Chapter 123: Chapter 123: The Girl Who Was Hunted - Chapter Thirty-Nine

CHARLOTTE “It’s alright,” I say. “Really, it’s alright. It’s just.… Michael’s found my birth certificate and my parents’

marriage certificate.”

Richard breaks into a broad smile. “Congratulations, Charlotte. I can imagine how important that is to you. Er…. May I look at them? Would you mind?”

“No of course not, Sir.” I give him the envelope.

He slips out the two papers, quickly glances at one, then the other, and bursts out laughing, passing them to Beth. She, just as quickly, quickly glances over them, and again laughs out loud.

My Master and Michael look at him, baffled. I’m confused myself.

“What’s funny?” asks Michael.

Beth is grinning widely. “What’s funny….” says Richard, “….is that Elizabeth’s maiden name was Kimberley.”

I stare at him. “You’re kidding.…”

Richard is also smiling hugely. “Nope. I always thought the two of you looked too much alike for it to be a coincidence,” he says. “Welcome to the family….”

Beth wraps her arms around me. Richard glances briefly at my Master (asking permission?). My Master holds up his hands in a ‘How could I refuse?’ gesture, and Richard hugs me too, giving me a chaste kiss on the cheek.

And for the second time that day, I burst into tears.

After we have all calmed down a little, Michael still looking bemused at the sheer impact of his ‘gift’, my Master says, “Of course, this all begs the question of why Klempner said what he did to Charlotte….”

I sober up quickly. “I felt as soon as spoke, that he had some kind of grudge against me. He said it was because of Jenkins getting killed, that he held me to blame for that. But it didn’t feel right. I’m sure he was lying about that. If his grudge was actually with my mother, or my mother and father…”

Michael interrupts. “I should mention, Charlotte, that this isn’t the only information that Will is trying to find. When these came to light, I also asked him, and he agreed, to try to have any other family connections checked. None came to light….”

“However,” interrupts, Richard, “Now that we know there is a family connection, and we have a starting point, we can start a proper search on your behalf,” says Richard.

“I was always a little surprised, Beth,” says my Master, “That with such a similarity between the two of you, that you didn’t ask your family if there might be a connection?”

Beth blushes. “Actually, I did. They were a bit close-mouthed, but eventually, I got it that my grandfather’s brother, George, had a bit of a reputation for, er….”

“Climbing back-yard fences and bedroom windows?” suggests Michael, with raised brows and a winsome smile “Er, yes,” she chuckles. “Something like that. No-one really wanted to talk about it very much. There was a bit of a conspiracy of silence.”

The three men burst out laughing. I feel a little indignant. “So, you thought I might be your er.…”

“Second cousin…” interrupts my Master.

“Yes.… illegitimate second cousin? And you didn’t say anything?”

She shrugs. “Well, I had no proof except that everyone says we look alike. Having those papers changes everything. I can ask my family properly now.”

*****

MICHAEL Charlotte looks depressed. Chin resting on folded hands, she stares out of the window.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“I should have been going back to University in a few days. Here we are, camping in a hotel…. I can’t go back to college. We can’t go home. You can’t even go back to work on either the house or your fitness centre…. and….”

I wrap my arms around her. “It’ll all work out. You’ll see. And the house, the University and the Centre aren’t going anywhere…”

Richard interrupts. “Don’t fret about your studies, Charlotte. I’ve dealt with that on your behalf.”

“You have?”

“Beth told me about the conversation you had a few weeks ago. Your academic work has to be interspersed anyway, with industrial and commercial training for your qualifications. We’re shifting the order around so that you do a lot of the non-academic work now, and over the next few months.”

“And how do I get industrial training locked in a hotel room?”

“You don’t, but you also have to cover basic accountancy, company and commercial law and similar.

You can do those from here.”

“Aaahhhh....” Her eyes roll.

“You have a problem with that?” I ask.

“Mmmm…. Hadn’t thought that things like accountancy were included.”

“It depends what you want to do,” says Richard. “If you end up working with a large corporation, such as mine, then you need to grasp at least the basics so that you understand the implications of your own decisions. And if you run your own company, then you certainly need to understand the bottom line;

how to read a set of accounts, a balance sheet, how to interpret a profit and loss account.”

Charlotte looks as though she’s sucked a lemon.

Richard continues. “You will find it is very common for successful businesses to be jointly headed by the ‘money man’ and the ‘technical man’. My own background is in finance. Which is why I took on James as my co-director. His expertise is on the technical and engineering side of things. But if you learn at least the fundamentals of the accounting and finance side of things, you will be stronger, and less dependent, for it in the future.”

She sighs. “Fair enough. Where do I start?”

*****

Later, when we are alone, “It’s very good of you, Richard, to put yourself out like this on Charlotte’s behalf. I appreciate that it’s in thanks for what she did for Beth, but nonetheless…”

Raising his brows. “Don’t be fooled, Michael. Yes, it’s partly in thanks. She craves education and training. I’ll see that she gets it. But, I don’t have to bring her into my company as a ‘thank you’. It’s mainly a cold commercial decision on my part.”

“Sorry… Not with you?”

“Sooner or later, I want her on my Board.”

?

“On your Board?”

“She’s got intelligence, looks, a driving personality, and balls of solid rock. What more could I ask?

Once she’s trained up and knows what she’s doing, she’ll be a power to be reckoned with.” He rubs his hands, almost gleefully. “Let’s see the other shareholders stand in her way when she decides she wants something…” Then he sniffs. “On the whole, I want her working with and for me, not someone else…”

Despite myself, I smile at this. “I take your point, but suppose she doesn’t want to follow that path?

Wants to do something else?”

“Such as?”

“She might want to have a family, children.”

He cocks a speculative eyebrow at me. “Well, you’re the one marrying her…. Still, families grow up, and I suspect you may find that the adventure of family life will never be enough for that one…. She’s spent her whole life living on the edge. I’m not sure she’s capable of dropping to the same gear most people live in.”

Is he right?

It’s a dismal thought. Can I make Charlotte happy?

Richard looks at me sympathetically. “Michael, you said it to me yourself, and, at the time I ignored you.

If you try to cage her, she won’t stay caged. You might bear that in mind.”

Arms folded, I stare at the ground. “Mmmm… you’re giving me food for thought.”

Cocking his head, he grins and leaves.

*****

Lying on the settee, Charlotte’s head rests very comfortably on my lap. It’s wonderful, feeling that everything is back to normal between us. There’s stuff that needs sorting out, all kinds of problems, but it’s not about us. Despite everything, life couldn’t be better. My sky is blue, and the sun is shining.

She’s reading a book, and clearly hating every moment of it. It’s on the basics of accountancy, and every so often she emits a small sigh. Also, I see her fingers moving, as though, running through figures in her head, her fingers are helping with the counting.

I’m holding a book myself, a light novel, but making no pretence of reading it.

In the armchair opposite us, James has been listening, eyes closed, to some piece of soft classical music, but his glance slides sideways to Charlotte, then up to me. One eyebrow raises speculatively.

I’m more than willing.

“Charlotte, how about a break?”

The book drops instantly, her head tipping back to meet me. “Sounds good. What did you have in mind?”

I eye-point her sideways. “I believe your Master is trying to attract your attention.”

Her body slides back against mine, stiffening and stretching as she looks his way. James slowly rises from his chair, moving to stand over her, gazing down.

“I believe, looking at him….” I murmur into her ear, “…. that your Master would like you to suck him off.

And that he wants to cream into your mouth.”