Deceit of Angels (5 page)

“Where
is she now?”

“She
went to live with
him
in an apartment in Bristol.  Jason agreed that she
should take their little girl with her,” said Ben.

Anna
felt startled.  “Goodness, they have a daughter?”

“Yes,
Hollie, she’s seven.  A beautiful child and the apple of her daddy’s eye,” said
Mrs Wilby.  She suddenly glanced around the kitchen.  “I really miss her coming
in here and pinching my baking before it could cool down.”

“But
Jason will see that they’re both OK,” sighed Ben.  “Kiera will have a good
divorce settlement and Hollie will be able to stay at her private school.”

“Does
he see his little girl often?”

They
all nodded, but it was Sharon who explained,  “She comes to visit every Sunday
and Jason really looks forward to her visits.  But sometimes when he has to be
elsewhere or she can’t visit because of circumstances, then you just know his
heart’s breaking.”

That afternoon,
Anna was keen to start work, although Sharon insisted she must be too tired
from the journey.  It was finally agreed that they would spend just a few hours
in the office so that Anna could familiarise herself with the routine.  By the
end of two hours she had regretted her hasty enthusiasm.  Her head ached, her
brain whirled from the confusion of trying to understand everything.  She felt
at home on the computer and the fax and photocopier were simple enough.  But
she wondered if she would ever sort out the intricacies of the paperwork.  By
the time they had decided to call it a day, Anna began to have doubts about her
capabilities and it crossed her mind if she had made a terrible mistake. 
Sharon, with her wonderful Irish humour, didn’t seem to care when she made an
error, but simply grinned and told her not to worry.  Anna hoped that the following
day would be better.

After
their evening meal, she went out for a short walk in the wonderful June
sunshine in an attempt to clear her head.  She thought of Dave and wondered how
he had taken the news of her leaving.  She suspected he wouldn’t take it too
well.  And then her feelings sank as she thought of the boys and the fact she
would have to tell them soon that she no longer lived at home.  Anna breathed
in the fresh air and turned back towards the house that would be her home for
the duration.                   

The next few
days seemed to fly by.  Anna concentrated her energies on learning the new
routine and to her delight, discovered she was improving.  When she eventually
completed a whole series of jobs without a single flaw, events began to take on
a new meaning.  She began to enjoy the work and as Sharon gradually
relinquished the responsibility, Anna knew her decision to come to Bristol had
been sound.  All this was valuable experience and one she wouldn’t have missed
for the world.  The invoicing, ordering and numerous phone calls became less of
an ordeal for her and as she gained in confidence, she even discovered she had
a good rapport with the office in Bristol.

“He
sounds very nice,” Anna said to Sharon after a lengthy phone call.

“That’s
our Mr Rhodes, Jason’s partner,” said Sharon with a twinkle in her eye. “You’ll
meet him eventually.  Very straight-laced is our Mr Rhodes.  Graham is a lot
older than Jason and does the financial side of the business.  It’s Jason who
goes to all the meetings and sorts out the contracts.  That’s why we have this
office, so that he has somewhere to work when he gets back late or at the
weekends, when the Bristol office is closed.”

“He
seems to work very hard.”

“He
certainly does.”

As the days
progressed, Anna started operating the small Dictaphone and type the constant
letters that flowed through the office.  Jason’s voice was warm and friendly,
reflecting his smile, and listening to it, she suddenly felt excited at
actually working for him once he arrived back from New York.

During
her first week, Anna posted letters to the boys and to her mother.  In them she
said that everything was fine, she had found a job and a place to live and
would keep in touch no matter what.  Dropping the envelopes in the post box,
she hoped they would understand.

On
Friday morning, Jason arrived back from New York.  Ben had gone to fetch him
from the airport and Sharon mischievously forced Anna into her chair and told
her to look busy while she hid in the downstairs toilet.  It all seemed very
childish, but Anna went along with the joke.

Jason
entered the room.  “Sharon, I need…” Anna turned her head and smiled.  “No,
you’re not Sharon,” he said, frowning.

“Tell
me what you need and I’ll see what I can do for you,” said Anna, sporting her
most efficient voice.

“Err,”
he coughed nervously.  “I need to talk to Graham.”

Anna
picked up the phone and dialled the number.  Soon she was talking to Graham’s
secretary who put her through.  Anna transferred the call.  “Graham’s on the
line, Jason.”

Jason
sank down in his chair, his eyes never leaving Anna, who had turned to the
computer and carried on typing while trying to keep her face straight.  Sharon
returned from her hiding place and walked across to her boss, who had finished
his call.

“So,
what have you been up to?” he asked, his eyebrows raised.

Sharon
giggled.  “Jason, may I introduce you to your new PA, Mrs Anna Stevens.”

“Welcome
to Harrington Rhodes, Mrs Stevens,” he murmured.

Despite the
practical joke, Anna was keenly aware that Sharon would be departing for
Ireland the following morning, leaving her entirely responsible for running the
office and working with her new employer.  The thought of it made her feel
nervous, but she constantly reminded herself she had set this chain of events
in motion, she sank or swam by her own actions.

The
three worked together for the rest of the day, until about four in the
afternoon, when Sharon brought some letters over to Jason for signing.

He
took them from her, put them on his desk, then stood up and tucked her hand
through his arm.  “Never mind about those.  Come with me.  You too Anna.”

Slightly
bemused, Sharon allowed herself to be led across the hallway and into the
kitchen, followed by the equally delighted Anna.

The
room seemed full of people.  The table groaned under the weight of an elaborate
buffet, Ben stood by the sink pouring out wine, while Mrs Wilby handed round
the glasses.  Everyone clapped and cheered as Sharon came in, her cheeks tinged
scarlet with painful embarrassment at all the attention.

Jason
quickly introduced Anna to the guests.  Many of the people from the village she
already knew, but it was interesting to meet some of the personnel from the
Bristol office.  Then she noticed a tall woman with long, dark hair and large,
brown eyes, the colour of melting chocolate.  And she knew beyond any doubt
that she was looking at Kiera Harrington.

Jason
gave a short speech, very much the usual words an employer would say when
losing a special and valued employee.  Sharon responded with a shy, quick
‘thank you’.  It was obvious the whole occasion was too overwhelming for her
and as she opened her presents, she wiped tears from her cheeks.

Eventually,
Anna found herself in Sharon’s company and felt the need to add her own
sentiments to the occasion.

“I
know we’ll all miss you, especially me.  You’ve been so patient this last week
and a marvellous teacher.  Thanks for everything.”

“I
think you’ve done very well.  You’ve certainly picked it up quickly.  All you
need is more practice.  Jason will look after you though.  Oh dear! I didn’t
realise how much I’d miss everyone.” Tears appeared in her eyes again and Anna
squeezed her hand.

“When
are you getting married?”

“At
Christmas and I’m inviting everyone here, including you now you’re a member of
the family.”

Anna
turned slightly and could see Jason and Kiera talking together.  It was good to
see that they were trying to remain friends and now and again Kiera’s warm
laughter echoed across the room.  But it was obvious that Jason was still
hurting and seemed tense standing next to his wife.  Suddenly he caught Anna’s
eye and smiled.  He took Kiera’s arm and guided her in Anna’s direction.

“Anna,
I’d like you to meet Kiera.  Kiera this is Anna my new PA.”

They
shook hands.

“I’ve
been hearing a lot about you,” said Kiera giving Anna a friendly smile.  Anna
smiled too detecting the strong Canadian accent.  “But let me give you some
advice.  Don’t let him bully you and never, never let him take you for
granted.”

“Oh,
I don’t think he’d do that,” laughed Anna.

“Well,
not consciously.  But he has a way about him and before you know it, you’re
under his spell.”  Jason gave an embarrassed cough and Kiera cast him an
enigmatic smile.

How
sad, thought Anna, in better circumstances we could have been the best of
friends.

An Italian
restaurant in Bristol was the venue for that evening and Anna finally met the
financial director of Harrington Rhodes Shipping Agents.  Graham Rhodes was
tall and lean with greying hair and an almost military bearing and asked in a
very concerned manner, if Anna was settling in OK.  When she answered that she
was, he impressed on her that she mustn’t be shy about phoning him if she had
any problems when Jason was away.  Anna answered him with a smile.

But
the smile faded when he began to question her about her financial plans.  Did
she own her own house back in Wakefield?  Was she considering selling it and
buying a house in this area?  If so, he certainly knew the contacts that would
give her a good deal.  Anna began to feel uncomfortable, although she realised
he wasn’t being nosy, just acutely interested in all matters financial.  She
stuttered a reply behind her glass of wine.

Working for
Jason was all Sharon said it would be and Anna found that each day seemed to
get better.  During her time in the office, she could forget that she was
married; that an angry husband was sitting stewing at home.  And there was no
doubt that he was stewing.  Every night she would turn on her phone and there
were at least fifteen missed calls and texts waiting for her which she
immediately deleted. 

Her
sons had received her letter and after a few days, a short text arrived from
Martyn saying that they would ring soon.  She answered just as briefly, stating
the time she would be alone in her room and they could talk in private.  And
when that call came one sunny evening, Anna had decided how she would deal with
her sons.  She would be firm but gentle and hope they were mature enough to
understand.

But
one thing was certain, she refused to assassinate her husband’s character even
though he deserved it.  She was acutely aware that her boys loved their father
and regarded him highly.  His infidelities had been kept from them and Anna
didn’t think it her place to tell them unless it was absolutely necessary.

“You
must ask your dad why I left,” she told her elder son.  “He knows the reason
why.”

“But
why can’t you tell us?” asked Martyn.  As was the case on a mobile, he sounded
a long way away and Anna’s heart ached that he wasn’t in the room with her.

“If
you don’t get a satisfactory answer from him then I’ll tell you.”

There
was a pause at the end of the line.  “You won’t be home when we get back?”

“No,
I won’t.  I’m so sorry, sweetheart.  I really wish I could be, but you’ll be
fine.  If you have any problems, your grandma is there to help and we’ll meet
up when you get your results and go out and celebrate.”

“It
won’t be the same without you there.”

Guilt
tore through Anna.  “I know, but I had to do this.  And please, Martyn, don’t
tell your dad where I am.  I don’t want him to find me.”

“OK. 
Chris wants to talk to you.”

 It
was good to hear from her sons, but after the call, Anna felt slightly sick
that she had done this terrible thing to them.  Perhaps she should have waited
until they had left for university?  But this wonderful job had happened along
and she had to grab her opportunity when it came.  It might have been too late
if she had waited until the boys had left home.  She wouldn’t hurt them for the
world and when she met them again, she would try and make up for it.  Although
how she would do that, she had no idea, how do you compensate children for
breaking up their family?  The house filling with noise and laughter
interrupted her troubled thoughts.  Jason had brought Hollie to stay for the
weekend and for the next two days, there would be chaos.

Hollie
was the spitting image of her mother with long dark hair and the most beautiful
big brown eyes.  It was obvious that everyone doted on her and Anna soon
realised why.  She was a happy, contented child, but loved playing pranks on
those she cared for.  Anna found the charming nature of the little girl hard to
ignore and was amused and secretly pleased when Hollie included her in her
naughty pranks.