Chapter Twelve
Anna had been glowing with pleasure at his words of praise, but her throat had gone dry when he’d offered her the chance to go home. When she’d said she’d rather stay, he’d seemed pleased. But had he secretly wanted her to go, so that he could spend the rest of the weekend alone with Ben?
‘Okay, but just to make things clear I’m happy to go home, if you’d prefer it? I don’t want to impose on your time with Ben.’
‘Not at all. He’s really taken to you. He told me on the way home from football.’
‘I like him too. He’s a great boy. By the way, how did the football go?’
‘We won. Three-one and Ben scored a goal. He was chuffed to bits.’
‘I’m glad. He’s a great athlete. I was never very good at sports myself. I much preferred the art room.’
‘Me too actually — he must get it from Lucinda’s side of the family. Anyway, I’m glad you mentioned art, because that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.’
‘Oh, yes?’ Her throat went dry again — she reached out for a sandwich and took a bite, although she didn’t think she’d be able to swallow.
‘Yes, it’s about your photography. What are your subjects?’
She managed to get the food down, surprised at his question. He’d never shown the slightest interest in her photography before, but this weekend was a revelation. They were certainly getting to know each other better.
‘Urban landscapes mainly,’ she replied. ‘I can’t do people because of data protection, but I like comparing old and new buildings, especially around the East End where there’s such a contrast.’
‘Sounds interesting,’ he said. ‘I think you’ll find there’s quite a bit of contrast around Chester too. There are some beautiful old buildings and some very ugly modern ones. Would you like to take a camera with you?’
She gasped. ‘I’d love to. I usually just use my phone. It’s got a decent enough camera on it, but it will be a treat to use a proper one. Only if you don’t mind.’
‘Not at all.’ He smiled. ‘And later tonight, perhaps you’d show me what you’ve taken. I’d be interested to see what kind of photographer you are.’
‘Really? You’d do that?’
‘I’d love to,’ he said. ‘I’ve learned a lot over the years, particularly because I had some good mentors. I’d like to mentor you, if that’s okay?’
Anna nearly fell off her chair. She couldn’t believe her luck. This was the opportunity she’d been waiting for all her life. ‘That would be more than all right,’ she eventually managed to say.
* * *
It was a beautiful late May afternoon when Daniel dropped Anna off in the centre of Chester.
‘I’ll pick you up here at four. Is that okay?’
‘Perfect,’ she said as she looked around her. Daniel had pulled into a layby next to the cathedral, its stone structure surrounded by magnificent gardens. Instantly she was itching to get Daniel’s camera out.
‘Now, you won’t get lost will you?’
‘Of course I won’t.’ She looked up to see a playful smile on his lips. ‘I’ve always got Google Maps, and a tongue in my head,’ she added, returning his smile. ‘I usually get there in the end.’
‘See you later, then.’ He switched the engine back on and she waved to them both as they drove off.
After taking some pictures of the beautiful cathedral and the town hall opposite, Anna walked into the tourist centre and picked up a map. She spent the next two hours happily wandering and photographing, walking along the city walls, which had been erected as part of a fort to protect the city when the Romans first occupied it, around 75 AD. She read that the walls were the most complete Roman city walls in Britain and were almost two miles long. As she walked, she thought the views were amazing, both for her own eyes and for her camera, and she knew she could fall in love with this city. The East End fascinated her with its own history and regeneration, but here she felt something much more peaceful, as though the city was proud of its ancient architecture. Daniel had been right though — standing between the beautiful buildings were modern monstrosities, mainly restaurants glaring in their gaudiness, but she took pictures of them too, because they provided the perfect contrast to the sense of history.
By the time she made her way back to the cathedral, her legs were aching but she was elated at having had such a pleasant afternoon. It was a joy to be away from the constraints of her life at home. It almost felt like a holiday and it made her even more determined to sort things out when she got back.
* * *
‘Let’s see what you took today, then,’ Daniel said when Ben was tucked up in bed and they’d finished editing the photos from the shoot. While he’d been preparing a delicious steak meal for them both earlier, she’d spent a pleasant hour with Ben helping him build Lego from an enormous box. He was a lovely boy, bright and entertaining, and she enjoyed spending time alone with him. She was amazed at how well he had adapted to her being around and she was looking forward to going out with them both tomorrow. She couldn’t believe how much her life had changed in such a short time.
She uploaded the photos from the camera onto the laptop and passed them over to Daniel, biting her lip with nerves as she wondered what he would think of them. She prayed he wouldn’t have the same reaction as Mark, and tell her that they were no good. She waited, her nerves increasing by the second as he stared intently at the screen, clicking from one photograph to the next.
Eventually he looked up. ‘They are really good.’
‘Sorry? What did you say?’ Were her ears deceiving her?
‘They are really good,’ he repeated. ‘Look, let me show you.’
She moved up on the sofa so that he could sit beside her and felt her heart quicken at the heat from his leg so close to hers. She mentally shook her head to disperse that thought. He was only sitting so close to her so that he could give her the benefit of his experience. And he was her boss. What he was about to say was far more important than how she felt sitting next to him.
‘You see here, how you’ve captured the light?’
She nodded as he pointed to the screen. It was a picture she’d taken of a bridge spanning the River Dee. The sun had dipped just behind the trees as she had taken it, making the bridge almost ethereal. ‘It’s perfect. And this one.’
He flicked to the next photo and she listened in earnest as he pointed out what was good and what could be improved with each photo, and how she could have adjusted the camera angle or lighting to create a different effect. He made it all sound so simple and she wished she had a notepad so that she could write down everything he said.
‘You make a good teacher,’ she said. ‘I wish I’d known someone like you when I’d first started out. Most of what I’ve learned has been self-taught.’
He smiled at that comment. ‘It’s not just about teaching, though. You have to have instinct too, which you certainly seem to have. The next quiet day we have in the studio, can you bring in some of your other work? I’d like to see what else you’ve done.’
‘Really?’
‘I’m not saying this lightly, Anna. I think you have incredible talent. That’s not to say that there isn’t work to be done here. A lot of work in fact, but if you’re willing to put the effort in, I can see you creating photographs worthy of exhibition.’
‘Really?’ she asked, again unsure if her ears were deceiving her. The fact that Daniel Redfern thought her photographs were, or could be, good enough to exhibit was completely mind-blowing. Then reality kicked in.
‘I haven’t got the money for an exhibition.’
‘All you need is a venue.’
‘And an agent.’
‘You don’t really need an agent. Not if you have the right people on your side,’ Daniel said, a thoughtful expression on his face. He fell silent and she was unsure how to respond. Eventually he said, ‘There’s work to be done on the photos first though.’
‘Okay, and you really think they might be good enough?’
‘Let’s not run before we can walk. As I said, you have instinct and talent, but you still need to back that up with hard work.’
She nodded, still not really taking it all in. ‘Well, hard work isn’t something I’ve ever been afraid of.’
He cut her off. ‘And as for money, I can stump up the cost of the venue and you can pay me back with your sales, if you want to.’
‘You think I’d manage to sell anything?’
He smiled. ‘I’d put my career on it.’
* * *
Anna was in a bubble of happiness as Daniel’s Range Rover sped its way down the motorway to London. They’d spent a glorious day on a tree-top walk around Delamere Forest. She’d thoroughly enjoyed being immersed in nature, and it was the perfect way to use up Ben’s boundless energy, as well as an entirely new experience for Anna. After that, they’d eaten well in a country pub — huge portions of roast dinner with large fluffy Yorkshire puddings. It had been the first time she’d eaten Sunday lunch without having to cook it herself for a long time. She’d sat back in her chair, savouring a cup of coffee, thinking life couldn’t get much better, and thanked both Daniel and Ben for their company. She’d thoroughly enjoyed her ‘working’ weekend.
But the bubble of joy burst the moment she got home. The house itself seemed suddenly cramped compared to Daniel’s house, though that wasn’t the only thing. There was no one in when she opened the front door, but the smell of stale beer assaulted her nostrils. She went into the living room, which looked like a bomb had hit it. A bomb that contained empty beer cans, crisp packets and empty takeaway cartons, littering practically every surface in the room and over most of the floor. Anna gasped in shock and moved down the hallway towards the kitchen. That was even worse — the sink was piled high with dirty crockery and rubbish covered the worktops. Anna was utterly dismayed. She’d only been gone for two days, and to think she’d spent Thursday afternoon cleaning the house and cooking for them to make life easy while she was away. They didn’t deserve her.
Her first instinct was to start clearing up the mess, because she knew she couldn’t live like this, but something stopped her. Why should she clear this up? This was their doing, not hers, and if she let them get away with it, like she had for so many years, this would be her lot for evermore. This weekend had shown her all too clearly that life didn’t have to be this way. She wished she had the finances to move out and let them fend for themselves, but that was just wishful thinking. She might not have the money to leave, but she was damned if she was going to put up with this kind of behaviour anymore.
With a determination that surprised herself, she turned away from the mess and walked upstairs. As she got to the top, Harry came out of his bedroom, his face stricken at the sight of her.
‘I’m sorry, Anna, I tried to clear up today, but Jack told me not to. And you know what he’s like when he’s on one.’
Anna certainly did know. When Jack went into one of his rages, it was best to keep out of his way. She nodded in sympathy and Harry continued. ‘He said it was your punishment for going away for the weekend.’
‘My punishment?’ She gaped at him, astounded. ‘So, I’m to be punished for trying to have a life, am I?’
‘I tried to tell him it wasn’t fair on you, but he wasn’t having any of it. And Dad just lets him get away with it, because he doesn’t want the confrontation.’
‘It’s okay, I know what they’re both like.’
‘I’ve spent most of the weekend in my bedroom, but it was pretty hard to study because of the noise they made, watching the football during the day and inviting their mates round last night. That’s why everything is in an even worse state, I had to put my ear plugs in and even then I still couldn’t concentrate enough to revise properly.’
Anna felt a pang of sympathy for her youngest brother. He was the only one who ever tried to help, and that selfish lot couldn’t even go out to the pub to give him the peace and quiet he needed to study. With a jolt she remembered what tomorrow’s date was.
‘Oh, Harry, I’m so sorry. You’ve got your first exam tomorrow as well. Why didn’t you just tell them, or at least tell Dad, so that they could’ve given you some peace and quiet?’
He shrugged. ‘You know what Jack’s like when he’s been drinking. I thought it would cause more trouble than it’s worth. Yesterday I went to the library and spent most of the day there. If nothing else, it was a change of scene.’
She really hoped that, despite them, he did well in his exams so that he could get away from this place.
‘How are you feeling about tomorrow?’
‘Okay. To be honest I’ll be glad to start ticking them off the list.’
‘I’ll bet.’
She’d never had the experience herself, but this was the result of two years’ hard work and he must be looking forward to the end of it, so he could move on to the next stage.
‘Just think, in a month it will all be over and you’ll have the summer to do as you like, with no revision.’
‘Sounds like heaven.’ He closed his eyes.
‘I’ll do whatever I can to help you through it,’ she said, although how she was going to fit it all in, she didn’t know. ‘But I think the next few days are going to be difficult. I’m not going to give in to Jack, so we might be in for a bumpy ride.’
‘That’s okay. I’m with you on this. I don’t see why they can’t pull their weight.’
‘It’s a pity there isn’t somewhere else you could go and stay for a bit so that you can study in peace.’
Harry smiled. ‘Don’t worry about me. I’m not going to let them put me off. I’m going to get my grades so that I can move away.’
‘That’s the spirit. Although, I’ll miss you.’
‘I’ll miss you too. I missed you this weekend. But did you have a good time?’
She grinned back at him. ‘Oh, I had a brilliant time.’ She told him all about Daniel, Ben, his house and the glorious countryside. And then she told him that Daniel had offered to become her mentor.
‘Oh, that’s fantastic, Anna. It’s just the thing you need to get what you want out of life. You really should go for it and don’t let the rest of them get in the way.’
‘I won’t,’ she said. And this time she meant it.