Free Deceit of Angels by Julia Bell Page A

hair.
    “What
will it be like tomorrow?” the little girl asked seriously.
    “How
do you mean?”
    “Is
it going to be very scary saying goodbye to Mummy?”
    Anna
stopped her brushing and put her arms round her.  “No, it won’t be scary. 
You’ve worked very hard to make it a special day.  The flowers will be lovely.”
    “But
Mummy will be in a coffin and people will be crying.”
    “Yes,
people will cry because that’s what happens at a funeral, but they’re crying
because they love the person who’s died and it’s a way of showing that love. 
And yes, I know your mummy will be in a coffin but that’s only her body.  Her
soul has gone to heaven.  She’s happy now and she isn’t sick any more.”
    “But
I miss her.”
    Anna
hugged her closer.  “I know you do.”  She paused, remembering.  “You know,
Hollie, my daddy died when I was just a bit older than you.  I was twelve and I
missed him so much.”
    “Was
he very sick too?”
    “No,
he died in a car accident.  It all happened very suddenly.  My mum and my
little sister and me were left on our own.  It was very difficult to be without
him but we managed and we never, never stopped thinking about him or loving
him.”
    “Even
though he wasn’t there any more?”
    “Oh,
Hollie.  You never stop thinking of someone just because you can’t see them any
more.  They’re here.”  She put her hand over the little girl’s heart.  “And
that means they’re always with you every single day of your life.”
    “And
I can look at her photo,” she said, pointing to the silver frame on her bedside
table.
    “Of
course you can.”  Anna kissed the top of her head.
    Jason
suddenly appeared.  “Are you ready for a story?”
    Hollie
jumped into bed, pulling the covers up to her chin.  “Yes! Yes! Yes!”
    “So,
what story do you want,” he asked, walking over to the bookshelf.
    “ The
Selfish Giant ,” yelled Hollie.
    Jason
gave a groan.  “Oh, not again!  I’ve read it hundreds of times!”  Anna kissed
Hollie good night and made for the door.  As she past Jason, he gave her a
grimace.  “Oscar Wilde has a lot to answer for.”
    Anna
settled down for the evening, curled up on the couch, reading a magazine. 
Jason came into the room and took a seat next to her.
    “Thank
you for talking to Hollie about tomorrow.  I really appreciate it.”
    Anna
gave him a bright smile.  “She told you about it?”
    “No,
I was listening outside the door,” he admitted with a grin.
    “You
were eavesdropping!”  She hit him playfully with the magazine.
    He
blew out a breath.  “Couldn’t help it really.  I was just coming to her room
and I heard you talking and I just had to stop and listen.”
    “Well,
it’s a good job we weren’t talking about you!  You might have heard something
you didn’t want to hear.”
    He
gave her a sidelong glance.  “That’s true, but it would have served me right.” 
He paused slightly before adding, “I’m sorry about your father.  I didn’t know
he’d died.  I assumed your parents were divorced.”
    “Why
should you have known?  I never told you, because I didn’t think you’d be
interested.”
    “I’m
very interested in your life.” He tilted his head to one side.  “You never talk
about your husband.  What did he do for a living?  I mean, before he fell ill.”
    Anna
swallowed hard.  “He was a structural engineer.”  She tried to go back to her
magazine, but knew his eyes were still on her and although she tried not to
meet his gaze, she found she was compelled to look up once more.  He was
smiling. 
    “I
know how it feels to have your heart broken.  I don’t blame you for not wanting
to talk about him.” 
    She
was alarmed to recognise something in his gentle tone, his soft expression that
made her think that he knew the truth about her.  But how could he?  She
absorbed herself in her magazine, convinced that she had imagined it; he was
making polite