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CHAPTER TEN

OPHELIA checked her appearance in the reen jacket and skirt, teaht of formality to a woman as happiest in jeans But then she was dressed to impress

Virginia Metaxis was reputed to be a very chic lady and Ophelia was inti her mother-in-law for the first tirateful for the invitation, even if she did suspect that she had Lysander to thank for it After all, h his ood wishes for the future, the sheer passage of tiinia was seriously unhappy with her son’s choice of wife The combined history of their families only added to the e of thirty years ago, but also the long, a of Gladys Stewart’s bitter deterhbour to the Metaxis estate steadily expanding on her boundaries

A lih the heavy London traffic to Virginia’s apartment For the past three weeks, Ophelia had travelled between Madrigal Court and the town house alenerally stayed in the city and caught up with business An enormous amount of work had already taken place at the Elizabethanthe phase where important decisions on the décor had to be taken and Ophelia had found her input very much in de to life again she felt ill-suited to the challenge of choosing final finishes and colour sche advice she received from the professionals, the more confused and indecisive she became

Worst of all, the responsibility was eating up tiarden But it wouldn’t be for ever, Ophelia told herself bracingly She had discovered that being a Metaxis as hard work and her new role had presented her with a steep learning curve The first week she had feared she ht drown in the flood of social invitations and requests for charitable support and visits She now rejoiced in a personal assistant of her own as a first line of defence The big party that would formally introduce her to the world as Lysander’s as only forty-eight hours away At least she would have met her elusive mother-in-law beforehand, Ophelia conceded wryly as she travelled up in the lift to the older woman’s apartment On cue her mobile phone buzzed

‘Yes, Lysander?’ Ophelia answered wearily, for she knew she was being checked up on ‘I’ sociable’

‘There’s no need to be nervous’

‘I don’t knohere you get the idea I’ to putto the family skeletons, you can relax,’ she assured hihtly shrill ‘All that’s done and dusted as far as I’rand it Miss Haversha on the pair of the I want to discuss with your mother, okay?’

Lysander suppressed a groan ‘Okay’

‘And if she hatesto bother ht?’ Ophelia added hastily

‘Nobody could hate you—’

‘Don’t talk nonsense,’ Ophelia irlfriend of yours who saw us at the airport looked at me with so much venom, it’s a wonder I didn’t drop dead on the spot When I think of how many of your exes are out there—’

‘Will you calm down?’

‘Lysander…a wo the note, Ophelia dug herwith a certain amount of satisfaction and walked out of the lift

‘Ophelia…’ Virginia was a tall woood deal older and thinner than she had in the photos Ophelia had seen, but she welcomed Ophelia with considerablyforward to this inia explained, ‘but I had a treatht time until now’

A treat about and wondered if she was referring to illness, or more probably soraciously, ‘I’ that you will come and visit your old home whenever you feel like it’

The older woman’s thin features lit up ‘You wouldn’t ain, but I don’t like to pry’

Ophelia hurried to lay that fear to rest and, as Virginia talked without reserve, she lowered her guard as well A few minutes later she was horrified to hear herself say without thinking, ‘Mu to be around…oh, dear—’

‘Please do talk about her,’ the older woed ‘Cathy was one of ret the way in which our friendship ended’

‘I don’t have any feelings of animosity towards you,’ Ophelia hastened to assert

‘None at all? I was surprised that you hadn’t told Lysander that Aristide was involved with your inia admitted

Ophelia studied her in astonishment ‘You knew about their affair?’

‘Of course Three lives got tangled up and spoiled, all because one man couldn’t make his mind up between toave her a look of wry acceptance ‘I adored Aristide, but he had a weakness for woe soon after Madrigal Court was sold to your grandparents The sa, Cathy visited and I didn’t exist for Aristide any ood sport and accept that I was only a friend from that point on’

Ophelia was frowning She had not been aware that Aristide had dated Virginia before he met Cathy It put a different complexion on events

‘Aristide would never tell ement to your mother’

‘Are you saying that he finished with Mu day?’ Ophelia could not hide her surprise

‘Two days before The dra and he was appalled when he heard about it Perhaps Cathy couldn’t face telling your grand was off Perhaps she believed that Aristide would show up regardless of what he had said She kne much he loved her’

‘Yet he ently

‘On the rebound Whatever split them up hurt his pride and he turned to me for consolation He assured ot what I asked for when I married a , you’re an optiinia admitted with a rueful smile ‘He didn’t She was full of fun and very beautiful, and I was always sensible and quiet It didn’t help ive him children’

‘But you adopted Lysander’

‘That was several years later and I’m afraid that Aristide was rather a disinterested father and, of course, Lysander noticed You have a younger sister, I believe Does she live with you?’

That sudden change of subject startled Ophelia and she was surprised that the older wo ‘Molly? It’s ht years since I last saw my sister She was adopted soon after my mother died’

‘Is that so?’ A sudden silence fell, in which Virginia seelanced up with a hint of relief when her housekeeper appeared with a tray ‘Thank you, May Exactly e need’

‘Don’t get up, madam,’ May scolded in an anxious tone ‘You know the doctor said you’r

e to take it easy and get all the rest you can’

‘I’ll pour the tea’ Ophelia smiled at her hostess ‘Have you been ill?’

Virginia explained that she had recently completed a course of treatment for breast cancer Ophelia was shaken by this adinia was positive about her prospects of ood recovery, but was equally quick to adnosis