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“Do these take us down to the basement?” I ask.
“Yes. In fact, there are four basement levels below this entire property. Centuries ago, my ancestors built an intricate maze of caverns and secret passages, so we had this lift installed to ensure we make good use of them.”
“Wow, that’s so cool.”
“I’m glad you think so.” Alex presses the button for ‘B2’ and the lift begins its swift descent. I admit to being extremely curious about where each of the basement floors lead but imagine I’ll get the opportunity to explore this further another day.
A minute or so later, we arrive at level B2 and step out into yet another dark passage that leads to a set of red painted doors. Excitedly, Alex pushes them open, and I gasp with surprise to see a magnificent cinema auditorium complete with spotlights and a large projection screen. There are enough seats in the place to accommodate perhaps 50 people.
“Wow, this is amazing! I can’t tell you how cool this is.”
“Would you like some popcorn, ma’am?” asks a familiar voice.
Spinning round, I see Hobbs standing next to a retro popcorn and candyfloss making machine. My heart melts. I can’t believe what a lovely surprise this all is. Alex is so sweet it makes me want to weep.
“Two please, and some bottles of Coca-Cola,” Alex smiles, handing me a striped carton overflowing with sticky popcorn. Once we both have hold of our drinks and snacks, Hobbs disappears to the projectionist’s booth, and we head down the stairs to the middle row of seats to wait for the movie to start.
“Okay Hobbs, roll the film,” Alex commands, putting one arm around me.
“What movie are we watching?” I whisper excitedly.
“Don’t worry, you’ll see.”
Instantly, the lights go dim and the film begins to play. Sepia toned images flash up on screen showing scenes of people dressed in old-fashioned clothing waving goodbye to a large ocean liner as it leaves port. Then beautifully haunting music plays and the words ‘Paramount Pictures & Twentieth Century Fox presents,’ appear followed by the title of the movie…Titanic.
“Oh, my gosh!” My breath catches. Words can’t describe the flood of emotions engulfing me at this moment. It’s just a movie. Of course, it’s just a movie, but that’s not the point. What’s important is the meaning behind the gesture, and I’m completely and utterly blown away that he would do something so wonderful for me. Tearfully, I glance up at Alex and he beams down at me, his eyes filled with love.
“Thank you,” I croak.
“You’re most welcome,” he replies softly.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Alex
The next day after Jessica has gone home, I’m sitting at the piano, composing a beautiful sonata in celebration of our newfound love, when Beatrix storms into the drawing room with a face like thunder.
“Alex, I just checked the safe and found that one of our most prized pieces of jewellery is missing. You wouldn’t by any chance happen to know where it is, would you?”
I stop playing and reply calmly, “If you’re talking about the Pharoah’s Scarab, then yes, I know exactly where it is. I’ve given it to Jessica.”
“What! Are you out of your mind?”
“No. Do I need to remind you that I am not answerable to you. You know very well all the jewellery in that safe belongs to me now. Grandfather left it all to me in his will and it came into my possession as soon as I turned twenty-one, so what I choose to do with it is my business and nobody else’s.”
“I can’t believe it!” she splutters. “Are you seriously telling me you gave away a priceless family heirloom to that cheap little tart? Are you completely crazy? What planet are you living on, for crying out loud? This is unacceptable and I won’t stand for it, do you hear?”
“Careful what language you use to describe my girlfriend. Jessica isn’t cheap and she isn’t a tart, so stop saying that.”
“Oh really?” my mother laughs bitterly. “Let’s see. The girl works for an escort agency. She has sex with men for a living. I don’t know what other word one could use to describe a girl who does that sort of thing, do you?”
With rising anger, I spin my stool around to face her. I’m shocked by her appearance. Beatrix looks terrible: gaunter than ever with chalk-white skin that sort of resembles a shrivelled corpse. She really needs to start eating again. Looking like a tortured skeleton doesn’t suit her.
“Now that isn’t true and you damn well know it,” I say icily. “Okay, so I met Jessica through an escort agency, I’ll admit that, but it was a unique situation. Jessica is a nice girl, she has principles; you know she was a virgin when we first met, isn’t that why you hired her? And she doesn’t make a habit of sleeping with men for money, what happened between us was a one-off. She never wanted to do it, not really. She only joined the agency because her mother is sick, and she needed help paying medical bills. You can’t exact crucify her for that, can you? And she’s not working as an escort anymore so you can stop going on about it. I’ll have you know that Jessica and I are now in a committed relationship.”
“Have you completely lost control of your senses, boy?” Beatrix folds her arms and shakes her head. “Committed relationship? Ha! Do you seriously believe this girl actually cares for you? Do you really believe if it wasn’t for your family’s wealth that she would be giving you the time of day? Come on! I mean, just look at you, Alex. Look at your face and tell me money isn’t her sole motivation. What girl in her right mind would be with you otherwise?”
“There you go insulting me again. Thanks, it’s nice to know I can always count on you to give my self-esteem a good kicking when I’m down. What a loving and caring mother you are Beatrix.”
