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Back The Actresses Save as PDF
Chapters (51)
  1. Cover
  2. THE ACTRESSES
  3. About The Actresses
  4. Contents
  5. Dedication
  6. Epigraph
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. About Barbara Ewing
  49. Also by Barbara Ewing
  50. An Invitation from the Publisher
  51. Copyright

‘No thank you, no, I’ve rung the wife and she’s making me a big turkey sandwich and a treble Scotch so I’ll get a bit of Christmas cheer, even this late and I’m looking forward to it I can tell you. Here, there’s this envelope for you as well, will you sign, thanks, thanks, Merry Christmas,’ and he was gone down the steps that were freshly white. In the light spilling out from the doorway she saw through the silent drifting snow that one side of his car was smashed in. But he’d left the motor running and, tooting once softly, he carefully drove away.

She closed the door, leant against it, and still holding the roses, clumsy, managed to open the large envelope. Harry saw that she had to hold the note away from her, in order to be able to read it without her glasses. She frowned at the letter.

Dear Frances,

Christmas has given me an excuse to contact you again. I have not been courageous enough to speak to you in person but I have become courageous enough to write you this letter. I have been divorced from my wife for ten years which has led to many problems for me as you are now only too well aware. If they seem unsolvable to you then I just send you warm and affectionate Christmas greetings but I also enclose a ticket to Basle on New Year’s Eve. I will meet the plane but only catch it if you feel you can. I will of course understand if you do not. I have missed you very much.

Milton Werner

Harry still stood at the top of the stairs. He looked down at Frances.

‘Do you know Harry,’ she said, looking up at him, a smile breaking on her face like sunshine, ‘I think I’ll take a trip to Switzerland.’

Her round shining un-made-up face smiled and smiled up at him, through the roses.

39

On Christmas Day Terence Blue drove through the snow in his red BMW convertible – he was still banned from driving but who would have the heart to arrest him now – to see his first wife, Nicola Abbott.

He had, against his doctor’s orders, taken the sling from his shoulder for the first time. It was very painful but he didn’t want to appear in a sling, frighten her. He took flowers, champagne, and presents wrapped in pretty paper.