The Legacy of Hope House (12 page)

‘You’ve done nothing wrong or underhand, and there’s no need for you to leave the hotel if you want to stay on. Everything’s been sorted, and there’s no problem. I don’t blame you for anything and I hold nothing against you.’ She gave him a genuine smile.

Quentin seemed subdued and at a loss for words, and without elaborating any further, he turned away and quietly left the hall. Anna watched him slowly climb the staircase to his room, and felt a twinge of pity for her distant relative. None of this was his fault, and it was a shame his uncle had ever entertained such ideas in the first place.

She turned her attention to the ledger, then perked up as she thought about the proposed auction, wondering how much it would bring. The auctioneer had mentioned an enormous sum for the whole lot, but all she needed was enough to tie her over until the business really took off.

But there was something else heavy on Anna’s mind - her mother. She pulled a face as she wondered how best to persuade her to visit Hope House again. Sinking down onto a chair in the hall, she twisted her hair around her fingers as she thought about David. Was he considering getting involved with his ex-girlfriend again? The thought disappointed her, but since they were not a truly acknowledged item yet, she had no right to feel upset about it. She would take a chance and accept whatever happened. With a big sigh she got up from the chair and set about doing little jobs that needed attention.

Anna kept herself busy until Saturday eventually arrived, and after an early lunch, she went up to her room and laid out the smart wine coloured trouser suit, together with a pale pink top and pink suede shoes. Sweeping up her long hair into a chignon, she pinned it in place with clips and combs. When she was happy with the result, she fastened the beautiful peacock gemstone brooch onto her jacket and glanced at the mirror.

That final little touch made her feel, and look, something special. She turned this way and that to watch the gems dance in the sunlight shining through the window, then, glancing at the clock, she realised that David would arrive within minutes. She crossed the room and looked out through the window just as he drove up to the front door in his new convertible.

A look of surprise crossed his face as she ran out to greet him. ‘Hey, you look absolutely great,’ he said, and gathered her into his arms. Then with a cry of delight he swung her off her feet. As he gently released her, he looked down into her eyes, and touched his lips to hers. ‘That’s for being such a stunning date,’ he whispered.

Anna was surprised, but she clambered into the passenger seat, and within minutes they reached the main road, and sped their way down the fast lane to the venue where the concert was to take place. There was a considerable wait before it began, but eventually the players literally bounced onto the stage to a wildly shrieking audience. The crowd continued to applaud enthusiastically as the stars belted out old favourites in their usual energetic style. Anna felt exhausted just watching them gyrate around the stage as they sang their extensive repertoire.

To her, time seemed to fly by, and as the performance came to a close, she felt sad it was over so quickly. David reached for her hand as they made their way with the crowd down to the exit. ‘Was that loud enough for you?’ he asked, grinning widely.

‘Yes, and my ears are still singing, but thanks for a great day.’

‘Come on,’ David said, taking her hand again, ‘let’s get a bite to eat at ‘The Wayfarer’ They do a super steak with all the trimmings.’

During the meal, Anna found herself speculating what might be behind this invitation to the concert. Questions raced through her mind; was his recent attention to her merely the rebound after the break-up of his relationship with Mary Powell? Was it the beginning of something, or was it simply a one-off? She considered everything possible. Patience, she told herself; time will tell, and it doesn’t really matter. My biggest worry was the lack of money, but that’s sorted now.

Chapter Twenty One

When they arrived back at Hope House, Anna invited David in for a drink, and he accepted without hesitation. ‘Let’s enjoy some music in here,’ she said, as they made their way into the hotel lounge. ‘No one else is using the room, so we’ll have it to ourselves.’

Anna had decided to tell David that she had seen him with Mary Powell, and wanted to know the truth of the situation. She began, ‘David, we’re not an item, but we’re damn good mates and we’ve had a lot of contact lately.’ She paused, wondering how best to pose her question. ‘Look, I need to discuss something with you.’

David flashed her a look of concern. ‘Fire away’, he said, his mouth set firmly.

‘You were serious for ages with Mary Powell, and everyone expected you to get engaged eventually. What happened? Are you getting back together again? I’m asking because I saw you both deep in conversation in the High Street the other day, so I’m wondering what’s going on.’

David looked decidedly awkward, and heaved a great sigh. ‘Well, yes, I guess that is a possibility, but certainly nothing definite right now,’ he said. ‘Mary’s contacted me a few times about getting back together, but nothing’s developed so far. I wanted to tell you when we went to the concert, but I didn’t know how to broach the subject. I didn’t feel it right to suddenly burst out with it.’

‘No need to feel bothered about it,’ Anna said. ‘I guessed you two might make it up one day, especially since our relationship doesn’t seem to go much beyond friendship.’

David grasped both her hands. ‘Oh, I don’t know about that,’ he said, ‘but thanks for being so understanding. You’re a brick; the best pal a chap could have.’

Anna had just poured them both a drink when the front door slammed loudly. She jerked up, and hurried to the lounge door to see who it was. ‘Oh, it’s you? I wondered who it was,’ she said, surprised to see Quentin in the hall.

‘Who did you think it was?’ he asked, smiling pleasantly.

‘No one in particular, but I wasn’t expecting you to…’

‘I have to work over the weekend on something I need for court on Monday. Grant is with a friend in town – Liz I think - so he’ll probably be late back,’ he added, as he edged his way into the lounge. When he saw David seated on the sofa, he stopped, his eyes wide. ‘Oh, I am so sorry; I’m interrupting something.’ He reversed quickly.

‘Not at all. You’re more than welcome to join us,’ Anna said, ‘and as a hotel guest you’re entitled to use this room whenever you wish, so sit down and join us in a drink.’

‘Thanks, that’s decent of you, but I won’t come in now. I’m going down to The Castle for a meal after I’ve changed into something more casual, and I’ll see you later.’ He smiled and waved as he left, shutting the door behind him.

The interruption had indeed put Anna off her stride, and she was afraid it might have unsettled David as well. She was right.

‘It’s later than I thought,’ he said, taking a quick glance at his wristwatch. ‘I really should be going.’ He rose to his feet and stretched languidly. ‘I’ve had a busy week, so I’ll call it a day now. If I don’t tear myself away now, I’ll get too relaxed, and I’ll be here all night.’ He took her hand in his and squeezed it tightly. ‘I’ll phone you tomorrow,’ he whispered, touching his finger playfully on the tip of her nose.

She watched as he drove off down the drive, and then, with questions racing through her mind, she set up the breakfast table for two. The other guests, three businessmen who were visiting the trading estate in the area, had gone home for the weekend. Twenty minutes later she was in bed, but, with her mind buzzing over all that had happened recently, she knew sleep would not come easily. She reached over for the romantic novel on her bedside table, hoping that a half hour read would help her doze off, but closed her eyes before she had reached the end of the page.

The next morning, Anna woke to the gentle buzz of her tiny alarm clock, and blinked at the time. The novel she had started to read was still in position on her lap; she seemed not to have moved all night. With a deep sigh and a wide yawn, she slipped out of bed, stretched, and then hurried into her en-suite to freshen up before going downstairs. It was Sunday, so she hoped Quentin and Grant would sleep on for a while, allowing her to be alone in the kitchen to prepare breakfast before either appeared. The shrill tone of the doorbell sent her running to see who it was so early.

It was Liz. ‘Hi, Anna. How did it go yesterday?’

‘Good. And you?’

‘I met up with Grant,’ Liz said, looking rather pleased. ‘It was a surprise. I thought he was meeting a friend in town, but he rang my mobile so we met late in the evening. I didn’t have time to tell you because I guessed you might have gone out by then.’ She bit her lip. ‘I’m smitten, Anna. He’s a lovely guy.’

‘Well that’s great news,’ Anna said. ‘No further developments yet? Are you meeting again?’

‘Nothing planned, but we see each other every day at work, so it’s looking good, and I’m hoping.’

‘You’re early. Haven’t had my breakfast yet. There’s plenty here - care to join me?’

‘Don’t mind if I do,’ Liz said, and set a place for herself at Anna’s table.

The aroma of a full English breakfast soon brought the two men downstairs, and they both looked surprised when they saw Liz there so early on a Sunday.

‘How about we all have breakfast together,’ Quentin said, ‘then later I’ll take you all out to lunch, wherever you want to go.’

Anna had already taken a breath to answer him, when Liz broke in. ‘Two great ideas. Yes?’ Her eyes sparkled as she turned to Anna for approval.

For a few moments, Anna hesitated, not really wanting to be seen by David in a cosy situation with Quentin again, just in case… but in case of what, she wondered. Yet, she thought, David’s made no commitment, he’s in touch with his ex again, so why should I restrict myself on his account? If he does see me, it might encourage him to give more time to me and less to Mary Powell – if that’s the way it’s to be.

‘That sounds great,’ she said, emphatically. ‘You choose where to go, Quentin.’

They ate a leisurely breakfast, and chatted for a while before meeting up in the lounge, all ready for the trip.

‘Come on,’ Quentin said, ‘I won’t tell you where we’re going; it’s a surprise.’

It seemed to Anna that the journey would go on forever, and now, at almost one o’clock, she was feeling peckish. She had begun to wonder what would be on the menu, when Quentin suddenly swerved the car into the parking area at the back of an old inn called The Golden Lion, in Magwyr, an ancient Welsh village just off the M4 motorway and a few miles from neighbouring Caerwent. ‘I’m afraid you’ve no choice of a lunch venue as I’ve already booked it here,’ he said. ‘One benefit is we don’t have to wait for a vacant table, so we can order straight away.’

Looking at the menu, the choice was simple, but good, and the delicious aroma floating in from the kitchen every time the door opened increased Anna’s hunger by the second. Anna and Liz chose shank of lamb with green vegetables, while the two men went for a full mixed grill. There was practically no conversation while they ate, but after their desserts, they all began to talk energetically. They strolled outside, and since it was such a lovely day, decided to take a walk around the quaint little village with its shops interestingly arranged around the perimeter of a small village square.

Anna strolled into the ancient church of St Mary’s, and wandered through the well-kept churchyard, looking at some of the inscriptions on the earliest tombstones, while Grant found particular interest in the ancient ruins of the Roman Procurator’s house near the end of the village. He called to the other three to go and look at it. ‘Finding this here doesn’t surprise me at all,’ he said. ‘The next village, Caerwent, is where the walled Roman City of Venta Silurum is sited, and both of these villages are less than nine miles from the Roman garrison of Caerleon. This whole area is jam-packed with early Roman history.’ He pointed north-east. ‘The ancient town of Chepstow, with its fabulous castle, is only a few miles up the road.’ He chortled and tapped his back pocket. ‘I might add I’ve enjoyed many a meeting and quite a few good wins at that racecourse.’

‘Hey, guys, it’s almost teatime,’ Quentin announced a couple of hours later. ‘We’d best aim for Llandogo for a nice cream tea in a super little restaurant I found by accident last week. Then we’ll take a look at Tintern Abbey before driving home through some of the most exquisite little villages I recently discovered tucked away in that area.’

Anna had driven through The Wye Valley scores of times; the scenery was so beautiful it was always a delightful trip. However, today had been an energetic, lightning tour around so many interesting spots, that on their return to Hope House she felt a little tired. ‘That was some outing, but most enjoyable. I’ve been up since early morning, so now I’m going to make a nice cup of coffee, and take it into the lounge where I can relax with my feet up.’ She swung around to Quentin.

‘Want one?’

‘Not now thanks. Got a bit more work to finish off for tomorrow, so I’ll go to my room and get it sorted out right now.’ He gave a languid stretch and reached his arms high above his head. ‘Once I’ve done that, I’ll put my feet up too, and watch some telly in my room. If there’s nothing decent on, I’ll slip out for a film.’

‘There are piles of DVDs in the bookcase, so look through those before you hire one.’ Anna pointed to the lounge. ‘Surely you’ll find one of interest in there.’

Quentin saluted with a smile, and took off up the stairs two at a time, while Anna went to the kitchen to make her coffee. Liz and Grant still seemed engrossed in each other as they strolled into the hall a couple of minutes later. They went straight into the lounge, but only seconds later, Liz rushed out into the hall, calling Anna’s name.

‘Look. You didn’t see this,’ she shouted excitedly, bursting into the kitchen with an enormous bouquet of flowers clutched to her bosom. ‘It was propped up out of sight behind the door. It’s for you, and there’s a card.’

Eager to see who had sent them, she crowded in as Anna withdrew the card from a tiny envelope and read it aloud. ‘Just to say I’m sorry, Quentin.’ She stared open-mouthed at Liz. ‘Why should he feel the need to do this? What’s he sorry about? I don’t understand.’

‘Maybe he feels awkward over the inheritance business,’ Liz said, peering at the bouquet as Anna took off the huge pink bow and slit open the cellophane bag. ‘Oh, Anna, just look at those enormous white lilies… they’re gorgeous. And you’ve got red carnations, white chrysanthemums, yellow roses, fern, and some lovely purple leaves to set it all off.’

‘Haven’t a clue what these purple leaves are,’ Anna said, reaching for the two biggest vases off the top shelf in the kitchen, ‘but they’re beautiful, so whatever they are doesn’t matter; this is the biggest and best bouquet I’ve ever had.’ She raised her brows as she looked at Liz. ‘Hey, wait a minute, I’ll do this later. Quentin’s going to do some work, so I’ll pop up straight away to thank him before he gets stuck into it.’ With that, she ran up the stairs two at a time, and knocked on the bedroom door.