Pride stiffened her resolve. It was time to go. There was no point in procrastinating. A chapter of her life had ended and a new one was beginning. If the absolute worst came to the worst she could sell the flat in London and return home to Dublin. But that would only be if she was in dire straits. Her parents were getting old and they were beginning to show their age. A nursemaid she would not be. Frank and Jacqueline had salted away enough to have a very affluent old age. They could pay for a carer if they needed one. Colette felt another sudden surge of anger towards Des. It was unthinkable that she would even consider returning to Ireland to live, if she couldn’t hack it in London. No! She would not run home to Mummy and Daddy like some little wimp. She had more pride than that. She would make a go of life on her own.
She checked her travel bag for her passport and travel documents. The neat Tiffany’s box in which she had placed the dinky, one-ounce bars of gold nestled at the bottom of her bag. Would she be stopped at security or Customs and Excise? Not that it mattered. She was legally entitled to take the amount she carried in her bag. It was the stash hidden in the drawer of the pedestal desk, which was now in the container heading for London, that could cause problems if it was discovered. Or it could be stolen! But she wouldn’t think about that now. She had enough to contend with for the moment. She rang down to order her car and asked for a bellboy to be sent up, before wrapping her fur around her and pulling on her kid leather gloves. ‘Goodbye, New York,’ she murmured when the bellboy knocked on the door. ‘I’ll see you in the spring.’
‘Omigod, Dad! The place is so weird!’ Jazzy exclaimed, standing in the foyer, gazing around her in dismay.
‘Your mother’s revenge.’ Des gave a wry smile.
‘Oh! I suppose. It’s a very Mom thing to do,’ Jazzy sighed, dropping her overnight bag and giving him a hug.
‘It’s good to see you, Pippin!’ He hugged her back, feeling a deep gratitude that Colette had obviously not told their daughter about the ‘Deal Breaker’ episode. He was delighted to see her, glad that she would bring some life back into the place that had once been their home.
‘How are you feeling?’ She followed him into the kitchen.
‘Tired! Worried! Sad! Take your pick,’ Des grimaced. ‘Encarna left a fish chowder, and lamb tagine and couscous for us. Are you hungry?’
‘For Encarna’s cooking, always!’ Jazzy said with fake enthusiasm. She was afraid to go into the other rooms to see what Colette had absconded with. She had hoped that, when her mother had calmed down after spending Christmas in London, she would miss her life in New York and come back. Colette’s actions made it clear no such return was on the cards and Jazzy realized with a deep sense of foreboding that her parents’ marriage was well and truly over, and the lifestyle she had taken so much for granted was a thing of the past. Unable to hide her dismay and distress, she burst into tears.
‘Jazzy, don’t cry,’ Des pleaded, putting his arms around her.
‘Lots of women get over their husband having an affair,’ she sobbed. ‘It happens all the time. Why did she have to leave?’
‘Mom is the kind of woman who takes no prisoners, you know that,’ he said gently. ‘Perhaps there’ll come a time when she’ll forgive me. And if you want to go to London to be with her for Christmas I’ll understand perfectly and I’ll pay for your flight,’ he offered generously.
‘Thanks, Dad, but I think I’ll stay here. Jackson and I have been invited to a lot of parties and it will be my first Christmas with him, even if it has been spoilt,’ she sniffed. ‘Why, Dad? Why did you reach out to another woman?’
‘Look, these things happen in a marriage. You get bored. You feel you’re being neglected. Your mother was always very busy with the gallery—’
‘And with entertaining your colleagues too,’ Jazzy cut in sharply.
‘Yes, that too,’ Des sighed. ‘The opportunity was there and I took it and I shouldn’t have.’
‘No, you shouldn’t have. Poor Mom going to England alone. What a horrible Christmas she’s going to have,’ Jazzy bit her lip.
‘I know that. If you change your mind about going, let me know,’ her father said dispiritedly, wondering where were the bowls Encarna usually served their chowder in. He’d better start finding his way around his own kitchen. He would be putting Encarna on a three-day week, mornings only. After New Year he would have to take a serious look at his finances and discreetly begin the search for a smaller apartment, in a less exclusive district of the city. If this year had turned out a bummer next year looked as though it was going to be even worse. Listening to his daughter’s stifled sobs, Des felt like bursting into tears himself.
The comfort of walking into a warm, freshly painted, spotlessly clean apartment almost made up for the incredibly bumpy flight and the scary descent into Heathrow, when crosswinds buffeted the plane. Colette gazed around the familiar lounge with the big window looking out onto the elegant square and burst into tears.
