Two Strangers (20 page)

He responded with a slight bow of his head. ‘As you wish, Vicki.’

Satisfied with that, Alfie took off at speed for the house, and she had to run to catch up.

Later that evening when the children were in bed, Vicki asked Harry if Charles had said anything about his army search for information about Bill.

‘We’ve hardly seen him. He’s been working in London on a difficult case, so I don’t suppose he’s had much time, Vicki.’

‘Oh.’ Vicki sighed, disappointed. ‘When we saw the photograph and were told his name, my hopes did rise, but now I’m not so sure we will ever find him.’

‘I did warn you in the beginning that we might not succeed,’ Harry reminded her gently. ‘You’ve found Charles, though – isn’t that enough?’

‘No, it isn’t.’ Her eyes were troubled when she looked at him. ‘I don’t know why, but for some reason he haunts me.’ She shook her head. ‘That isn’t the right word … I’m worried about him, and I need to know he’s all right.’

‘Can you explain why you feel like that?’

‘I don’t know why.’ She gave a slightly embarrassed smile. ‘This all sounds silly, doesn’t it? I only met him for a couple of hours, and then he walked away, but the feeling that I must find him again some day has never left me. Somehow it’s important. I have more in life now than I could ever have dreamed of, and there is only this one thing nagging at me – this need to find Bill. It won’t leave me.’

Harry studied her thoughtfully. ‘Did you fall in love with him?’

‘Of course not! I was fourteen years old, and he was old enough to be my father. It wasn’t anything like that.’ She raised her hands in exasperation. ‘I can’t explain why I can’t let this go.’

‘All right, Vicki. Don’t get upset. I’m just trying to understand, that’s all. Charles might be back now, so why don’t you go and talk to him in the morning? You say Manton is the man you are looking for, so everything now rests on whether Charles has been able to trace him or not. At the moment, I’ve done all I can.’

She smiled at hm. ‘You’ve been very kind to spend time on this when you are so busy, and I’m very grateful. I’ll see Charles, as you suggest.’

Harry stood up. ‘Now, my dear, you must get some sleep. You are going to need plenty of energy tomorrow because the boys will run you ragged. They haven’t shown you everything yet.’

‘There’s more?’

Harry chuckled. ‘Lots.’

‘Ah, in that case, I will go to bed. Goodnight, Harry.’

‘Goodnight, Vicki.’

It was a clear and bright spring morning when Vicki wandered outside. It was early, and the only one up was Pearl, already working in the kitchen preparing breakfast. When Vicki had offered to help, Pearl had waved her away, so she had left the house to drink in the tranquillity of the countryside. It was a beautiful sight. Vast open space was not something she was used to. She had visited the London parks, of course, but they could not compare with this. As far as the eyes could see were various shades of green. She let the quiet and peace wash over her.

‘Peaceful, isn’t it?’

Startled, she spun round. ‘Oh, I didn’t hear you coming, Charles.’

‘I arrived about an hour ago and have been talking to Fred. There will be two more ponies arriving tomorrow.’

‘That will please the boys. Alfie has already chosen one for himself.’

‘So I have been told.’ Charles slipped Vicki’s hand through his arm. ‘Walk with me. We need to talk.’

As they strolled slowly along, Vicki took a deep breath and then asked, ‘Have you some news about Bill?’

‘I have, but it isn’t good, I’m afraid. According to army records, Manton died in France.’

‘No!’

He patted her hand. ‘I know you are adamant that he is the man you met, but I’m sorry, Vicki, you must be mistaken. Everyone we’ve met has said the same thing, and now the army has confirmed it. Manton can’t be your man.’

She stopped walking and turned to face him. ‘I am not the one who is mistaken, Charles. The army records must be wrong.’

‘I know that it was hard to keep accurate records in the confusion of battle, and mistakes could have been made, but in this case I doubt it.’

‘Well, I am not ready to accept that, and I will continue to follow this lead. Did you manage to get his home address?’

‘I thought you’d ask for that.’ He handed her a sheet of paper. ‘The information you want is there.’

‘Thank you very much for taking the time to contact the army. You are a busy man and I’m grateful for your help.’ She slipped the paper into her pocket.

‘It wasn’t any trouble. I only wish it had been better news. What are you going to do now?’

‘Visit the address you have given me and try to discover, once and for all, why everyone thinks he died in the war.’

Twenty

They arrived back home late on the Monday evening having spent a lovely time in the country. The new school was impressive, and Harry, Pearl and Edward were looking forward to receiving more pupils. But this was going to be more than a school; its other purpose would be to give the troubled children the chance of a better life. Dave and Alfie would always stay with Pearl and Edward as family, but the others would be helped to move on when they were old enough to support themselves. Harry was determined that not one of the pupils would be abandoned. This meant that more staff would have to be found who were young enough to carry on the work in the future.

Vicki hadn’t even glanced at the paper Charles had given her, but now she was alone in her room she took it out of her pocket. There was more information than she had expected.

Record found dated July 1916

Henry William Manton – Captain.

Age: 24. Height: 6 feet 2 inches.

Hair: Light brown. Eyes: Green

Home address: The Dale House, Harrogate, Yorkshire.

The description definitely fitted Bill, but his home would cause her a problem. Yorkshire was a long way to go, and the address was somewhat vague. She was used to houses being numbered and with street names.

Knowing Bob and Flo were still up, Vicki went upstairs. They might be able to help her with this.

‘Hello, my dear. Would you like a cup of cocoa?’

‘Yes, please,’ she said as she sat down. ‘Charles told me that the army records show that a Captain Manton was killed in France. He gave me this.’

Bob took the paper from her, and his wife looked over his shoulder.

‘The description fits Bill perfectly, and I would like to visit his home, but the address doesn’t have a street name or house number. How would it be possible to find it?’

‘Hmm.’ Bob frowned as he studied the information. ‘I don’t think this is an ordinary house, Vicki. It could be an estate. Charles’s place is just called High Meadows.’

‘Of course! I never thought of that. Everyone knows where High Meadows is, so I’ll just need to ask for directions to The Dale House.’

‘You’re not thinking of going there, are you?’ Flo looked concerned.

‘I must. It’s the only way to clear this up. If there’s the slightest chance Captain Manton isn’t the man I met at the warehouse, then I’ve got to find out. Having said that, I am still positive this man is Bill. I’ve got enough money saved up for the fare.’

‘You can’t go on your own, Vicki. You will need at least three days – two for travelling, and one to visit The Dale House. Neither of us can close the shops for that long.’

‘Bob’s right, my dear. I would gladly come with you, but it just isn’t possible.’ Flo sat down, frowning. ‘I thought you said he was old enough to be your father.’

‘I suppose he seemed older to a fourteen-year-old. When I met him, he must have been around twenty-eight.’

‘His experiences could have made him look older.’ Flo studied the paper again. ‘I can see you are determined to do this, and we understand your reasons, but who can we find to go with you?’

‘I’ll be all right on my own.’

‘I’m sure you would, but we would be happier to know you had someone with you. I wish Harry was here.’ Bob smiled at Vicki. ‘But we know nothing will stop you, so when do you intend to go?’

Vicki shrugged. ‘There are a couple of things to consider first. I’ll have to choose a time when we are not booked solid in the shop. Then I’ll want to find out which train to catch, and I don’t know how to do that. If it’s a large estate like High Meadows, then Harrogate might not be the nearest station. I do miss not being able to run to Harry with problems like this.’

‘Why not write to him and explain? I’m sure he’ll be able to get you the information you need.’

‘Yes, that’s the best thing to do.’ Vicki finished her cocoa and stood up. ‘Thank you for listening to me, and not telling me I’m being silly.’

‘My dear, you are never silly.’ Flo kissed her cheek. ‘Don’t stay up too late writing letters.’

‘I won’t. Goodnight, sleep well.’

They listened to Vicki going down the stairs, and when they heard the click of her door, Bob turned to his wife. ‘We must also write to Harry. I don’t want her to have to face this alone. Not because I think she isn’t capable of doing this on her own – there’s no problem there – but she could be in for a terrible disappointment, and it would be better if she had someone with her. Also, another worrying point is that the Mantons believe their son is dead, and if she goes in there telling them he is alive, they will be distressed and perhaps even angry. After all, it is only her word; she has no proof.’

‘I agree. Despite all the reports that Manton was killed, she is still convinced that he is her Bill. Harry might be able to find the time to go with her if we tell him what she is planning.’ Flo took a deep breath. ‘I had hoped that in time our girl would forget about her past, but that hasn’t happened, has it?’

‘I think that was too much to hope for, my dear. When she came to us, she was obviously in desperate trouble. However, we can have no idea what she went through mentally and physically from day to day. She has told us the facts, but all that private suffering is still locked inside her. Two strangers who reached out to her with kindness during that traumatic time dominate her thoughts. One of them she has found, but I honestly don’t think she will rest until the other one is found, too.’

Flo nodded. ‘Bill – the one who seems to be most important to her. That part of her past needs to be dealt with, don’t you think?’

‘It looks that way, and if she can do that, then she might, finally, be able to move on with her life. I tell you one thing, though; I hope she does find him because I’d love to meet him. There must be something about him to make her so obsessed about this search. I guess that whatever happened in that brief meeting sustained her with a determination to stay alive.’

‘I agree, and that is why we must give her all the help and support she needs, Bob. Let’s write that letter to Harry and see if we can persuade him to go with Vicki to Yorkshire. If he can’t, then perhaps Edward or Pearl could spare the time.’

‘I’d be happier if Harry went. He has been with this search from the start, and I believe he understands what’s driving her more than the others.’ He reached for the notepaper and pen. ‘Now, just how persuasive can we get?’

It was a week before a letter arrived from Harry telling them he had heard from Vicki and would be coming to see them. Bob and Flo were heartened when Harry wrote at the end of his letter that they were right and Vicki must not go to Yorkshire on her own.

‘That’s a relief.’ Bob nodded. ‘He could be coming to take her himself.’

‘Let’s hope so. Vicki’s restless, Bob, and if she has to wait much longer, I think she will just go and try to find this place by herself. When does Harry say he will be here?’

Bob looked at the date on the letter. ‘He hopes to arrive some time tomorrow. Where’s Vicki now?’

‘Downstairs, doing the accounts.’

‘Right. I’ll pop down and tell her Harry’s coming. That will please her.’

Much to Bob’s surprise when he walked into the shop, Harry was already there talking to Vicki. ‘When did you arrive, Harry? We only received your letter a couple of hours ago.’

He smiled as he shook hands with Bob. ‘I could have brought it with me, then. I’ve only been here for about ten minutes. I saw Vicki in the shop so I came to see her first.’

‘Harry says everything is going well at the school so he can take a couple of days off.’ Vicki smiled happily. ‘He’s going to help me find this house in Yorkshire and wants to leave tomorrow. Will it be all right for me to take the time off?’

‘Of course it will, Vicki. You take all the time you need, and we hope it will be a successful visit. But you must promise me one thing. If you are fortunate enough to find Bill, then we want to meet him.’

‘That’s a promise.’

Harry gave a slight shake of his head as if to say there wasn’t much hope of that happening. They changed the subject and talked about the boys and the school for a while, and then Vicki went to her room to get ready for the journey the next day.

‘You think this trip will end in disappointment, Harry?’ Bob asked as they walked up to see Flo.

‘I’m afraid so, but I hope for her sake that I’m wrong. Vicki’s going to be more than disappointed, and that’s why I’m going with her. She really believes Manton is her stranger, and if it leads nowhere – as I believe it will – then she is going to need someone with her who understands how much this means to her.’

They explained all this to Flo, and she sighed, clearly worried. ‘Perhaps after this she will give up and accept that he cannot be found.’

‘I wish I could believe that, but that’s unlikely to happen. Isn’t it, Harry?’

‘I don’t believe she will ever stop searching, Bob. Kindness was something she had seen very little of in her life, and she has been driven to find two men who took the trouble to help her. And her quest won’t be complete until she finds both of them. But it’s more than that. I have the feeling she’s worried about Bill. I don’t know why; when she talks about him, he comes across as a very calm and composed man quite able to look after himself. He wasn’t short of money either and was obviously capable of working to support himself.’