Deceit of Angels (20 page)

Margaret
was aghast at her pale expression.  “I’m so sorry, my dear.  Perhaps I’ve been
too blunt but I wanted to spare you the need to go into any details.  I realise
that you’ll probably feel it’s rather unseemly to announce your engagement so
soon after Kiera, but please remember that she and Jason were already separated
and would have divorced if she’d lived.   We…” she indicated Mrs Wilby and Ben,
“are very happy for you both.  Jason deserves a wonderful person like you after
all he’s been through.”

“How
did you know?” asked Anna, colour flooding her face.

“Before
Jason dashed off this morning, he mentioned that you had something to tell us
and we guessed that must be it.”

Anna
opened her mouth and then closed it sharply.  Margaret’s statement had thrown
her completely off her guard and she felt a wave of horror pass through her.

“That’s
not what I was going to tell you,” she whispered.

“Oh,
it’s not?” said Margaret.

“Well,
it is… but not exactly…We are in love and Jason has asked me to marry him…and I
said yes…but that’s not all of it.”  Anna’s mouth dried up as the three people
sitting opposite her gave her their undivided attention once more.  “I need to
tell you…” Suddenly she realised that her carefully prepared speech had
completely disappeared from her memory.  “You need to know…that I’m not a
widow…I’m married…and I’ve been married nineteen years…but I was unhappy…so I
had a plan to come and work for Jason…and we fell in love…I told him I was a
widow because I wanted to get away…from my marriage…because I was unhappy.” 

She
couldn’t continue.  The expressions on the faces of the people she had grown to
love dismayed her.  Margaret had momentarily closed her eyes in shocked
awareness, Mrs Wilby stared at her as if she was something from outer space and
Ben had a look of absolute bewilderment.  Anna’s thoughts screamed inside her
head.  Jason had been right, this could have waited.  Oh, why hadn’t she listened
to him?  She should have left it to him just as he had suggested. 

It
was Margaret who finally broke the silence.  “You left your husband in
Yorkshire, to come and work for Jason?  And you told him you were a widow but
you weren’t?”

Anna
nodded.  “I thought it would be a way of giving myself some space so I could
think things through.  I never realised for one minute that we would fall in
love.  It just happened.  I was so grateful to be Jason’s PA, while I decided
what to do next.”       

There
was a brief moment of silence as the others absorbed this.

“And
what have you decided to do?” asked Margaret.

“Oh,
it’s quite clear.  I must end my marriage and Jason is going to help me with
the divorce.  My feelings for Jason are absolutely real.  I’ve never felt like
this about any other man.”  She felt compelled to justify the last statement. 
“Not that there’s been any others…My husband is the only man I’ve known…if you
see what I mean…and…and…please forgive me.  Please don’t hate me for what I’ve
done.”  Tears brimmed over her eyelashes and trickled down her cheeks.

Ben
rose to his feet and came to sit beside her.  He placed a fatherly arm round
her shoulders.

“If
you ask me, Anna deserves all our support in this.”  He gave the other two a
piercing glance.  “I left my wife when I couldn’t bear my marriage any longer. 
I just packed my bags and left without saying what I was doing or where I was
going.  I was gone six years before I heard she’d died and I was finally free.”

Mrs
Wilby and Margaret opened their eyes wide in astonishment.  “Well, this
certainly is a day for revelations!” said Margaret.  “But I don’t think you
left any children behind, did you Ben?”

“No,
I didn’t have any children.  Even so, Anna’s boys are due to go to university
soon and as far as I’m concerned, they’re independent adults.  And she’s kept
in touch with them.”

“Yes,
I will always be there for them,” said Anna in desperation.  “I’ve not
abandoned them simply because I don’t want to be married to their father.”

Margaret
stared across at the photos displayed in the wall unit.  “I’m thinking about my
son.  I don’t want him to be hurt again,” she said sadly.

“But
I don’t want to hurt him either,” said Anna.  “I’ll do anything to make him
happy.”

Ben
rounded on Margaret.  “You weren’t there during that awful time when Kiera was
so desperately ill!  And then afterwards!  You didn’t see the wonderful support
Anna gave Jason through it all.”

“That’s
very true,” murmured Mrs Wilby.  Up to that moment she had remained silent, her
thoughts quietly forming.  She turned to Margaret, her expression serious.  “As
I see it, we two are extremely lucky.  We had very happy marriages and I think
we should thank our blessings for that.  But Anna and Ben and Jason too haven’t
been so lucky.  Since Anna arrived, Jason has been a changed man.  He’s happy
and he wants to start afresh with her.  And yes, things aren’t all packaged up
neat and tidy, as you would want.  For a little while longer it’s going to get
messy while Anna sorts herself out and ends her marriage.  But it will pass
with time.  I think we should give them a chance.”

Ben
nodded.  “There’s something else we must remember.  Anna has told us this
because she has the good grace to believe that we should know.  But Jason would
be the first to say it’s none of our business.  That it’s up to him and Anna to
decide their future.”

“I
completely agree,” said Mrs Wilby.

Margaret
stared at them for a while.  She was stunned at their loyalty to her son and
yet inwardly felt pleased.  But even so she had really hoped that all the pain
was behind them now.  They had endured such a turbulent eighteen months, that a
little time of settled peace and quiet would have been very welcome.  And she
had hoped that Jason and Anna’s wedding would have been the very first
celebrated at the Grange.  She gave a resigned sigh.  There was no doubt that
her son loved Anna and she was also certain that Anna would make him happy. 
But it seemed that there was to be one more hurdle to jump before she could
settle down once more to a contented life at the Grange.         

It was done! 
Everyone that mattered now knew her secret and Anna couldn’t help feeling a
great sense of relief.  She closed the main door behind her and breathed in the
fresh morning air, the sun warming her face.  Ben and Mrs Wilby had been so
wonderful.  Their support had almost brought her to tears and she knew she
would be eternally grateful to them.  But what of Margaret?  She had become
quiet and rather subdued after the revelations in the parlour, finally taking
herself off to her study to finish some paperwork for a seminar that was booked
for the following week.  Anna had so wanted her approval and the disappointment
she felt cut into her.  After Margaret had left, Ben and Mrs Wilby had told Anna
not to worry herself over it.  She would come round in time, she was an
understanding woman and she only wanted what was best for her son.  Thoughts of
Jason filled Anna with yearning.  How she wished he would come home.  She
decided to take a walk since the sudden downpour had stopped and the sun had
finally made an appearance.  As she was going out, she had volunteered to take
Tess with her.

Anna
had never taken a dog for a walk, but Ben had assured her that the old
retriever only ambled along at her own pace and there wasn’t any danger of her
running off on her own.  And so Anna had collected the dog’s lead from the
hallway cupboard and attaching it to her collar she ventured outside.  Slowly
they walked along the drive and through the small pedestrian opening that was
adjacent to the main gate and out onto the main highway that ran past the
grounds of the Grange.

The
main road outside the grounds skirted the wall and was long and straight.  When
standing at the tall, ornamental gate Anna could see up the road for a good
quarter of a mile in each direction but at each end the road then curved out of
sight.  Anna knew that she would be able to hear Jason’s car first before it
turned the corner and finally came into view.  If she took Tess into the meadow
and let her have some time to roam about, she would still be in earshot. 
Holding onto the lead tightly, she crossed the road and walked along to the
wooden gate.

Everything
seemed to be drenched with the torrential rain that had continued unabated
while she had been in the parlour.  Large drops dripped relentlessly from the
leaves and huge puddles filled the ditches and gullies by the side of the
road.  The gate had a metal bar over the post to keep it closed and after
pulling this back, Anna passed through and into the sweet smelling meadow,
closing the gate after her.  She removed the lead and almost straight away Tess
went to investigate a rabbit hole and finding it discarded, went on to sniff
out any interesting inhabitants in the hedges.  Anna watched her and smiled. 
The old dog was obviously enjoying herself and she was relieved that her first
outing as a ‘dog walker’ seemed to be going without any hitch.

Grinning
at Tess’s inept attempts to make friends with a frog, Anna began to form some
kind of plan for the future.  When Jason arrived home, he would have an
appointment with the solicitor for her and then she would phone Dave and tell
him that she wanted to start divorce proceedings immediately on the grounds of
his adultery.  It would be impossible for him to dispute his infidelities and
he would be forced to admit his guilt.  And then she would be free, free to
marry the man she loved.  Anna thought about the twins.  She would invite them
to Bishop Sutton and introduce them to everyone.  She was convinced that her
sons would understand and be happy for her. 

She
looked at her watch and decided that she had had enough and it was time to go. 
Calling Tess to her, she quickly attached the lead to her collar and made her
way to the wooden gate and then back out onto the main road.  Anna continued
her stroll and although eager to be back in the security and warmth of the
Grange, she didn’t relish the idea of facing Margaret once more.  She wondered
if she had had time to think it over and perhaps, feel more comfortable with
the idea.  The roaring of a car engine in the distance interrupted her
thoughts.

Anna
thought that it must be Jason, but immediately realised that it didn’t sound
like his car and besides, it was travelling very fast.  Anna sighed with annoyance
that people should think it quite acceptable to speed on an open country road. 
The car turned the corner and was coming straight down the road towards her. 
The path she was walking was only narrow, some three feet in width and worried
that Tess might take fright, she bent down and caught hold of her collar,
speaking gentle words of encouragement to her.

She
couldn’t remember the exact moment in time that she thought the car was coming
straight for her.  Perhaps it wasn’t even a thought, more an intuition, but
suddenly she heard the engine rev into full throttle and the bonnet seemed to
be on a direct collision course with her.  She wasn’t the only one who had the
same idea.  Tess might be old and her hearing and sight might be failing, but
her instincts were still sharp.

Anna
felt herself yanked forward and to the right as the retriever pulled her with
all her strength.  The force was so great that she was almost lifted off her
feet and then she tripped and fell on her front in the ditch, the cold, muddy
water seeping into her clothes and soaking her hair, making her gasp with
shock.  To make matters worse, the near side tyres of the vehicle hit a large
puddle in the gully sending up a tidal wave of more filthy water to engulf her
totally.  And then the car was gone, its engine droning away round the corner
and out of hearing.

Anna
slowly got to her knees and then tried to lift herself out of the mud that held
her captive.  The fright at thinking that the vehicle was heading straight for
her, plus the icy, cold water made her shiver.  Tess watched her, whimpering
and nuzzling her as if to bring a small amount of comfort.  It was then she
felt a pair of arms come round her and help her to her feet.

“Sweetheart,
are you OK?”

Relief
filled her from top to toe.  “Yes, I’m fine.  Just soaked to the skin,” she
said, grinning.

“Good
Lord!  I saw Tess first and immediately thought she’d got out of the gate.”

“I
offered to take her for a walk.  But I didn’t realise how strong she was.”  She
raked her fingers through her hair trying to make herself more presentable.

Jason
couldn’t help laughing at the state she was in.  “You poor thing, you look like
a drowned rat.  Let’s get you inside and dry you off.”  He placed an arm
tenderly round her and then took the dog’s lead from her.  He looked sternly at
Tess.  “I’ve not known her drag someone along for a long time, not since she
was a much younger dog.  She’s usually so well behaved.”

“Oh
no, she hasn’t been misbehaving.  That car was coming straight for me, or I thought
it was.  And Tess must have thought so too because she pulled me out of the
way.”

“What
car?”

They
were walking towards the ornamental gates where Anna could see the Volvo parked
as if just turning in, the driver’s door still open.

She
thought for a moment.  “I think it was a Porsche.  Black.  And being driven far
too fast!”