Deceit of Angels

by Julia Bell

  ALSO BY JULIA BELL

  A Pearl Comb for a Lady

  Songbird

  Thank you for choosing to read Julia Bell’s second novel, Deceit of Angels.

  We love receiving your feedback and would welcome your comments either via an Amazon review or through our website. Additionally, we’d be grateful if you could tag the novel on Amazon, which enables other readers to find it.

  R White (Editor)

  www.JuliaBellRomanticFiction.co.uk

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Julia Bell lives in West Yorkshire, England and has two children and five grandchildren. Her various jobs have included working as a qualified nurse, training at St James’s Hospital in Leeds and also Darlington Memorial Hospital and she has also worked as a civil servant in the Prison Service. When her children were young she successfully completed an Open University B.A. degree studying psychology and sociology. She has been a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association for the last four years.

  As well as writing she loves country walks and travelling abroad (she adores bus stations, railway stations, airports and ferry ports – any place where people are on the move).

  Contact the author by email at

  Julia@JuliaBellRomanticFiction.co.uk

  or visit her website on

  http://www.JuliaBellRomanticFiction.co.uk

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  I would like to thank Amanda Lillywhite for the excellent work she did creating the front cover. Amanda can be contacted on Amanda@CrazyPanda.com or via her website at www.AJLIllustration.talktalk.net.

  I would also like to thank Rob White for all his technical know-how, moral support and encouragement for which I am very grateful.

  First Published in Great Britain 2012

  Copyright © 2012 by Julia Bell Romantic Fiction

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the Publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews

  Names and characters except for the historical figures are purely the product of the author’s imagination.

  JuliaBellRomanticFiction.co.uk

  For my daughter-in-law, Shazma

  DECEIT OF ANGELS

  by

  Julia Bell

  JULIA BELL ROMANTIC FICTION

  CHAPTER ONE

  The train slowed down as it reached the outskirts of Bristol. Anna pulled on her coat, ran a comb through her hair and checked her makeup in her compact mirror. Pulling a face at her image she glanced once more out of the window, noticing the customary large warehouses and business premises that often littered the area surrounding a mainline station. Passengers stood and gathered their belongings, but Anna remained seated.

  The platforms and buildings of the station finally came into sight, the train sliding to a stop. As passengers scrambled to get out of the doors first, Anna decided to take her time and wait for the carriage to empty. There didn’t seem any point in hurrying. But once on the platform, the walk to the exit seemed interminable, her heart racing with a mixture of excitement and fear. She took a deep breath, trying to soothe her guilty conscience at deceiving her family. Perhaps she should have been honest with them? She shrugged knowing it was too late now.

  Outside the station, her eyes swept around the rushing melee of moving figures and traffic, searching for the vehicle that was to pick her up. She was about to give up and try and contact someone on her mobile, when a pleasant husky voice came from behind.

  “Mrs Stevens?”

  Anna spun round and came face to face with a man smartly dressed in a chauffeur’s uniform. He raised his hand to the peak of his cap as he smiled and asked her name.

  “Yes. Yes, I’m Mrs Stevens.”

  “My name’s Ben. If you’d like to come with me, I’ll show you where the car’s parked.”

  She followed him, trying to keep up with his long strides by skipping every other step and then raised her eyebrows at what awaited her in the car park. Ben opened the door to a sleek, grey limousine and Anna slipped into the back seat, falling against the luxurious black leather of the interior. She watched him take his place behind the wheel and skilfully pull out of the congested car park. As their journey started, Anna looked around the inside of the car, feeling impressed. She noticed a small hatch and pulling it down revealed a whole array of drinks and liqueurs.

  “Very nice,” she murmured.

  “If you’d like a drink, miss, please help yourself. Mr Harrington never minds.”

  Anna felt embarrassed and shut the hatch with a slam.

  “Actually, I don’t drink much alcohol. Is it very far, this place we’re bound for?” she asked, running her fingers through her hair.

  “It’s near Bishop Sutton, about twenty minutes drive. Why don’t you just sit back and enjoy the ride.”

  She didn’t answer, but watched the houses and shops pass her by, smiling to herself. For the first time in weeks she felt relaxed and strangely contented. She decided to let the coming events unfold naturally. After all, she was only doing this for experience. Her eyelids felt heavy and she tried to blink away the sudden tiredness that overcame her. But then her head nodded in sleep.

  She jerked awake when the driver’s door slammed shut as Ben jumped out and came round to her side.

  He opened the door.

  “Here we are then. You seemed to have dozed off.” His eyes crinkled with amusement. Anna gave him a wry smile and stepped out of the car. “If you’d like to follow me, miss. We need to go round the back to the kitchen entrance. It’s been decided that applicants wait in the kitchen with Mrs Wilby and have a cup of coffee, until their turn comes to be interviewed.”

  “Have there been many applicants?” she asked.

  “Well, you’re the sixth, I believe. Mr Harrington wanted all the interviews out of the way by two as he’s rushing off to a meeting in London this afternoon. I think you’re the last.”

  As she entered through the kitchen door, her gaze took in the back of the house and she gave a low whistle. It was a large building in mock Tudor style with many rectangular windows staring out over the lawn and flowerbeds. The garden was beautiful, with a manicured lawn and borders full of lily of the valley, primulas and a few late tulips. The trees groaned under the weight of the pink cherry blossom and at the far end she could see an area set aside for barbecues. Ben led her into a spacious and well-organised kitchen, where a stout, middle-aged woman hauled herself to her feet to greet her.

  The chauffeur gestured with a casual wave of his hand. “This is our Mrs Wilby, the cook-cum-housekeeper of our happy home and the only one who can keep us all in order. Mrs Wilby meet Mrs Stevens, the last applicant for the post of PA.”

  Mrs Wilby gripped Anna’s hand. “Come and sit down, my dear. You’ve come all the way from West Yorkshire, haven’t you? My late husband came from Leeds, so we often came your way when we visited the in-laws. That’s when I was a young bride, of course. They died within six months of each other, did my in-laws, just five years after I married. It was so sad. Would you like a cup of coffee?” Anna felt overcome by her friendly manner and could only find the strength to nod. “Sit down. Sit down and we’ll soon have you all sorted out.”

  She bustled about the kitchen setting out crockery and filling the cups with the sweet aroma of freshly ground coffee.

  Ben took off his cap and threw it on the pine kitchen table. Turning a chair round and sitting astride with his arms across the back, he winked at Anna.

  “She’s a bit of a chatterbox, but she’s the loveliest person you could ever meet,” he said in a low voice.

  Three cups of coffee appeared and Anna sipped hers, gathering her courage for what lay ahead of her. Mrs Wilby
lowered her large bulk into a pine chair with arms and scrutinised the young woman sitting across from her.

  “Now then, my dear. I hear you’re a widow like me. Although you’re so young to be without a husband. Has he been gone long?”

  Anna started visibly and Ben broke into the conversation. “Do let her catch her breath, Mrs Wilby. She’s not been here five minutes and you’re giving her the third degree already.”

  Anna took another sip of her coffee. She felt as though her secret was there for all to see and a terrible feeling of uncertainty washed over her.

  The housekeeper’s face flushed red with embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I do talk, I know.”

  Anna’s heart went out to her. “It’s all right, really it is.” She took a deep breath. “My husband died six years ago.”

  There, it was said! Hang on in there girl, she told herself, you’ll never see these people again after today, so it doesn’t matter what they hear.

  Mrs Wilby’s face became sombre. “Oh, how sad. Were there any children?”

  “Twin boys, but they’re hardly children,” smiled Anna, concentrating on her cup of coffee.

  They were interrupted by the entrance of a slightly built young girl, in her early twenties, with long brown hair plaited at the back.

  She glanced towards Anna and smiled. “Ah, you must be Mrs Stevens. I’m Sharon O’Reilly, Mr. Harrington’s personal assistant. We’re ready to interview you now if you’d like to come with me.”

  It wasn’t difficult to recognise the soft southern Irish accent of the woman on the phone, although Anna couldn’t help feeling surprised at how young she was. She stood up and thanked Mrs Wilby for the coffee. Ben put his thumb in the air and mouthed ‘good luck’.

  Anna followed Sharon out of the kitchen and across a spacious hallway. Making her way to the furthest end of the hall, she opened the door and stepped through. Hard on her heels a very nervous Anna tried to take in huge gulps of air to calm her racing heart.

  “Jason, this is our last applicant, Mrs Anna Stevens. Anna, this is Jason Harrington, the Managing Director of Harrington Rhodes Shipping Agents.”

  Anna entered an office that was a good size with a huge window that filled the room with bright light. A large desk dominated the opposite side of the window and sitting behind it was Jason Harrington.

  Sharon gestured to the chair in front of his desk and then went to sit down a short distance away. As Anna walked towards Jason, he stood up and held out his hand in greeting. He’s certainly attractive, thought Anna, with dark brown hair and deep blue eyes, but it dismayed her how his manner seemed to be brisk and efficient. Taking his hand, she realised she probably wouldn’t meet his specifications for a personal assistant. She licked her lips and tried to relax. How ironic, she thought, believing this was such a clever idea, but now feeling like a trapped animal. Her grim thoughts were arrested by his smile. It was a wonderful smile that lit up his face and seemed to convey a warm feeling of genuine friendship. She shook his hand, hoping hers wasn’t trembling. Sweat started trickling down her back.

  “Mrs Stevens, I’m so pleased you arrived safely. Did you have a good journey?”

  “Yes, I did, thank you.”

  They made themselves comfortable.

  “Splendid! Well, let’s get down to business.” He paused for a moment before continuing, “I run a busy shipping agency, exporting and importing a variety of goods. You’ve met my present PA, Sharon, who unfortunately is leaving me to go back to Ireland to get married. I’m looking for someone who can run this office, whether I’m here or not and generally take care of things at this end. I can be away quite a lot as I have business interests in London and....”

  Sharon pulled a face. “And Paris…and Brussels…and…”

  He gave a chuckle that made Anna smile. “Anyway, you get the picture, I’m sure. I travel a great deal and sometimes I need to attend meetings at our main office in Bristol. However, I do work here at home most of the time. The person who runs this office, would have to be efficient and willing to work the hours that suit me. I’m not a bad boss, at least I hope not, but I am demanding. I expect my PA to be here when needed. And to make things easier, I do provide food and accommodation.”

  Anna stared at him. “I would live here?”

  “You would be given a comfortable room and enjoy the benefit of Mrs Wilby’s excellent cooking.”

  “I will certainly miss that,” Sharon sighed.

  Jason grinned at her before turning his attention back to Anna. “When I’m away, my PA would have to work on his or her own initiative. Are you OK about working on your own?”

  Anna nodded. “Yes, I’m quite happy about that.”

  “Good. Now then, let’s see what we know about you.” He looked down at the open file on his desk and Anna’s mouth dried up. She licked her lips as she watched him scan down her CV. “I see you’re a widow with twin boys.”

  “Yes, they’re eighteen and just about to go to university.”

  He nodded. “Does that mean you haven’t any family responsibilities as such?”

  “I have a mother, stepfather and younger sister living in Wakefield. That’s all.”

  She felt a great urge to sit on her shaking hands, but instead, she held them in her lap, locked together. Keep a grip on yourself, she told herself, this will soon be over.

  His eyes searched her face and then rested ever so lightly on her clenched hands.

  “I see you achieved good ‘A’ level grades and you’ve been employed for the last four years as a school secretary?”

  Anna’s spirits soared as she explained her ambitions to him, her face becoming animated. “Yes, I decided to go back to college when the twins were twelve. I thought a secretarial qualification would help me go further in a career. As you can see, I worked for the Prison Service for two years as a typist and then I started working as a school secretary.”

  She felt an enormous sense of relief that for once, she was telling the truth.

  He smiled in admiration. “You’ve certainly worked hard to look after your children.”

  “I…I married young.” He was watching her and before she knew it she had blurted out, “I spent many years caring for my husband. He was ill with…with multiple sclerosis. He died…” What had she told Mrs Wilby? With great relief she added, “six years ago.”

  Anna’s spirits sank, her brief moment of truth had ignited and burnt out so quickly.

  Jason nodded. “That shows a great deal of dedication for one so young. That’s the sort of loyalty that can only be commended.” Anna tried to fight the waves of sickness. He pressed on with his interminable questions. “You understand that this position is immediate? How will your sons manage if you come to work in Bristol? You say that they’re not leaving home until after the summer? In fact, isn’t Bristol a long way from your family and friends?”

  “My mother will take care of the boys until they leave.” She swallowed with difficulty. “I want to get away from my home town.” She hoped she didn’t sound selfish and added, “Memories, you understand.”

  His expression softened. “I can understand why you’re looking for a fresh start. Life can sometimes hit below the belt.” Anna kept her expression impassive. Jason sighed as though reflecting on his own sorrows before saying, “I don’t bother with shorthand. I much prefer to dictate into this little machine.” He tapped the recorder on the desk.

  “Audio typing would be no problem for me,” she said quietly.

  He carried on talking; explaining the work conditions and salary, but Anna had stopped listening. She wanted to go home. She had said too much and the sooner she was on that train the better. The elated feelings she had had when setting off that morning had evaporated. It was only a matter of time now. Soon he would say, “Thanks, but no thanks,” and she would be on her way.

  Anna glanced towards the window, noticing how the trees in the garden were already starting to shed their blossom, the tiny petals fluttering down in d
elicate flurries. Another month or so and it would be summer. So absorbed was she in her own thoughts, she failed to hear Jason Harrington’s next comment. It was only when she realised the room had fallen silent and Sharon was rising to her feet, was she able to pull herself back to reality.

  “Would you like to follow me, Mrs Stevens. I’ll take you back to the kitchen and with any luck, Mrs Wilby will have another cup of coffee for you.” Dazed, Anna followed her from the office and across the hall to the kitchen. Mrs Wilby was bustling about preparing lunch, but grinned when she saw them. “Look after her, will you? I’ll be back shortly.”

  “Sit down, my dear,” said Mrs Wilby. “No doubt they’re going to put their heads together and decide on the best person for the job.” She poured out the coffee and Anna took it in her hands, gulping it down.

  “Well, it certainly won’t be me. I was terrible!”

  “Now, don’t talk like that,” laughed Mrs Wilby. “You never know what’s going to happen. Better to wait and see.”

  “But I was awful. All nerves and prattle,” said Anna. “I can’t believe that the other five candidates were worse than me.”

  Mrs Wilby threw back her head and her laughter echoed round the large kitchen. “You have no idea, my chick, no idea at all. The first one turned up an hour late and from what Sharon told us, didn’t stop chewing her gum all through the interview. The second one looked down her nose at us as if we were far below the likes of her and as for the third…!” Anna began to laugh and it eased the discomfort. “The third one was plainly after the boss rather than the work. I’ve never seen so much thigh or bosom.” Tears of laughter streamed down her fat cheeks. “Poor Ben didn’t know where to look.”