Kaylen sat in the middle of her bed, propped up against a whole pile of pillows as she read from her mother’s diary. It had taken her this long to be able to even think of reading the words that Emily had written about Shawn, Kaylen, her family and everything. It was sad to think that Kaylen would be able to read up to a point and then it would just end. There was no fairy tale ending for Emily Chapman, just nothing. There was life after death but in the context of her diary, the only remaining true link to thoughts and feelings of her mother, it would just end. There would be no warning, except for the nearing of her own birth but for her mother there would have been no way of knowing what would happen. In contrast to what her adoptive mother went through, knowing would have brought on a whole new set of feelings and diary entries, if she had ever kept one. Kaylen was pulled from her musing by the ringing of the phone on her bedside table. “Hello, Kaylen speaking.”
“Hey you, I was just wondering what you were doing. I know you are out at your grandparents’ house but I had to visit a friend out near where you said they were. I was wondering if I might be able to pop around.” Ashton sounded excited about something as he talked to Kaylen on the phone.
“Ashton, I only saw you yesterday and I’ll be back in London tomorrow night and then you will have me all to yourself seeing as the paint is dry and I can at least move my bed into my room and I can actually stay there. Are you just trying to worm your way into visiting the great Chapman estate?” Kaylen smiled as she realised what Ashton was really asking.
“Damn, you saw through my façade. I don’t really miss you, yucky yucky girl. I just want to meet your famous grandfather. Stop being silly, Kaylen. I just miss you. Am I not allowed to miss you? Because I have been trying, really really hard. Sigh.” Ashton was laughing while trying to find somewhere to park so he didn’t run off the road.
“My grandparents are actually having this dinner party tonight, in celebration of the bookshop opening and having a great first week. I suppose since you had somewhat of a role in helping getting it all off the ground I could ask Charlotte if you were allowed to come. I’m sorry; the only reason I didn’t ask you in the first place was that I didn’t think you would be interested. How far away are you?” Kaylen sighed a little silent sigh. She assumed because the Haverty family was coming that Alex would be there as well. Then Kaylen smiled a sneaky little smile. It might work out very well indeed. It was about time the family met the new man in her life.
“From what you have said, probably about thirty minutes. Does your family know I am black?” Ashton asked, becoming a bit nervous with the idea that they might not approve.
“Ashton, somehow I don’t think they are going to mind. I don’t know if you realise this but I am half black as well. They don’t have a problem with me, and I killed their daughter.”
“Don’t you ever say that Kaylen, you had nothing to do with those useless doctors. You have told me yourself that the Chapman’s do not hold that against you, I don’t think they would have given you all that stuff otherwise. Anyway, I am assuming that I am allowed to come if I have permission. Phone me when you’ve asked Lady Charlotte. You also don’t have to worry about me looking scruffy, I have a suit hanging in the backseat.” Ashton laughed and then ended the call. Kaylen headed downstairs to find Charlotte and found her in the formal dining room working on the seating arrangements.
“Hi sweetie, I didn’t hear you coming. Where do you think we can put all of these people? I have put Alex at the end of the table so you do not need to worry about that horrid boy.” Charlotte set down the cards and turned to look at her granddaughter.
“I actually had something I needed to ask you. I told you how I had met that guy, Ashton, and that he was really nice and he helped with the bookstore and is now helping me with the apartments.” Charlotte nodded as Kaylen continued. “I was wondering if he would be able to come to tonight’s dinner. He really wants to meet you and Albert.” Kaylen waited for her answer. She had the feeling that they didn’t approve that she had moved on from Alex so quickly and was now in another relationship. Kaylen had a hard time communicating how little Alex actually meant and that it was more a friendship that wasn’t very successful. There was nothing the same between the two men. Ashton was so much more than Alex could ever have been.
“We would love to meet him and he is very welcome for dinner. I would like to personally thank him for all the help he gave you at that little shop. Didn’t you say he used to shop there with the old owners? He seems to be very nice and is about 100% nicer than that Haverty boy, never did see what was so special. I also detected somewhat of an insolent tone. I guess he was our only chance to find you though, some he has something to be thanked for, but not for the horrid way he spoke about you in those unfortunate circumstances.” Maybe there wouldn’t be any difficulty in this new relationship. Charlotte had given her approval before she even met Ashton. This was a good sign. “If you would like you can invite him to stay here tonight, we wouldn’t want him having to travel anywhere tonight, you know how these things can drag on once you get a few ports into Albert.” Lady Charlotte laughed in her serene all knowing way and once again was an ever-gracious host. Kaylen ran off to phone Ashton and give him the good news.
Half an hour later Ashton pulled to a stop in front of the house. He took one look at the size and scope of the house and was speechless. Kaylen, who had been waiting in the library that overlooked the drive, ran down the stairs and was at the car before the key was even out of the ignition. He climbed out of the car, grabbed his suit and bag, and locked the door. Kaylen gave him a hug and carried his suit bag up to the house. Inside Charlotte and Albert were waiting in the sitting room to meet the young man. Kaylen put Ashton’s things down just outside of the door and pulled him into the room. “Lord Albert and Lady Charlotte Chapman, I would like you to meet Ashton Gayle.” Lord and Lady Chapman stood and received the new arrival.
“Nice to meet you, Ashton. Kaylen has hardly stopped talking about you since your first helpful arrival in the bookstore.” Lady Charlotte extended her hand and shook the young man’s hand.
“I hope it has only been good talking, if she has told you anything bad it is all lies.” They all shared a laugh at Ashton’s comment. He was going to fit in well.
“Yes, we would like to thank you very much for the help you have given Kaylen. I believe you are also helping her in her plan for the house. Although she will not tell me what yet, I think I deserve to know, seeing as I am footing the bill.” Lord Albert added, joking about Kaylen’s secretiveness.
“I am going to pay you back. I just want to get a plan put forward completely. You know the painting of my room is completed. Now I can move my meagre belongings in and I can put the final touches together. We are putting together a complete proposal that you will be proud of, I guarantee that fact.” Kaylen was serious when it came to impressing her grandfather in this area. He had provided her with an account with painters, builders and anyone else she needed for the remodelling. First she wanted to present her idea, and then gain access to the funds. Albert and Charlotte drifted off to complete arrangements for the dinner, leaving Kaylen to show Ashton to his room, just across the hall from her own room.
“This is a pretty nice place your relative’s have here, isn’t it?” Ashton walked around the room that would be his for the night. Kaylen walked up to stand next to him.
“I have to ask you this, Ashton. You do not think I am somehow abusing the Chapman’s generosity, do you? I mean you know the story of how I came to be here, in this house. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t hate me for what they have given me.” Kaylen had told him the story of how she had just discovered she was adopted and wanted reassurance that he didn’t think badly of her, as Alex had done.
“Kaylen, I have only known you for two weeks. In that time you have told me some pretty heavy stuff, I mean to discover you are adopted after twenty-three years is pretty big. I think it is great that your grandparents are such cool people and have welcomed you into their home. Family is really important to me as a support network. I think true family support you through anything. I’m really proud of you, girl. You are not here just to use and abuse the situation. I know a few people that would feel like the world owed them everything if something like this happened. You on the other hand are using the great opportunities provided by Lord Albert and Lady Charlotte and you should be commended. Look at the great job you have done with the bookshop, and your ideas with the apartments are amazing. They will be really proud of you when they know what you have planned. I know I am.” Ashton wrapped her up in his big arms and held her. She was so amazing, especially coming through all this stuff. He was so glad that he had the opportunity to know her and be with Kaylen. He also felt proud that she liked him enough to introduce him to the family. Ashton was looking forward to putting on his glad rags and enjoying a good old-fashioned dinner party.
For the next couple of hours Kaylen showed Ashton around the house and grounds. They walked around the lake and Ashton bent down and picked wildflowers for Kaylen. The walk continued and the couple walked arm in arm and talked about nothing in particular and more ideas for the apartments. The walked past the stables and talked to the horse groom about how work was going before heading back to the house. They showered and changed into their finery so they could be ready for the guests’ arrival. The first people through the door were Caroline, Jonathon and their children. Emma-Leigh was quite taken with Ashton from the moment she first laid eyes on him. She pulled Kaylen aside into another room.
“Kaylen, I must congratulate you on your find. He’s rather yummy, isn’t he? Much nicer than Alex. I always thought Alex was a bit of dick; he’s like an annoying big brother who just needs a clue. I am really glad things didn’t work out between you, and now you have Ashton. Good things come to those who wait. Also, I just wanted to let you know that I am so glad you are my cousin. I’m coming into London next week for a couple of days, can I drop by the bookshop?” Kaylen was loving the family support. It seemed like everyone thought Alex was just a loser. Here she was worrying that no one would approve of Ashton and she had nothing to worry about.
“Thank you for that Emma-Leigh. I would love you to drop around to the bookshop. Do you know where it is?” Kaylen gave her the directions and they returned to see a few more friends of the Lord and Lady had arrived. Kaylen looked through the door and saw that the Havertys were on their way up the stairs toward the main door. She went back to sit next to Ashton, where it was safe. Emma-Leigh and Jonathon Junior also came and sat by them. The four of them were deep in conversation as Alex, his sister Amelia and brother’s Simon and Marshall all walked into the room, having already been greeted by the hosts. Alex was clearly taken aback by the sight of Kaylen sitting next to another guy. He had thought they would have worked this out, I mean it had only been another fight where he had got his wires crossed and she explained herself. What did this mean? Had he already been replaced because it was only a few weeks since they had seen each other and Kaylen was already comfortable with somebody else? He decided it couldn’t be that serious, I mean what could those two ever have in common?
“Alex, I would like you to meet my boyfriend, Ashton Gayle. He helped me out immensely with my little bookshop, which is the reason for this little get together. Ashton, this is Alex Haverty, and his brothers and sister, I am sorry I do not know their names.” Kaylen put on her best imitation of a fancy accent. If he thought she was milking the system, then so be it. It wasn’t worrying her any. Emma-Leigh couldn’t help but laugh at the hilarity of this whole situation.
“Kaylen, this is my sister Amelia. These are Simon and Marshall. Nice to meet you Ashton.” Alex winced as he said the impostor’s name. The handshake between the two men was clearly strengthened on Alex’s part. It didn’t really make much of a dent in Ashton’s hand; he could take anything this smarmy little rich boy could throw at him. The room was filling up with people and waiters were busy filling drink requests. As the evening moved toward the dining room Alex felt he was losing even more grasp on the situation. Not only had Kaylen replaced him with a stranger but also this person seemed to be in very good favour with the Lord and Lady. This vexed him greatly, even though he made wide claims of hatred for the system and all that went with the prestige. Alex had to admit that he did enjoy the company of these people and that it helped him greatly in life to be able to drop their names wherever he went, his parents were only well known though the association with the family. Even though he hadn’t want to think of Kaylen being part of this awful system, in reality it had done him well to be linked with her, and now? Now he had no idea what was happening.
Alex hoped that the seating arrangements would be in his favour, but he was mistaken. As usual Lord Albert was at one end of the great table and Lady Charlotte was seated at the other. Their closest personal friends were sat next to the respective person and the children usually ended up mixed in the middle. Alex was sitting between his parent’s and siblings, nearer Lord Albert’s end. Kaylen, Ashton and the Chapman-Leith children were sitting right next to Lady Charlotte on the same side of the table. This was not looking good; he was losing face by being stuck in the middle of his family. Kaylen may as well have been in the next room.
Kaylen on the other hand was quite happy indeed with the seating arrangements. It gave her more time to spend talking to Ashton, as well as her newly acquired cousins. The other daughter and son of Albert and Charlotte lived overseas, in France, with their families and hadn’t been able to get back to meet the new addition to the family. That would be changed when they all returned for their annual Christmas get together at the country estate. It was nice for Kaylen not to have to worry about Alex leering at her, as he had been doing all night. She smiled when she remembered his shocked expression with the introduction of Ashton. Kaylen was disappointed when Elaine Haverty, sticking up for her son she guessed, spoke up from further down the table. “Ashton, I do not recognise the name Gayle, where do your family come from? What do your parents do?” It was definitely not the place of Mrs Haverty to ask such a question; Lady Charlotte shook her head in disapproval. What right did Elaine have to speak up in such company and yell to the other end of the table? The only reason she was even known to any of them was because of a friendship with their daughter. Caroline also knew of the error of Elaine’s judgement but could not do anything; it was out of her control.
Lady Charlotte began to say that Ashton did not have to answer such a question but he willingly supplied the information. “My mother was born here in England and my father was born in New York but moved here with his family. At the present time, both of my parents live near New York where my father is a Supreme Court judge and my mother, with her PhD, has a Professorship at the Harvard Law School. Does that answer your question adequately? My parents moved back to the States but my sister and I stayed to live our lives here in England, with a bit of normality.” Elaine was certainly quietened and was made to feel ashamed for even questioning the Chapman’s guest. She also felt that she had lost her invitation to many more of these dinner parties. How was she to know that this strange black man actually had anything going for him? She was only sticking up for her son who had been greatly misled by Kaylen and her intentions for him. Alex had managed to neglect telling his mother the part of the argument where he said very nasty things and that was why he was now so disliked by what seemed to be a good part of the family.
With this interruption Lord Albert took to opportunity to take the floor and offer a toast. “Well, Lady Charlotte and I would like to thank you all for coming out this evening. It is in very happy spirits you find us as we once again toast our recently returned granddaughter, Kaylen. This time we toast to her success in turning a dusty old bookshop in Notting Hill in to a nice and clean old bookshop. We ask you all to charge your glasses for many more weeks as exciting and challenging as Kaylen’s first week in business. From Lady Charlotte and I, here’s to ‘Literally Speaking’.” Everyone put their glasses in the air and completed the toast. “We would also like to take a moment now to thank Kaylen’s new friend, Ashton, who just walked off the street one evening and helped Kaylen with the preparation of her shop. He hasn’t really left and is also helping with her latest endeavour. So charge you glasses again, to both Kaylen and Aston, let us hope we see them together around this table much more often. We also hope that even with their busy lives in London they do not forget us here in the country.” Everyone lifted his or her glass again, except for Alex who just drank the champagne and grumbled.
Later in the evening the large dinner group broke into smaller groups with most of the men heading off to smoke cigars and drink brandy with Lord Albert in his study and the women with Lady Charlotte. The younger ones headed toward the games room to play pool and watch television. As Ashton’s attention was diverted in conversation with one of the other twenty pluses in the group, Alex pulled Kaylen aside and away into another room. He sat her down and started to pace the floor of the room, Alex would look up and glare at Kaylen. “You never even gave us a chance! And now you’ve shacked up with some big black man, are the rumours true about size?” He spat out as he turned with an evil countenance.
“I think the real problem is that you never gave me a chance, and I really don’t think I actually wanted a chance with the England Alex. He is a lot uglier and dissatisfying than the guy I knew in New Zealand. Mind you, he was probably just a distraction. On the other question, I really wouldn’t know.” Kaylen was enjoying the opportunity to have this face-to-face confrontation. I mean, in her grandparents house it wouldn’t go too far, and she had nothing to worry about. Alex did not intimidate her anymore; he was nothing as far as she was concerned.
“Ha, I laugh at your pitiful answer. Never gave you a chance? Once again, I did not have all the information when I came to you and we had that discussion. I know I said some things, but I thought that after that shambles in Rotorua that it would all get worked out.” Alex sat down in another seat and played with the ring on his finger, looking up periodically at Kaylen’s calm countenance.
“I have my limit’s Alex. From the time you had even stepped off that plane I had not heard one thing from you, and then you abused me so horridly in this very room the first time we had met. I didn’t have the energy to run after you and cry in your arms. I have never done that with any man and I was not about to start with you. In that first instance in Rotorua, after the fight, I knew we had lost something that had made our friendship special. You took something away and from that moment I couldn’t find it again. It might have seemed that everything was fine once we found each other again but I knew it wasn’t. I was exhausted by everything that had happened and did not want to fight anymore. I admit that it was probably very wrong to sleep with you, but I guess I was trying to recapture that something I had lost. I realised on the plane as you ignored me and began turning into Alexander, the pompous English git, that things were not going to be the same and that you had changed.” Kaylen was sitting quite determined with her arms and legs folded.
“I was just giving you the space I thought you needed to get your life back on track. I didn’t expect you to run off and find someone else. I mean you could technically say we never broke up and that the fight we had, here in this room, was a lover’s tiff. What would Mr Ashton think about that?” Their voices were gradually getting louder, even if they were remaining fairly rational. A few people had moved out into the foyer.
“Well why do we not ask half the people out there in that foyer if it was a lover’s tiff. I think that they would agree with me in that I made it quite clear we were over and I wanted nothing more to do you. And Ashton has nothing to do with this. He is a really sweet guy and I really like him. He is fun and nice and walked off that street just as a passing bystander who used to frequent the shop. I have never experienced that type of kindness from you, I mean the first proper serious conversation that you and I shared started off with you asking why I had a stick up my ass and proceeded to tell me to get my head out the sand and get over whatever it was I was on! You are an unkind person Alex, and this little display here is not helping your cause very much. And I don’t even want to get on to the little outburst of your mothers at the dinner table.” Kaylen was suddenly enraged with the hairclips sticking into her head and began to pull them out. There were definite pitfalls to hanging out with the rich and powerful.
“I would guess that she was sticking up for me, hoping to make the family see him for what he is.” Alex was standing up again because Kaylen had suddenly stood and began to make her way to the door.
“I would love to hear what you think Ashton is, I mean if you know something, pray I would hate to think you knew something when you don’t even know him.” This snotty little English guy was really starting to get on her nerves.
“Well, I’m guessing he is just after you to get to your grandparents’ money. I hear they are starting to spread it pretty free and easy when it comes to anything about you. I am amazed the rest of the family hasn’t started asking questions.” Alex was beginning to clutch at straws, he was not used to losing.
“And why would you even think that?” Kaylen shot back, not really expecting but not wanting an answer.
“Because he’s black! They can’t be trusted!” That was it, Alex had crossed the line and Ashton was ready to run into that room and smack some sense into that racist little white punk. Everyone heard what Alex had said from the other side of the door. Alex’s parents who were already on a shaky standing in the house began to head casually for the door.
“You smarmy little arrogant- Alex you are, I can’t even put it into words. How dare you say something like that? I mean I’m half black, are you going to dare lay the same claim against me?” Kaylen had turned red in anger. She really didn’t want an answer to this question.
“Well, you have managed to find the funds for that little bookshop of yours pretty quickly. And everyone knows about the Kensington house. I guess if the cap fits, you little-” Alex was cut off by the addition of Kaylen’s fist into his face. She collected him good and proper and stormed out of the room, pushing through the crowd and up the stairs without looking back. Alex was so angry he had never actually meant to say those things. He nursed his eye and decided to make a quick exit, not realising everyone was standing outside the door. Ashton was waiting until Alex left before heading upstairs. Alex opened the door and walked out sheepishly, people parted for him as he nursed his bruised face and ego. Ashton had walked to the front door and Alex could not ignore the look on his face, Ashton was smiling. The door was slammed behind Alex. He knew it would be the last time he ever experienced the Chapman hospitality.
