“Did I tell you that Rosa bought the Hampstead house?” Hannah asked, her gaunt face filled with pride. “The landlord wanted to sell, so Rosa took out a big mortgage, and now she’s a landlady herself!”
Smiling, Ivy nodded. She’d heard this story from Hannah at least a dozen times over the last few years but, since it made Hannah happy to tell it, Ivy didn’t mind hearing it over and over again.
Hannah began to rise with difficulty from her chair, and Ivy rushed to help her.
“Maybe you’d put on the kettle, Ivy? I’ll be back in a minute …” Hannah said, as she headed off to the bathroom.
Ivy wondered guiltily if she should be helping Hannah in some way, but her old friend seemed fiercely determined to be as independent as possible.
“Of course, Hannah.”
When Ivy heard the bathroom door close, she began looking frantically around the room. Before Hannah got her computer, Rosa wrote regular letters to her mother. Ivy knew that Hannah kept them in a tin, which she’d produced the last time she and Danny had visited her – where on earth did she keep it? If she could locate the letters, there might be an address for the Hampstead house on one of them.
Quickly, Ivy went to the dresser in the living room and began rummaging through each drawer. She was in luck! In the third drawer, she found the tin box full of postcards and letters. Grabbing one of the letters, she noted Rosa’s dramatic signature and kisses – and the address of her Hampstead home at the top.
As Ivy was memorising it, she heard the bathroom door open, and quickly slid the tin box back into the drawer and hurried into the kitchen. She was taking down mugs and preparing a tray when Hannah reappeared.
A short time later, as the two women sat drinking tea, Ivy tried to offer her help.
“Is there anything you need, Hannah?” she asked. “If you need any extra medical care, I’m more than happy to pay for it.”
“Thank you Ivy, that’s very generous of you, but I’m fine,” Hannah assured her with a quick smile. “Your mother and father call regularly to see if I need anything, and Meals on Wheels bring me lunch every day. Social Services send a home help once a week, and the Macmillan nurses are wonderful …”
Briefly, Ivy thought of mentioning Owen’s engagement and his wedding the following year, but no doubt Hannah already knew about it from her parents. Anyway, talk of the future would only remind Hannah of a time when she wouldn’t be there any more. Then Ivy realised that this was precisely why Hannah wanted to keep her illness quiet – people began editing their comments and conversation, as she’d just done herself. Silently she applauded her old friend, and vowed to treat her as she’d always done. So she told her about Owen’s fiancée Charmaine, the thousands of acres of the nature reserve that allowed the animals to live in their natural habitat, and the warmth of the indigenous people of South Africa.
It was obvious that Hannah enjoyed Ivy’s firsthand account of her visit, and Ivy was surprised when she looked at her watch and discovered that she and Hannah had been talking for over two hours!
As she stood up to leave, Ivy kissed the older woman’s cheek and hugged her as she said goodbye. Urging her to stay in her chair and rest, she let herself out of Hannah’s house, making a mental note to send her a large hamper of Betterbuys’ luxury range of foods. She hoped Hannah was still able to enjoy her food, and would relish being spoiled a little, since there seemed little else that she could do for her. It was obvious that the poor woman was seriously ill.
Which made her trip to see Rosa all the more urgent.
Chapter 44
It was dark as Ivy parked her car opposite 6 Cherrywood Road, Hampstead. She was nervous since she didn’t like being the bearer of bad news. There was also the fact that she’d been the victor where Danny was concerned, so there would always be tension between her and Rosa.
Ivy surveyed the darkened street. Rosa might still be away, but calling in person was the only option she felt was appropriate. If Rosa wasn’t home today, one of her tenants would probably know when she was due back, and Ivy would make a return trip to see her. She’d only email Rosa if she discovered that she was going to be away for several more weeks. Since Hannah was going downhill fast, time was critical.
Ivy shivered. Even though she dreaded facing her nemesis, right now it was preferable to diving into Harper’s Lake again. Ivy had been only too glad to postpone her next trip to Willow Haven and concentrate on locating Rosa instead. At least the tender for draining the lake hadn’t been awarded yet.
Ivy vividly remembered the look of horror on Brian’s face when she’d told him about the need for one more dive. He’d begged her not to do it, and she shivered as she remembered his comment that she could become the third body in the car.
As Hannah requested, Ivy hadn’t told Danny how ill she was, and she’d arranged delivery of the Betterbuys hamper herself. She knew Hannah didn’t want people’s sympathy, and knowing Danny, he’d insist on going down to Willow Haven, fussing and trying to help, and making poor Hannah’s life miserable in the process. He hadn’t seen her since he’d given her the computer lesson, and Ivy had no doubt he’d be shocked and upset when he eventually found out about her condition. She felt bad about not telling him, but she had to respect Hannah’s wishes.
Of course she hadn’t told him about her plan to contact Rosa either. In a sense, it felt like a betrayal of Hannah, and she didn’t want Danny trying to dissuade her. But Rosa needed to be told, and when she came back to Willow Haven they could all work out a plan to help Hannah through the final days of her illness. As Hannah’s next-of-kin, Rosa had to be the one to decide what was needed. Perhaps she could take compassionate leave from the airline for a while?
Reluctant to face Rosa, Ivy sat in the car, biding her time. To ease her tension, she massaged her temples. She’d no idea what hours flight attendants worked, but she hoped Rosa might be on a break after her stint on the New York-San Francisco route. She was dreading this awkward meeting, but she owed it to Hannah to ensure that mother and daughter had some quality time together before she passed away.
Ivy sighed. Maybe, in fairness, she ought to let Danny know. He really cared about Hannah, and perhaps it wasn’t right to keep such devastating news to herself …
As she unbuckled her seatbelt and prepared to get out of the car, Ivy failed to notice two people approaching until they were almost level with her car.
Startled, she peered out the car window. In the gloom, she spotted a woman with shoulder-length fluffy blonde hair, in the style Rosa had always worn, and holding her hand was a small boy of about ten. Ivy’s heart did a somersault. She hadn’t seen Rosa in years, but there could be no doubt that this was her. She looked slightly older, and a little heavier than the Rosa Ivy remembered, but that was only to be expected with the passing of time.
Who was the boy? Rosa didn’t have any children – at least none that Hannah had ever mentioned. As she watched, the duo turned into Number 6, opened the door and stepped inside. A light came on in the hall, and Ivy decided she’d wait five or ten minutes until they’d had time to take their coats off and settle in for the evening.
As she waited in her car, Ivy puzzled over the boy’s presence. Maybe Rosa was minding a friend’s child, or it belonged to one of her tenants. It could hardly be her own child, could it? Surely Hannah would know if she had a grandchild?
Ivy was about to step out of the car when she saw a man approaching on the same side of the road, his head down, bracing himself against the wind. She decided to wait until he’d passed by, but her heart gave a jolt as she suddenly recognised him. It was Danny! What on earth was he doing here, walking along a road in Hampstead?
As she stared out the car window, he reached the gateway of Number 6 and turned in. Uncomprehending, Ivy watched as he took a key from his pocket, opened the door, stepped inside and closed the door behind him. What on earth was going on? Why did he have a key to Rosa Dalton’s house? Like a ton of bricks, it suddenly hit her, leav
ing her gasping for air and clutching her chest. Danny was having an affair with Rosa – and the young boy was probably their son!
Ivy felt sick. How long had this been going on? If the child was Danny’s, then the affair must have started more than ten years earlier. How could Danny do this to her? How could he look at her, affection in his eyes, while all the time he was carrying on with Rosa behind her back?
Ivy stifled a sob. Her whole world was starting to unravel and fall apart. Her hands were shaking, and she wondered if she was about to have a heart attack. Could it just be a bad dream, from which she’d soon wake up? Briefly, she closed her eyes, but nothing had changed when she opened them again. Her husband was still inside Rosa’s house.
Now she knew where Danny went when he claimed to be making impromptu visits to Betterbuys branches around the country. Of course, she’d always believed him, but now she realised he’d been bedding Rosa instead. How could he have been so deceitful?
All sorts of thoughts were racing through Ivy’s brain. When had Danny and Rosa rekindled their relationship? Did that mean Danny regretted marrying her, and wished he’d chosen Rosa instead? Or had he simply wanted to have his cake and eat it? Ivy wiped away a tear as she sat staring across at Number 6. Were Danny, Rosa and the child sitting round the kitchen table at this very minute, eating together, laughing together, and playing happy families?
Ivy bit her trembling lip. But who was she to talk about honesty? She’d claimed to be expecting Danny’s child in order to hide the fact that she was pregnant by his brother. Eventually, she’d grown to love him, but she’d deceived him about her feelings at the very start of their relationship. Was she now paying the price for her own deception? Suddenly, she recalled the saying: ‘What goes around comes around.’ Was it now her turn to pay for the lies she’d told in the past?
Ivy took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. No wonder Rosa hadn’t told her mother that she had a child – she could hardly tell Hannah who the father was! Of course, she could have lied, like I did, Ivy thought, but maybe Rosa is a better person than me. She felt a fleeting stab of sadness for Hannah, who’d be overjoyed to know she had a grandson …
Suddenly, Ivy felt almost hysterical. She needn’t have tried to contact Rosa at all – if she’d simply told Danny about Hannah’s illness, he could have told Rosa himself!
Ivy buried her face in her hands. It was all too much for her to take in, and there were so many questions to which she had no answers. But central to everything was the fact that Danny was cheating on her, and with the woman he’d originally dumped to be with her.
Ivy glanced at her watch, realising that she’d been sitting opposite Rosa’s house for almost fifteen minutes. She needed to get away before anyone spotted her – she’d die if Danny or Rosa came out and found her sitting there. She needed time alone to recover from the shock of what she’d just found out, and time to decide what she intended to do next.
Starting the engine, Ivy began driving away. Everything felt strangely unreal as she changed gears. Danny’s affair had stunned her, because she’d always believed he adored her. You silly, complacent fool, she told herself. All his protestations of love were clearly lies.
No, Ivy thought, surely no one could fake the genuine affection she’d seen so often in Danny’s eyes? The pride and delight he’d displayed when she’d won an acting award, the tenderness he showed when they were making love?
On the other hand, weren’t there men who succeeded in living two or more separate lives? And weren’t successful men supposed to have higher sex drives than ordinary men? Maybe Danny was one of those men, and felt that his success entitled him to step outside normally acceptable boundaries.
Angrily, Ivy brushed away the tears that were preventing her from seeing the road ahead. How ironic if she crashed her car at the corner of the street where her husband had his love nest, and how humiliating to be caught spying on him! Of course, she hadn’t come to spy on him at all, but no one would believe she’d only come to urge Rosa to visit her dying mother.
By now, Ivy’s heartbeat was returning to normal, and some of the confusion in her mind was clearing. Since I know about the affair now, she thought, I’ve nothing to lose any more. But before I confront Danny, I’ll go and see Rosa myself – she and I definitely need to clear the air.
Suddenly, an image of Brian crept into her mind, and now Ivy felt angry that she’d turned down his advances. Clearly, Danny hadn’t deserved her devotion or her loyalty! She felt certain that if Brian was her husband or partner, he’d never cheat on her. Then Ivy realised she’d believed the same of Danny until a short time ago.
Nevertheless, a sense of peace enveloped her as she thought of the South African wilderness, and thinking of Brian also calmed her nerves a little. Maybe she’d phone him soon, just to say hello. Right now she needed to feel that someone was there for her, because she felt totally alone and frightened.
Chapter 45
Eleanor, Peter and Fred were all keen for the couple to stay in Willow Haven, and Ivy and Danny conceded, at least for the present. Ivy was well aware that the baby would arrive before the end of the year – not in late January as everyone else believed – and she and Danny intended sitting their A-levels the following June.
Ivy suspected that Fred Heartley was hoping the baby would ground her, and that she’d abandon her dreams of going to RADA, and she and Danny would stay permanently in Willow Haven. Now that Julia was dead, Fred would welcome having what was left of his family around him. Ivy felt deeply sorry for her father-in-law, but she and Danny would be leaving as soon as their exams were over.
Ivy refused to attend the maternity hospital in Allcott, fearing that any medical intervention might discover she was further on than expected. She intended her ‘early’ delivery to be a complete surprise to everyone, and she’d play the part of an astonished new parent herself. With all this in mind, she’d opted for the local midwife, an elderly no-nonsense sort of woman who’d delivered hundreds of babies in the area. Hopefully she wouldn’t scrutinise the new delivery too closely and, if she did, Ivy hoped she’d keep her opinions to herself.
It was also difficult to curb Peggy’s enthusiasm about the pregnancy, since her sister-in-law wanted to know all about the different stages Ivy was going through. Therefore Ivy had to be constantly on her toes, never able to forget her pretence even for a minute.
As December approached, Ivy knew her due date wasn’t far away. She hoped to give birth during the Christmas holidays, which would mean she could return to school for the new term while her mother looked after the baby. As the school holidays approached, Ivy was amused when Clara told her that her classmates were hoping she’d go into labour during the following term, and that the disruption would get them a few free class periods. Well, Ivy thought, you’re all going to be very disappointed!
A week before Christmas, while Danny was in Heartley’s Stores helping his father to get the Christmas orders ready, Ivy experienced her first contraction.
Having just made the Christmas puddings, she and her mother were relaxing before a blazing fire in the Mortons’ drawing room when Ivy gave a sudden shriek.
“I think I’ve started, Mum,” she groaned, but her mother was sceptical.
“I doubt if you could be in labour so early,” she said firmly. “You’re not due for another whole month –”
“Well, it certainly feels like labour,” Ivy told her tersely. “I’ve never experienced anything like this before. Ow!”
Ivy groaned as another spasm rippled through her.
“I think you could be right,” her mother finally agreed. “Maybe it’s time to ring Mrs Grant –”
Ivy gripped her mother’s arm. “Please, Mum, don’t ring Danny,” she whispered. “I couldn’t bear to have him fussing around.”
Her mother nodded. In her opinion, men were useless at a time like this.
By the time the midwife arrived, Ivy was having regular contractions, and Mrs Grant was su
rprised at how well she was doing and how far she’d already dilated.
“I don’t think it’ll be very long,” she announced.
Ivy’s mother proved to be a tower of strength, and didn’t grimace or comment when Ivy squeezed her hand too tight or cursed and swore as labour progressed. A few hours later, an exhausted Ivy pushed her son into the world.
“It’s a fine, healthy boy!” said the midwife, smiling broadly as she handed the screaming bundle to his mother.
“This little fellow – or should I say, big fellow – is perfect! My goodness, he’s amazingly big for a premature baby! Are you sure –”
“We always had big babies in our family,” Eleanor said firmly. “Both my babies were the biggest in the hospital nursery!”
Ivy was deeply grateful for her mother’s intervention, which had quickly stopped the midwife in her tracks. Ivy had no idea how much she and Owen had weighed at birth or whether her mother had guessed the true situation and decided to take remedial action. Either way, a potentially embarrassing situation had thankfully been averted.
A phone call brought Danny hurrying back to the Mortons’ house shortly afterwards. His face was wreathed in smiles as he gazed at the baby.
“You’re amazing, Ivy!” he whispered, kissing her forehead. “He’s gorgeous, isn’t he? Look, he’s got the Heartley nose!”
Ivy smiled, relieved that Danny didn’t realise which Heartley the baby had inherited it from.
For a moment, Danny looked serious, and Ivy’s heart skipped a beat, not sure what was coming next.
“Ivy – would you mind terribly if we called him Joseph? I know it’s a lot to ask, so think about it for a while – but it would mean a lot to Dad, now that Joe’s gone away …”
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