Vesta Mansion: Book One - The Power Inside

by P. A. Priddey

  ‘Are you sure everything’s in place for when the mansion’s completed?’

  ‘I believe so; I just hope it works.’

  ‘You mean the mansion?’

  ‘Yeah, and the plan I’ve been working on for a while.’

  ‘Not long left now, so you might need to concentrate on that.’

  ‘OK, boss,’ said Alex sarcastically. ‘There’s one thing which comes to mind . . . you said you could drive a coach?’

  ‘I’ve a licence if that’s what you mean.’

  ‘I’ll get George to buy one.’

  ‘You’re not going to hire it?’

  ‘No, it would be best if he buys it.’

  James looked surprised. ‘The limo is more than big enough.’

  ‘Not for my plan it isn’t.’

  * * *

  Alex sat on one of the new sofas in front of the fireplace, as this part of the mansion was finished. There was a mad rush on the upper floors with the decorators. Every time a room was ready, workers were waiting to move furniture inside. He loved how organised it all was. Alex had gone round testing everything to see if it all worked, and was pleased with the results. James sat watching a large television which hung on the wall to the right of the fireplace. The news channel was on, talking about earthquakes in Asia, and floods in America. Europe was going through a warm spell for the time of year. It was over twenty degrees in Britain, and it was October.

  Ron leant on the back of a sofa. ‘Can you believe all this, floods and earthquakes, what’s happening to the world?’

  ‘It happens,’ said Alex. ‘We get floods all the time.’

  ‘Yeah, but not at the moment, we’ve had no rain for three weeks.’

  ‘Let’s hope it stays that way, I need my drive finishing.’

  ‘It will be. I haven’t let you down yet.’

  ‘No, Ron, you’ve done wonders to the place, but you can’t control the weather.’

  ‘True, but I can cover any path being laid, it’ll be done.’

  ‘You should go to one of them places on the news. I bet they could do with you out there.’

  ‘I’ve not had a day off since I started this job, and when it’s finished I’m taking my family on a long holiday.’

  ‘What about you, James, are you going on a long holiday?’

  James looked away from the television. ‘Are you trying to get rid of me?’

  ‘No, not at all, but if you need a holiday I can’t stop you.’

  ‘I’m OK, boss, but I did wonder where I’ll be staying.’

  ‘Don’t call me that, and you’ll be living here of course. We wouldn’t want to upset your aunt.’

  ‘Cool, I could get used to this.’

  Alex nodded. ‘It’s very pleasant.’

  ‘Are you going to the wedding?’

  Alex put his fingers through his short hair, and realised it hadn’t grown since saving the girls. ‘No, it’s for friends only.’

  ‘But you are their friend.’

  ‘To some maybe, but I’ve only met one half of the couple, and she’s not over fond of me.’

  ‘I’ll be going of course, what’ll you be doing?’

  ‘Making sure everything here’s OK, but you can come and pick me up after your meal.’

  * * *

  Three months after House moved the walls in the mansion the work was finished a day early. Alex and James moved their stuff in and celebrated the first night with a takeaway, while James had the news channel on. Alex strolled about the mansion checking everything worked again. He stepped outside to see if Chi had given birth, but it still wasn’t her time so he went to bed. His room was the master bedroom on the left side of the mansion at the front. James had chosen a room on the far right as he believed it would be quieter.

  * * *

  When it was time, Alex decided to visit George rather than twiddle his thumbs at the mansion. James dropped him off before he chauffeured the couple to the wedding. ‘Hey, Sarin how’s you?’ he said, answering his phone outside Mizar & sons.

  ‘Excited and sad.’

  ‘Why are you sad, sweetheart?’

  ‘We won’t get to see you today, and we’re in our new dresses.’

  ‘Oh, I don’t know, there’ll be a few hours between your meal and the party tonight . . . so you just stick to being excited about the wedding.’

  ‘We’re gonna be bridesmaids.’

  ‘That’s wonderful.’

  ‘Yep, Carrie did our hair and gave us a makeover.’

  It knocked him back a little, Alex hadn’t forgotten about Carrie. He tried not thinking about her, but it never worked. ‘Did you like it?’

  ‘Yep, she made us look really pretty.’

  ‘But you’re already the most beautiful girls in the world.’ He had a plan which had a couple of flaws in it. One of them was Carrie, but only if the plan worked. If it did, he knew he would suffer, and would suffer in silence for his children.

  * * *

  Carrie waited at the registry office with most of the other women when the limo pulled up. Her heart was beating fast, as James got out. He opened the rear doors to let the children out, followed by the happy couple, but no Alex. She hadn’t expected him to turn up, just hoped he would, and felt sad when she saw the children.

  ‘I hope you’re gonna cheer up at the wedding,’ said Blaze.

  ‘Sorry, I was just thinking how beautiful the girls look, and Alex isn’t here to see them.’

  ‘I know, I wanted to invite him, but wasn’t sure how the others would have taken it.’

  * * *

  The wedding was at a registry office, all the women were smartly dressed, and some wore dresses but most wore suits. The three children all wore pink bridesmaid’s dresses, and all twenty-four of them looked stunning.

  The women, James and the children sat down for their meal, and the married couple gave speeches. Adhara and Sarin had the biggest smiles as they were enjoying their day and were even given gifts. Tia was also a bridesmaid and sat between them. The twins could feel tension from some of the women towards their papa, and knew it was because they were leaving soon. A few of them knew and liked him, but most distrusted him. Adhara was sad when she looked at Red, she loved her, but she seemed to dislike her papa the most. She was a kind person, but loved Blaze and worried for her.

  Claire looked over at James. ‘So where’s the party?’

  ‘It’s a secret.’

  ‘We don’t keep secrets,’ said a woman called Sammy.

  ‘OK, it’s a surprise.’

  Carrie raised an eyebrow. ‘It’s gotta be at some hotel if we’re stopping over.’

  James stood. ‘My lips are sealed, and I best go and get the other transport for you.’

  ‘It’s not in town then?’ said a young woman called Lucy.

  James smiled. ‘Nope.’

  ‘Was it Alex’s idea for you to wear the outfit?’ said Claire.

  ‘Na, it was mine, as I thought it would be nice for your special day.’

  Red smiled. ‘Thank you, it was a lovely idea.’

  ‘I shall text you on the way back when I’m about five minutes away.’

  ‘Well, this is all cloak and dagger stuff,’ said Carrie.

  Summer grinned. ‘Fun though.’

  ‘Scary more like,’ said Sally.

  ‘What makes you say that?’ Carrie asked, with some interest.

  Sally’s eyes grew big. ‘It could be some old haunted house.’

  ‘I’d love that, I’ve never been to one before,’ said a woman called Skye, who pushed her glasses up over her short dark hair. ‘It would be awesome.’

  ‘I don’t think the venue would be a haunted house,’ said Blaze. ‘Not when we have the children with us.’

  Red looked at Blaze and raised an eyebrow. ‘I wonder who else will be there.’

  Blaze took a quick drink of her wine. ‘George will be.’

  ‘What about Alex?’ said Sammy. ‘And the night he saved the girls, he doesn�
��t sound like a normal rich guy.’

  ‘He’s not,’ said Asima. ‘We were kept in cages in a cellar, when he climbed through a small window and freed us. The thing is we were hidden in a secret location in the country side and the girls knew he was coming.’

  ‘How did he know where you were?’ said Carrie.

  ‘I’m not sure, but it might have been the wolf and he somehow tracked our scent.’

  Claire looked shocked. ‘He’s got a bloody wolf as a pet?’

  ‘He’s not a pet, he’s our friend,’ said Adhara, ‘and he’s very nice.’

  ‘I like wolves,’ said Skye.

  ‘Yeah, but you like all that scary shit,’ said Claire, and looked at the children. ‘Sorry girls.’

  Sammy played with a strand of her red-streaked blonde hair as she looked at Asima. ‘I thought you saved his life.’

  ‘I did. After he freed us, and after he thought we were all out, three armed men came into the cellar. Alex let one go out of the window, which shocked me at the time but I didn’t know the wolf was outside protecting the children. He knocked the second one out, but the third had a gun pointed to his back so I hit the man over the head.

  ‘He sounds like a dangerous man to me,’ said a woman called Michelle.

  ‘Maybe,’ said Asima. ‘But he would do anything to protect his children and friends.’

  ‘Are you one?’ said Claire, as she smiled at their newest friend.

  Asima nodded. ‘I like to think so.’

  Skye finished her drink. ‘Doesn’t it bother you that we are talking about him?’

  ‘No, you’re curious and want to know things, and I’ve nothing to hide or bad to say about him.’

  ‘We love talking about Papa,’ said Sarin.

  Carrie grinned. ‘We’ve noticed.’

  ‘Well, he did let us use the limo,’ said Claire.

  Red raised an eyebrow again. ‘How much more has he had to do with the wedding?’

  ‘Don’t you trust me?’ said Blaze.

  ‘I trust you to give us a great wedding, but who paid for the food? I know Summer can do magic when it comes to cooking, but this was no cheap spread you put on for us?’

  Blaze gave a sly smile. ‘I did, as I’ve done such a wonderful job with the children, I received a very large bonus.’

  Claire almost choked on her drink. ‘When did you become so sneaky?’

  ‘When I met the girl’s father. Please don’t think badly of me I just wanted you to get married.’

  ‘Don’t be silly, we’re having a great day with all our friends and have three beautiful bridesmaids.’

  * * *

  Alex spent the early part of the day with George going over his accounts. The work on the mansion had cost a great deal of money, but he still had over seven hundred million left. He decided he could afford to buy the solicitor a late lunch. It was three o’clock on a Friday and the wedding of Claire and Red at the registry office had already happened. Alex started receiving messages; they were pictures of his girls. It wasn’t just the girls who sent them, but James, Blaze and Asima all sent him one. He wished he had been there, but the fact the others sent him pictures cheered him up. They didn’t wait for James so George drove them to the mansion.

  Alex paced the hall, heart beating fast as his nerves were on edge. He kept checking everything over and over, making sure it all worked.

  George sat on a sofa watching him. ‘You’ll give yourself an ulcer if you don’t calm down.’

  ‘I can’t help it, the works finished and the children are going to see their new home for the first time . . . and what about Blaze? How will she take it?’

  ‘That’s a different problem, but your children will love it, and you have spent a lot of money.’

  ‘Is that a complaint?’

  ‘No, you’ve done a wonderful job, and you’ve seen how much money you still have,’ said George, as James walked in.

  ‘How did it go?’ Alex felt impatient and needed to hurry everything along.

  James changed jackets and removed his cap. ‘Great, but I’ll tell you twenty or so women can be noisy.’

  ‘I can imagine, but they’re allowed to be as noisy as they want.’

  ‘Carrie was there but didn’t give me a hug,’ said James, and gave him a questionable look.

  ‘Maybe she’s nervous, some people get like that at weddings,’ said Alex, quietly pleased.

  ‘I reckon you would’ve got one.’

  ‘Well, I am huggable.’

  * * *

  ‘Where’s the party, Blaze? I thought you’d know,’ said Carrie, as they stepped outside in the dark after they finished their drinks.

  ‘I’ve no idea, but James will be here for us soon.’

  Carrie pushed her hair back. ‘Can you trust him?’

  ‘Who, James? Of course I do.’

  ‘No, I meant Alex.’ Carrie was hoping he would be there — she was after all wearing her new dress, which was short.

  ‘I like him,’ said Blaze. ‘And whatever anyone thinks, he loves those girls.’

  ‘You don’t think he’ll show up tonight do you?’

  Blaze shrugged. ‘I never thought about that, he knows where the party is and we don’t.’

  Carrie looked over at the newly married couple. ‘I don’t think a certain person would be happy if he did.’

  ‘That’s what worries me, and she’ll say something to him.’

  ‘What you two being all secretive about?’ said Sammy, as she joined them.

  ‘Just wondering where the party is,’ said Carrie. ‘And who might be there.’

  ‘I’m nervous already.’

  Blaze put a motherly arm around her. ‘Of where we’re going, or who might be there?’

  Sammy smiled. ‘Both, I guess, as I’ve never met him.’

  ‘He’s lov— erm very nice,’ said Carrie.

  ‘Is he like one of those really posh people?’

  ‘No, he’s just like us,’ said Blaze, as a silver coach pulled up and Alex stepped off.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Girls Girls Girls

  The women stared as the girls including Tia ran up to him.

  ‘You borrowed this for us, Papa?’ said Adhara.

  ‘No, sweetheart, I bought it for us,’ said Alex.

  Sarin stared up at the coach. ‘Where can we sit?’

  ‘Anywhere you like.’ All three girls ran on to the coach.

  ‘ALEX!’ the red-headed bride shouted. She ran over and jumped into his arms, to the surprise of everyone.

  Alex’s heart skipped a beat. ‘Paige, you look wonderful.’

  She was tall and slim. ‘So do you.’

  ‘I see you went to the wedding?’ he said, realising how stupid it sounded.

  Paige released him, and stepped back. ‘Yeah, mine, and you’ve already met my wife Claire.’

  ‘A couple of times.’ He smiled at Claire, who was wearing a light blue suit and matching waistcoat. Paige got married in a short white dress.

  ‘You’re not going to tell me to dump this one are you?’

  ‘No, she’s much nicer than the last one,’ he said, out of politeness.

  Paige looked at Claire. ‘Remember I told you about my old friend?’

  ‘Yeah, but I had no idea it was gonna be him,’ she replied, looking suspiciously at Alex, and then at the coach where Adhara gave her a told-you-so look.

  ‘And what about you, Alex?’ said Paige, as she looked him up and down. ‘You look much better, and now have two daughters. Both nine years old . . . even though you never had any five years ago.’

  ‘It’ll take a while to explain, and I’ll tell you sometime. Today, however, is about you two, and would you like a honeymoon in the country?’

  ‘We weren’t having one.’

  ‘You might change your mind when we get there.’

  ‘Your leg has healed I see.’ It was a much colder tone to her voice.

  ‘Yeah, much better thanks.’ Alex noticed the chan
ge. ‘I did come looking for you, but you left over four years ago.’

  ‘Did you?’ she said, her tone softening. ‘When I knew you weren’t coming back I decided it was time for a change, so I got a divorce.’

  ‘If I’d known I’d have left sooner,’ Alex joked.

  Paige pushed her fingers through her hair. ‘That’s not funny, I still have the letter, and I’d like some answers.’

  Alex winced. ‘You’ll get them soon, I promise.’

  ‘I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive you,’ she said, as she stepped on the coach with Claire, who just shook her head at him.

  ‘I would understand if you never did,’ said Alex, his heart sank, he was happy she was back in his life, but he knew it would never be the same.

  ‘Hey you,’ said Carrie, and embraced him again.

  His spirits didn’t just lift, they soared. Maybe he wouldn’t suffer after all, but have perfect happiness with just her embraces, he thought. Especially if she wore a tight black dress like she did now. ‘That was rather timely.’

  Carrie stepped back and nodded. ‘It looked like it was getting pretty deep for a moment.’

  Blaze and Asima waited for the others to get on the coach with their overnight bags. The women who had met Alex smiled while the others gave him unsure looks.

  ‘Did you plan this?’ said Blaze, with a raised eyebrow.

  ‘Plan what?’

  ‘To surprise Paige, did you know she was getting married?’

  ‘I had no idea, the girls called her Red.’

  The girls had tried most of the seats on the coach before deciding on the ones at the front. Alex sat behind them with Blaze and Asima on the other side, with everyone else sitting towards the back.

  ‘OK, Alex, where’s the party?’ said Carrie.

  ‘At my house, well our house,’ he said, as the twins stared at him.

  ‘A house party?’

  ‘Well sort of . . . it’s a bit more than a house.’