Page 88 of Wife After Wife

“You won’t go to the press, though...”

“Is that all you care about, Ana? What’s happened to you?”

CHAPTER 28

Ana

February 1994

Ana stood on the Tower of London embankment, leaning on the railings above the Traitors’ Gate. She was early for today’s Blur photo shoot. TheHooray!team often had their music playing at work, and Ana was looking forward to meeting the band.

Terri, of course, preferred Oasis.

The brown waters of the Thames slapped against the ancient walls as a tour boat chugged past. She pushed her hands deeper into her coat pockets and tucked her chin into her scarf against the chill, peering down at the centuries-old gates beneath the stone arch. This was the way in for traitors in Tudor times. She could almost hear the quiet splash of oars, sense the fear of those who’d passed beneath this bridge.

A loudcaaark!made her jump, and she turned to see a raven perched on the wall beside her. It looked her in the eye, and she shivered, remembering they were omens of bad luck. “Shoo!” she said, flapping her hand at it.

“Abandon hope all ye who enter... or whatever it is. Kind of creepy.”

Jake,Hooray!’s chief photographer, had appeared at her side, rubbinghis hands together. “It’s brass monkeys today. Whose bright idea was it to shoot outside?”

“Mine.”

“Oh. Well, I guess it’ll look cool, London band at the Tower.”

“It’s your job to make it look cool. Randi will take care of the red noses.”

“Right. Shall we make a start, then?”

Five minutes later, Blur piled out of a car. Ana couldn’t help smiling. They were incredibly cute.

A member of the Tower staff showed the team and the band to the room they’d been allocated. Ana, Jake, and Ana’s assistant Mark left them to it, and went to look at the locations Mark had previously scouted.

They made their way along a gravel path next to an expanse of lawn. On all four sides rose the Tower walls.

“I thought we could start here,” said Mark, pointing to a plaque. “It’s where they chopped people’s heads off.”

Ana moved closer to the small memorial, reading the names on it. As she did, she experienced the strangest sensation, as though there was something crawling beneath her skin.

WILLIAM, LORD HASTINGS. LADY JANE GREY. QUEEN ANNE BOLEYN...

Now Ana felt nauseated, faint. “Excuse me,” she said, and went to sit on the nearest bench.

“You all right, doll?” called Jake.

What was going on? She was overcome with dizziness; it felt as if the Tower walls were closing in on her. She put her head between her knees.

Jake sat down beside her. “You’re not pregnant, are you?”

“Watch your mouth, Jake.”

“Sorry, forgot my place there for a moment.”

He didn’t sound sorry.

She took some deep breaths and sat up straight. Thankfully, the world seemed to have stopped spinning. “I’m fine. Let’s get on with it. But bin the memorial idea, it’d look crass.”

They made their way back to the team.