Double Trouble: Thirty One; Interlude
by Cariad
 
 

Double Trouble
~Thirty One~
Julia walked in the Crane Mansion after Noah dropped her off. She saw the small wrapped box on the hall table and picked it up. Damn, she had missed Johnny! But it was a gift for Holly. Had no one been here to welcome him? Her footsteps echoed in the silent foyer. Another quiet Christmas at the Crane Mansion, she sighed.

She tiptoed in to see if her sister was awake.

“Hollis,” she called softly. “There was a present for you on the hall table.”

“I know,” came the sullen reply from the bed. “I left it there.”

“Aren’t you going to open it?”

“No.”

Julia gently set the box on Holly’s bookshelf. Who knew what sort of expensive jewelry was contained in the wrapping paper? “Are you feeling all right?”

Holly looked up, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “I felt much better after my nap. And then Jonathan showed up, but thankfully that headache went away too.” Holly managed a weak smile.

“So what are you doing now?”

“I’m thinking about issuing a press release or something to officially thank Chief Bennett for saving my life.”

“He doesn’t need anything like that,” Julia said. “He knows you feel very grateful, I told him so this afternoon.”

Holly rubbed her temples. “But it seems that I should do more. Do you know? Gratitude is one thing, but it doesn’t seem to be enough. I mean, he could have died! He has this family who needs him, but he risked all that for me.”

“We’ll think of something,” Julia said.

Holly’s eyes fell on the check she had received for Christmas.
 

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The week between Christmas and New Year’s was hectic at the Crane Mansion. Theresa showed up nearly every day—through the back door to avoid Rebecca. Once there, Julia spent the morning making sure Theresa’s posture remained correct and avoided becoming too stilted. After that, Theresa and Julia joined Holly in an unused room in the basement where Holly waited with an elaborate table set as if they were having dinner with a foreign dignitary. Though the lunches were comparably simple fare for the Cranes, the settings were on the finest china, and Theresa slowly learned the proper ways of holding her fork—how large bites to take, and the other finer points of dining in public.
“Remember,” Holly said every few minutes, “it does not matter what manners the guests have, as the hostess—which you will be as Father’s wife—your manners have to be impeccable.”

The seamstress arrived in the afternoon for fittings on the dress. Julia watched in horror as she realized Theresa’s dress would be cut in the same manner as the dress she was going to be wearing.

And as time permitted, they snuck into Rebecca’s room to play at being mischievous elves—spending one night turning all her clothes inside-out and returning them to the hangars, short-sheeting the bed (which brought the upstairs maids so much joy, they began their own small pranks, knowing Miss Holly and Miss Julia would condone such an act and defend them). When they were forced to be in contact with Rebecca for ‘family’ dinners, they would constantly shift objects Rebecca would be reaching for. When they came across it, they would randomly move some of Rebecca’s belongings to other rooms, forcing Rebecca to search for things when she wanted them.

Rebecca fumed, for in public the twins would act perfect angels towards her. And every time she tried to bring it up to Julian, Julia was there, batting her eyelashes, pouting, “Daddy,” and no amount of cleavage could distract him. But to the twins’ dismay, Rebecca did not decide to leave—but only Holly knew why.
 

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The Friday of that week, the Police department announced that a donor, wishing to remain anonymous, had donated $10,000 to the Police Fund for Widows and Children.

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Theresa’s dress was finished by Saturday, and Holly finally allowed her to wear it as the twins argued about the dressing of Theresa’s hair. Theresa wanted something greatly elaborate, and brought photographs of some of the other parties she had attended as examples. Holly and Julia managed not to laugh in her face.
“You really have lovely hair, Theresa,” Julia said in all honesty.

“Sometimes, less is more,” Holly noted right after, drawing some locks out of Theresa’s face. “I would say leave it down, out of the face. She has too much hair for a twist.”

Julia played with the back. “You’re right, Hollis, entirely too much hair for a twist. We should leave it down. Save the elaborate stuff for later. We don’t want to look like it’s a prom.”

“But…” Theresa stammered.

“You’re outvoted,” Holly said.

“Really, you look so much better when you leave it natural,” Julia chimed in.

“Make-up too. The green in the dress brings out some interesting colors in your eyes, Theresa. We don’t want to ruin that with heavy makeup.”

“But…” Theresa stammered again.

Julia patted their stepmother on her shoulder. “Trust us, Theresa. We’ve been through these things since we were five.”

“Four,” Holly corrected absently. “Technically, we were trotted out at a whole bunch of photo-ops when we were babies and just little little kids.”

“Expect the same for the Crane bun,” Julia said grimly.
 

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Holly knew the blissful week could not last. Jonathan Hotchkiss left them both alone, not even visiting his mother or sister. Gwen was also gone a lot, where she went, neither of the twins could find out, but Gwen gently told Julia not to bother setting her up for a blind date on New Years. “You have one already?” Julia asked.
“Of a sort,” Gwen replied and disappeared once more.

Holly was even relieved to know her father returned to his normal state after being closeted in his study with his lawyer. One afternoon, Theresa’s presence was requested to sign some documents, but other than that, Holly figured everything was back to normal. She even ventured a shy smile for him when she noticed the knife he was given for Christmas remained untouched in it’s sheath, locked in a glass case.

Julia could not keep her eyes off the unopened Christmas gift from Johnny. Sometimes, she could not understand her sister at all. Wasn’t the curiosity burning inside Holly like it was in Julia? What if it was a priceless necklace—diamond to match the dress he had picked out? And why had he not called at the mansion? Had he disappeared off the face of the planet?
 

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Saturday night, Holly and Julia spent going over the list of gentlemen Julia was supposed to visit with at the Ball. Just in case, both we learning the names.
“Ok, we know Chuck Wilson,” Holly said. “Paper clip family, single, Theresa’s old boyfriend. The family is looking to develop some land—to build a golf course country club thing.”

“Adolf Heiselmann,” Julia read aloud. “Isn’t he the owner of that bakery the next town over?”

“Forty-seven, twice divorced, no children. And it’s a food-vendor. They have lucrative contracts with a lot of the local schools and colleges. I think it started out as a bakery, but Heiselmann expanded it when he took over.”

“Where do you learn all this stuff, Hollis?” Julia asked.

“I pilfered Father’s little files on them.”

“When did you do this?”

“In the mornings when you were with Theresa. I wanted to study up.”

Julia laughed. “Ok, how about Howie Stonesmith?”

“Fifty-three,” Holly recited, “Separated from his wife. His company is floundering and needs bailing out. He’s looking for an investor that will still leave him in charge.”

“He shouldn’t be looking here then,” Julia replied. “Grandfather Crane won’t allow anyone to have any say in his little companies. What does Howie’s company do?”

“Some sort of high tech gadgetry. It’s a specialized part that he subcontracts. I think.”

“Stuart Ingram? It’s almost like we’re still in school when you would make me quiz you for your exams.”

“Stuart is thirty-nine, never been married, and has inherited a large family fortune out of the blue. He’s been the victim of bad press recently—a scandal about him and the pool boy, so he’s trying to improve his image.”

“Then why is he invited if he’s had bad press?”

“He inherited the money from a great-uncle who was once a large investor in Crane Industries—and knew Grandfather Crane quite well. I guess money will buy just about anything.”

“Philip Underwood.”

“Sixty-six, three times divorced, five children—all older than us, one grandchild. The Underwoods are in the funeral home/casket business. Rumor has it he’s looking for a fourth wife.”

Julia groaned. “Are you going to open the present yet?” she asked, changing the subject.

“No,” Holly replied. “I’m never going to open the damn thing.”

“Don’t you want to know what he got you?”

“Not really.”

“Hollis! Will you let me open it?”

“No. I want you to return it to him at the Ball.”

“Please?”

“No.”

“I’ll tickle you…” Julia taunted, wiggling her fingers.

“Stop it, Jules,” Holly said, visibly upset. “If you return the gift, he’ll think you’re me.”

Julia sat back down on her knees. “All right. Patrick T. Bearn.”

“Rival porcelain company. Recently made head, only thirty-two. Grandfther Crane thinks he could be unstable enough and green enough for a take-over attempt. He is also divorced, just once. His previous wife was a model who left him a year ago.”

“So they’re all essentially single.”

“Bingo,” Holly said. “But don’t you worry, Jules. You’ll be with Jonathan. I’ll handle the creeps. Why any of them would want an eighteen-year old is beyond me.”

“They don’t care our age. They just want an ‘in’ to the Crane money.”
 
 

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Julia barely slept the next two nights, so excited was she to be in the arms of Johnny Hotchkiss. And since Reese was going to be there, perhaps Holly would take him out on whatever balcony happened to be available, and they could look at stars. She rolled over, something nagging at the back of her mind—something she could not put a name to. Something if she thought about, vanished like mist in the glare of the sun.
She was nervous as well, that Rebecca was still around. How would she react to the news that her father had married Theresa? And then another unsettling thought occurred. She no longer despised Theresa the way she thought she would. Sure the girl was a spoiled gold-digging brat, but part of Julia was proud of the way Theresa had reformed under her and Holly’s care. She was almost presentable! And she hadn’t wept over Ethan, or drooled over Aidan the entire week!

Julia rolled over, punching the pillow for some support. She hadn’t forgotten all the lies Theresa told, the way she stalked Ethan, the way she followed Julian to Bermuda when Ethan was no longer a Crane. But Theresa would be the tool to get Rebecca out of the house, and then after the baby was born Theresa could also be gotten rid of. A nice divorce settlement would make her happy, Julia mused. Daddy could set her up in a nice house someplace where she would be far away from the entire family.