"Perhaps Daddy can say something," Paula muttered.
"No," Daisy answered firmly. "Emma Harte made you the head of this family. It"s your responsibility, darling. I"m sorry, but that"s the way it is."
Paula nodded and stood up. "Please, everybody, do be quiet for a moment."
Her natural reserve made it difficult for Paula to a.s.sert herself in a large group such as this, but when none of the rowdy troublemakers paid any attention to her, she leaned forward and banged her clenched fist on the table. She exclaimed fiercely, "Shut up! All of you! And sit down!"
The Ainsleys and the Lowthers looked at her with antipathy and, although they did not budge from their positions around John Crawford"s chair, they did stop quarreling amongst themselves.
"Thank you," Paula said more evenly, but her voice reflected her icy eyes. She drew herself up to her full height and her inbred hauteur and imperiousness reached out to momentarily stun"them all.
"How dare you behave in this unconscionable manner!" she reprimanded sternly. "You"re perfectly reprehensible, the lot of you. I think you might show a little respect for Emma Harte. My G.o.d, she"s only
been dead a few weeks and here you are, behaving like vultures, picking over her bones." Paula"s eyes were now riveted on Jonathan and Sarah, who stood together. "My grandmother knew what she was doing, and I think she has been overly generous to certain members of this family."
Paula gripped the back of the chair tightly and continued in a tone that was almost threatening: "Don"t any one of you dare to even think about contesting Emma Harte"s will. Because if you do, I shall fight you to the bitter end-if it takes every hour of my time and every penny I have."
The entire gathering stared at her. Most of those present were admiring of her, a few were condemning, but all were mesmerized by the aura of power she conveyed.
Winston edged closer to Emily and touched her arm. He whispered to his wife, "Just look at her . . . she"s Emma Harte personified. I think the legend lives."
Chapter Forty-six.
Shane and Paula walked across the British Airways terminal at Kennedy Airport, took the escalator to the second level, and went into the First Cla.s.s lounge.
They found a quiet corner.
After helping her off with her wild mink cape, Shane shrugged out of his trench coat and threw it on a chair nearby.
"Let"s have a drink," he suggested. "We have time before your flight."
"That"ll be nice. Thank you, darling."
Shane smiled down at her, and ambled over to the bar at the other side of the lounge.
Paula watched him. How marvelous he looked. So darkly handsome and commanding, in absolute control. Her expression became soft; her eyes filled with love for him. In the year they had been having their love affair her feelings for him had only grown deeper. He was so much a part of her now she felt lost when they were separated and only half-alive without him. He never ceased to surprise her. Although she had known him all of her life, she had never fully realized how truly dependable he was in every circ.u.mstance or emergency. He had a tremendous sense of commitment to her, and to every single thing that was important in his life. His strength of character was almost awesome. He has iron in his soul, she thought.
She gazed at him lovingly as he returned with their drinks.
Shane smiled back, handed her the vodka and tonic, and took the seat next to her.
He touched his gla.s.s to hers, said, "Here"s to next month, Paula, to the beginning of the new year."
"To 1971," Paula said.
"It is going to be our year, darling. Everything will be worked out with Jim. You"ll be free, and, just think, you"ll be back here in January, not too long, really. We can start making our plans for the future.
Finally."
"Won"t that be wonderful," she said, but her luminous eyes darkened with incipient worry.
Shane noticed. He frowned. "I don"t like that look on your face, Paula. What"s wrong?"
She shook her head, laughed gaily. "Nothing. Ill just be glad when I"ve talked to Jim, settled matters with him. He"s so frustrating, refusing to admit anything"s wrong, burying his head in the sand. I know you probably think I"ve been ineffectual in dealing with the situation. However, it"s hard to talk to someone who simply will not listen." She reached out, squeezed his arm. "Sorry. I"m going over old ground, repeating myself."
"That"s all right. I understand. But you"ll tackle him when you get back." A grin surfaced as Shane added, "You should get him in a room, lock the door and pocket the key. That way he"ll have to hear you out."
"If necessary that"s what I will do. I promise. I"m very determined to thrash this out once and for all. Of course, it"s not a good time, with Christmas only two weeks away. On the other hand, I suppose there is never a right time for discussing divorce. . . emotional situations are always difficult."
"Yes." He leaned forward urgently. "I know it won"t be easy, Paula. I wish I could be in England with you, there in the background if you need me, but I have to go to the islands. I ve no option. However"-he stopped, stared at her intently-"I"ll fly to London immediately, if you can"t cope alone."
"I know you will, but I"ll manage. Really, I will, Shane." There was a small silence and then she said, "Thank you for this past month. It"s been wonderful. And having an uninterrupted period of time with you has worked miracles for me. I feel so much better than I did when I arrived in November ... in every way."
"So do I. And look here, Paula, it"s been a triumphant month for you, if you think about it. Getting Dale Stevens"s contract renewed and defeating Marriott Watson on so many of the issues "at Sitex ought to make you feel good. And perhaps your success augurs well for the future. You"ve had a lot of sadness to deal with."
"You pulled me through, Shane, you truly did. You"ve been so supportive and consoling. I"m stronger than I ever was because of you, your love and your understanding. And talking of Sitex ..." Her voice trailed off lamely. She eyed him "carefully and wrinkled her nose. "I know that you won"t laugh when I tell you this, since you"re such a superst.i.tious Celt at heart. . ." Again she stopped. Her eyes did not leave his face.
"I never laugh at you. So go on, tell me."
Her fine mouth curved up into a light smile and she shook her head, suddenly laughing at herself. "Well, when I first heard about the explosion in the Emeremm III I couldn"t help thinking it was a bad omen, a sign of more hideous disasters looming ahead. And in a way I was right. Looking back, these past fourteen months have been fraught with problems . . . Min"s death, the trouble in Ireland around the time of the explosion. Grandy"s growing suspicions about Jonathan; Sarah s nastiness to me personally, her scheming to get her hands on the Harte boutiques. My marriage falling apart. Aunt Elizabeth"s awful behavior; the fear of scandal because of her divorce and Gianni"s att.i.tude. The continuing difficulties with Sitex, the internal fighting in that company, not to mention Jim"s plane crash, then his nervous breakdown. The suddenness of Blackie"s death, and Grandy going so soon after him, and all that horrendous quarreling in the family about her will." She pursed her lips. "I feel as if someone put a curse on me, or, rather, on Emma"s family."
Shane took her hand in his. "In a sense, you have had more than your fair share. But let"s be objective. First of all, Blackie was eighty-four and Emma was eighty-one, so it was to be expected that they would die soon. And they did have peaceful deaths, Paula, after long and productive lives. Second, you"ve put an end to the screaming and shouting about her will in certain quarters. You"ve settled many of the problems at Sitex, and Sarah"s scheming against you was nipped in the bud by Emma. Jim has apparently recovered. Anthony and Sally are happily married and have a lovely son. Even your Aunt Elizabeth got off scot free and is seemingly happy with Marc Deboyne. As for your marriage, it was doomed long before the Emeremm III exploded." . He put his arm around her, kissed her cheek, then drew away, looking into her face so close to his. "What about adding up the positives? Blackie and Emma were able to celebrate her eightieth birthday together, and they did have a wonderful eight months traveling the world. Emerald Bow won the Grand National, which was a triumph for Grandpops. Edwina was reconciled with Emma,"who lived long enough to see Emily married to Winston, Alexander to Maggie. There have been many happy occasions, and a lot of good things have happened along with the bad."
"Oh, Shane, you"re so right. How silly I must sound."
"Not at all, and, as you said, there"s n.o.body more superst.i.tious than I. Still, I do try to look for the rainbow. There usually is one, you know." His face changed slightly and he peered at her through dark eyes grown quizzical. "When you phoned me that night in October, after the reading of Aunt Emma"s will, you said she"d made me one of her heirs because she loved me like one of her own, and because of her lifelong friendship with my grandfather. And 1 know you keep repeating that, but-" He sat back, groped in his pocket for his cigirettes, took one, lit it. He smoked for a second or two, staring into the distance.
Observing him closely, her interest piqued, Paula probed, "What are you getting at, leading up to, Shane?"
"I can"t help wondering if Emma had other reasons, or, more precisely, one other reason."
"Such as what?"
"Maybe Emma knew about us, Paula."
"Oh, Shane, I don"t think so!" Paula exclaimed, giving him a curious stare. "I"m sure she would have mentioned something to me. You know how close I was to Grandy. Anyway, she would have told Blackie,"I know she would, and he would have certainly brought it up with you. He wouldn"t have been able to resist doing so."
Shane flicked ash into the ashtray. "I"m not quite as positive as you are. Emma was the smartest person I"ve ever known. I doubt that she would have said anything, under the circ.u.mstances. For one thing, she wouldn"t have wanted to intrude on my privacy, or yours, and she wouldn"t have told Grandpops because she would have been afraid he"d worry. Let"s face it, she did leave me the engagement ring. Hoping that I might end up giving it to you one day?"
Paula said, "Perhaps she simply thought you were ent.i.tled to own the ring, that it was rightfully yours, considering from whom it came. It is very valuable. Besides, she left you the painting, which was another gift from your grandfather."
"True. But, Paula, a million pounds in trust for me . . . that"s one h.e.l.l of a hefty present by anybody"s standards."
"Agreed." Paula smiled at him and her bright blue eyes, flickering with violet lights, filled with tenderness and warmth. "My grandmother cared for you very much, Shane. She thought of you as another grandson. And, look here, what about Merry? Grandy was awfully generous to her, too."
"Yes." Shane let out a small sigh. "I"d love to know the real truth. But I don"t suppose I ever shall." Sudden laughter bubbled in his throat and his eyes danced mischievously. "I must confess / like to think that Emma did know about us, and that she approved."
"Well, that"s one thing I can be sure of, Shane. I know she would have given us her blessing. Also-" Paula stopped abruptly when an announcement was made over the loudspeaker. She glanced at him and pulled a face. "That"s it, darling, they"re announcing the departure of my flight." She made a motion to stand up.
Shane restrained her. He took her in his arms and whispered against her hair, "I love you so much, Paula. Remem-er that in the next couple of weeks." "How could I ever forget? It"s part of my great strength. And I love you, too, Shane, and I will for all of my life.."
Emily said, "No, Jim, she hasn"t arrived yet. I"m expecting her shortly, though." Balancing the receiver between her ear and her raised shoulder, Emily zipped up her skirt as she continued to listen to Jim. He was phoning from Yorkshire and had caught her just as she was dressing.
After a few seconds, Emily exclaimed with impatience, "I know the plane has landed. I checked with Heathrow and it was on time. It touched down at seven-thirty exactly. Paula has to clear customs and then get into town, you know." Emily glanced at the clock on the bedside table. "It"s only nine, for heaven"s sake, Jim. Look, I have to go. I"ll tell her to ring you back the minute she walks in."
"I"m about to"leave the office, Emily," Jim said. "I"m driving up to London. Tell Paula not to bother coming to Yorkshire as she planned. I"ll see her at Belgrave Square tonight. And you and Winston as well. Let"s have dinner together, make it a bon voyage party."
"Oh yes," Emily muttered, "I see what you mean. Because Winston"s going to Canada tomorrow."
"Yes . . . and I"m going with him, Emily. I just finished talking with him at our London office, and he"s delighted that I"ve decided to tag along."
"Oh," Emily said, taken aback. "Well, yes, it will be company for him, I suppose. I"ll see you tonight, Jim. Bye."
"Good-bye, Emily."
She dropped the receiver in the cradle and stared at it for a moment. She grimaced, wondering if Winston was really as pleased as Jim thought. She doubted it. Neither of them had much time for Jim Fairley these days.
The phone rang again. Emily picked it up quickly, feeling -quite certain it was her husband. "Yes, Winston?" she said.
Winston laughed. "How did you know it was me?"
"Because I was speaking to Jim a moment ago. He was looking for Paula. He told me he"s going to Toronto with you. Aren"t you thrilled to bits?" she asked sarcastically.
"Like h.e.l.l I am," Winston said. "There"s really no reason for him to come with me, but I couldn"t very well tell him to get lost. He does own ten percent of the new company, and he"s curious about the latest acquisition, wants to look the new newspaper over. You know how odd he is these days, a real fusspot, and, frankly, he"s getting to be a pain in the a.r.s.e."
"What a bore for you, Winston." Emily sighed. "Look, I hope he doesn"t start messing around with the Toronto Sentinel. Editorially, I mean. That could delay you. You"d better be back here for Christmas, Winston."- "I will, don"t worry, lovey. As for Jim, well, I shall make short shrift of him if he starts interfering."
"He suggested we all have dinner tonight. A bon voyage party, he called it. I"d prefer to be alone with you, but I suppose we"ll have to join them," Emily said, her tone grudging.
"We"ve no choice. Anyway, I only rang to tell you about Jim coming to Canada with me. Must dash. I"m about to start a meeting."
After saying good-bye, Emily took her suit jacket out of the armoire and slipped it on. She hurried down the stairs in the Belgrave Square maisonette, where she and Winston had been staying for the weekend, heading in the direction of the study.
The lime-and-white room with its bright yellow and peach accents was filled with cold December light on this dreary Monday morning. Yet it had a cheerful feeling because of the bowls of fresh flowers, the blazing fire, the many lamps that glowed warmly. Emily noticed that Parker had brought in a tray of coffee and three cups and saucers. Her brother was due to arrive at ten o"clock, soon after Paula was expected.
Seating herself at the desk, Emily telephoned her secretary at Genret"s London office and explained she would not be coming in that day. As she hung up she heard Parker greeting Paula in the foyer. She leapt to her feet and ran out to welcome her cousin.
"What a lovely surprise to see your smiling face," Paula said warmly, rushing to embrace Emily. "I didn"t expect you to be in London, Dumpling. What are you doing here?"
"I"ll fill you in shortly."
Paula turned to the butler. "Tilson"s keeping the luggage in the" car, Parker, since he"s driving me to Yorkshire later today."
Emily said, "Oh, er, Paula, Jim rang a bit ago. He"s on his way to London. He wanted you to know that, and suggested you stay here tonight."
Paula bit back an exclamation of annoyance and murmured, "I see." She smiled weakly at the butler. "Would you please ask Tilson to bring my luggage in after all, Parker."
"Yes, madame." Parker went to the front door.
Paula threw her mink cape on a hall chair and stepped after Emily, following her into the study. She closed the door, leaned against it and said heatedly, "d.a.m.n it! Jim knew I was anxious to go straight to Yorkshire to see Lome and Tessa! Did he say why he"s suddenly coming up to town?"
"Yes. Winston"s going to Toronto tomorrow, to review the situation at the new newspaper. Jim has decided to tag along."
"Oh no!" Paula cried, her face tightening. She walked over to the fire and sat down heavily on the sofa. Her anger flared inside her. Jim was doing a disappearing act again, as he had in October when he had gone to Ireland to stay with Edwina.
Did he have a sixth sense? Did he somehow know when she was about to broach the subject of divorce?
Emily stood near the fireplace, scrutinizing her cousin closely. Finally she said, "You look awfully upset, Paula. Is something wrong?"
Paula hesitated, then confided, "I don"t suppose you"ll be surprised, Emily, if I tell you that Jim and I have a lot of personal problems to discuss. And resolve. I"d hoped to get down to bra.s.s tacks in the next few days. Now he"s leaving. Again. Unless I can persuade him to cancel the trip with Winston, I"m going to have to wait until he gets back from Canada to talk to him."
Emily lowered herself onto the sofa and patted her hand. "I"ve known"for a long time that things were difficult between the two of you, Paula. And you should talk to Jim-about a divorce, if you want my opinion. Winston happens to agree."
Paula searched Emily"s face and with alertness. "So it"s that apparent, is it?"
"Oh no, not to everyone, but certainly to those closest to you."
"My parents?" Paula asked swiftly, sitting up straighter.
"Your father is aware there is great strain and he"s concerned about the situation, but I"m not sure about Aunt Daisy. I mean, I don"t think she realizes how bad it is, Paula. She"s so nice, always making allowances for everyone."
Paula sighed wearily. "Do you think I can persuade him not to go to Canada?"
"No, I definitely don"t. Because of those shares Grandy left him, Jim feels very much a part of the new company, and he wants to get his fingers into the pie. He"s a bit of a meddler, these days."
"I know." Paula rubbed her face, feeling suddenly fatigued. She blinked. "I hate these overnight transatlantic flights."
Emily nodded. She took a deep breath, then said, "You wouldn t be able to go to Yorkshire today anyway, Paula. Alexander needs you here in London. As a matter of fact, he"ll be arriving in a few minutes to have a meeting with us."