*
Sitting in Mario’s that evening, they talked about a host of subjects, but so far not the events of the day. It was almost as if they wanted to keep those until last.
It was only when coffee had been brought to their table that Bob brought up the subject of Jane’s past. ‘How do you feel about things now?’ he asked, looking at her intently.
Jane played with her spoon in her cup for a few seconds, thinking, staring down at the cup. She looked up at Bob. ‘Now that I’ve had time to take it all in, I am beginning to feel fine about everything.’ She sipped her coffee. ‘It was a bit of a shock when Elizabeth first told me – I mean, the bit about me being exchanged for a dead baby. It all seemed so callous and a strange thing to do.’
‘And now?’ Bob prompted.
‘I think I’ve accepted it. I had a mother who didn’t want me and is still of the same mind by all accounts. I’ve considered myself an orphan all my life, so nothing has changed really.’
‘So Elizabeth is really your aunt,’ Bob pointed out.
Jane responded to his suggestion quickly. ‘That’s another odd thing. I don’t regard her as my aunt. Somehow, I don’t think I ever would.’
Bob nodded in agreement. ‘I know what you mean,’ he replied.
Jane took another drink of her coffee. She was deep in thought. It stimulated her next comment. ‘There is one thing that I still do find hard to comprehend.’ She paused for a second, looking at Bob for a reaction, but when he continued to wait for whatever else she had to say, she continued speaking. ‘I just can’t understand how anybody could be as charming as Miles and Gail Ashington, yet at the same time plan to do what they did to me.’
Bob’s reaction was prompt. ‘It’s very hard to understand. Miles comes over as such a nice guy. I doubt if Gail knew anything about what was being planned. I don’t think Miles or his son would have discussed their intentions with her.’
Jane nodded. Then her face took on a serious look. ‘I still can’t help wondering what they had in mind to get me out of the way…’ She stared thoughtfully into her cup, and could not help adding, ‘And they would have succeeded but for one little bit of luck.’
‘Thank goodness you lost your anklet in that barn. That was the clue that convinced the police that you might not have drowned and could still be alive.’ Bob smiled at her as he finished speaking.
‘And Mel apparently telling them where I was,’ she added.
It was Bob who spoke first again. ‘It seems quite ironic now that Miles Ashington went to all that trouble to get rid of you and get his hands on more money, when all the time you weren’t Ann Ashington’s daughter at all.’
Jane was still in a pensive mood. She looked at Bob, her face still serious. ‘You know, Bob, that’s one of the things I’m really glad about after visiting Elizabeth. Somehow it never felt right to me being Ruth Ashington, and I’m pleased now that I am who I am.’
‘Well, I think you can say that you have completed your family history research,’ Bob responded with a smile.
Jane smiled briefly as she remembered something. ‘You know, I think Gerald was quite annoyed with himself for not picking up my birth. I could see it in his reaction when I was telling him about the incorrect name on the certificate.’
‘It was an easy thing to miss.’
‘Well, I certainly did.’
‘And now you’ll have to change your birthday,’ laughed Bob.
‘And, yippee! I’m six months younger!’ recalled Jane. She was immediately serious again. ‘Well, I know one thing. I’m rather glad it’s all over. I don’t think I’d want to go through everything again,’ she remarked.
There was a short silence between them. It was Jane who broke the spell. She was smiling broadly as she regarded Bob. ‘Guess what? I had a card from Angus Pike during the week. He sent it to the office wishing me well.’
Bob was amused. ‘Good for him,’ he replied.
‘He most likely still wants me to model nude for him,’ Jane remarked, almost casually.
‘Hey! I’ve got first option on that.’ Bob feigned indignation, but he was grinning.
‘You’ll have to marry me first,’ replied Jane, with a mischievous smile.
The Golden Anklet Page 48
