Still Waters

by Linda Kavanagh

  “Well, thanks for calling, Fred,” said Hannah, patting his arm. “It means a lot to me – to know that you understand how I feel.”

  “Thanks, Hannah – that’s all I wanted to say.”

  Ivy’s parents had been shocked to discover their daughter was pregnant. Her father had simply grimaced when told the news, but somehow his reaction had hurt the most. Ivy knew she’d disappointed him, and she desperately wanted to get a place at RADA so that she could fulfil his belief in her potential. Besides, she wanted it for herself too.

  “Oh Ivy!” her mother had said sadly. “What about all your dreams of acting? You had so many plans for your future!”

  “I’m still going to try for RADA – I’ll have had the baby and be back on my feet by the time the auditions start.”

  “That’s impossible,” Eleanor said briskly. “You can hardly attend the interviews when you’re eight and a half months pregnant!”

  Ivy gulped. She’d forgotten that she was pretending to be a month later than she actually was. She knew she’d be able to attend the interviews, but no one else did.

  “Sorry, Mum – I guess I got my dates mixed up. Well, I’m going to hope the baby arrives early, so that I can still go. I don’t intend missing a day of school, and I’m going to keep up my dancing and singing lessons too.”

  Her mother was still tut-tutting. “And who’s going to mind the baby? I hope you’re not expecting your father and me to take on an extra child …”

  “No, Mum – Danny and I are going to London as soon as we’ve finished school. Danny’s going to get a job, and he’ll be able to pay for a flat.”

  “And what if you do get a place at RADA? How on earth will you to able to look after a baby? And if you don’t get a place, you’ll need to get a job anyway –”

  “Stop worrying, Mum. We’ll get an au pair or a nanny, or we’ll put the baby in a crèche. Danny and I will sort it out – it’s not your problem.”

  Eleanor looked worried. “Oh dear, I’m not happy about any of this. Your father and I will need to have a talk with Fred and Julia …”

  When the four parents met with Danny and Ivy to discuss their future, the young couple were adamant. Regardless of whether Ivy got a place at RADA, they were going to London after they’d both finished school.

  “Well, in that event, you won’t go penniless,” Fred told them gruffly. “I’ve a few pounds put away, so Julia and I will see you sorted before you go.”

  “Thanks, Mr Heartley,” Ivy said, hugging him.

  “And since you’re going to be my daughter-in-law, I think you’d better start calling me Fred,” he said, his eyes twinkling.

  “Okay, Mr – I mean, Fred,” said Ivy, touched and embarrassed at the same time.

  “Thanks, Dad,” Danny said, his eyes shining. “We really appreciate it.”

  “We’ll give them some money too, won’t we, Peter?” Ivy’s mother said, not wanting to be outdone in the generosity stakes.

  “Of course!” Ivy’s father replied quickly. “You can never have too much money in a place like London.”

  “I’m so thrilled!” said Peggy, leaping up from the Heartleys’ kitchen table and throwing her arms around Ivy. “I’m going to be an auntie! Oh Ivy, you must be so excited!”

  “Well, yes, I suppose so – it’s such a big step, isn’t it? Having a baby, I mean. We didn’t really expect this to happen so soon. I mean, with both of us still being at school.”

  “Oh, I’m sure everything will work out alright. I’ve never seen Danny so happy – you’ve made all his dreams come true!”

  “He’s very special to me, too, Peggy. I’ll do my very best to make your brother happy.”

  “You’ve done that already. When exactly is the wedding?”

  “In about three weeks’ time. It’s going to be a very small affair – but we’re holding a party at the hotel afterwards – and I hope you’ll be my bridesmaid.”

  Peggy jumped up and threw her arms around Ivy again. “Of course – oh thank you! I’ll try to be the best bridesmaid in the world!”

  As Ivy hugged her back, Peggy’s face darkened. “Rosa will be devastated when she finds out you’re pregnant. But you can’t make someone love you, no matter what you do – and Danny’s always wanted you.”

  Ivy grimaced, unsure of what to say. Rosa’s sadness and departure from the town was an added blight on their future. Ivy feared she might always be known as the girl who stole Rosa Dalton’s man.

  Suddenly, Peggy brightened. “Anyway, since you’re having a baby, you know all about sex! What’s it like to do it?”

  Ivy blushed. But at least they’d moved away from the more personal aspects of her situation.

  “Oh, it’s great, especially when you’re in love,” said Ivy, but she was thinking of Joe, rather than Danny. “It’s a wonderful feeling to be as close as you can be to someone …”

  Suddenly Peggy’s expression was wistful. “I wish Joe could be here for the wedding. You and he were such good pals – I’m sure he’d want to wish you and Danny well. Do you think he might come back before then?”

  Ivy felt sick. “I-I don’t know – it would be great, wouldn’t it?”

  I’m a total hypocrite, she thought, loathing herself for the trite words she’d offered poor Peggy, who had no idea her brother was lying dead at the bottom of Harper’s Lake. And I’m doubly a hypocrite, because I’m carrying Joe’s baby, and passing it off as Danny’s. But what else could she do? Her original deception had trapped her in a world of subterfuge from which there was now no escape. She was condemned to lie for the rest of her life, and to the people she loved most in the world. It felt like slow torture, but there was no other choice …

  Chapter 33

  With the two new branches of Betterbuys already doing well, Danny was keen to have a few days of rest and recreation.

  “Let’s go down to Willow Haven soon,” he said enthusiastically, as Ivy arrived home after her first day back on the set of Bright Lights. “I’ll settle for a weekend if you can’t spare any more time.”

  Ivy bit her lip. She was terrified of returning to the village. That had to be where the mystery caller lived, and visiting there would surely put her in his or her line of fire. And with Danny in tow, there’d be no chance of recovering her possessions from the lake. On the other hand, Danny had been very understanding about her trip to South Africa, so she could hardly deny him a weekend with their families.

  “Of course, love – I can manage a weekend. When do you want to go?”

  “Well, the sooner the better, as far as I’m concerned. Why don’t we go next weekend?”

  Ivy nodded and tried to look cheerful. Since Colin hadn’t asked her to work next weekend, she’d no excuse for not agreeing. “Great! Can you collect me from the studios on Friday evening – or would you prefer me to do the driving?”

  Danny shook his head. “No, I’ll collect you. I intend to cosset you this weekend, my lovely wife. You’re looking very tired, so I want you to rest as much as you can.” He looked at her closely. “I thought you’d be rested after South Africa, but you looked exhausted.”

  Ivy smiled back at him. “Having fun was hard work!”

  Nevertheless, she was alarmed that Danny had noticed she was edgy, but thankfully he’d interpreted it as tiredness. “Anyway, there’ll be no chance of resting in Willow Haven,” she added. “It’ll be the usual scrum when we get there – we’ll spend all our time visiting people, and hoping not to offend those we haven’t time to see!”

  Danny shrugged his shoulders. “We don’t have to see anyone we don’t want to.”

  Ivy cocked an eyebrow. Their arrival was always a cause of excitement and gossip. They had found over the years that, although she and Danny gave generously of their time to the community, sometimes being so much in demand was just a pain in the neck.

  Worst of all, the mystery caller would know she was back in Willow Haven. Being a celebrity made it impossible to visit without ever
yone in the village knowing. Of course, even if she wasn’t a star, the village grapevine would soon spread the news anyway.

  Danny squeezed her arm affectionately. “I’ll get dinner ready, love – you go and put your feet up.”

  Ivy nodded gratefully, slipping off her shoes and padding into the drawing room, where she flopped down on one of the large sofas. This house was her domain, and she loved relaxing there in the evenings with Danny. Their home was an eclectic mix of antique furniture and fabrics of various textures and colours, most of them chosen by Ivy herself. She’d always felt safe there, protected from fans and the demands of work. But now, that feeling of safety had gone, since the caller had actually phoned her home while she was in South Africa, and had spoken to Danny. All it needed was for the caller to tell him what she’d done, and her marriage was over.

  Ivy bit her lip. Although she’d insisted to Danny that the caller must be a deranged fan, few fans had ever managed to gain access to their private home phone number before. It was a closely guarded secret, known only to family, friends and people she worked with. Which seemed to point once again to the caller being someone she knew.

  This person had also been clever enough not to risk ringing her mobile phone, since the caller ID might inform her who was phoning. On the other hand, they could simply buy a mobile for the sole purpose of contacting her, so the number would be useless in identifying them anyway.

  Who on earth could it be? Ivy pictured all their friends and acquaintances in Willow Haven, but found it impossible to believe any of them would want to hurt her. Did that mean there was someone in the village who was an even better actor than she was?

  Ivy racked her brains. Could the caller be someone she’d been at school with? Mentally, she ran through the names of all her classmates, and the pupils from the boys’ school who had gathered at the lake during the spring and summer months. Like her, most had left the village long ago. But maybe someone had returned recently? She’d casually ask her mother if any old schoolmates were back. Perhaps one of them had seen her climbing out of the lake on the day Joe died, but hadn’t realised its significance at the time. Later, if they’d discovered the car in the lake, they might have guessed at Ivy’s involvement. If they’d now fallen on hard times – and saw how wealthy Ivy was – they might see benefit in blackmailing her.

  Ivy sighed. But nobody had actually asked for money so far. And why would they have told her to stay away from the lake? Of course, they might be softening her up, terrorising her so much that when they finally made their demands, she’d give them anything they asked for …

  The silence of the drawing room was pleasant after her hectic day on the Bright Lights set, and Ivy lay back and tried to enjoy it. She and Danny had always valued their privacy. Although they could afford a bevy of staff, they didn’t like people in their home when they returned there after a busy day. So all the cleaning and gardening work was done in their absence, and a housekeeper kept the larder stocked and the washing done, and prepared their evening meal from a pre-arranged weekly menu before she went home. Then all they had to do was heat it up or do the minimum of cooking. All of which was designed to ensure that when they relaxed at home together, nothing and nobody was likely to disturb their peace.

  Ivy shivered. But somebody already had. Nowhere was safe from this unknown person, since they’d found her in South Africa and even managed to breach the security of her home. With modern technology, this mystery caller seemed capable of finding her anywhere.

  “Dinner’s ready, love!”

  Ivy smiled, feeling cherished as Danny called from the kitchen.

  “Coming!” she called back, climbing up off the sofa and heading out towards the kitchen. But even as she plastered a bright smile across her face, fear gripped her insides like a vice, and threatened to engulf her again.

  Chapter 34

  Eagerly, Hannah Dalton looked at the letter the postman had just delivered. The envelope was typewritten and postmarked London, so she knew it was from Rosa. Her daughter’s regular letters were always cheerful, filled with stories about the people she shared a flat with, and the people in her office, and already Hannah knew them all by name. She loved hearing all the details of her daughter’s new life in the airline offices. Already, Rosa had been to several West End shows, and had previously regaled Hannah with amusing anecdotes about the performers and patrons.

  At least Rosa was part way towards her dream – she’d always wanted to be a flight attendant, and maybe someday she’d succeed in making the transition from office to airplane. Hannah often wondered if Rosa met any pilots in the office, but she didn’t dare ask. She hoped her daughter would eventually meet someone nice. Danny Heartley was a lovely fellow, but he was going to be married soon and, besides, there were plenty of other fish in the sea.

  Hannah grimaced. Telling Rosa about Danny’s forthcoming marriage to Ivy Morton had been the hardest letter she’d ever had to write. But Rosa’s reply had been upbeat, and Hannah began to feel confident that Rosa was gradually getting over him.

  Tearing open the envelope, Hannah pulled out the typewritten letter, thrilled to see Rosa’s familiar swirling signature at the end of it, followed by a dramatic row of kisses. Hannah imagined her daughter typing it surreptitiously in the office in between her allotted chores, or maybe even during her tea break. On the other hand, Rosa’s boss sounded nice and kind, so he probably didn’t mind her taking a few minutes of work-time to write to her mother.

  Reaching for her reading glasses, Hannah began to scan the page, hungry for every little detail of her daughter’s new life. But suddenly her hand started shaking as she finished the first paragraph. It couldn’t be true – could it? Her little girl had just been selected for training as a flight attendant! Rosa’s dream was finally coming true – clearly, people in the airline had seen her potential. Hannah dabbed her eyes. Now, she didn’t need to ask any embarrassing questions – Rosa would be meeting lots of pilots very soon!

  As Fred swept the aisles of the store, Julia was silently stocking the shelves beneath the counter. Fred felt almost at breaking point, certain that soon other people must notice how coldly Julia was treating him. Indeed, she didn’t treat the customers any better and Fred couldn’t help wondering if her churlishness would drive customers away. He was already worried about the new store that had recently opened on the other side of the village …

  Suddenly, the silence was broken as the shop door was flung open, and Hannah rushed in, her face wreathed in smiles. “I’ve just got a letter from Rosa, and she’s been selected for training as a flight attendant! I knew she was never cut out for office work, and someone in the airline obviously realised that her personality was more suited to –”

  Hannah stopped in mid-sentence, the words dying on her lips. She’d just seen the pain in Julia’s eyes, and realised that her own joy was like a knife in Julia’s heart.

  Hannah’s expression quickly changed. Silently she reached out and squeezed her old friend’s hand.

  “I’m sorry, Julia – that was thoughtless of me.”

  Brusquely, Julia pulled her hand back. “You’ve every right to be happy, Hannah – no point in us both being miserable.”

  Turning her back on Hannah and Fred, Julia began dragging boxes of stock to the back of the shop, and Hannah knew that she was only doing it to hide the fact that she was crying.

  Fred and Hannah caught each other’s eye, both startled and pained by Julia’s admission of her misery. Hannah looked helplessly at Fred, all the joy gone out of her now. She desperately wished she’d curtailed her excitement, or at least had the good sense to express her joy to someone whose child wasn’t still missing. But Peter and Eleanor Morton had been out when she called, and she’d been desperate to tell someone about Rosa’s good fortune.

  “Did you want anything, Hannah?” Fred asked pointedly.

  “Er, no thanks. I’ll –”

  Quickly, Hannah hurried out of the shop. She was embarrassed and
upset, knowing that Fred wanted rid of her so that he could attempt to console Julia in private. But she knew his efforts would be pointless, since Julia didn’t seem to care if she lived or died these days. Hannah felt a spurt of anger – didn’t Julia realise that Fred, Danny and Peggy were hurting too? But she reserved most of her anger for Joe Heartley – how could he put his parents through such torment? Couldn’t he simply write or phone and let them know he was okay?

  Hannah sighed. Young people could be so thoughtless. She felt blessed to have a daughter who kept in regular contact. Maybe that would change when Rosa was flying all over the world, but Hannah doubted it. Rosa could be volatile and attention-seeking, but she’d never put her mother through the agony that Joe Heartley was causing his parents.

  Hannah also knew that her friendship with Julia had effectively been severed that day. Never again would they share confidences over a cup of coffee, or giggle together like schoolgirls about something they’d read in a magazine. Julia was lost, and Hannah felt powerless to help her. The only one who could save her was her eldest son.

  Under her breath, Hannah whispered a silent prayer: “Oh Joe, please come back – we’re all suffering because of what you’ve done.”

  Chapter 35

  During their weekend in Willow Haven, Ivy and Danny fell into their usual pattern, whereby Danny slept in his old room at the Heartley home, and Ivy stayed with Eleanor and Peter. This enabled them to spend time with their own families, but they effectively lived between the two houses, taking breakfast in one house and dinner in another, so they were never apart for long.

  Ivy enjoyed spending time with her parents and on this occasion they were keen to hear all about her trip to see Owen.

  “We haven’t seen you since you were in South Africa!” Eleanor said, making it sound like an accusation. “Now, come and sit down by the fire and tell us all about it!”

  Peter nodded. “We couldn’t believe it when you phoned to tell us Owen had got engaged.”