Taken at the Flood Read online

  Later, at home, I removed my tie and walked into the bedroom where Evelyn was slipping out of her dress and into a cream silk dressing gown.

  “What did you think of Leonora Bennett? I noticed your jaw dropped a mile when you saw her.” She stretched her legs across my lap and wiggled her toes, a signal for me to rub her aching feet. Then, not waiting for my reply, said, “You were obviously as shocked as me. She must be at least thirty years younger than Lucas. I thought at first that his wife had been unable to come and he’d brought his daughter instead.”

  “Quite.” I laughed, easing the tension that was building up behind my eyes.

  “She’s lovely though, isn’t she?” Evelyn persisted.

  “I suppose she is, yes, though not as lovely as my beautiful pregnant wife. By the way I must say I was surprised you didn’t tell anyone you were pregnant.”

  She closed her eyes and laid her head contentedly against my shoulder. “I want to keep it a secret for a while longer. I suppose I’m superstitious. We’ll tell them after the scan.”

  Her eyes closed and she fell asleep, her breath soft against my cheek. I lifted her gently in my arms, carried her over to the bed and covered her with the silk coverlet. Afterwards, I showered, slid into bed alongside my sleeping wife and closed my eyes but was unable to remove the image of Leonora Bennett from spilling into my dreams. My sleep was disturbed by visions of her blonde hair floating behind her as she slid out of my view and out of my reach.

  Chapter 7

  “There, how do I look? And if you say fat you can wash your own shirts in future, buddy!”

  Her curly hair gleamed and there was a healthy glow about her, pregnancy had made my lovely wife bloom. “You look beautiful as always.”

  She pushed my shoulder with the palm of her hand as she walked in front of me towards the car.

  During the drive to the private maternity clinic on the outskirts of town, Evelyn was quiet, then suddenly blurted out, “You are happy about the pregnancy aren’t you?”

  “What silly thoughts are going round in your head now? You know I couldn’t be happier,” I replied. “Don’t have any doubts, just sit back and relax, close your eyes.”

  She closed one eye and looked at me out of the corner of the other. “I know what you’re up to. You don’t fool me, buster. Once I am soundly asleep, you can put your foot down without me nagging you. Don’t worry, I’ll be a good girl and obey my master, just this once mark you.”

  I patted her knee and put my foot down harder on the accelerator.

  Bennett met us in the doorway of his consulting rooms and led us into a clinically bright room where white painted walls held framed prints of cornflowers. His desk was the focal point and facing him were two upright leather chairs in which we sat. After commenting on how pleased he was that we were to be neighbours and how he and his wife had enjoyed the party, he went on to discuss Evelyn’s pregnancy and what we could expect during the following weeks. Then he showed her into an examination room accompanied by a nurse.

  When she emerged some moments later, Evelyn explained she had to drink a pint of water and hold it for an hour, at the end of which we should return for the scan assessment. Lucas smiled and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Nurse will show you to our waiting area where you’ll find some refreshments,” he said, showing us out of the examination room.

  The waiting area was equipped in a manner only to be expected of a clinic charging such exorbitant fees. The elegant furnishings and casement windows overlooked an immaculate lawn and shrubbery and a selection of piped classical music drifted around us like a soothing wind. Evelyn raised her eyebrows at me as a waitress, dressed in a mint green dress and crisp white apron, brought a large bottle of water and a measured glass for my wife and a cup of black filtered coffee for me.

  The scan being completed, we returned to Lucas’s consulting room where he assured us everything was as it should be and that my wife’s pregnancy was progressing satisfactorily. He said it was unlikely there should be any problem and he would see us when the next scan was due, stressing that if we needed to contact him about any concerns we might have, we should ring him.

  Afterwards, we sat in our car in the car park of the maternity clinic, the branches of the beech trees a stark reminder that although it was spring, summer was not about to make an early appearance. We watched the daffodil heads nodding in the breeze as if agreeing with us, as we gazed in wonder at the first grainy photographs of our baby.

  “Lucas said it should be possible to tell the sex at the next scan appointment, depending on how clear the image is. I said I knew already and was certain it was going to be a boy. He laughed and said it was good that I was so certain but I might be disappointed,” Evelyn’s words came out in a rush.

  “Would you?”

  “Be disappointed? No of course not! We’re expecting a baby and that’s all that matters. I’ll be thrilled, whatever the sex. I just have a strong feeling I’m carrying a boy.”

  During the early weeks of Evelyn’s pregnancy, I frequently worked from home. I was in the process of developing a new programme, which I hoped would compete against my biggest rival, Microbytes, for the twelve to twenty portion of the consumer market. The initial set up had worked surprisingly well and I was starting to feel the adrenaline pumping through my body, as I anticipated the finished product. My enthusiasm was short-lived though, as the longer I worked on refining the programme, the more snags I encountered.

  That morning I’d been working in my study ever since Evelyn left. I’d kissed her goodbye and made some joke about not spending too much, assuming she and Josie were shopping in town and had been too preoccupied with my programme analysis to concentrate fully on what she was saying as she left the house. However, I did manage to wave to her from my study window, as her car crunched on the gravel driveway and disappeared around the bend, before returning to my computer screen.

  The sun was low in the sky casting shadows across my desktop. I stretched out an arm and flicked the switch on the desk lamp at the same time as ERROR flashed on my monitor for the fifth time in the past hour. I slid my chair away from the desk, beads of perspiration breaking out on my forehead as I leaned back, my hands behind my head, legs stretched out in front of me staring at the ceiling. Then my glance fell on the clock on the wall and saw that the hands were sliding around to six thirty. I sat bolt upright in my chair. Where was Evelyn? She’d been out all day. I tried to recall what she’d said to me when she left but it was no use. I cursed myself for being so absorbed in my work that I couldn’t remember. By seven o’clock I was beginning to feel uneasy. Picking up the telephone, I dialled the Dangerfields’ number.

  “Josie, hi. Is Evelyn with you?”

  I heard her sharp intake of breath, “She’s not home then?”

  “No. I know it sounds odd but I’m not really sure where she said she was going when she left this morning.”

  Josie’s sigh spoke volumes. “You men. You’re all the same. She’s been shopping with me in town. But, I left her walking to her car at about four. I had a dental appointment so I stayed in town until Henry picked me up and we drove back together.” She hesitated, obviously having glanced at the time. “I can see why you’re worried though. It’s getting late and she should have been back by now. Perhaps she’s met someone, forgotten the time. Yes that must be it.” She was trying to sound reassuring but I felt her unease. “Anyway, if she doesn’t turn up soon, ring us and we’ll come over.”

  “Thanks, I’m sure there’ll be a simple explanation. I’ll be in touch.”

  Sounding more positive than I felt, I replaced the receiver and picked up the telephone directory. Running my finger down the yellow pages under the heading Hospitals, I began to dial the nearest casualty department. The telephonist’s voice was repeating a series of well-used phrases ending in an enquiry as to which department I required when I heard the gravel crunching sound of Evelyn’s tyres, as she drew up outside the front door. Slamming the pho
ne down, I rushed into the hallway.

  “Darling, I’m so sorry, I know I’m late. I can see by your face you’ve been worried. I should have let you know, I wish I had but the time just flew.”

  “I tried ringing your mobile.”

  She hung her head looking up at me through thick coal black lashes. “The battery is flat.”

  My anger dissipated. I tilted her chin up with the end of my finger and kissed the tip of her nose. “Thank God you’re OK. If you’d been any later I would have started to ring around the hospitals.”

  Her eyes strayed to the yellow pages open on my desk and she put her arms around my neck. “I really am sorry.”

  “Go and sit down and I’ll unload the boot,” I said with undisguised relief.

  “What an angel I’ve married,” she replied kicking off her shoes and walking into the living room.

  I made a hot drink for us both, mine liberally laced with brandy. I had to admit I’d been worried, my mind an easy prey to the twin terrors of fear and concern, neither of which had fully left me, even though Evelyn was home safely.

  We were sitting in front of a roaring log fire cradling our coffee mugs in our hands when she began telling me about her day, “I picked up Josie as planned this morning and drove into the city. We shopped, had lunch in Fortnum and Mason’s and in the afternoon we caught a cab to Covent Garden where we bought a few bits and pieces in the market. You know how I love markets?”

  I nodded.

  “Then around half three, we stopped for coffee and afterwards took a cab to where I’d parked the car. Josie left me to go to the dentist’s and just as I was about to open the car door, I heard someone calling my name.” She paused, tucking her legs under her. I was well aware that her pause had been for dramatic effect but I said nothing and waited for her to continue. “It was Leonora. She had a flat tyre. She was waiting for the AA recovery vehicle to arrive to fix it. I thought she looked a little distraught so I waited with her for the repairman to arrive. Then she suggested we have a coffee. I tried ringing you but found there was no response from my mobile. Leonora said not to worry, we wouldn’t be long.”

  I sighed, and she looked at me over the rim of her coffee mug. “I know, don’t look like that. Leo chatted to the man about payment and said that when he’d finished replacing the tyre he could leave. She said she’d be picking the car up later.”

  “What happened to the quick cup of coffee then?”

  “Do you know the funny thing is I can’t answer that question. The time passed so quickly. Leo is marvellous company. You should have heard the story about her meeting with Lucas. I thought I’d split my sides.”

  “Really?”

  For some reason I was beginning to resent Leonora Bennett for entertaining my wife so fully she’d forgotten about me and, for a fraction of a second, wondered if I was interpreting my feelings correctly. Did my resentment spring from the fact that I was jealous of the time Evelyn spent that afternoon sitting opposite the girl with the sapphire blue eyes?

  “The café served food,” she said, as she continued to explain the reason for her absence.

  “I was feeling hungry by then and Leonora had ordered a smoked salmon salad, which looked delicious. And, as you now know, our quick coffee turned into a light meal.”

  “How can I complain about that, sweetheart? After all you are eating for two!” I couldn’t stay mad at her for long and the brandy had succeeded in dispelling my earlier feelings of unease.

  I stretched out an arm, hooked the yellow pages with the tips of my fingers, until it was close enough to reach, found the ‘Fast Food’ section, and ordered a meal from our favourite take-away. The flames from the fire made Evelyn’s cheeks glow and I slipped my arm around her shoulders as a feeling of contentment grew inside me. My business was thriving, we were expecting our first baby, and we were in love. Self-satisfaction is always a dangerous indulgence and at that moment, I felt we were invincible. There was nothing to suggest our happiness would ever be threatened, no demons hovered waiting to destroy our peace.

  Later, as I stacked the remains of our take-away meal in the waste disposal unit, I whistled tunelessly to myself, unaware that the foundations of my stable life had started to crumble from the moment Leonora Bennett had slipped her cold hand into mine.

  “Darling, come and rub my back will you?”

  I was smiling when I entered the room and found my wife lying naked on her stomach on the sheepskin rug in front of the fire, golden flames of firelight licking her soft skin. Business first, pleasure afterwards, I decided, beginning to massage her aching back with slow sensuous movements, a precursor of the delight to come.

  Chapter 8

  Afterwards, it seemed my wife ‘bumped into’ Leonora with increasing frequency. Their relationship developed extremely quickly and it appeared to me at the expense of those closest to Evelyn.

  It was eight o’clock in the morning and I’d been working in my study since six. The solution to a recent problem was within my grasp and I couldn’t stay in bed a moment longer as my brain was busy formulating equations requiring a larger capacity than my own. I’d been careful not to wake Evelyn, as I crept quietly down the stairs to my study and switched on my computer. From then on, I lost all sense of time.

  “Been up long?” She was standing in the doorway, her silk robe open to reveal the slight swelling underneath her nightdress.

  “Since six. I tried not to wake you.”

  “You didn’t, the Dangerfields’ dog did. I could hear it barking somewhere in the woodland. Josie must be up early. She really has no consideration for other people. Leonora mentioned as much when I met her in the village, yesterday.”

  I turned to face her. The remark was not of the kind I was used to hearing from my tolerant wife. Besides, Josie and she had been friends since their schooldays. I would have thought she could have made up her own mind about her without Leonora’s input.

  Coffee?” she asked.

  “Yes please, but stay where you are and I’ll make us one. You look all in.”

  “Thanks!”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Sure but you are probably right. I think I’ll ring Sassoon’s later. My hair could do with a trim. I always feel better when my hair is right.”

  “I’ll run you into town if you like. I could pop into the office whilst I wait for you.”

  She hesitated.

  “No. It’s OK, really. I know you are in the middle of things here and besides Leo did mention yesterday that she might try to get an appointment with Felix today. I told her to mention my name. We could go together. I’ll ring her later.”

  “Well, if you’re sure. I must admit another day working on this should tie it up nicely,” I said.

  “Good. That’s settled then,” she replied. “Don’t get up, carry on with your work; I’ll make coffee for us both then I’ll go and have my shower.”

  Later that morning, after Evelyn left for town, the telephone rang; it was Josie. “How’s Evelyn keeping?” she asked.

  “She’s fine. She’s not here I’m afraid. I think she’s at the hairdressers in town.”

  “Don’t worry. I wanted to speak to you, anyway. I haven’t seen much of her lately and I wondered…? Do you know if I’ve offended her in some way? Has she said anything to you?”

  I felt uncomfortable, knowing that Leonora was taking up so much of Evelyn’s time. But I truthfully reassured Josie that as far as I knew it was not the case and ended by suggesting we all get together again soon.

  It was mid afternoon, a grey murky sky threatening rain to follow. The view from my study window across the drive to the woodland was obscured by the formation of a thick mist, through which I saw the headlights of my wife’s car as she drew up. I waited for her to open the door and then went to meet her in the hallway. Before I knew what was happening a bundle of fur, with what seemed to be exceedingly large feet, engulfed me. The feet rested on my chest and a wet tongue slobbered at my ne
ck.

  “Good gracious. What have you been up to now? Whose dog is this?” I asked struggling to stay upright.

  “It’s ours and his name is Tinker,” she said, adding, “He is gorgeous isn’t he? You don’t mind do you, darling?”

  “I didn’t know you wanted a dog.” I watched her stroking its head. Gorgeous was not the adjective readily springing to mind when describing the bundle of damp fur looking adoringly up at my wife. He was, I supposed, a golden Labrador cross but crossed with what was anyone’s guess.

  “I thought you were going to the hairdressers?”

  “Don’t look so annoyed. I did, but I met Leo and as we chatted the subject of pets came up and before I knew it we were at Battersea dogs’ home. We both fell in love with Tinker. Leonora would have had him but she has an allergy to dog hairs. So, I said we would take him and she could help me take him for a walk occasionally.

  “I might have guessed Leonora would be at the bottom of this. Oh, by the way, Josie telephoned. She’s afraid she’s done something to upset you. She’s missing your company, sweetheart.”

  She looked shamefaced for a moment.

  “I’ll give her a ring sometime soon. I promise.”

  “Good. Now, let’s see if we can find a place for him to sleep because, amenable though I am, I refuse to share a bed with that mutt.”

  Later, lying in bed, with Tinker’s head on my chest, Evelyn said, “Thanks for being so understanding about the dog. We had a great day today. Leo is so kind. Do you know, I forgot to get my iron tablets and she took my prescription from me saying that she would go to the chemists and pop them over tomorrow morning.”

  “That was good of her,” I agreed, pushing Tinker’s tongue out of my face.

  The next day I went to London for a meeting with my office manager Alan Henderson. Alan and I had been friends for many years. He’d been one of the first people I had employed once Softcell was up and running and I counted myself extremely lucky in finding him. He’d been fresh out of school with excellent A level grades in maths and computer science but wasn’t keen to go to University. He’d had enough of studying and wanted to get out into the world. As profits soared, Alan rose from programmer to office manager until acquiring the title Chief Business Manager with a commensurate salary, every pound of which he’d earned through hard work and loyalty to the company.