Winner Takes It All (43 page)

Tom and Tara’s was the first
wedding Claremont Hall had ever seen and it got Alex thinking that
maybe it would be a good idea to hire it out as a wedding venue -
especially for any Irish couples marrying in Sussex. What better
place than the Museum of Irish History?

Tara made a beautiful bride. She
wore an ivory silk, prom-style dress, the full skirt hiding her
rapidly growing baby bump. Tom made a handsome groom, if not a
little unconventional. He wore a white linen suit with a blue, open
necked shirt underneath, his floppy hair brushed into a loose
quiff. They made quite a stunning couple and it was a dead cert
that baby Montague was going to be gorgeous.

The most unconventional thing
about the day was that the reception was held in The Cherry Tree.
It had been Tom’s idea; a final act of spitting on his
grandmother’s grave. She had hated the O’Connells and this had been
their domain. They had even hired a group called The Shillelaghs
who played traditional Irish music. Alex laughed to herself
thinking of the family legend about the night Mick was sticking two
fingers up at St George’s Day by draping the Irish flag over the
counter and Sorcha had come in and attacked Lou, who gave as good
as she got. By the time she died, her grandmother may have been a
lady, but there was always that hint of East End toughness in Lou
and it wasn’t hard for Alex to imagine her ripping Sorcha to
pieces.

Paula got tipsy and revealed that
as a child Mick had taken her to Irish dancing lessons, and,
hitching up her skirt, she had impressed the younger Cusacks with
her still nifty footwork. Everyone laughed as Lucas, Benny and
Antoine tried to join and ended up falling over. Alex sat and
watched it, feeling a little tearful because she knew if he were
alive her grandpa would join in and be as hopeless as his
grandchildren. Above the noise, she was sure she could hear his
big, booming laugh but she felt so lonely knowing she couldn’t see
him.

Today was the first time she’d
seen her brother in two months. Rehab had done Michael the world of
good. He’d put on some weight and lost the grey pallor alcohol gave
him. He seemed to be quite taken with Mo, Tom’s former housemate.
She was a stunning looking girl with jet black hair and a figure to
die for – understandable given she was a lapdancer – and yet when
she opened her mouth she sounded like a navvy. She had the thickest
Glaswegian accent Alex had ever heard and Michael was following her
around like an adoring puppy.

Alex looked up and spotted Tara
and Daniel heading towards her. Tara was flushed with love and
Daniel was flushed with alcohol and looking at them both it was
obvious they were both Andrew McDonald’s grandchildren - they both
looked so much like him. They sat either side of her.

‘Why aren’t you dancing missy?’
Daniel asked.

‘I’m tired darling,’ she smiled.
‘I only came back from Ibiza yesterday?’

‘Talking of which,’ Dan fizzed.
‘Do you think the hotel would be open to wedding receptions next
year?’

‘Wedding reception?’ she frowned.
‘Whose? Not mine? You know I dumped Robin don’t you?’

‘Why?’ gasped Tara. ‘We thought
you were so happy.’

‘I’ll explain when you come back
off honeymoon,’ Alex smiled, grasping her cousin’s slim hand. She
looked at Dan.

‘Who’s getting married
then?’

‘Simon’s making an honest man of
me. He’s asked me and I’ve said yes!’

‘Oh darling that’s wonderful,’
Alex gasped, throwing her arms around him. ‘Of course you can have
your reception at my hotel. I don’t know if you’ll be able to marry
there though, I think Spain’s a bit orthodox.’

‘Oh no dear, if madam here can
have Claremont Hall, so can I. But I thought my, ahem, husband and
I could have our reception and a holiday.’

‘Consider it a wedding
present.’

‘Talking of wedding presents,’
Tara said. ‘Dan, haven’t you got something for Alex?’

‘Eh?’ she frowned. ‘I’m supposed
to give you wedding presents, not the other way round. And if
you’ve bought something for me and Robin then I’ll give your money
back, I…’

‘Just shut up Alexandra,’ Dan
snapped playfully. ‘Now this is a little gift from my sister and I
to say thank you for everything.’

From his inside pocket, he took
out an envelope and passed it to Alex. Completely puzzled, she
opened it and pulled it out to find it a very long worded and
complicated looking share certificate.

‘I don’t understand.’

‘Neither of us are interested in
running Sheridans,’ Tara explained. ‘I’m happy here in Summerset
running the estate, and Tom’s got a few ideas up his sleeve about
what he’s going to do with Montague Construction.’

‘And I’m off to Cornwall next
year,’ Daniel continued. ‘Do you really see me involved in big
business?’

‘So, we spoke to Uncle Christian
and he’s agreed for us to sign our forty percent over to
you.’

‘What!’ she cried.

‘You’re now a fifty percent
shareholder in Sheridans,’ Daniel said. ‘We both think you’ve
earned it over these past few months.’

‘Thank you so much,’ Alex cried,
taking both their hands. ‘I don’t deserve this.’

‘You do Alex,’ smiled Tara. ‘If
anyone deserves it, it’s you.’

***

That Monday was the first proper
board meeting of Sheridans in six months. Christian had been given
a clean bill of health and was back in control. Alex was glad to be
able to take more of a back seat, and even more delighted to see
her handsome dad back to his normal self as he strode into the
meeting room with the stealth of a man half his age. Aunt Paula sat
drinking coffee and looking as if she would rather be anywhere else
and Charlotte was laying out agendas and talking on her mobile at
the same time. The normality was comforting.

Each of the board members arrived
- Hugh Fairclough, Adam Isaacs, Waleed Khan and Alice Evans. Each
of them greeted Christian, welcoming him back and telling him they
were glad he was well and expressing their dismay at Bannerman and
his treachery. Then the man who had taken Bannerman’s place entered
the room and Alex’s heart leapt into her throat, and unable to
express it, she just gave him a little, chaste smile. As a reward
for all the work he’d done in capturing Maurice Bannerman and
helping reveal the IRA story as being rubbish, Christian had
invited Jack to join the board of directors. He accepted, admitting
to Alex in private that it made his head spin to think he’d started
the year as an ex-squaddie boxer taking his chances in property in
Liverpool and he was ending it on the board of one of the world’s
biggest companies.

Once everyone was seated,
Charlotte took her rightful place at Christian’s side and the
meeting commenced.

‘Thank you for coming everyone,’
he began. ‘And I’d also like to thank you all for the cards and
flowers you sent while I was ill and when my father died. It meant
a lot to me. Now, can I start by introducing Jack Byrne; he works
with Alex on Sheridan Hotels and he was a rock to this family
during the crisis we’ve just emerged from. Jack will be taking
Maurice Bannerman’s place on the board.’

There were general nods hello
from everyone and Jack gave Alex a secret smile, indicating it was
all quite nerve-wracking for him.

Christian continued.

‘There will also be a structural
change. Ever since my great great great grandfather Callum Sheridan
founded the company it has always been a one man operation, with
one person at the helm. Well, I’m not a Sheridan, I’m a Cusack and
I’m changing things a little. My niece and nephew, Tara Montague
and Daniel Steadman have given their shares to Alexandra so she is
now a fifty percent shareholder of Sheridans. With that in mind -
and that I am still planning on retiring on my sixtieth birthday, I
have decided to make Alex my co-pilot.’

‘Daddy!’ she gasped. ‘What are
you talking about?’

He smiled and carried
on.

‘As you’re all aware, Sheridans
has faced a series of terrible crisis over the past few months and
through it all Alex has proven herself to be a true Sheridan. Those
of you who remember my mother will know how Alex has her spirit and
unwillingness to give up in the face of adversity. From now on Alex
will have joint powers of decision along with me.’

Alex was speechless. It was like
some weird fairy tale where suddenly someone was going to rush in
with a golden crown on a velvet cushion and place it upon her head.
She’d had no idea her father was planning this. He stood up and
moved his chair to the other side of the table, making room for
hers.

‘Come on Alex,’ he smiled,
holding out his hand. ‘Come and join me where you belong - at the
head of the table.’

Alex didn’t have time to
celebrate her tremendous good fortune. She and Jack had to rush off
to a meeting with the construction company in charge of the
renovation of The Exchange. It was well on the way to completion
and looked like a grand Edwardian building in the middle of Central
London. Alex couldn’t help but notice Jack was quiet in the car
over there and put it down to his being overawed by the morning
just gone by.

After the meeting, she drove them
to the little flat in Chelsea that Ben had left Paula in his will.
Paula had no use for it and now Christian and Julie were back in
the house in Barnes, Alex didn’t want to tread on their toes and so
moved in. Still in high spirits as soon as they got in the door of
the little one bedder on Onslow Square, Alex pushed Jack against
the wall and started undressing him. When there was no response,
she began to feel nervous. This was most unlike him. She pulled
away and looked up at him.

‘What’s the matter?’ she
uttered.

‘We need to talk Ali,’ he said,
walking off into the living room. Alex couldn’t feel her legs as
she followed him. They were shaking so violently she thought they
were going to collapse under her. Jack had come here to finish with
her. He didn’t want to see her again. She knew it. She would die if
he said so.

He sat on the sofa and she sat
beside him. He looked so troubled, she couldn’t help but reach up
and stroke back that golden hair.

‘What is it?’ she
whispered.

‘Lisa’s announced she’s giving up
her job next year. She’ll be forty in February and she thinks
time’s running out.’

‘For what?’

He looked at her.

‘She wants a baby.’

‘W-What?’

‘She wants us to try for a baby.
It’s not just the age thing; she knows it’s the only thing that’s
going to save our marriage.’

‘Will it?’

‘I don’t know. No, I don’t think
it will.’

‘So what are you going to
do?’

‘What are
you
going to do?
The decision is yours Alex. If you give the word I’ll leave her.
But I can only warn you that I know my wife and she’s a bitch and
she will go to the papers.’

‘She wouldn’t…’

‘She would. She’ll drag the name
of Sheridans through the mud. Now I can live with that, I’m only on
the periphery, but you’re the heart of Sheridans and I want you to
know what you’re letting yourself in for.’

‘But if you don’t love her, why
don’t you leave her anyway?’

‘I could do that but we’d still
have to sneak around because she’d find out and she’d still go to
the papers. This is a fucking nightmare Alex.’

Alex was rendered speechless.
Just a few hours ago she’d been delighted because her father had
made her joint head of Sheridans. But now that very mantle was
providing her with the biggest dilemma of her young life. Did she
give up love for her family company or did she risk the name of all
her grandmother had built up to be with Jack? She loved him so much
and could never imagine being with another man, but if she let him
go only her happiness would be scarified. If she stayed with him
and his wife exacted her revenge, it could help ruin her company –
after all, no doubt there were still people out there who still
believed the negative press, despite its being disproved. She had
no choice.

‘Then you must make your marriage
work,’ she said quietly. ‘We’ll see each other in a business
capacity, but that’s it.’

‘Sheridans means that much to
you,’ he said, unable to hide his hurt.

‘Not Sheridans no, but my family.
They all depend on me now Jack. I can’t behave like some young free
woman because I’m not one any more.’

He looked at her, stroking her
face and she wished he wouldn’t touch her because it just made her
want him.

‘I’d wait forever for you if I
could,’ he whispered. ‘If you change your mind, she’s not leaving
BA until January.’

‘I won’t change my mind,’ she
said firmly. ‘I think you’d better go Jack, I need some time on my
own.’

Twenty Four

One Month
Later

Tara looked at her watch for the
sixth time that hour.

‘Where are they?’ she
fretted.