The Monte Carlo Proposal

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Della’s Story

JUST as I’d feared, Jack insisted on having the party. Grandad began planning the food, but Jack managed tactfully to steer him away.

‘I don’t think beans on toast will quite meet the case,’ he said.

‘He can do other things.’ I defended Grandad. ‘Sardines on toast, cheese on toast, mushrooms on toast.’

‘I think I’ll stick to my catering firm.’

For a few days we didn’t see him. He was spending his nights at the house he nominally shared with Grace. Grandad became sentimental.

‘Knight in shining armour,’ he declared. ‘He won’t stay here in case he compromises you.’

‘Grandad, come into the twenty-first century,’ I begged. ‘Nobody thinks like that any more.’

‘What else could it be?’

I could imagine another reason. The night Jack and I had talked, we’d got closer than we’d meant to. Now I reckoned he was embarrassed to be with me in case I started hoping for more than he had to offer.

But I didn’t say that to Grandad. I just murmured something about his snoring, he hotly denied that he ever snored, and we left it at that.

Jack returned unexpectedly one evening when Grandad had gone to bed. He looked harassed.

‘Grace won’t let the subject alone and it’s doing my head in,’ he groaned.

‘The subject being me?’

‘You, and my foolishness in getting mixed up…etc. etc.’

‘Put your feet up. I’ll make you some supper.’

‘It’s not beans on toast, is it?’ he asked in alarm.

I laughed. ‘No. Scrambled eggs, because they’re nice and light.’

We sat down at the table together and he ate with relish.

‘Grace laid on a fantastic meal tonight,’ he said, ‘and I could hardly eat any of it for the indigestion she was giving me.’

‘Poor Grace,’ I said.

He stared at me. ‘That’s the last thing I expected you to say.’

‘Well, she sent you to my rescue, however little she meant to. Maybe I owe her one. I can’t help seeing that she’s scared and miserable. You’re all she has. The days when you really did need her were probably her happiest ones and she’s trying to keep some part of them alive.’

‘But why can’t she see that she’s doing it the wrong way?’

‘The really sad thing is that she probably does see it,’ I mused. ‘Grace isn’t a fool. She must know that when she nags you she drives you further away, but she doesn’t know how to do anything else. It gets her your attention, even if you do storm out afterwards. But then she knows that she’s irritated you and she gets more scared, and nags harder, and so it becomes a vicious circle.’

‘So what do I do?’

‘I don’t know. But maybe if she felt that you understood-’

‘I can’t be understanding when she starts abusing you,’ he said firmly.

‘Then change the subject. Get her to talk about something else, and be nice about that.’

He shook his head in a kind of wonder. ‘If Grace only knew that you were fighting her corner.’

‘Don’t tell her, for heaven’s sake!’ I begged. ‘That would really upset her.’

He grinned. I poured him some more tea.

‘How are the party arrangements going on?’ he asked.

‘Everyone in my family has accepted,’ I said, in such a tense voice that he looked at me askance.

‘You really disapprove, don’t you?’

‘I can’t see why you’re doing it. I’m just going to be embarrassed out of my mind.’

‘Why?’

‘Because I’ve heard Grandad on the phone to them. You can’t imagine the stories he’s telling.’

He gave me a wide grin.

‘Nonsense. Of course I can imagine. I know him by now. He’s so much like Grandpa Nick that it’s weird.’

‘But you don’t know my family. The first thing they ask themselves is, “Where’s the profit?”’

‘Very wise. I ask myself that every day.’

‘But they’ll be trying to profit from you. They’ll look at you and see rich pickings. Jack, they’ll try to fleece you.’

‘Darl-Della, I spend my days with people who are trying to fleece me. I can take care of myself. Stop treating me like an idiot.’

‘All right,’ I said crossly. ‘I’ve tried to warn you but you won’t be warned. And when one of them has sold you a non-existent gold mine you’ll know I was right.’

‘I can add it to my other non-existent gold mines. Anyway, you never know. I might sell them one.’

‘I wish you’d be serious.’

‘Now you’re sounding like Grace. Does it occur to either of you that I’ve had enough of being serious? I’m ready to be something else. I’m just not quite sure what.’

He fell silent, and I had a feeling that he’d floated away from me. He was looking inside himself, or out at some far distant horizon. Or both at once. Certainly his voice had become dreamy in a way that didn’t sound like his normal self.

‘Well, at least when you’ve met them you’ll know the worst,’ I said.

‘Della, when will you understand that I don’t define you by your family? And you shouldn’t define yourself that way either.’

‘I don’t.’

‘You do, otherwise you wouldn’t make such efforts to hide them. They are what they are, and you are what you are, and it’s not the same. You’re innocent.’

‘I’m still facing a jail sentence,’ I pointed out.

‘Always assuming that it gets to court. The owners may be satisfied with having the bracelet back.’

‘Why should they be? They haven’t been so far. According to Mr Wendell they’re dead keen for the police to prosecute. He found out that they had something stolen before and the thief got away. So now they’ve got hold of me they’re not going to let go.’

‘They might still change their minds and withdraw the charges.’

‘Jack, it’s a crime to nobble witnesses. You could end up behind bars yourself.’

‘Nobble witnesses? What an extraordinary suggestion!’

‘I’m sorry. I thought that was what you were talking about.’

‘Not a bit of it. If I- That is, nobbling witnesses is very crude, and I prefer subtlety.’ Then he changed the subject abruptly. ‘What are you going to wear for the party?’

‘I’ve still got one of those cocktail dresses you bought me. It’s blue silk, very nice.’

‘Only I was thinking-’

‘I know, but there’s no need, thank you.’

There was a touch of desperation in his voice, ‘You won’t take anything from me, will you?’

‘How can you say that when I’m actually taking so much from you?’

He smiled, but it seemed forced. ‘Yes, you’re right. Let’s leave it.’

On the day of the party he was home early, and noticed me at a loose end.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘I’ve got nothing to do,’ I complained.

‘So I should hope. Leave it to the caterers.’

‘Anyway, Grandad’s happy.’

‘They haven’t let him touch anything, have they?’ he asked, aghast.

‘He’s being allowed to cut cheese, that’s all. As long as he’s busy he’s happy.’

‘Della, how long can you go on subordinating everything to his needs?’

‘I’ve told you-he deserves it.’

‘Yes, sure. He looked after you and you’re looking after him, but he didn’t come forward to get you out of this mess, did he?’

‘Because I told him not to.’

‘The hell with that. Do you think I’d leave you to rot because you told me to?’

‘Jack, it’s not fair to criticise him. He’s an old man-’

‘I’m not criticising him. He’s more than old, he’s scared stiff, or he wouldn’t have let it get this far. I don’t blame him for being too scared to do the right thing, but who looks after you?’

I didn’t answer.

‘It’s going to get worse, Della. It’ll happen again, and what will you do next time?’

‘I’ll think about that when it happens,’ I muttered.

‘I’m thinking of it now. Will you wake up and look ahead? He’s got the mind of a child. A loveable, crazy child, but the burden on you is going to get greater.’

‘It’s my burden and I’ll cope,’ I said crossly, remembering to add, ‘But of course I appreciate what you’re doing.’

He grinned at that hasty afterthought. To my relief he dropped the subject.

It was soon time to dress for the evening. I put on the blue dress, and when I’d pinned Charlie on the shoulder I looked quite presentable.

Jack didn’t say anything when he saw me, but he smiled and nodded. He was smartly but casually dressed, and looked as handsome as I remembered from the boat. His appearance had improved and he no longer looked ill these days.

Then I noticed his cufflinks. They were the shabby ones given him by Grandpa Nick. As though he was going to need good luck tonight.

He saw me looking at them, smiled self-consciously and pulled his jacket sleeves down to hide them.

‘Jack-’

‘They’ll be here in a moment. Are we ready?’

So he left me not knowing what to think, which was how it normally was these days.

Nobody was late. They all wanted to get a look at Jack. I had a busy time introducing them to him and him to them.

They were a good-looking bunch, I realised. Harry, his wife and two sons; Alec, sporting a black eye, his wife and grown-up son and daughter; Hetta with her three daughters, all beauties. Bill had no family, but he was a natural clown with a gift for making the party go. David and Ken were the other brothers, with five offspring between them.

I’d expected to hate it, but almost at once I knew that the party had the magic ingredient that would make it gel. In part it was Jack, who romanced every female in sight, from Hetta’s sultry daughter, Penny, to Lil, Alec’s stern-faced wife.

She had a lot to look stern about. Alec was fond of her, but he was a philanderer, and I guessed the black eye meant he’d been straying again.

Jack took personal charge of Lil-keeping an eye on her drink, joking with her, and looking deep into her eyes in a way that made her blush. I could see that she was forgetting everyone around her. Jack could have that effect on people.

Alec could see it too, and he didn’t like it. Leaving a group of men who were enjoying Jack’s finest single malt whisky, he edged forward until he was standing beside her.

‘Lil-’

She didn’t seem to hear.

‘Lil-’ He touched her arm.

She looked at him as if she’d never seen him before.

Alec was staggered. He was used to having Lil’s full attention, and to her letting him get away with anything because she loved him more than he loved her.

‘What is it?’ she asked.

‘Er-why don’t you come over here and talk to Bill?’

But Lil was enjoying the full blast of Jack’s charm and she wasn’t going to budge. I didn’t blame her.

‘I’ve known Bill for years,’ she told her husband firmly. ‘Why should I want to talk to him now?’

‘Well-’

She turned back to Jack. ‘Go on with what you were saying.’

Having received his dismissal, Alec drifted unhappily away.

There were other moments about that evening that I enjoyed very much. Ken, for instance, assuming that all businessmen were crooks of one kind or another, explaining to Jack in lurid detail exactly how he’d ripped off a firm called Callon Inc.

‘Very ingenious,’ Jack said, straight-faced. ‘I never knew there were such flaws in the security system. I must have a talk with them first thing on Monday.’

‘You?’

‘I own that firm. Didn’t I say?’

Ken blenched. ‘No, you didn’t say.’

‘I’m grateful to you. You’ve done me a favour. Perhaps you’d care to look over some other firms of mine and tell me where they can be attacked.’

Ken looked suspicious. ‘You mean-you’re not going to cut up rough?’

‘I’d look a bit silly doing it now, wouldn’t I?’

Later Jack had a long chat with David. I couldn’t make out details, but from the way they had their heads together it seemed very man to man. I discovered afterwards that David-who, as everyone agreed, had never been the brightest tool in the box-had asked his advice on the best way to manage the extra activities with which he supplemented the income he earned from his ‘antiques’ shop.

Only when it was too late did he remember that Jack was on the other side of the fence, so to speak. I saw him gulp as realisation hit, and I saw Jack grin at him, then put his finger over his lips.

‘You’re a fraud,’ I told him softly. ‘You’re making them think you’re one of them.’

‘Why shouldn’t I be-in spirit, anyway? Della, tell me something. Do any of your family indulge in rough stuff-knocking people about, that sort of thing?’

‘Certainly not,’ I said, offended. ‘They’ve never been like that.’

He nodded. ‘That’s what I thought. Hetta, come and have a drink with me.’

By that time there was music playing, and when they’d drunk champagne he swept her into the dance.

She was only allowed to keep him for one dance. All the pretty young girls were queuing up to be his partner, but he made them wait, asking the older women first.

I still wonder what alchemy made him invite Lil to dance to pop music. How did he know that hidden in that heavy body was the girl who’d wowed them at the disco twenty years ago? It took only a few brash chords to lure her out again, and then she and Jack were flinging themselves all over the place. Everyone cheered and clapped, and with the last chord Jack drew her back into a theatrical simulation of an embrace.

Alex didn’t like that, I was happy to see. He didn’t like it at all.

I remembered the dances on The Hawk, all the tension, the edginess, the attitudes, with nobody relaxed. Jack looked far more at home at this one, I had to admit.

Ken drifted by while Jack was dancing with Penny.

‘You’ve landed on your feet,’ he murmured to me.

Ken has always been crude.

‘It’s not like that,’ I said.

‘Go on. I know what these apartments cost. I investigated them last year for a client, and if Jack can afford this, then, like I say, you’ve landed on your feet.’

‘I haven’t landed anywhere. There’s nothing between us.’

‘So why’s he giving you a party and meeting your family? I don’t see any other guests here.’

I couldn’t answer that.

‘Well, if you don’t want him there’s plenty who do. Look at Penny, for instance.’

‘I should think everyone’s looking at Penny,’ I said, trying not to sound as grouchy as I felt.

‘Very nice-looking girl. She’s recently been doing some glamour modelling. Big success. She’s got a gift for it, if you know what I mean.’

I knew exactly what he meant.

Ken moved off and Grandad took his place, saying to me, ‘Don’t let them see you mind, luv.’

‘I do not mind,’ I said, a tad sharply.

‘Then why are you looking as if you’ve swallowed a lemon?’

‘I’m not.’

‘You are.’

‘Well, I’m a wallflower, aren’t I?’ I complained. ‘Who can I dance with?’

‘You can dance with me.’

‘Right, I will.’

We took the floor together, but I didn’t get to keep him long. Lil, still alight from her moment of glory, claimed him, and they kicked up their heels together. Alec didn’t like that either, but there was nothing he could say without looking ridiculous, Grandad being so old.

I got one dance with Jack, at the end of the evening, but it was a very sedate affair. The feel of his hands through the dress’s thin material, his warm breath on my shoulders, destroyed all my good resolutions to keep my distance.

Jack, on the other hand, seemed well able to resist the temptation to draw me close. It was almost worse than not dancing with him at all.

The evening ended in a riot of good cheer. Everyone but me seemed to know what it had all been about. They’d sized him up, he’d sized them up, they all knew where they stood with each other and seemed happy with the result.

Just one big happy family, in fact.

If there’s one thing my folks know how to do, it’s enjoy themselves. When they had gone, and the caterers had departed, the place looked as though a bomb had hit it.

Grandad and I did a bit of half-hearted tidying, but Jack said to leave the rest, because the cleaners would come in the morning.

He was on the sofa, leaning back, staring at the ceiling, a look of seraphic happiness on his face.

‘Are you all right?’ I asked him.

‘Yes, thank you. It was a very satisfactory evening.’

‘I guess it was. When you weren’t being swarmed over by women I saw all the men sizing you up.’

‘Uh-huh!’ He laughed. ‘But I don’t think they’ll do it again.’

I began to get the picture. Or at least some of it.

‘I saw you talking to Harry,’ I mused.

‘Which one was Harry?’

‘The respectable one-the lawyer.’

‘Ah, yes! Oddly enough, he’s the only one who actually looks like a crook. He kept telling me that his firm was looking to branch out into corporate law, providing a top-quality service for a very select clientele.’

‘Jack, no! Even Harry doesn’t suffer from that much self-delusion.’

‘Now, there you’re wrong. There is no limit to his self-delusion. He was the only one I disliked. The others are all honest rogues.’ He laughed suddenly. ‘Why was Alec sporting a black eye? Gang warfare?’

‘Only the kind that goes on in his home every day. Lil caught him grazing in forbidden pastures. She tends to get physical when she’s provoked. Come to think of it, she was getting very physical with you on the dance floor.’

‘She’s a good dancer, but I don’t think she’s had much chance recently. I’m sure Alex doesn’t take her out.’

‘I think he might now,’ I said, chuckling.

‘Who’s the one with jet black hair?’

‘David’s wife, Angie.’

‘She lectured me about how all men need keeping in their place. She says she’s tried to pass her theories on to you.’

He regarded me quizzically, but I refused to be drawn.

‘I don’t take second-hand theories,’ I said loftily. ‘I prefer to invent my own.’

A smile came into his eyes. ‘That’s my girl. Ah, well, I’m sorry it’s over. I really enjoyed it.’

‘Yes, I saw you enjoying it with Penny,’ I said coolly. ‘She was the one in the see-through dress, in case you didn’t catch the name. I hope you got a good look at everything.’

‘If I didn’t it’s no fault of hers. Hetta wants me to back her in a modelling career. Or becoming a pop star. I don’t think it matters as long as I come across with the necessary.’

‘Are you going to?’

‘Not a chance. I’ve brought saying ‘Uh-huh!’ in a non-committal voice to a fine art. Mind you, I’ve had years of practice with Grace.’ He gave a wry smile. ‘It was fun. I’d forgotten about fun.’

His eyes were shining. I smiled back, loving to see him like that.

‘Goodnight, Jack,’ I said.

‘Goodnight, Della.’

He rose from the sofa and half turned away, then swung around and grasped hold of me without warning, pulled me against him and kissed me hard.

His arms were very tight around me, so that I couldn’t clasp him back even if I’d been able to think clearly. I had nothing to do but stand there and be kissed, very thoroughly.

Now I knew how much I’d wanted to be kissed. His lips felt so good on mine. I’d missed him so much.

Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it was over.

‘Goodnight,’ he said breathlessly, and vanished.

I stood there for a while, trying to calm my nerves, wondering what was happening to me.