Empire of Gold

by Andy McDermott

  ‘Oh, thank you. Are you going to be here long? I know you’re both very busy.’

  ‘Don’t know yet. Nina’s got a work thing, but we’ll probably be around for a few days.’

  ‘Good. It would be lovely if you could take me for a walk while you’re here.’

  ‘Ahem,’ said Holly, pointing at a wheelchair.

  Nan frowned. ‘Oh, all right. If you could take me for a roll!’

  ‘No problem, Nan,’ said Eddie. He glanced round as the door opened, expecting to see a doctor entering. ‘Maybe tomorrow . . . ’ He tailed off at the sight of the man who came into the room.

  At first, Nina had no idea who the new arrival might be – until with a start she realised that his eyes were just like those of Eddie and Elizabeth. A relative. Beyond that, his appearance had more in common with her sister-in-law than her husband; he was taller than Eddie by at least four inches, face lean and tapered rather than square, lithe even through the inevitable spread of late middle age – she guessed him to be around sixty. Despite this, he was still clearly highly active, carrying himself almost with a swagger in his expensive smart-casual clothing.

  ‘Well, well,’ he said on seeing Eddie. ‘What a surprise!’ The wink he gave to Elizabeth showed it was nothing of the sort.

  ‘Yeah,’ Eddie replied, glaring at his sister.

  ‘So,’ said the man, ‘long time no see, Edward.’

  The scathing reply Eddie wanted to give was tempered by the presence of his grandmother and niece. Instead, he said, ‘Yeah, it’s been a while. Twenty-two years.’

  The uncomfortable pause that followed was ended when Holly skipped across the room to embrace the newcomer. ‘Hi, Grandad!’

  ‘Hiya, hiya!’ he replied. ‘How’s my favourite granddaughter?’

  ‘Your only granddaughter,’ she pointed out.

  ‘Well, that makes you even more special, doesn’t it?’ He kissed her cheek, then released her and regarded Nina. ‘And Holly’s told me a lot about you. You must be Nina.’

  ‘That’s right,’ Nina said. ‘So you must be . . . ’ She knew, but still nudged Eddie for a proper introduction.

  Eddie’s contempt was barely concealed. ‘This is my – dad.’ The momentary pause, Nina realised, was to cover what had become almost a conditioned reflex; on the rare occasions when he mentioned his father, the younger Chase almost invariably preceded it with an insulting adjective.

  ‘Larry Chase,’ said the man in question, extending a hand. She shook it. ‘Great to meet such a big celebrity.’

  ‘I wouldn’t call myself that,’ she replied, extricating herself from his firm grip.

  ‘But you’re certainly famous. I don’t think anyone who saw the opening of the Sphinx on TV last year will forget you!’

  Her cheeks prickled at the reminder of her unplanned global television appearance. ‘It’s an unfortunate by-product of the job.’

  Larry smiled. ‘You’re being too modest.’ He turned to Nan. ‘So, how are you, Catherine?’

  While he and Nan spoke, Eddie none too gently ushered Elizabeth into a corner. ‘Fucking hell, Lizzie!’ he hissed. ‘Why didn’t you tell me he was coming?’

  ‘Because if I had, you would have found some excuse to avoid him,’ she replied in an icy whisper.

  ‘Yeah, because I don’t want anything to bloody do with him!’

  ‘I told you in New York last year that it was time you tried to mend some bridges. And when you asked me for his phone number, I thought you were going to do that – but since it’s now eight months later and nothing’s happened, I decided to move things along.’

  Eddie had asked for the telephone number, after witnessing another estranged father and son reconciling, but in the end his deep-rooted resentments had prevented him from making the call. ‘You should have minded your own fucking business.’

  ‘And you should grow up,’ she snapped. ‘Like you said, it’s been over twenty years since you last saw each other. Dad’s changed; it’s time you did too.’

  ‘Only thing that’s changed about him is that he’s got less hair and more gut.’

  ‘The same could be said about you. For God’s sake, Eddie, the least you can do is be civil. For Nan’s sake, if nothing else.’

  He couldn’t offer a counter to that. Fuming, he turned away from his sister, to see Larry engaged in conversation with Nina once more. He quickly returned to them, interposing himself to give his father an overt cold shoulder.

  But it was too late. ‘Larry’s invited us for dinner tonight,’ said Nina, narrowing her eyes in disapproval of his unsubtle blocking manoeuvre.

  ‘Yeah? Shame we can’t make it.’

  ‘I’ve accepted.’

  His face darkened. ‘Oh, you have, have you?’

  ‘Yes, I have. For both of us.’ She leaned round him to address Larry. ‘It’ll be a pleasure.’

  Larry smiled. ‘I’ll tell my wife to make something special. Look forward to seeing you. Both.’ He said goodbye to his other family members, apologising for having to return to work, then with a wave and a jingle of his expensive gold wristwatch he departed.

  ‘Ooh, that was an unexpected pleasure,’ said Nan. ‘Wasn’t it, Edward?’

  ‘Yeah, it was unexpected,’ he replied through his teeth.

  A doctor entered and went to Nan’s bedside. She had recovered enough to be discharged, he said; she would need to continue oxygen therapy for several days, but the severe breathing difficulty that had caused her hospitalisation had been eased and her blood pressure lowered. Eddie offered to help, but Elizabeth insisted that she and Holly could handle it, and that he and Nina should check into their hotel before meeting them at Elizabeth’s house. ‘That way,’ Elizabeth added, ‘you’ll have plenty of time to get ready before going to Dad’s tonight.’

  ‘I can’t wait,’ Eddie growled.

  A few minutes later, he was less restrained. ‘For fuck’s sake, Nina!’ he barked as they cleared the hospital doors. ‘Why did you say yes to dinner? Lizzie sticking her bloody nose in I expect, but you? You’re my wife, you’re supposed to be on my side!’

  ‘Yes, I’m your wife,’ Nina shot back, ‘and hey, guess what that means? Larry’s my father-in-law! When he invites me to dinner, I can hardly flip the bird in his face. You’re the one who’s got problems with him, not me – I just met the man. I’m not going to be rude to him for no reason, especially not in front of Nan and Holly.’

  ‘Told you plenty of bloody reasons.’

  ‘You’re hardly an unbiased source. And it all happened a long time ago—’

  ‘It still fucking happened, though.’

  ‘Then maybe it’s time you put it behind you!’ she cried. ‘What happened with Girilal and Shankarpa in India certainly made you think about contacting him, so why didn’t you?’

  ‘Changed my mind.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘’Cause my mind changed.’

  ‘That’s not an answer!’

  ‘I don’t fucking care! I don’t like it when people think they know what’s best for me, that’s all. I decided I didn’t want to see him; that should have been enough. But no, Lizzie had to stick her oar in, and then you backed her up!’

  ‘He’s still your father, Eddie. What would you have done if it had been Larry in that bed instead of Nan?’

  They reached the car. ‘I wouldn’t have come.’

  She was shocked by his coldness. ‘What?’

  ‘Look, he had an affair while my mum was dying of cancer!’ Eddie snarled. ‘Some things you just don’t forgive. I don’t, anyway. To be honest, I couldn’t give a shit if I never see him again as long as I live.’ He got into the Mondeo and slammed the door.

  Nina entered on the other side. She sat in silence for a moment, then turned to him. ‘There’s something I never told you,’ she said quietly. ‘I once got into a huge fight with my parents – they were going on their expedition to Tibet right in the middle of my exams, and they absolutely refused to let me go with
them, said my exams were more important. And I was so mad at them. I was a teenage girl being denied something she really wanted, so I said all kinds of things I wish I hadn’t. But they went without me anyway, and . . . that’s when they died.’

  She lowered her head. ‘It was just a one-off thing, a stupid argument. I loved them. But . . . ’ She looked up at him, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes. ‘I can’t change the past, I can’t bring them back. But I would give anything to have been able to apologise to them before they left. I’m not saying you’ve got anything to apologise for, but if you’ve got a chance to settle your differences you should take it. If this is the last time you ever see him, do you really want it to be like this?’

  After a long pause, Eddie blew out a frustrated breath. ‘All right. We’ll go for dinner,’ he said, reluctance clear in every word. ‘But I’m only doing it for you, okay? Not for Lizzie, and definitely not for him.’

  She wiped her eyes and smiled. ‘Thanks. But you’re not only doing it for me – you’re doing it for yourself too.’

  He squeezed her hand, then started the car. ‘Well, whoever I’m doing it for, let’s hope it’s not a huge fucking mistake.’

  3

  Larry Chase’s home was not in Bournemouth, but further east along the coast, about nine miles from the busy port of Southampton. ‘Wow,’ said Nina as the Mondeo pulled up. ‘Your dad’s place is huge.’ It was an old red-brick farmhouse, but one that had been extensively renovated, surrounded by a couple of acres of lush grounds. A brand new silver Jaguar XKR sports coupé was parked outside, an open double garage revealing a black Range Rover and a lipstickred Mazda MX-5 roadster within. ‘He must be doing well for himself.’

  ‘Making a few quid was never one of his problems,’ Eddie said. ‘How he makes it . . . that’s another story.’ He got out of the car before she could ask him to elaborate.

  Nina had made an effort to dress up, wearing a skirt and a pair of high heels. Eddie, however, was in his usual jeans, T-shirt and black leather jacket, not even having bothered to shave. He trudged to the front door and rang the bell as Nina joined him.

  Larry opened the door. ‘Hello, welcome!’ he proclaimed. ‘Come inside. Here, let me.’ He took Nina’s jacket as she entered and hung it in a small cloakroom before turning to his son, but Eddie had already removed his own jacket and pointedly placed it on top of Nina’s. ‘I’m glad you’re both here. Elizabeth’s been on at me for ages to get in touch with you.’ He became more sombre. ‘I just wish it hadn’t taken your grandmother giving us all such a scare for it to happen.’

  ‘Yeah, me too,’ Eddie said flatly.

  ‘But,’ Larry went on, brightening again, ‘it’s still an opportunity for us to bury the hatchet, I hope. Twenty-two years – it’s a long time. Too long, wouldn’t you say?’

  ‘Yes, I would,’ said Nina, when Eddie showed no sign of answering.

  ‘So would I. Anyway, come and meet my wife. Julie! Company’s here!’

  A pretty blonde woman entered the hall, the heels of her black leather boots clacking on the polished tiles. ‘Hi, how are you?’ she said enthusiastically, kissing Nina on the cheek before doing the same to Eddie, to his discomfiture.

  ‘This is my wife, Julie,’ said Larry, putting an arm round her shoulder. ‘Julie, I’d like you to meet my son Eddie, and his wife, Nina.’

  ‘So, when did you get remarried?’ Eddie asked, tone more accusing than interested.

  ‘Two years ago,’ Julie told him.

  ‘Surprised Elizabeth didn’t tell you,’ Larry added.

  Eddie smiled, with no warmth. ‘I didn’t ask her.’ He regarded the blonde, who was wearing a tight, low-cut satin dress in a vivid electric blue, as well as a plenitude of gold jewellery. ‘So, Julie. How old are you?’

  ‘Ah, come on, Eddie,’ said Nina, trying to keep things light. ‘You know you shouldn’t ask a lady her age.’ Admittedly, she was curious herself. Julie was considerably younger than her husband.

  Julie flapped a hand, bracelets tinkling. ‘Oh, I don’t mind. I’m thirty-six.’

  ‘Thirty-six?’ Eddie exclaimed.

  ‘I know, it’s a bit of an age gap. But that doesn’t matter when you love each other, does it?’ She rested her head on Larry’s shoulder.

  Eddie was still dismayed. ‘You’re younger than me!’

  ‘Yes, I know – when Larry told me about you I thought it might be a bit weird, me being your stepmother. But if you want you can think of me as more like a stepsister!’

  Eddie’s silence and fixed expression told her exactly how well her joke had been received. ‘So,’ said Larry after a moment, ‘Julie, why don’t you sort us out some drinks? I’ll show Nina and Eddie round the house.’ Julie gave her guests a hesitant smile, then clicked back down the hall.

  Larry went to a flight of stairs. ‘Come on, we’ll do upstairs first.’ He started up them.

  ‘Half his age plus seven years,’ Eddie muttered to Nina as they followed.

  ‘What?’

  ‘That’s the rule, remember? For how old a woman has to be to stop the bloke from being a creepy old pervert.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘He’s sixty. You’re the mental arithmetic genius, work it out.’

  Nina sighed. It was already obvious that the evening was not going to be a roaring success; the best result would simply be getting through it without a fistfight.

  The house’s interior was impressive, expensive . . . and decidedly masculine. If there were any rooms where Julie had been given free rein to apply a feminine touch, Larry opted not to include them in the tour. Instead, he showed off those parts he considered most important: a well-equipped gym; a sauna; a home cinema with a floor-shaking sound system and practically a whole wall of DVDs and Blu-rays, Nina awarding him a few approving brownie points when she noticed that the collection included the complete works of Monty Python. Slightly to her surprise, a large attic was filled by a model railway. It wasn’t a hobby she would have expected of such an obvious Type A personality, but as Larry explained, ‘I’ve had model railways since I was a kid. That way, I know there’s at least one place where the trains run on time.’

  ‘Yeah, you always did like being in control, didn’t you?’ said Eddie. He tweaked a dial, and a train jerked into motion.

  ‘Do you mind?’ Larry snapped.

  ‘What? I’m not going to break it.’

  ‘It wouldn’t be the first time.’ He flicked a master switch to turn off the power.

  Eddie shook his head. ‘Christ, I crash a toy train once as a kid, and I’m banned for life.’

  ‘They’re not toys,’ his father said with irritation.

  ‘It’s really amazing,’ Nina cut in, hoping to forestall an argument. She examined one of the little buildings, a replica of an English country pub. ‘And it’s so detailed!’

  ‘Detail is everything,’ said Larry. ‘If you want to be successful, you need to cover every last detail, whether you’re doing something yourself or delegating. Like this.’ He swept a hand over the layout. ‘I don’t have the time to make everything myself, but I always make sure that when someone else works for me, they know exactly what I expect from them.’

  ‘You paid someone to make this for you?’ Eddie said scathingly. ‘Where’s the fun in that? You might as well hire someone to stand here and drive the trains.’

  To Nina’s relief, a call came that dinner was almost ready, and they trooped downstairs. Drinks were served, then the meal began. With the addition of the chirpy Julie to the mix, the conversation became less tense. However, halfway through the main course of beef carpaccio with marinated salad, Nina realised she would have to be the designated driver as Eddie, keeping pace with his father, poured himself a third glass of wine. Not even having finished her first glass, she switched to water. ‘I’m no expert on the linguistic ins and outs of England,’ she said to Larry, ‘but I can tell you don’t have the same accent as Eddie. Are you not from Yorkshire originally?’
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br />   ‘Oh, no,’ he replied. ‘I’m from Bucks.’ Nina gave him a blank look. ‘Buckinghamshire, in the Home Counties. The rich parts around London,’ he clarified. ‘I used to spend a lot of time travelling between the ports at Liverpool and Hull for work, and the M62, the motorway between them, was just being finished. So I picked somewhere to live that was right in the middle. Same reason I moved down here, actually. A lot of my work goes through Southampton, so it made sense to be near the port. Turned out well in both cases. I met Julie down here – she used to be my secretary – and met my first wife in Yorkshire.’