Two Strangers (21 page)

‘That’s also our impression, but there must be something she isn’t telling us.’

‘I’m certain there is a great deal she hasn’t told us about that time.’

‘Take good care of her, Harry.’

‘I’ll do that, Flo. I’m as fond of that girl as you are.’ Harry stood up. ‘Don’t worry. Vicki has had a lot of grief to deal with in her life, and she knows how to handle it. If this isn’t Bill, she will be dreadfully upset, but she’s a sensible girl and will cope.’

‘And come back even more determined,’ Bob said wryly.

‘Absolutely.’ Harry headed for the door. ‘I’ll be here tomorrow at seven o’clock so we can catch the eight o’clock train.’

‘Ah, that will give you time to join us for breakfast.’

‘That’s very kind of you, Flo.’ Harry grinned at them before disappearing down the stairs.

They were at the station in good time, and Vicki went straight up to the ticket office. When Harry tried to pay, she waved him away. ‘I’m paying for our train fare. I’ve got enough saved up for this trip, and I insist. You are leaving the school to come with me, and I know it is time you can ill afford to lose. I won’t have you using your money for this.’

Seeing the determined tilt of her head, he decided not to argue.

With the tickets safely in her handbag, they walked on to the platform. ‘I’m really grateful you can come with me. Especially as you believe I am wrong and this will only be a waste of time.’

‘Yes, I do think you are wrong, but I also know this is something you have to get out of the way.’

‘Exactly! If Captain Manton isn’t Bill, then I’ve got to get off this path and on to the right one.’

Harry studied her intently. ‘Are you beginning to have doubts?’

‘I admit that many things point to the fact that I could be mistaken.’ She pursed her lips and then shook her head. ‘But, deep down, something is telling me I’m right. This is the man I’m looking for.’

‘Here’s our train. Let’s go and clear up this mystery, once and for all, Vicki.’

Twenty-One

Harrogate was a busy place and Vicki gazed around, enjoying the sights and sounds. She had never been so far away from London before and it was exciting. Smiling up at Harry as they walked along, she asked, ‘Where do we start?’

‘First, we find somewhere to stay for the night, and then have something to eat. After that, a good night’s sleep is required so we can start fresh in the morning.’

She nodded, knowing that was sensible, but she would have liked to find The Dale House straight away. However, impatience must be controlled because the weather was warm now and it had been a long journey. Harry probably needed a rest.

‘Don’t look so disappointed,’ he laughed softly. ‘You have a very expressive face and it isn’t hard to guess what you are thinking. There isn’t a lot of daylight left, so we can’t go running around the countryside in the dark.’

‘No, of course not, but we could make some enquiries this evening, couldn’t we? Unless you already know where the house is.’

‘I have a rough idea, but we will need someone to give us directions. And yes, we can start asking, but not until we’ve had something to eat. I’m hungry.’

‘Me too. Where are we going to stay? It will have to be something quite cheap, Harry, because I’ve got to make my money last.’

‘I let you pay for the train tickets, but that is all. Bob gave me enough money for our lodgings and food.’ He opened the door of a gentleman’s outfitters and ushered her inside.

An assistant approached them immediately. ‘Can I help you, sir?’

‘We have just arrived in town and need a place to stay. I wondered if you could recommend a nice bed and breakfast.’

‘Indeed I can, sir. If you turn left out of the shop, then take the first right, you will find number twenty-eight about half way along the road. Mrs Benson will make you and your daughter very comfortable. Tell her we sent you.’

‘Thank you very much.’ Harry shook hands with the assistant and had to practically push Vicki out of the shop.

‘Why didn’t you ask him if he knew where The Dale House is?’

‘Because Mrs Benson will know. She’s a landlady and will know the area well.’

‘Ah, I never thought of that.’ Vicki sighed as they walked along. It was a blessing Harry was with her; otherwise, she would be running around in circles and getting nowhere. ‘I’m so glad you came, Harry. If I’d been on my own, I wouldn’t have known the right way to go about this.’

‘That’s what fathers are for, isn’t it?’ he joked.

Vicki laughed, remembering what the man in the shop had said. Harry might have thought it was funny, but she had taken it as a compliment.

‘Ah, this looks like it.’

They stopped outside a large house with pristine net curtains at the windows and a brass knocker on the door that had been polished until you could see your face in it.

‘Looks nice, Harry, but can we afford it?’ Vicki was nervous; she had never done anything like this before.

‘Only one way to find out.’

The door opened even before they had knocked, and a woman of around forty greeted them with a broad smile. Harry told her they would like two rooms for one night, possibly two.

‘You’re in luck, sir. I have just two rooms remaining for tonight. Come in.’

The rooms they were shown to were clean and comfortable, but Vicki doubted she would be able to sleep much that night. Her feelings were in a jumble. There was excitement to be actually doing something positive to find Bill, but she was also acutely aware that there could be disappointment at the end of this journey. Everything pointed to that possibility, but her stubborn mind refused to accept that Captain Manton was not her Bill, no matter what everyone said.

She unpacked her few belongings and sat on the bed with the photograph in her hands. She stared at it hard and long, and sighed deeply. If this wasn’t the man she had met, then it was his double.

There was a rap on her open door and Harry was standing there. ‘Come on, Vicki; let’s eat before we turn in. Mrs Benson has told me where to find a place that serves good food.’

Slipping the photograph back in the book and putting this safely in her handbag, she joined Harry for the short walk to the cafe. As they enjoyed a plate of excellent fish and chips, Harry told her he had the information they needed to find The Dale House.

‘Oh, good. Is it far?’

‘Quite a way. We will need to get two buses and then there will be a walk of about a mile, Mrs Benson said. We will leave immediately after breakfast.’

‘Did you ask if she knows anything about the family?’

Harry nodded. ‘She was a mine of information, but you’re not going to like it, Vicki. They are a wealthy family with two children, a son and a daughter. The daughter is now married and lives in Scotland. The son, Henry, went to Harrow school and was evidently a brilliant student. He was an academic who intended one day to become a professor, but the war came and put a stop to that.’ Harry paused.

Vicki braced herself. ‘Go on.’

‘He was killed in the war.’

Vicki let out an exasperated sound. ‘Do you know, Harry, I’m getting tired of hearing that! Did he come back without telling anyone? Is he still wandering and never told his family he’d survived? I don’t understand! What are you doing, Bill? Whatever it is, we’ve got to find him. He obviously needs help.’

‘Perhaps we’ll get some answers tomorrow, and if everything we’ve heard is confirmed by his family, then you will have to accept it, Vicki.’

‘I’m not wrong,’ she told him stubbornly.

There was a clear blue sky and birds were singing happily as they walked the last part of the journey, but Vicki didn’t take any notice. Her mind was completely fixed on wondering what they were going to find on reaching their destination.

‘Ah, this is it.’ Harry pointed to a sign on a large gate.

The gate was open and they made their way along a drive lined with trees. The large house in front of them was lovely, built in the Yorkshire stone of the area.

‘Be careful what you say, Vicki,’ Harry warned. ‘We must try not to distress Mr and Mrs Manton if we can help it.’

‘I know it’s unlikely we will be very welcome with this story, Harry, so I’m going to leave most of the talking to you.’

As they reached the end of the driveway, the front door opened and a middle-aged man greeted them. Vicki stifled a gasp of surprise, for standing there was an older version of Bill – or was she just seeing what she wanted to see? Harry would tell her that the mind can play strange tricks when we desire something very much.

‘Hello, are you lost?’

‘No, sir.’ Harry introduced himself and Vicki. ‘Would it be possible to see Mr and Mrs Manton?’

‘May I ask the reason?’

‘We are trying to trace a man who helped Vicki when she was in a desperate situation, and our enquiries have led us here.’

‘How intriguing. I’m Manton. Please come in.’

He led them into a comfortable sitting room. Mr Manton introduced them to his wife and told her why they were calling. She was an elegant woman and quite tall when she stood up, but her husband was more than six inches taller still. Vicki studied them carefully, almost afraid to breathe. There were characteristics in both of them she had seen before – she was sure of it.

‘Please sit down and I’ll order refreshments. You must be thirsty after your journey.’

They waited until Mrs Manton had arranged the refreshments, and it didn’t take long for tea and sandwiches to arrive.

Once they had been served, Mr Manton said, ‘Now, how do you think we can help you?’

‘I’ll let Vicki tell you. It’s her story.’

She was taken aback, expecting Harry to do all the talking, but he had placed it straight on to her. ‘Two years ago my father threw me out of the house and told me never to come back. I was only fourteen then. I found an abandoned warehouse to sleep in that night. I was very frightened and barricaded myself into a small room to keep safe. In the morning I found an old outhouse outside, but it was locked, and I wanted to wash. A man helped me to get it open, and then he bought me breakfast. My London accent was strong, and he gave me this to study.’ Taking the book out of her handbag, she handed it to Mr Manton. ‘Does it mean anything to you?’

Frowning, Mr Manton studied the cover of the book and then flicked through a few pages. ‘This is from the Ashington library, and the only one I can think of who would have this would have been a member of the family, such as the son, James. But I’m afraid he was killed in the war, and anyway James wouldn’t have been carrying a book on English Grammar.’

Mrs Manton had gone very pale. ‘No, dear, but Henry would. It was his subject.’

‘That’s impossible, Alice. I know you have never believed our son was dead, but it’s been too long.’

Alarmed by the obvious distress, Vicki was on her feet instantly. ‘I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you, but we are following any clues, and what we’ve found out so far has led us here. Please forgive me. We shouldn’t have come, but I want so much to find this man who helped me, and I don’t know where else to look. I’m afraid I’m too stubborn to give up the search.’

‘That’s all right.’ Mrs Manton gave a strained smile, still holding the book. ‘I understand. I am also too stubborn to accept that my son died in that terrible war.’

Harry stepped in. ‘During Vicki’s ordeal, two men took the trouble to help her. She calls them her two strangers. One we have been successful in finding. She has always considered the book a loan and wants to be able to return it with her thanks for the kindness shown to her. The advice he gave her has been a tremendous help, as you can hear from her speech now.’

‘We understand that.’ Mr Manton looked grim. ‘Tell us what this man looked like.’

‘Tall, over six feet.’ Vicki gazed into space trying to picture Bill clearly. ‘His hair was light brown, and he had the most beautiful green eyes I had ever seen. When he spoke, his voice was soft – I could have listened to him talking for hours. I was wary of him at first, but there was an air of gentleness about him, and I trusted him.’

There was silence when she stopped her description. Mr and Mrs Manton were just staring at her, making her shift uncomfortably in her chair. ‘I’m sorry – that wasn’t very helpful, I know, but it is the way I remember him.’

‘You have just described our son,’ Mrs Manton whispered, a catch in her voice.

Mr Manton surged to his feet. ‘Come with me, young lady!’

She gave Harry a startled glance and followed, relieved to see Harry and Mrs Manton coming as well.

The room he took them to was a study, and over the fireplace hung a large portrait. ‘Is that him?’

Vicki gasped, speechless when she saw the man in the painting.

‘Well?’ Mr Manton demanded. ‘And be very careful. Don’t you dare make a mistake.’

She took a deep shuddering breath as her eyes misted over, and, wiping her hand quickly across her face, she turned to the Mantons. ‘That is the man I met. That is Bill.’

‘You must be sure.’ Mr Manton’s voice was raw with emotion.

‘I’m positive.’

A cry came from his wife. ‘I knew he was still alive. But where is he? Why hasn’t he come home?’

When Mr Manton went to comfort his wife, Harry spoke to Vicki urgently. ‘I hope you haven’t made a mistake.’

‘I haven’t, Harry. Their son survived, and he’s the man who gave me the book. I’d stake my life on it!’

He nodded. ‘Then I believe you.’

‘I think we all need a stiff drink, so let’s go back to the sitting room. We have a lot to discuss.’

Mr Manton poured them all a generous tot of brandy and sat down, giving a ragged sigh. ‘I don’t know whether you have brought us good news or bad. If you really did meet our son, then where the devil is he? Or was it just a ghost you saw?’

‘He was very real, I can assure you, sir. I am not prone to having hallucinations.’

‘Then how can you explain this?’

‘I can only tell you that I did meet the man in that portrait, and I have the book to prove it, but I’m afraid we don’t know where he is. We were hoping to find him here. Did you actually receive a letter saying he had been killed in France?’