Elizabeth and Cameron
|15:03 PM, Wednesday, 27 October 2010
Pip's abandonment by Jude has brought back terrible memories for her aunty Elizabeth, who paid a far greater price for loving an unworthy man. This tale shows how lucky Pip actually is.
Alison Dowling (Elizabeth Archer) in happier days
Handsome Cameron Fraser bought the Berrow Estate in Ambridge in 1990, immediately becoming the largest landowner in the area. At first this plausible Scot appeared charming, but he soon showed his arrogance and impatience with those who had to work for him.
Elizabeth Archer (later Pargetter) was smitten, and didn't let the fact that Cameron had struck up a relationship with Caroline Bone (later Sterling) stop her from flirting outrageously with him. As a journalist on the Borchester Echo, she found any excuse to interview him. By September 1991, they were going on dates, and soon sleeping together, although Cameron never appeared particularly caring toward his new girlfriend. Shula worried that he was just playing with her sister.
In November, clingy Elizabeth was sulky when Cameron announced he was not taking her on a business trip to Madrid. She was even more upset when she rang his hotel room and it was answered by someone called Ingrid.
On his return, he assured her that Ingrid was a banker who happened to be in his suite of rooms for a meeting, and presented Elizabeth with a Spanish leather handbag to prove that he was thinking of her. But he couldn't bring himself to say "I love you" as he had only ever said that to one woman in his life
Elizabeth spent that Hogmanay at his estate in Scotland, although she was surprised that the property was much smaller than he had given Ambridge folk to believe.
After a hunt ball, Cameron started to raise his game when he realised that he had a rival for Elizabeth's affections in Nigel. He took her to Beachy Head, a favourite haunt of his on holidays from boarding school, he claimed. He blamed his caution in love on a woman who had callously rejected his proposal of marriage. Elizabeth was completely taken in.
Pregnant
By March 1992, Elizabeth was feeling sick. Debbie soon realised the reason. She took her to a remote pharmacy, and the pregnancy test came up positive. She couldn't keep the secret from Jill for very long, but Elizabeth insisted that she wanted to tell Cameron before Phil heard the news.
Elizabeth persuaded herself that Cameron would be delighted with the news, but the reality was very different. He coolly assumed she would have an abortion - at his expense, of course. Elizabeth could not countenance such a thing.
Her family were much more supportive than the father-to-be. Phil insisted that under no circumstances should she feel pressurised into marrying Cameron. And he extolled the virtues of Nigel, by now Elizabeth's employer. Elizabeth was marketing manager at Lower Loxley and Nigel was immediately practical, caring and supportive as they discussed maternity leave. It left Elizabeth very confused about her feelings.
Under pressure from Elizabeth - and from other sources it seemed - Cameron announced that he and Elizabeth needed a holiday - a mystery trip. On the journey to the airport she talked excitedly about life after the baby was born. Cameron grew increasingly quiet as she babbled on.
Her new found appetite made her persuade Cameron to turn off the M40 for food. He disappeared to the toilet and 15 minutes later had still not returned. When Elizabeth asked the waiter to go and look for him, he told her "chap in the Jag" had driven off.
Cameron had abandoned her.
Alone
Elizabeth returned to Ambridge in deep depression, to discover that much of Cameron's supposed wealth was a sham. He was more con man than country gentleman, and the "holiday" was actually a flit from his creditors.
Despite infertile Shula's insistence that she would be happy to adopt and bring up the baby, Elizabeth soon disappeared. She returned after a couple of days with the news that there was no baby any more.
She had had an abortion after all.
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