Unexpected Blessings

by Barbara Taylor Bradford

  After taking only one step into the Stone Hall, Tessa stopped dead in her tracks and stared at Jack. ‘The rag doll! The first thing she’ll ask for is her Reggi. Hang on a minute, Jack, whilst I go and get it. I left it in the library.’

  He nodded, his eyes following her as she retraced their steps. She had hugged that doll to her for half the day, saying time and again to them all that Adele was undoubtedly heartbroken because she’d lost it. He sighed to himself. This was one hell of a mess, a bitter separation that would only become more and more acrimonious as time passed.

  When Paula had brought him in a few weeks ago to investigate Mark Longden, he had realized at once how troubled she was about her daughter’s husband. Paula was not the type of person to pry into people’s lives, have them checked out, rather she had great respect for everyone’s privacy. Once he had begun to dig, Jack was glad she had taken the steps she had; he hadn’t liked what he had discovered about Mark Longden and he had lost no time in bringing the information to Paula.

  Longden was very entangled with Paula’s cousin, Jonathan Ainsley, her great enemy and the enemy of the entire Harte family. Ainsley had hired Longden as the architect of his new mansion in Thirsk, and Longden had soon fallen under Jonathan’s bad influence. Booze and drugs and other women were the perks Mark was being offered. He had indulged and become addicted. Paula had been as appalled as he was, and worried for Tessa because of Mark’s violence towards her in the past. Even though they had already separated there was no telling what Mark Longden might do to her. Witness today. Snatching Adele was both cruel and dangerous, and yet Mark hadn’t hesitated. It’s blackmail, Jack thought, he set out to blackmail her and he succeeded. He’s after money, big money, as well as joint custody. He won’t get that, not with the evidence I have about his private life. But Paula will give him the money just to get rid of him. And good riddance to bad rubbish.

  ‘Here I am!’ Tessa exclaimed, hurrying into the Stone Hall, the rag doll in her hand. ‘You don’t know how she loves this bit of nothing. To her it’s the most precious thing in the world…’ Tessa paused, looked at Jack and said softly, ‘As she is the most precious thing to me. Thank you again, Jack, for getting her back. She’s the most important part of my life.’

  ‘I know that, Tess. And you ought to know by now that I’ll always help you any way I can. Why, I’ve known you since you were Adele’s age, and you looked just like she looks now.’

  ‘Mummy always says she’s the spitting image of me.’

  They crossed the small entrance hall and Jack unlocked the front door and opened it; they both stepped out onto the top step. The sky was pale blue and bright, the light crystalline on this August evening, and it was warm. Yet despite the mugginess he noticed that Tessa shivered slightly as she stared towards the drive, and he saw the strain settling on her face once more, picked up on her sudden tension. She had relaxed for only a brief moment and he knew she could barely contain herself as she waited for Adele.

  They glanced at each other as they suddenly heard wheels on the gravel drive, and within seconds a black Mercedes was turning the bend. Tessa started to move but Jack restrained her.

  ‘I know you long to hold her in your arms, but let us wait for a moment, Tessa. I need to see how Adele behaves when he takes her out of the car. I need to know if she’s frightened or upset, and, most importantly, if she’s afraid of her father. Those things are important for the divorce, you see.’

  ‘I understand,’ Tessa mumbled, but her agitation was growing and she was trembling excessively, could not keep a limb still.

  The car finally came to a standstill in the area near the privet hedge which was always used for parking. She wished he’d driven up to the front door, so anxious was she for her daughter’s return.

  Mark alighted, glanced across at Tessa and Jack in the doorway, then went around and lifted Adele out of the car.

  For a moment it seemed as though he was going to carry her over, but Adele began to struggle in his arms, and he had no option but to put her down on the ground.

  The child shot away from him, running to her mother, shouting, ‘Mumma! Mumma!’, moving as fast as her little legs would carry her. ‘I lost Reggi,’ she shouted and began to sob loudly.

  Tessa ran to meet her, afraid that the three-year-old was going to stumble and hurt herself, and as she drew close Tessa noticed how dishevelled Adele looked; her silver-gilt hair was a tangled mess, her face had black smudges on it and what looked like raspberry jam around her mouth, and her pale blue shirt and shorts were grubby.

  A split-second later Tessa was showing Adele the rag doll, exclaiming, ‘Look, here’s Reggi, I found her for you, darling.’

  ‘Oh Mumma. It’s my Reggi!’ Adele’s sobbing instantly stopped, and she lifted her tear-stained face to her mother, gave her a huge smile as she clutched the rag doll to her.

  Tessa, who was kneeling, pushed away her tears, smiled back and took Adele in her arms, hugged her close, filled with love for her small, defenceless little girl. And mingling with that love was enormous relief that she was now safely home. Out of the corner of her eye Tessa saw Mark approaching, coming to join them. Instantly, she let go of Adele and stood up. Then she scooped the child into her arms and took a step backwards, wanting to put distance between herself and Mark.

  When he drew to a standstill he glanced at Jack, and then addressed Tessa. ‘Shall we have our little talk?’

  ‘Let’s do it later. Please. Adele must be awfully tired, and perhaps even hungry. Have you fed her today?’

  ‘Of course I’ve fed her, you stupid fool! I love my child, why wouldn’t I feed her!’ he cried, glaring at Tessa, his face flushing.

  She glared back at him, hating every fibre of his being. Not only for all that he had done to her, but also for his cruel abduction of Adele, which could have so easily gone wrong, causing additional heartache for them all.

  ‘Now, now, Mark,’ Jack said quietly, stepping forward protectively, motioning for Tessa to go into the vestibule. ‘Angry words aren’t going to get you anywhere. And certainly we shouldn’t be doing business in front of your daughter. Or on the doorstep, for that matter.’ Looking over his shoulder at Tessa, who stood just behind him, he asked her, ‘Perhaps we could talk to Mark for a few minutes? Inside?’

  Filled with anger, and anxious to bathe and feed her daughter, Tessa simply nodded, swung around, walked through the vestibule and into the Stone Hall.

  Jack was very close on her heels and he caught up with her and said, ‘Why don’t you take Adele into the library? She’ll be all right with the others for a few minutes, and that’s all this is going to take, I can assure you of that. Just leave it to me.’

  ‘All right, Jack, but I hope it is only a few minutes.’ She hurried across the vast hall made of local Yorkshire stone, heading for the library. When she pushed open the door and went in everyone clapped and laughed and surged around her and the child, making a big fuss of Adele, who laughed happily, her eyes sparkling, and accepted all of their kisses.

  And then a moment later, just as Tessa was turning to leave the room, Elvira rushed in, her face drained of all colour, her eyes filled with apprehension.

  ‘Elvira!’ Tessa cried when she saw the nanny. ‘Did you just get back from Leeds?’

  ‘I did, Mrs Longden, and Margaret and Joe told me what happened to Adele today. Oh Mrs Longden, I’m so sorry, I wish I hadn’t taken the day off, I wish I’d been here…’ Her voice trailed off, and she looked suddenly uncertain what to do next.

  ‘Elvi,’ Adele said, smiling at her, ‘I lost Reggi. Mumma found her. Look.’ She showed Elvira the rag doll.

  ‘I’m glad she’s safe,’ Elvira murmured to the child, but looking up at Tessa as she spoke.

  ‘Take her for a few minutes, Elvira, please, I have to speak to Mr Longden,’ Tessa said, and handed Adele to the nanny.

  Glancing at the others, Tessa’s eyes finally settled on Linnet. ‘I’ll be right back. Jack’s in charge out
there, and he knows what he’s doing.’

  ‘He certainly does,’ Linnet concurred. ‘He’s the best.’

  Returning to the Stone Hall, Tessa found Jack and Mark sitting opposite each other near the fireplace. Mark was angry, while Jack seemed remarkably calm, cool, and unperturbed. He’s holding all the cards, she suddenly thought, remembering some of the things he had told her mother.

  Not wanting to sit down, to make it appear that she was ready to have a long discussion, Tessa remained standing, positioning herself near the soaring stone fireplace.

  Jack looked across at her and said in a soft but distinct voice, ‘I told Mark you would be quite happy to reiterate the terms you had given him earlier on the phone. Seemingly he’d like to hear them again.’

  ‘You can have the house in Hampstead,’ Tessa began, ‘which is actually mine, since my mother gave it to me, not to us. You can also have the two cars which are garaged there. I’ll throw in all of the contents of the house, as well, except for a few paintings and personal items which are mine, and my other personal possessions such as clothes, that sort of thing. And I will make a financial settlement on you.’

  ‘I want the jewellery back. The pieces I gave you.’

  ‘Fine. That’s certainly very fine by me,’ she said, thinking that every piece was a worthless nothing.

  ‘And I want joint custody of Adele.’

  ‘That I can’t promise,’ Tessa said, her voice suddenly trembling unexpectedly, ‘but I will give you fair access.’

  ‘Joint custody,’ he snapped in a nasty voice.

  ‘No, Mark, I can’t agree to that. Not after today.’

  ‘We’ll see what the divorce courts have to say,’ he threatened.

  Jack cleared his throat. ‘If you don’t mind me saying so, I think the divorce courts will be in Tessa’s favour.’

  ‘No way! A father has as many rights as the mother these days, and let’s not forget that.’

  ‘But you are rather a problematic father, I would say.’

  ‘What the hell does that mean?’ he demanded furiously, staring at Jack through blazing eyes.

  ‘I don’t want to go into it now, since your solicitor and Tessa’s will be discussing everything shortly. But perhaps I should just add that we have quite a lot of information about your private life, your indulgences, your preferences, your rather…decadent lifestyle, shall we call it? Do I need to say more?’ Jack gave the younger man a hard look, rose and went to stand next to Tessa.

  Leaping to his feet, Mark cried, ‘This sounds like bloody blackmail to me!’

  ‘Call it what you will,’ Jack murmured. ‘But I do have the evidence to prove that I am speaking the truth. And by the by, it’s certainly the kind of evidence that a judge would be interested in hearing, especially since a child’s welfare is at the heart of the matter.’

  Glaring first at Jack and then at Tessa, Mark shouted, ‘You haven’t heard the last of me!’

  ‘Nor have you heard the last of me, mate,’ Jack retorted. ‘And now, under the circumstances, I think it’s about time you left. I’ll escort you to the door.’

  CHAPTER SIX

  Paula O’Neill stood at one of the windows in the bedroom of the Fifth Avenue apartment, looking out at the view of Central Park. It was sunny and hot but not humid outside, and there was a sparkle to the day. The leafy domes of the trees in the park were brilliantly green against the azure sky, and rising upward beyond the trees the skyline of Manhattan looked superb. Brilliant sunshine glanced off thousands of windows, making the skyscrapers appear to gleam, almost shimmer in the clear light.

  There’s no city like it anywhere else in the world, she thought. She had always loved New York ever since she had first come here as a child with her grandmother; Emma had also been addicted to this busy, electric, exciting, whirlwind city–where anything was possible, Emma frequently said to her, adding, ‘The sky’s the limit here, Paula. And don’t you ever forget it.’

  Turning away from the window, Paula walked across the bedroom and out into the entrance foyer, her high heels clicking against the black-and-white marble floor as she headed towards the library, one of her favourite rooms in the apartment. It had been her grandfather’s favourite, too, according to Emma, who had once confided that he had loved the dark-wood panelling on the walls, the books bound in red leather, the Georgian antiques she had chosen, the warmth of dark-rose brocade hanging at the windows and used on the sofas. ‘He used to say it was masculine without being stuffy and heavy,’ her grandmother had explained, ‘but then he usually did like the way I decorated our homes.’

  Paul McGill had bought the Fifth Avenue apartment for Emma and himself in the 1930s, and it was a spacious and lovely duplex designed by the renowned architect Rosario Candela in 1931. After Paul’s untimely death in 1939 Emma had contemplated selling it but only briefly. There was a war on, and she was far too preoccupied with other matters and the Blitz in London to worry about the apartment in Manhattan. ‘And Pm glad I didn’t sell it,’ Emma had once told her, ‘because it means we can live here in comfort and privacy when we come to the States instead of having to stay in hotels.’

  Paula and her brother Philip had inherited the apartment jointly upon Emma’s death, but it was also used by other members of the family whenever they came to America, particularly her cousins Emily and Winston Harte, and Emily’s sister Amanda Linde who flew in all the time. Everyone loved it, took great pride in its uncommon beauty; luxurious and comfortable without being ostentatious, it truly bore Emma Harte’s imprint in every way and was a reflection of her great taste, her critical eye for colour and the finest in antiques and paintings.

  Now, as she seated herself at the desk, Paula felt a sudden, unexpected sense of awe when she thought about her grandmother and her most remarkable achievements. It was mind-boggling really when she considered everything that Grandy had accomplished in her life–and she a poor girl from Fairley, a mill village on the Yorkshire moors, who had started working at the age of twelve as a servant for the Fairleys of Fairley Hall.

  However did she do it? Paula wondered. Where did it come from, this talent, this infallible taste, this sense of style and scale, this understanding of art, and colour and fabrics? And where did her drive and energy, her strength and stamina come from? How did she summon up that unique will, that indomitability, that desire to scale the mountain tops? How on earth did that little servant girl become such a great lady, such a successful tycoon, so powerful, unbeatable, and absolutely inimitable? Emma Harte almost single-handedly had created a business empire worth many billions of pounds today, and had left her descendants an extraordinary legacy of power, wealth and privilege, not to mention that successful, thriving business empire that circled the globe.

  There has never been anyone like her, Paula thought, shaking her head in wonderment, still gazing into space. Emma was a one-off; they threw away the mould after they made her. And again she wondered to herself how Grandy had done it…what extraordinary gifts she had had…

  As the phone rang Paula automatically reached for it. ‘Hello?’

  ‘Hello, Mummy, it’s me, Linnet.’

  ‘Darling, what a nice surprise! How’s everyone? How’s the remodelling and revamping of the stores coming along?’ Paula asked, her joy at hearing her daughter’s voice echoing in her own.

  ‘Oh very well, Pm pleased…’ Linnet paused, took a deep breath, said quickly, ‘Mummy, listen, something happened today. But it’s all right now, everything’s fine. Honestly. But I thought Pd better fill you in. And–’

  ‘What happened, Linnet?’ Paula cut in swiftly, sensing trouble at once. ‘I hope everyone’s all right?’ As she spoke Paula had a sudden remembrance of the day her cousin Winston Harte had called Shane in Connecticut, to break the news that her father and her husband were dead, killed in an avalanche in Chamonix. Goose flesh speckled her arms and she felt cold all over; she tensed, wondering what bad news was coming now.

  ‘Yes, yes, all’s ok
ay,’ Linnet exclaimed, and told her what had happened earlier.

  ‘Oh God, no! Not Adele! But she has been found? You did say everyone was all right?’

  ‘Yes, she’s safely home at Pennistone Royal again, with Tessa.’ There was a pause and Linnet added, ‘I brought Jack in, and here he is, Mummy. I’ll come back to you in a few minutes. Jack needs to talk to you.’

  ‘Hello, Paula,’ he said.

  ‘Hello, Jack, I’m so glad you’re there,’ Paula answered, and she thought her voice sounded unnatural, strangled in her throat.

  ‘Everybody’s quite safe,’ Jack went on calmly in his most reassuring voice. He had always adored Paula, and there were those in the family who actually believed he’d been secretly in love with her for years. ‘As Linnet just told you, the child is unharmed. Now, Paula, I must insist you do something about security here. You don’t have much at all. Just burglar alarms…it’s downright dangerous.’

  ‘Shane’s mentioned it several times lately. I don’t think any of us envisioned something like this…kidnapping happening though. But you’re right, security has become extremely important. Can you do it for us, Jack? Can you set it up?’

  ‘Yes, I’ll get the best security experts on it at once. Tomorrow, in fact.’

  ‘That’s a good idea, and thank you for everything you’ve done for us. I’ll be forever grateful.’

  ‘Just know I’m always here for you,’ he said.

  ‘Can I speak to Tessa, Jack?’

  ‘Yes indeed, she’s standing right next to me. I’ll talk to you later, Paula.’

  ‘Hello, Mummy,’ Tessa began and stopped abruptly, choking up.

  ‘Tessa darling, I’m so sorry this happened, so very sorry. You must have gone through hell today.’

  ‘I did,’ Tessa answered, her voice tearful. ‘But I’m happy to say Adele is perfectly fine, and she doesn’t seem at all upset, other than she thought she’d lost her rag doll. She’s fast asleep now, and Elvira is sleeping in her room tonight. Mummy, Mark was beastly, so cruel and hateful. He did this because he wanted to get at me, wanted a weapon to use, to gain advantage over me. It was wrong that he used Adele in this way. Oh, and he wants joint custody.’