by Anna King
‘I’m not accustomed to making idle observations. I firmly believe in telling the truth, no matter how much it may hurt the person involved. Now then, you dry your eyes, and if you don’t mind, I’ll finish my breakfast before leaving. But I’ll be back tonight, with my friend.’
Yet he made no effort to move. The sight of the lovely young woman in such distress tugged at his heart strings, and with an uncharacteristic gesture, he reached forward and took her in his arms and waited patiently until Rebecca had cried herself out.
Chapter Twenty
‘What time is my mummy coming, Bessie?’
Bessie, her head submerged in the black-leaded range, checking on the enormous turkey that had been in the oven since seven that morning, didn’t answer at once. The boy had been asking the same question since six o’clock. He was already dressed in his beige winter coat, long black socks and the new shoes he was so proud of. By his feet was a small suitcase he had packed the night before, so he would be all ready to leave as soon as his mother arrived. His handsome little face was alight with nervous excitement; and the sight of him sitting so quietly, trying so hard to hide his apprehension, nearly broke Bessie’s heart. It was now nearly nine-thirty and still there was no sign of Heather. In her heart of hearts she prayed the woman wouldn’t show. James would be devastated, but Bessie was a firm believer in time being a great healer, especially in the case of children. Using the pretext of basting the turkey to hide her feelings, Bessie answered cheerfully, ‘Now don’t you go getting yourself in a state, lad. Your mummy will be here soon enough. Or are you in that great a hurry to see the back of us all?’
Instantly the boy was all contrition. ‘Oh, no, Bessie. I like it here now, and I like you and Jimmy, and especially Amy. But I’ll come back and see you, honest I will.’
Bessie’s face, still averted, bore a mask of sadness. She, like Jimmy, hadn’t wanted the child, but now neither of them could imagine life without him. As for his innocent declaration that he would see them often, that would be in the hands of Heather Mills. And if Bessie knew the woman, which she did only too well, then Heather would keep the child away from them out of spite, until she wanted more money.
In the living room above, Jimmy was pacing the floor impatiently. He was anxious for Heather to arrive so that he could get the business regarding the child resolved. One thing he was determined on was that when Heather left this house she would leave alone. There was no way on God’s earth he was going to let her take his son with her. If she had been a good mother then things would have been different, but as things stood, he wasn’t going to let his son be passed around from one so-called uncle to another.
When the doorbell pealed, Jimmy froze, then, squaring his shoulders, he prepared for battle.
Bessie heard the bell, but before she could move, James was off the chair and running towards the front door as fast as his short legs would allow him.
‘Mummy! Mummy!’ His childish cries of delight echoed around the large house, the sound causing the two people who had grown to love and care for him enormous pain, knowing that the child’s delight was going to be short-lived.
Looking over the banister, Jimmy saw Heather, resplendent in a maroon velvet coat and matching hat, enter the house and scoop the small body up into her arms.
‘Oh, sweetheart,’ she cooed. ‘I’ve missed you so much. Have you missed me?’
His face glowing with happiness, and his voice quivering with suppressed tears of relief and joy, James answered fervently, ‘Oh, yes, Mummy. I’ve prayed every night that you’d come back.’ His voice broke. ‘You… you won’t leave me again, will you, Mummy?’
Laughing gaily, Heather hugged the tiny form close to her voluptuous body. ‘Of course I won’t, silly. I’m back now and as soon as I’ve had a word with Jimmy, we’ll be on our way. We don’t want Father Christmas coming tonight and finding you not with me, do we?’
‘Oh, no, Mummy, ’cos he won’t know where I am, will he? Have you sent him a letter telling him where I’ll be tonight?’
Heather let out another peal of laughter. ‘Of course I have, darling. Now you go and sit with Bessie until I’ve finished talking with Jimmy, there’s a good boy.’
But the child hung on to his mother, terrified to let her go.
Seeing the situation, Bessie quickly took charge. Briskly taking hold of James she said gruffly, ‘You come and ’ave yer breakfast first, me lad. You don’t want ter pass out in the street from lack of food.’ Darting a malevolent glance over the young head, she looked directly into Heather’s eyes, mouthing silently, ‘Though I don’t suppose it’d be the first time, would it?’
The geniality dropped from Heather’s face as she returned the look of hate that flowed between her and her old adversary.
Afraid that in a minute the two women would be at each other’s throats, Jimmy swiftly intervened. Leaning over the banister, he called out, ‘If you’d like to come upstairs, Heather, I believe we have some business to discuss.’
The coldness in his voice sent a momentary qualm through Heather’s body, then she shrugged. Jimmy and that old cow could hate her as much as they liked, it made no difference to her. Judging by the way Bessie had acted towards James, it was evident the child had wormed his way into the elderly woman’s affections. Hopefully he’d had the same effect on Jimmy.
Climbing the stairs in a slow, maddening, superior manner, Heather entered the sumptuous living room and proceeded to make herself at home. Sitting down on the plush settee, she looked up at Jimmy and drawled confidently, ‘Well, Jimmy, how do you like your son? He’s a nice little chap, isn’t he?’ She gave a tinkling laugh. ‘I was almost afraid he might have forgotten me. After all, children do forget quite easily, but it seems I needn’t have worried. I see you’ve bought him new clothes, that was very thoughtful of you.’
‘Cut the crap, Heather, and let’s get down to business.’ Jimmy’s voice and eyes were like stone, but it was the loathing etched on his rugged face that chilled Heather to the bone. She hadn’t expected to be welcomed with open arms, but never had she imagined her reception would be this bad.
‘I’ll get straight to the point, Heather. How much do you want for the child? Because that’s what this is all about, isn’t it? To get as much money out of me as you can. But before I part with one penny, I want proof James is really my son.’
At the mention of money, Heather’s spirits rose. Delving into her handbag, she pulled out a long document and handed it to Jimmy. ‘I think you’ll find this is proof enough, Jimmy. It’s James’s birth certificate, and as you can see, you’re named as his father. And as his father you’re obligated to support him. What have you to say now, Jimmy?’ Her lips curved into a gloating smile, Heather watched as Jimmy scanned the birth certificate. Then her smile faltered as Jimmy let out a loud, triumphant laugh.
‘You’re right, Heather. As his father I have a duty to support him. I also have the right to keep him here with me. And that’s exactly what I intend to do. I don’t, however, have any obligation to support you, but I’m a fair man, so I’ve decided to give you a hundred pounds, for old times’ sake.’
Stunned at the unexpected turn of events, Heather was rendered speechless. Then, as the full realisation that she had been beaten at her own game sank in, Heather’s lips curled back over her teeth in fury, and with a loud scream she sprang from the settee, her arm raised ready to strike out at the grinning man, but Jimmy was too quick for her. Leisurely catching hold of her arm, he drawled, ‘Now, now, Heather, we don’t want any unpleasantness, do we? I could decide to take back my offer. It’s up to you, but I want an answer now. I’m a busy man with a full day’s work ahead of me. So, what’s it to be?’
Heather glared at him with hate-filled eyes. ‘You bastard,’ she spat at him. ‘You cold-hearted, miserable bastard. Well, you can stick your paltry hundred pounds. I’m taking James with me, and there’s nothing you can do about it. Unless you want your son to witness the spectacle of his parents brawling over him
.’
With a sharp twist of his wrist, Jimmy sent Heather spinning across the room. ‘You’re taking the boy nowhere, you mercenary bitch. You thought you were so clever, didn’t you, but you made three big mistakes. First of all, no court in the land would give you custody of a child, not after hearing about all these so-called uncles you seem to acquire by the bucket load. And the fact that you were prepared to sell him for the right price wouldn’t go down too well either. Not even the most sympathetic of judges would hand James over to you, not after hearing all the evidence concerning your character. Furthermore, it just so happens I have a very good friend who happens to be a judge. We go back a long way, me and Bernard Forsythe. If you’re stupid enough to try and take me to court, it’ll be simple enough to ensure Bernard is on the bench at the trial. Your second mistake was in trying to palm off a forged birth certificate on me.’ Jimmy gave vent to a low growl. ‘You know, Heather, I gave you more credit than you’re entitled to. Surely you must know that that piece of paper wouldn’t stand up in a court of law? Oh, it may be my name that’s written on it, but it isn’t my signature, a fact that can be easily verified. Which is a shame on your part, because if the certificate had been valid, you might have had a chance of keeping James. But your third, and by far the worse mistake was thinking you could blackmail me into keeping you in a life of luxury.’
Shaking his head in amusement, Jimmy added, ‘You know Heather, I had you down as a lot of things, but I never thought of you as a stupid woman, but then greed often clouds the mind, and they don’t come any greedier than you.’ Standing with his back to the fireplace Jimmy arched his eyebrows. ‘Well, Heather, what’s it to be? Are you prepared to fight me in court for James, or take the money offered? But be assured that if you do decide to take the money, it’ll be the last penny you’ll ever get out of me. With that thought in mind, I’d advise you to invest it wisely – it’s going to have to last you a long time. So make your mind up. Like I’ve already said, I haven’t got all day.’
Rubbing her bruised wrist, Heather tried to control her breathing. That damned birth certificate! She had paid some virtual stranger five pounds to sign Jimmy’s name on the document, not stopping to think Jimmy would query its origin. She should have known better. Jimmy had always been very thorough. An hour ago, she had been filled with the prospect of receiving monthly sums of money in exchange for allowing Jimmy to see his son on a regular basis. There had also been the hope that in due course the feelings Jimmy had once had for her would return. Now all those hopes and dreams had turned to dust. For a brief, rage-filled moment she considered calling Jimmy’s bluff and fighting for custody of the child, but that idea was quickly squashed. Jimmy had been right in his assumption that no court would allow her to keep James, not with the damning evidence that could be dredged up. Jimmy thought he knew all about her, but there were some things he didn’t know. Things that caused her, as hard as she was, sleepless nights of shame. But those secrets would soon come to light if the law was to get involved. She had no doubt that Jimmy would hire private investigators if necessary. After all, as he had pointed out, he was an important man now, with important friends – one of them a High Court judge.
Lifting her head up proudly, she said quietly, ‘All right, Jimmy, you win. I don’t have any choice now, do I?’
Jimmy’s eyes flickered over his former lover. If he had seen just a glimmer of real emotion in her, he might have relented, but he could detect no remorse or grief at the thought of giving up her only child. Opening a drawer in the bureau, he took out a long, white envelope and handed it to Heather.
‘It’s all there. You can count it if you want. After all, I wouldn’t want to be accused of cheating you out of your blood money.’
Silently Heather took the envelope and placed it in her bag, carefully keeping her face averted so that Jimmy couldn’t see the bitterness on her face. She may have lost the war, but the battle wasn’t over yet, not by a long chalk.
‘Goodbye, Jimmy. I wish I could say it’s been nice seeing you again, but under the circumstances it—’
‘Just a minute, Heather. Aren’t you forgetting something?’
Heather turned in surprise. ‘I don’t think so. Unless you want a receipt for the money.’
Jimmy uttered a derisory laugh. ‘As a matter of fact I did intend to make you sign a document stating that you had accepted my offer as a one-off payment, but I don’t think that will be necessary now. No. I was referring to James. Don’t you even want to see him one last time, or are you so heartless you intend to walk out of his life without so much as a last embrace?’
Heather lifted her shoulders in resignation. ‘What good would that do? I don’t see any point in prolonging the situation. All things considered, I think it would be better all round if I just slipped away quietly. I’ll leave it to you to explain why his mother can’t take him home with her. I hope he’ll be understanding when you tell him the truth. That you’ve threatened me with the law if I try to take him home with me. Somehow, I don’t imagine James is going to be very happy with you, Jimmy. In fact he may come to hate you as much as I do. Goodbye, Jimmy.’
Her words cut through Jimmy like a knife, then he drew himself upright. Squaring his shoulders, he said gruffly, ‘I’ll manage, Heather. You see, I’ve grown to love the boy, and in time I hope he’ll learn to love me. But there’s one thing I have to know before you leave. It’s something that’s been gnawing at the back of my mind for weeks. Why on earth didn’t you marry Sean Finnegan when you had the chance? From what James has told me, the man was obviously besotted with you. He was wealthy, had what James describes as a castle set in its own grounds, and I would imagine a healthy bank balance. It doesn’t make sense that a woman like you would pass up the opportunity of marriage to such a man.’
Standing by the open doorway, Heather answered softly, ‘I had my reasons, but you’d never believe me. Goodbye, Jimmy.’
In a flash, Jimmy was by her side. ‘Hang on, I’ll walk down with you, and, Heather…’ Jimmy gripped her elbow tightly. ‘If James appears you leave the talking to me, and agree with anything I say; d’yer understand?’
Heather flicked her gaze over him disdainfully. ‘My, my, your newly acquired grammar nearly deserted you then, Jimmy, but all right, I’ll go along with whatever you say. In fact I’d be interested to hear how you’re going to explain my departure.’
Keeping a tight grip on her arm, Jimmy led Heather down the stairs, hoping and praying James wouldn’t hear them, but he hadn’t counted on Heather’s malicious nature, or the fact that she had given in to his demands too easily.
They were at the front door when Heather turned, smiled sweetly at Jimmy, then raising her voice she called out, ‘Bye, Bessie. It was a pleasure seeing you again after all these years.’
Taken by surprise, Jimmy hadn’t a chance to push her out of the door before James’s high-pitched voice shattered the air. ‘Mummy, Mummy. Where’re you going? Wait for me, Mummy, wait for me.’
His features contorted with a murderous rage, Jimmy slammed Heather up against the wall. ‘You spiteful bitch,’ he hissed furiously. ‘You say one more word to upset James and I swear, I’ll break your fucking neck, you old slag.’
All her bravado vanishing, Heather swallowed nervously and nodded, for the look in Jimmy’s eyes left her in no doubt he wouldn’t hesitate to carry out his threat if pushed too far.
‘Whoa, there, little fellow, don’t panic, your mummy’s just got to go out for a little while.’ Jimmy scooped the small form up into his arms and swung him high in the air. ‘Anyway, weren’t you going to go Christmas shopping with Amy, or have you changed your mind about getting me and Bessie a present? And your mummy, of course.’
James’s small face looked from one parent to the other, his initial panic subsiding a little at Jimmy’s genial tone and manner. ‘I didn’t forget, but I thought Mummy was going to wait here until I got back.’ His wide eyes searched Heather’s face for reassurance. ‘I
won’t be long, Mummy. Amy and me are only going down the market, not up the West End like Jimmy took me yesterday, that would take too long.’
Heather forced a smile. ‘You went up the West End? My, that must have been a treat for you. It’s a wonderful place to visit at this time of year. Did you enjoy yourself?’
‘Oh, yes, Mummy. It was smashing. Sure, and I’ve never seen anything like it before. The shops were so big, Jimmy had to hold my hand all the time in case I got lost, and when we were out in the street he lifted me on his shoulders so I could see over all the people’s heads. And afterwards we had dinner in a big restaurant with proper waiters in posh uniforms. I wish you could have come with us, Mummy.’ His little face lit up as he recalled his excursion of the previous afternoon. ‘I know, Mummy,’ he cried excitedly, ‘we can all go next year.’ Turning to Jimmy, he asked hopefully, ‘Can we, Mister?’
Jimmy gazed into the trusting, pleading eyes, his heart beating hard against his ribcage. The child would know the reality of the situation soon enough, why spoil his Christmas by telling him the truth now?
‘Of course we can, son. Now you give your mummy a kiss, then go and help Bessie until Amy arrives. She should be here soon… Ah, speak of the devil.’ Jimmy let out a sigh of relief as he spotted Amy walking towards the house.
When Amy had turned the corner she had seen the woman standing in the doorway with Jimmy and had recognised her instantly. Her steps slowing, her heart filled with sadness, she reluctantly approached the house. It looked like Becky had been right after all, for the sight of the trio framed in the open doorway made a charming picture of the perfect family.
‘Sorry I’m a bit late, Jimmy. I had to get some last-minute shopping. Hello, James, I see you’re all dressed and ready to go down the market.’ Deliberately ignoring the red-haired woman’s presence, Amy wedged herself between Jimmy and Heather, her arms held out to James. ‘Come on, love. We’d better get going before all the bargains are gone. See you later, Jimmy, I won’t keep him out too long.’
