Winners and Losers

by Linda Sole

  ‘That bacon smells good.’ Connor grinned. ‘Any chance of a bit of fried bread to go with it?’

  ‘Lady Vane,’ Emily’s housekeeper called as she entered the study where Emily was working at the beautiful Georgian partners’ desk. ‘You asked me to remind you that your brother is coming to stay tomorrow. I think you wanted to clear any appointments for the next few days?’

  ‘Yes, Sheila, thank you.’ Emily smiled at her. ‘I did remember. The vicar had arranged a meeting of the Church Friends Association for tomorrow afternoon, but I told him I would not be able to attend so he has moved it to the sixteenth of next month.’

  ‘I’ve given Connor his usual room and Cook is preparing a list of menus for you to approve.’

  ‘Connor isn’t that fussy about what he eats.’ Emily’s expression was amused, because there wasn’t a female member of her staff at Vanbrough who didn’t have a soft spot for her youngest brother. ‘Do you know, it’s six months since he visited, because Dan can’t spare him for more than a few days now and then.’

  ‘Will Mr Daniel and Mrs Alice Searles be coming for Christmas this year?’

  ‘Oh, I’m not sure. Christmas is months away yet. Dan is always so busy on the farm. I’ve asked him and his family, and Frances too, but I doubt if my sister will come. She is wrapped up in that hotel of hers in Cornwall.’

  ‘Well, I suppose it takes up a lot of her time.’

  ‘I am sure it does.’

  Emily sighed as her housekeeper left the room. Frances expected her to visit her at the hotel, because she didn’t – or wouldn’t – understand how much work was involved in running an estate like Vanbrough. She seemed to imagine that all Emily did was sit around and be waited on – or pretended to! Frances had no idea of the work that went into keeping up the traditions here.

  Getting up from her desk, Emily walked to the window and glanced out at the beautiful view of smooth lawns and ancient trees. There was a mist drifting through the park, giving everything a slightly murky feel, but it would clear by mid morning. She loved this place, loved it as much as her father-in-law had, and was as much a prisoner of duty as Vane had been for the whole of his life. Sometimes she felt trapped by her surroundings.

  When Simon had brought her here as a young bride for the first time she’d been overwhelmed by the magnificence of the house and grounds. She’d been nervous of Vane and his wife, Amelia, but she had learned to love this place – and to love Vane.

  Her marriage had been such a tragic mistake. Simon had never loved her. He hadn’t been capable of loving any woman – his tastes lay elsewhere – and he’d married her to please his father and to get an heir. Vane had loved her, though, loved her with a passion he had controlled, keeping it secret until he was on his deathbed. After Simon’s death, Vane had found ways to keep Emily here, setting up a convalescent home for badly injured men towards the end of the war and putting her in charge. He had left Vanbrough to Emily’s son Robert, along with part of the money. Vane had wanted Emily to run the estate, because he knew she loved it. Amelia had been very angry, because she knew that Robert wasn’t really Simon’s son.

  After the funeral she’d gone off in a rage, vowing to contest the will and tell Vane’s cousin the truth about Robert’s birth – but she had never carried out her threats. Seven years had passed since Vane’s death but Emily had heard nothing from her. She thought that Amelia must have decided the estate was more trouble than it was worth, and perhaps she was right. It was certainly hard work, and finding the money to keep going was more difficult than when Vane was alive.

  He had left Emily ten thousand pounds for herself. Robert had four times that amount but it was tied up in a trust. The income came to Emily until her son was old enough to look after his own affairs and the money was used to pay the running cost of the house, which were ridiculously high. She was as careful as she could be while maintaining the standards Vane would expect, but money was tight.

  ‘What do I do next?’ Emily looked up at Vane’s portrait. ‘I can’t put up the rents for the tenants and I can’t stretch the income from Robert’s trust. We need at least another thousand a year if I’m to keep supporting all those charities.’

  Vane’s image stared down at her unmoved. Once upon a time he had seemed to answer her when she talked to him, but that had stopped happening a long time ago.

  ‘I made a promise and I’ve kept it – but I’m not sure I can continue for much longer, Vane.’

  Vane made no reply. Why should he? He had carried the burden during his life and the problem was hers now. She had accepted the burden and grown into her position. A beautiful, poised, elegant woman, she was admired by many but remained slightly apart, giving everything she had except herself. Emily had a deep well of love within her, but she had learned that it was unwise to love because it ended only in pain.

  She frowned as she thought about her problem. There was really no one she could go to for help. Her sister Frances was rich, of course. She’d inherited a lot of property after her husband died – or had blackmailed her father-in-law for it, if you told the truth. Sam Danby had made her suffer for that, but in the end Frances had come out of it a wealthy woman. Money that had come from a dubious source, but enough so that Frances would never have to think twice about paying a bill.

  Most people thought Emily was rich, because she lived in a house that everybody admired and many envied. She was always being asked to sit on this or that committee and to contribute to a new charity. Vane had been a charitable man, but he had divided his money in half when he died and that meant Emily’s income was far less than her father-in-law had enjoyed.

  ‘Damn you, Vane!’ Emily said. ‘I should sell everything and go off and live in Spain!’

  It was an empty threat. She would struggle to keep going for as long as she could, but she might be forced to sell one of the farms. Before she did that she would need to take advice – perhaps from Vane’s cousin, Alan Leicester. They had met at the funeral but not since, although Alan had phoned a couple of times and sent cards at Christmas.

  Emily felt the niggle of guilt at the back of her mind. Alan should be Lord Vane. The estate hadn’t been entailed and Vane was entitled to leave it where he chose, but the title should by rights belong to his cousin. Robert had been Vane’s beloved grandson as far as the world was concerned – but it was a lie. A lie he had accepted and compounded by leaving his estate to Emily’s son.

  Shaking her head, Emily thrust the doubts to the back of her mind. She still missed Vane like hell, but she was perfectly capable of managing. She would find the money she needed, though something would have to go – either some land or one of the pictures. In the meantime she would forget her problems and enjoy Connor’s visit. She didn’t see nearly enough of her family.

  ‘Have you got everything you want?’ Alice asked as Connor came downstairs carrying his battered old suitcase. ‘Clean shirts, pants, socks?’

  ‘Don’t fuss, Alice,’ he said but he was grinning. At twenty-four, Connor was a tall, strong, good-looking man with dark hair and bold eyes. Everyone said he was much like Daniel had been as a young man, but at his age Dan had already seen the horrors of war.

  ‘Emily won’t think much of me if I let you visit her without the things you need.’

  ‘Emily wouldn’t blame you. She knows what I’m like.’

  ‘Are you ready?’ Daniel asked as he came into the kitchen. He was wearing stained cords and a shirt in a green and brown check that had seen better days, his cap pulled over his eyes. ‘I’ll run you to the station, Connor. You don’t want to leave your car standing there while you’re away.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Connor said. He kissed his sister-in-law’s cheek. She smelled of babies and cooking. There had been a time when she always carried the scent of flowers. He noticed how tired she looked and said impulsively, ‘Don’t work too hard, Alice. You should make Dan take you for a holiday.’

  ‘What did you want to say that for?’ Daniel asked a
s they went out to the yard. A couple of mongrel dogs were sniffing round but ran to him, barking eagerly as he opened the van door. He shooed them away. ‘You know I can’t afford to take time off, let alone pay for a holiday.’

  ‘I’ll look after things here when I get back,’ Connor offered. ‘I can ask Jack Mullins to give me a hand with the cows and there’s not much else needs doing until we lift the potatoes. Why don’t you take Alice to visit Frances? She is always asking for one of us to go down. It wouldn’t cost more than a tank of petrol and a few flowers for Frances.’

  ‘Alice wouldn’t go if I suggested it. It would mean taking the children and that’s too much bother.’

  ‘She looks tired. The children wear her out.’

  ‘You don’t need to tell me how to look after my own wife!’ Daniel glared at him. ‘Four kids are a lot. I’ve told her she needs help in the house but she won’t listen.’

  ‘You should put your foot down – and you need a holiday too. It’s not my business but what happened to your ideas for a garage of your own?’

  ‘Bankruptcy and lack of time,’ Daniel growled. ‘When we lost everything after the war I had no choice but to put those fields into Alice’s name. I’ve struggled to clear my debts. Clay owed me money. I got some of it but he never finished paying me back and I’ve given up bothering.’

  ‘Clay!’ Connor’s mouth twisted with disgust at the mention of their elder brother. He had been the only one to survive the bankruptcy with any amount of money, though both Frances and Emily had come into money. ‘He couldn’t lie straight in bed! The bastard cheated us all when Dad died! You and Henry let him get away with murder.’

  ‘I was away fighting a war,’ Daniel reminded him. ‘Henry had no head for figures. He did his best but the worry killed him, poor devil. You don’t remember but we had to pay Margaret out of Dad’s estate and there were other things . . .’

  ‘I remember Clay raped Margaret – his stepmother! You paid her to keep quiet. You should have let him go to prison!’

  ‘Maybe. Forget it,’ Daniel muttered. ‘I haven’t forgotten the garage. One day I’ll get there.’

  ‘Yeah . . .’ Connor took out a packet of cigarettes and offered them to his brother. Daniel shook his head but Connor lit up. ‘One day I’ll be rich and famous. Pigs might fly!’

  Daniel laughed. ‘You’ll have to marry into money, Con. There are plenty of girls after you. Janice Baker’s father is loaded. He owns the carrot factory over at Manea. Marry her and you’ll be in clover when he goes.’

  ‘Only trouble is that she looks like a horse,’ Connor replied. ‘Thanks, but I’ll keep looking for now.’

  ‘It’s money or looks,’ Daniel said. ‘You rarely get both in this life. It’s not fair that you ended up with nothing from Father’s estate. I meant you to have the fields on Stretton Road, but it didn’t work out the way it should. When I can afford the garage you can take over the land.’

  ‘I’m not sure I want it,’ Connor said. ‘There must be something more out of life than slogging your guts out to scrape a living, Dan.’

  ‘I wish I knew how to get it.’

  ‘Yeah, me too.’ Connor grinned at him. ‘I’ll ask our rich sister for money for the garage.’

  ‘You say one word to Emily and I’ll have your guts for garters!’

  ‘I meant Frances. Emily lives in that damned barn of a house but she hasn’t got a penny to spare.’

  ‘I know. Emily would have lent me the money for the garage if she had it. She asked me once when she had some money going spare but I turned her down. I’ve sometimes regretted it,’ Daniel said. ‘But you won’t get a penny out of Frances. She blames me because the land was lost. I wouldn’t ask her for anything if I were you – that money has blood on it if you ask me.’

  ‘Money is money,’ Connor said. ‘But I wouldn’t really ask either of them. It was a joke . . . you should know better.’

  ‘Yeah, right,’ Daniel said as he brought the van to a halt. ‘Have a good time, then – and give Emily my love.’

  ‘Yes, of course. You should think about what I said, Dan – about a holiday for Alice. Mary might have the kids for a week or so . . .’

  ‘Mary has enough to do,’ Daniel said. ‘Frances asked her to help run the hotel but she wouldn’t leave Stretton. Most of her kids are grown up now, but she stills works part-time in the packing factory.’

  ‘Mary has had a rough time. She came out of things badly when Henry died, but you don’t hear her complain. I still think she would have the kids if you asked – or Emily might.’

  ‘I’ll think about it,’ Daniel said. ‘Go on or you will miss your train.’

  ‘Right – see you in a week or so, then.’

  Connor left his brother and went into the station.

  Daniel sat where he was in the van, staring into space. He had tried hard to put all thought of the garage out of his mind, because it was a dream he had given up after the bankruptcy. He was struggling to clear his name because the shame of bankruptcy was something that didn’t sit well with him. Damn Clay for forcing them to take decisions that had led to the crushing debts that had caused the bank to foreclose on them. It wouldn’t have happened if Daniel had been home to help Henry run things, but he’d been stuck in a German prisoner of war camp and his eldest brother had struggled alone until his heart gave out.

  If Marcus Danby had been alive, Daniel might have asked his brother-in-law for a loan to get back on his feet, because Marcus had been approachable, but there was no one else. He couldn’t go cap in hand to Frances – though she had more money than she knew what to do with – and Emily was struggling. If he were Emily, he would sell that damned great mausoleum of a place, bank the money and enjoy life, but she loved the estate and refused to move out.

  Shaking his head, Daniel started the van again and headed for Ely. It was market day and he liked to visit the cattle market and then have a drink in the pub afterwards. It was his one chance to get away from the farm and Alice.

  Connor had annoyed him by saying he ought to take Alice for a holiday. He was well aware that his wife was looking tired and washed out. She never seemed to have time for anything but the kids these days, and sometimes Daniel wished that he hadn’t married so young. He hadn’t meant to get married at all until his business was up and running. If he had stuck to his word, he would have had the garage by now, but they had four children and it took every penny he could earn from his smallholding to feed and clothe them all.

  Alice had been lovely when they were courting. Daniel hadn’t been able to resist making love to her, and when she’d fallen for a baby there had been no hesitation. He had married her straight away, and he didn’t really regret it. He loved Alice but sometimes he wished that they were back at the start of their marriage. His children were precious, of course, but it would have been better if they had come later, once he’d got a bit of money in the bank.

  Daniel drove round past the Lamb Hotel and into Market Street, heading for the parking lot behind the cattle market. He could smell the pungent smell of animal excrement as he got out of his van, leaving it unlocked as he strode towards the pens. The nervous bleating and bellowing of the animals added to the general noise. The auction was already taking place, though they hadn’t got to the livestock yet. They were still selling bits and pieces of machinery, tools and other items that were often put into the sale. Sometimes you could find a box of china that someone had discarded. Alice collected blue and white and he bought the odd piece for her if he saw it going cheap.

  ‘Not a bad day for it,’ a voice remarked and he turned to see Bill Henderson, a neighbouring farmer who had a lot more acres than Daniel had these days. ‘I’ve got my eyes on a couple of Herefords – need to build up my milking herd a bit.’

  ‘I’d like a couple of Jerseys if I could afford it,’ Daniel said. ‘But I saw a few good Herefords in the pens.’

  ‘Your father had Jerseys once, didn’t he?’

  ‘Yes, bef
ore the war,’ Daniel agreed. ‘Henry sold them. He preferred Herefords.’

  He nodded to the man and walked on. There was nothing he wanted in the sale and he fancied a drink before he went home. He might take a look in the shop that sold television sets; he couldn’t afford a new one, but now and then they had one going cheap. Alice and the children had watched the coronation of the young Queen Elizabeth at Alice’s parents’ house and he knew she would like a set of her own, though he wasn’t sure what the reception would be like in the Fen. He ought to get her something, though the TV was probably more than he could afford; it would need setting up and an aerial. No, forget it, he’d find something cheaper.

  Connor’s words kept echoing in his head. Maybe he should find the money to take Alice away for a few days. Mary might have the kids over a long weekend . . .

  Absorbed in his thoughts, Daniel didn’t see the woman watching him as he strolled under the arch into the pub yard. Even if he had, he probably wouldn’t have recognised her. Daniel had long forgotten the woman he’d known so briefly in Liverpool during the war.

  Maura watched as the man walked into the public house. She was certain it was Daniel Searles and for a moment her heart stood still. She’d come to Cambridgeshire in the hope of seeing him, even though she’d wondered if he had moved on. She hadn’t even known if he’d survived the war. Seeing him so unexpectedly in Ely had driven her breath away. She wasn’t ready to confront him just yet. She needed to think about what she was going to say.

  Would he even believe what she had to tell him? She’d visited Stretton once during the war when she discovered she was pregnant, hoping to find him and explain, but she’d met his young brother Connor instead and he’d made it plain that Daniel wasn’t around. Maura hadn’t bothered too much then, because she’d had a job and prospects. Things were different now. Recovering from the break-up of her marriage and with only a few pounds in her purse, she needed a helping hand.

  The Searles had land and money. Daniel owed her something. It was time he started to help keep his son. She’d managed alone since her husband walked out, but she was down on her luck and she needed money.