Deceit of Angels (36 page)

“Didn’t
take Anna with you then?”  She didn’t let him answer.  “Of course you didn’t. 
Because that’s the day I saw her with her friend at the Marriott Hotel”

“You
saw her where?”

She
knew he had heard her and decided to ignore his question.  “Mmm.  Probably
having a nice, cosy Christmas drink with him.”

“Him?”

Deborah
smiled in triumph.  She knew what buttons to push.  “Very attractive man,
actually.”

He
scowled, trying to stem the suspicions that were rising up inside him.

“There’s
nothing wrong with Anna having a drink with a friend, male or female!”

“He
was certainly very friendly, the way he had his arm round her.”

Jason
didn’t want to hear any more and decided to leave.  “I’m going.  I don’t want
my Christmas spoilt with your innuendoes.”

“Innuendoes! 
Certainly not!  I saw them go in and I saw her come out…about six hours later!”

Jason
froze on the spot.  “You were watching her for six hours?”

“No,
of course not,” she said coyly.  “I was just returning to the office when I saw
them going through the door of the hotel.  And much later on, I was in the
restaurant with a client and I saw her leave.  On her own of course.”

“She
left on her own?”

“I
think she was on her own.  But you know how crowded the lifts to the rooms can
be.”  Now Jason’s eyes turned dark and it was Deborah’s turn to gloat.  She
pushed the dagger in to the hilt.  “Oh, don’t worry about it.  As you say,
there’s nothing wrong with her having an intimate, cosy Christmas drink in a
hotel bedroom.”

She
turned to go but Jason caught her arm.  She smiled in exaltation at his angry
but pained expression.

“You’re
lying!”

“Lying! 
Oh, come on, Jason.  Get real!  If anyone’s good at lying, it’s that fiancée of
yours.  Remember her story about being a widow?  That was a pearl.”

“She…She
had her reasons for doing that,” he stammered.

“I’m
sure she did.”  She patted his arm.  “And I’m sure she’s got a valid reason for
going to a hotel room with a male companion.” She smiled smugly.  “Why don’t
you ask her?”

“I
will and she’ll have a good reason.”  Somehow he knew he didn’t sound
convincing.

Deborah
had won and now she was satisfied to leave, but not before sending a parting
shot.

“You’ve
always been rather blind when it came to choosing your wife, haven’t you? 
Well, as my dear old grandmother used to say, ‘you can’t half pick ‘em’.”  She
made her way through the foyer to the bar, laughing as she went.

Jason
drove back to the Grange in a state of turmoil.  The demons of suspicion
travelled with him and although he tried to rationalise everything he had
heard, he found he couldn’t.  If Anna had been for a Christmas drink with a
friend, then they would have stayed in the bar.  There was no reason for her to
go up to the bedrooms.  He tried to stay calm, convinced that Anna would set
his mind at rest.

He
arrived at the Grange and as he locked the car, a feeling of nausea swept over
him.  He remembered the love bite on her neck and the strange coldness she had
shown him after his return from Singapore.  And then there was that particular
day when she was out late.  The day her car ran out of petrol.  

He
went straight into the parlour without removing his coat and scarf.

“Where’s
Anna?” he asked, quickly glancing round at the faces present.

“Upstairs,”
said Hollie, munching on some chocolates.

He
took the stairs two at a time.  Anna was in their room sorting out a dress for
the New Year’s Eve party.

She
smiled brightly as he came in.  “I don’t know whether to wear this one.” She
held up a blue dress.  “Or this one.”  She held up a black one.  Her smile
faded when she saw his expression.  “What’s the matter?  You look as though
you’ve had some terrible news.”

He
moistened his lips.  He was a businessman and was used to getting to the point
quickly.

“I
want to ask you a question, Anna.  And I want a truthful answer.”

She
opened her eyes wide in surprise.  “What is it?  What’s happened?”  She took a
step closer to him.

“While
I was in Singapore, did you go to the Marriott Hotel?”  He saw her reel back in
shock.

Anna
felt as though she was going to faint, the colour draining from her face.  “I…I
don’t think so.”

He
stepped forward and grabbed her arms.  “Did you go there with someone?”  She
stared at him in horror.  “Answer me!”

“No,
I didn’t,” she stuttered.

“You
were seen going into the hotel with a man!”

She
had known him angry before, but never like this. 

“They
must be mistaken.  It wasn’t me.”  Her voice became stilted with fear.

Jason
moved away from her, staring with fresh eyes at the woman he loved.  She seemed
so different, so alien. 

“You’re
lying to me!”

“No,
I’m not!”

He
took hold of her once more.  “Anna, look me in the eye and tell me that it
wasn’t you going into the Marriott Hotel.”

She
slapped his hands away.  “No, I won’t!  I don’t have to justify my actions! 
How dare you!  Just because we’re engaged doesn’t give you the right to
question me like this.  I’m not your property, your possession.”

He
advanced on her, his expression thunderous.  For one awful moment she thought
he might hit her and put up her arms to ward off a blow.

Her
sudden defensive action startled him.  “I ask very little of you.  But I do
expect faithfulness in a woman,” he said softly.

“Do
you think I could…Why don’t you trust me?”

“I
want to, but you’ve lied in the past.”  He winced at her hurt expression.  He
stepped a little closer, desperately wanting her to understand his position. 
“But when I hear something that unsettles me, then I have to know the truth.”

“And
you’d rather listen to vengeful gossip than to me?”

He
held her arm, but this time his touch was gentler.  “Anna, just tell me the
truth.”

She
twisted her head away, her heart thudding wildly, tears of humiliation spilling
onto her cheeks.

“I
don’t want to say anything to you when you’re in this kind of mood.”

His
grip tightened.  “I only want to know if Deborah…”

Anna
turned on him angrily.  “Deborah!  You’ve been listening to someone like
her. 
A woman you despise!  Oh, Jason, I expected better from you!”

“Yes,
it does seem ironic,” he said, smiling wryly.  “So, prove her wrong.  Prove her
to be the malicious gossipmonger she is.”

Anna
knew she was caught in a trap.  She couldn’t refute the allegations but there
again, there was no way that she wanted to confirm them.  Jason watched her
closely. 

She
was desperate to escape.  “I’d like to go downstairs.  Perhaps we can talk
about this later.”

He
shook his head vigorously.  “Not until we get this sorted out.”  Anna could
only stare at the floor.  She heard him gasp.  “Was Deborah right?  Did you
go…to the hotel with…another man?”  His arms fell to his side.  She glanced at
him in time to see him backing away from her, his eyes showing the agony of his
feelings.  “I thought my suspicions were just…!”  He passed a trembling hand
over his face.  “No!  I can’t handle this.”

She
heard the door slam and everything went quiet.  She stood motionless, waiting,
hoping that he would return.

The
door opened quietly and Margaret’s anxious voice drifted into her
consciousness.

“What
is it, my dear, what’s happened?  Jason has just left as though the devil was
chasing him.”

Anna
slowly turned towards her and then for the first time in her life, she
fainted. 

Jason couldn’t
remember how he got home.  He drove instinctively and pulled up outside the
house in Bishop Sutton with the rain beating down relentlessly.  He was
surprised to see lights on and realised that Ben must be home from his
Christmas visit with his family.  He rushed through the door and almost
collided with him in the kitchen.

“Oh,
you’re back,” said Ben.  “I was going to set off to the Grange tomorrow.” 
Jason’s black expression alarmed him.

“Decided
to come back early.  I’m off to bed.  See you in the morning.  Don’t forget to
lock up.”

He
left Ben standing alone, puzzlement etched across his face.

Jason
reached his room and immediately went to the bathroom.  He had never felt so
ill in his life, his insides churning round, his head fit to burst.  Stumbling
back into the bedroom, he threw himself on the mattress fully clothed and
stared around him.

He
had shared this room with Anna for over three months and now it seemed forlorn
and empty.  He knew why he felt so unwell.  The shock to his system had been on
the scale of an earthquake, since every fibre of his being had trusted her,
because he loved her so deeply.  It was as if his very vital signs, his
breathing and heartbeat, depended on her.  And now that she had betrayed his
trust, his body rebelled at the idea.  He noticed the phone beside the bed.  He
would call the Grange and tell his mother he was back at his own house.  There
was no point in worrying her.

Anna awoke with
Margaret leaning over her, pressing a cold flannel on her forehead.  She was lying
on the bed and in the background she could see Mrs Wilby and Fran hovering
near. 

“Just
lie still, my dear.  You gave me such a scare fainting like that.  Thank
goodness John was around to lift you up.”  She turned to the others.  “You two
go downstairs.  She’s fine now, we don’t need a doctor.”  Anna tried to sit up
but Margaret pressed her back.  “No, stay where you are for just a few minutes
more.”

Anna
obeyed, she felt so weak.  “Where’s Jason?” she asked quietly.

“No
idea.”

“We
had a row.”

“Well,
that’s obvious,” said Margaret sadly.

There
was a brief pause as Anna gathered her courage.  “He accused me of having an
affair,” she whispered.

Margaret
suspended her actions of offering Anna a cup of tea.  “An affair!  That’s
preposterous.  Not you.”

“I’m
glad you’ve got so much faith in me.”

Margaret
started laughing.  “My dear, I can read people’s characters very well.  And the
moment I set eyes on you I knew you were the faithful kind.”

“Even
though I lied about my husband?”

“I
said I knew you were faithful, not truthful.”

“The
trouble is, my lies have made him doubt my fidelity.”

Margaret
shook her head.  “I’m sure that’s not the case.  How can he doubt you?”  

Anna
struggled up onto the pillows.  “I haven’t had an affair, Margaret.  You’re
right, it’s not in my nature.  I was married a long time and I never considered
it then, even though I was bitterly unhappy.”

“And
Jason will realise that, when he comes to his senses.”

“That
might not be for a while.”

“He’ll
cool down eventually,” said Margaret soothingly.

Anna
glanced around the room.  “I don’t think he’ll be back tonight.  He’ll have
gone to Bishop Sutton.”

“Well,
I hope he phones.  Do you want to come downstairs?”

Anna
shook her head.  “I think I’ll have a bath and go to bed, if you don’t mind.”

“That
sounds like a good idea.  You drink your tea and don’t worry.  Everything will
be sorted out tomorrow.”

Yes,
thought Anna as she sank into the bubbles, everything will be OK tomorrow. 
Jason will come back to the Grange and laugh at the stupidity of it all.  He
will take her in his arms and tell her he shouldn’t have believed someone like
Deborah.  Surely he will realise that her information couldn’t be relied on. 
And yet she had been telling the truth!  Anna couldn’t blame Jason for thinking
she was having an affair, it must have looked that way.  But deep down she knew
the situation was dire.  He had come very close to finding out the truth about
her.  Had Sophia been right all along?  Should she have told him everything? 
Her heart ached with yearning.     

Sleep came only
spasmodically for Jason and he awoke the following morning feeling washed out
and weary.

“You
look a bit the worse for wear,” said Ben, as he poured him some coffee.  In
fact, he felt quite worried about his boss.  He had never seen him looking so
ill.

“Drank
too much at Christmas,” Jason lied.  He picked up the mug and took a gulp. 
“I’m going into the office.  Got to catch up on a few things.”  He turned to go
but then turned back.  “Do you remember when I was in Singapore and I was
trying to contact Anna?”  Ben nodded.  “She was out quite a bit, wasn’t she?”