by Anna Jacobs
'Yes?'
'Is that Mrs Corrigan, Kate's mother?'
'Yes. Is Kate all right?'
'She's fine. Look, this is Maeve, Leo's sister. Could I speak to him, please? And if he tries to refuse, tell him Des has just died.'
There was a gasp and the phone was put down, then a woman's voice called out to someone to come quickly.
When the phone was picked up again, a man's voice said, 'Is that true, Maeve? Has Des really died?'
'Yes. He had a heart attack, seemed to be recovering then had another one a few days later in hospital. They couldn't save him.'
'I can't believe it.'
'No. I'm having a bit of trouble believing it myself.'
There was a moment's silence, then he added, 'And you're ill too, my wife tells me.'
'Yes. So I think - don't you? - that it's time we stopped feuding. Will you come to Des's funeral, Leo?'
There was a moment's silence, then, 'Yes.'
'I'll get my assistant to book tickets for you and your wife. No, don't argue with me. My company will have a better chance of getting emergency seats than you would.'
'Very well. Um - is Kate there?'
'No. She's not got back from her iron transfusion. Shall I ask her to ring you when she does?'
'Please. I'd like to speak to her. And Maeve - thank you for letting me know. I haven't seen Des for years, but we rang one another every now and then.'
She sighed. 'Which puts you in a happier position than me. I wish . . . well, it's too late for that now. Look, I've to go into hospital for some more tests tomorrow, so I'll get my PA, Andy Blauman, to arrange things. Goodbye.'
She let the phone drop on to the bed as if it had suddenly become too heavy and Lily took it off her and put it back in its cradle.
'Will you fetch Andy?'
She nodded and went along the corridor to knock on his door. It made you think. Her aunt had quarrelled with her brothers and not spoken to them for over twenty years. She didn't want it to be like that between herself and her mother - even if she did want to live with her father.
When she went back into her bedroom, leaving Andy and Maeve together, she hesitated, then picked up the phone. 'Mum? Yes, it's Lily. No, I don't want to come home but - Mum, will you just listen, please! There's some really bad news. He's died. No, not Dad, my biological father, Des Corrigan. He had a heart attack this morning and they couldn't save him. Yes, I'm fine. Look, I can't talk for long because they may need the phone. I just - thought you should know.'
'All right. Thanks for ringing, Lily.'
Kerry put the phone down and turned to explain to Wayne what had happened.
'Does his death make any difference to us?' He frowned at her. 'Or are you still carrying a torch for that guy?'
'No, of course not.' She chewed her lip for a moment or two, then decided to tell him. 'Des has been paying maintenance for Lily right from the start.'
'But you said Cal's been paying maintenance.'
'He has. They both have. And Des has been paying Lily's school fees, too.' She shrugged. 'I didn't see why he should get away scot free. It's not as if he was short of money.'
A slow smile lifted the corners of Wayne's mouth. 'You're a girl after my own heart, Kerry.'
She shrugged. 'I'd as soon Cal didn't know about Des's money. I suppose it'll stop now. Well, at least Lily rang to tell me. Wayne, have I been wrong, wanting to take her with us?'
'Seems normal for a mother to do that. Why? Have you changed your mind?'
'I'd rather take her, but . . . well, she's been so adamant and ran away rather than stay with me ... it makes you think.' She spread her hands wide. 'If I leave her with Cal, she'll grow up as soft as him. The thought of that annoys me, I must admit. And I hate backing away from a fight, just hate it!'
'So do I, honey, but sometimes you need to cut your losses.'
'I don't know what to do about her.'
'Do nothing. Think about it some more. Let the two of them stew for a while.'
'I don't want Lily to stew.' She smiled. 'But I don't mind letting Cal worry for a bit longer.'
'Do you want to go back to my mother's?' Judith asked when Tiffany and Mitch had rejoined them in the waiting room.
'The hospital needs some papers signing,' Tiffany said. 'I think legally you'll need to do that. And what I really want is to go back to my own flat, not that I'm ungrateful. I think your mother is a very special person.'
'You shouldn't be on your own at a time like this.'
'You're very generous, but I can cope. I've been living mainly on my own for quite a few years.' She sighed and wiped away another tear. 'But I'll miss him. He was such fun.'
'He was, wasn't he? Selfish, aggressive, greedy - but fun.'
Mitch looked at Tiffany. 'Your baby will be my brother or sister. I want to know it as it grows up. I've been kept from my other sisters a lot of the time, and I don't want to be kept away from this one.'
'You're welcome to visit any time. I think it'll be good for the baby to have a brother like you.'
Mitch blushed and nodded, his eyes still bright with tears.
Judith could feel herself flushing at what he'd said. 'What about the funeral?'
'You won't try to keep me away?' Tiffany asked.
'Of course not. I meant - do you want to help plan it?'
Tiffany thought for a moment, then shook her head. 'No. I don't know anything about funerals. All I care about is being there to say a final farewell to Des.' She gulped and pressed one hand to her mouth, tears rolling down her cheeks.
'I'll take you down to find a taxi, Tiffany,' Cal said when she'd pulled herself together a bit. 'Will you and Mitch be all right for a minute or two, Judith?'
'Yes, of course.'
As she was speaking a nurse came in. 'Mrs Corrigan? There are some papers we need you to sign.'
Later, as the three of them were leaving the hospital, Cal said, 'Had we better go and see Maeve? She may want to be involved too. He was her brother, after all.'
'I suppose so.'
'You look exhausted.'
'I do feel tired. And it's only mid-afternoon. Mitch, we didn't have lunch. You must be hungry.'
He shook his head.
'Then we'll go and see your aunt now, get it over with.'
At the hotel they found Maeve sitting on her own in the suite.
'I'm glad you came. Do sit down. Lily's talking to a psychologist.' She gestured to a closed door.
Cal stopped dead. 'What's wrong with her?'
'She's upset about a lot of things. It seemed a good idea to get her some counselling, and also it should give you ammunition for keeping her with you, Mr Richmond. Do sit down.'
'Call me Cal, please. I'm not one for formality, Miss Corrigan.' But his eyes were on the closed door.
'Nor am I, especially in the circumstances. Now, I have to go into hospital tomorrow for some tests, but it'd still be best if we used this hotel as a central meeting point. I've hired another suite here and suggest we use it as a place to gather.'
She picked up a pad from the small table next to her. 'Now, what else is there? Oh, yes. I've arranged for a lawyer to talk to you and Lily tomorrow morning, Cal. He's coming here. Lily's afraid her mother will try to snatch her if she goes out. Is that all right with you? Good. And Judith, can we postpone Des's funeral for a few days? It'd be good to wait for Leo and his wife to arrive from Australia. Mitch and Lily will want to meet their Australian aunt and uncle, I think. And there are Mitch's other two sisters to think of. Could you break the news to them, please?'
Judith nodded, feeling as if she'd been picked up by a gentle whirlwind and wondering what Des's sister had been like when she was in full health.
Maeve looked into the distance for a minute or two. 'It looks as if Des's death has brought about a big reunion of the Corrigans. I hope you'll all be involved. A lot of fences can be mended at a funeral. And Lily should know her brother and sisters, her cousins, don't you think? Do you w
ant me to arrange the funeral, Judith, or shall you?'
'I'll do it. My mother and I have some experience in that area. My father died a couple of years ago.'
'Then I hope you'll let me host a gathering afterwards? Good. We'll have it here, of course. It's quite my favourite London hotel.'
As Judith and Mitch rode back in a taxi to her mother's, he said, 'I'd like to be the one who tells Lacey and Emma, and their mother, about Dad.'
'All right, darling.'
After a pause, he added thoughtfully, 'She's an amazing person, Aunt Maeve, isn't she? I'm glad I've got to know her before the cancer takes over. I'll never forget her.'
Twenty-Six
Sunshine spills over everything, defying death and darkness. Golden light dazzles the eye, warms the skin, winks from window panes and gilds the flowers.
When she got back to Cal's, Judith contacted the same funeral company they'd used for her father. They'd been both sensitive and efficient. Tired as she was, she agreed to see a representative within the hour and went through the main details with him. Cal sat quietly to one side, saying nothing, but as he'd said, 'Being there in case'.
His presence was a comfort she needed just then, because she still hadn't come to terms with Des's sudden death. It wasn't fair when he'd always been so full of life!
The following morning Cal helped her make a list of tasks and prioritize them. First of all, Corrigan International, which she'd put off 'til today. Someone had to keep an eye on Des's business, which was now, presumably, Mitch's inheritance. She knew nothing about the company, because Des hadn't wanted her involved in any way, but she could at least make sure it was being managed carefully during this interim period.
Cal took hold of her hand. 'I won't be much help, I'm afraid, but I'm here if you need me.'
'Thank you.' She rang head office, using the direct line to Des's secretary.
Pamela greeted her cheerfully. 'I'm so sorry about Mr Corrigan's heart attack. I hope he gets better soon.'
Judith hadn't realized she'd be breaking the sad news, had expected it to have filtered through to the office, as these things usually did. 'I'm afraid my husband died yesterday.'
There was dead silence, then, 'Oh, no! I'm so sorry! I didn't know.'
'How could you have? Is Mr Tate there?'
'He hasn't come in yet, Mrs Corrigan. He was here 'til very late last night, the security guard says. It looks as if he was going through the papers in your husband's office. I do wish he'd put things away. It took me over an hour to tidy up this morning.'
'I'd better come in, I think. Things are so much easier to arrange face to face. Perhaps you could give Mr Tate a ring at home and tell him about Des, ask him to come in as soon as he can.'
'He has an appointment with the accountant at eleven. Shall I cancel it?'
'No. I'll need to see Mr Welby myself. Will you let everyone know - about Des, I mean.'
'Yes, of course, Mrs Corrigan.'
When Judith arrived at the office, Pamela said, 'I rang Mr Tate, but there's no answer. Perhaps he's on his way here.'
'I hope so. I don't really know where to start.'
Half an hour later John Welby arrived, but there was still no sign of Raymond. Judith heard voices whispering in the outer office before the accountant was shown in and was relieved to be spared the task of explaining yet again that Des was dead. It didn't get any easier.
John came across the office to hold her hand for a moment. 'Pamela told me about Des. I can't believe it! He was so full of life, so enthusiastic, even now.'
'Why do you say "even now"?'
'Oh. I forgot you two were separated. He won't have told you - but I suppose you'll have to know. The company is experiencing a serious cashflow problem and Des was having to make economies, sell the house, you know the sort of thing. It was buying that engineering works in Cheshire that did it. I told him at the time it was a foolish move.'
'I thought he was financially stable, set up for life.'
Welby shook his head. 'Des enjoyed taking risks - and I have to say, many of them paid off. But in the past year or two, he's not been as lucky and there's been a considerable drain on our reserves, much of it going to that new company we're setting up.'
'Corrigan Engineering?'
'No, another one, Delferen.'
'I don't know anything about that.'
'Raymond was dealing with it. I was supposed to see him today to go over the accounts. Where is he?'
'No one knows. He was here 'til quite late, apparently. Pamela said he'd made a terrible mess of the office.'
'Strange. He told me two days ago that everything was ready for my inspection.'
There was a silence, then she took a quick decision. 'I think we'd better send someone round to Raymond's flat. He may just have slept in after working late, but we need him here now.' She gave Pamela instructions, then started going through the overall figures that John produced, trying to get a feel for how bad a position the company was in financially. What he had to tell her made her more depressed by the minute. All through their married life she'd felt so secure financially with Des, had never realized what a gambler he was. She didn't care about that for herself but would there be anything left for Mitch, who had his heart set on running the company one day?
There was a knock on the office door and Pamela poked her head inside. 'Peter's back from Mr Tate's and - well, I think you should hear what he found, Mrs Corrigan.'
The uneasiness that had been skittering through Judith collected suddenly into a hard lump in her belly. Something was very wrong here, she knew it.
Since Judith was busy, Cal went round to see his daughter. He ran into Kerry in the hotel lobby. She was standing tapping her toe impatiently by the reception desk but when she saw him, she snapped something to the harassed looking clerk and came striding across the shining expanse of marble.
'They won't let me up to see Lily,' she said by way of a greeting. 'Is this your doing? If so, you're going to be in trouble with my lawyers.'
'It's Maeve's doing, actually. Her lawyers think a responsible relative is a good person to look after Lily until you and I get things sorted out.'
'Well, I want to see her for myself, make sure she's all right.'
'You'll only upset her.'
Kerry took a deep breath, half-closing her eyes, then opened them and said, 'Doesn't anyone think it's possible that I may be upset too?'
He looked at her and saw the strain in her eyes. 'Give me ten minutes. I'll go up and see Lily, talk to her then come back down for you. You could wait in that cafe over there.'
'Ten minutes, not a second longer!'
He went to the reception desk and asked them to ring Miss Corrigan's suite and let her know he was on the way up.
A young woman opened the door to him and Lily came hurtling across the room to fling herself in his arms.
'Dad!' She peered down the corridor. 'Mum isn't with you, is she?' She pulled him inside and her companion shut the door. 'They rang from reception, said Mum wanted to come up but Kate told them no. Oh, you've not met, have you? This is my cousin Kate from Australia. This is my dad. You won't let Mum come up here, will you?'
'It's only natural that she would want to see you...'
'Well, I don't want to see her and Jerome - he's my counsellor - said I didn't have to if it upset me.'
'Kerry's on her own today, no sign of Wayne. If I stayed with you, don't you think you could spend five minutes in her company?'
Lily shook her head and began sobbing. 'I don't want to, Dad. Please don't make me.'
'All right, darling. I'll go down and explain. I'll be up again in a few minutes.'
He went across to the cafe and as Kerry started to get up, he shook his head and sat down opposite her.
'What did you say to her?'
'I suggested she see you for five minutes in my presence. Kerry, wait, listen!' As she sat down again, he said, 'She started crying at the mere thought of it. Kerry, you and Way
ne have seriously screwed that child up.'
She looked at him as if he'd slapped her face. 'You're just saying that.'
'I'm telling you the literal truth. You know I'd not lie about something so important.'
She bent her head for a moment, fiddling with her coffee cup. 'I didn't mean to upset her that much. I do love her, you know.'
'I know. In your own way. But it's not the way she wants or needs at the moment.'
'Would she see me if I promised not to shout or nag her to come to America ... or anything like that?'
He bit his lip then looked at her levelly. 'She's too upset this morning. I give you my solemn word that I'll try to set up a meeting. Please go home, Kerry. This has gone beyond you and me, now. It's Lily who's shattered by it all.'
'I only wanted the best for her, and Wayne could have given her that.'
'You care about money. I don't think she does.'
'No. You've certainly shaped her, haven't you?' She stood up. 'Very well. I'll go home. Tell her . . . Oh, hell, tell her she can stay with you from now on. But I need to see her first before we get into the legalities, to make sure she's all right. And I want to see her regularly after that'
He felt as if all the lights in the world were blazing brightly round him. 'You'll let me have custody of Lily?'
'Yes, damn you.' She got up without a word and walked out, not turning to look back at him, though he stood and watched her go. When she'd disappeared from sight, he went across to the lift and along to the suite. This time when the door opened, he found himself facing a man.
'I'm Mark Felton.' He stuck out his hand. 'I work for Miss Corrigan. Lily's still a bit upset.' He gestured towards the couch, where Lily was sitting with her cousin.
Cal went across to hug his daughter, then looked apologetically at the others. 'I need to speak to Lily privately.' Without waiting for an answer, he led her into her bedroom.
She sat on the bed, shoulders hunched, looking at him apprehensively. 'What did Mum say?'
'She was upset, had tears in her eyes.'
