The Angel Tree (45 page)

‘Well . . .’ Bill paused. ‘Okay, as you’re related to her, I’ll tell you. Cheska was becoming too hot to handle. Making big financial demands, turning up late at
the studio and getting herself photographed alongside the wrong kind of guy. I’m afraid she brought it on herself, David. But if you do speak to her, don’t tell her I said
that.’

‘Of course not. Well, good to talk to you, Bill, and thanks for being so honest.’

‘No problem. Send my love to England and, if you see Cheska, give her my regards. She’s one screwy dame, but I’ve got a soft spot for her. She was one of my first
clients.’

‘Will do, Bill. Thank you. Goodbye.’

He put down the receiver, walked back into the sitting room and saw that Cheska was still asleep. David sighed. He understood it all now. Playing nursemaid to his niece yet again was the last
thing he’d anticipated when he’d flown into LA, but he could hardly walk away and leave her alone now.

David went out to his car to bring in his suitcase. Unpacking it in Cheska’s spare room, he pondered why fate had propelled him back into the past, when, for the first time in years,
he’d been so eagerly looking forward to the future.

Three hours later, Cheska woke up. Despite her protests, David insisted on calling her doctor and asking him to come and examine her. The doctor duly arrived and after a quick
chat to let him know what had happened, David took him into the sitting room, expecting to find Cheska where he’d left her on the sofa. She wasn’t there. He climbed the stairs and
knocked on her bedroom door. He turned the handle, and discovered it was locked.

‘Cheska, let me in. The doctor wants to take a look at you.’

‘
No!
’ Her voice was agitated. ‘I’m fine. Tell him to go away!’

No amount of persuasion would make her open the door. Eventually, he retreated back downstairs.

‘Well, there’s not much we can do, is there?’ said the doctor. ‘Try and persuade her to come and see me tomorrow and, in the meantime, encourage her to eat something and
let her sleep as much as possible. My guess is that she’s suffering from depression.’

‘I’ll do my best,’ David said, as he let the doctor out.

An hour later, Cheska appeared downstairs.

‘It’s all right. He’s gone,’ David said calmly, switching off the television. ‘What on earth was all that about?’

Cheska slumped on the sofa. ‘I hate doctors. I don’t trust any of them. You and LJ put me in that mental hospital when I was pregnant and people used to scream and cry all night. No
one’s ever going to do that to me again.’

‘It was the doctors who suggested that you went into hospital, Cheska. And we were only doing it for your own good. And Ava’s, of course.’

Cheska stared off into the distance, as if she were listening to something. She turned to David, her eyes glazed and dull. ‘Sorry?’

‘Nothing. You’re going to have to start eating and taking care of yourself, Cheska. You look dreadful. And your house is a pigsty.’

‘I know.’ She smiled suddenly and stretched out her arms to him. ‘Oh Uncle David, I’m so glad you’re here. You won’t leave me alone, will you? I don’t
like being alone.’

‘Well, if you want me to stay, you’re going to have to start behaving yourself, young lady.’ He stood up and went to embrace her.

Cheska snuggled into his arms, as she had when she was a small child. ‘I will, Uncle David, I promise.’

The following few days were extremely difficult, as the whole sorry story began to come out. Cheska rarely slept and would appear in his bedroom at odd hours, shuddering with
terror from another nightmare. He would hold her, comforting her as she talked.

‘Oh Jesus, Uncle David. They fired me, they actually fired me! Me, Cheska Hammond, major star! It’s all over. I have no future now, no future at all. I’m all washed up, as they
say here.’

‘Come on now, sweetheart, don’t be silly. There are heaps of actors who leave one show and make it big again in something else. Something will turn up, I know it will.’

‘Yes, but it’s got to turn up
now
, Uncle David, I haven’t got a penny. I’m up to my neck in debt and the bank’s bound to repossess the
house—’

‘But what happened to all the money your mother invested for you? And the money you’ve been earning since?’

‘I spent it all. And what I didn’t spend, my shit of an ex-husband took, or the taxman. There’s nothing left, nothing. Oh, Uncle David, my life’s such a goddamned
mess.’

He put his arms around her thin frame and held her to him. ‘Cheska, I’ll help you sort things out.’

‘Why would you want to help me, after the way I behaved all those years ago?’ she cried.

‘I watched you grow up, Cheska. You’re the nearest thing to a child of my own I’ve ever known. And families stick together in times of crisis.’

Cheska looked up at him, her pale face streaked with tears. ‘And you’ve always been like the father I never had. Thank you.’

A couple of days later David put in a call to Tor – who had been expecting him in Oxford for the coming weekend – and explained the situation.

‘Never mind, darling. At least it’s happened now and you can deal with it before we leave rather than when we’re halfway up the Himalayas and uncontactable. You do think Cheska
will be stable enough for you to leave her by then, don’t you?’

David could hear the hint of anxiety in her voice. ‘Yes. She’ll have to be, because I’m not cancelling this trip for anyone. I’ll let you know when I’m flying
back.’

‘Take care of yourself, David.’

‘I will. And you.’

As David replaced the receiver, he hoped and prayed that his firm stance on the subject wouldn’t be put to the test. This trip was for
him
and, for a change, he was going to put
his own needs and wants first.

Fortunately, with each passing day, Cheska began to look a little better. The doctor had prescribed sleeping tablets and with their help, she began to sleep through the nights
and the colour returned to her cheeks. David managed to get her to eat regularly and made sure she dressed in the mornings. There were still moments when she’d disappear off into her own
private world, even when he was speaking to her, and her beautiful eyes would take on their strange, glassy expression. She never mentioned Greta or Ava. David followed her lead and didn’t
bring them up either. He also refrained from telling his mother the real reason he was delayed in Los Angeles. He knew how much any news of Cheska upset her.

One beautiful, balmy evening David had just put the phone down to Tor, after reassuring her that Cheska seemed much better and that he hoped to be able to fly home soon. He turned to see Cheska
standing behind him.

‘Who were you speaking to, Uncle David?’

‘Tor . . . Victoria, my friend.’

‘Are we talking “friend friend”, or “girlfriend”?’ she asked, a hint of mischief in her voice. ‘From the way you were speaking to her, I’d say the
latter.’

‘I suppose she’s both,’ David replied cautiously.

‘I have some wine open on the terrace. Want to come out and watch the sunset and tell me about her?’

David followed her outside. The view from the terrace was incredible. In the valley below Cheska’s exclusive hilltop perch the lights of downtown Los Angeles twinkled against the dark-blue
sky, which was dramatically streaked with vermilion and gold clouds. He leant against the railings, taking in the spectacle.

‘You are a dark horse, Uncle David.’ Cheska smiled as she handed him a glass of wine. ‘Come on then, tell me.’

So David found himself telling Cheska – who seemed hungry for even the tiniest detail – all about Tor and the trip they had planned together.

‘She sounds lovely, and you sound a little in love,’ she commented.

‘Maybe I am. But when you get to my grand old age, things are different. We’re taking it slowly. And the trip will tell us both a lot. We’ll be thrown together for six
months.’

‘So when do you leave?’

‘The middle of August, just after my mother’s birthday party.’

‘You know, I used to think you were in love with my mother,’ Cheska mused. ‘I even hoped that one day you’d get married.’

‘I asked her once,’ David confessed, ‘but she refused me.’

‘Then she was very stupid. Anyone could see she loved you, too.’

Surprised at her comment, David remained silent. He wanted to see if Cheska would ask how her mother was now, but she didn’t, so after a few seconds he moved the conversation on.
‘And Ava, of course, turns eighteen next month.’

‘My little daughter, Ava, all grown up.’ Cheska said the words as if she were reminding herself who Ava was
.
‘How is she?’

‘Very well. Bright, pretty, and—’

‘Does she look like me?’

‘Yes, I think she does. She has the same colouring, but she wears her hair short, is much taller than you are and, well, to be frank, she couldn’t be more different from you in
personality.’

‘That’s a blessing,’ she murmured to herself.

‘Sorry?’

‘Oh, nothing. Tell me about her, Uncle David: what she likes, what her ambitions are. Does she want to be an actress?’

He chuckled. ‘No. Ava wants to be a vet. She has the most wonderful way with animals.’

‘I see. Does she . . . does she know who I am?’

‘Of course she does. LJ and I have made a point of talking about you. Ava is addicted to
The Oil Barons
. She watches you every week.’

Cheska shuddered and David kicked himself for his
faux pas
.

‘And LJ? I suppose she hates me, doesn’t she?’

‘No, Cheska, she doesn’t hate you.’

‘You must both have found it difficult to understand why I came here and left Ava behind, but can’t you see, I didn’t have a choice? I knew if I told you, you wouldn’t
let me go. I had to make a clean break, get away from the past and try to start again.’

‘Cheska, we both understand. But, to be frank, it’s been very difficult for LJ in the past few years. She’s become a surrogate mother to Ava and I think she’s always
worried that, one day, you might want your daughter back. My mother loves Ava like her own child, and any negative feelings she’s had towards you have been completely forgotten for
Ava’s sake.’

Cheska sighed heavily. ‘I’ve really screwed up my life, haven’t I, Uncle David? My career’s crumbled, I can’t hold down a relationship and I abandoned my own
daughter.’

‘Cheska, you’re only thirty-four. Most people’s lives are only beginning to blossom at that age. You talk as if you’re as old as I am.’

‘I feel as old as you. I’ve been working my butt off for thirty of those years.’

‘I know. And I wish I’d never introduced you to Leon all those years ago. You can blame me for beginning it all.’

‘Of course I don’t. It was what life had stored up for me. Uncle David, can I ask you something?’

‘Fire away.’

‘Do you . . . do you think I’m . . . normal?’

‘It depends on how you define “normal”, Cheska.’

‘Well, let me put it like this: do you think I might be crazy?’

‘You’ve had a very unusual life. Being under the kind of pressure you experienced from such a young age is bound to have had repercussions. If you’re worried, you could always
go and speak to someone about how you feel.’

‘No way! Never again! Shrinks don’t help, they just interfere where they’re not wanted and make things worse. The thing is, Uncle David’ – Cheska took a deep breath
– ‘sometimes I hear these . . . voices in my head. And they, well, they make me do things I . . . I—’

David could see that she was becoming agitated. ‘When do you hear the voices?’

‘When I’m angry or upset or—’ She shivered. ‘I can’t talk about it any more. Please don’t tell anyone, will you?’ she begged.

‘I won’t, but I really do think you should talk to someone, Cheska. It might be something simple, like needing a complete rest.’ David spoke with a confidence he didn’t
feel. ‘When did you last hear them?’

Cheska seemed to be having an inner struggle with herself. ‘I didn’t hear them for years, and then . . . I said I can’t talk about it anymore,
okay
?’

‘All right, sweetheart, I understand.’

‘What about . . . Ava’s father? Does she know who he is?’ she asked, abruptly changing the subject.

‘No. Both LJ and I felt it was your job to tell her.’

‘She’s better off not knowing about him anyway!’ Cheska’s eyes darkened. ‘I’ll never tell her.’

‘She may want to know some day.’

‘Well, I . . .’ Cheska stared out into space for a few seconds, her fingers playing with the tassels of the cushion on which she sat. Then she yawned. ‘I’m sleepy. Would
you mind if I went to bed?’

‘Not at all. But I really think you should consider going to see someone about your . . . problem,’ he said tactfully.

Cheska stood up. ‘Okay. I’ll think about it. Goodnight.’ She leant down and kissed him on top of his head before leaving the terrace.

The following morning David was woken from a restless night’s sleep by Cheska placing a breakfast tray on his bed.

‘There. A real cooked English breakfast, with all the trimmings. I remember how much you liked them when I was younger.’

David sat up, rubbing his eyes, and glanced at Cheska in astonishment. She was dressed in a smart silk shirt and jeans, her make-up and hair were perfect and her eyes were shining with life. She
looked like a completely different person.

‘Why, Cheska, you look wonderful!’

‘Thank you,’ she replied, blushing slightly. ‘As a matter of fact, I feel great. Talking to you last night has taken a load off my mind.’ She sat down on the bed and
gazed at her hands. ‘I’ve been stupid and self-indulgent. So I got up this morning, went for a swim in the pool and decided it’s about time I pulled myself together.’

‘Well, it’s – if you don’t mind me saying – a remarkable transformation, and one I most definitely approve of.’

‘Hey, what about you and me going for lunch at the Ivy? I’ve not been out of the front door for what feels like weeks.’

‘An excellent idea, if I have room after this huge breakfast.’ David smiled.