AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE PHONE RANG abruptly on Dee’s desk, breaking into her thoughts of the past. Automatically she reached for the receiver. Her caller was Ward Hunter, and after Dee had asked after Anna’s health, Ward began, ‘Look, I’ve been thinking. It might be a little unorthodox, but if you’d like me to come along and talk with your committee, explain to them how we’ve gone about things and—’
‘Ward, I’d love you to, but I’m afraid it won’t do any good. There’s a problem.’
Briefly Dee outlined to him what had happened.
‘You say this man has somehow persuaded Peter to give him Power of Attorney? Who is he, Dee? Is he related to Peter or—’
‘He’s not related to him but they are old friends,’ Dee interrupted him. ‘In fact, I...I actually know him myself,’ she added reluctantly.
‘Oh. I was just thinking that it might be worthwhile making some enquiries to see if he had put any kind of pressure on Peter to...’
‘No. No, I don’t think there’s any question of that. He’s very high up in one of the main aid agencies, Ward, and from what I know of him...’ She stopped, unwilling to go on. No one in her present life knew anything about Hugo, and that was the way she wanted things to stay. After all, what was the point in them knowing?
‘Mmm...what I can’t understand is why this Hugo, whatever his name is, has decided to oppose your plans, when anyone with any sense can see how beneficial they would be.’
‘Hugo thinks he’s on a moral crusade,’ Dee told him wryly.
‘Well, don’t give up yet,’ Ward encouraged her. ‘Surely there’s still a chance that you can persuade the rest of the committee...?
’
‘A very remote chance,’ Dee agreed. ‘A very remote chance.’
Five minutes after she had said goodbye to Ward the telephone rang again. This time it was Beth who was telephoning her.
‘Dee, how are you?’ she asked cheerfully. ‘I saw you in Lexminster today. Why didn’t you call and see me?’
Beth and her husband-to-be were living just outside the town in a pretty eighteenth-century farmhouse they had recently bought. Alex was the university’s youngest chair. He lectured in Modern History whilst Beth still owned and ran the pretty glassware shop in Rye-on-Averton with her partner, Kelly, which she rented from Dee.
‘I would have loved to but I didn’t have time,’ Dee fibbed.
‘No, I understand. Anna mentioned that you’re busy with your plans to open a workshop along the lines of Ward’s. Well, if you want someone to teach your teenagers all there is to know about making glass, Alex’s aunt is due over this summer, and, believe me, no one knows more about it than she does.’
Dutifully Dee laughed. She had met Alex’s aunt, and she knew that she was very much the matriarch of the Czech side of Alex’s family.
‘Look, I was wondering if you might be free for supper on Saturday night. I know it’s short notice, but Alex is having to entertain someone—something to do with setting up a new scholarship.’
‘If this someone is a he and you’re—’ Dee began firmly, but Beth anticipated her and laughed.
‘He is a he, but I promise you I’m not trying to matchmake. Please, Dee.’ Beth was beseeching her.
Unwillingly Dee gave in. The last thing she really felt like doing was being sociable.
‘Seven-thirty for eight, then,’ Beth informed her, ringing off smartly before Dee could change her mind.
* * *
It was dark by the time Dee eventually let herself into the house that had been her father’s. It had been dark too the night she had driven home in such anxiety, slipping her key into the lock and hurrying into the hallway, calling her father’s name.
He hadn’t answered her, and it had been a shock to go into the kitchen and find him sitting there, immobile and silent.
Equally shocking had been the sight of a bottle of whisky on the table beside him and an empty glass. Her father rarely drank, and when he did it was normally a glass or maybe two of good wine.
‘Dad...Daddy,’ she pleaded anxiously, her heart plummeting as he turned his head to look at her and she saw the despair in his eyes.
‘Daddy, what is it? What’s wrong?’ she asked him, running over to him and dropping to her knee in front of him. They had never been physically demonstrative with one another, but almost instinctively Dee took hold of his hands in both of hers. They were frighteningly icy cold.
