~#~ (Chapter 50)

After lunch John, Jeff, Penelope and Parker travelled to the hospital. Jeff took John and Parker, as usual, took Penelope but opted to remain outside with the car rather than enter the hospital.

Penelope, like everyone else before her, was enchanted by Jacob and informed John, in no uncertain terms, that he was going to be visiting Creighton-Ward Manor in the very near future and that she would be taking his son 'out and about' because 'the girls are just simply going to adore him.'

~#~

All too soon it was time to travel back to the hotel to wash up before dinner. Penelope light-heartedly complained to Jeff about the 'hateful little car' that Parker was currently driving her around in. FAB1 was just too big and heavy for the particular jet that they had flown from England in and they hadn't been able to bring the larger plane because it being serviced.

Jeff's rental car and Penelope's candy-pink chauffer-driven vehicle followed one another back to the hotel parking lot and the four occupants soon disembarked and went to their rooms to wash up, and in Penelope's case change, before dinner.

Jeff and John got to the restaurant and were seated for a full half an hour before Penelope finally arrived, dressed in a glamorous-looking pastel-pink evening gown finished with a soft, grey faux-fur stole. John whistled quietly as she approached the table and she did a single, slow pirouette before seating herself in the chair that Jeff held out for her.

"Hello, you two," she said quietly, greeting the two men with a gentle peck on the cheek. "I do hope you haven't been waiting long, I just couldn't decide what to wear."

Jeff smiled as he retook his seat. "Well, Penny, you look simply splendid, as always," he said. "Now, dare I ask what you've done with that butler of yours? His absence is, shall I say, a little unexpected."

"Now, now, Jeff. It's all fine," Penelope replied quietly. "Parker is either down in the kitchens or in the staff quarters. He said he'd feel more at home with the workers rather than up with the…how did he put it? Oh yes, rather than up with the 'lords h'and ladies of the h'aristocracy'."

John let out a snort as Penelope did a near-perfect imitation of Parker's accent and Jeff filled a glass with a deep, red wine and handed it to Penelope. "Well, wherever he feels happiest, I suppose," he said. "Although you may have to remove him if he starts trying to interfere with the running of the kitchen. I don't think this place would appreciate their crockery hitting the floor any more than Mother does anytime Kyrano and Parker are on the island together."

John took a sip of his drink before speaking. "You do know that the best crockery gets hidden away within minutes of Grandma getting notice of one of Penny's visits?" he said. "She's got a whole other set now that stays out until Parker's well off the island. I've often wondered if Kyrano realises exactly why she does it and whether he minds."

Jeff nodded. "Oh, he'll realise alright but he's just got more sense than to question one of your grandmother's decisions. If she feels the need to protect the crockery then Kyrano's wise to leave her be."

"Absolutely, Darling," Penelope added. "I must admit to not realising things were quite that bad between the pair of them though. Maybe we'll have to think of a proper solution before I come and visit you next."

Jeff shrugged. "I don't know, Penny. It sounds like Mother's got it mostly under control. I'm sure I'll be the first to hear about it if she decides that she can't handle them."

John snorted again and took another sip of his drink before Jeff could call him on it. If the animosity between Kyrano and Parker got to the stage when Mrs Tracy thought she couldn't handle it then Jeff would likely never hear the end of it. An upset Ruth Tracy was a force to be reckoned with. John had only truly seen her in a proper rage once and he hoped never to have a repeat performance. Jeff had left the five brothers playing in the garden of Ruth's homestead in Kansas while he had words with their grandmother. Those 'words' were supposed to be Jeff gently persuading Ruth that it would be in everyone's best interests for her to move to Tracy Island with them but he had underestimated the stubborn will of the diminutive woman. His gentle coaxing had been met with a mulish obstinacy that she was neither too old nor too frail to continue to live on the farm by herself. The discussion had escalated to the point of shouting and Scott and John had been forced to move the younger children further from the house when they became upset by the argument between the two most important adults in their lives.

Ultimately the dispute had ended, very suddenly, in the cruellest way possible. Ruth, having realised that their squabble had been heard by the children, left the house and turned to slam the door in Jeff's face as she went. Unfortunately as she turned back towards the boys, who were huddled together on the floor by Jeff's truck, the hem of her dress caught on a loose board on the decking and upended her. She tumbled head over heels down the steps and landed in a motionless, sprawled heap on the path. Scott was in motion before he realised it and between the two of them, he and Jeff had picked up the fallen woman and carried her back into the house before calling the doctor. As well as the concussion that had knocked her out, Ruth had suffered a broken wrist and a badly wrenched knee and Jeff had suffered a guilt trip the size of Thunderbird 5.

Mrs Tracy had a lot of time to think while her injuries were healing and eventually came to the decision for herself that it might be time for her to move to the island. She had him visit her, without the boys this time, and agreed to move to the island only on the proviso that Jeff retained the farm as a second home. He had chuckled, hugged her and told her that he'd never had any intention of selling the farm. The workers, who Jeff had kept on after his father's death, could continue to tend the land and he would employ someone to come in and care for the house while it was empty. The homestead had always been a safe-haven for Jeff and the boys and would continue to be somewhere that any of them could go to on the occasion that they needed time away from everyone else. Ruth promptly scolded him for not explaining that sooner and then proceeded to demand that he send a couple of the boys over the following week to help her pack up the most precious of her belongings.

Penelope didn't know what to make of the thoughtful look that passed across John's face and hastily changed the subject onto one more close to her heart…shopping. Penelope had been admiring some of Jacob's tiny outfits that afternoon and John had, much to her delight, admitted to his shopping splurge. Over dinner she grilled him relentlessly about the quantity, quality and variety of shops available in Hobart and by the time both the meal and dessert were complete the young man was talked out and more than ready for bed.

John excused himself as soon as everyone had finished their after-dinner coffee and managed to stay awake just long enough to change out of his clothes and clean his teeth and was asleep less than a minute after stretching out on his bed.

~#~

Jeff and Penelope remained downstairs for a little longer. The next day was going to be particularly tough on John and the pair conspired to keep a close eye on the young man. They both knew that he'd be reluctant to reach out for support but agreed that he probably wasn't strong enough to last out the day without help. After a little more planning they enjoyed a quiet brandy together and then retired to their separate rooms for the night.