Mara's Choice

by Anna Jacobs

  If you asked him, the old guy was acting stupidly, but he paid well.

  Enrico listened to the man’s report and dismissed him for the day. When they were alone, he said to Diana, ‘I will definitely find a way to get Kendrell out of that house. You’ve disappointed me, Diana.’

  ‘I can’t perform miracles. Is it worth it, Enrico? I can find you other canal houses to look at, bigger and better ones.’

  ‘I’ve tried renting one you recommended. It’s too noisy on the main canals. My wife might have liked that but I didn’t. Now she’s dead, I’m determined to get that one, with those particular views and situation. I don’t enjoy the non-stop drone of boat engines passing. If that fool poet hadn’t sneaked in and bought it for cash, I’d have got that house at a good price two years ago.’

  ‘The poor woman had cancer.’

  ‘Why do you think I held back on driving her out? No one can say I’m not generous. I guessed she wasn’t well because you could see the transparent look on her face, and when I got someone to check up on her, I found I was right. So I waited. I didn’t expect her to last that long, I must admit. Now she’s gone, I no longer need to hold back.’ His voice grew harsher. ‘As I’ve said to you before, I always get what I want in the end, whatever it costs.’

  Diana hoped he hadn’t seen her shiver. She concentrated on her drink. He was speaking like a reasonable man today but since he’d lost his wife, he’d done some strange and reckless things, as if he believed himself above the law.

  She’d known him for years, because he was a family friend. She’d always been a little afraid of him, even though he’d never turned his anger on her. Now, well, if he told her to go on pestering Kendrell to sell, she wouldn’t dare refuse.

  What the hell was he planning to do, though? If only his wife were still alive. She would have reined him in. No one else could, certainly not Diana.

  Emma went to the hospital that evening to visit her daughter. She could see a difference in Peggy even as she hesitated in the doorway and relief flooded through her. ‘You look a bit better today, love.’

  ‘I’m feeling a bit better, Mum. They’re not trying to make me eat fattening rubbish here.’

  Emma bit back an angry response to that because she considered she provided her family with healthy meals, not rubbish. Whatever it took, she told herself, reining back her annoyance.

  She offered Peggy the little gift-wrapped parcel she’d brought. ‘This is for you.’

  ‘It’s not food, is it? I’m not allowed to eat anything unless they’ve checked it.’

  ‘They already asked me what was in the parcel and approved its contents. If you unwrap it, you’ll find out what it is.’

  This time when she held it out, Peggy took it and unwrapped it slowly and carefully, keeping the paper intact as she always tried to do.

  ‘Oh! Oh, they’re adorable.’ She held up the pair of fluffy white booties, then rubbed them against her cheek. ‘Imagine a creature with feet this small.’

  ‘You had feet that small once.’

  ‘I suppose so, but I don’t remember it.’ She gave her mother a tearful smile. ‘That’s a perfect present. I shall enjoy looking at them.’

  ‘And gradually building up a collection of starter clothes. We used to call it a layette. Do people still use that term?’

  ‘I’ve not noticed it being used much by my friends.’

  They chatted for a while, then Sarisha came into the room. ‘Peggy needs to sleep now, Mrs Buchanan. I’ll walk you out, shall I?’

  ‘Look what Mum brought me.’ Peggy held out the bootees.

  ‘Charming. And useful.’ The nurse gave Emma a nod of approval.

  The two women stopped at the entrance to the special unit.

  ‘She has a good chance of coming through all right,’ Sarisha said. ‘I get a feel for who is more likely to beat this horrible, senseless obsession, and she’s a survivor. I’d guess the thought of the baby will spur her on if she falters.’

  ‘Thanks for telling me that.’

  ‘I shouldn’t have done, really, but you’ve been looking so worried. I will remind you, though, that nothing is ever totally certain.’

  ‘You’re right that I’m worried sick about her. I do hope you’re right about the whole situation. We shall look forward to having her back home with us.’

  ‘That won’t be for a while. The hard thing is to keep patients on track when they go home after the first steps have been taken in hospital. It’s never easy. There is a residential hostel that could help Peggy through the next stage but it’s not a free service so you’d have to pay for it. She might prefer to go there first.’

  ‘Money doesn’t matter. We’re not short of it. It’s getting her better that counts, even if we have to send her to Timbuctoo riding on a camel.’

  Sarisha laughed. ‘I don’t think you’ll need to go to such extremes. Do you have a business card? Thank you. I’ll email you a link to the relevant information about the hostel.’ She slipped it into her pocket, gave Emma another of those friendly nods and walked away.

  Emma continued out of the hospital, feeling weary now. She’d have an early night, would perhaps be able to rest more easily.

  An hour later, Sarisha came to the door of Peggy’s room again, looking annoyed. ‘There’s a very bad-mannered man in the foyer demanding to see you. Says his name is Mike Cruikshank.’

  ‘Oh, no! That’s my ex.’

  ‘Do you want to see him?’

  She didn’t have to think about it; she’d already decided. ‘Definitely not. Can you send him away?’

  ‘I shall be delighted to do that.’

  Peggy heard shouting in the distance and when Sarisha returned, the older woman’s clothing and hair looked a bit untidy, as if she’d been involved in a physical struggle.

  ‘Your ex was very determined to see you. We had to call security to get him out of the hospital.’

  ‘He can be rather pushy when he’s angry, but I’d never have expected him to go so far.’

  ‘Well, we can be very determined when it comes to looking after our patients. He’s barred from even coming into the hospital now for a full month and his photo is on record.’

  ‘Oh, good.’

  Peggy snuggled down but she didn’t sleep well that night. She was surprised at how worried she was about what Mike would do next. How had he found out? She’d guessed he’d go mad at the thought of her having his child. Now, she was suddenly afraid he’d come after her and try to force her to get rid of it. As if she would ever do that!

  Why had she not taken fully on board what a selfish pig he was before? How had he dazzled her for so long? Her own behaviour seemed totally incomprehensible now. No, not quite. She blushed, all on her own in hospital, at the memory of how good he was in bed.

  She wouldn’t fall for that again, but how would she keep him away from her once she got out of here? He didn’t grow angry often, but could be rather frightening on the rare occasions when he did.

  She would, she decided, ask Sarisha’s advice about that tomorrow. And perhaps her father’s advice too once he returned from the eastern states.

  She fell asleep clutching the bootees and when she half woke up a couple of times, she found their soft fluffiness a great comfort.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The following day, the car Emma had hired for Mara was delivered and she had her first drive in Australia by going slowly up and down the street and then, feeling rather daring, she went round the nearby streets as well.

  The car was easy to drive and comfortable but she couldn’t get the satnav to work. Even if she’d had one, she’d have felt a little nervous about driving too far on her own the first time, in case she broke the law without realising it.

  She was dying to see more of Western Australia than the town of Mandurah, but with only her phone’s satnav to guide her, it would be a bit difficult because she couldn’t fiddle with it while driving. What’s more she had no knowledge of where might be
a good place to head for.

  When she went back into the house, she saw Hal sitting on his patio staring into space, looking sad. Emma had gone out again, leaving another of her apologetic notes, so Mara asked him if he had time to come out with her in the car for an hour or so, just in case she ran into any situations where she didn’t know what to do.

  To her delight, his face lit up and he accepted at once. ‘Mind you, I don’t know Western Australia either but I did check out the driving rules while I was on the plane and I can check where we are on my phone.’

  With him beside her she felt better and after the first few minutes, she was driving more confidently. They wound up going further than they’d first intended, ending up at a seaside suburb called Cottesloe.

  ‘This place looks nice,’ he said when she stopped by the side of the road.

  They studied the map. Cottesloe was on the coast north of the port of Fremantle and quite a way from the centre of Perth, which was inland from its port.

  ‘If we go a little further along this road and turn left, there appears to be a car park overlooking the beach,’ he said. ‘It’s past noon and I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. I didn’t bother with much breakfast.’

  ‘I’m hungry too and I did have a good breakfast.’

  When they reached the car park and got out, she pointed to one side. ‘That café is in a prime position with sea views. Let’s grab a coffee and a scone.’

  ‘No, let’s have a proper lunch. My treat. And let’s switch our phones off. I don’t feel like being interrupted when I’m enjoying your company.’

  ‘Good idea. I don’t like the way a lot of people interrupt conversations to answer their phones. It’s just plain rude, if you ask me.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘It’s still night in the UK so Dad won’t be calling me and he’s the only one who matters to me.’

  ‘It must feel strange to have another father turn up.’

  ‘Very strange indeed. Aaron seems nice, though.’

  ‘I get that impression too. Does he feel like a father, though?’

  She shook her head. ‘No. More like an uncle or a family friend. No one can replace my dad.’

  As they sat and chatted over their meal, they watched families playing on the beach and Mara felt glad she’d taken her father’s advice and not rushed off back to England again. She’d only be sitting inside the house because winter was coming on fast over there.

  This was everyone’s dream of a glorious holiday down under: a sunny day sitting near pale golden sands with a sparkling blue sea in the background where surfers were frolicking. Aaron and Emma had been afraid to let her go for walks at first in case she got sunburnt but she was getting a nice light tan now and knew to put block-out on and wear one of Emma’s sun hats.

  Once again she and Hal were getting on like a house on fire. She wished she wasn’t only here temporarily or that he was still living in England. She wished … No, leave it, Mara, she told herself. Just accept what is and enjoy the moment.

  After a leisurely lunch they set off home. She was sorry when they arrived and Hal left her, even more so when she found another note propped up on the kitchen bench, saying that Emma had gone out again to visit Peggy at the hospital and would be calling on an old friend afterwards for a chat and catch-up, as previously arranged, so not to wait for tea with her.

  The fridge still contained lots of fresh food that wouldn’t keep much longer, so on impulse Mara went next door to invite Hal round for a meal. Since he wasn’t outside or visible inside, and there was no response when she knocked, she went back into her own house, feeling disappointed.

  There she hesitated. Perhaps he didn’t want to spend any more time with her so hadn’t answered. Or perhaps he had simply not heard her knocking. In a fit of what-the-hells she decided to go round and invite him. He could only say no after all. She went the front way this time and used the doorbell, which had a nice loud peal.

  He answered almost immediately, looking surprised to see her.

  She could tell what he was thinking. ‘I tried the patio entrance but there was no answer.’

  ‘Sorry about that. I was upstairs in my bedroom and I’m afraid I didn’t hear you knocking.’

  He waited for her to say what she wanted, head on one side and a lovely smile on his face now. That smile gave her the confidence to ask, ‘Would you like to come round for tea?’ When he hesitated, she added quickly, ‘We’ve still got plenty of leftovers, you see, but if you’re tired, it doesn’t matter.’

  ‘It’s you I was thinking of, actually. You’re sure you’re not too tired to cook after your great Australian driving adventure today?’

  She couldn’t help chuckling. ‘I didn’t promise you a fancy gourmet meal. I don’t think I could even make one.’

  ‘A simple meal will be fine. I don’t need bribing to enjoy your company, as you may have noticed.’

  He paused and the air seemed suddenly charged with emotional electricity, or whatever you liked to call an attraction of two people for one another. There was no mistaking it, even in the early stages like now.

  For a moment or two all they did was stare, then he shook his head, looking like a dog shaking off water. ‘You’re sure Emma won’t mind me coming round?’

  ‘Certain. Some of the food can’t be frozen.’

  Hal swept her a mock bow. ‘Then I accept your kind invitation with great pleasure. What time?’

  ‘As soon as you like. Since we’ll only be having something simple, it might be fun to prepare it together.’

  ‘It might indeed. Just let me get online and go through my messages, then I’ll come across via the patio and bring a bottle of wine.’

  As Mara was walking back to her front door, she noticed that the large black car with darkened windows was there again, the one that had been parked down the street yesterday when they were watching the real estate agent leave. It wasn’t on the driveway of a house and there were few cars parked on the street itself because, unlike the cluttered streets in England, there was plenty of space for visitors to park on people’s drives.

  It seemed strange to see it there two days running and she could tell that there was once again a bald man sitting inside it.

  When she got inside, she forgot about it as she investigated the contents of the fridge and freezer for a few more bits and pieces.

  She would make something that could be eaten cold as a way of repaying Emma: a prawn salad for starters with a simple chicken and vegetable risotto perhaps as the main course. Her stepmother might be relieved to find a meal ready when she got back, unless she’d already eaten with her friend. The risotto could always be eaten with a salad the next day.

  On her way into the hospital, Emma wondered what she could take as a little cheer-you-up present for her daughter today. Nothing edible, of course.

  She veered across to the kiosk and in the end chose a book by one of Peggy’s favourite authors from the display in the foyer. Even if her daughter had read this one, she might like to read it again out of sheer boredom.

  Emma couldn’t help staring at a man sitting by himself in one corner because he was wearing a highly unflattering grey wig that looked well past its use-by date. What an idiot! He’d look far better bald. He seemed to be trying to hide behind a newspaper, but didn’t realise that his profile was reflected clearly in a window to one side of that row of seats. Something about him seemed familiar so she studied him more closely.

  It wasn’t – it couldn’t be – yes, it was! Her daughter’s ex. But hadn’t Sarisha phoned to tell them Mike been banned from entering the hospital after his behaviour yesterday? How had he found out about the baby anyway? What was he doing here today, and in that pitiful disguise?

  Her heart sank. There could only be one reason: he was determined to see Peggy. Well, if he thought he could sneak into her daughter’s room and bully her into getting rid of his baby, he was in for a shock. She wasn’t surprised that her daughter had gone over the top about the baby
, however, because that was how Peggy usually tackled life.

  Emma tried not to let her eyes linger on him and pretended to concentrate on the revolving stand of books, taking out the one she’d been thinking of buying and holding it up to conceal her face as if she was reading the blurb on the back cover.

  But she remained very much aware of what he was doing and when the security guard turned to speak to someone, Mike got up and walked quickly towards the back of the foyer. She knew that led only to the lifts so she barely hesitated but dumped the book back on the stand and followed him.

  He stopped in front of the row of lifts, so she waited out of sight behind a water cooler. When he got into a lift she watched the indicator to see which floor he got out at.

  The lift went straight to the top. Oh dear! That was the floor where the special unit was situated.

  She turned round and ran back into the foyer, relieved to see the security officer still standing at his post near the entrance. She gasped out her tale, ending, ‘You have to stop him harassing my daughter. She’s pregnant as well as having some problems due to anorexia.’

  He fiddled with his phone and showed it to her. ‘Is this him?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Perhaps you’d come up to that floor with me, Mrs Buchanan? We must hope the nurses on duty will stop the man getting into the unit.’

  He pulled out a small control device and they walked briskly across to the lifts. He used the device to commandeer the end lift. The people who were waiting automatically started moving towards it, but he had only to say, ‘There’s a security problem, I’m afraid,’ for them to jerk hurriedly away.

  Emma got into the lift with him, feeling tense and desperately hoping the nurses had managed to stop Mike from getting to her daughter.

  When Mike got out of the lift he saw a nurse standing nearby so looked up at the signs and then moved past her towards the other wards.