A Place of Hope

by Anna Jacobs

  It was late evening when she got to Littleborough. She slowed down to admire some old stone buildings, then followed the satnav’s instructions to Emily’s pub.

  She didn’t know Lancashire very well, but she intended to explore it while she was here. She really liked the sight of the moors, great curves of land rolling away into the distance. It didn’t overpower you as the French Alps had on her first and only visit there.

  She flexed her hands one after the other as the traffic slowed almost to a halt. She’d be glad to stop driving. It had been a fraught couple of days and it had taken all her energy to cope.

  When she went into work on the Sunday, Pauline was furious to find that her two most lucrative patients had run away during her weekend break. She called an emergency staff meeting at once.

  ‘How could you let one patient escape?’ she demanded. ‘Let alone two?’

  ‘It happened during the night,’ someone muttered, sounding aggrieved. ‘We weren’t on duty.’

  ‘And I shall be speaking to the night staff about this, you can count on that. But those two must have been planning this, and I mean to get to the bottom of how they managed to do that without anyone noticing.’

  Dead silence. They were avoiding her eyes. She’d hand picked this group of staff, people who’d been in trouble before, who’d do anything rather than upset her or get another black mark on their records. Even Jackson, the most uppity of them all, the one who’d tried to protest about the way she did some things, had been in trouble for insubordination before he joined the unit.

  She scowled into the distance. Jackson. Yes, he must have been involved. It’d be typical of him. Too soft by far, that one. Or had he been feathering his own nest at her expense? Had they paid him to help them escape? She’d have to find out where he’d been during the weekend.

  When the silence had gone on for long enough, she asked, ‘How do you think this reflects on our unit? Badly. Very badly. If any other patient gets out, I’ll make sure those responsible lose their jobs instantly, if not their professional accreditation.’ She let that sink in, then waved one hand towards the door. ‘You may go. Oh, wait a minute. When’s Jackson coming back on duty?’

  ‘He started his annual leave at the end of last week,’ one of the nurses reminded her. ‘So it’ll be three weeks.’

  How could she have forgotten that? ‘Oh, yes.’

  They exchanged glances and no one spoke.

  ‘Well? What else do you know that I don’t?’

  ‘I don’t think Jackson is coming back. He’s got another job.’

  When they’d all left, Pauline sat drumming her fingers on her desk. Jackson Hosier must have been involved in the escape. It could only have been him. Why? Why should he care about two old people, who were useless to society?

  She checked with HR and found out that Jackson was definitely not coming back to work in this hospital. He must have arranged this without telling her. Which meant the human resources people had been involved.

  She noted down the place he was going to. She’d make sure they knew how unreliable he was. How he’d let two old people escape, or even helped them, though she couldn’t prove it. However, she was a master of innuendo, if she said so herself.

  No one crossed her and got away with it. She’d been vulnerable once, wouldn’t let anyone get the better of her again. Never, ever again.

  She was enjoying twisting the tail of the system that had denied her promotion. Oh, that gave her such satisfaction!

  She had it all planned. Retirement as soon as she was financially secure and to hell with her so-called profession.

  Emily stopped to stare round the first room they entered, which must have been the main bar. It was dusty and the shelves behind the bar were bare, but it was a spacious area, and from the windows on either side of the door there were wonderful views right across the moors.

  Chad went across to the counter and rubbed a corner of it, studying the wood closely. ‘Oak. Years of polishing has gone into developing that depth of grain. You can’t get a patina like that overnight, or even in a decade of polishing.’

  ‘I don’t think Penelope can have lived in this part. Look at the dust,’ Emily said. ‘There are quite a lot of footprints in it. Are those all yours, Oliver, or do you think someone else has been in here?’

  ‘It looks as if someone else has been here.’

  ‘An intruder, do you think?’

  ‘Could be.’

  ‘We’ll have to be careful, make sure it’s locked up properly before night falls.’

  ‘I did check the rear part,’ Oliver said. ‘All locked up.’

  ‘Good.’ She smiled round her new home, still feeling a warmth, as if the house had welcomed her. Strange, that. She wasn’t normally fanciful, was noted for her practicality.

  She appreciated the way Chad was waiting for her to go first, taking care not to obscure her view. It was a sign of respecting her ownership, well, she thought it was. Was it ridiculous to feel so comfortable with Chad? So safe? Had he always been such a quiet, self-contained person?

  The front door opened again and she turned to see Oliver standing in the entrance with a suitcase, smiling cheerfully at them. She hadn’t even noticed him going back out again. He pointed. ‘The flat’s that way. Turn left into that passage and go through the door at the end.’

  On one side of the passage was a small open space, only large enough to fit in two tables and chairs. The chairs were stacked now, and one table was piled on top of the other. It looked a mess, all dusty.

  She paused before going along the passage to look towards the right and could see another bar behind the front one, a narrower space connected to the front by the serving area. ‘Two bars? It must have been quite a busy place once.’

  ‘We’ll have to ask the local history centre. The pub had closed by the time Trish and I came to live up here.’

  Emily continued along the short corridor, opened the door at the end and stopped just inside. ‘Goodness! It’s like stepping from the eighteenth century into the twentieth.’ Not the twenty-first century, though. The room was like Emily’s grandmother’s house in style, with carpets, curtains and upholstery in such busy, contrasting patterns, it made her blink.

  Oliver came to stand beside her. ‘Penelope had this part of the house converted into a flat when she first came here, but once that was done, she never changed a thing. There are several bedrooms upstairs, but I don’t think she went up there very often, if at all, in recent years. She found the stairs a bit of a trial because of her arthritis. She did have a new bathroom put in up there, though, so you and Rachel should be OK for showers, Chad.’

  The living room was crammed with ornaments and knick-knacks. Every surface was covered with them. There was an electric fire with one of the armchairs set close to it, and a reading lamp positioned in just the right way to focus on a book. The whole room had clearly been set up for one person living alone.

  Emily could imagine sitting reading here but would like a seating arrangement that welcomed friends – and definitely fewer ornaments, if any. ‘She had lots of books. I like that.’

  ‘This is only a small proportion. There are bookshelves upstairs as well as in the rear bar. You could set up a second-hand bookshop with what she’s left you.’

  ‘I shall enjoy reading them.’

  ‘You have quite a few books too, if I remember correctly.’

  ‘Yes. A lifelong passion, especially speculative fiction. I enjoy reading authors’ guesses about what the future might be like, though they seem to have got very gloomy lately. I don’t think that sort of dystopian image reflects the human soul.’

  She moved across to another door to find a good sized bedroom with a wet room leading off it. A kitchen lay at the rear of the sitting room, open plan, with enough space for a small table at one end. The rooms were all spacious and when she pulled back the curtains, she found that the windows in the living area and bedroom looked out on to the road, giving her
sweeping views of the moors, while the kitchen looked out on to a large courtyard with empty pots that would look lovely filled with plants.

  She could live very happily here, she knew. Thank you, Cousin Penelope! I’ll look after your house. I think you were right. It does feel like a place of hope.

  At the rear of the kitchen was a utility area with a small, square window and a door leading to the courtyard. She tried to open it, but couldn’t find the key. ‘Didn’t Penelope use this door, Oliver?’

  He came to join her, frowning. ‘Yes, of course she did. I’ve seen her sitting on that wooden bench in the afternoon sun many a time, reading or simply enjoying the warmth. Before she grew so frail, she used to keep those pots filled with flowers because this area is quite a sun trap.’

  He checked around the inside of the door. ‘Where’s the key gone? Towards the end, I used to come here every few days to check she was all right, and Linda from Minkybridge came in to help with the housework and do Penelope’s shopping. It might be a good idea to ask Linda to help you with the housework as well. You can well afford it and I know she needs the money. There’s not much employment nearby.’

  ‘That sounds a great idea to me. I’m not at all fond of housework.’

  Oliver took out his notebook, mouthing the words aloud as he wrote, ‘Contact Linda. Key to flat’s back door. There should be a spare at the office. There’s a whole bunch of them there. Surely she kept spares here, though?’

  He looked at his watch. ‘We probably ought to speed up this first tour and make sure we find Chad somewhere to sleep tonight. I’m assuming you’ll sleep in the flat, Emily? We only need to put some clean sheets on the bed. Linda stripped it and washed everything after Penelope died. We can go through the rest of the house in detail when we get back from our shopping trip tomorrow.’

  He waited, looking at her. ‘You all right about this?’

  ‘Oh, yes. I’m sure I’ll be very comfortable here.’

  ‘Let’s go and check the other bedrooms upstairs for your friends.’

  ‘Isn’t there anywhere Chad could sleep downstairs? I’d rather have someone within earshot. It’s a big house and I’m still nervous about George coming after me.’

  ‘Surely he won’t do that?’ Oliver stared at her in shock. ‘It’d be a crime.’

  ‘I wouldn’t put anything past my dear nephew when he scents money. If he could have kept me locked in that unit or one like it for the rest of my life, he would clearly have done so without hesitation.’ She turned to Chad. ‘Is it OK if we try to find you somewhere downstairs to sleep, somewhere near me?’

  ‘I’ll be happy anywhere. And if you’re nervous, I should definitely sleep nearby.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘There’s Rachel to think of, too,’ Oliver reminded them. ‘Anyway, let me show you the upstairs before we decide.’

  They went quickly through several bedrooms. They smelled of dust and disuse, with heavy old wardrobes and chests of drawers, standing sentinel round the edges of each room. There was only one bathroom to serve them all. There were clean sheets piled neatly in a linen cupboard on the landing, but the top ones looked dusty too, as if they hadn’t been used for ages.

  Oliver indicated another set of stairs, much narrower. ‘That leads up to the attics.’

  Emily stopped at the bottom of them, feeling limp with tiredness. ‘I’ll wait till tomorrow to explore up there, if you don’t mind. Is it just attics not rooms?’

  ‘It’s both. There are quite a few rooms, smallish, for the staff probably. The open area is piled with junk that’s been dumped there over the years.’

  When they went downstairs, she linked her arm in Chad’s. ‘Where are we going to put you?’

  ‘We can bring a mattress down and I’ll sleep in the bar.’

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘I’m used to roughing it. I have vague memories of camping out. With children.’ He stopped to stare at her. They both knew the implications of that. He must have been married, perhaps still was.

  She didn’t comment. But if he had a wife, why had she not been searching for him? ‘One day you may even have the whole picture, or at least enough of it to see what to do with your life more clearly.’

  Chad smiled at her. ‘You’re very positive. That helps.’

  It was another of those moments where she felt so close to him, she wanted to touch him, and lean against his quiet strength. He had a way of smiling at her that made her feel . . . warm and loved.

  Then she remembered Oliver, standing watching them, and felt a little flustered, as if she’d been caught with her clothes off.

  Chad turned back towards the nearest bedroom. ‘I’ll get a mattress.’

  ‘Let Oliver do that. You’ve pushed yourself far enough for one day.’

  ‘I hate being dependent on others.’

  ‘At one time you were told you’d never walk properly again. Be grateful for the excellent progress you’re making.’

  Oliver brought down a single mattress. ‘I don’t think you’ll miss having a bed base. This is well sprung and seems unused, brand new even. There’s Rachel still to come, though. We should have chosen a room for her and opened the window to air it.’

  ‘We’ll let her decide which room she wants. She always knows her own mind. I’d better go and switch that old fridge on now to make sure it works. We don’t want our milk to go off, though it isn’t the warmest of days, considering it’s nearly summer.’

  ‘I’ll start bringing the rest of your things in from the car, then,’ Oliver said. ‘No, leave that to me. I think you and Chad should have a rest. You’re both looking pale and weary.’

  His words reminded her of a poem and as he went out, she murmured the words:

  Ah, what can ail thee, knight at arms,

  Alone and palely loitering?

  Chad continued it for her:

  The sedge has withered from the lake

  And no birds sing.

  ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci,’ they chorused and laughed.

  ‘Did you have to learn it at school, too?’ she asked.

  ‘That and a dozen other poems. It took me years to get over what Mr Robinson did to poetry.’ He stopped, and shook his head sadly. ‘There. That’s a name from the past, but not one that will lead me anywhere, unless I remember the school’s name as well.’ As she opened her mouth to speak, he held up one hand. ‘I know, I know. I should be grateful that I’m remembering anything. But they’re such tiny pieces of the jigsaw puzzle of my life that they don’t help much. I still don’t even know my own name for sure. That is utterly galling.’

  Oliver walked in and out, dumping the luggage and bundles in the front bar until the car was cleared. ‘This is the last thing. I thought I’d go down to my house now and get you a few spare clothes, Chad.’

  ‘That’s very kind. Are you sure you don’t mind?’

  ‘It’s my pleasure. I have too much stuff anyway. We can buy you some things of your own tomorrow, and don’t forget I have an appointment booked for you both with Dr Allerton first thing tomorrow morning. She’s coming into the surgery on a Sunday specially, to oblige me. Seven thirty for Emily, eight o’clock for Chad. Can you be up in time to get there? Good. I’ll pick you up at ten past seven.’

  ‘Not a problem for me,’ Emily said. ‘I’m an early bird.’

  ‘I think I am too.’ Chad frowned. ‘Well, if I wasn’t before, I am now.’

  ‘You’ll like Jean Allerton,’ Oliver said confidently. ‘She’s one of the best GPs I’ve ever met. She was wonderful with my wife during that final year.’ He sighed and stood still for a minute, his eyes unfocused, then straightened up. ‘I’ll only be gone an hour or so, or a bit longer if I nip into the office and get hold of the spare keys for the house. Will you be all right?’

  ‘Of course we will.’

  When he’d driven off, Emily looked at Chad. ‘I know we ought to rest, but I’d like to explore the ground floor more carefully. I don’t kn
ow about you. Not only am I curious to see my inheritance, but I need to feel secure. I don’t want an intruder creeping up on me.’

  ‘I feel exactly the same. Most of all, I never want to be shut away and under someone else’s control again.’

  She gave in to temptation and linked her arm in his again, standing close.

  He didn’t say anything. Neither did she. There was no need. They got on so well.

  When they set off again, they walked along the rear bar, to find a door leading to a maze of storerooms and an old-fashioned commercial kitchen. It had an outer door at the side of the house, but once again, there seemed no way of opening it.

  ‘Was this Penelope of yours paranoid about locking herself in?’ Chad wondered aloud.

  ‘She must have been if she didn’t even leave the keys in the locks. Perhaps she didn’t visit the other parts of the house very often.’ Emily stood back, brushing a cobweb off her sweater. ‘Well, there’s no way we can get out to the back or side today and I’m tired. I don’t feel like walking right round the house to view the outside.’

  ‘I’m fading rapidly now.’

  ‘I shouldn’t even have brought you this far. Let’s go back to the flat and rest.’

  It was peaceful sitting together, sipping tea slowly, eating a biscuit or two, looking out at the moors and watching vehicles pass on the road that led up and across to Yorkshire. By some trick of acoustics, the sound of their engines was nothing but a faint buzz, with a slightly louder sound coming from the big trucks that chugged more slowly up the hill.

  ‘I’m glad I have somewhere to stay,’ he said. ‘I don’t know what I’d have done without you. Joined the homeless on the streets, I suppose. Anything would have been better than staying in that place.’

  ‘I’m not only glad to have someone around, I’m glad it’s you.’ She hesitated then shared her thoughts with him. ‘I don’t know . . . I feel as if we’re not done with this business yet. Even though I don’t see what George can do to me, I know how tenacious he is. Even as a child, he always wanted other children’s toys – and got them too, more often than not. Or broke them.’