Accidental Engagement

by Green, Cally

  ‘When my father became very ill Darren was a great help. He would do my shopping for me if I gave him a list, so that I could spend more time with my father - that sort of thing. I didn’t realise then that he had an ulterior motive, I thought he was just being kind. As my father became more and more ill I turned to Darren more and more for practical help, and also for a shoulder to cry on.

  ‘I suppose I should have kept my distance. But I never thought he was getting the wrong idea: my thoughts were never about Darren at all, they were all wrapped up in my father.

  ‘Then, when my father died, Darren started to behave oddly. He started calling on me at all hours of the day and night. When I told him I didn’t like it he said that he was just looking out for me, making sure I was all right. He said I needed someone to take care of me.

  ‘I protested, but he said I didn’t know what was best for me, and he did.

  ‘I began to become uneasy, but I was living in the same building as he was and it wasn’t easy to avoid him. Then one day he called at my flat with a ring. It was a diamond solitaire, obviously very expensive. I was taken aback. There had never been anything between us but friendship, and it had become an uneasy friendship at that.

  ‘I told him I couldn't marry him but he just smiled patronisingly and said that I would be happy about it when I’d had time to take it in. I tried to explain to him that, whilst I was grateful for his help, I didn’t have those kinds of feelings for him.’

  She paused.

  Mark’s voice was tender. ‘You don’t have to go on.’

  ‘Yes. I want to.’

  He nodded, knowing she needed to clear her system of the past so that she could move into the future.

  ‘That’s the first time I realised just how dominating he really was,’ she said. ‘When he understood that I wasn’t going to put on the ring he grabbed hold of my hand and forced it onto my finger. “Don’t take it off,” he said. There was something menacing in the way he said it.’

  Mark’s mouth tightened. If it was difficult for Anna to say, it was also difficult for him to hear.

  ‘I didn’t know what to do,’ Anna continued. ‘I was still dazed from my father’s death and had no one to turn to. Mrs Voronowski had always been very kind to me, but I was afraid of involving her in case Darren turned on her. But in the end the decision was taken for me. I had worn the ring because I was afraid of what he might do if I took it off, but I quickly realised that things could not go on in that way. As soon as he seemed more reasonable I told him again that I couldn’t marry him.’

  She closed her eyes. ‘I’ll never forget his tone of voice. He said, “Then I hope you like hospital food.” I wanted to believe that he was joking, but there was something in his eyes . . . That’s why I was so determined not to go to hospital after the crash. I didn’t remember anything about my past, but I remembered that for some reason the idea of hospitals frightened me.’

  ‘And I thought it was because you didn’t want the doctors to say that your amnesia was faked,’ groaned Mark remorsefully.

  Anna squeezed his hand. ‘You weren’t to know.’

  ‘But I still don’t understand how you ended up at Little Brook,’ said Mark.

  Anna sighed. ‘I went through the afternoon in a daze, grateful for the fact that I was only working a short shift that day. I stayed in the workroom, sorting out customer orders, until it was time to go home. But as soon as I reached the flat I knew I couldn't stay.'

  ‘Darren was there?’

  ‘No. But I knew he’d be back before long. I threw a few clothes into a suitcase, pushed my music into a bag, grabbed my handbag and left. I didn’t know where to go or what to do, only that I had to get away. I started the car and drove. I stopped at a service station for a meal and then went on again. Night started to fall. I remember it beginning to rain. I turned my wipers on full but even so the rain was making it hard to see. I was going too fast, I didn’t know the road, and I skidded when the car hit a bend . . . Only to wake up at Little Brook with no idea of where, or even who, I was.’

  ‘Poor darling.’ He took her in his arms and held her. She nestled against him with a deep sigh.

  She did not ask him what was going to happen next. She didn’t want to know. Now that he had seen where she lived, what kind of job she had, the kind of life she led, he was bound to realise that she didn’t belong in his world. But the thought of having to part with him was too painful to endure, so she turned her thoughts into more practical channels. ‘Have you booked the hotel for another night?’

  ‘No. We’re finished here. It’s time we went home.’

  She had a sinking feeling. ‘Back to the flat?’

  He gave a lopsided smile. ‘Back to Little Brook.’

  ‘But -’

  ‘You can’t just leave, Anna. That is, unless you want to?’

  ‘No,’ she admitted. ‘No, I don’t.’

  ‘Good. You’re all done in. A few days at Little Brook will set you on your feet, and then . . .’

  She nodded gratefully. Little Brook was where she wanted to be. With the people she loved and cared about.

  And, most of all, with Mark.

  ‘I’ll do the packing,’ he said, ‘and then we’ll be on our way.’

  ‘What are we going to tell Emmy and Claire?’

  Anna was feeling fresher now, and as they neared the end of their journey she was thinking of what was to come.

  Mark shifted down a gear and negotiated the tricky corner. ‘I don’t like deceiving them,’ he said with a frown.

  ‘Neither do I. I think we should tell them the truth.’

  He nodded. ‘It’s bound to hurt them, but it will hurt them even more if we keep up the pretence.’

  ‘I agree.’ She hesitated. ‘They may not want me -’

  ‘They’ll want you,’ he growled.

  He turned into the driveway and the car pulled to a halt. They got out, Mark carrying the cases and taking them upstairs.

  ‘When do you expect them back?’ asked Anna.

  ‘Not for a few more hours. Why don’t you have a lie down and then I’ll fix your something to eat?’

  ‘I think I’ll take a shower and wash my hair instead.’

  Mark understood instinctively. ‘Washing the past away’

  She nodded. ‘A fresh start.’

  ‘A fresh start for you?’ he asked her as she began to walk upstairs, ‘or for us?’

  Anna felt her heart leap. She turned round slowly, wondering whether he could really be saying what she thought he was saying. But seeing him standing at the bottom of the stairs looking up at her so hopefully she felt her own hopes rise.

  ‘I’d meant to wait until you were feeling better before starting this,’ he said, ‘but it’s too important. I can’t wait. I have to know. When you’ve put all this behind you, is there a chance for us?’

  She came back down a step. ‘What do you mean?’ she asked, still afraid to hope. Still needing to be sure.

  ‘I mean, do you think you can ever learn to trust me, Anna? Can you forget about the way in which we got to know each other? Are you willing to try again?’

  She put one hand on the banister to steady herself. ‘Is that what you want, Mark? After all, you know who I am now. You know what sort of job I have, the way I live . . . I’m from a different world, remember.’

  ‘I don’t want your job, Anna, or your home, or your world either, for that matter. I want you.’

  ‘You say you want me, but want me as what?’ She was proceeding cautiously, afraid to hope in case her hopes should be dashed again. ‘Your friend, you lover . . . ?’

  His voice was warm and certain. ‘My wife.’

  She felt a thrill go through her. But she had been through so much. And so, in his own way, had he. She needed to be sure. ‘You thought you wanted Janine as your wife,’ she reminded him.

  ‘Thought,’ he agreed. ‘After being chased by women who were obviously interested in my wealth it made a welcome ch
ange to meet someone who genuinely seemed not to care about the kind of life I led. And for a time I was grateful for that. But even if I hadn’t overheard Janine’s boast that she’d hooked the catch of the season I would have soon realised that she wasn’t for me.’

  ‘But that’s what I mean,’ said Anna, wanting to melt into his arms but knowing that she had to be certain; that they both did. ‘If you’d had longer you’d have discovered your mistake.’

  ‘And you think that if I have longer with you I might find that I’ve made another mistake?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Then stay. Stay with me here at Little Brook. Let’s get to know each other properly. Until there’s no possibility of any mistake.’ He went up the stairs to meet her, until his eyes were on a level with hers.

  She put out her hand and ran her fingers through his hair. He turned his head and kissed the palm of her hand. The touch of his mouth made her tremble. The thought of staying with Mark intoxicated her. A chance to get to know him. A chance to let the love she had for him grow and develop. She gave a sigh.

  ‘Do I take it that’s a yes?’ he asked, capturing her hand in his own and pushing a stray strand of hair lovingly away from her face.

  She nodded. ‘Oh, yes, Mark. It’s a definite yes.’

  ‘Well I never!’ Emmy looked completely dumbfounded as, having returned to Little Brook with Claire, she heard Mark and Anna’s confession. ‘And all because I’d lost my glasses. If I’d had them I would never have mistaken that O for a C. But my dear, I’m so sorry,’ she said, turning to Anna. ‘To think I told you you were engaged to Mark when you weren’t engaged at all.’

  ‘It’s not your fault,’ Anna hastened to reassure her.

  ‘But my dear, I never meant to keep you away from your home and your family . . . ’

  ‘It wasn’t you who kept Anna away from those things,’ said Mark, feeling that Emmy’s sweet-natured shouldering of the blame was the worst punishment he could have had for deceiving her, ‘it was me.’

  ‘It was no-one,’ said Anna firmly. ‘I don’t have a home and a family, at least not since my father died.’ She stopped, not wanting her words to sound like self pity.

  ‘Oh, my dear, I’m so sorry. It must have been awful for you,’ said Emmy sympathetically.

  ‘I had my suspicions,’ said Claire shrewdly from the other side of the room, where she was busy doing a crossword puzzle.

  ‘Now, Claire, you’re just saying that!’ Emmy declared. ‘If you’d really had any suspicions you’d have said something. You wouldn’t have kept them to yourself.’

  ‘I might have done. If I’d had my reasons.’

  ‘That’s very enigmatic,’ said Mark.

  ‘Is it, now?’ Claire’s eyebrows rose. ‘No more enigmatic than you claiming you had a non-existent fiancée.’

  ‘Ouch!’ said Mark. ‘I deserved that.’

  Claire turned to Anna. ‘Well, I for one am glad the mistake was made. If it hadn’t been, we’d never have had a chance to get to know you. And furthermore I’m glad you're staying for the rest of the summer.’

  ‘So am I,’ Anna smiled. She was happy to be close to Mark, and although still cautious she was looking forward to spending more time in his company and getting to know him properly, with no misunderstandings in the way.

  ‘And of course you must stay for Mark’s party.’

  ‘Emmy!’ Claire was outraged that her sister had let the cat out of the bag.

  ‘Oh, don’t sound so horrified,’ said Emmy, making Anna delighted that, for once, the sweet-natured Emmy was standing up for herself. ‘I’m not giving anything away. Well, not really. Of course Mark’s guessed we’re arranging him a party. We wouldn’t let his thirtieth birthday pass without doing something special, and he knows it.’

  ‘He does now,’ remarked Claire with asperity.

  But Emmy was unrepentant. She turned to Anna. ‘It will make it even better now that you’re here,’ she said to Anna. ‘You’re just what we need to make it complete.’

  The following weeks were glorious. Once the Midlands branch of Raynor Enterprises was up and running Mark devoted himself to Anna. Picnics and outings and quiet days in were complemented by two weeks in London, spent shopping, sightseeing and taking in the shows. Whilst in London they stayed in Mark’s penthouse apartment, which made a convenient base for all their many activities. An apartment in London for living purposes and one in Nottingham for times when he wanted to visit the city without the constant social round his visits to Little Brook entailed, Mark explained.

  Anna smiled as she remembered how suspicious she had been of his Nottingham flat. But suspicions were behind her now. As she came to know Mark more deeply, the more she came to love him. But she still dare not let herself believe that he was in love with her. She could tell that he delighted in her company, and he had said he wanted her as his wife, but he had never once kissed her since they had returned to Little Brook. On occasion, she had been tempted to initiate lovemaking herself, but something held her back. She needed to know, needed to be sure, needed to hear him say those three words that would still her dwindling doubts for ever and make her happiness complete . . .

  ‘So that’s where it all began,’ said Mark.

  They had been for a walk, making the most of the balmy September evening, and had returned via the road. The dangerous bend was looking deceptively innocent in the soft evening light. ‘An accidental meeting, an accidental engagement.’ He held her hand more tightly and they walked on, back through the gates of Little Brook and through the beautiful gardens. ‘Anna . . . ’ He stopped, turning her to face him and searching her face for some sign of encouragement.

  She felt her heart stand still. Her beautiful eyes opened wide.

  ‘Anna, I want to make that engagement real. You know how I feel about you. Now I need to know: will you ever be able to trust me?’

  ‘I already do.’

  He gave a warm smile.

  ‘I never really doubted it,’ she said. ‘Oh, I know you deceived me about who I really was, but at the same time, in all the important ways, you were always there for me. When Elizabeth and Serena tried to put me down you stood up for me. And when I was feeling lost, lonely and afraid you were my tower of strength. How I’d have managed without you I don’t know. And when Darren -’

  ‘Don’t even think about it,’ he said, softly kissing the top of her head. ‘Then what do you say?’ he asked, putting her gently away from him so that he could see her face. ‘Shall we make our engagement real?’

  ‘That depends,’ she said.

  ‘On what?’ There was a troubled look on his face.

  ‘On what your feelings are,’ she said. ‘You told me that I must know what you feel for me but that’s not strictly true. You see, you -’

  ‘Anna, I love you,’ he said, his face breaking into a smile. ‘I adore you.’ He took her face in his hands and kissed her ever so gently on the lips. ‘I want to spend the rest of my life with you.’ He looked into her eyes. ‘Do you love me?’

  ‘Oh, yes. With all my heart,’ she sighed happily.

  ‘So,’ he asked, nuzzling her neck, ‘will you marry me?’

  ‘Yes, Mark.'

  And sliding her arms round his neck she returned his kiss.

  The engagement ring looked as beautiful as it had done the first time she had seen it. It gleamed on Anna’s finger as she stood in the hallway on Mark’s birthday, waiting with him to receive his guests.

  How strange it was to think she had believed she could never fit into Mark’s world! Oh, she would never fit into the world of jealousy and back-biting that was a part of the more glamorous side of it, but then, she didn’t want to, and she was pleased to discover that there were many of Mark’s friends - both men and women - who felt the same.

  So that, instead of dreading being a joint hostess at such a glittering party, Anna was looking forward to it.

  Mark was looking more handsome than anyone had a righ
t to look in a white tuxedo, whilst Anna wore a figure-hugging dress of sea green. She would never have had the confidence to wear a dress like it before she had met Mark, but love had made her blossom and she wore it with panache.

  ‘At last! It’s taken me half an hour to get this wretched dress to fasten.’ Claire said as she came down the stairs. ‘Oh! You look lovely, my dear,’ she said, catching sight of Anna.

  ‘Yes, doesn’t she?’ asked Emmy, following her sister down the stairs.

  Claire went over to Mark and inspected him, then said with a twinkle in her eye, ‘You’ll do!’

  The guests slowly began to arrive. Mark and Anna greeted them together and soon the house was full to overflowing with guests. There were a couple of notable exceptions. Serena, her father explained with embarrassment, could not make the party as she had a cold. And Elizabeth Parks sent word that she couldn’t make it as she was spending the winter in Biarritz.

  ‘They don’t want to see your triumph,’ Mark teased, catching Anna round the waist and leading her into a secluded alcove whilst the party went on around them.

  ‘This is your party, Mark. Your triumph,’ Anna said. ‘To celebrate your birthday and the successful opening of the new branch of Raynor Enterprises.’

  ‘And to celebrate something else,’ he said, looking into her eyes so deeply that she went weak at the knees.

  ‘And what might that be?’ she asked breathlessly.

  Pulling her roughly towards him he said huskily, ‘This.’ He pushed her long hair back from her face before kissing her sensuously on her lips. And then her neck, her throat . . .

  ‘You’d better stop now,’ she said as she reluctantly pulled away from him. ‘Otherwise . . . ’

  ‘Otherwise, Mrs Raynor?’

  ‘I’m not Mrs Raynor yet,’ she reminded him smilingly.

  ‘But you will be. And that will be the biggest celebration of all.’

  EPILOGUE

  The wedding took place in early December. Under a clear blue sky, the ground covered with snow as white as the icing on her wedding cake, Anna dressed for the occasion.