married no other. However, I had made choices, and had to stick with them. And mind you, I was never sorry for those choices.’ She smiled and I knew she meant Lou and me. She continued. ‘He respected that, and always looked after me very well. You too for that matter.’
I nodded. After all, he had paid my school fees for Brisbane’s best private girls’ school, then my university fees. When he passed away I received a nice sum of money. He had been extremely generous. Plus I always knew I could have gone to Provence whenever I wanted, although I just could not do that to Johnny. While I was quietly thinking, Bea stood up and went into her bedroom. Returning a few minutes later, she stood in the doorway. I caught the look on her face.
‘What?’ I asked.
‘I know I haven’t always been the parent you wanted Peach, but I do love you.’
‘For God’s sake Bea, not this again,’ I said, a frustrated edge to my voice.
She let out a breath. ‘When your papa died he left a large amount of money to me. I would never have had all of this.’ She waved her hands around her home. ‘He also left enough money to look after me for the rest of my life. He also left a fairly substantial amount of money to you.’
‘Yes I know. The money you gave us on our wedding day. It irks the hell out of me now, as I realise that it’s being used in the property settlement. Davis bloody-well doesn’t deserve half of it.’
‘Well, to be honest, there was more than the $200,000 I gave you back then.’ She walked over to where I sat, handing me a piece of paper.
It was a bank statement. Mouth opened, I looked back up at Bea. She nodded. I looked back down and scanned the statement. The figure in the closing balance column was just over three million dollars. ‘What’s this?’ I couldn’t grasp it.
‘It’s what Papa left to you. We discussed it and he made me promise not to give it to you until the time was right. I really hesitated on your wedding day. On one hand I felt it was the right thing to do, but on the other I never felt right about Davis. Funny that! Anyway, I’ve had it in an interest bearing deposit account all this time. Next time it matures, which, as luck would have it, is in about 30 days, instead of rolling it over, I can cash it, and deposit it into your account.’
I closed my eyes, attempting to fathom what she was saying. ‘Hang on a minute. Are you telling me, this money is mine? Just like that. Oh by the way, here’s a cool three mil. Meant to give it to you a while ago.’
Bea plopped back down on the couch opposite. ‘I am. You’ll have to trust me with the timing. I know I haven’t always gotten everything…’ I leapt off my chair and ran to her, throwing my arms around her. ‘You got this right Mum. I can’t believe it.’
From the look on her face, I could see she was pleased.
‘I can buy the Carmody property and do what I want with it. This was all meant to be.’ I began to laugh and jumped up, dancing around, flicking my silk skirt around my thighs. ‘Oh my God,’ I shrieked, ‘imagine if you’d given it to me sooner and now I had to divide it up with Davis. Bea you really got this right… really, really right. I can bring Wilbur home.’
‘Peach… one more thing…’
I halted my dancing and spun to look at her, wondering what else there could be.
‘It’s time for you to go to the chateau,’ she said with an air of firmness.
‘Of course, of course.’ I would have promised her anything at that point. I had never visited the chateau, even though I had been close many years earlier. My plan, at the time, had been to enjoy my time with Steve in Paris, and then head to Provence on my own. But when Davis proposed, that idea flew out the window and I returned home with Steve into the arms of my fiancé.
‘We’ll both go directly after my exhibition. I know it would be timely to go now, while you’re in limbo, but I need a few months. I want to show you your father’s house. It’s your history Peach.’
I nodded my head, shrugging at the same time, unused to Bea being so parental. ‘Whatever!’
‘And my advice to you,’ Bea continued on with her unexpected words of wisdom. ‘Is to get those settlement papers with Davis signed pretty quick smart. Then move on the Carmody property after that.’
‘Good advice.’ I leant down to kiss her proffered cheek. As I stood up, I straightened my skirt which had twisted to the side.
‘Look at you Peach, your skirt is swimming on you.’
‘I know, I know, I know!’ I said still dancing around. ‘Yep, try as hard as I might to lose a kilo or two for years and then my skanky assed husband goes off with a blonde tart, to put it politely, and guess what, I’ve lost four kilos. I should market it.’ Bea shook her head at me while I continued with my tirade. ‘You know, a few weeks before I found out about him and… Davis pinched the top of my thigh and said, Ooh got some wobbly bits here. We really should watch that, shouldn’t we. Condescending bastard.’ I threw myself in among the cushions on the lounge.
‘He always was Peach. You just didn’t see it.’
I brushed my hair out of my eyes. ‘Or chose not to.’ From my vantage point I could see straight out the front door and now noticed how late it had gotten. I looked at my watch. ‘Marty is coming by to take me to dinner. Do you want to join us?’
Bea cocked her head to the side and raised her brows. ‘Oh… I see… Marty?’
I waved a hand at her and shook my head. ‘It’s nothing like that.’
‘Really?’
‘Really Bea. He will always be just a friend.’
‘Mmmm.’
Slowly and languidly I drifted back to consciousness, deliciously stretching. It was so quiet here, last night I had slept the sleep of the dead. With my eyes still closed, I snuggled further into the warmth pressed against my back, enjoying the feel of another person. And then quickly one eye snapped open. From the mattress on the floor, I saw the early morning light creeping through the window. Where was I? Instantly the other eye opened. I blinked rapidly. Turning, I hurriedly pulled away from the sleeping body.
‘No you don’t. Up,’ I commanded, pushing with my foot. ‘No Wilbur, I’m sorry, but dogs do not sleep on beds, much less with their heads on the pillow. Come on… off.’ I attempted to shoo the sleepy labrador off my mattress with some difficulty, as his body weight appeared to be not much less than mine. His dark brown eyes looked at me and for a minute I softened, stroking his blonde head. ‘Yes, I know. You don’t understand where your master is, do you?’ He cocked his head to the side and looked at me, clearly attempting to decipher what I had said.
‘Don’t worry boy, I’m at a bit of a loose end too. This is all new to me, but we’re family now.’ I ruffled his fur.
With a deep snuffle, his heavy tail hit the floor once with a thud, as if that was as much joy as he could muster. However, I felt it was a promising sign. We had officially been friends for less than 24 hours.
*
Yesterday, with some measure of excitement, I had wiped my feet on the front door mat, weathered and worn with age, and turned the key in the stiff lock, ready to begin my new life in my new home. Breathing through my mouth, even the stale air did nothing to dampen my excitement. Dropping my bags in the hallway with haste, I walked towards the window with the heart hole curtain. Reefing it back, I was rewarded as sunlight cascaded into the once dark kitchen. Walking around, I had flung open every window, letting light and air flood through the home, as once again, I began exploring my new domain.
John Scott had allowed me free access for some time. On my second visit, I had found the staircase to the attic. There was a door to the left of the entry,