Chapter Twenty-Six
‘Daniel, have you got a minute?’
Daniel frowned at the sight, once more, of his ex-wife standing on his doorstep. Despite her assertions that she’d accepted his decision not to get back together, she was becoming adept at finding excuses to talk to him.
He glanced at his watch in an attempt to fob her off. ‘I’ve only got a few minutes.’
‘That’s fine,’ she replied. He felt he had no choice but to invite her in. He led her through to the living room but didn’t offer her any refreshment. Unperturbed, she settled herself down on his large sofa. He selected a chair and sat as far away from her as possible.
‘I’ve got a bit of a problem with the charity ball on Saturday,’ she said.
‘Oh, yes?’ Lucinda was a supporter of the Brain Trust — her cousin’s husband had died of a brain tumour at the age of twenty-six — and every year she held a charity event to raise funds. With her wealthy Cheshire contacts she usually raised a huge amount of money, and when they’d been married he’d helped her organise it. Since their split, he’d always attended the event in support of the charity, and in memory of Craig, whom he’d grown close to during his marriage to Lucinda.
‘The MC for the night is ill and won’t be able to attend next Saturday.’
‘And?’
‘And I need a replacement. I wondered if you would do the honours?’
‘Me?’ Daniel was astounded. Although he had a certain amount of fame, he much preferred to be behind the camera than standing in front of a crowd. ‘Oh, I don’t think so — it’s not my kind of thing. I doubt I’d make a very good job of it. What about Axel? He’s much better suited than me.’
Lucinda pulled a face. ‘Axel won’t be here. He’s doing a gig in London.’
‘Oh, I see.’
‘I really can’t think of anyone better, Daniel. You’ve been involved with the charity for years and despite your misgivings you’ll do a brilliant job.’
Daniel sighed. ‘Very well, I’ll do it, but don’t blame me if I make a hash of it.’
‘You won’t, I know you won’t.’ Lucinda leaped up and threw her arms around him. Daniel gently extricated himself from her grasp. He had a feeling he was going to regret this.
* * *
‘Dad, when’s Anna coming up again?’ Ben asked when Daniel dropped him off at Lucinda’s on Monday morning.
‘I don’t know, son,’ Daniel replied. ‘She’s really busy at the moment with her work, but I’m sure she’ll be here as soon as she can.’
‘I hope so, because I really miss her.’
‘Me too,’ Daniel replied, wishing he wasn’t so bogged down with his own work while she was in London. She never had time to talk when he phoned at the moment, was always just rushing off somewhere and often forgot to phone him back when she’d said she would, and he was beginning to worry that she was avoiding him. He feared that he was losing her. Maybe he should have decided to set the new school up in London, then he would have had more time to spend with her. But the flip side of that would be having less time to spend with Ben. Whatever he did, he was going to lose out. He stayed in the car while Ben got out. Lucinda came out on the doorstep, but he waved to her cheerily and drove off, avoiding yet another conversation.
Charlotte was coming up on the train to see the new venue for the photography school and he couldn’t wait to show her what he’d found. The property was in Didsbury, just outside of Manchester, and although it was in the Manchester commuter belt, and a bit of a posh area, he thought that by being based there he might encourage sponsorship. Although he’d be working for free, he hoped he could get others to sponsor the students to help them throughout the course. That way it would spread the costs and give the students a bit of security in the long term. It had been Charlotte’s idea and it was one he was really excited about.
‘It’s a great venue,’ Charlotte said as Daniel snapped some publicity shots. It had a number of rooms that could be portioned off for private editing studios, a larger area for portrait work, another area that could be used as a lecture theatre with smaller rooms for offices. Although initially he would be the only teacher, he hoped that over time he would be able to recruit more. That would free him up to concentrate on other things. He wondered if, after her exhibition, Anna might be interested in getting involved too. At least then they would be able to see a bit more of each other.
‘So, how’s life in London?’ he asked when he and Charlotte were seated in an Italian restaurant, enjoying some pasta for a late lunch.
‘Great,’ Charlotte said between mouthfuls. ‘Busy. Things are really beginning to take off. I’ve rented an office and I’ve even taken on some staff. Youngsters, mainly, eager to learn the ropes, but their ambition and enthusiasm is amazing, and of course they are so much more tech and social savvy than I will ever be.’
‘Sounds good. Have you seen much of Anna?’
He’d tried to frame the question casually, but he realised from the way she was staring at him intently that he had failed spectacularly.
‘Some, but she’s really busy.’
‘So I’d noticed.’
‘Something wrong?’
‘Not really, no.’ He sighed. ‘I’m missing her, that’s all.’
‘I’m sure you are. But don’t forget she’s covering some of your work while you’re up here. She’s also working hard on the exhibition, and with Eva. The book’s coming along well and I’ve offered to get in touch with some of my contacts when she’s finished so that there’s a good chance of getting it published.’
‘That’s good. I can’t wait to see it. It will really raise awareness for what’s happened.’ The investigation into the cause of the explosion was still ongoing, but while no one knew how it had happened, the effects of it were more than evident.
‘And she’s been spending time with her family of course,’ Charlotte continued. ‘I think she’s feeling guilty because she’s not been spending so much time with them recently.’
‘Yes, she did mention that. It’s just so hard trying to fit everything in.’
‘I think she’s worried about the exhibition too, because it’s up here and not on her home turf.’
‘She’s no need to worry about that. I’ve seen the photos and they’re brilliant.’
‘I know, I’ve said the same. And the good thing is, at least being up here, she doesn’t need to worry about her ex trying to sabotage it.’
‘The slimy git.’
Charlotte nodded in agreement. ‘But I think he’ll be getting his comeuppance soon.’
Daniel looked up from his pasta. ‘How so?’
‘Well, you know Daddy’s a golfing buddy of Arthur Whigmore?’
‘Yes.’
‘They met up recently and Arthur’s noticed that his gallery isn’t being run as successfully as he thought it was. Not like it was running when Anna was there.’
‘That’s because she was doing Mark’s work for him.’
‘Precisely. Arthur’s getting more involved in the gallery and Mark’s job is on the line. So I think he’s got enough to worry about at the moment.’
‘And would Arthur sack his future son-in-law?’
Charlotte laughed. ‘That’s the other thing. Mark’s been a bit of a naughty boy there, too. Jemima’s got wind of it, so there might not even be a wedding.’
‘Karma.’ Daniel smiled, glad that Anna’s ex might be getting what was coming to him.
‘And as for Anna,’ she said. ‘There’s a very good chance that you’ll be seeing her at the weekend.’
‘I will?’
‘Yes, she’s talking about coming up to do some last-minute photography. Some of the shots she took aren’t quite what she wanted. Didn’t she tell you?’
‘Not yet, no,’ he replied, wondering why she hadn’t. And then, in a panic, he remembered the charity event. If Anna was coming up at the weekend, she’d need to know about that.
As soon as Charlotte was on the train back to London, he phoned Anna from the car.
‘Hiya.’ She answered the phone cheerily enough. He let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding. He’d been half-expecting that she wouldn’t even answer his call.
‘Hi, how are you doing?’
‘I’m good, thanks,’ she replied. ‘Although I’m having difficulty with some of the images I took in Chester for the exhibition. Daniel, I could really do with your help.’
He felt a rush of elation that she still wanted his opinion. ‘Of course, I’m happy to help, whenever, you know that.’
‘I’m glad you said that.’ He thought he heard a note of relief in her voice. ‘I wasn’t sure. I know you’re busy and I didn’t want to disturb you.’
‘I’m never too busy for you. Charlotte said you were thinking of coming up for the weekend.’
‘I was thinking of it, yes, but I didn’t want to make a decision until I’d spoken to you first. Would that be all right?’
‘Of course it is.’
‘Great, I’ll get the train up on Friday afternoon then?’
‘Perfect. I’ll meet the train. There is one thing, though. I’ve been asked to MC at a charity event on Saturday night.’
‘Oh, that’s posh. I wouldn’t have thought it would be your kind of thing.’
‘It’s not really. I’ve been kind of press-ganged into it. It’s a charity I’ve been involved with for years. Well, actually, it’s more Lucinda. She hosts an annual event and the MC has let her down, so she’s pushed me into doing it.’
‘Oh, I see. Well, that’s not a problem. I don’t mind staying in on Saturday.’
‘I’d rather you came with me.’
‘You would?’
‘Yes, of course I would.’
‘But won’t you be otherwise engaged?’
‘Only for some of the time. There’ll be plenty of time for us to be together, and it will be a much better evening if you’re with me.’
‘Then of course I’ll come.’ He couldn’t help noticing the hesitation in her voice.
‘Let me know what time your train is on Friday and I’ll pick you up.’
As he ended the call, the world seemed a much brighter place. He’d missed Anna so much and he couldn’t wait to see her in a few days’ time. When they were apart the doubts began to creep in, but at least while she was here they could talk about the future face to face. Beyond everything, he knew with certainty that he wanted to make it work between them. Whatever it took.