Winds of Change (12 page)

He smiled at that thought, then frowned. If he made things too easy for her, she'd not continue to grow. He'd set his heart on her becoming independent and fulfilled, felt that it would be a worthy final achievement to give another human being what he'd been born with: the gift of confidence.

Not only had her family treated her appallingly and, even now, like a person with an ongoing disability, but from things she'd inadvertently let drop, friends had deserted her, too. Mental illness still had a stigma to it.

He took out his hand-held computer and made a note to ask Sally about making a better will. It'd be complex but it needed to be watertight. The temporary will was just insurance.

No, this had to be done properly and carefully. Miranda deserved that protection.

There were still packing cases full of smaller items to sort out, but he wanted to do that slowly. He'd enjoy having objects he considered old friends around him once more and was looking forward to sharing his treasures with Miranda. He hadn't collected them for their value or to show off, but out of love for them. He told the removalists to put all the boxes with red stickers in one of the empty rooms.

Then the men were gone and peace reigned for a time.

He smiled as he looked round the hall. This beautiful house had cheered him up greatly even in the short time he'd spent here. He'd not worked hard all his life to end his days in a poky flat, or in one room of a hospice, either.

How lucky that he'd met Miranda that day in the park! Fate's final gift in a life that had been highly satisfying and fulfilling until recently.

When Miranda arrived at the new house, the front door was open, so she went inside, stopping in the magnificent hall to gape at the living and dining areas, which had the basic furniture in them already. There was no sign of Lou, so she went out to the patio.

As she'd expected, he was there, looking tired but at the same time happy, his fine silver hair ruffled, his cheeks flushed. She saw the empty flask of coffee and a used mug on the little wall beside his chair but no sign of the food she'd packed. ‘Are you hungry? Shall I get you some lunch?'

‘Good idea. I've been too busy to think of food.'

‘You should have let me arrange the removal of your other things. Why didn't you?'

‘I wanted to do that myself, to give you a surprise. Come and look at what I've got set out so far.'

The furniture was beautiful, though it needed smaller items like side tables to set it off.

‘I've got artwork and ornaments in boxes in that room across the hall, but I want to unpack them gradually. Sit on that couch. Try it out. If you don't find it comfortable, we'll get you something else to sit on.'

‘It looks far too elegant to use.
White leather!
'

‘
Things
are made for people to enjoy, Miranda. Never forget that.'

So she sat down for a moment or two, sighing with delight at the comfort and watching the pleasure on his face as he looked round.

But she couldn't settle. ‘The removalists will be here in a few minutes. Is it all right if I give them something to eat? We have enough to make sandwiches for them as well as us.'

He looked so angry she wondered what she'd done and her heart began to pound with anxiety. She watched him close his eyes, take a few deep breaths then open them again.

‘Miranda, let that be the last time you ask me what you're
allowed
to do in your own home.'

To her relief his voice was gentle. It took a minute for his words to sink in and longer for her to realize what he meant. ‘But it's you who's paying for all this.'

‘As you very well know, the house is leased in your name. You could throw me out if you wanted to.'

She was shocked to the core. ‘I'd never do that. You know I wouldn't.'

‘Yes, I do know. But I want you to be safe after I die.'

‘You're incredibly kind.'

‘So are you.' He held her gaze for a minute then continued. ‘I want us to
share
this house and I'm relying on you to manage it for me. I've never run a house, have always been too busy running my . . . um, company, and I'm not going to waste my final months on learning about domestic details.'

He held up one hand as she opened her mouth to apologize so she waited for him to finish.

‘I don't mean I want you to cook and scrub for me, either. I'll hire people for that. But I do need you to manage them.'

‘I've never had more than a cleaning lady, but I'll try.'

‘I'm sure you'll succeed. If anyone gives you trouble, we'll sack them. But we can't sack your family, especially Sebastian, so you need to learn to stand up to him if you're to enjoy the rest of your life. I won't be here to help you for long.'

Tears came into her eyes and she tried to blink them away, but she could tell he'd noticed. He didn't miss a thing. ‘I do wish you wouldn't keep saying that!'

‘I have to.' His voice grew quieter, as he added, ‘For myself as well as for you.' After a few quiet breaths, he continued more robustly, ‘Now, how about we bring your antiques here as well. There's plenty of room. Then we can sort out the horrible furniture Hilary bought me for that flat and put it into the servants' quarters.' He grinned at her expression. ‘You hadn't even realized there were servants' quarters, had you?'

‘No. We didn't go to see them. Goodness, what else is there here?'

‘All sorts of outbuildings, including a six-car garage. We'll go and explore everything later, after I've had a rest. Once the removalists have gone, we'll have the rest of the day to ourselves.'

‘Oh, dear. I've invited my sister over for a coffee this afternoon. She's leaving for the UK tomorrow, you see. I told her this was your house and asked her not to tell Sebastian where we are, and I'm pretty sure she won't betray us, but—' She saw his frown come back.

‘You can tell Sebastian where we are yourself. Tomorrow would be a good time to do that.'

‘Can't we wait a few days? He's bound to come stickybeaking.'

‘The sooner you tell him the better. Practice makes perfect.' His grin returned. ‘Now, what's for lunch? I dumped the food you gave me in the kitchen.'

‘Come and choose. I'll need to go shopping soon, then I'll really show you how well I can cook.'

‘Lay on, McDuff!'

‘And damned be him that first cries, “Hold, enough!”' She continued the quotation from Macbeth, not at all surprised that Lou knew it correctly, though most people said, ‘Lead on, McDuff.'

He showed a better appetite for his midday meal, she was pleased to see. By then the removalists were working with goodwill after clearing a plate of hearty corned beef sandwiches and drinking mugs of tea.

Oh, how she loved this house; the spacious rooms, the lack of clutter, the peace that settled when she and Lou were alone!

Regina thought at first that the taxi had brought her to the wrong place, but when she checked the address, it was correct. Was Miranda really living in this huge house now?

Her sister opened the door as Regina waved off the taxi and she went inside, eyeing her surroundings curiously. ‘Wow!'

‘Isn't it lovely? Lou's having a rest. Come and sit on the terrace.'

‘Can I look round first?'

‘I'll show you the main living areas, but I don't want to disturb Lou.'

‘How long have you two been together? And how did you hide your relationship from Dad and Sebastian? He's hopping mad at you anyway, but he'll throw an absolute hissy fit when he sees where you're living.'

‘It's none of his business, but I'll probably ring him tonight or tomorrow.' Miranda hesitated, then added, ‘We only moved in today so I've not got the place straight yet. It's bigger than we need, really, but we had to find somewhere with a lift for Lou, you see.'

‘What's wrong with him?'

‘Problem with his spine.'

‘Poor thing.'

Miranda glared at her so fiercely Regina was amazed.

‘
Poor thing?
I'd never think of Lou like that. Never! He copes with whatever life throws at him, and copes well.'

‘Sorry. Didn't mean to upset you. He must have a pile of money. You've landed on your feet for once.'

‘I'm not with him for the money!'

Regina didn't need telling that. ‘No. You wouldn't be.'

‘Let's not talk about that. Have you heard from Nikki?'

She let Miranda change the subject, wondering if she'd meet this Lou before they left. ‘No. I rang her again very early this morning, which would be late yesterday evening in England, but she didn't answer. She was probably out with that idiot who got her up the duff!'

‘Don't you want grandchildren?'

‘Not particularly, and certainly not now.'

‘I wish I had some. Well, I may have some already, but I'll never know, will I?'

Regina patted her sister's shoulder, but couldn't help wondering whether Nikki would be upset all her life if she had an abortion. She shook her head in bafflement. Surely not in this day and age? Things were different from when Minnie got pregnant, nearly thirty years ago.

‘You could register your adoption and your willingness to make contact, you know,' she suggested.

Miranda nodded. ‘I could, couldn't I? I mentioned it once to Father and he said he'd throw me out if I did that. But since he died I've been thinking of it again. Sebastian won't be happy, though.'

‘You're out of our dear brother's clutches now, surely?'

‘Not really. He's still in charge of the trust.'

‘Look, Miranda, don't let him stop you from doing what you want. You need to grab hold of life and do your own thing. It may be a cliché but it's important, because this isn't a rehearsal, this is
it
.'

She was pleased to see her sister nod and look thoughtful so didn't labour the point.

Upstairs, Lou was listening unashamedly to the two women's conversation, using the intercom system to eavesdrop. This house had had a few extra tricks like that added, accessed only from the master bedroom and upstairs office. The more he learned about the house from the notes the agent had passed to him, the more he liked it.

He listened to the two women for a while longer, then picked up his phone and dialled an employment agency he knew. Paying well above the usual rate should get him all the help he wanted, and quickly.

Miranda came to join him half an hour later, running lightly up the stairs, a physical ability of which he was now deeply envious. He banished that thought firmly. It wasn't her fault he was a damned cripple.

‘Do you want to join my sister and me for coffee, Lou, or shall I bring you one up?'

‘I'll join you.' He gestured to the notes by the phone. ‘Someone's coming round tomorrow morning from a domestic employment agency to suss out this place and advise us on what staff we need. The main thing for me is a full-time manservant.'

‘Don't waste your money on other staff. If we don't use all the rooms, I can easily manage with a daily help.'

‘No, you can't. You'll be too busy keeping me company. I'm not wasting my precious time waiting for you to mop floors.' He beamed at her as he rolled his wheelchair into the lift. ‘We were lucky to find this place, weren't we? Life is so much easier with a private lift.'

His happiness banished her fears. ‘The house is gorgeous. I can't believe I'm going to be living here. Regina is jealous.'

‘Sebastian will be too.'

She sighed, losing the bright edge to her happiness at the thought of her half-brother.

‘You have to face him soon.' He chuckled. ‘And you should enjoy his jealousy. I shall.'

That evening, at Lou's prompting, Miranda gathered together her courage and contacted her brother, working on the principle that it was better to get it over with than have it looming and disturbing her sleep. She put the phone on loudspeaker so that Lou could listen in.

‘It's taken you long enough to return my calls,' Sebastian grumbled by way of a greeting.

‘We were busy.' She heard him start to say something and quickly spoke over him before she could weaken. ‘I just wanted to tell you that I've moved in with Lou. This is my new phone number.'

‘Just a minute. I need to write that down. What's the address?'

This was the moment she'd been dreading, but to her relief she managed to say it steadily.

There was dead silence from the other end, then, ‘That street overlooks the river.'

He sounded indignant. How mean-spirited was that? ‘Yes, it has great views.'

‘What about your flat?'

‘I'm going to let this house.'

‘I'm not sure you can do that. And if anyone's going to let it, it should be the trust.'

You might have known he'd be like that, she thought despairingly. Why did he always have to make difficulties? ‘I'll add it to the things to ask Sally about, then.'

‘I suppose you were intending to keep the rent money, too.'

‘Of course. I thought the flat was mine to do with as I pleased.' She heard how faint her voice was and told herself to speak more firmly.

‘Well, if you keep the rent money you won't need as much income from the trust.'

‘Yes I will. I'm going to have a lot of expenses. Clothes for a start. Lou goes to some very smart places and Father was mean about such things. My clothes are old-fashioned and frumpy. You've been making fun of them for years. Did it never occur to you that I
wanted
better clothes?'

She waited but he made no comment on that, only sighed as if exasperated that she'd even mentioned it, so she said, ‘I have to go now. Lou's getting tired.'

‘Min—'

But she cut him off because she'd pushed herself to her limits. She set the phone gently in its cradle, then buried her face in her hands.