Chapter Eleven
When Anna woke, the sun was streaming through the large bay window. They’d worked late into the night, both losing track of time. By the time she’d finally come to bed, she’d been exhausted, falling instantly into a dreamless sleep. Stretching in the comfortable bed, she couldn’t remember a time when she’d slept so well — she had half a mind to turn over and drift back off again. Then she remembered where she was and why, and hurriedly grabbed her phone from the bedside table. Shit! It was already nine thirty. In a panic, she threw back the covers and raced into the shower, hoping she wouldn’t receive the sharp edge of Daniel’s tongue for getting up so late.
When she reached the kitchen it was to the delicious smell of coffee and bacon. It was a surprise to find Daniel standing in front of the hob, turning the rashers over in the pan.
‘I’m sorry I’m so late up.’ Anna blurted out her apology as she entered the kitchen. Daniel turned and, to her surprise, smiled at her.
‘Not to worry, we had a late night last night. You deserve a lie-in.’
‘Oh, thank you,’ she replied, slightly at a loss. Daniel smiling at her was an unfamiliar sight and she wasn’t sure how to react.
‘Help yourself to coffee. Will bacon and eggs do you?’ he asked.
‘That would be lovely, thanks.’ It was also an unusual experience to be waited on by a man, but she wasn’t going to turn her nose up at the experience.
‘Ben’s already eaten, up with the lark as usual. I’m going to take him to football shortly and then this afternoon he’s got a party in Chester, so you’ll have the house to yourself.’
‘Oh, okay, that should give me plenty of time to do the editing and then maybe we could finalise everything tonight?’
‘That would be good, give us both the day off tomorrow. If we can get them sent over early, we can have a day out? Go to a country park and maybe lunch in a pub somewhere?’
‘Sounds good.’ Anna smiled. Although she was here to work, this was turning out to be more of a holiday than her usual weekend.
‘And if you manage to get everything done this morning, maybe you’d like to come into Chester with us and you can have a look around while Ben is at his party?’
‘I’d like that,’ she replied. ‘Only if I get finished in time.’
Daniel served up breakfast and she realised how hungry she was. If she’d had any time today, she’d been planning on walking into the village and taking some pictures, but Chester sounded like a good place to take pictures anyway. It was a different type of city to add to her portfolio.
As she ate she noticed that Daniel was staring at her and smiling.
‘What?’ she asked, uncomfortable at his scrutiny.
‘Nothing. I was just enjoying watching you eat. Lucinda always picked at her food and it used to really annoy me when I’d gone to the trouble of cooking for her.’
‘Do you cook often?’
‘All the time. I have to, living on my own. But really, I was the one who used to cook the most when we were married. Lucinda did try, but it was costing a fortune in replacement pans.’
Anna laughed. ‘It’s not like that in our house. The men barely know how to work the microwave.’
‘You live with a lot of men?’
She put her fork down with a clatter, realising that she’d let her guard drop. ‘I live at home with my dad and two brothers.’
‘Wow, and they don’t help out?’
‘Not if they can avoid it.’ Anna sighed. After the last twenty-four hours, and the fact that Daniel had been so open and honest with her, she felt that maybe she should open up to him after all. ‘My mum was a traditional housewife, who did everything for us all. We were her life’s work and when she died, everything fell apart. Dad was distraught and the boys were only little, so it was up to me to keep everything together.’
‘That must have been really difficult for you.’
She nodded. ‘I still miss my mum every day. And I know she would have wanted to keep the family together, but she also wanted me to have my own life. It’s just difficult getting the others to understand.’ She felt herself close to tears as she explained, but the last thing she wanted was for him to see her cry, so she pulled herself together. With a smile she added, ‘But I’m working on it.’
* * *
As he cheered Ben on from the sidelines of the football pitch, Daniel thought about what Anna had told him over breakfast. He’d been stunned by her revelation, and not a little ashamed of himself. He’d just assumed that as a single twenty-something she’d be out on the town every night, living her best life, not holding together a household consisting of three men, who it seemed couldn’t even boil an egg. Both his parents had worked, his father in finance and his mother as a barrister, and both he and his brother had been taught to cook and fend for themselves. It must have been such a burden for Anna to take on that kind of responsibility when she was just a teenager herself. And he hadn’t exactly been kind to her, he thought with a pang of guilt. His thoughts slipped back to his uncle and how he’d mentored him. Anna hadn’t been given opportunities in life, but maybe he could help to redress the balance. Maybe he could even go further than that and extend it to other youngsters keen to learn. Preferably ones who came from disadvantaged backgrounds, who would never normally have such an opportunity. But first things first, he’d start with Anna. She’d made a good job at being his assistant so far, but now he wanted to find out what her own photography skills were like.
When he got back from football, he made them all sandwiches. He settled Ben in front of the television and took the food and fresh coffee into the study where Anna was working. She looked up blearily as he came through the door.
‘Oh, Daniel, hi, are you back already? I’d completely lost track of time.’
‘That happens to me too when I’m editing. How are you getting on?’
She leaned back in her chair. ‘Good, I think. In fact I’m just about finished. Do you want to have a look?’
He put down the tray he was carrying and walked round to her side of the desk. As she flicked through the photos he couldn’t help but grin. She’d done a brilliant job, and so much quicker than he’d expected. ‘Well done, Anna, I’m impressed, and I’d say with just a few more tweaks we can send them over and have the rest of the weekend off.’
‘Really?’ she asked. ‘Are they okay?’
He was touched by her lack of confidence. ‘More than okay. You’ve done a great job and I’m really pleased you came with me. Time with Ben is precious and I either would have had to work here this weekend or swap my weekend with him, which I hate doing.’
‘I’ve enjoyed it,’ Anna said. ‘It’s nice to see how the other half lives.’
He laughed with her. ‘Well, the other half are going into Chester if you’d like to join us?’
‘I’d love to. I’ve never been to Chester before. In fact, I haven’t really been much outside London.’
Her mention of London made him realise he’d taken her away from her family for the weekend. As she’d finished the work she’d come here to do, maybe he should give her the opportunity of going home early?
‘Unless, of course, you’d like to go home?’ he asked hesitantly. He really hoped her answer would be no, but he felt he had to offer. ‘I could drop you off at the station if that’s what you’d prefer?’
‘God, no!’ she answered straight away, delighting him. ‘I’ve managed to escape chores for the weekend — I’m not going back until I absolutely have to.’
‘Good, I’m glad,’ he said. ‘Now, this coffee’s going cold. Let’s eat and, while we do, there’s something I want to talk to you about.’