by Douglas, Michelle; Gordon, Lucy; Pembroke, Sophie; Hardy, Kate
Oh, if only this could be Rick’s new family!
‘Poppy is a botanical name,’ she offered.
‘Grasping at straws, aren’t you?’
Probably. With a shrug, she turned back to survey the party. And then the birthday girl swung around and Nell’s breath jammed in her throat.
Oh, my God!
Oh! My! God!
When she was able to tear her gaze away she glanced up at Rick. Had he seen it? The family resemblance was unmistakable.
Rick’s eyes had fixed on the girl’s face. His jaw clenched tight and his chest rose and fell as if he’d been running. ‘How old do you think she is?’
The words growled out of him and Nell had to swallow before she could speak. ‘Eighteen or nineteen.’ She had no idea what to do.
A woman, probably in her late forties, turned at that moment and saw them. With a smile, she set off towards them. With a curse, Rick turned and strode away, his long legs eating up the distance.
‘Oh, Rick, wait! I—’
‘Hello?’
Nell turned and hoped her smile didn’t appear as sick and green as she felt. ‘Um, hello. I... Well, we...I...kind of received an invitation.’ It wasn’t precisely a lie.
‘You must be one of Poppy’s friends. I’m her mother, Marigold Somers.’
Marigold! She reached out to steady herself against the oleander.
‘Is everything okay with your friend?’
Oh, dear Lord. ‘He...he had to take an urgent phone call.’
‘Never mind, come and join the party.’
‘Oh, I don’t think I can.’
The woman stared at her.
Um...what to do? ‘You see, my invitation came from a rather unusual source and...’ She bit her lip. ‘My name is Nell Smythe-Whittaker and I don’t know Poppy, but I believe you knew my late gardener and...’
The woman blanched. ‘Oh, please, no!’
The distress in Marigold’s face tore at her. She reached out to clasp the other woman’s hand. ‘Oh, please, I haven’t come to cause you any trouble, but...’
‘But?’
‘Did you know John died?’
She swallowed and nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘Did you know he left behind another child?’
Her jaw slackened. ‘You?’
‘Not me.’
‘Your friend?’
‘I...’
Others in the group were starting to glance in their direction. Nell didn’t want to create a scene. It wasn’t her scene to create. She wanted to find Rick. That was what she really wanted to do. She pushed the box of cupcakes into Marigold’s hands. ‘Say they’re from a secret admirer. My card is taped to the lid. Please call me?’
The other woman nodded and, before anyone else from the party could approach, Nell turned and made her way back the way she’d come—as quickly as she could on grass in heels.
So...
They’d found Rick’s sibling. Finally. She didn’t blame him for his shock, but... Oh, my word. To be a part of such a family! Her heart pounded against her ribcage, the blood raced through her veins. Still, there were so many variables. Did Poppy know she was John’s child? And how would she react to discovering she had a brother?
And, of course, there was Rick.
He was waiting for her in the car. She slid into the passenger seat, turned to him and opened her mouth.
‘Don’t.’
She winced at the darkness in his eyes.
‘Put your seat belt on.’
Once she had he pulled the car onto the road and roared away from the park. She glanced once more at him before keeping her eyes fixed to the front. Swallowing, she tried to put herself in his shoes. It had to be a shock to come face to face with someone who looked so much like you.
The shock she understood, but the anger...?
After a moment she shook her head. No, she understood that too and Rick was entitled to it. How dared John and Marigold keep such secrets? How dared John taunt Rick with a vision of a life that had been closed to him his entire childhood?
And how dared John father children he’d had no intention of nurturing!
When they arrived home, Nell leapt out of the car to open the gate to the garage. Rick drove in, just as silent as he’d been for the entire trip back.
She folded her arms and leant against the doorway as he emerged from the car.
He barely met her gaze. ‘I’m leaving. Today.’
What the...? She didn’t move. ‘The hell you are.’
He swung to her with a glare that should’ve reduced her to ash, but she rushed on before he could blast her with a barrage of abuse. ‘You promised me until the end of next week. We signed an agreement. You will keep your word.’
He stabbed a finger at her. ‘That agreement is not some binding contract! And—’
‘Regardless of any of this other nonsense, you owe me.’
‘I owe you nothing!’
She agreed with that but had no intention of telling him so. ‘I’ve kept my word to you. In fact, I’ve more than kept it. You can jolly well do the same.’
‘What the hell for?’ he shouted at her.
She gripped her hands in front of her. ‘Because we’re friends and that’s what friends do.’
He stilled
‘And because none of this situation is of my making.’
He dragged a hand down his face. ‘You’re right. You don’t deserve this from me.’
‘The situation isn’t of your making either, Rick. You’re entitled to your anger.’
He fixed her with that hard gaze. He stalked over to her, intent outlined in every muscle. ‘You promise me right now that you won’t interfere any further in this godforsaken mess.’
‘What are you going to do about this godforsaken mess?’
‘Nothing.’
Her jaw dropped.
‘That girl’s life is perfect.’
‘You can’t know that after five minutes of spying from the bushes!’
‘And she sure as hell doesn’t need someone like me coming in and ruining things.’
‘Ruining?’ Her jaw worked. ‘You’re her brother.’
‘We’re strangers.’ He fixed her with a glare. ‘And you either butt out or I leave now.’
She held up her hands. ‘Fine, whatever.’ But if he thought this situation had finished playing out he was seriously mistaken.
‘And, Nell, I will be leaving at the end of next week.’
She didn’t bother trying to disguise the way her face fell. ‘I’m sorry about that. I’ll miss you, Rick.’
He froze for a moment, closed his eyes and dragged a hand down his face. Nell turned and left. She didn’t wait to hear what sop he meant to throw her. It wouldn’t help to soften the blow.
Blinking hard, she made her way across the garden...to find the kitchen door open. She had locked it, hadn’t she?
She went to call for Rick when a figure appeared in the doorway. ‘Good afternoon, Nell.’
Her heart slithered to its knees. She forced her legs forward. ‘Hello, Father.’
CHAPTER TEN
NELL MADE COFFEE out of habit. She set a mug in front of her father. She was too tired for games. ‘I expect this isn’t a social call?’
‘I want the money you made from pawning your grandmother’s diamond ring.’
It took all of her strength not to throw her coffee at him. She pulled in a breath, held it and then slowly let it out. ‘I know you already pawned it and replaced it with a copy, a fake. Why are you playing this game with me?’
He leapt out of his chair so fast it fell to the floor, his face twisting in purple fury. ‘It’s a what?’
S
he stilled. For a moment she almost believed him and then she remembered what he was like. ‘You’re afraid I’ll go to the police and that the theft of the jewels will be traced back to you.’
‘Those jewels should’ve been mine!’
‘But they were left to me. What a scandal it’d be if it was known you’d hocked your mother’s jewels—jewels that rightfully belonged to your daughter. It’d serve you right if I did go to the police.’
He stared at her. Very slowly the ugly colour faded from his cheeks, replaced with a calculating gleam in his eyes that was twice as ugly and had acid burning in her stomach.
She set her coffee down, folded her arms and leaned back against the sink. ‘Who told you I’d found the ring?’
‘I know you found more than just the ring.’
It took an effort not to sneer. ‘I’m getting a new bank manager.’
‘I know who you have living here.’
‘What business is it of yours?’
‘Rick Bradford’s a thief, a drug addict and a jailbird.’
Her composure vaporised. Coffee sloshed over the sides of her mug. ‘He’s a hundred times the man you are!’
He laughed. He actually laughed. He righted his chair, sat and sipped his coffee. ‘Daughter, here’s how it’s going to be. You’re putting this house on the market.’
It was her turn to laugh. Oh, this should be good. ‘How do you propose to convince me of that?’
‘If you don’t, I’m going to lodge a complaint with the police. I’m going to tell them your grandmother’s jewels were stolen and replaced with copies and where do you think suspicion will fall?’
‘You!’
‘I’ll make sure it falls on your little friend, Rick Bradford.’
Her heart flew up into her throat. She fought for breath. ‘It’ll never stick. He’s innocent!’
He laughed again, and too late she realised her mistake. She’d shown weakness, had bared her Achilles heel.
‘I know when he started living here. I know when you placed those jewels in the safety deposit box. I know he had the opportunity.’
No!
‘And, given his background, he’d have had the means.’
Rick was innocent!
‘He’ll be hauled in for questioning. I will bribe men to say he took the rings to them for copies to be made. I will make sure he goes down for it.’
Her heart pounded. She couldn’t speak. Would her father really stoop so low? He knew people. He still had connections, but would he really...?
He shook his head, his eyes hard. ‘I wasn’t born to be a poor man, Nell, and I have no intention of remaining poor. The sale of this house will get me out of trouble and give me a chance to rebuild my business.’
‘And you really don’t care who you hurt in the process?’
‘It’s a dog eat dog world.’
‘You really don’t care that if you do this I will disown you? That I will never speak to you again?’
He laughed. It was an ugly sound that made her stomach churn. ‘You’ll come crawling back when you see the money come rolling in, demanding your share. Just like your mother. Yes, you’re your mother’s daughter. Mind you, I’ll be generous.’
She stared at him. Had she ever really known him? ‘What a sad life you must have.’
He stiffened.
‘You judge your value by the amount of money you have rather than anything more substantial like how good you are at certain things or the good you do or the friends you have. I...I wouldn’t want to be like you for all the jewels in Grandma’s jewellery box.’
‘Excellent.’ He rose. ‘Then you won’t mind handing them over when I return tomorrow with the estate agent. There’ll be a sale contract for you to sign.’
Her heart pounded. Sell the house? The house counted for nothing beside Rick’s freedom, but... Oh, Grandma, I’m sorry.
‘You can make all the pretty little moral speeches you want, daughter...’
He said that word as if he owned her. Her chin snapped up. He didn’t own her. Nobody owned her. She was her own woman.
‘But I don’t see you making a success of yourself from whatever it is you’re good at. I don’t see you doing any good in the world. I don’t see you surrounded by loving and loyal friends.’
She forced herself to meet his gaze. ‘Maybe not, but I’m a hundred times the person you are.’ And she knew that now, deep down in her bones. ‘At least I can sleep at night.’
He blinked.
‘You might regain your riches, but you’re going to be a very lonely man if you insist on this course.’ She gestured to the house. ‘If you have any feeling for me whatsoever turn back now and there may still be a chance we could forge some kind of relationship. If you don’t...’ she pulled in a breath, all the while maintaining eye contact with him ‘...when I marry, you won’t be invited to my wedding. When I have children, you will not be allowed to meet them. And don’t bother calling for me when you’re on your deathbed because I will not come.’
His gaze hardened. ‘You always were a stupid and useless girl.’
The old taunt had her shoulders inching up to her ears. She forced them back down. She wasn’t useless.
‘I’ll bring the estate agent around at eleven on the dot. Be here.’
‘It’s a Sunday!’
The smile he sent her was pure smug self-satisfaction. ‘There are buyers interested, and some people who still jump when I ask it of them.’
Unlike an ungrateful, useless daughter?
He left. Nell limped over to a chair and lowered herself into it. If she didn’t do as he ordered, he would send Rick to prison. She didn’t doubt his ruthlessness...or how much he wanted the money the sale of Whittaker House would bring. And it wasn’t just ruthlessness, but spite. Spite directed at her for not jumping when he demanded it, for not marrying money when he’d ordered it, for not getting him out of his financial straits.
Signing over her apartment and sports car and her trust fund—none of that counted as far as he was concerned. Apparently she was still useless!
She ground her teeth together. She wasn’t useless. In fact, that had been a darn fine ultimatum she’d given him. And she’d meant it. Every word. Not that it had done any good. She swallowed, battling nausea. She rubbed her temples. What guarantee did she have that her father wouldn’t go after Rick once the house was sold anyway, just to punish her? She might not be useless, but she needed advice.
But who could she turn to?
She tapped her fingers against the wooden table top. Who wouldn’t go tattling to her father the minute her back was turned—the sleazy solicitor? Not likely.
The thing was, her father had been right on that head. She wasn’t surrounded by an army of loving and loyal friends. She had one friend in the world—Rick—and she wasn’t telling him about this. She wasn’t giving him the chance to be noble. She didn’t need noble.
One friend... She pushed a hand back through her hair. Useless...
A moment later she straightened. She mightn’t have any friends, but Rick did.
She reached for the phone book, searched and then punched a number into the phone. ‘Tash? Hello, it’s Nell Smythe-Whittaker. I was wondering if I could possibly trouble Mr King—uh, Mitch—for a quick word?’
‘He’s not here at the moment. Would you like me to have him drop by some time?’
‘Oh, no, not here.’ She didn’t want Rick to see.
‘Would you like to make an appointment at the station?’
‘God, no!’
Tash didn’t say anything for a moment. ‘Nell, are you in some kind of trouble?’
‘I...I don’t know. And please don’t mention this to Rick. I don’t need a white knight—I just need some advice.’
&nbs
p; ‘Okay.’
But she drew the word out and Nell knew Tash would talk to Rick eventually. Her loyalty did reside with him, after all.
She swallowed. ‘Would it be possible...I mean would you mind if I came over to your place at a time convenient to both you and Mitch?’
‘Sure, why not? Mitch should be here within the next half an hour if you’re free this afternoon.’
‘Thanks, Tash.’
She knew the other woman didn’t think much of her, and she didn’t blame her. But at that moment she could’ve hugged her.
* * *
Nell sat opposite Tash and Mitch at Tash’s kitchen table and her mouth went dry. What if they accused her of ruining Rick’s life? She’d have no answer for that.
‘Would you like me to leave the two of you alone?’ Tash eventually said.
Nell shook her head. Tash should know what was in the works in case Rick needed her. Besides, it didn’t take a genius to work out that Tash and Mitch were besotted with each other. And not just besotted but a team. If Tash left now, Mitch would only fill her in later.
She was the outsider here. And as long as she made sure nothing bad happened to Rick because of her father then it didn’t much matter what either Tash or Mitch thought of her.
She lifted her chin. ‘I guess I better start at the very beginning so you get the full picture.’
‘Sounds like a plan.’ Mitch nodded his encouragement and his calm sense helped ease the racing of her pulse and frightened leaps of her heart. She could see why Tash had fallen for him.
She told them how she and Rick had searched John’s cottage. She didn’t tell them about John’s letter, though. That was Rick’s secret to tell. She told them about finding the jewellery box and how she’d asked Rick to put it back, thinking it’d be safe there. She told them about the deal she and Rick had come to—rent-free accommodation in return for maintenance work on Whittaker House—and how after one night in the cottage he’d refused to keep the jewels there and how she’d put them in a safety deposit box at the bank.
As she spoke, Tash’s face grew darker. Mitch merely listened, his eyes intent, his face revealing nothing of his thoughts.