think she could have recovered from it herself.

  Jimmy was sitting up in bed when they got to the hospital. He said he had a headache, but the nurses weren’t surprised. They got him out of bed and had him walk a few steps, but he got dizzy very quickly and had to sit down, which they said was to be expected. He wanted to hear about the Aston Martin again and how fast they’d gone. And when the doctor saw him, he said they wanted him in the hospital for a week for observation, to make sure he had no complications before he went home. Jimmy was upset about it, but all the adults thought it made perfect sense. Adam came to see him that afternoon and brought him a pizza, and they shared it for dinner. Jimmy’s appetite hadn’t come back yet. Adam was beaming and peaceful after he saw him. Winnie drove him home after the visit.

  “I thought he was going to die, Aunt Win,” Adam said in a small voice.

  “I think that occurred to all of us, but he’s going to be fine now. He’s very lucky, and so are we.” Adam nodded again and looked subdued when he got out of the car. Almost losing his brother had been terrifying for him, and for all of them.

  When Marje came home from the hospital, the adults had dinner together, and Winnie told them about her work on the set and how interesting and rewarding it was, and how huge a crew it took to film the show. She told them about Alexander Nichols, their historical consultant, and the manners coach, who advised them about every aspect of appropriate behaviors and manners of the time, how the women should sit and stand, what they could and couldn’t say, and he was just as rigorous about the men in the cast. He would stop them from filming the instant anyone made a faux pas about the customs of the period.

  “I thought he was a pill at first,” Winnie said to them, “but he’s brilliant. He knows everything about the era. He goes around with a ruler measuring how far apart people should sit. He’s what keeps the show historically accurate and so believable. It’s fascinating to listen to him,” she said, her eyes shining brightly in admiration of how the show was made. “And the castle they use is beautiful. I took a tour when I got there. The descendants of the original family that built it still live there. Having the show use their castle as the location helped them to keep from selling it. They were dead broke before the show. There’s a book about them I can send you if you want.” She loved everything she had learned and what she was doing there and they could see it.

  “I’d rather watch a reality show about them,” Marje said and all three of them laughed.

  The day after, Winnie made a reservation to leave the next day. There was nothing more for her to do, and Jimmy was out of danger. She had to get back to work. She wanted to get back and be on the set the same day that Edward returned, which seemed only fair. She’d come to Michigan for an emergency, not a vacation. Her stay had been action-packed and had a happy ending. And more than ever, she felt as though she didn’t belong there, although she never said it to Marje. She had found greener pastures in a bigger world, not where she’d expected to find them, but in a place that suited her. She was eager to get back to her cottage and daily routine.

  She said goodbye to Jimmy at the hospital that night, and to Adam and Erik the next morning at breakfast. She had another half hour of sisterly gossip with Marje and then she had to leave for the drive back to Detroit. She was following the same route that she’d come by.

  “I get the feeling you don’t feel like you belong here anymore,” Marje said cautiously as they shared a last cup of coffee.

  “In some ways I don’t,” Winnie said honestly, “in other ways I always will. I like living in England for now.”

  “Mom always said you don’t belong here, and would end up somewhere more sophisticated.” It was odd how different the two sisters were. Winnie couldn’t imagine Marje anywhere else and neither could she.

  She hugged Marje close before she left for the drive to Detroit, and realized how much she had missed her. “I’ll call you when I get back,” she promised. Nigel had been driving her crazy with texts every day, asking when she was coming back. But she was getting in too late to see him, and would meet up with him at work the next day. It seemed soon enough. She wasn’t in the mood for his jealousy and accusations, and crazy assumptions about her boss.

  She turned the car in, in Detroit, and caught the flight to New York. She texted Marje that she’d landed safely, and walked around the airport before the next flight. She felt as though she were going home. She watched two movies and had a meal on the flight to London, and slept for an hour before they landed. And although she’d only been at Heathrow twice before, it really did feel like home when she got there. She took a train back to King’s Lynn, a taxi from there to the village, and smiled when she walked into her cottage. She didn’t even want to call Nigel, or miss him. She was thrilled to be there in her bed alone.

  In the morning, she got up, showered and dressed and made breakfast, and walked to work. She was happy to see all the familiar faces, and then she saw Nigel watching her. He walked over slowly and gave her a hug.

  “You didn’t call me last night when you got in,” he said softly.

  “I got in very late. I didn’t want to wake you.” He nodded and went back to work. She walked to Edward’s trailer to report for work, and she saw Nigel watching her when she left the set.

  “How did it go?” Edward asked as soon as h
e saw her. He looked fresh and happy and relaxed.

  “He’ll be fine. He came out of the coma the day I got there, and he’s making steady progress. He has headaches, but it could have been a lot worse.” It could have been a tragedy, and she was grateful it hadn’t been. “How were your days off?”

  “We went to Venice for the weekend, and I proposed,” he said proudly. “We’re going to get married next year. Grace is going to break the news to her father next week.”

  “Congratulations!” Winnie smiled at him. “Where are you going to get married?”

  “Someplace gorgeous and romantic that we both love. The Caribbean, St. Bart’s, Tahiti, the top of a mountain, or in our apartments. We haven’t figured it out yet. Her father will probably want us to do it at his club. We want to avoid that at all cost. But wherever we do it, it’s time. We’ve waited long enough.” Thirteen years seemed like more than enough to Winnie. And she hoped Grace’s father didn’t give them a hard time. They didn’t deserve it and Edward would be a wonderful husband.

  He gave her some projects to do for him while he studied his lines and got ready for their shooting schedule that day. His costumes were lined up on a rack, and the hairdresser was coming to trim his hair. Winnie handed him his schedule a few minutes later and he smiled at her.

  “It’s nice to have you back.” He loved how organized she was, and how efficiently she kept his life on track.

  He was on the set on time for every shot, knew his lines flawlessly, as he always did. The day unrolled smoothly like a carpet, and they both left work on time at six o’clock. And when she left, Nigel was waiting for her outside.

  “Want a ride home?”

  “Sure.” She smiled at him and got in the Jeep, and hoped he wouldn’t mention Edward again. He didn’t, and he came in while she made dinner for both of them, and they enjoyed a relaxed evening together and went up to bed. Their lovemaking was tender and sweet. When he was that way, she always hoped that things would work out between them. But when he played the jealous lover, all she wanted to do was get away from him. She was happy he hadn’t done that tonight. It was a perfect homecoming, and just what she needed from him.