by Julia Bell
Hollie blew out an indignant breath. “I know what to do!” She watched as Anna struggled into her dressing gown and rushed out of the door. “Silly Anna! She’s such a sleepy head this morning.”
“Perhaps she didn’t sleep very well last night,” said Jason, trying to make conversation while he shuffled some documents into a file.
“I was so cross with her last night for coming in late! She wasn’t there to read me my bedtime story,” said Hollie.
In Singapore, Jason stopped shuffling the papers. His daughter went to bed at eight-thirty. “She was shopping that late?”
His daughter went to make a comment, but was prevented by Anna coming back on the line.
“I’m here, Hollie. Say bye to your daddy.” She heard the soft ‘goodbye’ and Jason responding with an equally tender farewell. “I’ve got the information. Have you a pen ready?” Anna gave him the details he wanted.
“I should be home on Wednesday afternoon,” he said tenderly. “I’ve missed you so much.”
Anna swallowed hard. “I miss you too. It seems ages since you left.”
“It won’t be long now. Must go, sweetheart, they’re waiting for me. Love you.”
Anna put down the phone but didn’t move from her position by the desk. She tried to shrug away the tears that stung her eyes. A feeling of desperate loneliness swept through her, followed by overwhelming yearning. Just hearing Jason’s voice made her feel like splintered glass.
“Please come home. I need you,” she whispered.
Her thoughts were in turmoil. Everything she had suffered the night before was as fresh as though it had just happened. She ached in every joint and her head was splitting. She must find some aspirin before it got any worse. She remembered what Dave had said to her, his threats and the mind shattering knowledge that he knew exactly how to control her. He had known her better than she had ever guessed. She took in a huge breath and shivered.
Anna tried to pull herself together. She would work in the office today, even though it was Saturday and catch up on all those little jobs she never seemed to have time to do. By the evening, her memories will have faded.
Ben rushed into the room. “Anna! You’re not going to believe it, but your car’s been nicked!”
“What!”
“It’s gone! From its usual place,” said Ben.
Anna suddenly remembered. “Oh, it’s not been stolen. I left it in the car park at Harrington Rhodes.” She smiled weakly. “I ran out of petrol so I got a taxi home.”
Ben wiped his hand across his forehead. “I wish you’d told me! I nearly had a heart attack when I saw it missing.”
“Sorry, I should have, but I was so tired when I came in, it went completely out of my mind.”
Ben mused for a moment. “You ran out of petrol?”
Anna nodded. “I should have filled up on my way into Bristol, but I forgot. I only remembered when I went to start the car and realised there wasn’t enough to get me to the petrol station.”
“Well, if you get dressed, we can go and sort it out,” said Ben, watching her. Anna was usually the last person to run out of petrol. She liked to fill up as soon as the gauge reached halfway.
Anna did as she was told and forty minutes later she was sitting next to Ben en route to Bristol. They didn’t talk much on the journey and Anna was relieved. She thought he might question her about her late night and she didn’t want to go through the ordeal of having to lie. She had already started telling untruths and it sat uncomfortably with her. On the way, they pulled into the petrol station and Ben filled up a can, but as they drove into the car park, Anna was dismayed to see Graham standing by the Peugeot. He gave a look of relief as he saw her.
“Thank goodness for that, Anna! I was getting quite worried. I thought you’d not come back all night.”
“Ran out of fuel,” she lied.
He pulled a face. “Well, I’ll leave you to it. I’ve got a lot of catching up to do and Saturday is the only day I get the chance, when the phones stop ringing.” He disappeared into the building.
Anna unlocked the petrol cap and Ben began to pour the fuel into the tank.
“Jump in and give it a try,” he said. Anna slipped into the driver’s seat and turned the key. The engine exploded into life immediately. “Well, that should be enough until you fill up.”
“Yes, I’ll go now,” said Anna, jumping out, locking the petrol cap and hoping he wouldn’t notice the fuel gauge that stood at three-quarters full.
She climbed back in, waved and sped away. Ben watched her with a frown.
When Anna reached home, she went straight to the office. She worked the entire day only stopping for a short lunch break. Ben and Mrs Wilby exchanged concerned words during the afternoon, but decided that Anna was missing Jason and everything would return to normal once he was home. Even so, they worried at her ruthless determination to work herself into the ground.
Jason phoned again at three o’clock, he was off to bed as he was exhausted, but told her that everything was going well and the five-year contract was almost ‘in the bag’. Anna decided to go to bed early too and soon after reading Hollie her bedtime story, she was under the covers, squeezing her eyelids shut in an effort to forget everything in sleep. It didn’t work and she spent most of the night listening to the house as it creaked and groaned.
Sunday found her exhausted and unable to do anything but her washing and ironing and then sit listlessly watching television. Ben and Mrs Wilby became even more concerned. Before Jason had left, he had confided in Ben that Anna’s husband was none too pleased about a divorce and he might cause trouble. Ben had been left with strict instructions to keep an eye on her, a fact he winced at, since he had let her go shopping alone in Bristol on Friday. But he had been busy finishing off Hollie’s Wendy house and felt that a shopping expedition hardly needed his attention.
Sunday night came and once again, Anna hardly slept. By the time she went into the office on Monday morning, she was screaming inside. She walked up and down agitated, her only thought that she needed help. By mid-morning she went into her bag for Nigel Barnes’s card. The receptionist told her that he was with a client but would pass on a message as soon as possible. An hour later Nigel returned her call. When he discovered that Anna wanted an appointment he went into his diary and suggested the end of the week. But when Anna let out a cry of dismay and begged him to let her see him earlier, he became alarmed and kindly gave up his lunch hour, telling her to come for one o’clock.
The drive to his office seemed interminable. Finally parking and climbing the stairs to his office came as a great relief to Anna. But waiting her turn suddenly made her panic. What was she going to tell him? Why had she asked for this appointment? She didn’t have time to put her thoughts together before he came out of his office and beckoned her in.
“Thank you for seeing me at such short notice and giving up your lunch time.”
He waved his hand in a gesture of dismissal and offered her a seat. “In my line of work I get used to working all hours,” he smiled. “Now what can I do for you? And before you answer that, I’m afraid I’ve not heard from your husband’s solicitor.”
The receptionist came in with a steaming mug of coffee and Anna held it between her hands drawing comfort from its heat.
“I didn’t think you would,” she murmured.
He watched her curiously. “I really wish you’d consider the other choice I gave you.”
“Unreasonable behaviour?”
“Yes. Then you could file for divorce.” He suddenly noticed the shadows under her eyes and the paleness of her complexion. “Are you OK, Anna?”
She didn’t seem to hear him. “What would I have to do to get a divorce on grounds of unreasonable behaviour?”
Sighing with relief he sat back in his chair. “All that’s needed is a short list of things you believe your husband did to cause you unhappiness. It doesn’t have to be anything specific. The fact that he neglected you or his be
haviour caused you distress…” He stopped talking as he noticed tears trickling down Anna’s cheeks, her face creasing in despair. “Oh, my goodness,” he said in alarm. He rose from his seat and pulled another chair closer so he could sit next to her. “What’s the matter?”
She turned a tear stained face towards him. “Is raping me, good grounds for divorce?”
He stared at her hardly understanding. “Your husband…raped you?” She nodded. “Anna, why didn’t you tell me this when you first came to see me? You have a very strong case to end your marriage. When did it happen?”
Anna took a sip of her coffee and tried to summon her courage. “Last Friday,” she whispered.
Nigel’s face blanched with shock. “I think you’d better tell me what happened.”
For the next thirty minutes, Anna told him about meeting her husband and her subsequent ordeal in the hotel bedroom.
When she had finished, she pleaded with him. “Please don’t tell Jason. I couldn’t bear it if he knew. He would want me to press charges.”
“And he’d be right!” said Nigel. “Anna, no man, husband or not, has the right to violate a woman like that.” He thought rapidly. “Did you see a doctor?” She shook her head. “You should have! For the sake of your own health and also a doctor’s report would have gone a good way in helping your divorce.”
“I just wanted to try and forget it ever happened.”
“I think that would be impossible,” he said softly.
“But by this morning, I knew that I needed help,” she sighed.
Nigel took her hand. “Listen, Anna. Do you trust me?” She nodded. “First of all, we must get you examined by a doctor.” She made to protest but he patted her arm to calm her. “I know someone who will go with you and also counsel you. She’s very good and very understanding.
“Who is she?”
“My wife Sophia.”
“Sophia?”
“She’s a rape counsellor and she’ll help you through this. At the same time I’ll start divorce proceedings on your behalf.”
“Will I get a divorce on the grounds that Dave…That he…”
“Absolutely! No judge in the country would turn down your application. Now, I want you to go home and get some rest. I’ll get Sophia to phone you as soon as possible and she’ll make a doctor’s appointment for you at the clinic.”
“You won’t tell the police will you?”
“Anna, everything you’ve told me and what you tell Sophia will be in complete confidence. We won’t do anything you don’t want us to do.”
Anna drove home with her mind a little easier. Sophia did indeed ring that evening after making an appointment for her to attend the clinic the following day. After exchanging some gentle and comforting words, she reassured Anna that she would be with her and that she mustn’t worry. For the first time Anna slept better, although still not soundly. At least she had shared her burden with others and the very fact that she didn’t feel alone any more, gave her some peace of mind.
Sophia met her at the clinic and taking her arm, accompanied her inside. The doctor examining her was kind and sympathetic, only passing a concerned comment that perhaps it would have been better if she had consulted her sooner.
Sophia took her back to her office and there, Anna was able to tell her everything that happened that dreadful Friday evening. It was only when she reached the conclusion that she became distraught. Up to that point, she had remained calm, telling the details as they happened without any emotion.
She held her head in her hands. “I tried to fight him off, Sophia, I really did. But he was too strong for me.”
Sophia put her arms round her. “A woman can’t possibly match a man’s strength. You mustn’t blame yourself.”
“But why did he do it?
Sophia gave a sad smile. “He was treating you as property. To be used as he saw fit.”
“He seemed so jealous of Jason, even though I left him long before we fell in love.” Her face crumpled into tears. “He sent me a letter ages ago and he threatened to hurt Jason…well, not Jason exactly, but any man that he thought I had left him for.”
Sophia frowned. “Anna, your husband is a dangerous man, are you sure you don’t want the police informed?”
Anna opened her eyes wide in fright. “Oh, no, please don’t even suggest it. I just want to put this behind me. I get the feeling that it’s over now, my husband has done all he can to hurt me, although why he wants to hurt me, I can’t imagine. I’ve never done him any harm.”
“He’s not thinking of you. As far as he’s concerned you had a good chance of going back to him until another man came on the scene.”
“I never would have! I was deluding myself all those years, trying to make my marriage work.”
Sophia grimaced. “You were very brave to leave him, but unfortunately rape is an act of violence not of love. It’s used as a means of power and control.”
“I went willingly into that hotel room with him,” Anna whispered in horror.
“You were a victim,” said Sophia. “He tricked you. It wasn’t your fault.”
Anna left feeling more confident and with a further appointment in her diary for the New Year, she drove home more relaxed. The following day Jason would be returning from Singapore and his very presence would cast some light into the dark place that was her life at the moment. But when she arrived home, she discovered she had missed his phone call once more. The one he had made just before boarding his flight.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Jason arrived home the following afternoon, tired and jet lagged. He hugged everyone but left Anna until last, enclosing her in a tight embrace and smothering her with soft, warm kisses. It was wonderful to have him home again and she clung onto him for a long time. He seemed to fill the place with his presence as he told her that the trip had gone very well and after some difficult negotiations, he had completed a deal worth millions. He made a joke that he could retire at fifty, but Anna knew it was all nonsense, Jason thrived on the cut and thrust of the business world and couldn’t live without it.
Hollie went to bed at her usual time and Jason spent thirty minutes with her, telling her a story and tucking her in. Although he had slept on the plane, his body was still set at Singapore time and it was the early hours of the morning for him. He decided to go to bed early.
“Would you like me to sleep in my old room?” Anna asked, as he started up the stairs.
“What on earth for?” He had just put his foot on the first step and stopped in surprise.
“I thought you’d like to have the bed to yourself, so you’ll get a good night’s sleep,” she said quietly.
He reached out for her and drew her close. “Certainly not! Sweetheart, I’ve slept alone for the last week and I’ve missed the comfort of feeling you next to me. But you come to bed when you’re ready.”
It was gone eleven when she finally slipped in beside him, but he didn’t stir. She watched him for a few minutes and then bent to kiss his lips. It was strange to be sharing a bed with him again. He had been away only seven days but it might as well have been seven years. She had missed him and yet she felt uncomfortable being so close to him. It had never been like that in the past.
Anna awoke early with Jason still sleeping peacefully. She carefully removed herself and dressed. By eight o’clock she was in the office working.
Mrs Wilby appeared at the door ten minutes later. “Are you coming for your breakfast, or are you giving it a miss again?”
Anna detected a note of disapproval and smiled. “No, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Thank goodness for that. I thought you were on a diet or something.”
As she turned to go she collided with Jason. “Who’s on a diet?” he smiled mischievously.
“Not me,” she said. “My husband always liked the fuller figure in a woman. Not string beans that you can’t see sideways on!” She stomped off to the kitchen.
Jason came into the office
and made his way to Anna who was sending a fax.
“Did you sleep in your old room?”
“Now, what makes you think that?”
“You weren’t there this morning and I just wondered.”
“I slept with you all night,” she said warmly. “But I doubt you noticed since you were so tired.”
He gave a grin and caressed her cheek. “I’ll notice tonight, though,” he murmured.
Anna answered with a half-smile.
After lunch, Jason drove to a meeting at the main office to discuss his trip to Singapore with Graham. The meeting lasted most of the afternoon and it was only at its conclusion that Graham mentioned Anna’s car.
“Poor girl, she must have been so embarrassed to run out of petrol.”
Jason chuckled. “She doesn’t like to be a bother to folk, which is probably why she hasn’t told me about it.”
“It was sorted in no time. To be honest, by the time I got to my office and looked out of the window, they were leaving. Mind you, gave me a right shock to see it still parked there when I arrived Saturday morning. I thought something had happened to Anna.”
“What time did she leave it?”
Graham thought for a moment. “It must have been about three. Obviously she got a taxi home when she realised she couldn’t get to a petrol station.”
Ben was in the garage with Hollie, when Jason arrived home. The Wendy house was now finished, complete with striped curtains, a small piece of carpet and dainty little furniture.
“Do you like it Daddy?” she asked, her eyes aglow with enthusiasm.
“It’s lovely, sweetie. But where’s it going?”
Ben gave a chuckle. “She hasn’t decided yet and I’m not moving it until she does. My days of moving stuff about on the whims of a female are long past!”
“I can hide in it when you’re cross,” she said. She went through the small door and looked out of the window.