Chapter 23
Gordon was packing his Armani suit carefully when Scott came to talk to him.
"You know this is making Father upset, Granny is none too happy either." He began as he watched his younger brother pack. A small velvet box caught his eye. "Gordon, what are you planning? Another runaway marriage?"
"Listen Scott," Gordon began.
"Do you have any idea of what you are getting into?" Scott was angry. Trust Gordon to ruin things. John had been making noises about spending Thanksgiving with someone too. Virgil was so utterly wrapped around Marie that he wasn't any company. It somehow had to be all Gordon's fault.
"Probably not." Gordon replied calmly and eyed two ties critically. "Which one looks best with the dark blue suit?"
"Are you listening to me?" Scott began in his best 'I'm in charge here' voice.
"The gold stripe is probably better than the paisley, more dignified." Gordon said in a satisfied way packing the tie. "I'm not twelve anymore, Scott, nor even eighteen. Just because you don't have a love life doesn't mean no one else can."
"Fine. Mess up your life again! Just don't let it destroy International Rescue" With that rejoinder Scott stalked out of his younger brother's room.
"I'm trying to clean up the mess.." Gordon explained to his brother's retreating back.
Scott went out on the balcony to cool off. "What am I doing wrong?" He asked himself. "What's wrong with everyone?"
Lady Penelope and her fashionable connections had worked wonders. A beautifully coifed and dressed Em Jones greeted him at the door to her garage flat when he came to pick her up. Gordon was impressed. Mind you, he thought she looked pretty fetching in dirty overalls.
"You look beautiful." He leaned forwards for a kiss that she avoided stepping back.
"We aren't there yet."
"Just practicing." He grinned. Her hair was piled in artfully arranged curls on the top of her head and the simple sheath dress in shades of blue did her all the justice in the world. Her bitten nails had been fixed and her make-up was subtle and attractive. He caught sight of a ring on her finger.
"What's that?"
"Oh a ring. I figure we would need one. I machined a copper washer down." She held it out proudly. He took it and turned it around in his hands. It was a nice piece of junk. He tossed it over his shoulder.
"Hey! That took me two hours to do!"
"This one is better and more believable. Plus it won't turn your finger green." Gordon took the small velvet box out of his pocket snapped it open and slid the ring on her finger in one smooth move.
"Gordon!" She held up her hand to admire the ring which was entwined silver and a very bright yellow metal." Is it real?"
He shrugged. "I figured you wouldn't like diamonds or glitzy things.
"Nah. I pick too many diamond rings out of kitchen sink traps than you would believe. What's this yellow metal?"
"Not too sure, the rest is platinum." Gordon wasn't too sure what the yellow stuff really was, only Brains knew what the super hard metal that coated Thunderbird 4 consisted of. It took him three days to incorporate that important bit of his life into the ring. The inscription inside was pretty good too, if he said so himself.
"Oh. All right. I suppose it is okay." She took a deep breath. "Shall we go, dear?"
"You've been practicing, too." He said offering her his arm.
"Details, Flash. All success is dependent on details."
Judge Jones' house hadn't changed much in the past three weeks. The people gathered looked just as dour and unhappy. Now they were being forced to eat Thanksgiving dinner with strangers. There were less than at the funeral, but they made up for it by long periods of silence. Charlotte was alone. Hopefully it had to do with the audit her partner, Oliver, was facing. Gordon smiled at the thought. Charlotte smiled back at him. She had changed her hair to what Gordon assumed was her original hair color. Now, she looked like she had in high school. Matter of fact Charlotte and Em both looked surprisingly alike, like sisters. They were both very attractive women. Charlotte was being charming and witty. Em was quiet, but was able to keep up her end of the double barbed conversations. Only the tight grip on his arm betrayed any agitation.
They all made a quick end to the exquisitely served tasteless meal.
"I need to go out to the kitchen for a smoke." Gordon announced before the formalities began. "Come with me dearest?" He held out his hand for Em.
Even before the kitchen door closed on them. Em hissed at him.. "You don't smoke."
"Sure I do. It is coming out of my ears can't you tell? Your sister..."
"I know. Kind of scary that we share the same genes." Em shivered. Looking out the window she saw snowflakes began dribbling down out of the sky.
"Looks like a big storm coming."
"Uh huh." Gordon pulled her into his arms and kissed her. He kissed her until he felt her kiss him back. They came up for air and then kissed each other again. "Is someone watching?" Em breathed into his ear. "Who cares?" Gordon answered as he nibbled on her own ear in return "Oh?" Em protested but pulled his head down for very satisfying kiss. When they both came inside again Em's hair-do was drifting to one side and Gordon was tucking in his shirt. Both turned bright red at the stares they got.
"Now. To the terms of the will of Malachi Jones...." The lawyer's voice droned on through the wherewithals and heretobefors and legal jargon. The judge's secretary received a rather large bequeath which made her happy.
"And now to my daughters Martha and Charlotte. I leave the house and all it's contents to my oldest daughter Martha. It is hoped that she will learn to appreciate the home she was brought up in. My youngest daughter, Charlotte, will inherit her mother's jewelry."
Em rested her head in her hands. Gordon rubbed her back slowly. "It's okay dear." He whispered.
The lawyer coughed. "There is a condition to the inheritance which it has been left to our discretion to fulfill. He waved his hand to the two other lawyers who nodded. "If either one of you is married or engaged their inheritance devolves on the other sister. If you both are married or engaged then the property will be held in trust for the first grandchild.
"I broke up with Oliver two weeks ago." Charlotte said smugly.
Em's shoulders were shaking and Gordon was vainly trying to comfort her. "It's all right, dear. I'll take care of you."
"Yes. Well that was Malachi's reasoning. A husband would care for his wife, she didn't need anything from him." The lawyer looked satisfied. "So, you don't deny your status as engaged?" He asked Em.
"N-n-no. I love Gordon." She had her face half buried in his chest. "Charlotte deserves the house and the jewelry." If the last phrase was a little too forceful no one noticed it except Gordon.
"I think we have heard all we need to hear." Gordon said standing up.
"We just need Miss Martha Jones' and Miss Charlotte Jones' signature on the agreement to the will." The lawyers slid a pile of papers in front of them. The two girls started signing.
"You always were a fool." Charlotte hissed at her.
"Maybe. Enjoy your inheritance, Charlotte. I will enjoy mine." There was strangely, no trace of tears on Em's face.
"But you got nothing!"
"Did I?" Em turned and gave a brilliant smile to Gordon who escorted her out of the room and out of the house.
Gordon leaned over to give her a kiss on the mouth before starting the car. "I thought you were going to lose it there for a moment. You were laughing." He added in a accusative tone.
"I'm out of practice. I haven't pulled a stunt like that in years."
"Honey, no one has pulled a stunt like we have." He said admiringly.
"Charlotte has bats in the belfry." Em said with a little giggle.
"And ants in the pantry." Gordon replied.
"Mice in the study."
"Dry rot in the walls."
"Not to speak of the termites and the state of the plumbing. My God, Gordon, it will cost her a fortune to fix up the house. No one will buy it in that condition and even living in it would be horrible."
"So, you're happy to see the last of it?" It had seemed a little unreal to him that Em didn't want the inheritance from her father, but when she had outlined the physical problems entailed with owning the home he was happy to fall in with her plans. Mind you he had his own agenda also.
"Good Heavens, yes! I suppose I could have fixed it up myself, but it was never a place that I felt happy in. It was just a house." Em sighed deeply. "Thank you for your help. I appreciate it." She fiddled with the ring on her finger.
"No problem. That's what friends are for. What about your mother's jewelry?"
"Most of it is paste. Daddy was never generous with gee-gaws. Anyway can you see me dripping with diamonds while I'm unclogging a toilet?"
Gordon caught her a quick glance and grinned. "Sure, doesn't everyone? Let's go home."
Gordon was packing his Armani suit carefully when Scott came to talk to him.
"You know this is making Father upset, Granny is none too happy either." He began as he watched his younger brother pack. A small velvet box caught his eye. "Gordon, what are you planning? Another runaway marriage?"
"Listen Scott," Gordon began.
"Do you have any idea of what you are getting into?" Scott was angry. Trust Gordon to ruin things. John had been making noises about spending Thanksgiving with someone too. Virgil was so utterly wrapped around Marie that he wasn't any company. It somehow had to be all Gordon's fault.
"Probably not." Gordon replied calmly and eyed two ties critically. "Which one looks best with the dark blue suit?"
"Are you listening to me?" Scott began in his best 'I'm in charge here' voice.
"The gold stripe is probably better than the paisley, more dignified." Gordon said in a satisfied way packing the tie. "I'm not twelve anymore, Scott, nor even eighteen. Just because you don't have a love life doesn't mean no one else can."
"Fine. Mess up your life again! Just don't let it destroy International Rescue" With that rejoinder Scott stalked out of his younger brother's room.
"I'm trying to clean up the mess.." Gordon explained to his brother's retreating back.
Scott went out on the balcony to cool off. "What am I doing wrong?" He asked himself. "What's wrong with everyone?"
Lady Penelope and her fashionable connections had worked wonders. A beautifully coifed and dressed Em Jones greeted him at the door to her garage flat when he came to pick her up. Gordon was impressed. Mind you, he thought she looked pretty fetching in dirty overalls.
"You look beautiful." He leaned forwards for a kiss that she avoided stepping back.
"We aren't there yet."
"Just practicing." He grinned. Her hair was piled in artfully arranged curls on the top of her head and the simple sheath dress in shades of blue did her all the justice in the world. Her bitten nails had been fixed and her make-up was subtle and attractive. He caught sight of a ring on her finger.
"What's that?"
"Oh a ring. I figure we would need one. I machined a copper washer down." She held it out proudly. He took it and turned it around in his hands. It was a nice piece of junk. He tossed it over his shoulder.
"Hey! That took me two hours to do!"
"This one is better and more believable. Plus it won't turn your finger green." Gordon took the small velvet box out of his pocket snapped it open and slid the ring on her finger in one smooth move.
"Gordon!" She held up her hand to admire the ring which was entwined silver and a very bright yellow metal." Is it real?"
He shrugged. "I figured you wouldn't like diamonds or glitzy things.
"Nah. I pick too many diamond rings out of kitchen sink traps than you would believe. What's this yellow metal?"
"Not too sure, the rest is platinum." Gordon wasn't too sure what the yellow stuff really was, only Brains knew what the super hard metal that coated Thunderbird 4 consisted of. It took him three days to incorporate that important bit of his life into the ring. The inscription inside was pretty good too, if he said so himself.
"Oh. All right. I suppose it is okay." She took a deep breath. "Shall we go, dear?"
"You've been practicing, too." He said offering her his arm.
"Details, Flash. All success is dependent on details."
Judge Jones' house hadn't changed much in the past three weeks. The people gathered looked just as dour and unhappy. Now they were being forced to eat Thanksgiving dinner with strangers. There were less than at the funeral, but they made up for it by long periods of silence. Charlotte was alone. Hopefully it had to do with the audit her partner, Oliver, was facing. Gordon smiled at the thought. Charlotte smiled back at him. She had changed her hair to what Gordon assumed was her original hair color. Now, she looked like she had in high school. Matter of fact Charlotte and Em both looked surprisingly alike, like sisters. They were both very attractive women. Charlotte was being charming and witty. Em was quiet, but was able to keep up her end of the double barbed conversations. Only the tight grip on his arm betrayed any agitation.
They all made a quick end to the exquisitely served tasteless meal.
"I need to go out to the kitchen for a smoke." Gordon announced before the formalities began. "Come with me dearest?" He held out his hand for Em.
Even before the kitchen door closed on them. Em hissed at him.. "You don't smoke."
"Sure I do. It is coming out of my ears can't you tell? Your sister..."
"I know. Kind of scary that we share the same genes." Em shivered. Looking out the window she saw snowflakes began dribbling down out of the sky.
"Looks like a big storm coming."
"Uh huh." Gordon pulled her into his arms and kissed her. He kissed her until he felt her kiss him back. They came up for air and then kissed each other again. "Is someone watching?" Em breathed into his ear. "Who cares?" Gordon answered as he nibbled on her own ear in return "Oh?" Em protested but pulled his head down for very satisfying kiss. When they both came inside again Em's hair-do was drifting to one side and Gordon was tucking in his shirt. Both turned bright red at the stares they got.
"Now. To the terms of the will of Malachi Jones...." The lawyer's voice droned on through the wherewithals and heretobefors and legal jargon. The judge's secretary received a rather large bequeath which made her happy.
"And now to my daughters Martha and Charlotte. I leave the house and all it's contents to my oldest daughter Martha. It is hoped that she will learn to appreciate the home she was brought up in. My youngest daughter, Charlotte, will inherit her mother's jewelry."
Em rested her head in her hands. Gordon rubbed her back slowly. "It's okay dear." He whispered.
The lawyer coughed. "There is a condition to the inheritance which it has been left to our discretion to fulfill. He waved his hand to the two other lawyers who nodded. "If either one of you is married or engaged their inheritance devolves on the other sister. If you both are married or engaged then the property will be held in trust for the first grandchild.
"I broke up with Oliver two weeks ago." Charlotte said smugly.
Em's shoulders were shaking and Gordon was vainly trying to comfort her. "It's all right, dear. I'll take care of you."
"Yes. Well that was Malachi's reasoning. A husband would care for his wife, she didn't need anything from him." The lawyer looked satisfied. "So, you don't deny your status as engaged?" He asked Em.
"N-n-no. I love Gordon." She had her face half buried in his chest. "Charlotte deserves the house and the jewelry." If the last phrase was a little too forceful no one noticed it except Gordon.
"I think we have heard all we need to hear." Gordon said standing up.
"We just need Miss Martha Jones' and Miss Charlotte Jones' signature on the agreement to the will." The lawyers slid a pile of papers in front of them. The two girls started signing.
"You always were a fool." Charlotte hissed at her.
"Maybe. Enjoy your inheritance, Charlotte. I will enjoy mine." There was strangely, no trace of tears on Em's face.
"But you got nothing!"
"Did I?" Em turned and gave a brilliant smile to Gordon who escorted her out of the room and out of the house.
Gordon leaned over to give her a kiss on the mouth before starting the car. "I thought you were going to lose it there for a moment. You were laughing." He added in a accusative tone.
"I'm out of practice. I haven't pulled a stunt like that in years."
"Honey, no one has pulled a stunt like we have." He said admiringly.
"Charlotte has bats in the belfry." Em said with a little giggle.
"And ants in the pantry." Gordon replied.
"Mice in the study."
"Dry rot in the walls."
"Not to speak of the termites and the state of the plumbing. My God, Gordon, it will cost her a fortune to fix up the house. No one will buy it in that condition and even living in it would be horrible."
"So, you're happy to see the last of it?" It had seemed a little unreal to him that Em didn't want the inheritance from her father, but when she had outlined the physical problems entailed with owning the home he was happy to fall in with her plans. Mind you he had his own agenda also.
"Good Heavens, yes! I suppose I could have fixed it up myself, but it was never a place that I felt happy in. It was just a house." Em sighed deeply. "Thank you for your help. I appreciate it." She fiddled with the ring on her finger.
"No problem. That's what friends are for. What about your mother's jewelry?"
"Most of it is paste. Daddy was never generous with gee-gaws. Anyway can you see me dripping with diamonds while I'm unclogging a toilet?"
Gordon caught her a quick glance and grinned. "Sure, doesn't everyone? Let's go home."