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- Herausgeber: Allison & Busby
- Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
- Serie: The Waterfront Series
- Sprache: Englisch
- Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021
When Mara Gregory receives a letter from the father whom she believed to have died when she was a child, her world is turned upside down. Aaron Buchanan only discovered that he had a daughter a couple of years ago and now he's desperate to play a part in her life. In the face of her mother's opposition, Mara arranges to go to Australia to meet her father and his family. Will she find him the disappointment that her mother promises? And when Australia brings another man into her life, she's faced with some huge decisions and some heartrending choices.
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Mara’s Choice
ANNA JACOBS
This book is for my friend, Deborah Smith, with thanks for all the help she has given me and my books.
Thank you so much, Debs!
You’re a star and a pleasure to know.
Contents
Chapter One
When Mara Gregory went into the kitchen to make a cup of tea, her mother looked up with a guilty expression, crumpled the letter she was reading and stuffed it into her apron pocket. The envelope missed and wafted to the floor to land at Mara’s feet.
After picking it up, she glanced at it automatically and froze when she saw her own name, not her mother’s, in the address. ‘This letter was for me. Why did you open it?’
‘I knew who it was from.’
She turned the envelope over to read the sender’s address but the name A. Buchanan meant nothing to her. ‘Who is he? Or is it a she?’
‘Nobody who matters.’
Mara waited because her mother seemed to be fumbling for words, stuttering slightly, as she’d done a few times lately.
‘You don’t need any more trouble. You’ve just lost your fancy London job. Concentrate on finding a new one nearer your family and leave any other problems to me. That’s what mothers are for.’
‘I’m thirty and perfectly capable of dealing with my own letters and troubles, thank you very much.’ She held out her hand.
Kath took a step backwards, shaking her head.
‘Mum! Stop this!’ Mara tried to snatch the letter out of her mother’s apron pocket and failed, but she managed to block the doorway and didn’t intend to move till she’d got her missive. ‘Give it to me!’
‘You two don’t usually quarrel before breakfast.’ Phil moved his stepdaughter gently to one side and joined them in the kitchen. ‘What’s the matter?’
Kath shot a warning look at her daughter. ‘Nothing.’
Mara wasn’t backing off. ‘I just caught Mum opening a letter addressed to me and she won’t let me have it.’
He looked sharply at his wife.
‘She doesn’t need this,’ Kath said. ‘You know we agreed—’ She broke off. ‘I’ll get your breakfast. Let it drop, Phil.’
‘After you’ve given her the letter.’ His voice was unusually firm. ‘It’s about time, don’t you think?’
‘Phil, no! You agreed.’
‘Years ago and only because you made such a fuss. I never approved of what you were doing about Buchanan and it’s been on my conscience, so I’m glad it’s coming out into the open.’
Kath crossed both hands protectively across her apron pocket but he was strong enough to move them away, doing it as gently as he did everything. He passed the crumpled letter to his adopted daughter. ‘Here, love. But don’t pass judgement on your mother till you know the whole story.’
He turned back to his wife, who was sobbing and rubbing her forehead as if it ached. ‘Ah now, don’t. Don’t cry on me, Kath. I can’t think straight when you cry.’ He tried to put his arms round her but she pushed him away.
Mara scanned the letter and after a few minutes she looked up, frowning. ‘I don’t understand. This man says – he says he’s my father.’
‘Never stops causing trouble, that one,’ Kath said bitterly. ‘Even after all this time.’
Shock made Mara’s voice come out as a hushed whisper. ‘He really is my father?’
‘Only biologically and that was by sheer accident.’
‘But you told me he was dead! You told me that when I was little and started asking, before you two even got married.’
‘As far as I was concerned, that man was dead!’
Mara reread the letter, which was just a page long. There seemed to be a warmth in the way he wrote. Or did she just want there to be?
Dear Mara,
This letter is so hard to write. I’ve sent two previous letters, the first one to what sounded like a flat in London, the second to this address. I’ve not received an acknowledgement that either of them arrived, though surely at least one must have done.
I only found out a few months ago that I had conceived a daughter with my then partner before I emigrated to Australia.
It was sheer coincidence that I recently met someone who knew your mother. Since Kath and I both came from the same village in Wiltshire, she wondered whether we might have known one another.
I was gobsmacked to hear that Kath had a daughter who was ‘just turned thirty’ and couldn’t help wondering if you might be mine. The mere thought of that delighted me, you can’t know how much.
I did some research online and discovered the date of your birth, which told me I was highly likely to have been the father. Kath simply wasn’t the sort to play away from home.
I hired a private detective to trace you, and when he found you, he said you and I resemble one another greatly.
I’d very much like to meet you. Is that possible?
You can contact me at either of the above addresses.
Very best wishes,
Aaron Buchanan
Mara couldn’t think straight with her mother watching her with anger in every line of her body. She went into the hall, grabbed her coat and shoulder bag and headed towards the front door.
She turned as the sound of a sharp argument followed her and saw her mother shove Phil roughly aside and step into the hall.
‘Where do you think you’re going, Mara Gregory?’
‘Out. I need to think.’
‘Don’t get in touch with him. He’s not worth it, will only hurt you, as he hurt me. Please.’
There was such desperation in that last word, Mara actually thought of giving in, but only for a few seconds. She’d wondered about her father all her life and couldn’t bear to miss this opportunity to meet him, just couldn’t. If she didn’t write back to him now, there might never be another chance. She shook her head and opened the front door.
‘Mara, no!’ It was a shriek.
She turned to say bitterly, ‘How do I know whether he’s worth it or not, Mum? All you’ve ever told me was that he was dead. You’ve refused to talk about him, and heaven knows I’ve begged you for information a few times. You wouldn’t even tell me the colour of his hair, for heaven’s sake!’
‘You were better off without him.’
‘It was up to me to decide that, especially once I became an adult. And how dare you intercept my mail?’
‘It was better that way,’ she repeated with her usual stubbornness.
‘Well, just to set the record straight, Mum, it wasn’t better for me because it’s always hurt not even to know what my father was like.’ It still did. A lot.
‘Well, it’s never been proved that he was your father. I was quite in demand in those days. It could be – someone else.’
She didn’t believe that for a second. And her birth father hadn’t done, either. Her mother was straight-laced and set in her ways, would never have cheated on a steady partner, or cheated about anything, come to that. Kath was blunt to a fault.
Mara left the house, not letting herself slam the front door behind her. But she wanted to. Oh, she definitely did.
If she weren’t unemployed, she’d move out again because her mother was treating her as a child in other ways too. Only, she couldn’t afford to leave and set up in a new flat till she got a job, so thank goodness Phil was there to keep the peace. Her adopted father was a wonderful man, putting up with her mother’s moods – and with her own lately, Mara had to admit.
It did that to you, losing your job. Made you grumpy. Especially when the choice of who should be made redundant hadn’t been fair and you could do nothing about it.
And she knew who to blame for that: Darren, her former partner. Bad mistake, getting together with him. After they split up, he’d told damaging lies about her to her manager.
‘What’s wrong, Aaron love? You’re looking a bit down.’
He turned round, smiling involuntarily, as he always did at the sight of Emma in the morning, her auburn curls in a wild tangle, coffee mug in her hand, eyes bright with hope for what the day might bring. She was a delight to wake up to.
Then her words sank in and he couldn’t hold on to the smile. ‘I was thinking about Mara.’
Emma closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them the happiness wasn’t quite as bright. ‘You’ve sent her another letter, haven’t you?’
He nodded.
‘Oh, Aaron, you said you’d not do that to yourself any more. She’s had two chances to reply and there’s not been a word from her.’
‘Well, it seems she moved house in the middle of it all. So I just – well, had to try one last time.’
‘You should hire that detective again if you can’t accept the situation. He’ll make sure your letters are actually getting through to her.’
‘I will contact him if nothing comes of this one.’
Emma came to put her arms round him. ‘It still hurts, doesn’t it, that your ex didn’t even tell you that you had a daughter. Let’s face it, Aaron love, if anyone is intercepting your letters, it’s likely to be your ex and the new letter won’t get through either now Mara is living at home again. This Kath knew who you were working for in Australia right from the start. What harm would it have done to tell you about the child?’
‘She was very stubborn about me not taking a job so far away, said it was her or the job and she’d never leave Wiltshire, let alone England. I realised after a while that she couldn’t have coped with such a major life change. Life isn’t easy for people as rigid as her, even when things go well.’
‘She could still have told you later on and allowed you the chance to meet your child. You’d think after all these years the stupid woman would have got past how you two broke up.’
‘Ultimatums and quarrels don’t make for good decision-making on either side. I’ve grown wiser since then, I hope.’
‘I must admit that from what you’ve let drop, it’s always seemed to me that you were both at fault. You were both young and stubborn. And you at least have well and truly paid for that.’
He nodded against that silky mass of hair, seeing the silver threads in it now, but not caring. ‘I love your hair.’
‘Don’t try to change the subject.’ Emma pushed herself back a little, studying his face anxiously and briefly caressing his cheek. ‘Let’s set a time limit before we bring in the detective again, eh? How about two weeks?’
‘I suppose.’ He nodded but couldn’t raise even a slight smile. ‘If she doesn’t reply by then, we’ll definitely call George in again. He’s good at his job. He was the one who found her for me in the first place.’
‘What if he finds out for certain she doesn’t want to meet you? Will you accept that?’ She waited a moment or two, then prompted, ‘Aaron?’
‘Yes, love. Well, I’ll try anyway.’
But he wondered if he could ever accept a total rejection when she hadn’t even met him. It had blindsided him to find out he had a daughter. He’d missed the first thirty years of her life – that was probably a third of it and he was now fifty-three, so how many years would be left for him to interact with her now? Why, she might even have children, who’d be his grandchildren and he’d have missed part of their lives too.
It had been cruel to keep Mara’s existence from him. He’d never forgive Kath for that.
If Emma had been able to have other children after her first marriage ended, maybe this recent discovery wouldn’t have touched such a raw nerve. Well, she’d made him a stepfather at least and he’d thoroughly enjoyed helping raise her son and daughter by her first husband. But the longing for his own child had always been there and he knew Emma was well aware of it.
If Mara didn’t want to meet him, he might go to England and at least take a look at her from a distance, maybe even manage a sneaky photo or two.
What a sad sack he was!
He had a good life, was just in the middle of selling a thriving business and moving into early retirement. And yet … the longing for a child of his own blood had always been there.
Mara waited till her mother went out to the shops, which Kath always did at the same time each Tuesday and Saturday, then sneaked back into the house to change her clothes for the job interview she hadn’t told her mother about, because Kath would fuss and worry.
When she went home again mid-afternoon, the sound of sobbing began to echo down the stairwell. She hadn’t heard that note of strangled anguish for years. Had she interrupted this sob-session or had her mother been watching for her return and started it when she came into the house? It wouldn’t have surprised her either way lately. Her mother was once again behaving unpredictably, as she had in two past incidents.
She went into the kitchen, amazed to see that it hadn’t been cleared up and that her mother’s shopping had simply been dumped on a surface. These were serious omissions from the queen of neat and tidy.
Well, the situation was serious for Mara, too, far more important than the other tussles she’d been facing ever since she moved temporarily back home and her mother started trying to reorganise her life.
As the sobbing continued unabated, she looked up and frowned. She wasn’t going to give in to emotional blackmail. She’d decide what to do about her birth father herself.
Trying to ignore the sounds, she put the kettle on and started stacking the breakfast crockery into the dishwasher, banging and rattling things on purpose. But the noise wasn’t enough to bring her mother downstairs or even drown out the sobs, so she turned on the radio loudly.
That blocked the noise from upstairs but it didn’t drive away the worries. Her mother had had a nervous breakdown when Mara was eighteen and been hospitalised for a few weeks. There had been another episode when Mara was twenty-five, but by then there was a new type of medication that was more effective for her problems and Kath hadn’t had to go into hospital. Instead Phil had taken time off work to be with her until the pills took effect and she settled into her routines again.
Had the letter from this stranger been enough to undo all that? Apparently so. Well, not just the letter itself but the thought of Mara getting in touch with him.
But oh, she wanted so much to meet her birth father!
When she turned the radio down a little and peeped into the hall, there was no sound of sobbing, thank goodness.
She made herself a slice of cheese on toast because she’d missed lunch. She ate it slowly, wondering what to do for the best. It was a relief when she heard the front door open and close. Phil must have come home early. Thank goodness. He’d retired recently but still went out regularly to play golf. It was the one thing he wouldn’t let Kath control.
As soon as the door opened the sobbing immediately started up again.
He came into the kitchen, glancing upstairs, then rolling his eyes and giving her a quick hug. ‘Don’t back down, love. You have every right to meet your birth father.’
‘Do I? Even though the mere thought of it upsets my mother this much?’
‘Yes. She isn’t the only person in the world, you know. You have needs too. She’s utterly selfish, has been getting worse over the years.’
His tone was sharper than she’d expected.
‘Is it worth upsetting everyone, Phil? I shan’t be able to meet the man, after all. He lives in Australia.’
‘Why not? People travel to and from there all the time.’
‘It’d cost far too much to go, that’s why. I daren’t dip into my savings without a job to come back to and who knows how long I’ll be out of work?’
Unfortunately she felt sure a certain person in her old company was blackening her name in other places too and making it difficult for her to get another half-decent job. She wasn’t ambitious to climb up the management ladders, but she did want a job that interested her.
‘You could write back to the poor man. He deserves that, at least, after the way he’s been treated.’
‘You believe he really is my father?’
‘Yes, I do. She wouldn’t make such a fuss otherwise.’
She nodded agreement and passed Phil a mug of coffee. He never said no to it.
He raised it in a thank-you salute. ‘How did the interview go this afternoon?’
‘Not well. I reckon they’ve already got someone lined up for the job. It was pretty obvious from their lack of real interest in what I was saying and the way one man kept glancing at his watch.’
‘Sorry to hear that.’
‘So am I. No offence, but I do miss having my own flat, Phil.’
‘I don’t blame you.’ He sighed.
She shot a quick glance at him and saw how strained he was looking. Well, who wouldn’t get tired of being a permanent support figure to a rigid woman who never gave an inch when she wanted something? No wonder he refused to budge on his golf. It was his only escape.
He laid his hand on hers. ‘Write to Aaron Buchanan straight away, Mara. I’ll post it for you when I go out to pick up a takeaway for tea.’
‘Thanks but there’s an email address. It’ll be easier for me to contact him that way. Save me a week or more of angst about what his reply may be. Only, well, I feel I need a little longer to think through the implications of making contact.’ She couldn’t help glancing up above their heads again as she said that.
‘Then take as much time as you need, but be certain you do what you want. It’s your decision, not your mother’s.’
‘But it’ll upset her big time if I get in touch with him. And you’ll bear the brunt of that.’
He shrugged. ‘Her choice to hold a grudge all these years. My choice to stay with her … or not. And your choice what you do about your birth father.’
She went across to hug him. ‘You will still be my father, whatever happens with this man.’
He gave her an even longer hug in return. ‘Good. I feel like your father. But there’s no law that says you can’t have two fathers, is there?’
‘Oh, Dad, you’re so generous. You’re the kindest person I’ve ever met.’
He shrugged, but she could see that her compliment had pleased him. When he glanced upstairs again and frowned, she wondered if the way her mother had grown worse in the past couple of years meant she was going to need serious medical help again.
Mara had felt for a while as if a thunderstorm was gathering over their lives. There was nothing definite, just a growing discomfort within their small family. She hadn’t realised how bad it was getting till she came back to live at home. Maybe she shouldn’t contact this Aaron, should be content with the people who’d raised her?
Would that make her mother feel better? No. She shook her head grimly and the decision was made. She’d always longed to know what her real father was like. Always. She needed to do this.
Mara tried writing an email to say she was interested in taking things further, but it was harder than she’d expected to deal with a complete stranger about such an intimate subject, blood relative or not. She read and reread Aaron’s letter, then read her own reply even more times, deleting her first effort.
Did she have the right to set her mother and Phil at odds with one another when she couldn’t afford to go and meet this man anyway? Why, she didn’t even have a flat of her own in which to talk to him if he came to England, really talk and start getting to know him, not make polite and meaningless conversation as you usually did with strangers.
When her mother and Phil had another loud quarrel the following day, the cruel things her mother said carried round the small house and showed that she not only wasn’t going to change her mind about her former partner; she was making threats about what she would do if Mara dared go and see him.
Only, why shouldn’t she get to know her biological father? Why should Kath’s desires always take precedence over other people’s feelings?
Chapter Two
When Peggy Buchanan went back to the flat in Perth, she found that Mike had come home early. She was about to fling herself into his arms when something about the way he was standing with one hand behind his back made her stop and stare at him. ‘What’s wrong?’
He held up a soggy package. ‘This. I found it in the rubbish before I went to work. The bin liner bag had split and there it was.’
‘Oh.’
‘How long have you been eating on the sly?’
She shrugged. ‘Just now and then, when I get too hungry to bear it. If we were married—’
He cut her off sharply. ‘I made it plain before you moved in that I don’t like fat women and also that I’m never getting married. You said you were OK with that.’
She moved to put her arms round him but he sidestepped and gestured to the table. ‘Sit down, please. We need to talk about our whole relationship, Peggy. Let’s do this in a civilised way.’
She took the chair he’d indicated, her heart thumping. She’d never heard that tone in his voice before, cold, as if he were speaking to a stranger. ‘Do what?’
‘Split up. You clearly can’t live by my rules and I shan’t be able to trust you again. That’s spoilt the relationship for me.’
‘No! Mike, no! I’ll never eat anything unhealthy again.’
‘I’m sorry, Peggy, but I simply won’t be able to trust you. I think it’s best to end our relationship. I was coming to that conclusion anyway. You’ve been talking about friends getting married and buying houses. I don’t intend to do that, not ever. This flat suits me just fine. I know where this is leading. You’ll be asking me to father a child for you next and that’s something that utterly repulses me.’
He began to tick things off on his fingers. ‘I do not want – children, a mortgage or marriage. Not ever. I’m perfectly happy with my life here.’
‘But what would be so different, apart from the child?’
‘Permanency. Staleness. Toys, chaos and noise.’ He shuddered.
She wept, pleaded, but he was adamant. This was a side to him that she’d never seen before, though she’d heard people he worked with say he could be tough to deal with.
In the end he stood up. ‘Enough. Get it through your head that I will never, ever change my mind.’
‘But—’
‘I’ll spend the night in a hotel. When I come back after work tomorrow, I want you and all your possessions gone. If you’re still here, I’ll evict you legally and have your things packed and sent to your parents’ house in Mandurah.’
He walked towards the door and though she jumped to her feet, the look he gave her across the room was so chill, so implacable, that the plea died in her throat.
He was gone before she could say another word.
She wept for a while, then fumbled for her phone and called her brother, sobbing out her story.
There was silence for a few moments then Rufus said, ‘I doubt he’ll change his mind.’
‘But Rufus, I love him so much.’
‘That’s not love. That’s – I don’t know, obsession. It takes two to make a marriage, Pegs. To be frank, Mike Cruikshank isn’t the sort of fellow I’d want you to marry. He’s been bossing you around ever since you got together. I hate to see that. And you’ve got thinner and thinner, eating as he dictates. You’re starting to look ill. Where’s your pride, anyway, letting someone boss you around and decide what sort of body shape you’ll have?’
‘I don’t have any pride. I love him.’
‘Well, I’m sure he meant exactly what he said, so he can’t love you. You’d better move out. No, don’t cry.’
‘But where am I going to go?’
‘To Mum and Dad’s. They’ll take you in, just as they took me in when I was transferred to Perth for three months.’
She could only sob.
‘Good thing I was working late tonight. I’ll phone Mum to let her know, then I’ll come round and help you pack. You’ll have to put some of your furniture into storage till you decide what to do.’
‘A lot of my stuff is already in storage because Mike doesn’t like clutter. I’d been thinking we could find a proper house to live in then I’d get it out of storage again.’ She dabbed away another tear.
‘Well, leave it there for the time being. Mum and Dad won’t want all of it dumped on them. They’ve got their house just as they like it.’
‘I suppose.’
‘Chin up. You’ll get through this. You won’t be on your own.’
No, she’d known her family would help her. But that didn’t make this whole thing hurt any less.
Sobbing intermittently, she began to gather her clothes and personal possessions, going through the flat methodically, for all her unhappiness. Mike had called her a pack rat when they first started living together. She was in one sense: she knew exactly what she owned.
When the doorbell went, she checked who it was then flung it open. Rufus came in and gave her a big hug. ‘I’ve ordered some boxes delivered. They’re sending them express.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘Come on. Let’s get to work.’
‘Did you phone Mum?’
‘Yes. She says of course you can go there. They’re going out tonight but I have my key. You’re to take your old bedroom.’
‘Do you think they’d let me use the guest suite? I might want to – you know, be alone.’
‘No. Mum said specifically that you can’t use that as they’re expecting a special new friend to visit soon.’
‘Who?’
‘She wouldn’t say.’
He helped his sister pack, chivvied her along and told her to follow him down the freeway to Mandurah. ‘And for heaven’s sake, drive carefully.’
‘OK. OK. I’m not suicidal.’
He gave her another hug. ‘Chin up! You don’t want people laughing at you.’
‘I don’t know what I want now.’
Chapter Three
Two days later, a lively interview for a job in Gloucester raised Mara’s hopes briefly, and cut them abruptly off forty-eight hours after that as she was told she hadn’t got the job, but they’d like to keep her on their reserve list, if that was all right.
As if anything would come of that!
Phil cornered her while Kath was out at the hairdresser’s. ‘Have you heard about the job?’
She nodded. ‘I didn’t get it.’
‘It’s been over a week now since you heard from your birth father, love. Don’t let your mother stop you contacting him.’
‘She’ll go mad – and take it out on you.’
‘I’m used to it.’ He stared into the distance for a few seconds then went on, ‘I can’t abandon her, because I promised our marriage would be for better or worse and I always try to keep my promises. Besides, she’d never cope with the practicalities of life on her own now. She’s getting worse.’
‘Frankly I don’t know how you can live with her rigid rules for what to do or not do.’
‘Golf.’
‘What?’
‘I play golf a lot more often. Or I tell her I’m off to play golf. Being retired has its advantages. I find it very soothing to be out in the open air with cheerful people, or even just to sit in the club room chatting to my friends or making new ones. The game and my golfing buddies are my lifeline. It’s still your choice what you do, but I wanted to sum up the situation: your decision not to meet this Aaron guy has left three people unhappy and the fourth is never really happy, only determined to get her own way. Think about those statistics: three to one. And then do what you really want.’
He was right but her mother hadn’t always been this bad and that was holding her back. Mara had some good memories of their relationship from her childhood as well as bad ones.
The day after Phil’s frank talk, he went out early to play golf. Mara abandoned the idea of a late breakfast because she knew her mother was waiting to pounce on her in the kitchen. Kath was well aware that something was going on and wouldn’t rest till she found out what it was.
It might be cowardly but Mara crept downstairs, grabbed her jacket from the hallstand and called, ‘Just going out for a walk.’ She slipped out of the front door before her mother could protest or try to come after her. There was a large park nearby and she’d started going there on fine days for the same reason Phil played golf so often: to find some peace and quiet.
She was still smiling when she got there but the smile gradually faded when she saw a man of about her stepfather’s age watching her. She’d noticed him twice before and there he was again today, strolling along behind her, stopping when she did. Was she being stalked now? She wasn’t putting up with that.
Feeling safe in an open area with several other people walking nearby, she strode across to confront him. ‘Don’t tell me you’re not watching me because I’ve spotted you hovering nearby twice before. What do you do with yourself on rainy days? Stalk the family cat round the house?’
To her surprise he looked at her with a rueful smile. ‘I must be losing my touch. But it’s such a pretty park you can’t help relaxing here.’
‘Well, find somewhere else to relax because I have enough problems on my plate without you hassling me.’
When she started to turn away, he said quickly, ‘Wait! Please, Ms Gregory!’
She paused, surprised by him knowing her name.
‘Have you got a minute? I’m not stalking you in the way you think, I promise. I’ve been hired to find you and give you a message. Today I’ve been waiting till you got somewhere quieter in the park to do it.’
‘Well, that’s a new excuse for pestering a stranger!’
His smile crinkled his eyes at the corners and made his whole face light up. He didn’t look at all threatening now, so she waited, curious to see what he’d say next.
He spread his hands in a helpless gesture. ‘It does sound a bit corny, doesn’t it. And it’s going to sound even cornier when I tell you that I’m a private investigator sent by your father to ask you something important.’
‘I talk to Phil every day and if he needs anything he asks me straight out.’
‘I meant your birth father. Here’s my ID.’ He pulled out a laminated card with his photo on and held it out to her.
She gasped and looked at the card, then studied him carefully. Actually, he was quite pleasant looking, with the sort of face you’d buy a used car from. ‘What’s this alleged birth father’s name?’
‘Aaron Buchanan and he lives in Australia or he’d be speaking to you himself. You two haven’t met yet, but he’s hoping you will.’
It was so unexpected she turned all wobbly at that and had to sit down on a nearby bench.
He came to stand nearby. ‘Mind if I join you?’
She waved one hand permissively and he sat down at the other end of the bench.
‘My name’s George, by the way, George Walters. But you probably saw that on my ID. These are my personal contact details, which I don’t give to everyone.’ He fumbled in his pocket and took out a business card, offering it to her.
She glanced at it only briefly before shoving it into the side pocket of her shoulder bag. When she felt she could control her voice, she asked, ‘What’s the message?’
‘First, Aaron wanted to be sure his recent letter got through to you.’
‘Yes, it did.’
‘You didn’t reply. He’d really like to meet you.’
‘I’d like to meet him too, but I’m out of work and I haven’t the money to go gallivanting off to Australia.’
‘Would you agree to meet him if he paid your fare?’
‘Seriously?’
‘Yes. He was a bit worried because he’s written three times now and you haven’t replied.’
‘My mother has been intercepting the letters. I caught her red-handed a week ago, so his third letter did get through to me. It’s a lot to take in. She’d destroyed the others so I don’t know what was in them.’
‘Ah. I see. Do you know much about him?’
‘Nothing whatsoever. It came as a big shock that he was even alive because all my life I’d been told he was dead.’
It was George’s turn to look shocked.
‘I’ve never even seen a photo of him,’ she added wistfully.
‘That’s easy to remedy.’ He got out his mobile phone, fiddled around with it and held it out to her.
The man on it looked like an older, masculine version of herself. There was no mistaking that determined chin or the way his dark hair grew. And his eyes were very similar to the ones that looked back at her from the mirror every morning.
‘You’re so like him physically, Mara, that I have no doubt you’re his daughter. But he’ll take a DNA test should you wish. If you’ll give me your email address I’ll send this photo to you now. And may I take one of you to send to him? He’s desperate to see you now that he’s found out about your existence. I’d have taken a photo before but he said it seemed unfair to do that without asking you.’
‘He’s being very scrupulous about all this.’
‘He’s a decent, honest chap. I’ve known him for years.’
And suddenly her decision was made, because, as Phil had said so sadly, the numbers were three to one in favour of her doing it.
She couldn’t raise a smile but looked steadily towards the mobile phone until George had clicked it a couple of times and lowered it.
‘Um, what happens next?’
‘You really do want to go and see him?’
‘Yes. Give me another day to tell my mother. It – won’t be easy.’ She’d have to get Phil’s advice on how best to do that.
‘All right. He’ll pay your return fare to Australia and help you through the formalities. I’m assuming you have a passport?’
‘Yes, of course.’
‘Good. Oh, in case you’re worried about the cost, he’s not short of money. He’s been very successful in business.’
‘I can’t believe it.’
George gave her another charming smile. ‘He’ll be over the moon. I’ll see how he wants to arrange it all. I’m assuming you don’t want me to come to the house, given your mother’s attitude, so maybe we could meet here again tomorrow? If it’s raining there’s a café at the other end of the park.’
‘I know the place.’
‘I should have had an answer from Aaron by then. He doesn’t hang about when he wants something. Ten o’clock suit you?’
‘Yeah.’ Words still seemed to be in short supply in her brain.
‘If anything happens to prevent our meeting or to prevent you going, could you please let me know, Mara? It’d be beyond cruel to raise Aaron’s hopes then dash them.’
‘I won’t do that. My mother will try to prevent me. She’s desperate to stop me meeting him, but now that I’ve decided, I won’t go back on my word.’
‘Is there any way she might be able to prevent you coming to Australia?’
A huff of cynical amusement escaped her. ‘No. And as I lost my job recently, I’m free to do what I want.’
She glanced down at her watch. ‘I’d better get back now. If I’m away too long she’ll make an even worse fuss. I’d rather she didn’t suspect anything yet, so definitely don’t come to the house. I’ll tell her later, when Phil’s back from golf.’
George inclined his head. ‘All right. I’ll get back to my office, then. Nice meeting you properly.’
When she got home her mother was out and there was what looked like a business letter waiting for her, propped up against the kettle so that Mara couldn’t miss it. It hadn’t been opened; at least she didn’t think it had. It had been posted in London but she didn’t recognise the company whose name and logo were on the envelope. She definitely hadn’t applied for a job with them.
The contents made her suck in her breath in amazement. It was a legal demand on behalf of her former employer for return of the children’s software program that someone alleged she’d developed while working for Perisson Toys.
She had developed a program, but it wasn’t the one they used and anyway, she’d developed it totally in her own time, mostly at weekends.
‘Do they want the blood from my veins as well?’ she muttered.
Phil had come into the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. ‘Problem?’
‘Yes. See.’
He scanned it quickly, then read it again more slowly. ‘And do you have this program?’
‘Of course I do. But I developed it in my own time and it wasn’t connected with anything I worked on at Perisson; it was preparatory work for marketing the toys I make in my spare time. So the intellectual rights belong to me.’
‘Why are they asking for it, then? How do they even know about it?’
She’d already worked that out. ‘Must be Darren’s idea to claim it. He’s the only one who knew what I was doing because he saw me working on it at home when we were living together.’
‘Did anyone else see your work?’
She frowned. ‘Not exactly, but I shared some information with a friend of mine a few times. Pete. I asked him about a few things. All the programming was done at home on my own computer. There’s nothing whatsoever on the system at Perisson because I knew better than to do any personal work there.’ She flicked the letter. ‘You have to be really careful, if you want to avoid this sort of thing.’
‘What are you going to do about it?’
Tears filled her eyes and she dashed them away angrily because she hated showing a weakness. ‘I don’t know. The last thing I can afford now is to get involved in an expensive court case and Darren knows it, the cheating scumbag.’
‘Then let’s find someone who’d be able to check what you’ve been doing. You didn’t even switch on your computer this morning.’
‘I wasn’t in a creative mood and didn’t want to pick up any messages. I went out for a walk round the park. And something strange happened there.’ She told him about meeting the PI and her birth father offering to pay for her flight to Australia.
Phil gave her a quick hug. ‘Well, that’s good news, surely?’
‘I suppose so. But if I’m embroiled in a court case, it’ll be a bad time to go to Australia, won’t it?’
‘Well, we’d better sort out the court case first, then, eh? You’re quite sure you never did any personal stuff on your work computer?’
‘Definitely not.’
‘Could Darren have got into your computer when you were living together and made a copy of your work?’
She let out a scornful puff of laughter. ‘No way. He’s more into marketing than computer programming, so he wouldn’t have the necessary skills. I have all my private stuff very well protected, believe me.’
‘Right then. I know a guy who’s very knowledgeable about legal matters. He may be able to help us or at least find us someone who can prove your work has only been done on your own computer. Then if we challenge these people to produce any part of the program as evidence you did it at work, I think they’ll shut up and leave you alone.’
‘Trouble is, if word gets out about their claim, even if I’m proved innocent, it’ll throw a shadow on my honesty that’ll be hard to get rid of.’
‘Well, first things first, I’ll just give my friend a call and see if he’s free. I think if we clear your name, it’ll make Darren look a fool, so anything he says won’t be given as much credibility.’
The friend was free and she felt as if she’d been caught up by a whirlwind as Phil drove her round to this man’s office, which was in an old-fashioned block of four suites.
When Phil rang the bell next to his friend’s name in the foyer, a man answered and his voice sounded familiar to Mara. It wasn’t … It couldn’t be …
‘Come up the stairs and turn left, Phil. My office is the only one there. My secretary has nipped out for a few minutes and my partner’s out on a job, so I’m on my own here.’
The man who opened the door was her stalker. He grinned at her. ‘Small world, eh?’ He shook hands with Phil and the two clearly knew one another.
Phil was also smiling. ‘Are you really a private investigator? You always say you have a boring old backroom job in computer stuff when anyone asks and that you’re semi-retired now.’
George shrugged. ‘I don’t advertise what I do, for obvious reasons. And I really am semi-retired. I only take on cases that interest me and leave the rest to my junior partner.’
He locked the door again behind them. ‘Can’t be too careful these days and I’m not always here to protect my secretary if some nasty type gets angry at me. Mind you, she does have a black belt in some martial art or other, so she’s fairly confident she can look after herself, if necessary. I’d rather she didn’t have to prove that, though.’
Phil put the laptop on the desk and said, ‘Well, I already know and trust you so you being a PI is going to be really helpful, George. I’ll let Mara explain the details.’
She did that, then Phil took over again. ‘So, we need to find someone to check out her work on this computer and show it hasn’t been imported from elsewhere. Is that possible?’
George looked at him and then at the laptop. ‘It may be. I’m good with computers, but not expert enough for your purpose, nor am I an impartial witness, being a friend of yours. However, I have an acquaintance I can ask to deal with it. He owes me a few favours. Sounds like a simple job for someone like him.’
Mara didn’t like the thought of letting her precious laptop out of her sight, though of course she’d got everything on it backed up. She looked from one man to the other. ‘I’m still not sure this is the right thing to do.’
‘It absolutely is,’ Phil insisted. ‘You’re not giving in to that Darren creep.’
George was watching them, his head moving to and fro from one speaker to the other like someone watching a tennis match. He asked a couple of questions and she explained about Darren, then found herself going on to talk about how she’d left the company.
When she saw Phil and George exchange glances, she realised she’d given away her suspicions about dirty tricks being played by Darren to make sure he got the promotion. This pretence that she’d stolen a program she’d produced in office hours might even have been part of why she’d been made redundant, so she definitely had to prove herself innocent.
George seemed to understand her worries. ‘It’ll be all right, Mara. My friend really is one of the best. I won’t tell you his name unless we have to take it to court, but if you like I can deal with your old company. In fact, I’m sure your birth father would want me to do that for you.’
He put the laptop on a set of low cupboards behind the desk and bent down to pull an older one in a well-worn case from the end cupboard. ‘You can borrow this for the time being if you’d like.’
‘Thank you, but if it’s only for a day or so I’ll make do with my tablet. I’m sorry to be a nuisance. If there’s any charge for this—’
‘None at all.’ He gestured towards a seating area to one side. ‘Let’s sit down more comfortably. I was going to get in touch with you today about going to Australia.’
He glanced at Phil, hesitated, then turned to her. ‘Aaron responded to my email straight away. Mara, he’d be delighted to pay your fare to and from Australia if you’ll go out to visit him and his wife for a few weeks. He can’t come over to the UK at the moment because he’s in the middle of some important negotiations for selling his business and has to be available in that part of the world. But he’s very eager indeed to meet you.’
It was all becoming very real suddenly.
Phil nudged her. ‘It’s generous of him. You should do it, love. There would be so many advantages to going just now. You’d get away from your mother and give her time to grow used to the situation, as well as finding out how you get on with your birth father. George and I can sort out this spurious claim. I never did like Darren, by the way, but I didn’t expect him to do something like this.’
‘He fooled me for a time. He can be very charming when he wants to.’
‘He’s a smarmy rat. When you brought him down to meet us that day, I took an instant dislike to him.’
‘I could tell you didn’t warm to him. I didn’t think you felt that strong a dislike, though. Um, you’re sure you wouldn’t mind if I left you to look after Mum? She’ll be angry big time.’
‘I’m well used to her little ways. You need to go.’
She reached out to squeeze his arm. ‘I won’t let this Aaron come between you and me, Dad. You know that.’
George had been watching them and now said firmly, ‘He won’t even try. I’ve worked with him before. He’s a thoroughly decent chap.’
She looked at Phil. ‘I’ll be coming between you and Mum, though, won’t I?’
‘Well, I’ll deal with her and you deal with your new situation.’ He smiled at her. ‘There you are, then, your immediate future is settled and you’re heading off to the sun.’
‘You’ll keep in touch while I’m away, won’t you, whatever she says or does?’
‘Try to stop me.’
She turned to George, who was smiling benignly at them. ‘So – what do I have to do?’
‘Say yes, give me a date you can travel and leave it to Aaron to make the arrangements. I don’t think it’ll take him more than a few days, though, if that.’
‘Really? Wow. Any time will do me for travelling, the sooner the better, actually.’
‘I can deal with all that for you.’
‘Really?’
‘Or rather, Aaron can. He has some excellent connections, has done jobs for the Australian government. You’d better let me have your passport details after you get back home.’
She chuckled and waved her phone at him. ‘Got them here. I’ll send you a copy.’
‘That’s great.’
