Deceit of Angels (29 page)

Hollie
had finished school for the holidays and spent most of her time in the garage
where Ben was working on her Wendy house.  But for everyone else, preparations
were made for their trip to the Grange.  They planned to go only five days
after Jason returned from Singapore and two days before Christmas, the twins
joining them when they could.  Ben would leave the same day to spend some time
with his family in Nottingham.  Anna felt excited about visiting the Grange
once more, since it was over three months since she was there last.  Although
Jason had visited his mother regularly with Hollie, Anna had never accompanied
him. 

It was after
lunch on Friday when she decided to call it a day and go into the city to do
some Christmas shopping.  She still had a great deal to buy and had not been
able to decide on anything for Margaret yet.  She also wanted to go to HMV and
buy her sons some vouchers.  It would be easy to pop them in an envelope and
send them.  Anna had now got into the routine of leaving the car in the car
park belonging to Harrington Rhodes.  Since it was a working day the place
would be full, but she always used Jason’s space, a fact she was eternally
thankful for, as there would be no chance of parking in Bristol.

She
manoeuvred the Peugeot into the bay and got out.  She glanced up at the third
floor and saw Graham Rhodes standing at the window.  He raised his hand in a
friendly wave and Anna waved back.  And then she set off to walk the short
distance into the city centre, a matter of five minutes.  Graham watched her
and frowned.

It
had been ten o’clock that morning when his secretary had pointed out a man
sitting in a car just across from the car park.  Graham had kept an eye on him
since then and although he wondered what he was up to, he really couldn’t see
he was doing any harm.  His secretary had thought it very suspicious that he
should be sitting there all that time, but again, Graham and simply shrugged
and said it was a ‘free country’.  But now he felt slightly uneasy.  As Anna
past the end of the road, the man got out of his car and started following
her.  It seemed strange that he should move from his place as soon as Anna
arrived, but in all probability it might be just a coincidence.  Perhaps he
should contact her on her mobile and warn her?  But not wanting to alarm her
and realising she was heading for the busy part of the city centre, to join the
throng of Christmas shoppers, he turned back to his desk.

Anna
didn’t know where to start her shopping.  The streets and shopping centre were
crowded to capacity, people hurrying backward and forwards carrying their
treasures in bags from every possible retailer.  The fairy lights twinkled and
glowed making a colourful display in the shop windows.  Swinging over the road
in a gentle breeze, a cascade of rainbow lights stood out against the darkening
sky.  It looked like it was going to rain and it was bitingly cold.  The rain
might turn to snow and if not, it would definitely turn to ice.  Anna wrapped
her scarf more closely round her and pulled the hat over her ears.  She went
into the Broadmead shopping centre and pushed her way through the heaving mass
of bodies.  She smiled at the faces of the children as they pointed upwards and
laughed at the huge displays hanging from the roof depicting Santa in his
sleigh his bag overflowing with gifts.  The children’s joyful laughter mingled
with the melodious voice of Aled Jones singing
Walking In The Air
from
the sound system.

Anna
bought a few items and then made her way to HMV to buy the vouchers for her
sons.  She lingered long enough to look through the rack of ‘new releases’
since she knew Jason had mentioned a particular one he would like.  She picked
up a case and started reading the index of songs on the back.

“I
don’t think Chris was thinking of that one,” said a cheery voice from her left.

She
turned her head sharply and gasped with surprise, for standing there was the
last person she expected to see.

“What
are you doing here?”

“I
thought I’d surprise you,” said Dave.

“You’ve
come all this way to surprise me?”

“Well,
not on my own.  The boys are with me.”

Anna
nearly dropped the CD case with shock.  “The boys are here?”

“They
certainly are,” he grinned.  

“But
they were coming to visit in a few weeks.”

Dave
nodded.  “Oh, they still are.  This is a special Christmas present for you.” 
Anna quickly looked around as if expecting to see them.  Dave noticed. 
“They’re not here.  They’re back at the hotel waiting for you.”

“How
did you find me?”

Dave
gave her a surprised look.  “You’re not going to believe it but it was pure
chance.  I forgot to pack a shaver and I was buying a new one.” He held up the
Boots bag.  “And then I saw you disappear into this shop.”

Anna
still felt puzzled.  “I don’t understand.  Why didn’t the boys phone me and
tell me they were coming down?”  She pulled her phone from her bag and checked
it for messages.

“They
did, but you weren’t there obviously, so they left a message and the hotel
number.  They hoped you’d phone so that we could all meet up.  The boys can’t
wait to see you.”  

Anna
realised that he must have phoned the house in Bishop Sutton and left a message
with Ben or Mrs Wilby.  Although why they didn’t contact her on her mobile was
a mystery.

“I
don’t wish to sound ungrateful, but why did you come with them?”

Dave
looked down at his feet.  “The boys made me see sense.  I treated you abysmally
and I thought this was a way of making amends.  We could talk about our divorce
with the boys and settle everything before we leave.”

Relief
flooded through her.  “Which hotel are you staying at?”

“The
Marriott.  It’s not far.  I’ve booked a table for a meal so I hope you could
join us.  We can spend the evening catching up on all the news.”

Still
stunned but hardly able to breathe for excitement, Anna allowed him to take her
arm and guide her through the crowds and into the street.  The hotel certainly
wasn’t far since he had chosen one almost in the city centre.  As she passed
through the massive entrance door and into the impressive foyer she marvelled
that Dave had had the enthusiasm or sentiment to accompany the boys.  And to
have a change of mind about their divorce was wonderful.  The boys had worked
wonders.      

Deborah parked
her car and headed for her office.  There was a lot to do before she finished
for the weekend and she was also having dinner at the Marriott Hotel with a
client, so she needed to get home to change.  She was just about to climb the
few steps to the main door when two figures caught her attention.  She looked
closer, squinting against the glare of the Christmas lights.  She recognised
the woman instantly even thought she was shrouded in a thick coat, scarf and
hat.  That was none other than Jason’s sweet little fiancée, but who was with
her?  He was obviously very friendly with her since he placed an arm
protectively round her as they disappeared into the hotel across the road. 
He’s quite a good-looking guy, thought Deborah with disdain.  I wonder if Jason
knows his lover is frequenting hotels with other men?  It would be information
worth remembering for the right occasion.

How Anna wished
that Jason wasn’t in Singapore at that very moment.  How wonderful it would
have been if he could have shared in the surprise.  Dave collected the key from
the receptionist, a fact that puzzled Anna, since surely the boys could have
opened the door?  Shrugging the incident off as unimportant and her face bright
with anticipation, she followed her husband to the lift and soon they were
being whisked to the third floor and then a short walk down a thickly carpeted
corridor took them to the room.  He opened the door and let her go in first. 

She
went in smiling, ready to enfold her sons in her arms once more, after an
absence of five months.  Anna quickly glanced around the room and saw it was
empty and then she heard the door slam behind her.

CHAPTER
THIRTEEN

S
he spun on her heels and confronted her
husband.  “They’re not here, Dave.  What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

He smiled
smugly, threw the key and carrier bag on the table and removed his coat.

“Couldn’t
get you to see sense, so I thought I’d come down and confront you.  You know
what they say about Mohammed and the mountain?”

“I
don’t want to talk to you.  That’s a cruel trick to play on me!  To say Martyn
and Chris are here and it’s all lies.” 

He
stepped closer and she took a step back.  “Don’t talk to me about lies!  That’s
all you’ve done from the very beginning.  A widow indeed!”

“I’m
sorry for doing that.  I should have told the truth, but I wasn’t thinking
straight at the time.”

“Not
a very good excuse for brushing me off as insignificant…or dead.”

“I
needed to get away.  Can you imagine how I felt, never being able to trust
you?”

Dave
walked over to the fridge in the corner.  “You needed to get away?” he mused.  He
took out two small bottles of wine.  “I take it you mean from me?  Take off
your coat and let’s talk it over.”

Anna
remained still for a moment and then decided it would be better to comply than
antagonise him.  She removed her coat, hat and scarf and lay them over a
chair.  Dave poured out two glasses of wine and handed her one and then went to
sit down on the bed.  Anna chose a chair by the door and sipped her drink
gently.

Dave
studied her for a few moments.  “So, you were saying, you felt the need to get
away?”

Anna
nodded.  “I wasn’t…happy…I decided that I’d had enough of your flirting,
cheating ways.  I know you said that woman in the pub wasn’t who I thought she
was, but right from the start I’ve lived a life on the brink…I shouldn’t have
stayed with you in the first place.”

“So,
why did you stay?”

“For
the boys, of course.  How could I break up their home?”

“Not
to mention the comfortable home and life you had.”

“What
are you talking about?”

“I
was a good provider and you didn’t have to go out to work.  All right, I admit
that I had a few affairs, but I told you they meant nothing.”

“I
don’t care that they meant nothing.  The fact that they happened was enough.”

“And
what about your affair with your boss?  Or is it one rule for me and one for
you?”  

His
tone sounded sneering, but when she glanced at him he was taking a drink and
the glass obscured his features. 

“It’s
not the same thing.  I was separated from you when Jason and I started a
relationship.”

“You
didn’t leave me for him?”

“No I
didn’t!  I left you to work in Bristol.”

“I’m
glad about that.  Didn’t like the idea of you going off with another bloke.”

“But
I hadn’t.”  Now that she felt the air was cleared, she started feeling better. 
Surely Dave would understand?

“You’re
not wearing your wedding ring.”

She
took a big gulp of the wine.  “Didn’t seem any point.”

“I
see you’re wearing his ring.  God! He must be rolling in it.  But there again
he’s got his own business.  It’s doing very well too from what I’ve read.”

“Jason
works very hard.”

“Jason
Harrington,” he said quietly.  He rolled the name round on his tongue as if
savouring it.

She
tried to explain, feelings of panic rising up inside her.  “We didn’t mean to
fall in love.  His wife died and he needed my help.”

“His
wife died!  How very convenient.  And I guess you were more than ready to
comfort him.”  He gave a strained laugh and Anna saw the jealousy in his face. 
“Did he still think you a widow then?  How long after starting work for him,
did you feel it necessary to mention your husband?”

“I
told him on my birthday,” she whispered.

Dave
frowned as he made a quick calculation.  “I make that two months!  Goodness,
you can keep a secret!”

“But
he knows now.  And he loves me and I love him.”

“You’ve
got a nerve to get engaged while you’re still married.”

“But
why won’t you file for divorce?  My solicitor is waiting to hear from yours. 
I’ve told you that you can divorce me on grounds of adultery.”

Dave
put down his glass.  “Adultery,” he murmured.  “The very idea of you sleeping
with someone else made me feel sick!”

“How
dare you!  What do you think I went through all those years?  No, Dave, our
marriage is over.  It’s been over a long time and it would be better if we made
it legal.  I want rid of it.”

Anna realised
she had said the wrong thing as Dave’s eyes flashed with anger.

“You
want rid of it!  Is that what you think of our nineteen years together,
something to be rid of!”