You Got It Wrong - Part Thirty Two

 Chapter Thirty Two

                “Are you sure you’re going to be ok here?”

Nina looked at Lilah and was really relieved to see she was looking more like herself. It was ten days since her meltdown in London, and Nina had immediately taken her home, but that wasn’t enough. So for the last three weeks they’d been ensconced on Lilah’s parents’ estate in the hills outside Edinburgh. The fresh air, the walks, the horse rides, everything seemed to have helped ease her from her purgatory. She was a million miles from her vibrant and happy self, but she wasn’t the pasty, pallid and terrified woman she’d found in the garden of Amelia’s London home.

Lilah’s response was a shrug, she’d not shared her trauma with her parents, they knew something had happened, but their love for her was unconditional...as it should be, and they’d done everything in their power to help her.

But Nina had deadlines, there were three sets of outstanding rings to be finished, and Amelia had been calling with more contacts. If interest in her work kept growing at the rate it was they’d have to employ someone to field calls, make appointments, neither of the three of them could give that time, they were all so busy. Lilah was the greatest advert for the business, there was no way that Nina could meet with potential clients, not in the same way. She hoped that her commitment there would go some way to draw Lilah out of her misery. But she wasn’t sure, so Nina had to take advantage of the fact that Amelia was in town to do that job.

                “I’ll be fine; Ma and Pa are over the moon I’m here.”

Nina nodded packing the remaining items into her bag, she had the task of driving her Beetle back to Brighton...literally the length of the country, but when Lilah was at rock bottom there was no chance of Nina getting her onto a plane, or train, so she’d made the mammoth drive. Now she had the return version.

                “Talk to them? See a therapist. Do whatever it takes? Promise me?”

Lilah had started to come to terms with what happened, she was someone who’d lived a glamorous life, always jetting around, she presumed that she could cope with unwanted advances, and that single night changed all that. Suddenly she was vulnerable, and that scared her. And that for Nina was the most worrying; she only hoped that she’d regain that independence, the confidence that was such a trait of her friend. But at least over the last few days she’d wanted to try, she finally wanted to start to recover. A huge sign.

Nina knew that she couldn’t do this for her, and now was the time to withdraw, leave her with her parents, but she also had work commitments, that was a convenient excuse.

As she threw the last bag onto the backseat of her Beetle, she turned back to Lilah, “I love you girlfriend, you know that?”

Lilah nodded, “I know, and I owe you everything...I mean you...Theo...”

Nina smiled, “he had some afternoon delight, he has nothing to complain about.” She blushed, “if he can’t cope with me being absent, then he’s not worth it. You come first darling, ok?”

Lilah chuckled, “but it’s the first time you’ve dated...”

                “This is NOT dating, I can guarantee. We’ve both got far too much baggage.”

As she opened the car door, Lilah wrapped her fingers around Nina’s wrist, “don’t make it nothing. You like him, he likes you. Don’t let it dwindle to nothing, and don’t make it cheap. Life is hard, but you can make it work. Really.”

Nina had a long time to think about that as she headed south.

Tony sat across the office from Theo and sighed, “she has a right to see Melody. The best you can do is insist on a neutral venue, a contact centre...but you can’t stop her completely.”

Theo ran a hand over his eyes hating that Sadie could keep causing so much trouble, “but she...”

Tony held up a hand to silence her, “even the law thinks she deserves another chance, but a SAFE one. You can’t stop this, but you can wait for it all to go wrong.”

                “At what cost to Melody? Anything could have happened to her last time. She could have got out, left the house, got snatched, run over...and what if no one had come to the house, how long would Melody have gone without food, drink?”

Tony reached out and placed a hand on Theo’s forearm, “I didn’t say it’s right, but this is the way the law works, and everyone has a second chance, ok? We can’t stop it, but we can control it, we can make it as difficult as possible, if that’s what it takes, but to be honest, don’t you think Melody WANTS to see her mother?”

Theo couldn’t fight with that, she did ask about her mother, that didn’t mean he wanted to let her go, but this wasn’t essentially about just him. That was what he’d learned in the time he’d been a parent. It didn’t mean he liked losing control, but Tony was right, and as best friends went, he was always right.

                “Thanks Tony, I don’t know how to thank you. I may not always seem grateful...but I am.”

Tony smiled, “well you coming to that party tomorrow night goes a long way to helping.”

Theo groaned at the thought, “you honestly want me to come?”

He nodded, “I can’t get out it, you know that. But of all the clients I have these are the most impressive, the daughter is one of the biggest catches this side of the Royals. I HAVE to be there, and you owe me.”

The thought of an engagement party was torture to Theo’s ears, but he’d dragged his friend and lawyer to SO many bad places over the years that he owed him.

                “I haven’t got childcare...”

Tony had that covered, “you know that my sister is MORE than happy, she’ll stay at my house with Melody, she knows the place, she knows my sister. What can go wrong?”

Nina hadn’t been in the house for five minutes when the phone rang. Picking it up she expected it to be Lilah, and was surprised to hear her brother’s voice.

                “Can you meet me...in London?”

Nina groaned, “James I have no intention of coming into the City, I’ve been away...”

                “But it’s really important...I HAVE to see you.”

She sighed, “I am NOT doing it, can you please leave me in peace?”

                “Nina, I need to speak to you.”

She’d always avoided him coming to her house, and whilst it would be easy to invite HIM to travel to her, the thought of him invading her world gave her goose bumps.

                “Tomorrow, there’s a cafe on Parker Street, a few doors along from the tube station. I’ll be there between ten and half past. After that I will be gone. THAT is all I’m offering.”

With that she hung up, it had been several months since she’d last seen her brother, the time she’d released the last instalment of money that he’d asked for. Now she had to go and see him again. And it was the last thing she wanted.

She went straight to bed, she’d driven for eight hours, what with delays after a car accident on the M25, and she couldn’t even muster up the energy to make any food. Not even a piece of toast.

James was in the cafe before she arrived. That didn’t bode well. On her way to meet him she’d called to her father’s lawyer, and basically they’d agreed that if he wanted any more money, then she had to force the sale of the house. It was worth a hefty amount, but it was also a status symbol for her brother and step mother. Even if they took their combined shares, they’d struggle to get anything in greater London. And that for them was the important point.  

She waved to Giovanni the patron, “a two shot latte please Gio.”

He gave a grin and a nod, “I’ll bring it over.”

Which meant there was no delay or distraction in her crossing the room to her brother. He was nursing a large mug of coffee and he looked morose. Not that she was about to feel sorry for him.

                “So what do you want this time?”

He grumbled under his breath for a moment, then looked up at her, “we took the instalments you arranged. We invested most of it...but there was a collapse in the Japanese market, we were told it was the strongest place to invest.”

She shook her head in despair, “so you’re telling me that you and Imelda are the unluckiest, most ill-advised people in London?” He gave an awkward shrug, and she glared at him, “I spoke to Larry, Dad’s lawyer, you’ve been in New York for a month, and stayed at the St Regis. So tell me, why do you and Imelda need a three bedroom master suite with a kitchen, lounge and a personal butler?”

He floundered, “we were on business...”

                “I went to New York a few years back and stayed in a four star hotel, normal room...BECAUSE I DON’T THINK I’M THE DOG’S BOLLOCKS.” She glanced at Gio who’d looked up once she’d raised her voice. “Sorry Gio.” She leaned back in her seat, “you are a drain on society James, and even our father would be disgusted at your behaviour. Five grand A NIGHT! That’s what you wasted. Have you got an answer for that?”

                “Look I’ve got a big payout coming next week; I just have a bill to pay first.” James was so oblivious that he didn’t notice her lean back, the cold glare settle on her face, the tension in every inch of her body, “I just need ten grand, next week I’ll pay you back.”

                “You want ME to loan YOU money...after taking in excess of fifty grand from Dad’s estate in the last few months? Is THAT what this is about?”

He looked shocked, not embarrassed or angry, “it’s just short term...”

Nina leaned forward, her voice icy cold, “I can loan you that money, but it will be the last penny you get from me, and it will see the house go on the market tomorrow morning at nine am. The choice is yours.”

James’ face curled into an indulgent grin, “next week I’ll be able to buy the house from you.”

That made her open her eyes, “really? Well then, I will get the cash transferred to you once you sign the paperwork. I’ll get it written up by Larry.” Looking up to the counter she called to Gio, “can I get that coffee to go please?”

Nina’s day was getting worse, she sat opposite Larry Stonewell, the lawyer who was joint executor to her father’s will and stared at the newspaper he’d handed her.

                “He’s getting married?” It was ridiculous to think that her brother world marry someone other than Imelda, because whilst she had no real concrete evidence to prove it, she knew they’d been in a relationship, a mutually self-indulgent one since she was a child. But according to The Times he was marrying someone else.

Larry nodded, “seems that way. Monica Ellingham is daughter of one of the richest and influential men in the city; he is titled, but also successful in his own right.”

                “So why is he letting James marry his daughter?”

Leaning back in his chair he shrugged, “your brother is a charmer.”

                “But Imelda...What the hell is he planning?”

                “I don’t know, but I do have a few contacts.”

She lifted an eyebrow and stared at the older man, “ooh, how devious!”

He giggled and it was an unusual sound coming from the usually sombre and serious man, “I don’t know what you mean. But there is an engagement party at that Blumenthal restaurant across town tonight. Maybe he has to pay for it, James that is.”

Nina shook her head, “you think he’d do that? Pay for the engagement party, or a chunk of it, then wangle money out of the Ellingham’s?”

Larry shrugged, “do YOU think he’s capable of that?”

Nina was furious, James was taking her money but also taking the piss, she was back  home, she should be calling Theo, arranging a rendez vous with him, as it was she hadn’t spoken to him other than the odd text message for the duration of her time in Scotland. The afternoon she’d spent with him had been so special, but things had definitely lost their impetuous since and instead of seeking out her man, who wasn’t really her man...yet, she was humouring her brother, and working out the best way to disrupt his plans, because after googling Monica Ellingham, she felt sympathy and pity for the young girl, who at nineteen was a lot younger than her and fifteen years younger than her estranged brother.

No, visiting a few shops on the way to the hotel she’d booked in SoHo, she managed to find a dress, she had to get to the engagement party and work out EXACTLY what her brother was up to, and surprise was the name of the game.