Barbara Taylor Bradford - Unexpected Blessings

‘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.’