flash of silver irises contrasted with black hair, a lopsided smile … ‘First off, you need to call these—’
‘Oh, he must be.’ Ellen clapped her hands together in delight. ‘You’re blushing!’
‘I am not blushing,’ Annabel insisted despite being able to feel the heat radiate from her cheeks. She pushed up the sleeves of her suddenly-too-warm wool sweater, cursing her fair colouring which made even the mildest flush stand out vividly. ‘I’m getting frustrated because we need to get this sorted. Now, see this—’
‘Is he tall?’
Annabel closed her eyes and took a deep breath. ‘He’s nothing important, Mother. Just an overbearing, ill-mannered barman. This, on the other hand –’ she waved a county court notice between them ‘– is something very important indeed.’
But her mother didn’t seem to think so, already losing her focus on the present. Her attention wandered over Annabel’s shoulder, gaze going to the photo sitting on top of the bookshelf. ‘Your father was lovely and tall,’ she mused, getting a faraway haze in her eye as she looked back into the distant past. ‘And you were always such a daddy’s girl; I think that’s something you’d definitely look for in a man.’
At the mention of her father, the usual ache set up in Annabel’s chest, a muted echo of the fingers of fear that had squeezed tight around her heart on the day she’d had the solid foundation of warmth and strength and safety torn from her young life.
How different would things be now if only …
No.
She cut the thought off. Pushed aside the past as she tugged her sleeves back down. What ifs were pointless. They didn’t help solve the problems of the here and now.
Looking at the trance-like expression on her mother’s face, she decided that the immediate here and now was going nowhere fast. As disappointing as it was not to have even made a start on the paperwork, at least the day wouldn’t be a complete waste – she still had the prospect of engineering Aidan Flynn’s imminent downfall to look forward to. And with her stress levels running at an all-time high due to the pressures she was under at both work and home, she really needed something to give soon.
She checked the time and pushed to her feet. ‘Listen, Mum. I have to get ready now. How about we try tackling this again tonight?’
‘Hmm?’ Her mother’s attention meandered back to the present. ‘Oh,’ she said, blinking. ‘I’m out tonight. Sorry, darling, did I forget to mention it?’
‘Yes.’ Annabel was surprised. ‘Where are you off to?’
‘To some book club thingy. I got in touch with an old friend and she invited me along. I thought it might be a good idea to start getting out and meeting some new people.’
‘That sounds great. Who’s the friend?’
‘Oh, no one you’d remember.’ Ellen inspected her nails.
‘Where’s the book club?’ Annabel cringed inside to hear herself. This must be what it was like being a parent – trying to satisfy those protective instincts without sounding interrogative and suspicious. And failing.
‘Not far, I don’t think. I’ve got her address written down somewhere. I’ll have to get a taxi as I don’t really know my way around yet.’ Ellen gave her a needy look. ‘If you could leave me that money we discussed?’
‘I can let you have twenty pounds. That’s all I’ve got on me.’ Trying to stretch her budget to cover the extra expense of supporting the two of them meant that cash was getting tight. Luckily, her own day-to-day expenses were minimised by her season travel pass.
‘Twenty’s fine, Bel,’ her mother said, although she didn’t quite manage to hide her look of disappointment. Annabel took comfort from the fact that after paying for taxi fares there wouldn’t be much left over to spend on booze.
EIGHT
‘No way in hell.’ Dressed immaculately in her usual crease-free perfection, it appeared that Annabel Frost’s only concession to ‘day
‘Oh, he must be.’ Ellen clapped her hands together in delight. ‘You’re blushing!’
‘I am not blushing,’ Annabel insisted despite being able to feel the heat radiate from her cheeks. She pushed up the sleeves of her suddenly-too-warm wool sweater, cursing her fair colouring which made even the mildest flush stand out vividly. ‘I’m getting frustrated because we need to get this sorted. Now, see this—’
‘Is he tall?’
Annabel closed her eyes and took a deep breath. ‘He’s nothing important, Mother. Just an overbearing, ill-mannered barman. This, on the other hand –’ she waved a county court notice between them ‘– is something very important indeed.’
But her mother didn’t seem to think so, already losing her focus on the present. Her attention wandered over Annabel’s shoulder, gaze going to the photo sitting on top of the bookshelf. ‘Your father was lovely and tall,’ she mused, getting a faraway haze in her eye as she looked back into the distant past. ‘And you were always such a daddy’s girl; I think that’s something you’d definitely look for in a man.’
At the mention of her father, the usual ache set up in Annabel’s chest, a muted echo of the fingers of fear that had squeezed tight around her heart on the day she’d had the solid foundation of warmth and strength and safety torn from her young life.
How different would things be now if only …
No.
She cut the thought off. Pushed aside the past as she tugged her sleeves back down. What ifs were pointless. They didn’t help solve the problems of the here and now.
Looking at the trance-like expression on her mother’s face, she decided that the immediate here and now was going nowhere fast. As disappointing as it was not to have even made a start on the paperwork, at least the day wouldn’t be a complete waste – she still had the prospect of engineering Aidan Flynn’s imminent downfall to look forward to. And with her stress levels running at an all-time high due to the pressures she was under at both work and home, she really needed something to give soon.
She checked the time and pushed to her feet. ‘Listen, Mum. I have to get ready now. How about we try tackling this again tonight?’
‘Hmm?’ Her mother’s attention meandered back to the present. ‘Oh,’ she said, blinking. ‘I’m out tonight. Sorry, darling, did I forget to mention it?’
‘Yes.’ Annabel was surprised. ‘Where are you off to?’
‘To some book club thingy. I got in touch with an old friend and she invited me along. I thought it might be a good idea to start getting out and meeting some new people.’
‘That sounds great. Who’s the friend?’
‘Oh, no one you’d remember.’ Ellen inspected her nails.
‘Where’s the book club?’ Annabel cringed inside to hear herself. This must be what it was like being a parent – trying to satisfy those protective instincts without sounding interrogative and suspicious. And failing.
‘Not far, I don’t think. I’ve got her address written down somewhere. I’ll have to get a taxi as I don’t really know my way around yet.’ Ellen gave her a needy look. ‘If you could leave me that money we discussed?’
‘I can let you have twenty pounds. That’s all I’ve got on me.’ Trying to stretch her budget to cover the extra expense of supporting the two of them meant that cash was getting tight. Luckily, her own day-to-day expenses were minimised by her season travel pass.
‘Twenty’s fine, Bel,’ her mother said, although she didn’t quite manage to hide her look of disappointment. Annabel took comfort from the fact that after paying for taxi fares there wouldn’t be much left over to spend on booze.
EIGHT
‘No way in hell.’ Dressed immaculately in her usual crease-free perfection, it appeared that Annabel Frost’s only concession to ‘day
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