Tudor Reunion Tour (5 page)

“We don’t have anything planned, Angus.
Nothing that can’t wait—besides we’re on vacation. We shouldn’t be doing
anything. No, I’m going to take Elizabeth in and see if I can’t get her to eat
a little something.”

I headed back towards our cottage,
Elizabeth vocalizing her disapproval for being separated from her daddy.
Besides getting her out of the sun, I wanted to use the excuse to get online
and see what I could find out about Julia’s newly formed company.

By the time Amadeus walked back into our
cottage an hour later, I had the baby fed and napping and had been trolling the
internet for anything about Julia and her investors. It didn’t take me long to
find the company website in all its glory. Sticking out there for all to see,
luring clients in effortlessly. Once I got through all the glitz and bullshit,
it wasn’t hard to find a page with all the investors’ happy, shiny faces
staring back at me. I was totally unprepared for two of Julia’s strange
bedfellows…Don Roberts and Amber. Don and Amber had both been suspected in
Amadeus’s poisoning, but nothing was ever proved. Amber? Ouch! She had
supposedly been pregnant with Angus’ baby, the biggest cause for Angus’s
divorce from Ashleigh. Their marriage hadn’t lasted when it was obvious there
was no baby. It was something that even though remarried, was still cause for tension.
Thus this recent separation. Was Julia really that… no, not going there because
either she had been sold a bill of goods by these two and she was throwing
family loyalty to the wind, or she had no idea who she was playing footsie
with. And that I found hard to believe.

“Find anything, babe?”

“Oh, you are not going to believe what I
found and who she’s partnered up with, Amadeus. Come sit down and look.” I rose
from the chair, kissing him on the lips as he peered down at the screen with
interest. “You want a beer or something while I’m up?”

“A bottle of water would be nice.
Thanks.” I watched as he began clicking on icons and reading over what I’d
found. I found a bottle of water in the small refrigerator, waiting for him to
click on the page where the principles were listed. “Zara!”

“You saw?”

“What in the hell is she doing? I wonder
if either Damien or Angus knows. If Angus knows, he would have told her to kiss
his ass.”

“Or not. You remember what he said
earlier.”

“We worked that out. No, he’d never go
along with it if he knew Don and Amber were involved.”

“Damien either, though I’m not so sure what’s
going on with Damien. I want to email this link to the attorneys so they can
investigate the company further. See how legit it actually is.”

“Good idea. And don’t blow Damien off
just yet. I’m thinking perhaps Angus, Peter, and I need to talk. I’d say
include Damien, but I’m not sure Julia would allow him to go off with us. Not
after our show this afternoon.”

“You’re probably right. You two need to
speak with Peter and see what he thinks or perhaps advises. With or without
Damien, and it’ll have to be done today or this evening because tomorrow is
Christmas Eve and you know your mother is going to want all talk of business to
halt.”

****

Grace and I strolled along the water
under a full moon later that evening, deciding to leave the men to discuss what
would eventually include the web site Amadeus and I had found along with this
tour idea of Julia’s. I almost felt as though we were all ganging up on her,
but that feeling only stayed a fleeting second. Julia and Amadeus’s sister,
Anne, declined our offer to walk on the beach after dinner.

Dinner had been unusually quiet, and I
was thankful for the opportunity to eat in peace and simply enjoy being around
people for the first time in months.

“Peter shared with me some of what
Amadeus had told him about this tour idea Julia had. He said you’re not on
board with it and neither is he.”

“I don’t have a problem with the three
of them going on tour. I think the concept is wonderful. It’s Julia and the
contract, not to mention the people she’s cozied up to.”

“I understand all that, Zara. Don’t you
think perhaps she deserves to be listened to? Seriously?”

I was momentarily shocked that Grace
would even suggest such a thing. “You do know who her business partners are,
don’t you? Don Roberts, for one, the one person suspected in Amadeus’s
poisoning. He’s the last person I want Amadeus around.”

“Zara, don’t you think you’re being a
little over protective of Amadeus? I know the two of you have been through a
lot together.”

“Are you suggesting I sit back and let
him agree to this tour? Let Julia and her band of thieves manage and steal
money that should be Angus, Amadeus, and Damien’s? Not to mention allow her to
take management control?”

“That’s exactly what I’m suggesting. It’s
not as if you and Amadeus need the money, Zara. And you know as well as I do
that Damien can’t pull off a tour without Amadeus or Angus. He’s been out of
the spotlight for too long, and frankly, I worry he’s not physically able.”

“I’m sorry, Grace, but while I agree
with you on some of what you’re saying, I cannot and will not support this. If
Julia will work with everyone as a team and without Don Roberts or Amber being
involved, I’ll reconsider, but not the way things stand.”

We walked along the water’s edge in
silence. My mind was going in a thousand different directions. I understood
Grace wanting to oversee her flock, but up until now, she had always been on
team Amadeus. Now she wanted me to throw him to the wolves, the biggest wolf
being Don Roberts. The very thought made the hair on my arms stand up. But on
the other hand, perhaps Grace had something up her sleeve as well.

“Zara, it’s only for two months.”

“Yeah, right. Oh, and you do know that
we’ll have to pick up and move back to Seattle. Or at least Amadeus will have
to. Rehearsals, you know.”

“You’re not going to give are you?”

“No, I’m not. The entire deal smells
wrong. But I seem to be in the minority on this one. I fully expect Amadeus’s
mind will be changed before we leave here. I wish to hell we’d never come.”
Feeling my eyes well up with tears and my entire emotional state verge on a
meltdown, I sped up my pace and began walking ahead of my mother-in-law.

****

Christmas Eve, Grace and Peter had all
of us to the house for dinner. It wasn’t as fancy as we’d have once Peter’s
children began to arrive the day after Christmas, but a nice family dinner.
Gift exchanging was being put off a day as well, except for the children of
course. Damien and Anne’s children. Can’t fool kids as to when Santa comes to
make his annual visit.

I picked at my meal; my appetite had
been lost the evening before, and I felt like the odd person out. The
conversation around the table was low key, focusing on Peter and how his family
had celebrated Christmas in years past. As I picked up the crystal wine goblet
in front of me to take a sip, I noted Julia staring at me from across the
table. She had a smug look on her face. I locked eyes with her momentarily,
staring her down. If she thought she could intimidate me, she had another think
coming. I would not back down to her or anyone else.

During a lull in the conversation,
however, she had to stick one in. Even though Grace and Amadeus had assured me
that the tour and any conversation surrounding it would be off limits during
this dinner, Julia just had to defy the norm and try to rile me up.

“So, Zara, have you decided what you’re
going to do with all the free time you’ll have with Amadeus in rehearsals and
on the road touring?”

Slowly I picked up my wine glass and
swirled the dark red liquid, pacing myself before I spoke. I refused to play
her game or be drawn into her web. “Julia, you really don’t need to concern
yourself with how I occupy my time. Elizabeth and I will be just fine. Why, she
should be walking before too much longer, then we’ll have her first birthday,
so she’ll have me hopping.”

“Then you’re staying in Scotland?”

I took a sip and placed my glass back
down on the table, ignoring her.

“Zara, Julia asked you a question,”
Grace responded. “Are you planning to stay in Scotland while Amadeus is touring?”

“Amadeus and I haven’t decided, and
whatever the decision is, it will be between the two of us and what we think is
best for our family. It does not concern you, Julia.”

“Zara…” I heard Amadeus beside me.

“What? I’m sorry, but I thought this was
to be a civil dinner and any talk of this farce of a tour was off limits for at
least a little while. But no, Queen Julia can do whatever she wants. Well,
sorry, I would like to enjoy my Christmas Eve in peace. It’s Elizabeth’s first
Christmas, and I refuse to let this bitch ruin it for me.” I stood up, threw my
napkin down on the table and turned to leave. I noted both Peter and Grace
watching my actions. Grace looked away when our eyes met…

I went to the bedroom where Elizabeth
lay sleeping. Quietly, I picked her bag up, then reached down and scooped her
up in my arms. Turning around to leave, I saw Amadeus’s lanky figure looming in
the doorway. “Where are you going?”

“I’m taking Elizabeth and going back to
our cottage. Like I said in there, I refuse to let her ruin Christmas for me.
You can come or you can stay, but I refuse to stay.”

“But they haven’t done the Christmas
stuff with the kids yet, and I wanted Elizabeth included.”

“Well, as you can see, she’s sound
asleep, so it won’t make much difference. I’m sorry, A—if you want to stay,
fine, but please don’t make me stay and be miserable.”

“I won’t make you stay, but I’m going to
at least stay through the kids putting the milk and cookies out for Santa.” He
stepped so close I could feel his breath on my face. “I love you. Don’t ever
doubt that.”

“It never crossed my mind, and I love
you, too. I’ll see you in a little while.” We shared a brief kiss before I
walked back to the main salon. Everyone was gathering and I made my way across
the room and out the door as quick as I could, saying nothing. Damn family
holidays!

By the time I walked down the path and
reached our cottage, Elizabeth had begun to stir. Silently I prayed she’d fall
back into a deeper sleep. Tomorrow would be a big day for her, and I wanted her
to enjoy it to its fullest. Not that she would know what was going on. As I laid
her down in the crib in the extra bedroom, I kissed her on the cheek and
whispered ‘Merry Christmas’ to her.

Taking her milk bottles to the
refrigerator, I dropped them in and shut the door. I uncorked the half empty
bottle of Cabernet and poured myself a glass. Kicking off my sandals, I padded
back into the main room. I collapsed into one of the large overstuffed rattan
chairs, easing my feet up onto the ottoman.

Amadeus was seated in the matching
chair, drinking a beer he’d brought along with him. He was never one to do
family things without me, so it didn’t surprise me to see him sitting there.
His angular jaw was clenched and he was eyeing me as though he was trying to decide
the next step in our conversation.

“Amadeus, I want to hear no mention at
all about this tour tomorrow or for the remainder of our stay. This is our
first vacation in ages, and I won’t have her ruining it any more than she
already has. If she starts up, I’ll walk away just as I did tonight. Damien
needs to grow a pair and put a muzzle on her.”

“No, if anyone needs to toughen up it’s
you, Zara. You’ve never been as emotional as you are right now.”

Well that went over well.

“If I’m emotional, A, which I don’t
think I am, it’s because of Julia. This is Christmas. It’s supposed to be a
vacation, not a business meeting. I refuse to let her turn it into her show.”

His jaw was clenched, but he sat down on
the sofa across from me and took a long pull off his beer. “Okay, fair enough. You’re
right about that, but Zara, don’t belittle Damien. We don’t know all the facts.”

“No, we don’t, but it’s obvious who’s
running that relationship. Enough about them. Can we just enjoy the holiday?”

Christmas day was quiet and enjoyable.
Gifts were exchanged among the immediate family and, of course, Santa had come.
The idea this year had been more about the exotic location than the actual
frenzy of gift giving. Amadeus and I embraced the idea, having already decided
we would gift each other at a later date with something mutual that we both
desired. Perhaps another vacation.

I was sitting on the porch of our
cottage, enjoying the view of the sea. Elizabeth was down for a nap, and
Amadeus was in the company of his brothers, discussing this albatross called a
tour I was certain. Grace and Julia remarkably were off walking the beach
together. Their sudden bond had my curiosity piqued. On the verge of falling
asleep from pure laziness, I jolted upright at the sound of someone walking
along the porch. Peter.

“Mind if I join you, Zara?” He sat in
the chair next to mine and stared out at the landscape.