Deceit of Angels

by Julia Bell

  “News does travel fast!”

  “I also hear she’s a widow. Annie is it?”

  “Anna. And about her being a widow, well, that’s not strictly accurate. Actually, she is married, but now wants a divorce.”

  Nigel raised his eyebrows. “And she wants me to act for her?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Then we’ll make an appointment for her on the way out.”

  After Jason had left, Nigel went back to his desk. He had known Jason Harrington for twenty-five years and had never known him to back out of fight in his entire life. Nigel smiled as he remembered his first meeting with Jason. They were at school although Jason had been in the year above him. Bullying had never been allowed at their boarding school and could be severely punished by expulsion. However, Vickers didn’t seem to care if he was expelled and had picked on the weaker, younger boys mercilessly. Not that Nigel had thought himself as weak, it was just that his height and slight stature had made him a target for Vickers and his sadistic ways.

  Nigel had been cornered in the prep room one afternoon and Vickers had held him up against the wall in a vice like grip that could have squeezed the life out of him. He had done his best to punch and kick his assailant but Vickers was too big and strong for it to have any effect. Suddenly, Nigel had dropped like a stone to the floor and had watched in surprise as his tormentor was dragged backwards and then sent flying across a table as a fist hit him full in the face with a resounding crack. And that’s how he and Jason had first met. They had become firm friends after that and Vickers was shipped back home. It was Jason who had encouraged Nigel to take up kick boxing as a means of self-defence. And he had done well at it, achieving black belt second dan standard by the time he was in his late teens.

  He lost touch with Jason after they had left school and it was years later that they met up again, in a restaurant, when Kiera was heavily pregnant with Hollie. And so they had resumed their friendship and Nigel had become Jason’s solicitor. Nigel closed the file in front of him and sighed. It was sad about Kiera, but there again, Jason had found someone else and seemed quite smitten. Nigel thought over what his friend had told him. Her name was Anna and she wasn’t a widow after all. He shrugged indifferently. Stories along the grapevine always became distorted.

  The others joined Anna in the parlour for coffee. She listened to their happy banter about their visit to the farm and smiled when they mentioned how the rain had made the smells more pungent forcing them to leave earlier than expected. And then came a lull in the conversation.

  “I’ve something to tell you all,” said Anna, putting down her cup and noticing that her hands were shaking. Three pairs of eyes turned in her direction. “And I really, really hope that when I’ve finished you’ll understand.”

  Margaret smiled and raised her hand as if to stop her. “My dear, if it’s about you and Jason, and the fact you’ve…well, fallen in love and intend to get married. Then we already know.”

  Ben jerked his head round to her. “Since when did we know? I didn’t know!”

  Mrs Wilby gave him a playful slap on the hand and told him to ‘shush’ since now he did know. Anna felt as though her heart had stopped beating with the shock.

  Margaret was aghast at her pale expression. “I’m so sorry, my dear. Perhaps I’ve been too blunt but I wanted to spare you the need to go into any details. I realise that you’ll probably feel it’s rather unseemly to announce your engagement so soon after Kiera, but please remember that she and Jason were already separated and would have divorced if she’d lived. We…” she indicated Mrs Wilby and Ben, “are very happy for you both. Jason deserves a wonderful person like you after all he’s been through.”

  “How did you know?” asked Anna, colour flooding her face.

  “Before Jason dashed off this morning, he mentioned that you had something to tell us and we guessed that must be it.”

  Anna opened her mouth and then closed it sharply. Margaret’s statement had thrown her completely off her guard and she felt a wave of horror pass through her.

  “That’s not what I was going to tell you,” she whispered.

  “Oh, it’s not?” said Margaret.

  “Well, it is… but not exactly…We are in love and Jason has asked me to marry him…and I said yes…but that’s not all of it.” Anna’s mouth dried up as the three people sitting opposite her gave her their undivided attention once more. “I need to tell you…” Suddenly she realised that her carefully prepared speech had completely disappeared from her memory. “You need to know…that I’m not a widow…I’m married…and I’ve been married nineteen years…but I was unhappy…so I had a plan to come and work for Jason…and we fell in love…I told him I was a widow because I wanted to get away…from my marriage…because I was unhappy.”

  She couldn’t continue. The expressions on the faces of the people she had grown to love dismayed her. Margaret had momentarily closed her eyes in shocked awareness, Mrs Wilby stared at her as if she was something from outer space and Ben had a look of absolute bewilderment. Anna’s thoughts screamed inside her head. Jason had been right, this could have waited. Oh, why hadn’t she listened to him? She should have left it to him just as he had suggested.

  It was Margaret who finally broke the silence. “You left your husband in Yorkshire, to come and work for Jason? And you told him you were a widow but you weren’t?”

  Anna nodded. “I thought it would be a way of giving myself some space so I could think things through. I never realised for one minute that we would fall in love. It just happened. I was so grateful to be Jason’s PA, while I decided what to do next.”

  There was a brief moment of silence as the others absorbed this.

  “And what have you decided to do?” asked Margaret.

  “Oh, it’s quite clear. I must end my marriage and Jason is going to help me with the divorce. My feelings for Jason are absolutely real. I’ve never felt like this about any other man.” She felt compelled to justify the last statement. “Not that there’s been any others…My husband is the only man I’ve known…if you see what I mean…and…and…please forgive me. Please don’t hate me for what I’ve done.” Tears brimmed over her eyelashes and trickled down her cheeks.

  Ben rose to his feet and came to sit beside her. He placed a fatherly arm round her shoulders.

  “If you ask me, Anna deserves all our support in this.” He gave the other two a piercing glance. “I left my wife when I couldn’t bear my marriage any longer. I just packed my bags and left without saying what I was doing or where I was going. I was gone six years before I heard she’d died and I was finally free.”

  Mrs Wilby and Margaret opened their eyes wide in astonishment. “Well, this certainly is a day for revelations!” said Margaret. “But I don’t think you left any children behind, did you Ben?”

  “No, I didn’t have any children. Even so, Anna’s boys are due to go to university soon and as far as I’m concerned, they’re independent adults. And she’s kept in touch with them.”

  “Yes, I will always be there for them,” said Anna in desperation. “I’ve not abandoned them simply because I don’t want to be married to their father.”

  Margaret stared across at the photos displayed in the wall unit. “I’m thinking about my son. I don’t want him to be hurt again,” she said sadly.

  “But I don’t want to hurt him either,” said Anna. “I’ll do anything to make him happy.”

  Ben rounded on Margaret. “You weren’t there during that awful time when Kiera was so desperately ill! And then afterwards! You didn’t see the wonderful support Anna gave Jason through it all.”

  “That’s very true,” murmured Mrs Wilby. Up to that moment she had remained silent, her thoughts quietly forming. She turned to Margaret, her expression serious. “As I see it, we two are extremely lucky. We had very happy marriages and I think we should thank our blessings for that. But Anna and Ben and Jason too haven’t been so lucky. Since Anna arrived, Jason has been a
changed man. He’s happy and he wants to start afresh with her. And yes, things aren’t all packaged up neat and tidy, as you would want. For a little while longer it’s going to get messy while Anna sorts herself out and ends her marriage. But it will pass with time. I think we should give them a chance.”

  Ben nodded. “There’s something else we must remember. Anna has told us this because she has the good grace to believe that we should know. But Jason would be the first to say it’s none of our business. That it’s up to him and Anna to decide their future.”

  “I completely agree,” said Mrs Wilby.

  Margaret stared at them for a while. She was stunned at their loyalty to her son and yet inwardly felt pleased. But even so she had really hoped that all the pain was behind them now. They had endured such a turbulent eighteen months, that a little time of settled peace and quiet would have been very welcome. And she had hoped that Jason and Anna’s wedding would have been the very first celebrated at the Grange. She gave a resigned sigh. There was no doubt that her son loved Anna and she was also certain that Anna would make him happy. But it seemed that there was to be one more hurdle to jump before she could settle down once more to a contented life at the Grange.

  It was done! Everyone that mattered now knew her secret and Anna couldn’t help feeling a great sense of relief. She closed the main door behind her and breathed in the fresh morning air, the sun warming her face. Ben and Mrs Wilby had been so wonderful. Their support had almost brought her to tears and she knew she would be eternally grateful to them. But what of Margaret? She had become quiet and rather subdued after the revelations in the parlour, finally taking herself off to her study to finish some paperwork for a seminar that was booked for the following week. Anna had so wanted her approval and the disappointment she felt cut into her. After Margaret had left, Ben and Mrs Wilby had told Anna not to worry herself over it. She would come round in time, she was an understanding woman and she only wanted what was best for her son. Thoughts of Jason filled Anna with yearning. How she wished he would come home. She decided to take a walk since the sudden downpour had stopped and the sun had finally made an appearance. As she was going out, she had volunteered to take Tess with her.

  Anna had never taken a dog for a walk, but Ben had assured her that the old retriever only ambled along at her own pace and there wasn’t any danger of her running off on her own. And so Anna had collected the dog’s lead from the hallway cupboard and attaching it to her collar she ventured outside. Slowly they walked along the drive and through the small pedestrian opening that was adjacent to the main gate and out onto the main highway that ran past the grounds of the Grange.

  The main road outside the grounds skirted the wall and was long and straight. When standing at the tall, ornamental gate Anna could see up the road for a good quarter of a mile in each direction but at each end the road then curved out of sight. Anna knew that she would be able to hear Jason’s car first before it turned the corner and finally came into view. If she took Tess into the meadow and let her have some time to roam about, she would still be in earshot. Holding onto the lead tightly, she crossed the road and walked along to the wooden gate.

  Everything seemed to be drenched with the torrential rain that had continued unabated while she had been in the parlour. Large drops dripped relentlessly from the leaves and huge puddles filled the ditches and gullies by the side of the road. The gate had a metal bar over the post to keep it closed and after pulling this back, Anna passed through and into the sweet smelling meadow, closing the gate after her. She removed the lead and almost straight away Tess went to investigate a rabbit hole and finding it discarded, went on to sniff out any interesting inhabitants in the hedges. Anna watched her and smiled. The old dog was obviously enjoying herself and she was relieved that her first outing as a ‘dog walker’ seemed to be going without any hitch.

  Grinning at Tess’s inept attempts to make friends with a frog, Anna began to form some kind of plan for the future. When Jason arrived home, he would have an appointment with the solicitor for her and then she would phone Dave and tell him that she wanted to start divorce proceedings immediately on the grounds of his adultery. It would be impossible for him to dispute his infidelities and he would be forced to admit his guilt. And then she would be free, free to marry the man she loved. Anna thought about the twins. She would invite them to Bishop Sutton and introduce them to everyone. She was convinced that her sons would understand and be happy for her.

  She looked at her watch and decided that she had had enough and it was time to go. Calling Tess to her, she quickly attached the lead to her collar and made her way to the wooden gate and then back out onto the main road. Anna continued her stroll and although eager to be back in the security and warmth of the Grange, she didn’t relish the idea of facing Margaret once more. She wondered if she had had time to think it over and perhaps, feel more comfortable with the idea. The roaring of a car engine in the distance interrupted her thoughts.

  Anna thought that it must be Jason, but immediately realised that it didn’t sound like his car and besides, it was travelling very fast. Anna sighed with annoyance that people should think it quite acceptable to speed on an open country road. The car turned the corner and was coming straight down the road towards her. The path she was walking was only narrow, some three feet in width and worried that Tess might take fright, she bent down and caught hold of her collar, speaking gentle words of encouragement to her.

  She couldn’t remember the exact moment in time that she thought the car was coming straight for her. Perhaps it wasn’t even a thought, more an intuition, but suddenly she heard the engine rev into full throttle and the bonnet seemed to be on a direct collision course with her. She wasn’t the only one who had the same idea. Tess might be old and her hearing and sight might be failing, but her instincts were still sharp.

  Anna felt herself yanked forward and to the right as the retriever pulled her with all her strength. The force was so great that she was almost lifted off her feet and then she tripped and fell on her front in the ditch, the cold, muddy water seeping into her clothes and soaking her hair, making her gasp with shock. To make matters worse, the near side tyres of the vehicle hit a large puddle in the gully sending up a tidal wave of more filthy water to engulf her totally. And then the car was gone, its engine droning away round the corner and out of hearing.

  Anna slowly got to her knees and then tried to lift herself out of the mud that held her captive. The fright at thinking that the vehicle was heading straight for her, plus the icy, cold water made her shiver. Tess watched her, whimpering and nuzzling her as if to bring a small amount of comfort. It was then she felt a pair of arms come round her and help her to her feet.

  “Sweetheart, are you OK?”

  Relief filled her from top to toe. “Yes, I’m fine. Just soaked to the skin,” she said, grinning.

  “Good Lord! I saw Tess first and immediately thought she’d got out of the gate.”

  “I offered to take her for a walk. But I didn’t realise how strong she was.” She raked her fingers through her hair trying to make herself more presentable.

  Jason couldn’t help laughing at the state she was in. “You poor thing, you look like a drowned rat. Let’s get you inside and dry you off.” He placed an arm tenderly round her and then took the dog’s lead from her. He looked sternly at Tess. “I’ve not known her drag someone along for a long time, not since she was a much younger dog. She’s usually so well behaved.”

  “Oh no, she hasn’t been misbehaving. That car was coming straight for me, or I thought it was. And Tess must have thought so too because she pulled me out of the way.”

  “What car?”

  They were walking towards the ornamental gates where Anna could see the Volvo parked as if just turning in, the driver’s door still open.

  She thought for a moment. “I think it was a Porsche. Black. And being driven far too fast!”

  “And you thought it was coming straight at you?”
>
  Anna felt uneasy. “Perhaps not. It seems a silly idea now I come to think about it. But its wheels did hit the gully and sent up a torrent of rainwater over me. I’ve always believed that kind of thing is a malicious prank by the driver!”

  “Did you see the driver?”

  “Afraid not. Tinted windows.”

  Jason remained quiet. There was one person he knew who owned a black Porsche and tended to drive it far too fast. Her name was Deborah Gilbert-Hines. And the direction she was taking was towards the golf club. But could Deborah really have meant Anna any harm? Was she really that wicked?

  “How did your day go?” he asked, trying to release himself from his troubled thoughts.

  “Not very well, I’m afraid. I don’t think your mother is very pleased with me.”

  “Why, what happened?”

  Anna paused before explaining light-heartedly, “I think she was …disappointed and upset that my circumstances were different from what she had been led to believe. And I suppose she has every right.”

  Despite her casualness he sensed her despair. “I can’t believe that of Mother. What did she say to you?”

  “Oh, nothing really. It was her manner and her expression. I don’t think I’m the flavour of the month any more.”

  His eyes turned dark with anger. “I think I’d better have a word with her! This doesn’t concern her and she has no right to make you feel uncomfortable!”

  They had nearly reached the gates and although Anna was starting to feel the cold she stopped walking and turned to face him. She had never seen him like this and placed her hands on his arms to pacify him.

  “Please don’t be cross with her, Jason. You’re her only child and she’s looking out for your interests. She doesn’t want you to be hurt again after all you’ve been through. I understand her perfectly. If it were Martyn or Chris I would feel just the same.”

  Jason smiled. His gaze took in her mud-splattered hair and the dirty marks on her cheek and chin. Even like this she was the most beautiful woman in the world. He took out his handkerchief and gently removed the smudges from her face.