For Love or Money (15 page)

‘I expect you’re pleased to be home,’ she added. What did one say to boys of fifteen?

‘Yes, it makes a very nice change,’ replied David politely.

‘Oh, but darling, you know you love coming home‚’ Ruth chimed in. ‘Besides, you’ll be able to play with your beloved train this afternoon.’ Ruth’s laughter sounded loudly in the silence. David blushed more than ever.

George emptied his glass and started towards the door.

‘I think I’ll deal with the wine now‚’ he said.

‘Good, darling‚’ Ruth said. Then to Sarah: ‘He’s promised us something very special today in your honour.’

‘Oh, but it’s quite unnecessary. I’m simply hopeless about wine.’

‘Oh, are you, dear?’

‘Really, I didn’t mean that …’

‘I know just what you meant, dear.’ Ruth inclined her head to one side and smiled again.

So it’s to be the great society woman, thought Steven tolerantly; he nodded to Sarah and said to his mother:

‘I think I’ll go and see if George wants a hand.’

 *

In the dining-room, George was sitting staring vacantly at the three opened wine bottles. Suddenly he was aware of Steven.

‘Not feeling well, George, old man?’

‘No, just having a bit of peace and quiet while I can.’

‘She’s not that bad is she? Actually I thought you might quite fancy her yourself. Or aren’t the younger ones in your line?’ George caught the hardness in Steven’s voice. Using the edge of the table to assist him, he rose slowly.

‘What do you expect me to say?’ he said wearily.

‘I hardly expect the truth.’

‘If you’ve come for what I think you have, I suggest you leave well alone.’

‘I adore your half-frankness. And what do you suppose I’ve come for?’

‘Well, you’ll have a full house anyway. I’m sure your
girlfriend
is going to like the show.’

‘My fiancée, George.’

‘Sorry.’

 *

‘Now, now, you crusty old men, what are you nattering about that we can’t share?’ Ruth flowed into the room, drawing Sarah and David behind her.

‘Nothing, dear … Now where are you going to put us all?’

‘I thought David could sit next to me and of course Steven and Sarah must sit together on one side. I’m afraid we can’t be girl, boy, girl, boy all the way round. But still if Sarah sits between Steven and George …’

‘I’ll be a hermaphrodite‚’ said Steven accommodatingly.

 *

It was the middle of the afternoon. Sarah had been found a pair of Wellington boots and was being shown round the garden by Ruth. She stopped in front of a small flower-bed.

‘This one used to be done entirely by Steven and David. David used to be the keener gardener. I remember we used to take him down plants for his little garden plot at school.’

Sarah moved from one foot to the other. The Wellingtons were at least two sizes too small. Still, complaining was out of the question, there’d be all that awful business again about Londoners always coming in flimsy little shoes.

‘Would you like to see the rose garden now?’

‘Is it far?’ said Sarah apprehensively.

‘You Londoners …’ said Ruth twinkling. ‘It’ll take us ten minutes I expect.’ She pointed over towards a distant group of rhododendrons. Sarah sighed as she vainly tried to
emulate
Ruth’s long strides.

 *

In the drawing-room George was eyeing the whisky bottle. He looked at his watch … only half past three. Only a small one just to steady the nerves. The newspapers were no good; they just reminded him of the hostile world outside. Glass in hand, he aimlessly walked up and down. Steven was
probably
with David, but what possible reason could he have for joining them? If he hadn’t said anything by now there was a chance that Steven would fail in his persuasion. George went over to the window and looked at the sky. If only I believed in God, he thought.

 *

Steven paused for a moment before knocking on David’s door. Inside he could hear the whirring sound of a train on the rails. Hearing no answer he opened the door.

David was lying flat on his stomach peering up the track at the on-coming engine.

‘Oh, hello, it’s you‚’ he said, jerking into a crouching
position
.

‘It’s grown since I last saw it.’

‘I got a lot of new rails at Christmas.’

Steven tried to think when he had last been in his brother’s room. He looked at the mass of sidings and
junctions
sprawling across the floor. Obviously boredom and loneliness was responsible. Or was it all an excuse to be alone?

David watched him staring.

‘I suppose you’re thinking, like Mummy, that I’m too old to play around with trains.’

‘No.’

Steven walked over to the window and drew the curtains. He turned and said:

‘I suggest you get up and sit down somewhere
comfortable
. I want to talk to you.’

‘I can hear from here, thank you,’ he crossed his legs and squatted in the middle of the central circle of track.

‘George thinks he knows why I’ve come down today. Have you any idea?’

Steven saw that David’s face had tensed.

‘I expect you’ll tell me.’

Already he seemed hostile. Steven wished that he had played with him more when they had been younger. But the age gap had been too much. Five years is a long time to catch up.

‘I want to know what you found when you went to George’s flat.’

David’s voice was shaking with anger:

‘So you did plan it, so George was right.’

‘I had to. Can’t you understand what George is doing to her?’

‘Making her happy.’

Steven listened to the humming of the transformer in the otherwise silent room. Slowly he said:

‘And when the money’s gone will she still be so happy? How much do you suppose that flat in London costs?’

‘A lot I expect‚’ replied David softly.

‘Quite right, and how much do you suppose he pays his woman?’

‘What woman?’ David was relieved that his voice
remained
firm.

‘The woman you found‚’ said Steven patiently.

‘Do you think I wouldn’t have told you if I’d found
anybody
?’

Steven felt his anger growing. With an effort he controlled his temper. That hideous simpering voice: ‘Did you think I wouldn’t have told you …’ Steven said:

‘Obviously you
wouldn’t
. But you can’t deceive me.’ He paused, then snapped: ‘Why did you accuse me of “
planning
it”? Those were your words. Planning what?’

David hesitated before saying:

‘Planning getting me into trouble with George. He wasn’t pleased to see me, as you said he would be.’

‘Why? Why?’

‘Because he likes to be alone sometimes. I’ve got my trains, you can go back to Oxford and George can go to his flat.’

‘I have better things to do with my time than “getting you into trouble with George”, surprising though that may seem.’

David didn’t answer, but got up and went over to the transformer. He flicked the control lever to full speed. He next started to rummage about in a large cardboard box behind him. At last he produced a small goods engine and put it on the inner circle of track. He plugged another smaller transformer into the main one and made a
connection
with the inner track. Soon both engines were
moving
round in opposite directions on their different tracks.

As Steven watched, tremors of anger ran through his body. He contracted the muscles in his chest. The sound of the trains maddened him.

‘Why don’t you put on some carriages too?’ he choked.

‘Don’t be so impatient. I’m going to.’

Something seemed to snap in Steven’s chest.

‘You bloody little fool,’ he yelled as he hurled himself at David. As he hit the ground his foot caught in the goods train; savagely he lashed out with his heel, sending it
crashing 
into one of the table legs. David tried to drag himself clear of the layout, but Steven pulled him back again. They rolled over several times, ripping rails apart and buckling others. David lashed out with his fist and caught Steven just below the ear. Momentarily he let go. David sprang towards the door, but Steven grabbed one of his legs. After several minutes struggling Steven was able to pinion David to the floor. With all his weight across his chest Steven started to twist David’s left wrist.

David’s breath was coming in sobs as Steven went on
twisting
.

‘What did you find, you little hero, what did you find?’ he hissed.

‘I told you … nothing … nothing.’

Steven twisted one last time.

‘Nothing‚’ yelled David as the tears started.

Steven let go and got up. David stayed sobbing on the floor in the midst of his shattered train set.

Steven looked down at him and said calmly:

‘If you won’t tell her what you saw, I will. I’ll tell her this evening and if you don’t back me up, I will never speak to you again so long as I live.’

He turned and walked to the door. When he had opened it he looked back for a moment at his brother’s crumpled figure on the floor and said:

‘Do it for her.’

Softly he closed the door.

 *

On the stairs he met George.

‘I suppose you know, she’s going to take him away from Edgecombe?’

Steven walked on down the stairs. From a window on the first landing he saw his mother and Sarah walking towards the house in the growing darkness.

 *

The coffee cups had been cleared away. George was
sitting
in his wing-chair; he watched Ruth, David and Sarah,
on the other side of the room, bent over a game of Scrabble.

‘Jolly good, dear. You may even beat our reigning champion, David, if you go on like this. However many does she get for that, darling?’ Ruth asked David.

George wondered where Steven had got to. He moved
uneasily
in his chair. Steven really had thought of everything this time. He had cornered David during the afternoon and now his girl made it impossible for him to talk either to Ruth or David. What in the name of the prophet could Steven have said to the boy? He had knocked on David’s door after he had seen Steven going down the stairs, but had got no answer. The door had been locked.

‘Well done, David. You’ve got rid of your “Q” and on a triple word, too.’ Ruth herself was trailing. ‘Anyway,
darling
, you’ll give her a good run for her money.’

George looked at the little group again. My jury, he thought. Everything depended on their reactions. Nothing could be certain even now. They might decide on the right thing for the wrong reasons or the wrong thing for the right reasons, even on the wrong thing for the wrong reasons. He felt more alert than usual and had not drunk more than a single glass of wine at dinner. He looked round the room, lovingly caressing each ornament with a glance. Even if I was blind, he thought, I could replace them all just by touch. What right had Steven or anybody else to try and alter what time had done? Hadn’t he and Ruth bought the glass candlesticks on the mantelpiece? Yes, and the table in the window alcove? From a small junk shop near the
harbour
in Lymington. It had been sunny and they’d had trouble fitting it into the car. She had given him a
handkerchief
to mop his brow. ‘You’re sweating like a pig,
darling
.’ Even the name of the place came back. ‘Braggs’. That was it, with two ‘gs’. Nothing could change that. Nothing could change the names in the numerous books in the large case in the hall. George heard the door opening and looked up to see Steven coming into the room.

Steven walked over to the mantelpiece and rested an elbow on the shelf.

‘Shall we try a game everyone can play?’

‘But we haven’t finished this one yet. And Sarah’s doing awfully well. You’ve chosen a very clever girl, dear.’ Ruth smiled at him.

‘I just thought George looked bored sitting all by himself with nobody taking any notice.’

George noticed that Steven’s hand was trembling as it hung down over the edge of the mantelpiece.

‘Anyway, George, I’ve come down especially to play with you. I thought you might care for a little truth game. How about starting then, George?’

‘Don’t be childish.’

‘Oh no, George, you must play, it might be such fun. We used to play when we were children. “My most embarrassing moment,” that sort of thing,’ Ruth said as she came over to George’s chair and sat on the arm. Steven saw Sarah look away as his mother ran her fingers through George’s hair. ‘Come on, dear,’ she laughed playfully. ‘My most
embarrassing
moment.’

‘That will do very nicely,’ Steven added. ‘You must be absolutely truthful. I can assure you that when it’s my turn I shall be.’

‘I don’t doubt that.’

‘Well, if George won’t start, how about you, David?’ Steven stared his brother full in the eyes. David looked away and said nothing. ‘No need to be shy. I’m sure that your most embarrassing moment is no worse than George’s.’

George said:

‘The person who proposes the game ought to start.’

‘I’ll start then,’ said Steven. He saw Sarah looking at him anxiously. David seemed to have found a new significance in his trousers legs. Steven turned to George and began:

‘Mine happened this afternoon when I found myself
fighting
on the floor with my brother. I broke up his train set. Even the new rails and engine he got for Christmas.’

‘Don’t listen to him‚’ David broke out. ‘It isn’t true.’

‘Shall we go and look then?’ Steven replied coolly.

‘I don’t think this is very funny, Steven. I think we’d
better
stop if you’re going to behave like this in front of Sarah,’ said Ruth.

‘She is at perfect liberty to leave the room when she wants to. I can assure you I didn’t find it funny either. Nor did David. Did you?’

Everyone was looking at him. David pressed his nails into the palms of his hands and managed to stop himself
speaking
. The longer he remained silent, the more chance there was that Steven would lose his temper. Sarah saw that he was shaking. She sat on the edge of her chair wishing that she had the courage to get up and leave the room. If only she knew what Steven wanted her to do. This was so
unexpected
, so horrible.