Deceit of Angels (17 page)

Anna
had never had so much fun in years.  She had always loved golf and was
determined to give Jason a hard time.  At the first tee, she hit the ball
almost onto the green with her first shot, while Jason went into a bunker. 
From that moment on it became a battle of wills and skill and with her heart
singing, she knew that he was forced to give everything he had just to keep
pace with her. 

“The
winner buys the drinks,” he said, as they reached the eighteenth hole.

“You
never said that when we started!” she remonstrated with him.  “Hope you’re not
going to be a sore loser.”

“I
haven’t lost yet,” he said, smiling.  But he did lose and as they walked back
to the clubhouse, Jason was obviously impressed.  “Well, done.  Perhaps you’ll
tell me your handicap now?”

Anna
hesitated for a moment but finally said,  “Five.”

He
let out a groan.  “I should have guessed.  Mine’s seven.  I didn’t think for
one minute that yours would be better.  How arrogant of me.”

“Never
mind, I’ll let you win next time.”

“You
will not!  We play fair or not at all!”

The
club seemed to be very full when they arrived back and it was difficult to find
seats.  Then Anna spotted an empty table in the corner and headed for it. 
Despite saying that the winner would buy the drinks, Jason didn’t hesitate in
going straight to the bar.  He brought back their drinks smiling brightly.

“When
shall we have a return match?” he asked, putting her drink down in front of
her.

“You’re
a glutton for punishment.”

“No,
just keen not to be beaten.”  They talked for the next thirty minutes and Anna
told him about the golf club in Wakefield and the many tournaments that she had
taken part in, including the medals and trophies that filled an entire cabinet
at home.  “It’s a good thing I didn’t know this before we started playing,”
said Jason.  “I might have suggested a game of scrabble instead.”

Anna
sighed.  “Your birthplace is so lovely.  But why is it called the Isle of
Wedmore?”

 “A
throwback from the Saxon times, I believe, when Wedmore was completely
surrounded by wet marshland.”

The
club was beginning to empty and Anna glanced across the room.  “Talking of
marshland, Deborah whatshername is sitting not too far from us.”

“I’ve
never heard Deborah compared to a marshland before.”

“Well,
I get the feeling she can suck you down, if you let her.”

 “I
forgot she was a member too.  How awkward.”

“I
don’t think she’s seen us.  She’s very engrossed in talking to an attractive
young man.”  Anna gave a grin.  “For all her declarations of love, I believe
she’s forgotten you already.”

“That’s
Deborah for you.”

“What
does she do for a living?”

“She’s
in marketing.  Got a steady little business herself in Bristol with about six
employees.  Would you like another drink?”

Anna
nodded and he stood, collected up their empty glasses and carried them to the
bar.  When he returned his face was grey.  He put their drinks on the table,
almost spilling them with his shaking hands.

“What’s
the matter?” said Anna.  She reached out and touched him gently.

“That
man Deborah is talking to, is called Peter.”

“What! 
The Peter!  Kiera’s fiancé…?”

“Yes. 
I wonder how she knows him.”

“Well,
it looks like Peter’s heart has mended quickly.”

Jason
bit his lip as he suddenly remembered.  “Oh, of course, you won’t know.  Kiera
told me that Peter had left her as soon as she discovered she was ill.  He went
back to his wife.”

“How
cruel!  I wondered why I never saw him at the hospital.  And he didn’t seem to
be at the funeral.  I didn’t like to ask you about him.”  She peered over
Jason’s shoulder.  “They’re in deep conversation.”

“Probably
planning some treacherous plot!”

Anna
couldn’t help smiling at his expression of contempt.

It
had been a wonderful afternoon, but it was time to go.  Before leaving the
clubhouse, Anna decided to visit the ladies.  She entered a room she could have
lived in.  Comfortable and plush, it was designed so that any woman would feel
perfectly comfortable as she went about her business.  The room was empty and
Anna selected a cubicle and closed the door.  She had just thrown the small
bolt, when someone else came in.  This individual was obviously using the
ladies to make a call on her mobile and Anna was surprised to hear Deborah’s
husky voice. 

“Hi,
Ellen, it’s me.  Have you any more info?”  Anna stood perfectly still not
daring to move.  She couldn’t bear the thought of coming face to face with
Deborah.  “Peter’s here with me now and you won’t believe it but so is Jason
Harrington with his new
amour
, his secretary of all people.”  Anna
almost stopped breathing.  “Yes, I quite agree.  He’s really scraping the
bottom of the barrel now.”  Anna gritted her teeth and wondered if she should
go and punch her lights out.  “I’m very suspicious about her, though.  She’s
too good to be true.  I’ve got a feeling that there’s more to that woman than
she’s letting on.  Some dark, terrible secret in Yorkshire, no doubt.”  Deborah
gave a mischievous laugh.  “Must go.  See you tomorrow.”

After
she had left, Anna came out of the cubicle and stood quietly for some moments. 
She looked at her reflection in the mirror and saw that her complexion was as
ashen as Jason’s had been when he had discovered that Peter was talking to
Deborah.  She felt numb with shock.  Deborah suspected something about her and
her suspicions could only be proved correct.  Telling Jason her secret was only
the beginning, others would find out eventually and then what would people
think of her?  Feeling slightly sick, Anna left the ladies room and made her
way to the foyer where Jason said he would wait for her.            

Anna sat at the
dressing table assessing the situation.  They had arrived back from their game
of golf just fifteen minutes before and she had gone straight upstairs.  Now
she sat wondering what she should do.  All through the journey home, Anna had
tried to tell Jason what she had overheard in the ladies room.  But somehow she
couldn’t find the words.

Suddenly
she remembered that Margaret had organised coffee in the parlour.  Within minutes
she was downstairs sitting next to Jason who was wolfing down a large piece of
apple pie.

After
they had had their coffee, Margaret excused herself and disappeared, only to
appear again with a pile of brightly coloured presents.

“These
are for you, Anna.  And a very happy birthday.”

“Oh,
goodness!” Anna cried in delight. “I didn’t think you knew.”

“A
little bird told us,” said Mrs Wilby, beaming from ear to ear.

“Yes
and he’s sitting right next to you,” said Ben.

“You
rat!” said Jason.  He turned to Anna.  “I noticed the cards from your family
before we left Bishop Sutton, even though you tried to hide them from me.  I
thought it only right that your birthday should be celebrated too.”

Margaret
gave a chuckle.  “Well, it’s been a special day all round, I think.”

“Hear,
hear,” said everyone together.

    Anna opened
her presents, touched that time and energy had gone into buying them and as she
opened each parcel; perfume from Ben; a beautifully patterned woollen hat,
scarf and gloves from Mrs Wilby and a promise of a year’s subscription for the
golf club from Margaret, she let out a cry of delight.

“What
fantastic things!  You’re all so kind and thoughtful.”  She stood up, gathering
her gifts to her.  “I’ll take them upstairs.  I want to take a bath before the
party.”

Jason
stood also.  “And I must check my emails before I get ready.”

But
once out in the hall, Jason pulled Anna towards him.  “So, will you give me the
first dance tonight?” he murmured softly.

“I’m
not sure.  Perhaps I ought to check on the other talent first.”

“If
that’s the case, then I don’t stand a chance the way you are.”

Anna
thought for a moment.  “What do you mean, the way I am?”

Jason
gave a chuckle.  “Have you any idea how seductive you are?”

“Me? 
You’re joking.”

He
looked at her seriously.  “I’m not joking, Anna.  Haven’t you noticed how men
watch you as you walk by?”

Anna
couldn’t help seeing the funny side of this.  “Oh yes, they’re probably
thinking the same things my husband thought.”

“And
what was that?”

“That
I’d be OK in the dark.  At least, he never said anything to the contrary, so
that’s what I always imagined.”

“Do
you mean he never told you how beautiful you are?”

“He
never once said that.  Am I beautiful?”

“You’re
a very beautiful woman.  And I’m so proud that you’re mine.”

Anna
touched his cheek gently and smiled.  “Well, you did say that beauty is in the
eyes of the beholder.  Perhaps my husband never saw me that way.  And I must
admit, I never felt beautiful.”

“I
didn’t realise your self esteem was so low!”  He held her close and brushed his
face against her hair, before they continued upstairs and Jason followed her
into her room so that they could continue the conversation.  “And yet why am I
surprised that you have such a low opinion of yourself?  I remember how I felt
when Kiera told me she was leaving me for Peter.  I felt humiliated and
rejected, even though our relationship was over.”

Anna
nodded.  “It’s even worse when a person is betrayed over and over again.  I
began to feel used.  In fact, Dave made me feel foolish.”  She dropped the
presents on the bed.  “We’d been together six months and I lost my virginity
and became a mother in one fell swoop.” She paused before continuing, “I don’t
think we were really suited to each other.  In fact, I doubt we would have
married if I hadn’t been pregnant in the first place.  Perhaps I shouldn’t have
married him, but my mum would have felt ashamed if I’d been an unmarried
mother.  It wasn’t so common as it is today.”

“You
didn’t think of having your pregnancy terminated?”

“It
never entered my head.  It wasn’t the baby’s fault.”  She smiled wistfully. 
“We didn’t find out we were having twins until three weeks before the birth. 
Chris was hiding and then one day, the midwife heard two heartbeats.” 

Jason
smiled with her.  “It’s sounds wonderful but a lot of hard work.”

“I
hope they’re OK.  They’ll be flying back from Ibiza today and once again, I
won’t be home to meet them, just like I wasn’t there when they came back from
Romania.”

“You
didn’t abandon them, Anna.  You had to get away from an impossible situation. 
No one would blame you.”

Tears
appeared on her lower eyelids, trickling slowly down her cheeks.  “I did
abandon them, though,” she murmured guiltily.  Jason made her sit on the edge
of the bed. She leaned against his shoulder, drawing on his strength, her
thoughts on her family.  She gave a sad smile.  “They were so good about it
all, when I met up with them in Bristol.  Despite being so young, they seemed
to understand.  I was surprised at that.”

“Why? 
You’ve brought them up very well.  You’ve encouraged them to be independent and
taught them to be considerate and always do their best.”

“That’s
why I encouraged them to go to Romania on that life experience expedition.  I
thought time working on a farm and in an orphanage would be character
building.  But they are so different in character.  Chris has astounding
mathematical ability.  He loves anything to do with aircraft. In his room he
must have fifty models of different makes. He knows everything about them. When
they were built, where they were built, when they first flew, what battles if
any, they flew in. He knows every air combat in history, from the Red Baron
right up to the Falklands.  He’s already a member of a gliding club in Rufford
and after university he wants to join the RAF as a pilot.”  She suddenly choked
on her tears and hid her face, trying to fight back the devastating emotions
that made her gasp with pain.  “I wanted to see him through it all.  And Martyn
too.  He loves to wheel and deal and used to talk his brother into investing
his pocket money in all sorts of business ventures, from car washing to
gardening.” 

Jason
pulled her closer.  “Oh, Anna, you’ll see both your boys again very soon. I’m
sure they’ll want to visit before they go to university.”

Anna
dried her eyes and looked at him.  She frowned slightly.  “How can things be so
wonderful and yet so terrible at the same time?”

His
expression softened as he caressed her cheek gently with his finger.

“Because
you’re going through a big change in your life.”  He took in a breath.  “Anna,
I’m asking you formally to marry me.  I want you to be my wife.”

 “But
I’m already married.”

“In
name only.”