“Sir. You can call me sir.”
“Mister, uh, sir. I’m grateful for your help but I don’t have a week. You see, I’m from the States.”
“You don’t say.”
“I have to go back. Soon. I’m not sure when, exactly, but most likely within the next few days.”
“And the town shall weep,” he said. “I’ll try my best to fix them sooner. No promises, though. You’re not the only thing I have going on.”
“Got it. Thank you for doing what you can. You can reach me at the Banbury Inn. The name’s Annie Haley. Do you need to write it down?”
The man stared at her tiredly, one of his eyes wandering off in some other direction.
“I see,” she said. “Well, I’ll check back in a few days. Thanks again!”
He was already gone, evaporated behind his mauve curtain.
“Not very jolly, are we?” Annie muttered.
She tucked her hair behind both ears and walked back out the door.
“Okay,” she said to herself, under her breath. “This is a start.”
Step one was getting the tapes repaired. Step two would be figuring how to pay for it. But she also had to find something to play them on, in the next few days, all without Laurel catching on. Annie frowned. Things were not looking too prospective. Already deflated, she began shuffling back toward the inn.
“Excuse me,” she said, jostling between a couple and then around a woman. “Pardon. Sorry.”
No. She would not cry. Not there. Not in a foreign country about a set of tapes.
“Sorry.” Her eyes ached. “Excuse me.”
“Annie?” said a voice.
She tried to shake away the cobwebs.
“Annie? Annabelle! What are you doing?”
Annie whipped around. The woman she’d not-so-politely skittered past was her mother and she looked rather pissed. Not the good kind of pissed, either, as in drunk like the Brits. No, Laurel Haley was full-blown American mad.
Forty-one
BANBURY, OXFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND
NOVEMBER 2001
“Oh,” Annie said, swallowing hard. “Hey, Mom.”
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing really. Strolling around town. A walk, you know.”
“A walk. Have you given up jogging already?”
“Ha! Good one!”
As her pulse quickened, Annie reminded herself that she hadn’t done anything especially shady. She didn’t even have the stolen tapes on her anymore. The person who should’ve been acting sheepish was Laurel.
“What is it you’re doing?” Annie asked, trying to turn the tables though she mostly lacked the strength. “I thought you were in meetings all day.”
“Ah, yes, the meetings,” Laurel said with a wry smile. “The ones I walked out of.”
“You walked out?”
“Indeed I did. Dramatically and in a huff. Not my usual MO, but I was over it. Done. I’m so tired of haggling.”
“You? A lawyer? Tired of haggling?”
“I’m as baffled as anyone. But it was … I don’t know…”
Laurel struggled to find the words, a first as far as Annie knew.
“It all suddenly seemed so pointless,” she said, puffing out her cheeks. “Every last bit of it. All the hassle, and to what end? The chance to grab a few more dollars? What a waste, especially when offset with lawyer’s fees, lodging costs, and the anxiety medication I’m surely going to need.”
“Wow, Mom. I’m surprised. It’s good, though. I guess. Why stress out over something that’s basically a gift?”
“Yes.” Laurel exhaled. “Exactly.”
“So what now?”
“I think…” Laurel started. She looked up at the sky, at the clouds shifting overhead. “I think it means I’ll take the lowball offer. What the hell. It’s only money.”
“You have enough, don’t you?” Annie asked. “For retirement? To last … until…”
“Oh, we’ll be fine. I saved plenty while working at the firm and even the deal as it stands is a nice chunk of cash. Plus how much money does a person need? I should’ve just let my lawyer handle it and waited back in the States for a check.”
“Wow,” Annie said again, the thought jarring. “Just wow.”
What if her mom had done that?
What if they’d stayed in Virginia, Laurel continuing to ride her horses while she waited for a check? Annie could barely remember what she did all day before trailing after old codgers and getting herself mired in life at the Grange. If they’d never come to England nothing would’ve changed yet everything would’ve been somehow different.
“Why didn’t you?” Annie asked. “Why didn’t you just collect your money?”
“I ask myself that very question ten times a day. I guess I felt like I had to see it, pay the property its due respect. Not to mention I was more likely to get top dollar if I came in person, which seems preposterous now. I hope you’re not disappointed.”
“About you not getting top dollar?” Annie crossed her arms, and then uncrossed them again. “No. I’m not disappointed about that.”
“I’m sorry, Annabelle. I’m sorry that I couldn’t get a higher price for you.”