by Jenny Lane
Before Rhianna could reply the phone went dead and she was left feeling utterly confused and miserable.
*
“Of course you can come and stay,” Letitia told Rhianna when she phoned her later that evening. “Is Laurie coming too?”
“No, I shouldn’t think so,” Rhianna said dully.
“That sounded rather definite, dear - any particular reason?”
“Two,” Rhianna told her, realising she couldn’t keep anything from her grandmother.
She told her about Lawrence’s friend’s accident. Letitia sympathised.
“And the second reason? I suspect that has something to do with you, Rhianna.”
“I told Lawrence I wasn’t prepared to be in a relationship with three in it! I really thought his affair with Tina was over, but he took her out to dinner last week.”
“Ah, it was her birthday,” Letitia said. “Did he tell you?”
“No, she did. It’s obvious he’s still got feelings for her.”
Letitia sighed. “Have you challenged him about it?”
“No. I’m finding the whole thing humiliating. We’d had such a lovely week-end, too.”
“Well, if I were you dear, I’d wait until you’ve spoken to Laurie. There could be a perfectly innocent explanation. I’m afraid Tina can be very persuasive. She can also be melodramatic. Perhaps Laurie thought she was at low ebb. I think she’s been finding this situation with you and me a bit difficult.”
“But she was the one who left all the information lying in the drawer for you to find,” Rhianna pointed out.
“Yes, but I’m beginning to think that was a mistake. She did leave in rather a hurry. Anyway, you come to me for the week-end and we’ll have a nice time and try to forget all this. I’m sure Laurie wouldn’t intentionally hurt you. He’s far too nice a person for that.”
Putting the phone down, Rhianna sat with her head in her hands for several minutes. That was the problem, wasn’t it? Lawrence was nice to everyone, including Tina. Why couldn’t he have told her he’d taken Tina out to dinner on her birthday? Why let Rhianna believe his relationship with his ex-fiancée was over?
*
The rest of the week passed without incident. The first Art and Craft class on Friday was great fun, although the standard was varied. They had ten students. Some worked with Fiona, trying their hand at sculpture; whilst those who were with Rhianna, used pastels to produce still life pictures.
That evening, Rhianna received a short e-mail from Lawrence, saying he thought he might have to postpone the trip.
Rhianna was getting used to the journey to Brookhurst now and arrived before lunch on Saturday. In the boot of her car was Anna Soames’ portrait.
She was sitting drinking tea with Letitia when the doorbell rang. She opened it to find Lawrence standing on the step.
“Sorry, I haven’t phoned, but I honestly didn’t know if I’d make it or not - so I decided to surprise the pair of you.”
Rhianna fixed him with a cold stare. “You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?”
Lawrence had been primed by Letitia and knew that he had a delicate situation to sort out yet again.
“There are things I urgently need to explain. But, before I do, we need to sort out this business about Anna Soames once and for all, don’t you think?”
Seeing her expression he added. “Yes, I’ve spoken with Tish. Told her if I didn’t get here by three o’clock, I wouldn’t be able to make it today. It’s now a quarter past, so she must have given me up.”
Rhianna’s blue eyes flashed with anger. “Right - and did you also tell her you’d been wining and dining Tina?”
He swallowed. “You’d already told her that. Look, I know I should have told you, but last week-end was so special that I didn’t want to spoil it. I know I need to explain but, please Rhia, can we put it on hold, for just a little while longer?”
She capitulated. “OK, I’m prepared to put our differences aside for Letitia’s sake.”
They went into the sitting-room. Rhianna thought her grandmother looked relieved to see him, and wondered what had been said on the phone.
After Lawrence had polished off several sandwiches and drunk two cups of tea, Letitia set Tansy on the carpet and said, “My dears, I think it’s high time I told you what happened between Reg and Joe all those years ago. The misunderstandings that have arisen, due to all this, have been unbearable. I’ve tried to protect Tina, but only seem to have made matters worse.”
Rhianna clasped her hands. “This is to do with the identity of Tina’s father, isn’t it? You said you didn’t know who he was. Were you just continuing to be economical with the truth?”
“No, Rhianna. I genuinely don’t know but, as you’ve surmised, it’s what the falling out was about and it was a very great falling out.”
“Take your time, Tish. Don’t distress yourself,” Lawrence urged.
Letitia suddenly looked very small and frail. “You need to know, Rhianna, that before he met your mother; your father was engaged to Anna Soames.”
Rhianna gasped. This was unexpected.
“And, I suppose my grandfather disapproved?”
“Oh, yes and so did I. They were both so young - but then, when we realised how serious they were, we came round to the idea.”
“And then…?” Rhianna prompted gently.
“Anna asked Reg to paint her portrait, as a wedding gift for Joe.”
Suddenly Rhianna had a premonition of what was coming next. Letitia was twisting her paper napkin round and round in her lap. She said in a rush, “Anna was a very lovely woman. Unfortunately, she was also very flighty. Reg was - was besotted with her and I’m afraid temptation got the better of him.”
Rhianna clapped her hand to her mouth as her suspicions were confirmed.
“Are you telling me that my grandfather and Anna…?”
Letitia lowered her eyes. “Yes, they had a brief affair. Joe was away, working in London at that time. When Anna became pregnant, he was convinced that the baby wasn’t his - couldn’t have been. And then, somehow, he found out that she and your grandfather had been lovers.”
Rhianna was appalled. “And that’s what the row was about? No wonder my father left - that’s perfectly horrid!”
Letitia nodded. “Yes, he had every right to be furious with your grandfather. Eventually, when it was too late, Anna confessed to her mother that Joe wasn’t the child’s father. She gave her word to Reg that she wouldn’t give him away, but she also told him that she didn’t believe either he or Joe was the father of her child. Anna went to her grave without divulging the name. At that time, I couldn’t track Joe down, although I tried - believe you me.”
“So you and Reg tried to make amends by bringing up Tina when her grandparents had both died?” Lawrence said.
Letitia nodded. There was silence for a few moments and then she said, just as if they’d been discussing the weather, “Well, all this talking has made me thirsty. Let’s have some more tea and, this time, I’ve actually managed to cook a cake myself. Irene helped me get it in and out of the oven.”
Stunned by what she’d just heard, Rhianna followed Lawrence into the kitchen.
“That’s a bit of a turn out for the books, as Dad would say,” Lawrence remarked as he filled the kettle.
“It’s all so very sad. Why would Anna fling everything away like that - just for a sordid affair?”
Lawrence picked up a plate. “Maybe it was just that she was so young and wasn’t ready for marriage. I’m afraid we’ll never know… Where’s this cake - ah, hiding under that cloth.”
“Wow that looks good…Laurie, I’ve brought the portrait with me of The Woman in Blue.”
He stared at her. “You’ve brought it here? But I thought we’d all agreed that you’d hang on to it.”
“I know but after Tina phoned me, I thought it might be best. She wanted to come to the gallery in the week to see the portrait. I told her, no. She seems to be getting a bit o
bsessive.”
“Yes, I don’t disagree there.”
He carried the loaded tea-tray into the sitting-room. They lightened the conversation by telling Letitia more about the wedding the previous week-end and, then, Lawrence told them how his friend was progressing after his accident.
“Rhia and Fiona have consented to me renting some space at the gallery to do some painting; although there are a few things I need to put right with Rhia first or she might decide to withdraw her offer.”
“Such as why you took Tina out to dinner on her birthday?” Letitia suggested, giving him an old fashioned look. “That wasn’t exactly one of your better ideas, was it, Laurie?”
“Actually, it wasn’t my idea,” Lawrence said. “It was a fait accompli. Anyway, enough of that for the moment…This cake is absolutely delicious.”
“I think that means he wants another slice,” Letitia teased.
After a while, Rhianna went to fetch the portrait, refusing Lawrence’s offer of help. She felt a great sense of relief, now that she’d learnt her father wasn’t Christina Soames’ father, too. But, she couldn’t help feeling disloyal to his memory - knowing she ought never to have doubted him in the first place.
She lugged the portrait into the sitting room and whipped off the cloth that was covering it. Letitia’s eyes widened.
“My goodness. I’d forgotten how big it was. She was certainly a looker, wasn’t she? You’ve got to admit that.”
“I suppose so,” Rhianna said ungraciously. “We’ve both looked at this over and over and can’t find anything special about it. I’m not sure quite what Tina expects, but I honestly think she should have the wretched thing, if she’s so passionate about it.”
Letitia was fingering the frame. “Tina is convinced that somehow this portrait holds the clue as to who her father was - and more besides. It was something her grandmother said to her. Of course, we’d no idea if your father still had it in his possession.”
Lawrence picked up the portrait. “As Rhia says, we’ve examined it thoroughly and can’t find anything other than that one set of initials which are just here - look.”
Letitia peered closely. “Oh, yes, Reg certainly hid them well, didn’t he?”
She looked thoughtful and suddenly clicked her fingers.
“I suppose - have either of you attempted to remove the frame?”
Rhianna stared at her. “No, although, perhaps my father did. I mean it isn’t the right frame for the picture, is it? I wonder where it came from?”
“I know the answer to that one, but let’s take a look first.”
“It’s going to make a bit of a mess,” Lawrence told her, laying the portrait on the floor.
“There’s a pocket knife in that drawer.”
Rhianna got up to fetch it and they watched with bated breath as Lawrence carefully cut round the edge of the frame. After a few minutes, he looked up, “Can you slide your hand inside, Rhia? It’s smaller than mine.”
At first she found nothing and then she said, “There’s something here, but I can’t quite get hold of it.”
Letitia handed her a letter opener. It took a little manoeuvring to retrieve the envelope from its hiding place. Rhianna handed it to Letitia who, in turn, gave it to Lawrence.
“It’s a letter from Anna Soames to her unborn child.”
“Read it, Laurie, if you will,” Letitia asked him.
“To my darling child.
One day, when I am no longer on this earth, you will find out the truth. Joe Delroy was a good man - the best - but he was not your father and nor was Reg. The truth is, I was deeply in love with another man, who will never learn of your existence from me.
We could not marry because, when we met, both of us were engaged to someone else and it would have wrecked too many lives. His name was Henry Parsons.
Your loving mother,
Anna Soames.
Rhianna gasped. “Uncle Henry, but he and his wife, Penny, never had any children. He ought to be told he has a daughter.”
Letitia was shaking her head in disbelief. “All these years - all this heartache. If only Anna had told us the truth.”
“Perhaps she didn’t think it was a good idea at the time,” Lawrence said. “I mean, she couldn’t have known how things would turn out.”
Letitia’s eyes misted. “Poor Tina, all these years never knowing who her father was. There was gossip, you know. Children can be cruel.”
Rhianna was fishing about inside the cavity between the canvas and the frame.
“Wait a minute - there’s another envelope!”
This was even more difficult to retrieve than the first one. It was flat and contained a thick sheet of discoloured paper covered with copperplate writing.
Her eyes widened. “Is this what I think it is?”
“Good gracious - it’s the original title deeds to Lilac Cottage. I hunted high and low for these when Reg died. I knew it would cause a problem, if I ever wanted to sell up, but his will clearly stated that, apart from one or two minor bequests, he’d left everything to me. I don’t understand what this means.”
A sheet of paper fluttered to the floor and Lawrence picked it up. He handed it to Letitia who scanned it.
“It appears that Reg left the cottage to Anna and her offspring. Anna put the deeds in here for safe-keeping. No wonder it’s caused so much grief over the years. Betty Soames must have known there was something of importance hidden in the picture frame, but she didn’t breathe a word.”
“Perhaps she didn’t know what it was Anna had hidden. I suppose she must have done it after she broke up with your son,” Lawrence said.
“Yes - the portrait would have been in the studio at the cottage. Joe would have found it when he was collecting his other things.”
“Did he know she’d been planning to give it to him as a wedding present?”
Letitia shook her head. “We’ll never know, Rhianna. But it was Anna’s father, Derek, who had it framed. He bought the frame in a house sale. Obviously, Reg had a fit of conscience and left Anna the title deeds. We’d often discussed making the cottage over to the Soames, but never got round to it…Well, Tina will be pleased.”
“I’m afraid, I can’t get in touch with her,” Lawrence said. “I’ll have to wait for her to contact me.”
“I suppose Reg would have put it all in his new will, but you see, he never got round to updating it.”
“So it’s actually up to you what you choose to do about this?” Rhianna enquired.
Letitia nodded. “I intend to follow Reg’s wishes and let Tina have the cottage now - sooner rather than later. I must contact my solicitor… Now, haven’t you two got some things to sort out? Then, I thought we’d all go out for supper at The White Unicorn. Their new kitchen is installed and I understand the food is good.”
Rhianna and Lawrence went into the kitchen which was warm and cosy. She listened as he told her why he’d had dinner with Christina Soames. He also filled her in with a great deal more.
“So you see Tina is - how shall I put it - emotionally fragile. Over the years she’s mixed with the wrong sort of people - got heavily into debt at one time. Her so-called friends got her into bad habits, soft drugs, drink, and encouraged her to lead an extravagant lifestyle. When I met her, I didn’t know any of this to begin with. She was bewitching - like her mother - but she soon showed herself in her true colours.
“When we parted company she set fire to the studio and a quantity of my paintings went up in smoke.”
Rhianna found it difficult to credit what he was telling her.
“Can you forgive me, Rhia, for being so gullible? It wasn’t love, I realise that now; it was infatuation.”
She went into his outstretched arms and he kissed her passionately.
“One day soon I’ll show you just how much I love you,” he told her.
“I’ll hold you to that,” she said with a smile, “if ever we get the chance to be on our own for any length of time.”
>
She reached up and traced the outline of his face.
“Shall we be making tracks?” Letitia called from the hallway.
“Coming,” Lawrence called back and they stifled their laughter.
*
Tina Soames had taken one look at the portrait of her mother and declared she couldn’t possibly accommodate it. Letitia arranged to gift her the cottage because of the legal complications, but Tina didn’t want that either and said she would sell it.
*
The exhibition of Rhianna and Lawrence’s paintings took place on a fine May day. It was a great success and, much to Tim and Myra’s delight, they raised a lot of money for the church roof fund. Everyone came to support them - Fiona and Dave, Lawrence’s family and, of course, Letitia.
That evening, Lawrence took Rhianna on a short drive.
“It’s a mystery tour,” he explained.
He pulled up outside Lilac Cottage. It was looking particularly lovely that evening.
“You’ve never got this place out of your system, have you, Laurie?”
He shook his head. “I thought I could never live here again, but I’ve changed my mind. Tina was in a hurry to sell because she’s going to New Zealand to visit Henry Parsons and so - I’ve bought it off her.”
Rhianna gasped. “You’ve done what?”
“You see, I made a fair bit of money in the States and inherited a bit more from my grandfather. My parents have helped make up the deficit.”
“You’re going to move to Brookhurst? But what about us - the gallery?”
His green eyes sparkled. “Oh, that’s the good bit. I thought we could have this place as our week-end home. That way we’d get to see Letitia, Tim and Myra and all our other friends - and for the rest of the week - we could live at yours.”
She stared at him uncomprehendingly for a moment. He took her by the hand and led her into the garden where the lilac tree was in full bloom.
“What I thought was, Rhia…”
“Yes?” she prompted, her heart pounding.
“How would it be if we got married in Brookhurst church?”
After a moment Rhianna said, “How would it be if you asked me first?”