The Stranger Next Door (8 page)

Chapter Seventeen

The next morning Anna ran into Pippa in the village shop.

'We really enjoyed last night, Anna.'

'Good. So did I.'

They peered at the vegetables together. Pippa grimaced.

'They're not up to much, are they?' Anna whispered with resignation, gazing at the baskets of tired carrots and shrivelled cabbages.

'Terrible! And so pricey, too. I wish I'd asked Derek to get some in town. I bet you're looking forward to being able to drive to the supermarket.'

'They have a lot better choice, don't they? But the money I save on the veg, I'll probably spend on the petrol.'

'That's true. Anyway, we have to buy some things here. We've got to keep Rhoda going. Otherwise, there won't be a village shop when we want that extra loaf or we've run out of milk.'

They wandered on to the canned vegetable shelf. Baked beans or mushy peas, Anna wondered. Or sweet corn?

'You've been a naughty girl!' Pippa whispered fiercely.

'Me? What have I done?'

'Keeping secrets.'

'I don't have any secrets to keep, Pippa, and I wouldn't be able to keep them from you for long even if I had some.'

Pippa shook her head. 'You didn't tell me.'

'About what?'

'Daniel Ferguson.'

Anna stared at her.

'Daniel Ferguson,' Pippa repeated. 'You didn't tell me what a lovely man he is.'

'Pippa! Every time I've seen you, I've …. I'm sure I have!'

'No, you haven't. You've only told me about his injuries, and before that about his dreadful habits – gardening in the night, and so on.'

'Well, I told you how brave he is. You know what he did for us when the kitchen caught fire.'

Pippa picked up a tin of marrowfat peas and peered ostentatiously at it.

'What?' Anna asked.

'Horrible things, these, but Derek and the kids seem to like them. Personally, I wonder if there's any difference between marrowfat and mushy. What do you think?'

'I'll crown you, Pippa, if you don't stop playing games. What on earth did you mean about Daniel?'

'Well …. You didn't tell me how fond you are of him, and you didn't tell me how infatuated he is with you.'

Anna stared, unable to think, let alone reply.

'You're a lucky girl, Anna. He's a lovely man.'

'Oh, Pippa! What absolute rubbish you talk at times.'

Pippa laughed. 'Don't tell me if you don't want to. That's all right. Don't tell me anything. I just wanted to say I'm pleased for you.'

'I'm a widow, for goodness' sake, Pippa – with two young children!'

'I'm pleased for you,' Pippa repeated, turning away to head for the fresh bread shelf, where she was far too late to be lucky.

Anna stared after her, and wondered if it could possibly be true. Was Pippa right?

Well, she had to acknowledge, Pippa was right about one thing. She did like Daniel. She really did. Pippa was right about him being a lovely man, too. He was.

But that was as far as it went. She had tried not to let herself think about Daniel as anything but a neighbour and a friend. And a hero, she reminded herself with a wry smile. A wounded hero, at that.

She was drawn to him. She knew that. But it hadn't occurred to her to think that her feelings might be reciprocated. She hadn't dared. Since she'd been left on her own, she had always assumed that that part of her life was over. Besides, she'd been too busy.

Now she wondered. She thought about what Pippa had said. She wondered if there was any way Pippa could possibly be right, and she wondered if she wanted her to be right. It was as if her world was turning upside-down – and she felt exhilarated about it.

Chapter Eighteen

But there were other matters pressing hard. The driving test was one. And looking for a job was another.

Daniel accompanied her to the test centre when the big day came. She drove carefully and concentrated hard.

'Relax!' he told her. 'You've nothing to worry about.'

'You don't think so?'

He shook his head. 'Outside of a Challenger Main Battle Tank I've never had such a comfortable ride.'

'Oh, you!'

But it worked. It made her laugh, and laughing relaxed her.

'They want you to pass,' Daniel told her. 'They don't want to fail you. Just do what you do every day I come out with you, and you'll be fine.'

She had her doubts. But she trusted him. And she did try to drive as she normally did.

'When she emerged from the test centre, Daniel took one look at her face and said, 'I don't need to ask, do I?'

She laughed and shook her head. He gave her a hug.

'What now?' he asked.

'Next I'm going to talk to a man about a job.'

'Oh?' He looked at her with surprise.

She gave her old boss, Mr. Graham, a ring at the bank and had a good chat with him.

'Come in, Anna! Come in to see us – any time.'

'I can, now I've passed my driving test.'

'Excellent. We'll be pleased to see you.'

'I assumed you would have forgotten all about me by now? It's been so long ….'

'Nonsense!'

Mr. Graham went on to say that she knew most of the staff, and they certainly remembered her. They had all been desperately sorry to learn about poor Bob. In fact, only the other day Marion had wondered how she was getting on. She thanked him and assured him that she and the children were all well and getting on happily with their lives.

'And you say there might be a possibility of a part-time job?' she queried.

'Very much so. A lot of the staff work part-time now, and we're always in need of an experienced pair of hands. Come in. We can talk about it.'

She thanked him again, promised she would go to see them all very soon and rang off in a state of high elation.

'More good news?' Daniel enquired.

'Oh, yes!' she assured him with a smile. 'Very good news. They want me.'

'Of course they do. I could have told you that. No need to go wasting money on a phone call.'

'What a day it's been, Daniel!' She laughed and shook her head. 'First my driving test. Then this. And a lot of it is down to you. How can I ever thank you?'

'And the day has hardly started,' Daniel pointed out. 'We still have time for a celebratory lunch somewhere.'

'Oh, Daniel?'

'My treat.'

'Oh, Daniel!'

*

They found a pleasant little restaurant in a nearby village and settled down to lunch.

'My, oh my!' Anna breathed. 'What a day. What a lucky person I am.'

'I don't know about that, about luck. Deserving, maybe.'

She laughed. 'What about you, Daniel? When's something good going to happen to you?'

'I think it already has.'

She let that go. He probably just meant he'd survived his accident and his injuries. That was certainly "good" enough. He couldn't possibly mean ….

'What about the shop selling fishing rods? Is that really going to happen?'

'I think so,' he said, toying with his water glass. 'Probably.'

You were serious?'

'Almost. I have to do something, and I quite fancy that.'

'Are you a keen fisherman? Or angler? Whatever they call them.'

He shook his head.

'No?'

'I know nothing about it.'

'Oh, Daniel!' She laughed out aloud.

'But I can learn. And at the very least, I can be a great armchair fisherman, especially in the winter. A roaring fire. Coffee pot on the go. Whisky bottle on the shelf. The shop will be a home for people who want to examine the next season's must-have gear, and to talk about the biggest fish they ever hooked.'

'And how it got away?'

'Exactly.' He smiled and added, 'I believe we understand each other, Anna.'

'I believe we do,' she admitted. 'You're a romantic.'

'Absolutely.'

She began to laugh. He joined in. Their laughter filled the room. An elderly couple on the far side looked at each other and began to smile.

Chapter Nineteen

It was hot that day, hotter than for a long time. The hottest day of the year. Anna could feel the heat gathering when she first woke up. She glanced at the bedside clock. Six-thirty. Early. Too early to get up. She would just lie here. Give herself five minutes. Ten even. Think about the day ahead.

First she would do an hour in the garden. It was lovely first thing at this time of year. Then she would get the children up and sort out breakfast. Put a load of washing in the machine. Take down the stuff left to dry overnight.

Then …? Then she would ask Daniel if he fancied a day at the beach with herself and the children. If Pippa was right, and she was daring to hope she might be, he couldn't say no. Could he?

It would be good for them all. And the drive – with him beside her, and her with her new driving licence! – would be good practical experience. She'd only been local so far.

Action plan formed, eager to get on with it, she sprang out of bed and tackled the day with zest. This was going to be one of the best days of her life. She was certain of it, and determined to make sure it was.

Just after nine she set off for Daniel's. The children were just as excited as she was herself. All that remained was to persuade Daniel that it was time to see some sand and sea. It shouldn't be too hard.

A car pulled into Daniel's gateway as she reached her own front gate, a strange car. She paused, uncertain whether to go on.

A woman she had never seen before got out and strode towards the door. She was tall and slim. Long, dark hair. Thirty-ish. Slender white arms swinging from a sleeveless black top. Long, tanned legs clad in white bermudas.

Anna was surprised, and curious. Who on earth was she? Daniel didn't have visitors like this. Daniel didn't have any visitors at all, in fact, apart from his increasingly occasional sister.

She inspected the gate. She bent down and pulled out an easy weed. She was flummoxed. She'd better wait. Hopefully, the woman would soon leave. Perhaps she'd come to read the electricity meter? Or to tell Daniel he'd won the Jackpot? Perhaps ….

It wasn't funny. She had no idea who the woman was. She would wait. There was nothing else she could do.

'Can Daniel go?' Lisa demanded as soon as she reached the safety of her own doorway.

'I don't know yet, Lisa. I haven't seen him.'

'But ….'

'A visitor arrived just as I was about to go round. We'll have to wait for her to leave.'

She turned and laughed at Tom, who was standing there all ready to go, bucket and spade retrieved miraculously from some forgotten corner.

'Not yet, Tom! We're not ready yet.'

The strange car was still there at nine-thirty, and even at ten. Perhaps, Anna thought, the woman is from the Army Benevolent Fund, or whatever they called it, come to see officially how Daniel is?

It wasn't a very convincing thought. The strange woman had seemed too beautiful for anything like that. Also, she told herself cheerfully, she hadn't been wearing khaki, or any of those camouflage patterns Army people seemed to wear these days.

At ten-forty she saw the woman take a small suitcase from the car and carry it into Daniel's house.

She felt then as if the bottom had dropped out of her life.

Soon after eleven Anna set off for the village, a sullen Lisa and protesting Tom in tow. She herself felt utterly miserable but she fought to escape the despair that had engulfed them all.

'Another day, Tom!' she said as cheerfully as she could manage. 'We'll go to the beach another day.'

'Now!' Tom screeched. 'Want to go now.'

'Sorry, darling. We really need to do some shopping. Silly Mummy had forgotten we need some bread – and some milk.'

'Don't want any bread!' howled Tom.

'Ice-cream, then?'

Even that didn't have any immediate effect. Anna kept tight hold of his hand and pulled him along.

'I'm sorry, Lisa,' she said. 'I should have arranged it with Daniel before I mentioned it to you and got you all excited.'

'Doesn't matter.'

'We can go another day.'

'I don't care.'

Privately, Anna thought that was probably the best way to think. You could avoid more disappointment that way. And from the appearance of Daniel's visitor, there would be a lot more disappointment to come.

Oh, damn Pippa! Putting such ideas into her head. What on earth had allowed her to be persuaded Daniel could ever be interested in her?

'We'll go to Pippa's, and you can play with the boys while I do a bit of shopping.'

'I don't care,' Lisa repeated stubbornly.

Pulling them all out of this mood was going to be an uphill struggle, Anna decided grimly.

'What's wrong?' Pippa said straightaway.

'Wrong? Nothing. Nothing at all.' Anna summoned up her limited reserves of positive feelings and good humour. 'What a wonderful day it is!'

'Yes?' Pippa said doubtfully, as she ushered them into the house. 'It would be a good day to go to the beach.'

'Oh, don't say that!' Anna groaned, as Tom started wailing again. 'That's what we were going to do.'

'Where's David and Peter?' Lisa asked.

'In the garden. Why don't you go and find them? You, too, Tom.'

Off they went.

'Now,' Pippa said. 'What's wrong? Just one of those days, or …?'

Anna shrugged.

In the end, over a cup of coffee, she told Pippa of their thwarted plan, and of her own disappointment.

'He's never mentioned a woman,' she concluded. 'On the other hand, he's never made advances to me either. So I should have guessed.

'Not that he would,' she added hastily. 'And not that I'm the sort of woman likely to attract them anyway. I mean ….'

'Of course you are! Stop putting yourself down.'

Anna looked down at her hands and concentrated on them. She felt tears coming to the surface. Then she felt Pippa's arms go round her.

'Oh, Anna! I'm so sorry. What a wretched morning you've had.'

'It's the children I'm upset about. I promised them …. Now we can't ….'

But it was herself, as well, she felt sorry for. She knew that.

'It may mean nothing,' Pippa suggested. 'Maybe she was selling insurance or kitchens. He's seen your new kitchen, and now he wants one. It's perfectly understandable.'

'Oh, Pippa! Stop it.'

But she had to smile at the idea. 'You haven't seen her, Pippa. She's very beautiful.'

'So are you very good looking. I mean … beautiful.'

'Stop it!' Anna repeated.

'Anyway,' Pippa added, 'it doesn't mean ….'

'Pippa, she took a suitcase into the house!'

'His sister, maybe?'

'I've met his sister. She's called Elizabeth, remember? And she's Miss Jean Brodie in person.'

Even Pippa had to laugh now.

'What I'll do,' Anna announced, 'so it's not a totally wasted morning, is I'll go to the shop and pick up a few things we need.'

'If only my car hadn't fallen apart,' Pippa said, 'we could have gone to the beach in that. We only have the one car at the moment, though. We could take yours, I suppose? All go in that?'

'Not six of us,' Anna said firmly. 'It doesn't matter anyway. Don't worry about it. I'll just leave the kids here, if you don't mind, while I do a bit of shopping.'