Anna's Return (14 page)

Chapter Thirty

The week that followed was like a holiday for Anna. The
sadness she had hidden for many years began to disappear.

Teddy and Izzy stayed a few days, so the three went out and
explored Yorkshire. Sometimes Anna worried that she was something of a
gooseberry, when the young couple wanted to be alone, but they would not hear
of going anywhere without her. She learned all about Teddy’s studies in Wales,
and about the hospital in London where Izzy worked.

“I feel as if I have a brother and sister now,” she told
them as they walked through the Yorkshire Moors.

“You can be maid of honour at the wedding,” Izzy told her.

“Wonderful!”

“And godmother to our children,” said Teddy. This made Izzy
blush a little.

“You have to finish your studies first,” Izzy said. “Before
we get married, I mean.”

“Yes, I suppose I must,” said Teddy. “It will be something
to look forward to.”

“That’s if you still want to marry me then.”

“I will, don’t worry.” Teddy took Izzy’s hand, and it was
one of those moments when Anna felt she should not really be there.

“Shall I go on ahead?” she said. “Order some teas at the café?”

Before they could answer, she did just that, smiling to
herself. She was glad they were happy. For her there was still the shadow of
Janek, but that was beyond her control. She could not make him love her so it
was best to forget him.

She could only hope that one day she would find the kind of
love that Teddy and Izzy shared. She had no doubt that they would marry. Teddy
had told her that Izzy was his constant friend when he was alone and unhappy
and it was clear that the pretty nurse adored him. She could not wish for more
for her brother after the sacrifice he had been willing to make for her.

In the weeks that followed, Anna found herself smiling more
and more. Being with Polly and Horace was very much like being with the
Voronins, in that they nurtured her and encouraged her. They even found a job
for her in the guesthouse, though she often found herself with very little to
do.

“I’m worried,” she told Polly one evening over a cup of tea.

“Why? I thought everything was sorted out with Teddy.”

“It is,” Anna smiled. “I’m worried that you’ve created a job
for me that doesn’t exist and which you may not be able to afford to pay me
for. I looked over the accounts for you today, as you asked me to, and whilst
you’re doing well, you can’t afford to spend on anything you don’t really need.
I could go and find work elsewhere.”

“Where would you go?” asked Polly, frowning.

“Oh I don’t know. Britain is a big place. And I’m sure you’d
give me a good reference.”

“Actually,” said Polly, with a gleam in her eye, “I’d give
you a dreadful reference, because I don’t want you to go.” She reached over and
took Anna’s hand. “We lost you once, dear. I’m not going to lose you again.”

“You won’t lose me this time,” said Anna. “I’ll come and see
you. Often.”

“And what if you end up working for someone like my sister?
No, I won’t have you out there in the world alone. Besides, you mentioning the
accounts has brought something to mind. You’re good at that sort of thing, and
we can’t really afford to pay an accountant. So why don’t you be our bookkeeper
and secretary? Or an assistant manager. That’s it. We want to build up the
reputation of the hotel and it looks good to have an assistant manager.”

“You’re doing it again,” Anna said, laughing. “Creating a
job where there isn’t one.”

“Give us six months,” Polly said more seriously. “Live here
and work as the assistant manager, then if after six months you still want to
go off exploring Britain, so be it. Just don’t go away from me yet. You know,
don’t you, that my first husband died before the war?” Anna nodded. “Well we
never had children as you also know. And of course me and Horace are too old
for all that. You’re like our daughter, Anna. That’s why we named the hotel
after you. And young Master Teddy is like a son to us. We love having you both
around. In fact, he said he’s thinking of coming to Yorkshire to work when he’s
a proper doctor, so he’ll be nearby too.”

“Alright,” said Anna. “I’ll give you six months. I’m not
really in a hurry to go looking for other work and I love it here. I just don’t
want to take advantage of your good nature.”

“I wouldn’t ask if I thought you were like that. And anyway,
with that nice voice of yours, it will be much better for you to deal with our
suppliers. I sound like what I am. A servant. You sound like a lady.”

“You’re not a servant anymore,” Anna said, squeezing Polly’s
hand. “You’re a hotel owner!”

“Well, be that as it may, but I still feel a bit awkward
when dealing with folks. So you can do it for me.”

“I’m very lucky really,” said Anna. “Apart from my
stepmother and a few weeks with Mrs. Green. First bringing Janek to me on the
train, then you at Silverton, then the Voronins and then…” She lowered her
head, barely able to mention Carmichaels. “Yes, I’ve been lucky. I think my mother
has been watching over me all that time.”

“I do too,” said Polly. “And I bless the day that young man
brought you to me so I could take care of you in her place.”

Chapter Thirty-One

Anna ended up creating her own work. Because she had
experience of helping to run a larger hotel, she was able to put some of the
ideas to use at the guesthouse, but without spoiling its seaside atmosphere.
Within a couple of months, Polly and Horace were relying on her for more and
more. She did not mind. She liked to be busy and it was nicer to work for
people who were grateful for her hard work, unlike Mrs. Green.

“I think you two should sit back and relax a bit more,” she
told Polly and Horace at breakfast one morning. “Let me and Richard take care
of things.”

“I wouldn’t know what to do with myself,” said Polly.

“Go out walking along the front. Or up to the moors,” said
Anna. “I bet you’ve worked so hard you’ve barely seen any of them since you got
here.”

“That’s true,” Horace said. “Come on, Polly, let’s go out
for the day. Anna and Richard and the other staff can manage.”

“Do you know,” said Polly with a big smile. “You’re right.
We will. I don’t think I’d have wanted to leave the place before, but you and
Richard work well enough together. Maybe we’ll see wedding bells soon.”

Anna smiled tightly. She liked Richard. He had become a good
friend since she moved into the guesthouse, but she was not in love with him
and she did not think he loved her either.

After packing up a picnic, Polly and Horace got into his
little car and drove out to the countryside. It gave Anna the chance to have a
good look at the books. Although both worked hard to make sure everything was
above board, Anna knew that sometimes, because they were so busy, things got
missed. She suspected that they were paying far more tax than they needed to.
She settled down in the office with a bunch of receipts and the ledger book.

Just before lunch, Richard knocked on the door. “Anna,
there’s an agent here to see you.”

“An agent?”

“Yes, said he’s representing some investor.”

“Okay, send him in.” Anna sighed. She hoped it was not
another salesman. There were too many of them since the war, and whilst she
understood that they needed to make a living, it took up too much time to deal
with them.

“Miss Silverton?” said the man when he entered the room.

“Yes, that’s right. How can I help you? Oh, do sit down.”

“Thank you.” He sat down in the chair opposite Anna. “My
name is Mr. Allan. I’m an agent for a large company who specialises in
hospitality, and we’re looking to buy up quite a few businesses on this road.”

“Anna’s Return is not for sale,” she said, firmly but
kindly.

“We’re willing to pay a good tidy sum for it.”

“What exactly do you intend to do with all the businesses
you buy?” asked Anna. She hoped that the investors were not the kind who tried
to push small businesses out. She had heard some nasty tales of such behaviour
from Janek.

“This whole street will be turned into one big hotel.”

“I see. Does Filey need one big hotel? The holiday camp
nearby already takes ten thousand people. I wonder how many more thousand could
actually fit here.”

“Ah, but this hotel is special. I’m not at liberty to say
who is interested in buying at this moment, but…”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Allan.  As I said, Anna’s Return is not for
sale.”

“Do you have the right to make this decision?” Mr. Allan
asked shrewdly.

Anna faltered a bit. She did not really have the right to
refuse, and if the investors were willing to pay a lot for the guesthouse, she
supposed Polly and Horace could retire with a lot of money. But they were not
there to make the decision.

“If you would like to call again when Mr. and Mrs. Stephens
are at home, then do so. But they have entrusted me with the business side of
things and as far as I know, they have no plans to sell. I’m sure they would
have mentioned it if they had.”

“When will they return?”

“I’ve no idea. They’ve gone out for the day.”

“Very well. I’ll come again tomorrow. Can we say eleven
o’clock?”

Anna checked the diary. “Yes, eleven o’clock.”

She showed Mr. Allan to the door and watched him as he
walked down the path. Her heart sank. She would hate to see this pretty street
turned into one big hotel. So much about Britain was becoming about tourism and
whilst she understood it was necessary, she hated the idea of someone turning
Filey town centre into a noisy entertainment centre full of arcades and dance
halls.

Janek took the call from Mr. Allan just after lunch. “I’m
afraid it’s a no,” said Mr. Allan. “The owners were out, but their assistant
manager was most insistent they would not sell.”

“Then you need to speak to the owners,” said Janek.

“That’s what I intend to do,” said Mr. Allan. “I’m going to
see them tomorrow at eleven. But if the girl gets to them before I do, I don’t
reckon much to their chances.”

“The girl?”

“Yes, the assistant manager. Miss Silverton. She’s a
remarkable young woman, and quite certain they won’t want to sell. She doesn’t
want Filey turning into Blackpool, I don’t think.”

“What name was that?” said Janek, sitting up straight in his
chair.

“Blackpool.”

“No, the young woman.”

“Miss Silverton.”

“What does she look like?”

“Pretty little thing. Beautiful even. Dark hair, blue eyes.
Quite a looker. Do you want me to increase the offer tomorrow?”

“No,” said Janek. “I don’t want you to do anything. I’m
coming to Filey myself.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

“Did I say the right thing?” Anna asked, for about the tenth
time since the day before. She was waiting with Polly and Horace to see Mr.
Allan. Despite his concerns, she had not told Polly and Horace they should not
sell. In fact she had suggested to them that it might be a nice retirement fund
for them.

“Of course you did the right thing,” said Polly. “We don’t
want these big shots coming here, turning this lovely town into a den of
iniquity.”

Anna could not help laughing. “Polly I don’t think I’ve ever
heard the term ‘den of iniquity’ outside of a novel … and one in which there
was generally lots of iniquity at that.”

Polly giggled. “Yes, I’ve read some like that too, though
I’m sure you shouldn’t, dear. Oh, you know what I mean though. At least the
holiday camp isn’t too close so we don’t get all the noise. And it has its own
train station. But a big huge hotel, right here, in Filey itself? Oh it would
be awful.”

Richard put his head around the office door. “Gentleman to
see you, Anna.”

“Mr. Allan?”

“Er … no, his boss I think. From the sound of it.”

“Oh… well you’d better bring him in then,” said Anna. She
stood up, as did Polly and Horace.

As the man walked in, Anna started to say, “If you think you
can bully us into selling then…” She stopped, with her mouth open in surprise.
“Janek?” Her first thought was that he was too big for the little office. And
too important. Far too important.

“Hello, Anna. Do you know how long I’ve been looking for
you?”

“Well you’ve found her,” said Polly, putting herself between
Anna and Janek. “But don’t you go upsetting her.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” said Janek with a smile. “Hello, Mrs.
Palmer. It’s nice to see you again.”

“It’s Mrs. Stephens now.” Despite Polly’s abrupt manner,
Anna could see that Janek had already begun to charm her.

“I was that scraggy boy who first brought Anna to you.”

“Yes, I remember. And left her and never came back. And
turned your back on her when she was in trouble.”

Janek shook his head. “No. That’s why I’m here to explain. I
would have then, only Anna run away. It seems to be something she’s good at.”
There was a hint of reproach in his voice.

“And what choice did she have when you left her without a
job and a home?” said Horace.

Janek took a deep breath. “I was hoping to explain all this
to Anna, alone, but I can see I’m going to have to get past you two first.”

“Too right,” said Polly.

“Very well. I’ll explain to you all.” But he was looking at
Anna. “Michael Carmichael had no right to dismiss Anna the way he did. At the
time he said it, he was no longer a shareholder in the hotel. It’s called
Dabrowskis now, did you know?”

Anna nodded. She had seen the news of the name change in the
papers.

“Yes, it’s mine now. As are all the other hotels. Anyway,
where was I? Yes, he had no right to dismiss you, but as I hadn’t yet told the
other shareholders of the changes, I couldn’t say anything. Not even Miss
Johnson knew, and she was in the next room. This was why I asked you to wait
until after my meeting. Only by then you’d gone.”

“I can’t imagine you’d have wanted me to stay, after what I
told you about Teddy and stealing from Mr. Stephens,” said Anna, cautiously.

“Anna! How could you even think I’d believe that rubbish? I
met your stepmother. Only briefly perhaps, but I saw then what sort of woman
she was. And whilst I didn’t fully understand what had happened with Mr.
Stephens, I knew there must be a rational explanation. I know you, and I know
the sort of person you are. I have known from the moment you shared your bread
with me on the train. If you want me to come with you to your family and
explain that, I will. I shan’t let them slander you in this way. If your
stepmother insists on going to the law, then I’ll get you a good barrister. If all
else fails, we’ll run away together.”

“Oh Teddy knows,” said Anna, trying not to think of the
implications of what Janek had just said. She did not want to build her hopes
up. “He came to see me the other week. It’s alright, Janek. Everything’s
alright now.” She wanted to cry, now that everyone she cared about knew the
truth, but there was still the problem of Janek’s plans for the hotel. That,
and her feelings for him.

“I’m glad to hear it,” he said, smiling slightly. “Now, Mr.
and Mrs. Stephens, please can I see Anna alone?”

“If you’re thinking of trying to get this hotel,” said
Polly, “You can forget it.”

Janek shook his head. “I’d never been to Filey before today.
I flew over it a few times during the war. We used to practise up at
Flamborough Head. But I’ve never been here. I promise you, Mrs. Stephens that I
wouldn’t change a thing about it. I’ll find somewhere else to build my new
hotel. Is that alright with you, Anna?”

“It … it’s not my decision,” she said.

“It will be.”

“Yes, I think we should go, Horace,” said Polly, with a big
grin. “Come along, dear.”

“Are you sure we should leave them alone?” muttered Horace
as they left the room.

“Oh yes, I think Anna will be quite safe now.”

“Well,” said Horace, turning back, “you just behave yourself
young man. We’re responsible for this girl. I might be an old man, but I could
still take on a young whippersnapper like yourself.”

“I don’t doubt it,” said Janek.

Polly and Horace went out, shutting the door after them.

“If you’re asking me to come and work for you again, I
can’t,” said Anna. “I have a job here.” She did not think it necessary to tell
him that it may only be for six months.

“I’m not asking you to come and work for me again.”

“Oh.”

“Come out with me, Anna. Let’s go for a drive somewhere. I’d
like to speak to you alone.”

“We’re alone now.”

“Yes, but not completely alone. Please. We’ll go to
Flamborough Head. It’s very pretty up there.”

With no good reason to refuse, Anna got her coat and went
with him. Janek had driven up in a sports car. He put the top down, and they
sped through the sunshine up to Flamborough Head. It was a glorious day as they
walked along the cliff tops.

“I’ve never seen it from this perspective,” said Janek. “It
really is beautiful up here.”

“Yes, it is. What did you want to speak to me about?”

“Can’t you guess?”

Anna shook her head. She had been trying to work it out all
the way there.

Janek stopped walking and turned to face her, taking her
hands in his. “Anna, I was a fool the last time we were together. I didn’t like
the staff gossiping about us. And for good reason. I worried about your
reputation.”

“Well nothing was going on,” said Anna. “If people want to
think the worst, it’s their fault.”

“The worst? Is that how you would see it if you and I were
together. As the worst?”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that. I meant… well the gossip
was unkind. That’s all I meant.”

“I’ve missed you,” said Janek. “It’s not the same at the
hotel without you. My life is not the same without you.”

“I’ve got a job now,” said Anna. “And I thought you said
that’s not what you wanted to talk about. Is it about Polly and Horace selling
Anna’s Return? Because they won’t and it isn’t fair of you to try and put
pressure on me.”

“Anna, for goodness sake, forget the hotel. Forget the
guesthouse.” Janek pulled her closer to him and put his arms around her. “I
want to talk about us. I love you, Anna. I’ve loved you since I saw you across
the road on the day I started work on Carmichaels. I saw you as a good omen.
Then I went and lost you, because I was too tied up in my work. Then I found
you and lost you again. I don’t want that to happen anymore, Anna. I want to be
with you.”

“You love me?” said Anna, her heart doing somersaults.

“Yes. If you don’t love me, then say so and I’ll go away and
never bother you again. At least I know you’re safe now.”

“I do love you,” said Anna. “I do! That’s why I went away.
Mary Carmichael was cruel about you…”

“I know.”

“You know?”

“Yes, she didn’t fool me for a minute. But I don’t want to
talk about her now. Or ever for that matter. You’re far more interesting to
me.” Janek put his fingers under Anna’s chin and raised it towards him, kissing
her with such tenderness, it brought tears to her eyes. “Marry me, Anna,” he
whispered. “Marry me, and I promise you’ll never have to run away again,
darling.”

Anna threw her arms around his neck. “Yes! Yes, I’ll marry
you!”

***

Nearly eighteen years after they had first walked up the
path to Silverton Hall, as two young friends escaping war torn Europe, Mr. and
Mrs. Dabrowski walked towards the hall again.

Anna put her hand in Janek’s, just as she had done all those
years before.

“Don’t worry, darling,” he said. “You won’t be staying to
clean the silver this time.”

“I know. Do you think I’m doing the right thing in coming
here, Janek?”

“It’s up to you. If you want to turn around and leave, then
we’ll go. But I told you on our wedding day a year ago that if you ever ran
away again, you’d better be sure to take me with you.”

Anna laughed and shook her head. “No, no more running away
for either of us. We’ve got even more reason to stay in one place now.” She
patted her tummy.

The front door opened, and Teddy, Izzy and Sir Lionel
stepped out. Lady Geraldine was nowhere to be seen, but Anna had not expected
her to be there. According to Teddy, she spent a lot of time in London
nowadays. Anna was kind enough to feel a little bit sorry for Geraldine,
despite the way she had behaved.

Anna had woken one morning, soon after she discovered she
was having a baby, and decided it was time to forgive her father. She did not
want her child born into a fractured family.

Anna smiled bravely and waved at the trio at the door. Squeezing
Janek’s hand tighter still, in the blissful knowledge that it would always be
there for her to hold, she walked towards them and into a bright new future
with the man she loved.