A Different Reflection (16 page)

“Oh yes, that would have been George at Northfield. He is my friend and he offered to make me and my friend dinner, but she couldn't make it!” I replied, matter-of-factly.

“Since when have you two become such good friends? I thought that you said he was ancient and he wasn't a story?” he asked.

“Well, he is getting on a bit, but he's so charming and has such amazing stories to tell!” I then said with enthusiasm as I dragged John in the door by his lapels.

“Well I don't like it! How often have you been going?” he then asked.

“Only a couple of times. It's not like I fancy him or anything!” I then said sarcastically.

“Not the bloody point and you know it! Jesus, next you'll be telling me that you want to buy the place!” he then snapped.

“Well, I just might do that! I love Northfield!” I snapped angrily whilst swaying.

“You would waste your money on that place? What about once we're married and the new apartment that we talked about?” John then asked as he threw his jacket onto the chair.

“What? I never said that I wanted a new apartment, and I certainly do not want to live in the centre of London. I've always wanted an old house with a garden, I thought you knew that!” I asked.

“I just thought that you were daydreaming. Jesus, Kat, you cannot live your life in a fantasy world!” he then snapped. “We should be aiming to move onwards and upwards, not backwards!”

“I do not see buying a house with some history moving backwards. If I want to spend
my
money on a house that
I
choose, then I will do just that!” I replied.

“Well, it's your ‘guilt' money, as you call it; I suppose you may as well spend it on something pointless and useless to the both of us!” he then said as he gestured into thin air. “Anyway, you are very drunk and I believe you do not know what you are saying!” he then finished as he ushered me to our bedroom. “Bedtime for you, young lady!” he remarked.

I was happy to drift into a slumber, which my alcoholic state helped with, but I did find myself dreaming about Northfield; I had bought it and lived there and I was infinitely happy. I did wake on a couple of occasions, due to the room spinning slightly, but each time I woke I thought about the large amount of money that I had sat in my account, gaining interest every year! I had put some money that my mum left me with it, and I had a very decent-sized nest egg to dip into, should I need it. It didn't matter how much I told myself I should save the money, though; there was this nagging voice in the back of my head telling me to invest it and buy into Northfield, and the more I thought about it, the more I felt sure that I wanted to do it.

Saturday saw me shopping with John, who needed a new suit. We seemed to walk for hours around London city centre in the hustle and bustle, but the city was alive today; it was sunny with a cool breeze, which was very refreshing to walk in despite my hangover. The city was amazing; there was an abundance of things to do and see, and something interesting on every corner to stir curiosity. It still did not make me any more enamoured about living here full time, though. I loved the thought of having the city close at hand, but having the sanctuary of my own house away from the centre was far more appealing. As we walked and John did most of the talking, I made the decision to speak to Madison Cleaver on Monday, and George. As soon as I had decided to do this, I had the warmest feeling that I was doing the right thing. I smiled happily to myself as John continued to ramble on about nothing in particular, only himself, and I suddenly realised that for once in my life I was going to do something for me – something big and something that I knew would make my mum happy. I carried on licking my ice cream with a smile, listening to John, and hoping that very soon I would be a part owner of Northfield, the house of my dreams!

Monday arrived and I arranged a meeting with Justin Temperley of Madison Cleaver, and asked George to meet me in the city tomorrow morning to go to the appointment with me. I could hardly contain myself, I was so excited, but less so at the prospect of telling John, who I knew would not be happy. He had, however, always made a point of telling me to spend my money and it wasn't until Saturday night that I had any idea that he expected me to pay for a new apartment obviously of his choosing, and in the city. I was fast realising that John and I seemed to be heading up two different forks in the road.

Work was moving along greatly. Stories were suddenly coming thick and fast and the charity fundraising employees that I had interviewed had the best positive attitude and commitment to work that I had seen in a long time. My original story on the soldiers and Mrs Holt was in this week's issue of the magazine and when the first copy landed on my desk, I was extremely happy at the end product. Tuesday morning arrived and I met George in Knightsbridge, near Madison Cleaver. I had arranged to meet him in Harrods for coffee before we went. I knew that he would be slightly confused as to our meeting, and I had asked him not to let James know that he was meeting me. When he eventually arrived, he perched on a chair next to me.

“Thank you so much for meeting me, George. Would you like a coffee?” I asked.

“That would be lovely, thank you,” he replied as I called to the girl behind the counter. He took in the view of the whole food hall, which was a sight to see. “Wow, it has been a very long time since I came here!” he then announced.

“You have been in here before, George?” I was curious about his previous visit.

“Well, I had to come to the debut of the first moving staircase in England – they advertised it so well! That was a long time ago and I recall being handed a glass of brandy at the top once we had the courage to try it first.” He laughed. “Not that remarkable these days though, eh Katharina?”

“Oh I don't know George, we take things for granted so much these days. I think I would have liked to have witnessed that!” I smiled.

“So, may I ask why you wanted to meet me, and why we are seeing Madison Cleaver today?” he then asked me. I placed my cup back down and looked at him.

“Well, I have decided that there could be too much interest in Northfield if you are not careful, and I would not want the wrong type of person to become involved in doing something that we would all regret, such as tear the place down. So I have decided that I want to buy into Northfield! It is up for sale, is it not?” I enquired.

“Why yes, it is for sale as leasehold, but I was merely trying to encourage people into the house; I would never want to sell it outright. I thought we may have some luck with James?” he stated.

“I understand that, but am I correct in assuming that you need the money? It cannot be easy running the place, and I have never asked, but I do not know how you have come to survive for so many years with no income.” I did not want to pry, but it had crossed my mind.

“Ah well, Margaret left all her assets in my name, and the family were never short of wealth. I have invested and saved and so on for many a year and we are still in a comfortable position. There are items in the safe that would be worth an amount, and James, God bless him, keeps telling me to sell them, but I just cannot find it in my heart to part with them. So doing something like this helps a great deal!” he finished.

“Well, would you allow me to help you? At least then we can rest assured that your secret is still safe and we are helping each other! The thought of owning – or part owning – something like Northfield has me very excited!” I informed him.

He paused for a while and took a sip of his coffee, then gently placed the cup back onto the saucer.

“I can think of no one that I would rather have share Northfield with us, and I know that James will be happy with the arrangement. I must ask though, how can you afford this?” he then asked.

“Ah well, that was my next point! I have some money left to me by my father, which quite honestly I was never going to touch, but this is an opportunity that I feel I cannot miss. I am going to add it to the money my mother left me and then kindly ask if you would reduce the sale to the amount that I have. I merely wish to protect you both from everyone else, and this is the best way that I feel I can do that!” I happily told him.

George sipped his coffee and then smiled at me; he placed his cup gently down on the saucer and then touched my hand. “I really do not care how much money that you have; as I said, I can think of no one better than yourself to buy into Northfield for as long as you wish. The respect and help that you have given both James and I to date is testament to your good nature and character. So I would be honoured to go with you and sign any documents,” George then replied. I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly in a bid to stop myself from dancing around the food hall. He laughed in response and then gestured for me to sit. “I have one other question. What does your fiancé think about this?” he then asked. It immediately dampened my excitement.

“I haven't told him yet, but it is my money and I will tell him soon!” I replied.

George nodded in acceptance; I think that he knew better than to get involved in any potential argument between John and I. Then we continued our conversation with the fact that I was going to bring Lisa to dinner on Thursday evening and I would tell James the news then. I hadn't quite got my head around the fact that if James did find love with another, he would undoubtedly want to stay at Northfield. I raised this with George, who told me that there was the possibility of sharing the house once James was back in the real world, or that he could sell off assets to pay me back. George had made it quite clear that he would only ever play it safe with James' inheritance, which led me to the next set of questions.

“How on earth do you live in different eras without anyone questioning you? The banks, investments – they all need identification of some description, so how do you obtain it?” I asked him.

“It is getting harder with every passing decade! Having James back would help greatly. He could live and spend his fortune how he wished and, once married, he could become part of society again!” George said hopefully.

“Because he could take the name of his wife?” I asked.

“Possibly, although I am not sure how he would feel about that. At least he would fit into society with a wife, and if children were to be involved, it would be easier still. It is quite amazing how one can do the right thing by doing the wrong thing!” he tried to explain.

We ventured to Madison Cleaver. Justin Temperley, it had to be said, looked slightly at a loss with our agreement, and as we were not about to explain it to him he simply confirmed that he would draw up the necessary documents for us to sign. Today was a very good day; I had bought the house of my dreams, which housed a very handsome man, magic and George in the most beautiful surroundings, and I could not be happier.

I had to return to work, and George and I parted ways with the promise that we would see each other on Thursday evening. Lisa had confirmed for seven o'clock and I could not wait to get there and tell James. I almost skipped to work and nothing could have made my mood heavy, until my phone beeped and it was John. I suddenly remembered that I was going to have to tell him what I had done. I had to pick the right moment and judge his mood! I opened the message from him: ‘Hi Babe! Can you meet me for drinks tomorrow evening after work? Big client wants to take a few of us with partners to dinner in appreciation!' I sighed; more niceties to be done! I felt that I had no choice, so I simply replied: ‘If I must!' I would pick my moment wisely and this may be it.

Tuesday rolled into Wednesday. I had taken a copy of the magazine home on Monday evening to show John my first printed story – the first of many that I hoped would be printed in this series. Unfortunately he just placed it on the table and said that he would read it soon. It wasn't quite the response that I was looking for. I made sure that I had an extra copy for James and George on Thursday night. Claire had made it clear that she was not happy about his lack of enthusiasm for my job, and when I told her that I was going for drinks again on Wednesday evening with him and his work colleagues, she shot me a look of complete disapproval. I decided that it was probably best that I told nobody of my new expensive purchase, until I had told John – just in case someone could not keep it to themselves!

Drinks with John's clients, I have to say, was not the most enticing thought, particularly when you had no idea about the subject matter. The cab pulled up outside a very expensive-looking restaurant and I nervously walked in, feeling glad that Charles spotted me and took me to John straight away. John finished his conversation and then introduced me to a mature-looking client, who I have to say was very charming and complimentary. We all sat down for dinner and, thank goodness, Nadine was at the furthest end of the table from me. I do think, looking at Charles and Helen's faces, that it was possibly manufactured that way. The meal was delicious, and John had sat directly next to his client, giving me the opportunity to speak to Dawn, who was married to Jack, another member of the team. She was a real breath of fresh air and delightful to talk to.

John's client found my career interesting and asked how hard it was in the competitive market of journalism. It was actually a refreshing change to discuss myself, and for someone else to enquire about my line of work. John commented that I had just finished the first of many new stories that had been assigned to me, which infuriated me as I knew damn well that he had not even taken the time to read it yet! The night passed relatively quickly; it was not as uninspiring as I had first assumed, and thankfully I had not had to talk to Nadine all night, although I did give her a couple of glances during the evening.

When we arrived home, I found John trying very hard to please me. He was constantly commenting on how happy he was that I had managed to converse well with his client. Nadine was not mentioned, so I did not bring her up in conversation either. Although I had seen him look at her a couple of times during dinner, I tried not to let it bother me. We retired to bed early and all in all the evening was more enjoyable than I had imagined. I slept well and hoped that this was a sign of things to come; a happier us, being able to enjoy time together in Nadine's company. I still had not had the chance to tell John about my purchase of Northfield, which still had me smiling. I was so excited about it and the prospect of living there in the future. Hopefully he would learn to love it as much as me.

I woke up with a bounce in my step. Later I would see Lisa, who I had not seen in ages, and also George and James. I would get to tell James my news tonight, which had me both nervous and excited, but I hoped that he would be happy about the joint venture! John left and went to work; I finished breakfast and then went back to the bedroom to collect my shoes. I noticed on John's bedside table that he had left his wallet. Trying to call him whilst on the tube would be pointless, but I knew that if I got moving I could swing by John's office and then hop in a cab to my own. As last night had gone well, I decided to try and keep the momentum going by doing a good deed for him.

As I walked off the elevator and up to the reception desk where John worked, the girl there instantly recognised me and smiled.

“Hi, I need to just see John for a second!” I stated.

“Right, well he has a meeting in five minutes, but if you hurry… I think you know where his office is?” she then asked as she gestured down the hallway.

“Thank you. Yes I remember my way,” I replied as I made my way down the corridor. I smiled to myself, knowing that John would be pleased that I had taken it in for him. As I approached his door, I straightened my clothes and then walked in. I did not expect to find what I did!

Nadine was sat on his desk, facing him, one leg stretched out on his chair, her foot placed between his legs and her lace-top stockings showing. They were laughing and John was sat in a very casual and relaxed, if not sexual manner. To say he looked surprised when he noticed me was an understatement. I glared at them both and then looked at his wallet in my hand. Nadine had now turned to me, stood quickly and straightened her clothing and then simply said:

“Kat, good morning. We weren't expecting you!”

“I can see that quite clearly, Nadine!” I replied sarcastically.

“Hey babe, what are you doing here?” John asked as he stood up.

I threw his wallet onto the table and looked at him.

“I thought that you may need this, but quite obviously you would have got by without it!” I replied as I looked at Nadine and then turned and walked out of the office. I scurried back along the corridor and toward the reception desk, where the girl who had kindly pointed the way to John's office now stood looking very nervously at me as I stomped back toward the elevator.

I could hear John walking quickly along behind me, and as we walked one colleague even tried to stop him to speak with him about a current client. He kindly but abruptly told him to wait as I pushed the button for the elevator. When the doors pinged open, I stepped in quickly and turned and leaned against the rail, then John stepped in before the door closed.

“Babe, where are you running to so quickly?” he asked.

“Really? You really want me to answer that? Jesus John, you seriously have no idea, do you?” I replied as I shook my head.

“Alright, I admit that must have looked a little awkward. I keep telling you, though, that there is nothing going on with Nadine and me!” he quickly stated.

“You seriously need to see this from where I am standing, because it doesn't look so innocent to me!” I sighed as I placed my hand on my forehead. I suddenly felt very hot and needed to get out of this tight space very soon.