Did I Mention I Won The Lottery? Page 8

  ‘You can drive tonight Daniel, I’m having a drink,’ and she was gone leaving him no time to protest or argue.

  It had been the final insult as far as Daniel was concerned. He was there under sufferance and now he was being deprived of the pleasure of drowning his sorrows and in a rage he had grabbed a soft drink and retired to a corner of the room to sulk. Rebecca glanced over at him now as he stood, stiff as a board, clutching a warm orange squash, his face radiating displeasure as he gazed out of the window visibly ignoring the chatter around him. Turning away her glance rested on Carol and her husband. Tim was older than Carol; a wonderfully pleasant and old fashioned man, he was a gentleman through and through. Daniel despised him as weak and ineffectual, Rebecca loved spending time in his company. The tales he told were dry and witty, educational and amusing. A real contrast to Daniel’s pompous lectures and one sided opinions. Rebecca smiled as she watched Tim slide a piece of stray hair behind Carol’s ear and drop a kiss on her nose. It was the sort of gesture that Daniel would have made only a few years before. What had gone wrong she wondered? What on earth had she done to destroy that tenderness?

  ‘How are you Rebecca?’

  ‘I’m well thanks Tim, very well.’

  Tim smiled, ‘Carol tells me that you’ve left the Deli?’

  Rebecca shot a nervous glance in Daniel’s direction. This was her one worry about tonight, that an unwary comment might let Daniel know that she had resigned her job.

  ‘Oh don’t worry!’ Tim leaned into her a little and she realised that his voice was actually deliberately low. ‘Carol did tell me not to mention it in front of Daniel.’

  Rebecca sipped at her drink.

  ‘Strange though, if you don’t mind me saying. Stopping work and not telling your husband? He’s going to find out some time.’

  Rebecca stiffened as she met Tim’s eyes. There was no recrimination there, just a gentle curiosity. He was, of course, right. How on earth did she think she could keep this from Daniel? How could she continue to hide any of this from Daniel - in fact, why did she want to? He was her husband. She had just won the lottery - a huge amount of money that could solve all their problems and bring back some joy and love into their lives. Why on earth hadn’t she just told him?

  ‘It’s difficult,’ she muttered, her eyes fixed on the carpet. ‘I can’t really… I mean it’s something that … I…’

  A hand came to rest gently on her own. ‘I’m sorry Rebecca. How rude, it’s absolutely nothing to do with me.’

  Rebecca sent a wary smile in his direction. ‘It’s just...’

  ‘No! Please, I shouldn’t have mentioned it, what happens between you and your husband is nothing to do with me. Now, let me get you another drink and we’ll change the subject,’ and taking Rebecca’s glass from her he gave her a warm smile before walking across the room, stopping briefly to chat to someone she didn’t recognise and to twirl his wife around on the tiny area marked for dancing.

  What was she doing? Why hadn’t she told Daniel? Why hadn’t she told the children, her mother, her friends? How wonderful to have given Susie a whopping great cheque instead of a pretty crystal vase. To give Carol enough money to pay of the small but ever present loan on the Deli, to let her mother know she needn’t worry about Parklands closing, to pay off the children’s student loans, buy them cars, give them an allowance.

  She hadn’t told them because it all revolved around telling Daniel first and Rebecca had to admit that the longer she delayed telling him the harder it was becoming. Why hadn’t she let him know that first weekend? They could have met the lottery people together, watched the money arrive in their account and chosen a house together. What on earth was she thinking?

  ‘Here we go, a fresh, cold glass of champagne!’ and Rebecca’s anguish was cut short as Tim thrust a glass into her hand and Carol appeared by their side, closely followed by Susie who had streaks of mascara under her eyes and very pink cheeks but who couldn’t stop smiling.

  For the next few hours Rebecca ignored Daniel’s increasingly desperate attempts to get her to leave as she joined in the fun. These were friends, they were good people and she felt a very real guilt at the pretence she was carrying out and the lies she was telling.

  Eventually it was time to leave and as Daniel stalked back towards their car in a rage Rebecca wandered slowly in his wake, smiling at the memories of the evening and ignoring her husband’s stiff shoulders.

  ‘How could you,’ he hissed as they got in the car, ‘how could you?’

  He was glaring at her with such ferocity that Rebecca was horrified that somehow in the course of the evening her secret had come out.

  ‘W-what do you mean?’ she whispered.

  ‘Getting drunk! Partying with those…common people. Making me stay there until all hours speaking to wretched people who haven’t got an original thought in their head! That’s what I mean Rebecca!’

  The relief kept her silent, but not so Daniel. He complained all the way home, complained as they parked the car and went into the house and continued to complain for a good half hour after they got into bed. In the end Rebecca, who now had a pounding headache and just wanted some respite, rolled over and pressed her hand none too gently across his lips.

  ‘Enough Daniel. Enough.’

  ‘No,’ she added crossly as he started again. ‘Those were my friends and I enjoyed their company. Now shut up!’

  And much to her surprise he did, rolling on to his side with a grunt and within seconds he was snoring.

  Rebecca laid back. The bed was hard because Daniel liked hard beds. Rebecca preferred the soft snugly mattress of Quebecs hotel. But Daniel hadn’t consulted her when he bought a new mattress, it had just arrived one day, a hard orthopaedic mattress that he declared would let both of them sleep better. In the dim light of the street lamps she could see the plain magnolia walls of the bedroom. Their house in Leeds had been warm and inviting, each room having its own character and charm. When they moved here Daniel had arranged for the decorators to come in and paint everything magnolia; made the rooms look clean and calm he said. Rebecca hated magnolia. She hated the house, magnolia or not. Her flair for decorating hadn’t moved from Leeds to Darlington. She had looked around at the magnolia walls and decided it wasn’t worth the effort or the arguments.

  She would tell him tomorrow she decided. Absolutely. She would show him her bank balance tomorrow and tell him she had won. Tomorrow they would clear the air and they could both start again.

  Chapter 8

  Rebecca slept late that morning and was woken by the slam of the door. Sitting up, still half asleep she reached out. ‘Daniel?’

  She knew what she would find before she even went downstairs. He needed revenge, he needed to teach her a lesson. The message was short and to the point. GOLF.

  She made a cup of tea and wandered through to the conservatory. She had less than a week to go. Then Beech Grange would be hers. If she wanted to live there she had to tell Daniel. She had to tell him she had won the lottery, left her job and bought a house in Leeds. She had to tell him. Today.

  The phone rang and Rebecca reached out to grab the receiver.

  ‘Hello Rebecca?’

  Rebecca didn’t recognise the voice for a moment.

  ‘Yes. Speaking.’

  ‘Rebecca, its Mrs Wendover at Parklands. I’m so sorry Rebecca but your Mum’s had a nasty fall. She’s in hospital.’

  A cold hand of fear clutched Rebecca’s heart. This was her fault. She had brought this on her mother through all the lies she had been telling. For the last three weeks she had used Gwen as an excuse for her trips to Leeds. She had lied to everyone she knew, she had told them all that her mother was ill and this was the result.

  ‘Is she okay?’ whispered Rebecca.

  ‘Oh I’m sure she’ll be fine. We think she’s broken her wrist, nothing more serious but at her age we can’t be too careful so we sent her straight to the hospital. She was trying to get from her bed to her
wheelchair by herself and fell. Please don’t worry my dear, I had to let you know but it’s nothing serious, I’m sure.’

  Was it Rebecca’s imagination or was there an element of doubt in Mrs Wendover’s voice.

  ‘I’m coming down,’ said Rebecca, leaping out of her chair. ‘I'll be there as soon as I can.’

  ‘I thought you might dear but you really don’t have to…’

  But Rebecca was already gone, running up the stairs with tears pouring down her cheeks as she went over every lie she had told, every occasion she had used her ‘sick’ mother as an excuse, all the sympathy she had received, all the best wishes. It was her fault. All her fault.

  She threw some things in an overnight bag and without even bothering to check the train times drove at breakneck speed to the station. She had left Daniel an explanation on the bottom of his own terse note. Mother in hospital. Gone to Leeds. She had written down the number of the mobile she had bought weeks ago so she could keep in touch with the lottery people, the bank, Annie, the hotel. So many people had come into her life over the last few weeks, people that Daniel knew nothing about.

  She was fortunate, there was a train just about to depart and she was soon in a taxi on her way to the hospital. Running up several flights of steps to her mother’s ward, Rebecca stood panting in the doorway. Her mother was sat up in bed dressed in her favourite nightgown and a delicate crocheted bed jacket. She had one wrist in a pot and was nibbling at a biscuit. Mrs Wendover sat at her side drinking a cup of tea and they were both laughing at something the lady in the next bed had just said.

  ‘Mum?’

  ‘Rebecca my darling girl! Mrs Wendover said you were coming. There really wasn't any need you know. I am quite alright. Oh whatever is the matter?’

  Because Rebecca had burst into loud noisy sobs and would have fallen to the floor if a passing nurse hadn't held out a supporting hand and whisked a chair under Rebecca's shaking legs.

  Shock, declared the nurse and for the next few minutes everything was a flurry of activity as tissues were produced, hot sweet tea poured and Rebecca was fussed over as though she was the invalid.

  ‘Rebecca darling, it's a broken wrist, I'm absolutely fine otherwise.’

  ‘I was just so worried Mum, I was sure that… you see I told people... I came to visit and said that you were ill and I didn't mean it to happen and it did!’

  Gwen and Mrs Wendover exchanged a sympathetic glance.

  ‘Rebecca you’re in shock my dear. You mustn't feel guilty. I know you can't come down any more than you do. You have your own life in Darlington. You can't be down here every weekend.’

  Rebecca stared at her mother. At the grey wavy hair that she kept perfectly groomed despite everything. At the bed jacket she had crocheted years ago and was her 'best'.

  ‘But I can Mum. I can be down here all the time, I can come and visit you as often as I want to. Because I'm moving to Leeds. I'm coming back to live in Leeds!’

  Gwen's eyebrows shot upwards into her grey curls while Mrs Wendover clapped her hands in delight.

  ‘Oh how lovely for you both. I'm so pleased for you Rebecca.’

  ‘Coming back to live in Leeds? Well that's lovely darling. Has Daniel moved back to the Leeds office?’

  ‘Not exactly,’ offered Rebecca, ‘I mean he may do, but it's not been decided if he will, he doesn't actually need to.’

  Gwen smiled, her shrewd eyes looking directly into Rebecca's own. ‘So are you coming to Leeds on your own?’ she asked softly.

  ‘Oh no! Of course not. It's just that I'm definitely coming, I mean we will be coming I…we just haven't sorted out all the details yet.’

  Refusing to meet Gwen's eyes, Rebecca turned instead to Mrs Wendover. ‘Have they said when Mum can go back to Parklands yet?’

  ‘Well, probably tomorrow. It's just a simple break. We'll have to keep an eye on it of course, make sure it heals properly, that sort of thing, but nothing we can't cope with at Parklands.’

  ‘Thank you for being here with Mum,’ Rebecca reached out and took Mrs Wendover's hand in hers. ‘It’s meant a lot to me over the years knowing that you've been there to look after her.’

  ‘Oh it's nothing.’ Mrs Wendover flapped her hands dismissing Rebecca's gratitude even as her eyes looked suspiciously watery. ‘All part of the service. Anyway, I should get back. I'll no doubt see you both tomorrow,’ and collecting her coat, hat and gloves she left waving a fond farewell in Gwen's direction.

  There was a moments silence and then Gwen took Rebecca's hand in her one free hand.

  ‘What's going on darling?’

  There was no accusation in the voice, just a world of love and for a moment all Rebecca wanted was to climb onto the bed and snuggle into her mother's side as she had done as a small child.

  But she couldn't tell Gwen because she hadn’t told Daniel. It was bad enough that she had left it so long but if he found out others knew before Rebecca told him he would be mortified.

  So she squeezed her mother's hand instead and tried to smile a reassuring smile.

  ‘It's nothing bad Mum. Truly it isn't. But it is a bit complicated and I can't tell you all the details right now. But I can tell you that it will all work out and I will be happy.’

  Gwen looked into her daughter's eyes for a moment then patted her hand.

  ‘When you're ready my darling, when you're ready.’

  Rebecca hadn't had time to make a reservation before she left Darlington, so some hours later she left her mum at the hospital and caught a taxi asking the driver to take her to Quebecs Hotel but wait for her outside for a moment.

  Walking into the lobby she felt an over-whelming feeling of coming home. How strange she thought, that a hotel could do that to her but not the house she had lived in for the last 5 years.

  ‘I haven't made a reservation but I was hoping...’

  ‘Mrs Miles, how wonderful to see you again. No problem at all, your usual room?’

  And within minutes the taxi had been paid and dismissed, Rebecca's bag had been carried up to her room, the bed turned down and a complimentary bottle of wine left in a cooler on the table. Rebecca sank onto the settee, the lovely comfortable over stuffed settee and leant back closing her eyes.

  Her mother was okay and she was back in Leeds at Quebecs. Although unplanned she couldn't deny it was a blessed relief. She would stay a few days, just until her mother was back at Parklands and everything was back to normal and then she would go back to Darlington and stop this farce. She would show Daniel the bank account and the ludicrous amount of money it held, tell him about the house, tell him everything. It was finally time.

  Rebecca had a troubled night's sleep and woke feeling leaden and heavy. Even the soft squishy pillows and the all-encompassing quilt hadn't helped her in her quest for sleep. She slid out of bed and wandered to her handbag to rescue her mobile. She checked to see if she had missed any calls in the trauma of the previous day but there was nothing. Daniel had made no attempt to contact her. She had left a message for him that her mother was in hospital and he hadn't so much as sent a text. She wondered whether she should ring him, bring him up to date, see if he wanted to come down and join her before realising what a ridiculous idea that was. She phoned the hospital and spoke to the ward sister who told her that Gwen was not quite as perky as she had been the day before. ‘I think the anaesthetic has worn off and she's feeling a little more pain today.’

  The hospital decided to keep her on the ward that day, just to keep a close eye on her and then would let her return to Parklands the following morning if all was still well.

  Rebecca phoned Mrs Wendover to update her on the news, followed by a call to Sarah who didn't answer. Rebecca smiled, Sarah could be in a lecture or still in bed. She left her a message explaining that Gwen was in hospital and that Rebecca was in Leeds followed by a similar message for Toby who she also promised to go and visit in a few weeks. She gazed down at her phone again. Should she phone Daniel? Did he care? Had he
even noticed that she wasn't there? Snapping the phone closed Rebecca reached out instead for the telephone sitting on the coffee table and phoned down to reception, ordering a continental breakfast to be brought to her room and a taxi to take her to the hospital and then headed for the power shower.

  Rebecca spent as long as she was allowed with Gwen during the course of the day. Her mother was looking pale and a little shaky and the nurse said it was quite possibly delayed shock. But she was still smiling and desperate to get back to her room at Parklands and her friends. Rebecca took her a pile of magazines, some lemon barley water and a great bowl of fruit which Gwen promptly shared out amongst the rest of the ward and the staff.