"What ...?" the woman followed his gaze. On seeing Lucy, she quickly slid her foot into the shoe and stood up straight. "Whatever are you doing here ... in the dark, on your own?" She glanced about as though expecting to see someone else there.
Realising that these two were not thugs who might attack and rob her, Lucy scrambled off the bench and made her way towards them. "I got caught out in the rain," she explained. "I dived in here to try to dry off. Now that the rain seems to have stopped, I"d best be on my way."
The man was concerned, and his kind eyes took in her bedraggled appearance and tear-stained face. "I don"t know how long you"ve been curled up in this damp place, but you must be feeling cold to the bone. Look, we were just popping into the pub across the street. You"re very welcome to join us."
Lucy saw the woman"s surprise at her companion inviting a complete stranger to join them, but she said nothing. The woman was indeed taken aback by his generous invitation. Normally, Dave Benson would not be so reckless.
The woman, Nancy, now regarded Lucy, thinking her attractive in a gentle, homely kind of way. Not at all the kind of confident, well-groomed woman Dave might be drawn to. Nancy was both bemused and interested. This quietly spoken, wet and bedraggled woman had clearly stirred compa.s.sion in Dave. It was obvious that he was loath to leave her there alone.
Lucy was surprised and moved by the stranger"s kind invitation, and touched by his obvious concern for her welfare. Another time, she might have accepted his offer of friendship. Just now, though, she needed solace to try to deal with the painful truth regarding the two people she had loved and trusted.
A mult.i.tude of questions reeled through her mind. Was Martin planning to end their marriage? And if he truly wanted that, did she want the same? Could she carry on the sham? Could she even keep quiet about having seen them together?
And what about her sister, Paula what was she thinking? Was it just a daring fling, a kind of excitement for her? Or did she really want to take Martin away from his wife and children?
Lucy knew that whether or not she lost Martin, she alone would be the biggest loser. So, for the sake of her family, should she pretend, and carry on as usual? The more she thought about it, the more Lucy realised that she alone might be the one either to save, or to break the family. That was the crippling dilemma she now faced. It was painfully obvious that she must decide what to do. One thing was certain: she could never again love Martin; at least not in the same way. Nor could she keep a respectable relationship with her sister.
As for her parents, they would be devastated if they knew but Lucy could never burden them with the shameful truth.
Seeing how distant and troubled Lucy seemed, Dave Benson asked again, "So, what do you say? Will you join me and Nancy?"
"No, I"m sorry," Lucy replied. "I really have to be somewhere else."
She was in no mood for company. Least of all, the company of strangers, however friendly they might be.
She walked out of the bus shelter and onto the pavement. "Thank you all the same," she told the couple. "The thing is ... I was already on my way to visit Mum. She"s not been very well of late. Then the rain came down and I dodged in here." She glanced at the brooding skies. "Thankfully, though, it seems to be clearing now."
Noticing how Lucy had crossed her arms over her chest and was visibly shivering, Nancy said, "There"s usually a roaring fire going at the pub. Dave is right, you really do need to warm up, and maybe have a bite to eat. With luck, we can grab a table near to the fire." Like Dave, she sensed that this homely little woman was genuinely distressed and in dire need of a friend. However, they both respected her reluctance to go with them to the pub.
Dave thought they should leave it at that. Albeit reluctantly.
"It"s obvious you need to be on your way," he said. "Take care now, and I hope your mother"s health improves. I"m sure she will be very glad to see you."
"Thank you, yes, I"m sure she will." His concern was comforting to Lucy. She liked the way he had somehow managed to ease her trauma, and she liked his easy, gentle smile.
She thought there was something very genuine and caring about the man called Dave. More than that, he had a certain kind of warmth that reached out. She thought he would make a loyal friend.
"Thank you for your kind offer." She then gave the smallest of smiles and turned away, walking at such a hurried pace that the strangers thought she might break into a run.
Dave and Nancy went on their way, but for some reason Dave glanced back. As he did so, Lucy slowed her pace and turned her head to smile at him. She then waved her hand and hurried away.
Dave walked on, her intimate little smile playing on his mind. In that fleeting moment, he felt incredibly sad.
One thing was certain: he would not forget her in a hurry.
"Hey!" Unaware that he was deep in thought, Nancy linked arms as they strolled along. "Did you hear what I said?"
"No. What did you say?"
"I asked you, why would anyone curl up all alone in a dark, damp shelter? Very odd, if you ask me."
For a moment Dave was unresponsive, and when he did speak it was not to supply an answer to her question. "We didn"t even introduce ourselves, did we?"
"Hmm!" Nancy shrugged. "No, we didn"t. But she didn"t introduce herself to us either, so that"s all right, isn"t it?"
"I suppose."
Dave fell silent, speaking again only as they entered the pub. "Nance?"
"What?"
"I really feel for that poor woman."
"Me too. But you need to forget about her. After all, she"s gone now. And it was obvious she did not want our help."
"But did you see how she was?" Dave persisted.
"What do you mean? In what way?"
"Well, she"d clearly been crying."
"Yes, and we don"t really know how long she"d been taking refuge in that damp shelter."
Something else crossed her mind. "I"d like to know why she was there, in that draughty, dirty old shelter, anyway. I mean, she obviously didn"t dodge in there to escape the rain, because she could have run into the pub, or caught a taxi or something, and she certainly wasn"t waiting for a bus."
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, because it"s common knowledge that the bus stop went out of service long ago. Why was she really there, all huddled up in a cold, damp bus shelter? If we hadn"t seen her, she probably would have stayed there all night. I think she"s in hiding, running away from something. Or someone."
"Mmm, she has a really sad and lonely look about her."
Nancy persisted, "I"m certain she was hiding. Why didn"t she make herself known before you saw her huddled up in the corner? And why was she crying that"s what I"d like to know!"
Taking her by the elbow, Dave gently ushered Nancy through to the lounge bar. "You want to know too much. After all, even if she was in trouble of some kind, it"s obvious she didn"t want to talk about it."
Nancy chattered on. "And another thing! Do we really believe that her mother was ill? Or was that another excuse to rush away from us?"
Dave was not about to discuss the matter any further. "Stop right there!" He gestured to the far corner of the lounge. "You go and sit down. Usual, is it? Lemonade shandy?"
"Please, and could you bring the bar menu while you"re at it? Thank you."
As she slid into the chair, Nancy"s curious gaze was drawn to the window. I don"t care what anyone says, she decided, that woman was in some kind of trouble. I just know it!
A few minutes later, on seeing Dave approach, she settled back into the chair. "OK! Not another word," she promised. "Let"s just enjoy our meal, shall we? Oh, and you can advise me on this new project of mine. I want you to be brutally honest if you think my ideas are rubbish!"
"Oh, I will, don"t worry!"
Dave was thankful when they embarked on the subject of Nancy"s new venture into the hotel trade.
Nancy prattled on excitedly. "With your generous loan, and the promise of financial backing from the bank, I"ve now put in my bid. It"s a little below the asking price, but I"ve got a good feeling they might well accept it. After all, as you so rightly pointed out, it"s difficult to secure finance just now, so there aren"t many buyers around." Leaning over, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I could not even have started on this venture without your help. You pointed me in the right direction, like I knew you would."
"I believe in you," he said simply. "I know my money will be safe. Honestly, though, Nance, I"m truly happy for you. I realise you were bitterly disappointed when your relationship with Joe broke up. But you came through it, and now here you are, about to embark on a great adventure, doing something you"ve always wanted to do. I just know your new life will be everything you want it to be."
Discreetly regarding his older sister, he saw a new, stronger woman, confident and ambitious. "Well done, Nance. I"m proud of you!"
"Thank you, but I would feel so much happier if you could change your mind and come in as a partner."
Dave reminded her, "You do understand why I had to say no, don"t you?"
"Yes, I do. It was thoughtless and selfish of me to ask ... especially after what we"ve all been through this past year you more than most."
When bad feelings now flooded back, Dave leaned forward, his sorry gaze on the table. "I still find it so hard, Nance. Some days I wonder if I can actually get through it, but then somehow I do. My main worry at the moment is Ca.s.sie. I know I have to be strong for her. I can"t and won"t desert her, even though she"s turned her back on me."
"She hasn"t turned her back on you not altogether. When she decided to go to her aunt Ellie"s house for a time, she did leave you a note to explain, didn"t she?"
"Yes, she did, but I would rather she had discussed it with me first."
"But she did leave most of her worldy belongings at home, didn"t she?"
"Yes."
"And when you rang Ellie, didn"t Ca.s.sie come to the phone and talk with you?"
Dave smiled. "Yes, but like I told you, when we talked it was too polite; too difficult. The thing is, she would not be drawn into talking about her mum, nor would she say when she might be coming home."
Nancy spelled it out for him. "Stop punishing yourself, and look on the positive side. Ellie said yes when Ca.s.sie asked to live with her for a time. Be glad of that, Dave, because if she had not gone to your sister-in-law, who knows where she might have ended up?"
"She should have come home with me," Dave reminded her gently. "That"s where she belongs. That"s where her mum would want her to be."
Nancy made no comment. Instead, she continued, "Remember, when you got home, you found she had left you a note explaining how she felt, and that you should not worry about her. She also left behind a lot of her prized possessions, so that tells you she does mean to come home at some point. It also shows that she does love you."
"I understand all of that, but she won"t let me get close, Nance. She blames me, and she will never forgive me ... but how can I blame her for that, when I can"t even forgive myself?"
When the powerful memories flooded back to cripple him, he leaned forward, running his clenched fists through his thick, dark hair. "She"s my daughter, Nance. With her mother gone, Ca.s.sie is everything to me. I need her! And whether she realises it or not, she needs me."
Nancy laid her hand over his. "Ca.s.sie will eventually accept that the accident was not your fault. The driver was drunk out of his mind. Thankfully, he"s in prison now, where he belongs. Don"t take Ca.s.sie"s decision too much to heart. It has been just a year since Molly was killed, and neither you nor Ca.s.sie has been able to deal with it completely. I know it"s difficult, for both of you ... for all of us! But you must pick up the pieces and live your lives. It"s what Molly would have wanted."
"I know that." He looked up, his face worn with grief. "It"s never easy, though. Losing Molly was the hardest, cruellest thing ever. Ca.s.sie is just nineteen, and she"s been left without her mum. It"s like her world has ended." He added softly, "Mine too. So, you can imagine, trying to live our lives without her is incredibly difficult."
"Do you think I don"t know that? But Ca.s.sie must realise the blame is not on your shoulders. That"s too cruel."
"She doesn"t blame me for the accident itself," Dave explained, "she blames me for persuading Molly to meet up with my old schoolmates. I hadn"t seen them in years and then I had a call from Stuart. He said they were staying overnight in town, before heading off in the morning for Scotland. I was thrilled, but Molly didn"t really want to go out that evening. In the end she got herself ready because she felt guilty."
He took a moment to compose himself. "If only I hadn"t persuaded Molly to come and meet them, we would never have been on that stretch of road, on that particular night, and Molly would still be here with us." His voice dropped to a whisper. "When that madman careered into us, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Not your fault, though! Ca.s.sie will see that in good time. Give her the s.p.a.ce she needs, and I"m sure she"ll come round."
"I"m not sure, Nance." Dave had lost hope on that score. "It"s been months now. After the funeral, she walked away from me, and turned to Molly"s sister, Ellie. Ellie now tells me that Ca.s.sie has confided that she can"t ever again face living in her own home. I think I should sell up, if that"s what she truly wants. But we need to talk about it. I believe we might be able to get through this together."
"Be patient, Dave." Nancy squeezed his fist. "Just keep in contact with Ca.s.sie, and respect her wishes. If you can do that, I know it won"t be long before you and Ca.s.sie are stronger than ever."
"Nance?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you."
"What for?"
"For listening."
"Don"t be silly! Isn"t that what big sisters are for?"
Changing the subject, she began flicking through the pages of the menu. "I"m hungry."
As she bent her head low to peruse the menu, Dave noticed how she narrowed her eyes, struggling to read the small print.
"Nance!"
"What?"
"Let me see."
Irritated, she thrust the menu across the table. "Go on then! Read it out, will you? Why on earth they make the print so small I really can"t imagine!"
"Hmm! And I can"t imagine why you don"t bury your pride and see an optician."
"It"s nothing to do with pride," she argued. "The reason why I don"t go to the optician is because there is absolutely nothing wrong with my eyesight ... thank you!"
"OK, have it your way." After he read the menu out, she made her choice and Dave returned to the bar with the order. Glancing back, he couldn"t help but smile as Nancy bent her head low to read the "What"s On" sheet that was on the table.
It was a sharp reminder of how Nancy and his wife, Molly, used to play the quiz here on Sat.u.r.day nights.
In that moment of nostalgia, he remembered with grat.i.tude the wonderful woman he had loved ... and still loved, even now, though she was not here with him.
While having been blessed in one way, he felt cruelly cheated in another. For twenty wonderful years he had known great love and companionship, and now the love of his life was gone, and Ca.s.sie, their only child, was too distressed to come home. He prayed every night for her to return soon. He missed her terribly. But, as Nancy had pointed out, he should remember that he was not the only one to lose someone precious. And so he would try to be patient, and pray that Ca.s.sie would eventually come home to him of her own free will. And when that happened he would welcome his darling girl with open arms.
Without Ca.s.sie and her mother, the house seemed cold and empty. In the daytime, he had his work, but the loneliness stayed with him. After work, when he got home and closed the door behind him, that was the worst time of all.
Left alone in an empty house that had once been filled with joy and laughter, he felt utterly lost.
"Hey! What took you so long?" Nancy had grown impatient when he had seemed to linger at the bar. "Chatting to the barman, were you?" she asked.
"Not really. He was too busy serving customers."
"Good for him! Making money is what it"s all about." She gave a little clap of the hands. "Oh, Dave! I can"t wait to get my hotel up and running."
While Nancy chatted on excitedly about her new venture on the south coast, he stole a moment to glance out the window, his gaze instinctively drawn to the bus shelter.