Power of a Woman

by Barbara Taylor Bradford

  It was a leap out of a place and out of a class…out of the working class, the underclass, and the underprivileged. The poor boy from Wales…now the toast of the town…of many towns and cities and villages the world over. An impossible dream achieved. And only by looking clearly at his beginnings could he understand how far he had come, and just how high that leap had been.

  “Penny for your thoughts,” Stevie said, touching his arm lightly.

  “They’re not worth a penny, since I was thinking of nothing in particular,” Derek replied, tearing himself away from his thoughts.

  He stood up, glanced at the champagne flute in her hand, and asked, “How about a refill?”

  “I’m fine right now, Derek, thanks.”

  “Back in a minute.” He excused himself and strolled in the direction of the dining room, where a small bar had been set up.

  Stevie sat back against the cushions, looked around the room. Her entire family was present for once—her mother and stepfather, her three sons and daughter, her daughter-in-law and two grandchildren, and her father-in-law. It was not such a big family by some standards; there were others she knew of that were much larger. For a small family, they had had their fair share of troubles over the years, and still had them.

  Stevie instantly clamped down on this thought before it took hold, not wanting to spoil the day, knowing that the problems would still be there tomorrow and could be dealt with then. If they could be dealt with at all.

  She lifted her glass and took a sip of Dom Pérignon. A split second later her eyes were focused on Tamara.

  Her daughter-in-law was coming toward her; she looked as if she were walking on air, so graceful was she. Tamara had the longest legs Stevie had ever seen, and the slender, streamlined body of a model. Her hair was her most spectacular feature though, being neither silver nor gold but a mixture of both, and it was most arresting.

  Tamara’s face was narrow and elegant below her silver-gilt bangs. These stopped short of large jet-black eyes, a narrow nose, and a wide, generous mouth. She was beautiful in an offbeat way, and that was part of her charm and appeal. The red silk dress she wore swished slightly as she walked, its full short skirt fluid around those lovely long legs, the latter shown off by very high-heeled red silk shoes.

  Her good looks aside, Tamara was a kind and considerate young woman who did not have a bad bone in her body, and Stevie had always adored her. Like Blair, Tamara had been a model before her marriage to Nigel, and both women shared certain characteristics, chiefly the desire to be a wife, a mother, and a homemaker more than anything else.

  “Can you come to dinner tomorrow, Stevie?” Tamara asked, hovering in front of her mother-in-law. “I’d love it if you could.”

  “Are you sure, Tamara?” Stevie frowned. “Or perhaps I should say does Nigel want me to come? You see, darling, he’s been a bit odd with me lately.”

  “Of course he does! We both want you to come. And please don’t pay attention to Nigel’s temperamentality. He’s been a bit snotty and irritable with me these last few weeks. I hope he’s not sickening for something. And the Christmas rush always gets to him, you know that. Please come, Stevie, with Chloe. And perhaps Miles and Gideon will come too!”

  “What’s all this about Gideon?” Gideon asked, drawing to a standstill next to her.

  “I want you to come to dinner tomorrow, Gid, well, supper really. A Russian supper on Boxing Day. Doesn’t that tempt you?” She eyed him, laughter bubbling inside her.

  “Ha! I knew you’d have to come up with a foreign meal at some point this Christmas,” Gideon teased, looking at her fondly, putting his arm around her shoulders. “Why not a bit of good old roast lamb and Yorkshire pud for a change? Instead of all this foreign mishmosh.”

  Accustomed as she was to Gideon’s teasing, she laughed and said, “Beluga caviar and Scottish smoked salmon a mishmosh! Goodness me, Gideon.”

  “How wonderful it sounds, my pet. And I’d love to come. What’s the rest of the menu? Are you going to make that delicious borscht?”

  “If you like. With piroshki. And what about your favorite, chicken Kiev?”

  “That’s great. But you’re making me hungry.” He turned to Stevie. “It’s almost four o’clock, Ma. When’s Grandma going to serve lunch, do you know?”

  “In a few minutes. At four.”

  “All joking aside, I love your cooking,” Gideon announced, turning back to Tamara. “I bet they didn’t teach you how to make chicken Kiev at that snooty English boarding school you went to.”

  “You know they didn’t, Gid. It was my Russian grandmother who taught me everything I know about cooking.”

  Suddenly Gideon swung around as a small boy hurtled across the room, calling, “Uncle Gid, Uncle Gid, look what Papa Bruce gave me!” As he came to a sudden stop next to Gideon, he opened his hand. “A little car!” he exclaimed, and showed it to his uncle, beaming up at him.

  Gideon bent down to examine the new possession. “Aren’t you the lucky boy. And it’s a Jaguar, Arnaud.”

  The four-year-old’s big blue eyes fastened on Gideon’s face and he said carefully, “Jwagwar.”

  “Me. Look me,” Natalie cried as she ran to join them, holding out her arm. “Papa give me.”

  “It’s beautiful, sweetheart,” Gideon said, smiling at her as he examined the slender silver chain with a heart, which Bruce had obviously just fastened on her wrist. That was a favorite game of his grandfather’s, pulling surprises out of his pockets.

  Natalie laughed and ran to Stevie. “Granma, look!”

  “Oh, how lovely.” Stevie put down her flute of champagne quickly as the three-year-old scrambled onto her lap unexpectedly. Natalie looked into her face and patted it. “Love you, Granma.”

  “I love you too, Natalie.” Stevie hugged her vivacious little blond grandchild closer and kissed the top of her head.

  A moment later Blair came back into the living room and announced, “Lunch is ready at last, everyone. Shall we go into the dining room?”

  Nigel suddenly appeared in front of Stevie, looking happy and lighthearted. He smiled warmly at his mother and said, “Can I relieve you of your little burden, Ma?” As he spoke he reached forward and lifted his small daughter out of Stevie’s lap and placed her on the floor. Then he offered Stevie his hand. “Here, let me help you up,” he said, and promptly pulled her to her feet.

  Leaning into her, he smiled again, much to Stevie’s astonishment, and then kissed her on the cheek. “I haven’t had a chance to wish you a Merry Christmas yet.”

  “Thank you, Nigel,” she replied. “And the same to you.” She was relieved that he was in a friendlier mood than the last time she had seen him, in New York on her birthday.

  Gideon said, “Let’s go in, Ma. I’ll escort you.”

  “Along with me,” Miles said, joining them, taking her other arm.

  Stevie laughed and allowed them to maneuver her across the floor.

  Gideon said in a quiet, confiding tone, “Can I talk to you later, Ma?”

  “Of course. But is there something wrong, Gideon?” she asked, quickly glancing at him.

  “No, no. I just wanted to tell you something. It’s nothing bad, honestly. Good, really. I’ll drive you and Chloe back to Eaton Square after lunch, and we can have our little chat then.”

  18

  “WHAT DID YOU WISH TO TALK TO ME ABOUT?” Stevie asked later that evening, once she and Gideon were alone and settled in the small study of her flat in Eaton Square. She leaned back, crossed her legs, and focused her eyes intently on her son, who was seated opposite.

  “The future, my future. Before I get to that, I just want to say something else. I know you’ve been concerned about me, Ma, and I’m sorry I worried you. But I am all right now. I’ve managed to sort out the things which were bothering me.”

  Stevie nodded, then asked curiously, “What was it you had to sort out, Gideon?”

  “Margot Saunders. She was making a lot of trouble for me…bec
ause I broke off with her.”

  “If your mood was anything to judge by, she must have really been making your life hell.”

  “She was harassing me, and growing more hysterical as the weeks went by.”

  Stevie shook her head, looking regretful. “How awful for you. I’m sorry you had to struggle through something like that. It’s frightening. I know that hysteria and irrationality of that nature can often lead to violence.”

  Gideon stared at his mother, and it struck him again how smart she was. There was very little she didn’t know about people or about life. “You’re right, Ma. I had to stop her before she went too far.”

  “How did you manage to do that?” Stevie asked swiftly.

  “I said I would tell Jack Bellanger about the way she was behaving.”

  “It obviously worked. But why?”

  “Margot hates the press. Don’t you remember, her brother Julian was involved in some sort of scandal in the City a few years ago. He almost went to jail. The press coverage was pretty relentless. The minute I mentioned Jack’s name, you’d have thought I’d held a loaded gun to her head.”

  “And she’s left you alone ever since?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m relieved to hear it. It’s funny, Gideon, how little we know about people really. The last person I would have suspected of being irrational was Margot. I always thought she was so down-to-earth and levelheaded.”

  “So did I. But I soon found out otherwise. She’s really unbalanced, Ma. Well, that’s all over and done with now, thank God.”

  Stevie said, “You’ve been lucky, Gideon. She could have hurt you—physically, I mean. But let’s move on. You said you wanted to talk to me about the future, your future. I suppose I am right in thinking you meant your future as far as your personal life is concerned, and not your future at Jardine’s?”

  He grinned. “You hit the nail on the head, Mother. I wanted you to be the first to know that I’m getting married.”

  This was the last thing Stevie had expected to hear, and she stared at Gideon in astonishment. “I can’t believe it.”

  “Believe it, Ma. It’s true.”

  “Who are you going to marry?”

  He didn’t immediately answer her. Rising, he walked over to the window, stood looking down into the gardens of the square, wondering how best to explain the situation. There was only one way. He must jump in at the deep end and tell her everything. His mother would understand; he was quite sure of that.

  When he did not respond, Stevie probed, “Is that the reason you broke up with Margot?”

  Turning around, Gideon answered quietly. “Not really. I told you, the relationship wasn’t working very well. When I realized how unbalanced she was, I became alarmed. However, I was…well, I was kind of getting involved with someone else by then.”

  “And it’s this person you want to marry?”

  “Yes. It’s an old friend, Ma, someone you like, so I know you’re going to be pleased.”

  “Who is it, Gideon?”

  “It’s Lenore, Ma.”

  “Lenore. Our Lenore?”

  He nodded.

  “But she’s married already! Unless she got a divorce in the last week.” Stevie was thunderstruck, and this showed in the expression on her face and in her tone of voice.

  “She’s going to get a divorce as quickly as possible. She’s not been happy with Malcolm for a long time. The marriage is on the rocks.”

  “Oh, Gideon, are you sure about your feelings? Really sure? There have been so many young women passing through your life….” Her voice trailed off, and she looked at her son, filling with dismay. “And is Lenore sure? There are children involved here, and they must be considered. And what about Malcolm?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He might not want to give her a divorce,” Stevie ventured.

  “The marriage has been over for a long time, Mother. Lenore is not at all happy with him.”

  “When did you realize you loved her?” Stevie asked, her voice low pitched and concerned.

  “Years ago, just after she’d married Malcolm. It hit me then that I’d been such a stupid fool to let her get away, let her escape. You know how close we were. All of our lives, actually.”

  “Yes, I do, but—” Stevie cut her sentence off, stared into the distance.

  Noticing the worry deepening on her face, Gideon said, “But what, Ma?”

  “You can’t build happiness on somebody else’s unhappiness, at least that’s my opinion. You must both think very carefully about this.”

  “Malcolm won’t be unhappy, if that’s what you’re getting at. He wants a divorce.”

  “I see. But again, I ask you, are you really sure that you love Lenore, Gideon?”

  “Yes, I am. Why do you doubt me?”

  “It seems to me you’ve been…a bit fickle over the years. In and out of love at the drop of a hat.”

  “This is different, Ma. I really and truly love Lenore, and she loves me. It’s going to be all right. Trust me. This love’s going to last a lifetime. We were meant to be together.”

  Stevie was silent.

  Gideon crossed the floor, sat down next to her on the sofa. Leaning into her, he took hold of her hand and squeezed it tightly. She turned her head to look at him.

  “I love her so much, Mother, honestly I do. I know what you’re getting at…the upset of the divorce, all of the problems involved, the children, their feelings and their young lives to be taken into account. But I’m ready and willing to shoulder it all, and take the children on too. Lenore will never give them up anyway. She wants custody, obviously.”

  “This is a big step,” she murmured.

  “It’s a step I want to take.”

  “I hope you’re both doing the right thing.”

  “Don’t throw cold water on it, Ma, please,” he exclaimed. He searched her face, his eyes as troubled as hers. “I know I don’t have a very good record as far as women are concerned, but that’s easy to understand, and explain now. It was always Lenore I loved, and that is the reason I soon became disenchanted with all the women I dated. They weren’t her.”

  Stevie looked at him thoughtfully and slowly nodded. “I know what you mean.” A little sigh trickled out of her mouth, and she said softly, “I’ve loved Lenore Philips since she was a little girl. And I love you, too. And that’s why I don’t want either of you to make a mistake, do the wrong thing, and get hurt in the process. I’ve always believed Malcolm Armstrong to be pretty tough. Whatever you say to me to the contrary, it’s not going to be quite as easy as you think.” She bit her lip and finished in a voice so low it was almost inaudible. “I don’t want you to cause others pain either.”

  “That can’t always be avoided, Ma. Everyone gets damaged in a divorce. In my considered opinion.”

  Stevie merely nodded, but she knew he was correct.

  “Aren’t you happy for me, Mother?”

  “Yes, of course I am, darling, if this is what you really want.” Stevie forced herself to smile. “I suppose I just wish the situation were a little less complicated.” Squeezing his hand, she said as reassuringly as she could, “I’m here for you, Gideon, for both of you, if you need me. Surely you know that.”

  “Thanks, Ma,” he said, beaming at her. Pulling her into his arms, he hugged her to him.

  Later that night, from the privacy of her bedroom, Stevie phoned Derek and recounted her conversation with Gideon. When she had finished, there was a silence at the other end of the phone.

  “Are you still there, Derek?” she asked after a moment.

  “I am, Stevie darling. Just thinking as I sit here, and wondering what to say to you.”

  “There’s not much you can say, I suppose. After all, he is twenty-seven, he’s going to do what he wants.” As she finished speaking, Stevie laughed a little hollowly.

  “What is it?”

  “I always thought they would marry, you know. I hoped they would, actually. You must
remember how close they were when they were children and teenagers.”

  “How could I ever forget it, Stevie? Your mother and I were always rather anxious about them. I for one held the strong conviction that he would get her pregnant. They lived in each other’s pockets and behaved as if none of us existed. I was always very curious about what they did over at Lindenhill. They were alone so much, and let’s face it, Jacquetta Philips had her head in the clouds. She wasn’t much of a disciplinarian. They spent an awful lot of time there without any supervision.”

  “Except for Miles. He was often along, over there with them. But I know what you’re getting at. To tell you the truth, I was startled when Gideon and Lenore stopped seeing each other. Even more startled when Lenore married Malcolm. That was probably a huge mistake, under the circumstances, and I can see why she and Gideon got back together again. Oh, God, more complications.”

  “They’re really serious, then?” Derek asked.

  “I’m positive of it. Gideon wouldn’t have made the announcement.”

  “Then we’d better fasten our seat belts; we’re in for a bumpy ride.”

  19

  STEVIE HAD NOT WRITTEN VERY MUCH IN HER JOURNAL of late, but once she said good-night to Derek, she took it out and entered the date and the place at the top of the page.

  Christmas Day, 1996

  London

  I was startled earlier this evening when Gideon confided that he and Lenore were involved again, but only momentarily, given the circumstances of their lives. Because they were so extraordinarily close as children, and in their early teens, I’d fully expected them to marry when they were old enough to do so.

  Something happened between them at one point, and they drew apart. Neither of them has ever spoken to me about it, but I was aware there was a rift. How could I not be? Gideon was like a bear with a sore head and gloomier than ever, and Lenore became withdrawn and remote. She eventually vacated our lives and was absent most of the time.