Читать книгу Unexpected Blessings - Barbara Taylor Bradford - Страница 12

The moment Jack walked back into the library with Linnet he immediately picked up on the tension in the air. Tessa sat as rigid as stone on the sofa, her face strained, her eyes filled with suffering. India was sitting next to her, also stiffly erect in her seat, her expression one of worry and anxiety. Evan, standing next to a window, was talking on her mobile whilst Emsie and Desmond huddled on the upholstered brass fender, whispering together.

Linnet gave Jack a quick look, and then hurried across to the other sofa, where she was instantly joined by Evan.

Jack strode over to the desk and stood behind it, suddenly conscious of six pairs of eyes fixed unwaveringly on him. I’ve got to get this moving along, he thought, I can’t delay. Time is of the essence now. He knew he was going to have to bring in the police and the media if he didn’t succeed with Mark’s mother. And then there was the possibility that she didn’t know anything, was an innocent bystander. If that was the case, he would have calculated wrongly. He prayed he had been right in his assumptions, that she would be able to help them solve this.

In his usual businesslike way, and without any idle chit-chat, he told them: ‘I’m now going to call Mark’s mother.’ Fixing his gaze on Tessa, he added, ‘I’m putting the phone on the speaker so you can hear her responses, but I want you to be perfectly quiet.’ His eyes swept over the others. ‘And that goes for everyone else, of course. One other thing, Tessa. Will you have a word with your mother-in-law? It might be necessary.’

There was only a moment’s hesitation on Tessa’s part, and then she nodded quickly. ‘I’ll talk to her, yes. We’re not close, but as I said, she’s a decent enough woman.’ There was a little pause; Tessa frowned, then added, ‘Mark’s her only son and she’ll always be on his side no matter what, even though he leads her a merry dance. But if you think it’s necessary I’ll certainly come to the phone.’

Jack nodded his understanding and sat down. Picking up the receiver he pressed the speaker button and then dialled.

A few moments later a woman answered. ‘Camden Lodge. Hello?’ Her cultured voice was heard by everyone in the library.

‘Is this Mrs Hilary Longden?’

‘Yes, this is she.’

‘Good evening, Mrs Longden. My name’s Jack Figg. I phoned earlier but you were out. You don’t know me, Mrs Longden, but you do know my employer, Mrs Paula O’Neill.’

‘Well, of course. Tessa’s mother. Have we met, Mr Figg?’ she asked, her curiosity apparent in her tone, her voice pleasant.

‘Briefly. At Tessa’s marriage to Mark. But to get to the point, we have a problem, Mrs Longden. I’m here at Pennistone Royal with Tessa, and the reason I’m here is because Adele, your granddaughter, disappeared around eleven o’clock this morning and she still hasn’t been found.’

‘Oh my God! How terrible! Tessa and Mark must be out of their minds with worry. Oh dear, oh dear, why haven’t they found her? Surely she’s somewhere on the estate? Oh, my poor little Adele, she must be so frightened. This is very upsetting, just awful. Can I speak to my son? And Tessa?’ Her voice had risen an octave or two, had become shrill, and it was obvious she was genuinely distressed. ‘How can I be of help, Mr Figg?’ she asked.

‘By telling me where your son is, Mrs Longden,’ Jack answered in a voice echoing with cold determination.

‘Mark? Do you mean he’s not there with Tessa?’ She was obviously startled by this fact.

‘No, he’s not. I have reason to believe that it’s Mark who took Adele without informing Tessa,’ Jack announced. ‘I believe he has abducted her, and I must put certain things into oper –’

‘Mark would never abduct Adele!’ she cut in peremptorily and with great indignation. ‘That’s ridiculous! Preposterous! He’s her father … what on earth are you suggesting? Going on about in this way, Mr Figg?’

‘An abduction. Which will be construed as a kidnapping by the police and the law. Kidnappers get tough sentences, you know. And I will have to go to the police within the next few minutes. I can’t put it off any longer. We’ve been unable to find Adele on the estate after several searches, nor can we locate Mark. He, too, has disappeared. So I have no alternative but to bring in law enforcement and also the Harte media companies. They can help by issuing news bulletins on television and the radio. We must find Adele as quickly as possible. It’s imperative.’

‘You’re serious, aren’t you, Mr Figg?’ She sounded shaken, frightened.

‘Very, very serious, Mrs Longden.’

‘B-b-b-but I don’t understand,’ she began, stuttering, obviously more unhinged than before. ‘Why would Mark take Adele without telling Tessa? I’m not following this.’

Intuitively, Jack knew the woman was telling him the truth, and he modulated his voice slightly, made it softer, as he explained. ‘Because of the divorce. It’s becoming extremely bitter, he’s trying to use Adele as a weapon against Tessa.’

‘Divorce! They’re getting a divorce! But I don’t know anything about that. Oh, this is so absurd, Mark would have told me. My son tells me everything. It just can’t be,’ she asserted.

‘Oh it’s true right enough,’ Jack answered. ‘Would you like to speak to your daughter-in-law now?’

‘Y-y-y-yes please.’ The stuttering had started again.

‘Just a moment.’ Jack beckoned to Tessa, who was by his side in a flash. Covering the mouthpiece, he said softly, ‘Be careful what you say. We need her.’

Taking the receiver from him, Tessa murmured, ‘Hello, Mrs Longden.’ She was trying hard to keep a rein on her emotions, willing herself to be controlled, even though she was shaking inside. ‘Jack is correct. Mark has taken Adele. There is no other explanation for her disappearance. She must be so upset and confused, not understanding what’s going on, poor little thing.’

‘Yes, yes, I know, you’re right. But is it true about the divorce?’

‘Yes, it is. I’ve tried hard with Mark, tried to keep the marriage together, but it’s not been working between us. We’ve been separated since June.’

‘Mark never told me!’ Hilary Longden cried, tears in her voice. ‘How could Mark do that to me?’

‘I don’t know, but he did. And we do need to find Mark,’ Tessa repeated tensely. ‘And Adele.’

‘I don’t know where he is, and I am telling you the truth!’

‘Would Mr Longden know?’ Tessa probed.

‘No, no, of course not. Mark’s not a little boy, he doesn’t check in with us, you know that, Tessa.’

Tessa looked at Jack, made a facial grimace and handed the phone to him without a word.

‘Jack Figg again, Mrs Longden. Since you have no knowledge of Mark’s whereabouts I shall call in the North Yorkshire police. I do know Mark was in Yorkshire over the last few days, including last night, and I’m quite certain they’ll find him fast enough. It’s a pity, really, that I have to resort to this. And then there’s going to be all the nasty publicity. That can’t possibly do his reputation much good. Well, thanks for your courtesy, for hearing me out, Mrs Longden. Good night.’

‘Mr Figg, please, don’t hang up! I promise you I have no idea where Mark is, nor do I know anything about Adele’s disappearance. However, I do have a mobile phone number which Mark gave me last week. I think it might be a new one.’

‘Please give it to me.’

‘Just a minute. I have to find it. Hold on, it’s somewhere on this desk.’ A split second later she was reciting the number to him and extracting a promise from him to keep her abreast of the situation.

Jack hung up and said to Tessa, ‘Do you know this mobile number?’ As he spoke he showed her the pad he had written it on.

She shook her head. ‘His mother’s right. I think it’s a new one.’

Jack lifted the phone and dialled.

It was answered within a split second. ‘Hello?’

‘Mark?’

‘Yes.’ There was a hesitancy in the voice, wariness.

‘If you cut me off I will immediately ask the North Yorkshire police to go into action. And I’ll tell the media about your abduction of Adele.’

‘What?’ Mark exploded.

‘Don’t start with me, Mark. We know you have Adele. You’ve been spotted.’

‘Who the hell is this?’ he demanded, anger in the tone.

‘Jack Figg here. I work for Paula O’Neill. I’m with Tessa at Pennistone Royal. We want Adele returned. At once.’

‘I don’t have her. It’s the first I’ve heard about an abduction.’

‘You don’t sound too upset about your daughter’s sudden disappearance today. Which means that you know exactly where she is. She’s with you. How do charges of kidnapping sound, Mark? Should help your career and your reputation no end, eh?’

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ he cried.

Tessa came to Jack, gave him a hard stare and motioned to the phone. He handed it over at once.

‘Mark, this is Tessa. Please bring Adele back.’

‘Why am I being accused in this way?’ he demanded, anger echoing again.

‘Because you took her this morning. We know you did. Wiggs saw you. Please, please bring her back to me. For the child’s sake.’

‘I told you, I don’t have her!’

‘Yes, you do. Don’t play games with me, Mark.’

There was a silence and she wondered if she had lost him, been cut off, when he suddenly spoke again.

He said, ‘You won’t get her back until you meet my terms.’

‘Anything you want,’ she said swiftly, relief flooding through her. Obviously, he did have Adele.

‘Joint custody, for starters,’ Mark intoned.

‘The solicitors will work all that out. But you can have the house in Hampstead, the cars, a financial settlement, as you wanted.’

‘Joint custody,’ he repeated, icy cold.

Jack’s cell phone began to ring and he switched it on, walked closer to the window, speaking into it as he did.

Tessa’s eyes followed Jack; she said into the phone, ‘The solicitors will have to get together to work things out.’ She took a deep breath and against her better judgement added, ‘If not joint custody then certainly a lot of access.’

Suddenly Jack was hurrying towards her across the library, a grim smile on his face. He took the receiver from her unceremoniously, and said, ‘Jack Figg here. I’ve just been speaking to the North Yorkshire police on the other line. They are on their way to pick you up. We know you are at the Spa Hotel in Ripon with Adele. Registered under the name of William Stone.’

Jack paused when he heard the surprised intake of breath at the other end of the phone. ‘If you leave now you can be here at Pennistone Royal in half an hour, and deal with me. Or you can wait for the police to pick you up within the next fifteen minutes. Your choice, mate.’

‘I’m leaving now,’ Mark said abruptly, the bluster gone from his voice all of a sudden.

‘With Adele?’

‘Yes, I’m bringing her,’ Mark mumbled and clicked off.

Jack replaced the receiver and looked at Tessa, a triumphant gleam in his light-grey eyes. ‘That was one of my operatives on my mobile a moment ago. When he discovered that a man with a little girl was staying at the Spa in Ripon he double-checked with a contact he has there. The name William Stone didn’t ring a bell with Pete, but he thought he’d better tell me, and of course I knew it was Mark at once.’

‘Thank God!’ Tessa reached out, touched Jack’s arm. ‘I feel as though I’m going to faint with relief that she’s coming home. Thanks, Jack, thank you so much.’

In a sudden spontaneous gesture, Jack stepped closer, pulled her into his arms and hugged her to him. ‘Before you can say Jack Robinson you’ll have Adele back with you. Now, come on, we’ve quite a lot to do before he arrives.’

Tessa nodded and then promptly burst into tears, sobbing as if her heart would break. ‘It’s relief,’ he said to her gently, and led her over to the sofa. Looking at India he went on, ‘It’s a normal reaction, she’s been pent up with tension all day. Sit with her, look after her, she’ll be fine soon.’

Beckoning to Desmond and Emsie, Jack continued, ‘I need you two to do a couple of things for me.’

‘Yes, Jack!’ Desmond exclaimed, instantly jumping off the fender, rushing over to Jack, with Emsie following in his wake.

‘What do you need us to do?’ Emsie asked when they came to a stop near the Georgian desk. Her face was eager, her dark eyes bright with earnestness.

‘Desmond, please go and find Wiggs and tell him that Adele should be back within half an hour. But don’t say anything else, and don’t mention Mark. Okay?’

Desmond nodded, and then volunteered, ‘And Jack, when you talk to Mums, tell her we need to do something about security here. Anybody can come and go as they please.’

‘I’ve made a note to do that, Desmond. I’ve a plan for a proper security system in the works,’ Jack replied, and then looked at Emsie, smiled at her. ‘Go and tell Margaret and Joe that Adele is coming back soon, and please ask Margaret to bring in some ice and a tray of drinks. I certainly need a vodka and I’m sure everyone else wants something, too.’

The two youngsters hurried out, and Linnet walked across to Jack and hugged him. ‘Thanks Jack, thanks for everything you’ve done.’ Her face was ringed in smiles.

‘Thanks not necessary, Beauty.’ He stared at her intently, said in a low voice, ‘I pushed it a bit, but I felt I was doing the right thing. Thank God it worked out all right. Mark became scared when I said the police were on the way. It sobered him up.’

‘Why? Was he drunk?’ Linnet asked swiftly, raising a brow.

‘Just a manner of speaking.’

‘Had you called the North Yorkshire police, Jack, or were you bluffing?’

‘Bluffing, Beauty. But when Pete, my operative checking the local hotels, mentioned the name William Stone I remembered what you’d told me about Mark using that name as a pseudonym for his client Jonathan Ainsley.’

‘I’m glad I told you.’

He smiled, went to the desk, sat down, looked at the pad where he had made voluminous notes.

A moment later Evan was standing in front of the desk, and he glanced up, his eyes questioning.

‘Thanks for being such a calming influence, Jack. Would it be all right if I told Robin that Jonathan is in Hong Kong? He was wondering where his son was when I had lunch with him today. It will ease his mind knowing Jonathan’s not in the country.’

‘By all means. Be my guest, Evan.’

A moment later Linnet and Evan went to sit with Tessa and India, gently talking to Tessa, reassuring her that everything was going to be all right. She accepted their words, their kindness, their reassurances, and tried to smile, tried to bring herself back to a normal state. But the tension was deeply imbedded in her, and she was also aware that her life had been changed forever by the events of the day. She also knew that no easing of her pain would come until her child was safely by her side.

Gideon Harte sat at his desk in the offices of the Yorkshire Consolidated Newspaper Company, in South East London, not far from the famed Fleet Street of yesteryear. Although the renowned street of ink was still there, many of the great national daily newspapers had moved to quarters elsewhere as the Hartes’ newspaper company had.

Overlooking a portion of the Thames, Gideon’s office was spacious, light-filled and airy, with lots of plate-glass windows, shaded by silver metal-mesh panels. It was discreetly decorated in shades of white and grey, and there were lots of books banked in low-slung black-lacquered shelves that rode across a long back wall. His black-lacquered desk was empty, the way he liked it, with a few memos in simple black trays, a dictionary, a thesaurus, and antique crystal inkpots on a silver tray.

Pushing his chair back, Gideon lifted his feet to the desk and leaned back in the chair, watching the large modern clock on the wall straight ahead. Once the hands hit six forty-five he lowered his legs, sat up straight and picked up the phone. He dialled the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills and waited.

When the operator answered he said, ‘Toby Harte, please.’

A moment later his brother was saying, ‘Hello? Toby Harte here.’

‘It’s me, Toby. Gid. And it’s good news. Jack’s found Mark. He’s admitted he has Adele, and he’s on his way to Pennistone Royal now bringing her back to Tessa.’

‘Thank God! What a bastard he is, Gid, taking his own child in that way, and all to get back at poor Tessa. He should be – well, I can’t think of anything quite bad enough to do to that shit!’

Gid laughed. ‘How about horsewhipped, to use an old-fashioned phrase? Or even better, what about hung, drawn and quartered?’

Toby also laughed and said, ‘I’ll punch him in the face a few times myself and I’ll be relieved when I know Adele is actually with Tessa at the house. Only then will I relax, I don’t trust that bugger.’

‘I agree with you. But I promised to let you know as soon as I had some news, and I just hung up on Jack. Evan had called me a few minutes before, to pass the word for him. But then Jack called himself, wanted to talk to me about security. Not only at Pennistone Royal, which is very vulnerable, as we now know, but all of our homes, and I think he’s right. They should have more protection.’

‘Agreed. And Jack’s the right chap to set everything up. By the way, do Paula and Shane know anything yet, Gid?’

‘God, no! And don’t get involved. Don’t tell our parents, because you know our mother will pass it on to Paula. They’re as thick as thieves.’

‘Well, all of them are. Mother and Dad. Shane and Paula, Sally and Anthony Standish, Amanda. And Sarah, now she’s back in the fold. They grew up together, for God’s sake,’ Toby reminded his brother. ‘We all know about Heron’s Nest, the summers they spent there, now don’t we!’

‘Listen to this. Jack told me that one of his operatives found out that a man with a small child was registered at the Spa Hotel in Ripon – your old hunting ground, if you recall. Anyway, the man had registered under the name of William Stone. It meant nothing to Jack’s chap, but the minute Jack heard it he knew it had to be Mark. William Stone equals Jonathan Ainsley. That’s his pseudonym.’

‘Oh Christ, you’re right! Was Jonathan involved, do you think?’ Toby wondered out loud.

‘I’ve no idea,’ Gideon answered, ‘but it’s crossed Tessa’s mind and Linnet’s, not to mention Jack’s as well, so Evan told me.’

‘I see. Paula will have to be told eventually, you know, something like this can’t be shoved under the rug.’

‘It couldn’t be anyway, because Tessa’s promised Mark Longden the earth to bring Adele back to her, and she’s going to have to discuss all that with her mother and Shane. It could involve millions, according to Linnet. I guess right now Longden is harping on about joint custody, so Tessa is trying to buy him off. Everybody has a price, according to our great-grandmother. Emma’s rule.’

‘Emma was right. And that joint custody bit won’t sit well with Tessa. Thank God Adrianna and I don’t have any kids, it certainly makes things easier.’

‘Are you and Adrianna definitely getting the divorce, then, Toby?’ Gideon asked.

‘We are, but at least it’s amicable. We both want it, Gid. She’s decided she prefers to live and work in Hollywood, and I want to be in London. Have to be, as a matter of fact, when you consider my responsibilities. The marriage was a big mistake, in all truthfulness. But she’s being decent, believe it or not … she’s not a gold-digger, far from it. Adrianna doesn’t want alimony. She’d like me to buy her a small flat in London, so she can have a base: you know, one foot each side of the Atlantic, and I agreed. Actually, though, I’m thinking of letting her have our flat. I’ve never really liked it, and she has always loved it.’

‘I felt you wanted a divorce, so am glad for you, Toby. And Dad will be, too. He’s looking for grandchildren from you, Toby, and he never thought Adrianna was the motherly type.’

Toby began to chuckle. ‘Never a truer word spoken by our dear dad. The old man’s right on the ball.’ There was a moment’s hesitation before Toby went on. ‘Do you think I can call Tessa? I’ve been so terribly worried about her, and I do want her to know I’m here for her, whatever she needs.’

‘Why shouldn’t you phone her, Toby? You and she have been joined at the hip all of your lives. And she knows you’re there for her. Of course, give her a ring, for God’s sake.’

‘I wouldn’t want to call her just when she was getting Adele back, I wouldn’t want to interrupt that. Knowing Tessa the way I do, she’s suffered horribly today, not knowing where Adele was.’

‘You’ve got a few minutes before Mark arrives at the house. So call her now and give her my love.’

‘I will. Everything’s all right between you and Evan, isn’t it, Gid?’

‘Absolutely. Never been better. Talk to you later.’

‘Sure thing, Gideon.’

Gideon leaned back in his chair, after hanging up on his brother, propped his feet on the desk again and closed his eyes. He began to think about Evan Hughes.

Things were better between them, even though she was constantly worrying about her father and his impending trip to England. But she’s really worrying about what he’ll think of me, and of Robin Ainsley, Gideon suddenly decided, and wished then that she wouldn’t wrestle with those sort of things, inventing problems when they didn’t exist. The problem was Evan herself, Gideon decided. She needed everybody to like the people she liked, and that wasn’t the way the world was.

He knew he wanted to make a life with Evan, wanted her on a permanent basis. And ever since the beginning of their relationship he had felt she wanted to make a life with him. But he had come to the conclusion she couldn’t make that commitment to him because of her father and his peculiar attitude towards the Hartes.

Gideon sighed. He would be delighted when her father finally did arrive from New York. Then everything would be out in the open.

In the meantime, he had a national daily to get out. With his father away, The Daily Gazette was under his aegis. Opening his eyes and swinging his feet to the carpet, he stood up, retrieved his mobile from the desk and left his office, heading for the newsroom, one of the places he always loved to be.

Tessa could hardly sit still and finally, in her agitation, she stood up and exclaimed to Jack, ‘I just can’t stand it! I’ve got to go to the front door, wait for Adele there.’

‘I know, I know. Go ahead, Tessa. Mark should be arriving at any moment now. Come to think of it, I’d better accompany you.’ Jack joined her, took hold of her arm and led her to the Stone Hall.

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.’