Beyond the Mask Read online

  “You look beautiful,” he whispered in my ear and then he kissed me on my neck.

  We lingered at dinner, drinking champagne and eating and talking as we did in the early days of our marriage. Nicholas was making sure he wined and dined me in style. There were tasty canapés and an entree but by the time Nicholas offered me dessert, I waved him away. I felt very light headed. I had the last few sips of my champagne. I wasn’t aware of how much I’d drunk but I felt strange and wondered if I’d drunk more than I intended.

  “I have a surprise for you my sweet. Janet!” Suddenly Mrs Williams appeared. “Janet, why don’t you and I sing Happy Birthday to my wife.” I turned and looked at her. She was smiling at me. Surely the light was deceiving me. She never smiled at me. Nicholas’ voice was completely in tune, Mrs William’s was soft and raspy. But their words were unmistakeable. “Happy birthday dear Anna......”

  The room began to sway around me. The candles glowed eerily, the fragrance I’d noticed before enveloped me, choked me and I fell face down on the table, knocking a china cup down onto the floor as I went down into blackness.

  ................................................

  Nicholas picked up the two glasses, opened the second bottle of champagne and poured Janet and himself a drink. They drank in silence. Nicholas’ face was thoughtful, Janet Williams was spiteful. “It’s time for us to have a talk Janet.”

  Her eyes fastened on him, waiting eagerly to hear what he had to say. “You know only a very small portion of our plans and since there’s to be a major change here and you are part of this household I must divulge what’s going on. Janet, you know that we have been trying to make her,” he flung his hands out towards the inert figure beside him, “… unstable and that it’s been taking too long. Well we decided to drug her instead. But you don’t really know why.”

  “Because she is an intruder of course. You thought if you could marry someone who looks like...”

  “No Janet. Listen! Don’t interrupt. There’s another reason why I married Kimberley. This will be a great shock to you Janet but, well Anna didn’t die in that accident. There was no accident.”

  “What! Then why, why, Nicholas? I don’t understand.”

  “Anna is alive. Anna is alive and I’m going to bring her home for good.”

  “Nick, where is she? Where has she been all these years?”

  Nicolas sighed and his face was visibly distressed. “She’s been in a private hospital.” He paused. “A mental hospital.”

  “A mental hospital? Anna in a mental hospital? How can they keep her in with all those sick people?” Her face screwed up in disgust. “Nick, Nick, why?”

  “Remember how she was always excited about life, how eager she was to be on the move, how she could never relax? Even I found it hard to keep up with her. It was all part of her sickness in its early stages. She was perpetually on a high, an unnatural high. Then she had her first miscarriage.”

  “I remember Nick. She didn’t come downstairs for weeks. She wouldn’t even see me and we were very close.”

  “She didn’t want to see anyone. Then she had her second. It took longer that time. I tried to explain to her that I would rather not have children if it was going to end like this every time she conceived. I said we could adopt, anything, but she would not hear of it. You know how determined she always was. She kept saying, ‘We must have an heir. The Seerdon name must be carried on.’ Then the third miscarriage. I thought she would never recover, never smile again but in a few weeks she came downstairs as if nothing had happened, eager to move on again. Then under specialist advice she was put on medication to help her go full-term. It didn’t take long and she was pregnant again. After six months we thought we were safe. The doctor didn’t suspect anything until late in the pregnancy. Our baby girl was born dead.” Tears fell down his face and he wiped them away and continued.

  “Remember Janet, I took her away for a holiday to help her recover. Well, it was hell. I will never forget it as long as I live. She was so depressed I couldn’t get through to her. When we saw a baby, anyone’s baby, she would light up. She believed the baby was ours and I had to stop her taking it. In the end I took her to a public mental hospital where I knew Peter Trinette from years back. He was a brilliant doctor and I set him up in a private hospital and put him in charge. Anna became his patient. He, as you know, is helping us with our plans. He will be here tomorrow afternoon. We will keep Kimberley heavily sedated: this time it will need to be a heavy dose.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Kimberley is going to be taken to the clinic and Anna is coming home.” He paused. “A swap over Janet. That’s what it entails.”

  “Good,” said Janet vehemently. “But there’s one thing I still don’t understand. How come Peter is willing to allow this? He is a doctor after all. Don’t they take some sort of oath?”

  “Aha, but you see Peter Trinette is no saint. A very useful ace I’ve kept up my sleeve for some years, never knowing how much I’d need to use it. Without it he wouldn’t have gone through with this. You see, he was having an affair with one of his patients in his hospital. The young woman was suffering from mental illness. He allowed himself to become emotionally involved. Oh she encouraged him but you see if that gets out his career is completely washed up and he knows it.”

  “What about Kimberley?”

  “Yes, well my first plan was rather different from this one. Originally I was just going to marry a woman with similar colouring to Anna expressly to have a child. Then I was going to divorce her without her ever knowing about Anna. Then when I advertised for a housekeeper here I received dozens of replies and photos on line. Imagine my disbelief when I received Kimberley’s application. It was an incredible likeness. Oh there are differences but they’re subtle differences, differences only you and I would notice, Janet. They’re not identical but they’re damn well near it.

  After I met her and hired her my plan changed. And now Janet, you know everything that’s going on.”

  “I can only repeat what I said to you before, Nick. I will do anything for you and Anna. Anything. I just, I just find it so hard to believe that she is alive.”

  They raised their glasses in a silent toast. Thankfully I didn’t know that the beautiful lingerie Nicholas had given me that night was Anna’s wedding night attire. In my drugged state I was unaware that he had sprinkled her garments with her favourite perfume. I didn’t know that Janet, with Nicholas’ coaching cut my hair shorter so it would be the same shape and length as Anna’s. Because I was in a heavily drugged sleep I’m glad I didn’t know until a couple of months later, when I found out my second child had been conceived, and that Nicholas, in a world of fantasy and make believe, pretended and for a short time believed that I was Anna.

  Next morning I was still heavily drugged and because I did not call John at ten am as I had promised, he arrived at 10.30. Nicholas was able to convince him that we’d had such a wonderful evening and we’d dined late and that I was having a well deserved sleep in. He promised John that he would get me to contact him next day. When John left, Nicholas sent an urgent message to Peter Trinette and then waited restlessly for his arrival later on that day.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Nicholas put his cigarette into the ashtray and got up and paced the room, backwards and forwards. Peter Trinette sat calmly watching him, his eyes without expression. His white skin was flawless and his white hair neatly brushed, in complete contrast to Nicholas.

  Nicholas’ hair was pushed back from his forehead and he looked nothing like his usual immaculate self. He poured himself a drink and gulped it down. He held the bottle out to Peter but he declined.

  “If you lay off the booze, Nick, I can give you something to calm your nerves.”

  “Ha! That’s a switch from last time Peter. I’ve only had one drink. I hardly ever touch it as you know and I haven’t had a cigarette for years.”

  “Look you must calm down. I have chang
ed the arrangements. It’s taken quite a bit of juggling. If John wasn’t snooping around we’d have been fine. Now we can’t take her till the middle of the night. It’s the only way we can do this now. So we need to plan very carefully. Good, now you’ve calmed down we can discuss the new plan logically. First, you need to get this into Kimberley so she doesn’t know what’s happening. Then get her ready. We’ll need to leave shortly. It’s a long trip from here.”

  Peter and Janet were waiting for Nicholas when he carried me downstairs in his arms and he showed none of the inner turmoil they knew was in him. He’d showered and shaved and dressed in his expensive clothes. He’d dressed me in a plain white nightie and wrapped me in a warm blanket. “Janet, take good care of Anna. Please remove everything left of Kimberley’s that is not already packed. I want every trace of her obliterated from here. Please bring my wife’s things back into our bedroom. I leave everything in your capable hands.” He turned to Peter. “Peter, take her to the car while I get our luggage.”

  I’m glad I didn’t see how he handed my inert body to Peter, as if I was a bag of rubbish to be thrown out. Nicholas then made his way back upstairs. Outside Peter’s car stood ready for the journey.

  The journey itself was long and tedious and the atmosphere was tense between the two men. I didn’t stir throughout the entire trip. I lay curled up in the back seat, my hair rumpled and untidy.

  Peter drove far too quickly but he was used to driving and loved to let the Jaguar have its head. It was very late when they arrived. The night staff would be there now and even if they did see Peter they wouldn’t be suspicious. He was sometimes called in the middle of the night. It was safe to go to Anna’s room.

  Peter’s hands trembled slightly when he opened the outside door and he glanced at Nicholas. There was an expectant gleam in Nicholas’ eyes and he was calm and controlled.

  “Are you sure about this Nick?”

  “You know I am.”

  They made their way stealthily around to the side entrance. Peter fumbled with the key and kept looking nervously around him. Nicholas carried me, draped over his shoulder. Once inside the dimly lit room, Nicholas almost threw me on to the bed.

  “Where is she, where is my wife? Peter if this is some sort of joke...”

  “No it’s not a joke, Nicholas. Before I get Anna in here I want to talk to you. As a doctor I have to try and talk you out of this. Do you really realise the severity of what you are doing, Nick?”

  “I don’t care! I have to do it!” His voice was harsh and his breathing fast. “I’m taking Anna home and that’s final. Nothing you say or do will stop me. Do you hear? Nothing!” His controlled mask was gone now. Devoid of it his eyes were cruel and his face was contorted into rage. His fists balled at his side and he looked like he could easily attack his friend.

  Peter bent and pressed a small buzzer underneath the edge of the small chest of drawers. The door immediately barged open. A struggle developed as two policemen grabbed hold of Nicholas. When he was handcuffed and read his rights, Peter stepped towards him.

  “You see Nicholas, you made a mistake. I’m a doctor first and foremost. Even if I lose my job I could not allow a mentally ill woman to go home and a completely sane one take her place.” Peter’s face was sad as he looked at his friend of many years. With that he gave the policemen a nod and they took Nicholas with them to the city police station. Then he made a phone call. After twenty minutes John Ascott arrived and Peter let him in the side entrance, the same one that he and Nicholas had used before.

  Peter led John back to Anna’s room where I lay, still unaware of anything that had happened since I’d dined with Nicholas.

  “Are you sure she’ll be all right? Are you absolutely certain?”

  “Yes. The drug used won’t harm her. When she wakes up she’ll not remember anything but she’ll need to be with people she trusts. Janet Williams will be arrested in the morning and the police will wait until you’re there so you can take the baby. You’ll need to explain to Kimberley what’s happened a little at a time. As she asks, be honest with her. Your mother being with you is going to be a help to you and to Kimberley. I understand there’s no one else.”

  “I think there’s a former flat mate. Kimberley mentioned her just before Nicholas and Kim married. I’ll try and get in touch with her if Kim wants to see her when she’s ready.”

  “The fact we ended up stupifying her instead of unbalancing her in the end will save her from lasting damage, psychologically. She’ll need time and loads of love without any demands upon her. Don’t press her, just be there for her.”

  “Do you still think being with me and my mother until she’s able to make her own decisions is ok?”

  “Yes, for a short period at least. When she’s ready she’ll be able to decide what she wants to do.”

  John shook his hand and gently picked me up. In his heart he was determined to fill my life and my baby’s life with love and laughter.

  I slept on, unaware that my future had changed.

  EPILOGUE

  The little boy ran to him and giggled with delight. “Daddy, Daddy, pick me up.” He picked up the dark haired three year old and the little boy squealed.

  I watched them with such peace in my heart. I smiled and tousled Jonathan’s hair. John put him down and held out his arms to me.

  “Happy Mrs Ascott?”

  “So happy John. Who would have thought it eh? Three children. And you are a wonderful father to them all. You’ve never treated any of them differently.”

  “When I married you, Kim, I had already learned to love Anna. When we found out you were expecting again I was his Dad from the beginning. And now Sophie is here to make our lives complete.”

  I looked at him. How blessed I was. This man never pretended, never wore a mask. He was the most honest man I knew. That was the thing that had drawn me to him from the start. He was not only my hero and rescuer but now my own husband who I trusted implicitly.

  I thought of my Lord who had saved me out of an impossible situation after all, in His own way and in His own time. Anna and I had been in such jeopardy. ‘Thank-you Father,’ I breathed aloud and then John and I went inside the farmhouse for dinner with our family.