A Place of Hope

by Anna Jacobs

  He had been about to throw her out of the flat, but instead he stayed where he was, thinking furiously.

  Not something to rush into. She was clearly staying here. He could use this time to see to other things.

  He left the flat as quietly as he’d entered it, asking the porter not to mention his return to his wife, pretending he was planning a big surprise for her. Well, he was. But it wouldn’t be a good surprise.

  He used the porter’s phone to ring the security company who dealt with his business, identifying himself by the agreed code and arranging to meet them at his office.

  Once there, he went inside and asked the two security guys to wait with him.

  In his office, he opened the safe and took out some cash, noting with a tight scowl that there was far less than usual. He then went into his secretary’s office, where he found further surprises which made him ring her at home, waking her up.

  ‘Petra? It’s Chad.’

  ‘Are you all right?’

  He explained the situation.

  ‘She fired me, you know. Because I questioned what she was doing. Had me escorted out of the building straight away.’

  ‘You’re reinstated as of now, if you want the job.’

  ‘I was thinking of retiring, Chad.’

  ‘Then would you come back for a few weeks and help me put things to rights? Please.’

  ‘Will Marina be working with you?’

  ‘No. She’ll not even be allowed in the building again.’

  ‘Then I’ll be delighted to help you in any way I can.’

  ‘Could you bear to come now?’

  ‘I couldn’t bear to be left out.’

  By morning the two of them had pulled together enough evidence to convict Marina of fraud, so he rang Leon to ask him to be ready to deal with it.

  Then he returned to the flat, accompanied by Petra, wanting to have a woman as witness, as well as the two guys from the security company.

  He opened the door of the flat to find everything dark and silent. He gestured to his companions to stay quiet.

  In the doorway of his bedroom he stopped to study Marina and her lover in the chill pale light of early dawn. The man looked much younger than his ex-wife. Another of her toy boys, probably. Chad wasn’t concerned with him.

  He roared at the top of his voice, ‘Out! You, get out of my home!’

  They came awake with a start. She screamed and tugged the sheet up to cover herself. The man cursed and eyed Chad apprehensively, staying at the far side of the bed as he scrambled into his clothes.

  ‘Get the hell out of here,’ he told the man, and let the security guys see him out.

  Then he turned to Marina. ‘You have five minutes to get dressed and ready to leave.’

  She stared back at him defiantly. ‘At least allow me some privacy.’

  ‘I’ve seen it all before.’

  When she’d finished dressing, he gestured to her to go into the living room.

  ‘I think I’d rather go home.’

  ‘You need to wait here for the police. Petra and I spent the night at the office and I have enough evidence to have you arrested. If it had only been theft, I might have let you off, but you left me to rot in that geriatric unit, paid for me to be kept quiet there, and I can’t forgive that.’

  Her face turned chalk white and she sat on the chair he’d indicated, as deflated as a punctured tyre.

  ‘Marina, I’m sure things will be easier if you give me my money back,’ Chad said. ‘I’m presuming I can’t retrieve the antiques you sold at such bargain prices, though I will check them out. Some of them are in the hands of an agency charged with preventing certain secret sales of specially listed antiques overseas.’

  ‘But—’

  He held up one hand to stop her speaking. ‘Most of my memories came back quickly once I got to the gallery last night, I’m glad to say. I looked round the showroom, so I have a pretty good idea what’s missing, and the accounts list the rest. And by the way, the Denassi you bought is a fake. You were cheated. You never were any good at buying paintings.’

  She began to plead, ‘I worked for this business too, Chad. I had a right to take over when you vanished. The boys couldn’t have done it.’

  ‘Were you involved in sending those men to kill me?’

  ‘No!’

  She stared at him in such amazed shock that he knew she hadn’t done that, at least.

  ‘You took advantage of the attack, though,’ he went on grimly. ‘I know about Sister Pauline’s little tricks to earn extra money. The police will be arresting her, too.’

  ‘She said you’d never regain your full senses.’

  ‘Or hinted that she could stop me recovering fully, to keep me out of your way.’

  A flush stained Marina’s cheeks.

  ‘I thought so.’

  ‘What are you going to do?’

  ‘It’s out of my hands. You’ve been playing in some big leagues. I think you should come clean about everything and make a plea for leniency.’ He smiled and added, ‘Once everything’s settled, I’m going to sell the business.’

  ‘Sell it?’

  ‘Definitely.’ He didn’t bother to explain. She already knew he’d had enough of a high-flying city lifestyle, had only stayed to help his ageing father.

  It was mid-morning before everyone left and he slumped exhausted on his white leather sofa. One more thing to sort out, then he could sleep.

  But this was the most important thing of all.

  The day passed slowly and Chad didn’t ring. Emily tried to fill the time, but she couldn’t settle to anything.

  Her friends looked at her pityingly. She didn’t want their pity.

  Over the midday meal, she said abruptly, ‘He will phone. Something important must have cropped up.’

  They nodded, but she wondered if they believed her.

  She didn’t eat much, couldn’t force it down, so left them still eating and wandered out to the old barn. She felt closest of all to Chad here, because he loved the old building as much as she did.

  Peace settled round her like a cloak. The birds twittered in the corner of the roof they used as an entrance.

  It took her a moment or two to realize someone had joined her: Toby.

  She turned to ask him to leave her alone, but he gave her one of his luminous childlike smiles and her sharp words died unspoken.

  ‘Chad will come back, Emily. I know he will.’

  ‘How do you know, Toby?’ And how did he know what she was worrying about?

  He shrugged. ‘Sometimes I just know things. Miss Penelope said that was good. I don’t tell people. Not unless I like them. She told me not to. She told me a lot of things.’

  He patted her clumsily and repeated, ‘Chad will come back.’

  ‘When I’m out here in the barn, I believe he’ll return to me.’

  ‘It’s nice here. You should stay. It makes you feel better.’ He turned and walked out.

  After that she sat for a while on an old bench in a corner, and let the peace lift her spirits.

  When she felt mentally stronger, she rejoined the others.

  Chad would ring as soon as he could. She felt more sure of that now.

  Emily was about to go to bed early when her mobile phone rang. She snatched it up, seeing a strange number, but she knew . . . Oh, she knew before he spoke that it was him!

  ‘I’m sorry, Emily darling. I should have rung you sooner. But I was so focused on sorting things out, and it took longer than I’d expected. Then I fell asleep sitting on the sofa, because I’d been up all night.’ He explained about his ex-wife.

  ‘So you have a big business in London?’

  ‘Yes. Antiques.’

  Her mobile started beeping. ‘I can’t believe it. My battery is low. I was sure I’d topped it up.’

  ‘I’ll ring again in the morning. I’m coming back in a day or two, and then I want us to get married as soon as possible.’

  ‘Yes, please.’r />
  She smiled as she got up to plug her mobile into the charger, feeling young and foolishly happy.

  She was still smiling as she lay down and fell fast asleep.

  When she awoke to a morning full of sunshine, her first thought was that Chad still loved her. They were getting married.

  As soon as possible.

  Oh, it was such a beautiful day!

  Chad arrived three days later, driving a late model Mercedes convertible, loaded with flowers, wine and all the ingredients for a celebration.

  He looked so elegant, Emily could tell at a glance that his clothes must be very expensive. She felt shy of this new Chad as she walked towards the door.

  But when she saw him drop the things he was holding back on to the car seat and reach out his arms to her, she forgot everything but the need to run into his embrace and smother him with kisses.

  He held her at arm’s length, then pulled her close to kiss her again.

  ‘I missed you so much,’ she said.

  ‘I missed you, too.’ He began to pick up the parcels. ‘Better not drink this champagne till it’s calmed down from being dropped. I hope you like chocolates. And flowers.’ With a bow made awkward by the need to hold the bottle safely, he offered her the most sumptuous bouquet she’d ever seen, with a broken bloom at one side.

  She buried her nose in the flowers, enjoying their wonderful perfume.

  ‘How is everyone?’ he asked.

  ‘Fine. Liz is still here. She’s looking better already. She and Rachel get on like a house on fire because they both love cooking. And my sister seems to have taken Toby under her wing. She’s teaching him to cook as well.’

  Chad stopped to look round the outer bar, which now shone with polish. The surplus chairs had been removed, and they had made it a dining area with a table close to the window, where someone had left a laptop. The place looked lived in, if somewhat sparsely furnished.

  Chad looked around. ‘Where is everyone?’

  ‘Staying tactfully out of sight.’

  ‘If they’ll just stay away a little longer, I want to ask you something.’

  ‘Ask away.’ She looked up to him, feeling bright and happy, as if the room was filled with sunlight.

  ‘Do you still want to live here?’

  She hesitated.

  ‘The truth, mind.’

  ‘I’d prefer to, but not at the cost of being with you.’

  ‘I like it here, too. In recent years I’ve found London too busy, too dirty, just . . . too much everything. Once my father died, I started planning to move. What do you think of setting up an antiques centre here? Renting out space to other people, perhaps, and selling some of the specialist stuff I’m known for? After all, with the internet and modern technology, I can still hit the international markets. Though I don’t want to work nearly as hard as I used to.’

  ‘Will people really come all this way?’

  ‘I think so. But it’s your house, so . . .’

  ‘I love that idea. I was going to learn about antiques when I retired. I’d even booked into a course just before my accident, but then Liz had a fall and I had to look after her.’

  She hesitated. ‘What about Toby? I thought of making him a flat in the rear part, maybe making two or three flats for people like him. He’s brilliant at cleaning and setting things to rights, once he’s got it fixed in his own mind where things go, so he could work for us. And he loves it here.’

  ‘Good idea.’

  She looked at him in wonderment. ‘You’re agreeing so easily?’

  ‘Yes. I think we’re on the same wavelength about a lot of things. I’m so glad we’ve found one another.’

  She sighed. ‘Too late to have children, unfortunately.’

  ‘I’d have liked a child by you.’

  ‘Yes. So would I.’

  He gave her a quick hug, then his wistfulness faded and he smiled down at her. ‘We can do a lot of other things now, though, can’t we? Together.’

  ‘Yes.’ She hugged him back.

  He kept his arms round her. ‘No wonder your relative said you’d find hope here. Since we got here, Emily my love, I’ve been filled with hope, and things have started to go right again for me, so very right.’

  ‘Let’s tell them what we’re going to do.’

  ‘Yes, let’s. But after that I’m going to sweep you away for a few days in a luxury hotel and enjoy your company in style. Will you come? I’m sure Liz and Rachel will look after the pub and Toby.’

  ‘I’ll come with you anywhere, Chad.’

  Epilogue

  Six months later

  Reporters from the local newspaper and TV station turned up for the opening. Emily hadn’t intended to make a fuss, but Chad said it was good publicity for their new business.

  Toby got up even earlier than usual, setting out the breakfast things, making such a clatter that he woke everyone else.

  ‘Moving in today!’ he said as soon as Emily and Chad came out of the bedroom.

  ‘Yes, you and the others are moving into the flats today.’

  After breakfast he cleared up, as he always did, then went to put on his new clothes. By that time Liz, who had insisted on helping with the catering, had come down.

  ‘Did you sleep well?’ Emily asked her.

  ‘Very well, dear.’

  ‘You’re looking good. I love that outfit.’

  Liz stroked her skirt and top. ‘I’d forgotten how much I loved clothes. Where’s Toby?’

  ‘Getting ready for the opening.’

  ‘But it’s not for two hours yet, surely?’

  ‘He’s too excited to wait.’

  ‘He’s a nice lad. And I’m so proud of you, Emily, for providing a home for him and the others. It must have cost you quite a bit to convert the back into flats.’

  ‘Chad and I could well afford it and actually, the three of them make ideal employees for the simple tasks here. It turns out Robbie already knows about gardening from when his mother was alive and Nicky loves dusting and polishing. You never saw anyone as careful as she is, even if she is a bit slow.’

  ‘Better safe than sorry with antiques.’

  Emily smiled. ‘She certainly loves the fine glassware.’

  Two hours later, the guests had all arrived and everyone gathered in what had been the rear bar. They waited for the photographers to set up, then at a nod from Chad, the famous actress Jackie Sanders stepped forward to do the honours.

  ‘How did you get her here?’ one of the reporters whispered to Chad. ‘She hardly ever does things like this.’

  ‘She had a sister with Down syndrome, so she cares very much for anything connected to helping such people live normal lives. Sadly her sister died quite young, but Jackie is always happy to help others in her name.’

  They’d warned Toby and the others about the flashing lights and reporters, but though the three of them stood close together, they didn’t get upset.

  Toby’s expression of sheer bliss when Jackie cut the ribbon and he was waved into his own flat brought tears to Emily’s eyes.

  This was definitely a place of hope. She intended to keep the tradition alive.

  Chad gave her a quick hug. ‘Wife of mine, we need to distract the visitors and let our new tenants finish taking possession of their homes in peace.’

  Emily clapped her hands together to get people’s attention and called, ‘We have some refreshments for you.’

  ‘This way,’ Rachel said.

  Emily lingered to give Chad a big hug. ‘It’s going well, isn’t it?’

  ‘Of course it is.’

  ‘Maybe we can think about helping others, as well as runing our business.’

  ‘I hope so. Come on! I’m ravenous even if you aren’t.’

  Arm in arm they joined the group. Emily watched Liz chat happily to a woman she’d made friends with in the block of flats where she’d found a home.

  Rachel moved over to join Oliver, love showing on both their faces.

>   So much happiness sparkling in the air today, Emily thought. Long may it continue.