Winds of Change

by Anna Jacobs

  ‘All right. I’ll be glad to help. Um . . . what about your niece?’

  ‘I’ll tell Hilary once the move is a fait accompli.’

  Just after nine o’clock, the phone rang and Lou picked it up. He listened for a moment, then said curtly, ‘She’s busy.’

  There was a wasp-like sound at the other end.

  ‘She’s still busy. Contact her lawyer. Miranda won’t be available for the next few days.’ He put the phone down. ‘Your brother again. Does he always rap out orders and expect people to jump to attention.’

  ‘I’d guessed it was him and, yes, he does. What did he want?’

  ‘To talk to you. He said it was urgent.’

  ‘Perhaps I’d better ring him back.’

  ‘Nonsense. You can help me get ready for bed and then either watch TV or read for a while. I’ve had it for the day. If you don’t answer the phone, you won’t have anything to worry about.’

  She remembered his words as she sat watching one of her favourite TV shows, because her mobile phone rang twice. She looked at it the first time, saw Sebastian’s number, so didn’t answer. The second time it was Regina’s number. She hesitated then answered.

  ‘Hi, Min— Miranda, it’s me. I’m going back to England in a couple of days and we thought we’d all meet up for lunch.’

  ‘Is Sebastian with you?’

  ‘No. I’m ringing from my bedroom. Why? Do you want to speak to him?’

  ‘On the contrary, I want to avoid him. Don’t tell him you were speaking to me. And I’d rather not have lunch with him, thank you very much.’

  Regina chuckled. ‘All right. Can I come round to see you tomorrow afternoon after my final luncheon with our dear brother?’

  Miranda couldn’t decide what to answer, then took a risk. ‘If you can keep a secret.’

  ‘How intriguing! You mean, keep a secret from Sebastian, of course?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘I’d love to. He’s been in a foul mood all evening. And Dorothy is the biggest doormat I’ve ever seen. She seems terrified of upsetting him. It’s really weird. Have they always been like this? I’m not looking forward to spending the next two days with them, I can tell you. So . . . what’s the big secret?’

  ‘Come to this address at four o’clock tomorrow and I’ll tell you.’ She spelled out the new address. ‘And if you want to stay for a meal and a drink, that’ll be fine. But don’t, under any circumstances, give the address to Sebastian. It’s Lou’s new house, you see, and I’m staying with him there, not at that nasty little flat.’

  ‘OK. Just let me find a pen. Right . . . got it.’

  When she put the phone down, Regina glanced towards the door and saw a shadow darken the thin strip of light from the landing. Intrigued, she went to open the door just a crack and saw her brother going quietly down the stairs.

  She shook her head. He’d always been sneaky and suspicious, but really, he was being ridiculous now. She hoped Minnie managed to stay out of his clutches, but she was doubtful. He usually got what he wanted in the long run.

  She went to lie on the bed, trying to read her novel, but tonight even her favourite author failed to hold her attention because she was worrying about her daughter, who was not answering the phone.

  What was Nikki doing? Had she come to her senses yet? Regina was hoping desperately that Nikki wouldn’t opt to have that baby and ruin her whole life.

  In England, Tim had found them a flat, or more accurately, a bedsitter. He and Nikki went to look at it.

  ‘How can we fit into this?’ she asked, hating the dingy place and the bathroom on the landing, shared with two other tenants.

  ‘It’s all we can afford. We’ll get somewhere else before the baby comes, somewhere better. I’ll have left school and be working by then.’

  She went to bounce on the old-fashioned double bed, pulling a face as it sagged and creaked.

  He came to sit beside her, taking her hand. ‘We’ll make it work, Nikki. We have to. And you won’t be looking after the baby on your own. I intend to be a modern, hands-on father.’

  ‘I think you want this baby more than I do.’ She’d meant it to tease him, but it came out too sharply for that.

  ‘Does that upset you?’

  ‘I don’t know. I don’t know anything lately.’

  Six

  Miranda enjoyed overseeing the removal. She knew she was good at organizing things – well, she’d had to be, living with a perfectionist like her father. The packers came at six o’clock in the morning, by which time she and Lou were both up and fed. He seemed to sleep very little at night and was always up earlier than her, though he did doze from time to time during the day.

  She sent him off to the new house with a packed lunch and his laptop. At least with a wheelchair she didn’t need to worry about him finding a seat. When she’d waved him goodbye, she turned her attention to the packing. Others might be doing the physical work, but she still wanted to keep an eye on everything.

  It surprised her how quickly everything was put into boxes – but then, Lou didn’t have many smaller personal possessions, not even a lot of clothes. Strange, that. Had his niece got rid of everything else he owned? Perhaps most of his stuff was in storage.

  By nine o’clock they were ready to leave, so she called the house cleaning service before taking a last walk round the flat with the man in charge of the removal, checking that cupboards were empty and every single possession removed.

  If sounds had seemed to echo from other flats before, they were doubly noticeable now that the place was empty.

  Fancy expecting Lou to live here! He wasn’t a poor man and he’d need more space not less as he got increasingly confined to the home. And yet, even this was nicer than the place her brother had bought for her. She got angry every time she thought of that.

  She hoped Lou was taking it easy this morning. She didn’t like to see him fighting exhaustion. He got so upset when his energy wouldn’t enable him to do what he wanted, though he tried to hide that from her and never spoke sharply or took his annoyance out on her, like her father and Sebastian.

  Far from taking it easy, Lou was directing another set of removalists, who were bringing some large pieces of furniture, books, artwork, all the personal possessions and treasures that his niece had put into temporary storage when she moved him into that stark flat which he hoped never to see again. Hilary had urged him to get rid of these things, but hadn’t dared sell them herself, because some of them were quite valuable.

  If he hadn’t been between houses when he fell ill, he’d have made sure he had a proper home to come out of hospital to. He’d taken over management of the storage from Hilary as soon as he was himself again, just as he’d taken back every facet of his life that he could control.

  He rolled his wheelchair into the main living room and took great pleasure in directing the men where to put the sofas, tables and paintings he’d chosen so carefully in happier times. At one point he realized he hadn’t done anything about Miranda’s financial situation. Frowning, he found a piece of paper and scrawled an impromptu codicil to his will, bequeathing the contents of this part of the house to Miranda. He called in the two removalists and had them witness it, then called a courier service and sent the paper off to Sally Patel. He’d do a proper will later.

  Miranda would have a few surprises when he was gone, and she deserved them too. Already she’d made him feel happier, not just given him a purpose in life but a friend to share his final days.

  He smiled at that thought, then frowned. If he made things too easy for her, she’d not continue to grow. He’d set his heart on her becoming independent and fulfilled, felt that it would be a worthy final achievement to give another human being what he’d been born with: the gift of confidence.

  Not only had her family treated her appallingly and, even now, like a person with an ongoing disability, but from things she’d inadvertently let drop, friends had deserted her, too. Mental illness still had a stigma to
it.

  He took out his hand-held computer and made a note to ask Sally about making a better will. It’d be complex but it needed to be watertight. The temporary will was just insurance.

  No, this had to be done properly and carefully. Miranda deserved that protection.

  There were still packing cases full of smaller items to sort out, but he wanted to do that slowly. He’d enjoy having objects he considered old friends around him once more and was looking forward to sharing his treasures with Miranda. He hadn’t collected them for their value or to show off, but out of love for them. He told the removalists to put all the boxes with red stickers in one of the empty rooms.

  Then the men were gone and peace reigned for a time.

  He smiled as he looked round the hall. This beautiful house had cheered him up greatly even in the short time he’d spent here. He’d not worked hard all his life to end his days in a poky flat, or in one room of a hospice, either.

  How lucky that he’d met Miranda that day in the park! Fate’s final gift in a life that had been highly satisfying and fulfilling until recently.

  When Miranda arrived at the new house, the front door was open, so she went inside, stopping in the magnificent hall to gape at the living and dining areas, which had the basic furniture in them already. There was no sign of Lou, so she went out to the patio.

  As she’d expected, he was there, looking tired but at the same time happy, his fine silver hair ruffled, his cheeks flushed. She saw the empty flask of coffee and a used mug on the little wall beside his chair but no sign of the food she’d packed. ‘Are you hungry? Shall I get you some lunch?’

  ‘Good idea. I’ve been too busy to think of food.’

  ‘You should have let me arrange the removal of your other things. Why didn’t you?’

  ‘I wanted to do that myself, to give you a surprise. Come and look at what I’ve got set out so far.’

  The furniture was beautiful, though it needed smaller items like side tables to set it off.

  ‘I’ve got artwork and ornaments in boxes in that room across the hall, but I want to unpack them gradually. Sit on that couch. Try it out. If you don’t find it comfortable, we’ll get you something else to sit on.’

  ‘It looks far too elegant to use. White leather!’

  ‘Things are made for people to enjoy, Miranda. Never forget that.’

  So she sat down for a moment or two, sighing with delight at the comfort and watching the pleasure on his face as he looked round.

  But she couldn’t settle. ‘The removalists will be here in a few minutes. Is it all right if I give them something to eat? We have enough to make sandwiches for them as well as us.’

  He looked so angry she wondered what she’d done and her heart began to pound with anxiety. She watched him close his eyes, take a few deep breaths then open them again.

  ‘Miranda, let that be the last time you ask me what you’re allowed to do in your own home.’

  To her relief his voice was gentle. It took a minute for his words to sink in and longer for her to realize what he meant. ‘But it’s you who’s paying for all this.’

  ‘As you very well know, the house is leased in your name. You could throw me out if you wanted to.’

  She was shocked to the core. ‘I’d never do that. You know I wouldn’t.’

  ‘Yes, I do know. But I want you to be safe after I die.’

  ‘You’re incredibly kind.’

  ‘So are you.’ He held her gaze for a minute then continued. ‘I want us to share this house and I’m relying on you to manage it for me. I’ve never run a house, have always been too busy running my . . . um, company, and I’m not going to waste my final months on learning about domestic details.’

  He held up one hand as she opened her mouth to apologize so she waited for him to finish.

  ‘I don’t mean I want you to cook and scrub for me, either. I’ll hire people for that. But I do need you to manage them.’

  ‘I’ve never had more than a cleaning lady, but I’ll try.’

  ‘I’m sure you’ll succeed. If anyone gives you trouble, we’ll sack them. But we can’t sack your family, especially Sebastian, so you need to learn to stand up to him if you’re to enjoy the rest of your life. I won’t be here to help you for long.’

  Tears came into her eyes and she tried to blink them away, but she could tell he’d noticed. He didn’t miss a thing. ‘I do wish you wouldn’t keep saying that!’

  ‘I have to.’ His voice grew quieter, as he added, ‘For myself as well as for you.’ After a few quiet breaths, he continued more robustly, ‘Now, how about we bring your antiques here as well. There’s plenty of room. Then we can sort out the horrible furniture Hilary bought me for that flat and put it into the servants’ quarters.’ He grinned at her expression. ‘You hadn’t even realized there were servants’ quarters, had you?’

  ‘No. We didn’t go to see them. Goodness, what else is there here?’

  ‘All sorts of outbuildings, including a six-car garage. We’ll go and explore everything later, after I’ve had a rest. Once the removalists have gone, we’ll have the rest of the day to ourselves.’

  ‘Oh, dear. I’ve invited my sister over for a coffee this afternoon. She’s leaving for the UK tomorrow, you see. I told her this was your house and asked her not to tell Sebastian where we are, and I’m pretty sure she won’t betray us, but—’ She saw his frown come back.

  ‘You can tell Sebastian where we are yourself. Tomorrow would be a good time to do that.’

  ‘Can’t we wait a few days? He’s bound to come stickybeaking.’

  ‘The sooner you tell him the better. Practice makes perfect.’ His grin returned. ‘Now, what’s for lunch? I dumped the food you gave me in the kitchen.’

  ‘Come and choose. I’ll need to go shopping soon, then I’ll really show you how well I can cook.’

  ‘Lay on, McDuff!’

  ‘And damned be him that first cries, “Hold, enough!”’ She continued the quotation from Macbeth, not at all surprised that Lou knew it correctly, though most people said, ‘Lead on, McDuff.’

  He showed a better appetite for his midday meal, she was pleased to see. By then the removalists were working with goodwill after clearing a plate of hearty corned beef sandwiches and drinking mugs of tea.

  Oh, how she loved this house; the spacious rooms, the lack of clutter, the peace that settled when she and Lou were alone!

  Regina thought at first that the taxi had brought her to the wrong place, but when she checked the address, it was correct. Was Miranda really living in this huge house now?

  Her sister opened the door as Regina waved off the taxi and she went inside, eyeing her surroundings curiously. ‘Wow!’

  ‘Isn’t it lovely? Lou’s having a rest. Come and sit on the terrace.’

  ‘Can I look round first?’

  ‘I’ll show you the main living areas, but I don’t want to disturb Lou.’

  ‘How long have you two been together? And how did you hide your relationship from Dad and Sebastian? He’s hopping mad at you anyway, but he’ll throw an absolute hissy fit when he sees where you’re living.’

  ‘It’s none of his business, but I’ll probably ring him tonight or tomorrow.’ Miranda hesitated, then added, ‘We only moved in today so I’ve not got the place straight yet. It’s bigger than we need, really, but we had to find somewhere with a lift for Lou, you see.’

  ‘What’s wrong with him?’

  ‘Problem with his spine.’

  ‘Poor thing.’

  Miranda glared at her so fiercely Regina was amazed.

  ‘Poor thing? I’d never think of Lou like that. Never! He copes with whatever life throws at him, and copes well.’

  ‘Sorry. Didn’t mean to upset you. He must have a pile of money. You’ve landed on your feet for once.’

  ‘I’m not with him for the money!’

  Regina didn’t need telling that. ‘No. You wouldn’t be.’

  ‘Let’s not talk ab
out that. Have you heard from Nikki?’

  She let Miranda change the subject, wondering if she’d meet this Lou before they left. ‘No. I rang her again very early this morning, which would be late yesterday evening in England, but she didn’t answer. She was probably out with that idiot who got her up the duff!’

  ‘Don’t you want grandchildren?’

  ‘Not particularly, and certainly not now.’

  ‘I wish I had some. Well, I may have some already, but I’ll never know, will I?’

  Regina patted her sister’s shoulder, but couldn’t help wondering whether Nikki would be upset all her life if she had an abortion. She shook her head in bafflement. Surely not in this day and age? Things were different from when Minnie got pregnant, nearly thirty years ago.

  ‘You could register your adoption and your willingness to make contact, you know,’ she suggested.

  Miranda nodded. ‘I could, couldn’t I? I mentioned it once to Father and he said he’d throw me out if I did that. But since he died I’ve been thinking of it again. Sebastian won’t be happy, though.’

  ‘You’re out of our dear brother’s clutches now, surely?’

  ‘Not really. He’s still in charge of the trust.’

  ‘Look, Miranda, don’t let him stop you from doing what you want. You need to grab hold of life and do your own thing. It may be a cliché but it’s important, because this isn’t a rehearsal, this is it.’

  She was pleased to see her sister nod and look thoughtful so didn’t labour the point.

  Upstairs, Lou was listening unashamedly to the two women’s conversation, using the intercom system to eavesdrop. This house had had a few extra tricks like that added, accessed only from the master bedroom and upstairs office. The more he learned about the house from the notes the agent had passed to him, the more he liked it.

  He listened to the two women for a while longer, then picked up his phone and dialled an employment agency he knew. Paying well above the usual rate should get him all the help he wanted, and quickly.