Encounters and Enemies

by Diana Xarissa

  “Oh, dear. What a dreadful thought,” Fenella blurted out.

  Paul chuckled. “Oh, we aren’t saying anything awful, I assure you,” he said. “But it isn’t every day that a beautiful and single American woman arrives on the island. Donald Donaldson was lucky he met you early on or he’d have a great deal more competition for your company.”

  Fenella felt her cheeks go pink. The man was entirely too charming.

  “Stop flirting,” Paulette snapped. “Fenella is my friend.”

  “But what’s this I hear about Mother causing a scene last night?” Paul asked his sister. “Patricia Anderson rang me this morning to ask me why I wasn’t there to help keep her under control.”

  “Patricia Anderson is a meddling old…” Paulette was interrupted by the waiter.

  “Can I get you some tea, sir,” he asked Paul.

  “Oh, I wasn’t planning on staying,” he replied. He looked over at Fenella and grinned. “But as the company is better than I’d expected, perhaps I will have a cuppa and a few cakes.”

  “Please don’t,” Paulette said. “This is my afternoon out. I don’t want to spend it with you.”

  “Sisterly love,” Paul said mockingly to Fenella. “I spent my entire childhood being incredibly jealous of my sister and her amazing tea parties with Mother. She would come home and tell me all about the endless supply of fairy cakes and tiny finger sandwiches until I would run and beg my mother to let me come along the next time. Mother always said maybe, but never ever followed through. I should think, now that I’m nearly sixty, that I should be allowed a fairy cake, shouldn’t I?”

  Fenella looked from one sibling to the other and then shook her head. “You can’t possibly put me in the middle of this fight,” she said. “I have four brothers. I know how impossible brothers and sisters can be.”

  Paul laughed. “You’re right, of course. This is between my darling sister and me. Please, please, please, big sister. Can I stay if I promise to behave?”

  Paulette frowned at him and then sighed deeply. She took a sip of her tea and then looked over at Fenella. After a moment she blinked and then gave her brother what looked like a fake smile. “Of course you can, baby brother,” she said. “If I’d known how much it meant to you, I’d have insisted that Mum invite you along years ago.”

  A moment later the waiter arrived with Paul’s tea and another tray full of delicious goodies. The women sat silently while Paul filled a plate with treats and took his first bites.

  “I can’t believe I’ve missed out on this for all these years,” he said after a short while. “You and Mother were mean to me.”

  “It was our one chance to have some time, just the two of us,” Paulette defended herself. “You were always off with our father anyway. This was our break from Paula.”

  Paul glanced at Fenella before looking back at his sister. “I’ll assume you’ve bored Fenella with our entire family history, then,” he said. “But that can’t be why Mother was shouting at her. What happened last night?”

  “It was nothing,” Fenella said.

  “It wasn’t. I can ring Patricia back and get all of the gory details if you two won’t tell me what happened,” Paul replied.

  “Mum has it in her head that our father cheated on her with Mona Kelly,” Paulette said. “When she met Fenella, she started shouting at her about it, that’s all.”

  “That’s all? That’s horrible,” Paul said. He covered Fenella’s hand with his. “I am so terribly sorry. I can’t imagine what came over my mother.”

  “It’s fine,” Fenella said. She pulled her hand away and helped herself to another of what she would call a cupcake but that Paulette had called a fairy cake. She wouldn’t want any dinner at this rate, but stress always made her crave sugar and chocolate.

  “Father was writing his memoirs,” Paulette said. “Mum found some of his notes on his computer.”

  “And he claimed he had an affair with Mona Kelly in those notes? Listen, I remember Mona. If I were ever going to write my memoirs, I’d claim I’d slept with her too. She was gorgeous, even if she was thirty years older than me.”

  Fenella hid a smile behind a biscuit. Mona will love hearing this part of the conversation, anyway, she thought.

  “You don’t think our father was telling the truth?” Paulette demanded.

  “He always had a flexible approach to the truth,” Paul replied. “I don’t think I’d be surprised to learn that he had affairs, but I think Mona Kelly was out of his league, that’s all.”

  “It doesn’t really matter,” Fenella interrupted the debate. “What matters is that your mother believes that he did and she’s angry at me as a result. All I can do is try to avoid events where she’s likely to be present.”

  “You shouldn’t have to work your life around my mother’s schedule,” Paul said firmly. “I’ll talk to her. I’m sure I can persuade her that she’s wrong about Mona. I want to see these notes,” he added, looking at his sister. “I’ve told you before that I want to go through the computer our father used at home. It’s still company property, you know, and the company is mine now.”

  “Mother owns half of the company,” Paulette countered. “And she uses the computer now herself, as do I. If you want to come and have a look at what’s on it, we can arrange that, but we’ll have to work around Mum. I don’t want her upset any further.”

  “I don’t want Mother upset, either,” the man said. “But I won’t have her shouting at random people at parties. We need to see what else is on there and get rid of it before Mother has a chance to discover it.”

  “Mum should know what our father did,” Paulette argued.

  “Why? Why not just leave her in peace with her memories?”

  “She deserves to know the truth after all these years.”

  “Do you think she really wants to know?” Paul countered. “Our father was never around when we were growing up. Don’t you think she at least suspected that he was being unfaithful? She never confronted him about it, at least not as far as we know. If she was prepared to ignore it for nearly sixty years of marriage, why should she have to have it thrust in front of her now?”

  “She sits in her dressing gown and talks and talks about what a wonderful man he was,” Paulette said bitterly. “She’s mourning for a man that I’ve discovered never actually existed. He lied to her and he cheated on her, and by extension on us. I don’t know what she knew or suspected while our father was alive, but I can promise you she was blind-sided by what she read on that computer.”

  “And now she’s all worked up about it and we don’t even know if any of it is true. It sounds to me as if he was writing a heavily fictionalized version of his life, incorporating his fantasies into what really happened. Surely it would be kinder to Mother if we could persuade her to believe that.”

  Paulette shook her head. “I won’t be a party to hiding our father’s lies,” she said. “Mum might be having difficulty dealing with the issue, but in the end she’ll be better off for knowing the truth.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Paul said softly. He turned to Fenella. “I do apologize for dragging you into the middle of our little family feud,” he said. “Perhaps I could buy you dinner tonight by way of an apology?”

  Fenella shook her head. “That’s a very kind offer, but I already have plans for tonight,” she said, making a mental note to call Shelly as soon as she could. Surely Shelly would be free to join her for a drink in their favorite pub so that Fenella wouldn’t feel that she’d lied to the man.

  “It’s getting late,” Paulette said, getting to her feet. “I shouldn’t have left Mum alone for this long. I’d better go. Thank you for joining me for tea and for listening to me babble endlessly,” she said to Fenella, giving her a tentative smile.

  “It was my pleasure,” Fenella said. “I hope your mother is okay.”

  “Oh, I’ll take good care of her,” Paulette said. “I always do.”

  “I’ll stop over on Tuesday to l
ook at the computer,” Paul said. “It’s Tynwald Day, so I won’t be working.”

  “Mum and I are going to St. John’s for the ceremony,” Paulette told him. “Mum will probably want to stay out there for most of the day. Maybe you can come around next weekend.”

  Paul hesitated and then nodded. “Next weekend, then, but no later. That computer needs to be gone through and I need to talk to Mother.”

  “Yes, I’ll tell her. She’ll be pleased to hear that you’re going to visit,” Paulette said.

  Paul nodded and he and Fenella watched as the woman picked up her handbag and headed out of the room.

  “Now, Fenella, just how serious are you and Donald?” Paul asked, sliding his chair closer to hers.

  Fenella popped a bite of cake into her mouth and chewed slowly while she tried to decide how she wanted to answer the question. There was something about Paul that she didn’t like, so she didn’t want to encourage his attentions, but she also didn’t want him telling everyone on the island that she and Donald were seriously involved. “We’re taking things very slowly,” she said, opting for the truth. “I ended a ten-year relationship when I moved here and I’m not really ready for a new man in my life just yet.”

  Paul smiled and took her hand. “When you are ready, I do hope you’ll consider me as a possible contender,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze.

  “I’m flattered,” Fenella replied, “but I don’t think your mother would be happy if she heard that we were dating.”

  “I can handle my mother,” he told her. “Paulette has the best of intentions, but she doesn’t always do what’s best for Mother. I’m sure I can persuade her that this whole thing about Mona and my father is a falsehood.”

  “Do you really think it is?” Fenella had to ask.

  “I don’t know,” Paul shrugged. “I know that my father had affairs. He didn’t bother trying to keep them a secret from me, even if my mother and sister didn’t know. But I meant what I said earlier. I think Mona was out of his league. There were always rumors about Mona and men who were much wealthier and more important than my father. And then there was Maxwell Martin, of course.”

  “Maxwell Martin?”

  “No one has mentioned him in relation to your aunt?” Paul asked. “He owned the hotel where Mona lived from the age of eighteen until her death. Of course, it became flats in her later years, but as I understand it, Maxwell had the largest and most lavish flat built for her. I assume that’s where you’re living now.”

  “Yes, of course,” Fenella replied. “I’d heard that she was involved with the man who had owned the building, but no one ever told me his name.”

  “He was fabulously wealthy,” Paul said. “It wasn’t just that hotel that he owned. He had property all over the island. As I understand it, he used to give Mona a piece of property every year for her birthday.”

  “Really?” Fenella said. She really needed to go through the piles of papers that her advocate, Doncan Quayle, had given her. He’d told her that she’d inherited Mona’s entire estate, and he was regularly depositing checks into her bank account, but Fenella hadn’t really asked any questions. Was it possible that she owned other property around the island?

  “They were the island’s most glamorous couple in the forties and fifties.” Paul told her. “Made all the more exciting by the fact that they seemed to break up every other weekend. I wasn’t lying when I said that I remember Mona from my youth. I was fascinated by her. In fact, I was crazy about her. I used to follow her around at parties, just staring at her. She was always sweetly amused by me, and always kind.”

  “I’m sorry I missed all of this,” Fenella said.

  Paul laughed. “I was at the party the night she and Maxwell announced their engagement,” he said. “I was about eighteen and I had my first girlfriend with me. We had a huge fight because I was so upset that Mona was engaged. I was also at the party a month later when they had a huge fight and she threw her engagement ring into the sea. It was rumored to have been worth thirty thousand pounds, which was a huge fortune in those days.”

  “It’s a lot of money now,” Fenella murmured.

  “Yes, well, as I understand it, no one ever found the ring. Maxwell was furious, of course, but they were back together a few weeks later. Neither ever mentioned marriage again, though, at least not publicly.”

  “So if Mona was involved with Maxwell for all those years, she couldn’t have had an affair with your father,” Fenella said.

  “Unless that was one of the things that Mona and Maxwell fought about,” Paul suggested. He shrugged. “In that social circle, it always seemed as if everyone was sleeping with everyone else. When I finally reached maturity, I was disappointed to find that most of it was just flirting and teasing.”

  “As fascinating as this conversation is, I really should be going,” Fenella said, eager to get home to talk to Mona and feeling very much like she deserved that drink with Shelly.

  “I have my car outside. Can I give you a ride home?” he asked.

  Fenella hesitated. She wanted to get away from the man, but a ride home would be convenient. “That would be great,” she said after a moment. As they got to their feet, the waiter came over.

  “Are you ready for the bill?” he asked.

  “I thought my sister took care of that,” Paul said.

  “Unfortunately, she did not,” the man told him.

  “I’m happy to pay my share,” Fenella offered.

  “Oh, no. I’m sure Paulette invited you as her guest. She was just happy to stick me with the bill for all three of us. I do love my sister, you know, some of the time, anyway.” He handed the waiter his credit card, and when the man returned with the slip for him to sign, he added a large tip.

  “Thank you so much,” the waiter said as he took back the paper and his pen.

  “Thank you. Everything was very good,” Paul told him. He offered Fenella his arm. “Shall we?” he asked.

  Fenella felt she had no choice but to take the offered arm. They made their way out of the restaurant and out of the building. The sleek bright red sports car that was parked in the no-parking zone in front of the building beeped as they approached. Paul opened the passenger door for Fenella and then climbed into the driver’s seat.

  “You’re lucky you didn’t get a ticket,” Fenella said as they pulled away from the Seaview a bit too quickly for Fenella’s comfort.

  “I gave the doorman twenty pounds to let me leave the car there,” Paul said airily. He drove them back across the mountain at high speed, whizzing around corners and passing slower cars almost recklessly.

  Fenella found herself closing her eyes every time he went around another car. To her mind, there was often barely enough room for him to do so safely.

  “Sorry,” he said after she’d opened her eyes and let out an involuntary shriek when she saw the huge truck that they were speeding toward. Paul slid his car back into the correct lane, just inches in front of the car he’d been going around. He reached over and took Fenella’s hand. “I love to drive fast,” he said. “And there are no speed limits on the mountain road.”

  “I hate it,” Fenella said, pulling her hand away. “If I’d known you were in such a hurry, I’d have called for a taxi to take me home.”

  Paul slowed the car down abruptly. “I’m not in a hurry,” he said. “I was just having fun. But I wasn’t thinking. The faster I go, the sooner you’re home. I should be enjoying your company while I have the chance.”

  Fenella bit her tongue and looked out the window as the glorious scenery. The island really was the most beautiful place she’d ever seen. Paul drove the rest of the journey at a more sensible speed. When he pulled up in front of her building, he frowned. “You don’t have a doorman, do you?”

  “No, we don’t,” Fenella said. “But it’s not a problem. I can just jump out here.”

  “Don’t be silly. I’ll walk you to your door. It’s the gentlemanly thing to do,” he replied. He checked the tr
affic and then did a U-turn and parked in a spot just across from the building.

  Try as she might, Fenella couldn’t work out how to open the car’s door. Paul opened it for her and then helped her out. “There’s a trick to it,” he said, standing far too close to her for comfort as she emerged.

  Fenella took a step backwards, nearly tripping over the curb. Paul slid his arms around her. “Steady now,” he said in her ear.

  She only just resisted the urge to bring her knee up sharply into his groin. “I’m fine,” she said, quickly stepping sideways away from him.

  “Let’s go, then,” he replied, offering her his arm. She took it out of a sense of obligation and let him lead her across the road and into her building.

  “I have to admit that I’m curious,” he said as the elevator rose. “I’ve heard stories about Mona’s incredible flat. I’ve always wanted to see it for myself.”

  “It’s nice, but I don’t think it’s anything too spectacular,” Fenella told him.

  She opened her door and walked inside, with Paul on her heels. The floor-to-ceiling windows that faced the promenade flooded the room with light. Fenella felt as if she were seeing the place for the first time when she saw the look on Paul’s face.

  “It’s definitely spectacular,” he said as he turned slowly. “And the furniture is special as well. I’m sure nearly all of it is antique.”

  “Maybe,” Fenella shrugged. “I just like it because it’s comfortable.”

  “Whom have you brought home now?” Mona asked from the kitchen doorway.

  Without thinking, Fenella opened her mouth to reply, but she was interrupted by Katie’s sudden appearance.

  “Merow,” Katie said loudly.

  “You have a cat,” Paul said, sounding surprised.

  “I do. Katie adopted me just a few days after I arrived,” Fenella explained. “I opened the door and she ran inside. I thought someone would come to claim her, but no one has.”

  “She’s lovely,” Paul said. He bent down and ran a finger down Katie’s back. “We weren’t allowed to have pets when I was a child. Mother had enough to worry about with Paula, I suppose.”