Winners and Losers

by Linda Sole

  It was more than likely that Daniel would disown his son, though if he looked at him, he would see that she wasn’t lying. David looked just like his father. If he’d been with her now, Maura might have followed Daniel into the pub, but that could be a mistake. She needed to plan this carefully. Find out how the land lay before she approached him.

  Maura knew that the one night they had shared during an air raid in Liverpool had meant nothing to Daniel. She had been on the brink of suicide, so desperate that she had begged him to make love to her when they ended up sharing a bed, because she was too drunk to look after herself.

  But Daniel could have refused her! Maura hardened her heart. She was sick of working for poor wages and going without. She wanted her own hairdressing business, and Daniel Searles could buy it for her. He had plenty of money and if she got it right, he would be glad to pay her to keep his secret.

  She imagined he had married the girl he’d been engaged to when he spent that night with her. Maura wasn’t above blackmail if need be, but perhaps he would simply give her the money. She would take the bus to Stretton another day and ask some questions. Once she knew a bit more about his life, she would approach him.

  Smiling, Maura walked in the opposite direction. It looked as if things were turning her way. She hadn’t even been sure Daniel Searles had survived the war, but now she knew that he was alive and still living in the area she could make plans for the future.

  Alice spent the day washing, cooking and looking after her two youngest children. When Daniel came in she was so tired that her head had started to ache. These days she never seemed to have a minute for herself and she was conscious of the fact that she had vomit all over her blouse. She’d meant to change and smarten herself up before Daniel came home but little Sally was teething and she hadn’t stopped crying all afternoon.

  ‘What’s for dinner, love?’ Daniel asked. ‘Something smells good.’

  ‘I’ve got a steak and kidney pie in the oven,’ Alice said. ‘Sally has been crying all day. I haven’t had a minute to sit down!’

  ‘You work too hard. You should have someone in to help you for a few hours a day, Alice. You look tired . . .’

  ‘That’s right, rub it in,’ Alice snapped. ‘I know I look a mess but I haven’t had time to change – anyway, I don’t have anything worth wearing.’

  ‘You should say if you want a new dress . . .’ Daniel frowned as he walked towards her. He reached out for her but the stink of the baby’s vomit made him change his mind and move back. ‘I know things are tight, but you have the egg money.’

  ‘That goes on the children,’ Alice said. Tears started to her eyes but she dashed them away angrily. ‘I don’t have help because we can’t afford it, Daniel. You know we can’t.’

  ‘We can afford a few bob,’ Daniel said. ‘I’ve almost finished doing up that roadster I bought cheap. When I sell it I’ll give you half the money. You can get your hair done and buy some new clothes – and I’ll find someone to come in for a few hours a week.’

  ‘You don’t have to do all this just because Connor told you to take me on holiday.’ Alice looked at him angrily.

  ‘You know that isn’t the reason,’ Daniel said and took her into his arms despite the acrid smell that hung about her. ‘I love you, Alice. I may not always remember to tell you, and I know things haven’t been easy since I came back, but I’m doing my best and I’ve nearly cleared my debts. Once I’m out of that, things will get better.’

  ‘I’m not complaining,’ Alice said. ‘I know you do your best. I’m not bothered about the new clothes, but perhaps we should have someone in to help a couple of mornings a week. If I had help with the washing and ironing, it would make things easier.’

  ‘It’s hard work for you with that old mangle and the copper,’ Daniel said. ‘One day I’ll buy you a washing machine!’

  Alice shook her head. ‘Ma has always managed with the copper and a mangle,’ she said. ‘I think I’m not completely over Sally’s birth yet; it pulled me down and I get so tired.’

  ‘Of course you do, love,’ Daniel said. ‘Go up and change before Danny gets home from school. I’ll put the kettle on and make us a cup of tea.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Alice hesitated as she prepared to leave the room. ‘Did you buy anything in the market?’

  ‘Just a few plants for your garden. I thought about getting you some flowers but decided you would rather have the plants. I’ll put them in for you after tea if you like?’

  ‘And I was moaning at you,’ Alice said, looking rueful. ‘I’m sorry, Daniel. It was thoughtful of you to buy me plants. I would much rather have them than cut flowers.’

  ‘I thought you would.’ He ran his fingers through his thick hair. ‘I do love you, even if I don’t always show it.’

  ‘You work too hard yourself. You will have all the milking to do yourself now that Connor has gone away.’

  ‘I might get someone in to give me a hand,’ Daniel said. ‘How would you feel about a couple of days at the sea somewhere – just you and me? After Connor gets back, of course.’

  ‘I couldn’t leave the children,’ Alice said. ‘Perhaps when Sally is a bit older, it would be nice. We haven’t had much time just on our own, have we?’

  ‘It was the bloody war,’ Daniel said. ‘Everything changed because of the war. Go on up and get changed, love. I’ll make the tea and we’ll have a cuppa before the lad gets home . . .’

  Connor saw the car waiting for him when he left the station. Emily opened the door and got out, waving to him, her face wreathed in smiles. She came to greet him, throwing her arms about him as he set his case down.

  ‘Connor! I’m so glad to see you!’

  ‘It’s great to be here.’ Connor gave her an affectionate hug. She was dressed in something light and summery and she smelled of an expensive perfume. ‘How are you, Emily?’

  ‘The same as always,’ Emily replied. ‘I seldom have time to think about how I am – but that’s a good thing, isn’t it? How are Dan, Alice and the children?’

  ‘Dan is just the same. Alice looks tired. I think she needs a break from the children, but Dan says he can’t afford to take her on holiday.’

  ‘He knows they are welcome to come here – and they can bring the youngest children. Mary would look after the older two so they could stay in school.’

  ‘Danny is shooting up,’ Connor told her with a grin. ‘Very grown-up. I think he will be taller than Dan when he’s a man.’

  ‘It’s several months since I’ve seen them all,’ Emily said. ‘It isn’t easy for me to get away, but I really should pop down. Perhaps I can persuade them to get away for a few days.’

  ‘Just don’t tell Dan I said anything. You know how proud and stubborn he is – like a prickly hedgehog when it comes to borrowing money. I think he has almost given up on that garage he wanted so badly.’

  ‘I would have lent him the money when Vane was alive. I had money to spare in those days, but I’m afraid I don’t have much now – though I could afford to give Alice some money for a little holiday.’

  ‘She is as bad as Dan,’ Connor said as Emily drove away from the station. ‘I sometimes wonder which of them is the worst.’ He looked at his sister. ‘Anyway, how are things for you? I suppose you still put every penny you get into that house of yours?’

  ‘It isn’t really my house, it’s Robert’s. I am the custodian and he will take over from me when he’s older. He may decide to sell. I can’t pretend it isn’t a liability – but Vane asked me to carry on for as long as I could.’ A little sigh escaped her. ‘Take no notice. You know I love the place.’

  ‘Vane should have left you more money. He split his property up and then expected you to carry on as before. How did he think you would manage?’

  ‘Vane was too ill to think clearly. Besides, he had Amelia and his daughter to think of. He couldn’t give us everything. I feel guilty enough as it is.’

  ‘I don’t see why you should. If Simon ha
d lived, it would all have come to him – and he would have had the burden of running the estate instead of you.’

  ‘I think Simon would have sold,’ Emily said, an odd look in her eyes. ‘He intended to live in America, you know. I made Vane a promise and I’m doing my best to keep it – though I may have to raise funds by selling something. I hate to part with land and I can’t take anything important from the house, but I’ve found some pictures that Vane had stored away because they needed restoration. I’ve sent them for valuation and I may sell them if they’re worth anything.’

  ‘You need a steady source of income. Something ongoing that would bring in the money regularly.’

  ‘Tell me about it.’ Emily laughed as he made a wry face. ‘I can manage to keep my head above water as far as the house is concerned, but Vane supported a lot of charities and I may have to cut down on them a bit, though I don’t want to . . .’

  ‘What about the convalescent home? You told me that closed last year. Have you done anything with the dower house yet?’

  ‘I considered letting to a tenant, but it is in a bit of a mess. It might cost too much.’

  ‘Well, I’m a dab hand with a hammer and I can decorate. I did the parlour and stairs for Alice last spring. I’ll take a look while I’m here – see if I can help get it into shape for you.’

  ‘You’re here for a holiday, not to work!’

  ‘It won’t hurt me to do a few hours in the mornings. I shall know what you need to get done and I might have an idea of what it ought to cost. Besides, I’ll enjoy it.’

  ‘Thanks, Connor.’ Emily smiled at him. ‘It is really nice having you here, love.’

  ‘I like coming. I know how much you love this place and it is pretty special – even though it must be such a lot of work for you.’

  Emily shook her head and he grinned. Emily had always been a fighter. He didn’t mind doing a bit of decorating for her, but he wished he could think of something that would make a real difference.

  Connor walked down to the dower house that evening after dinner. It was a warm, soft night and the scents of lavender and jasmine were in the air. He could understand why anyone would find these surroundings intoxicating; beautiful specimen trees made the park a peaceful and inspiring place to walk. It was, of course, an outdated way to live. Vane had clung to the old ways while he was alive, but two wars had changed England beyond recognition, and estates like Vanbrough were more of a liability than a privilege these days. You needed outside money, because the rents from farmland and cottages were not enough to support a lifestyle that belonged to the eighteenth century.

  Emily had given him the key to the much smaller – though still substantial – property that had traditionally been used for the dowagers in past years. By rights, Amelia should have lived here, but she had gone off somewhere after Vane died, because it had still been a convalescent home then. Emily had kept it going until the last residents had been moved on, and since then it had stood empty. Gathering cobwebs and spiders, no doubt – and probably damp.

  Connor went inside. Immediately he caught the sour smell left behind. It had been home to badly wounded soldiers for several years and there was plenty of evidence left behind. He turned up his nose as he visited the toilets and bathrooms, of which there were five in all – too many if it was to become a private house again. He thought that two of them could go, and the partitions that had been erected to make them could be torn down. The bedrooms that had not been partitioned were a good size and most were in reasonable condition. Some of the furniture was still here, but most of it looked fit only for the bonfire. Downstairs the back parlours had been used as bedrooms and there were toilets and other facilities that needed to come out.

  Connor made a mental note of the jobs that needed doing. If he had a couple of months to spare, he could have done most of it himself, just calling in electricians and plumbers as necessary. Unfortunately, he had just one week. In that time he could only scrape the surface of what needed doing. However, he might be able to make a clearance, which would make it easier for Emily to have the professionals in to give her estimates.

  Once the place was in reasonable condition she could rent it out and that should help her a little. He knew it would cost her several hundred pounds to put the house right. She might not have the money to do it, of course. If she couldn’t afford the outlay, Connor would come back again and do what he could. He was torn between wanting to help his sister and Dan, but Emily was managing and in his heart he knew Dan couldn’t do everything alone.

  Sighing, he closed up and walked to the local pub he favoured. He had made one or two good friends over the years and he might get one of them to give him a hand.

  Two

  Sarah tried on the dress she liked. Her boss had gone out and she’d locked the door because it was her lunch hour. She didn’t often bother to go to a café in the middle of the day. Her mother packed her a sandwich and she was able to make a cup of tea in the back room.

  Twirling in front of the mirror, Sarah admired the dress from all angles. It had a full skirt and stiff petticoats underneath, which made it stand out. The bodice was tightly fitted, and the neckline was a deep scoop, but at the back it had a big stand-up white collar and it was tied with an orange bow at the front. The main colour was black with little floral motifs of orange and green all over it. It really suited her, made her feel special, but it was expensive.

  She looked at the price ticket as she took it off. Seven pounds and ten shillings – more than twice what she earned in a week – but she would get a discount and she loved it. She had wanted it the moment it came out of the large brown box with all the other new stock. Sarah knew she had to have it. She would ask if she could put down a deposit and pay the rest over the next few weeks.

  She smiled as she hung it up in the back room. She was being extravagant, but it was her birthday soon and if her father knew she wanted the dress, he might just buy it for her.

  He was away on one of his frequent business trips at the moment. Sarah wondered why he had to go so often – sometimes it was every weekend. However, her mother didn’t seem to mind too much. She had been talking about taking a few days in Clacton – just Sarah and her mother. Mr Jenkins was too busy. He was always too busy to go on holidays. Sarah couldn’t remember when he had last taken them away. She couldn’t have been more than nine or ten. She supposed it was because he had to travel so much himself.

  She went into the back room to eat her sandwich and drink her tea. She was allowed to have the radio on during her lunch break, and she liked to listen to music. She liked the new stuff they called Rock ’n’ Roll, though it was really just rhythm and blues with a different beat. She would ask her father about the dress when he came home. He was usually in a good mood when he got back from one of his trips.

  Maura got off the bus from Ely and stood outside the shop in Stretton High Street, wondering what to do next. She knew where the Searles family had lived before the war, but she’d already discovered that the house had been sold. Where would Daniel live now? She could ask around but she didn’t want people looking at her and starting to gossip, so she would have to be careful. His name wasn’t in the telephone directory but that didn’t mean anything: a lot of people didn’t have telephones.

  Seeing an old man walking towards her, she hesitated and then approached him. Her mind worked swiftly as she tried to remember what Dan had told her about the girl he was courting. She needed to get the name right . . . Alice . . . yes, her name was Alice.

  ‘Excuse me, sir,’ she said in the soft Irish accent that most men seemed to find fascinating. ‘I wonder if you could tell me where Alice Searles lives, please?’

  ‘I could,’ he said, gaze narrowing. ‘Why would you be wanting to see her, miss?’

  ‘It is Mrs Jacobs. I used to know Alice and Dan – but I moved away when I married and we lost touch.’

  ‘You’re not a Stretton person.’

  ‘We lived in Ely,’ she smiled
as she lied. ‘I knew she had married but I don’t know where they live.’

  ‘I’m not sure I should tell you,’ the man said. ‘Dan drinks in the King’s Arms sometimes. You might find him there, though he only drinks on a Friday night.’

  ‘Oh . . . thanks . . .’ for nothing, she added under her breath. It was Sunday and her day off from work so Dan wasn’t likely to be at the pub this afternoon. It wouldn’t be easy for her to come over on a Friday night. She worked hard and she had her son to take care of when she got home.

  She frowned as the man walked off. Suspicious old devil! She should have known what village folk were like. Dan’s brother had been the same when she’d visited during the war, almost warning her off. The man had been the only person in an otherwise empty street. Where was everybody? It was a lovely day – why wasn’t anyone out enjoying the sunshine?

  She had an hour or so to kill until she could catch a bus back to Ely. While she was here she might as well take a walk along the street. The Searles’ old house was opposite the church. If she walked that way, she might see someone in the garden or the churchyard . . . Perhaps a child might not be as suspicious as the old man.

  As she walked along the street, she heard the sounds of music and laughter. Then she saw the notice advertising the village fête. Maura smiled. So that was where everyone had gone. She followed the sounds of voices and laughter, her spirits rising as she discovered that what looked like the whole village had turned out. Most people had obviously come on foot, though there were a few cars and vans parked in the field.

  She looked about her at the various stalls. There were all kinds of games and competitions, from throwing balls at coconuts and counting how many beans in a jar to shooting arrows at a target. Hearing a roar of approval, Maura wandered towards where a tug-of-war was taking place. She saw a notice that said the Stretton team was taking on all comers. Her eyes went over the men lining up to take part and saw the very man she was looking for.