A Family Affair - Next of Kin (9 page)

Given the ease with which Kane had approached Ellen at the courthouse, it was clear to Tom that he needed to increase her personal security. She needed to have a security guard with her at all times, especially given her desire to start university shortly. Angus and he would never recover if something happened to her.

Apart from a few bumps in the road, their lives were very happy. Ellen had brought so much contentment into his life. His days were full and sometimes complicated, but more than anything else, they were satisfying.

He wanted to show Ellen exactly how much she meant to him. They needed a special occasion - one which would be significant and memorable for years to come. He could hire a private chef to serve them dinner by candlelight at home, or he could reserve one of Melbourne’s top restaurants for a private party of two.

Suddenly Tom’s shrill intercom brought his attention back to the present. He reluctantly pressed its button. “Yes, Elizabeth.”

“Were you expecting your mother today?” She didn’t sound pleased.

Tom knew that Elizabeth liked best the days when he stuck exactly to her day-planner. He chuckled to himself. “No, but that’s fine. Send her in.”

“Yes, Tom. I’ll put your next appointment back by fifteen, should I?”

“Thank you, Liz.” Tom shut his laptop, and waited for his mother to walk in, curious about her unplanned visit. She didn’t come to the office very often, normally preferring to come to the house.

Margaret shut the door behind her, and took her time to hang her handbag on Tom’s coat hook. She walked towards Tom with her face already turned in anticipation of his kiss.

“Mother, this is an unexpected visit,” he said, obligingly kissing her.

“I need to talk to you, Son.”

Tom guessed by the look in her face that this was going to be a trying discussion. “Of course. Come and take a seat.”

He directed her towards the two red leather couches located on one side in his office. He himself didn’t often sit there, but once seated was surprised by how comfortable they were. Elizabeth had chosen well two years ago when she redecorated the executive floor. Remembering his manners, Tom suddenly stood up again. “Can I pour you a drink, Mother?”

She was clearly displeased. “This isn’t a social call, Tom. I want you to take a seat and listen carefully to what I have to tell you.”

Tom tried to restrain the frustration he felt inside. He did not like the way his mother issued directives, speaking to him as if he was five. But she was his mother, and he owed her a certain amount of respect. Besides, hurting her feelings would not achieve anything in the long term, as his past rebukes had not altered her behaviour. She was clearly not in the mood for a two-way conversation in any case. He sat down, resolved to listen to whatever it was she needed to say.

“We need to have a conversation that is of critical importance to you... and to our entire family.”

Tom knew his mother well. Her tendency to overreact to minor situations used to be the substance of many discussions with his father. He nodded, while subtly looking at his watch, hoping the conversation would not take too long.

“It is of a sensitive matter that I could not raise in your home - hence my visit today.”

Tom raised his eyebrows, and remembered his recent conversation with Ellen. There were no secrets any longer between him and his wife. The last secret had been firmly removed from the closet, leaving it bare. “Mother, you know there are no secrets between Ellen and myself. Anything you say to me, you can say to her.”

“Not this. Trust me,” Margaret said determinedly.

“Okay.” Tom leaned back into his chair, suddenly curious, but not worried in the least. “What’s on your mind?”

“At the courthouse the other day, I overheard something between your wife and Kane Jarrad. They did not know that I was listening.”

Tom’s heart sank. He knew instantly what his mother had heard. It was the worst-case scenario. “You were spying on them,” he said ruefully.

“I was doing no such thing.” Margaret appeared horrified at such an accusation. “It was a crowded environment. I sat down near your wife, but she was too preoccupied to notice her own mother-in-law there. And then Kane approached, and I heard their conversation. It was not my fault they did not see me.”

“But you did not make yourself known to them either.”

“No, and thank God I didn’t, or else I might not have learnt what I did. You need to know what I know, Tom. You will not believe this when I tell you, but I swear I heard every word clearly. Their words have been turning around and around in my head ever since.”

Tom took a deep breath. “Go on, Mother.”

Margaret narrowed her eyes. “I want to ask you a question before I say anything. Do you remember at your father’s funeral - I noticed tension between you and Ellen, and I asked you about it. You never told your mother what that was all about.”

“That’s right, Mother, I didn’t.” Tom had no intention of recalling the details of that horrible day when Jack had died, and the revelations he learnt as a result.

“I have a right to know.”

Tom shook his head and looked away. What sort of mother demanded to know the intimate details of her son’s personal life? What’s more, his mother believed she had a right to know. It was mad, and he found her perspective almost impossible to comprehend. “What does this have to do with the other day?”

“I overheard Kane accuse your wife of something at the courthouse.”

Tom continued to play dumb. His mother did not need to know what he already knew. “Of what?”

“He believes that Angus is his son.”

Tom got up and began pacing the room. If he didn’t play this right, Margaret would confront Ellen. It was a shame she overheard this... just when things were looking up for his family’s unity.

“Well, is it true?” Margaret demanded to know.

“Of course it’s not true.” Tom decided quickly that it was better to lie in this situation. “Angus is my son.”

Margaret narrowed her focus. “You don’t seem very surprised to me. I was expecting you to be upset. I mean, forget about the paternity issue for a moment - I’ve just told you that your wife cheated on you.”

“Mother, you will stay out of the relationship between my wife and me. None of this is any of your business.”

“You did know about this,” Margaret concluded. “If you knew about this, you should not have married that girl.”

“Nobody is perfect and without flaws. We all make mistakes, including me. Ellen has proven to me that she has the capacity to forgive my mistakes. What happened with Kane was well before we were married in any case.”

“But you were together at the time, yes? She must have cheated on you in order for Kane to ask the question. You know how I feel about infidelity. Is this the woman you married? I can’t believe you knew about this when you gave your life to her.” Margaret was almost shouting.

Tom needed to take charge of the conversation before it got out of control. “I want you to leave, Mother. You’re out of line. This is not how I want to spend my day at work.”

“There is no need to speak to your mother like that.” Margaret stood up, but raised her hands in a gesture of peace. “I’m sorry, Tom. I will... try not to raise my voice again. But I am not leaving until we talk this through. You cannot keep me out of important family matters.”

Tom got up and moved towards the small, but well-stocked bar in his office, kept for moments like this. It was early in the afternoon, but he needed a scotch to steady his nerves.

“Is this what you were upset about at your father’s funeral?” Margaret asked in a calmer voice.

Tom didn’t answer.

“You may have accepted that your wife’s infidelity occurred prior to the wedding, but I believe you didn’t find out until afterwards. She withheld that information. Is that correct, Son?”

Margaret had good intuition and had worked out most of the facts on her own. Nonetheless, Tom firmly believed that nothing about his relationship should be discussed with anyone other than Ellen herself. “Mother, I won’t discuss private matters with you.”

Margaret nodded. She didn’t seem to need verbal confirmation. She looked satisfied with her own assumption. “What is it about that Kane Jarrad? First he seduces your father’s wife, and then your wife, or was it the other way around? I’m not completely sure which wife was seduced first.”

“He’s out of our life now. He lost the court case. I have hired a very good security team to watch the house. Ellen has no interest in seeing him. He is truly gone this time.”

“I need to know something about Angus. How do you know that he is yours? How can I be sure he is indeed my grandson? I will not lavish attention on the son of Kane Jarrad.”

Tom walked towards the window to answer her question. He could not lie while looking directly at her. Margaret did not need to know the true paternity of Angus. “Mother, we have a DNA test that proves Kane is not the father. Dr Walsh did it himself.”

“But does it prove that Angus is yours?”

Tom knew what his mother was inferring. She wanted to know if Ellen could have been unfaithful with a third man that month. “Mother, I will not dignify your question with an answer.” He turned to face her. “I want you to listen to me this time. You will not upset Ellen with these accusations. You will not inform her about what you overheard or what you suspect. If you do, your access to me, and your access to Angus will be severely limited as a result. The choice is up to you.”

“You wouldn’t do that to your mother.”

“Ellen and Angus are my first priority. We’ve managed to find happiness together as a family. For the first time in my life, I’m filled with unimaginable joy. You should be thankful to Ellen for everything she’s given me, but you’re not. So trust me when I say to you - if you cannot keep your mouth shut about these matters, you will be removed from our lives.”

“How can you talk to your mother this way? This is not the way I raised you.”

“Mother, I don’t want you out of my life. Believe me when I say that. But if you push me, if you hurt Ellen, you will give me no other choice. I want you to go home and put your feet up. I want you to find a way to coexist peacefully with the information you overheard. I want you to respect my decisions as a grown man, and respect the woman I love. Do you understand?”

Margaret made a huffing sound, stood up, found her hand bag and stormed out of Tom’s office without another word.

It seemed unlikely, but Tom hoped she would respect his wishes.

Nikki spent three long days at home waiting for her DNA test results. The time passed slowly, although there were small joys to be had while caring for Alice. She loved being a mother, and now that the struggles of the previous year were almost behind her, she could focus on putting Alice’s needs first. Janet and Ken called every day, but otherwise Nikki was alone with Alice and her nanny. She sang them songs on the guitar, and laughed joyfully one day when Alice smiled at her in response.

The moment of truth was close, yet she feared the results as much as she craved them. The results would change everything. But her intuition in loving Kane couldn’t be wrong. She desired him with every fibre in her body; for them to be related as brother and sister made no sense at all.

When the call finally came through informing her that the results were ready, Nikki was asked to make an appointment in person. Despite her pleading, they wouldn’t tell her anything over the phone. Without hesitation, she booked the first available time that same day.

After hanging up, the first person she thought of was Kane. He should be there with her to hear the results. She quickly dialled his number, but it went straight to his voicemail. She tried a few more times, but to no avail. Perhaps he was at work. It was a shame, but there was no way she was delaying the appointment.

Knowing her dad would want to come, she called Ken next.

In contrast to Kane, Ken answered on the second ring. “Nikki, love. How are you? I was just thinking of you.”

“Good, Dad. Listen, I’m heading back to the hospital now. I have a two o’clock appointment to get the results. I can’t get a hold of Kane. Would you like to...”

“Of course I’ll be there,” he said, interrupting her invitation. “Unfortunately, your mother is out this afternoon. She’ll be sorry to have missed it. We can’t put it back a little can...”

“No, Dad.” There was not going to be any delay in hearing the results - not for anyone.

“Righto, love,” Ken said, accepting her decision on the matter.

“Thanks for agreeing to come, Dad. It will be nice not to do this alone.”

“Of course. I’d be offended if you didn’t call. Should I meet you out the front?”

“Yes, I’ll see you a few minutes before two then.”

“Now, hold on a minute. Before you hang up, I want to say something.”

“I’ll talk to you there, Dad. We don’t have much time.”

“I need to say it now, Nikki. It will only take a moment.”

Nikki looked at her watch. There was very little spare time if they were to make the two o’clock appointment, but she owed him the courtesy of a few minutes. “Of course. Go ahead.”