A Roll in the Hay, стр. 31
“New face…I’ve lived here for almost ten years!” Susannah felt the indignation creeping in and tried to wrestle back control of it. “Still, that feeling of something new can be so good for the local economy.”
“And where was it you studied economics?” Robin glided into the little cluster of visitors as though she had wheels under her plain brown brogues. Jonathan hovered by her elbow as always. “Only I happened to study it at St. Andrew’s, as you know. As we always say, if it’s good enough for royalty, it must be a decent wee school.”
There was polite laughter to greet her, a flurry of handshakes, and air kisses, all of which seriously interfered with Susannah’s opportunity to yank the bitter cow out of there by the prissy bun in her hair. The thing probably detached anyway, as lifeless as everything else about her.
“Robin! I understand you came as Councillor Javit’s guest,” Susannah said, eyes narrowing. “I thought you’d be much too busy for a little event like this, or I would have called you direct.”
“I am, as you all know, very invested in the future of Midsummer. As with so many things around here, I’m also a part of its past and its present, when I’m allowed to be. My brother was a good man, and his focus was always on continuing the wonderful traditions our family has built here. Even before he was made a member of the House of Lords, James put so much work into this place.”
“Lord Karlson is greatly missed, Robin,” Councillor Johnson replied. “Though he always said his dear lady wife here did so much in running the estate. Couldn’t do it without her.”
Susannah bestowed her most grateful smile on him.
“No doubt, no doubt,” Robin replied, pretending to really consider it. “But as I’m sure you all know, gentlemen, a good wife needs a very particular skillset. But not every woman is capable of leading in the same way as men are. Now, I was raised to lead because our late father saw great things ahead for James and me both.”
It set Susannah’s teeth on edge, all this James nonsense. No one, not even his own mother, had ever called him anything but Jimmy. It felt like they were talking about some stranger, and Susannah hated it. She stepped up, grabbing her sister-in-law by the elbow so no one could see, and made sure the grip pinched. “I do believe if you watch the presentation with everyone else, Robin, you’ll see that leadership is very much in my skillset. But since you’ve been such a help with that, I just wanted to run a few last-minute questions past you. In private.”
Susannah was relieved when Robin let herself be steered rather than making a scene. They ducked into one of the empty rooms along the hall, the one with the billiards table that no one ever played on. Even when Jimmy was alive, he’d only come in there to read, not to knock some balls around with a stick.
“How dare you crash this event!” Susannah asked as soon as the door was closed. “What is this, Robin? What have I ever done to you? First the papers, now you’re sabotaging me in person? You could at least fight fair. That’s what I’ve been doing.”
“I’m fighting to win. You’re going to turn this beautiful place into a theme park, some gaudy American mess with a Ferris wheel and delinquents selling drugs in the bathrooms. I won’t stand for it.”
“It’s going to have a few distant holiday cabins that will help fund a horse sanctuary. Where are you getting these crazy ideas?”
“Oh, I know what you’re really up to,” Robin hissed. “You’ve always wanted to push this place into something James didn’t want. The sun, moon, and stars had to be arranged to suit Susannah. Every business decision, every purchase, every sale… He stopped listening to me. We used to be such a team!”
“We were married, Robin. Sometimes things shift that way. I know he still respected your opinion. He said all the time ‘Robin would do this’ or ‘Robin says that’. We were never excluding you. Jimmy said you’d be glad to be rid of all the responsibility for once.”
“His name is James,” Robin said. “But by all means, you go out there and make a fool of yourself. Show them your vague pictures and your idiotic plans. They know you’re not qualified for this; you’re just a meaningless title from a bankrupt estate. I’ve already lined up enough votes to get your planning permission refused, so good luck ever turning them back.”
“I will,” Susannah replied. “But I shouldn’t have to. Can’t we just get along, Robin?”
“No.” Robin fixed her jacket and pushed past Susannah to open the door. “He regretted marrying you, did you know that? Said so in the hospital. That with a bit more daring he could have lived quite openly, but you talked him into all the cloak and dagger routine to get your hands on his money.”
“What?” Susannah reeled back as though Robin had struck her. The idea for their marriage had never come from Susannah, and more than once when Jimmy’s head had been turned by a new lover, she’d checked in with him, told him she’d be amenable to an amicable divorce if he ever needed it.
Not once, not for a second, had she ever considered Jimmy might resent her. They had both agreed, over and over, that pursuing same-sex relationships would be ruinous for both of them, outside of discreet and sanctioned affairs. She’d been so desperate for security and stability after wriggling out of her own family’s clutches that maybe she hadn’t questioned their plan enough. The very thought that Jimmy had felt trapped by that in the end, that she’d somehow boxed him into a life of regrets, was the straw that broke the camel