There were no two ways about it, Susannah had been running her life. And it wasn’t a life that gave her much joy.
And Cass knew. Which was why she had tried, unsuccessfully for the last seven years, to make up for Susannah’s intrusion and find Annie a mate. They weren’t so much blind dates she’d been going on for the past seven years, they were guilt offerings.
And she also now knew why all those blind dates had been doomed to failure from the start. And why poor Edward felt more like an A Level discussion paper than a lover. Edward Goddard Is the Answer to All Annie’s Prayers. Discuss.
The vision of Jake telling her he was sorry before stumbling out of her life again had been sweet torture every time she’d shut her eyes. He was there with her all the time – so what was new? But she simply didn’t have the energy to deal with it at the moment.
Half an hour later, as Annie lifted her body out of the bath, she was almost overcome by a feeling of cold air enveloping her body, a feeling of such lightness she felt giddy.
Later that evening, she stayed in at the apartment, too weary to leave, yet wishing desperately that her family would leave her alone. She sat in the drawing room with her father, Katherine and Davina and, with a new, disturbing focus, she saw that Davina had carved out a role of monumental importance to them both. In every circumstance, every situation, only Davina knew how to soothe each one, only she knew what to say to calm them. Davina stroked their egos with the same evenness and patience as a punka wallah wafting a fan over his master’s head. It didn’t need much of an imagination to see that in the privacy of George’s bedroom, she merely swapped one sort of stroking for another.
Thus, Davina had become the only person ever to stand between George and his darling eldest daughter, Katherine. Annie had never seen her father show such frustration with Katherine as when he felt Davina was showing her more attention than she was showing him. Davina had achieved what Annie had always thought was impossible; she had caused a rift between father and his favoured firstborn. To her desperate frustration, Annie could see no way to solve this puzzle. Insight did not always come with solutions.
Tired, but somehow cleansed, Annie felt Joy and Marlon were due another e-mail. She popped into the apartment office and logged on.
Annie
I’m falling further and further the more I see him. And if he doesn’t stop talking about that bitch one of us will have to die.
There’s only one thing for it. I’ll have to stop seeing him.
J
And then Marlon’s …
Annie
Saw the boys at the weekend. The She-Devil will let me see them every weekend. I’m overjoyed, but of course it means me and J is now out of the question. I want to spend every minute of every weekend with the boys and how can I possibly ask her to take that on?
I’ll have to stop seeing her. It hurts me too much.
M
Annie had had enough. If she couldn’t sort her own life out, she could at least sort out theirs. She clicked on to both of their names at the same time and started tapping.
Life’s too short. If you don’t both seize the wonderful gift life offers you with great bit fat fistfuls, you could spend the rest of your life regretting it.
You have a choice. A life of lonely regret or happiness with some pain along the way.
You choose.
I love you both.
A
She stared at the message for ages. So easy to dispense advice. So difficult to take it.
Should she, shouldn’t she?
As soon as she’d clicked on the send logo, she felt better.
When, just before ten o’clock, Edward appeared, Annie was so weary that she simply felt grateful to see him. He was a friend, an ally. She’d deal with the other aspect another time.
He came in to sit with them all and after a while, she needed to get out of the stifling atmosphere.
‘Would you like a hot drink?’ she asked Edward.
He nodded and they both went into the kitchen.
While Annie started warming up some milk for hot chocolate, Edward started asking her what she thought of Davina.
She shrugged. ‘I think she’s blonde,’ she said, trying to smile.
Edward didn’t return her smile. ‘I think you see what I see,’ he said quietly.
Annie looked at him as he stirred the milk. ‘Oh yes? And what’s that?’
‘That she’s cunning. And out to get what she can.’ He was about to say something else, but the kitchen door swung open and Davina appeared.
‘Are you making hot chocolate?’ she asked winningly.
Annie nodded.
‘Would it be too much trouble to ask you to put some more milk in? Your father and Katie would love one too – with a bit of whisky added of course.’
Annie gave her a short smile. ‘No problem.’
Edward went to the fridge and passed Annie another milk carton. Davina didn’t look like she was going to leave, but then she was called by an impatient George. For a second, it looked like she was struggling in her mind as to whether to stay or go, but with a sudden dazzling smile, she left the room.
Edward walked purposefully over to the intercom and turned it off.
He stared significantly at Annie.
‘I wonder who suggested hot chocolate for all?’ he asked eventually.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Our blonde friend did, of course,’ he replied. ‘She knows we’re on to her. She doesn’t like us being alone where she can’t check what we’re saying.’
Annie was just about to ask Edward what made him feel that he had any right to be as worried as her about Davina’s entrance into her family, when he answered it for her.
‘You may have noticed that I feel great loyalty towards your family,’ he said quietly, walking round the kitchen counter so that he was standing next to Annie. He leant against the counter by her side.
She said nothing but kept staring at the warm milk. She wasn’t interested. In fact she was more interested in the milk than in him.
‘You haven’t noticed?’
She simply nodded.
‘Have you wondered why?’ he was whispering now.
‘Not really,’ she answered. ‘I’ve been a bit preoccupied to be honest.’
‘Of course.’
Bubbles of heat appeared round the edges of the milk and as Annie went to turn the gas down, Edward’s hand was on hers.
‘Annie—’
The kitchen door swung open and Davina was there again. Annie had never been so pleased to see her. Edward made a point of not moving, but Annie jumped a mile.
‘Sorry! Was I interrupting anything?’ asked Davina innocently.
‘No.’
‘Yes.’
‘Only, Katie’s getting a bit desperate for her hot chocolate. Would you like a hand?’ and she started getting the mugs out of the cupboard. Edward watched her silently as she stretched up to reach one of the top shelves. He didn’t offer to help. Ignoring him expertly, Davina busied herself measuring out the cocoa and chatting to Annie.
‘Isn’t it funny? As soon as you tell yourself you want a hot chocolate, suddenly you need it instantly? It’s good for the nerves, though isn’t it?’
Annie, exhausted, nodded and half-smiled at Davina’s gentle babbling. God she talks crap, thought Annie. And she does it so well.
Davina put all the mugs on the same tray and carried them out into the lounge. ‘Coming?’ she asked as she pushed open the door with her backside and held it open for them.
Edward and Annie had no choice but to walk past her out of the kitchen.
27
CASS WAS WAITING for scan results and was getting restless and bored being stuck in bed all day. Annie now stayed with her as much as she could. Cass was able to look her in the eye now, and they didn’t speak much, but it was clear that Cass was glad she was there.
Whenever Edward was able to get away from work, he insisted on coming wi
th her. For support, he said, but she really didn’t need it. In fact she much preferred going on her own.
Jake was keeping to himself now. He didn’t see any of the crowd any more and certainly didn’t bump into Annie in the park or at the opera. Apparently he was at the office all the hours God gave.
Good. She couldn’t cope with him right now. It was typical of the bad timing of her life – now that she resolutely knew how indisputable her feelings for him were, she’d terrified him off. Just the thought of him made her so tense that she’d have probably spontaneously combusted at the sight of him.
One day, on a rare occasion that Annie was at the hospital on her own, Susannah walked her slowly along the dragging corridor towards the exit.
‘Well, it’s nice to see that something good has come out of all this tragedy,’ said Susannah quietly, an affectionate eye on Annie’s profile.
Annie knew she was talking about Edward. She smiled weakly.
‘Edward is very nice,’ she allowed.
‘My dear, a little dicky-bird tells me that the “very nice” Edward has a very nice surprise question to pop on New Year’s Eve.’
Annie looked at Susannah in alarm. Encouraged, Susannah continued.
‘We could be looking at more than two weddings next year …’
At the hospital door, Annie felt positively virginal as Susannah kissed her on the forehead.
‘Your mother would be very proud.’
As Annie walked out of the hospital, a blast of cold air hit her and along with it, a realisation that was colder still.
She should have stopped listening to her godmother years ago.
* * * * *
The next day, something odd happened which, were Annie not already emotionally confused, would have made her so. But she was simply too exhausted to be able to dissect meaning from events for herself any more.
As she was walking into the hospital with Edward by her side, she saw Dr Hastings at the end of the corridor walking towards them. Dr Hastings, an English obstetric surgeon who had been living in New York for the past few years, was one of Annie’s favourite doctors in the hospital, partly because the woman didn’t treat her like an absolute idiot.
She was pleased to see her. Now she could ask her how Cass was, without being in earshot of anyone else.
But as she drew nearer, she saw that Dr Hasting did something funny with her body. She seemed to squint at them both from the distance, then jerk her body upwards in shock, stop mid-walk, almost turn back and then change her mind.
She kept walking towards them, only far slower than before. Before Annie could even turn to Edward, he had gone – double backed on himself and turned a corner. Vanished.
By the time Dr Hastings had reached her, she seemed to have recovered her equilibrium. She told Annie in her usual measured tones that Cass was unchanged, although every day that the baby survived was a day working in its favour. Just as they finished their conversation, she stopped herself.
‘Annie, can I ask you a really weird question?’
‘Of course.’
‘Was that man you were with just now – was he Eddie Goddard?’
‘Edward Goddard,’ corrected Annie. ‘Yes, that’s right. Why? Do you know him?’
Dr Hastings snorted. ‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘I know him all right.’
And Dr Hastings walked off.
Annie shrugged her shoulders and went to see Cass.
* * * * *
Jake looked down upon the eerily quiet streets of New York from the twenty-fourth floor offices of Markhams’ PR. He had sent all the other consultants home early. He quite liked the feeling of being the only one in the city who was working the evening before New Year’s Eve. Except that he had one day left to find evidence of where he was sure the vanishing money was going. Just one day to save Markhams’ PR. One day to persuade Annie Markham he was worth loving.
And he was absolutely sure he could do it.
Susannah had been blunt with him. They simply couldn’t afford his company any more. They’d have to go. They would be trying to sell Markhams’ in the New Year. He knew what that meant. In the state it was in now, the owners would hardly make anything. The Markham family would never recover. He had to do something. He couldn’t ruin Annie’s life twice.
He sighed deeply and delved into his computer bag. There was Edward’s disk that Susannah had handed him a while before.
What was it he didn’t trust about Edward? Was Edward dangerous for the Markham family? Or was he just a tosser who was after Annie?
No, Jake was convinced Edward was dangerous.
And it was his professional integrity telling him so. Years of experience in the field. His insight. Perception. Intuition. A gift, some might call it.
And, of course, raging, thumping jealousy that made his skin crawl.
If only he could work it out. He slid the disk into his laptop for the hundredth time. He was not going to give up on this.
He clicked open the files for Markhams’ PR spreadsheet for the Profit and Loss Account and Cost and Revenue Projections. The graph silently zoomed into focus, all bright colours and pretty pictures.
Yep, all the figures were present and correct, down to the last penny. Jake frowned and shook his head. He just didn’t understand it. The company had a black hole in it, a vacuum through which all the money was being sucked. The fact that the situation had worsened in the past few days convinced him he was right about where it was going. He just had to find proof.
He closed the file. There were numerous other files on the disk but all of them were password-protected. He didn’t know where to start, so he started tapping in anything that came to mind.
An hour later, he’d got no further. He hadn’t managed to open one of the files.
He rubbed his eyes, stretched, yawned and leaned back in the office chair. His thoughts, as usual, moved to the last time he’d seen Annie. That bloody fiasco of an evening at the opera.
He saw her again, sitting in the box with Edward, letting him whisper into the nape of her neck, his lips touching her tendrils of hair—
He stood up suddenly. Walked to the window.
He pictured Edward leaning forward to shake his hand, a wide grin on his open, bland face.
And then, for some unknown reason, he visualised Davina squeezing herself past Edward and introducing herself to him. What was all that about? He pictured how she’d flirted with him – as if there was an audience watching her every move. And for the first time he remembered Edward’s reaction to her.
His body jolted almost before his mind did.
Hold on a minute … Yes! There was something about the way—
That was it!
He raced over to his computer again, double-clicked on the top file and then tapped in a new password.
He held his breath as the screen blinked slowly.
And then there it was in black and white before his very eyes. The black hole of Markhams’ PR.
At last. He had his evidence.
28
MARLON SAT IN the kitchen, thumping his fingers unconsciously on the table. New Year’s Eve and all was well with the world. He would be seeing his sons regularly next year and he’d got Cynthia out of his life.
The New Year was going to be a good one, he told himself for the tenth time that morning.
He’d cancelled Joy that morning over the phone. She’d been surprised but kind. He knew she was hurt, but he just couldn’t keep it up any more. The stories about Cynthia, the illusion that he was in pain. The pretence that Joy was just his best friend. And now that he’d have the boys to look after in the New Year, he couldn’t waste his energies on anything else. They deserved more than to feel shunted around from one unwilling parent to another.
Right. To work.
He switched on the kettle and, to silence the emptiness that echoed in his ears, he turned on the radio.
Two minutes later he walked his coffee into the front room which doubled as his stud
y. He tidied up the sofa and switched on his computer.
Ah, Annie had sent him another nondescript, indecipherable e-mail. How nice.
He clicked on.
He read it once.
And then again:
Life’s too short. If you don’t both seize the wonderful gift life offers you with great bit fat fistfuls, you could spend the rest of your life regretting it.
You have a choice. A life of lonely regret or happiness with some pain along the way.
You choose.
I love you both.
A
Jesus. It was all or nothing with that girl.
With a nasty shock, he realised she’d sent the same e-mail to both of them. So Joy had received the same message. What could that mean? Did Joy know how he felt? Thank God he’d cancelled her! He’d never be able to look at her in the face again. What did Annie think she was doing?
He started replying to Annie, but his hands were shaking so much above the keyboards, he couldn’t get beyond Daer Anie …
The knock on the door made him jump so high he almost fell off his chair.
He stretched to the window and looked through the net curtain to the front door.
There stood Joy. As she looked over, he let the net curtain drop.
Oh bother, now she’d seen him, she knew he was there. What was she doing here? Was she going to be angry with him for sending Annie e-mails about her? Was she going to demand for him to be turned away from the Samaritans for stalking her?
Maybe she hadn’t seen her message yet. Maybe she was just popping round to see if he wanted anything from the shops …
She knocked again. Louder this time.
He knew he had no choice. He walked, like a prisoner to his execution, towards his front door. Thankfully it was a very short walk.
He opened the door.
Persuading Annie Page 27
