Dangerous Games

by Gillian Godden

  Marias didn’t wake up; he got an infection in his remaining leg, which led to gangrene, and that, too, had to come off. A month later, despite the doctors doing everything they could to save him, he died.

  Annette was secretly pleased; she hadn’t wanted to play nursemaid to her crippled husband. She knew Miriam would have forced her to look after Marias, out of guilt, if not out of love.

  She had loved Marias in her own way, but they had just been so different in their outlook, they were not compatible. Marias enjoyed quiet family life, which was what he was used to, whereas Annette wanted fun and excitement.

  Annette now decided she was not going to be a widow for the rest of her life and live with her in-laws. She started making plans with Carlos, and shortly after Marias’s funeral she approached Miriam and told her she wanted to go back home to be with her family.

  ‘I’ve decided to go back to England, Miriam, there is nothing for me here now. I need a fresh start, this place has too many memories,’ she had said, then put her hands to her face and started to cry. The tears were not for Marias, they were for herself.

  Annette was wearing black again, and would be expected to visit that little church in the vineyard grounds, that Miriam loved so much, and pray for Marias. She had tried to play on Miriam’s sympathy, but it wasn’t working.

  ‘I understand, Annette,’ said Miriam, for the first time seeing her cold-hearted daughter-in-law for what she truly was. She had only ever wanted Marias’s money. She had wanted to extend her holiday into a lifetime of holidays, and didn’t care for anyone but herself. ‘While you’re getting yourself sorted out back in England, why don’t you leave little Antonias here?’ She had just lost her son, she didn’t want to lose her grandson, as well.

  Annette ignored the question about Antonias; she knew he was all Miriam cared about now. ‘I’ll need money,’ she said, ‘to find us both somewhere to live. Did Marias make a will or some sort of arrangement for us?’ She knew Miriam didn’t give a fig about her. As far as her mother-in-law was concerned, Annette could leave without a penny. That wasn’t going to happen, however, and so she persisted. ‘Can I have my share of the vineyard? Surely, I am entitled to something.’ She cleared her throat. ‘Actually, I don’t want the vineyard, just Marias’s money. I am his widow, after all, and I have our son to look after. Antonias, at least, has a share in all of this.’

  Annette was pushing the subject hard, now.

  Miriam nodded. Now she understood. Annette was prepared to sell Antonias to her, he was her bargaining tool.

  Annette knew that if she let the boy stay, should she ever need any more money, she could blackmail Miriam – all she’d have to do would be to get in touch and let her know she was going to take Antonias away from her, and she would pay. Stupid old woman!

  ‘How much do you think you would need, Annette?’ said Miriam. Her voice was calm, although she was sick to her stomach. She knew Annette’s intentions were not honourable. If she had been truly grief-stricken and wanting to go home, Miriam would have understood but, she felt, this was more to do with Carlos than Antonias.

  Both women knew exactly what they were talking about, although neither of them would say the words: Annette would leave Antonias behind for a price.

  ‘Fifty thousand of your English pounds, Annette, is the best I can do for you now. Later, depending on how much your home costs and what your expenses come to, we will talk again.’ Miriam took out her cheque book and wrote out the cheque.

  Annette was disgusted; that wasn’t enough. There was Marias’s share and Antonias’s, too, and this old bitch thought fifty thousand would cover that? More to the point, was that all she thought Antonias was worth?

  Antonias? Annette smiled to herself. That had been her idea, it was the closest way she could think of for both of their names to be joined together for their son, Annette and Marias. No way, thought Annette; she would take the money and Antonias.

  During the night, when everyone was in bed, Annette had gone into the room where the safe was kept. She had watched Marias take money out of it many times and, without him realizing, she had noticed the key code number. She had pretended she wasn’t looking. How else could she have given Carlos money all this time? There was the equivalent of ten thousand pounds in the safe, it was the wages for the workers and the petty cash. She took it all out and stuffed everything into a holdall.

  That done, she had gone into the bedroom where Antonias was sleeping, taken him from his bed and disappeared into the night.

  ***

  ‘Take him, Carlos, he’s heavy.’ Annette was breathing heavily, having carried the holdall and Antonias from the house to the truck on the main road.

  Carlos was not happy that the spoilt brat, Antonias, was going with them. That was certainly not what he had planned. He had tried talking Annette into leaving him behind and Annette had agreed.

  ‘Why have you brought the boy?’ Carlos whispered. ‘Wouldn’t Miriam give you the money?’

  ‘I got it, and more,’ said Annette, trying to appease him. ‘Look.’ Annette opened the holdall and showed him the cash she had taken from the safe; she was pleased when she saw Carlos smile.

  He laid Antonias in the back seat of the truck, kissed Annette, then they jumped in the front and drove off into the night.

  Annette lay her head back on the seat, and smiled. This was the beginning of her new life. She was with Carlos, who had told her many times how much he loved her, and she loved him.

  She had paid that bitch Miriam back for her greed and the inconsideration shown for her needs. She was glad to see the back of the place. This was going to be a whole new adventure.

  She would be back in London, England, where she belonged, no more wines and no more Miriam. Annette laughed to herself. She would love to be a fly on the wall when Miriam discovered that she had gone and taken Antonias with her.

  ***

  Later that morning, Miriam was being served breakfast by one of the maids. She was surprised that little Antonias wasn’t up yet. He always ate breakfast with her and Fredo, and then went to church with his nonna and sat beside her while she prayed. Little sleepyhead, where was he?

  ‘Please go and see if Antonias is awake yet,’ she said to the maid.

  The maid returned after just a few minutes. She was almost too frightened to tell Miriam what she’d found.

  ‘Well?’ said Miriam, when the woman remained silent.

  ‘He’s … he’s not there, Mrs Lambrianu,’ she said. ‘His bed has been slept in, but he’s not there, and he isn’t with Mistress Annette, either. Her bed is empty, too.’

  Miriam and Fredo looked across the breakfast table at each other. Fredo lowered his newspaper and watched his wife jump out of her seat, and run upstairs.

  The maid was right; Antonias wasn’t there. Miriam opened the wardrobes; his clothes were still there, but he wasn’t. She ran into Annette’s bedroom. Her clothes were still there, too, but Miriam noticed that her jewellery box was empty and had been tossed aside.

  Instinctively, Miriam knew exactly what Annette had done. She had gone, and she had taken Antonias with her!

  Miriam went downstairs and was informed by Fredo that the safe was empty. She had taken everything.

  Against Fredo’s wishes, Miriam telephoned the police, desperate to find them. She instructed the maid to ring the large bell outside, to gather as many of the workers as possible to search the land, just in case they were both out there, somewhere.

  Although Miriam feared it was fruitless, she also reckoned anything was worth a try. She was desperate and panic-stricken. More to the point, Annette had double-crossed her!

  Miriam vowed she would find Antonias and bring him home, where he belonged, no matter how long it took.

  The police informed Miriam and Fredo that, apart from the money being stolen from the safe, no crime had been committed. Antonias was Annette’s son, she could do as she pleased where he was concerned. Miriam didn’t tell them about the m
oney she had given Annette.

  The police said they would look for her and arrest her for the theft of the money from the safe, but that was all they could do when they found her.

  Fredo spoke up, then, and insisted he wouldn’t have Annette arrested for the theft. All they wanted was to know that she and Antonias were safe.

  He blamed Miriam as much as he did Annette for entering into this tug of war, fighting and using his grandson as they had.

  He thought that after Annette returned home, she would write to them and inform them of her and Antonias’s whereabouts.

  He wanted to keep the peace; any contact with his grandson was better than none, and Miriam threatening Annette with the police wasn’t going to make her come back.

  Miriam was hot-tempered and acted in haste, whereas Fredo was a mild-mannered man who didn’t want to frighten Annette. She had just lost her husband, she wasn’t thinking straight.

  He assured Miriam that after Annette and Antonias had had a break from everything, they would come back. After all, they only had the money from the safe, and that wasn’t going to last forever.

  Fredo didn’t know that Miriam had given Annette money on the understanding she would let Antonias stay with them. He would have been angry if he had known she was prepared to buy her own grandson.

  For now, Miriam had to admit defeat. She checked the mail every day, in the hope that there would be some news, but none came.

  ***

  A little while later, Miriam sat alone in Fredo’s study; she’d had an idea. Maybe, just maybe, all of Annette’s family were as greedy as her. She searched for Annette’s address book and found it, which meant she had the names and addresses of her family members.

  Annette hadn’t kept in touch with any of them, as far as Miriam knew, apart from the odd Christmas card, but it was better than doing nothing.

  Miriam picked up her pen and started writing letter after letter to the names in the address book. She explained that Annette had been grief-stricken after Marias’s death and, feeling alone in her grief, had wandered off.

  Miriam wrote in her letters that she needed to know that both Annette and Antonias were with them, and safe. She expressed her concern and, more to the point, she offered a reward for any information.

  Miriam felt she had done her best for now; all she had to do now was wait and pray. Surely one of them would take pity on her and write back?

  She was riddled with guilt and felt that what had happened had maybe been of her own doing. Maybe she should have given Annette more money.

  Would she ever see or hear from little Antonias again? Where was he? Was he safe?

  TOGETHER AT LAST

  Life back in London was great. Even the rain felt different. Annette, Carlos and Antonias had booked into a five-star hotel, and spared no expense.

  They were happy together, this was living! Having left without any luggage, they had spent a few days in Rome, before their flight, shopping and buying expensive clothes. Carlos was in his element.

  The hotel offered a childminding service, much to Carlos’s delight, because he was sick of hearing Antonias constantly moaning on about going home to see Grandma, so much so he had been forced to hit him on occasion to shut him up.

  Carlos had talked Annette into banking the cheque immediately, just in case Miriam stopped it. They needed that money to support the lavish lifestyle they were living.

  They both went out every night, drinking and dancing and having fun, leaving Antonias with the childminder.

  Carlos liked the casinos, he liked to flash the cash at the roulette tables. Sometimes he won, sometimes he didn’t, but either way, it was exciting and thrilling.

  Carlos convinced Annette to withdraw all the money from her account and close it. He said that Miriam would be looking for her, especially as she had stolen from them; he said maybe the police were looking for her, too.

  He insisted it was for her own protection – after all, it was Annette who had stolen the money from the safe, they weren’t looking for him – and what would happen to Antonias if she went to prison?

  Annette was frightened, now; maybe she had been too hasty in taking away Antonias from Miriam. She knew full well that Miriam would do her best to find Antonias. It would be better to do as Carlos said and to close her bank account and transfer the money to his. That way, neither of them could be traced.

  The money was dwindling. Carlos’s nights at the casino weren’t helping, and the holdall was empty. Annette convinced Carlos it would be better to rent somewhere in London, and said they could get a nanny to keep Antonias busy, so the boy wouldn’t get under his feet.

  Carlos agreed, although insisted it had to be somewhere befitting his new status. He said he liked the sound of Chelsea. He had heard ‘posh’ people with money lived there.

  He now had fine suits and money in his pockets. Annette and her spoilt brat, who he had to tag along with for sightseeing days out, were beginning to get on his nerves. Annette’s constant nagging about when they should marry also annoyed him.

  Carlos didn’t have any more use for her, and he certainly wasn’t going to be tied down to being Antonias’s father.

  He persuaded Annette to wait a little longer before they married. After all, it was a legal contract, and she could be traced by it. He knew if he frightened her enough, she would agree, and she did.

  He sweetened the deal by saying he would look for a job soon, like he had promised in Italy, when they had been making plans. That would mean they could get better settled, and then he would marry her.

  That seemed to satisfy Annette for the time being, but she was starting to worry. Carlos had brought no money with him, yet demanded only the best. They would have to start putting their plans into action soon or there would be nothing left.

  Annette begged Carlos not to spend so much time at the casinos, but he just went anyway, without her. Why did he need to ask? The money was in his name and in his bank account. She had nothing.

  Now, he had money and fine clothes, so why did he need to saddle himself with a nag and a six-year-old boy, forever wanting his mother’s attention, and making a noise when Carlos was trying to sleep off his hangover? It was time to move on, alone.

  Carlos picked a day when he knew Annette and the nanny would be taking Antonias to a nearby funfair. He told them he didn’t feel well enough to go, but to take their time and enjoy themselves.

  Carlos had withdrawn a thousand pounds from the bank. He put it on the dining table for Annette. Then he packed his clothes, helped himself to Annette’s jewellery, and left.

  When Annette came back, she went to the bedroom, expecting that Carlos would be asleep in there. She opened the door to see if he was awake, but he wasn’t there. Surely he hasn’t gone out already, without me? she thought.

  Antonias was holding the prizes he had won at the funfair and laughing with the nanny. It would soon be time for dinner, and so the nanny started to prepare Antonias’s bath.

  Annette looked around the bedroom. She suddenly felt uneasy, and instinctively she walked to the wardrobes and opened them. All of Carlos’s clothes had gone, and so had her jewellery, and anything else of value in the house.

  She walked back into the dining room to see what else was missing and noticed the thousand pounds on the table. She sat down at the table and wept. A thousand pounds … that was all she had left in the world, and the rent was more than that.

  Carlos, the love of her life, had left her, and her son, homeless. At least he had left her a thousand pounds, she supposed. It crossed her mind to contact Miriam, but Carlos had filled her head with all the trouble she would be in if she was found, and so she dismissed the idea.

  Poor Antonias, she had dragged him away from his home and family. He could speak some English, but his main language was Italian, as he had lived there all his young life. She was the only person he had, and she had let him down.

  She knew Carlos had slapped him when he made a noise and had always re
sented him being there.

  Maybe that was why Carlos had left. It wasn’t that he didn’t love her, it was Antonias’s fault.

  ‘You can have the night off if you want,’ Annette said to the nanny. ‘Carlos is out and I’m just going to have a bath and an early night.’

  She had to get rid of the nanny. Her wages were due and she didn’t intend parting with any more money.

  ‘Thank you, Annette, if you’re sure you can manage.’ The nanny couldn’t believe her luck. Before Annette could change her mind, the nanny picked up her coat, kissed Antonias and left.

  The only thing Annette could do now was pack up their things and move on. She still had some family in London; maybe it was time to visit them, and hopefully they would take her in for a while until she worked out a plan.

  It crossed her mind that maybe Miriam had contacted them already, to find out her whereabouts. But, although she felt dubious about contacting her family, she knew that she had no choice.

  ***

  Annette took Antonias and went to see her brother and his wife. She gave them a sob story about wanting to come home after Marias’s death, but having no money and nowhere to go.

  ‘Do you think we could stay with you, Ben, just until I get sorted out?’ Annette gave her older brother a pitiful look. Ben turned to his wife. Their house was already full, they had two children of their own.

  ‘Okay, Annette,’ he said, ‘but go down to the local housing office and get yourself on their list, and then put yourself on some jobseekers lists and get some benefits. You can stay, but you pay your way.’

  Ben knew Annette, she had always wanted the easy life, and he also knew she had been in London a long time before contacting him. As usual, something had gone wrong.