it was Sally’s intention never to pry.
Over the years, Sally had learned to tread carefully, and because of her discretion, her friendship with Anne had flourished.
She had no idea what had brought Anne here to Bedford, and she had no idea of what her life had been before, or what her future plans were. In the end, it didn’t really matter.
Since she came to work at Woolworths, Anne had been a great friend to Sally. She had proven herself to be a kind and compassionate young woman, who cared very much for those close to her. Now Sally could not even imagine what it would be like without Anne. To Sally it seemed as though Anne had always been there, and always would be.
Sally herself had no brothers or sisters, so always having Anne around made her feel complete in a way; kind of warm and happy inside.
Lately, though, she had become concerned that whatever secrets Anne was hiding had begun slowly to destroy her peace of mind.
For a time, the two of them were lost in thought: Anne training her attention on the road ahead, which was getting busier by the minute, Sally looking ahead to a wonderful day out, and the fun that might await them.
While she was concentrating on driving, Anne was thinking that she was even more determined than ever to distance herself from the dark memories that had robbed her of a normal life. Sometimes, she could go for weeks, even months, without letting the past invade her peace of mind, then out of the blue something would happen to trigger it all off again; like this morning, when she caught a glimpse of that stranger through her driving mirror.
Try as she might, she could not get the dark-haired man out of her memory. She could see him now in her mind’s eye, clear as a bell and larger than life.
It was the way he had walked along the street, in that same, confident manner as her tormentor.
It was the shifty manner in which he had glanced about … like a cat watching for a mouse.
It was the shock of dark hair, and the straight shoulders … like the posture of a military man.
She had tried so hard to put him out of her mind, and now, thanks to Sally and her innocent chatter, she was beginning to feel a little bit easier.
So, as they neared Yarmouth, Anne promised herself again that she would make a concentrated effort to put the past behind her once and for all. She knew it would not be an easy promise to keep, because Edward Carter had made her suffer badly, and that was not something she could shrug off. It went too deep. It had a life of its own.
That man, that monster, had taken a bright, young girl, and robbed her of all trust and innocence.
He taught her how to be subservient in order to survive. He taught her the very depths of hatred.
Until she met Edward Carter, she had never known the true meaning of fear. Now, try as she might to overcome it, that fear continued to haunt her in her nightmares and in her every waking hour.
All the promises in the world could not make her forget the pain and terror he had put her through. The memories were too strong.
The fear that he might one day track her down still haunted her every waking hour.
CHAPTER SIX
T WO HOURS AFTER leaving home, they were on the outskirts of Yarmouth.
‘Look, there’s the sign to the front.’ Sally pointed the way, straight on.
Anne headed the car towards the sea. ‘It’s just what the doctor ordered.’ She was really looking forward to their day out. ‘Sun, sea, and time on our hands.’
‘We-hey!’ Sally could not contain her excitement. ‘Yarmouth, here we come!’
‘Behave yourself.’ Anne laughed out loud. ‘You’re like a kid on her first outing to the seaside.’
‘Oh, but I do love the seaside!’ Sally would not be quietened. ‘We’ll go on every ride there is. And afterwards, if it’s warm enough, we’ll go for a swim in the sea. Let’s hope there are no sharks or anything nasty like that. Then we’ll lie in the sun and get a tan … and after that we’ll get
Over the years, Sally had learned to tread carefully, and because of her discretion, her friendship with Anne had flourished.
She had no idea what had brought Anne here to Bedford, and she had no idea of what her life had been before, or what her future plans were. In the end, it didn’t really matter.
Since she came to work at Woolworths, Anne had been a great friend to Sally. She had proven herself to be a kind and compassionate young woman, who cared very much for those close to her. Now Sally could not even imagine what it would be like without Anne. To Sally it seemed as though Anne had always been there, and always would be.
Sally herself had no brothers or sisters, so always having Anne around made her feel complete in a way; kind of warm and happy inside.
Lately, though, she had become concerned that whatever secrets Anne was hiding had begun slowly to destroy her peace of mind.
For a time, the two of them were lost in thought: Anne training her attention on the road ahead, which was getting busier by the minute, Sally looking ahead to a wonderful day out, and the fun that might await them.
While she was concentrating on driving, Anne was thinking that she was even more determined than ever to distance herself from the dark memories that had robbed her of a normal life. Sometimes, she could go for weeks, even months, without letting the past invade her peace of mind, then out of the blue something would happen to trigger it all off again; like this morning, when she caught a glimpse of that stranger through her driving mirror.
Try as she might, she could not get the dark-haired man out of her memory. She could see him now in her mind’s eye, clear as a bell and larger than life.
It was the way he had walked along the street, in that same, confident manner as her tormentor.
It was the shifty manner in which he had glanced about … like a cat watching for a mouse.
It was the shock of dark hair, and the straight shoulders … like the posture of a military man.
She had tried so hard to put him out of her mind, and now, thanks to Sally and her innocent chatter, she was beginning to feel a little bit easier.
So, as they neared Yarmouth, Anne promised herself again that she would make a concentrated effort to put the past behind her once and for all. She knew it would not be an easy promise to keep, because Edward Carter had made her suffer badly, and that was not something she could shrug off. It went too deep. It had a life of its own.
That man, that monster, had taken a bright, young girl, and robbed her of all trust and innocence.
He taught her how to be subservient in order to survive. He taught her the very depths of hatred.
Until she met Edward Carter, she had never known the true meaning of fear. Now, try as she might to overcome it, that fear continued to haunt her in her nightmares and in her every waking hour.
All the promises in the world could not make her forget the pain and terror he had put her through. The memories were too strong.
The fear that he might one day track her down still haunted her every waking hour.
CHAPTER SIX
T WO HOURS AFTER leaving home, they were on the outskirts of Yarmouth.
‘Look, there’s the sign to the front.’ Sally pointed the way, straight on.
Anne headed the car towards the sea. ‘It’s just what the doctor ordered.’ She was really looking forward to their day out. ‘Sun, sea, and time on our hands.’
‘We-hey!’ Sally could not contain her excitement. ‘Yarmouth, here we come!’
‘Behave yourself.’ Anne laughed out loud. ‘You’re like a kid on her first outing to the seaside.’
‘Oh, but I do love the seaside!’ Sally would not be quietened. ‘We’ll go on every ride there is. And afterwards, if it’s warm enough, we’ll go for a swim in the sea. Let’s hope there are no sharks or anything nasty like that. Then we’ll lie in the sun and get a tan … and after that we’ll get
Similar Books
