Strange images of Alice started to appear, naked and bearing down from above. He assumed the blow to his head had caused delirium. But he also recalled the smell of male body odour and the feel of rough skin pressed against his own. He remembered the searing pain as his head splintered against the wooden floor.
Slowly, his recollections began to slot into place – his slow progress up the stairs, his stumbling towards the light that crept from beneath her door. He had felt in control. He hadn’t wanted to hurt anybody, just to be heard – not always to be the victim.
Now, as he sat huddled on the floor of the coal house with his head clasped between his hands, he didn’t know if he’d killed anyone. What if he’d shot Alice? She’d been lying on top of him and could easily have been wounded by the shot. If she was dead he could not live either. She had wronged him badly but she was the only person he could talk to, the only person who had any sense at all of the world as he saw it. Without her he was nothing.
If he had killed Jack, then perhaps there was justice after all but people would call him a murderer. He would be locked up for a long time, perhaps even hanged. He tried to remember something that he had heard about crimes of passion and mitigating circumstances. Surely these were mitigating circumstances.
Someone was turning the door handle. He knew he was about to be faced with the consequences of his actions. The door opened tentatively to reveal Jack standing there. In the dim light he appeared pale and haggard. Jed slowly turned his head to meet Jack’s gaze.
“We have to talk,” said Jack in an urgent but hushed tone. “That was a terrible thing you did last night. You could have killed us both. We’ve got to sort something out. How are you feeling? Is your head alright? I’m sorry I hit you but I had no alternative.”
There was a pause whilst Jed cleared his mouth to talk.
“How’s Alice? Is she hurt? Did I shoot her?”
“Alice is OK. She’s very shocked that’s all. Didn’t think you were capable of that sort of thing. She’s frightened. Doesn’t know what’s going to happen next. That’s why we have to talk, the three of us, to sort something out. Let me look at your head.”
Jack made his way over to where Jed was still sitting on the floor. He leant over him to look at the wound on the back of his head. Jed involuntarily pulled away.
“Can you get up?” asked Jack, holding out a hand. “Let me remove that binding. I had to do it, Jed. You were out of control.”
Jack removed the cord from around Jed’s wrists and helped him to his feet. Jed winced as the pain in his head returned with renewed ferocity.
“I’ll ask Alice to bathe that for you,” said Jack as he guided Jed out of the coal house and into the damp greyness of the early morning. “We’ve got things to say to you that you won’t like but they’ve got to be said.”
Jed followed Jack timidly as they entered the house and made their way to the parlour. As Jed entered the room he saw that Alice was already there, her head turned deliberately away from him. He felt his stomach clench with anxiety and he felt tears welling in his eyes. He still loved her so much and to be confronting her in this way made no sense to him at all.
Jack indicated a chair to Jed and he obediently sat down. Alice now turned to face him, joining Jack on the other side of the parlour table. Jed studied her face, searching for some sign of sympathy or pity. But her face was full of anger. Her eyes were cold and accusing. He wanted to say something, to justify his actions but the bravado of the previous night had deserted him and the comfort of the whisky bottle was a distant memory.
“You disgust me. You could have killed us both. How stupid you must be to think that a gun would solve anything,” she barked in a hoarse voice suggesting lack of sleep.
Jack placed a restraining hand on Alice’s shoulder and quickly attempted to change the tone of the attack.
“You see, Jed, what you did last night was wrong. We thought we had an agreement with you. OK, it may be tough but that’s what you said you wanted – Alice to stay and the child to be brought up as yours. Christ, man! Don’t you think that’s difficult for me too, knowing I’m the father and seeing another man getting all the credit? It’s tough for all of us, Jed, but that’s the way it is and for you to take a bloody gun and try to blow our brains out is just too stupid for words.”
“You keep saying you love me,” interrupted Alice as she pushed Jack’s hand away from her shoulder, “but what you really mean is you need me, like a child needs its mother. And last night you behaved like a child and you made me hate you.”
Alice dissolved into tears and Jack placed an arm round her shoulders.
“You see, Jed, Alice is just too frightened to stay here now, what with the baby due and all that. I mean, you might do it again and next time you might succeed. So I think we’ve got to go, Jed. We’ve talked about it and we think that’s going to be for the best.”
Jed felt himself begin to shake. This was the one outcome he dreaded at all costs. Once Alice went he feared he could never get her back. As long as they still lived together he would be able to exploit any weakness in her relationship with Jack and eventually win her back.
“No, don’t do that,” he began to argue earnestly. “What I did last night won’t happen again.”
“But how do we know that?” persisted Jack. “Alice doesn’t feel safe with you in the house.”
“Then perhaps I can move out of the house, just for the time being, until things are right between us again.”
“Where will you live?” asked Alice, knowing how important the house was to Jed.
“I could live in the workshop. It’s OK in there. I could fit a bed in and the stove’ll keep me warm. Maybe it’s for the best.”
And so, as the winter approached, Jed took up residence in his workshop in the garden. Alice still cooked him meals but after supper he would make his way back to the workshop and the doors of the house would be locked. Sitting close to his stove and looking out onto the house that he had built, he spent long hours reflecting on the events that had brought him to this wretched state of misery.
It was a Saturday morning in early November. A light frost was coating the ground and Jed was stoking his stove to encourage more heat from its ancient innards. He had no work on today and he worried that his usual supply of odd jobs seemed to have dried up.
Suddenly he heard Alice calling from the house. He opened the barn door to see what she wanted.
“Jed, come here. There’s a letter for you. It’s come by special courier.”
Jed rushed up to the house and took the brown envelope from Alice. He studied the wax seal which secured the flap and recognised it as the seal of Frampton Town Council. With his hand shaking, he broke the seal and pulled out the enclosed document. Jed read the contents out loud as Alice held her breath.
It was addressed to Mr. Jed Carter, Manager, Carters Builders and Contractors, Frampton.
Dear Mr. Carter,
I am instructed by Frampton Town Council to inform you that Carters Builders and Contractors has been selected by the aforesaid Council to undertake the refurbishment of the building known as the Maltings in accordance with the details set out in the procurement document.
May I offer you my warmest congratulations and suggest that you contact me at your earliest convenience to arrange a meeting.
Yours sincerely,
R. J. Turret (Town Engineer)
Jed whooped with delight. Alice threw her arms around him and kissed him firmly on the cheek.
The Guest Who Stayed: Chapter 16 – Winter 1921 – Autumn 1922
The awarding of the Maltings contract to ‘Carters Builders and Contractors’ had an immediate effect on all of their lives. The contract was worth fifty thousand pounds, far bigger than anything Jed had tackled before. Almost immediately, he was required to attend meetings with the town planners and quickly learnt that he needed Jack with him to lend an air of confidence and professionalism. Sitting with council officials, Jed felt a
sense of resentment that he couldn’t negotiate and parry questions in the way that Jack could. Jack was quick and good with numbers. Jed always took his time to think and this was mistakenly construed as being slow witted.
Of particular concern to the planners was Carters’ ability to meet the proposed schedule. The town council had already planned a grand opening ceremony in September of the following year.
“Mr. Carter, I have some concerns to raise with you,” began the chief engineer at one particularly tetchy meeting. “We were all sorry to learn of the death of your colleague, Daniel, in that terrible accident, but you seem to have made little progress in replacing him. What are you going to do about this and did you take the costs for additional labour into account when you provided us with your quote?”
“Well, I haven’t exactly put my mind to that,” began Jed, addressing a point on the table in front of him. “I expect we’re going to need extra help though there’s no one can say that I don’t put in the hours myself and when it comes to ...”
At this point Jack hastily interrupted and took control.
“What Mr. Carter is saying is that at this stage of the contract we would be adding unnecessary cost by employing more people. But as soon as construction begins we will, of course, be recruiting. In fact, we have already started conducting preliminary interviews.”
Jed’s jaw noticeably dropped as he digested this news.
“And if you look at our cost schedules you will see that labour charges progressively rise in months two, three and four as additional labour is employed.”
“Thank you, Mr. Malikov, I am reassured,” mumbled the chief engineer rather grudgingly.
Although Jed still held a great dislike for Jack for obvious personal reasons, he had to admit to himself that on the business front things seemed to be going well. Jack was a slick business operator but he always allowed Jed to make the decisions when it came to matters of construction. Their enthusiasm for the project even began to spill over into their home life. Following a site visit, both Jack and Jed arrived home at Hope Cottage together and, rather than eat separately, they decided to break the rule and eat together so that they could continue their conversation over a meal.
“Seems to me, Jack, we need to start recruiting now. All that baloney you gave the council about a plan is just rubbish. What plan ‘ave you got in mind?”
“We’ll make a plan. We’ll do it now,” replied Jack as he tucked in to a portion of suet pudding.
“You must know people who need work, Jed,” added Alice, “good people that we can trust. What about your brother, Tom?”
“Tom’s OK but he knows nothing about building. I’ll have to train him.”
“And what about your father, Alice?” suggested Jack.” I know he has a drink problem but maybe this would give him back some self respect.”
“My drunken slob of a pa!”
“He’s strong as a carthorse, your pa,” replied Jed. “May not be such a daft idea as it sounds.”
On these occasions, as the banter flowed easily round the table, Alice began to feel that the plan was working far beyond her expectations. The idea that the three of them could live in harmony as a family was clearly preposterous, especially given the circumstances of her seduction by Jack. But against all the odds, here they were, sitting together and making plans like any normal family. Alice supposed it worked because they all needed something and each had something to offer to the other. Jack needed to belong. He needed roots and he needed her. What he had to offer was money. Jed needed that investment to give him the success he craved. But he also needed Alice to care for him and motivate him. What did Jed have to offer? There was the house that had somehow come to symbolise their unique relationship. It was at the centre of their unorthodox life and was the setting in which this drama would unfold. He was also a part of her life that she didn't want to let go of. She couldn't be his lover but she could still be his friend. Then what about her – Alice? What did she need and what did she have to give? All her life she had wanted to climb out of poverty. Jed had been her pathway out of the mire and she owed him so much for that. But she didn’t love him and never would. She loved Jack and she needed the passion and physical reassurance that he gave her in bed. Their love making had to remain covert so that Jed would not be goaded into aggression again. So long as Jed was shielded from the truth, he was able to shut out those things that he found unpalatable. The question now was whether Alice could maintain this delicate balance with both men, especially with the imminent arrival of a baby. She realised that the route ahead was strewn with obstacles but it was the only one open to her now and she would have to venture along its perilous way with her eyes fully open.
Work started on the Maltings in the middle of November. An unusually mild autumn meant that they made good progress. Tom was recruited first and proved he was a quick learner. Freed from the controlling influence of his father, he soon became brighter and more sociable. For the first time in his life, Jed found himself actually liking his brother.
Alice’s father joined the business in December. He had initially refused the offer of work, not believing that anyone would want to employ him. But after Jack had spoken to him and persuaded him that the offer was genuine he had accepted with the promise to cut down on his drinking. He took on the role of labourer and uncomplainingly moved bricks and slates around the site to keep Jed and Tom supplied. Occasional lapses led to unscheduled days off but he would soon return and carry on as before.
May 1922
The worst of the winter was over and warm spring sunshine streamed in through the parlour windows. Alice shuffled uneasily round the kitchen preparing Jed’s breakfast. Her stomach had ballooned in the past few weeks with the birth of the baby due in less than a month. Jed was silently focused on his plate of food and communicating with Alice only by means of the occasional grunt. Work on the Maltings was now in full swing and Jed spent most of his time preoccupied with keeping the project on schedule. He was now employing five men and a number of sub contractors. All the exterior work was complete and they were working hard on the interior fittings which included tiered seating for two hundred and fifty people.
Jed was roused from his preoccupations by a shout from Alice. She was clutching at her side and looking down anxiously at a pool of water that was growing beneath her. Jed got to his feet, awkwardly offering to help but not knowing how.
“Jed, get Jack. My water’s have broke and I need Jack.”
Jed felt irritated that it was Jack that Alice wanted at this time of need but the urgency in her voice left no room for doubt. He raced up the stairs calling out Jack’s name. Jack emerged from Alice’s room pulling on his trousers.
“Jack, Alice says to come quick. Her water’s broke.”
Jack pushed past Jed, nearly falling down the stairs. He took Alice in his arms and held her tightly. Jed felt confused and looked away.
“I’ll take you upstairs, my darling, and lie you down. Then we’ll get help. Everything is going to be fine,” cooed Jack softly.
He went to lift Alice up into his arms but a coughing spasm suddenly seized him. Jed had noticed recently that the attacks were becoming more frequent.
“Well, come on then, man, help me,” demanded Jack.
They took hold of an arm and a leg each, then with difficulty manoeuvred Alice up the stairs and laid her on the bed in her room.
“You need to fetch the midwife quick,” gasped Alice.
Both Jack and Jed had been well rehearsed for just such an eventuality. The town midwife was Mrs. Burns, a plump fifty year old widow who had delivered half the population in Frampton.
“I’ll go,” volunteered Jack.
“No, I need you to be here with me. Besides, it might look odd if you go. It’s better if the father goes. Well, you know what I mean. Jed, will you go and fetch Mrs. Burns?”
It took Jed ten minutes to sprint into the centre of town and make contact with Mrs. Burns who lived in a small la
bourer’s cottage just off the market square. Within minutes of Jed’s arrival, Mrs. Burns had mounted her bicycle and was making her unsteady way back to Hope Cottage. Jed jogged behind, his heart pounding.
Mrs. Burns took over with well practised military efficiency. Both men were banned from the bedroom and banished to the parlour. If Mrs. Burns wondered about the presence of the lodger in the ‘mother–to–be’s’ bedroom she said nothing. She had been witness to many strange carryings on at birth and had reconciled herself to the idiosyncrasies of family life.
Jed and Jack stood in the parlour drinking strong coffee and saying little. Jack smoked a cigarette and wheezed after each drag.
“I’m feeling nervous,” volunteered Jed. “Like I’m the real father.”
“You are the real father. Remember that. As far as anyone’s concerned, you’re the father and I’m the lodger. That’s what Alice wants.”
“Is that what you want, Jack?” asked Jed.
“If that’s what Alice wants then that’s what I want.”
There was a pause. Upstairs, the strident but indistinct voice of Mrs. Burns could be heard dispensing orders.
“Don’t you think it’s wrong – both of us loving the same woman?” said Jed after a while.
“I can’t say that it’s wrong. In some ways it seems perfectly obvious. If a woman attracts one man then she’s just as likely to attract another. In some cultures it’s the other way round. A man can have more than one wife. So I don’t see why a woman can’t have more than one husband. It’s just convention.”
This line of reasoning was rudely interrupted by a piercing shriek followed by a fusillade of commands from Mrs. Burns. Jed and Jack were stunned into silence. There followed another shriek, longer than the first and then sobbing. More commands from Mrs. Burns and then a scream that gave way to the sound of a baby crying. Jed and Jack awkwardly shook each other’s hands and then raced up the stairs to Alice’s room.
The Guest Who Stayed Page 20
