Читать книгу Classic Bestsellers from Josephine Cox: Bumper Collection - Josephine Cox - Страница 48

A COUPLE OF hours later, as the two of them clambered off the tram, Archie chortled, ‘Did you see her face when I came out of the bathroom, all spruced up and dressed to the nines?’ Stroking the lapels of his borrowed jacket, he looked like a man with a purpose. ‘Shocked to the roots, that’s what she was.’

John took stock of his old pal, and he still couldn’t believe the transformation. With shining, shaven face, freshly washed hair and clean, pressed clothes, Archie looked like a new man. ‘I’m not surprised she was shocked,’ he commented. ‘I’m still wondering if this is the same Archie I spent time with on the high seas.’ There was even a spring to Archie’s step that hadn’t been there before. He appeared years younger, and not all that bad-looking.

Suddenly Archie was tugging at his sleeve. ‘Hey! Did you see that?’ he cried excitedly. ‘That young woman just gave me the eye.’ Waving in the direction of the departing tram, he beamed from ear to ear.

John glanced at the woman, who had seen Archie waving and had turned away, embarrassed. ‘Behave yourself!’ he said laughingly. ‘She was looking in the shop-window.’

Archie wasn’t convinced. ‘She were looking at me,’ he argued. ‘Do you think I can’t tell when a woman fancies me?’

John left it at that, because now they had reached the canal bridge, and right there in front of them on the other side, was the sawmill and buildings Archie had described – Armitage’s.

‘The place is falling down!’ Archie was shocked. ‘Look at that! The buggers have let it go to rack and ruin.’

John took a good look, and the more he saw the more pleased he was. There were four large wooden buildings, all in a row and all in a state of disrepair.

And yet, from what John could tell, the business was ongoing. In the first building, a number of men could be seen moving back and forth, some carrying tools, others pushing wagon-wheels over to a half-built wagon. Two fit, strong men were offloading timber from a barge, and overseeing it all were another two men. One was about Archie’s age, the other somewhat younger, but each was well into his middle age.

‘It’s them!’ The little fella’s mouth fell open. ‘Well, bugger me. I would have thought they’d have packed it in years ago, and yet here they still are, working in their father’s yard and letting it fall apart all at the same time.’

John took careful stock of the two men. He had seen how smartly dressed they were, and how little attention they paid to the workmen. Instead of which, they appeared to be arguing with each other. ‘They don’t get on that well, do they?’ he remarked.

Archie knew of them from old, for hadn’t he come in and out of those same buildings while working for Thwaites’s Brewery? ‘They hate each other’s guts,’ he revealed. ‘Always have.’

‘And why’s that?’ John thought it more interesting by the minute.

‘Jealousy,’ Archie answered succinctly. ‘It’s all to do with rivalry and money. I don’t know if the years have changed him for the better, but the younger of the two used to enjoy a gamble – threw money about like it was of no use to man nor mouse. As I recall, he was a lazy bugger into the bargain. One day he’d turn up at work, and then you wouldn’t see him for weeks on end. The older brother nearly got to fighting with him once or twice. It got so bad the father threatened to cut the pair of them out of his will, or so I heard.’

John thought it got better and better. ‘Why didn’t you tell me all this before?’

‘Because you never asked.’

John glanced to where the older man was wagging a finger at his brother. ‘Looks to me like there’s still bad blood between them.’

‘You’re right,’ Archie agreed. ‘It looks that way to me an’ all.’

‘Might make it easier for me to buy them out, eh?’ John was already smiling at the prospect.

Archie looked at him with curiosity. ‘Even with the buildings falling apart, and happen the business too for all we know, I reckon the buying of it is beyond you. What! It’d take all the money you’ve put by and a great deal more besides.’

‘I expect it would.’ John had no doubts on that score. ‘But if I could raise the extra money, I reckon I might be in there with a chance. What d’you think?’

‘I think you could be right. But it won’t be handed to you on a plate – you can be sure o’ that.’

John gave a wink. ‘Slowly, slowly,’ he said. ‘There’s always a way.’

Archie had a warning. ‘Their father was a gentleman, but these two are a pair of cunning devils.’

‘I reckon I’m a match for them,’ John answered.

Archie didn’t argue with that. ‘So, what’s your plan?’

John’s plan was simple. ‘Even though it’s on its last legs, this yard is perfect for what I have in mind. I know I’ll not get better. Besides, from what I can see with my own eyes, them buildings won’t be standing much longer, not without something being done, and that takes money, which they may not have.’ His mind was working fast. ‘I’m wondering if that younger brother isn’t still wasting money by the fistful.’

The same thought had crossed Archie’s mind. ‘You know what they say: once a gambler, always a gambler.’

‘Ah, but we can’t know that for sure, can we?’ John was cautious. ‘I need to see how the land lies before I make my move.’

‘And how d’you mean to do that?’

John had it all figured out. ‘We’ll go across and introduce ourselves. We’re just two men looking for work, that’s all they need to know for now. They won’t recognise you from before, will they?’

Archie shook his head. ‘No, not a chance. They never gave the likes o’ me a second glance. As for now, they might set you on, son, but they’ll not want an old lag like me.’

‘You’re not an old lag,’ John argued. ‘Now that you’re all washed and smartened up, you look ten years younger.’

‘Mebbe, but it doesn’t alter the fact that my fingers are crooked and half-useless. You know yourself I can’t hold anything of any weight before I have to put it down.’

‘Aye, but they don’t know that, do they?’

‘Oh, but they will. First time I attempt to pick up a piece of heavy wood, they’ll know I’m next to useless.’

‘You’ve got other talents.’

‘Oh, an’ what might they be then?’

‘You can cook, can’t you?’

‘That’s true, right enough. But they’re not about to want no cook, are they? And besides, it’s even got so’s I find it difficult to hold a full pan.’

‘All right. But you can use a broom, can’t you?’

‘I hope so,’ Archie retorted. ‘I should imagine anybody can use a broom.’

‘So that’s what you’ll tell them,’ John suggested. ‘You’re capable of using a mop, and keeping the place safe underfoot, aren’t you?’

Archie cheered up. ‘Oh, I should think so.’

‘So there you are then, Archie. You’re not as useless as you think.’

‘Hmh! Useless enough, all the same.’

With Archie still moaning, they crossed the bridge and approached the yard. ‘Let me do most of the talking,’ John said.

‘Suits me,’ Archie readily agreed, but with one reservation. ‘Don’t talk me into doing anything too demanding,’ he instructed. ‘I can do mopping and cleaning, and mebbe washing down a bench or two. But that’s it.’

Deciding to speak with the older brother, John led the way. Unfortunately as they drew near, there was a sharper exchange of words between the two men, resulting in the older one angrily striding away; leaving John with no choice but to address the other.

‘We’re looking for work,’ he told him. ‘I’m a carpenter, and my mate here is first class with a broom and mop.’

‘You’re wasting your time here.’ The other man’s answer was swift and clear. ‘We’ve no need of you, so bugger off, before you get the sharp end of my boot.’

At that moment his brother returned. ‘What’s the problem here?’

‘No problem.’ The younger man bristled. ‘These two were just about to leave.’ He glared at John and Archie. ‘You’ve been told. On your way … NOW! Before I have you thrown in the canal.’

Controlling the urge to smack him one, John retaliated. ‘You can try! But more likely than not, it’ll be you who ends up in the canal.’

‘All right! That’s enough.’ Sensing a serious confrontation, the older brother stepped in. ‘I’m sorry, but he’s right. We would offer you work if we could, but we’re fully manned. Sorry … can’t help.’

John and Archie had no choice but to leave. ‘Is there any point in coming back in a week or so?’ John was bitterly disappointed.

The older man shook his head. ‘I’m afraid not.’

As they walked away, Archie glanced back. ‘Seems to me there’s real hatred there.’

John agreed. ‘It’s a terrible thing when family turns against family.’ His thoughts went to Emily and her uncle, and though he was devastated at losing her, he was glad for her sake that the situation there appeared to have been resolved.

‘Look at that!’ Archie drew John’s attention to where a barge was being offloaded. ‘I’m buggered if it ain’t a young lass in charge!’

John was surprised. ‘It appears so.’ He observed the young woman in question and saw how the men appeared to be taking instruction from her. Not yet twenty by his reckoning, with her long fair hair tied back and the hem of her dark skirt swishing around her ankles, she wore the same kind of boots that the men wore.

At that moment she turned and smiled at him. Embarrassed to be seen watching her, he returned a nod, and quickened his steps towards the bridge.

‘Well, I never. She’s coming after us.’ Brushing his hand over his hair, Archie preened himself. ‘I expect she’s heard about my reputation,’ he said with a naughty wink.

Her voice carried on the air. ‘Wait a minute!’ She caught up with them on the bridge. ‘Are you looking for work?’ Brown-eyed and with a quick, easy smile, the young woman was not so much pretty as homely.

‘That’s right. But it seems they’ve no need of us.’ Like Archie, John felt easy in her company. ‘Why? Are you offering us work?’

‘It’s not full-time or anything like that,’ she replied. ‘Only, one of my barges is beached, and I’m losing work because of it.’

‘So, how can we help?’ John was surprised to learn that she was not only the owner of that barge down there, but had another somewhere else. A woman of her tender years, owning a business like this and working alongside the men – that was something he had never come across before.

She explained, ‘It’s my father’s business, but he’s laid up. There was an accident … a crate fell on him and injured his back. Since then I’ve carried on the best I can.’

‘You look like you’re doing a good job an’ all,’ Archie answered.

‘Thanks.’ Then, addressing herself to John, she said, ‘One of the men down there heard you say you were a carpenter. Is that right?’

John nodded. ‘It’s right enough, yes.’

‘So – will you help me out?’

‘Depends on the job.’

She described what was needed. ‘When the crate fell, it smashed a huge hole right through the deck of our second barge. We managed to get her ashore, but she needs major work.’

John was curious. ‘And are you telling me you can’t find a carpenter to take it on?’

‘Oh, I can find them all right.’ She scowled. ‘I can find any number who’ll take it on, but they think because I’m a woman they can charge me twice the going rate.’ Taking a deep breath, she let it out in anger. ‘Before they take advantage of me, the barge can rot where she is!’

Archie laughed. ‘Fighting talk, eh?’ He’d always liked a lively lass.

One swift glance from John silenced him. ‘How far away is this barge?’ he asked the young woman.

‘She’s laid up about a mile along the canal. Once she was badly holed, we had to get her out of the water a bit quick. Thank goodness there were men on hand at the time.’

‘How long ago was that?’

‘A year … eighteen months or thereabouts.’

‘Can you take me there?’

Visibly relieved, she thanked him. ‘I can take you right now,’ she said. ‘The men are just about finished offloading and I’m ready to pull out.’

As they strolled towards the barge, John introduced himself. ‘I’m John Hanley,’ he said, ‘and this is my old friend, Archie.’

‘Hey!’ Archie’s feathers were ruffled. ‘Not so much of the old!’

The girl shook them each by the hand. ‘I go by the name of Rosie Taylor,’ she said. ‘My father is Lonnie Taylor, of Taylor’s Carriers.’ Her smile was one of relief. ‘If you can put that second barge back on the canal, we’ll both be very grateful to you.’

Archie was curious. ‘How old are you, to be taking on the responsibility of a business?’

‘Older than you think.’

‘And how old is that?’

‘You’re a cheeky devil!’

‘Born like it,’ he chuckled. ‘So, how old?’

‘You tell me.’

‘Eighteen, mebbe nineteen?’

‘I’m twenty-two next birthday.’

She was the same age as himself, John noted. Archie was about to ask another question, when John gave him one of his warning glances. ‘Right then!’ the little man finished the conversation. ‘We’d best get on.’

When she ushered them into the barge, both men were impressed by the interior. ‘I’ve been on many a ship in my time,’ Archie remarked. ‘This is the first occasion I’ve been on a barge, and I don’t mind telling you, I’m amazed. I always thought they must be too narrow for a man to move about freely, but there’s room aplenty.’

‘People are always surprised at how roomy they are.’ Rosie handed him a cup of sarsaparilla.

‘Given the chance, I could laze about here all day.’ Seating himself on the little green sofa, he supped contentedly at his drink.

John considered the barge to be warm and welcoming, much like Rosie herself, he thought. Moreover, with the little stove, the oblong peg-rug and comfortable furnishings, she had made it a home. ‘It’s a credit to you,’ he said, and meant it.

In no time at all, they arrived at their destination. ‘There she is.’ Pointing to the rotting hull, Rosie slowed the barge.

Manoeuvring the vessel into the bank, she tied it up. ‘Before you offer to repair her, you might like to take stock of the damage.’

All three disembarking, they walked along the towpath to where the barge lay, lopsided, half-hidden by the undergrowth. ‘Careful now!’ Rosie warned. ‘The ground lies a bit swampy just here.’

They were soon up to their ankles in water and mud, with Archie complaining tetchily. ‘I’ll leave you two to get on with it. I’m finding my way to higher ground.’

Rosie smiled as she watched him leave. ‘He’s a character, isn’t he?’

John chuckled. ‘You could say that.’

She drew his attention to the hull. ‘What do you think?’

First he crawled all over the boat. Rosie had been right when she said the hole was huge. The central timbers immediately round the hole had rotted right through and now, after months at the mercy of the elements, there were a number of other timbers in dire need of repair, and some that would have to be replaced.

John’s investigation was thorough and conclusive. Apart from the huge, gaping hole and the damaged timbers, the engine was rusted and the chimney was smashed – but that was easily fixed, he thought. Then there was the difficult task of lifting the whole thing out of the bog, where it had settled deep. As far as he could see, shifting the barge would be no easy matter.

‘So, is she worth repairing?’ Rosie was behind him every step he took.

‘She’ll be good as new,’ he promised. ‘But this is the picture as far as I can tell. First off, you’ll need to buy a whole new batch of timbers. The engine looks to be seized, and the chimney’s smashed to a pulp.’ There was something else too. ‘I’ll need a yard to work in.’

Rosie apologised. ‘We don’t have a yard,’ she told him. ‘And the only decent yards round here are owned by the Armitage brothers.’ She sighed. ‘You saw the feud going on between those two, so you can guess how it is. Even if Jacob Armitage talked his brother Ronnie into letting you use part of one of their buildings, the favour wouldn’t come cheap.’

John wondered if he might be able to repair the barge right here on site. ‘We’d be dependent on the weather, o’ course, but it could be done. Mind you, we’d need to get her to higher ground.’ As he spoke, he walked to the top of the mound.

Rosie walked beside him. ‘I’m sure I could arrange that,’ she said thoughtfully. ‘But before you decide, there’s something I need to tell you.’ She paused, almost afraid to go on. ‘You see, I haven’t been completely honest with you.’

Feeling uneasy, John wanted to know, ‘What is it?’

She hesitated again, before telling him in a rush, ‘These past eighteen months have been awful hard without Dad in charge.’

John sympathised. ‘I can understand that.’

‘I’ve carried on the best I know how, and at last things are picking up, but even then, there isn’t enough money in the pot to pay you for any work you might do.’

‘I’ll do the work,’ he said. ‘You can pay me when you’re able.’

‘That won’t do.’ She was adamant. ‘My father has never owed a penny in his entire life and I wouldn’t want to be the one to let him down. So, if you’re interested, I have a proposition.’

With nothing much as yet to fall back on, John was more than interested. ‘Go on. I’m listening.’

Rosie outlined her plan. ‘If you can put the barge back on the canal, there’s a chance it will double the work. And if it doubles the work, it doubles the income. The trouble is, there’s only me to keep it all going, and according to the doctor, Dad may never work again.’

‘I’m sorry to hear that, Rosie.’ In a strange way he felt as though he’d known this young woman all his life. She was so open and easy to get along with.

Rosie continued, ‘So what I propose is this. If you repair the narrowboat, and come to work alongside me, I won’t pay you in money.’ She wondered how he would react to what she was about to say. ‘Instead, it would make more sense to offer you a partnership … say twenty per cent?’

John refused without hesitation. ‘I can’t accept that. Besides, I thought it was your father’s business. What in God’s name would he have to say about such a crazy idea?’

Rosie wouldn’t let it go. ‘It’s not so crazy if you think about it.’ Brushing aside his protests, she called his attention to the facts. ‘Look. First of all, I’m limping along with only one barge. I can’t meet all the bills, and I can’t borrow because we’ve reached our limit with the bank, so it’s a certainty that before too long I’ll have to call it a day – and that would break Dad’s heart. He’s run this business since he was a lad. Taylor’s Carriers is his pride and joy, and now he’s had to entrust it to me.’ Close to tears, she said quietly, ‘I don’t want to be the one who lets it all fall apart.’

John was deeply moved, but there were still questions to be answered. ‘From what I saw back there, you were offloading a heavy cargo. If you don’t mind me saying, that one job alone must have brought in a pretty penny?’

She gave a small, wry laugh. ‘It’s the only job I’ve had all week,’ she confessed. ‘What’s more, it won’t fetch a pretty penny as you put it, because the Armitage brothers know how to take advantage when somebody’s drowning. The young one, Ronnie, will cut you to the bone, and when you do finally get paid, it barely returns what you’ve spent out in the first place!’

She persisted with her idea. ‘So you see, with the other barge and you together, I know we’ll get more work. Men have little respect for a woman at the helm. A man likes to deal with a man, you should know that.’

John did know that, but, ‘Times are changing,’ he told her.

He thought of Emily and her mother and of how, when Aggie’s husband went off, she and Emily kept Potts End Farm going almost single-handed. He was so proud of Emily. He missed and loved her, and always would. His thoughts went next to his Auntie Lizzie, who had kept a home for him all the time he was growing up. She had worked in all weathers to bring in a few coppers to pay the bills. They were strong women, all of them, and he loved and respected them for it.

Rosie’s voice penetrated his thoughts. ‘Most of the cargo gets shifted on the order of a man, and they don’t like to deal with women, unless like the brothers, they’re trying to get it done on the cheap.’

John could see her point, but, ‘All I know is, your father would not take kindly to you offering me a fifth of his business.’

‘What if he was to agree?’

‘Well now, that might be different.’

‘Consider it done,’ she said. ‘I know Father would be glad for me to have a man helping out, until he gets on his feet again.’

‘I can only agree if the offer of a partnership is equal to the price of the work I do.’

Rosie agreed. ‘Not forgetting that the barge would only lie there and rot away if you didn’t get her up and running again.’

John was adamant. ‘There’ll be no agreement until I talk with your father,’ he said. ‘I’m sure I can persuade him into delaying payment rather than making me a partner of sorts.’

‘I wouldn’t count on it,’ she warned. ‘He’s a stickler for doing the right thing, and the right thing would be to pay his dues in any shape or form that he was able.’

She went to shake hands on it, but John graciously refused. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll get the barge upright and working again, but there’ll be no talk of payment until I’ve spoken with your father.’

Wading through the tangled undergrowth, John was suddenly in the open. Before him lay a great expanse of unkempt land, and right there, in front of his eyes was a tumbledown building. ‘Who owns this land?’ he asked. ‘That building looks to me like it’s been closed up for a good while. Maybe we could get permission to use it.’

Rosie’s answer was like a gift from heaven. ‘My dad knows more about it than I do,’ she said, ‘but from what I understand, this used to be a large, productive farm, part of the estate belonging to one of the gentry hereabouts. Then it was split up and sold off in sections – all bar this one, which includes a cottage, that building, and ten acres of land.’

John was curious. ‘Why wasn’t it sold?’

‘Because it was all left to a lady by the name of Amy Benson. She worked for years up at the local big house – Coram Manor. Had a good position there, so I’m told.’

John was thrilled by the news. ‘My God! It’s exactly what I need. She obviously doesn’t use the barn.’ His excitement grew by the minute. ‘Do you think she’ll sell it, or rent it out?’

Rosie shook her head. ‘Oh, she’s long gone. Eight years ago, maybe nine, she was taken to the Infirmary and never came back.’ Pointing across the fields towards the village, she revealed, ‘She’s over there, poor Amy, at rest in the churchyard.’

‘So who owns all of this now?’

Rosie shrugged her shoulders. ‘Who knows? Some say she had a daughter out of wedlock. Some say she left it all to a niece, who wants to remain anonymous. It seems nobody knows the real truth of it – or if they do, they’re not telling.’

The story had been common gossip round these parts for many years. ‘I understand that Mr Leatherhead, the solicitor, hasn’t been able to locate her, so maybe it was all gossip, after all.’

John was on the point of asking further questions when Archie came at the run from the brow of the hill. ‘JOHN!’ Racing to a halt, he bent his head, put his hands to his knees, and took a long, frantic breath.

‘Easy there, old-timer,’ John said gently. ‘What the devil’s got into you?’

‘It’s a cottage.’ Composing himself, Archie told John: ‘I’ve found a lovely cottage over there. It’s all locked up, but I had a peek inside. Looks champion, it does. Needs a bit o’ fixing, but that won’t bother us. Mebbe we could set up home in it and nobody would ever know?’

John told him what Rosie had explained. ‘The best way to go about it is to see the solicitor dealing with it. There might just be a way we can secure the lot – cottage, land and the building.’

‘It’s just what you were after.’ Archie could see the sense in what John had to say. ‘Right – when do we go and see him?’

Grinning from ear to ear, John slapped his two hands on Archie’s shoulders. ‘There’s no time like the present,’ he said, and turning to Rosie: ‘Don’t you worry. I’ll have your barge as good as new in no time,’ he promised. ‘But like I say, she’ll need shifting to higher ground, and if I have my way … into that there building.’

Rosie wished him well. ‘When you’re ready, you’ll find me at the docks tomorrow morning. I’ve another cargo to bring back.’

A short time later, she took them by barge down the canal, dropping the two men as near to Liverpool town centre as was possible. ‘Good luck,’ she called, and watched them hurry away.

Her eyes, though, were for John only. I like him! she thought, dimpling. I like him a lot.

Since her father’s accident there had been no time for anything but work, and certainly no time to be looking at men. But there was something about John; a kind of sadness maybe? Or was it because he didn’t seem at all interested in her in that way? Whatever it was that attracted her to him, John lingered in her mind long after he was gone from sight.

Searching the area, John asked passers-by where he might find the address Rosie had given. ‘Turn left by the church and straight on,’ one old gent informed him. ‘Halfway down on your right, turn at the pawnshop, and there you are.’

Within half an hour of leaving the barge, they were standing at the foot of the steps leading up to the office. The March day had turned cold, and the light was fading fast. Archie read the plaque on the wall. ‘ “J. T. Leatherhead, Solicitor”.’

‘That’s the one!’ John led the way up the steps. ‘If things go right, Archie,’ he said nervously, ‘we’ll be set up to start the business, and already with one customer waiting.’ This was his big chance, and come what may, he would not let it slip through his fingers.

The girl at the outer desk was a sullen little thing. ‘Have you an appointment?’ she asked.

‘No, but I have important business to discuss with your Mr Leatherhead.’

‘He won’t see you without an appointment.’

‘Could you try him?’ John urged.

‘It won’t do any good.’

‘Please. It’s urgent.’

Tutting like an old ’un, she clambered out of her chair. ‘I’ll try,’ she grumbled, ‘but I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed.’ With a haughty backward glance she hurried away to the rear office. ‘He’s a very busy man. I can assure you, he will not see people straight off the street.’

John and Archie waited. They could hear voices, but not what was being said. ‘Let’s hope he’ll make the time to see us,’ John said anxiously.

‘Hmh!’ Archie was still bristling at the girl’s attitude. ‘Not if that young madam has her way, he won’t.’

A moment later the girl returned. ‘Go through.’ Obviously angry at having been proved wrong, she gave them a shrivelling look and dropped into her chair with a thump. ‘He tells me one thing and does another. What’s the use of me being here at all, that’s what I’d like to know!’

‘Miserable young devil!’ Archie muttered as they went into the back office. ‘She wants her arse smacked!’

‘Ssh!’ John gave him a nudge. ‘Behave yourself.’

The office smelled of snuff, old dust and decaying paper. The window was half-covered by shelves dipping from the weight of files and documents, which caused the whole room to be dark and dingy, and as for the man himself, he was so bent on his work, he didn’t even look up. ‘State your business, and be quick,’ he said, ‘I’m a busy man.’

Mr Leatherhead was a big man, too. His considerable frame spilled over his chair, and when he spoke his jowls wobbled up and down like jelly on a plate.

‘Well! What is it that’s so urgent?’ Looking up, he now impatiently gestured at them to sit down.

As simply and quickly as he could, John explained how they had discovered the land with the buildings and derelict cottage. ‘I’d like to buy it,’ he said, ‘if it’s up for sale.’

‘Well, depending on whether you have the money or not, it seems you might be in luck, young man, because it is in fact up for sale.’

‘What’s the price?’

‘There is no set price.’

‘Why’s that?’

‘It’s a long story, but to put it briefly, up to quite recently, I had not been able to locate the owner of this particular parcel of land. A month or so ago, however, I had instructions to put the land up for auction. There will be no reserve on price, but I expect the bidding to be high.’

Taking off his spectacles, he vigorously rubbed his eyes, then, replacing them, he peered at them both in turn. ‘There’s no use you attending the auction if you haven’t got the funds available. Have you access to money?’

John assured him, ‘I hope I can stand alongside any man there. But I will need an idea of what it might go for.’

Mr Leatherhead shrugged. ‘There’s no telling in these cases,’ he said. ‘Oh yes, I know the whole place lies derelict. It will need a lot of work to develop it, but there are plenty of businessmen who have long registered their interest in this particular property, with its useful outbuilding, cottage, ten acres of good land – and all situated beside the waterway. There’s ample potential there, as you yourself must have seen.’ He looked at Archie, then spoke to John. ‘Can I ask what you would use it for?’

John answered circumspectly, for it was never a good idea to show your cards this early in the game. ‘The cottage for living in, and the land for working,’ he said. ‘So now, if you want to tell me when and where the auction will take place, we’ll leave you to your paperwork.’ He couldn’t help but notice the piles of paper and files littered from one end of the desk to the other.

Scribbling the information on a piece of clean paper, the solicitor handed it to John. ‘The proper sale sheets are not yet available, but this is really all you need to know.’

John thanked him. ‘Can you at least give me an idea as to how much I’d be looking to pay?’

‘Once again, I can’t say for sure.’ Mr Leatherhead threw out his hands in frustration. ‘It all depends on so many issues.’

‘And what might they be?’

‘How many bidders want it. How badly they want it. What kind of money they have in their pockets for such a heavy commitment, because once they’ve bought it, they’ll need more capital to recover it to a workable entity.’

‘So, what would somebody be prepared to pay for it, d’you think?’ If he was going borrowing, he needed to know.

Lapsing into deep thought, the solicitor finally answered vaguely, ‘Twenty guineas … to two hundred. Probably more, maybe less. Like I say, it depends on what happens on the day. Such is the nature of auctions.’ That said, he would not be drawn any further. ‘I shall expect to see you there then?’

He shook their hands and bade them goodbye, and when they were gone, he told his sulky clerk, ‘Time-wasters. They haven’t tuppence ha’-penny between them. I doubt we’ll ever see them again.’

Over dinner that evening, Harriet listened to Archie and John’s account with interest. ‘So you mean to bid for this land and buildings, do you?’ Wolfing down a huge spoonful of apple pie and custard, she munched on that while John answered.

‘I’d be crazy not to,’ he replied. ‘It’s exactly what I need to get me started. There’s a place for me and Archie to live, a fair-sized building to set up as a workshop, and a useful parcel of land. First off, I’d rent the land out to bring in some sort of income, but later I’d hope to expand the business and use it myself – happen put up a couple more buildings, and a hard-standing.’ Outlining his plans, he grew excited. ‘With that kind of property, there’s all sorts of possibilities.’

Harriet reminded him, ‘Don’t forget, I’ve money put away if you need to borrow some.’

John had been thinking about that and it worried him that he should take money from her in her later years.

‘I can’t let you dip into your savings,’ he said firmly. ‘I’ve every intention of making the business a success, but it could easily go the other way. It’s been known to happen.’ To his mind it was too much of a gamble. ‘No, Harriet. Grateful though I am for your kind offer, I can’t accept.’

‘So where will you get the money, if not from me?’

‘From the bank. Lending money is what they do. I’ll make a plan of the site, and explain what I have in mind. I’ve saved a tidy sum of money myself, which I’m prepared to put up as a deposit. So they should realise how serious I am.’

‘All right – if that’s what you want.’

‘It is. But I won’t forget your kindness. Thank you.’

‘How much did the solicitor say it would go for?’

Before John could answer, Harriet’s attention was drawn to Archie, who was slurping his tea out of his saucer. ‘Stop it!’ Smacking the back of his hand, she chided, ‘Cats do that, not grown men. It’s disgusting!’

Looking sheepish, he replaced his saucer and wiping his mouth with the cuff of his sleeve, scooped up a spoonful of apple pie. ‘You’re a damned good cook, missus,’ he said, grinning. ‘I’ll say that for you. Tek it from one who knows.’

Loudly informing him that the apple pie had come from the baker’s, Harriet returned to her conversation with John. ‘Did he give you any idea of what the property might fetch?’

John recalled the figures mentioned. ‘He thought it might go for as much as two hundred guineas, maybe more.’

‘I see.’ The big woman sat and pondered. ‘And dare I ask how much you have already?’

John knew it to the last penny. ‘I’ve set aside forty-one pounds and two shillings – money got from blood, sweat and tears over a period of two years and more. That’s after I left a sum for my Aunt Lizzie back home.’

During the long time he’d been at sea, John had gone without, and refrained from spending needlessly. Time and again when the other crew-members went ashore to spend their money on women and booze, he stayed behind. Other times, when the ship was laid over waiting for cargo, most of the men lazed about after their work was done; or they gambled and womanised, while he took up work on the side, just so he could go back to Emily with more money in his pocket.

And what good had it done him, he thought bitterly. For over two years, in the middle of mighty oceans and on lonely foreign shores, he had dreamed of being with his Emily, and now his dream was gone and she was lost to him.

Would anything ever compensate for that? He doubted it.

‘You do realise you could lose it, don’t you?’

Visibly startled by the sudden interruption of his deeper thoughts, John apologised. ‘I’m sorry, Harriet, I didn’t hear you.’

She reiterated: ‘I was just saying that if the bank turns you down, and the bidding goes over your head, you could lose out to another buyer at the auction.’

John knew it only too well. ‘It’s a chance I’ll have to take,’ he said manfully.

Harriet didn’t argue. In fact, she was quite relieved. She had made him the offer of a loan earlier, only because she had all but promised in the first place, but now that she knew a little more, she was glad he’d refused. ‘I wish you the best of luck,’ she said, clearing away the dinner things. ‘I hope you manage to get it, and that things work out all right for you.’

For now, that was all she wanted to say on the subject.