Red Phoenix

instead of brown and she sported expensive make-up and gold jewellery. She wore a pencil-thin pale blue skirt and matching cashmere twin-set. She looked fabulous.
    ‘Emma!’ she exclaimed. ‘Finally! I thought you’d never get here.’ She reached out to hug me, her fingers glittering with bright red artificial nails and a great many gold rings. She pulled back to beam at me. As usual, I was wearing a tatty old shirt and a pair of jeans and loafers, my hair tied back in a rough ponytail. Her smile widened. She moved back and gestured broadly with one arm, inviting us in.
    We all went into the hallway, Jennifer leading. She guided us into the living room. ‘Please, sit,’ she said, smiling at all of us. ‘And who do we have here, Emma?’
    The living room was elaborately decorated in cream and blue, with fancy pictures and expensive porcelain. She’d done very well for herself. I was glad.
    A couple of little boys dashed in, their shoes thumping on the wooden floor of the hallway. They stopped dead when they entered the living room. One of them jumped backwards slightly with surprise.
    ‘This is Andrew.’ Jennifer grabbed the smaller one around the shoulders and dragged him forward. ‘And Colin.’ She gestured towards the bigger one. ‘Say hello to Aunty Emma, boys.’
    ‘Hello, Aunty Emma,’ the boys said mechanically, in unison.
    ‘This is my employer, my boss, Mr Chen.’ I gestured towards John and he nodded to Jennifer.
    ‘Bout time you acknowledged me as boss, John said right into my ear. But I think you should have said it the other way round.
    I shot a warning glance at him. He smiled at me serenely, then smiled at Jennifer.
    Jennifer’s smile froze.
    I did not believe this.
    ‘This is his daughter, Simone. I look after her,’ I said.
    Simone looked like she was about to rise and bow, then stopped. I quietly breathed a sigh of relief. He was forgiven for that last crack.
    Jennifer warmed up again when she saw Simone. She went and crouched in front of her. ‘Hello, Simone, you are very pretty.’
    Simone hesitated, then, ‘Thank you,’ she said softly.
    I gestured towards Michael. ‘This is Simone’s cousin, Michael, who came along for the trip to Europe.’
    Michael nodded without smiling at Jennifer. Shestudied him appraisingly from where she was crouched in front of Simone, then smiled and rose.
    ‘And this is Leo,’ I said, gesturing towards him. ‘The driver.’
    Leo nodded without speaking.
    ‘Leo doesn’t talk much,’ I said, and Leo nodded almost imperceptibly in thanks.
    Jennifer’s smile went even more ice-cold.
    I really did not believe this. I didn’t know she had changed so much.
    ‘Would you like the boys to show you their rooms and their toys, Simone?’ Jennifer said.
    Simone hesitated. ‘That would be very nice, thank you, Mrs Black,’ she said very carefully.
    ‘Andrew, Colin.’ Jennifer’s bright smile didn’t shift. ‘Would you like to take Simone upstairs and show her your rooms? I’m sure she’d be interested to see how we do things here in England.’
    ‘Can I leave my shoes on?’ Simone said.
    Jennifer hesitated at the unusual question. Then she shrugged it off. ‘Of course, dear, don’t take your shoes off, there’s absolutely no need.’
    Simone nodded and rose. Andrew smiled at her and took her hand. He and Colin led her out.
    Michael jumped as if he had been stung. ‘May I go and see the boys’ rooms too, please, Mrs Black?’ he said politely. ‘I’d like to see what houses are like in England. It’s very different to Hong Kong.’
    ‘You don’t want to stay here with us?’ Jennifer said.
    Michael shook his head.
    ‘If you like,’ Jennifer said. ‘Just follow the boys, they know where to go.’
    Jennifer sat next to me and put her arm around my shoulders. ‘Would you like to come and have a look around the house, dear?’ she said maternally. ‘I’d loveto show it to you.’ She smiled at John. ‘Would you like to see?’
    I think you would probably like to spend some time alone with your sister without us men in the way, John said silently into my ear. Nod if you would. We can go outside and wait.
    I nodded very slightly without looking away from my sister.
    ‘I don’t think so, if you don’t mind, Mrs Black. I have some calls to China to make. Do you mind if I go back out to the car and get my phone?’ John said.
    ‘Of course, no problem, get your phone, come back inside. I’ll have the housekeeper make you some