Finding Izzy

by Nanette Fox

  Rebecca was cuddled up on the couch with Basil when Isabella came in the door. She didn’t say anything. Basil was wagging his tail; she didn’t even acknowledge him. Taking her things, she went straight up to her room and changed. Coming back down Bec noted the Cambridge t-shirt and leggings. She had learnt that whenever Izzy was seeking comfort, she would wear the t-shirt or in winter her hat with the pom-poms. Bec gently said, “Want to talk.”

  “No, I can’t I have to sort something out in my mind.”

  “Bec do you think your mum is home?” Bec wasn’t sure and suggested Izzy simply ring her. Izzy picked up her phone and dialled Lucy’s mobile. “Lucy may I come and see you? I need to talk about something it will only be for half an hour.” Bec guessed it was yet another thing to do with Isaac. Isabella was gone and back within an hour. She looked like she had been crying when she returned and went straight up to her room.

  A little later, Bec was on Skype with Paul. She told him something seemed to be really up with Izzy. She asked him whether it could be Tim related. Paul didn’t think so. Paul did say Izzy hadn’t sent a photo or message to Tim yet today, and Tim was a bit worried. Bec told him something was really up; Izzy wasn’t talking to anyone. Bec suddenly noticed something on the hall table under Izzy’s keys. She’d seen Izzy walk out the door with an envelope earlier and this looked like the one. “Just a minute Paul,” she said. She came back and reported to him that there was a suspicious looking letter with Isabella Thompson scrawled across it sitting under Izzy’s car keys, she’d gone with it across to Mums. Paul had laughed and said, “Becky you should have been a detective.”

  “Paul,” she whispered, “she’s just come downstairs and swept it off the table before picking it up and running back upstairs.” She swore Paul.

  He replied, “Have you gone all puritan.”

  “No Paul, this was really nasty, spiteful.”

  Paul put his hand up to the computer screen and said, “Becky I am putting my psychologist hat on, you said the envelope said Isabella Thompson, she went to your mum’s, it’s something to do with Isaac. Just watch her okay. Listen I have to go we’re going out for a meal and a bit of a pub crawl.”

  “At this time?” queried Bec?

  “Hey remember the time difference, love you,” and he was gone.

  Rebecca cuddled Basil and ruffling his ears said out aloud, “I feel really alone.” She picked up the remote and fiddled around for a while finding something to watch on TV. Hey Basil, let’s get a snack. She took a packet of ham out of the fridge and got out the sandwich maker. Some cheese and some for Basil and she’d made herself a grilled ham and cheese with a hot chocolate to wash it down.

  She was snuggled down with the dog when Izzy appeared back downstairs. “Bec I can’t tell you all the details, but I met with Marco’s personal assistant today and she gave me a letter, the contents are going to trouble me for a while until I decide what I want to do, so if I am not talking or am rude please understand it’s not you.”

  “You mean Marco as in Julia’s dad?” Bec’s eyes widened.

  “Yes, and David and Tim’s dad.”

  “I can’t talk to any of them until I decide what to do.” Rebecca looked at Izzy curiously. “Rebecca you absolutely mustn’t say anything to any of them, I think I might have to get them all together in a group with their mother and have a sort of conference.”

  “I am wondering how I am going to do that with Tim on the other side of the country.”

  “Izzy would you like a hot chocolate?”

  “Yes, and an entire chocolate bar too, please.”

  “Is it that bad Izzy?” She nodded. A little later, Izzy had fallen asleep curled up on the sofa with Basil draped across her lap. Her hair was softly escaping the bun with tendrils around her face. She looked soft and peaceful. Bec sneakily picked up Izzy’s phone and took a photo sending it to Tim. She’d captioned it Basil’s missing you and smiled at her ingenuity.

  Chapter 34

  Two Women

  It was Saturday, Ruth’s day to garden. It had been three weeks or more since Isabella had met with Elizabeth. Julia had been very upset that Isabella had just simply stopped talking to her. She worried at Antonio, her mother, David anyone that would listen that she didn’t understand what she had done. She’d even phoned Tim in Perth, and he had apologized he hadn’t a clue as he received a daily photo message, but he hadn’t spoken to Izzy since he left Melbourne. Julia and Izzy exchanged polite pleasantries, yes, no, thank you and had the occasional gallery business conversation. Isabella had shut down anything more.

  David had messaged, tried phoning her and been equally shutdown; he’d even popped into the gallery several times to find her absent and Rebecca insisting she had no idea where she was. David had even suspected she’d gone to Perth but looking at her office desk where her phone, laptop and watch were discarded, she was obviously just getting lunch or shopping in the village. Tim was easier to avoid, the other side of the country, thousands of miles away, a photo and emoticon messages kept him happy. She was avoiding all three until she could have a very long chat with Ruth.

  Dressing in jeans over her moon boot and a bright pink cotton kaftan with a canvas lace-up on her good foot, she set herself for a day of gardening. Looking at her manicure, she hopped Ruth had some gardening gloves. Ruth looked up from pruning her roses of the spent flowers to see the taxi stop and Izzy step out. Thinking to herself it would be lovely to have company she was delighted to see Izzy as she strolled over to her. She looked at Izzy’s face set in determination and dropped that thought.

  “Hi Ruth, I have come to see you and give you a hand with the gardening. I thought you could teach me some things.”

  Ruth, very protective of her ‘gardening time’, said, “Izzy that would be lovely but is that what you are really here to do?”

  “I want to garden with you, that’s all, but we do need to chat later over a pot of tea and a plate of scones. I know how to cook them,” said Izzy.

  Ruth smiled, “Izzy, I can’t wait to see you do that.”

  Izzy pointed to the roses, “I guess they are first, but Ruth do you have a spare pair of gloves?” They worked companionably all morning. Izzy was actually a quick study and didn’t mind getting incredibly messy. She looked quite a fright by midday: twigs and bits in her hair, streaks of garden across her brow, her jeans very dirtied around the knees. “A Pimm’s?” she asked Ruth hobbling down the narrow sloping far side of the house to the herbs and coming back with a bunch of mint, a struggle with her moon boot.

  Ruth looked at her, “Izzy, you are constantly surprising me.”

  Once inside, Izzy moved around the kitchen, washing her hands and preparing the drinks. She’d told Ruth to sit and relax. She asked a couple of times where things were but otherwise managed to make the delicious thirst-quenching traditional drink. “Ruth, can I ask you something?”

  “Hmm, what is it?”

  “Have you heard from Elizabeth Grant recently?”

  Ruth immediately looked guarded.

  “Lizzie, I think that is what Marco called her?” said Izzy. “Ruth, I was at Marco’s funeral. I flew in from the UK and flew back three days later.”

  “I sat with her at the funeral.” Ruth was looking very cautiously at the younger woman.

  Ruth said quietly and softly, “I didn’t realize about you.”

  “At the funeral I mean.”

  Izzy looked directly at Ruth, “You know I passed it off that I was afraid I wasn’t ‘real family’ when Gramps Martinelli spoke to me, but Elizabeth needed my support that day.”

  “I have a regret that I didn’t come to speak to any of you; I didn’t come to the wake.”

  “Because I was with her it was awkward.” They were sitting on the stools, Izzy put her drink down and taking Ruth’s drink put it beside hers, holding the other woman’s hands quietly, “I am so sorry.” Ruth looked back at her, the blue eyes a fathomless pool, the eyes she’d passed on to Julia and D
avid. She was aging very gracefully, a few wrinkles, a few grey streaks in her black hair. She was still a very attractive woman.

  “Ruth did you receive a letter from Marco via Elizabeth in the past ten days or so.” Ruth, who felt she couldn’t speak for revealing emotions she wasn’t sure she was ready to share, nodded her head. “That must have been hard meeting her,” said Izzy.

  “We didn’t meet, the letter was couriered.”

  “So, do you have the original of Isaac’s letter?” Ruth nodded again. Picking up her drink, she took a few more sips. Ruth was finding it incredibly difficult to put her thoughts into words. Izzy snuck her arm around Ruth’s shoulders.

  “How did you know about the letter?” asked Ruth. Izzy went on to explain about her meeting with Elizabeth and how she had received a letter with a photocopy of Isaac’s letter and it had taken a lot of thinking on her part to work out who might have the original and why they might have the original.

  Izzy said, “How much?”

  “The sum Marco gave me is five hundred thousand pounds.”

  “You know I don’t know where Isaac got all the money from to give Marco,” said Izzy. "I know Isaac was wealthy and I am still settling his estate as there are investments all over the place, but it is staggering. Most of his estate went to his family, which I am fine with, specific portions were left to me.

  “How do we tell Marco’s children?” asked Ruth.

  “I think, Mum Ruth, he has made it so that we have to.”

  “Marco has certainly made it that I have to tell them, he effectively blackmailed my husband.”

  “Ruth, should I make a sandwich, salad or something?”

  “Yes Izzy, that would be great.”

  While Izzy was making the sandwich, Ruth asked her about her letter. Izzy explained about the amount and what Marco wanted her to do. She told Ruth that she had been thinking about whether to tell each one individually or whether as a group. “I have decided as a family in a neutral setting, not here, not the gallery. Maybe somewhere like the city club, a private dining room, so we can have a light lunch. I think there will be a few tears and I have a feeling someone will go berserk at what I am proposing to do with the money.”

  “David?” queried Ruth. Izzy nodded. “When?” asked Ruth.

  “Well that’s a problem with Tim in Perth. I have no idea when he is coming back do you Ruth?” Izzy went on to explain she had been avoiding the Martinelli siblings like they were contagious or something. Julia is not happy. Bec said David was spitting chips, really angry he couldn’t reach me.

  Ruth said, “So Bec knows?”

  “No Ruth, she just knows I had a letter via Elizabeth, and I basically want to avoid them all until I can get them in one room to tell them something important. Lucy knows about my letter as I asked her whether she had the original of Isaac’s letter. That was all I asked her, I didn’t share what Marco wants me to do.”Ruth I am not happy with what Marco has asked of me, it is humiliating, so not something I want to tell anyone, and I am not even sure how I will have the gumption to tell David, Julia and Tim."

  “Darling girl, what is happening with you and Tim?”

  “Oh, I haven’t been avoiding him, but I haven’t spoken to him, it’s just that we send messages or photos back and forth to touch base and I guess ‘show’ that we are doing okay.”

  Ruth smiled, “Well I think you are in for a surprise; did you forget about your date to the Theatre?”

  “Oh my god Ruth I did. I’ll have to buy something new to wear. I wish I didn’t have to wear this boot. So, it’s for this coming Thursday isn’t it?”

  “Hmm I think so, he told me he is flying back Wednesday. Damn now I have probably ruined his plans,” said Ruth.

  “You know Ruth, men often think of ‘surprises’, but they don’t think about how we might want to buy something new or get our hair done.” Izzy said it with such seriousness but had her head on one side with the biggest happy grin that Ruth just laughed and laughed. Izzy dusted her hands off and said, “Drink done, sandwich done, we have to do more before tea and scones, let’s get back out there.” Ruth followed Izzy back out to the garden. Several months ago, she hadn’t really wanted to have much to do with Izzy, now she just loved her madly, she was so very gentle and caring. She was so right for Tim.

  They tackled the border next, there was a lot of weeding. Izzy was really getting into the spirit of gardening. What she loved most was working with Ruth and chatting about this that and everything. They had talked about rejuvenating the small fernery. Moving onto the heel heights of shoes, which lead to conversations about makeup and on to growing organic vegetables. Izzy loved that Ruth wasn’t resorting to chemicals in her garden. Izzy asked her about planting to encourage the birdlife and suggested she could source some beautiful birdbaths. They made a pact to go to the next garden show in Melbourne.

  They were both bottoms up under the camellias when the BMW swept into the drive. The two men looked at each other noticing their mother had company. “Wonder who that is with her?” said David.

  “Are you seriously asking that question?” said Tim.

  “Yeah bro, maybe it’s a neighbour or something.”

  “It’s Izzy!”

  “No, it couldn’t be, what is she doing here with Mum and gardening, that couldn’t be right,” David said incredulously.

  “Definitely that’s her neat little bottom,” said Tim. David just looked at him.

  “Spoils your surprise doesn’t it?”

  “Nope it doesn’t, I told Mum Wednesday.”

  “You didn’t tell me that, sneaky bugger.” David cuffed his younger brother around the head. They walked arms around each other over to where the bottoms were and stood apart grinning at the conversation.

  “You know Izzy I am looking forward to that cup of tea.”

  “Yeah but I’ll have to make the scones first. Ah got, it was such a stubborn weed, Ruth is that like a …” Ruth spotted the two pairs of feet and said, “Oh my god Izzy look there are only two people with feet as long as that…” Izzy went to sit back and bashed herself on the lowest limb of the camellia bush. Ooh, ouch that hurt. She was rubbing her head.

  “Ruth, do you have dates for the scones or sultanas?”

  “Izzy look, look behind you, did you hear me about the feet.”

  “Yeah I did but thought we were still talking shoes.” Izzy backed out from where she was and turned to look; as did Ruth…Izzy just looked at the two laughing faces and said deadpan, “Ruth I think someone delivered you over-sized garden gnomes.”

  David helped his mother up. Tim just looked at his beautiful girlfriend. She was very grubby, her hair had half the garden in it and was quite tangled, but she just looked so animated he was pleased he’d managed to pull off the biggest of surprises. Izzy still sat in a little heap. Tim stood, looking down at her. Izzy pulled off a glove and pointed, switching between the brothers with what looked a vaguely clean finger, ’’So you’re both good with each other again." She picked herself up and brushing herself down, looked up at Tim, “I am sorry I am a bit of a mess; we were just going in for tea and scones.”

  David was looking down at his mother who couldn’t take her eyes of her young Tim whispering, “He’s come home.”

  David looked at Izzy and said, “That’s very British ’tea and scones.”

  Ruth looked up at her eldest son, who had his arm around his mother. “We had Pimm’s at lunch.” David laughed a big happy chortle. Hey Mum, let’s leave these two for a minute…

  Chapter 35

  Homecoming

  David escorted his mother inside. “So, tell me, I wasn’t expecting him until Wednesday what is he doing here today?” David told his mother that Tim had rung him the day before and asked him to pick him up at the airport. They hadn’t expected to find Izzy here, but he thought Tim was so happy to see her it wouldn’t have mattered where. Paul flew across with him.

  “Paul has an amazing date planned for Bec tonight.
He has a ring.” Ruth asked David what he was talking about and was told how Paul had asked Rebecca to marry him a month or so ago, but he didn’t have a ring at the time. So, he was going to ask her properly and then there’d be a gathering at Lucy and Michael’s tomorrow. David joked with his mum asking whether she thought she’d get clean from the gardening in time. David also wanted to know if the scones were already cooked.

  Ruth chortled, "I don’t think there is any hope now.’ She asked him if a cup of coffee and biscuit would be acceptable.

  Out in the garden, Tim had taken Izzy into his arms and was kissing her very thoroughly. They parted lips but still stood in each other’s arms. “You’re a complete mess but it looks like you’ve had a good day.”

  “Even better now,” she said. She frowned and looked up at him, “Are you sure everything is okay between you and David?”

  Tim took her head in his hands ready to kiss her again and said, “I think everything will be okay, we’re quite different personalities so we’re always going to clash on things.” After another kiss he questioned, “So, my Izzy, do you want to go out tonight?”

  She shook her head, “Not really, I just want to be able to sit on the couch and talk about us.” She chewed on her lip thinking. Tim, realizing she was worrying about where, “Paul came back with me, he has an engagement mission tonight, and Bec’s going out for dinner, so I am thinking yours, with Basil.”

  “Hmm sounds good but I really have to go inside and make some scones as I have been practicing all week.”

  Tim and Izzy strolled inside, ‘his bro’ and mum looked at them in surprise. “Izzy’s got her heart set on making scones, so I think I’ll just grab a beer and sit for a bit. Dave do you want one.” David thought that sounded better than the coffee and a biscuit and told him he’d stay for a while then he needed to get moving as he was going out with ‘Ronnie’. Tim said to him, “Hey mate don’t go rushing off, stay as long as you can.”