The Broken Man (28 page)
Authors: Josephine Cox
She would have gone on, but Anne interrupted her, ‘I’ve agreed to go to the dance, but I am not going shopping for dresses and shoes. There are so many things in my wardrobe that I haven’t worn for ages. I’m bound to find something suitable.’
‘Oh, no, you don’t!’ Sally was determined. ‘You haven’t bought anything really pretty in ages, and everyone will be dressed to the nines. So, the two of us are going shopping. We need a new dress, and shoes, and a hairdo, and I won’t take no for an answer.’
And when Sally was in that kind of mood, Anne knew there was no stopping her. In a way, she didn’t really want to.
Swept along in Sally’s excitement, Anne found herself looking forward to the dance.
More than that, she was also looking forward to a successful meeting with the solicitor, but whichever way it went from now on, she was beginning to feel like she’d been given a new lease of life.
Saturday, at the shops, swept by and the moment had arrived.
Right on time, Mick and Sally arrived to collect Anne.
When they drew up outside Anne’s house, Mick gave a gasp as she opened the door and stepped out.
Wearing a slinky, black dress and red high-heeled shoes and with a little red bag clutched in her hand, Anne looked like a million dollars.
Apart from one lock of loosely waved hair that hung down to her shoulder, her hair was swept up and gripped in a silver comb. All of this was Sally’s doing.
‘I know you said she’d knock ’em dead, but she doesn’t even look like the Anne that we know,’ Mick gasped.
Sally watched proudly as Anne neared the car. ‘You have no idea how much persuasion it took to convince her the dress was perfect for her. She’s just not used to dressing up.’
Getting out of the car, Sally held the door open for her. ‘Oh, Anne, you look lovely.’
‘So do you, Sal.’ Anne admired Sally’s tight-fitting blue dress. Low on the neckline and drawn in at the waist, it swirled out at the skirt. Her pretty blue shoes and bag topped it all off.
When they were settled in the car, Mick drove off. ‘I must be the luckiest man ever,’ he said. ‘I’ve got the two loveliest ladies right here in my car. When we walk into that room, they’ll all be asking, “Where did that ugly devil manage to find those two beauties?”’
Sally kissed him on the cheek. ‘You’re not an ugly devil. And we’re proud to be with you.’ She turned to Anne. ‘Isn’t that right, Anne?’
Anne kissed him as well. ‘We’re the lucky ones.’
‘Mmm,’ he laughed, ‘you’re only saying that because it’s true.’
Sally turned round to ask if Anne was all right.
Sally had persuaded her out of her shell, and Anne could not be more grateful. ‘I’m glad you made me change my mind about not going to the dance,’ she said. ‘I’m really looking forward to it now.’
‘Good!’ Sally was excited. ‘Just for tonight, put everything else out of your mind, and enjoy yourself.’
‘I will, I promise.’
In this moment, here with Mick and Sal, and wearing a dress she would never have imagined herself in, Anne felt very special, and more excited than she had been for a long time.
When she’d been locking the front door, however, for one fleeting second, Edward Carter crept into her mind. There’d been the slightest, unsettling niggle at the back of her mind that when she came home, he would be there, waiting for her.
But then she’d reminded herself that he was in prison, where he belonged, and that very soon, if all went well, she would be free of him for ever. All these years she had been afraid to stir up the muddy waters, but now that she had started proceedings against him, she felt optimistic. She would not completely rest easy, though, until she’d secured the official papers on which it was written in black and white that she was no longer Mrs Edward Carter.
Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the club. Music blared into the night, indicating that the party was already underway.
‘Here we are!’ Sally was already twirling as she got out of the car. ‘Time to enjoy the evening.’
As Anne followed her two friends into the crowded hall, she reminded herself of what Sally had told her: tonight was her night. It was a night for fun and laughter, with no regrets.
Inside the club, Tony McDonald had been watching for her. When he saw her coming in through the door, he could hardly believe his eyes. She looked so lovely. But then, he thought, she always looked lovely.
Anne saw him striding towards her. For one split second, she almost turned away. But something held her there; maybe his smile, or his genuine delight at seeing her.
Whatever it was, she waited for him. They chatted a while, during which his easy manner made her feel comfortable.
Later, when he swept her onto the dance floor, she went willingly into his arms.
While they danced, he held her tight, and whispered soft endearments in her ear.
Afterwards, they walked out into the terraced garden, where they strolled and talked, getting to know each other. ‘I’m so glad you changed your mind,’ he said. ‘Right up to the minute I saw you walk through the door, I wasn’t sure whether I would see you tonight.’
When he reached out to take hold of her hand, she drew away, all her old fears coming back to torment her. ‘I’m sorry, Tony …’
‘What’s wrong?’ He thought they’d been getting on so well. ‘Have I said something to upset you?’
‘No. It isn’t anything you’ve done,’ she assured him. ‘It’s just that I’m not looking for a relationship. If I gave you that impression, I really didn’t mean to.’
‘Look, Anne, I think you already know how much I like you, but I’m not looking for a close relationship either. To tell you the truth, I’ve only recently come out of a bad situation, and I’m still carrying the scars.’ His ready smile was reassuring.
‘Oh! I’m sorry if I jumped to conclusions, but the truth is, I need to steer well clear of getting involved with anyone. I don’t want to give you any wrong signals … if you know what I mean?’
‘I hear what you’re saying, and I understand.’
‘Thank you.’ When he smiled down on her, her heart did a little skip. She was both excited and afraid; and ready to flee at the slightest opportunity.
‘I’d best go and find Mick and Sal.’ Her heart urged her to stay but her head warned her off. ‘They’ll be wondering where I am.’
Without waiting for an acknowledgement, she hurried away.
She located Sally at the bar, sipping a glass of red wine.
Mick was nearby, talking with the store manager.
Sally turned and saw Anne rushing towards her. ‘Where’ve you been? One minute you were here and then you were gone.’
She noticed Tony McDonald coming in from the terrace. ‘Oh, I see.’ She gave a naughty wink. ‘You’ve been hobnobbing with the good-looking side of management.’
Anne laughed. ‘And you’ve had one drink too many, by the look of you.’
Sally would not be silenced. ‘I want to hear all the juicy gossip.’ Taking her drink in one hand, she linked arms with Anne, marching her across the floor to the nearest free table. ‘Right, my girl! Spill the beans. I know you’ve been outside with Tony, so what happened? Did he make a play for you? Was he the perfect gentleman?’
Anne was shocked. ‘Ssh! He’ll hear you. And yes, for your information, he was a perfect gentleman.’
‘Well, that’s a pity.’ She gave a telltale hiccup. ‘I expected him to be a bit more daring that that. One little kiss at least.’
‘Well, you expected wrong because there were no kisses, and no canoodling. We just talked.’
‘Aw, Anne, I’m sorry.’
‘Why? I’m not.’ Though in a secretive way, she wondered what it might feel like for Tony to kiss her. But as soon as she thought it, she blocked it from her mind.
‘I’ll get you a cuppa coffee,’ she told Sally. ‘Sober you up a bit.’
‘Are you saying I’m drunk?’
‘No.’
‘Right! Then, I’ll have another glass of wine. This one’s half empty.’
‘Oh, no, you don’t.’ Mick arrived to collect her into his arms. ‘You owe your neglected husband a dance.’ With a knowng wink to Anne, he swept his wife onto the dance floor.
Anne watched them for a while. She saw how happy they were, and she was genuinely glad for them.
At the same time she wondered why she had chosen a man like Edward Carter. And yet, thinking back, she realised it was he who had chosen her.
Remembering how it was, her mood dropped. Feeling angry with herself, she grabbed up Sally’s half- empty wineglass and drank it down in one go.
‘Wow! Somebody was thirsty!’ Tony McDonald smiled down on her. ‘Would it be OK if I sat next to you?’
Taken by surprise, Anne gestured to the furthest chair. ‘You’re very welcome.’
‘Aren’t you worried I might pounce on you?’ His smile was infectious.
Anne felt foolish. ‘Just now, out there … what I said, it didn’t mean that I don’t like you –’ the wine was taking an effect – ‘because I do. It’s just that …’ She took a deep breath. ‘When I was too young and foolish, I trusted a man and I got badly hurt.’
‘I understand.’ Like Anne, he had not been successful where love and happiness were concerned. ‘Sometimes we get swept away with the idea that we’ll be happy ever after, but it doesn’t always turn out that way. I’m sure it happens to everybody at some time or another.’
‘You’re right! It’s not just me, is it? He was good-looking and charming, and he promised me the world. But he turned out to be a liar and a bully.’ She gave a sorry little giggle. ‘I wasn’t to know what he was really like.’
Sensing a deep confession of sorts, and realising she was not used to the wine, Tony felt like an eavesdropper and decided to bring the conversation to a halt. Getting out of his chair, he rounded the table, slid his hand through hers and bent to whisper in her ear, ‘Let’s you and me take to the dance floor, shall we?’
‘Good idea!’ Anne saw a man she might be able to trust; a man who had done nothing wrong. ‘Why not? Yes, I’d like that.’ And she allowed him to whisk her away again.
Waiting for the music to resume, Mick saw the two of them making their way across the room. ‘Looks like Anne has a very keen dancing partner,’ he told Sally.
Merry from the wine, Sally waved at Anne, who shyly put up a hand. ‘I’m glad for her,’ she told Mick. ‘Tony seems to be a decent sort.’
She watched as Tony led Anne into the waltz. She saw how intimately close he held her, and how Anne easily melted into his embrace.
Yet somewhere in the back of her mind, she sincerely hoped that, for the moment at least, Anne would not be drawn in too deep.
P
hil climbed off the bus and started to walk down the road, but he stopped on seeing Adam stitting on a wall at the corner of the street. Adam was so deeply preoccupied with his thoughts, he didn’t see Phil heading towards him. He continued to swing his legs, his face looking down and his gaze drawn to the pavement.
Phil was concerned that it was not the first time he’d seen the boy looking so dejected, although whenever he asked Adam if things were all right the same answer was always given with a bright smile: ‘Yes, Phil. Don’t worry, I’m fine.’
Phil knew he had to be careful. The very last thing he wanted was to stir things up with Miss Martin, and he would never do that, unless he was absolutely certain there was something not right with Adam’s situation.
On the other hand, Phil had wondered whether the problem could just be something straightforward, and therefore nothing to worry about. It might be that Adam was still struggling to feel comfortable in his new circumstances.
After all, this new family situation was all very strange to him. It could be that it was taking him longer to settle in than anyone had anticipated.
Phil himself was still fretting because the authorities had flatly turned him down when he offered to take the boy. And whatever he said, they always had a well-rehearsed answer, all tied up in red tape.
Phil had told them, ‘You should ask Adam what he wants.’ And they assured him it did not work that way.
So, he made up his mind to do the next best thing. He promised both himself and Adam that he would never be far away, and that he would see him as often as the Dexters allowed. It was the only alternative he could offer.
