Winners and Losers (11 page)

‘Yes, Mum!' Connor saluted. ‘I'm glad you're back – really back.'

Alice nodded. ‘There's something on the dresser for you. Frances sent it. She says she would like you to visit when you can.'

Connor picked up the large square envelope. It felt thick and when he opened it, he discovered a wad of notes.

‘Bloody hell! There must be fifty pounds here at least.' Connor stared at the money in astonishment. ‘What made Frances send me this?' He was usually lucky to get a card and a pound note for his birthday from his eldest sister.

‘She can afford it,' Alice said. ‘She insisted on sending presents for the kids. I suppose she thought you would rather have the money.'

‘Yes, I should.' Connor pocketed the cash. He grinned as he thought of various ways of spending his windfall. ‘It was generous of her. I'll ring her later from the call box and thank her.'

‘Yes, you should,' Alice said. ‘I bought you a magazine about jazz. It isn't much, but I know you like them.'

‘Thanks.' Connor plonked a kiss on her cheek. ‘You know what I like. I've been offered a place in a band for a gig next week. I don't know if they will keep me on – but it will be fun and they're paying me ten pounds.'

‘You will be rich,' Alice said and smiled. ‘Sit down and eat your tea, Connor – it will be sixpence to talk to you soon!'

‘Half a crown at least,' he retorted and grinned at her. Alice was looking so much better and she was wearing that flowery perfume again. He was glad that Dan had taken her away for a few days; she deserved it. ‘You wait until my record is up there at number one.'

‘It wouldn't surprise me at all,' Alice said. ‘I've always thought you had a lovely voice.'

Emily stood up as she heard the sounds of voices in the hall, her heart beating faster than normal. She had no idea why she should be nervous about this meeting with Vane's cousin. He had always been perfectly friendly.

‘It's all right, Mrs Bates. I'll just go in,' a man's voice said outside the door. ‘Lady Vane is expecting me.'

Emily was by the window looking out when the door opened. She didn't turn immediately.

‘It is a lovely view from here. Vane was very fond of this room.'

‘Yes, he was – and so am I,' Emily said and turned with a smile on her lips. ‘It is lovely to see you again, Alan. It has been too long.' She went forward, hesitated and then held out her hand.

‘Too formal, Emily,' he said and leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek. ‘How are you – and young Robert?'

‘Robert is growing up. He started boarding school this term and we miss him, but he was home for the holidays and he will be here again at Christmas.'

‘Does he like it? I hated boarding school personally, but I suppose it is good for the character.'

‘Yes . . .' Emily frowned. ‘Vane put his name down just after Robert was born. I refused to let him go until he turned eleven – but he seems to be having fun. They do a lot of sport and Robert is good at cricket and rugby.'

‘Well, that's all right, then.' His dark eyes went over her. Emily noticed that his hair had streaks of grey at the temples. ‘How is life treating you? I know you must be busy – but you keep well, and happy?'

‘I am busy but I think it keeps me fit.' Emily smiled. ‘As for being happy – I'm not sure what that means. I enjoy my life and I love living here. I don't have time to be miserable.'

‘I suppose that is a kind of happiness,' Alan said. ‘Yet you should make time for yourself, Emily – get away to the sunshine and relax. I'm surprised that you haven't married again.'

‘There was someone once. I had to make a choice between Paul and keeping my promise to Vane . . .'

‘Did you make the right choice?'

‘Yes, I am sure I did,' Emily said. There was no hesitation in her now, because it was too long ago. ‘I wasn't really in love with Paul. If I had been, I would have gone with him – wouldn't I?'

‘I suppose you would. We all make choices and we have to live by them.'

‘We shouldn't be so philosophical this early in the day. Shall we have tea here or out on the lawn since it is a lovely day? I'm not sure how long this settled period will last. We shall be into autumn soon, but for the moment it is still summer.'

‘Oh, outside, I think,' Alan said, standing back so that she could precede him. I spent some happy times here as a child. My parents visited every year in the summer and at Christmas. I continued it until my wife died and then somehow . . .' He shrugged his shoulders. ‘I hope you didn't mind my inviting myself to stay?'

‘I was delighted,' Emily said honestly. ‘We don't get as many visitors as I should like. When Amelia lived here she entertained lavishly and often, but I prefer to keep my dinner parties small and intimate – and my house guests are infrequent.'

‘It was an impulse,' he said. ‘I shall rest here. At home my phone never stops ringing. Even if I try not to think of work, someone will ring and ask questions.'

‘I know exactly how you feel,' Emily said and laughed softly. ‘Now you are here and I insist that you forget about work. Enjoy your stay with us. You must think of this as your home for as long as you wish.'

‘You are very generous.'

Emily shook her head. ‘If things had been otherwise, this might have been your home.'

‘Vane would never think of leaving it away from his grandson, and a good thing too,' Alan said. ‘Besides, running a place like this takes up far too much time – time I don't have.'

Emily nodded and turned away to ring for tea. He might change his mind if he knew that Robert did not have one drop of Vane's blood in his body. For a long time she had wondered if Amelia would carry out her threat to tell him, but she obviously hadn't bothered. Of course, she couldn't prove it – no one could, because Simon was dead and so was Emily's lover. Vane's will had been cleverly worded and there was no way anyone could claim the estate – though the title was Alan's by right.

Would she have given all this up if her lover hadn't been killed trying to rescue someone from a burning building in London during the war? It was difficult to remember how she had felt then, but she had been ready to leave. When the news came of his death she'd been devastated. Vane had given her a reason to live again – but it might all have been so different. She could have been simply a housewife living in suburbia with half a dozen children and no money. She shook her head, because the picture seemed unreal: it was as if she had always belonged here. Vane had known that, of course. Alan was speaking again and she brought her mind back from its wandering.

‘I think I might try my hand at a spot of painting in watercolours while I'm here. I've always dabbled and the doctor said I need a hobby of some kind.'

‘That sounds lovely,' Emily said. ‘Feel free to paint whatever and wherever you wish.'

‘I thought I would have a go at an impression of the house – not too detailed, but from a distance.'

Emily smiled. She had been foolish to worry. Alan would be a comfortable guest. She thought she would enjoy his company.

‘You came, then?' Terry looked pleased as Connor got out of the car and came to join him. ‘You found the place all right?'

‘Yeah. I had to ask but it wasn't too bad,' Connor said. ‘Where are the others?'

‘Inside, setting up. We're going to have a run-through of the number I taught you on Sunday with all of us together. The gig doesn't start for half an hour so we've got a chance to go through the routine before anyone gets here.'

‘Good. I could do with the practice,' Connor said. ‘How many do you think will turn up?'

‘Maybe two hundred – more if we're lucky. We put a few posters up round the town, but you never know with these things. They can be crowded or nearly empty.'

‘We always get about a hundred at the club, especially when there's a decent band,' Connor said. ‘I've never performed for real before – it's just a bit of fun at the club.'

‘It doesn't have to be any different here. Besides, you're good. You've got a decent voice and you move well – a little like Elvis Presley from a clip I saw on the newsreel. If you grew your sideburns you could look like him too.'

‘He's had a couple out with Sun Records, I think. I haven't heard his records yet, but I saw something in a magazine.'

‘He is a big hit,' Terry said. ‘They think he will be bigger than Bill Haley and the Comets.'

‘I must get his record if I can find it.'

‘Come over to mine and practise with us in the week,' Terry said. ‘It varies from week to week, but Tuesdays are usually good. I'll put Presley on the player so that you can hear him.'

‘The others agreed that I could join, then?'

‘Yeah, I told you they would,' Terry said. ‘Come on, the sooner we start, the better you will feel.'

Connor nodded and followed him inside. The room was many times larger than the club he was used to, and the floor was shiny. It looked like a proper dance floor, and there was a huge ball hanging from the ceiling, which shed twinkling lights in various colours as it moved.

Connor was aware of a feeling of apprehension. He had expected it to be just a small gig and similar to the club, but this was different – so much bigger. He wondered if he could match up to Terry's expectations. If he'd known, he might not have agreed, but he was here and he couldn't let them down. He would just have to do his best. At least he was wearing the right gear.

Looking at the faces of the other group members as Terry told him their names, he got the feeling that most of them were nervous too.

‘Jack plays guitar. Ray is the bass guitar. Sam is on drums and I'm on guitar as well,' Terry said. ‘We can all sing a bit and we'll back you up with the chorus, but you'll be the main lead. We'll rehearse the song I taught you on Sunday. It's one we wrote for ourselves and it's called “Rock Me All The Way, Baby”.'

‘Yeah,' Connor grinned, thinking about what those words
really
meant. ‘We're gonna have good rockin' tonight . . .'

Terry laughed. ‘You say that to the girls with that look on your face and you'll have them swooning.'

‘I hope I shan't let you down.' Connor glanced at the clock. ‘We'd better get started. I need all the practice I can get!'

Sarah left the youth club earlier than her friends. She'd played darts for a while and listened to some records, but when Phil started to say things she didn't like she decided to leave. Somehow he knew she was interested in Connor Searles and she thought he was jealous.

‘You don't want to go out with that loser,' he told her. ‘His brother has a smallholding in Stretton but they've got no money.'

‘I don't care about that,' Sarah told him. ‘Besides, we're just friends.'

She thought about it as she walked home alone. She liked Connor a lot, but she knew her parents wouldn't think much to her going out with a man who had no prospects. They would think she ought to date the son of a local businessman. She wouldn't tell them anything just yet, because she didn't want her mother saying she couldn't go out with Connor. She was old enough to date who she liked, but she couldn't marry without her parents' permission until she was twenty-one.

For the first time in her life, Sarah was really interested in seeing someone. Phil had called Connor a loser, but as far as she was concerned he was a winner. She thought he had a lovely voice and he was polite and really good-looking. She couldn't wait for her date with him the next evening, and she wondered what he was doing at that moment.

When she got in her mother was watching the television. Sarah went upstairs and turned on her radio, tuning into a country and western programme she liked. She curled up on her bed with a magazine, listening to the music and munching an apple.

Her father was out again. She wondered why he had to work so hard that he never stayed home with them in the evenings these days. It was past midnight when she heard his car outside and then the steady tread of his footsteps up the stairs.

Dan saw Maura standing near the pub as he pulled the van to a halt. He knew she was waiting for him. He had expected it to happen one of these nights and he had some cash hidden in the van just in case. He was going to try her with five hundred pounds for a start. It was a lot of money and she really had no proof that her son was his child.

He wound the window down. ‘Get in. I don't want to talk here under the lights. Someone would see us and I don't want Alice to hear anything. If she does, you can say goodbye to your money.'

Maura glared at him as she got into the car. ‘Where have you been? This is the third night I've come looking. If you hadn't turned up this evening, I was going to come to your house.'

Dan drove off, turning down one of the lanes with few houses. ‘Come near my family and you won't get a penny,' he said. ‘I'm not even sure that I'm going to pay you. I've no proof that you have a son or that he is mine.'

‘I brought some photographs,' Maura said. ‘I am not a liar, however much you might wish I was, and I'm not going away. I need money to bring David up properly and if you don't pay me I'll make sure everyone knows about that night.'

Dan pulled into a lay-by. ‘Damn you,' he muttered, his face dark with anger. ‘For two pins I would break your neck. It was all your idea. I don't see why I should pay for a one-night stand.'

‘It wasn't like that and you know it,' Maura said. ‘I didn't mean to trap you. I was miserable and you were lonely. It just happened. I'm not asking for myself. I just want to give my son the things he deserves.'

‘I'm not a rich man, Maura, no matter what you may think.'