As Time Goes By by Anne Bennett

Author:Anne Bennett [Bennett, Anne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2021-05-21T12:00:00+00:00

NINE

Angela felt happier and more contented than she had been in years. Connie had begun her intensive physio, which left her feeling physically and emotionally drained on the two days per week when she was up at the hospital. But Angela was proud of how stoically Connie bore it, and she hoped to God nothing would happen to spoil the new life she could see unfolding in front of her …

One evening, as they sat together before the fire, Stan put his arm around Angela and held her close, and his voice grew husky with emotion as he said, ‘Angela, I love you so much – more than I have words to tell you. Once I opened my heart to you and meant every word I said. And when all the confusion between us was over, you said those words of love were what you had longed to hear. Did you mean that, Angela?’

Angela took Stan’s face between her hands, looked deep into his almost black eyes, alight with love, and said, ‘Stan, I love you so much, it hurts. There are no words you could say in this world that would make me think less of you.’

‘Angela,’ Stan said, ‘I confess, to my shame, that I began to love you when you were married to Barry. Obviously, I could not show my feelings or speak of them, especially as you gave me no indication that you felt anything more for me than friendship.’

‘My, darling, darling Stan,’ Angela said. ‘We must tell the children how we feel about each other now.’

‘Yes,’ agreed Stan with a wry grin. ‘But don’t expect it to be news to them.’

‘It hasn’t been plain sailing for us,’ Angela said and added with a rueful smile, ‘it didn’t start very well, did it? That day in the shop when I said we needed to talk, and you wouldn’t let me speak …’

‘I know,’ Stan said. ‘I was sorry about it afterwards, but I was frightened you were going to show even more of your disgust for the idea of me having feelings for you. Really, one of the reasons I took on the job clearing the bomb sites was to get away from you.’

That was news to Angela, and she said, ‘Is that really true?’

‘Oh, it’s true all right. I know these people desperately need help, but there’s plenty of unemployed men out there, and it hurts a man’s pride not to be able to provide for his family. In fact, I felt guilty taking a job from one of them, but when you came in the shop that day, I wanted to show you how much I still loved you. But I thought the shudder showed your true feelings. If only we had spoken then, would you have told me about the abandoned baby, and so given a reason for that shudder?’

‘Truly, I don’t know,’ Angela answered thoughtfully. ‘Maggie asked me that and I couldn’t really answer her either. What I do know is, if

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