Secrets of the Heart (2 page)

Word
spread, and soon bookings were coming in fast and furious.

It
was a tremendous success and then, just when things were at their peak, Arnold became ill and was forced to retire, although he continued to live at the Mill and to take an interest in the business.

Bryn
was a widower with no children and so it was his great-nephew, Andrew Freeman, who came to help out, and Andrew with whom Annis fell so deeply in love. When they became engaged it had been the happiest day of her life and Bryn and Arnold had insisted that the wedding would be at Heathercote Mill — a complete package with no expense spared.

After
Andrew broke off their engagement, Annis had left Heathercote Mill to stay with her parents in Dorset for a few months, before finding work in another hotel.

Andrew
and Stella had married almost immediately and, shortly afterwards, Arnold Marsden had died and Bryn Freeman had inherited the majority of his shares in the enterprise.

* * *

Annis glanced at her watch. It was still only half an hour since she'd left the Mill. She couldn't return just yet. She came upon a newly-opened antiques shop with a coffee bar and decided to while away the remainder of the time in there.

There
were a couple of men talking animatedly in one corner and, after a quick glance at her, they lowered their voices. She took her time, looking at the items on display, which she thought were all rather pricey. Once or twice she glanced in the direction of the two men, wondering if they were dealers. The younger of the two was stocky but quite good-looking with thick sandy hair, whilst his companion was rather chubby and had a sly expression to his florid face.

After looking around the shop, she made her way to the coffee bar and ordered an over-priced cappuccino which she didn't really want.

She
sat looking out into the attractive courtyard garden, wondering whatever had possessed her to return to Heronsbridge. She was already beginning to regret her decision, but at least she could stay long enough to reassure herself that Bryn was all right. She decided that she would stay with Sally for the weekend, and then return to London on Monday.

* * *

When she returned to Heathercote Mill, Annis was relieved to see that Ross Hadley's Mercedes was no longer in the car park.

She
went into the office just as Sally was putting down the phone, a frown creasing her normally good-natured features.

`We've
a big wedding on tomorrow,' she explained to Annis, 'and that was the bride's mother having a mega panic. We can't afford for anything to go wrong, but I've got a nasty premonition that something will.'

`Why
should it?' Annis was puzzled. Sally had always been so confident, but now she seemed very on edge.

`Because
just lately
everything
always does go wrong, no matter how hard I check things out.'

`Then
we'd better start to check and double check everything systematically now, before it's too late,' Annis said briskly. 'Let's look at your computer.'

Armed
with phone numbers Annis set to work, saying that on this occasion she wasn't prepared to rely on e-mail. She wanted to speak to people personally. Sally was extremely thorough and had already checked out a good deal of the items herself. The marquees were up, the caterers were ready for the following morning and so was the florist. It seemed as if there really couldn't be any last minute hitches . . . That was until they tried to contact the band and discovered that they had gone to Blackpool for the weekend!

`What
did I tell you?' Sally wailed. `This sort of thing happens all the time! I made the booking months ago! Now the agency says that it was cancelled a few weeks ago, but the girl can't remember who by. Annis, whatever are we going to do now? It's all down to me!'

`No,
it's not because I'm here to help and we're going to sort this out.'

Annis
thought hard. She began systematically phoning all the bands that the hotel regularly used, even though she was aware that unless one of them had a last minute cancellation it would be impossible to find a substitute at this late stage.

After
a fruitless half hour, Annis turned to Sally.

`Look,
I've got an idea. I can't promise anything, but would you be prepared to try someone completely new?'

Sally nodded. 'Beggars can't be choosers.'

Annis
went ahead and contacted a friend of hers who had a young cousin desperate to get a break in the music world. Within the hour it was all set up.

Sally
heaved a sigh of relief. 'There you are. I knew you'd sort things out. Mind you, we're not out of the woods yet. Ross will want to know why he wasn't consulted before we booked someone new.'

`Oh,
he can go whistle,' Annis said rudely. 'Now, what's next?'

It
seemed that everything else was in order, and as soon as they were sure of this, Sally went upstairs to her Uncle Bryn's flat, to return a few moments later with an invitation for Annis to join them.

* * *

Bryn Freeman had aged. The first thing Annis noted was his poor scarred hands, but his bright blue eyes lit up when he saw her and a smile crinkled his already lined face. She went across to the old gentleman and received a hug.

`Where
have you been, lass? I've missed you so much,' he said.

Annis
swallowed back the tears. 'I visited you in the nursing home after the — the fire,' she told him.

He
sighed and took her hand. 'Yes, but that seems so long ago. You've lost weight, Annis. You're a mere shadow of yourself.'

She
laughed. 'Go on with you, Bryn.'

`Well,
it's wonderful to see you, lass. I keep thinking that if you and Andrew had stayed together none of this would have happened.'

`We
can't turn back the clock,' she said gently, her heart aching. 'Sometimes people are just in the wrong place at the wrong time . . . '

He
sighed again. 'I've never really cared for that Stella, but I do know that she loved my great-nephew. That's my one consolation . . . You didn't get to the funeral?'

`No
I didn't know about anything that had happened until after I returned from America.'

She
had been in Virginia, visiting friends, and her family — in a bid to protect her, and knowing how much she needed the holiday had thought it best to keep the news from her until her return. They had not realised how badly injured Andrew was, however, and he had died while Annis was away.

`I
didn't get to the funeral either, because I was in hospital,' said Bryn quietly. 'He saved my life, you know.'

`I
know,' Annis said gently, and bent to kiss the old man's cheek.

`Stella
went away soon afterwards, to Canada to stay with her father she couldn't face being here. But now she's back again.'

Sally
had warned Annis that Stella had returned to Heronsbridge and this was something else that Annis was going to have to face up to.

`It's wonderful to see you, Annis. Stay as long as you like. I hope they've given you a nice room?' the old man asked.

`Oh,
I'm staying with Sally and John for the time being. I wasn't sure if I'd be welcome.'

`Nonsense,
girl. You'll always be welcome here. The place hasn't been the same without you, and Sally could do with a hand now that Zoe's left to have her baby.'

`But
what about the other managers . . . Ross and Tristan?'

`Oh,
they run the business, but I've got my finger on the pulse and I make sure I have the final say.' Bryn's blue eyes glinted. 'Ross protects me and Tristan tries to manipulate me, but at the end of the day, they know they have to respect my wishes because I control the finances and always have done. Now, don't you worry, you're to stay as long as you like. Move in here when you want to. Get Vicki on reception to organise it. Come and join me for dinner tonight — and Sally too; it'll save her cooking.'

They
had a nostalgic evening, reminiscing about the Mill in the early days when it had first opened, and laughing over incidents from the past.

It
was past ten o'clock when Sally and Annis left the Mill.

`I
wish things could always be like that,' Sally remarked as they sat over a supper drink in her cottage. 'It was so relaxed. No pressure . . . Just like old times.'

Annis
looked at her friend in surprise.

`That's
not how I remember it; there was always pressure. It's that kind of job.'

`That's
not what I mean, Annis. Oh, you'll find out soon enough what it's like if you stay around for any length of time. If it wasn't for Uncle Bryn, I'd have packed it all in long ago, but for his sake I feel I've got to make a go of it.'

`Come
on, Sally, what is it?' Annis urged. 'Try to explain in words of one syllable what's bothering you?'

`That's
just it — it's hard to put into words. After you left, Zoe came to work here and we got on fine. She'd never replace you, but she was a good substitute. Things went along on a fairly even keel for a while, and I suppose I was so immersed in my work and stunned by what had happened between you and Andrew that I kept myself to myself. Besides, Uncle Bryn was around to sort out any problems.'

Annis
had pieced little bits together over the years from letters and e-mails and Sally had met up with her on the odd occasion in London and had a heart-to-heart. But then, after the fire, for a time they had ceased to communicate with one another, and this was apparently the point at which things had changed so radically.

`Go
on,' Annis urged Sally.

`Stella
used to swan about the place as if she owned it, but funnily enough and— I don't want to upset you by saying this —I don't dislike Stella. I think it genuinely was a chemistry thing between her and Andrew, and that although I admit she appeared manipulative it was just something that happened.'

Annis
nodded. Hard as it was for her to accept what Sally said, she realised that it was the truth, and after all, now that Andrew had died, both she and Stella were in the same situation except that Annis was the one that Andrew had rejected and Stella the one that he'd chosen to marry.

`Since
the fire, nothing's been the same,' Sally explained to Annis. 'Ross turned up and was very supportive, and Tristan was here already, but suddenly they were both in control, and without realising it at the time I seem to have been . . . '

`Pushed
out?' Annis suggested gently.

Her
friend looked awkward. 'Yes, that's exactly how I feel — as if I'm here under sufferance. If anything goes wrong, it invariably seems to come back to me. Anyway, with you here to support me . . .’

Annis
felt cornered. 'Sally, I can't promise anything. OK, I've taken a couple of weeks' holiday and the firm owes me so much leave I could probably stay on a bit longer, but I'd need to be very sure that I wanted to be here before I gave up my job.'

Sally
nodded. 'I can understand that.' She sighed. 'I've tried to talk to John once or twice about how I feel about working here, but he seems to think I'm being paranoid. Of course, the easy thing to do would be to leave, but then I'd feel I was letting down Uncle Bryn and the rest of the team. If anyone can help me to sort out things here, it's you, Annis.'

* * *

Annis lay awake into the small hours, mulling over the events of the day in her mind. She was beginning to think she should have followed her instincts and stayed in London, but Sally had sounded so desperate on the phone and, somehow, Annis had felt a sudden urge to see Heathercote Mill again. However, now that she was here in Heronsbridge, she wasn't at all sure whether to stay or go.

They
awoke to a glorious July day, just right for a wedding. The caterers and florists were hard at work from an early hour and so, unfortunately, was Mrs Lawrence, the bride's mother, who was determined to supervise the entire operation and get under everyone's feet.

Annis,
as she tried to pour oil on troubled waters, wondered why Mrs Lawrence hadn't just organised it all herself in the first place.

A
pretty, fluffy blonde, Mrs Lawrence was decidedly overwrought, and Annis acted quickly, shepherding her into the office and ordering coffee.

`Mrs
Lawrence, everything is truly under control, so why not relax and leave it all to us?'

Mrs
Lawrence sniffed into a lace-edged handkerchief. 'I was in hospital last year and my husband and daughter fixed this up so that I wouldn't have any worries, but now I feel superfluous. I wanted to be involved. She's my only daughter.'