Deceit of Angels (21 page)

“And
you thought it was coming straight at you?”

Anna
felt uneasy.  “Perhaps not.  It seems a silly idea now I come to think about
it.  But its wheels did hit the gully and sent up a torrent of rainwater over
me.  I’ve always believed that kind of thing is a malicious prank by the
driver!”

“Did
you see the driver?”

“Afraid
not.  Tinted windows.”

Jason
remained quiet.  There was one person he knew who owned a black Porsche and
tended to drive it far too fast.  Her name was Deborah Gilbert-Hines.  And the
direction she was taking was towards the golf club.  But could Deborah really
have meant Anna any harm?  Was she really that wicked?

“How
did your day go?” he asked, trying to release himself from his troubled
thoughts.

“Not
very well, I’m afraid.  I don’t think your mother is very pleased with me.”

“Why,
what happened?”

Anna
paused before explaining light-heartedly,  “I think she was …disappointed and
upset that my circumstances were different from what she had been led to
believe.  And I suppose she has every right.”

Despite
her casualness he sensed her despair.  “I can’t believe that of Mother.  What
did she say to you?”

“Oh,
nothing really.  It was her manner and her expression.  I don’t think I’m the
flavour of the month any more.”

His
eyes turned dark with anger.  “I think I’d better have a word with her!  This
doesn’t concern her and she has no right to make you feel uncomfortable!”

They
had nearly reached the gates and although Anna was starting to feel the cold
she stopped walking and turned to face him.  She had never seen him like this
and placed her hands on his arms to pacify him.  

“Please
don’t be cross with her, Jason.  You’re her only child and she’s looking out
for your interests.  She doesn’t want you to be hurt again after all you’ve
been through.  I understand her perfectly.  If it were Martyn or Chris I would
feel just the same.” 

Jason
smiled.  His gaze took in her mud-splattered hair and the dirty marks on her cheek
and chin.  Even like this she was the most beautiful woman in the world.  He
took out his handkerchief and gently removed the smudges from her face. 

“I’ve
decided I want to start divorce proceedings as soon as possible.  Did you speak
with your solicitor?” asked Anna, taking the handkerchief from him to continue
the cleanup.

“Yes,
I did.  And I’ve made an appointment for you.”

Anna
grinned as she suddenly remembered.  “Oh, Jason, you should have heard Ben and
Mrs Wilby.  They were fantastic.  They supported me all the way.”

He
nodded.  “I would have expected that of them.”

“But
did you know that Ben was once married?  And he just up and left his wife one
day, without telling anyone?”  She giggled as his expression showed utter
surprise.

“He
never talked about his family.  I assumed he had none,” he said.

Anna
clicked her tongue.  “And there’s me thinking you know everything.”

“Obviously
not,” he laughed.  “But one thing I do know, we must get you indoors before you
catch cold.”

Tess
agreed and began to bark loudly reminding them that the rain had started again.

Once
inside, Anna spent nearly thirty minutes in the bathroom trying to wash away
the mud and dirt that clung to her so relentlessly.  She washed her hair three
times until she felt it was absolutely clean and then changed into fresh
clothes.  She was ready just in time for lunch and ran downstairs to join Jason
and the others in the dining room.  She would face Margaret and deal with the
situation, she thought ruefully, it was just a question of making her
understand.

While
Anna had been tidying herself, Jason had taken Tess down to the kitchen and
given her something to eat.  Then he went straight to his room to freshen up
for lunch.  He had neither the desire nor the patience to confront his mother
on the matter of his future plans concerning Anna.  She could not be blamed for
making the wrong choice in the man she had married.  Jason knew that his mind
was set and he loved Anna with all his heart.  She was all he wanted and no one
was going to take her away from him.

“And Deborah is
buying up more shares in your company?  What’s the implication of that?” asked
Anna.

Jason
nodded.  “Only that she’s now a shareholder and will attend meetings.  I can’t
see there being a problem except that I really don’t want her involved in any
aspect of my life, either personal or professional.”

They
were in the parlour alone, since Ben and Mrs Wilby had gone to visit a mutual
friend in Wedmore and Margaret had taken herself off to the study once more. 
Thankfully lunch had not been as tense as Anna had feared and in fact, everyone
had kept up a happy banter during the meal.  Margaret had tried to join in with
the conversation, but often she would become unusually quiet.  Sometimes Anna
would catch her eye and knew she was being assessed.

Now
sitting on the couch with Jason, Anna felt that her troubles were coming to an
end, except for the problem with Margaret.

 “What
are you going to say to your mum?” asked Anna quietly.

He
answered sharply.  “Nothing!  Absolutely nothing!”  Seeing Anna’s expression he
smiled and took her hand.  “I’m sorry that I’m cross with her when you asked me
not to be.  But I’m a grown man and I don’t need my mother to make my decisions
for me.”

“I
know and I understand.  I just wish everything was settled and there wasn’t all
this uneasiness.  I never meant for this to happen and I do so want her to like
me again.”

He
kissed her hand.  “You really worry about what people will think, don’t you?”

“I
guess I’ve always been that way.”  She wrinkled her nose.  “My mum is exactly
the same.  She believes it’s undignified to call attention to yourself and has
strong opinions about ‘making your bed and lying on it’.  Hence the reason for
hurrying me into marriage when I fell pregnant.”  

He
looked down at her fingers, devoid of her wedding ring.  “When are you going to
tell your family about us?  Why don’t you call them now,” he nodded towards the
phone in the corner of the room, “and ask them to come down for a visit so I
can meet them.”

Anna
couldn’t hide her excitement.  “I was thinking that myself.  It would be
wonderful, but could they stay?  Is there room at Bishop Sutton?”

“We’ll
put them up in a hotel in Bristol.  That can be sorted out when we know the
dates they can come down.”

She
licked her lips, her eyes shining.  “Perhaps they could come for just a
weekend.  It will give me a chance to talk to them and tell them what we’re
doing.”

“Then
do it.”  He smiled at her enthusiasm.

“Oh,
Jason, I can’t believe you’re going to meet my boys.”  It was as if the
floodgates had opened and the torrent could not be held back.  Jason understood
this and let her continue, smiling as she babbled on.  “And then of course
there’s the rest of the family. Greg, my stepfather.  We never thought Mum
would marry again after Dad died, but suddenly Greg walked into her life and
he’s wonderful.  He’s had his own printing business for the last twenty years,
so he knows what it’s like to chase contracts.  And then there’s my little
sister, Elaine and her husband, Terry.  They’ve never had children which is so
odd in a way, because Elaine is a midwife but I guess she’s been too busy
bringing kids into the world to have any of her own…” And then she ran out of
breath and started laughing.  “Oh goodness, where did all that come from!”

Jason
began to laugh with her and pulled her close.  “I hope from happiness.  And as
for meeting your family, I can’t wait!”  After a few moments he whispered, “I
have a little gift for you.”

She
looked at him in surprise.  “Another birthday present?”

“Not
exactly.”

He
pulled a small box from his pocket and opened it.  Inside was a ring, set with
three diamonds mounted in gold, the middle diamond slightly larger than the
ones on either side of it.

“Oh
Jason, it’s beautiful,” she gasped.

“You
said that when you took off your wedding ring, you would wear my ring.  I’m
holding you to that promise.”

She
held out her left hand and he slipped it on her third finger.  “It fits
perfectly!  How on earth did you know?”

He
grinned mischievously.  “Actually, I cheated.”  He opened his hand and lying in
the palm was her wedding band.  “I found this in the sink when I handed you a
towel this morning.  I thought it would come in handy to get the right size.”

“I
threw it across the bathroom in a fit of temper!  I thought it had gone in the
sink, but when I looked for it, I couldn’t find it.  And you had it all the
time!”

“Do
you want it back?”

Anna
hesitated, her mind spinning.  “No, you keep it.  This one is much better.”

“You
really like it?” he asked, putting her wedding ring back in his pocket.

“It’s
absolutely gorgeous.  I’ve never had an engagement ring.”

“So,
you and Dave never got engaged?”

“Didn’t
seem worth it.  Anyway, we needed the money for baby things.”  She gave a sad
smile.

“I
think the sooner you end this marriage of yours the better.  Then we’ll be able
to make our own plans.”

Suddenly
she remembered her thoughts when she was taking Tess for a walk.  “I’m hoping
Dave will let me divorce him on grounds of his adultery.  It only seems fair.”

“Well,
let’s hope he plays fair.”

His
comment made her frown.  “Do you think he won’t?”

He
blinked hard, realising he shouldn’t have put doubts into her mind.  “I don’t
know him well enough, sweetheart.  What I’m saying is that it’s a dirty
business and emotions can be raw.  But if he’s sensible then he’ll see that
it’s better all round for your marriage to end.”

Anna
snuggled against his shoulder, trying to hide her worried expression.  Her
hopes for a straightforward divorce were suddenly dashed, as Jason, despite not
knowing her husband, had been more than astute. Dave would give her a hard time
and she would need all her strength and courage to fight him.

CHAPTER
TEN

T
hey
were on the eighteenth green and Anna was preparing herself for a long putt
that would win her the game.  The putt was about four metres but she had played
far longer ones with great success.  She steadied her balance, took careful aim
and then tapped the ball sharply.  They watched as the ball sped across the
grass and then dropped with a satisfying clunk into the hole.

Jason
gave a groan.  “You win again!” he said.

“Only
by a small margin,” she answered, trying to soften the blow.

“Sweetheart,
I gave everything I had and it still wasn’t enough.  What am I to do just to
draw with you?” 

Anna
couldn’t help grinning as they collected up their bags and started for the
clubhouse.  She was relieved he was a good loser.  Her husband wouldn’t have
been.  Anna hadn’t yet contacted her sons about a visit, even though she had
already had a text from them to say that they had returned from their holiday
and had had a wonderful time.  As excited as she had been about the idea, she
had not found the courage to pick up the phone, so she had decided to delay the
call until after they returned from their game of golf.          

“I’ll
buy lunch, just to compensate,” she said.

“I
wouldn’t hear of it!”

The
restaurant at the clubhouse was very pleasant and they chose a table by the
window so that they could watch the other players out on the course.  The
weather had turned truly remarkable and everyone around them seemed in high
spirits now that the sun was out. 

“Hi
Jason.  I’m sorry to interrupt you, but I wondered if I could have a word with
your friend.”

They
looked up to see a jovial young woman with short hair and a ruddy complexion.

“Oh,
Caroline, it’s nice to see you again.  Let me introduce you to Anna Stevens,
Anna this is Caroline Beaumont.”

The
two women shook hands and Caroline slipped into the seat next to Anna.

“I
won’t take up much of your time.  It’s just that I’m the captain of the ladies
team and I wondered if you’d like to join us in the next match?”

“Me?”
said Anna, feeling quite stunned.

“I
know this is short notice, but your reputation for being an outstanding golfer
is already the talk of the club.”

“I
wouldn’t call myself outstanding!”

Caroline
winked at Jason.  “She’s quite modest, isn’t she!  The problem I’ve got is that
we’re playing a phenomenal club in two weeks and unless I can find some better
players, then we are going to get our arses kicked.”

“Oh,
I don’t know.  I’m only a guest here.”