Free Empire of Gold by Andy McDermott

it’s really picked me up, seeing you. And Nina too! It’s lovely to see you both again.’

    ‘We got here as fast as we could,’ he told her. ‘So they’ve got you on oxygen therapy?’

    ‘The best treatment for emphysema with a side effect of pulmonary hypertension, so we’ve been told,’ said Elizabeth. ‘Which would have been much less likely to have happened if you’d stopped smoking.’

    Nan laughed faintly, coughing again. ‘At my age, there aren’t many pleasures left in life. Except seeing my family. Oh, I’m so happy that you came, Edward. I worry about you over there in America.’

    ‘How come?’ he asked.

    ‘Well, what if you get ill or have an accident? I’ve heard horrible stories about American hospitals, the way they throw you out on the street if you don’t have enough money, being charged hundreds of dollars for an aspirin . . . ’

    ‘It’s not quite that bad,’ said Nina, amused.

    ‘So they’re going to let you go home this afternoon?’ Eddie asked.

    Nan nodded. ‘Elizabeth wants me to stay with her, but I’d rather go back to my own house.’

    ‘No, you’re staying with us, Nan,’ Elizabeth insisted. She indicated the oxygen cylinder beside the bed. ‘You need to keep the mask on until the doctors say you’re better, and you can’t possibly carry that tank up the stairs on your own.’

    Nan seemed less than happy at being told what to do by her granddaughter, but acquiesced. ‘Don’t worry, Nan,’ Eddie said. ‘I’ll help you with all this stuff.’

    ‘Oh, thank you. Are you going to be here long? I know you’re both very busy.’

    ‘Don’t know yet. Nina’s got a work thing, but we’ll probably be around for a few days.’

    ‘Good. It would be lovely if you could take me for a walk while you’re here.’

    ‘Ahem,’ said Holly, pointing at a wheelchair.

    Nan frowned. ‘Oh, all right. If you could take me for a roll!’

    ‘No problem, Nan,’ said Eddie. He glanced round as the door opened, expecting to see a doctor entering. ‘Maybe tomorrow . . . ’ He tailed off at the sight of the man who came into the room.

    At first, Nina had no idea who the new arrival might be – until with a start she realised that his eyes were just like those of Eddie and Elizabeth. A relative. Beyond that, his appearance had more in common with her sister-in-law than her husband; he was taller than Eddie by at least four inches, face lean and tapered rather than square, lithe even through the inevitable spread of late middle age – she guessed him to be around sixty. Despite this, he was still clearly highly active, carrying himself almost with a swagger in his expensive smart-casual clothing.

    ‘Well, well,’ he said on seeing Eddie. ‘What a surprise!’ The wink he gave to Elizabeth showed it was nothing of the sort.

    ‘Yeah,’ Eddie replied, glaring at his sister.

    ‘So,’ said the man, ‘long time no see, Edward.’

    The scathing reply Eddie wanted to give was tempered by the presence of his grandmother and niece. Instead, he said, ‘Yeah, it’s been a while. Twenty-two years.’

    The uncomfortable pause that followed was ended when Holly skipped across the room to embrace the newcomer. ‘Hi, Grandad!’

    ‘Hiya, hiya!’ he replied. ‘How’s my favourite granddaughter?’

    ‘Your only granddaughter,’ she pointed out.

    ‘Well, that makes you even more special, doesn’t it?’ He kissed her cheek, then released her and regarded Nina. ‘And Holly’s told me a lot about you. You must be Nina.’

    ‘That’s right,’ Nina said. ‘So you must be . . . ’ She knew, but still nudged Eddie for a proper introduction.

    Eddie’s contempt was barely concealed. ‘This is my – dad.’ The momentary pause, Nina realised, was to cover what had become almost a conditioned reflex; on the rare occasions when he mentioned his father, the younger Chase almost invariably preceded it with an insulting adjective.

    ‘Larry Chase,’ said