A Long Road Through The Night

by Rosemary Hodgson

  Raymond was waiting for her in the car. As she approached, he leaned over to open the door for her, and she slid inside gratefully. `Sorry I`ve been such a long time.`

  `Did you manage to sort things out?`

  `Sort-of, sort-of-not.` As he drove North, she told him the gist of the conversation. `I came here this morning, convinced Danny was some sort of confidence-trickster, but now it seems as if he`s just as confused as I am.`

  `What does he say about the legacy? Has he offered to give any of it back?`

  `He can`t, at the minute, It`s all on five-year-deposit because he was going to use the interest on it to help his mother.` Staring out of the window silently, Sylvia watched the countryside slipping by. In her mind, the beginnings of a solution had begun to form. She would try it out on Ray, and get his opinion.

  `Do you think it would be very daft of me to say Danny could keep it till the five years is up? Or should I push for it back straight away?`

  Raymond pondered for a while before responding. `It all depends. Do you trust him?`

  `I`m not sure. What have you got in mind?`

  `If he was to go abroad before you`ve got any legal hold on this money, he could disappear as easily as his stepfather has. Is there any possibility they could be in cahoots with one another?`

  `God knows!` Sylvia sighed. `Anything`s possible. I don`t know what to think, but you`ve got to feel sorry for Eleanor. She`s had an absolutely awful life, and getting her slung out of the Home seems so mean.`

  `That could still happen, unless you`re prepared to forgo it for a very long time.`

  `How?`

  `I don`t like putting my oar in where it`s probably not wanted, but there`s something it doesn`t sound as if you`ve thought about. It`s a disability she`s got, not a progressive illness, and she`s probably still only in her Forties. She could live a lot longer than five years, especially if she`s being well looked-after.

  `I suppose she could. Would it not be a very wise move, then, for me to say he could keep it right through her life? Like you say, we might lose touch.`

  `Unless he`s prepared to give it up voluntarily, it won`t matter whether you`re in touch or not. You might have a job to persuade a Court it isn`t his by right – assuming Tom was of sound mind when he made the Will, and you`ve never said you thought he wasn`t.`

  `I`m positive he was absolutely compos-mentis. That`s why I decided not to contest it at the very beginning. Tom meant Daniel to have near-enough ninety-thousand pounds. Have I any right to try and get it off him just because it`s the wrong ninety-thousand?`

  `How do you feel about maybe never having it?` Sylvia could not help wondering how Ray himself would feel about that possibility. If they decided to marry, might the day come when he would upcast it at her if she let the disputed legacy go? I`ve got to bear him in mind when I decide, she concluded. That was a disturbing thought, sounding as if she had already made the decision to marry him.

  `At the minute I`m thinking, What-I-Never-Had-I`ll-Never-Miss. And what Miranda said was true. In Tom`s suicide-note, his last words were about how bad he felt for letting Danny down.`

  `But he most likely didn`t realise then that, by killing himself, he`d deprived you of his life-insurance money.`

  Raymond had made a valid point, but how would the law view it? That reminded her about where she could turn for definitive advice. `I think I might have to go to Mr. Holmes again, and see what he thinks.`

  `That would be best.` Raymond sounded relieved, she thought. `I`m glad you felt able to ask me for advice, Sylv, but this thing`s got so complicated, I would sooner not influence you one way or the other. It was Tom`s money. Now, by rights, it should`ve been yours, so it`s for you to say where you go from here.` His attitude was a relief to her. He couldn`t be interested in her just for the money when – as he had pointed out himself – she might never see a penny of it.

  At her request, Mr. Holmes investigated the Harland Venture`s title to Tom`s money, with disheartening results. The way the rules of the Venture Fund had been drawn-up effectively handed full-control to one signatory on the death of the other, making Joe Harrison the rightful heir.

  `Could I contest the will? Tom should`ve provided for me. Surely there`s rules about that?`

  `Yes, there are. One way to get the Will set-aside would involve proving your husband was of unsound mind when he made it.`

  Shocked, she interrupted him. `No! I couldn`t! For one thing, it`s not the truth. There was nothing whatsoever wrong with his mind, and I`d be disrespecting his memory if I tried to make-out there was. So I decided long ago - however I feel about it, he intended Danny Franks to have that money, and I won`t contest it.`

  Mr. Holmes sounded almost as distressed as Sylvia felt. `If only your husband had spoken to me about what he had in mind! I would have strongly advised him to appoint further administrators for the Venture Fund, as a safeguard against just such an eventuality as this. By drawing the document up as he did, Mr. Brandon`s simply handed half of his estate to a scoundrel who`ll never use the money as your husband intended.`

  `I expect he was afraid you`d advise him against the whole idea,` Sylvia mused. `Are there no loopholes in the Trust itself? My son-in-law says it isn`t legal because it hadn`t enough trustees.`

  `Unfortunately the matter of Trust Law doesn`t apply here. Whoever drew up the document took great pains not to create a Trust. The Harland Venture is a simple contract by one party – your late husband – to pay certain sums of money to the other – Joseph Harrison – and that`s exactly what`s happened. There were no other people involved in the arrangement.`

  `Then who`s been writing to us on behalf of Harland`s?` Sylvia demanded. To settle the point, they referred again to the two letters from the Harland Venture, written shortly after Tom`s death. Both were signed with an illegible scrawl identified by typewritten confirmation below: J.W. Harrison, a name that at that stage of proceedings would have meant nothing to either of them.

  `I`m afraid it looks as if it was him all the time.` Mr. Holmes sounded so defeated that Sylvia felt sorry for him. `Words aren`t adequate to express how angry I feel at the outcome. By making a thoroughly bad arrangement in such secrecy, Mr. Brandon has literally allowed himself – and his rightful heirs – to be robbed.`

  `So neither Daniel Franks or me will ever see a penny of the money?`

  `Not unless Mr. Franks has a mind to spend the half he did inherit, in fighting for the restitution of the other half through a lawsuit which – quite candidly – he has no realistic chance of winning.`

  `He can`t do that, even if he wanted to. He`s relying on it to provide care for his crippled mother. And in any case, we`d have to find Joe Harrison first, before we could sue him.`

  `Then I`m afraid that`s the end of it, Mrs. Brandon.` The solicitor looked thoughtfully at her, as if pondering the wisdom of his next question. `How are you going to manage?`

  `I`ve got my Widow`s benefit, plus a small pension from Tom`s employers, and I`ve taken a part-time job. She decided against mentioning the possibility of remarriage, which might never happen. In any case, it was none of his business.

  With regard to her idea about letting Danny keep the money during his mother`s lifetime, Mr. Holmes expressed strong reservations along the same lines Raymond Hood had mentioned. `I can see why – as a compassionate human being - you`re tempted to let things slide, but your friends are right to doubt whether it`s wise. Daniel Franks might decamp with the money to some place where you would never find him. And even if he`s absolutely trustworthy, if his mother enjoys reasonable health apart from her disability, you may not see your money for twenty years or more.`

  `And by that time, I could be dead.` Sylvia could afford to be more outspoken than her advisor, for facts must be faced . Already in her mid-fifties, she would by then be well over seventy. `Even if I was still alive, I`d be too old to be bothered fighting through the courts to try and get it back. If I`m going to do it at all, it has to be now. Realistically, Mr. Holmes, if I did try
and get Tom`s Will set-aside, what are my chances?`

  `You could probably argue that since you and your husband were still living amicably together at the time of his death, he had a moral and legal obligation to provide for you, before giving money to strangers. However, Daniel`s solicitor could equally contend that Mr. Brandon`s life-assurance policy would have provided for you even more generously, had he not invalidated it by taking his own life – a decision which can hardly be classed as their client`s fault. Lawsuits are expensive, and you should be aware that if you lose, you`d most likely have to pay all the costs of the case. Would I be right in thinking that might present a problem?`

  `Problem? It would be a disaster!` So it looks as if we can kiss Tom`s money goodbye?`

  `Unfortunately it does.` With nothing hopeful to add, and possibly remembering their first encounter, Mr. Holmes seemed grateful when Sylvia took her leave without making a scene.

  EIGHTEEN

  Sylvia and her daughters met the following evening at the flat, to talk over what to do about the money Daniel had invested. `I`m tempted to let him keep it for the five years, rather than see his mother put out in the street, but Mr. Holmes and Ray don`t seem to think that`s a good idea.`

  Delia was predictably critical. `Raymond Hood? What`s he doing, putting his oar in? Think twice before you rush into anything on his say-so, Mum. He`s got a vested interest in you getting the money back, if the two of you are going to be an item.`

  `You`re the limit!` Sylvia exclaimed. `He only got involved because I asked his advice about whether to let things stop the way they are – he didn`t push his opinions on me. And even if he had, don`t you think I`m big-enough and old-enough to make my own mind up?`

  Patty broke in to defuse the situation. `Regardless what Ray or any of us thinks, it`s more to the point that your solicitor reckons it`s a bad idea. We know for certain he`s not advising you out of self-interest - he`d probably make a-king`s-ransom in fees if you did take the case to court. Does it have to come to that?`

  `Yes, unless Danny agrees to give it up of his own accord.`

  `Fat chance!` Delia muttered, quelled by an exclamation of annoyance from her sister, but Sylvia responded realistically.

  `No, Patty, be fair, Dee`s right. Mr. Holmes said as much. I can`t afford to fight a case, so it all comes down to me making an agreement with Daniel.`

  `If Dad wasn`t already dead, I think I would kill him myself!` Patty stormed. `Whatever was he thinking about, causing all this carry-on?`

  `Please don`t say that, Patty. Your Dad always loved you, and I can`t bear to think of you turning against him, just because he`s made a bad decision about money. Anyway, that`s neither here nor there now,` Sylvia reminded them. `What can I suggest that Danny might be willing to go for?`

  `What about letting him keep half?` Patty suggested. `Then his mother would be only-half skint, and you`d only feel half as guilty.`

  `Even if he agrees, I can`t get at it for five years.`

  Delia could not hide her resentment. `I don`t see why he should get anything. On his own admission, he most likely inherited it by accident, because Dad didn`t change his Will.`

  `But going to Court?` Patty protested. `Mam hasn`t got enough cash to pay the costs if she loses.`

  Sylvia stepped in quickly to end the argument she feared might set her daughters at loggerheads with each other. `Thanks for the talk, but I`ve made up my mind what to do. I`ll write to Daniel and see if he`ll agree to split it fifty-fifty. It`s not ideal, but it`s better than nothing, for both of us.`

  `And if he refuses?` But she would not yet consider the implications of Delia`s question – I`ll give him the chance, and see what he says.

  Composing the letter to Daniel presented less difficulty than Sylvia had expected. It would be best to make the request bluntly, rather than wrapping it up in fancy words. "I know you don`t want to lose the money, but I need at least some of it to be able to live decently, without scratching for pennies. Having to pay massive lawyers` bills isn`t in the interests of either of us, so could we each agree to take half when the five years is up?" Reminded of Mr. Holmes` comments about the faulty drafting of the documents with which Tom had founded the Harland Venture, she added: "If you think what I`m suggesting sounds like something you could go-with, we should get a proper written agreement between us, witnessed by our solicitors. That way there`ll be no disputes about Who promised What, when it comes to divvying-up."

  She dropped the letter into the postbox, and dismissed the matter from her mind. It came as a surprise to realise that recovering the money mattered much less to her than discovering the truth about Tom and Eleanor. Why had he got himself so upset about disappointing Daniel, if they were no more than acquaintances?

  On her return she found pushed through her letterbox a printed slip of paper informing her of a forthcoming sale in aid of the local church, which immediately gave her a bright idea of what to do about what remained of Tom`s library. Since most of the volumes were related to Egyptology or Archaeology, she would never read them. Very likely no-one else would, either, but the appeal represented a more dignified means of disposal than dropping them into the dustbin.

  Sorting the volumes occupied over an hour, the coffee-table filling rapidly with prospective donations to the church-roof-fund. Attracted by the sight of a carrier- bag among the clutter, she glanced inside, to reveal a title instantly familiar -- it`s that damned book Delia was always harping on about –- Tom must`ve packed it up in here, ready to give her. Their daughter had mentioned it on the day her father disappeared, but Sylvia had been in no mood to search for it then, and her subsequent flight into the countryside pushed the issue to the back of her mind, and everyone eIse`s as well.

  I might as well let her have this to keep, Sylvia decided - it`s no good to me. Placing the carrier-bag on the sofa, she repacked the surplus volumes in four cardboard-boxes full to the brim, and added two bags of her own unwanted effects. She would ring the contact-number tomorrow – the church should be grateful for her generosity. On top of the last box she discovered the exercise-book found in the caravan and re-read Tom`s suicide-note -- why on earth did he put it in here? -- didn`t he realise I might bin all these rough notes without bothering to read them?

  Perhaps he had never meant her to find it. Yet that would mean there had been no point in bothering to write it at all, she thought, angry again at his lack of consideration -- He didn`t even have the grace to finish it properly – most likely he hoped I`d spend the rest of my life fretting about why he`d ended it all, and I deserve better than that -- Miranda`s right, I should accept Ray`s proposal while I`ve got the chance -- he`s worth ten of Tom, any day of the week.

  That once again raised thoughts of whether tender thoughts alone were enough. Would she be able to establish a satisfactory relationship with any man other than Tom? Familiarity, though boring, had its good side; there had been no unpleasant surprises in the bedroom. I`ve got feelings for Ray, strong feelings, she thought -- in fact I don`t think I could bear to lose him now -- but what if I marry him, then find I can`t be a proper wife to him?

  Memory reminded her that she had confronted those same fears before marrying Tom, and that relationship had worked out well, on a sexual level, at any rate. But would it be as easy with Ray? I`ll never know till I try, she decided – leaving it to chance till after we`re married just isn`t fair to him - I`ll have to sleep with him first, before I make a definite promise.

  Put that way, the notion appeared cold-blooded -- I sound like a right-callous bitch, working everything out to my own advantage – getting married again`ll be a leap of faith for him as well as me. For all she knew, he might be in the same boat as herself, struggling to blot out erotic memories of his first marriage, for fear they might intrude on his second. If we do get married, it`ll be for life, as far as I`m concerned, she resolved -- even if both of us are absolutely useless in bed, I couldn`t bear to give Ray up. In a few short months he had become part of the fabric of her life, alway
s there when she needed him, totally at home at her table and hearth. Sex isn`t everything, she reminded herself -- surely it`s far more to the point that I feel lonely when he`s not near me, that I ache inside when I know I`m not seeing him that day -- if he went away for-good, I don`t think I could stand it.

  Surprised by the intensity of her emotions, she sat gazing into the dressing-table mirror and seeing nothing -- It`s got past mere curiosity about whether we`ll be compatible in bed -- I just want him to make love to me, even if it does turn out to be a disaster. Admitting that fact felt curiously liberating, as if she had taken an irrevocable step into her future. I`m ready to move on from Tom now –- it`s high-time I let Ray know how I feel.

  But how should she go about engineering a suitable occasion for their coming-together? Over thirty years of complete faithfulness to Tom had left her unpractised in seduction. She tried to remember the circumstances in which the possibility of a permanent relationship between herself and Ray had first been mentioned. But that had been on New Year`s Morning, after the night-out at "Cushie Butterfield`s", and she could not afford to foot the bill for another evening like that.

  She toyed with and dismissed the idea of asking Jenny for advice. The matter was too private for sharing. It must be like this for very young lads, the first time they feel the urge, trying to think what to say, what to do, she thought -- in fact, it must always be like this for men – folks expect them to make the running. But Raymond, in giving her time to sort out her feelings, had put the onus on her to let him know when she was ready. He would not broach the subject first, so she must.

  As she lay in bed that night, she formulated and scrapped a variety of options. Go to his house at Gosforth, stay too late deliberately, and miss the last bus? Since he always drove her home, that idea was a non-starter. Suggest a meal at some country hotel and, during the evening, let him know she had booked a room for the night? That makes me sound like a tart, she thought.