Winners and Losers (3 page)

‘I'll look after things here when I get back,' Connor offered. ‘I can ask Jack Mullins to give me a hand with the cows and there's not much else needs doing until we lift the potatoes. Why don't you take Alice to visit Frances? She is always asking for one of us to go down. It wouldn't cost more than a tank of petrol and a few flowers for Frances.'

‘Alice wouldn't go if I suggested it. It would mean taking the children and that's too much bother.'

‘She looks tired. The children wear her out.'

‘You don't need to tell me how to look after my own wife!' Daniel glared at him. ‘Four kids are a lot. I've told her she needs help in the house but she won't listen.'

‘You should put your foot down – and you need a holiday too. It's not my business but what happened to your ideas for a garage of your own?'

‘Bankruptcy and lack of time,' Daniel growled. ‘When we lost everything after the war I had no choice but to put those fields into Alice's name. I've struggled to clear my debts. Clay owed me money. I got some of it but he never finished paying me back and I've given up bothering.'

‘Clay!' Connor's mouth twisted with disgust at the mention of their elder brother. He had been the only one to survive the bankruptcy with any amount of money, though both Frances and Emily had come into money. ‘He couldn't lie straight in bed! The bastard cheated us all when Dad died! You and Henry let him get away with murder.'

‘I was away fighting a war,' Daniel reminded him. ‘Henry had no head for figures. He did his best but the worry killed him, poor devil. You don't remember but we had to pay Margaret out of Dad's estate and there were other things . . .'

‘I remember Clay raped Margaret – his stepmother! You paid her to keep quiet. You should have let him go to prison!'

‘Maybe. Forget it,' Daniel muttered. ‘I haven't forgotten the garage. One day I'll get there.'

‘Yeah . . .' Connor took out a packet of cigarettes and offered them to his brother. Daniel shook his head but Connor lit up. ‘One day I'll be rich and famous. Pigs might fly!'

Daniel laughed. ‘You'll have to marry into money, Con. There are plenty of girls after you. Janice Baker's father is loaded. He owns the carrot factory over at Manea. Marry her and you'll be in clover when he goes.'

‘Only trouble is that she looks like a horse,' Connor replied. ‘Thanks, but I'll keep looking for now.'

‘It's money or looks,' Daniel said. ‘You rarely get both in this life. It's not fair that you ended up with nothing from Father's estate. I meant you to have the fields on Stretton Road, but it didn't work out the way it should. When I can afford the garage you can take over the land.'

‘I'm not sure I want it,' Connor said. ‘There must be something more out of life than slogging your guts out to scrape a living, Dan.'

‘I wish I knew how to get it.'

‘Yeah, me too.' Connor grinned at him. ‘I'll ask our rich sister for money for the garage.'

‘You say one word to Emily and I'll have your guts for garters!'

‘I meant Frances. Emily lives in that damned barn of a house but she hasn't got a penny to spare.'

‘I know. Emily would have lent me the money for the garage if she had it. She asked me once when she had some money going spare but I turned her down. I've sometimes regretted it,' Daniel said. ‘But you won't get a penny out of Frances. She blames me because the land was lost. I wouldn't ask her for anything if I were you – that money has blood on it if you ask me.'

‘Money is money,' Connor said. ‘But I wouldn't really ask either of them. It was a joke . . . you should know better.'

‘Yeah, right,' Daniel said as he brought the van to a halt. ‘Have a good time, then – and give Emily my love.'

‘Yes, of course. You should think about what I said, Dan – about a holiday for Alice. Mary might have the kids for a week or so . . .'

‘Mary has enough to do,' Daniel said. ‘Frances asked her to help run the hotel but she wouldn't leave Stretton. Most of her kids are grown up now, but she stills works part-time in the packing factory.'

‘Mary has had a rough time. She came out of things badly when Henry died, but you don't hear her complain. I still think she would have the kids if you asked – or Emily might.'

‘I'll think about it,' Daniel said. ‘Go on or you will miss your train.'

‘Right – see you in a week or so, then.'

Connor left his brother and went into the station.

Daniel sat where he was in the van, staring into space. He had tried hard to put all thought of the garage out of his mind, because it was a dream he had given up after the bankruptcy. He was struggling to clear his name because the shame of bankruptcy was something that didn't sit well with him. Damn Clay for forcing them to take decisions that had led to the crushing debts that had caused the bank to foreclose on them. It wouldn't have happened if Daniel had been home to help Henry run things, but he'd been stuck in a German prisoner of war camp and his eldest brother had struggled alone until his heart gave out.

If Marcus Danby had been alive, Daniel might have asked his brother-in-law for a loan to get back on his feet, because Marcus had been approachable, but there was no one else. He couldn't go cap in hand to Frances – though she had more money than she knew what to do with – and Emily was struggling. If he were Emily, he would sell that damned great mausoleum of a place, bank the money and enjoy life, but she loved the estate and refused to move out.

Shaking his head, Daniel started the van again and headed for Ely. It was market day and he liked to visit the cattle market and then have a drink in the pub afterwards. It was his one chance to get away from the farm and Alice.

Connor had annoyed him by saying he ought to take Alice for a holiday. He was well aware that his wife was looking tired and washed out. She never seemed to have time for anything but the kids these days, and sometimes Daniel wished that he hadn't married so young. He hadn't meant to get married at all until his business was up and running. If he had stuck to his word, he would have had the garage by now, but they had four children and it took every penny he could earn from his smallholding to feed and clothe them all.

Alice had been lovely when they were courting. Daniel hadn't been able to resist making love to her, and when she'd fallen for a baby there had been no hesitation. He had married her straight away, and he didn't really regret it. He loved Alice but sometimes he wished that they were back at the start of their marriage. His children were precious, of course, but it would have been better if they had come later, once he'd got a bit of money in the bank.

Daniel drove round past the Lamb Hotel and into Market Street, heading for the parking lot behind the cattle market. He could smell the pungent smell of animal excrement as he got out of his van, leaving it unlocked as he strode towards the pens. The nervous bleating and bellowing of the animals added to the general noise. The auction was already taking place, though they hadn't got to the livestock yet. They were still selling bits and pieces of machinery, tools and other items that were often put into the sale. Sometimes you could find a box of china that someone had discarded. Alice collected blue and white and he bought the odd piece for her if he saw it going cheap.

‘Not a bad day for it,' a voice remarked and he turned to see Bill Henderson, a neighbouring farmer who had a lot more acres than Daniel had these days. ‘I've got my eyes on a couple of Herefords – need to build up my milking herd a bit.'

‘I'd like a couple of Jerseys if I could afford it,' Daniel said. ‘But I saw a few good Herefords in the pens.'

‘Your father had Jerseys once, didn't he?'

‘Yes, before the war,' Daniel agreed. ‘Henry sold them. He preferred Herefords.'

He nodded to the man and walked on. There was nothing he wanted in the sale and he fancied a drink before he went home. He might take a look in the shop that sold television sets; he couldn't afford a new one, but now and then they had one going cheap. Alice and the children had watched the coronation of the young Queen Elizabeth at Alice's parents' house and he knew she would like a set of her own, though he wasn't sure what the reception would be like in the Fen. He ought to get her something, though the TV was probably more than he could afford; it would need setting up and an aerial. No, forget it, he'd find something cheaper.

Connor's words kept echoing in his head. Maybe he
should
find the money to take Alice away for a few days. Mary might have the kids over a long weekend . . .

Absorbed in his thoughts, Daniel didn't see the woman watching him as he strolled under the arch into the pub yard. Even if he had, he probably wouldn't have recognised her. Daniel had long forgotten the woman he'd known so briefly in Liverpool during the war.

Maura watched as the man walked into the public house. She was certain it was Daniel Searles and for a moment her heart stood still. She'd come to Cambridgeshire in the hope of seeing him, even though she'd wondered if he had moved on. She hadn't even known if he'd survived the war. Seeing him so unexpectedly in Ely had driven her breath away. She wasn't ready to confront him just yet. She needed to think about what she was going to say.

Would he even believe what she had to tell him? She'd visited Stretton once during the war when she discovered she was pregnant, hoping to find him and explain, but she'd met his young brother Connor instead and he'd made it plain that Daniel wasn't around. Maura hadn't bothered too much then, because she'd had a job and prospects. Things were different now. Recovering from the break-up of her marriage and with only a few pounds in her purse, she needed a helping hand.

The Searles had land and money. Daniel owed her something. It was time he started to help keep his son. She'd managed alone since her husband walked out, but she was down on her luck and she needed money.

It was more than likely that Daniel would disown his son, though if he looked at him, he would see that she wasn't lying. David looked just like his father. If he'd been with her now, Maura might have followed Daniel into the pub, but that could be a mistake. She needed to plan this carefully. Find out how the land lay before she approached him.

Maura knew that the one night they had shared during an air raid in Liverpool had meant nothing to Daniel. She had been on the brink of suicide, so desperate that she had begged him to make love to her when they ended up sharing a bed, because she was too drunk to look after herself.

But Daniel could have refused her! Maura hardened her heart. She was sick of working for poor wages and going without. She wanted her own hairdressing business, and Daniel Searles could buy it for her. He had plenty of money and if she got it right, he would be glad to pay her to keep his secret.

She imagined he had married the girl he'd been engaged to when he spent that night with her. Maura wasn't above blackmail if need be, but perhaps he would simply give her the money. She would take the bus to Stretton another day and ask some questions. Once she knew a bit more about his life, she would approach him.

Smiling, Maura walked in the opposite direction. It looked as if things were turning her way. She hadn't even been sure Daniel Searles had survived the war, but now she knew that he was alive and still living in the area she could make plans for the future.

Alice spent the day washing, cooking and looking after her two youngest children. When Daniel came in she was so tired that her head had started to ache. These days she never seemed to have a minute for herself and she was conscious of the fact that she had vomit all over her blouse. She'd meant to change and smarten herself up before Daniel came home but little Sally was teething and she hadn't stopped crying all afternoon.

‘What's for dinner, love?' Daniel asked. ‘Something smells good.'

‘I've got a steak and kidney pie in the oven,' Alice said. ‘Sally has been crying all day. I haven't had a minute to sit down!'

‘You work too hard. You should have someone in to help you for a few hours a day, Alice. You look tired . . .'

‘That's right, rub it in,' Alice snapped. ‘I know I look a mess but I haven't had time to change – anyway, I don't have anything worth wearing.'

‘You should say if you want a new dress . . .' Daniel frowned as he walked towards her. He reached out for her but the stink of the baby's vomit made him change his mind and move back. ‘I know things are tight, but you have the egg money.'

‘That goes on the children,' Alice said. Tears started to her eyes but she dashed them away angrily. ‘I don't have help because we can't afford it, Daniel. You know we can't.'

‘We can afford a few bob,' Daniel said. ‘I've almost finished doing up that roadster I bought cheap. When I sell it I'll give you half the money. You can get your hair done and buy some new clothes – and I'll find someone to come in for a few hours a week.'

‘You don't have to do all this just because Connor told you to take me on holiday.' Alice looked at him angrily.

‘You know that isn't the reason,' Daniel said and took her into his arms despite the acrid smell that hung about her. ‘I love you, Alice. I may not always remember to tell you, and I know things haven't been easy since I came back, but I'm doing my best and I've nearly cleared my debts. Once I'm out of that, things will get better.'

‘I'm not complaining,' Alice said. ‘I know you do your best. I'm not bothered about the new clothes, but perhaps we should have someone in to help a couple of mornings a week. If I had help with the washing and ironing, it would make things easier.'

‘It's hard work for you with that old mangle and the copper,' Daniel said. ‘One day I'll buy you a washing machine!'