Lucy Gordon - Daniel and Daughter

A hundred miles. They'd stopped for something to eat. She'd brought some money with her, but not as much as Jimmy had expected. He'd been snappy and irritable, which she'd ascribed to nerves. Later she was to learn that Jimmy was always irritable when he didn't get exactly what he wanted.

After their next stop Lee suggested to Daniel that she should take a turn at driving. He agreed, but it wasn't a success. His state of the art, computerised vehicle needed practice. Lee fumbled uneasily and finally settled into the slow lane until the next exit, when she gladly returned it to him.

'Sorry,' she said, cross with herself.

'Don't be. It wasn't your fault. I shouldn't have agreed.'

'You're going to be so tired if you have to do it all yourself.'

'Don't worry about me. We're making good time.'

It was a fatal thing to say. Almost at once the traffic slowed and in a few minutes they'd come to a standstill. Lee groaned at the sight of a jam stretching as far as her eyes could see.

After that they moved at a crawl for the next three hours. Now was another chance to talk. Lee waited, longing for Daniel to begin, but he only switched the radio on. After all, she thought, what was there to say?

At last they could move freely again, but they'd lost precious hours and the light was fading fast. As they went further north the rain started to fall, softly at first but then harder, until they were driving through a downpour.

'We've got to stop somewhere,' Lee said. 'You've driven nearly three hundred miles and you're exhausted. If we keep on through this we're going to have an accident.'

'I want to get there tonight,' Daniel said stubbornly. 'We might find out where they're staying.'

'They may not be in Gretna Green at all,' Lee protested. 'They might go straight to Gretna, which is next door. The register office is there. Let's spend the night in Carlisle. That's what Jimmy and I did. It's only nine miles away, and if we put up at a hotel there we can still get to Gretna before the register office opens. Don't pull out!'

Daniel swore and drew back just in time as a juggernaut thundered past him.

'I didn't see him,' he admitted. 'All right. We'll stay overnight in Carlisle.'

They stopped at the first hotel they came to. It was a small place, slightly shabby but cosy and friendly. While Daniel brought in the bags Lee booked two single rooms. She knew she'd been right to insist on stopping. Daniel's face was grey with strain and weariness.

'I'll call Room Service for a snack and then turn in,' he said.

'I'm afraid this hotel doesn't have Room Service,' Lee told him. 'We'll have to go downstairs.'

'I'll fall asleep over the soup.'

'I won't let you,' she promised. 'Come on.'

They secured the last table in the restaurant and ate without speaking until the main course was over. Once Daniel glanced up, smiled briefly and looked away again.

'I feel more human now,' he admitted. 'I've booked an early call tomorrow, so we'll have time to get there.'

'Daniel, what are you going to do when we meet them?'

'Don't worry, I'm not going to make a scene. I'll just tell Phoebe very calmly that I've come to take her home.'

'And suppose she won't go with you?'

'She'll have to. She's got to see sense about this.'

'But if she won't? What are you going to do? Drag her to the car?'

'It won't come to that.'

'But if it does?'

'Lee, please, don't push me now. I'm not in complete control of my temper.'

And not to be in control was something he hated. Lee gave up the attempt. Tomorrow would bring whatever it brought. She could only hope Daniel showed more wisdom in handling his daughter than he had so far.

As they were getting ready to leave the table a hesitant voice halted them. 'Forgive me, but-you are Daniel Raife, aren't you?'

He raised his head with a look of impatience, which faded as he saw an elderly lady, her hands clutched tightly together. Her face was a mixture of nervousness and determination, as though she'd had to force herself to speak.

'Yes, I am,' Daniel admitted with a tired smile.

'Do forgive me for- That is, I know you must hate people forcing themselves on you-but you're the only person who could help me. I don't know where else to turn.'

Without hesitation Daniel pulled over a free chair and waved the old woman into it with his most delightful smile. Lee, who knew the state he was in, marvelled at the self-control that enabled him to brush his own feelings aside.

'Tell me about it,' he said.

The story came out haltingly. Her name was Mrs Myra Hallam and just over a year ago her husband had been knocked down and killed by a drunk driver. The driver had subsequently been fined two hundred and fifty pounds.

'It was like saying all Freddy was worth was two hundred and fifty pounds,' Mrs Hallam said, in tears. 'If the man had been properly punished-it wouldn't have brought Freddy back, but it would have done him justice. But this-' She buried her face in her hands for a moment, then made an effort to recover herself.

'Now all I want to do is tell people. It happens all the time-drunks who kill people and get off lightly. I never understood before-it's got to be stopped. People have got to be told. And you can tell them. Your show…'

Lee was wrung with pity for her, especially as she knew Daniel had already covered a similar theme recently on the show, and that his producer wouldn't look at it again for a long time. She wondered how he would manage to break the truth to her.

Then she realised that the old lady had gone back to the beginning and was telling the story again. Daniel showed no sign of impatience but sat with his hand enfolding hers, watching her with eyes that were gentle. Even when everything was repeated a third time his perfect kindness and courtesy never failed him.

'Look,' he said at last, bringing a notebook from his pocket, 'give me your phone number. I've already used this subject on the show, and it'll be a while before I can touch it again on television, but I can write about it. I'll call you in a few days and we can have a proper talk then.'

'Oh, thank you. You're so kind.'

'I wish I could do more,' he said.

'But you've helped so much-just listening to me. It's the only thing I can do for Freddy, you see, tell his story.'

Daniel hailed a waiter and ordered three coffees. 'I'll just be a moment,' he said, rising. 'I want to pay the bill so that we can leave early.'

He hurried out to Reception, leaving Lee alone with Mrs Hallam.

'I'm afraid I've rambled on rather," the old lady confided. 'But I can't help brooding about it, especially just now, because next week would have been our wedding anniversary. We would have been married fifty-one years.'

'Oh, no!' Lee exclaimed. 'You mean he died just before, your Golden Wedding?'

'Yes. You know, nobody expected our marriage to be a success-we were so different. But I think that was why it worked so well. Where one was foolish, the other was wise, and so we helped each other.

'It was the night before our Golden Wedding and I had a big surprise planned for him. He kept trying to find out. I told him to go out to the pub and stop trying to peek. I even got a little cross with him because I was afraid the surprise would be spoiled. So he went out that night and-and he didn't come back. He never got to see the surprise at all.'

Lee could only look at her in sympathy, her own eyes filled with tears.

'I'll always regret it,' Mrs Hallam said simply. 'I was so busy worrying about tomorrow that I neglected today. Now I know that today is all we're ever sure of. But it's too late. Perhaps everyone learns that too late.'

In the distance they could see Daniel returning. Mrs Hallam blew her nose and forced herself to speak brightly. 'I was really nervous about approaching him. He seems very pleasant on television, only you wonder what people are like when the cameras are off. But he really is a nice man, isn't he?'