never
seen these,” Douglas belatedly answered Charlotte. “Samantha finds
it amusing to use my influence and money to do shocking things that
will make people wonder about me.”
“Well, she’s
succeeded,” Oliver replied, laughter in his voice. “From the looks
of these, you’re a very disturbed individual.”
“ Hideous
or not, most of them have sold,” Charlotte noted and then she came
forward and wrapped her arm around Julia’s waist. “We’re off to the
ladies,” she announced and pulled Julia along with her and through
the throng of the crowd before Julia could say a word. “We’re not
off to the ladies, I’ve got to
have a cigarette and Ollie doesn’t know I’ve started up again,” she
confided to Julia conspiratorially, still giving Julia no time to
respond.
She guided
Julia through the gallery, down a hall at the back and outside into
an alleyway. Other guests mingled with staff to enjoy their
cigarettes in the surprisingly tidy but smoky alley.
Charlotte
pulled Julia away from the smoking crowd and down, stopping them
within sight but out of hearing distance and surreptitiously
lighting a cigarette with a slim, gold lighter.
“Thank you for
coming with me,” Charlotte said, even though she hadn’t given Julia
much choice. “Now, we can really talk. Tell me, how are you getting
on?”
Her
words were not gossipy but kind. Nevertheless, Julia was aware this
was a family friend and she forced herself to be discreet even
though she desperately wanted to talk to someone, anyone .
“I’m settling
in…” she started.
“Codswallop,”
Charlotte announced, the strange word forcing a giggle out of Julia
and making her relax.
“Okay, it’s
been tough,” Julia allowed.
“Tough is when
you break the heel of your favourite pair of Jimmy Choos. There’s
another word for it when your whole life turns on its head.” She
took a drag from her cigarette and blew the smoke away from Julia.
“Come on, you can tell Auntie Charlie,” she coaxed with an
encouraging smile.
Julia smiled
back. She needed someone to talk to and Charlotte seemed genuinely
concerned so she gave in. “I’m tired, exhausted… the kids are,
well… things are not good.”
“Monique,”
Charlotte guessed, making the name sound like a curse and correctly
judging the state of affairs at Sommersgate. “That woman is a
nightmare. She wasn’t a good mother and she certainly isn’t a good
grandmother.”
Julia was
stunned by her frankness and curious at her words. Tamsin (and
certainly not Douglas) had never spoken about her relationship with
her mother even though Julia knew it was obviously nothing like
what she and Gav had with Patricia. She knew, though, that it was
none of her business.
“It’ll get
better,” Julia assured her, trying to believe it herself. “I
haven’t even been here for a week. I haven’t had the chance to
really talk to Douglas.”
“ Who
ever really talks to
Douglas?” Charlotte asked with further brazen honesty as she waved
her cigarette around in the air. “I love him but he’s about as
approachable as The Guards.” She took another deep drag and then
glanced at the crowd, obviously worried that Oliver would discover
her habit then her eyes moved back to Julia. “Listen to me, I was
Tammy’s friend, I miss her. She was wonderful and an important part
of my life. But I cannot imagine what possessed her to do this to
you and Douglas. She loved that house, God knows why, it’s the
creepiest place on earth. But she connected with it. I figure she
talked Gavin into having the kids brought up there and to protect
you, they made Douglas guardian too.”
Julia couldn’t
hide her surprise at this announcement. She, too, had spent hours
trying to figure out what intentions Gavin and Tamsin had when they
put her and Douglas in what was seeming, more and more, not only an
impossible, not even an inconceivable but maybe a catastrophic
situation. Especially if Julia couldn’t control
seen these,” Douglas belatedly answered Charlotte. “Samantha finds
it amusing to use my influence and money to do shocking things that
will make people wonder about me.”
“Well, she’s
succeeded,” Oliver replied, laughter in his voice. “From the looks
of these, you’re a very disturbed individual.”
“ Hideous
or not, most of them have sold,” Charlotte noted and then she came
forward and wrapped her arm around Julia’s waist. “We’re off to the
ladies,” she announced and pulled Julia along with her and through
the throng of the crowd before Julia could say a word. “We’re not
off to the ladies, I’ve got to
have a cigarette and Ollie doesn’t know I’ve started up again,” she
confided to Julia conspiratorially, still giving Julia no time to
respond.
She guided
Julia through the gallery, down a hall at the back and outside into
an alleyway. Other guests mingled with staff to enjoy their
cigarettes in the surprisingly tidy but smoky alley.
Charlotte
pulled Julia away from the smoking crowd and down, stopping them
within sight but out of hearing distance and surreptitiously
lighting a cigarette with a slim, gold lighter.
“Thank you for
coming with me,” Charlotte said, even though she hadn’t given Julia
much choice. “Now, we can really talk. Tell me, how are you getting
on?”
Her
words were not gossipy but kind. Nevertheless, Julia was aware this
was a family friend and she forced herself to be discreet even
though she desperately wanted to talk to someone, anyone .
“I’m settling
in…” she started.
“Codswallop,”
Charlotte announced, the strange word forcing a giggle out of Julia
and making her relax.
“Okay, it’s
been tough,” Julia allowed.
“Tough is when
you break the heel of your favourite pair of Jimmy Choos. There’s
another word for it when your whole life turns on its head.” She
took a drag from her cigarette and blew the smoke away from Julia.
“Come on, you can tell Auntie Charlie,” she coaxed with an
encouraging smile.
Julia smiled
back. She needed someone to talk to and Charlotte seemed genuinely
concerned so she gave in. “I’m tired, exhausted… the kids are,
well… things are not good.”
“Monique,”
Charlotte guessed, making the name sound like a curse and correctly
judging the state of affairs at Sommersgate. “That woman is a
nightmare. She wasn’t a good mother and she certainly isn’t a good
grandmother.”
Julia was
stunned by her frankness and curious at her words. Tamsin (and
certainly not Douglas) had never spoken about her relationship with
her mother even though Julia knew it was obviously nothing like
what she and Gav had with Patricia. She knew, though, that it was
none of her business.
“It’ll get
better,” Julia assured her, trying to believe it herself. “I
haven’t even been here for a week. I haven’t had the chance to
really talk to Douglas.”
“ Who
ever really talks to
Douglas?” Charlotte asked with further brazen honesty as she waved
her cigarette around in the air. “I love him but he’s about as
approachable as The Guards.” She took another deep drag and then
glanced at the crowd, obviously worried that Oliver would discover
her habit then her eyes moved back to Julia. “Listen to me, I was
Tammy’s friend, I miss her. She was wonderful and an important part
of my life. But I cannot imagine what possessed her to do this to
you and Douglas. She loved that house, God knows why, it’s the
creepiest place on earth. But she connected with it. I figure she
talked Gavin into having the kids brought up there and to protect
you, they made Douglas guardian too.”
Julia couldn’t
hide her surprise at this announcement. She, too, had spent hours
trying to figure out what intentions Gavin and Tamsin had when they
put her and Douglas in what was seeming, more and more, not only an
impossible, not even an inconceivable but maybe a catastrophic
situation. Especially if Julia couldn’t control
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