Anna in Exile: Prime Time, #9

By Ruth Hay

As the ninth book in Ruth Hay's beloved Prime Time Series begins, Anna Mason Drake finds herself in a dilemma.

 

Many of her richest memories, and her most dear acquaintances, are in Oban, Scotland, while she is trapped in Canada by the global pandemic.

 

Time is going by. Will she ever see the McCaig Estate House finished?

 

Will she miss exciting events in the lives of those she loves?

 

Is she to be isolated forever by circumstances, and held hostage by the encroaching weakness of age and illness?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ruth Hay
• Release date: Apr 12, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201700010

Book preview

Chapter One

"I know I must be grateful, Alina. At least we are here together and safe for the time being.

It’s a miracle that you and Philip returned to Canada before the virus called a halt to international travel."

I can say the same for you, Anna. You travelled here safely with Ashley and Edmund and, on the way, visited your brother and his family in Prince Edward Island with them.

You are right, of course. I do not know when I will be able to see Simon again. I fear he is not as well as he insists he is.

Anna put down her coffee mug and glanced out of the kitchen windows of Alina and Philip’s London, Ontario, condominium. Snow was falling steadily. It would be a white Christmas after all. For a few days, the world in this part of North America would be peaceful and quiet. There was nothing like deep snow to blanket sounds and bring an overall sense of calm.

There was no denying it would be a far different Christmas this year. With the virus raging across the world, families were limited in their ability to join together in small or large groups.

Not that this was a problem for the A Plus team! Philip did most of the shopping for the two women and the main stores were all within a mile or two of their Rosecliffe complex.

Their two condos were side by side, and Anna was as often next door as she was in her own place.

The only other regular visitor was Valerie Westwood. She, too, was living alone, a mile or two further west in London, and she appreciated the company. Anna enjoyed their time together since Valerie shared many of her good memories of the Canadian contingent residing in Oban.

Although Valerie had now given up on leading her exclusive tours to Britain, Fiona’s Glenmorie Castle dinner was always one of the final highlights to be included on each Scottish tour. Anna could talk with her for hours about that magnificent dining room with all its baronial splendour and the wonderful Campbell family that were its owners and conservators.

Valerie had also frequently visited Jeanette and George McLennan and their two children in their Oban home. Jeanette’s mother, Jean, was a long-time friend of Valerie since well before the time when her own husband passed away.

The two friends had much in common. Both had family who they missed. Both were getting older and hoping to cling onto their health as long as possible in order to permit further travel when the coronavirus had lessened its hold on the world, and the vaccines now available had achieved their promise of reducing the vulnerability of seniors to the dreaded infection.

It would be a small group of four for the festivities.

Alina insisted on a tree, decorations, and all the traditional activities. Carols played throughout the house and the good smells of Christmas puddings and cinnamon cookies certainly served to lift the spirits.

As Alina often said, her eyesight was restored to her, and if that was not a miracle, she did not know what was. I missed so much colour and sparkle before. I will not be deprived of all that now.

Anna could hardly argue with her friend’s decision. She did her best to join in the festivities and all the preparations, although ordering gifts online did not have the distinct pleasure of shopping and seeking out the exact item in person.

Valerie was on Alina’s side in this debate. With her grandsons working in Vancouver or in the States, she was delighted to join the party for Christmas, and arrived two days early to help.

Anna decided they would sleep in her second bedroom where there were two single beds, allowing for confidential chats late at night when the usual barriers were down and sleep was on the horizon.

Valerie was aware of Anna’s reluctance about Christmas celebrations and she opened the topic.

So, you must be thinking of Oban and all your friends over there. Ashley and Edmund will be in their new extension by now. Are you wondering what it looks like?

"Ashley sent me videos on my phone so I could see the developments as they happened. It is much like I imagined the last time I was there when the foundations were already in place.

I am so pleased they will have their own space and privacy within the sheltering stone walls of the old McCaig Estate building. The builders found enough local stone so that the exterior matches perfectly while inside all is modern, convenient and very warm."

Valerie could hear the longing in her friend’s voice. She had stayed often in Oban and knew the close group that lived there. All of them loved Anna and most of them had benefitted one way or another from her generosity and kindness. She sought a way to lighten the sadness she could still hear.

Well, I hope the young couple will not invite mother-in-law Christine to sleep in the new part of the house.

This comment brought laughter to both women.

She would surely find a way to spoil their delight in their décor or something else that did not match her idea of her doctor son’s residence, chortled Anna.

Christine should be grateful to be included at all. I understand she was a nuisance from beginning to end of their lovely wedding in the Glenmorie Castle.

Anna had heard the same story from Jeanette and it just underscored the fact that she had missed her favourite great-niece’s special day.

As long as they refuse to have her move in with them permanently, they will be fine.

From what Jean told me on the phone, Christine is so involved in her east coast life that her absence would cause a major social crisis to occur.

More laughter ensued from this remark and Anna was glad she had invited Valerie to stay over Christmas. If things got too jolly next door, she could always count on Valerie for light relief with a foundation in reality.

---

This plan worked out well until the inevitable toast to absent friends was announced by Philip at the commencement of the feast. Anna felt her heart contract and she had to hold her glass of wine very still to conceal her feelings.

She did not respond to the words, but Valerie by her side, spoke louder than necessary to cover the lack of Anna’s contribution.

Happy Christmas to all our friends and family wherever they are throughout the world! she exclaimed, and everyone echoed her salute.

It was some time before more conversation resumed, that was not exclusively about the delicious food they were consuming. Philip finally pushed away from the table and begged his wife not to offer him more pudding.

I am afraid I might burst out of my waistband and shock the ladies present, he complained, with a laugh in his voice.

Oh, my dearest, I am just so glad to be able to provide this festive spread after all the years when my poor vision meant I could not be relied upon to be safe in the kitchen.

It was a reminder that Alina was more grateful than most, to be here, with family and friends together, warm and well fed, when many in the troubled world lacked all of these comforts.

This truth struck Anna most deeply and she responded by shooing her brother and his wife off to the lounge to sit and rest while she and Valerie tackled the dishes.

Save whatever you can, Alina advised over her shoulder, as she was gently pushed out of the kitchen. We should not need to cook for a week after this tremendous feast! Make sure Valerie gets as much as she wants to take home with her.

Anna and Valerie rolled up their sleeves and set to work finding dishes and containers in which to store the remaining food in the refrigerator.

"I suggest the turkey meat can be sliced into sections for sandwiches and a savoury stew. Since the stuffing was cooked separately, we don’t need to worry about contamination.

The trifle will not keep its shape now that half of it was eaten, so we can portion it out into dishes for tomorrow and get the large glass bowl washed up and out of the way."

Anna let Valerie take the lead. She was happy to rinse plates and load the dishwasher in the knowledge that the more delicate crystal and china items would require to be washed by hand.

She filled the sink with warm soapy suds and set to the task with relish. Domestic tasks always served to quieten the mind.

Tomorrow afternoon she would send texts, and connect by Zoom with Ashley, Jeanette, and Bev in Oban, and Simon and Michelle in Prince Edward Island. That would occupy most of the day with a nap later in the afternoon. The morning would be spent on a walk through the snowy streets of Rosecliffe and down to Springbank Park for fresh air and exercise.

She knew the importance of establishing a daily healthy routine when so much reminded her of past times and happy occasions that might never again be possible.

She let a tear fall into the soapy water as she felt that longing for her beloved Lawren fill her heart with inestimable sorrow. She missed him most, not here in London where they first met, but in the McCaig Estate Farmhouse outside Oban where their love story blossomed and bloomed and where she sometimes felt his presence even long after he departed this earth.

Oh, don’t tarnish the day with such gloomy thoughts! Lawren would be the first one to say how much you have to be grateful for.

Get a grip, Anna! This is not like you. Look ahead with hope and faith in the future.

It was a kind of mantra, one that she could repeat and remember. Lawren would expect her to live every minute with purpose and joy, as he always did.

She returned to dish washing with a renewed feeling of hope.

A new year approached. New possibilities would surely arise as this coronavirus lockdown lost its grip.

All was not lost.

While there’s life, there’s always hope!

Chapter Two

Hope was the predominant emotion in the McCaig Estate home where Ashley and Edmund Jansen were waking up in their new, luxurious, master bedroom, on the morning after Christmas Day.

Edmund, my dearest darling! It was such a great idea to refuse all invitations and stay here alone for our first Christmas in our beautiful home.

She gave him a series of kisses to emphasize her gratitude and he responded in kind. For a few blissful minutes, all thoughts of the outer world disappeared and they were safely cocooned in their love.

When Edmund finally emerged from the comfort of his wife’s arms, he stretched mightily and murmured his fervent wish that there would be no emergencies in the town or countryside to winkle him out of the perfection of his home, and his wife’s company there.

I was beginning to think we would never be able to be together here, Ashley. You have been gone so often with the demands of the new books. Every time you promised to return, something happened to pull you away again.

It’s true, Edmund, but remember, you have also been so busy with the medical centre and integrating Dr. Spencer, your new assistant doctor. It has been a nightmare to coordinate our schedules.

The last thing he wanted was an argument about which of them had the most demanding career. He changed the subject before it became too contentious. He had other priorities on his mind and the predominant one was a long-postponed discussion with his wife about children.

"Let’s not spoil these precious moments, sweetheart! There was snow last night. The hills will be capped with white, the line of firs will be spectacular, and the garden will gleam.

What shall we have for breakfast?"

Ashley grinned at him. Her husband loved a leisurely breakfast. It was a special treat that was rare in his busy schedule.

She cuddled up for one more moment, but she was soon interrupted by the arrival of a bundle of fur that walked imperiously up her body and demanded attention.

Oh, Sylvia! I know you want out. We are coming!

Edmund went off to relish their new power shower with instant hot water, and Ashley donned a warm housecoat before entering the older part of the building where the insulation was not at the high efficiency level of their new extension.

She put out a dish of soft food for a cat treat and re-filled the water dish, then she opened the front door to let Sylvia out and looked at the weather. Edmund was right. The countryside was transformed by the layer of pure white everywhere. She pulled the collar of her housecoat tight around her neck. There was no guarantee that this snow would last so she took a few more seconds to admire the effects and consider how she would tell Edmund about the latest communication from her publisher in Canada.

A Private Couple Revealed: Anna and Lawren Drake was becoming a publishing triumph.

The beautifully produced, previously unknown sketches of Lawren’s, were enhanced by notations from Anna’s memories of the where and when they were first drawn.

Ashley fought hard for the final format as a treasured, coffee table Art Book and even she was amazed at the instant response from Warren Brady’s editors.

We love this! The art is superb, of course, but the anecdotes are compelling. Everyone will want to know more. Please produce a companion memoir with much more detail.

Ashley had started to write the memoir while Anna was confined to home with chickenpox.

The discovery of Lawren’s hidden sketches had diverted her energies but the material from recording sessions with Anna, together with Ashley’s copious notes and outlines, was already produced and selling well.

Presenting the public with two books at once was a master stroke. The books sold as a Duo. The results were beyond everyone’s expectations and Warren Brady was ecstatic.

---

Edmund knew nothing of the latest sales figures.

Ashley was secretly astonished by them.

Not only did the sales figures exceed all projections, along with those figures came demands on her time that were increasing, rather than diminishing.

Her Toronto publisher was determined to use all possible means by which to capitalize on what could well be the most important new book launch of the year. With so much book publishing now in the hands of massive companies like Amazon, a big success like Ashley Stanton’s Art Book and companion Memoir, could compensate him for losses in other areas of his business. He had made this abundantly clear to her during several urgent phone calls.

"Mrs. Jansen, Ashley, you have expressed the desire for your Scottish home to remain secure from bothersome interviewers and avid fans of Lawren Drake’s works.

If I concede that much for you, it is imperative that you provide me with the kind of personal detail about Anna Mason Drake and her late husband and how the entire book project was completed.

I strongly suggest you permit me to set up a schedule of exclusive interview sessions in Edinburgh, London, and in Toronto, as soon as possible! "

She attempted to counter that such interviews could be accomplished, remotely, in a studio somewhere in Scotland, but Warren Brady would not hear of it. He wanted live, high quality, person-to-person, televised and filmed events, that could be shared across the world.

"Ashley, you are the only person who can do this. The only one who knows the whole story.

If you refuse, I have no alternative other than to batter down the door in London, Ontario, where Anna Mason Drake now resides."

This last was a dire threat. Whenever Ashley thought of it, she shuddered. Anna had been so generous with her time and her precious memories. The only thing she requested was to retain her anonymity as far as might be possible.

Ashley could see no alternative. She was caught in a trap of her own making.

Something had to give and that something was a someone who was happily singing in the shower with no clue about the unwelcome news he was soon to hear from his wife.

After a breakfast that satisfied even Edmund’s hearty appetite, Ashley could delay no longer.

She poured another cup of coffee for both of them and led the way into the lounge where she lit the fire in the fireplace and they settled down, one on either side, in the comfortable chairs, to face each other.

My darling, I have news both good and bad to share.

Wait, Ashley! I have something to share also, and I need you to listen to me first, without distractions. Can you do that for me?

A delay was not at all unwelcome to Ashley, under the circumstances, and she relaxed into her padded velvet chair.

"I know we have not had much time to discuss personal matters, my love, but we are neither of us in the first flush of youth and I do so want us to start a family.

Now that we have this wonderful home, thanks to your Great-Aunt Anna’s generosity, I just can’t wait to fill it with the happy sounds of our children."

Ashley sat bolt upright. She was shocked to her core. This news, coming on this day, was so unexpected and so contrary to what she was hoping to tell him.

Her mind whirled with possible ways to head off this topic but she could not see one that would soften the coming blow.

His face now showed his surprise at her lack of instant consent, and she feared a very bad reaction to what was a natural and desirable consequence to their loving relationship.

She rose to her feet and stepped across the short space between their chairs, sinking down onto her knees in front of him.

"Oh, my darling man! I love you so much and what you ask is in my heart too. Please do not be angry with me. I want our children just as much as you do. This house cries out for them. I have always felt that. It will make all the lingering sadness of