by Julia Bell
“It’s such a shame,” said Anna, peering out of the window, while Jason sat reading his newspaper. “I was so looking forward to beating you again. Never mind. It might brighten up later.”
But it didn’t. In fact the rain turned to a fine, chilling drizzle that had the power to seep into clothing and soak a person right through. Most of the day was spent in the parlour either watching television or playing board games and cards.
Eventually, Jason looked at his watch and glanced across at Anna. “Do you fancy going to the club anyway? We could have a drink in the bar.”
She looked up from her magazine and smiled. “That sounds great. We’ve been cooped up too long.”
“My fees are due on the first, so I’ll be able to pay them while we’re there.”
She gave him a withering look. “Oh, Jason, I reminded you about that before you went to Singapore!” She smacked his hand in playful annoyance.
“I know but it slipped my mind,” he said guiltily.
They were about to leave the parlour when Hollie burst through the door carrying a large vanity case. She was in her dressing gown after having her bath and her hair hung down her back in dark, damp ripples.
“I’m ready now, Anna,” she cried, her face aglow with enthusiasm.
Anna stopped, a look of disquiet spreading across her features. “Oh, I forgot! I promised Hollie I’d put her hair in ringlets.”
Jason chuckled. “Looks like I’m not the only one with a bad memory.”
Anna bit her lip apprehensively. “I’d better keep my promise.” She looked towards the little girl emptying the contents of the vanity case on the table. It had been a present from Mrs Wilby and she treasured all the paraphernalia associated with hair and beauty. “She’ll be terribly upset if I let her down.”
Jason gave a sigh. “You’re probably right. But I must go to the club and pay my fees.”
“Can’t you send a cheque tomorrow?”
He shook his head. “It won’t get there in time.”
“I’ll come to your car with you.”
Despite his protestations, she insisted on walking with him into the hall while he pulled on his coat. Outside it was dark and bitingly cold. Anna hugged her arms as she stood in the porch out of the driving rain.
He noticed she was shivering. “Sweetheart, go inside. You’ll catch your death.”
She watched him climb into the car. “What a pity I can’t come with you.”
He waved his hand. “I’ll be an hour at the most.” He suddenly added, “Shall I pick up an application form for you? I think it’s about time you became a member and you’ve still not made use of Mother’s birthday present to you.”
“Yes, do that. If I’m going to beat you into the ground, it might as well be official.”
Jason gave a grin and drove away. Anna watched him go. Whenever she thought of that moment in the future, she bitterly regretted her promise to Hollie. If she had accompanied him, perhaps events would have turned out so differently.
Jason pulled into the car park and looked towards the lights streaming from the windows of the club. The folk inside were obviously enjoying a Christmas drink and he suddenly felt disappointed that Anna had had to stay behind. It would have been nice to get away from the Grange for a few hours. Sighing heavily, he climbed out of the car and ran through the rain and across the shining tarmac. The warmth and comfort of the building enclosed him.
There were very few people in the foyer, as they all seemed to be in the bar. Jason walked over to the desk and the smiling receptionist brought up his details on her computer and prepared to take his payment on his credit card.
“Well, hello stranger.” The husky voice was unmistakable and he quickly glanced to his left.
“Hello Deborah. Merry Christmas,” he answered politely. She sidled up to him and came far too close. He used the excuse of signing the receipt to move away from her. “Could I have an application form, please,” he asked the receptionist.
Deborah smiled seductively. “Don’t tell me Anna’s becoming a member at last?”
Unsmiling, Jason took the form, folded it and put it in his inside pocket.
“We thought it was about time.”
“Be warned! Caroline will be after her. She still wants her to join the team.”
“I’m not surprised. Anna is an excellent golfer and I think she’ll be a credit to the club.”
He said it in a way that would sting her and when her dark eyes turned even darker with jealousy, he found it difficult to hold back his enjoyment.
“Yes, well.” She glanced around the foyer as if trying to control her temper and then turned her attention back to Jason. “So, have you had a pleasant Christmas?”
“Very nice, thank you.”
He knew his coldness would cause rancour, but for some reason he couldn’t help goading her. If there was one thing he had learned about Deborah Gilbert-Hines it was that she thrived on the heat of passion and anger. He remembered the last time he had confronted her and how his rage had ‘turned her on’. He wasn’t going to fall for that again.
“I heard you’ve been away?”
“Yes, to Singapore on business.”
“Gone long, were you?”
“Just a week.”
Deborah feigned thoughtfulness. “Would that be round about the thirteenth of December?”
Jason frowned. “I guess so. I left on the eleventh, so yes, I was away then.”
“Didn’t take Anna with you then?” She didn’t let him answer. “Of course you didn’t. Because that’s the day I saw her with her friend at the Marriott Hotel”
“You saw her where?”
She knew he had heard her and decided to ignore his question. “Mmm. Probably having a nice, cosy Christmas drink with him.”
“Him?”
Deborah smiled in triumph. She knew what buttons to push. “Very attractive man, actually.”
He scowled, trying to stem the suspicions that were rising up inside him.
“There’s nothing wrong with Anna having a drink with a friend, male or female!”
“He was certainly very friendly, the way he had his arm round her.”
Jason didn’t want to hear any more and decided to leave. “I’m going. I don’t want my Christmas spoilt with your innuendoes.”
“Innuendoes! Certainly not! I saw them go in and I saw her come out…about six hours later!”
Jason froze on the spot. “You were watching her for six hours?”
“No, of course not,” she said coyly. “I was just returning to the office when I saw them going through the door of the hotel. And much later on, I was in the restaurant with a client and I saw her leave. On her own of course.”
“She left on her own?”
“I think she was on her own. But you know how crowded the lifts to the rooms can be.” Now Jason’s eyes turned dark and it was Deborah’s turn to gloat. She pushed the dagger in to the hilt. “Oh, don’t worry about it. As you say, there’s nothing wrong with her having an intimate, cosy Christmas drink in a hotel bedroom.”
She turned to go but Jason caught her arm. She smiled in exaltation at his angry but pained expression.
“You’re lying!”
“Lying! Oh, come on, Jason. Get real! If anyone’s good at lying, it’s that fiancée of yours. Remember her story about being a widow? That was a pearl.”
“She…She had her reasons for doing that,” he stammered.
“I’m sure she did.” She patted his arm. “And I’m sure she’s got a valid reason for going to a hotel room with a male companion.” She smiled smugly. “Why don’t you ask her?”
“I will and she’ll have a good reason.” Somehow he knew he didn’t sound convincing.
Deborah had won and now she was satisfied to leave, but not before sending a parting shot.
“You’ve always been rather blind when it came to choosing your wife, haven’t you? Well, as my dear old grandmother used to say, ‘you can’t half pic
k ‘em’.” She made her way through the foyer to the bar, laughing as she went.
Jason drove back to the Grange in a state of turmoil. The demons of suspicion travelled with him and although he tried to rationalise everything he had heard, he found he couldn’t. If Anna had been for a Christmas drink with a friend, then they would have stayed in the bar. There was no reason for her to go up to the bedrooms. He tried to stay calm, convinced that Anna would set his mind at rest.
He arrived at the Grange and as he locked the car, a feeling of nausea swept over him. He remembered the love bite on her neck and the strange coldness she had shown him after his return from Singapore. And then there was that particular day when she was out late. The day her car ran out of petrol.
He went straight into the parlour without removing his coat and scarf.
“Where’s Anna?” he asked, quickly glancing round at the faces present.
“Upstairs,” said Hollie, munching on some chocolates.
He took the stairs two at a time. Anna was in their room sorting out a dress for the New Year’s Eve party.
She smiled brightly as he came in. “I don’t know whether to wear this one.” She held up a blue dress. “Or this one.” She held up a black one. Her smile faded when she saw his expression. “What’s the matter? You look as though you’ve had some terrible news.”
He moistened his lips. He was a businessman and was used to getting to the point quickly.
“I want to ask you a question, Anna. And I want a truthful answer.”
She opened her eyes wide in surprise. “What is it? What’s happened?” She took a step closer to him.
“While I was in Singapore, did you go to the Marriott Hotel?” He saw her reel back in shock.
Anna felt as though she was going to faint, the colour draining from her face. “I…I don’t think so.”
He stepped forward and grabbed her arms. “Did you go there with someone?” She stared at him in horror. “Answer me!”
“No, I didn’t,” she stuttered.
“You were seen going into the hotel with a man!”
She had known him angry before, but never like this.
“They must be mistaken. It wasn’t me.” Her voice became stilted with fear.
Jason moved away from her, staring with fresh eyes at the woman he loved. She seemed so different, so alien.
“You’re lying to me!”
“No, I’m not!”
He took hold of her once more. “Anna, look me in the eye and tell me that it wasn’t you going into the Marriott Hotel.”
She slapped his hands away. “No, I won’t! I don’t have to justify my actions! How dare you! Just because we’re engaged doesn’t give you the right to question me like this. I’m not your property, your possession.”
He advanced on her, his expression thunderous. For one awful moment she thought he might hit her and put up her arms to ward off a blow.
Her sudden defensive action startled him. “I ask very little of you. But I do expect faithfulness in a woman,” he said softly.
“Do you think I could…Why don’t you trust me?”
“I want to, but you’ve lied in the past.” He winced at her hurt expression. He stepped a little closer, desperately wanting her to understand his position. “But when I hear something that unsettles me, then I have to know the truth.”
“And you’d rather listen to vengeful gossip than to me?”
He held her arm, but this time his touch was gentler. “Anna, just tell me the truth.”
She twisted her head away, her heart thudding wildly, tears of humiliation spilling onto her cheeks.
“I don’t want to say anything to you when you’re in this kind of mood.”
His grip tightened. “I only want to know if Deborah…”
Anna turned on him angrily. “Deborah! You’ve been listening to someone like her. A woman you despise! Oh, Jason, I expected better from you!”
“Yes, it does seem ironic,” he said, smiling wryly. “So, prove her wrong. Prove her to be the malicious gossipmonger she is.”
Anna knew she was caught in a trap. She couldn’t refute the allegations but there again, there was no way that she wanted to confirm them. Jason watched her closely.
She was desperate to escape. “I’d like to go downstairs. Perhaps we can talk about this later.”
He shook his head vigorously. “Not until we get this sorted out.” Anna could only stare at the floor. She heard him gasp. “Was Deborah right? Did you go…to the hotel with…another man?” His arms fell to his side. She glanced at him in time to see him backing away from her, his eyes showing the agony of his feelings. “I thought my suspicions were just…!” He passed a trembling hand over his face. “No! I can’t handle this.”
She heard the door slam and everything went quiet. She stood motionless, waiting, hoping that he would return.
The door opened quietly and Margaret’s anxious voice drifted into her consciousness.
“What is it, my dear, what’s happened? Jason has just left as though the devil was chasing him.”
Anna slowly turned towards her and then for the first time in her life, she fainted.
Jason couldn’t remember how he got home. He drove instinctively and pulled up outside the house in Bishop Sutton with the rain beating down relentlessly. He was surprised to see lights on and realised that Ben must be home from his Christmas visit with his family. He rushed through the door and almost collided with him in the kitchen.
“Oh, you’re back,” said Ben. “I was going to set off to the Grange tomorrow.” Jason’s black expression alarmed him.
“Decided to come back early. I’m off to bed. See you in the morning. Don’t forget to lock up.”
He left Ben standing alone, puzzlement etched across his face.
Jason reached his room and immediately went to the bathroom. He had never felt so ill in his life, his insides churning round, his head fit to burst. Stumbling back into the bedroom, he threw himself on the mattress fully clothed and stared around him.
He had shared this room with Anna for over three months and now it seemed forlorn and empty. He knew why he felt so unwell. The shock to his system had been on the scale of an earthquake, since every fibre of his being had trusted her, because he loved her so deeply. It was as if his very vital signs, his breathing and heartbeat, depended on her. And now that she had betrayed his trust, his body rebelled at the idea. He noticed the phone beside the bed. He would call the Grange and tell his mother he was back at his own house. There was no point in worrying her.
Anna awoke with Margaret leaning over her, pressing a cold flannel on her forehead. She was lying on the bed and in the background she could see Mrs Wilby and Fran hovering near.
“Just lie still, my dear. You gave me such a scare fainting like that. Thank goodness John was around to lift you up.” She turned to the others. “You two go downstairs. She’s fine now, we don’t need a doctor.” Anna tried to sit up but Margaret pressed her back. “No, stay where you are for just a few minutes more.”
Anna obeyed, she felt so weak. “Where’s Jason?” she asked quietly.
“No idea.”
“We had a row.”
“Well, that’s obvious,” said Margaret sadly.
There was a brief pause as Anna gathered her courage. “He accused me of having an affair,” she whispered.
Margaret suspended her actions of offering Anna a cup of tea. “An affair! That’s preposterous. Not you.”
“I’m glad you’ve got so much faith in me.”
Margaret started laughing. “My dear, I can read people’s characters very well. And the moment I set eyes on you I knew you were the faithful kind.”
“Even though I lied about my husband?”
“I said I knew you were faithful, not truthful.”
“The trouble is, my lies have made him doubt my fidelity.”
Margaret shook her head. “I’m sure that’s not the case. How can he doubt you?”
<
br /> Anna struggled up onto the pillows. “I haven’t had an affair, Margaret. You’re right, it’s not in my nature. I was married a long time and I never considered it then, even though I was bitterly unhappy.”
“And Jason will realise that, when he comes to his senses.”
“That might not be for a while.”
“He’ll cool down eventually,” said Margaret soothingly.
Anna glanced around the room. “I don’t think he’ll be back tonight. He’ll have gone to Bishop Sutton.”
“Well, I hope he phones. Do you want to come downstairs?”
Anna shook her head. “I think I’ll have a bath and go to bed, if you don’t mind.”
“That sounds like a good idea. You drink your tea and don’t worry. Everything will be sorted out tomorrow.”
Yes, thought Anna as she sank into the bubbles, everything will be OK tomorrow. Jason will come back to the Grange and laugh at the stupidity of it all. He will take her in his arms and tell her he shouldn’t have believed someone like Deborah. Surely he will realise that her information couldn’t be relied on. And yet she had been telling the truth! Anna couldn’t blame Jason for thinking she was having an affair, it must have looked that way. But deep down she knew the situation was dire. He had come very close to finding out the truth about her. Had Sophia been right all along? Should she have told him everything? Her heart ached with yearning.
Sleep came only spasmodically for Jason and he awoke the following morning feeling washed out and weary.
“You look a bit the worse for wear,” said Ben, as he poured him some coffee. In fact, he felt quite worried about his boss. He had never seen him looking so ill.
“Drank too much at Christmas,” Jason lied. He picked up the mug and took a gulp. “I’m going into the office. Got to catch up on a few things.” He turned to go but then turned back. “Do you remember when I was in Singapore and I was trying to contact Anna?” Ben nodded. “She was out quite a bit, wasn’t she?”
“She did a lot of shopping if I remember right.”
“Was there any time when she was out for most of the day…or evening?”