The Mixture As Before

by Rosie Harris

  Jason looked at her in astonishment. ‘I’m not sure I follow you?’ he parried.

  ‘I want you to leave Willow House immediately. I don’t want you as a lodger or in my life in any way,’ Margaret said harshly. ‘We’re finished, Jason; completely finished.’

  His eyes hardened and the smile went from his face. ‘You can’t mean that, not after all I’ve done for you.’

  ‘Your time here is over, Jason. I want you out and I want my life back.’

  ‘Your life back,’ he scoffed. ‘What life? Until I came on the scene you were a lonely, miserable old woman living in a drab rundown house. What are you going to do without me? I turned your life around and brought you into the twenty-first century.’

  Blood rushed to Margaret’s head, flooding her cheeks and neck, causing her to tremble with a mixture of anger and humiliation.

  She took a gulp of her coffee; it was too hot for comfort but the sudden stab of pain in her mouth and throat focused her mind.

  Jason sipped his coffee. ‘Who put this idea of getting rid of me into your head?’ he asked coldly. ‘Was it Jealous Jan or that spiteful son of yours?’

  ‘It’s entirely my decision and I have no intention of arguing about the matter or discussing it any further,’ Margaret said stiffly.

  Jason banged his half-full coffee cup down on the table so hard that the liquid slopped over, but he made no attempt to mop it up.

  ‘You may not want to discuss it further but I certainly do.’ He waved an arm dramatically. ‘You owe me an explanation or an apology Margaret. My artistic flair has transformed this house and I designed every bit of it with loving care to provide a setting that I felt reflected your personality.’

  ‘You were hired to update Willow House,’ Margaret said drily.

  ‘I put my heart and soul into the work and your debt to me is—’

  ‘That will do Jason, I’ve heard all you have to say and some of it was most unflattering. As for owing you anything, your exorbitant bill for the work you did was paid in full.’

  ‘I’m not talking about mere money,’ he said scornfully.

  ‘You have used my home like a hotel even to the point of entertaining clients and treating me as if I was merely a servant here. I am no longer prepared to tolerate that, so hand back your keys and remove your possessions immediately.’

  ‘Margaret!’ He gave a forced laugh. ‘What’s got into you? You don’t mean it.’

  ‘Oh I do. I want you to leave.’ She stood up and looked at her watch. ‘Right now!’

  Jason also stood up.

  ‘Margaret,’ he reached out to take her hands but she stepped back out of reach. ‘What’s got into you?’

  She didn’t answer but met his furious gaze calmly, although inwardly she was quivering. She thought of the story of King Charles the First wearing two shirts when he went to his execution so that no one would think he was trembling from fear if it was cold, and smiled to herself that she had changed into a thick sweater for much the same reason.

  ‘Come on, I don’t know what I’ve done to upset you but it will blow over.’

  ‘Jason, I’m deadly serious. I want you out of this house and out of my life.’

  ‘And what if I won’t go?’ he asked in a soft, wheedling tone.

  ‘Then I shall have you evicted because I am leaving Willow House.’

  ‘You can’t do that. It’s your home and mine,’ he blustered.

  ‘Not any longer. I’ve decided to sell Willow House and to move right away. I intend to make a completely fresh start.’

  Thirty-Seven

  Margaret decided to let Charles handle the sale of Willow House.

  ‘Now that my mind is made up I want it done as quickly as possible so that I can put it all behind me and start afresh,’ she told him firmly.

  Charles shook his head in disbelief. ‘Are you sure you know what you’re doing? A few months ago you refused to even consider selling.’

  ‘I know but I’ve changed my mind. You were quite right after all. It really is the best thing for me to do.’

  ‘Are you quite sure you’ve thought this through?’ he repeated, as if unable to believe she was serious. ‘Are you sure that you’re not acting on some sort of impulse and repeating the same mistake you made when you called in that Jason Parker to redecorate Willow House?’

  ‘Yes, I know that was rather impetuous and I should have talked things through with you first,’ Margaret admitted contritely.

  Charles ran a hand over his chin. ‘I think you are once again rushing ahead, instead of sitting down, and considering all the various aspects of what you are doing, and what long-term effects they might have. Why not go home and make out a list—’

  ‘I know what I’m doing, Charles, and my mind is made up,’ Margaret interrupted firmly.

  ‘You thought that last time and look where that got things! A massive bill which meant I had to go crawling to the bank manager and extend the company overdraft, in order to be able to pay it.’

  ‘Well, if you handle the sale of Willow House, then you’ll have an opportunity to repay the bank, won’t you?’

  ‘I certainly hope it will accomplish that and more. I hope there will be enough from the sale to put the company back in the black. Without Willow House as collateral the Bank is unlikely to grant the company an overdraft the size of the one we have now!’

  ‘Try looking on the bright side, Charles, the value of Willow House has trebled, or even quadrupled, since your father used it to get a loan, so there should be no problem. I expect it to fetch a price that will not only clear off your overdraft but provide me with a flat and a car and ensure I have a nest egg for my future as well.’

  ‘Don’t count on that happening in a hurry!’ he sneered. ‘Properties like Willow House don’t sell overnight. It could be on the market for months and months. And you’ll have to be prepared to show any prospective buyers round, remember.’

  ‘It will sell much faster than that, if you handle it the way I want you to do it.’

  ‘Really? You’re a property expert now, are you?’

  Margaret gave him a withering glance. At one time she would have been mortified by his sarcasm, but now she let it slide off her like hailstones off a gable end.

  ‘Yes, I know what I want done, Charles, and it is only out of courtesy that I am asking you to be the one to handle it. I know that the deeds are lodged at the bank, so if you don’t want to comply with my wishes then I shall go straight to the bank manager myself. I thought that to do so behind your back would have been humiliating for you, Charles, which is why I am approaching you first.’

  She felt breathless after her long speech but also gratified when she saw the look of utter surprise on his face.

  Taking a deep breath she went on, ‘I’ve already found a flat that I like.’

  ‘I’m sure you have! One of the half-a-million pound jobs along the riverfront where your friend Jan Porter lives? Or is it one of those ultra-superb conversions at Nashdom Abbey?’

  ‘Neither! It’s in Windsor, A retirement block, not far from the river and quite near the town centre, and it’s only two hundred and fifty thousand pounds.’

  ‘Only two hundred and fifty thousand pounds!’ Charles puffed out his cheeks in exasperation. ‘And where are you going to find that sort of money?’

  ‘I’m not, you are. You’ll sell Willow House, buy me the flat, and a car and provide me with a nest egg like I outlined earlier. I’m sure there will be enough left to clear the company’s overdraft. Furthermore, I’ll still let you use my flat as collateral against your overdraft if you need to do so.’

  Charles gave a harsh laugh. ‘And what if the bank manager doesn’t agree with your hare-brained little scheme?’

  ‘I see no reason why he shouldn’t. He will still have the deeds of a two hundred and fifty thousand pound flat to hold as security.’

  ‘A flea-bite in comparison with the size of the overdraft.’

  ‘You are t
alking about the existing overdraft. Remember, you will be able to reduce that by a very considerable sum once Willow House is sold.’

  ‘When it sells! As I told you before, that may take months and months. And your precious flat may be gone by then.’

  ‘Not if we put a deposit down on it right away.’

  ‘And where is the money for that coming from? I don’t suppose you’ve given that any thought?’

  ‘If you go and talk to the bank manager and explain what we are proposing to do, I’m sure he’ll cooperate.’

  Charles shook his head in disbelief. ‘You honestly believe that, don’t you! You think he’s going to advance a loan right now on the possibility of Willow House selling sometime in the next six months – if we’re lucky.’

  ‘Yes. Once you tell him it’s to be sold at auction.’

  ‘At auction! Are you completely mad? Unless the advance publicity is handled skilfully the whole thing could be a disastrous fiasco. It might only fetch a quarter of its value.’

  ‘Rubbish! You put a reserve price on it. Make this known from the start, and then you only attract the sort of buyers prepared to go higher.’

  ‘We are talking about Willow House not a modern mansion with a swimming pool and tennis court and treble garage,’ he retorted mockingly.

  ‘I know that. Stop and think of all the advantages there are to a property like Willow House. It’s near to London; handy for Heathrow Airport; and the M4, M40, M25 and M3 are all within a few minutes’ driving time. All the leisure and social activities of Henley, Marlow, Ascot and Windsor, not to mention some of the best eating places in the south of England, are all on the doorstep.’

  ‘And you’ve tried them all out, have you? You can personally recommend them?’

  Margaret ignored his jibe. She had spent a great deal of time studying advertisements and putting her plan together and she wasn’t going to let a few wisecracks from Charles undermine her confidence.

  ‘So what sort of reserve price are you planning to put on Willow House?’

  ‘Six hundred thousand pounds,’ she told him coolly.

  ‘Six hundred thousand pounds? Are you mad?’

  ‘I’ve been studying the market and in my estimation, that is its current value; exactly what it should be. It’s in pristine order because it’s been newly decorated and modernized throughout, remember!’

  ‘How can I forget when I’ve just had to pay a whopping bill for Jason Parker’s services?’ he muttered.

  ‘Which you will soon be able to recoup,’ she retaliated sharply. ‘Now, are you going to get cracking and organize things, Charles, or do you want me to do it myself?’

  She picked up her handbag from where she had placed it on the corner of his desk, and stood up. ‘I’ll call into the bank and explain the situation now on my way home, if you like.’

  ‘No, Mother! No! That’s not the way to handle it! I’ll need to take the manager out to lunch and explain the whole set up to him diplomatically and then ask his advice …’

  ‘We don’t need his advice,’ Margaret interrupted crossly. ‘My mind is made up. I’ve told you what I want to do and that is to put Willow House up for sale by auction. If you don’t want to go ahead and organize it then say so and I will do it myself.’

  ‘Leave it with me, I’ll see to it,’ Charles said wearily. He rose from his chair and opened the door for her. ‘Leave it with me.’

  ‘And you’ll do something about it right away?’

  ‘I’ll put it on today’s agenda.’

  ‘Make it this morning’s agenda. If you have to discuss it over lunch then ring the bank manager now and fix the time and place. I suppose he will want to use one of his cronies as the auctioneer?’

  ‘Well, he probably does know who is the best one in the area …’

  ‘Get on with it then, Charles.’ She pushed his hand away from the door. ‘I can see myself out. I shall expect to hear from you with details of what is happening later in the day.’

  Without giving him a chance to answer she swept out. Her knees were shaking, and she felt as breathless as if she had run a half marathon. She had never spoken to Charles like that in her life before. Ordering him around as if he was a child. Insisting he did things her way. Refusing to take his advice. She had astonished herself and she was rather proud of what she had achieved. If the outcome was only fractionally as successful as this initial foray had turned out to be, she would be content.

  Once the wheels were set in motion, things moved apace. Valuers, assessors, auctioneers and photographers came in their hordes. Each concentrated on their own particular aspect of the transaction to the exclusion of everyone else’s interests.

  Margaret stoically made countless cups of tea and coffee but resented their lack of communication with her about what they were doing. She might already have given up ownership of Willow House for all the respect they accorded her, she thought bitterly.

  Still, it was the end result that mattered, she told herself, as with a fixed, glassy smile she handed out mugs of drink, and bit back the countless questions that she longed to have answered.

  When the proofs of the catalogue arrived, she read it avidly from cover to cover, making corrections she deemed essential. Charles was impressed.

  ‘You’ll see these are carried out, won’t you?’

  ‘If you think they’re necessary?’

  ‘I wouldn’t have made them if I didn’t think they were important, now would I?’ she snapped.

  ‘All right! I’ll see it’s attended to, Mother,’ he promised.

  ‘Good. And now this is well under way what about the flat I wanted in Windsor? Are you ready to do something about that?’

  ‘I already have!’ He looked so pleased with himself that she almost laughed. Charles trying to please her was a novelty in itself. ‘We’ve reserved one for you.’

  ‘We?’

  ‘I had to explain the situation to the bank manager. I told you I would have to do that. He has made the necessary agreement with the estate agent handling the sale of the flats.’

  ‘Good. So when this is sold I won’t find myself homeless?’

  ‘Of course not! In fact, he is looking at the possibility of completion of the sale of the flat before Willow House is auctioned because you will have to vacate immediately, or preferably the day before the auction, since it is being offered with vacant possession.’

  ‘Quite! And fully furnished.’

  ‘What are you talking about? There was nothing in the specifications about that?’

  ‘There is now. That was part of the amendments I made.’

  ‘Part? You’ve changed something else as well?’

  ‘Only the reserve price. I’ve upped it to seven hundred thousand pounds.’

  ‘Another hundred thousand pounds! What are you thinking about?’

  ‘Myself and my future. I want enough out of this sale to buy a new home and to furnish it and to buy myself a car, remember.’

  ‘Mother! You’re talking big money here …’

  ‘Which is why it’s so important that Willow House reaches a figure high enough to cover all this. A seven hundred thousand pound reserve for a fully furnished house standing in its own grounds and with so many local amenities …’

  ‘OK, OK. I get the picture. I think you are pushing it, but if the bank manager and the agent handling the auction will agree to it, then I’ll go along with your suggestion.’

  ‘Don’t worry about it, Charles. They already have.’

  ‘How do you know that?’

  ‘Because I’ve already phoned and discussed it all with them. I had a feeling you might shilly-shally over the idea, so I thought it best for it to be a fait accompli when I told you.’

  As she walked away from his office, Margaret knew that Charles was bristling with annoyance but it didn’t deter her in the least. She had never tried to assert her will over his in the past, because she had always felt that he was so much a replica of Reginald she dare not
risk doing so for fear of being ridiculed.

  Now that she’d achieved it, however, her feeling of inferiority to his superior intellect was gone forever. He was just a pussycat. She even suspected that secretly he might be scared of her abrasive manner. Well, that was all to the good because there were still a great many battles to be fought, and she intended to win them all.

  Thirty-Eight

  ‘Right, Charles. Now with all the details concerning the sale of Willow House taken care of, I’d better start organizing this flat so that I can move in before the date of the auction.’

  Charles groaned. ‘And what is that going to cost?’

  ‘At the moment I have no idea.’

  ‘And will Jason Parker be designing the interior for you?’ he sneered.

  ‘There will be no need. The builders have decorated the flat and carpeted and curtained it throughout. Their choice is somewhat conservative but it is quite pleasant and I can live with it. Now it is simply a matter of buying furniture.’

  ‘And where will you go for that? Harrods?’

  ‘No. I’m planning on buying locally.’

  ‘Until Willow House is sold there is no money to buy anything,’ he reminded her.

  ‘Ah, that’s something else I meant to tell you. The bank manager has advanced me a loan that will be chargeable to your business account if Willow House should fail to sell. It won’t, of course,’ she added quickly, as she saw his face blanch and tiny nerves begin to throb at the corner of his mouth.

  ‘Mother! You simply can’t go round making arrangements like that!’

  ‘Why ever not? That’s what banks are for, aren’t they? To lend money, I mean. He knows he’s on to a safe thing and of course he will be charging me interest on the overdraft so he’s earning money.’

  The eight weeks between the details of Willow House being published, circulated and publicized and the date of the auction should have been a period of intense stress for Margaret, but it wasn’t.

  She handed over her spare set of keys to the estate agent who was working in collaboration with the auctioneer so that he could show prospective buyers around, and filled her days in a much more enjoyable manner.