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‘Oh, you were great. I can’t wait to sell the story of my nights in the billionaire’s bed to the tabloids, then I’ll use the money to sue you,’ she said, feeling quite pleased with her inspired fictional revenge.
‘You wouldn’t do that.’
‘But you’re not quite sure, are you?’ she taunted.
‘Anna.’
Not breaking her stride, she made her feelings clear with the use of a universally understood hand signal.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
‘I’MTOOLATE...?’
‘I’m sorry.’
The matron curved an arm around Anna’s shoulders and pulled her into the office, pushing the weeping young woman down into a chair.
‘He slipped away quietly. There was no pain.’
‘He was alone!’ Anna sobbed, the tears spilling unchecked down her cheeks.
The older woman, her eyes soft with compassion, squeezed Anna’s shoulder. ‘I was holding his hand. He was not alone. No one here is ever alone. Would you like a few minutes to gather your thoughts?’
Mutely Anna nodded.
‘I’ll be back shortly with a nice cup of tea.’
‘Do you know if anyone called my mother?’
‘We tried to contact her when we were trying to call you, but there was no reply.’
Anna nodded and the door closed. She pulled out her phone, wiping her face on her sleeve, and dialled her mother’s number. By some miracle it was picked up immediately.
‘Mum, it’s Anna.’
‘Anna? Oh, Anna, darling, how lovely to hear from you. You naughty girl...you are such a stranger.’
‘Mum, I have some bad news.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Are you alone?’
‘No, Gregor is here and—’
Anna, eyes closed, teeth clenched, cut across her. ‘Mum, Grandpa is dead. And I wasn’t here.’ Her voice shook and wavered. ‘I was on a flight and I wasn’t here!’ she wailed.
‘Anna, you know what crying does to your eyes. And not really a shock, darling—he wasn’t young, was he?’
Anna gave a laugh of sheer disbelief and wiped the mist from her face again. ‘And, Mum, I don’t know whether you have read anything, but before he died there have been some horrible stories, the police are involved and—’
‘Oh, he finally got caught, did he? I always told him he would be.’
The response took her breath away. ‘Mum...you’re saying it was true? You knew?’
‘And you didn’t? I assumed you would have realised by now—your grandfather, my dear, was a master con man. Your dad, of course, was very disapproving, but I always thought it was a bit of a hoot until the Iceland thing happened and that man killed himself. For a while Henry did behave himself, but old habits die hard and before long he was at his old games again. But, you have to admit, he was never mean to us, was he? I wonder what’s in the will.’
Her mother’s voice faded into the distance as her hand lowered and she cut her off.
She sat there, a blank look on her pale tear-stained face, staring ahead. Soren had been right about everything and he’d been searching for justice for his father... It all made perfect sense now.He’d used her...She had never been any more to him than a means to an end.
He had made her love him and he had never cared for her; she had been a useful idiot, that was all!
