Deceit of Angels by Julia Bell Read Free Book Online Page B

care.  Her children
and family were supporting her and that was all that mattered.
    Eventually,
the tears subsided and she pulled herself up into a sitting position.  Her
memory returned to the day of the picnic.  It had been a wonderful day and as
her emotions became calmer, she wondered how her future would be.  Divorce
would be the next step, she supposed.  It seemed that she and Jason would be
going through similar experiences.  Sniffing into a tissue, she remembered that
Jason knew nothing of her husband, he still thought of her as a widow.  She
carried the letter to the wastepaper basket and crushed it into a tight ball
before flinging it in.  Feeling much better, she went to tidy herself up.
    In
the kitchen, Anna ate her evening meal with the others.  She guessed her eyes
must still be a little red, since she had spent a good part of five minutes
crying. But Ben and Mrs Wilby didn’t seem to notice and chatted away throughout
the meal.
    Only
Jason studied her, his eyes narrowed.  “Well, Anna.  Have you decided to come
to the Grange with us?” he asked, as they finished their coffee.
    “What
do you mean!” Mrs Wilby broke in sharply.  “Of course she’s coming with us.”
    “Now,
now, Mrs Wilby.  Let’s not jump to any conclusions.  Anna is new to the job and
she might have made her own plans.  After all, she has got family in
Wakefield.”  He turned to her.  “If you want to spend a few days with your
sons, then it’s OK by me.”
    Jason’s
voice had been gentle, almost comforting and as she searched his expression,
her mind raced with the thought of telling him about her husband.  But then he
might react badly when he discovered her lie and would be disgusted with her. 
He had already gone through so much with Kiera’s betrayal and he surely
wouldn’t tolerate an employee’s deceit.  Would he sack her?  But worse than
that, much worse than that, was the humiliation she would feel when his eyes
told her he was disappointed and hurt by her deception.  She knew he regarded
her highly and she couldn’t bear the thought that his respect would disappear
with one swift blow.
    Anna
licked her lips and tried to answer calmly.  “I thought I might go back up to
Wakefield, to visit my boys when they get their exam results.”
    “Well,
if that’s what you want to do, then you must do it,” said Jason.
    She
scrutinised their faces for reassurance and found it.  She turned to Jason. 
“But that’s not until mid-August and there would be no problem seeing your home
and meeting your mother before that, if you don’t mind me coming.”
    “Great!”
said Ben.
    Anna
tried to read Jason’s expression, but all she saw was his wonderful smile.
    “It’ll
be lovely us all going there together,” said Mrs Wilby. Turning to Anna she
added, “I hope you’ve got a posh frock for the birthday dance!”
    Anna
almost choked on her coffee.  “Birthday dance?”
    Jason
gave a chuckle.  “Remember?  The dance my mother is holding at the Grange.”
    “Well,
I’ve got a few nice evening dresses but they’re back in Wakefield,” said Anna.
    “They’re
no good there, my dear,” laughed Mrs Wilby.
    “I
didn’t think to bring anything formal,” said Anna pulling a face.
    “Well,
it’s the one time we can all get dressed up,” said Mrs Wilby.
    “Oh
dear, then I suppose my clogs and shawl will be out of the question.”
    Jason
and Ben exchanged amused glances. 
    “Not
to worry,” said Mrs Wilby.  “We’ll go into Bristol tomorrow and spend some time
shopping.  I do love shopping.”
    Back
in her room, Anna tipped out the rubbish from the wastepaper basket and found
the crumpled letter.  She smoothed it out and read it again, anger pouring from
her as the words stung her once more.  And then she decided to destroy it,
after all, she couldn’t let Mrs Thompson find it and burning it would make her
feel better.  Anna made her way down to the kitchen.  There was no one