Still Waters

by Linda Kavanagh

  As she kissed Peggy’s cheek, Ivy also hoped that she and Peggy would remain friends even after she and Danny divorced.

  “Poor Dad,” Peggy whispered. “He waited all his life for Joe to come back. But I don’t think he ever will, do you?”

  Ivy gave a noncommittal shrug of her shoulders.

  Peggy scrunched up her face, and Ivy could see that she was getting angry. “If Joe ever dares to come back now, he won’t be welcome here – not after all he’s put our parents through! I’ll personally show him the door – I can’t believe he could be so cruel!”

  Ivy hugged her again, because she couldn’t think of anything to say.

  “You know, I’m sure Dad got cancer because of all the worry over Joe’s disappearance,” Peggy confided. “He was never right after Joe left. It wouldn’t surprise me if all the pain he kept inside him turned into tumours. Some people say there’s a cancer personality, you know.”

  Ivy nodded, but inside she wanted to scream. Dear God, she thought, am I also responsible for Fred’s death? Sometimes the guilt she carried was almost too much to bear.

  The following morning, everyone in the village gathered in the tiny church to mourn Fred Heartley. Many people’s thoughts turned to Joe once again, and how he’d never returned to Willow Haven. There was now an undercurrent of relief, because people felt his father was finally at peace.

  A frail Hannah Dalton insisted on attending, accompanied by Ivy’s parents, who walked on either side of her, gripping her tightly to prevent her falling. Her skin was taut and yellowed, and she looked as though she might collapse at any time. People looked at her, embarrassed; it was obvious they were wondering how long it would be before they’d be attending her funeral. But Hannah was determined to make her way up the aisle of the church, and aided by Eleanor she placed a bunch of flowers from her garden on Fred’s coffin.

  Leaning on Eleanor as she turned to make her way back to her seat, Hannah walked past the front pew where Danny and Ivy were sitting. Danny looked quizzically at her, then sat bolt upright. He turned to Ivy, an incredulous look on his face.

  “Good God – is that Hannah?” he hissed. “What on earth has happened to her? She looks dreadful!”

  Ivy shrugged her shoulders. “She’s got cancer too.”

  “Jesus! I hardly recognised her! How long have you known? Why didn’t you tell me? Maybe I could have done something to help!”

  Danny looked almost in tears, and for a moment, Ivy felt a surge of affection for her husband. He’d always been fond of Hannah.

  “You know how she hates anyone fussing over her,” Ivy replied. “She didn’t want anyone to know.”

  “But you knew! Besides, I’m not anyone – I’m your husband! Surely you could have told me?”

  Ivy said nothing. How dare Danny presume she should have told him? How dare he assume that being her husband made him a worthy recipient of her confidences, while all the time he was conducting his own secret affair with Hannah’s daughter? The gall of him!

  It also occurred to Ivy that since Danny now knew about Hannah’s cancer, he’d be able to tell Rosa. In fact, if Rosa came back to Willow Haven anytime soon, it would be further proof of Danny’s affair with her.

  Nevertheless, Ivy was still determined to confront Rosa, and to find out what was going on in the upstairs flat in Hampstead. Why had Mrs Brampton originally confirmed that Rosa lived there, but the second time she’d been evasive about her? And why would Danny need a tenant in the house? He certainly didn’t need the money. Did Mrs Brampton act as some kind of cover for his and Rosa’s clandestine activities?

  The answer had to lie in that upstairs apartment. If she could just get in there, she’d be able to get proof, once and for all, that Danny was cheating on her. Assuming the flat was a love nest, she’d take photographs and confront him with them before demanding a divorce.

  Ivy envisioned the upstairs apartment with plush red sofas and a big four-poster bed, where Rosa strutted her stuff in suspender belt and stiletto heels. Maybe she and Danny used sex toys? Ivy had always found the idea quite tawdry. Her sex life with Danny had always been wholesome and straightforward, and they’d never felt the need for anything else. But maybe Danny had tired of their routine coupling and decided he needed something more?

  Ivy shivered involuntarily, and Danny reached for her hand, squeezing it gently. Seeing the tender expression on his face as he looked at her, Ivy could almost forget that he was cheating on her. This was the old Danny, the Danny she still loved, and she found herself smiling back at him. Then she felt angry with herself and snatched her hand away. There was no such thing as the old Danny, because even then he’d been cheating on her.

  As people prepared to leave the church for the cemetery, Ivy and Danny left their pew and along with Joseph, Peggy, Ned and family, led the crowds of mourners out into the sunshine. Ivy made an effort to put her own problems aside and concentrate on how the Heartley family were feeling. Right now, there weren’t many of them left – only Danny and Peggy represented the present generation. And Joseph would be the only one to carry the Heartley name into the next generation, since Peggy’s children had taken Ned’s surname.

  Outside the church, Ivy and Peggy silently hugged each other again, finding solace in each other’s warm embrace.

  After the cemetery, family and friends made their way to the local hotel, where a buffet lunch was available in the lounge, courtesy of the Heartley family.

  Being in the village hotel again brought back bittersweet memories for Ivy. The bar was just across the corridor from the conference room where Joe’s eighteenth birthday party had taken place. Her own wedding reception had also been held there, and she recalled how Danny had been the only person who was happy that day. Or had he been? As soon as they’d got to London, he’d obviously started bedding Rosa once again. Would Joe have cheated on her if they’d married? Ivy doubted it. Their relationship hadn’t been flawed in the way hers and Danny’s had been right from the very start.

  And Brian – dear Brian – even when he learned the truth about what she’d done, he hadn’t turned against her. Momentarily, Ivy allowed herself to daydream about what might have been. She closed her eyes and imagined the touch of his lips on hers, his strong tanned arms around her, and she wished more than anything that they’d made love that night in her room in South Africa. Maybe when she and Danny divorced, she’d go back to Siyak’atala and see if that spark was still there …

  For the rest of the day, Ivy spent her time in the company of her parents and some relatives of the Heartley family. Hannah hadn’t been well enough to join the others, so Peter and Eleanor had taken her home before returning to the hotel themselves.

  Watching Danny as he mingled with the assorted guests, Ivy knew how devastated he would be by his father’s death, and momentarily she felt sorry for him. He’d tried all his life to outshine Joe in his father’s eyes, but he’d never succeeded, because all Fred’s thoughts had been focused on the son he’d lost rather than the one who’d surpassed his own dreams. Even running one of the country’s largest supermarket chains hadn’t won Danny the adulation he craved, and now it was too late.

  Joseph, as the oldest of the cousins, was making a special effort with Peggy’s much younger children, who were bewildered by the loss of their grandfather, and were becoming obstreperous. Ivy smiled as she watched her son calm them by involving them in guessing games, and it pleased her to see what a kind and considerate young man he’d become.

  Her heart contracted at the thought of telling him she was divorcing his father. He’d be devastated, but she hoped he’d understand. He was an adult now, so hopefully he’d accept that she couldn’t stay married to a man who’d been cheating on her for years. Anyway, if Danny agreed to a quick and discreet divorce, there mightn’t be any need to tell Joseph the reason why they were splitting up. Ivy didn’t want Joseph to hate Danny – he’d always been a good father. And since Joseph was following him into the retail trade, it
was imperative they remain close.

  Suddenly, Ivy noticed that Danny wasn’t in the hotel lounge any more. And half an hour went by before she saw him enter the room once again.

  “Where have you been?” she said, then felt annoyed with herself for asking. She didn’t want Danny thinking she cared any more.

  “I went to see Hannah.”

  Ivy pursed her lips. Danny looked scared and worried, and briefly her heart went out to him.

  “Are you aware that Hannah hasn’t told Rosa how ill she is?” Ivy ventured, watching Danny closely. “I think it’s time someone let her know, don’t you?”

  Danny’s face went white. “If Hannah doesn’t want Rosa to know, surely we should respect her wishes?”

  Ivy stared at him. “Isn’t it obvious that she doesn’t have long to live?”

  Danny looked at the ground. “Yes – but I still don’t think we should interfere.”

  “Well, in that event, I’ll try to locate Rosa myself,” Ivy announced. “I’ll call to that house of hers in Hampstead.”

  Danny looked distraught. “No, no – I’ll contact her. Please, Ivy – leave it to me.”

  Then he turned and walked over to the bar, where he ordered himself a large whiskey and downed it in one go. As Ivy stared at him, she was acutely aware that he hadn’t said he’d try to contact Rosa. It was clear that he knew exactly where she was.

  Chapter 56

  Despite Danny knowing about Hannah’s illness, there was still no sign of Rosa in Willow Haven a week after Fred’s funeral. Ivy knew that if Rosa had appeared, her mother would be on the phone to her immediately. Rosa’s arrival would be a nine-day wonder in the village, and Eleanor would relish passing on every little detail. But Ivy’s mobile phone remained resolutely silent.

  She guessed that Rosa must be stuck in some location from which there were limited flights out. No doubt she’d return as soon as possible, and if she was at Cherrywood Road when Ivy got there, she’d give her a piece of her mind. Anger had been building up inside her for weeks, and Rosa’s callousness towards her mother, and towards Ivy herself, would give a focus to her fury.

  One way or another, Ivy planned on visiting the house while Mrs Brampton and Sean were out. The woman had mentioned working at the doctor’s surgery until three and the boy was at school, so Ivy intended arriving around lunchtime. Assuming Rosa wasn’t back yet, she planned on getting into the upstairs flat, and taking as many incriminating photos as she could, before confronting Danny with them. Despite her heartache, she intended getting proof of Danny’s clandestine activities. Their divorce would be on her terms.

  As she dressed for her trip to Cherrywood Road, Ivy looked completely different from the school attendance officer she’d posed as before, or the woman with the foreign accent whom she’d portrayed the first time she’d called. This time, she was wearing a different wig, a casual jacket and jeans, and she’d applied make-up that made her look very different from the Ivy Heartley the public knew.

  As she drove to Hampstead, Ivy hoped that Mrs Brampton wouldn’t return early and find her upstairs. At which point she’d have to say that Mr Heartley told her where to find the key, and that she was collecting something for him. Then her cover would be blown, because Mrs Brampton would be bound to contact Danny, or at least mention it next time she saw him. Of course, it mightn’t matter by then, since she’d already have filed for divorce.

  Ivy rang the doorbell at 6 Cherrywood Road. No one seemed to be in, so she began searching the small garden, overturning flowerpots and stones in search of the spare front-door key that Mrs Brampton had confirmed was hidden in the garden. Suddenly, she heard a voice behind her. Her heart racing, she turned around.

  “Excuse me, dear – can I help you?”

  Ivy saw an elderly woman leaning over the garden fence from next door. Oh Christ, she’d been caught in the act! But she wasn’t an actress for nothing.

  Straightening up, Ivy gave the woman a friendly smile. “Oh hello!” she said. “It looks as though Mrs Brampton has forgotten to leave the key out for me! She said it would be under a stone near the door, but I can’t find it anywhere.”

  The older woman smiled. “Don’t worry, dear, I always keep a spare key for Patty’s house, and she keeps one for me – it’s handy if either of us loses our keys, or we accidentally lock ourselves out. Just a moment –”

  Leaving an astonished Ivy standing in the garden, the woman went into her own house and reappeared a few seconds later brandishing a Yale key. Clearly, the fact that Ivy knew Mrs Brampton’s name had been enough, in the older woman’s mind, to assume that Ivy was a friend of hers. And now, courtesy of the older woman, she’d also learnt Mrs Brampton’s first name.

  “Here you are dear,” said the woman. “Just drop it in my letterbox when you’re leaving.”

  Ivy couldn’t believe her luck.

  “I’ll do better than that,” she said, taking the key and opening the Bramptons’ front door. “Now you can have the key back, and I’ll just close the door on my way out. Thank you so much for your help – Patty’s lucky to have such a lovely neighbour as you next door!”

  The old woman turned pink with pleasure at the compliment.

  Ivy was just stepping inside the door when she thought of something else.

  “Excuse me, do you know the other woman who lives here – Rosa Dalton?”

  The old woman looked flustered. “I’m not really sure, dear. Is she the blonde lady who goes swimming with Patty? I get a bit confused sometimes. But I do know there’s a nice man who visits – he always says hello.”

  Disappointed, Ivy smiled at the woman. “Well, thanks anyway.”

  Quickly, she stepped inside and closed the door. Now, she needed to move fast, since she’d already lost valuable time searching in the garden for the key. And if the older woman met Mrs Brampton as she arrived home, she’d undoubtedly mention that she’d lent someone the key.

  As Ivy climbed the stairs towards the rooms Danny used, fear coursed through her. What if another neighbour had seen her creeping around outside and had already called the police? If that happened, she’d have to tell them her real name, reveal that her husband was the owner of the property and that she was perfectly entitled to be there. At which stage the press would probably get hold of the story, and a light-hearted piece would explain how the neighbours thought she was a burglar, because no one recognised her as Bright Lights actress Ivy Heartley. Worst of all, Danny would learn that she’d been sneaking around behind his back.

  By the time she’d reached the top of the stairs, Ivy had worked herself into a state. But she couldn’t afford to indulge in the kind of drama her soap character got involved in. She’d a job to do, and she needed to do it quickly and efficiently.

  Fortunately, the key for the upstairs flat was on the landing window, so Ivy didn’t need to try her credit-card trick. As she’d suspected, Danny wouldn’t keep the key on his personal key ring. She quickly opened the main door and slipped inside.

  The landing had four doors, and the two smaller rooms consisted of a bathroom and a small galley kitchen. The kitchen looked as though it was never used, since there was nothing there but a kettle and a few upturned mugs on the draining board. Ivy supposed it was hardly surprising – since Danny and Rosa were using this place as a love-nest, they’d hardly waste their precious time together drinking tea! She opened some of the cupboards but there were few provisions inside. She found sugar and tea bags, but nothing else. Presumably each time Rosa returned from her travels, she and Danny went shopping, and stocked up on fresh provisions.

  The bathroom was even more surprising, and Ivy was puzzled to find no toiletries or towels in there. Surely, after slaking their passion, Rosa and Danny would want to shower afterwards? Suddenly, she felt more hopeful. Maybe Danny wasn’t having an affair after all …

  In the third room, Ivy found a double bed over against the wall, made up with bedclothes she recognised had gone missing from their home in Sus
sex. In a cupboard, she found another change of bedclothes that looked equally familiar. She spotted a pair of Danny’s shoes sticking out from under the bed, and she knelt down to look underneath the bed itself. Something had been shoved into a far corner, and she had to lie flat on the floor and stretch her arm in to reach it and pull it out. Ivy was disappointed to find herself looking at a rucksack. It had clearly been there for ages. Abandoning the rucksack, Ivy looked around her, puzzled. Surely the high-flying Rosa wouldn’t live in such frugal conditions? And she’d hardly be willing to use bedclothes that came from Danny’s marital home! This was no love nest. Clearly no one was living here, other than to spend an occasional night. But why would Danny keep a secret flat here when he appeared to make so little use of it?

  A section of the room had been boarded off, and at first Ivy thought it was an ensuite bathroom. But when she opened the door, she found herself in darkness, and she pulled the cord light switch overhead. The light was a subdued red, and as Ivy gazed around her, her heart lifted. Danny had built himself a darkroom for developing his photographs! She spotted his old camcorder on one of the shelves along with several cameras, negatives, a sink with running water, tanks of developing solution and assorted darkroom equipment. Danny had always been interested in photography and filming, and clearly he was using the flat for his hobby. But Ivy’s relief quickly turned to puzzlement. Why hadn’t he told her? Besides, their own home was big enough to fit several darkrooms in it – why had he chosen to come here?

  Leaving the darkroom, Ivy felt a sudden urge to look in the rucksack, and she crossed the room to examine it. It was packed to capacity, and she wondered momentarily if Danny intended leaving her, and was preparing a temporary base for himself. Then, as she opened it, women’s clothing fell out, and Ivy stared at it in astonishment. So Danny was having an affair! But then she realised how ridiculous that idea was, since the rucksack was covered in dust and had clearly been under the bed for a long time.