by Julia Bell
Jason thought he would die from happiness, that his heart would burst. Life was about giving and loving and everything he and Anna shared. And seeing Anna smile up at him was all he wanted. They enclosed each other in their arms and for what seemed a long time they didn’t speak. They were content to kiss and caress, allowing the tender enjoyment of their lovemaking to linger for as long as it could.
They stared at him in surprise hardly believing what he had just told them. For the last month they had steeled themselves for meeting the new lady in his life and instead they were hearing something completely different.
“It’s Anna you’re seeing?” said Ben incredulously.
Jason nodded. “Yes, she been living at the Grange with my mother.”
“How come you didn’t bump into her when you visited?” said Mrs Wilby.
Jason let out a breath. “She didn’t want me to know she was there.”
“Was she playing hide and seek?” chimed in Hollie, her dark eyes sparkling with delight.
“Yes, sweetie. I guess she was.”
Hollie jumped up and danced round the kitchen. “Yes, yes, yes. Anna’s coming back! Anna’s coming back!”
Jason tried to stem her exuberance. “I’m not sure about that. At least we’ve not discussed it.”
Hollie took her seat a little more subdued. “But this is her home, Daddy. She has to come home.”
“Well, she’s working for Grandma Harrington planning the weddings and she’s very busy at the moment.”
Ben gave a chuckle. “Planning the weddings. That would suit her.”
“So, when will she be unbusy?” Hollie was determined to keep to the point.
Jason decided to divert her attention. “We’ll be visiting the Grange in August as usual and then you’ll see her again.”
This seemed to pacify her. “That’ll be nice.” She jumped down from her chair. “I’m going to play in my Wendy house.”
Jason was glad when the adults were left alone, now he could tell them the rest of his news.
“Actually, there’s a little more to it.”
“I thought so,” said Mrs Wilby. “I could tell by the look on your face you hadn’t told us the whole story.”
He cleared his throat. “Anna’s expecting a baby in early September.”
His news was like a bombshell and at first they didn’t know how to answer. Jason prayed that they would assume the obvious and not ask any questions. And he breathed a sigh of relief when they did just that.
Mrs Wilby gave him a hug and Ben shook his hand. “Congratulations,” he said and then added, “Although I’m rather disappointed that we can’t get rid of old misery drawers!”
Jason gave a laugh. “Sorry, but you’ll have to put up with her for the foreseeable future.”
Anna adjusted her position. She was seven months pregnant and for the last week, the baby had insisted on kicking her beneath her rib cage. The only relief she could get was by pressing her hand over the place and stopping her ribs from moving up and down with the tiny punches.
A waiter suddenly appeared.
“Would you like a cushion? You could put it behind your back.”
Anna smiled and took it from him. “That’s so kind. I’m waiting for my fiancé but he’s a bit late.” The waiter nodded in sympathy.
Her appointment at the hospital had gone well and she and Jason had agreed to meet up at the restaurant for lunch. She was waiting for him at one of the small tables by the bar and had already received a call on her mobile to say he would be another ten minutes. But sitting on the hard chair was causing her discomfort.
“I see you’re pregnant,” said a husky voice behind her.
She turned to see Deborah smiling at her. But the smile looked false like one a snake might give before devouring its prey.
“Yes, I’m due in two months.”
“Who’s the father?”
Anna was caught off guard. “Jason, of course.”
“Really! I was told that your husband, or should I say, your ex-husband could be the father.”
Anna suddenly began to feel faint. “Who told you that?” she whispered.
“I have my sources. Does Jason know that he might not be the father?”
Anna didn’t want to answer. “He is the father,” she said quietly.
Deborah’s smile widened when she saw Jason coming towards them. Anna rose to her feet and he put his arm round her, his face showing concern that Deborah and Anna were alone together, like an angel and a demon.
“Sorry I’m late, sweetheart.” He turned to Deborah. “Hello Deborah. Are you eating here?”
“Business lunch, but just leaving.” She glanced towards Anna. “Congratulations. I see you’re going to be a father again.”
“Thank you, but we must go. Our table is booked for one o’clock.” He quickly guided Anna away. Deborah watched them for a few seconds.
“I haven’t finished with you two yet,” she murmured.
Anna was acutely aware that she had kept many secrets from Jason in the past, but Deborah’s remarks to her in the restaurant, could not be ignored. And so Anna decided to tell him about it.
For a few seconds, anger flared in his eyes. “That woman is unbelievable!”
“But how did she know about my ex-husband?” she said, biting her lip anxiously.
“I’ve no idea,” Jason said. “Who actually knows about…?”
“Well, besides you, me and my ex-husband, there’s only Nigel and Sophia.”
He pursed his lips. “Would you mind if I mentioned it to Nigel? I’m having a drink with him tomorrow evening. He might have some inside information.”
Anna felt much happier after telling Jason about Deborah’s cruel remarks. Suddenly she began to realise that sharing some burdens actually made the situation easier. Even so and despite the fact that her reunion with Jason had given her added strength, she still couldn’t summon up the courage to tell him about Dave’s visit or his threats against her.
At first, Nigel was as much in the dark as Jason.
“I can’t see how she would know. Except that she’s a devious creature.”
“I’ll drink to that,” said Jason, raising his glass.
Nigel picked up a beer mat and turned it about between his fingers. “Of course, if you look at it logically, who would want to pass on information?”
Jason thought for a moment. “Not Anna and I. And her ex-husband, I assume, doesn’t know Deborah. So, that seems to leave you and Sophia.”
Nigel pressed his lips together and continued playing with the beer mat. After a short while he said, “I think we can count out Sophia, so it’s down to me.”
“I don’t think so! Why would you want to pass on any information to that woman?”
“I passed confidential information on to you,” he said, grimacing.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. You did it with the best of intentions and I’m glad you did.”
Nigel threw the mat down on the table. “Glad you feel like that.”
Jason was in no doubt. “I might have gone on indefinitely, not knowing Anna’s true circumstances or, perish the thought, about the baby.”
“I take it you’ll be having a test to establish that you’re the father?”
He was answered with an expression of disdain and a sharp retort. “I will not! The baby is mine, I’m sure of it and so is Anna. We’re going to leave it there. The child will have my name and in due course we intend to marry.”
Nigel smiled. “Good for you. I hoped you’d say that. I’m up to my ears in paternity suits.”
Jason watched him with interest. “So, go on. Why do you think you’ve passed on information to Deborah?”
Nigel leaned back in his chair and sighed. “I’m not thinking of me personally. I’ve been going over the staff in my office that have to sign a confidentiality agreement. Quite a few of them have been with me some time, so I feel fairly happy with them. But there are at least two of them who have
been with me only a short time. I think I’ll check them out and see what I come up with.”
Jason opened his eyes wide with surprise. “You think you have a spy in your midst?”
“How very MI5. But it’s a possibility and it’s better if I eliminate them.”
“And if you don’t find a culprit?”
“Then I’ll ring Deborah and ask her outright where she got her information from!”
Anna was interested in Nigel’s notion of a ‘spy’ and waited eagerly for further developments. However, she had decided to ignore Dave’s threats to her and the baby. She grimaced when she thought about her marriage and how alone she had been. In the past, she had never been able to tell Dave anything, or share anything with him. He had been too disinterested in her to make the effort and if she did attempt to bare her soul, he would tell her to ‘stop whining’.
Of course, she now realised how much he could control her and how well he did know her. Like threatening to apply for access to the baby. He knew that that was enough to distress her and spoil her happiness. And she knew for certain that that was his motive. He resented her happiness. But he was hundreds of miles away in Wakefield and she was sure that he wouldn’t make a journey down to Bristol in September, just to verify that the baby was his. It was all bluff and nothing more than empty threats. The baby was Jason’s and her ex-husband was out of her life forever.
With these thoughts firmly entrenched, Anna continued with her life happily preparing for the baby’s arrival and wading through the pile of paperwork that accumulated with every wedding she planned. It was now mid-July and there was only six weeks to go before the birth. She had received a postcard from the twins in Benidorm and when they returned from their holiday, Martyn was coming to Bristol to work for Harrington Rhodes for the summer. Chris had opted to stay in Wakefield to work for an engineering company and thereby continue his gliding interests in Rufford.
She and Jason had bought all the necessary baby things and although she had to prevent Margaret from trimming up the Moses basket in blue lace, she felt contented and ready. The doctor had been more than pleased with her progress, but he wouldn’t make his decision about a home delivery for another month.
Jason hadn’t been surprised that Anna wanted to have her baby at the Grange, but he did share his mother’s misgivings.
“It doesn’t sound safe, sweetheart,” he frowned. “What happens if anything goes wrong?”
Anna turned on him in annoyance. “Why does everyone assume that something is going to go wrong!”
He smiled and held up his hands in defeat. “OK, OK, you win. Have the baby here, as long as I can be present.”
“At the birth?”
“Absolutely.”
“That will be interesting.”
But during the next two weeks Anna began to believe that happiness was like a soap bubble. Very beautiful but very fragile and liable to be popped at any moment. And as the saying goes, bad news comes in threes.
The first thing that happened was that Tess, Margaret’s golden retriever, passed away peacefully in her sleep. Irene found her one morning, lying in her basket, her head over the side. She hadn’t been well for quite a few months and a visit to the vet had confirmed that she was going blind and her liver was failing. Margaret rejected the vet’s suggestion of having her put down, as she believed that if she wasn’t suffering then she should live out her life until its natural end.
Anna missed her a great deal. Tess had followed her around continually and had often lain at her feet in the rose garden, while she worked. All the household of the Grange attended her funeral held in the pet cemetery on the estate. Hollie came with her father and together they placed some wild flowers on the mound of earth.
Jason thought this a good opportunity to tell his daughter about the baby. Anna’s reunion with Hollie brought tears to his eyes as he watched them hugging each other. And then there was the excitement of showing her all the baby things and telling her their plans for a wedding, including the proposed shopping trip for her bridesmaid’s dress.
“When will it be?” she asked, jumping up and down.
Anna didn’t know how to answer and turned to Jason for support.
“Oh, after the baby, sweetie. Perhaps January or February?” he cast a hopeful glance at Anna who smiled and nodded.
But then news arrived that Fergus Macintosh, Jason’s father-in-law had also died.
“I remember he was ill,” said Anna, cuddling up in bed with Jason on one of his weekend visits.
He nodded. “When I last talked to Gaynor, she said that he didn’t have long. The poor lady, to lose her daughter and then her husband.” He slipped his arm round her. “I’ll be flying across for the funeral with Ben, but we’ll be away only for as long as it takes. Four days at the most.”
“Shall I come with you?”
He turned over and his gaze swept over her swollen body. “I don’t think there’s a plane big enough to carry you!”
She hit him with a pillow. “Thank you, kind sir. Isn’t it bad enough that I feel like a beached whale!”
His laughter echoed round the room. He pulled her close and kissed her hair.
“I think you look beautiful. Although I’m looking forward to getting my arms right round you again.” He chuckled at her expression but then became more serious. “No, I think you’d better stay here. I don’t think an airline would be happy about carrying someone in your condition on such a long flight. And you don’t want this baby to be born Canadian, do you?”
“I suppose not. Is Hollie going with you?”
“I’ve told her about Granddad Macintosh and she had a little cry. But she didn’t say anything about going so I decided not to mention it. She’s barely got over her mother’s death.”
Jason and Ben left for Vancouver two days later. It really would be a quick visit as they only planned to attend the funeral and then fly straight back. Jason’s business was doing very well and he didn’t want to be away for too long, as well as not wanting to leave Anna now that she was starting her ninth month. But it was while Jason was in Canada that the third and most devastating event occurred.
Anna had had a very busy day and the mid-week wedding had been tiring. She was glad when the guests had departed and the Grange fell quiet once more. It had been a gloriously hot day and for the bride and groom that had been marvellous but for Anna, the heat had only made her condition more uncomfortable. Her back ached and she needed to keep going to the toilet as the baby was now sitting on her bladder. Jason phoned in the late afternoon and it was wonderful to hear his voice and also hear that Mrs Macintosh was bearing up well. She was surrounded by some amazing friends and neighbours who were all rallying round to give her support.
After his call, Anna climbed the stairs to her room for a lie down. She made herself comfortable on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, smiling at the fact that she only slept in Jason’s room when he stayed overnight and for the rest of the time she would sleep in her own room. It was as if she had two lives. She was just about to doze off when there was a gentle knock on the door. She called a soft ‘come in’ and was surprised to see Fran standing on the threshold.
“Madam says can you go down to the parlour, miss.”
Anna struggled to her feet. “Of course. What’s happened? Is it Mr Harrington?”
“I don’t think so, miss. But Mrs Harrington doesn’t seem very pleased.”
Anna made her way down to the parlour where Margaret was standing by the fireplace. She looked up as Anna entered the room.
“I’ve just had a phone call. And what I’ve heard has really disturbed me.”
Feeling alarmed, Anna took a seat on the couch. “You’d better tell me,” she said, her heart in her mouth.
“I’ve been told…that the baby you’re expecting…might not be my son’s…might not be a Harrington.”
Anna felt her mouth dry up. “Who told you that?”
“It doesn’t matter. But I want
to know the truth. Is that my son’s child?”
Indignation welled up inside her. “Of course it is! Whoever you’ve been talking to has got it all wrong. Who were they?”
“Is there a chance that this baby might be another man’s?” Margaret asked, brushing the question aside.
“N…No. No, of course not! That’s a terrible thing to say.”
Margaret came to sit beside her. “Anna, I told you before that I thought you faithful but not truthful. I need to know the truth now.”
“I…I know it’s Jason’s. Oh God, who would say such terrible things?”
“I’ve been looking forward so much to another grandchild, a grandson to carry on the family name. Jason is the last and if he doesn’t have a son, then that’s the end of the line. The Grange will go to Hollie and I doubt she’ll stay a Harrington once she’s grown.”
“This is Jason’s child,” Anna whispered.
Margaret wasn’t happy with her reassurances. “You and Jason had a fall out at Christmas and that’s when this child must have been conceived. I want to know if you had an affair and Jason was right all along?”
“I didn’t have an affair. It wasn’t like that.”
“Like what?”
“It wasn’t an affair.”
Margaret pulled back from her in horror. “What was it then? A one-night stand? A fling?”
“No! No!”
Margaret’s expression told her everything. “Anna, you’ve become very dear to me over the last year and your help in the business has been invaluable. But if you’ve lived here under false pretences, if you’ve taken advantage of my kindness and hospitality then I cannot tolerate that.”
“I wouldn’t do that,” said Anna, turning desperate eyes towards her.
Margaret paused before asking, “But could this child be someone else’s?” Anna looked down at her hands, her fingers twisted together in agitation. She couldn’t answer. “Then let me ask you another question. Does my son know that this child might not be his?” Anna nodded slowly. Margaret stood. “When Jason returns, he can take you back to Bishop Sutton. It seems he’s more liberal in his ideas than I can be.”