Mistress of Greyladies (15 page)

She chuckled. ‘Oh, yes. I got an excellent bargain.’

He rolled over to plonk a kiss on her cheek, but his mind was still on his family. ‘You know, tonight Selwyn reminded me of an animal who looks tame but is wild underneath, and is fighting back against an enemy with all its might. I believe going to war will suit him far more than living here does. Do you agree?’

‘Yes. It may even be the making of him.’

‘I wouldn’t go so far. He’ll still be stupid.
You
aren’t, thank goodness. Even Mother is warming to you.’

‘She was looking older tonight, wasn’t she? So sad about losing Thomas.’

‘Yes. Ravaged. And she’ll be even more upset in the morning when she finds out what Selwyn’s doing. We’ll have to get up early, in case she needs us.’

There was a formal family breakfast arranged for nine o’clock, which was late for Joseph and Harriet, who were usually busy well before that time. But they humoured his mother and waited, helped by a pot of tea and some biscuits brought up to their bedroom by a plump, dull-looking maid.

When they went down, they found Richard and Mrs Dalton about to sit down at the dining table.

There was a letter beside Mrs Dalton’s plate. She picked it up, frowning. ‘I didn’t think the post had come yet. No, this hasn’t got a stamp on it. See.’

Joseph watched her squint at it, knowing she was too vain to wear the spectacles she really needed.

‘It looks like Selwyn’s handwriting. I suppose he’s gone off to London early. He hates it here. No matter what I do, I can’t get him to take the estate in hand. He’ll gamble the last of it away in the end, I know he will.’

She put the letter down unopened. ‘I’ll read it later.’

Harriet jerked her head slightly, a signal to Joseph to speak to his mother.

‘You need to read his letter now, Ma,’ he said gently.

Her voice grew suddenly sharper. ‘Why?’

‘Read it.’

Richard looked across at him, then glanced at the ornate ormolu clock on the mantelpiece, as if impatient to leave.

Joseph wondered why Selwyn hadn’t confided in Richard. He watched his mother sigh and fumble in her embroidered velvet handbag for her pince-nez. She perched them on her nose and used her butter knife to slit open the envelope. After reading the letter, she let out a sob and read it a second time. Then she dropped the letter, fumbled for her handkerchief and began to weep, a terrible despairing sound.

‘I’m going to lose him. I’m going to lose you all.’

Harriet couldn’t bear to see such pain. She got up and went to put an arm round her mother-in-law’s shoulders, making shushing noises as if the older woman was a child. For once, Sophie Dalton clung to her, but the weeping didn’t stop.

Richard moved to sit next to Joseph. ‘Do you know what’s in the letter?’

‘Yes. He told me last night. He’s joined up.’

‘Oh, hell! Couldn’t he have waited till Thomas’s death wasn’t so raw in her?’

‘It’s Selwyn’s way of dealing with his guilt and grief about that. He wants to hit out at the Germans for killing his brother. For all the difference one person can make.’

Silence, then, ‘It’s a mess out there. You’re well out of it, Joseph.’

‘No, I’m not.’ He gestured to his twisted body. ‘Don’t you think I resent being like this? Not able to join in anything properly.’

Richard stared at him in surprise. ‘You never seem to be fretting about your problems.’

‘Because it won’t do any good to mope and complain. Besides, I don’t want to upset Harriet more than I have to. But I’d really like to play my part, you know. It’s
my
country you others are fighting for, too.’

For once, Richard looked at him approvingly. ‘Well, it’s the right sentiment, but I’m still glad you’re not able to go out there. It’s a bloodbath. They sacrifice men, and for what? Another few yards of mud. Then they sacrifice more men to keep it, only sometimes they don’t succeed and they lose the little ground they’ve gained, which costs still more lives.’

Joseph was startled. ‘I thought you had an office job.’

‘I used to have. But after Diana died, I transferred. She was my guiding star. She made a better man of me. I feel lost without her, can’t stand to live in our house, been staying in a hotel.’

‘You should marry again. For the family’s sake.’

‘I can’t bring myself to do it. When I lost Diana, I lost all that mattered to me.’ He blinked furiously. ‘I don’t even like to say her name out loud. Selwyn mocked us for our placid way of life, but we were happy …
right
for one another. As you and Harriet are. I shall never marry again, Joseph. And I don’t even care whether I survive the war.’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘I’m glad you’ve got a good wife, and two sons. Maybe the family’s going to need those lads one day.’

Joseph looked at him in shock. ‘What?’

‘Haven’t you considered the possibility?
You
might inherit, or more likely, your sons might. I daresay Selwyn will survive the carnage, but
he
says
he
won’t marry again.’ He hesitated. ‘Actually, I don’t think he can love a woman.’

It felt to Joseph as if the ground shivered beneath his feet. ‘
Selwyn?
You don’t mean—’

‘I think – no, I know he’s a fag.’

‘Selwyn? He’s a big, strapping fellow.’

Richard chuckled. ‘What’s that got to do with anything? There were one or two of ’em at school. You could always tell. Didn’t you meet any? No, of course you were educated at home. Well, take my word for it, they come in all shapes and sizes.’

‘Selwyn can’t be like
that
.’

‘I’m only guessing, because I think he’s denying it to himself, but I’ve heard that he can’t perform with a woman. I think that’s why he drinks so heavily, so people will blame it on the booze.’

Joseph suddenly remembered what Harriet had said. It all made sense now that the housekeeper hadn’t worried about the maids when Selwyn was home.

They heard the sound of a chair being pushed back and looked up to see Harriet guiding their mother out of the room.

‘Mother’s taking it badly,’ Richard whispered.

‘Yes. Thomas was her favourite.’

‘No, you’ve always been her favourite.’

Joseph let out a snort. ‘I don’t think so.’

‘It’s true. You needed her so badly when you were little. I once heard Nanny say that if it wasn’t for her, you’d have died. Thomas was her second favourite, I will admit. I was too independent for her, answered back too much. And of course, poor Helen made the mistake of being a girl, so she didn’t get much of a look-in. Mother only cares about her sons.’

When Harriet came back, the men stood up till she’d taken her place again.

‘I’ve left your mother with her maid. She’s very upset about Selwyn.’

Richard glanced at his watch and didn’t bother to sit down again. ‘She’ll be lying down there for hours, so I might as well get going. Say goodbye to her for me, Joseph. Tell her I had urgent regimental business. It’s true enough. Don’t tell her it’s to do with me being posted to France. I’ll write to her later about that.’

Which left his once-despised youngest brother to comfort their mother and try to find someone to manage the estate.

And to worry about Selwyn.

It was several days before Harriet and Joseph could return to Greyladies, and they were greeted by a scene of what looked at first like chaos, but resolved itself into several activities
being undertaken at once. It reminded Joseph of a wasp’s nest that had been disturbed.

They directed their driver to take them round the back to their own entrance, and he edged the car past an ambulance. Near it, two men were carrying a stretcher out of the house. Its occupant was staring round as if the move had taken him by surprise.

When the car drew up at the kitchen door, an orderly came hurrying out to them. ‘Dr Somers saw your car turn off the road. He’s in his office and he’d be grateful if you could see him straight away, if you don’t mind.’

They exchanged surprised glances, then Joseph nodded. ‘Fine. We’ll do that.’

As they walked through the old part of the house, the boys came running out of their schoolroom followed by Miss Bowers.

‘The Dragon’s leaving,’ Jody yelled at the top of his voice. ‘Isn’t that lovely?’

Mal was young enough to hold up his arms to his mother for a quick cuddle, something never denied him by either fond parent.

‘Dr Somers wants to see us,’ Joseph said.

Miss Bowers nodded. ‘I know. Come along, boys. You’ve seen your parents now. You can talk to them again later.’

They pulled faces, but when Miss Bowers spoke in that quietly firm tone of voice, no one ever disobeyed her.

Harriet led the way into the new part of the house, stopping just inside the main hall, and putting out one arm to keep Joseph back till two men on crutches had limped past them.

They had to thread their way through piles of boxes and
chests of medical supplies, to get to the doctor’s office, whose door was wide open.

Dr Somers looked up from his desk. ‘Ah, you’re back! That’s good. Jervis, please keep everyone away from me for the next half-hour. And close the door.’

A young lieutenant they didn’t recognise nodded, smiled at them and left quickly.

‘Do sit down. You must be wondering what’s going on.’

‘I gather the change you mentioned is being put into effect.’

‘Yes. Which is, I hope, good news for you.’

‘Very good news.’ Joseph chuckled. ‘Even Jody said how glad he was that the Dragon was leaving.’

‘She is a fierce one, isn’t she? But she’s a shocked dragon at the moment, because I’ve found her a new position to which she’s really well suited, so she’s having great difficulty staying angry with me.’

‘Oh? What’s that?’

‘She’s going to become the deputy to the fellow in charge of army hospital supplies for all the extra places we’ve set up. They’re two of a kind, sticklers for details being correct. They should do an excellent job. Unless they murder one another first.’

‘I’m glad she’s not been put on the scrap heap,’ Joseph said in his gentle way. ‘I should think she only has her job to care about, which is why she’s so possessive about it.’

‘I suppose so, but I find it hard to be as charitable as you, because she’s trampled on a lot of people during her lifelong reign of terror, and it isn’t necessary to behave like that. Anyway, now we’ve disposed of her, it’s you two I need to have a chat with.’

‘Is it what was suggested?’ Joseph asked eagerly.

‘Yes. Please keep this to yourselves, but we’re going to stop Greyladies being a convalescent home for officers, and use it instead to house some very special enemy aliens. Well, they’re not enemies, at least I don’t think they are, even if they’re foreigners. They have knowledge and skills our side can use, and are more than willing to share them. So we’ll base some of them here permanently, pretending it’s still a convalescent home, and bring other aliens in and out as needed. Do you speak any foreign languages?’

Joseph grimaced. ‘I speak a little appalling French.’

‘I don’t speak any foreign languages at all,’ Harriet admitted.

‘Then we’ll need to bring in a woman who does, or who can learn quickly. The man who’s going to be in charge of setting things up here speaks German, French and Italian, so we can rely on him to manage problems. But women usually deal better with other women, so we need a female to deal with them. Of course, most of the aliens speak reasonable English. But still, we’d like to know what they’re talking about to one another.’

‘These are all internees?’

Dr Somers hesitated. ‘Most of them. It will seem as if they all are, but if any of them come to you for help and mention the phrase “a certain gentleman”, then I hope you’ll give them whatever they ask for, because it’ll be an emergency.’

‘We’ll do anything we can, of course we will. In fact, I for one am delighted to have a better way to serve my country.’

‘You’ll be doing that, don’t worry. I’d be grateful if you and Mrs Latimer could invite small groups to tea, befriend them, get to know individuals. We don’t think there will
be spies among them, but we can’t guarantee that. You’ll oblige us by keeping your eyes open on our behalf, as well as sharing your house.’

Joseph’s eyes were sparkling with interest. ‘Good heavens! How exciting.’

Harriet watched him, love squeezing her heart as it so often did. He was such a kind, patient man. His decades of being an invalid seemed to have made him wise beyond his years.

Their sons adored him, the people from the village respected him. And she loved him more with every year they were together.

There was an ambulance going into Swindon and just at the last minute, the VAD who was to accompany the men tripped and fell, spraining her ankle.

‘Do you think you could go with them instead, Sinclair?’ the head nurse on this shift asked.

She hesitated.

‘I know about your little problem, but we won’t ask you to be on your own at any time, so you’ll be quite safe. The trouble is, what with two nurses being down with colds and a whole series of minor operations necessary for our patients, I’m a bit pushed for escorts. You’d have been transferred before now if it weren’t for our staffing problem.’

‘They’ve found a place for me?’ Phoebe asked eagerly.

‘Yes. But I can’t tell you anything about it because I don’t know. Anyway, I won’t force you to do this, but I’d really appreciate it.’

She suppressed a sigh. She couldn’t refuse, of course she couldn’t, but she felt uneasy about going into Swindon.

At the larger hospital where further corrective surgery was to be carried out, she kept her head down and stayed
close to one of the orderlies at all times.

To her relief, they didn’t bump into anyone she knew and she was able to get back into the ambulance and let it whisk her out to Bellbourne again without incident.

Please let me not have to go into Swindon again, she thought as they drove back. She hated the way she feared encountering Frank, but she couldn’t shake off the dread of him grabbing her, as he had before. She’d felt so utterly helpless.

Cyril stared at the VAD helping the orderlies with the new patients. He recognised her at once, with that red hair, because Frank had pointed her out in the street one day and boasted that this was the woman he was going to marry.

‘Does she know it?’ Cyril had asked, thinking heaven help the poor bitch who does marry you.

‘I’m not in a position to wed at the moment. I’ll tell her when it’s time.’

Cyril had been in a rash mood after a couple of drinks, so had dared to say, ‘She might turn you down, though.’ He regretted it when he saw Frank glare at him. It didn’t do to be on the wrong side of that one.

‘I don’t take no for an answer. Especially from a woman.’

‘Well, she’ll probably grab you with both hands. You’ll be a good provider.’

The anger on his companion’s face was replaced by smugness. ‘You’re right there.’

And now Frank was offering money to anyone who spotted her, so she must have turned him down and run away. She should have left town, the silly bitch.

Well, Cyril wasn’t going to lose the chance to earn ten quid, no bloody way.

Once his shift had ended, he went round to Frank’s, but the tart who lived there said he wasn’t at home.

‘Where is he? It’s urgent.’

‘How should I know? You don’t think he tells me where he’s going.’

She shut the door in his face.

Cyril set off down the street. He’d go to the pub and have a pint or two. Someone might have seen Frank.

He fell lucky. Frank was sitting on his own in a corner, scowling into a glass of beer. Cyril went over to join him.

‘Still interested in finding that young woman, Frank, the one with red hair?’

He looked up. ‘You know where she is?’

‘Not exactly. But I saw her and I know where to start searching.’ He looked pointedly at the half-empty glass. ‘That beer looks good.’

Frank stared at him, fish-eyed, for a moment, then waved his hand to attract the attention of the barman, signalling him to bring over two more beers. ‘Sit down, then, and keep your voice low.’

Cyril did that and waited, deliberately making Frank have to ask for more information.

‘Well, where did you see her?’

‘I want the money first.’

They locked glances and Cyril shivered inside, but he needed that money so he didn’t give in.

Frank slapped a note on the table. ‘Five quid for the information. The other five if I find her because of it.’

Cyril reached out for the money, but a large, meaty hand slapped down on it.

‘You can look at the money, but you don’t get hold of it
till I hear what you have to say. And it’d better be good.’

‘All right. Your young woman’s a VAD, so she’ll be at one of the new hospitals, and it won’t be far away because she was escorting some patients into Swindon Hospital when I saw her.’

‘Ah. Was she now?’

The hand slackened and Cyril snatched the money, stuffing it in his inside jacket pocket.

The barman brought across the beer and the two men lifted their glasses in a silent toast.

‘If this leads me to her, I’ll be just as grateful to you again, another fiver.’ Frank wiped a frothy moustache off his upper lip with the back of his hand. ‘How did she look?’

‘Thinner. She didn’t stay around long, but I knew her at once.’

‘Did she see you?’

‘Wouldn’t have made any difference if she had. She don’t know me from Adam. I only knew her because you pointed her out in the street once.’

Frank smiled, not a nice smile. ‘I’ll have her married and out of that damned uniform within the month. I don’t want
my
wife wiping the arses of injured soldiers.’

Cyril took another slurp of beer. What did you say to a remark like that? Frank was a bit strange sometimes, but he got things done, and people said he was making good money with this and that. ‘I knew you’d be pleased, Frank.’

‘I am. Very pleased. I’ll send her out to my parents’ farm as soon as we’re married, then they can keep an eye on her when I’m busy.’

He went on talking, more to himself than his companion,
so in the end Cyril went across to join some other friends. No woman was worth all that fuss, as Frank would find out after he got married.

Phoebe was sent to the stores to get some more bandages. The stores were located at the rear of the hospital, in a building that had been the stables at one time.

As the orderly in charge gathered together the things Matron wanted, Phoebe loaded them on her trolley. He was a dour fellow with a badly scarred face, and never offered you more than a word or two, but he knew his job and always seemed to have what was needed.

She pushed the trolley along the corridor, and since it was a fine day, took the outside way back. It was nice to get a breath of fresh air. Some of the smells in the wards were unpleasant, however hard the nurses tried to keep things clean.

She didn’t think anything of it when she saw a figure in the distance. People were always coming and going. A small box bounced off the trolley just then, and she bent to pick it up. As she put it back more securely, she glanced across the garden again, and saw the man moving towards her.

Her heart began to pound in shock. It looked like. It was … Frank!

She abandoned the trolley and began to run, but he got to the turn off to the stores before she did.

She stopped a few paces away and so did he. He’d chosen his place well, was blocking the nearest entrance to the hospital buildings.

‘I want to talk to you,’ he said.

‘I don’t want to talk to you.’

‘You’d better. I told you I’d find you and I did. What the hell are you doing in a place like this? You could be married to me and living in comfort.’

‘I haven’t changed my mind and I never will. I won’t marry you, Frank. Go and find someone else if you need a wife so desperately.’

‘I don’t want someone else. I want
you
, Phoebe, and only you.’

The way he said that made her shudder, he sounded so implacably determined.

As she was trying to work out how to get away from him, he suddenly lunged towards her. She was stronger after the hard physical work of the last few months and managed to run away from him.

But she could hear his feet pounding after her, and he was still between her and the house.

This path led only to the gardens and the further away she got from the house, the less likely she was to find help.

What was she to do? Would anyone even hear if she yelled for help?

Only one way to find out. She began shouting for help at the top of her voice.

Nothing happened and she could hear Frank panting. She glanced over her shoulder to check on him and that was her undoing. She tripped over a tree root and felt herself falling, landing with a thump.

She screamed as loudly as she could, and when he grabbed her, she managed to stop him covering her mouth for a few more seconds. Then that big hand clamped down on her and struggle as she might, he held her beneath him on the damp ground, pressing his body against hers.

‘I told you you’d not get away from me. You’re mine, Phoebe Sinclair, mine and no one else’s.’

She bit him hard and he slackened his hold, so she screamed again at the top of her voice.

She had given up hope of finding help when she heard someone shout, ‘What’s that?’

Someone else yelled, ‘It came from over there.’

Frank still had her mouth covered but he was cursing under his breath.

Two of the patients came into view. One realised immediately what was happening and shouted, ‘Get off her, you brute!’

But Frank was already doing that. ‘I’ll find you again!’ he told her in a low voice, then set off at a shambling run through the gardens.

Since the patients weren’t able to move fast, he got away, but Phoebe was safe. For the moment.

Shuddering with relief, she began to get up. One of the men held out his hand to her and she took it gratefully, letting him steady her once she was upright.

‘Thank you.’

‘He … er, didn’t manage to do anything to you, did he?’

‘No. You got here just in time. Frank’s very strong. I couldn’t fight him off.’

‘Do you know him, then?’

‘Yes. He’s my uncle’s stepson. He wants to marry me and I won’t agree. I’ve been hiding from him for months.’

‘Sods like him should be castrated,’ the smaller man said suddenly. ‘Excuse my language, miss, but they should.’

‘I agree.’ She gave a shaky laugh. ‘Shall we get back to the hospital? I shan’t feel safe till I’m inside it. And I’ve lost the trolley of bandages and supplies.’

‘Someone else will go back for it. Here. Hold my arm. You’re still trembling.’

Matron gaped at her dishevelled appearance, listened to her faltered explanation and sat her down in the office with a strong cup of sweet tea. ‘Shock. That’ll help.’

It helped very little. This was the second time Frank had manhandled her and Phoebe still had nightmares about the first attack.

Matron called in Major Burroughs, the officer in charge, and he listened to the tale, asking a couple of questions, telling her to take care not to be alone from now on.

When she and Matron left his office, Phoebe let out a shuddering sigh. ‘What am I going to do? Wherever I go, I’ll be looking over my shoulder, worrying about Frank.’

‘If you stay indoors, you’ll be safe enough till you leave, at least.’

‘I won’t
feel
safe, though. He’s a very determined man. And there are a lot of entrances into this hospital.’ If Frank had found her once, he would probably find her again.

‘Well, this will probably speed up your transfer.’

She heard the restrained impatience behind Matron’s words, so went back to work with a quick, ‘Thank you. I’m feeling better now.’ But she didn’t even sleep inside the hospital and she knew she’d continue to worry every time she crossed the yard to the dormitory.

The other VADs were full of the incident and kept asking her about it and how she’d felt when he grabbed her till she yelled at them. ‘Leave me alone! I don’t want to talk about it. I just want to get away from here.’ Her voice broke on a sob.

Penny came to put an arm round her shoulders in a gesture meant to comfort.

Phoebe didn’t want touching. She just wanted to be left alone. No, she didn’t. She’d be terrified unless she was with other people.

As if reading her thoughts, Penny added, ‘We’ve got orders to make sure you’re never on your own ever. It’s time for tea now. If you’re ready, we’ll walk across together, shall we?’

Phoebe pulled herself together and tried to look as if she was listening to what they were chatting about. Only it was going in one ear and out of the other, because she still couldn’t pull her thoughts together, couldn’t decide what to do.

After the evening meal there were further duties, but she asked Matron if she could make one phone call before she began.

‘Whom do you wish to call?’

‘Beaty. I mean Lady Potherington. I stay with her when I’m in London.’

Matron’s voice grew warmer. ‘Of course you can phone her. Use my office. I’ll help you.’

But she stayed there after she’d got the call put through, so even then Phoebe couldn’t say what she really wanted to. But she did ask Beaty for help in arranging an immediate transfer.

She had no shame in begging for such help. If she didn’t get away, Frank would come after her again, she knew he would.

Beaty put the phone down, upset for Phoebe. She’d heard her young friend’s voice wobble a couple of times as she was explaining what had happened. That Hapton fellow must be
a lunatic, to be so obsessed by a woman who didn’t want him.

She picked up the phone again. This needed more rapid action than she or her friend Rosemary could arrange, and it must be done very carefully, so that there was no easy way for him to follow poor Phoebe.

‘Corin. I’m so glad I’ve caught you in. Listen, Phoebe’s in trouble and I think you can help her better than anyone.’

He listened, asked questions, the answers to some of which she didn’t know, then there was silence.

‘Right. I’ll see Brookes first thing in the morning, and in the meantime I’ll work out a plan to get Phoebe away without being seen. We’ll have her out of there by nightfall tomorrow, I promise you.’

‘I knew you were the one to ask. The official wheels grind so slowly. Shall I phone and tell her?’

‘No. The fewer people who know the better. I’ll phone them tomorrow, once I’ve worked out the details.’

Corin sat next to the phone even after the conversation with his aunt had ended. Apart from being upset for Phoebe, he was conscious of a burning desire to beat Frank Hapton to a pulp. Which was a highly uncivilised thing to desire.