The Angel Tree

by Lucinda Riley

  Walking down the short road that led to the Savoy and shivering in the misty evening air, Ava tried to work out what she would say to her. Accusing Cheska of anything always led to tears on her mother’s part, and guilt and apologies on her own. Just as she was thinking these things, she saw a familiar figure appear out of the revolving doors of the hotel entrance.

  She slid back into the shadows of the building, but Simon had already spotted her and walked towards her.

  ‘Ava, hello.’

  She could see he looked anxious and was breathing heavily. ‘Are you okay?’ she asked.

  ‘Yes. Sort of, anyway.’

  ‘Don’t tell me, you’ve just been to see my mother,’ she said, turning her eyes from him and trying to act as if she didn’t care.

  ‘I have. She said there was somebody I had to meet. A record producer.’

  ‘Great. I hope it went well.’

  ‘He wasn’t there.’

  ‘I’m sorry.’

  ‘Ava, look, can you stop treating me like a stranger? I promise you, it’s not as it seems.’

  ‘You’re the second person to say something like that to me today.’

  ‘Well, I’m sorry to be repetitive, but I think, given what happened upstairs just now, your mother got completely the wrong idea about me.’

  ‘So, what did happen?’

  ‘Look, I’ve got to get to the theatre now, there’s a charity performance tonight and it’s starting early. And what I’ve got to tell you is quite difficult to explain.’

  ‘Why don’t you have a go?’ Ava was looking at her feet. Anywhere but at him.

  ‘I think your mother . . . fancies me.’

  ‘Really? Is that the first time you’ve realised it?’

  ‘Yes, I mean, no. I knew she was being very friendly. But I presumed it was because of you.’

  ‘Why because of me?’

  ‘Well, it’s not unusual for mothers to try to be welcoming to their daughter’s boyfriend, is it?’

  ‘But you’re not my boyfriend, Simon. We’ve never even kissed.’

  ‘I . . .’ Simon grabbed her softly by her upper arms and pulled her to him. ‘Look at me, Ava, please.’

  ‘Simon, if you want to go out with my mother, that’s your business, but don’t expect me to like it.’

  ‘I don’t want to – of course I don’t, you silly thing! I was just being nice for our sake. Paving the way, if you like.’

  ‘For what?’

  ‘For us! Look, Ava, you’re younger than me and I didn’t want to push anything. I thought we could get to know each other slowly without pressure, but it must have at least been obvious to you that I was interested.’

  ‘I don’t know.’ Ava shook her head miserably. ‘I’m so confused just now, about lots of things.’

  ‘Of course you are,’ he said gently. ‘Please, let me give you a hug. Please?’

  Ava still stood rigidly as he put his arms around her.

  ‘Why are you here, anyway?’ he asked.

  ‘Because, apparently, Cheska has moved my great-aunt from her nursing home and no one knows where she is. Why would she do something like that?’

  ‘I don’t know but, after what I saw upstairs, something isn’t right with her.’

  ‘No, it isn’t.’ Ava choked back a sob and Simon pulled her closer. ‘If she’s hurt LJ, I swear I’ll—’

  ‘Listen, Ava, I don’t want you to see your mother without me. Meet me at the theatre after the show, around nine thirty. Then we can come back to the Savoy together and confront her. Promise?’

  ‘If you really think it’s important,’ she said.

  ‘It is.’

  When Bobby had left, Cheska had dressed in an instant and was soon on her way downstairs to follow him to the theatre. It wasn’t his fault he held a grudge against her. She needed to explain again, to make things right and show him how the future would be. She came out of the lift, walked across the foyer and went through the revolving doors that led into the street. As she stood waiting for the doorman to hail her a cab, she saw Bobby out of the corner of her eye, standing a few yards further along. He was embracing a woman, but she couldn’t see clearly who it was. He tipped the girl’s chin up towards him, and she saw it was Ava, her daughter.

  ‘Traitor!’ she gasped under her breath, feeling a dreadful rage consume her. She watched as the two of them turned away from her and began to walk towards the Strand. Bobby had his arm protectively around Ava’s shoulders. Cheska waved away the doorman and the waiting cab and began to follow them. On the main road, she saw them pause. He kissed Ava’s forehead, gave her a last hug and turned away to walk out of sight along the street. Ava stood on the pavement, waiting for the lights to change so she could cross the road.

  A memory came to Cheska then. She’d been here before.

  The voices told her what to do, as they had done last time, so many years before.

  Cheska walked swiftly towards her daughter.

  52

  David arrived at Heathrow completely exhausted, his nerves in shreds. Once he had cleared Customs, he walked swiftly to the taxi rank.

  ‘The Savoy Hotel, please.’

  The taxi made good progress until it reached the top of the Strand, where the traffic became heavy. David sat in the cab, trying to clear his brain, wondering what exactly he was going to say when he came face to face with Cheska.

  ‘All right if I drop you here, guv? Something’s happened up ahead. You can walk the next few yards. It’ll be faster than waiting here.’

  ‘Yes, fine.’

  David climbed out with his overnight bag and began to walk up towards the Savoy. He dodged in and out of the bumper-to-bumper cars and made his way to the other side of the street. There’d been an accident of some kind, at the traffic lights near the entrance.

  A crowd had gathered around someone lying in the road, just by the pavement. Taking a deep breath, as it brought back the most dreadful memories, David walked past the crowd, making sure to look away, but once he was on the pavement something made him stop and turn round. The stretcher was being lifted up into the ambulance, and David caught a glimpse of blonde hair and an all too familiar profile lying on it.

  ‘God, no!’ he cried, pushing his way through the crowd. He climbed onto the footplate of the ambulance, and explained who he was to the paramedic.

  ‘We’re leaving now, sir. Got to get the traffic moving. You coming with us?’

  ‘Yes. How badly is she hurt?’ David asked.

  ‘Go and talk to her yourself. She’s awake and coherent. We’re taking her to A and E to check for any broken bones. The car hit her shoulder and she took a bump on the head but, apart from that, she seems to be in one piece. The traffic was moving so slowly the impact was minimal. Ava,’ the paramedic called to her above the wail of the siren, ‘look who’s come to see you.’

  David went to sit beside his niece and took her hand. ‘Ava, it’s me, Uncle David.’

  Ava’s eyes fluttered open. She focused on him and, as she registered who he was, her expression turned to amazement. ‘Uncle David, is it really you, or am I hallucinating because of the accident?’

  ‘No, it really is me, darling.’

  ‘Thank God you’re home! Thank God!’

  ‘I am, and I’m going to sort everything out from here. I don’t want you to worry about a thing. Do you know where your mother is?’

  ‘No, not really,’ said Ava. ‘I was going to see her at the Savoy to ask what she’d done with LJ, but Simon stopped me outside.’

  ‘What do you mean, “done with LJ”?’

  ‘She’s moved her out of her nursing home and not told us where. Sorry, Uncle David, I—’

  Ava had said nothing else by the time they arrived at St Thomas’s Hospital. ‘I wouldn’t worry unduly, sir,’ said the paramedic as they took the stretcher from the ambulance. ‘She seems very lucid. Good luck.’

  As Ava was wheeled off, David filled in the necessary paperwork. Sitting anxiou
sly in the waiting room, he went over in his head what Ava had said about LJ having been moved from the nursing home, and half wondered whether she had been dreaming out loud. He bent down and took his address book out of his overnight bag. Then he went to the payphone to dial Mary’s number. Even though he had only enough coins to speak to her briefly, she confirmed what Ava had said, and his heart missed a beat. He told Mary to start ringing round local hospitals and other nursing homes in the area to see if she could find LJ. Surely, even Cheska couldn’t have done away with her, could she? His mother had to be somewhere and, whatever it took, he would find her. As soon as he’d made sure Ava was okay, he’d go to the Savoy and see his niece tonight, even if he had to batter down her door to do it. Of course, the other burning question was whether Ava’s accident was simply that? Or had Cheska – for whatever warped reason her confused mind had invented – been involved?

  Why had he ever left? He should have known that Cheska might think about coming home to England. She was broke, her career in Hollywood all but finished. Poor, innocent Ava, who knew nothing about the dark side of her mother, had borne the brunt. Not to mention his mother . . .

  Eventually, the doctor came to find him.

  ‘How is she?’ asked David.

  ‘The good news is, there’s no sign of a break or a fracture in her shoulder, but she does seem to have a mild concussion from the bang on her head. We’ll keep her in for observation overnight. I’ve just rung up for a bed on the ward. If all goes well, she should be fine to come out tomorrow morning. Come and see her. She’s sitting up and drinking a cup of tea.’

  The doctor led him along the corridor and pulled open the curtain. ‘I’ll leave you to it. I have other patients to see,’ he said apologetically.

  David went to sit next to Ava. She looked a lot better than she had earlier. ‘How are you feeling, darling?’

  ‘Apart from a seriously bad headache, not too awful, considering. The doctor said I had a lucky escape.’

  ‘You did indeed.’

  ‘Uncle David, you know when Granny had her accident, wasn’t that outside the Savoy, too?’

  ‘Yes, it was.’

  Ava shuddered. ‘What an awful coincidence, isn’t it?’

  ‘Yes, it is, but please, that’s all it is.’ David wasn’t at all sure that he believed what he’d just said.

  ‘What time is it?’

  ‘Just after nine.’

  ‘Oh no! I told Simon I’d meet him after his performance. We have to find out where LJ is. I’m so worried about her. Could you go and meet Simon at the Queen’s Theatre and explain what happened? Then perhaps you could go and see my mother.’

  ‘Simon?’ David scratched his head. ‘Who’s he?’

  ‘You met him at LJ’s eighty-fifth birthday party. You said at the time he looked like someone you knew.’

  ‘Yes, I finally remembered that he looks like someone called Bobby Cross.’ David sighed.

  ‘Bobby?’ Ava frowned. ‘That’s funny. Cheska keeps calling him that.’

  ‘Does she?’

  ‘Yes, and the reason Simon was there today was because Cheska had said that she wanted to introduce him to a record producer. I met him coming out of the Savoy, and he more or less said that she had jumped on him.’

  David had been wondering if things could get any worse, and realised they just had.

  ‘Would you go and see Simon for me, Uncle David? It’s not far from here.’

  ‘Ava, I really think I should stay here with you.’

  ‘No, I’m feeling much better. And I’d be far happier knowing that LJ was all right. But please be careful with Cheska. Simon was really shaken up by the way she was behaving.’

  ‘Don’t worry about me, Ava. I’ve known your mother since she was a little girl. But yes, I would like to speak to Simon to find out just what’s been going on. Although I have a pretty good idea.’

  The nurse drew back the curtain and told them that Ava’s bed upstairs was ready. ‘Are you able to get into the wheelchair, or shall we take you up on the trolley?’

  ‘Definitely the wheelchair,’ said Ava, climbing out of the bed and standing up. ‘See? I’m fine, Uncle David. Please go and find out where LJ is.’

  ‘I’m afraid you won’t be allowed up on the ward at this time of night anyway, sir,’ clarified the nurse. ‘It’s lights out in twenty minutes.’

  ‘Okay, but can I take the number of the ward so I can telephone later to see how Ava is?’

  ‘Of course. They’ll give it to you at reception. Now, here’s your carriage, madam,’ the nurse joked, as a porter arrived with the wheelchair. Ava climbed into it and David kissed her on the cheek.

  ‘Any problems at all, you have my contact numbers,’ David said to the nurse as they walked down the corridor with Ava.

  ‘Goodbye, Uncle David. Please come and see me tomorrow morning and let me know what you found out.’

  ‘I will, I promise,’ he said, blowing her a kiss as Ava was wheeled into the lift and the doors closed. Hailing a taxi outside the hospital, David gave the address of the Queen’s Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue and tried to make sense of what Ava had just told him.

  Simon hurriedly made his way back to his dressing room after the charity performance. He had hoped to be changed and ready to meet Ava by now, but there had been a couple of young royals – patrons of the charity – in the audience, so the cast had been kept behind to be introduced to them. He glanced at his watch and realised he’d better step on it. He was already unbuttoning the shirt of his costume as he opened the door, so it took him a few seconds to notice that he had a very unwelcome guest.

  ‘Hello, honey. I came to tell you that I understand why you’re so cross with me. It was a bad thing to do to you, but you’d hurt me so much, you see, I—’

  ‘Cheska, I’m sorry, but, as I said earlier, I have no idea what you’re talking about. And I’d really prefer it if you would leave.’ Simon sat down at the dressing table and turned his back to her.

  ‘Come on now, Bobby,’ she wheedled, standing up so that her reflection appeared in the mirror behind him. ‘You must remember what a good time we had?’ Her hands went to his shoulders and she started massaging them.

  ‘For the last time, Cheska,’ he said, shaking them off then standing up himself to face her, ‘I have no idea who this Bobby is. My name is Simon. And if you don’t leave of your own accord, I’m afraid I’m going to call Security.’

  The expression on Cheska’s face changed. ‘You’re throwing me out? After all we’ve shared together? After what you did to me? I saw you earlier with Ava. It’s disgusting!’

  ‘What? How on earth can you call it disgusting? I’m in love with her! There’s a very good chance I want to spend my life with her. And I’m afraid, if you don’t like it, that’s tough.’

  Cheska threw back her head and laughed. ‘Come now, Bobby. You know you can never be with Ava.’

  ‘You’d better tell me why not.’

  ‘Because’ – Cheska’s eyes flashed victoriously – ‘she’s your daughter! What do you have to say to that?’

  Simon stared at her, aghast. ‘You really are insane, aren’t you?’

  ‘Insane? Hardly. It’s you who’s the bastard here. You got me pregnant and then abandoned me. Yes, abandoned me! And I was only fifteen years old.’

  ‘Cheska, I’m going to say it again: I really think you’re confusing me with someone else.’ Simon tried to keep his voice calm. Cheska’s was rising to fever pitch, and he could see the madness in her eyes. He edged towards the door as she advanced on him.

  ‘You always were a no-good lying cheat!’ She reached out suddenly and slapped him hard across the face. And again, and again, until Simon, reeling with shock, managed to grab her by the wrists.

  ‘Stop it!’ he said, as he held her fast. Her head dived down and she bit him on his hand. With a howl, Simon let her go and, at once, she was on him, attacking him like a wild animal, clawing at his face with her long, red n
ails. She kneed him hard in the groin and he cried out in agony, the pain rendering him helpless. As he doubled over to catch his breath he felt her hands grasp his neck and begin to squeeze.

  ‘You don’t deserve to live,’ he heard her say. Spots appeared in front of his eyes as her iron grip strengthened and she harangued him with expletives. Too dazed by now to defend himself, he fell to the floor, taking her with him.

  Oh my God, he thought, she’s going to kill me. I’m going to die here . . .

  As he began to lose consciousness he saw a figure come through the door and grab Cheska from behind. Suddenly, the grip on his neck was released. Coughing and spluttering as he sucked in as much air as he could, he saw someone he recognised but couldn’t quite place holding Cheska firmly by her shoulders as she struggled and kicked against him.

  ‘Cheska! Stop it! Enough! Uncle David’s here now, and everything is going to be all right.’

  Cheska went limp in the man’s arms and she crumpled against him like a rag doll. ‘Sorry, Uncle David, I didn’t mean to hurt anyone, really I didn’t. Bobby just wasn’t being very nice to me, you see. Please don’t punish me, will you?’

  ‘Of course I won’t,’ he said. ‘I’ll look after you, just like I always have.’ Simon sat up, the dizziness beginning to recede, and saw the man fold Cheska into his arms and stroke her hair. ‘I think I should take you home and put you to bed, don’t you? You’re exhausted, Cheska.’

  ‘I am,’ she agreed.

  The man looked at Simon as he led Cheska to a chair and sat her down. She was almost catatonic now, staring into space, all her aggression gone.

  Simon realised his saviour was David Marchmont, Ava’s uncle, known to his many fans as Taffy.

  ‘Are you okay?’ David mouthed over the top of Cheska’s head.

  ‘I think so. No harm done,’ Simon said, reaching for a tissue to stem the blood on his hand from Cheska’s bite. ‘She caught me by surprise, but I’m okay.’

  David left Cheska in the chair and moved to give Simon a hand up. ‘Ava met with a bit of an accident tonight. She’s fine, but perhaps you’d like to telephone St Thomas’s Hospital and find out how she is for me,’ he whispered. ‘We’ll need to speak tomorrow, so I’ll meet you at the hospital at ten in the morning. And now,’ he said, raising his voice and turning to Cheska, ‘I’m going to take—’