Flame

by Toya Richardson

  Amberley looked over at Simon and he shook his head in disbelief but she was past caring, tired of arrogant men. Mr Hawson stood up and looked Amberley directly in the face.

  ‘In all my years in this business, no one has ever spoken to me in that way before, especially not some slip of a girl.’ He walked round the table towards her. Amberley balled one hand into a fist ready to take a swing at him if he made any further derogatory comments.

  ‘I apologise if I offended you, Miss Masterson, I promise to keep my opinions to myself until after the presentation,’ he said, extending his hand to her.

  She shook his hand and saw Simon exhaling the breath he had been holding onto.

  ‘Right, if everyone is ready I’ll make a start,’ she said in her usual professional manner.

  The meeting lasted a gruelling four hours. John Hawson put Amberley through her paces, asking every difficult question in the book. She actually found she enjoyed the challenge and answered each of his questions carefully and with confidence. Before leaving, John Hawson came over to shake her hand once more.

  ‘Excellent presentation, young lady, you remind me very much of your Father.’

  ‘You knew my Father?’ she asked him with a catch in her voice.

  ‘Indeed I did. He was a tough operator.’ He gave a wry smile. ‘And he beat me once. But I’ll say this for your Dad, whenever he won it was always fair and square.’

  As the Hawsons delegation left the office, Amberley sank deep into her chair. Her head spun again and the pains in her chest became excruciating. The lead feeling in her left arm returned with a vengeance too. Slowly she rose from her chair making her way to her office door, clutching at her chest.

  ‘Vanessa, I don’t feel too good.’ Before she could say another word, she slumped to the floor.

  ***

  Amberley was dreaming. She was running barefoot along the beach splashing water by the edge of the sea, laughing and running away from someone. ‘You can’t catch me. I’m too fast for you...’

  She heard beeping noises and people murmuring around her. She looked up feeling disorientated. She was lying in bed, wires attached to her chest and a drip in her arm.

  ‘Its okay, Amberley, you’re in hospital, everything will be fine now.’ She heard Simon say.

  ‘What am I doing here?’ she asked in a tired voice.

  ‘You collapsed at work, don’t you remember? The consultant thought you’d had a heart attack but, thank God, it wasn’t.’

  At that moment, the consultant arrived. He moved to the side of her bed. ‘How are you feeling, Amberley?’ he enquired.

  ‘My chest feels a little tight but not so bad as it did earlier.’

  ‘Your brother informs me that you had a blackout yesterday. Is this the first time it’s happened?’

  Simon stared incredulously at his sister as she blushed. She glanced guiltily at him and then stared down at her blanket, unable to meet his eyes.

  ‘Why the hell didn’t you tell me about this?’

  She ignored him. ‘Over the last couple of months I guess I’ve had about six… maybe seven,’ she replied, still staring at her blanket.

  She heard her brother swear softly under his breath at her admission.

  ‘You’re lucky not to be in intensive care. You are suffering from severe stress and exhaustion. I want to keep you under observation for another couple of days. You will need to have complete rest for at least two months afterwards.’

  Amberley was aghast. ‘Two months? I can’t take that much time off, the business needs me. We may have just clinched the most important deal in our company’s history, how can I go away now?’

  ‘Either you take my advice, or you will end up in a more serious condition. Take this as a warning.’ He cautioned her.

  Finally, the truth hit home, she had been running ragged for so long that she was fortunate to be alive. She slumped back down onto her pillow.

  ‘I’ll leave you to think about what I’ve said. I’ll be back again tomorrow to check on your progress.’

  Her mind was racing. She had known for a while that things were not right, but until now, she hadn’t been aware of the seriousness of her condition.

  ‘Amberley, you must take the consultant’s advice. He knows what he’s talking about.’ There was desperation in his tone.

  ‘All right, Simon,’ she sighed, ‘I’ll go to the cottage. Mind you, the stress of being on my own may drive me crazy.’

  She thought for a moment. ‘But there’s nothing to stop me working remotely is there? I can still take an active part in the running of the company. Please don’t say no.’

  He breathed a sigh of relief. ‘At last, you’re seeing sense and,’ he said wagging his finger at her, ‘we’ll talk about the possibility of remote working later.’

  He paused momentarily and added, ‘perhaps now would be a good time to discuss that offer Roundings made for the business a while back.’

  ‘If we get the Hawson contract after all the work we’ve done, I’m not sure I will want to hand it all over to someone else. I guess Mum and Dad would have understood why we did it though. We’ll chat more about it when I leave here okay?’

  Simon nodded. ‘Sure, we will. And let’s face it, Amberley, this has certainly been a wake up call. Sarah and I have been discussing having kids, but the way things are they would never see their Dad. I don’t want them to grow up like we did.’

  She thought back to all the times when they had wanted their father to read to them at bedtime. He was rarely at home, because there were always business meetings or conferences to attend. Only when they were on holiday did their parents spend quality time with Simon and her.

  Simon ruffled her hair and then stopped.

  ‘By the way, we got the Hawson contract.’

  Amberley smiled. ‘That is good news. We’ll have to arrange a celebration for all the staff. They have worked so hard on to help us clinch this project.’

  ‘That can wait until you’re feeling stronger too.’ He looked thoughtful for a while. ‘You know what? Mum and Dad would be so proud of us winning that contract.’

  She heaved her shoulders. ‘I know. I wish they’d been here to witness it.’

  ***

  Amberley drifted off to sleep. Her dreams pulled her back to Cornwall. She could almost smell the sea and taste the salty tang on her lips. Her hair was blowing wildly about her face; her feet and legs were wet. She was running and laughing at the same time. Someone was chasing her. She started to stumble but someone was nearby to catch her. They stood breathless letting the waves lap gently at their feet.

  Amberley sat up in bed. Her dream was so vivid it felt real. She smiled as she thought of their friend, Greg, who lived with his mother at the village shop. His hair used to stick out all over the place, his glasses were wonky, and he was very skinny and clumsy. His ambition was always to become a famous painter, his work back then had been amazing. She was certain that with his talent, he would have made it by now.

  A nurse opened the door to her room. She was carrying large bouquets of peach carnations – her favourite flower. Her blood chilled in her veins and she felt the tightening in her chest return.

  ‘You must be very popular, Amberley, look at all these beautiful flowers.’ The nurse smiled kindly at her.

  ‘Take them away. I don’t want them in here; please put them on some of the other wards.’ Amberley instructed her in an agitated tone.

  The nurse looked mystified and went to leave the room, Amberley called her back.

  ‘Is there a card on any of them?’

  ‘Yes, but only one with the florist’s name and address on it.’

  ‘Can you bring it to me please?’

  The nurse pulled off the card, handed it to her and left the room. The address was an exclusive florist in London’s West End. It was the one that Steve always used when sending her flowers. Although there was no way to prove it was him, instinctively she knew and wondered how he had found out s
he was in hospital. She picked up her mobile and punched in Simon’s number, tapping impatiently on the bedclothes while she waited for him to pick up.

  ‘It’s me; Steve has sent me flowers…’

  She listened while he voiced his concerns. He was angry that Steve had upset her yet again. ‘I know, Simon, and don’t you worry, I will be reporting this once I leave hospital.’

  CHAPTER TWO

  A few days after she left hospital, Amberley felt strong enough to take the complaint against Steve further. She sat nervously waiting for the police to arrive. She was staying at Simon’s until the weekend and would then drive down to Cornwall. Her brother had offered to take her but she felt she would rather go alone. Living and working in London meant she never drove any distance, she loved her car and this would be the ideal opportunity for some serious driving. The thought of being behind the wheel of her sleek, BMW Z4 with the top down, filled her with excitement.

  ‘I’m a big girl now; I’m certain that I’ll find my way back to the cottage on my own. Plus I do have Sat Nav,’ she had told him and, reluctantly, he had agreed.

  At that moment, the intercom buzzed. The police had arrived.

  ‘Here goes,’ she whispered almost to herself as she answered the door.

  Marie Anderson, the police officer who had come to take her statement, was attached to the local Victim Care Centre.

  ‘The information you’ve gathered is invaluable, it will help with our investigations. Here are my contact details,’ she handed Amberley a card. ‘I will be your liaison throughout the case.’

  Amberley smiled and took the card. ‘I must admit I nearly threw it all away but I’m glad I didn’t. Oh,’ she said walking over to her handbag. ‘My brother took pictures of the red marks on my neck too. That was when Steve attempted to strangle me.’ She handed them over to the officer.

  ‘Thank you, I’ll note this down as another exhibit. Before I go, I’ll give you this.’ The officer pulled a leaflet from her folder and gave it to Amberley.

  ‘Victim Personal Statement? Do I need to fill it out?’

  ‘Not unless you want to, it just gives additional information to your statement. All the ways it has affected your life, compensation and that type of thing. You may not want to now, but if you do in the future call me,’ she said, indicating to the back of the leaflet, ‘on the number I’ve given to you and myself, or a colleague will take the statement from you. You can do it at home at the Victim Care Centre, whichever you prefer.’

  ‘What’s the next step? Will he be arrested?’

  ‘He will be interviewed and given the chance to explain his actions. We will charge Mr Jackson with harassment, and he will then be taken to court.’

  Amberley still had a few doubts in her mind. ‘What is likely to happen to him at court? Do I have to be present?’

  Amberley felt her throat constrict and the colour drain from her cheeks.

  PC Anderson gave her a reassuring smile. ‘That’s okay, Amberley, if you feel it will be too distressing; you can have screens up at court so Mr Jackson cannot see you.’

  ‘That’s a relief,’ she replied, feeling a little more relaxed.

  ‘If you think of anything else, or need to talk about the case, please contact me.’

  ‘Thank you, I will,’ she assured her as she saw PC Anderson out of the door.

  When she closed it, she leaned against it and shut her eyes. ‘Thank God that’s over.’

  Simon came and stood in front of her and enfolded her in his arms. ‘You’ve done the right thing. You’re incredibly brave.’

  She laughed. ‘I don’t know about brave but I do feel better now it’s in the hands of the police.

  ‘At least you can go off to Cornwall knowing it’s all under control.’

  ‘I still intend to do some work, Simon.’ She warned him.

  ‘Amberley, you heard what the doctor said.’

  She stopped him before he could say anymore. ‘Hear me out, Simon. I know I have to take it easy but you cannot do everything. I can still work remotely and help on a daily basis. Please, you know it makes sense.’

  ‘Okay, you win,’ he said, resignation in his voice. ‘But if you get anymore chest pains, you must stop.’

  ‘I promise I will.’

  ‘Right, I’m going to help Sarah in the kitchen so chill out for a while.’

  Amberley went to the vast window that looked out over the Thames; it was beautiful when it was all lit up at night. When Sarah laughed in the kitchen at something Simon said Amberley’s curiosity piqued, she crept over to see what was taking place.

  Sarah and Simon were holding each other close, gazing into each other’s eyes. She thought back to how her parents used to hold each other the same way. She felt guilty for peeking in at such a private moment. Slowly she made her way back to the window and thought about how Simon and Sarah had first met…

  ‘Yet another boring meeting, this venture is a done deal. We should have sent a representative,’ Simon grumbled, a bored look on his face.

  He stopped suddenly, causing Amberley to run into the back of him.

  ‘What are you doing?’

  She looked questioningly at her brother. He was staring intently, his mouth open. She followed his line of sight. He was gazing at the Personal Assistant to the Managing Director of the company. She grinned as she saw the look on the woman’s face; it mirrored that of her brother’s. She dug him in the ribs.

  ‘Oh, Simon?’

  He could only look at her with a stupid grin on his face. ‘Close your mouth. If you drool much more we’ll have a flood on our hands.’

  It had indeed been love at first sight, clichéd but true. How could he not fall in love with her? Sarah was a petite blonde, barely five feet, three inches tall, her eyes were the palest shade of blue and her hair was in a perfect bob. They had married six months after they’d first met.

  Amberley had been jealous of how her hair was always pristine. She tugged angrily at a lock of her wild hair that had escaped her ponytail. She kept it that way most of the time because, unlike Sarah’s, it tended to get out of control when unbound.

  ‘Amberley, dinner’s ready.’ Simon’s voice brought her out of her reverie and she joined them at the dinner table.

  ‘It will seem strange not having you around. Are you sure you’ll be all right on your own?’ he asked her as they cleared the plates away after they had eaten.

  ‘You’ll get used to it. Anyway, Greg might be around, so perhaps we can reminisce about old times.’

  ‘Is that your childhood friend?’ Sarah enquired, sitting down next to Simon.

  Simon nodded at Sarah and put his arm around her. ‘That’s the one. We’d be messing about on the beach, but Greg always had his sketchbook, pencils and watercolours at the ready.’

  Amberley smiled. ‘Do you remember how tourists would ask to buy some of his work?’

  ‘Did he sell any?’ Sarah was intrigued by the story.

  ‘Only if he liked the people, but that’s how Greg was. Oh, Amberley, do you remember he used to have a nickname for you?’

  ‘Yes I do.’ She looked over to Sarah as she explained. ‘He was fascinated by the colour of my hair. He held a strand up to the light one day and declared he would call me Flame from then on, and he did.’ She smiled fondly at the memory.

  ‘I tell you what, why don’t the pair of you come and visit me. Then we can catch up with him together. I’m sure I’ll go stir crazy down there on my own? Let’s face it; the two of you could do with a break away too.’ Amberley suggested.

  ‘Great idea,’ said Simon. ‘It will be good to have a rest for a while.’

  ***

  The following morning, Amberley woke early, feeling in a much lighter mood. Quietly, so as not to wake Sarah and Simon, she dressed and shut the door silently behind her. Her cases had been packed and put in the boot the previous night, so she could make a quick getaway.

  She made good time, stopping for a much-extended me
al break and frequent stops for coffee and the toilet. She couldn’t remember the last time she had driven so much. It was enjoyable but tiring and she didn’t use the Sat Nav once!

  When she turned off the motorway, it was around midday. The late spring sunshine was glinting through the trees and shone brilliantly off her metallic blue convertible. On a whim, she dropped the top down. It was colder than she expected but the feel of the fresh air on her face was well worth it.

  Amberley began to hum all the old holiday songs they used to sing as a family. She had wondered if she would recognise the turnoff to the village because it had been such a long time since she was last there, but she did. The cottage lay on the outskirts of the village. As she pulled up outside, she sat in her car and thought back to the first time they had seen it…

  ‘Is this really ours, Mummy? It’s a home for a fairy princess,’ Amberley had whispered.

  ‘No silly. It’s a wizard’s cottage where he turns people into frogs,’ Simon had said.

  Their father had hugged them. ‘Children, it can be whatever you want it to be as long as you have fun here.’

  Amberley and Simon had run inside and straight up the stairs to claim their bedrooms. They had picked the ones at the back of the house, so they could talk to each other through the windows when they were supposed to be sleeping.

  Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked loudly pulling her from her daydream. She got out of the car and wandered to the front of the house. She was happy to see the roses still trailed around the front door in true chocolate box style. It was too early for them to be in bloom but by the end of the month, they would look a picture. She then made her way to the back garden. Apart from a fresh coat of paint and various new plants and shrubs, not much seemed to have changed in the seventeen years since she had last visited.