‘I can’t wait for you to get here. I’m dying to see you and Mom,’ she continued.
‘We’re here already, honey,’ Owen announced, a chuckle in his voice.
‘You are! But why didn’t you let me know you were coming earlier?’ she exclaimed, startled by this news but not unduly put out. ‘When did you get to London, Dad?’
‘Wednesday night. Three days ago. I decided to change the date so we could recover from our jet lag before we started running around. Anyway, we’d love to see you today if you can make it. Your mother’s excited about your new apartment, and so am I. We thought we’d come over later.’
‘Oh Dad, it would have been great, but I’m not in London. I’m in Yorkshire.’
‘Oh, are you working up there?’ he asked.
‘No, not today, not on Saturday. I came up for a few days of rest, and I’ll be here until next Wednesday, since I do have to help India with certain things at the Leeds store. I have to spend three days there, so I guess I won’t see you until next Thursday, which is when I get back.’
‘I see.’ He sounded disappointed, his voice suddenly flat. ‘Too bad, honey,’ he added. ‘Thursday it is then.’
‘I’m so sorry, Dad. I didn’t know you were coming early and I made my plans around your original date. Gee, I don’t know if I can change things–’ Her voice trailed off as she wondered how to reschedule everything; she knew she couldn’t do so, at least not very easily.
‘Your mother wants to talk to you, to say hello, Evan.’
‘Put her on, Dad.’ A moment later she was exclaiming, ‘Hi, Mom, it’s so good to hear you. How are you?’
‘I’m very well these days, Evan,’ her mother said, her voice loving and warm. ‘I gather you’re not around.’
‘No, I’m in Yorkshire. I didn’t expect you until next week.’
‘I know, I know. I told your father you’d probably be busy, but you mustn’t worry about us. We’ll see you as soon as you return. At least, I hope we will.’
‘Absolutely. The hotel’s nice and cosy, isn’t it, Mom? I know George and Arlette must’ve made you very comfortable there, haven’t they?’
‘Yes to both your questions. They miss you, of course, now that you’ve moved out. But I don’t blame you, it’s nice to have a place of your own, isn’t it, Evan?’
‘Yes, it is,’ she laughed. ‘Oh Mom, I can’t wait to get back to town now I know you and Dad are there.’ She meant this, and she was particularly pleased that her mother sounded so normal. That was the only word for it. Normal. And yes, happy. Actually happy. She who was always depressed.
They went on talking for a few more minutes, and after promising to phone them at the hotel tomorrow, Evan clicked off the cell. She hurried after Gideon and the others, whom she could just see in the distance, heading for the front gates of Pennistone Royal.
It was true, she was glad her parents had arrived in London. She hadn’t seen them since January, and it was now August. Eight months in which so much had happened. Her life had changed in many different ways. And, in a sense, she had changed. She was a different person. She couldn’t wait to see them, but at the same time she was slightly apprehensive. Although she and Robin had agreed, only a few days ago, that she would not tell her father about him, there were, nonetheless, many other things she had to discuss. Difficult things.
Tessa stood at the window of her bedroom, looking down at the driveway, her eyes on Jack Figg. He stood talking to Gideon, gesticulating, obviously explaining something to him and to Desmond who was with them.
She guessed it had to do with security. Jack had brought in a number of experts since Adele’s disappearance on Wednesday, and for the past few days scores of men had been digging, laying cables, hauling in cameras and monitors and all manner of other devices. Linnet said they had been invaded by an army, and that’s how it seemed to her, too. Parts of the estate had been mangled, but she didn’t care about the mess they had made. Things could be put right once they had completed their task and left; Wiggs had told Linnet and her not to worry about it. And so she wasn’t going to, kept reminding herself the most important thing was that Pennistone Royal was being made impenetrable.
Turning away from the window, Tessa moved through the bedroom and went into her small sitting room which adjoined. She glanced around, as always filling with pleasure when she was in this intimate room, loving the way it looked. The walls were primrose, there were yellow-and-red draperies at the windows made of a toile de Jouy cotton, and the small loveseat next to the fireplace was upholstered in a yellow-and-white flower print. It was a cheerful, sunny room, and it had been hers since she was a little girl; it was her safe haven now as it had been then.
She paused in front of the Victorian mirror hanging on the side wall, staring at herself, not liking what she saw. She felt totally drained and she realized she looked it; her face was a ghostly white and there were dark smudges under her eyes. Because she had not eaten much over the last few days her face seemed narrower, and it was taut with lingering tension. Only her silver-blonde hair was as beautiful as it always was.
Sighing under her breath, moving away from the mirror, Tessa went and sat down at her desk, the French bureau plat which had stood in the same spot for as long as she could remember. Next to the big yellow porcelain lamp was a photograph of Adele taken earlier in the summer, and she reached out, touched the child’s image with one finger. An overwhelming feeling of the most intense love for her daughter surged through her and Tessa was more deeply aware than ever that her child took precedence before anyone on this planet, and certainly before anything else in her life.
Mark’s abduction of Adele had changed her forever. Tessa had understood that within a few hours of her little girl’s disappearance. Now she realized that in the next few days she would have to start assessing her entire life, in order to decide what to do, what changes to make. And there would be changes. She wasn’t prepared to sacrifice her daughter’s well-being for her career. Suddenly, being the boss of Harte’s one day lost its lustre, at least for the moment. Perhaps her attitude would change when everything settled down, when Mark had been neutralized, although she was sure…
A few gentle taps on the door interrupted Tessa’s chain of thoughts, and she exclaimed, ‘Come in!’
The door opened and Elvira’s face appeared around it. ‘Could I have a word with you please, Mrs Longden?’
‘Yes, of course, Elvira.’ Noticing at once that the nanny was alone, she asked swiftly, ‘Where’s Adele?’
‘She’s fine, Mrs Longden, perfectly safe. She’s with Margaret in the kitchen, giving a tea party for her dolls.’
‘I’m sorry, Elvira, you did tell me that was what you’d planned.’ Tessa forced a smile. ‘I think I’m getting paranoid.’
‘No, you’re not, and anyway it would be natural, wouldn’t it?’ Elvira hovered in front of the desk, twisting her hands together and looking worried.
‘What’s wrong, Elvi?’ Tessa asked, using the diminutive, hoping to put the nervous young woman at ease.
‘Mrs Longden, there’s something I need to tell you…I saw Mr Longden on Wednesday morning, just after leaving the estate. He was sitting in a car with another man, about halfway down the road, and he…well, he flagged me down. I think he recognized my car.’
Tessa’s eyes narrowed instantly and she asked in an urgent voice, ‘Who was the other man? Did you know him, Elvi?’
The nanny shook her head. ‘No, I didn’t, Mrs Longden. I’d never seen him before. Anyway, Mr Longden just said hello, told me he was on his way to see Adele, and asked if you were about or had you gone to the Harrogate store? And I said no, you were at Pennistone Royal, working in the library and that Adele was on the terrace playing–’ She broke off. Tears sprang into her eyes, and she tried to flick them away with her fingertips. ‘I wish I hadn’t stopped, just driven on, I feel so responsible for what happened.’
‘Oh, Elvira, you mustn’t. It wasn’t your fault,’
Tessa replied, her tone kindly. ‘But why didn’t you tell me before? After all, you were back on Wednesday evening, just when Mr Longden returned Adele. Surely that was the time to say something?’
‘It was, yes, you’re right, but you were agitated, and exhausted, and I was very distressed myself, thrown if you know what I mean.’
‘Today’s Saturday, Elvi.’
‘I know, but on Thursday and Friday you were ever so preoccupied and busy with Mr Figg. I didn’t really like to disturb you. I did keep trying to find the right moment, but there just wasn’t one. Besides, I was a bit afraid, to be honest, I felt very guilty about talking to Mr L. And I thought you’d be angry with me.’
‘Never mind all of that. Now, tell me, Elvi, do you think Mr Longden was parked down the road here actually waiting for you? Do you think he was expecting you to leave Pennistone Royal around the time you did?’
‘I don’t know, Mrs Longden, but I always have the same routine on my day off. I usually leave about ten or ten-thirty. And he knows Wednesday is my day off, I’ve always taken Wednesday ever since I began to work for you when Adele was a baby.’
Tessa inclined her head. ‘I understand, and let’s forget it. However, Elvira, if anything ever happens, anything at all, that you think is strange, you must tell me.’
‘I will, Mrs Longden, I will, I promise.’ The nanny attempted a smile but it didn’t quite materialize, and she added, ‘Well then, I’d better get back to Adele.’ Without another word she scurried out.
Left alone in her lovely sunny room which she had always loved, Tessa felt oddly alien and chilled, and just a little frightened once again. Mark had obviously planned the abduction very carefully, right down to the last detail…waiting for Elvira on the roadside, quizzing her, and then swooping in and scooping up Adele. While his accomplice, whoever that was, did all that dialling on a mobile phone. She shivered involuntarily, and bit her lip, and suddenly her eyes filled with worry.
After a few moments Tessa managed to calm herself and she made a vow to outwit Mark Longden. Whatever it took that was what she was going to do. Outwit him.
‘My parents are here,’ Evan said, staring at Gideon.
A look of genuine surprise crossed his face, and then his brows met in a puzzled frown. ‘I thought they were coming next week?’
‘They were. Dad changed the date, he said he wanted a chance for them to get over their jet lag. Anyway, they’re in London. At the hotel. That was Dad on my mobile when we were walking with Jack.’
Evan and Gideon were seated at the table under the old oak tree at the bottom of the lawns which sloped away from the back terrace of Pennistone Royal. Gideon Harte put down his glass of white wine and leaned across the wrought-iron garden table. ‘So when am I going to meet them?’ he asked. When she didn’t immediately answer, he said, ‘I am going to meet them, aren’t I?’
‘Of course. But I thought I’d better see them by myself first. On Thursday when I get back to London. It has been eight months and there’s a lot to catch up on, and I just think it’s better that I see them alone.’ Evan didn’t add that they might resent his presence, although she was thinking that.
‘I understand,’ he said, and went on swiftly: ‘Tell you what, I’ll take the three of you to dinner on Friday evening. Somewhere really nice.’ He spoke in a firm voice that forbade argument and looked at her very intently. There was a steely glint in his eyes.
‘That’ll be great,’ Evan responded softly, realizing it was better to acquiesce rather than refuse for the time being.
Gideon experienced a small stab of dismay at her lack of enthusiasm which was obvious and made him feel suddenly awkward, and he reached out, took hold of her hand. His green eyes bored into hers. ‘I know I’ve said this before, but I’m in love with you, Evan.’
‘I know that.’
‘And what about you? How do you really feel about me?’
‘I’m in love with you, Gideon,’ she replied, her voice suddenly intimate, very loving. ‘You know I am.’
He realized she was being sincere, and now he relaxed, smiled, squeezed her hand. ‘I want to spend the rest of my life with you, as if you didn’t know that, and I want to marry you. I know I’ve said that to you before, but I’m asking you again…Evan, please marry me.’
There was only a fractional hesitation on her part before she agreed. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘I will, Gideon.’
‘Let’s tell your parents on Friday over dinner! Then it will be official and we’ll phone my parents in New York to give them the good news. Do let’s get engaged.’ Without waiting for her reply, he grinned and rushed on, ‘I’ve got a confession to make. I’ve had your engagement ring for ages.’
‘You have?’ Evan’s grey-blue eyes sparkled and she began to laugh. ‘Gee, you sure are sure of yourself, aren’t you?’ Her voice was teasing, full of laughter.
‘I could only hope, my love, I could only hope. Actually, I can’t give it to you at this moment, because it’s not in my pocket. But I wish it were, so I could slip it onto your finger immediately. Unfortunately, it’s locked up at Allington Hall.’
‘Well, at least it’s good to know it’s in Yorkshire,’ she quipped.
‘I’ll give it to you tonight, and can we tell your parents next week?’ he pressed.
Evan took a deep breath and blew out a few puffs of air. ‘I’d like to tell them when we have dinner, but I’m still a bit worried about the Robin–Dad situation. I haven’t made my mind up…I don’t know what to do about that yet.’ She frowned and shook her head, groping for words that would accurately describe what she felt. ‘I’m so ambivalent, and having to tell Dad that his father wasn’t his biological father is going to be–’
‘Let’s not go there, let’s not get things confused,’ Gideon exclaimed, sounding impatient. ‘Our engagement doesn’t have anything to do with Robin, your father and Richard Hughes.’
‘But it does, because my father–’
‘Evan, please don’t start with that whole business of us being related. My grandmother Elizabeth and your grandfather Robin are brother and sister, but that isn’t troublesome. A genealogical chart would show that we are cousins a few times removed. So what! In this country it’s not illegal to marry even a first cousin, so we’re certainly within the law. And I don’t believe those old wives’ tales about children of cousins being born afflicted with something. My parents are cousins, yet Toby, Natalie and I are perfectly all right. Not that you’ve met Nat yet, what with her being in Australia at the moment. But you can take my word for it, my sister’s as perfectly healthy and sane as me and Toby.’
‘Oh Gid, don’t get angry, please don’t. I do love you very much, and being related has nothing to do with it. I do want to marry you. It’s just that my father seems to bear a grudge against the Hartes, and I want to find out why that is, Gideon. Can’t you understand that?’
‘Yes, I can. I know it’s important to you that my parents like you, and they do. In fact, they really approve of you. However, please understand that even if they didn’t like you, I would still marry you. They can’t live my life for me, and I would never permit them to influence me about my choice of a wife.’ He frowned, his eyes scanning her face as he finished. ‘Don’t you feel that way, too? Surely you believe in your own convictions, your own choices, don’t you?’
‘I certainly do. I’m my own person. But I want to get to the root of his dislike of the Hartes, so please try and accept that. Ultimately, whatever he says, and what my mother says, won’t alter my decision. I am going to marry you.’ A few moments ago he had released her hand; now it was Evan who reached out and grabbed his. ‘I think I know what it’s about, Gideon.’
‘You do? Then for God’s sake tell me, don’t keep me in the dark.’
‘It’s all to do with class differences, I think. Money, privilege, upbringing, background, those kind of things. Your life as opposed to mine. Look, my family wasn’t, isn’t, dirt poor. Not rich either, but there was always
enough money for the things we needed. Not a lot of disposable income, I’m sure of that, but my sisters and I never wanted for anything. We had decent if somewhat plain clothes, yearly vacations, and we went to good schools. But in my father’s mind I come from a different world from yours, Gideon, and he believes there will inevitably be a clash, that a relationship with you will only end in unhappiness for me. In a way, I think he believes I’m not good enough for you, that I don’t have the right pedigree.’
Gideon was startled, and finally he said in a very quiet voice, ‘He sounds as if he’s extremely prejudiced, Evan, and a little bit out of date.’
‘Dad is old-fashioned. Stubborn and opinionated as well. And, yes, you’re right, he’s very prejudiced.’
‘And what about your mother? How will she react to our engagement?’
‘I’m not sure…I think she’ll be pleased if she knows I’m happy. But to be truthful, I don’t know my mother very well. All those years of…of her being ill, being a manic depressive, those years took their toll on our relationship, Gid. We missed out on such a lot when I was growing up, and I regret that. I wish we’d been closer then, I really do.’
‘I can understand that. Did you speak to her this morning?’ he asked.
‘Dad put her on, and you know what? I thought she sounded different. Much more like a normal person, no hint of depression, at least not in her voice, and it struck me that she sounded real happy. I can barely remember her sounding, or being, happy ever in my life. It was such a peculiar feeling, I was taken aback. But I was happy that she was happy.’
Gideon found this last statement so sad he didn’t speak for a moment, contemplating Evan’s mother and her illness. How terrible for someone to have lived that way for most of their life, virtually a prisoner trapped inside their own pain. A sudden rush of sympathy for Evan made him exclaim, ‘It can’t have been easy for you as a child. I’m so sorry, Evan.’
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