Revelation of Hearts (Stacey and Shane Mcleod, #3) (46 page)

It had been difficult visiting Eric and Jennifer’s graves. Grandy and Ramona had watched the kids for her while she went to the Scott cemetery. That was a place she really didn’t want too expose her young children to at this time of their lives. At first, Stacey had set and arranged the flowers she brought, then she started talking to the spirits of Eric and Jennifer. She told them about little Nicky and what a wonderful child he is and how much they all love him. Stacey spent two hours there crying, talking and laughing about Nicky, the girls and the cute and funny things they do and say. When she left the cemetery, she felt as if somehow they understood.

In Houston, they spent two days with the Flemming grandparents. The children had everyone wrapped around their tiny fingers. Of course, Grandad told each of them that they were his favorite. On the plane, the girls cried because they were leaving Maggie and Judy. This came as a surprise to Stacey. She was sure they had come to grips with the ponies staying at the ranch, as they had not mentioned them once after leaving the ranch.

Although, they were in first class the flight attendant said, “I’m terrible sorry, but could you quiet the children down, they’re disturbing the other passengers.”

“Well of course, we can,” Stacey, said sarcastically. “Our children’s emotions are things we turn off and on for the convenience of other people. Should we not accomplish this to their satisfaction, perhaps we could offer cotton balls for their ears or anyplace else they should care to stick them.”

“Take it easy, sweetheart,” Shane said. “We don’t need a mutiny over the Atlantic.”

Hearing their mother’s angry voice, the twins stopped crying, closed their eyes and went to sleep. Nicky fussed a little, but Stacey gave him his bottle and softly sang him to sleep. What a wonderful feeling it was when the wheels of the plane touched down at Heathrow airport.

Aunt Lora and Richard were there to meet them. Stacey almost fell into their arms she was so glad to see them. By the time, they retrieved their luggage and the crated tricycles and arrived at the flat it was near noon. As Stacey stepped into the flat and put Nicky in his playpen she said, “Oh, home sweet home. When I start to leave again, remind me of this return trip.”

Shane smiled at her and said, “I’ll remind you of that when you get the traveling bug again.”

Chapter-66

The Riviera

Stacey had been busy planning a birthday party for Nicky, when Aunt Lora invited them to come to France for a few days to enjoy the beach. Richard’s villa was situated on the Mediterranean at Menton, France. Richard had inherited his sister Carla’s beach villa in Provence as well as her home in Paris. He had sold the house in Paris, but kept the villa thinking it would be a relaxing place to holiday. That was how he had met Molly Strayhorn eight years ago. Carla had died the same year as his father had and in his trying to cope with their deaths and the feeling of being alone in the world he had come to the villa to sort himself out.

Molly had lost her husband Thomas, along with his business partner Lester Cox, the same year in a fiery plane crash in Canada. They had owned their villa in Menton since the children were small. It had always been a peaceful get-away. That was what she needed now, a peaceful place, to get away. She knew Miles and Miranda were more than capable to run the business affairs. Molly and Richard met at a small terrace café on the Rue Pieta. The café was very crowded that afternoon and Molly offered to share her table with this very handsome man and two American women.  Richard stayed on drinking another cup of coffee after the American tourist when on their way. Richard and Molly found they had much in common. They became close friends and off and on lovers for a while. They were seen around town as a couple and were invited to social gathering as a couple until Molly met Doctor Donald Fein.

Aunt Lora and Richard had been to the villa a couple of times since their marriage. It had needed a few repairs and redecorating, now it was fit for company. Shane took Thursday off, and then he, Stacey and the kids flew to Nice, and took the train to Menton to spend a few relaxing days at the beach. Richard met them at the train station and drove down the boulevard of Lawn. As they parked in front of the villa, Shane realized Richard’s villa was a few doors down from the Strayhorn villa where he had visited a time or two with Miranda. Shane felt a bit guilty, although he had only known Miranda for a little over two years before he met Stacey, it seemed her presence kept creeping into his life with Stacey.

On Friday morning, Stacey and Shane took the kids down to the beach. The Mediterranean was a beautiful blue-green sea with fluffy white clouds above. The twins, with the help of their daddy were busy building sandcastles.

Nicky took handfuls of sand and threw them in the water and would try to run back before the water sloshed about his feet. Each time he would run and squeal with delight. After two hours of fun, Aunt Lora and Richard joined them with a picnic basket. With his tummy, full Nicky fell asleep under the big umbrella. Not long after the twins did the same. Stacey carried Nicky, Shane and Aunt Lora each carried a sleeping little girl while Richard brought up the umbrella, picnic basket and toys.

On Saturday, Aunt Lora, Richard, Stacey, Shane and the children in their strollers went into town to sight see down the Rue St. Michel and the Rue Pieta, shop and have lunch at a wonderful old restaurant that Richard had enjoyed. The décor of the restaurant was of a large garden with palm and lemon trees, flowers galore and a large pond with a waterfall. They had just been seated and their order taken when Jackie stood up in her chair and hollered, “Miser Miles, Miser Miles.” Jessie saw him too and joined in.

Miles with a group of about six people, turned when he heard his name called. He looked around and saw the twins standing in their chairs waving at him. With a big smile, he waved back, said something to the group and came over to the table immediately to say hello. Shane had come around the table to sit the girls back down in their booster seats. He shook hands with Miles and the girls put their hands out to be kissed. Everyone at the table laughed as well as the group he was with.

Stacey said, “Now, Mr. Miles, see what a can of worms you’ve opened.”

“Nevertheless,” he said with a smile. “It’s a great pleasure to kiss the hands of the two very lovely Miss McLeod’s.” He turned to Richard, shook hands and said, “So nice to see you Sir Richard and Lady Heath.”

Miles smiled at Stacey and said, “Hello, Stacey, and how is little Nicky.”

“We’re all fine, thank you,” Stacey said with a smile.

“I would invite you to join us but as you see our table is full,” Shane said.

“Don’t give it a thought, Shane. We have a table reserved,” Miles said.

“Have you opened the villa?” Richard asked.

“No, as a matter of fact we haven’t. We were in Monaco and decided to drive down here for lunch. Speaking of lunch, I reckon I should get on with it. So nice to see you all. Goodbye, young ladies,” he said to the twins and inclined his head to the others.

When Miles left his friends and came to the McLeod table, the waiter had escorted the group to a  table a distance from them. Stacey noticed Miranda sitting on the far side of the table by a man with his arm around her shoulders. Everyone else was talking and laughing, all except her. Stacey noticed that the woman sitting by Miles would reach over and touch his arm ever so often and sometimes look their way with an amused smile. She wondered if he had stopped seeing Diane. When she asked Shane about this, he told her he had no idea.

Before they left the restaurant, Stacey and Aunt Lora took the twins to the restroom. As they passed by the waterfall, Jessie saw the fish in the pond. She and Jackie simultaneously said, “Oh, Mommy, tay got fisses too.” They turned back toward the table and hollered, “Daddy, Daddy, tay dot fisses.”

Many people, in the restaurant smiled at the antics and enthusiasm of these two lovely, precocious toddlers as they said, “Miser Miles, Miser Miles, dey got fisses dust Ike Dammas.” Miles dabbed his napkin to his lips and came over where the girls were. He knelt down to look at the fish and agreed with the girls that they were indeed lovely fish.

As Stacey took the twins hands. Jessie said, “Us has a go potty now. Bye.”

Stacey smiled and said, “Sorry Miles, they do get enthusiastic about...well, just about everything.”

In the restroom, Stacey tried to impress on her little daughters not to intrude on Mister Miles when he was having lunch with his friends. They both nodded their little heads that they understood, but once they were back by the waterfall, Jessie broke and ran toward Miles’ table. Stacey was right behind her and scooped her up in her arms. Aunt Lora, anticipating this already had Jackie in her arms. As they walked to the lobby, with the twins in their arms both girls waved to Miles and he with a smile waved back.

When Miles, came back to the table from the waterfall, Miranda sarcastically said, “Those two little pagan brats have the manners of their pagan mother.”

With tightly controlled anger, Miles warned her, “Shut up, Miranda. We know from past actions that Mrs. McLeod is well qualified to take care of herself, but the children are off limits. You do understand me don’t you love.”

Miranda looked daggers at him and said.  “Sod off, Miles, and don’t act heroic with me. I know where the bodies are buried.”

Miles gave Miranda a smile that could be interpreted in many ways. Miranda ignored him and started talking to her companion, but said no more about the McLeod family.

After lunch, Stacey and family walked and shopped, mostly they window-shopped. As they turned back on Rue St. Michel, Stacey saw Miles and his friends getting into a long white limousine. She and Aunt Lora looked at each other and started laughing. The children had fallen asleep in their reclining strollers. By the time they reached the villa, they were all quite tired.

Back on the Strayhorn yacht, Daphne was curious about this handsome couple and what they had to do with Miranda Cox. Daphne didn’t know Miles Strayhorn well, but well enough that she suspected if she asked him outright he would clam up and she would never quench her curiosity. As luck would have it, she saw Miranda in the lounge drinking champagne. From the looks of the ashtray, she had been drinking and smoking most of the afternoon. When Daphne approached Miranda, she invited her to sit and have a drink with her. She ordered the bartender to bring an extra glass and another bottle of champagne.

Daphne asked, “Are we drinking for a special reason or just for the therapeutic results of obliviousness.”

“Not obliviousness, I can tell you that. I don’t ever want to forget how much I hate that bitch.”

“This bitch you referred to, is it anybody I know.”

“No, you wouldn’t know her, but you saw her today with her litter of pups.”

Daphne didn’t say anything but wondered what Miranda could possibly have against the beautiful young woman they saw today. Her twins were lovely and delightful toddlers. It was obvious Miles was enthralled with them. Daphne felt Miranda was a cold fish. She was a beautiful rich woman, but a cold fish just the same. From what she understood today, the older man with them was a knight of the realm and he was married to the young woman’s aunt. 

“The young woman’s husband is quite handsome. Are you acquainted with him?” Daphne asked.

“Acquainted? Yes, I would say Doctor Shane McLeod and I were acquainted, more than acquainted, we were lovers for two years and four months.” Miranda sat looking at her empty glass, and then poured in more champagne. “We had an understanding, Shane and I. Neither of us were interested in marriage. He always said he was married to his work. I never gave a second thought to Tiffany, I knew her work was as important to her as mine was to me. I didn’t mind sharing Shane with her.”

“Tiffany? Are you referring to Tiffany Blair?”

“Yes, of course. How many super models do you know named, Tiffany?”

Miranda was drunk and slurring her words a little. “I called Shane from Australia and we made plans for my return. I was looking forward to our time together. I had been revamping our offices staff in Sydney since late April and I was ready for some fun when I returned in August. I knew he was on holiday with his family and then he called and told me he was engaged. I knew it was a lie. I told Miles he was lying. I didn’t know why, but I knew he was lying. Then we found out he was never engaged, he was already married. Married to a schoolgirl dirt dabber. Disgusting, isn’t it.”

“I’m sorry, Miranda, what do you mean by, ‘dirt dabber?”

Miranda glared at Daphne and said, “She was studying to be an archaeologist. She was still in bloody college for god’s sake. Oh, I heard how beautiful, young and innocent she was. I thought Shane was smarter than to get caught up in something like that.”

“Was she pregnant? Was that why he married her so quickly?”

“No, no. Nothing like that. They waited almost a year after being married in Scotland and then married again in Texas. The wife of one of his doctor friends assured me that it wouldn’t last, then the next thing you know they had twins.” Miranda leaned in close to Daphne in a conspiracy sort of way and whispered, “I’m sure the twins are Shane’s, they have his dark hair and eyes, but that little boy, I bet you a million to one he’s not Shane’s.” Miranda filled her glass again and said, “I would bet you he’s Miles child.” Daphne had gotten into this deeper than she had intended, “What on earth makes you think that, Miranda? Has Miles and Mrs. McLeod had an affaire?”

“I’m not sure, but I know something went on with those two. That little boy, with his light hair and blue eyes, looks more like Miles than he does Shane.” Miranda put her index finger to her lips and whispered shush. Laid her head on the table and passed out. Scott, the bartender had been watching. He came over and asked, “Mrs. Tassios, may I be of some assistance with Ms. Cox.”

“Yes, thank you. If you will be so good as to carry her to her stateroom. I’ll follow along and see to her comfort.” Daphne turned the covers back and Scott laid Miranda down. Daphne removed Miranda’s shoes, covered her and stayed with her a few minutes until she heard the hum of the motorboat as the rest of the party returned.