19

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THE LIFT DOORS PINGED open and Simone and Charlie joined the group. They were speedily introduced and huddled around Trixie, keen to spend a few moments in chat with the glamorous stranger. Dorothy watched Horace, but he only had eyes for Diane, his anxious gaze fixed upon her pale face.

For her part, Diane stood close to Simone, listening to the chitter chatter and trying hard to appear hospitable and normal. Every now and again she glanced at Josh and Deco, although the young men remained detached, seemingly content to listen to the women without contributing in any way to the conversation. Clive stood on the periphery of the group, his searching gaze missing nothing, while James kept a watchful eye on his siblings.

There was a slight furrow in his brow as if he was mulling over a dilemma. Dorothy could hardly blame him. No doubt the family were depending on him to bring Horace and Trixie home without further drama. Something which was likely to prove impossible, given the personalities of the parties in question.

This was borne out when Charlie suddenly asked, ‘So when do you plan to travel home?’ and Trixie replied with, ‘Lance is sending a bird for us tomorrow. I’m the vanguard to make sure Nellie doesn’t chicken out at the last minute. Mummy wanted to come herself, but Daddy was dead set against that. When I volunteered for the job, Lance was thrilled.’

‘Tomorrow?’ Horace dragged his eyes away from Diane’s face. ‘I can’t go home tomorrow, Trix, I only just got here.’

Now it was her turn to look puzzled. ‘But you live here, Nellie,’ she replied evenly. ‘Daddy told me you live next door to Dorothy. I don’t mean to be rude, but your parents haven’t seen you since you were twenty-one. I’m sure you can be spared for a couple of weeks.’

Horace began to shuffle his feet on the marble, and cast an agonised glance at James who said, ‘Let’s get Lance on the horn, Trix. I agree tomorrow might be rather tricky. Why don’t we see if we can defer the journey until Sunday?’

‘All right,’ Trixie looked resigned, ‘but don’t expect Lance to happy about it. He’s jolly cross these days. Mummy says it’s work related stress, and we should be more understanding, although I personally think he enjoys being a cranky shit.’ With that, she pressed the appropriate buttons on her phone and almost immediately Lance appeared on the small screen.

‘Everything’s fine,’ she cut in hastily before he could speak. ‘But Dam wants to defer the trip home until Sunday.’

‘Is Nellie there? Hold up the phone so I can see him,’ the viscount sounded hoarse.

Trixie moved closer to her brothers and inserted her slim frame between them in order to make the conversation easier. She changed the angle of the phone so Horace was visible to his brother.

‘Nellie,’ Lance sighed with relief and rubbed his hand across his eyes. ‘It is you. I thought it was a wind-up, but it’s definitely you.’

‘How’s it going, Lancelot?’ Horace enquired politely.

‘How’s it going?’ the viscount sounded thunderstruck. ‘How the devil do you think it’s going, you good-for-nothing knave? When I get my hands on you, I’m going to make you wish you really had drowned. As a matter of fact, I’m going to drag you down to the lake and hold your head under the water for a good five minutes, you little shit.’

Horace’s mouth twitched as he replied, ‘Good luck with that, Lance old boy. I can’t help noticing you’re running to fat. Not good for a chap of forty-three. Perhaps you should ask Dam to set you up with a fitness programme. I hear the Brecon Beacons are charming at this time of year. Especially if one is sweating up a storm.’

‘Still the same old Nellie,’ Lance replied bitterly. ‘Refusing to take responsibility for anything and turning everything into a joke. Well you needn’t think you’re going to shirk your responsibilities this time, you fucking miscreant. You can get your incorrigible backside on a bird tomorrow and get back here and face the music.’

Horace gently extricated the phone from his sister’s hand and held it up closer to his face. ‘Maybe I’ll fly the coop tonight and disappear forever,’ he taunted his brother’s fuming countenance. ‘Then you’ll have to explain to Mummy how you drove me away before she even got a chance to see me. I don’t envy you that little chat, although you’re made of stern stuff, Lord Laker, ergo I expect you’ll survive the ordeal.’

The other occupants of the hall distinctly heard the sound that was a cross between a moan and a snarl that emanated from Lancelot Kirwan-Taylor. ‘I’m going to kill you with my bare hands,’ he growled. ‘For God’s sake, Nellie, don’t disappear again. I honestly don’t think the parents would survive the shock.’

‘In that case, you had better shut your chewhole and listen up,’ Horace decided to use an expression he had heard bandied around the palace. ‘You always were a dead bore, and middle-age has done you no favours. I may be a miscreant and a knave, but I’ve never been accused of being either a dullard or a bully. It’s not convenient for me to travel tomorrow, ergo you can send a bird for me on Sunday or not at all. The choice is yours, Lance, although I’d think carefully before answering, lest you allow that bloated ego of yours to sabotage what promises to be a perfectly sublime family reunion.’

There was a pause of ten seconds during which Trixie chewed on her bottom lip and James remained impassive. Then Lance chuckled. ‘I’ll have you know forty-three is no longer considered middle-aged,’ he laughed. ‘Sunday it is, you little shit. I’m going to have to feed vast quantities of Xanax to poor old Mater, but no doubt I’ll pull the thing off. Where’s Dam?’

Trixie grabbed the phone and angled it towards James. ‘Let’s say three p.m. on Sunday, Dam,’ Lance said without preamble. ‘For God’s sake bring the pair of them home safely. I don’t have to remind you we’re all counting on you.’

‘Leave it to me,’ James replied calmly, ‘and quit your stressing before you end up in a cardiac unit. We three shall be home in time for tea on Sunday, even if I have to carry the other two on my back.’

‘Thanks, Dam,’ Lance sounded relived. ‘Where’s Trixie?’

Once again, she changed the angle of the phone and regarded him fondly.

‘Jas will blame us if you have a heart attack,’ she told him affectionately. ‘I know you’re bearing the brunt of things there at the moment, but you really ought to calm down. Have you tried meditation?’

‘Fuck that tree hugging balderdash,’ he replied savagely. ‘Have you spoken to Diane O’Keefe at all?’

‘Yes,’ Trixie looked startled. ‘Why?’

‘Is she aware a forensic team has spent the past week crawling all over her flat in Chelsea? They’ve finished now, although I have it on good authority they’ve left the place in a bloody shocking state. It’s covered in fingerprint dust for starters.’

Trixie raised her eyes from the device in time to see the appalled expression on Diane’s face. Horace sidestepped away from his sister and silently placed his arm around the girl’s shoulders. She didn’t snuggle against him yet neither did she pull away.

‘How do you know about Diane’s flat?’ Trixie asked curiously, her eyes flitting between the viscount, Diane and Horace.

‘Friends in high places,’ was the curt reply. ‘I think the girl should get rid of the place and be done with it. One of my directors is looking for a pad for his son. If Diane wants to offload that flat, I’ll make sure she gets top price for it. The poor kid has been through more than enough already. If I could get my hands on that O’Keefe scoundrel, I’d cut his balls off and shove them in his mouth...’

Trixie pressed the phone against her body so his final words were muffled. She looked enquiringly at Diane, who looked at her mother. Dorothy looked up at Jack who nodded once. Dorothy nodded at Diane who nodded at Trixie.

‘Shut up, Lance,’ Trixie told him impatiently. ‘Yes, Diane would like to sell her flat so please start the ball rolling. I never realised you were quite so bloodthirsty.’

‘I have three children,’ he sounded incensed. ‘A man’s job is to protect and provide for his offspring no matter who or what they are. It makes my blood boil to think of how he manipulated those kids into loving him, and all the time he was plotting their downfall, to say nothing of Dorothy’s. It’s a shame he died so cleanly. I would have paid good money to see Damerel take the bastard apart with his bare hands. Although I suppose Commander Maddox would have required his pound of flesh. Have you met him, Trix?’

‘Indeed I have,’ she smiled. ‘He’s an absolute dish, but Dorothy says he’s out of bounds. I’m welcome to any of the other chaps but not the Tinman.’

Charlie and Simone surreptitiously elbowed each other, while Deco and Josh exchanged a speaking glance. Dorothy stood her ground, determined not to react, while Jack merely winked at Trixie and fought the urge to put his arm around his boss and plant a smacker on her in front of everybody.

Lance chuckled heartily, seemingly delighted with this nugget of gossip. ‘You’ve got less than forty-eight hours to make your mark on the Dublin scene,’ he said jovially. ‘You’d better get on with it, girl. Best of British with the musclebound ones.’

‘Thank you,’ she giggled. ‘Any more messages because I really should go.’

‘You might mention to Dorothy there’s a flat about to come on the market in your building,’ he replied casually. ‘I might be in a position to lend some assistance if she fancies it for Diane. It’s a superb place, and it would be only two floors down from you, meaning you girls could keep an eye on each other. I’d call her myself except we haven’t been formally introduced. Besides, one doesn’t like to interfere in other folk’s family business.’

‘One certainly doesn’t,’ Trixie bit her lip to stop herself smirking. ‘Bye, Lance, love to all.’ She hung up and grabbed hold of James so she could enjoy a good laugh.

‘That was Lance’s idea of not interfering,’ James explained over his sister’s head, as she guffawed into his shoulder.

‘I think he’s lovely,’ Diane unexpectedly spoke.

‘Cool dude,’ Deco nodded in agreement.

‘Yet another alpha,’ Dorothy sighed. ‘As if the current batch ain’t quite enough to contend with. I guess one can’t have everything. I look forward to making his formal acquaintance. Perhaps at the next cotillion.’

‘One has to accept what the universe sends,’ Marco nodded in agreement as everyone else sniggered. ‘Even another incredibly bossy specimen.’

‘Are you okay, Marco?’ Charlie directed a searching glance at him. ‘You sound a little low.’

‘I was just thinking how cool it is to have siblings,’ he replied in a small voice. ‘Being an only child sucks the big one.’

Trixie stopped laughing and raised her head to look at the driver, clearly interested in his views on family.

‘You have three sisters and two brothers,’ James pointed out.

‘Half-brothers and sisters who never wanted anything to do with me,’ the driver replied sadly. ‘I saw my eldest sister, Maria, on Henry Street about five years ago, and she ducked into a shop to avoid me. Not exactly a loving family relationship. I know I was born out of wedlock and all that, but we have the same dad. You’d think they’d be a bit more understanding.’

His voice broke and Trixie took a step closer to him, her face full of sympathy. ‘They ought to be ashamed of themselves,’ she drew him into her arms and hugged him hard. ‘Even the best families have members who were born on the wrong side of the blanket. It’s customary to acknowledge them, even if one doesn’t invite them to Christmas lunch. Mummy has very amusing stories about her Aunt Maud...’

‘Let’s not go there right now,’ James cut in hastily. ‘Marco, could you stop fondling my sister?’

‘Sorry,’ the driver slowly withdrew from her arms. ‘It’s just she’s a ten-speed ride and has the most amazing tits.’

‘Thank you,’ Trixie dimpled at the compliment. ‘These are the original article. They’ll pass any test.’ She grabbed his hands and placed them on her breasts so he could test the veracity of her claim for himself.

‘They’re the real deal,’ he whispered in awestruck admiration, as he gently manipulated the spheres of womanly flesh.

‘I’m feeling nauseous,’ Horace declared, and Diane snorted with laughter and briefly rested her head against his chest. That was when it dawned upon her she had been standing within the curve of his arm for the past ten minutes and she swiftly took steps to remedy this. As she eased her body away from his, he sighed despondently yet made no attempt to detain her.

‘If you want to hear about Maria then drop those boobs and step away from the woman,’ Clive unexpectedly growled at Marco.

Trixie pushed the hands away and swivelled around to gawk at the Welshman. ‘There’s news regarding his sister?’ her brown eyes were full of anticipation. ‘Has she agreed to meet him?’

‘Not exactly,’ Clive replied slowly, edging closer to James for support. ‘Although we did manage to have an interesting chat with her not too long ago when we paid a visit to Marco’s old haunts.’

‘How is she?’ the driver enquired. ‘How’s she coping now that both parents have bought the farm?’

‘As a matter of fact, she’s not doing too well,’ James told him. ‘Two years ago, she was diagnosed with cancer and while she was undergoing treatment, her husband walked out on her and shacked up with another woman.’

‘One who didn’t have a double mastectomy,’ Clive added in a dark tone.

‘The miserable shit,’ Marco looked incensed. ‘Who the fuck does he think he is to be treating my sister like that?’

‘He’s just your average run of the mill sleazebag,’ James replied. ‘More to the point, Maria is a very different woman to the one who avoided you on Henry Street. She’s been through a lot, and it seems to have changed her perspective on life.’

‘And on you,’ Clive added. ‘She used to feel it would be disloyal to her mother to acknowledge you, but lately she’s had a change of heart. She wouldn’t commit to a meeting, but if I were you I wouldn’t give up hope.’

‘Did she see my picture in the papers?’ Marco looked excited.

‘She cut out all the clippings about your heroics,’ James’s lips twitched. ‘She has them all in a shoe box. You look a little like her by the way. Although she’s old enough to be your mother because she was already twenty when your parents became involved. It was a difficult time for her because her mother was devastated over the whole situation, and Maria felt it was her duty to take care of her and keep the family together. That’s the main reason she always resented your existence. She clearly remembers how close the family came to falling apart when Mario fell head over heels for your mother. He was on the brink of leaving his wife, and Maria was the one who persuaded him to stay.’

‘Gosh,’ Marco was entranced by the story. ‘That explains so much. Did she send me a message?’

‘She says to tell you she’s proud of the way you saved the boss from the IED,’ Clive grinned at him. ‘And she knows Mario would be proud if he had lived. She gave us something to give you but you’re not to freak out.’

‘Is it my box of mementoes?’ Marco squeaked with excitement. ‘Did Maria have it all this time?’

‘We still haven’t been able to track the box down,’ James told him, ‘although we haven’t given up hope. We need to do a bit more digging so don’t ask us any more for the time being.’

‘So what did she send if not my box of stuff?’ Marco’s eyes filled with tears at the anticipated loss of his cherished family photographs and souvenirs.

Clive extracted his wallet and carefully withdrew a small picture measuring no more than three inches square. He said as he held it out, ‘Maria found this when she was clearing out the parents’ stuff. She was tempted to throw it away, but something made her hold on to it. It’s you, your mother and Mario when you’re a week old. Feck knows who took it.’