Emma's Secret

by Barbara Taylor Bradford

  He did as she suggested, and read out loud the words written in the now-faded black ink. ‘My father, Jack Harte, and my brother Winston when he was in the Royal Navy.’

  ‘That’s certainly Grandy Emma’s handwriting, Toby.’

  ‘So I see.’ He offered her the photograph.

  Tessa shook her head. ‘I don’t want it. I brought it for you. Please keep it.’

  ‘Are you sure? After all, it might be missed.’

  ‘Who’s going to look through an old album? There are a lot of them in the library. They’re all covered in faded red velvet or fancy tooled leather with big brass clasps on the front. Anyway, I think you ought to have it because it absolutely proves you do look like a Harte.’ She began to laugh, and went on, ‘Like the founding father, actually. Isn’t that one for the books?’

  ‘Let’s have tea,’ Tessa said to Toby as her secretary Claire Remsford came into her office carrying a laden tray. As she spoke she rose and crossed the room, heading for the small seating area near the windows.

  ‘Thanks, Claire,’ Tessa murmured, and smiled when she saw the tray. She exclaimed, ‘Oh that’s so nice! You ordered some chocolate fingers. Mr. Harte loves them.’

  ‘Yes, I know,’ Claire replied as she went towards the door.

  Toby grinned at her, remarking, ‘You certainly know how to get to a man’s heart, Claire.’

  Laughing, blushing, Tessa’s secretary exited, and Toby joined Tessa, sitting down in one of the armchairs. ‘No milk for me,’ he told her, ‘and I’ll have a sweetener instead of sugar. I’m on a diet.’

  She gave him a surreptitious glance out of the corner of her eye. ‘But I bet you’ll guzzle all of those chocolate fingers.’

  ‘Not all of them. I’ll save a few for you,’ he shot back, laughing.

  ‘I spoke to my mother the other day,’ Tessa confided as she poured the tea. ‘About who her successor will be.’

  ‘You did!’ Toby sat up straighter in the chair and gazed at Tessa expectantly, his dark eyes suddenly growing more alert. He leaned forward slightly, his face quickening. ‘Well, go on, don’t leave me dangling. What did she say?’

  After handing him his cup of tea, and motioning to the packets of sweeteners in a china bowl, Tessa sat back and said in a low, confidential voice, ‘She told me she’s not going to name a successor until the day she retires, and that won’t be for a long time. Mummy explained that she’d made a promise to her grandmother thirty years ago…that she wouldn’t retire until she felt she couldn’t run the stores properly any longer. Mummy indicated to me that she might stay until she’s eighty.’

  ‘Like Grandy Emma,’ Toby pointed out. ‘But you know that. And that’s all she said?’ His dark brows drew together in a frown.

  ‘More or less. She was very nice at the end of our conversation, very kind and loving—’ Tessa broke off, and took a sip of her tea, reminding herself not to spill the story of her bruised arm to her cousin. She didn’t want him to know about that. He would instantly put two and two together, even though her mother obviously hadn’t done so. Not yet. Placing the china cup in the saucer, Tessa continued, ‘That’s about it. The one good thing is she didn’t say Linnet was going to inherit. In fact, she said it might not be either of us, but someone else in the family.’

  ‘There isn’t anyone else,’ Toby asserted, putting his cup down with a clatter. ‘And I know it’s going to be you, Tessa. Aunt Paula wouldn’t cheat you out of your right, just as Dad won’t cheat me. I’m the eldest and I’m going to inherit the Yorkshire Consolidated Newspaper Company and its subsidiaries. Gideon will continue to run the papers, but I’ll be the head of the media company in Dad’s place. My baby brother will be working for me, just as Linnet will be working for you. That’s if she’s still at Harte’s.’

  Tessa frowned, looked at him curiously. ‘What’re you getting at? Of course she’ll be at Harte’s. She’s very ambitious.’

  ‘And very involved…in love with Julian Kallinski. She might well be married and the mother of a brood of bairns by the time Aunt Paula steps down.’

  ‘She and Julian broke up—’

  ‘They’re back together, my sweet,’ he interrupted.

  ‘How do you know? Oh, I might well ask…Gideon told you, I’ve no doubt.’

  ‘No, he didn’t. However, I saw Linnet and Julian having dinner at Harry’s Bar the other night. Mind you, Gideon was with them, along with the dark-haired girl—’

  ‘Evan Hughes! I heard on the store grapevine that she’s having an affair with Gid. She works fast, doesn’t she? She met him in January and it’s only the end of March and they’re already bedding down together. My, my.’

  Toby nodded. ‘It looks as if they’re very close, from the way they were behaving. Gideon hung on her every word, I’ve never seen him so…well, captivated. It’s always been love ’em and leave ’em with him. I used to call him the champion of one-night-standers, don’t you remember?’

  ‘Yes, I do. What do you think of Evan?’ Tessa asked.

  ‘I’ve only met her briefly, so I can’t really pass judgement.’

  ‘Do you think she looks like Mummy? A lot of people do.’

  Toby sat back, his expression turning thoughtful, sipping his tea and then munching on a chocolate biscuit. After a moment, he answered her, saying, ‘At first glance Evan is the spitting image of Aunt Paula, but then when one studies her for a few minutes one realizes it’s all an illusion. The same exotic, dark colouring, the same height, the same figure, even similar clothes, but there it definitely stops. Because her face isn’t at all like your mother’s. The shape is different and she doesn’t have violet eyes, or the famous Harte widow’s peak.’

  ‘Shane himself did a double take,’ Tessa announced, giving him a pointed look.

  Toby pursed his lips, shook his head. ‘I bet he did exactly what I did: looked quickly, registered surprise, and then realized it was only an illusion after a second glance.’

  ‘I think she might be related to us.’

  ‘You do?But how could she be?’ Toby sounded surprised.

  ‘I’ve figured it out…through Paul McGill, Mummy’s grandfather. He spent a lot of time in America and Australia, and without Emma. He could easily have had an affair with someone else, probably in America, and that woman could have given birth to a child, and Evan could be an offspring of Paul McGill’s American child. His grandchild.’ After this explanation, which she thought was plausible, Tessa sat back. ‘Well, what do you think?’

  ‘It’s a possibility. I hadn’t thought of the Paul McGill side,’ Toby answered, ‘I must admit that.’

  ‘Maybe she came here to try and get something–you know, some kind of inheritance,’ Tessa suggested.

  ‘Don’t be daft! It’s all tied up, lashed together with steel ropes. Emma Harte saw to that, for the most part, and then your mother, my parents and Aunt Amanda followed her lead and her instructions to the nth degree. In fact, they took many more precautions, as you know. That’s why it’s a bit of a joke the way the seniors are upset because the notorious Jonathan Ainsley has returned to England. He can’t get anything either–well, maybe a few shares of Harte Stores that are traded on the London Stock Exchange.’

  Tessa nodded. ‘I overheard my mother talking to your mother yesterday. She’d come over for a meeting with Linnet and Mummy about the birthday party in June. Apparently Mummy put a private investigator on him, but nothing untoward has been turned up so far.’

  ‘And perhaps it won’t be. Maybe he’s just come back to live here because he prefers London, and to be near his father. Uncle Robin’s quite frail, I hear. Of course, Jonathan will inherit his father’s money, and that’s a fortune.’

  ‘But Uncle Robin was a Member of Parliament all his life, a politician. I didn’t know he had a fortune.’

  ‘Our great-grandmother loved him, despite his misdeeds at certain times. He was her favourite son, and I happen to know she not only created a trust for him, but gave him quite a
lot before she died.’

  ‘You obviously know more than I do.’

  ‘I do know one thing, Tessa darling. It’s going to be you and me running this show one day. You’ll be head of the stores and I’ll be at the helm of the media companies. We’ll rule the Harte empire together.’ He smiled broadly, full of confidence.

  Rising, Toby went to join Tessa on the sofa. He put his arms around her, pulled her to him, kissed her lightly on the cheek. ‘Everything’s going to be ours, Tess. Trust me.’

  ‘I do. But my mother’s not going to retire as soon as you think, I just told you that. I’ll be an old lady when I inherit.’

  ‘Tessa, life is full of surprises. Nobody knows what’s in store. Anything can happen, and when we least expect it. Your mother might retire in a few years, for reasons we don’t know now, reasons she herself doesn’t know now. You see, people suddenly run out of steam, or want to retire after all, want to enjoy life. They might want to have a bit of fun. God knows, our parents have worked like dogs all of their lives, so there are many reasons why they could change their minds. As Ma always says, the only thing that’s permanent is change. And she’s right. I feel that way about Dad. He could decide he’s fed up and pass the mantle to me overnight. We don’t know anything. So stay cool, my sweet, and for God’s sake stop being mean to Linnet. When she marries Julian her life will change, and so will yours.’

  ‘If she marries him.’

  ‘Oh she will, take my word for it. The grandfathers O’Neill and Kallinski are going to push it for all it’s worth, now that those two lovebirds are back together. They want the three clans to be forever bound. So please, give Linnet some slack, and stop complaining about her endlessly. It makes you look bad.’

  ‘She irritates me.’

  ‘I know she does, but it gets other people angry with you, and then they favour her, and you can’t afford that. You don’t need any enemies in the family. You must learn to be like our sainted great-grandmother; you must learn to dissemble the way Emma did.’

  ‘I’ll try,’ she answered, knowing he was right.

  ‘Good girl.’ Toby tightened his grip on her, hugging her warmly.

  Tessa flinched.

  Toby pulled away, giving her a puzzled look. ‘What’s wrong?’

  She shook her head. ‘It’s just my shoulder, Toby, I hurt it last week.’ She forced a smile. ‘In the gym,’ she then added swiftly, when she saw that fierce, protective look enter his eyes. Leaning into him she kissed his cheek. ‘It’s just a bit sore.’

  ‘Are you sure he hasn’t hurt you?’ Toby demanded, the look he gave her full of concern.

  ‘No, no, he wouldn’t do that.’

  ‘I wish you hadn’t married him,’ Toby muttered when they drew apart, smoothing his hand over her pale-gold hair. He cared about her very much, loathed the idea that anyone could hurt her in any way. ‘I can’t imagine why you had to make it legal’

  Tessa sighed. ‘I wonder sometimes why I did…’

  They were silent, sitting together on the sofa, their arms wrapped around each other, for a moment lost in their thoughts. Best friends and allies now, they had once been childhood sweethearts, and some of those feelings remained, however much they both denied them. But there had never been a sexual relationship between them. When Mark had suggested otherwise, Tessa had spoken the truth in denying it.

  ‘How’s Adrianna?’ Tessa asked, breaking the silence.

  ‘Fine. She’s still in Hollywood making that movie.’

  ‘Why did you marry her?’

  ‘It seemed like a good idea at the time,’ he replied with a rueful laugh.

  At the sound of the low buzzing of the phone, Tessa jumped up, hurried over to her desk, lifted the receiver. ‘Hello?’

  ‘It’s me, Tessa,’ Linnet said. ‘I wonder if you can spare me a few minutes, please?’

  It was on the tip of her tongue to immediately say no, always ready to deny any request from her sister. But looking across at Toby she decided to take his advice. ‘That’s fine, Linnet. When do you want to come to my office?’

  ‘Well, more or less now, if that’s all right?’

  ‘I’m here with Toby. He came in to ask my help about choosing birthday gifts for our fathers, and I suppose he’ll be leaving soon.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Linnet said and hung up.

  ‘How did I do?’ Tessa asked, staring at her cousin, then sitting down at her desk.

  ‘You did good, kid!’ he said, adopting an American accent. ‘Real good.’

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Toby’s manners were excellent, and he rose when Linnet came into the office, moved swiftly across the floor. They met halfway, in the middle of the room, and he gave her a light kiss on the cheek, and asked, ‘How’s the retrospective coming along?’

  ‘Very well, thanks, Toby.’ Linnet smiled at him, then swung around and walked over to Tessa’s desk, where she sat down and looked across at her sister, and said in a friendly voice, ‘The reason I wanted to see you, Tessa, is actually to do with the retrospective. I was wondering if you’d lend us some of your couture clothes?’

  ‘But I don’t have much couture!’ Tessa exclaimed, almost too sharply, she realized, and catching herself she adopted a much milder tone. ‘Hardly any at all, Linnet, and anyway I don’t think the things I have are in good enough condition to be put on display. I’ve worn them to death.’

  ‘I was thinking of those two evening coats you own. We’re still a bit thin on the vintage stuff, and you have that gorgeous coral silk coat with a shoulder cape attached designed by Norman Hartnell. You once told me it was from the 1960s, and there’s the Balmain coat Mummy gave you, which belonged to Emma. I think that’s from the mid 1950s. Could we borrow those two things, do you think? They would fill a gap if we had them in the show.’

  Tessa’s first instinct was to refuse. She had grown accustomed to saying no to Linnet over the years. Also, she had genuinely been against the retrospective right from the beginning. She had believed it to be a waste of time, effort and money. But she did not dare display a negative attitude this afternoon. Toby was sitting on the sofa, watching her like a hawk. Anyway, he was right in what he had said earlier. She must be more diplomatic, not so obviously competitive and seemingly against Linnet. She was definitely going to have to watch herself, keep a rein on her temper, and be much more patient in the future. The problem was that she found it hard to pretend, thought doing so was two-faced, even though Toby called it dissimulation and admired anyone who could carry it off.

  Pushing a pleasant smile on her face, Tessa said, ‘Of course you can borrow them, but I don’t know how pristine they are.’

  ‘Oh, thanks very much, Tess!’ Linnet said enthusiastically, obviously pleased, and continued, ‘I really appreciate it, and don’t worry about the condition of the coats. Evan’s wonderfully talented when it comes to restoration, and she’s very clever at hand cleaning, repairing, steaming and pressing, that kind of thing. She does meticulous work; your coats will come back to you looking like new. You’ll be impressed with her work, everyone is.’

  ‘Really,’ Tessa murmured and, observing the sudden smile in Linnet’s eyes, hearing the warmth in her voice, she understood immediately that her sister admired and liked Evan. They were obviously good friends by the sound of it. I bet she’s given Evan Hughes her stamp of approval, as far as Gideon’s concerned.

  Linnet, in her usual businesslike manner, rushed on, ‘Look, I’m very sorry there was a misunderstanding between us recently. About the use of the auditorium. I hadn’t realized you had planned a management meeting that morning, and I’d arranged for the space planning company to measure the areas where the platforms are to be built. Since they’d left Leeds, I couldn’t stop them from coming to the store. It was already too late.’

  ‘I understand, and it’s no problem,’ Tessa answered evenly, almost dismissively, endeavouring to appear nonchalant, although at the time she had been furious, had complained to their moth
er that Linnet had countermanded her orders and commandeered the auditorium. Paula had been so scathing with her about the use of that particular word she had vowed to herself never to use it again.

  Watching them from his position on the sofa, Toby was fascinated. It struck him most forcibly that whatever Tessa lacked in the technique of dissembling, her sister more than made up for it. No one will ever know what she’s thinking when it comes to business, he decided. She was being charming and friendly at this moment, and she had even apologized to Tessa. Very clever. No fool, our Linnet, he thought. She had never been his favourite, but he couldn’t help admiring her adroit handling of Tessa, albeit grudgingly. He suddenly understood the reason why he had long been wary of her. She was not only crafty but extremely shrewd, not to mention a splendid actress. She ought to get an Oscar for this performance, he thought, his eyes fixed on her.

  Although he had never recognized it until this precise moment, Toby now admitted that he was actually a bit afraid of Linnet. And for one very good reason. She was everything their great-grandmother had been at her age: ambitious, driven, hardworking and calculating. A tough cookie. He must warn Tessa to be careful, to watch her back.

  Linnet was looking across at him, and saying, ‘Would you like to come too, Toby?’

  ‘Er, er, sorry Linnet, I was preoccupied. Come with you where?’

  ‘Down to the storage room where we keep the clothes. We’ve started to put some of them on the mannequins, you know, the fibreglass dummies. I thought Tessa might like to see our progress, also look at the really beautiful clothes we’ve assembled so far. And you could come too, Toby.’

  ‘I’d love to, but I’m afraid I can’t. I’ve got to get back to the office. Thanks, though.’

  But in the end Toby did join them, changing his mind all of a sudden, wanting to have another look at Evan Hughes, his brother’s current paramour. She must have something special to hold Gideon’s interest all these weeks, he decided.

  Toby had been coming to the Knightsbridge store since he was a child, but he had never been into the famous storage room before today. As he walked behind Linnet and Tessa he saw that it was gargantuan, and he was stunned by its size.