Persuading Annie (38 page)

As she headed down Central Park South, an enormous bang exploded to her left. Stunned, she looked – without stopping running.

An exquisite firework cascaded down over the bare trees of the Park and a thousand celebrating New Yorkers went ‘Oooh!’ as one.

Her heart leapt in her chest. She looked at her watch. Midnight. New York had started celebrating. Oh God, she had to get to Jake. As she ran the rest of the way, her eyes on the glorious party in the sky above her she didn’t know that she was out of breath, or that she was giggling like a teenager.

* * * * *

Five minutes past midnight and she was now only yards away from the hotel.

Would Jake have waited? Or was he still the impatient boy he’d been seven years ago?

She raced into the hotel entrance and was suddenly struck by a sense of dismay.

Everyone was in ballgowns and tuxes, hugging each other and kissing.

She pushed open the heavy door and walked straight into a bouncer.

‘I’m sorry madam,’ he said, looking her up and down. ‘Invitation only.’

‘I’ve got an invitation,’ insisted Annie, ‘I just didn’t know I’d be coming. I
promise
. You
have
to let me in.’

But the bouncer wasn’t having any of it.

She looked furtively round to see if any of her family were down in the foyer. There were several parties going on in different rooms, and one was nearby. To her delight, she picked out a bulky form that she recognised. Oh God, what was his name? Butz? Putz?

‘Officer Klutz!’ she yelled above the noise. ‘Officer Klutz!’

Somehow, something made the cop look over. He raced towards her.

‘Did I forget to tell you I’m undercover?’

No, she thought.

‘I have to see Jake,’ she was almost crying. ‘Please tell this man that I’m invited.’

Officer Stanowski – she knew there was a ‘K’ in it – turned to the bouncer.

‘Pick on someone your own size, buddy,’ he said and gave her a wink.

She almost hugged him, but she was in a rush.

‘Where’s the ballroom?’

‘Go in the elevator, first floor, turn right, follow the corridor, you can’t miss it,’ said the bouncer.

Annie raced for the elevator and almost ran on the spot waiting for it.

She was out of it before the door had finished opening and racing down a thickly carpeted corridor that didn’t seem to have an end to it. When she finally reached the end, it turned abruptly right, and more red-carpeted corridor stretched out for ever. Only the increasing noise of a party helped her run
now, as she panted for every breath.

When she finally reached the enormous ballroom, there were so many people, all she could see was the massive clock above their heads and loads of balloons. It was now almost ten minutes past midnight. But where was the clock tower?

As four hundred inebriated, wealthy New Yorkers saw in the first few moments of the New Year, she was overcome by panic. She started to squeeze herself through the mass of bodies, hoping to God that luck would be on her side and Jake would still be there. She couldn’t lose him again.

Suddenly she saw him.

He was standing directly under the clock, staring at the floor, despite the hedonistic party atmosphere around him. Of course! The clocktower was under the clock! Now who was the ifiot?

Annie hurled herself in his direction. Despite being buffeted mercilessly by the partying crowds around him, Jake was standing stock still, his eyes on the floor, his hand massaging the back of his neck.

‘Jake!’

He couldn’t hear her.

‘JAKE!’

He still couldn’t hear her.

‘
JAKE!
’

Nope. Still couldn’t hear her.

At last, she was by his side.

The crowd was so loud that neither of them could hear themselves think, let alone actually communicate with each other. But that didn’t matter.

They looked at each other for a moment.

And then, slowly, instinctively, deliciously, Jake and Annie hugged the breath out of each other and refused to let go,
while everyone around them started deliriously hugging anyone in sight.

As they were almost knocked over by the crowd, they kissed away the pain of too many years, hot tears mingling on their cheeks and down their necks.

As the sound of ‘Auld Lang Syne’ rang out around them, Annie knew that she was finally forgiven.

30

THE NEW YEAR
was only ten hours old, but for some, it felt as if time had stood still.

People were talking in the streets and greeting each other with kind wishes for the New Year. In Central Park, for the first time since Annie had been in New York, there was not one single jogger. Instead, star-struck lovers wandered aimlessly round, grinning stupidly at each other and a group of excited roller-bladers performed their first show of the year.

Jake and Annie never saw Edward and Davina get arrested, in fact they didn’t see much else except each other that evening. They stayed at the party until the early hours of the morning and then wandered the city, feeling part of it and yet, at the same time, like voyeurs, set apart by their superior happiness.

Jake was holding Annie as if he’d never let her go again. ‘I swear, in that alleyway, I nearly lost it and snogged the life out of you.’

‘If it hadn’t been for the seven-foot bloke running after us.’

‘Yes.’

‘And your girlfriend being there.’

‘I’d spent the entire evening thinking I hated you, when in fact I was a seething jealous idiot because you were with David and I was stuck with Sophie.’

Annie’s voice was hushed.

‘How could you think I’d lie to you about having your baby?’

‘I told you in that incredibly well-crafted, well-typed note. I was an ifiot. A mad ifiot. A
young
, mad ifiot. Will you be able to forgive me?’

‘Yes. You believe me now?’

‘Of course.’

‘How could you leave me – just not come back?’

‘I kept thinking I would come back and every time I tried, my body seemed to back out. I just couldn’t face the rejection. And the longer I left it the harder it got. I just buried myself in my work. Will you be able to forgive me?’

‘I already have. Forgiving you about going out with Sophie might take longer. What was all that about then?’

‘Well, I thought it was about getting my legover, but it appeared to be to get over you. Revenge. Pure and simple. That’s what hit me in the alleyway. That and the fact that my whole life after walking out on you had been one long act of revenge – on myself, for screwing up my life so spectacularly.’

They watched the park in silence for a moment.

‘So what about golden boy then?’

‘Edward?’

‘Yeah – Edward Goddard, relation to an earl, crook and swindler.’

Annie thought about it for the first time.

‘Confusion. Revenge. Anger. Loneliness.’

‘And momentary bad taste.’

‘And momentary bad taste.’

Jake grinned. ‘I can live with that.’

David and Sophie were overjoyed for their friends, although Sophie felt mildly dissatisfied at not being the heroine any more. And she was to stay convinced for ever that Annie had been a rebound thing for Jake. Poor Jake. He’d obviously been more hurt than she’d imagined by her rejection of him.

Tony was only too delighted.

‘Look what I started with all this pairin’ up stuff!’ he announced to all and sundry, hugging his Fi to him.

Far be it from Jake or Annie to inform them that they had had the headstart on all of them by seven years.

Susannah took the news stoically. She had realised that something like this might happen, although perhaps not
quite
as speedily. As for George and Katherine, they were somewhat preoccupied with the horrifying revelations about Davina and Edward.

In fact, neither George nor Katherine were to ever fully recover from the hurt caused by Davina. Their pride was damaged beyond repair and they never allowed anyone in their inner sanctum again. They were to live a boring but safe life.

Thanks to Jake’s evidence, the police found the offshore bank account that all the money had been siphoned off into, and Markhams’ PR did not suffer any more than it already had.

On Jake’s advice, George and Susannah let the consultants do what they could with the company, while living off a substantially reduced income. As soon as possible, they sold it and then reinvested wisely. The Markhams would never
be as rich as they once were, but they weren’t going to go under.

A few years later, Jake, as one of the family, was able to dispense more advice and, thanks to his sound investments, the Markhams’ lifestyle became far more close to how it used to be, if not exactly up to the same standard.

George and Susannah agreed that it was good, sound advice. And they were both relieved, that in having such a man married into the family, they could sleep at night knowing they were in safe, trustworthy hands.

* * * * *

In time, Victoria learnt to be sensitive about winning more golf club cups than Charles. And he was truly grateful for her help with his swing – her swing was extraordinarily beautiful, it brought him out in goose bumps every time he saw it.

And there were more than goose bumps when they played in the married doubles tournament every summer. Summer had soon become their peak season, in more ways than one.

But neither Charles nor Victoria could ever have predicted the shared pride they were to feel at their sons’ growing prowess at the game. All Victoria had to do was pretend that their skill was from their father and Charles’s happiness was complete. And all Charles had to do was pretend he didn’t know she was pretending.

They were all very happy together.

As for Cass and Brutus, their daughter, Bella-Anne, was their pride and joy and it was thanks to their excellent parenting that she didn’t grow up a spoilt little madam. And, of course, it helped that when their excellent parenting became too much for little Bella-Anne, she could visit her
godmother Annie, who always gave her a ready ear, unconditional love and infinite wisdom. And never tried to push her into anything.

* * * * *

Meanwhile, Annie finally invested her savings into her own gallery a walk away from her home with Jake. And so she began a new life of being her own boss. It surprised no one as much as her that the gallery, her family and her happiness with Jake thrived.

Epilogue

Central London Samaritans, 8 am

Annie walked into the office as fast as she could, which was slightly faster than a stoned tortoise. With some effort she sat at her desk.

‘Hiya,’ said Joy. ‘How’s our god-daughter?’

‘It might be a godson,’ corrected Marlon.

‘Don’t insult her, they can hear everything by this stage you know. They can
do
everything at this stage.’

‘Well then she could start by carrying me,’ said Annie.

Annie bent down to pick up the toy in her bag and start wrapping it. It was Bella-Anne’s fourth birthday today and Cass would kill Annie if she wasn’t at the highly elaborate tea party she was putting on.

Annie’s mobile went off. Damn, she always forgot to turn it off in here.

‘Hi Annie, it’s Phoebe from the gallery.’

‘Hiya, I can’t talk for long.’

‘OK. You know that piece you got in SoHo about five
years ago? Well, a man just came in and offered a million. Thought you might like to know.’

Annie grinned as she felt the first familiar twitch of pain in her lower back.

‘Thanks Phoebe,’ she said, keeping her breathing steady. ‘Don’t answer him just yet. I’m going to be incommunicado for a day or two.’

There was silence for a beat.

‘OK,’ said Phoebe, managing to keep any excitement out of her voice. ‘Speak to you … afterwards.’

‘Look after the gallery.’

‘I promise.’

Annie quickly made another call.

‘Hello, Jake Mead?’ came a deep voice.

‘Hello Jake Mead,’ she smiled. ‘Ready for number two?’

‘Oh my God, when?’

‘Only just started. It’ll be hours yet. Pick Sam up from nursery, phone Cass or she’ll kill me for not being at Bella’s tea party and I’ll meet you at the hospital as soon as my shift’s over.’

‘Right.’

‘By the way, we got an offer on the Marvello – the one I got in New York that time.’

‘How are you feeling?’

‘Did you hear what I just said?’

‘I heard a lot of noise that wasn’t about how you were feeling.’

‘Jake, we’re talking about a lot of money.’

‘Good. Breathe deeply. I’ll be there as soon as I can.’

Annie turned off her mobile and tried to rub her back. Joy came over silently and took over with older, expert hands.

‘Did you say number two?’ asked Marlon. ‘What the hell
are you doing here woman? We’re not doctors. Stop massaging her and call an ambulance.’

Annie and Joy grinned as Marlon started hopping from foot to foot.

‘Were you a Morris dancer in another life?’ asked Annie.

‘Or a robot?’ asked his wife.

Just then Annie’s Samaritan phone started ringing.

‘Oh my God, she’s taking calls while she’s in labour!’ shouted Marlon. ‘Someone do something.’

‘Well, answer the phone for her then,’ ordered Joy.

‘What and miss all the fun?’ screeched Marlon.

Annie grinned up at Joy and leant over to pick up the phone.

‘Hello, Samaritans?’ she said softly into the phone.

And as the backache temporarily dulled, she closed her eyes and saw Jake there, smiling at her.

Acknowledgements

As many of you know, Melissa left us on April 7th 2006 aged 37. She lived with cancer with extraordinary fortitude for five years, and in that time managed to produce three more novels, our beautiful son, Sam, and thousands of dedicated fans. She also managed to continue to be the ever-upbeat, ever-loving, ever-supportive friend that so many of us adored her for.

We’re so grateful for the many letters that her fans have written to express their sadness and support. Also, the notes that people have written on Amazon have been incredibly touching – they have helped enormously. Thank you so much.