Chapter Twenty-Six

Tim woke from a disturbed night in a bad mood. He kept replaying certain conversations and situations over in his head. How did he get to this point in his life? Why were things going so disastrously wrong for him? This just was not fair.

He trudged down the stairs to breakfast and paused as he heard his father and Isobel chatting in the dining room. He couldn't ever remember his parents being so friendly, let alone showing any affection for one another. How could his father behave this way! It was indecent.

He entered the room and walked straight to the sideboard to help himself to some coffee.

"Good morning Tim. How are you this morning?" Dickie was in a cheery mood. Everything seemed to be going so well.

"I don't understand why I have to get up for breakfast" Tim said sulkily "Never had to at home."

Isobel froze, instantly wary. Dickie chuckled a little uncomfortably "Life is different here Tim, we don't keep an army of servants. There's just no need."

"Seems ridiculous to me." Tim grumbled as he sat down to eat his breakfast.

"Yes, well. I'll just go and place that telephone call." Dickie kissed Isobel's cheek and left.

"I assume now you've seen Larry off you'll be moving to the big house?" Tim commented nastily "Finally in a position to get what you wanted!"

"No. (Tim scoffed) I know you don't believe me, but I never married your father for his title, his money or his possessions. I married him because I love him. In fact, I probably would have accepted him sooner if he hadn't had those things." Isobel told him.

"You honestly expect me to believe that?" Tim accused "After being up at the Abbey last night and seeing how they live, you didn't want to live like that? You lie"

"I don't expect you to believe it, even though it's the truth" Isobel stated calmly "because you have always been determined to dislike me. I don't know why. I can't believe that a grown man is still that entranced by his own mother that he would expect his father to be miserable all his life."

"And I suppose your wonderful, heroic Matthew would have been supportive of his mother bettering herself" Tim scoffed "After all, he was going to be an earl one day, couldn't have a plain old nurse for a mother."

Isobel eyed Tim suspiciously "Yes, I believe he would have been happy for us. He knows how upset I was when Reginald, my first husband, died. He wouldn't want me to be alone."

"And I'm sure you won't be alone after my father totters off either!" Tim spat "Then you can play the merry widow, spending all his cash and living the high life!"

"I wondered how long you could keep up the nice guy act." Isobel countered "Why did you come here? Hmm? Hoping Dickie would replace the cash you lost to Larry's scheming? Hoping to be promoted to first son now that Larry appears to have absconded?"

"Worried are you, that I'll deplete the coffers before you get your hands on it?" Tim nearly shouted.

Isobel stood "I would remind you that I nursed your father back to health when Larry and Amelia were neglecting him and counting the days until he died. I wanted him to live, I want him to live! I want to spend many years with him, enjoying his company. I love him. That is obviously something someone like you finds impossible to understand!"

"Love?!" Tim said derisively "Just a trick to fool an old man into parting with his money and ignoring his own!"

"That's quite enough!" Dickie said forcefully from the doorway. Tim froze.

"I quite agree." Isobel stated "I'm expected at the hospital." She looked Dickie in the eye "I don't know how long I'll be"

"Father, I…" Tim started.

Dickie held up his hand "No! I don't want to hear excuses Tim. I will repeat Isobel's question: why did you come here? Hmm?"

Tim looked at his father. Why had he come, really. He wasn't sure he knew.

"I invited you here because I thought you needed somewhere safe to stay, and this house is a friendly family home. It's a home like I have never known in my whole life. It's a place where I love and am loved, regardless of the fact that my sons are a constant thorn in my side and cause grief and upset to everyone I hold dear!" Dickie took a deep breath.

"Cavenham is home" Tim declared.

"Cavenham is a draughty mausoleum. It was never home to me, not even when my parents were alive. It was always duty, hard work and obligation." Dickie looked hard at Tim "I thought when I married your mother that I had found someone who would make it a home for me, but I was wrong. She wanted the money, the position, the title. She sure as eggs didn't want me." Dickie paused "Or you."

"What are you talking about?" Tim whispered.

Dickie sat at the table across from Tim. "Ada made it quite clear to me early on, that once we had an heir all marital relations would stop. She saw having Larry as her part of the bargain. She got a title and position, I got an heir. She invested a lot in Larry because she saw it as her job to raise the next Lord Merton and she wanted to make sure she wouldn't be banished to the Dower House when he inherited. The only reason you exist is because she got it into her head that she wanted a girl." Dickie looked up at Tim "You were a disappointment to her from the moment you were born male. She refused to try again in case she ended up with three boys. She blamed you and she blamed me."

"That's not true." Tim said quietly.

"She wanted nothing to do with you and tried to have you farmed out to a foster family. I refused. I told her that you must have the same upbringing as Larry or else I would curtail her access to funds. I told her you must never know. I tried to make sure she couldn't take her anger out on you, but I think, looking back, I could have done more. Running the estate is a full time job, even with a Steward, but I should have made the time to protect you more." Dickie sighed. "I wanted to help you now because I feel responsible for the person you have turned out to be. But every time I try, you just throw it back in my face." Dickie stood.

"It's not like that Pa." Tim began.

"Don't 'Pa' me! You only call me Pa when you want something. That is not how people who love each other behave!" Dickie was hurt. "I want you to go back to London today. It might be best to go before Isobel gets home. If you want to see us again, I expect an apology and I expect you to be able to explain what it is you're apologising for."

Father and son stared at each other across the table.

"I've said to you before, being kind isn't a weakness. It also doesn't mean a person is prepared to put up with bad behaviour." Dickie stated. "You need to reassess who you are and who you want to be. Only you can do that. I hope, for your sake, you find someone who can love you for yourself and make you happy." Dickie slowly turned and left the room.

Tim stared at his half-eaten breakfast. What had he just done? Did he even believe those things that he had said to Isobel? Could he believe what his father had just said? Where did it leave him now? Slowly he rose to go and pack.

-TW- -TW- -TW-

"Well, Tim seems to be a reformed character" Violet declared after Spratt left them to their coffee. "I was hoping for more drama last night, but he wouldn't rise to anything!"

"No" said Isobel forcefully "He left that for this morning!"

"What? Have you had words again" Violet chuckled, but then looked at Isobel's face "Oh, my dear! You have!"

"He came down to breakfast in a foul mood. He was clearly looking for a fight…" Isobel started.

"Oh dear" Violet groaned.

"I tried to stay calm, I really did! But you know me." Isobel took a sip of her coffee " He just hit a raw nerve when he brought up Matthew." Violet closed her eyes.

"How bad is it? Will Dickie send him packing?" Violet queried.

"I don't know. He was at the door at the end of the conversation, but I don't know how much he heard." Isobel straightened her back "One thing's for sure: I will not be staying under the same roof as him tonight! I'm sure Cora will give me a bed."

"Oh, my dear! That's very drastic!" Violet was surprised.

"I warned Dickie before we came home that I would debunk if Tim stepped out of line." Isobel was emphatic.

"I wouldn't want you to do anything hasty that you will regret" Violet warned.

"It's the principle!" Isobel was adamant "I've given them the morning to sort things out, I shall go home to see how things stand and then make a decision. I will not be dictated to by yet another Grey child."

"Yes, but is he not dictating by you storming off in high dudgeon?" Violet questioned. "Don't get me wrong! I admire your stance, but I just hope you're not shooting yourself in the foot."

Iosobel sniffed "I don't think so. I'm just carrying through on a threat. That's all" but she sounded less sure.

"Well, you're quite welcome to stay here. That is if you can cope with the crass attempts Denker will make to try and get you to tell her what's going on!" Violet chuckled.

"Thank you. It might be less obvious there's a problem if I were to stay here. You don't mind?" Isobel asked

"Not at all. I wasn't intending on going to the Abbey for dinner, so it will be nice to have some company" Violet smiled. "You can stay for lunch as well, if you'd like."

"Actually, I would. I hate to admit it, but the idea of going home is not a happy thought" Isobel said quietly as she looked into her lap.

Just then Spratt opened the door and announced "Lord Merton, m'lady".

"Thank you Spratt. Would you bring another cup, please" Violet turned her attention to Dickie "Well, this is a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect you both for coffee" Violet chuckled.

"No, well, I'm sure you're aware we had a rather fraught breakfast this morning." Dickie turned to Isobel "He's gone. I made sure he got the train then went to the hospital, but you'd already left." Dickie reached for her hand. "I'm so sorry."

"He's the one that needs to apologise, not you" Isobel squeezed his hand, then turned to Violet "Looks like I won't be needing that bed after all" She smiled.

"Well, I'm glad. But the company would have been nice" Violet lamented.

Isobel quickly looked at Dickie "Will you be amenable to dinner here this evening?"

-TW- -TW- -TW-

Tim stepped back into his flat. He looked at his surroundings with a visitors eye. It was functional, had everything one would expect, but there was no warmth in it. No personal touches. He didn't even have any family photographs. Crawley House had been comfortable, with a woman's touch to the furnishings. Family items and cherished knickknacks around the place. Light and warm and welcoming. Tim sighed.

He'd spent the train journey thinking about what had happened this morning. He hated to admit it, but what his father said had made sense. It explained much of his relationship with his mother and why she always favoured Larry. Larry, who had swindled him out of almost all of his inheritance and left without a backward glance. Tim had felt totally stupid going through all the paperwork with his father.

He sat heavily on the sofa. What to do with himself now? His chest ached and he felt completely blank. He could really do with finding a way to forget about the last couple of weeks. He ran a hand over his face. He'd head out and find some of his friends: they were always up for some fun or other on a Saturday night. He poured himself a generous drink and flicked through his waiting post. He recognised some and decided to ignore them. There were a few invitations he looked at, then a strange envelop that was typed and had a foreign postmark. Intrigued, Tim opened it.

Dear Tim,

I don't suppose you expected to hear from me like this, but I didn't get a chance to speak to you before we left and I wanted to let you know that we're not coming back.

Things were getting pretty difficult at the bank, and I just decided that we could have a better life elsewhere. I've invested in a ranch in Minas Gerais with a friend, Paulo da Silva, and we're going to start afresh.

If you ever want to join us, or you need to get a message to us, you can pass it through a contact of mine. Address it to Señora Cinza, PO Box 141, London E1. I can't say how long it will take, but we should get it sometime.

Adeus,

Larry