Lucy Gordon - Daniel and Daughter

Lee knew she should have kept quiet, but she was at the end of her tether. A demon seemed to be lashing her on to say terrible, irrevocable things.

'Say it,' she told him. 'Say you wish you'd never met me, because without me you needn't have faced the fact that Phoebe is growing up. Without me you could have kept her a prisoner for ever-'

'That's enough!' His voice crashed into her, thunderous with rage. 'You were right. How can we ever be together when we can do nothing but hurt each other?'

'Then let's end it now,' she choked.

'If that's what you want.'

'I do,' she cried. 'I love you, Daniel, but I can't take this any more. I can't be the whipping girl whenever life doesn't do what you want. I'm sorry. I tried. But I can't see things as you do, and I never will.'

'Lee-' He put out a hand to stop her as she moved to the door. The truth about what was happening seemed to get through to him. 'Don't go yet.'

'What's the point in staying?' she asked passionately. 'We both know how it would end at last. So let it end now.'

'It can't end,' he said harshly. 'We love each other.'

'I guess that just isn't enough. We're not adolescents to believe that love solves all problems. We're old enough to know that some problems can't be solved. Let me go, Daniel. We can only hurt each other.'

'Lee-Lee!' He reached out but she backed away.

'And I'll tell you this, Daniel, however much you we'd never met, it can't be as much as I wish

'You don't mean that,' he said.

'I do. I do! I was content, I had a good life, I was safe. You took it all away from me. Don't come after me, please. Just forget about me.'

She ran out of the house. She had no car tonight because Daniel had collected her from home, but after a moment she saw Mark's car in the street. He was standing beside it.

'What is it?' he asked as she ran up to him.

'Take me home, Mark,' she choked.

As the car swung round she saw Daniel standing in the window. She covered her face. Once before she'd promised herself never to see him again. She knew now she should have stuck to that vow. But this time she meant it. And one day, far in the future, perhaps her heart would stop breaking.

In their first quarrel Daniel had refused to accept that anything could come between them. This time it was different, and she realised that he too had faced the inevitable. She told herself she was glad that he'd seen sense, but she'd more than half expected him to come after her, and his silence was like a blow.

Now all her information about him and Phoebe came at second hand. She knew Daniel hadn't carried out his wild threat to lock his daughter up because Mark went out one evening to keep a date with her. He returned late that night in a black mood.

'I suppose I have you to thank, haven't I?' he demanded.

'For what, love?'

'This,' he said bitterly, holding the ring up. 'Phoebe returned this and said I should take it back to the shop.'

'Did she say why?'

'Oh, yes. She talked about waiting until I could afford it. She said she couldn't let me get into debt because of her. In fact, she sounded exactly like you.'

'Phoebe's a sensible girl-' Lee began to say, but Mark interrupted her furiously.

'Did you tell her I couldn't afford this ring?'

'Yes, because it's true.'

'Well, thank you very much for humiliating me. I suppose it's no more than I might have expected. Money, money, money! That's all you think matters. You don't care about love.'

'Oh, yes,' she murmured, 'I care about love very much.'

'You don't know what love is, Lee. If you did, you'd have stopped playing with Mr Raife and married him long ago. Phoebe says he's half off his head with your tricks.'

'That's not fair!' she cried.

'All I know is that I've had enough. I'm getting out of this house tonight. You've interfered in my life for the last time.'

He was as good as his word. Ignoring her pleas, he departed within the hour and moved in with a college friend. Lee was left to mull over his words. She rejected them. She knew they were unjust. But they left an uneasy residue in her mind.

A phone call to Brenda Mulroy told her that Phoebe was still working.

'But she's not well,' Brenda confided. 'She's told me a little of what's happened. I think the atmosphere is pretty difficult at home, and she looks as if she's spent a lot of time crying. I've told her if she goes about with red eyes she won't get the Linnon contract.'

'Linnon?' Lee echoed, startled. The Linnon Corporation manufactured very expensive cosmetics and were about to launch a new line.

'They're thinking of using Phoebe as "the face",' Brenda said excitedly. 'It's not final, but I'm pretty sure. It'll absolutely make her.'

Lee made a real effort to put both Daniel and Phoebe out of her mind and give Sonya more of her attention. Her daughter was being a tower of strength, supporting her mother's spirits as no thirteen-year-old should have to do. When she tried to put on a cheerful face Sonya merely said gently, 'It's all right, Mum. You don't have to pretend for me.'

Lee was awoken one morning by the ringing of the telephone. It seemed to have an urgent sound, and afterwards she fancied that it had held a warning of the dreadful news that was to come.

'Hello?'

'Lee? It's Daniel. Is your brother there?'

'No, Mark doesn't live here now. He moved out a couple of weeks ago.'

He made a sound under his breath. 'Then it's no use asking if you know where Phoebe is?'

'Phoebe? Isn't she with you?'

'No. She's not in her room and there was a note on her pillow.'

A terrible chill ran through Lee. 'Daniel, no-she hasn't-?'

'Yes,' he said grimly. 'She says she's run away to marry Mark. They've gone to Gretna Green.'

Daniel looked thinner and desperately strained when he arrived at Lee's home. He followed her into the kitchen and held out Phoebe's letter for Lee to read.

Daddy darling,

Please try to understand and not be too angry. I love Mark and we have to be together. So we are going to be married in Gretna Green, like Lee. Don't try to stop us, because we belong together.

Phoebe.

Lee read it, her heart thumping painfully. The words 'going to be married in Gretna Green, like Lee' seemed to stand out accusingly.

'She came home early yesterday evening,' Daniel said. 'The atmosphere between us seemed better than it's been for a long time. She insisted on cooking supper for me. We talked, she was sweet and delightful, it was like old times. I thought I was getting through to her at last-' His voice became husky. Lee reached out a hand to him but he shook his head.

'Actually she was saying goodbye,' he said eventually. 'She had it all planned to run away while I was asleep.' He gave a short, mirthless laugh. 'The condemned man was being given a hearty meal. She even kissed me goodnight. It's a long time since she's done that. And all the time…'

'I can't believe this,' Lee murmured. 'Oh, the silly girl!'

'So much for her taking her career seriously! She's got work lined up. How can she do it if she's living in Scotland, establishing residence?'

'She doesn't have to,' Lee said, trying to pull herself together. 'We thought that, too-Jimmy and I- but he found out you can organise it by post. You have to give fifteen days notice, but you needn't get there until the last minute. Mark could have arranged it from where he's living now.' A sudden thought made her ask sharply, 'When's Phoebe's next booking?'

'Thursday,' he said, growing pale. 'And this is Monday.'

'Then they've fixed it for tomorrow or the day after.'

'I'm going to stop that wedding if it's the last thing I do. And you're coming with me.'

She gasped. 'Oh, no, Daniel, please. I can't go back there.'