When Wishes Come True (39 page)

Time was ticking by, and Janet realised if she waited to see Evelyn or Philip come out, her whole lunch hour would be gone. She couldn’t go all day without a bite to eat. Best to nip to the little cafe in Dale Street for a sandwich and pot of tea. While she was sitting, she would put together a plan on what to do about the secret she’d found out today. For she fully intended to bring the high and mighty Evelyn Sinclair down off her pedestal. And it would have to be done in such a way it wouldn’t cost Janet her job.

She ordered a toasted teacake and a cup of tea, and while she was waiting glanced at the people seated nearby. She was the only person sitting on her own, the other tables were occupied by two or three people, mostly men, all of them deep in conversation. She could hear snatches of what they were saying, and it was obvious they were work colleagues. This gave her food for thought. Perhaps she could suggest to Evelyn that they should have lunch together one day. But as quickly as the idea entered her head, she dismissed it. That would surely make the woman suspicious.

The waitress came with her order, and for a short time Janet was busy pouring herself a much-needed cup of hot tea. The teacake, oozing with butter, looked so appetising she couldn’t resist folding it in two and sinking her teeth into it. It wasn’t until the cup and plate were empty that her thoughts returned to the subject that plagued her: Philip Astbury and Evelyn Sinclair. Not that she had bad thoughts about Philip, she didn’t. She wanted him for herself and was sure she could prove to him that she was more his sort than Mrs Sinclair, if only he would let her. In fact, if Evelyn was out of the picture, Janet was convinced he would take more notice of her.

The clock on the wall of the cafe said it was a quarter to two, and Janet told herself if she hurried she might catch Evelyn coming out of that door in Castle Street. She could hang back until the door opened, then catch up with her prey and pretend she was surprised to see her. Yes, that was a good idea. So she picked up the bill the waitress had left and counted out the right money from her purse. Then, hoping that being generous would bring her good luck, she left a penny tip on the table for the waitress.

Standing outside the cafe, Janet could feel the cold wind coming off the River Mersey, and shivered as she pulled on her gloves. She’d walk slowly up Castle Street, and if she was lucky and Evelyn came out of the door on cue, that would be marvellous. But if it wasn’t to be, she wasn’t going to hang around, it was too cold.

Evelyn pulled the door closed behind her, then tucked her handbag under her arm while she put on the warm, fur-lined soft leather gloves which Philip had surprised her with this morning. He’d said her old ones had well served their purpose and she should put them in the bin. This was one time she’d thrown caution to the wind and kissed him for being so thoughtful. Winter had certainly come with a vengeance, and people were saying it was the worst for many years. So as she stepped into the street, she was thanking him mentally for the warmth of the expensive kid gloves. He really was an angel, and she was falling more in love with him every day.

She had only covered a few yards when she heard running footsteps and her name being called. She turned her head and felt her heart miss a beat when she saw Janet Coombes. Had she been spotted coming out of the apartment? She hoped not, for Janet was the one person in the office she couldn’t take a liking to.

‘I thought I recognised you.’ Janet was smiling in a friendly manner when she caught up. ‘You’ve just come out of one of those offices, haven’t you?’

Evelyn quickly pulled herself together and decided to brazen it out. She ignored the question. ‘You gave me quite a scare, calling my name so loudly. I thought something dreadful had happened.’ Without giving Janet time to answer, she went on, ‘Have you been out for lunch? You need to get something warm inside you this cold weather.’

Janet nodded. ‘Yes, I’ve been to that nice little cafe in Dale Street. They do wonderful toasted teacakes.’ She couldn’t let this opportunity pass, she may never get another one. ‘I did see you coming out of one of the offices, didn’t I? Have you a friend in there?’

As calm as could be, Evelyn, who was several inches taller than Janet, looked down with her eyebrows raised in surprise. ‘I haven’t just come out of an office, you must be mistaken.’ Then she added, ‘Oh, I understand now, how silly of me. I had stepped into a doorway out of the wind while I fixed my scarf. It had worked itself loose and my neck was freezing.’

Janet was lost for words. At least there were plenty of words wanting to tumble out of her mouth, but they weren’t the right ones. If she came right out and called Evelyn a liar, she knew she would bring down on herself Philip’s wrath. She was also sure she would lose her job. So she bit her tongue. There were many ways of skinning a cat, and Evelyn wouldn’t be allowed to get away with making a fool of her.

‘It’s a lovely warm scarf.’ Janet had to force herself to speak in her normal tone of voice as she kept in step with the woman she disliked intensely. ‘And I do love your gloves, they look like real kid.’

They were nearing the office when Evelyn answered, ‘Yes, they are. They were a gift from a very good friend.’

Janet couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of her voice when she said, ‘Lucky you to have such a generous friend. He must be a man of means.’

They walked up the three steps to the office door, and with her hand out ready to push it open, Evelyn drawled, ‘And what, pray, makes you think they were a present from a man? You should never pass a remark like that unless you have your facts right.’ She pushed the door open. ‘And now it’s back to work, and reality.’

‘Yes,’ Janet said between gritted teeth. ‘I wish I could meet a really rich man who would take me away from all this.’

‘They are few and far between, Miss Coombes, but I wouldn’t stop wishing if I were you. You might just be one of the lucky ones.’

Being addressed so formally enraged Janet. She felt like a child being put in its place. ‘Is that what you’re wishing for, Mrs Sinclair? To be one of the lucky ones?’

‘Good heavens, no!’ Evelyn slipped her arms out of her coat. ‘I am more than content with my lot in life, there’s nothing more I could wish for.’

Evelyn was sorting the second delivery of mail with Grace when Philip strolled into the office. ‘Any post for us, Mrs Sinclair?’

‘Half a dozen letters so far, Mr Philip. When Grace and I are finished sorting them properly, I’ll open those which are addressed to you and file them in order of importance. Give me half an hour and I’ll bring them to you.’ Evelyn averted her eyes, afraid Grace would see the special look she reserved for him. ‘There are two letters on your desk needing your signature. If you could attend to them, Grace will put them with Mr Woodward’s letters to be posted later.’

When Evelyn carried the post through to Philip’s office later, he jumped to his feet as always. ‘Sit down, my love, I’ve missed you.’

She sat facing him. ‘It’s been about half an hour, Philip, if that! But it pleases me to hear you say you’ve missed me, for I’ve missed you.’ She crossed her legs and pulled her skirt down. ‘I missed something else as well.’

‘Oh, and what was that, my lovely?’

‘I just missed getting caught coming out of the apartment. In fact, I was caught, but I think I got out of it by telling lies.’

‘Why was it necessary to lie? You were coming out of my apartment as you have every right to if you wish. Surely there was no reason to pretend?’ He leaned his elbows on the desk and leaned towards her. ‘Who was it you found it necessary to lie to?’

‘Janet. I believe she’s noticed the regularity of our Wednesday meetings, and today set out to find if we meet up outside the office. Whether she followed me and saw me going in the building, I don’t know, but she pounced when I left.’

‘Surely you don’t care what Janet thinks, do you? She is insignificant, of no consequence. Did she dare to question you?’

‘No, of course not.’ Evelyn wasn’t about to tell him more or he would surely bound out of his office and into James Woodward’s to confront Janet. ‘I told her I was standing out of the wind while I fastened my scarf. It was a lie, of course, and I really do not like to be in a position where I have to lie to the likes of Janet Coombes. So all I’m asking is that we are more careful in future.’

Philip was angry. ‘How stupid all this secrecy is! I love you and want to marry you. And I am of the opinion that you love me. Why should we hide it?’

‘For my sake, my darling. Look at it from my point of view. We haven’t known each other very long, I know that matters little when we adore each other, but think what a field day the rest of the staff would have. Me, a widow, throwing myself at you. That is what they will think, and what they will say behind my back. I am not so thick-skinned it wouldn’t hurt me.’

Philip was becoming impatient. He could not understand why Evelyn was so insecure she allowed his partner’s secretary to have this effect on her. The girl was an employee, nothing more. And if Evelyn was to become his wife in the very near future, there was no reason on earth for her to fear anyone. ‘I’m going to ask you a question, my darling, and I want you to answer truthfully. Do you really love me?’

‘Philip, I love and adore you! And that is the truth.’

‘Then I will bear with you, as promised, until all the Christmas and New Year festivities are over. After that I will accept no delay or argument about our future. This is what I have planned.’ Philip wished they were in the privacy of the apartment so he could hold her in his arms, for she was looking at him now with apprehension in her eyes. ‘You will give in your week’s notice here on the day we return to work after the New Year break, and when you have served your notice you will move into the apartment until we are married. I will tell my parents tonight that I have met you, fallen in love, and that you are the girl of my dreams. I will add that in the near future I will be asking you to be my wife. I will take you to meet them when you are no longer an employee of this firm, and will also take you to meet my best friend who, with his wife, already knows about you. When that is done, we shall set a date for the wedding. That is how it will be, my darling, for I love you too much to listen to any further excuses for delay.’

‘You will have to be a little more understanding, Philip, and try to see things from my point of view. Your life is easy, always has been, but I haven’t been so lucky. There are many things I’m afraid of that you appear not to have given any thought to. First, I am a widow of twenty-nine. I have no money or assets to bring with me, and how are your parents going to react when you tell them that? Or your friends?’

‘They will love you as I do, and they’ll be very happy that at last I have found someone I truly feel for. Of this I am certain, I know my family and friends. But if I am wrong, and my parents object to our marriage, it will not alter my feelings for you, or stop me from marrying you. I would be sad, but it is my life and I have at last found someone I want more than anything in the world. Nothing, and no one, can change my mind.’

Philip smiled as he leaned across the desk and took her hand. ‘Don’t look so afraid, my lovely, I won’t let anything happen to you. And now that we have a timetable set for the events that will lead to the happiest day of my life, and yours, I hope, then let us put it from our minds for now. We will continue to meet as often as possible, I have become addicted to you. And you must bear in mind that I expect you to spend time with me in the apartment over Christmas. In fact, I not only expect you to, I demand it. I couldn’t live a whole week without seeing you.’

Evelyn’s mind was in a turmoil. She would give anything to be able to round the desk, hold him in her arms, kiss him soundly, tell him she idolised him and agree with everything he’d said. For what he was offering her was nothing short of life in paradise. But it would not be right to agree to it for what he was asking was also impossible. She was living a lie, and he would hate her when she was forced to tell him the truth. But for now she would enjoy what little time they had left. She would take and return his love, and when it was over, as it surely would be over when he knew she’d been lying, she would at least have the memory of that love to cherish forever.

‘As always, your wish is my command, Philip. We will continue to meet, as often as it pleases you, and to hell with what people think. And with regard to Christmas, I will try to fit in with your plans.’

Her words pleased Philip. His mischievous grin appeared. ‘You will be my Christmas present. And if you would give me an inkling what you would like, it would be of enormous help. I want to buy something that would please you. Will it be French underwear, my darling, or jewellery perhaps? A hint would be very useful.’

‘As I can’t buy you an expensive gift in return, I would prefer an inexpensive present. I am not complaining, but the facts are that I am on a very tight budget. I have a couple of people I need to buy presents for, neighbours who have been good to me, and I have to be careful. So please don’t embarrass me by giving me a present that costs the earth.’

This was the first time Evelyn had mentioned anyone else in her life, and Philip was interested. ‘You have good neighbours then?’

‘Yes, they are very kind. One lady in the street does little jobs for me, which I pay her for. When I get home every night there’s a fire lit and it makes the house seem more lived in.’

‘Then I have an idea,’ he said. ‘Let me pay for the presents you want for your neighbours. If they are good to you, then they are good to me. Let me reward them, please, it would make me happy.’

‘Oh, I shall only be buying them some small items, just to show my appreciation. Something for their children, perhaps, because they are quite poor and will have little money to spare for Christmas presents.’

‘Then let me be their Father Christmas.’ Philip had taken to the idea. He would enjoy helping poor families, and could certainly afford to. ‘Yes, I would like that. But as I don’t know the age or sex of these children, I will have to leave the buying of the presents to you.’