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Chapters (71)
  1. Copyright Notice
  2. Dedication
  3. Part One
  4. One
  5. Two
  6. Three
  7. Four
  8. Five
  9. Six
  10. Seven
  11. Eight
  12. Nine
  13. Ten
  14. Eleven
  15. Part Two
  16. Twelve
  17. Thirteen
  18. Fourteen
  19. Fifteen
  20. Sixteen
  21. Seventeen
  22. Eighteen
  23. Nineteen
  24. Twenty
  25. Twenty-One
  26. Twenty-Two
  27. Twenty-Three
  28. Twenty-Four
  29. Twenty-Five
  30. Twenty-Six
  31. Twenty-Seven
  32. Twenty-Eight
  33. Twenty-Nine
  34. Thirty
  35. Thirty-One
  36. Thirty-Two
  37. Part Three
  38. Thirty-Three
  39. Thirty-Four
  40. Thirty-Five
  41. Thirty-Six
  42. Thirty-Seven
  43. Thirty-Eight
  44. Thirty-Nine
  45. Forty
  46. Forty-One
  47. Forty-Two
  48. Forty-Three
  49. Forty-Four
  50. Part Four
  51. Forty-Five
  52. Forty-Six
  53. Forty-Seven
  54. Forty-Eight
  55. Forty-Nine
  56. Fifty
  57. Fifty-One
  58. Fifty-Two
  59. Fifty-Three
  60. Part Five
  61. Fifty-Four
  62. Fifty-Five
  63. Fifty-Six
  64. Fifty-Seven
  65. Fifty-Eight
  66. Fifty-Nine
  67. Sixty
  68. Sixty-One
  69. Books by Barbara Taylor Bradford
  70. About the Author
  71. Newsletter Sign-up

“More or less, and she certainly can’t buy the villa, which she wants to buy. Desperately so. As a home for her and the Frog.”

“And we know all this from our private investigator in Zurich?” Robert asked.

“Yes. If I buy the villa next week, I will hand it over to you, and you then have a huge bargaining chip—”

“I must pay you for the villa!” Robert cut in peremptorily. Putting down the balloon of brandy, he got up and threw another log on the fire, pushed it around with the poker, then returned to his chair.

“If you wish, of course,” Adrian agreed. “She will be given the villa by you as a gift, if she returns to England, so that she can be served the appropriate divorce papers. I do think that’s British law. This is what you have to relay to your solicitor on Monday morning. And she has to agree to a quiet divorce. And everything has to be done with great speed.”

Adrian sat back in the chair and propped his feet on the brass fender, brought the balloon to his nose and breathed in the cognac. “That’s your task next week.”

“I will do everything you suggest, Addy. You have managed the situation so well,” Robert murmured. “My only question is how do we get everything done with speed? Divorces can take forever. I’m eager to marry Vanessa soon.”

“As long as Lucinda does as she’s told, yours should be through in a few months.”

“Are you sure?” Robert said, doubt echoing in his voice. “How can you manage that?” A worried look settled on his face.

“Money talks,” Adrian answered. “And in your case, you’ve got plenty of it. We shall use it wisely.”

Later, after wishing Adrian good night, Robert sat for a few moments, staring into the embers of the dying fire. He could never have imagined when he stood on the terrace at Bolton Manor preparing for this trip to town just how much his life would have altered in just a few short weeks. That he could have met Vanessa.

His boys were with their grandparents and his wife was in Switzerland. It was time to take the steps to reclaim Bolton Manor as his own, and to make a new life for himself.

Part Four

GOOD FORTUNE FINDS ITS WAY

YORKSHIRE & LONDON, 1903

Forty-Five

It had been a lovely day for late September. Not a drop of rain. Instead, a pale blue sky, scudding white clouds and sunshine.

Now, early in the evening, the weather was still nice, and there was a light breeze as Blackie O’Neill walked up Town Street.