Under New Management (22 page)

Concentrating on the job in hand she makes a couple of trips to the kitchen with the dishes and returns to start on the table. Serena and the handsome, cocksure Jack are still discussing the dinner. As Angela moves silently around the table collecting the plates, she slows as they start to discuss the menu. She wants to give them some ideas - she has furiously been going though menu plans in her head and has come up with a few rather impressive ones.

Jack draws a breath from the animated conversation and notices Angela. Without giving it a second thought he says brightly, “Angela, what do you think? After all, you will be cooking. Got any ideas for an interesting menu?” He impales Angela with his sparkling bright blue eyes and she feels something stir in her. He is gorgeous.

Pulling herself together and ignoring the blush she knows has appeared on her cheeks, she clears her throat, “Well, actually yes. I do have a number of ideas. I would be happy to take you all through them.”

Serena makes an unattractive snorting noise and all eyes swing to her. “I am sorry Jack, but what on earth are you thinking? We will not be using ‘the hired help’ to prepare this dinner party,” she informs them haughtily as her eyes rest upon Angela with distaste. “After all, your cooking is mediocre at best. More of a Fanny Cradock than Angela Hartnett, I’m sure we would all agree.” She gives Angela a chilly smirk and brings her eyes back to Jacks shocked face.

“Obviously I intend to bring in professionals. I know a fabulous gourmet catering firm. Jack honestly, sometimes you can be such a Neanderthal,” she laughs shrilly.

They all now stare at Serena open mouthed and Angela shrivels inside. The flush on her face explodes, her face and neck are scarlet with mortification.

Kieran is horrified on Angela’s behalf, but before he can open his mouth, his mother steps into the breach.

Controlling her anger Marylyn looks at Angela. Smiling tightly she says to her, “Angela my dear, please would you give us a few minutes?”

Angela looks startled, shakily she nods and taking the plates with her, leaves the room.

Marylyn turns to Serena who is now delicately sipping at her black coffee as if she hasn’t a care in the world.

Jack beats Marylyn to it and pipes up with, “Bloody hell Serena! You really are a nasty bitch, aren’t you?”

Serena looks up at him steadily, merely raising a delicate eyebrow. She says with an air of boredom, “Kieran, darling, are you going to let him speak to me like that?”

Jack shakes his head at her. He glances at Kieran who is tight-lipped and has two red spots of colour on his cheeks. Jack knows that Kieran is absolutely livid, but he relaxes as he realises it is not with him.

Before anyone else can speak Marylyn turns to Serena and with a controlled voice says, “Serena, you are a guest in this house and I respectfully ask that you refrain from being rude to our staff.”

This gets Serena’s attention. Nobody speaks to her like that. “I beg your pardon, Marylyn. I was not rude, I merely stated a fact. I will not have that bumpkin preparing my dinner party. Good grief, we’ll end up with steak and kidney pie and mash. Please leave the organisation to me. I know what I am doing.” She raises her small chin in defiance and glares challengingly at Marylyn.

There is a sharp intake of breath all round as the men boggle at Serena’s nerve and Marylyn narrows her eyes. The men think this is not good.

Marylyn draws breath,
cheeky bitch!
Giving Serena a chilly smile, with an assertive tone, she continues, “Serena dear, I believe you misunderstood me, in which case please allow me to enlighten you. I am the lady of the house, you are our guest and I will decide who is preparing a dinner party in my house. I would appreciate your apologising to Angela for your unacceptable comments. If you are unhappy with either of my sentiments, then I’m sure you have other friends you may wish to grace with your presence. I hope we understand each other?” Marylyn glares coldly at Serena throughout her speech. She stands purposefully, moving behind her chair and pushes it towards the table. “And now, if you will all excuse me, I have a dinner party to organise.” Serena glares at Marylyn with dislike as Marylyn bestows an exaggerated smile at her and then leaves the room.

Kieran and Jack smirk at each other and Jack quickly decides it’s time he left before Serena explodes. Her face is not so attractive anymore. It is screwed up in temper and is turning an unattractive shade of puce. Jack sends Kieran an apologetic look and quickly leaves the room, heading for cover.

Kieran watches as both his mother and cousin leave and heartily wishes he could go with them. His admiration for his mother knows no bounds. She was magnificent. Serena deserved everything she got. His own temper has receded and the coward in him feels slightly nervous at what is going to happen next. Getting up from the table he moves a safe distance from the volcanic eruption that he is expecting. If her face and body language are anything to go by, it’s going to be a humdinger.

Serena is mortified,
how dare that bitch speak to her like that! Doesn’t she know who she is?
She watched Marylyn leave the room without speaking, only because she wanted to throw something hard at the cow’s head. As Jack jumps up and runs away also, she glares at his retreating back and now Kieran is moving away from her too, saying nothing.
How dare he let his mother speak to her like that!

Her fury finally erupts. She jumps to her feet, knocking over her chair in the process. Letting out a screech of anger, she grabs at a crystal flower vase from the centre of the table and hurls it at Kieran’s back.

Pre-empting her move just in time, Kieran ducks and the vase smashes with some force against the wall between two windows. Kieran spins round and stares at Serena in shock.

“Are you mad?” he demands, through clenched teeth.

Serena lifts her chin in defiance.

“How dare you let them speak to me like that? You never stuck up for me once.” She hisses at him.

Kieran lets out a heartfelt sigh and says, “Serena, you deserved everything you got, and you bloody well know it.” He glowers at her, his face set and his fists clenched.

Serena’s mouth turns upwards in a frigid smile. Her eyes are quite magnificent as they blaze at him.

“Well, well so your mother” Serena spits the word, “thinks that that ham fisted cow can prepare a dinner party for me, does she?” She laughs dramatically. Kieran starts to wonder if he might be needing to obtain a straight jacket. Her eyes are wild as she narrows them at him.

Raising her voice, she continues to have her say, “The whole thing will be a farce. This is not your fucking Aunt Vera coming for tea. I am a fucking movie star, for crying out loud. Surely I have earned a modicum of respect? I have never been so insulted in my life. I have a good mind not to bother attending at all,” she yells at him with haughty indignance, her face flaming.

Through gritted teeth, Kieran sucks in a long breath. She is unbelievable! Acting as if the entire dinner party fiasco wasn’t her idea; as if they should be honoured by her attendance. Controlling his anger he keeps his voice neutral. “Be careful Serena. As mother explained, if you do not like our hospitality you can go elsewhere. Movie star or not, you are a guest in this house. The only person bandying about the insults is you.”

Serena stamps her foot, her small fists clenched, “You pig!” she spits at him, “How dare you all treat me like this! If you don’t make your mother apologise to me, I will leave and I will never see you again, do you hear me?”

Kieran feels his heart jump.
Could it really be that easy?
Taking his life in his hands he faces off with her.

“Serena, I have told you what I think. Mother is absolutely right. I am sick and tired of you speaking to people as if they are something nasty on your shoe. You should be ashamed of yourself. The only person who needs to apologise is you. It’s your choice, stay or go. It’s all the same to me.”

Serena explodes, “You fucking despicable, gutless coward! You are so scared of your mother that you would rather side with her than stick up for me? Why don’t you grow a pair? It’s pathetic.”

Kieran narrows his eyes at her. Quietly he says, “I am not arguing with you Serena. The choice is yours. Apologise to Angela and stay out of the dinner party arrangements, or leave. Of course it would be easier all round if you were to leave, and then there would be no need for the dinner party at all.”

“Arrrrrgggghhhhh!” Serena screeches at him as she stamps her foot. “I hate you! How can you be so horrible to me?”

Kieran merely shrugs his shoulders, his face impassive. This rewards him with another high pitched scream.

Kieran winces and eyes her warily. She is now eyeing up the crockery. Either she’s going to start lobbing things at his head again, or cry. He watches her face change. Looks like she’s going to go for the tears option. After all, she is an actress and has the ability to turn them on to order. Of course just because they are turned on at will does not make them any less dramatic.

She dissolves before him, sobbing uncontrollably. She sinks down into his chair. He watches the distressed figure as she hugs herself, looking about sixteen.

Within seconds his anger fades to frustration. Eventually not knowing what else to do he walks towards her and pats her shoulder awkwardly. Serena throws her arms around him, grabbing his waist. She drags him towards her and sobs into his thigh.

Serena knows how to play Kieran and tears are usually effective. He can’t seem to resist them. She is spoilt, and hates it when she can’t get her own way, but she respects him grudgingly for not always giving in to her. Serena believes she needs Kieran to keep her grounded. The fact that he is gorgeous and not to mention rich, in his own right, obviously has a bearing on her feelings for him. She isn’t prepared to lose him, and certainly not over something as petty as a dinner party.

Serena decides that she will be gracious in defeat. She’ll apologise to that woman and allow Marylyn to organise the dinner. She has business in London anyway and in fairness she is bored to tears here, especially as Johnny and Megan left early this morning. She decides that she’ll go to London today, returning in time for Saturday night’s dinner. It will give Kieran time to miss her and give her the opportunity to catch up with some old friends. Yes, she thinks that is an excellent idea.

When she returns on Saturday evening she will make an entrance. The invited yokels will be suitably star struck, Serena will be able to regain her foothold and today’s unpleasantness will all be forgotten.

Chapter 23

Mollie refuses to ring Jack. She’s not going to give in to him. He knew her better, surely?

Lindy had squealed with delight on returning home the previous evening. Mollie and Jim had spent an age trying to find room for the twenty or so bouquets. Luckily they had all arrived in a bubble of cellophane containing water, as there are only four vases in the house, none of which are remotely big enough.

Mollie had eventually phoned Lou, Julie and even Emma to come to the house in the evening and take some away with them.

The house had been full of screeching, excited women, drinking wine and discussing the merits of the gorgeous Jack.

Lou, although slightly miffed that Mollie had bagged the stud, took it with good grace. They were eventually dispatched with six of the bouquets which offered a little added space.

Mollie was seriously concerned that the oxygen would be sucked out of the house while they slept to the point of opening her bedroom window before going to sleep, even though it was below freezing outside.

On Thursday afternoon, Mollie returns from shopping in Bristol to find herself pulling up on the drive behind a gleaming red Porsche 911 Carrera. She knows this because she can read the make and model on the back of the car.

Either Jack, or possibly Kieran are visiting. Or, more horribly, if the enormous bow on the roof is anything to go by, it is another present.

Now on autopilot, she very slowly goes through the mechanics of turning off her car. Removing her seat belt she slumps over her steering wheel, staring through the windscreen, with her eyes wide and her mouth open.

“Noooo way,” she drawls stupidly.

At that moment the front door is thrown open and Jim and Lindy fly down the drive to her car.

Jim heads for her door and opens it, shouting excitedly, “Oh my God Molls! Have you seen this? Bloody hell, it’s yours! It was delivered an hour ago. I’ve been wetting myself waiting for you and your mother to get home. They’re about ninety thousand quid! I’ve been online. Get out, get out! Come and see it. I’ve got the keys, hurry up girl!” He virtually drags Mollie from her seat in his excitement.

Lindy is strangely quiet. She watches Mollie carefully and sees that she is far from happy. Lindy doesn’t blame her. It’s too much. First the flowers and now this. OK, so most women would be over the moon but not her Mollie. She might be happy with a present of this magnitude if she were in a proper relationship, but not in these circumstances. Jack needs to calm down. He’s being an idiot and pushing Mollie away. Of course it doesn’t help matters that Jack is the one showering the gifts. Lindy wonders if Kieran were the provider Mollie might perhaps react differently. But the car is beautiful. What a shame that she won’t accept it. Lindy is absolutely sure that Mollie won’t accept it.

Mollie doesn’t really do cars; she goes by the shape and the colour. Other than that, she is fairly ignorant of makes and models. She has the same philosophy where race horses are concerned. Her usual criteria for choosing one is, is it grey and what colour is the jockey wearing? However, she knows what she likes when she sees it and she definitely likes this.

If she and Jack were a couple and he had bought her this very same gift as a birthday or Christmas present, she knew she’d be over the moon. The colour is gorgeous, the shape amazing. It is, without doubt, a stunning creation. Jack has chosen well.