Deceit of Angels (42 page)

Fran
appeared, a look of complete horror spreading across her face when she saw him
standing outside the door.

“Why’s
this room locked?” he asked.

She
came to stand beside him, staring at the door as if she had never seen it
before.

“Madam
must have done it.”

“But
why?”

Fran
shrugged.  She wasn’t very good at making up stories.  Suddenly she remembered
when the morning room had been locked during its renovations for the wedding
ceremonies and Madam’s instructions then.

“Because
it’s been painted and there’s ladders and equipment all over the place.  And we
don’t want people to go in and trip over and have an accident,” she mimicked,
smiling in triumph that she sounded just like Mrs Harrington.

Jason
raised his eyebrows in surprise.  “Got the key?  I’d like to see what they’re
doing.”

“Madam’s
got key,” she murmured, shaking her head.

He
grunted in frustration and decided to give up.  At the bottom of the stairs he
met Sophia just coming through the door that led to the stairs down to the
kitchen. 

“Where’ve
you been?”

She
gave him a bright smile.  “Been talking to Irene.  She’s making you a wonderful
meal.”  She didn’t wait for further comment but skipped across the marble floor
to the main door.  Jason followed her outside into the bright sunshine,
completely forgetting why he had gone inside in the first place.

Sophia
was right and the meal was wonderful, but Jason felt the need to bring up the
subject of Anna’s room.

“The
door was locked.  Why is that?”

Margaret
shrugged nonchalantly.  “Thought it needed decorating.  And I didn’t want
anyone going in there and getting hurt.  Ladders and things.”  She was grateful
that Fran had told her about her son’s curiosity.

“May
I see what you’re doing?”

“Oh,
it’s a mess at the moment.  Perhaps after it’s finished.”

Jason
took a sip of his wine.  “The morning room looks lovely.  The white material on
the walls is very effective.”

“Oh,
that was Ann…another good idea from Sarah.”  She quickly took a drink of
water.  “She’s got quite a knack for interior design.  Should have taken it up
as a career.”

Jason
watched his mother keenly.  She seemed to have developed a stammer, although he
knew that normally she was a very articulate woman.  He also noticed that Nigel
cast her a warning glance.  He narrowed his eyes.  There was something going on
at the Grange and it seemed he wasn’t in on the secret.

CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN

“H
e’s
still hurting terribly,” said Sophia, as they drove home after a night out at
the theatre.

“You’re
right there.”

“And
I don’t think he’s doing very well at Harrington Rhodes.”

“What
makes you think that?”

“A
little bird told me that he’s losing business.  He’s not winning the contracts
like he used to.”

Nigel
blew out a breath.  “Well, that state of affairs can’t go on for too long.”

“So,
I think you should tell him!”

“Why
me?”

“He
can’t carry on the way he is.  He needs to know about Anna and the baby.”

“And
how will that help him?”

“At
least he’ll know the truth.  It’s terrible keeping him in the dark like this.”

“But
that’s how Anna wants it.  And I ask again, why me?”      

“Because
you can have one of those ‘man to man’ chats.”

“No,
I can’t!  I was told in confidence, as you were.  It’s unethical to go around
breaking client’s confidences.”

Sophia
thought for a moment.  “You’re dealing with Anna’s divorce and that has no
bearing on what happened to her.  So, you’ll not be breaking a confidence.”

“Well,
that’s cockeyed reasoning for you!  And besides she told me as a friend as well
as a solicitor and that still makes it a confidence.”

She
sniffed in disgust.  “I can’t tell him.  I’m her counsellor.  And you’ve known
Jason a lot longer than you’ve known Anna.  Doesn’t your friendship with him
mean anything?”

Nigel
shook his head in exasperation.  “Why don’t you send him an anonymous letter? 
From a ‘well wisher’ or ‘interested friend’.”

“Don’t
be facetious!”  She paused before adding, “I’ve invited him to dinner next
week.”

“Oh,
joy!  I shall look forward to that!”

“Let’s
see what happens then.”  She lit up a cigarette and sighed.  “So much for
trying to give it up.  But there’s always next year.”

The evening was
very pleasant, as it always was when he visited Nigel and his family.  His last
two business trips had brought about a modicum of success.  He had won the
contracts but only just.  He felt confident that the next few would be a lot
easier.  His life was getting easier now that he had established a routine of
living from one day to the next and not thinking too far into the future.  As
for the offer from the American company?  He had managed to persuade Graham to
put that on hold for the time being.

“How’s
your new secretary doing?” asked Nigel, as he poured Jason another glass of
wine.

“Oh,
Natalie.  She’s fine.  She gets on with her work and then rushes home at the
end of the day.”

“Doesn’t
like putting in the extra hours, then?”

“No,
she likes to be gone as soon as she can and she can’t do Saturdays.  But I took
her on with that understanding.  I can’t expect any more from her since she has
a family to care for.”

“Very
different from Anna, who left her husband to work for you,” said Sophia sharply.

Jason
peered at her over his wineglass.  He had never seen her so tense.  “But Anna
lied to me about her husband.  And unfortunately, she couldn’t stop lying.”  He
gave a sigh.  “I’m glad she’s gone back to Wakefield!”  He thought that if he
said it enough times he would eventually convince himself of the truth.

“But
Anna isn’t…!” she started.

“Sophia!”
interrupted Nigel.  Sophia started at the angry tone of her husband and even
Jason gave him a sidelong glance with surprise.  In all the years he had known
the couple, he had never heard either of them speak harshly to one another. 
Sophia rose from her seat and Jason could see tears in her eyes, a fact that
also made him look on in amazement since she had always seemed a woman not
given to emotional outbursts.  She left the room hastily.  “Sorry about that,”
said Nigel, giving a grimace.  “I’ll go and see if she’s OK.  Won’t be a
minute.”

“Take
as long as you need,” said Jason.  Somehow it seemed comforting to see another
man suffering strife in his relationship and although Jason wouldn’t have
wished it on anyone, it made him smile that he was not the only one in the
world with problems.  But then his thoughts went back to Sophia and her
outburst.  Why did he get the impression that her tears came from frustration,
rather than emotional upset?  Nigel was gone ten minutes and returned rather
subdued.  He took his seat next to Jason and poured himself another glass of
wine.  He offered some to Jason, who declined politely.  “How is she?”

“Angry
with me.”

Jason
threw back his head and started laughing.  “The trials and tribulations of
married life.  Don’t I know it well!”

Nigel
shook his head.  “We’ve had our spats in the past but not like this one.”

“It
must be bad.  I know it’s none of my business, but if you want a friendly ear…”
said Jason, smiling.

Nigel
studied him for a few seconds.  “Actually, the argument is about you and
whether we should break a confidence.”

Jason
frowned.  “That’s a tough decision.  However, if it’s about me, then I’d rather
know.”

“I
thought you might say that.  Sophia believes you ought to know about a certain
someone and that I should be the one to tell you.”

Jason
shuffled uncomfortably in his chair.  “If you’re talking about Anna, then it’s
not really a topic I would care to discuss.”

“And
I understand that.  But you know my wife!”

Jason
took a sip of his wine, nodded and placed his glass carefully on the table. 
“Then let me make this easier for you since I wouldn’t want to come between you
and your wife.  You’ve both been worried about me since Anna and I parted and I
appreciate that.  I imagine that the ‘confidence’ you’ve heard is the fact that
I accused her of having an affair and you want to assure me that Anna couldn’t
possibly have behaved that way since it isn’t in her nature.”

Nigel
frowned.  “You think Anna had an affair?”

Jason
raised his eyebrows in surprise.  “Oh, it’s not about that, then?  Well, I
don’t think she had an affair, I jolly well know she did!  And nothing will
convince me otherwise, so don’t even try!”  He reached for his wineglass and
nearly tipped it over with his shaking hands.

Nigel
sat back in his chair.  “Why did you think she was having an affair?”

“Because
I can read the signs.”

“And
the signs are…?”

Jason
thought his friend was becoming irritating.  “I asked her if she’d met someone
else and she couldn’t give me a straight answer.  And she couldn’t look me in
the eye.”

“And
you built your case round that information only?  I’m glad you’re a shipping
agent and not a solicitor.  You would be sending innocent folk to prison every
day!”

“Ah,
but I had a star witness.”

“Who?”

“I’d
rather not say.  But this person saw…” Jason took another gulp of wine and
tried to steady himself.  “Saw Anna going into the Marriott Hotel with a man. 
And leaving quite a long time later.”  He turned his face away, so that Nigel
couldn’t see the pain in his eyes.

“Did
you establish the identity of this man?”

Jason
turned back and cleared his throat.  “Does that matter?”

“She
might have met a friend and just gone to have a drink with him.”

Jason
shook his head slowly.  “That’s what I said until I discovered she was seen
coming out of the lift leading to the bedrooms.”

Silence
followed as Jason tried to control his emotions.

“Did
your star witness tell you that this man could have been a family member from
her home town?” said Nigel softly.

Jason
put down his glass and stared at his friend.  “A relative?”

Nigel
nodded.  “And somehow he managed to track her down.”

“Track
her down!  What on earth are you talking about?”

“In
my experience an irate husband is very cunning at finding a missing wife, hence
the hundreds of injunctions I have to apply for each year.”

These
revelations made Jason’s head swim.  “You’re saying this man could have been
her husband?”  Nigel made no comment.  “And he came to Bristol and…found
her!”   He gasped with shock.  “But she wouldn’t go to a hotel with him.  She
hated him and I know she was afraid of what he might do.” 

Nigel
took in a breath, feeling uncomfortable and yet knowing this was for the best.  He
began to tell Jason everything and Jason listened, leaning forward in his
chair, his elbows resting on the table.  When Nigel came to Anna’s ordeal at
the hands of her husband, Jason felt himself shaking, his heart beating in his
throat.  He leaned on one elbow and slowly cupped his hand round his mouth, as
if to stifle the cry that was erupting inside him.  At the conclusion, Nigel
took a sip of wine and kept silent.  Jason found he couldn’t speak, his mind
filled with memories of his return from Singapore and the fact that, for a
while, Anna had changed towards him.  She was so tense and nervous that he knew
something was terribly wrong. 

“My
wife’s been counselling her,” Nigel said, breaking into his horrified
thoughts.  “Sophia is very good at her job.  Sometimes she must hear worse
things than I do.”

Jason
found his voice.  “Why didn’t Anna tell me?”

Sophia
appeared in the doorway.  “Because women who are raped are also brutalised into
believing that those they love will be hurt if they speak out.”  She took a
seat at the table.  “And if anything keeps them quiet that does.”

“He
threatened her sons?  That’s despicable.” 

Sophia
nodded.  “Not physical violence you’ll understand.  The simple fact that their
father might be arrested and sent to prison is an awful burden for a young
person to have to carry.  Anna didn’t want to lay that on their shoulders.”

Jason
gave a low moan and sank back into his chair.  “Oh, Lord!  I was thousands of
miles away!  I wasn’t there to help her.  And then I go and accuse her of
having an affair, after all she’d been through!”

“But
as you say, she kept it from you,” said Nigel.

Jason
reached out for his wine and gulped it down.  “I would have insisted on calling
the police and that would have been the last thing she wanted.”  His ideas were
turning, as he became oblivious to the people sitting with him.  “I must find
her and tell her that I know and that I’m so sorry for behaving the way I
did.”  He shook his head in frustration.  “But I don’t know where she went.  I
assumed she went back to live with her mother in Wakefield.”  Nigel and Sophia
exchanged wary glances.  Jason noticed.  “Oh, come on you two!  Is there
something else?”