Winner Takes It All (33 page)

‘Mother seems to feature a lot in his thoughts these days. He
called Julie Lou the other day. It’s a bit worrying. It reminds me
of your mother with Philip.’

‘I
was thinking the same thing, but I’m sure we’re worrying about
nothing. Grandpa will be around forever. Anyway, I went to see
Fiona Montague, Tom’s mother and she informs me that Tom is telling
the truth about his background. But what he’s neglected to tell us
is that he’s friends with his cousin Jackson – Sorcha’s grandson.
Apparently Tom owes him hundreds of thousands of pounds and Fiona
thinks his repayment is by infiltrating us and trying to bring us
down. It seems there’s a third man involved and
that’s...’

‘Maurice Bannerman,’ Christian said.

‘How
do you know that?’

‘I
was looking at young Mr Montague’s CV. I wish I’d seen it before. I
could have told you Maurice Bannerman’s son-in-law owns Tryton
House.’

‘Oh
no.’

‘Exactly. My oldest friend has betrayed me and I don’t know
why.’

‘What
are we going to do daddy?’

‘I
want Bannerman here. I want to confront him and find out why he’s
done this to us.’

‘And
Tom?’

‘He
can wait. No doubt he’s been poisoned by Sorcha with all sorts of
stories about us - the same as the grandson. It’s Maurice I want to
know about. That man’s been like a brother to
me.’

Eighteen

Tom had finished his
rounds for the day and was taking a leisurely walk home in the
evening sunshine. He hadn’t seen Tara all day and looked forward to
spending the evening with her. When they were together alone, he
could forget Jackson or Bannerman and their evil plans and just
pretend they were a normal young couple in love.

As if by magic, he
spotted her outside her house, going to the boot of her car, which
was open. When he saw she was carrying a holdall, he wondered where
the hell she was going. She’d text him earlier on to say Alex was
sending her to Chicago to see about opening a new museum there, but
that wasn’t until the end of the week. Where was she off to
now?

‘
Where are you
going?’ he asked.

‘
Leave me
alone,’ she cried, throwing her bag into the back of the
car.

‘
Tara what’s
the matter?’ he frowned.

‘
I know all
about you Tom.’

‘
What do you
mean you know all about me?’

‘
Alex told
me.’

Like a dying man, Tom saw
his life flash before him. It was over. Alex had exposed him for
what he was and now the cosy little world he had built for himself
would be snatched away.

‘
Tara it’s not
what you think?’ he replied quietly.

She turned and looked at
him, those beautiful brown eyes brimming with tears. She looked so
hurt and Tom had never hated himself more.

‘
Are you or
are you not working to bring down Sheridans?’

‘
Yes,
but..’

‘
There you
are. Leave me alone.’

‘
Well where
are you going?’

‘
I’m not
telling you.’

‘
At least let
me explain.’

‘
No. You’ve
made me look an idiot.’

‘
Please Tara.
Give me just five minutes of your time. Don’t I deserve
that?’

Exhausted, Tara sighed
and slammed the boot down, turned and stomped into the
house.

‘
You’ve got
five minutes.’

Tom rushed in after her.
She marched into the kitchen and stood there rigid, arms folded
across her chest.

‘
I trusted you
Tom. I gave myself to you and all the time you were laughing at me.
Using me like some pawn in your twisted game.’

‘
I was never
using you Tara. I love you. My loving you has changed
everything.’

‘
So who are
you then? Are you really my cousin?’

‘
Yes. I’ve
been working with my cousin Jackson, Sorcha Sheridan’s
grandson.’

‘
You bastard.
Why? Why did you do it? What have we ever done to you?’

‘
Nothing. I
didn’t know any of you. But I owe Jackson a lot of money. I wrote a
play and Jackson financed it. The whole thing was a terrific flop
and he said the only repayment he wanted was for me to infiltrate
the family and help bring it down. I never worked at Tryton House
or at the Museum of the City of London. That was just lies so I’d
get the job.’

‘
You may have
not known us Tom, but you still had no morals about bringing people
down. The person I thought I was in love with wouldn’t be capable
of doing something like that.’

‘
I hated the
thought of it all, I swear to you. But Jackson almost brainwashed
me. He whisked me off to New York and spent a fortune on me making
me look like this. I was a scruffy mess beforehand. You wouldn’t
have looked twice at me.’

‘
I doubt
that.’

‘You wouldn’t have
darling. I was a total loser and just for a while, Jackson made me
feel important and part of the family. I finally met my grandmother
and she filled my head with stories about the Cusacks. He made you
all seem evil and grasping and that you’d robbed our side of the
family of their true inheritance. When I came home, Jackson moved
me into a flat in Knightsbridge and bought me my car. My head was
turned and for a while I admit it, I liked being part of a family.
I’d never had one before. But then I met the Cusacks and realised
how warm and welcoming they are and most of all I met you. I never
planned on falling in love but I have and now I don’t know what to
do because Jackson’s threatening to hurt me or someone I love if I
don’t go along with his wishes.’

Tara said nothing, just
pushed past him and walked into the living room area, slumping down
onto the sofa. Tom joined her, keeping a respectable distance
between them.

‘
How can I
believe you?’ she asked. ‘You’ve done nothing but lie to
me.’

‘
I can’t say
any more than I have. I just wish I could make you believe me. How
did Alex find out?’

‘
I don’t know.
She just called me today telling me to get away from you. I feel
such a fool.’

‘
You’re not a
fool Tara. I am. I let my own greed cloud my judgement and I’ve got
myself into a terrible mess.’

‘
Well what do
you expect me to do?’ she snapped.

‘
I don’t know.
Hate me I guess.’

‘
Why did you
come to work with me? Was it because I was seen as a soft
touch?’

‘
Yes,’ he
replied quietly.

‘
How did this
Jackson know this? I don’t even know him.’

‘
Maurice
Bannerman is involved as well.’

‘
Maurice! He’s
Christian’s oldest friend.’

‘
He’s got some
grudge against the Cusacks regarding your grandmother. I’ve been
manipulated and threatened by them and now I don’t know what I’m
going to do.’

To his embarrassment, he
started to cry.

‘
I want to
believe you Tom,’ Tara said softly. ‘I want to trust you. But I
don’t think I can.’

Wiping his tears away, he
reached out and grasped her hands.

‘
Why don’t we
run away? Just the two of us. We could go anywhere.’

‘
And live our
lives looking over our shoulder? I don’t think so. What you are
going to do is that you’re going to come back to London with me and
explain it all to Alex.’

‘
Okay. I’m
just so scared Tara. Jackson reckons if I tell anyone he’ll kill
someone I love.’

‘
Well we can
ask Alex if she’ll let your mother stay at Layton House for a
while. How does that sound?’

‘
Good, thank
you. But what about you? Do you still want me?’

‘
I’m not sure.
You’ve got a lot of making up to do Tom.’

They drove up to London
in silence. No words could express the shame Tom felt, yet at the
same time he felt immense relief. He’d finally unburdened himself
and although it could have devastating effects, at least he was
free of his secret. He wondered if things could ever be the same
with Tara; after all, that confidence that had taken so long to be
restored, had been destroyed.

Christian Cusack’s London
home was a beautiful double fronted Victorian house close to Barnes
Common. Alex’s car stood on the drive and Tom felt terrified of
seeing her. She may have been tiny, but she could be scary and he
knew she’d do all she could to stop him crossing the
threshold.

Tara rung the bell and
Tom almost hid as they waited for Alex to answer the door. Indeed,
when she did, she didn’t even see him, just embracing her cousin on
both cheeks. Finally those steely blue eyes fixed on him as he
stood there sheepishly.

‘
Tara I
thought I told you to get away from him,’ she snapped.

‘
Tom’s come to
tell you everything,’ Tara pleaded. ‘At least listen to
him.’

Alex let them into the
house that was just as grand inside as it was out. It was the sort
of place Tom had dreamt of living in when he was a child - all
antiques and family portraits. Alex led them into one of the
reception rooms and told Tom and Tara to sit down whilst she stood
by the marble mantelpiece that was almost as tall has
her!

‘
Who are you
working for?’ she asked.

‘
Jackson
Pearce, my cousin and Maurice Bannerman.’

‘
Why does
Bannerman want to destroy Cusacks?’

‘
He blames the
death of his father on your grandmother. Apparently he bankrupted
himself bidding for Sheridans all those years ago.’

‘
The sneaky
bastard and he’s always been so pally to daddy. So what was the
evil plan?’

‘
Bannerman has
set up a company to outbid you on everything. Added to this, we’ve
done all we could to discredit Sheridans. Jackson paid that woman
to say her son was served when he was underage. He also paid Finn
Healy to lie about the IRA.’

‘
And my hotel
in Liverpool?’

‘
Bannerman
told me to find someone to set fire to it, so I hired a friend of
one of my old flatmates.’

‘
You burnt
Alex’s hotel?’ Tara gasped. ‘Tom someone could have been
killed.’

‘
I know that,’
he said, hanging his head in shame.

‘
Daniel told
me all about your offer,’ Alex continued. ‘Did those men put you up
to trying to persuade him to sell his shares?’

‘
Yes.’

‘
So who would
have been buying them really?’

‘
Jackson
Pearce.’

‘
So Sorcha
would ultimately have owned twenty percent of
Sheridans.’

‘
That’s not
all,’ Tom whispered, ashamed of what he was about to say. ‘They had
another plan. They wanted me to get Tara to marry me and before the
wedding, sign a pre-nuptial agreement giving me ten percent of
Tara’s shares when we divorced.’

‘
You did it on
purpose!’ Tara cried. ‘You never loved me at all. You were with me
because you were told to.’

‘
It’s not like
that,’ he pleaded. ‘I knew I loved you before they told me to do
it. That’s why I couldn’t bring myself to touch you
because…’

Before he could answer,
Tara got up and with a sob, ran out of the room.

‘
I hope you’re
proud of yourself,’ Alex said flatly. ‘That girl’s been to hell and
back and she finally thought she’d found happiness with you and now
you’ve broken her heart.’

‘
I’ve never
hated myself more,’ Tom said, those tears returning to his
eyes.

Alex came over and sat
beside him. Like most women, she couldn’t help but be a little
softened by the sight of a man crying.

‘
So Sorcha and
her grandson ultimately wanted thirty percent shares in Sheridans,’
she said.

‘
Maurice
Bannerman has already bought Michael’s voting rights.’

‘
What?’

‘
Michael sold
Bannerman his voting rights so he could pay off his debts. Then
when your father dies and Michael gets his shares, he’ll pass them
onto Bannerman…well, Jackson as well. I work that out as by then
they’ll own around forty five percent of Sheridans. Enough to make
a difference.’

‘
How could
Michael be so stupid?’ she sighed. ‘Has he done anything else for
them?’

‘
No, but I did
meet him a few weeks ago and he got very drunk and started accusing
your grandmother of things.’

‘
What sort of
things?’

‘
He reckons
Paula isn’t Ben’s daughter.’

‘
What gives
him that ridiculous idea?’

‘
Because
apparently she’s always been Lou’s favourite. That when Lou died
she left her shares to Dan and Tara not you, Michael and Jo. Then
there’s the fact Paula looks like Andrew McDonald.’