Barbara Taylor Bradford - Just Rewards

Exile, Julian thought. I would have had to exile myself. I would have had to leave England, go to New York, and run the American end of Kallinski Industries. That would have been the only solution. It would have been dreadful, heartbreaking, a miserable existence. And my life would have been empty and banal without her , without my lovely, red-haired Linnet by my side.

But he wasn’t without her. They were married now, and had been for over five weeks … Married just as they had planned to be married since their childhood … Their dream of marital bliss together had come true in the end.

Smiling to himself, filled with happiness, Julian turned away from the window and went over to the desk in the corner. As he passed the old Queen Anne chest he caught sight of their main wedding picture in its silver frame.

He paused, staring at it for a moment. It was the big family portrait with himself and Linnet in the centre, and surrounding them were the rest of the family. His parents, her parents, her grandmother, Daisy and Great-Aunt Edwina, and the two grandfathers, O’Neill and Kallinski, respectively. And there were their siblings and cousins and the aunts and uncles. The three clans in full force.

Julian focused his attention on his grandfather, Sir Ronald Kallinski, who had managed to stave off death in order to attend their marriage. But sadly he had died in his sleep three days after their wedding, just when he and Linnet had arrived in Barbados for their honeymoon.

His father and her parents, and Grandfather O’Neill in particular, had insisted they did not come back to England for the funeral.

‘He wouldn’t have wanted that, Jules,’ his father had said to him, speaking in his firmest voice. ‘He was thrilled to see you and Linnet married, overjoyed to know the three clans were united in marriage. “All mixed into a lovely stew,” he said to me at the reception. And he was finally able to let go. He died peacefully in his sleep, and he was a happy man. We’ll bury him quietly, and I’ll start planning his memorial service. You’ll both be here for that.’

Julian had told his father he wanted to help with the plans for the memorial, and Michael Kallinski had agreed that they would do it together. ‘Remember, he was in his nineties.’ His father had then added, ‘And he had a great life, a big life. He was ready to go, he was ill. And tired, really. But as I said, a happy man because of you two. So, enjoy your honeymoon, and goodbye.’ His father had then hung up, and Julian knew that all his father had said was correct. To go back would be silly, under the circumstances.

Linnet had been loving and consoling, full of sympathy, proffering wise words, and she had helped him to get through a few truly sorrowful days. And finally, after much discussion, they had wisely taken the advice of their families and remained in Barbados.

Moving away from the chest, sitting down at the desk, Julian thought of the coming week. He was going to be at the Leeds office of Kallinski Industries, and he would greatly miss his grandfather’s presence there. For the past six months or so, Sir Ronnie, as he was called by everyone, had made the Leeds offices his headquarters, no longer fit enough to travel to London.

Naturally his considerable influence was everywhere, from the wonderful Post-Impressionist art and the Barbara Hepworth sculptures in the lobby to the coolness of the upper floors. Sir Ronnie had always insisted that the air-conditioning was turned on, no matter the time of year. He liked his working environment to be cool, which was why many of the women employees tended to refer to Kallinski House as ‘the frozen North’, and ‘Iceland’.

Julian looked across at the door as it suddenly flew open, and his reflective expression was obscured by the bright smile which readily settled on his face.

There she was, his beautiful Linnet.

She hurried forward, smiling back at him, and wrapped her arms around him, held him close.

‘Are you all right? You looked so sad when I came in,’ she whispered against his cheek.

‘I’m fine, really. I was just remembering Grandfather.’

‘I know.’ Linnet drew away and stared up into his dark blue eyes, almost violet in colour like her mother’s. ‘Don’t forget what the Hartes have always said about a loved one who has died … in my heart forever .’

‘Yes,’ he murmured. ‘I remember that.’

‘And it’s true, you know.’

‘Yes, Linnet, I think it is. I feel that Grandfather is in my heart forever … that motto of your family is absolutely correct.’

She smiled at him, touched his face with a fingertip. ‘You know something strange, even though I never knew Emma, I feel her in my heart. Sometimes I think she’s all around me, loving me, guiding me, watching over me.’ She put her head on one side. ‘Do you think that’s silly? Rather fanciful of me, Jules?’

‘Of course not. And I certainly wouldn’t be so arrogant as to dismiss such feelings. There’s so much we don’t know about this world, or the other … and I’m happy that you feel she’s watching over you .’

Linnet stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the lips, then asked, ‘Have you seen Gideon and Evan yet this morning?’

‘Yes,’ Julian answered and led her over to the sofa near the window. ‘Let’s sit for a minute. I’ve several things to tell you. First, Emily came over and Gideon and I had coffee with her, then she took your mother off to Beck House in West Tanfield. Gideon is driving over there later with Evan, and he asked us to go to tea at the house, and have a look around. How do you feel about that?’

‘It’s great! I’d love to see how far they’ve come in the decoration of it. So, does that mean we can have lunch alone? Just the two of us?’

‘Not exactly,’ he answered, his eyes suddenly mischievous.

‘Oh, who’s here that I don’t know about?’

‘Your beloved brother, Lorne.’

‘Oh goody! That’s wonderful. Oh, sorry, Jules, about our tête-à-tête. You don’t mind do you?’

‘Not at all, darling, I’ve always had a soft spot for Lorne. But, actually, that’s not all of it. He’s here with his twin and her French friend.’

‘Tessa and Jean-Claude are here ?’ Linnet sounded surprised.

‘That’s right, and Tessa says she’s going to cook dinner for everyone, so we’re in for a treat.’ He grinned at Linnet. ‘She’s making her speciality.’

‘Oh God, not coq au vin.’

‘Oh no, she doesn’t make that anymore, at least so she told me. We’re going to have lamb stew.’

Linnet began to chuckle. ‘Come on, let’s go down to the kitchen and see what’s going on. In the meantime, let me tell you about the call I had from Jack Figg just as I was leaving for my walk.’

‘Something important?’

‘Just that the dreaded Jonathan Ainsley is staying at his house in Thirsk. Jack’s a bit worried about that.’

‘I don’t blame him,’ Julian muttered, following Linnet out of their bedroom. ‘That man’s a menace.’

Dusty jumped up from the desk where he was sitting and went to stand in front of the blazing fire. His face was taut as he stuck his hands in his pockets and warmed his back against the flames.

His mind had been racing ever since Paddy had announced the arrival of his little daughter with Mrs Roebotham. The fact that the woman had brought along a suitcase belonging to Atlanta meant only one thing: the child was coming to stay with him. Which, in turn, meant that it was Molly Caldwell who was out of action, not Melinda who was in some kind of trouble. If that had been the case, Mrs Caldwell would have phoned him to explain.