A Time for Hope Read online

  Her breath caught in her throat. His lips were smiling, but when the smile slipped, she saw sheer hatred. What had she done to make him hate her? It was the other way round: she had good reason to hate him. And she was beginning to.

  He shook her slightly. ‘I’ve not finished with you yet, my dear little fool. Keep watching this space.’ He winked at her and moved past her, bumping into her and knocking her sideways, so that if a passer-by hadn’t steadied her, she’d have fallen.

  He turned quickly to say loudly, ‘Oh, sorry. Are you all right?’

  She thanked the passer-by and when she looked, Stu was sauntering down the street.

  Once again, she felt threatened … and more than a little afraid of him.

  She watched him till he’d disappeared from sight, wondering what he’d meant by his threat. How could he possibly get anything else out of her? She had nothing of value left and was relying on the money she’d get when they sold the house to rebuild her life.

  She’d only have enough left to buy a flat or a tiny cottage, and not one in a pretty village like Worton.

  She caught sight of her reflection in a shop window and was shocked to see how gaunt and strained she looked.

  Why was she letting him get to her?

  How could she stop him?

  There was no way she could think of because she didn’t know what he’d do next. She’d heard him speak vindictively of people at work who’d got the better of him – not when they were first married, but as the months passed and his façade of Mr Nice began to slip.

  ‘I’ll make them sorry one day,’ he always said. Now he’d turned his spite on her. Yet it was he who’d cheated, he who was trying to take more than his fair share of their possessions.

  Perhaps after their divorce she’d move away, somewhere far away.

  Perhaps.

  But the few friends left after Stu had offended them lived in Wiltshire, especially Tania, whom she’d known since school. If she moved away, she’d know no one.

  Eventually, the two lawyers drew up a property settlement. Gabi knew she was being cheated, but her lawyer said it was the best deal he could get for her and he’d advise her to agree to it, or she’d simply be throwing her money away protesting.

  He also warned her to document her financial dealings a lot more carefully in future. It would take a forensic accountant to check her financial history with Stu, and that would be extremely expensive.

  On the day when they informed the court of how they’d be dividing their property, Stu waited for Gabi outside and held out his hand. ‘No hard feelings.’

  She made no attempt to shake it. He’d raised his voice as he spoke, presumably for the benefit of their lawyers. When she walked away without even speaking, however, he followed.

  She stopped and told him in a low voice, ‘I have plenty of hard feelings, you thieving rat. Leave me alone.’

  Stu moved quickly to bar her path. ‘Oh dear, we are in a snitty mood, aren’t we? But you and I do need to discuss selling the house, Gabi my pet.’

  ‘Don’t you “pet” me!’ After a moment, when he didn’t move, she added reluctantly, ‘I suppose you’re right.’

  ‘Come for a coffee at Parker’s and I’ll tell you about an idea I’ve had.’

  ‘We don’t need to go anywhere.’ Especially not to a café they’d visited often when they were first married. ‘There are some seats on the other side of the entrance. They’ll do.’ Without waiting for his agreement, she walked across the reception area and sat down, arms folded.

  He hesitated, then came to join her, sprawling next to her on the hard upright sofa, so that she had to edge into the corner in order to avoid touching him.

  ‘I’m sure we can agree about one thing,’ Stu began. ‘We both want to sell the house as fast as we can.’

  ‘We definitely agree on that.’

  ‘Someone at work told me about “quick house sale” agencies, so I’ve been doing some research.’

  ‘What are those?’

  ‘Just what the name says: agencies which specialize in selling houses quickly. A lot of divorcing couples use them. I’ve found a few online which sound OK.’

  ‘And the snag of using these agencies is …?’

  He shrugged. ‘Well, you don’t get as much for your house as you might do if you waited. But then you don’t get months of hanging around, either. After all, there’s no guarantee about how much you’ll sell for, even if you do wait. I have to remind you that you’re getting free use of the house in the meantime. Perhaps I ought to charge you rent.’

  She ignored that, focusing on the main thing. ‘How much less are we likely to get if we sell this way? Do you have any figures?’

  ‘About ten per cent on average, they say.’

  She hated the thought of tossing more of her money into resolving this mess. But she hated even more the thought of being tied to Stu for one day longer than necessary. Make that one second longer. ‘Email me the names of some agencies you think might be suitable and I’ll look into them myself.’

  She wasn’t at all sure anything Stu suggested would be the right way to go. But she would like to sell quickly.

  Stu gave her one of his smug smiles and pulled out some pieces of paper. ‘I knew you’d be interested, so I printed some information out. The first agency looks the best to me, but I’ll go with any you choose.’

  She took the papers and stood up. ‘Leave it with me. I’ll get back to you.’

  ‘Don’t take too long.’

  ‘Oh, I definitely won’t.’ But she intended to check it all out very thoroughly indeed. She was also going to check out recent house sales in the area while she was at it.

  She couldn’t get his earlier boast of making a profit from their marriage out of her mind. She’d hardly call his share of the goods and chattels much of a profit, not by his financial standards, anyway. He had been hungry to get really rich, and she didn’t think that would have changed.

  So what was he planning with this quick house sale idea? She’d have to keep a very careful eye on him.

  It was all utterly depressing, and if she hadn’t had her friend Tania to let off steam to occasionally, she’d have gone mad.

  Two

  For the rest of the day – which was one of her days off work, thank goodness – Gabi checked property sales on the internet.

  First she looked at quick sale agencies. There seemed to be quite a lot of them. Strange that she hadn’t heard of them before. But then she hadn’t divorced anyone before and been keen to sell a house quickly.

  She felt she could trust the Office of Fair Trading, so visited its website, which warned sellers of the drawbacks to using such agencies: not only lower sale prices, but tricks to push the agreed price even lower in order to sell quickly.

  She read the advice carefully and decided she’d refuse to do things that way. But then she checked recent house sales and rang up a couple of local estate agencies. The news wasn’t good: sales were slow, prices had fallen, and her house wasn’t in a highly desired part of Worton.

  The thought of hanging around for month after month, as many people seemed to do when selling their houses, upset her. She hated the idea of still being linked in any way to Stu. She wanted to get away from him, get away from the nasty tricks. She couldn’t even feel peaceful in her own home any longer, because there were strange noises at night, noises she couldn’t place.

  Surely he couldn’t be making them … could he?

  She was short of sleep, short of peace and quiet, so she reconsidered his suggestion.

  After making herself a cup of coffee, she sat by the sitting room window in the dusk, thinking it over.

  Surely, in this matter, their interests really were the same? And how could he cheat her, anyway? He didn’t own these agencies, had to abide by their rules as well as obeying the law about settlement of house sales.

  So, in the end, she phoned him.

  ‘I’ve checked things out and I’ll agree to tr
ying a quick sale agency for three months and no longer. But I’m not going below a certain price.’ She named it.

  There was silence. Then, ‘Well, we can but try at that price. I certainly share your desire to get as much as we can for the place. I bet I can guess which agency you chose: Arcott and Wray.’

  He made everything into a game, loved to gamble and often said, ‘Bet I can guess’.

  ‘Yes. I did think Arcott and Wray sounded better than the others. How did you know?’

  ‘Simple. They sounded the best to me, too. I’ll fill in their contracts and bring them round after work for you to sign.’

  She was startled. ‘You’ve been in touch with them already?’

  ‘I downloaded their forms from the internet. I meant what I said: I want to get my money out ASAP.’

  So did she, damn him.

  ‘Gabi? Are you still there?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Is six o’clock tomorrow OK with you? Right, then. I’ll drop by after work. It’ll be nice to see my little house one last time. Maybe I should bring a bottle of wine, for old time’s sake?’

  ‘No, thank you. I just want us to get the business stuff sorted out.’ He had a much better head for wine than she did. He was trying to get the edge on her. He had boasted about playing such tricks – only he called them strategies – on other people.

  After some thought, Gabi phoned Tania and asked her to come round straight after work to play chaperone. No way did she intend to be on her own with Stu, not after the way he’d threatened her last time.

  She intended to have witnesses present every step of the way along this final stretch to freedom.

  ‘You’d be better selling your house the normal way,’ Tania said bluntly.

  ‘Financially, yes. Emotionally, no.’ Gabi couldn’t stop her voice wobbling. ‘I just want to get this over with.’

  Her friend’s voice softened. ‘You’ve had it tough for the past few years, haven’t you, what with Edward and—’

  ‘I don’t want to talk about Edward.’ Especially not in the same breath as Stu. Edward had been a very special person.

  ‘OK. Sorry. I’ll come and act as your bodyguard and witness, then.’

  ‘That’s great. Thank you so much. I’m pretty sure Stu will bring Keith with him.’

  ‘Why would he do that? He doesn’t need a lawyer for something this simple. It’d cost him a fortune.’

  ‘Keith is also his best friend. The two of them are as thick as thieves. I bet Stu won’t have even had to pay him the normal rate for the divorce.’

  Gabi was right. Keith did turn up with Stu. He flashed her one of his half-smiles from behind his thick glasses but didn’t attempt a kissy-kissy greeting, thank goodness. She’d as soon touch a viper as either of these men.

  Keith settled in a chair to one side and folded his arms, avoiding further eye contact.

  Tania did no more than nod at the men as she sat down next to her friend.

  The contract seemed very straightforward, but when it came to signing it, Gabi hesitated, staring down at the two pieces of paper. No, she wouldn’t sign without legal advice. Not with Stu involved.

  ‘I’ll show it to my lawyer, then get back to you.’ Another expense but also another safeguard.

  Stu rolled his eyes at this announcement. ‘There’s really no need. Keith’s seen it, after all. It hasn’t got any concealed tricks to it.’

  ‘Nonetheless.’

  ‘Oh, OK! Do what you have to, but do it quickly.’

  When the two men had left, Tania gave her a big hug. ‘Well, at least you had enough wit not to put your head into a noose without checking how tight the rope is. Ah, don’t cry, Gabi love. He’s not worth it.’

  ‘I’m crying for the house, not him. I love this place.’ She fumbled for a tissue and wiped her eyes, trying in vain to stop crying.

  ‘Of course you’re crying for the house.’ Tania gave her another hug.

  But Gabi knew she hadn’t fooled her friend. She was also crying for her marriage and for her own stupidity in letting Stu set her up for a fall.

  She wondered if she was suffering from depression. If she wasn’t now, she was certainly heading that way – and who wouldn’t be depressed in her situation? She was sleeping badly. There were still occasional night-time disturbances and stones thrown at her bedroom window.

  The police said it was youngsters and no damage had been done. She knew it was Stu. Who else could it be? He wanted her to sell quickly.

  And she was even eating unwisely and had put on weight. Weren’t you supposed to lose weight when you were upset?

  She kept telling herself to snap out of it. Stu wasn’t worth it. She should get on with making a new life for herself.

  But somehow she couldn’t get her act together. He seemed to have sapped her energy and willpower.

  She hadn’t a clue what she’d do after they sold this house, apart from leave the area. And not tell him where she was going.

  When Stu got back to London, he went straight to Radka’s flat. She had her feet up on the couch and was sipping a glass of red wine.

  ‘How did it go?’

  ‘Gabi’s taking the contract to her lawyer, but I’m pretty sure she’s going to bite.’

  Radka smiled that lazy, sexy smile of hers that made him want to grab her and kiss her senseless. ‘Good.’

  He poured himself a glass of wine and sat down on the couch. ‘What’s for tea?’

  She shrugged. ‘Whatever you care to get. I’m not hungry. Cheese and biscuits will do for me.’

  He frowned and she gave him a hard look. ‘I’m not a housewife, Stu, and I never will be. I don’t know why you keep expecting such attentions from me. And in my own flat, too.’

  ‘You could do your share of the shopping, though.’

  ‘I hired a cleaning lady and I pay her. That more than covers my share of the chores. I will not live in a pigsty. I keep telling you I don’t cook. And as I don’t eat nearly as much as you do, why should I do the shopping?’

  She took another delicate sip, licking a stray drop of wine from the corner of her mouth with the tip of her tongue.

  Hell, she was a sexy piece! He went to get out the cheese and biscuits, his mind on other things. But there wasn’t enough food in the fridge for his more robust appetite and his lust faded as his stomach growled. ‘Can’t you at least order in some food? You can shop online, you know.’

  ‘Do it, then. Anyway, I’ve been busy this week. For your benefit.’

  He turned round eagerly. ‘Ah. Your friends are coming to the party? They’re interested in the house?’

  ‘Could be. We’ll have to wait and see.’ She went to pour herself another glass of wine.

  His stomach rumbled again. ‘I’ll nip out for some fish and chips. Can I get you anything?’

  ‘I’ll just eat a corner of your fish. Don’t drink too much tonight, Stu. It slows you down in bed.’

  He drew in his breath sharply at the look on her face, tempted to forget his takeaway. But he’d be too hungry to sleep after they’d made love, so he nodded and nipped out, calling in at the mini-mart as well.

  Radka was the most exciting woman he’d ever bedded. And useful to him in business. So what if she wasn’t into wifely chores? A man going places couldn’t find a more useful woman. And the sex was a big bonus on top of that.

  His company had been negotiating with a group in Prague and he’d been able to help push that along, thanks to Radka. His senior manager had seemed pleased. As far as you could tell with that po-faced sod.

  This was it, Stu knew it was: his big break into top management. Then eventually a business of his own.

  He just needed more money to finance himself. Radka had said she’d come in with him and shown him how to make extra.

  They’d make a fortune together. She was his ticket to real money – he knew it.

  She was going back to Prague soon and wouldn’t come back to London for a while. He must join her ther
e. She had a much nicer flat.

  She would see if she could pull a few strings to get him assigned to the project in a more permanent way.

  The following day Gabi managed to see her lawyer for a short session. She had to ask for time off work again to do it. Her boss wasn’t pleased about that.

  The lawyer pulled a face at this way of selling but agreed there was nothing illegal or tricky about the contract.

  ‘Make sure you use a good settlement agency when you do sell. Not one these people run. And not the same one as your husband.’ He fumbled in his drawer and slid a piece of paper across the desk. ‘These are all reliable places. We’ve worked with them before.’

  She signed the contract in his presence and sent it to Stu by courier.

  It should have made her feel better to start things moving, but it didn’t. As she walked back to the car park, she couldn’t put her finger on why, but she felt apprehensive. As if she was doing something dangerous.

  Now where had that word come from? What could be dangerous about selling a house quickly? Especially if you used a good settlement agent and had things checked by a lawyer.

  She wasn’t surprised when Stu phoned her the following evening.

  ‘I took in the contract and it’s all go, my sweet.’

  ‘Stop calling me that!’

  He chuckled. ‘How soon can you get the house ready for viewing?’

  ‘I can’t do anything till we get the roof repaired. You know the law about house sales and hiding defects.’

  ‘Shit! I’d forgotten about that.’

  ‘And don’t you mean how soon can we get the house ready? I’m expecting you to do your share.’

  ‘No can do. The company’s sending me off to Prague to help bring in a rather lucrative deal. I’ll be gone for a month or so, perhaps longer. Do you really want to wait to market the house?’

  She was furious, but not surprised that he was wriggling out of the hard work involved in sorting things out. ‘I shall want your share of the money for the roof before you leave or I won’t lift a finger.’

  Silence. Then, ‘OK.’ His voice became softly persuasive. ‘But you’ll have the house looking nice, won’t you? I doubt it’ll need all that much doing. You could win gold in the Tidy Olympics. I bet the agent could bring people in to view the place right this minute.’