Deceit of Angels (41 page)

“I’m
going for another in a few weeks.”

Graham
shook his head.  “It’s only a small one.”  He studied his partner carefully. 
“You don’t seem to be motivated any more.  It’s as though you’ve completely
lost interest in the business.”

“That’s
not true!”  Jason leaned back in his chair rubbing his forehead, trying to ease
his splitting head.  But deep down he knew Graham was right.  He had lost his
ambition, his drive to achieve.

Zahra,
Graham’s secretary came in with some aspirin and Jason took them from her
gratefully, swallowing them with a glass of water Graham had poured for him.

Graham
let out a breath.  “Well, at the moment everything’s just steady.  Harrington
Rhodes is still doing OK.  But we can’t afford to lose any more contracts.”

“I
know, you don’t have to tell me that,” Jason sighed.

Graham
stared down at the document on his desk.

“We’ve
had an offer.  From Matthew Gilbert in San Francisco.  A very good offer
actually, to buy us out.  Of course, we would stay on as directors, but we
would be fairly rich men…”

“You
want to sell the business?”  Jason sat forward in his seat.

Graham
shrugged.  “It is a good offer.  It will certainly solve our current financial
problems.”

Jason
narrowed his eyes at him.  “Matthew Gilbert?  Isn’t that an advertising firm
run by Deborah’s father?”

Graham
nodded.  “A huge advertising company.  Its turnover is billions per year.”

“Why
are they interested in a shipping agency?”

“I’ll
remember to ask next time they call.  But it’s something to think about.”

“No,
it’s not!  Sell our company!  We started this business from almost nothing and
we’ve done well.”

“Up
to now!”

Jason
stood, wanting to go home.  “No, Graham.  We’ll bounce back.  I promise you
that.  It won’t be necessary to sell us out, especially not to the father of
Deborah Gilbert-Hines.”

But
he didn’t go home.  Instead he stopped at a wine bar just near the city
centre.  He craved some peace and quiet, a moment to himself.  Going back to
Bishop Sutton didn’t hold the attraction it once had and besides, if he waited
a little longer, Natalie would have left.  He couldn’t face her sombreness, not
today, and certainly not after Graham’s proposals.

Jason
made himself comfortable at the end of the bar and absorbed himself in his
newspaper, trying to forget the terrible day he had had.  Ten minutes went by
before a light touch on his arm brought his attention back.

“Would
you like to buy me a drink?”  He looked up to see a woman with large, almond
eyes smiling at him.  “A gin and tonic would be nice.”  Jason frowned slightly,
the woman looked familiar.  “Have you forgotten me?  It’s Thalia!”

Jason
smiled back, folded his newspaper and ordered the required drink.  “Now, fancy
meeting you here after all these years.”

“I’ve
been trying to get your attention for the last five minutes,” she laughed. 
“But you seemed to be in a world of your own.”

They
talked for the next forty minutes.  Jason and Thalia had met at university when
he was in his final year.  They had been an item for only three months since
Thalia was of a restless nature and couldn’t seem to settle with one man for
too long.  And it seemed she hadn’t changed.  With two brief marriages behind
her, she still had that haunted look of a woman on an endless quest for
happiness.  But Jason was starting to enjoy her company.  As they reminisced
over old times, he suddenly realised that she was flirting with him and he was
enjoying that too.  He had missed the male-female teasing and she was
distracting him from his problems, easing the pain.  And for that, he was very
thankful.

By
the end of an hour she was leaning against him, her hand on his shoulder.  He
knew that she was sitting too close, he could smell her perfume and the
softness of her body filled him with desire.  He desperately wanted to forget
the last four months, wanted to fill his mind with new images instead of the
constant ache he had for a certain blonde who was now hundreds of miles away and
perhaps, with someone new.

He
slipped his arm round her waist and pulled her closer.  She brushed her lips
against his and he closed his eyes, gasping at the excitement that surged
through him.  She had always been a seductive creature.  When she suggested
going back to her place for old time’s sake, he nodded and gulped down his
drink, while she paid a visit to the ladies room.

Suddenly,
a young couple rushed through the door laughing with delight.  The man was
carrying a car seat and snuggled in blankets a small baby, only a few weeks
old, slept peacefully.  They were greeted by friends who had been waiting for
them and who crowded round the infant, eager to see the new arrival.  Jason
watched as if hypnotised.

The
young couple beamed with pride and answered the barrage of questions with
delight.

“The
house is unrecognisable,” said the young father with a chuckle.  “I keep
tripping over stuff and there’s strange smells and sounds everywhere.  And as
for a good night’s sleep; forget it!”

Out
of the corner of his eye, Jason saw Thalia coming towards him, looking so
beautiful and oozing sex appeal, but yet her entire demeanour smacked of
emptiness.  It wasn’t so long ago that he and Anna were planning their future,
a wedding and even talking about having a baby.  He hesitated.  Was this what
he really wanted, a one-night stand with a woman he had just met again after
twenty years?  And there was no doubt it would be just a brief fling, Thalia
didn’t do permanency.  It would be a moment of pleasure and then it would be
gone and the pain would return.  He wanted more than that!  He wanted a life
with meaning.  He had found that meaning with Anna and now that he had tasted
it, he couldn’t tolerate anything less.  Thalia slipped her arm through his.

Jason
shook his head apologetically.  “I’m sorry…I’ve just realised…I can’t go with
you.  My daughter will be waiting…” He gently removed her arm.  “Sorry…I must
leave.” 

He
left her standing alone, bewildered and frustrated and with the conviction that
she had been right about men all along.

Jason sat on the
bed, his head in his hands.  Life was shit.  He could lose his business just as
he had lost Anna.  He lifted his face and looked around the room.  Mrs Thompson
had done too good a job.  Every trace of Anna had been swept and polished
away.  He had tried to find something of her, a strand of hair; a small
possession left behind, even an item of clothing overlooked in the wardrobe or
drawer.  But there was nothing, only his memories and some photos were left.  He
was full of regrets.  He regretted ever interviewing her for the position of
PA, or offering her the job in the first place.  But she had stepped into his
office and with one look she had ignited something deep inside him.  And that
fire, dampened down for a while, was starting to burn brightly once more.

He
had been attracted to her from the moment he saw her.  And it wasn’t just her
loveliness, but the wonderful innocence he had sensed almost immediately.  He
stood up abruptly, clenching his hands in a tight fist.  But she had shattered
his dreams; she wasn’t so innocent after all.  She had betrayed his trust and
he couldn’t forgive her for that.  She was out of his life and he would accept
it.  If only he could forget her.  Forget the feel of her, smell of her, taste
of her.  Sometimes he thought he would go insane with the memories that haunted
him.  He heard Hollie calling him and glancing quickly round the room, he went
to read the obligatory bedtime story.

The phone call
came at the end of April.  Anna was overjoyed when Nigel told her that her
decree nisi was on its way with the absolute following six weeks later.

“Your
husband has already sent the cheque to buy you out of the property and I’ll
forward that on.”   He hesitated for a moment.  “It’s only fifty-seven
thousand, but I can try for more if you wish.”

Anna
sighed.  That would work out at three thousand for every year she had been
married! 

“I’ll
go with that.  Were the boys mentioned?”

“He’s
agreed to pay all relevant expenses for their university education.”

“Oh,
good.  But somehow I thought he would do that.”

Nigel
could sense her sadness despite her agreeable manner.  “Is everything OK with
the baby?”

“Yes,
I’m fine.  Quite healthy actually.  But pregnancy always did suit me.”

Margaret had
decided to host a special lunch in celebration of Jason’s birthday that was in
early May. Anna listened to Margaret’s plans with dismay.  Jason would be at
the Grange all afternoon and for most of the evening and she would have to go
to John and Irene’s apartment while he was there.  Suddenly, Anna felt
frustrated.  She had so wanted to be with Jason on his birthday and the
yearning became more acute.

She
had a busy time ahead of her, with three interviews and two weddings at the
weekend.  The bookings seemed endless with her phone ringing every minute of
the day.  At the moment she was coping well, since she was still in the second
three months of her pregnancy and she had always considered that the best
time.  Her sickness had passed and she had not yet reached the uncomfortable,
back aching stage.  Even so, Margaret had insisted that she rest as much as
possible and when she did get too cumbersome, she must pass some of the
workload onto her.  Anna felt very reluctant about doing that.  Planning the weddings
was her responsibility and she would relinquish the work with a heavy heart.

The
guests arrived for the birthday lunch and Anna was hustled out of the way by
Fran.

 “I
feel like Cinderella,” she said, as she made her way to the apartment, with
numerous folders tucked under her arm.  “And I’ve not been invited to the
ball.”

Once
there, she absorbed herself in her work while the family greeted one another
just below her.

She
was roused from her concentration by a gentle knock on the door.  Anna was delighted
to find Sophia waiting on the threshold and drew her into the living room.

“I
thought we could have a chat.”

“Won’t
the others miss you?”

Sophia
shook her head.  “They’ve all gone outside to enjoy the garden before sitting
down to lunch.  The weather is so beautiful today.  I told them I had to pop to
the loo.”

“Is
everyone OK?” asked Anna wistfully.  “Ben and Mrs Wilby?”

“They’re
absolutely fine.  But I know they miss you, especially Hollie”

Anna
gave a strained laugh.  “Well, you’d better not spend too long on the loo, or
they’ll think you’ve got a gippy tummy.”  She drew her down to sit next to her
on the couch.

“You
look very well, positively radiant,” smiled Sophia

“I
feel well and everything’s going great.”

“How’s
Margaret been?”

“Unbelievable. 
So kind and caring.  I don’t know what I’d have done without her help.  She’s
convinced I’m having a boy to carry on the Harrington line.”

“So,
she doesn’t know that…”

Anna
looked at her aghast.  “Of course she doesn’t know!  How can I tell her
anything like that?  In fact, only you and Nigel know the real truth.”

“What
will you do after the baby’s born?  Jason will have to know then.”

“I’m
not thinking that far ahead.”

“He
could have a DNA test.  Then you’ll know if he’s the father.”

“But
then I’ll have to tell him
why
he might not be the father.  I couldn’t
bear that.”

Sophia
reached across and took her hand.  “Whatever happens, Nigel and I are still
here for you.  We’ll give you every support.”

Anna
squeezed her hand in gratitude.

Jason left the
others to go back inside and fetch his sunglasses.  As he passed the door of
the morning room, he couldn’t resist peeping inside.  The room was made up for
the marriage ceremonies, the chairs in tidy rows, with the end ones decorated
with a white, silk ribbon.  Huge pedestals of flowers stood either side of the
large oak table where the register was signed and the air was filled with the
fragrance.  Jason liked the way white, silk material had been draped over the
walls giving the room a soft appearance and as he looked about him, he could
see the hard work that went into organising these events.  He couldn’t imagine
how his mother managed since she still had the business seminars and
conferences to cope with.

Jason
felt restless and wandered out into the hall.  He didn’t know what made him
start climbing the stairs; it was as though he was drawn to Anna’s old room. 
Standing outside the door, her delightful laugher echoed through his mind.  He
closed his eyes and remembered how much they had shared on their summer visit
to the Grange.  How they had made love for the first time after his mother’s
party.  His hand reached out for the handle and he slowly turned it.  But it
didn’t give and then he realised it was locked.