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Chapter Fourty Two
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2023-10-31 20:25:49
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BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Fourty Three
Mira. No one needed her in the kitchen, although she was just in time to prevent connie from loading crystal glasses into the dishwasher. Matty had simply been giving her a chance to escape, Mira realised belatedly. Dan, too, although it hurt to acknowledge that he might have even one kind bone in his body. She should go back. People would be leaving, but she couldn’t face the drawing room again. The polite condolences which, for the most part, simply masked the unasked questions she could see in everyone’s eyes. They were sorry Nate was dead, sympathetic, but their concerns were with the future. Would the company go on? Would they have their jobs at the end of the month? Survival was the name of the game. For them, just as much as those two tactless imbeciles who undoubtedly wanted to know when their bills would be paid. Questions to which she had no answers. It occurred to her that she was now the owner of a business that she knew next to nothing about. She’d talked about going
Last Updated : 2023-10-31BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Fourty Four
Mira was shaking so badly that she had to sit down before her legs gave way. Toby struggled to free himself, but she clutched at him as if he was the only thing standing between her and some dark chasm that yawned in front of her. She had been so sure that Dan wouldn’t come today. It had been pure relief when his secretary rang to tell her that although she had finally managed to get the news to him he was unlikely to make it home in time, even for the funeral. Easy enough to assure the woman that she understood,decline all offers of assistance. She should have known he would move heaven and earth. Nate had once told her that his brother was a man who simply refused to contemplate the impossible, that only once had he backed down, retreated from the challenge to get what he wanted. Dan was a dark, unseen shadow that had seemed to haunt Nate . She should have, could have, done something to change that, she thought guiltily. Made an effort to bridge the gulf that had opened up between
Last Updated : 2023-10-31BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Fourty Five
All he had been able to do was wish them well, be glad that Steve had finally found what he’d always been searching for. Someone who loved him. Someone who would always be there. A family of his own. And live with it. Attempt to carry on a normal conversation. ‘Where are you planning to live?’ he’d asked. ‘Steve’s flat isn’t big enough for two, let alone a baby.’ It was like prodding himself with a hot needle. ‘We are looking around for just the right place…’ Then, with a casual shrug, Steve added, ‘Fran and I looked at the Elton Street house yesterday.’ His heart missed a beat as he forced himself to turn to Mira, include her in the conversation. ‘Did you like it?’ ‘It’s a beautiful house,’ she said, not quite meeting his eyes. ‘Fran fell head over heels in love with it,’ Steve said emphatically. ‘I would like to come and see you tomorrow. Talk about it.’ He ignored the opening his brother had left him. Maybe he was the one avoiding eye contact. Avoiding a repeat of that momen
Last Updated : 2023-10-31BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Fourty six
Mira. ‘No, but as I said’ ‘And because we didn’t go through some totally meaningless ceremony i will? Have to pay it?’ ‘Well, yes. That’s the present situation, I’m afraid.’ ‘But that’s outrageous! We have lived together for nearly three years. We have a child…’ ‘If you had lived together for twenty three years and had ten children it would make no difference, I’m afraid.’ After the brief stunned silence she asked, ‘What’s the liability threshold?’ ‘$250,000. After that forty percent of the estate goes to the Inland revenue.’ ‘But…’ Dan had thought she looked pale. He had been wrong. Colour leached from her skin, leaving her ashen. ‘But surely the house alone is worth ten times that?’ ‘You don’t have to worry about the house, Mira’ ‘You mean the house is free of inheritance tax?’ Mira asked. ‘I mean that Nate did not own the house.’ She shook her head. ‘No. That’s not right. Nate bought it from Dan, three years ago.’ She turned to him. Looked up at him. ‘We have lived the
Last Updated : 2023-10-31BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Fourty seven
Chapter 47.THERE was a long, still moment after Tom stopped speaking when itseemed that everyone had forgotten to breathe.Then Dan said, ‘Is that right, Tom? You have the tickets?’‘Yes, but—’He held out his hand and the lawyer reluctantly passed the travel folderto him. Fran watched in disbelief as he calmly opened it and checked thedocuments before turning to her.‘It’s next week, Mira. Is that convenient for you?’ he asked. As ifhe was talking about dinner or a seat at the theatre and with about as muchemotion. His face might have been hewn from wood for all the expressionin it. His eyes chiselled from cold steel.Confronted with so little feeling, something hot and painful clenchedinside her and she recognised it for what it was.Fear.‘This is a joke.’ She looked to the lawyer for backup. ‘This is Naten’sidea of a practical joke…’ If she’d hoped they would both laugh and admitit, she was disappointed. Tom looked down at his desk as if he wished hewas anywhere else. D
Last Updated : 2023-10-31BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Fourty Eight
Chapter 48.‘We? Why would you bother yourself?’When he couldn’t be bothered to visit while his brother was alive? Theunspoken question hung in the air.‘I’m Nate’s executor,’ he reminded her leadenly, suddenly back tosquare one. ‘I’m going to have to take a good look at the business. Sort outthe best way to go forward. I’ll need your input on that. If you’re going totake an interest in running it.’‘It’s all I have,’ she reminded him. ‘If I’m going to provide a home forToby, I don’t have any choice.’‘Matty doesn’t pay rent for the flat?’‘Just a nominal amount,’ she said. ‘To cover her share of the outgoings.’Then, with just a touch of challenge in her voice, ‘I suppose sub-letting ofany kind is forbidden under the lease too?’‘Don’t worry about it.’‘I don’t think the landlord is going to be that relaxed about it, do you?’Then, ‘We’ll need some time to find somewhere else. It’s not such aproblem for me, but it will be more difficult for Matty. I realise she’s notyour con
Last Updated : 2023-10-31BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Fourty Nine
Chapter 49.She blinked. ‘What about “Toby”?’He shook his head. First love… And suddenly it came to him. He typedin a name…was offered the hint again. He tried it again without the capitaland he was in.‘What was it?’ she asked.‘It’s “harry”. All lower case.’‘Harry? Who’s Harry?’‘He was a puppy Dad bought him for his fifth birthday. A liver andwhite springer spaniel. Completely brainless, but it was love at first sight.’‘He didn’t… He never mentioned him.’ Then her eyes dropped to thescreen, as if suddenly aware that there were bigger omissions than that, andhe wanted to reassure her about this one, at least.‘Nate never talked about Harry to anyone after he was killed. He justseemed to blot it out.’‘Oh,’ she said, the sound small, little more than an expelled breath.‘How did it happen?’It occurred to him that he knew things about Nate that she would liketo hear. His childhood. Not just the scrapes he had got into, but the fun he’dbeen, too. He’d had charm, by the buck
Last Updated : 2023-10-31BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Fifty
As stunned silences went, the one that followed her confession was epic. It went on and on, stretching the air until she thought it would snap. That Dan might never speak to her again. Mira didn’t blame him. Saying the words out loud had been as shocking to her as to him. She’d buried the truth so deep inside her that for long periods she could forget those ten minutes when she’d stood in front of a registrar, barely nineteen, burning with ideals, going through a ceremony that had seemed meaningless to her. Marriage was an outdated institution. Just another way of controlling people, so why not use it against the system? It seemed like a lifetime ago. It was only when, pregnant with Toby, Nate had asked her to marry him that the reality of her situation had dawned on her. Maybe that was why she’d told Dan to expiate herself. She was never going to be able to put it right with Natenow. But his total stillness, total silence, was so frightening that she reached out, instinctively,
Last Updated : 2023-10-31
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BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Epilogue
EpilogueHe broke away, but his eyes never left hers as he said, ‘Hello, Connie.I have missed your cooking.’‘Don’t you “Hello, Connie” me. Where you been, eh? Worrying Mira half to death…’‘Were you?’ he asked. ‘Worried? You didn’t fancy being a rich widow?’Maybe he already knew the answer because he didn’t wait for it but looked down and said, ‘Hello, Toby. Been to a party?’‘Mmm.’ He gave Connie the balloon he was holding and offered up his goodie bag. ‘I have got cake.’‘Any to spare? I’m starving…’‘Later. It’s bath time,’ Mira said. ‘Can you take care of Toby for me,Connie?’‘I can take care of both of them if you like,’ she offered. ‘He’s going toneed help with his arm in plaster. No? You don’t want Connie?’ And shewent inside chuckling to herself. ‘Just you make sure you wash behind hisears, Mira.’ Then, ‘I call Matty and tell her Mr Dan is home.’‘What do you want first? Drink? Food? Bath?’He circled her with his arm as they walked up the steps into the house.‘I’ve go
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Seventy Two
‘If I fell under Matty’s metaphorical bus, you’d have to sell the house to pay inheritance tax. This way makes more sense. ‘It makes sense if you haven’t got a heart, but since we’re talking about the unexpected, let’s really go for it.’ She looked at him, demanding a response. ‘What’s on your mind?’ ‘This. We get married. You live upstairs in your little apartment. Me and Lame Ducks Incorporated are spread out all over the rest of your house. That’s what you have in mind, right?’ ‘Right.’ ‘Okay. Now tell me this. What happens when you meet the girl of your dreams and fall in love?’ Fran had to ask the question, even though the very idea of him falling in love drove daggers through her. ‘That’s the one thing that isn’t going to happen, Mira.’ His conviction shook her momentarily, but she pressed on. ‘Dan, I know you spend most of your life in the wilderness, chipping lumps off rock looking for oil and minerals—’ ‘Really it’s a bit more technical than that,’ he objected
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Seventy One
“She did what?” Mira was utterly beside herself that Layla had gone off on her own and once again acted recklessly, endangering others to thwart the pipeline. Carter had her by the shoulder from where she sat at Nate ’s desk, but it did little to comfort her.“She is in the county jail,” Nate explained. “I could overlook one attack that didn’t hurt anyone, but this time she used a grenade, blew out the side of our trailer, and put my father in the hospital. He’s going to presscharges, needless to say.”“Is he all right?” she asked.“He hit his head fairly hard and fractured his shoulder, but neither are life threatening.”Mira could hear his voice waver as though he was entirely beside himself.“How are you?” she asked urgently.“A bruised rib, but I will live.”Mira sensed Carter get to his feet, as his hand slipped off her shoulder.“I have to see her,” he explained. “Let’s get Harold on this if we can. Get her bail set.”“You can try,” said Nate . “I doubt she will be offered a ba
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Seventy
While Mira sat in his exam room and endured similar tests as those he had conducted a few days prior, Nate stepped out to make a few calls, the reason for which he had been somewhat secretive about. As Dr. was finishing up, she asked, “What do you think the likelihood of Nate finding me donor eyes will be?” The doctor released a sigh then said, “I really couldn’t tell you. I have never endeavored anything so ambitious. All I can tell you is the likelihood of whether or not your body will accept or reject your new eyes, and the degree to which you might be able to see once they are in.” “So what’s the likelihood?” “I’ll have an idea once I examine the photos I’m taking. I should know in a day or so. Bear in mind, though, that we have three battles. The first is making sure the donor is, in fact, a match. I explained to you earlier that this aspect could be tricky to navigate. Then your body has to accept the eyes. And then after the nerves attach and heal, we’ll have to closely m
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Sixty Nine
Chapter 69.He broke away, but his eyes never left hers as he said, ‘Hello, Connie.I’ve missed your cooking.’‘Don’t you “Hello, Connie” me. Where you been, eh? Worrying Mirahalf to death…’‘Were you?’ he asked. ‘Worried? You didn’t fancy being a rich widow?’Maybe he already knew the answer because he didn’t wait for it but lookeddown and said, ‘Hello, Toby. Been to a party?’‘Mmm.’ He gave Connie the balloon he was holding and offered up hisgoodie bag. ‘I’ve got cake.’‘Any to spare? I’m starving…’‘Later. It’s bath time,’ Mira said. ‘Can you take care of Toby for me,Connie?’‘I can take care of both of them if you like,’ she offered. ‘He’s going toneed help with his arm in plaster. No? You don’t want Connie?’ And shewent inside chuckling to herself. ‘Just you make sure you wash behind hisears, Mira.’ Then, ‘I call Matty and tell her Mr Dan is home.’‘What do you want first? Drink? Food? Bath?’He circled her with his arm as they walked up the steps into the house.‘I’ve got
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Sixty Eight
Angry with herself, she turned off the television, got to her feet. Dan might not be rescued for months. Was she planning on spending every hour in front of the television in case there was the slightest snippet of news? It was the last thing he would want. Catherine would let her know the minute anyone heard anything and in the meantime there were a hundred things that needed doing. She still hadn’t settled on the final layout for the slender catalogue that was going to be mailed out to all their customers, as well put as an insert in one of the Sunday supplements. It was going to cost a fortune. It had to be right. She caught sight of herself in the hall mirror. What a wreck. She needed to take a shower, wash her hair, change. Get her mind back on the job. On her family… But when she opened a drawer, searching for underwear that would stretch around her expanding belly, she found herself staring at the tiny silk box that contained the wedding ring Dan had put on her finger and she
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Sixty seven
Chapter 67.She returned a few moments later with a cardboard box that she placedon the floor and when she opened it the small silky brown and white headof a spaniel puppy appeared. Then a body wriggled free of the blanket andhe looked up at her and whined to be lifted out.She was lost for words. Dan might have left Catherine to pick outChristmas gifts, but this could only have come direct from him. Proof thathe was thinking of her… She caught herself. Thinking of Toby.‘I made the woman at the kennels promise she’d take him back if youdidn’t want him. Men have these great ideas…’‘When? When did Dan ask you to do this?’‘Oh, months ago. In fact, I think he called from the airport… It wassupposed to have been Toby’s Christmas present, but since he was soparticular it had to wait until the right spaniel produced the right pup.’ Sheshrugged apologetically. ‘You know Dan. He’s never satisfied with less thanperfection.’‘No?’ Her heart lurched uncomfortably. ‘No,’ she agreed.‘
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Sixty six
Chapter 66.Mira felt as if she was grieving all over again.She’d pulled into the garage and finally given way to the dammed-uptears she hadn’t been able to shed for Natein a mind-clearing storm ofguilt and loss. And when it was over she finally understood it all. That theirmarriage of convenience had been entirely for his expedience, not hers.Not cheap. But then this wasn’t about money. It was about control. Tobywas all the family he had. His heir. The boy who carried the family name.Marriage was the simplest and most effective way of stopping her frombecoming involved with someone else, giving him some other man’s name.Which answered any question she had about what was in the letterNatehad written to him. He had been a less than perfect partner, a lessthan perfect anything, except father. Relaxed to the point of being comatoseon most things, he had been uncharacteristically firm in his insistence thatDan be added to Toby’s name.Too late she saw that all that stuff abou
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Sixty Five
Chapter 65.The other was that he had simply decided that, despite his fine words,his promises, he expected payment in full for his investment in an unwantedhigh-maintenance wife. Why else would he be planning to move into herhome when, as she had just discovered, there was no need?How could he ask her to forgive him, when he wouldn’t be able toforgive himself?Instead he picked up her jacket, handed it to her in silence.‘Bathroom?’ she enquired, so quietly that he could barely hear her.‘Through here.’ He opened the door to his bedroom and the untouchedbed, just yards away, seemed to mock him. ‘You’ll find everything you’llneed.’Soap, hot water to wash him from her body.She ducked through the opening, leaving him to straighten himself out.Consider a future that was suddenly bleaker than he could have imaginedeven a week ago. An hour ago. Then he’d had some hope.He began to fasten his shirt, discovered that several of the buttons weretorn from it, and dug a fresh one out
