Page 33 of Best Friend to Perfect Bride

‘No. My dad used to pay for my phone but he stopped it after I had Ava and I can’t afford to pay for it myself.’

‘Don’t worry. We’ll work something out,’ Bella told her, wondering what sort of parents could treat their child the way the Watsons were doing. She would never do that to her child, she thought angrily, then sighed when it struck her that it was highly unlikely that she would ever be in the position of having a child of her own.

‘So what happened, sweetheart?’ she asked, trying not to think about how bleak the future seemed. ‘I know you walked out of your flat because the police brought Ava into the hospital to be checked over. She’s fine,’ she said hastily when she saw the fear in Freya’s eyes. ‘She’s with a foster carer at the moment so she’s being well looked after. But what made you leave her in the first place?’

‘She wouldn’t stop crying,’ Freya explained. Tears began to stream down her face once more. ‘I tried everything I could think of, too. I fed her and changed her, rocked her and sang to her, but she wouldn’t stop. I know I shouldn’t have left her on her own but I just couldn’t stand it any longer.’

‘It must be hard when you don’t have anyone to help you,’ Bella said gently. ‘I take it from what you just told me that your parents haven’t had a change of heart?’

‘No. They won’t even speak to me when I try phoning them.’ Freya dried her eyes with the back of her hand. ‘I know I was stupid, but it’s not as though I’ve murdered someone or anything like that!’

Bella wholeheartedly agreed although she didn’t say so. To her mind, the Watsons had behaved deplorably. ‘So what happened after you left your flat?’

‘I got on a bus. I’ve no idea where it was going ’cos it really didn’t matter. I just needed to get away, you see. The trouble was that when I tried to catch a bus back home, it was after midnight and they’d stopped running.’ Freya sighed. ‘I started walking when this car drew up and the driver offered me a lift.’

‘And you accepted?’ Bella asked, her heart sinking at the thought of Freya getting into a stranger’s car.

‘Yes. He said he’d drive me home but he brought me here instead.’ Freya’s eyes welled with tears again. ‘I was so scared! I managed to jump out of the car when he stopped and hid until he had left. It was pitch-dark and I had no idea where I was so I just stayed here until the morning. I was making my way back to the road when I slipped and hurt my ankle. If you hadn’t come along then, I don’t know what I’d have done,’ she added tearfully.

‘Well, I did come so let’s not think about that,’ Bella said rousingly. She stood up. ‘Now, we need to get you back to the main road. Do you think you can hop if I support you? It’s either that or leave you here while I go for help.’

‘Oh, don’t leave me!’ Freya exclaimed, obviously terrified by the thought of being left on her own once again.

Bella looped the girl’s arm across her shoulders as she helped her to stand up. It wasn’t going to be easy to get Freya back to the road, but what choice did she have? Nobody knew they were here and nobody would come looking for them either. Just for a second the thought that Mac might notice her absence crossed her mind before she dismissed it. Mac wouldn’t miss her, as he had made it abundantly clear.

CHAPTER EIGHT

MAC WAS GROWING increasingly concerned. He had tried phoning Bella several times but she hadn’t responded. He would have put it down to the fact that she didn’t want to speak to him, only it appeared that her mobile phone had been switched off. It seemed odd to him, bearing in mind how conscientious she was. How would work contact her in case of an emergency if her phone was switched off?

In the end he went back to her apartment. Although there was still no sign of her car, he rang the bell anyway. There was always a chance that her car had broken down and she had made her way home by some other means. However, after half a dozen rings on the bell, he gave up. She obviously wasn’t here, so where was she?

He stood there, trying to think where she might have gone. He knew for a fact that she had made very few friends since she had moved to Dalverston. Although she was well regarded by their colleagues, the fact that she kept herself to herself didn’t encourage close friendships—he definitely couldn’t picture her dropping in to someone’s house for coffee and a chat! No, what friends she did have were all in London, so was it possible that she had driven down there?

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