The Last of the Stanfields(48)
“Exactly what have you been helping me with? Banishing me from my own family?”
“You thought that plum job at the Sun just fell into your lap, based on charm alone? You came back from London with nothing, not even a diploma. Eight years, princess, whiling away your youth and having a jolly good time at our expense. And just what have you accomplished since then? Drinking yourself silly night after night, prowling around town in vulgar clothes on your precious motorcycle? Not to mention your . . . entanglements. Is a little discretion really too much to ask? Your brother said you even had the gall to bring that girl here to the club!”
“‘That girl’ has a name; it’s May. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that Edward would go running to Mama to brag about his latest conquest.”
“His conquest? I thought she was yours. As far as I’m concerned, all the better he snatched the girl away from you. Had I asked you to cut short that shameful ‘relationship,’ I’ve no doubt you would have disobeyed me, as always.”
Sally-Anne balked. “Impossible. You’re not saying it was you who sent Edward? Even he wouldn’t stoop so low as to—”
“To act responsibly? To adhere to his mother’s wishes? You have done nothing but drag our reputation through the mud time and time again. When will it end? To think of this latest blow. Associating our good name with that little rag of a tabloid . . . You must be out of your mind!”
“Me? You treat people like they’re marionettes, whose strings you can pull whenever you please.”
“People are free to do as they wish.”
“To think of the woman you once were. Is there even an ounce of her left? Or are you nothing but bitterness and resentment stuffed into an empty shell?”
“Darling. By the time I was your age, I had already survived the unspeakable. I had worked endlessly and restored my father’s name and legacy to its full glory. Just how do you plan to live up to your name? What have you achieved, what gives you the right to judge me? Have you ever once done good for the people around you? All you’ve brought is pain and sorrow.”
“You’ve got it all wrong. I love with all my heart, and I’m loved for who I am, not for what I represent.”
“You love? Tell me, who is it you love? A husband? Children you’re raising, a family you’ve built? All you love is having those pitiful souls orbit around you. You have no values, no sense of morality.”
“Oh, please, don’t talk to me about morality. Your whole life is built on a lie. And how dare you bring my grandfather into this! As far as I can see, I’m the only one who hasn’t betrayed his memory.”
Hanna burst out laughing in response. “My poor darling, you are so very far off the mark. You’re not like us, Sally-Anne, and you’ve never wanted to be. Let me be crystal clear: I’m not your enemy, so long as you don’t cross me. But I won’t sit by while you destroy what took me a lifetime to build.”
With that, Hanna opened her purse and took out a pen and checkbook. “Since money is what you’re after, you don’t have to borrow from a bank.” Hanna finished writing the check, tore it from the book, and held it out to her daughter. “But don’t be foolish enough to spend a penny of it on your newspaper. That rag will never see the light of day—you’d just as well throw the check out the window. I know exactly what you planned to do with that paper. For once, I implore you, try not to be so utterly selfish. All your efforts and persistence won’t change a single thing for the big players in this city. But it will hurt our clientele. You were looking for twenty-five thousand dollars. This is half, which should be more than enough. Now, please leave us in peace. Why not go abroad again, darling? It’s a fine notion. Go see the world. A nice long trip is just what you need to open your eyes. Return to London if you wish, wherever you want, just stop meddling in our affairs. Your father and I are on the brink of a major sale, which should close in the next two months, and the profits will be used to finance his campaign. Perhaps you haven’t heard, since our lives seem to be of such little interest to you, but your father’s friends have been pushing him to run for governor. I trust you will keep quiet and not cause any disturbances, at least not until after he announces his candidacy. I hope I have made myself clear.”
Sally-Anne grabbed the check and stuffed it into her jacket pocket.
“And for the love of God,” her mother added, “start by buying yourself some proper attire.”
Sally-Anne rose to her feet, shooting daggers with her eyes.
“What do you think my grandfather would say if he could see you now? I’ll ask you one more time: Is she gone forever? His daughter? The young girl you once were? All I can do is pray she’ll come back one day, when you finally realize no one can live a lie forever.”
21
GEORGE-HARRISON
October 2016, Baltimore
I drove all night in the pouring rain and got to Baltimore exhausted. After checking into a hotel near the waterfront, I peered down the alley from the window of my room, filled with dread at the thought of what I might discover in the mysterious meeting that was to take place that night. I decided to take a nap, and woke up a few hours later. It was late morning, and I set out to explore the city. Walking past all those souvenir shops only reminded me that I had no one waiting for me back home. I still missed Melanie from time to time, and that day I missed her terribly. But then something back at the hotel made me forget all about her.