by Sharon Booth
David's fingers drummed the arm of his chair as he made an obvious effort to absorb this new information. James waited for the explosion but, when it came, his father's response was subdued.
'Why on earth would you be so stupid?'
James leaned back heavily in the armchair. 'Because I realised, some years ago, that having children wasn't something I wanted.' He didn't feel able to admit out loud that his own childhood had been so overshadowed by his bully of a father that he felt no great urge to recreate it with his own offspring. Besides, what did he know about being a father? He had no real interest in learning, either. His life was pretty good as it was, with no ties or responsibilities. He and Beth had spent the last two Christmases in New York. They'd been on a cruise. Would they have been able to indulge themselves so easily if they'd had children hanging around them? Of course not but try explaining that to Beth. Hormones had overtaken her powers of reasoning many years ago.
'I take it Beth doesn't know?'
James blanched. 'No, she doesn't. And I'd appreciate it if it stayed that way.'
'I'll bet you would.'
'It's none of your business anyway,' James ventured.
He realised immediately he'd gone too far. David's face was like that of an angry gremlin as he leapt from his chair and loomed over James like the shadow of death. 'Don't get clever with me! Your wife is under the impression that you and she are trying for a baby. You must know that she gets her hopes up every single month, so how do you think she'd feel if she knew that you had a vasectomy years ago?'
James hung his head. He could imagine all too well what she'd say, which was why she must never find out. It would finish them, no doubt about it.
David hovered over him, a diabolical presence that made him feel sick to the stomach. How could he even begin to explain to his father?
'Have you any idea what you've done?' David shook his head, clearly bewildered at this unexpected turn of events. 'Kathryn and Scott will love this. Owen — bloody Owen, of all people — will be rubbing his hands in glee. They've hit the jackpot. Everything we have, this house, the other properties, the furniture and paintings, all going to their grubby paws, you fucking idiot. Well,' he glared at James, 'you won't be so smug when I tell Beth what you did. That's for sure.'
'You wouldn't!' James leapt to his feet. 'For Christ's sake, you're my father! Where's your loyalty?'
'Loyalty?' David almost spat at him. 'After what you've done? To me, to your mother, to your wife? Don't you dare talk to me about loyalty. You've ruined everything, you stupid bastard! Everything!'
He turned, as if about to leave the room. James panicked. Beth was upstairs. David would find her, tell her the truth, destroy her, destroy their marriage. He couldn't allow that. 'Wait! There's something you don't know.'
David paused. 'Something else? Jesus! What more could there be?'
James swallowed hard. He couldn't believe he was going to have to reveal the truth to his father, of all people. 'There's — I mean, I do — I mean, I have an heir.'
The effect on his father was startling. He dropped into a chair, face pale, never taking his eyes off his son. 'An heir?'
'Some years ago, I had an affair,' James mumbled.
'Speak up, boy!'
'I had an affair, with a local farmer's wife. Although, she wasn't just a farmer's wife. She came from a good family — so good, they disowned her for marrying beneath her. She and I, we fell in love. Sort of.'
'Huh. Sort of. Go on.'
'She got pregnant.' He shook his head, the memory of her announcement even now making him sick. 'When Jemima told me,' he admitted, 'it was the worst possible thing she could have said. I wanted it to be her husband's, but she told me there was no chance. She'd spun him some cock and bull story about them sleeping together one night when they'd been drunk, but she knew deep down that he wasn't fooled.'
'I still don't see why that made you have the snip. So, your bit on the side was pregnant. That didn't rule out having a child with your wife, did it?'
'It made me think.' James was sweating. He was sure his throat was closing up. 'I didn't want a baby with Jemima. And then, I realised. I didn't want a baby with anyone. I liked my life as it was. Jemima started to change, and not just physically, although God knows that was bad enough. Her attitude altered. She got clingy and annoying. I thought, what if Beth got like that, too? And for what? Some squawking kid who'd demand everything and give nothing.'
'Yes, I had one like that,' David growled.
James gritted his teeth. 'Some people aren't meant to be parents, and that's that. I'm one of them. Anyway, what if it happened again? What if I got Jemima pregnant a second time? She was using contraception but look how that worked out. And what if —'
Maybe he shouldn't go that far. It would probably sound far worse than he meant it to. But his father's gaze was drilling through him again and he was almost certain the old man could read his thoughts.
'What if you had another liaison? What if a later affair resulted in another child?'
Damn! He really could read his thoughts! James mopped his forehead. 'I'm not saying I was planning another affair. I'm saying, what if. These things happen, after all. One never intends to start a — a dalliance. You must understand, surely? Did you never have these worries?'
'Unlike you, boy, I took precautions and never left it to the woman. If you're going to make a habit of this sort of thing, you'd better learn the lesson right now that you can't trust them. Biggest bargaining chip in the world, a baby. Got you over a barrel then, haven't they? You have to make damn sure they can't get their claws into you, and the first lesson, the absolute golden rule, is never leave contraception to the woman.'
'Yes, well, it won't be a problem now, will it?' said James, pouting. He hated being made to look a fool by his father, especially when he realised he had a point. He should have made sure Jemima wasn't lying. For the first time, he began to wonder if she'd done it deliberately. Well, if she had, she'd paid the price for that, hadn't she?
'Are you still seeing her? This Jemima woman?'
'No.' He ran his hand over his eyes. 'She was killed in a car accident when George was a few weeks old.'
David sat up straight. 'Then where is the boy?'
'He's with Harland — that's her husband. He lives at Fleetsthorpe, their sheep farm, with Harland and his fiancée and Jemima's two daughters. He's happy enough.'
'But you said Harland didn't believe George was his?'
'He doesn't, but when Jemima died it was a mess. Chaos. And I had Beth to consider. She'd just discovered the affair and she was in pieces. I couldn't expect her to welcome Jemima's son to the house, could I? Harland registered George as his own, and there was an unspoken agreement that George would, to all intents and purposes, be his son. It was for the best.'
When his father made no comment, he said in a rush, 'So you see, I didn't want to find myself in that situation again, did I? Which was why I took steps to ensure I never did. George is a Harland now, and Beth and I are working on our issues. The last thing she needs to know is —'
'That her husband is not only a cheat and a liar but a snivelling coward, too.' David shook his head. 'Putting her through the anguish of craving for a baby, knowing that every month will bring disappointment, but being too selfish, too gutless to confess.' His lip curled in obvious disgust. 'No doubt she knows nothing of the others, either.'
James could feel his face scorching. 'Others?'
David smirked. 'Did you really think I didn't know? This Jemima certainly wasn't your first, was she?'
'Look, I do love Beth. I don't want you to think that I don't. It's just that —'
David held up his hand. 'I don't want to hear it. I have no interest in your extramarital affairs. I couldn't care less if you sleep with a different woman every week. What of it? That's not the problem.'
'It isn't?'
'Of course not. The problem is that you, you idiot, have no heir, and never will now.'
>
'George is my heir,' James said. 'Everything will go to him. See? I did think about it.'
'George? George is a Harland now, for God's sake!'
'Of course he isn't. Look, whatever the circumstances right now, he's got our blood in his veins. He's a Fuller. I'll make sure he inherits everything. Beth keeps gabbling on about adoption, but I won't have it. Someone else's kid making a claim on our estate! No chance. George is entitled to his inheritance and he'll get it.'
'And so will the Harlands.' David shook his head. 'You are such a bloody fool.'
James bristled. 'What's wrong with leaving everything to my own son? The way I see it, it's win win. George gets to be brought up by Harland, so he's no bother to me, then he gets the estate when I die so my conscience is clear, and George gets his reward for living on a sheep farm all those years.'
'And what will a farmer's son understand about managing this house, running the businesses, investing wisely? Nothing, that's what! He'll spend it all on flaming sheep!'
'Sheep?'
'Who the hell do you think Harland will leave Fleetsthorpe to, eh? Bits of girls, or the boy he's raised as his own?'
'Well, I —'
'By the time George is an adult, he'll think, eat and sleep farming. When he gets his hands on our money, he'll waste it all doing up Fleetsthorpe and expanding his own business, with no thought to ours. What else can you expect? He won't want to live in a house like this! It will be beyond his comprehension. The entire fortune will be dwindled away on fucking ewes and tups and keeping that damned place afloat.'
James hadn't thought of that. He couldn't think of anything to say. Not that it mattered. David was already up and pacing the room, muttering curses under his breath, and hardly in the mood to listen. James began to feel quite indignant. 'Look, I was unlucky, but come on, you're a man of the world. You can't criticise me when you've had plenty of affairs yourself.'
'Let's get one thing straight, boy.' David stopped and fixed him with a murderous look. 'Who I screw is my own business, as who you screw is yours. Point is, I did my duty and provided an heir. You, on the other hand, even fucked that up. Now it's us who are screwed. You understand?'
James nodded dumbly.
'There's only one thing for it,' David continued. 'We need to get custody of George.'
The room seemed to grow dark for a moment. James blinked and took a deep breath. 'You are joking?'
'Do I look as if I'm joking?'
'But Harland's name is on the birth certificate!'
'Good. He falsified a document. That will look bad on him.'
'We can't do this!'
'Give me one good reason.'
James felt quite sick. 'Beth,' he murmured. 'She'll never forgive me. She really likes Harland. They're friends.'
'Friends? Are you serious? So, you're in touch with George?'
'Not me, no. Harland won't let me near the place, not that I'd want to go near it anyway. But he and Beth have always got on. She thinks the world of him.' Didn't she just! 'To give him his due, he's a good father. Taking George away would break him.'
'Good. An added bonus then. As for Beth, she'll have to come round eventually. Surely, even she wouldn't want to deprive a man of his son?'
'But she knows I don't want him! I've made that very clear to her over the years.'
David sat down, his expression thoughtful. 'Hmm. We're going to have to be very clever about this. If we go in all guns blazing, the danger is it will blow up in our faces. Beth might back Harland in court, and you can bet your life the Harlands will use every trick in the book to keep hold of the boy.'
He leaned back in his chair, his fingers drumming the arm again. James felt as if he was in some sort of nightmare. How had he got involved in all this? If he could turn the clock back he would, whatever the price. Jemima hadn't been worth all this trouble in the end. He wished he'd kept his hands off her.
'The women hold the key,' David mused. 'If we can get your mother and Beth onside —'
'My mother!' James felt a wave of dread wash over him at the thought of telling her his sordid secret. 'And Beth will never be on my side about this.'
'She will if she truly believes you want George back.'
'She'll never believe that!'
'Then you'd better polish up your acting skills and make her believe it, hadn't you? Now, your mother ... Yes, she'll have to know, but we'll have to tell her when the time's right. And knowing your mother, she'll want to see him, want him in her family. Of course, it will mean telling her that there'll be no more grandchildren, and George is her only shot.'
'I can't tell her about the vasectomy! She'll tell Beth.' James felt close to tears and tried to remain calm. His father would have no truck with emotional outbursts.
'We don't need to mention that. It's pretty clear that something's wrong when you've been trying for a baby all these years. When she hears about George, she'll assume it's Beth's fault, which is even better when you think about it. She'll feel even more sorry for you, deprived of a child, and will want to get George back for you.' He smirked. 'Yes, I can see this plan taking shape. What is it they say? Softly, softly, catchy monkey.'
James rubbed his forehead. 'George seems happy with Harland. He has a family, sisters ...'
'And here he'll have his father, his grandparents, and a lifestyle that Harland could never give him in a million years. Look, this is for the boy's own good. He's only — what? — three, four? He'll forget all about Fleetsthorpe in a year or two, and by the time he's an adult it will be nothing but a dim and distant bad dream. He'll be a Fuller, through and through.' He narrowed his eyes at James. 'All this is your fault. You've brought it on yourself, left us no choice. Now, we need to make a plan, because this has to be done carefully. We need to have everything in place before we pounce. Take that look off your face! This is going to happen, boy, whatever you say. You'd better get used to it.'
Chapter Twelve
'I'm terribly sorry,' Eden said. 'I know it's not much but —'
'Hey, it's fine,' Jed assured her. He glanced around the attic room and smiled. 'It's warm and dry and,' he dropped onto the bed and bounced a couple of times, 'the bed's comfortable enough. Look, I won't be up here much. I've got my work cut out, painting the barns with you and helping Eliot on the farm.'
'You don't have to do that, you know,' she said.
'I figure it's the least I can do,' he said. 'Besides, I want to keep busy. The more work I have to do, the better.' His voice trailed off and he was quiet for a moment, then looked up at her and smiled. 'Good job you have a spare room for Emerald, though. I doubt she'd appreciate being put in an attic.'
'You'd be surprised.' Emerald's voice cut through the sudden silence that had descended as Eden viewed Jed and thought that there was a sadness there that he was desperately trying to hide. As Emerald joined them in the attic, she tried not to pull a face.
She swung round and forced a smile instead. 'Oh. So, you'd have been happy up here? Perhaps Jed should take the guest room, after all.'
'All I'm saying,' Emerald drawled, 'is that I've lived in even worse hovels than this one.'
Eden glared at her. Emerald's baby blue eyes met hers in a challenge.
'The attic's not that bad,' Jed said hastily. 'I've never been scared of spiders either, and hey, I have a whole floor to myself! Result. Have you seen your room, Emmy?'
Emerald nodded. 'Yeah. It's okay, I suppose. I can just about squeeze my yoga mat in so that's something.'
Eden's mouth tightened, but she was determined not to rise to that woman's goading. July couldn't come soon enough. The quicker this bitch left Fleetsthorpe, the better.
'Right,' she said, 'now that you've seen where you'll be sleeping, let's go downstairs, shall we? I'm sure Cain is ready for a cup of coffee.'
'Could use a coffee myself,' Jed said, smiling at her.
In his blue eyes, she detected a trace of sympathy, and something else — a plea for patience, perhaps? She understoo
d that he was protective of his younger sister, but Emerald wasn't easy, and Eden wasn't a saint. She hoped she could keep the lid on her feelings while the two of them were staying.
Cain had turned up at the farm that morning, having unexpectedly returned to Yorkshire following his recording of a panel show. He'd headed straight to Fleetsthorpe, begged for a cup of tea and some cake, and demanded to know what was going on with the wedding plans, and how far the work on the barns had progressed.
'Stop fretting, Dad,' Jed said, laughing. 'Look, we're onto it, okay? Leave it with us. You have to start trusting us or you're going to be a nervous wreck. Or are you intending to head back to Yorkshire every few days to check up on us?'
'You must be joking. Takes forever to get here,' Cain said. 'You can't blame me for worrying, though, can you?'
'Thought you were going into the studio with Sun King,' Emerald said. 'Or did that fall through?'
'No, it didn't fall through, cheeky git. I'm going back tomorrow, as it happens. Looking forward to it.'
Knowing Cain of old, Eden had thought she detected a trace of nerves in his voice. He may be looking forward to getting back in the studio, but he was also fearful. Not that he'd ever admit that, of course.
When she entered the kitchen with Jed and Emerald, Cain was sitting at the table, his eyes wide with astonishment as Ophelia sat opposite him, telling him all about her success at last year's gymkhanas. Eden grinned to herself as Ophelia provided every detail, dazzling Cain with equine information that he clearly didn't understand or care about.
'Wow,' Jed said, slipping into a chair beside the excited ten-year-old, 'you sound like an expert. Are you taking part in any more shows? I'd love to come and watch you.'
'Oh yes,' Ophelia confirmed. 'There are a couple of local gymkhanas, and then there's the Skimmerdale Show at the end of August. That's fantastic. But I expect you'll be gone by then.'