Page 125 of Snow Falls Over Starry Cove
‘Does that mean that you won’t come between him and his inheritance?’
She hangs her head. ‘Yes. First Maura, and then I, had been trying to get rid of him for years. But once kicked out of the front door, he came back in through the window. He may not have any right as Maura’s once-adopted son, but as Miranda’s companion, it would be illegal to deprive him of what was hers. I understand that now. I will talk to my solicitors.’
‘Thank you, Grandmother.’
I try to think of something else to say, but nothing rational comes to mind. This turnaround is jarring, to say the least.
‘And,’ she adds, ‘knowing me, I am surprised he even dared show his face around here, knowing how we all feel about him. Am I correct in assuming that you love him, Emmie?’
I look up at her. ‘I-I’m afraid so. But I don’t know what to do, Grandmother.’
‘Far from me giving you any advice – the Lord knows I have provided more advice than ever required – but…’ She leans forwards and places a hand on my knee, looking me straight in the eyes, as is her trademark. ‘I believe that if you listen to an old harridan such as myself, you might wind up losing everything that is most dear to you. Don’t make the same mistakes I have made. At the end of the day, monetary fortune is nothing compared to having someone you love next to you.’
‘But if you were happy, why wouldn’t you let Miranda and Jago be?’
She shrugs and sighs. ‘I guess that I just want to rectify the course that the Heatherton-Smythe women were taking. I wanted for Miranda someone who could love her.’
‘Better than Jago?’ I suggest.
She’s silent for a moment, her eyes lost on the intricate pattern of the rug at her feet.
‘I thought that she deserved more. As it turns out, she was the one who didn’t deserve him.’
Like me, he’s reneged on the life that had been laid out before him. He’s been honest enough with himself to admit that he wasn’t happy doing what he’d worked so hard for. And he’s had the courage to change his path, no matter how many might have tried to dissuade him from giving up a cushy life for the sake of his own freedom. A kindred spirit, indeed! Because Jago Moon adores what he does. He lives on the sea, free of any constraints. If only his heart and mind were free, too.
‘So you can see how Jago has always been one to do as he pleased. The only person who tried to change him was Miranda. She threatened to leave him if he left his lucrative profession. She never understood he was a free spirit and, in all honesty, I never advised her against that, in the hope he would tire of her. Conniving of me, I know…’
‘And did it work? Did he? Tire of her?’
Grandmother shakes her head. ‘The more they argued, the more they seemed to want to thrive and hang on to each other. It was a toxic relationship that could only end in tragedy.’
Nowthatwas something I knew about. Stephen was never happier than when I was miserable or he’d scored brownie points against me just to prove he was more intelligent than me. I can’t even begin to count the number of times he said ‘I told you so’ or ‘you should have listened to me’. How he loved to pontificate for the sake of it, just so he could tell himself he had one over everyone else. Frankly, I’m not surprised half of his staff fear him and that the other half hate him.
‘I guess there was only one way it could end,’ she observes, resigned.
‘How did it end? Between them, I mean?’
‘After the umpteenth argument, she stormed out of the house. Probably hoping he would go after her. But he didn’t. He was too angry, too hurt. So Miranda got in her grandfather’s river barge,The Miranda, and took it downriver and out to sea, just to worry Jago enough so he would go and retrieve her. And when he found out she was out there, it was already too late. She had already drowned.’ She covers her mouth to stop the horror, but her voice spills out in agony. ‘My Miranda!’
I slide from my chair to embrace her tiny form. ‘Oh, Grandmother…’
‘Come back home, Emmie,’ she whispers, tears in her eyes as she holds my hands. ‘I need to have my family with me.’
I open my mouth to speak, but there’s a ring coming from her bag.
‘Have you finally got a mobile phone, Grandmother?’ I ask.
She rolls her eyes as she digs into her bag. ‘And I haven’t had a moment’s peace yet.’ She squints at the number. ‘Oh, God, not her again…’
‘Who?’
‘Your former-slash-future mother-in-law.’
‘Audrey Stone?’
‘And she’s like a dog with a bone,’ she informs me as she pushes a button on her screen. ‘Just give me a minute, Emmie. Mrs Stone!’ she booms.
How can such a tiny woman make so much noise?
‘I don’t know why you keep calling me to intervene on behalf of your son. That certainly says a lot about both you and your son, and I don’t mean that as a compliment.’
I stifle a giggle, but she raises a finger so that I may listen.
‘Mrs Stone, a man who can’t keep a fiancée is highly unlikely to keep a wife. If Emmie doesn’t want to marry him anymore, there is certainly a good reason. My granddaughter is an intelligent young woman and she has the patience of Job. But she’s no fool. And besides, I wouldn’t want my granddaughter to be mingling with the likes of your son. She is a lady and my ancestry would be appalled. Good day.’ And with that, she puts the phone down and beams.
‘Grandmother!’
‘Come and give an old crone a hug, Emmie. You have brought me back to life. How can I ever thank you?’
She reaches out for me and I don’t have to think before I throw myself into her arms.
