Mara's Choice

by Anna Jacobs

  He waited till she’d turned away to answer a question from some other visitor and edged past a trolley full of cleaning materials so that he could sneak into the special unit unseen.

  Peggy looked up as he burst into her room, gaping at him. ‘Get out of here! I don’t want to see you ever again.’

  ‘Well, I want to see you.’ Mike took a deep breath and said coaxingly, ‘Darling, we have to talk.’

  ‘Don’t you “darling” me!’

  As she reached out to press the button to summon a nurse, he moved to stop her. When she scooted back away from him, he grabbed her arm, dragging her into a sitting position at the other edge of the bed. ‘Get your dressing gown on quickly. You’re coming with me. You and I need to have a very important talk without any stupid do-gooders interfering.’ He gave her a slight shake. ‘Hurry up!’

  She sagged limply as if about to obey him, then suddenly began screaming for help. When he tried to put his hand across her mouth, she struggled fiercely to get away from him but he was much bigger and stronger than her.

  A nurse looked into the room, damn her. Mike dug his fingers into Peggy’s arm, yelling, ‘Don’t you dare come any nearer! You can’t keep her here against her will and she wants to come with me, don’t you, Peggy?’

  ‘No, I don’t.’

  His grip on her arm tightened till it was painful and he gave her a little shake.

  Peggy pretended to sag, but shook her head slightly.

  The nurse stood still but stayed in the doorway, saying in a soothing voice, ‘Please move away from the patient, sir.’

  Instead Mike quickly hauled Peggy upright, keeping her between the nurse and himself. ‘I told you, she wants to come with me. Tell her, Peggy.’

  ‘I don’t want to go with him. He’s trying to force me.’

  He shook Peggy hard and she squeaked in shock and pain as he banged her head against the metal bed head.

  ‘Don’t come any closer,’ he warned the nurse.

  Mike had such a wild look and had already hurt her so Peggy didn’t dare do anything else to upset him till a burly security guard suddenly appeared behind the nurse. When Mike’s grip on her arm slackened, she remembered a self-defence class she’d once taken, so groaned faintly and sagged as if she’d fainted.

  As Mike struggled to hold her limp body upright, she managed to turn sideways without him realising and punched him a couple of times. By sheer good luck her third punch landed in a man’s most vulnerable spot.

  It was his turn to yell and he let go of her as he doubled up in pain, clutching himself.

  By that time the security guard had run across. As he grabbed Mike, the nurse tugged Peggy away from him. ‘Let’s get you out of the room. Quick.’ Once outside the door she pressed an alarm button on the wall then paused to watch what was going on.

  Mike proved what he’d always claimed, that he wasn’t any good at fighting. Well, unless it was with women who were smaller than himself, Peggy added mentally, watching his ineffectual attempts to escape. She must have been crazy to think herself in love with him.

  The security guard was soon holding Mike helpless by twisting one of his arms behind his back.

  Another security officer appeared beside them in the doorway. ‘What the hell’s going on?’

  ‘That man attacked this patient,’ the nurse told him.

  ‘Oh, did he.’ He went across to lend a hand but Mike was now begging to be released.

  ‘Let’s find somewhere for you to sit down,’ the nurse told Peggy.

  Her mother ran across from near the lift. ‘Thank goodness you’re all right!’

  She flung herself into her mother’s arms. ‘Mike’s gone crazy, Mum. He just tried to drag me out of the hospital by force. What did I ever see in him?’

  ‘Who knows? He could switch on the charm at times, though he never fooled me.’

  The nurse grinned. ‘He didn’t look charming clutching himself like that, though, did he?’

  Peggy suddenly saw the funny side of it and let out a crow of laughter. ‘I actually managed to hit him where it hurts most, Mum. You read about people doing that.’

  ‘Well done, you.’

  ‘I’m not getting rid of the baby, Mum, even if it is his.’

  ‘That’s your own choice. We’ll back whatever you decide.’

  Sarisha ran round a corner to join them just then, studying Peggy carefully. ‘I got called up from my break to help. Come with me till they’ve got that idiot out of the unit.’

  Emma had expected Peggy to collapse once the crisis was over, but instead, her daughter was looking more alive than she had for ages, eyes sparkling with triumph and excitement.

  When Sarisha suggested something to drink, Peggy didn’t even ask what was in the milky liquid but swallowed it in big gulps, looking at the empty container in surprise when she’d finished. ‘That tasted good.’

  ‘It was sweetly flavoured by defeating your ex.’ Emma gestured to her own lower abdomen. ‘She hit the bullseye, Sarisha. I never heard a man shriek so loudly and shrilly before.’

  Sarisha laughed and patted Peggy’s shoulder. ‘Well done.’

  ‘I hope he’s in agony. What will they do with him now?’

  ‘Call in the police and hand him over. He’ll probably be warned and slapped with a restraining order to stay away from you.’

  ‘They won’t lock him away?’

  ‘I doubt it. Unless he has a record for violence towards women, and perhaps not even then. It’s an unfair world sometimes.’

  Peggy didn’t say anything but she frowned.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ Emma asked.

  ‘I think he’ll only pretend to obey a restraining order. He can be very stubborn when he wants something. And cunning. He’ll come after me again, I know he will.’

  ‘If we could get you to a special hostel for cases like yours, he won’t know where you are.’

  ‘He’ll find out. He boasts about his Internet skills.’

  ‘Why are you so sure he won’t obey?’

  ‘He loathes the thought of having a child, particularly the idea of being charged for its maintenance for years till it grows up. He’s utterly selfish about what he does with his money. I paid most of the bills while I was living there. How could I have been so stupid?’

  ‘The more I find out about him, the more I wonder why you stayed with him.’

  Peggy shook her head. ‘I thought he was the love of my life and you had to love someone faults and all.’

  ‘Blinded by your hormones,’ Sarisha said. ‘You must be going through a very maternal phase and you wanted a mate.’

  Peggy’s hand went instinctively to her stomach and she gave a faint smile as she looked down at it. ‘I suppose. I won’t be blinded again. I hope it’s a girl, though.’

  Mara and Hal enjoyed their meal together, then sat outside on the patio chatting about anything and everything.

  When they heard the garage door start to slide up she was surprised. ‘Look at the time! Emma’s back.’

  ‘I’ll just wait to say hello then leave you in peace. I’ve enjoyed our evening very much.’

  ‘Me, too.’ She plucked up her courage and looked him straight in the eyes. ‘Pity I’m only here temporarily.’

  ‘Great pity. You could change the date of your return flight, move in with me and see where our attraction leads.’

  ‘It’s too soon to do that, Hal. We’ve only known each other for a few days. I’d need to know you a lot better before I moved in. I made a bad mistake about that sort of thing last year, you see. Besides, I don’t have a job here and I’d run out of money.’

  Emma came in from the garage just as Hal was opening his mouth to reply and perhaps it was just as well.

  Once she’d given them a brief outline of the excitement at the hospital, she accepted Mara’s offer of a meal with alacrity. ‘It’s improved my appetite enormously to hear how Peggy’s opinion of Mike has changed.’ She accepted a plate and sat down at the
breakfast bar. ‘Ooh, thank you. That’ll be lovely.’

  Hal judged it time to leave so Mara walked with him to the wall. ‘I’ll get back to you tomorrow with details of the online auction company I mentioned,’ she promised.

  ‘Thank you. And maybe we’ll have another drive out.’

  ‘If Emma doesn’t need my help.’

  ‘I wish—’ He broke off.

  ‘What do you wish?’

  ‘That there were just the two of us, not all these other people and their needs. You’re right about the most important thing: we ought to invest some time in getting to know one another better because we’d be fools to deny such a strong initial attraction.’

  ‘I’d still have to go back to the UK at the end of the six weeks.’

  ‘You could take a few more weeks at least.’

  ‘No. And not just because of the money side of things. There’s my mother to think of.’

  ‘Ah. Yes.’

  ‘She’s not expected to recover from the coma and my dad is facing a difficult time. He shouldn’t be doing that on his own.’

  ‘No. Of course not. You sound to love him dearly.’

  Her voice grew softer. ‘Oh, I do. He’s been both father and mother to me. If I seem unfeeling about my mother it’s because she’s been growing increasingly strange and – and unpleasant to be with for the past few years. We were never close but lately she’s been like a stranger.’

  ‘Has she been that bad?’

  ‘Yes.’ Mara decided to tell him the rest. ‘It’s not her fault exactly. She has a personality disorder and has always been difficult but she’s got worse as she’s grown older. A lot worse. Never as bad as during the last couple of years, though. We didn’t realise she had a brain tumour and Dad was at his wits’ end as to what to do because she’s refused point-blank to see a doctor about anything since her last big incident.’

  ‘I’m sure you’ll be a great comfort to him. I really envy him having you to love. When I was younger, I thought I didn’t want a wife and family, but as I’ve grown older and got to know people who are very happy together and have great kids, I’ve envied them.’

  Mara couldn’t think what to say to that, so just squeezed his arm.

  He turned his hand to grasp hers. ‘I’m not sure whether I’m too late for love, family and the whole shebang. I am nearing forty, after all, nearly ten years older than you.’

  ‘Forty’s not old these days. I’m thirty but mostly I feel young and I have plenty of things I want to achieve. Have you any idea what you want to do with your life now?’

  ‘Not really. I wound up my business interests just before my mother died, and here I am with my own future on hold, clearing out her past, not sure of anything.’

  ‘Alone and palely loitering,’ she quoted.

  He added the next line of the poem. ‘The sedge is wither’d from the lake.’

  They chanted the last line of that verse together in mock doleful tones, ‘And no birds sing.’

  He smiled at her. ‘I’ve not met many women who can quote Keats at me. And accurately too.’

  ‘Nor have I met many men who can continue the verse. I’ve always loved that poem.’

  ‘“La Belle Dame Sans Merci”. I hope you’re kinder to your swains than the lady of the title was, though.’ He took hold of both her hands. ‘We’ve made a good start on our friendship, don’t you think?’

  ‘Yes. Very good.’

  ‘So we definitely ought to see where it leads.’

  When he placed a gentle kiss on each of her hands in a kind of promise, she shivered in reaction. ‘I agree, but that won’t change the fact that I still have to go back to Dad.’

  He gave her another quick hug. She was growing addicted to those hugs.

  ‘Well, while you’re here we’ll give our friendship a chance to ripen a little, shall we, Mara? That at least we can do.’ He dropped a quick kiss on her nose, and swung his legs over the wall, then turned to say, ‘To be continued,’ before vanishing into his house.

  She stayed where she was, smiling, and as a small boat chugged quietly past, she turned automatically to watch it, then frowned. The man at the wheel was completely bald like the driver of the car had been. Sheer coincidence, she told herself. Lots of men lost their hair when they grew older and some shaved their heads completely. He couldn’t be the one from the car.

  Then she looked round their end of the canal and frowned. Where had the boat been while she and Hal had been chatting? It hadn’t gone past, so must already have been at this dead end, waiting quietly without its lights. Only, the other houses nearby seemed to be unoccupied at the moment. She’d not seen any lights or people inside them, not once.

  A shiver ran down her spine. What was going on? She nearly followed Hal to tell him about the boat and ask what he thought. No, she mustn’t be a pest. She could mention it tomorrow.

  When she went to bed, she lay hugging Archibald as she sometimes did, not finding the teddy bear as comforting as usual, however. ‘Fine lover you make,’ she muttered, giving him a little shake. Hal’s hugs were much more satisfying.

  She set the little bear down by the side of the bed and lay thinking about Hal and wondering if she dared hope for something permanent to develop between them.

  Her mother had now gone beyond human help, had never seemed to want anyone’s love, but Mara wasn’t deserting her father whatever happened in her own life. He had never deserted her or her mother.

  Only, she wasn’t letting go of her hopes, either. Not yet anyway.

  In the meantime she needed a good night’s sleep. She closed her eyes and began her usual get-to-sleep trick of counting back from one hundred, this time in threes …

  Chapter Nineteen

  Phil walked restlessly round the house. It was all immaculately tidy and there were no small DIY jobs needed. He wasn’t used to having nothing to do and that was fretting him. To make matters worse, he’d been forbidden by the doctor to play golf or do anything physically energetic or stressful for a few days.

  He’d had someone to look after for many years and had derived satisfaction from feeling not just useful but absolutely necessary to her, even though Kath hadn’t thanked him for his care for a long time now, poor lass.

  He could go to the golf club and sit in the members’ lounge but it looked out over the golf course and it’d make him feel envious to see others playing. He smiled ruefully. He’d never become a really good player but he got a lot of pleasure out of being a mediocre one and walking round the course in the open air chatting to his friends. In fact, it had been a life-saver to him over the years.

  He looked across at the teddy bear Mara had made him, which sat openly on the table now that Kath wasn’t there to hurl it at him. Pale gold fur and wearing an old-fashioned seaside outfit: striped blazer, white shirt and trousers, topped by a straw boater hat. It was a delightful little creature. He was so proud of his daughter’s talent.

  ‘Ernest, my old lad, we just have to make the best of it,’ he told it and smiled at his own foolishness even as he made it nod in reply.

  He’d go out for a walk round the nearby streets, he decided. A quarter of an hour or so of gentle strolling was not only allowed but recommended, up to two or three times a day at first.

  On the way back he bumped into Sally coming home from the library and she invited him in for a cup of coffee. That made a bright spot in the day. He always felt comfortable with her, had sought her advice many times over the years, as had Mara about teenage worries.

  Pity her husband had died a few years ago. Donny had been a nice chap and they’d enjoyed pottering about together in Donny’s shed. Phil had never felt as relaxed in his own shed because Kath hadn’t been able to stand the untidiness that seemed inevitable in such a place and had gone in regularly then complained about how he kept it.

  Sally admitted she got a bit lonely since her husband died. Friends weren’t the same as a live-in companion. Phil had had someone to live with and stil
l been lonely once Mara left home.

  He wasn’t a reader but when Sally offered to lend him a book by her favourite author, he took it out of desperation to fill the long hours sitting alone ‘resting’. To his surprise, he found the story quite entertaining, some parts making him chuckle aloud. Who’d have thought books written in the 1940s by a long dead author called Angela Thirkell could be so amusing decades later? Gently amusing was what he liked best. He didn’t enjoy humour that seemed to gloat over people’s painful experiences.

  He looked up from the book and nodded to the teddy bear. ‘There you are, Ernest my lad, life’s full of little surprises. Sally says she has plenty of feel-good books to lend me when I’ve finished this one.’ But still he sighed. The truth was, he liked people and activities better than reading books, even good books like this one, always had done. A little light reading wasn’t too bad, but reading for hours on end wasn’t his thing at all. Mara always teased him about being a do-er, not a spectator.

  He opened his mouth to say something else then snapped it shut. He’d better not make a habit of talking aloud to Ernest or he might do it when someone was here. He didn’t want people thinking he was going crazy.

  He’d ring Mara tonight and see how she was getting on. That’d cheer him up. Sort of. The trouble was, her being in Australia kept reminding him that she wasn’t his daughter by birth.

  She felt to be his own beloved daughter, though, blood link or not. She always had done, right from the first time he’d met her as a small child and she’d climbed on his knee to show him her toy rabbit. But would the Australian chap win her over to putting him first?

  Phil’s worst fear was that Aaron would persuade her to emigrate to Australia. So many people wanted to go and live there. Well, he wouldn’t mind living in a warmer climate, either. The winters in England seemed to become longer each year as he grew older.

  And that chap certainly had a lot more to offer her than Phil ever could. Maybe he’d even help her make her dreams come true by funding the small business she was hoping to start. Phil’s friend George had told him that Buchanan was in the process of selling up a whole chain of businesses and retiring early after a very successful career, so the money would be nothing to him.