‘Sorry? What did you say?’ Were her ears deceiving her?
‘They are really good,’ he repeated. ‘Look, let me show you.’
She moved up on the sofa so that he could sit beside her and felt her heart quicken at the heat from his leg so close to hers. She mentally shook her head to disperse that thought. He was only sitting so close to her so that he could give her the benefit of his experience. And he was her boss. What he was about to say was far more important than how she felt sitting next to him.
‘You see here, how you’ve captured the light?’
She nodded as he pointed to the screen. It was a picture she’d taken of a bridge spanning the River Dee. The sun had dipped just behind the trees as she had taken it, making the bridge almost ethereal. ‘It’s perfect. And this one.’
He flicked to the next photo and she listened in earnest as he pointed out what was good and what could be improved with each photo, and how she could have adjusted the camera angle or lighting to create a different effect. He made it all sound so simple and she wished she had a notepad so that she could write down everything he said.
‘You make a good teacher,’ she said. ‘I wish I’d known someone like you when I’d first started out. Most of what I’ve learned has been self-taught.’
He smiled at that comment. ‘It’s not just about teaching, though. You have to have instinct too, which you certainly seem to have. The next quiet day we have in the studio, can you bring in some of your other work? I’d like to see what else you’ve done.’
‘Really?’
‘I’m not saying this lightly, Anna. I think you have incredible talent. That’s not to say that there isn’t work to be done here. A lot of work in fact, but if you’re willing to put the effort in, I can see you creating photographs worthy of exhibition.’
‘Really?’ she asked, again unsure if her ears were deceiving her. The fact that Daniel Redfern thought her photographs were, or could be, good enough to exhibit was completely mind-blowing. Then reality kicked in.
‘I haven’t got the money for an exhibition.’
‘All you need is a venue.’
‘And an agent.’
‘You don’t really need an agent. Not if you have the right people on your side,’ Daniel said, a thoughtful expression on his face. He fell silent and she was unsure how to respond. Eventually he said, ‘There’s work to be done on the photos first though.’
‘Okay, and you really think they might be good enough?’
‘Let’s not run before we can walk. As I said, you have instinct and talent, but you still need to back that up with hard work.’
She nodded, still not really taking it all in. ‘Well, hard work isn’t something I’ve ever been afraid of.’
He cut her off. ‘And as for money, I can stump up the cost of the venue and you can pay me back with your sales, if you want to.’
‘You think I’d manage to sell anything?’
He smiled. ‘I’d put my career on it.’
* * *
Anna was in a bubble of happiness as Daniel’s Range Rover sped its way down the motorway to London. They’d spent a glorious day on a tree-top walk around Delamere Forest. She’d thoroughly enjoyed being immersed in nature, and it was the perfect way to use up Ben’s boundless energy, as well as an entirely new experience for Anna. After that, they’d eaten well in a country pub — huge portions of roast dinner with large fluffy Yorkshire puddings. It had been the first time she’d eaten Sunday lunch without having to cook it herself for a long time. She’d sat back in her chair, savouring a cup of coffee, thinking life couldn’t get much better, and thanked both Daniel and Ben for their company. She’d thoroughly enjoyed her ‘working’ weekend.
But the bubble of joy burst the moment she got home. The house itself seemed suddenly cramped compared to Daniel’s house, though that wasn’t the only thing. There was no one in when she opened the front door, but the smell of stale beer assaulted her nostrils. She went into the living room, which looked like a bomb had hit it. A bomb that contained empty beer cans, crisp packets and empty takeaway cartons, littering practically every surface in the room and over most of the floor. Anna gasped in shock and moved down the hallway towards the kitchen. That was even worse — the sink was piled high with dirty crockery and rubbish covered the worktops. Anna was utterly dismayed. She’d only been gone for two days, and to think she’d spent Thursday afternoon cleaning the house and cooking for them to make life easy while she was away. They didn’t deserve her.
Her first instinct was to start clearing up the mess, because she knew she couldn’t live like this, but something stopped her. Why should she clear this up? This was their doing, not hers, and if she let them get away with it, like she had for so many years, this would be her lot for evermore. This weekend had shown herall too clearly that life didn’t have to be this way. She wished she had the finances to move out and let them fend for themselves, but that was just wishful thinking. She might not have the money to leave, but she was damned if she was going to put up with this kind of behaviour anymore.
With a determination that surprised herself, she turned away from the mess and walked upstairs. As she got to the top, Harry came out of his bedroom, his face stricken at the sight of her.
‘I’m sorry, Anna, I tried to clear up today, but Jack told me not to. And you know what he’s like when he’s on one.’
Anna certainly did know. When Jack went into one of his rages, it was best to keep out of his way. She nodded in sympathy and Harry continued. ‘He said it was your punishment for going away for the weekend.’
‘My punishment?’ She gaped at him, astounded. ‘So, I’m to be punished for trying to have a life, am I?’
‘I tried to tell him it wasn’t fair on you, but he wasn’t having any of it. And Dad just lets him get away with it, because he doesn’t want the confrontation.’
