Daniel woke on Sunday morning relieved to find that he was alone in his bed and there was no evidence of anyone else having been there. He lay back on the pillows, his head thumping.
At a loose end because Ben was away, he’d gone out to a bar last night with Charlotte and a bunch of others. He had a vague recollection of chatting to one of Charlotte’s model friends, Victoria, whom he’d had a fling with in the past. He’d only begun talking to her to alleviate the boredom of the evening. He used to enjoy going out to crowded clubs, where the drinks flowed freely and everyone gave the impression that they were living their best lives, but last night it had all seemed superficial. Perhaps he was getting too old to be socialising like that, he thought. These days he’d much rather spend his weekend nights snuggled up on a sofa with a woman he loved. Not that Victoria fitted into the snuggling category. She was incredibly glamorous and, from memory, very passionate, but he couldn’t imagine her settling down on the sofa in joggers and a T-shirt with a bowl of popcorn and a box set. He was ridiculously relieved that he’d come home alone last night and could spend the rest of his weekend doing whatever he liked. Perhaps he should change not only his lifestyle but also the women he went for. Going out with glamorous women was good for his ego, as well as his society image, but did little for his soul. And that was what he found himself yearning for — someone he could have a greater connection with.
Daniel sighed as he pushed back the duvet and headed for the shower. At least next weekend he’d spend Saturday night with Ben. He was determined to make their time together as special as possible. Not that he was trying to compete with Lucinda and Axel, of course.
In the kitchen, Daniel made a strong coffee and went up to the attic that he used as a studio. Last week had been busy, finished off with that interminable day of interviews, and he hada stack of photographs that needed to be uploaded and edited before he could send them off. He switched on his computer and began the laborious and often slow process of uploading the images from his camera.
Several hours later, Daniel’s stomach began to rumble and he decided to make himself some breakfast. He still had a long day’s work ahead of him if he had any chance of starting the week without a backlog. He quite enjoyed the editing process, particularly the fine-tuning to make the images as perfect as possible, but he wished he had a reliable assistant who could start the process off, so that he could just come in and perfect them at the end. Last night, Charlotte had been pushing him to give the job to the last applicant of the day on Friday, and he had to admit he was coming round to the idea. Yes, he could foresee a clash of temperaments, but if he laid the ground rules down from the very beginning, maybe it could work? The fact that she was interested in photography would certainly be of benefit, especially when it came to editing the photos. She’d said she was self-taught, which indicated she had a willingness to learn. Without wanting to appear big-headed, he felt there was a lot he could teach her.
His thoughts slipped back to his uncle, who was sadly no longer with them. Uncle Lewis had been regarded as the outcast of the family, and Daniel’s father had had a fit when Lewis had introduced Daniel to photography. His father had had much loftier aspirations for Daniel, pushing him into doing a business-studies degree with an emphasis on finance. Daniel, though, had hated the course. It was only when he’d found his love of photography that he’d had the courage to quit. His father had flown into a rage and their relationship had been strained ever since, even though Daniel had made a success of his chosen career. That day his father had vowed never to speak to Lewis again, and he’d kept his word, even when he’d found out that hisbrother had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. His attitude had pushed Lewis and Daniel closer together, and Lewis had become a father figure as well as a mentor. Daniel wouldn’t be where he was today without Lewis, and he would always be grateful for the time and love his uncle had lavished on him. So perhaps that’s what he should do, use his skills and knowledge to help another young hopeful get their foot on the ladder. He smiled for the first time that day. The thought was certainly appealing.
After eating his breakfast and heading back upstairs, he’d made up his mind. He would offer Anna Wright a trial period. If nothing else, it would free him up so that he could spend more time with Ben. If Lucinda allowed it, that was.
Chapter Four
Anna arrived at work early on Monday morning. Even though she wasn’t due to start until nine o’clock, she normally liked to be the first to arrive. She loved the peace and quiet when no one else was around, and she often took a few moments to wander around the gallery, viewing the current artwork. Often she’d imagine what her photos would look like framed on the walls, if she was ever lucky enough to have an exhibition. And then she would sigh in frustration, because the chances of that happening were non-existent. She’d broached the subject with Mark previously but he’d told her in no uncertain terms that The Whigmore was an art gallery, not somewhere that would display someone’s amateur snaps. And he’d been so derogatory of her photography that she hadn’t dared show her work to anyone else, least of all any prospective agents. But deep down she hadn’t been able to let go of the dream, that one day, with a lot more work on her part, she might become good enough to secure an agent and have her own exhibition.
She’d woken at six this morning in a very unsettled mood. Feelings from the weekend had lingered. She was increasingly frustrated at how her life was stagnating and how much she dreaded going into work each morning. Sitting on the Tube, she’d contemplated whether she should just go for any job to get away from the toxic situation she was in with Mark and Jemima.
She was just switching on the computer at the reception desk when the door pinged open. She looked up, surprised to see anyone so early. She usually had at least half an hour to settle herself into the day before she was interrupted. Her stomach sank when Mark walked through the door. He grinned when he saw her, his smile lighting up his hazel eyes. The smile that had never failed to make her stomach flip over in the past. And even though it was over, whenever she was alone with him, she wasalways tempted to reach out to him. But she couldn’t do that. He was with someone else and she’d never be able to touch him like that again.
‘Anna, you’re in early!’ He walked towards the reception desk. ‘Did you have a good day off on Friday?’
‘Yes, thanks,’ she said tightly.
‘Do anything interesting?’ He was getting closer and she tried to deepen her breathing in the hope that her heart rate would slow down.
‘Oh, went out with some friends.’ She had met up with Daisy, so she was only half-lying, but the last thing she wanted was for him to find out that she’d gone for a job interview. He’d be even more smug if he found out she’d tried to get away and failed.
‘That’s good,’ he said. He’d reached the counter now and casually leaned against it, so close to her that she could smell the musky scent of his aftershave. She took a step back. ‘Nice to see you getting out and about,’ he added. ‘Not at the beck and call of your family as usual.’
The amount she did for the boys had always annoyed him. In his eyes he should have taken priority, not them, and no matter how much she’d tried to explain why she felt obliged to look after them, he hadn’t wanted to understand. He hadn’t got it when she’d gone on her photography expeditions either, or when she’d done anything that hadn’t been directly connected to him. In the logical part of her brain she could see their relationship would never have worked out, even if he hadn’t betrayed her, but all that logic didn’t stop her from being physically attracted to him.
‘We missed you on Friday,’ he said. ‘The place was in chaos without you. You’ll have a lot of sorting out to do today.’
‘I’m sure it’s not that bad. Running this place isn’t exactly rocket science.’
‘That’s because you make it look so easy.’ He inched his hand across the desk as though he was going to touch her. She triedto move to the side — there wasn’t much room behind the desk — to get away from him. What the hell was going on here? He hadn’t been nice to her in weeks and this charm offensive was alien. She sensed he was playing a game and she didn’t want any part of it.
He sighed. ‘When I said we missed you on Friday, what I really meant was that I missed you.’ His gaze was intent on her, sad puppy-dog eyes, which in the past would have her hurtling into his arms.
She swallowed, remaining as calm as possible. ‘I was only gone for a day.’
‘Yes, but it was a very long day.’ His head was only inches away from hers.
She almost sprinted from behind the reception desk and marched over to the coffee machine, changing the subject. ‘Do you want a coffee?’
‘No,’ he said. ‘I want you.’
She turned around abruptly.
‘I’m sorry?’
‘I made a mistake, Anna. Jemima is a lovely girl, but I thought the grass was greener and it’s not. I should have stuck with you.’
Not so long ago she’d have been delighted to hear those words, had even longed for him to say them. But now? Now she feared it was too late. She could see the holes in their relationship all too clearly.
‘You want me back?’ She almost whispered the words she was so shocked.
