Page 57 of A Change of Location
Her arrival in England had coincided with the onset of the Sterling Scandal, and the feverish coverage from traditional and online media. The fever hadn’t broken. Cameramen still camped outside the disgraced politician’s London residence and his country house, inconveniencing and annoying his neighbors. They pursued the flashy mistress who swanned about London in designer clothes allegedly purchased with illicit earnings. Her relatives’ criminality was as much the focus of attention as her liaison with a prominent Parliamentarian.
Panic surged when Hannah considered the ramifications of Martin’s appearance in Posh.
What if the scribe who had chronicled his distant and recent past discovered her existence, and their relationship? Martin would be tarnished by his association with an ex-convict’s niece. His ambitious plans for promoting the Milver Vale could be adversely affected. Tabloids would feast on the fresh scandal. Curious reporters would have no difficulty uncovering and divulging details of the barroom knifing and the manslaughter trial and Chase’s incarceration. Exposure by the unscrupulous British press would inevitably result in similar disclosures in the American media, attention that could block his path back to a normal life—whatever he envisioned the next normal to be.
That prospect made her queasy.
For the past decade, she’d protected her uncle by voluntarily keeping silent. Now she had less incentive to tell Martin about Chase, despite regret over withholding a crucial incident in her past and its everlasting impact.
Her connection to a convicted killer ultimately destroyed her relationship with Joel. Because he was an attorney—though uninvolved in criminal cases—she’d expected him to have sympathy for her uncle’s experience in the justice system. But she could tell, without hearing him state it, that the felon in her family was problematic. Because her travel schedule separated them at frequent intervals and for extended periods, she didn’t acknowledge the widening rift. Nor had she been sure what to do about it. Until the final hours of last year, during the New Year’s Eve party at Joel’s law office, in a skyscraper with a fantastic view of the First Night fireworks display over Boston Harbor. Before midnight, he made a derisive and hurtful comment about Chase that she couldn’t tolerate and wouldn’t excuse and hadn’t forgotten.
Martin wouldn’t be so crass. Even so, she saw no reason to be forthcoming.
Chapter 18
After squeezing the outfits she’d brought to England and recent clothing purchases into her roller bag, Hannah successfully zipped it closed. This was an experiment, a test of her emotions and fortitude. She hadn’t decided whether to take the essential step that would facilitate her departure.
On her way to the kitchen, she hoped meal preparation might alleviate a minuscule portion of her despondency. The two dogs, captivated by the presence of cutting board and knives, took up strategic positions, closely watching her remove items from fridge and cupboards. She no longer fretted about the fortune Jan spent stocking the shelves. The master of the house could afford any and all delicacies, regardless of cost.
She combined tinned chickpeas and artichoke hearts, added lemon juice, oil, and balsamic vinegar, crumbled feta cheese on top. Using the stand mixer, she whipped heavy cream from Milver Vale Dairy into stiff peaks and placed the bowl in the fridge. She dredged each chicken breast in flour and spices and set them aside and began slicing mushrooms. When the knob of butter in the sauté pan melted, she added the meat.
Martin sauntered in and stepped close to the stovetop. “Smells wonderful.” His arms enclosed her waist. “What can I do?”
“Open a bottle of champagne, please. Or prosecco.”
“Is this a celebration?”
“It’s for my sauce. I need less than a cupful.”
When she measured out the amount, he divided the remainder between two coupe glasses. “I’ll fetch a cloth and cutlery and lay the table on the terrace. It’s such a pleasant evening, we should take advantage.”
He returned, and she handed him the bowl of salad.
She transferred the cooked chicken pieces to a platter and heated the mushrooms in the pan juices and wine before pouring on just enough cream to thicken the mixture. She ladled it over the meat and garnished the platter with parsley cut from the herb garden.
Martin praised her creation as a triumph.
Verbally impaired by the shock of the magazine article, she asked a single leading question about his afternoon activities. At intervals she looked up from her plate to nod or make a murmur of acknowledgement.
This could have been so romantic, she realized.
Dinner for two. A view of blooming roses and other plants against a background of evergreens. Purple flowers dangled from the thick branches of the enormous wisteria clinging to the wall. A bird, concealed by the foliage, trilled an unfamiliar tune. And with the sun’s retreat, the blue sky faded, gradually changing to amber.
They both cleared the table. While Martin packed everything into the dishwasher, Hannah concocted Eton Mess, crushing store-bought meringues, folding them into whipped cream, and swirling in diced strawberries and lemon zest.
“Did they really serve this at your school?” she asked when he had polished off his portion.
“Not often. Always for our annual cricket match with Harrow. Jewel’s agility kit is still in my car. Lois and I studied the instructions printed on the box. We can assemble the pieces before dark.”
“All right.” Hannah dredged her spoon through the pool of whipped cream at the bottom of her bowl.
Millie trotted onto the terrace. Ariel rose and bounded to meet her.
Poppy marched over to the table, ponytail swinging with each footfall. “You need to see this.” She slammed a copy of Posh on the tabletop. “It was polluting the bookshop.”
Martin peered at the cover. “She isn’t the Caroline Bryden I used to know. That one had a mouth full of metal and wore hideous gold-rimmed spectacles.” He flipped the pages until he came to the fashion spread. “Quite a transformation.”
“Turn back. There’s another feature you won’t like so much.”
