Chapter Twenty-Seven

She still thought about Megan’s visit two hours later when Ms. Garrett’s stern voice sounded through the intercom. “Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton are here to see you, Ms. Winslow.”

Bev jumped off the couch and smoothed her jacket and skirt. What the hell did John and Serena want? She pressed the button on the phone at the coffee table. “Send them in, please.” She walked around the sitting area and greeted them at the door.

“John, Serena, what a pleasant surprise,” she lied.

“Sorry to pop in like this. Serena and I just had lunch, and she asked to come up and see the changes you made in the office. I hope you don’t mind.”

Well, this was weird.

“Not at all. I hope your lunch was nice.”

“Lunch was wonderful.” Serena strode in, made an immediate bee-line for the new furniture. “I adore springtime in Boston. I see you’ve gone with gray. It’s a sophisticated neutral. You’ve done well,” Serena turned on her heel and smiled at her.

Bev nearly fell to the floor. “Thank you. Complimenting me must be difficult for you.”

“You are blunt. So was my father. So am I.” Serena stared out the huge windows. “John has convinced me you are what Winslow Holdings needs. I wasn’t on board a month ago, obviously,” She gave them both a wry look over her shoulder. “However, the Winslow name is the most important thing, and we should work together to ensure its success.”

“I understand the enormity of heading up the Winslow family, Serena. I didn’t ask for this job, but I am trying.”

“You’ve done a nice job—from what John has told me. Our stock is safe.” Serena moved to the sitting area, looked at the chairs, inclined her head. “May I?”

“Of course. I apologize for my rudeness. Frankly, I’m still waiting for the other shoe to drop. I’m not used to having your approval.” She sat across from Serena. “John, please join us.”

Serena smiled. “I doubt you need my approval, Beverly, but you have it. In order to show you I mean what I say, I’m accepting your olive branch and offering one of my own. It was lovely of you to offer me the inventory job for the estate. It’s going smoothly. However, I fear Regina will never forgive me for what I did all those years ago. I was wrong; I know that now. Defying my father at the time didn’t seem possible. I have missed my sister.”

“My mother is not up for discussion, Serena.”

“I understand.” She reached into her handbag and withdrew a small box. “Which is why I’m giving this to you instead of her. I doubt she will see me.”

Bev took the offered velvet box. Opened it and gasped when she saw the teardrop emerald surrounded by diamonds.

“It’s very old-fashioned,” Serena said. “But it was our mother’s. It belongs to Regina.” With that, she rose to her feet; John followed.

Bev was reluctant to close the box. The emerald was so beautiful. She snapped it shut and stood. “Thank you for that, Serena. It probably wasn’t easy to say.”

“Please see your mother gets that.” She kissed John’s cheek. Approval softened John’s eyes as he looked down at her.

“I’m off to Saks. I need some perfume.” Serena sniffed. “I’ll leave you both to get back to work. See you at dinner, John.”

“Yes, dear,” he responded.

Serena headed for the door but stopped and turned back. “I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t tell you your shoes need work, but the suit is terrific. You also need some art on the walls.” She turned on her heels and spoke airily. “I’m giving Ms. Garrett the names of a few people who can help you.”

John laughed as Serena closed the door behind her. “That is my wife in a nutshell.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry if she offended you.”

What was wrong with her shoes? She cleared her throat. “Not at all.” She couldn’t worry about that right now. Walking to her desk, she said over her shoulder, “What can I do for you today? Are we on schedule in Plymouth?”

“No, that’s the other reason I’m here. We hit a snag. The fishery wasn’t completely on the level with their financials. We need to tweak the offer to reflect that. Additionally, there is room for expansion if we include a building next door. It can be fitted for our needs while still keeping everything operational. Your grandfather ultimately wanted to expand the operation.”

She picked up a file she needed to review. “If we expand once it’s ours, we can employ more people in Plymouth.”

“Exactly what your grandfather thought.” John stood in front of her desk.

She still wasn’t completely comfortable being compared to Reginald, but found she was curious. “Sit down.” She nodded at the chair across her desk.

“Is anything wrong?” John asked at he sat. “The Plymouth contract will work out. I just need your approval if it’s what you want.”

“It’s approved. Buy the building.” She lowered herself to her own chair. “It isn’t Plymouth. I was wondering if you could tell me about my grandfather.”

“Of course…but wouldn’t your mother be better suited for the task?”

“I want your impressions. I want to understand him and how he felt about Winslow Holdings.” She played with the corner of the file folder. “I find myself curious as to what motivated him.”

John blew out a breath. “I thought you wanted to know why he disowned Regina.”

“I’m not ready for that. I can guess his reasons,” she didn’t meet his gaze.

“Yes. Well.” John scooted his chair closer to the desk. “You already know your history, so I’ll try to explain what I think motivated your grandfather in business.”

“I’d appreciate it.”

“Your grandfather was born poor, you knew?”

“Yes, but up at the big house in Maine, Conroy pointed out portraits of generations of Winslows. Was my grandfather pretending he came from money?”

John laughed. “No. Like you, your grandfather didn’t pretend about most things. Your lineage can be traced back to the Mayflower landing with Josiah Winslow. Winslows have indeed been influential in politics, society, and charity in New England since then. Fortunes come and go. Your grandfather realized that mattered little. Once he learned his family history, he felt a great responsibility to the name Winslow.”

“I understand,” she muttered.

“I bet you do. Josiah Winslow was a very powerful man in early colonial days. He made a pact with the original settlers to further the success of the New England colony. This pact had no ending date. He built settlements, brokered negotiations with Native Americans, and built the first clinic in the city of Pembroke. Even though some later Winslows failed in honoring the pact, Reginald picked up where Josiah Winslow left off. He meant to restore the family back to its origins. Reginald believed in duty and honoring Josiah Winslow’s promise.”

She said nothing for a long time.

“You look stunned,” John said.

“Not stunned, but surprised. I didn’t know a lot of that, but that’s my fault. Over the years I’d made a habit of avoiding my grandfather’s press.”

“I understand. The rest of the story is once your grandfather found out where he came from, he had an almost fanatical need to restore the Winslow name. Maybe that explains more than just his business motivations,” John said gently.

“Thanks for the information, John. That gives me a lot to think about.”

“For what it’s worth, I think he realized he made a mistake. The inheritance was his way of making up for it, maybe?” John said.

“I’ll think about that, too.”