by Dilys Xavier
He placed his hand gently over Anna’s, and squeezed it as he inclined his head closer. ‘Look, I’ve been thinking; we enjoy each other’s company, so how about we make a habit of doing things like this, eh?’
Anna’s heart gave a jerk. This was something she had wanted, but not wanting to show too eager, she curbed her excitement and merely nodded approval with a smile.
At the end of the meal, David got up from the table, stretched, and then reached out to help Anna to her feet. ‘I’ll take you home now, wherever that is,’ he said, smiling, ‘and then I’ve promised to give someone an estimate for a job, Sunday or no Sunday. Time is short and precious, and we’re pretty goddam busy for this time of year.’
Liz reappeared soon after Anna returned to Hope House, and in no way could Anna withhold her excitement about David’s suggestion they should meet regularly; she sat down with Liz, and told her all about it.
‘Got something to tell you, too.’ Liz said. ‘When I left here earlier, I called at the supermarket for some milk, and who should I bump into there, but Quentin Hale, buying mints and chocolate to help him quit cigars.’ She gave a girlish giggle. ‘The long and short is, he asked me for a date. I really fancy him; he’s such a handsome hunk and we’re going to the Spanish Wine Bar in town tonight.’
Anna was delighted for Liz, and there was no envy over it, even though she thought she had made a conquest herself where Quentin was concerned. Although the man’s looks had turned her head a bit, David had been the one she had fancied long before Quentin was on the scene, and she wanted to avoid any chance of spoiling this new development with him.
Anyway, she consoled herself, handsome, successful Quentin was the kind who would be here today and gone tomorrow. And he had said he has no intention of staying for long in a place like this. Her thoughts then turned to her friend. If Liz thinks she’s hooked Quentin Hale, she’s got another thing coming. He’s well aware of his handsome looks, and it shows.
To Anna, he didn’t seem the sort of man who would stay long with one woman. In her opinion he had a roving eye; he looked a typical ladies’ man, and the sort to make full use of his spectacular appearance to attract any woman he fancied. She sighed. He was also the kind of man every woman wanted to be seen with, herself included, even if only to flaunt him. On the other hand, David was good looking, solid, dependable, and locally settled. And available now.
Suddenly feeling guilty for making comparisons, Anna turned her thoughts to her business. Her plan now was to make arrangements for leave of absence from work. It was out of the question to cope unless she could have free time, so she decided to approach her supervisor about it first thing in the morning.
As soon as she went into the office next day, she experienced a strange foreboding that all was not well. This was confirmed by the straight glare that Mrs Evans gave her when she approached her about the intended leave. The woman seemed distant and disinterested.
‘Anna, forget about leave of absence,’ she retorted, briskly. ‘You know we’re laying off people, and I’m very sorry, but I’m afraid you’re next on the list to go. It’s last in, first out. But you’ve no need to worry; you’ve got your hotel so you don’t have to search around for another job.’
Anna felt as though she’d been slapped in the face, and wished she’d been sitting when Mrs Evans had delivered the decision. This meant she had no option but to make a success of Hope House. Telling her mother she had lost her job was not going to be easy, but there was no need to give her the news straight away; it could keep. The most important thing now was to get Hope House up and running properly.
She had not seen Liz since her date with Quentin, and she wondered how it had gone, but she had only a short while to wait, because Liz called in straight after work next day. Anna looked straight at her with her big round eyes plainly asking the question.
‘Well…’ Liz said, brightly, ‘we had a great night in the Wine Bar, and we’re out again tonight.’
‘Oh, then maybe it’s on the way to being serious?’ Anna said, lifting her brow.
‘On two dates? I wouldn’t say that.’ Liz, frowned. ‘For starters, there was nothing romantic about the evening whatsoever; no holding hands, no sweet words, not even a peck goodnight. Certainly not a touchy-feely night at all.’ She shrugged it off. ‘Admittedly, he’s a fabulous looking guy and all that, but there’s that little something about him… something I can’t quite put my finger on.’ She shrugged and frowned again.
‘Something - like what? Give me an example.’
Liz linked her arm in Anna’s and led her to a seat in the hall. ‘Let’s sit down here, and I’ll tell you. Well, Quentin seems to be a high-flyer. To start with he talked about his job, his ambitions, and all that sort of stuff, and then he got talking about you and your inheritance - like how lucky you are and so on. He enlarged upon that, quite unnecessarily I thought; said he wondered how you were doing, whether you intended to continue with your new career, and if so, what plans you had in mind.’
She gave Anna a look of doubt. ‘I’m not sure I should be repeating this, but I must tell you what I feel about it all, especially about him.’ She continued, ‘He asked me all kinds of other questions about you; ones I considered none of his business, and lots I couldn’t answer anyway.’
Liz looked awkward for a moment and took few seconds before she came out with it. ‘I had the distinct feeling that Quentin Hale asked me out in order to spy on you.’
‘Spy… on me? Oh gawd!’ Anna laughed aloud. ‘Come on, Liz. What on earth makes you say that?’
‘I don’t know, and that’s the problem. It’s so nebulous I can’t tell you; can’t put my finger on it. He tried hard to sound casual, but I’m afraid that was just an act.’ Liz nodded as she thought about it. ‘He almost asked for your CV, as it were. Your life story. I saw through him though. It was obvious he took me out, not because he fancies me, but because he wanted to know all about you.’ She jabbed her finger in the air. ‘If Quentin Hale wants to know that, then he’d better ask you, instead of shooting all the questions at me.’
‘Ah,’ Anna said, narrowing her eyes, ‘That’s interesting, because he hasn’t asked me out at all, nor even asked a single leading question, and he’s had loads of opportunity for that; he’s hiding his curiosity from me.’ She looked perplexed. ‘No doubt he assumes you’d tell him more than I would, or that I might take exception to being questioned, and decline to answer.’ She looked puzzled. ‘But why is he so curious? I still can’t see why he wants to know all about my private life. It amounts to very little right now. What’s it to him, anyway?’
‘That’s exactly what we need to find out,’ Liz said, quickly. ‘I know he’s a handsome hunk and all that, but there’s, well, there’s something about him that bothers me, and I intend to discover what it is.’ She gave Anna a big hug then jumped to her feet. ‘I must go now. See you soon.’
Chapter Seventeen
A few more bookings came in at the beginning of the following week, and Anna felt a great deal happier about the way things were going. As she finished filling in the bookings, she thought of her dreams again. It seemed ages since she’d had them, but she couldn’t understand why they had been so vivid about her early family, unless, like David suggested, it was because she was surrounded by portraits of them all.
David called in to make some adjustments to the central heating boiler and fix a new light on the back porch, but he made no comment about their relationship, nor did he suggest another proper date. All in all, the week went very smoothly, and then one day, Liz phoned, and spoke almost in a whisper.
‘Look, Anna, I get a chance now and again to chat with Grant for a few minutes. It seems he’s currently at loggerheads with Quentin over some problem at work. It’s nothing to do with me, and I don’t know what it’s about anyway.’ There was a pause, as though she was waiting for privacy before continuing. ‘I just want to say that one day, when Grant took some papers into the boss’ office, he
noticed a book about family history on the table behind his desk, like as though it was current reading. Of course, it may not have been Mr James’ book, and of no significance where Quentin’s concerned. Grant told me to mention it to you because you’re all over the place with your own family history.’
‘Ah, so maybe Mr James is into that sort of thing as well, then? And what about Quentin?’ Then Anna realised she was assuming too much. ‘Look, loads of people chase their family history these days, so they’re not doing anything unusual. It’s the in-thing to do, what with television programmes about personalities researching family trees, and such a lot of info available on line. It’s fashionable; it’s something lots of people do, so I can’t see why his having a book about it should be of concern to me.’
Liz seemed to ignore what Anna had said, and went on, ‘Dunnow, about Quentin, but looks like the old man may be into it. Anyway, I’ve been wondering if Grant has an inkling about why Quentin’s so inquisitive about you. If I’m diplomatic, maybe I can find out more through him.’ At that point Liz hesitated, and Anna heard a man’s voice in the background calling her name. ‘Gotta go, Anna. I’ll drop by after work, okay?’
True to her word, Liz called in on her way home, looking quite animated. ‘I don’t know if it’s relevant, but I’ve got a bit of news,’ she said, leaning close to Anna to whisper. ‘It appears that Quentin got engaged recently.’ She sat back, her eyes wide with incredulity. ‘So what about that, eh? I can’t believe it. He’s told us nothing about his girlfriend, not that he’s obliged to, of course.’ She shrugged and flopped into the hall easy chair. ‘Well it’s early days I guess, so maybe we’ll find out more as time goes on.’ For a few seconds she looked thoughtful. ‘I must say it’s odd that he’s behaving like he’s foot-loose and fancy-free,’ she commented. ‘Wonder what his fiancé would say if she knew’.
Liz laughed aloud when she saw how Anna’s jaw had dropped in surprise. ‘Well, if he is engaged, then he definitely didn’t take me out because he’s looking for a new woman.’ She gave Anna a dig in the ribs. ‘And he didn’t try anything on with you, so we can’t say he was cheating on his fiancée. Odd though, that he’s given no indication he’s involved with any woman.
‘So how did you find out about his engagement?’
‘Slip of the tongue to Grant, it seems, and he passed it on to me. Quentin told him he’d be away on the weekend because of the engagement party. Grant knows he’s been out with me, and gave me the nod; said he doesn’t want me to suffer a broken heart should I harbour ideas that Quentin’s attention is serious.’ She gave Anna a puzzled look and scratched her head. ‘Grant thinks it’s a strange thing for a man to do so soon after getting engaged.’
‘There’s probably more to this than we realise,’ Anna said, rubbing her hands together. ‘For instance, where does this woman live? Who is she? And whose family tree is Mr James researching? And is Quentin in on it? Play detective some more, Liz. I’d like to get to the bottom of it.’
‘Okay, but we don’t want Quentin to get wind of our curiosity, either.’ Liz scratched her head again as she thought. ‘He seems to be quite a decent guy on the surface, so maybe we should give him the benefit of the doubt, but, we must work out what motivates him to behave like this.’ She sat back in the chair and fell silent. ‘But how?’
Just then something dawned on Anna. ‘You’re there all the time. Surely, you could watch, listen, maybe even sneak a look at what he’s doing, like correspondence, telephone calls, female clients, visitors, and all that? Like playing detective?’
Liz nodded with a wide grin. ‘Yeah, see what you mean. Okay, let me try to find out some more.’ She nodded sagely. ‘If Grant is currently at cross purposes with Quentin, I think he’d be on our side if it came to that.’ Liz snickered. ‘Actually, I think Grant’s quite cute. I like him rather a lot.’ She picked up her bag and made for the door. ‘See you when I’ve got more to tell.’
After Liz left, Anna decided to look at some more of the Colonel’s journals. She relaxed in a chair in the library, and began to sort out which one to read, when she realised she suddenly felt cold. The weather had become cooler, and she knew she had switched on the central heating, but when she felt the radiators they were still cold, and so was the water in the hot water tap. This won’t do, with guests coming in and expecting a hot shower, she thought, lifting the phone to dial David’s mobile.
‘I should have warned you, Anna, but I hoped it would last a bit longer. To be truthful, I think your boiler’s had it. I did my best and hoped it would last.’ There was a slight pause. ‘Sorry, but you really need a new one, urgently.’
There was a silence of several seconds while Anna digested what this meant. ‘How much will that cost, David?’
‘A lot,’ came the brief reply, ‘which is why I hoped this one would last for a while.’ There was more silence at both ends. ‘And while you’re about it, you may as well have the radiators changed for modern ones that give off more heat. I’ll come over as soon as I can and try to fix things temporarily.’
As promised, David turned up within a half hour, and got busy on the boiler. ‘I’ve done all I can,’ he said, looking apologetically at her an hour later. ‘I’ve repaired it. It may last a few days, but you’ll have to get a new one; no doubt about that.’
‘Okay. Get it, and install it as soon as you can. And after that there’s no money left.’ She looked soulfully into David’s eyes. ‘Thank goodness I’ve got you to rely on, David; if you weren’t around to pick up the pieces, I don’t know what I’d do.’ She blinked away a tear. ‘See, it’s no good for me to moan to Mum; all she’d say is, I told you so.’ She slumped onto the small sofa in the hall, looking quite dejected.
‘Don’t worry, I’ll see to it, Anna,’ David said, with an encouraging smile. He sat beside her and put his arm around her. ‘I’ll do this job before all the others on the waiting list. You’ll be all right.’
‘Money’s the problem, David. I know I inherited some, but there’ve been so many demands on it. Roofing, plumbing, new windows, bedroom furniture, curtains, kitchen equipment, etcetera, so it’s whittled down to nothing.’ She sighed as though her heart were breaking. ‘And there’s still fabric to buy for those two huge back bedroom windows before I can let them; maybe Dot’s aunt can help me save a bit of money there.’ Almost in tears, Anna sighed deeply. ‘I’ve had far more expense than I anticipated. Mum was right; I should have given the place to The Trust straight away, but it’s too late now. I’ve spent the money and I’d never get it back if I did that.’
She leaned back and fidgeted with her hair. ‘All I hope is that there’s enough to cover this boiler job, otherwise, I could find myself handing the property over to the Trust In Wales with money still owing on it. According to the will I’m not allowed to sell, you see.’
‘You can’t do that. Giving away your heritage would be a disaster,’ David said, grasping her hand. ‘We must think of a way to avoid it at all costs.’ He inclined his head towards Anna’s, and she reciprocated.
Within seconds, his lips met hers, and he gently wiped away her tears. ‘Don’t worry, Anna. I’m with you all the way.’
‘Honestly?’ she said, perking up.
David placed both arms around her and hugged her. Then he got up and stretched his tall frame. ‘I’ll go right away to pick up the new boiler and whatever else is needed to go with it. I’m sure you’ll be okay with the old one for a short while, but I’ll get everything while the sale is on.’
Once David had left, Anna checked on her finances, and discovered to her horror that after paying for the boiler and central heating repairs, there would be nothing left. She hadn’t truly realised the account was at rock bottom, but it was, and the knowledge left her feeling cold and sick in the stomach.
When she went home later on, she looked so miserable, that Margaret immediately sensed something was wrong, and without more ado questioned her. ‘I told you, Anna. I warned you, didn’t I? T
here’s no end to what that place will cost, and this is only the beginning. Oh dear, what have you let yourself in for?’ She sat alongside Anna, and took her hand. ‘Look, the only sensible thing to do is to give it to The Trust. Do it right now before it causes any more problems. At least you’ll be back where you started, with nothing. Keep it, and you could be heavily in debt within weeks.’
When Anna gave no response, she stood up, and waited with her usual stance of hands on hips, but before Anna could say anything, she continued. ‘If you don’t get rid of it, you could find yourself bankrupt. Then what?’ Margaret firmed her lips and waited for an answer. ‘You can’t sell it to get out of trouble, so give it away before it breaks you mentally, as well as financially.’
Anna’s head began to thump. The last thing she wanted now was to engage in an argument with her mother about Hope House. ‘I’m going to lie down until this headache goes,’ she said, and went upstairs. She made herself comfortable on the top of her bed, closed her eyes, and within minutes she was asleep.
Then the dreams started again. She was back in Jamaica with her Papa. They were hiding behind some large mahoe trees from a group of aggressive Maroons who had sneaked down from their hiding place in the wild Cockpit Country to attack a sugar plantation.
Anna stuck her fingers in her ears to shut out the noise of the hostile natives, but the din was all around her. Ferocious fighters armed with axes and brandishing huge sticks, were running wild everywhere. One jumped up and down with excitement as he pointed to her.
Terrified she was his target and that this would be her end, she shouted to Papa, but he didn’t answer. She was alone. Then the Maroon ran at her, wielding his axe as though ready to smash it down on her skull. Just as he drew close enough for her to see the whites of his wild eyes, she screamed as loud as she could, and covered her head with her arms.
‘Anna, Anna. What’s the matter?’ Margaret shouted, banging hard on the bedroom door before flinging it wide open and rushing across the room. She gathered Anna up in her arms and hugged her. ‘Never mind, it’s all right,’ she soothed. ‘Did you have a bad dream or something?’