He had been surprised at his feelings for his grandchild; from the first moment he had laid eyes on him he had adored him. His only regret was that Lena had not lived long enough to see him. The child had brought life back into a house that he had believed could never again know happiness. But he had been wrong. The child had united them all – even Ria had brightened when the child arrived. She had needed something to focus on, and little Daniel had fit the bill. She had filled the role of grandmother that should have been Lena’s.

Daniel had taken Tania into the Life because he needed her near him, and he knew that she had needed to be near him just as much. They were a good pair, and he was proud of how she had coped with everything that life had thrown at her. Now she was trying to branch out on her own, and he saw that he had to let her, just as he had been forced to let his boys have their freedom.

Petey Bailey’s treachery had brought home to him and his brother the danger of not letting go, of not accepting that there was more than enough to go round. He picked up the file and opened it, but the truth was he had already perused it, digested it, and made up his mind to pursue it. He just hoped that he wasn’t doing the wrong thing by giving his daughter so much responsibility. But he was convinced that she was more than ready to tackle it.

As she came back into the small office with two mugs of tea, he said nonchalantly, ‘You can have this, but you keep me in the loop, OK?’

Tania grinned happily; like him, once she decided on something there wasn’t a lot anyone could do to persuade her otherwise. She had taken to the Life like a duck to water. She was a natural really – even her brothers treated her as an equal now. But there was a small part of him that was sad because his Lena would be mortified to know that her efforts to keep her daughter away from the Life had been in vain. ‘You look pensive, Dad. You OK?’

He smiled and nodded. ‘You’ve done a good job, Tania. I’m proud of you.’

Tania Bailey didn’t answer her father, but she knew he was right – she had done a good job, and she was looking forward to doing an even better job now he was willing to finance it. She had quickly adapted to earning serious money and had slipped easily into the family network. She was determined to make her mark, and prove to everyone just how much of a Bailey she really was.