by Rosie Harris
Jenny refused to let her disappointment spoil her anticipation of the evening festivities. She dressed with care in a floor-length dark red velvet skirt, a white lacy blouse and an elegant black patterned velvet stole which she draped loosely over her shoulders.
As she entered the communal lounge for the evening’s event a waiter handed her a glass of mulled wine. She steeled herself to enter into the spirit of the occasion although she felt annoyed that Karen wasn’t there to accompany her.
In addition to the fairy lights and glittering baubles on the Christmas tree, the lounge was so lavishly decorated that everywhere glittered. The room was crowded and everyone was suitably dressed up for the occasion.
The party was already in full swing, a cacophony of voices almost obliterating the music, when there was a loud rapping on the main door. The concierge went to open it and came back to tell Jenny that there was a young lady asking for her.
Jenny could hardly believe her eyes when she saw that it was Karen. Suddenly the whole evening took on a new appeal. She had been feeling lost and lonely as other residents introduced her to their sons and daughters and then went off with them happily chattering and laughing and enjoying their company while she had remained isolated and alone.
She hastened to greet Karen, offered to take her to her own apartment if she wanted to freshen up, but Karen declined. Heads turned as she shrugged off her grey fur jacket to reveal a short black figure-hugging dress with a very low-cut neckline, sheer black stockings and very high-heeled shoes. Against the whiteness of her skin an emerald necklace gleamed and she had earrings and a bracelet to match.
The concierge took Karen’s fur jacket saying she would put it in her office. A waiter handed Karen a glass of mulled wine and Jenny, with a mixture of pride and happiness, began introducing her to some of the other residents.
Everybody seemed eager to meet the newcomer, especially the men. The Major took her hand and bowed low over it in a courtly manner, saying how charmed he was to make her acquaintance.
There was one surprising moment when Jane Phillips, a tall, imposing woman in her late sixties who had up until now more or less ignored Jenny, came over with a frosty smile and said in a rather condemning tone of voice to Karen, ‘I’m very surprised to see you here.’ She didn’t stay to talk and, when Jenny looked at Karen enquiringly, she offered no explanation but immediately became involved in a conversation with Lionel Bostock and his son Edwin.
Jenny had only spoken to Lionel Bostock once before, but she knew that he was held in high esteem by most of the other residents. He was something of a character, very smart and upright with white hair and a white moustache. He had once been a well-known surgeon and his son, who was with him that evening, had also followed in the same profession.
They both seemed to be captivated by Karen while Jenny stood patiently waiting for them to acknowledge her presence. When the older man finally did it was merely to tell her that he hoped she would let him know when her delightful daughter was visiting again.
As midnight approached Karen looked at her jewel-studded wristwatch and said that she’d ordered a taxi and that she expected it to be there at any minute.
Although Jenny had enjoyed seeing Karen she was disappointed that she’d had no opportunity to talk to her privately and catch up with any news or even take her to see her new flat.
‘Can’t you stay over?’ she asked hopefully.
‘Impossible. I have to be away early tomorrow morning on a trip,’ Karen told her. ‘You know what my lifestyle’s like. I’ll come over again in the New Year and take you out for a meal,’ she promised.
‘I can come over to Liverpool if that is easier for you,’ Jenny said eagerly.
‘No. No, Gran, I’d rather you didn’t do that. I don’t like to think of you making such a long journey, not at this time of the year. I’ll come again very soon, I promise you.’
Before Jenny could argue any further someone called out, ‘Miss Langton, your taxi is here; it’s waiting for you at the door.’
Once Karen had left, the enjoyment went out of the evening for Jenny. She accepted another glass of mulled wine but it tasted sickly sweet and she didn’t really want to finish it. She was there yet she wasn’t; her thoughts were focused on Karen and the Christmas celebrations they had known in the past.
She was so absorbed in her daydreams that when Jane Phillips suddenly appeared at her side she almost spilled the remains of her drink she was so startled.
‘I take it that since you both have the same surname you are in some way related to Karen Langton,’ she said frostily.
‘Yes; she’s my granddaughter.’
‘Really!’ Jane’s thinly pencilled eyebrows rose. ‘You must be very concerned about her reputation.’
‘Her reputation? What do you mean?’ Jenny asked in a puzzled voice.
‘Surely you know where she is living?’ Jane’s eyebrows went even higher.
‘Yes, of course I do. She’s living in Liverpool, in the Calderstones area. A very nice house …’
‘It should be seeing it’s the home of someone in shipping who is reputed to be a millionaire,’ Jane said with a sneering laugh.
Jenny stared at her, frowning in surprise. ‘I don’t think so. Karen is sharing with someone.’
‘Sharing! Is that what it’s called these days. Oh yes, she’s sharing all right. Proper little love-nest they have there.’
Seeing that Jenny still looked bemused, Jane went on, ‘She’s living with Hadyn Trimm the shipping magnate. How else do you think a girl of her age could dress like she does and be able to afford a fur coat and emeralds?’
Her words were meant to shock but Jenny gave a disarming chuckle. ‘Karen always has had good taste when it comes to clothes. You may have seen her at this Hadyn Trimm’s house because he is the head of the shipping line where Karen works. She is their press officer and handles their publicity so she was probably there delivering some papers to him for his approval or something.’
‘And staying there all night?’ Jane sniffed.
‘How do you know she did?’ Jenny asked sharply.
‘I know because my sister lives only two doors away and both my sister and her neighbours are absolutely disgusted by what is going on at that house. Your granddaughter appears to have moved in with him. She’s in and out of there as if she owns the place.’
‘You mean your sister and her friends are gossips who spend all their time watching other people from behind their net curtains?’ Jenny murmured spiritedly. Her heart was thumping but she was determined not to let this obnoxious woman see how upset she was. Nor did she intend to let her spread scandalous lies about her beloved granddaughter.
‘Hadyn Trimm’s wife is desperately ill in a nursing home and what sort of effect do you think your granddaughter’s behaviour is having on her,’ Jane went on, ignoring Jenny’s comment.
Jenny’s heart sank. She had wondered how Karen could afford to live in such an area even if she was sharing with another woman. Now this revelation saddened her but she was determined not to let Jane Phillips know how she felt.
‘I think you should get your facts right before you go around making accusations like that,’ Jenny said quietly. She put her glass down on the table and stood up, preparing to leave.
‘You believe what you like,’ Jane retorted, ‘but I know the truth. Anyway,’ she added as a parting shot, ‘you have only to look at the way she was chatting up old Mr Bostock and making eyes at his son to know the sort of person she is.’
Jenny found she was shaking when she reached her apartment; so much so that she could hardly fit the key into the lock.
Although she had refuted everything Jane Phillips had said she had the awful feeling that the woman spoke the truth. She wasn’t shocked but she was certainly concerned. She also felt very sorry for Hadyn Trimm’s wife and wondered if it was because of Karen’s behaviour that she was so ill.
Although it was now well past midnight she no longer
felt sleepy. Her mind was churning. Was it her fault that Karen had turned out like this, she wondered. If so, it meant that she really had failed Eddy. He had always been so proud of his daughter.
If he was still alive and they were all living in Warren Point then none of this would have happened, she thought sadly. She had failed his trust in her by not making sure that Karen had the right sort of guidance. She should have tried harder to find some way to keep their family home. She knew she must do something to put matters right and tried to think how Eddy would have handled the situation.
It had all started to go wrong when Jimmy Martin had persuaded Karen to leave Premium Printing to work for a shipping company and move in with him.
She should have stepped in at that point and insisted that because it was what her father had wanted, Karen should stay with her father’s firm. Karen had been so determined to stand on her own feet though that she simply wouldn’t listen, Jenny reminded herself.
Fourteen
At Merseyside Mansions, 1977 was heralded in with a party for the residents on New Year’s Eve.
The lavish decorations were still up in the communal lounge and it was packed with people. Everyone seemed to be there, all of them dressed in their party clothes. As they waited for midnight they were all standing or sitting around in groups, holding a glass of wine in their hand, chatting away to one another about the wonderful Christmas they’d had with their families.
Jenny now knew most of the residents and was thoroughly enjoying herself until Jane Phillips made it her business to come over to where she was and pointedly ask her if her granddaughter was coming to the party.
‘Not as far as I know,’ Jenny murmured. ‘I’m sure she is out enjoying herself with her own young friends, or she may even be away; she’s out of the country quite a lot. She does a great deal of travelling in her job,’ she added by way of explanation to others in the group who had stopped talking between themselves to listen to what Jane Phillips was saying.
‘Travelling!’ Jane gave a cynical little laugh. ‘Oh yes, I know all about that.’
She immediately launched into a waspish account of Karen and her ‘goings-on’ followed by a detailed character assassination of Hadyn Trimm.
‘I’m surprised you allow your granddaughter to associate with a man like him let alone live with him,’ she commented. ‘It’s asking for trouble. Everyone knows he’s flaunting the law. The police have been watching him for ages and sooner or later they’ll catch him red-handed. Either that or they’ll catch your granddaughter.’
‘Catch them? What on earth are you talking about?’
Jane raised her eyebrows and stared back at Jenny with a look of cynical amusement on her face. ‘The smuggling they’re involved in, of course. All the illegal drugs and stuff they’re bringing in and taking out of the country. Why else do you think your granddaughter is always going abroad?’
Jenny looked taken aback but kept her nerve. ‘What a malicious story,’ she said with a forced laugh. ‘You’ve got it all wrong, of course. Karen’s travelling is connected with her job but not in the way you are suggesting. I told you before, she works for Hadyn Trimm and handles public relations for the shipping line and her travelling is all to do with that.’
Jane’s mouth momentarily gaped then she burst into laughter.
‘That’s what she’s told you, is it?’ she said scornfully. ‘Believe me, it’s not nearly as innocent as that. A good cover story, I’ll give you that, but I’ve no idea who would believe it, except a complete simpleton.’
Jenny was sure that the barbed insult was directed at her and she felt herself bristle. She drew a deep breath to calm herself as an angry retaliation sprang to her lips.
She realized that there was no point in antagonizing this woman and was relieved when someone carrying a bottle of red wine came up to see if they would like a refill in readiness to greet the New Year, making it unnecessary for her to answer. Murmuring an excuse, she moved away while Jane Phillips was having her glass topped up.
Jane’s words had made a deep impact and Jenny wondered if there was perhaps some element of truth in what she’d said. She certainly hoped not but she could see how such gossip might start and be spread amongst Hadyn Trimm’s neighbours, especially if they were envious of his lavish lifestyle.
The moment midnight struck they all raised their glasses in a toast and handshakes, kisses and hugs followed. Jenny slipped away. The joy had gone out of the celebrations for her and she was anxious to seek solace in her own apartment.
She didn’t want to meet up with Jane Phillips again until she’d had a chance to talk to Karen and see if she could discover how such awful rumours had come about. She was sure that it was all nonsense but nevertheless it worried her greatly that Karen’s name was linked with such malicious gossip, especially if there was anything in Jane Phillips’s comment about Hadyn Trimm and Karen being watched by the police.
After a disturbed night, Jenny was unable to get into her normal routine on New Year’s Day. She kept to her own apartment because she didn’t feel in the mood to be exchanging ‘Happy New Year’ greetings with anybody. She wished she could contact Karen so that she could talk to her and set her own mind at rest about the gossip. She was sure Karen would have an explanation as to how it had all started.
By midday Jenny felt so much on tenterhooks that she knew she could stand her own company no longer. She might not be able to contact Karen by phone but she knew where she lived and since she’d made the journey once before she’d have no problems in finding the house again.
It was a cold grey day so she put on a warm topcoat, a fur hat, and a thick scarf. Then, picking up her fur gloves and handbag, she set off. What she hadn’t taken into consideration was that since it was a bank holiday boats and buses were restricted and it took her until almost mid-afternoon to reach the Calderstones area.
The street looked deserted and there was a hollow echo when she rang the doorbell. She followed it up by knocking loudly, and when that had no effect she was about to turn away, disappointed that they were obviously not there, when the curtains at the front window of the next door house twitched and a woman tapped on the glass.
For a moment Jenny was inclined to ignore her, then the thought that she might know when they would be coming home made her hesitate and she smiled at the woman.
The woman mouthed something that Jenny couldn’t understand but within seconds her front door was opening. Jenny was surprised to see that she had on an apron and that she was pulling a coat around her shoulders as she came out into the driveway that separated the two houses.
‘I’m afraid they are out so it’s no good you ringing their bell or knocking because there’s no one at all there,’ the woman said. ‘They sacked the young girl who worked for them at Christmas,’ she went on lugubriously.
‘Thank you for telling me,’ Jenny said as she turned away.
‘I come here next door to them to clean and one day they were there and the next morning they’d gone,’ the woman went on. ‘Moved right away. I work for a couple of other houses along the road and I did hear someone say that the pair of them had gone to live in Cardiff but I don’t know for sure if that’s right or not. They’re a bit of a mystery though and there’s always a lot of gossip going on about them.’
Jenny felt stunned. ‘Are you sure they’ve moved and not just gone there on business?’ she asked. ‘I only saw Karen a short time ago and she never mentioned that she was thinking of moving.’
Her voice trailed away. The woman’s green eyes were bright with interest, greedy for more information and Jenny knew that by thinking aloud not only was she giving away far too much information but in next to no time it would be passed around the street.
‘Oh, it was a moonlight flit all right if ever I saw one though I’m not sure why … but one of the other ladies I clean for said …’
‘Thank you for telling me they’re away,’ Jenny interrupted, pulling herself together, her voic
e sharp.
‘Well, you might have stood there knocking all day or even have hung around thinking they’d be back soon. You could have been half frozen doing that on a day like this. There’s sleet coming down and I wouldn’t mind betting it will snow later on tonight.’ She pulled her coat tighter around her. ‘The best place to be is indoors sitting round the fire.’
‘Yes, you are quite right,’ Jenny agreed. She looked again at the house, this time noting how empty it looked and she felt quite disorientated. She couldn’t believe that Karen had left there, left Liverpool, without telling her. She felt vaguely unnerved.
‘Have you come from very far away? You look as though you’re worn out. Either that or you’re shocked by the news that they’ve skedaddled.’
‘You’re a relative are you?’ the woman went on when Jenny didn’t answer. ‘You are very welcome to come in and have a cuppa and a warm by the kitchen fire, luv,’ she invited when Jenny remained silent, ignoring her questions.
‘No, no. That’s very kind of you but I agree it does look as if it is going to snow and I’d like to get home before it does. If I leave now I should manage to do so,’ she added as she began to walk down the driveway.
She was still puzzled by what could have happened and why Karen had left Liverpool without a word to her; that was, if what the woman said was true.
As she remembered the vicious accusations Jane Phillips had made and her character assassination of Hadyn Trimm she was worried in case Karen really was in some sort of trouble.
Fifteen
As they drove across the Severn Bridge into Wales, Karen glanced apprehensively at Hadyn’s grim profile. They had been driving for hours; a devious route down through Birmingham and the Midlands to Bristol instead of taking the more direct route through Chester and the Welsh Border towns to Chepstow.
