A Family Affair - Next of Kin Read Online Free PDF Page A

burden of responsibility during the day. The first three months of Angus’ life had been a challenge, as he hadn’t slept more than four hours at night, but he was regularly sleeping for seven hours every night now. It was a more than welcome change.
    Tom was a doting father who lavished affection on both her and Angus, as well as giving expensive gifts. He loved to have fun with his son, and the two of them could really make each other laugh.
    When Angus was five months old Tom surprised her with plane tickets to Malaysia to celebrate their one-year wedding anniversary. They spent a week staying at a five-star island resort. Irene came too, which meant that Ellen and Tom were able to leave the hotel for expeditions snorkelling on the coral reef. That was one of their favourite things to do, and it reminded Ellen of the happy times they spent together on their honeymoon. He held her hand in the water while they swam together, exploring the schools of coloured fish and coral together.
    It had been Angus’ first time travelling and he had cried a little on the flight there, but Irene and she had taken turns walking him up and down the aisle until he settled. Luckily, he had slept most of the flight home, much to the relief of the other first-class passengers.
    The house’s interior had been painted while they were away, which was a considerable step forward in the redecoration of Tom’s mansion. Having Irene had allowed Ellen more time to dedicate to the project. She was surprised by how enjoyable the process had been to date, and wondered if she had missed a calling in life. Tom hired an interior designer - Miranda, and instructed Ellen and her to spare no expense in creating a beautiful home for their family. After working together for a few weeks, Miranda understood what Ellen liked and didn’t like. 
    Prior to the redecoration, the style of Tom’s interior would have been best described as Victorian.  There had been rich textured furnishings alongside bright colourful upholstery, and wall coverings in every room. Tom’s furniture had been luxurious and ornate, but never particularly comfortable. Ellen suspected that Margaret decorated the house originally, as it appeared similarly furnished to her own. However, Ellen never found the confidence to ask Tom about that directly. In any case, Tom was completely supportive of the project and of her ideas.
    Ellen wanted to create a modern feel for the house. The walls were stripped of their wallpaper and painted white, while much of the carpet had already been replaced by timber boards. Tom’s hard-backed lounge suites were to be donated to charity, with modern comfortable furniture to be procured. Ellen had enjoyed the process of selecting pieces for the house, and Miranda usually had new catalogues and samples when she visited.
    Tom was contributing ideas too, although he was generally happy to let Ellen decorate the house as she chose. Occasionally he shook his head at this or that, but mostly he told Ellen how pleased he was with the alterations. As the job neared completion, it was starting to feel more like a comfortable home.
    It would be Angus’ first home of course, and the house he would grow up in and enjoy.
    In order to make her parents feel comfortable when they visited, Ellen reserved one of the five guest rooms for them alone, and decorated it accordingly. Her parents usually stayed one weekend every month, wanting to spend as much time with Angus as they could. Ellen chose a coloured feature wall she knew her mother would enjoy. On one of the walls, she hung an enlarged photograph of the four of them from the wedding. Memories from the wedding day were just as meaningful to Ellen’s parents as to her.
    Even Margaret, in her own way, was being supportive of the redecoration. In fact, her changed attitude since Angus’ birth was a big surprise. Gone were the snide comments from the previous year. It was nice to be accepted by her, and more so, it made