by June Tate
‘Heard anything of Jake Barton?’ Sam asked.
Tom shook his head. ‘No, he’s keeping a low profile these days. His garage is always under lock and key, door shut. I know because I wander past from time to time. We don’t even know what type of vehicle he’ll be driving.’
With a grin Sam said, ‘Well, it’ll have to be something special to beat this baby,’ and he patted the door of his car.
Nodding his agreement, Tom remarked, ‘He’ll have a bloody fit when he sees the speed you can reach now we’ve worked on the engine. He won’t like it.’
‘He’ll have a good view of my tail lights all through the sixteen laps. By the end he’ll be as sick as a pig!’
‘I don’t trust that bugger,’ muttered Harry. ‘If he can’t win by fair means, he’ll look for another way. We need to watch our backs.’
Sam discounted their concerns. ‘We’ve managed so far. He hasn’t realized we’ve moved the workshop so he can’t tamper with the car. His only chance is to take me out on the track and I’m all ready for that; after all, he’s not very subtle about his driving, is he?’
‘True,’ agreed Harry, ‘but even that bastard can get lucky.’
Getting to his feet Sam urged his mates to return to their work. ‘Barton can take his chances with all the others,’ he said. ‘I’m the one who’s going to stand on the winner’s podium if I’ve anything to do with it!’
That evening he waited for Connie, and they walked along the waterfront on to the pier and sat on one of the benches, drinking coffee. He told her about the forthcoming race and how important it was.
‘If I can win this one, it’ll be a step up in my career,’ he told her. ‘The racing authorities will have no choice but to recognize me as a major driver.’
‘My dad was telling me you already have made a name for yourself on the racetrack,’ she said proudly.
‘Did he?’ He looked pleased. ‘Well, without sounding big-headed, he’s right, but I want to be among the big boys, not a big fish in a small pond. This takes time and success. You’re only as good as your last race, I’m afraid.’
Connie frowned. ‘Don’t you feel scared when you’re tearing around a track with other cars trying to take you out?’
Shaking his head he said, ‘No. Waiting on the starting line for the flag to go down, adrenalin is pumping through your veins and all you want is to go, then it’s total concentration until the finish. Then if you win, it’s euphoria you feel, not fear. If racing scares you, it’s the wrong thing to be doing.’
She didn’t look convinced.
He tried to explain. ‘I feel nervous, of course, so does every other driver, but that’s a different thing, Connie. I know my car is safe because I and my boys have made it so – so the main danger is from the other cars in the race, or rather the drivers of the other cars.’
‘Why, because they aren’t any good?’
He chuckled. ‘Oh no! They all know what they’re doing, it’s the way that they do it. I’m afraid there are some who are villains at the wheel who have no scruples at all as to how they win a race, but you needn’t worry about them. I know who they are and am always aware of them around me.’
She gazed at him with concern in her eyes. ‘I would hate anything bad to happen to you, Sam.’
He gently stroked her face. ‘What a lovely thing to say, but don’t you worry, sweetheart. I’ve been in this game too long to take stupid chances. There are always tricks of the trade, whatever it is – and I know them all. Come on, I’ll take you home.’
Outside her house Sam took Connie into his arms and kissed her. ‘You are very sweet,’ he said ‘and I love the fact you are my girl. I like knowing I’ll be seeing you regularly, holding you, kissing you … wanting you.’
‘Do you want me, Sam?’ she asked, snuggling into him, her hands beneath his jacket, stroking his back.
‘Oh yes, Connie, I do. But you’re very precious to me and I’d be a heel if I took advantage of you.’
‘Even if I agreed?’
Tipping her chin upwards, he looked at her with an intensity that she found thrilling. He was fighting his need for her, and she wished so very much that he wouldn’t because she wanted him to make love to her.
‘I want you too Sam,’ she said, and she kissed him passionately.
No man could resist her invitation, and he returned her kisses with a fervour, exploring her mouth, his hand caressing her breast until he pulled away.
‘You’re not playing fair!’ he said, holding her firmly away from him.
‘But don’t you see, if I want the same thing, you won’t be taking advantage of me. I want you to love me.’
He studied her face, wondering if she meant what she said and saw the longing in her expression. ‘Very well, sweetheart. When we race next month, you come with us. We’ll stay overnight in a hotel after the race … if that’s what you really want.’
She wound her arms around his neck. ‘More than anything.’
Connie didn’t tell Betty of her conversation with Sam and their plans. She wanted to keep that a secret between her and her boyfriend. For her it was something special with no complications. Sam didn’t have a wife in the background, and he considered her youth, whereas John Baker hadn’t. He was the one who’d taken advantage of her, had carefully taken her down his path until in Bournemouth he’d achieved his aim. It was true she’d not fought off his advances but he certainly was no gentleman to have encouraged her. Now perhaps she could find the courage to let him go.
She needn’t have worried about Betty. Her friend was full of the trial of Ruth Ellis, who had been found guilty of murdering her boyfriend and had been sentenced to hang.
‘You need to be careful, Connie! What if Mrs Baker finds out about you and her husband?’
Connie glared at her. ‘Don’t be ridiculous!’
‘I’m only warning you,’ her friend insisted.
Kay Baker was in the town shopping and, feeling weary, decided to go into Tyrell and Greens for a coffee, then after she’d see if she could see her husband and find out what he wanted for his dinner as she had yet to buy the food for that evening.
She left the restaurant and wandered around the store, looking at the goods on the ground floor, then made her way up the stairs to look for John. She saw him in the distance and started in his direction. He was walking towards the haberdashery, a set expression on his face. She immediately thought that a member of the staff had displeased him and watched to see what would happen.
She saw him waylay a young woman behind the counter. There seemed to be a heated conversation going on between them in low voices. Oh dear, she thought, she’s in trouble. He grabbed the girl by the wrist, but she snatched her hand away, said something to him, then walked off. It all suddenly fell into place, and Kay was shaken. This was his new amour! For God’s sake the girl was years younger than he was! What did he think he was playing at?
Connie was fuming! Her lover had demanded she wait for him after work, and she’d refused. She said she was meeting her boyfriend, and he’d been furious. She rubbed her wrist where he’d held her. He had no right to tell her what to do. Cancel her appointment with Sam! Not likely. She’d told John to get lost, and she thought he was going to have a fit. Well, serve him right. She looked up as a customer stood before her.
‘Can I help you, madam?’
Kay Baker looked at the girl and said, ‘I need two yards of two-inch elastic, please.’
‘Certainly,’ Connie said and went to find some.
Kay watched her. Yes she was pretty, had a good figure, nice hair … and she hated her! This girl was coming between her and her marriage. She’d never seen any of her husband’s lovers before and was astonished at the strength of her feelings. She wanted to slap her, tell her she had no right to mess up her life. As Connie returned with the elastic, she took a deep breath to try and calm down.
‘Is there anything else, madam?’
Kay’s eyes flashed with anger
. ‘Yes. Leave my husband alone!’
Connie was startled. ‘Pardon?’
‘I am the wife of John Baker. Leave my husband alone … is that clear enough?’
Connie paled and her hands shook. ‘Yes, madam – er, Mrs Baker.’
‘Good.’ Kay walked quickly away, shaking with anger, and astounded at her own actions. Oh my God! What have I done? she asked herself. Nevertheless, she didn’t regret it one bit. She’d had enough. She decided no longer would she turn a blind eye to her husband’s shenanigans.
Connie watched her go, still trembling. Bloody hell! That was such a shock. To actually come face to face with a wronged wife – and for her to know that she was seeing her husband. Betty’s warning rang in her ears. Connie suddenly felt sick and rushed away to the ladies room and threw up!
That evening, Connie left the store, still suffering from shock, and when she saw Sam standing waiting for her she flew into his arms and clung on tightly.
He held on to her, feeling her shaking in his arms. ‘Connie! Whatever is the matter?’
How could she tell him? She couldn’t. ‘I’ve just had a bad day,’ she hastily lied. ‘My boss bawled me out and I was upset. That’s all.’
‘It must have been pretty bad, sweetheart. Look at the state of you. What on earth had you done?’
‘I’d just priced some goods up incorrectly and sold a few under the price.’ She was amazed how quickly the lies flew from her mouth. ‘But I’m all right now you’re here.’
‘No one has the right to cause this kind of reaction. I’ll have a word with him!’
How hilarious would that be, she thought. Then looking at Sam she smiled and kissed his cheek. ‘My Mr Knight in shining armour! Where’s your white horse then?’
Chuckling he said, ‘Over there,’ pointing to his motorbike. ‘Come on, let’s eat and then you can tell me all about it.’
‘No, just let’s eat and you can tell me about your day.’
She climbed on to the back of Sam’s bike and put on the helmet he handed to her, placed her arms around his waist and leaned against him. How comforting it was, she thought. With Sam she felt safe.
John Baker watched them drive away. So that was the boyfriend. He was consumed with jealousy. He’d not yet had his fill of young Connie. He certainly wasn’t ready to dispense with her yet, not after spending money on a hotel so he could claim her virginity. That had been something new. Most of his previous affairs had been with experienced women, and he’d enjoyed the fact that he was the one to teach such a willing girl all about the pleasures of the flesh.
As he made his way home he pictured the man with Connie. He looked vaguely familiar, and he wracked his brain to try and remember why this should be … then he remembered she’d said he was a racing driver. That was it! There had been an article in the local paper about him and about his success on the racetrack. So … this was no ordinary chap. It only served to add to his displeasure. He walked on in a thoroughly bad frame of mind, which was not dispelled when he walked through the door of his house and found his wife waiting for him.
Six
Kay Baker was cooking in her kitchen after bathing Susan and getting her ready for her nightly story with her father. She was feeling very tense. She’d made up her mind to confront her husband after dinner and she had no way of knowing how the evening would end. But she’d had enough. Tonight was make or break time.
John let himself into the house, hung up his coat, gave his wife a perfunctory kiss, picked up his daughter, hugged her and said, ‘Ready for bed and your story?’
The child squealed with delight. ‘The three bears, Daddy, please.’
In the kitchen, Kay poured herself a sherry to give her some Dutch courage and laid the table. Hearing footsteps coming down the stairs, she took a large gulp of alcohol, carried the serving dishes into the dining room and sat down.
John sat at the table and helped himself to some vegetables then poured gravy over the lamb chops on his plate, followed by mint sauce. He glanced up as he held out the sauce to Kay. He was surprised to see her just sitting watching him.
‘Something wrong?’ he snapped.
‘I see you’re in a bad mood but there’s no need to use that tone of voice to me just because your girlfriend’s upset you!’
He looked at her in astonishment. Not once in all the years they’d been married, despite his numerous affairs, had his wife ever mentioned another woman to him.
‘What on earth are you talking about?’
‘The young girl on the haberdashery. I saw you with her today.’
‘You what?’
‘I was in town shopping. I popped into the store for a coffee and came looking for you, just in time to see the argument between you both.’
‘Oh that!’ he bluffed. ‘I had to admonish her about her rudeness to a customer who’d complained.’
‘You do surprise me,’ she said quietly. ‘I found her very polite.’
‘You spoke to her?’
‘Yes, she served me.’
He tried to laugh her accusations away. ‘For goodness’ sake, Kay, you’re jumping to ridiculous conclusions.’
She looked scornfully at him. ‘She didn’t find it ridiculous when I told her to leave my husband alone. I thought she was going to faint. That and her look of guilt was enough to know I wasn’t mistaken. For Christ’s sake John, she’s a child!’
He didn’t know what to say. He’d convinced himself his wife was unaware of his adultery; indeed, he had always been so careful to make sure she’d had no reason to think that their marriage was other than secure. He looked at her and was at a loss for words.
Kay, however, wasn’t. Years of frustration at shutting her eyes to his infidelity poured forth. ‘You must think I’m a complete fool! I’ve always known you’ve had other women! You come home and climb into our bed reeking of a strange perfume and think I won’t notice. The excuses of working late, so often when you had someone, but regular hours when you were between women!’ She glared at him. ‘I have known about every single one, but today was the first time I had ever seen the woman concerned – and I’ve had enough!’
‘What do you mean, you’ve had enough?’ Now he was worried.
‘You want someone else, then fine! Pack your bags and go to them. Let them take care of you, cook for you, do your dirty washing. Look after you until you get bored and move on to the next one. Me … I won’t put up with you and your women any longer! In fact, do it now, I can’t bear to even look at you!’ She rose from the table and walked into the kitchen.
He was up like a shot and followed her. ‘Now, Kay, you’re being silly.’
She turned on him with fury. ‘You’re not going to deny it all, I hope? Please don’t insult my intelligence.’
He put out his hand towards her. She snatched her arm away.
‘Don’t you dare touch me! Go and find your little girl and see if she’ll take you in. I’ll make an appointment to see my solicitor in the morning.’
He was reeling from the acceleration of the situation. This was getting completely out of hand and he was now desperate.
‘Look, darling, I’m really sorry. I know I’ve done wrong and you didn’t deserve the way I’ve treated you, but I don’t want to leave you and Susan. I love you both, surely you know that?’
She leaned against the kitchen sink and saw the desperation in his eyes. ‘But not enough to keep your marriage vows, John. Well, you’ve made your own choice and now I’ve made mine. You, of course, will have visitation rights to see Susan. I don’t want her life ruined by all this. And you will make sure we have enough to live on and you will cover the mortgage as usual.’
He was flabbergasted. ‘You’ve got it all worked out, haven’t you!’ Now he was angry.
But Kay was in control. ‘Please don’t use that outraged tone with me, John. I’ve put up with the knowledge of your extramarital relationships for too many years. If anyone should be outraged it’s me! Now, please, pack an
overnight bag. I’ll have the rest of your stuff packed tomorrow. You can come and pick it up in your lunch hour when Susan’s at nursery school.’
She met his gaze uncompromisingly, and he had no choice but to do her bidding. And half an hour later, Kay watched the tail lights of his car disappear down the road and burst into tears.
In a daze, John Baker drove to the Star Hotel and booked a room. He sat on the edge of the bed wondering what on earth had happened to Kay, who was always gentle and kind and who had changed into a whirling dervish! The very fact she’d discovered that he was seeing Connie and had exchanged words with her was even more shocking.
He lit a cigarette and puffed slowly and deeply. His marriage was in ruins! She’d ordered him out of the house! Letting out a sigh, he put his hand to his head, unable to believe what had happened. What was he going to do?
He left the room and went to the bar, ordering a double scotch and soda. Then he sat quietly trying to plan his next move. He had to get Kay to change her mind. Despite his philanderings, he loved his home, family life. Adored his daughter, and Kay was the perfect wife. The other … It didn’t mean anything. Surely, she must know that?
In the kitchen of the marital home, Kay wiped her tears and drank the remains of the sherry. Walking upstairs, she peered into Susan’s room and saw her child was fast asleep, then she went into her bedroom, took a large suitcase from under the bed and started to pack her husband’s clothes.
Despite her anger, she was worried. She’d made her stand and now she’d have to live with the consequences. What if John decided to be difficult over the financial arrangement? How would she live? No, he wouldn’t do that, she thought. Even if he didn’t care about her he’d want to look after Susan’s welfare. Her solicitor would advise her, she decided.
