Anna sighed. ‘It’s a long story. I’ll tell you all about it, but right now I need to phone Daniel, then I need to get to Euston and speak to Ben.’
‘Of course. You get on.’
* * *
Daniel snatched up his phone as it started to ring, hoping it was Ben. His heart flipped a little when he saw it was Anna. He’d been longing for her to phone, but now he needed to concentrate on finding his son.
‘Anna, hi, I’m glad you called. But I’m sorry, now’s not a good time.’
‘I know. It’s Ben.’
‘Yes, we can’t find him. How did you know? Did he call you?’ He felt as though he was holding his breath. All he wanted was to be able to reach out and hug his son, to know that he was okay.
‘Not as such, no. But, first of all, he’s safe. He somehow managed to get on a train to London, but he was spotted by himself and the transport police picked him up at Euston. He’s refusing to speak to anyone but me.’
‘Oh, thank God!’ He smiled at Lucinda, who was frowning at him from across the kitchen table. He moved the phone away from his ear and told her, ‘Ben’s in London. He’s safe.’
For a moment her face lit up, then she frowned again. ‘What’s he doing in London?’
Daniel waved her question away and turned his attention back to Anna. ‘So have you spoken to him?’
‘Not yet. I’m on my way over now, but I thought I’d better let you know straight away that he’s safe.’
‘Thank you, Anna. Thank you so much.’ Daniel didn’t know how he felt about Ben not wanting to contact him, but the main thing was that he was safe, and soon he’d be with someone who loved him. ‘I’m on my way.’ He ended the call.
‘What’s Ben doing in London?’ Lucinda repeated.
‘I don’t know, but the only person he wants to speak to is Anna.’
‘Anna! That bloody woman!’
‘No!’ Daniel almost shouted at her. ‘I won’t have you bad-mouthing her. She knew nothing about this. And I think we’ve both underestimated how much Anna means to Ben.’
‘Because of you!’ Her voice rose. ‘Because you let her into your life.’
‘Yes, I did,’ Daniel said. ‘Because she is a good and kind woman, who I love very much. And because I was misguided enough to let you drive her away. If we want to apportion blame here, Lucinda, then we need to look at ourselves before we start blaming anyone else.’
‘I don’t think—’
‘I don’t care what you think. All I care about right now is Ben. So I’m driving down to London. You can either come with me and keep your opinions to yourself, or you can find your own way there, or even wait here until we come back.’
‘No, I’m coming. I’ll just get my coat.’
* * *
The train journey seemed to take ages, lumbering slowly towards each station. Sitting in an almost empty carriage, Anna willed it to go faster. All she wanted to do was get to Ben. To make sure he really was all right. She’d thought she was doing okay, that she’d be able to cut both Daniel and Ben out of her life. That she’d be able to take one day at a time and gradually become stronger. But at the news that Ben might have been in danger, and wondering what kind of hell Daniel was going through, had brought that house of cards crashing down. She desperately wanted to be with them, with both of them, and that would never change. The fact that Ben had run to her filled her with both horror — that she might be the cause of him running away — and a huge rush of love — that he’d turned to her for help. But most of all, she realised, this should never have happened in the first place. She should never have allowed Lucinda and her nasty friends to drive her away. What she felt for Daniel, and his son, was too strong. She had been a fool not to fight for it. Daniel hadn’t helped by the way he dealt with Lucinda, but she understood he had to tread carefully because of Ben. She still thought he should have backed her up more, but she did at least understand his motives. She wondered if now things could be different. Could a nine-year-old boy show them all the error of their ways? She certainly hoped so.
* * *
After what seemed like an interminable journey, Anna finally reached Euston Square and headed out towards thepolice station. She hurried as fast as she could, out of breath by the time she entered the station and headed for the desk.
‘Hi, I’m Anna Wright. I’m here for Ben Redfern — he’s nine years old and was on a train to Euston on his own.’
‘Yes, of course, just take a seat and I’ll phone through for someone to take you to him.’
She sat nervously, her legs shaking as she waited for what seemed like for ever. Eventually a middle-aged woman came through.
‘Anna Wright?’
