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- Herausgeber: Allison & Busby
- Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
- Serie: Larch Tree Lane
- Sprache: Englisch
- Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024
At the end of Hawthorn Close, nestled at the heart of the Wiltshire village of Essington St Mary, is a charming park which boasts two magnificent magnolia trees. New arrivals are moving into the neighbourhood, including those being lent a helping hand from a local charitable trust, and are enjoying strolling in their shade. Amongst them is Brett, an orphan just out of the foster child system; Carla, who is escaping an abusive ex-partner; and Matthew, a widower whose house had burnt down while he was in hospital. New beginnings are dawning for everyone and as the coming weeks unfold, Brett, Carla and Matthew will set out on paths to lives they could not have imagined when they first came to Magnolia Gardens.
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3
Magnolia Gardens
ANNA JACOBS
Contents
Chapter One
Amanda Denby showed the Calliers round the group of finished units they’d had built in memory of their teenage daughter, who’d been killed in a road accident.
‘There’s always a need for temporary housing for people in trouble,’ Mary Callier said softly. ‘Our Louise would have approved of this as her memorial.’
As she drove them to the airport afterwards, Amanda said again, ‘You can rely on me to do my best as warden to help the tenants sort out the problems that have made them need help.’
When she returned, she parked outside her cottage, then went across the garden between it and the four units. They’d turned out well and had a lovely view at the other side.
She went round the building and strolled across to the two huge trees in the centre of Magnolia Gardens. It was a charming little park and these two trees seemed to thrive 6here. So would the occupants of the units, she vowed.
After standing in the shade, smiling back at the units, Amanda sat down to rest on one of the benches for a few minutes. Reaching out, she patted the trunk of the nearest tree. Their beauty always made her feel good.
She hoped the occupants of the units would enjoy them too, as the townsfolk who came for walks here clearly did.
Who would be the first person to live here? She would do her utmost as warden to help them to solve their problems and move on.
Chapter Two
When Linda Prosser was picked up by her partner from work, she could see at once that Frank was furious about something. Her heart sank because that meant he’d take it out on her when they got home. He had become rather violent lately and she was getting worried about her own safety.
He stopped at the shops, not looking at her as he got out of the car. ‘I need another bottle of whisky.’
Even worse, she thought. Was it his drinking that had made him change so much this past year? Something had. She wished she’d not rushed into living with him, wished she’d not let him set up joint finances for them.
She was now trying to find a way to leave him safely and with her fair share of the money, because she knew of other women who’d had to abandon everything to get away from their abusive partners. It wasn’t going to be easy but she was determined to stick it out till she could 8escape financially as well as physically.
Then, as Frank was striding towards the entrance to the small shopping centre, an SUV roared into the car park, followed by a police car with its lights flashing and siren screaming. The SUV driver tried to turn right without slowing down, lost control of his vehicle and smashed into the cars parked near the entrance, landing up lying on its side, rammed partly into another vehicle.
Nearby pedestrians were caught in that encounter and sent flying like human skittles. There were screams and shouts, and at first utter chaos.
The police officers jumped out of their car and one nabbed the driver as he tried to run away while the other ran across towards a man who was lying on the ground, not moving.
It took Linda a few moments to realise that this was her partner. Everything seemed to stand still as she watched the driver being handcuffed and shoved into the back of the police car, and the officer now kneeling beside Frank pull out his phone.
She got out of the car and ran across. Was Frank dead? No, he was rolling his head from side to side and moaning.
The second officer barred her way. ‘Stand back, please, ma’am.’
She pointed to the figure on the ground. ‘That’s my partner.’
‘Ah. Then please stand to the side and leave the paramedics clear access to him. An ambulance is on its way.’
So she went back to the car, which was close enough to have a clear view of what was happening, and sat on the 9edge of the driving seat with her feet out on the ground.
She realised suddenly that he’d left the engine running but didn’t switch the engine off because the heater was blowing warm, comforting air around her. Time seemed to move at a snail’s pace as she waited for an ambulance to arrive. She kept glancing at her watch to see that only two or three more minutes had passed.
It took the ambulance over ten minutes to get there. The paramedics ran across to him and one knelt to check him then turned to speak to the other, who hurried back to fetch a wheeled stretcher from the back of the ambulance.
She stayed where she was, not wanting to get in their way.
Frank groaned loudly as they lifted him onto the stretcher then took it across and lifted it into the ambulance.
She went across and spoke to one of them as he stepped back. ‘That’s my partner. Where are you taking him?’
‘The Murrenfield Hospital. Do you have a car?’
‘Yes.’ Frank didn’t usually allow her to drive it but she’d have to now.
‘Then you’d be better driving there. Park near the A&E entrance. Now, please move out of my way. He’s in a lot of pain and needs urgent attention.’
She watched them leave, then hurried back towards the car, catching her skirt on a piece of metal jutting out from one damaged vehicle as she ran. To her amazement the engine was still running and her shoulder bag was still on the floor next to the passenger seat.
And this time she was going to be the one who drove it, for a change. As she moved away from the main accident zone, she noticed that the other people who’d been knocked 10about by the out-of-control car had all left the scene, so must only have had minor injuries. Frank had clearly come off worst of all.
Good. He deserved it.
She didn’t want him to die, of course she didn’t, but he’d changed so much during the past few months and had even started slapping her around so she hoped his injuries would take a long time to get better.
She drove to the hospital, switched off the engine this time and locked up, then took a deep breath and went inside.
At the A&E department she explained who she was and they took down Frank’s details but asked her to wait in a small side room until he’d been assessed.
After what seemed a long time, the door opened and a woman in green scrubs came in to speak to her.
‘I’m the duty surgeon. Your partner has a bad concussion and he also needs an operation as he’s broken his leg. It’s no use you waiting around. He’s not at the top of the operating list so it’ll be hours before we can deal with him, then he’ll be under heavy sedation for a good while.’
‘Oh. Maybe I’ll go home then.’
‘Yes, it’d be more sensible for you to do that. And get some sleep if you can so that you’ll be ready to look after him once he’s released. But could you wait a few minutes to leave? There are forms to fill in and a clerk will bring you his clothes and the contents of his pockets. We’d rather you looked after those because he won’t be fit to do that.’
‘Oh. Yes, of course.’
She waited and not long afterwards was given a large paper carrier bag, assured yet again that her partner would 11be well looked after and told to phone before coming in the following day.
When she went back to the car, she saw Frank’s fancy briefcase sitting on the back seat as if keeping watch on her. He hated her even to touch it, so she left it there and dumped the carrier bag on the front passenger seat. She’d go through its contents later.
Now that the worst of the crisis was over, she felt nervous as she pressed the starter button. Frank didn’t usually let her drive his car at all, said it was a valuable classic. So she had to make do with her old banger of a vehicle, which was in the local garage at the moment waiting for a spare part before it could be repaired.
The neighbour peeped out of her front door as Linda pulled to a halt outside the house. ‘Oh, it’s you. You don’t usually drive your husband’s car, so I wondered who it was.’
Trust Marion Greene to poke her nose in. She and her husband had moved in a year ago and become friendly with Frank, remaining cool and polite with Linda. She thought of them as Mr and Mrs Nosy Parker. ‘My partner has been injured in an accident and he’s been kept in hospital.’
The woman looked at her. ‘Oh, no! Is he badly hurt?’
‘Broken leg, they think. They’ll be operating on him later.’
‘But you’re all right?’ She sounded to be accusing Linda of some misdemeanour.
‘Yes. It wasn’t a car crash. He was knocked down in the supermarket car park by a vehicle being chased by the police.’
‘Oh. Poor man. You must let us know when he’s able 12to have visitors, then Dennis and I can pop in to see him.’
Linda didn’t contradict that. Somehow Frank had managed to convince everyone that he was a decent chap coping with a rather stupid partner.
It wasn’t till she had unloaded the car and made a cup of coffee that she let herself think what this accident could mean.
Freedom.
If she left him now, instead of waiting till the end of the year, as she’d planned, he’d not be able to follow her for a few weeks, maybe longer if the break was a bad one. That’d give her time to find somewhere to live quietly and start a new life.
What’s more, she’d be able to access their joint bank account while he was in hospital. He’d created a fuss when she said she needed to draw some money out to buy a new car, since he insisted this was their savings for a deposit on an investment property, not a fancy car for her when she only drove to and from work or the shops.
He’d taken away her credit card and cut it up, telling her only to use their other account and to manage with her present car for a while longer. She’d done that and managed with the car until now.
But it was time to do something about the situation!
As she sipped the coffee, her brain seemed to switch on properly and she began working out exactly how to manage her escape. It was too late in the day to go to the bank, which would be closed. But she’d go there first thing in the morning and transfer her share of the money. Half of the total would be fair because though he earned more than she did, he also spent more of their joint money. 13
After that she’d leave Lincolnshire for good and hope he wouldn’t be able to come after her for months.
On that thought, she got his phone out of his briefcase. She already knew he had it well protected, so that she wouldn’t be able to use it. She smiled. That wouldn’t stop her ‘losing’ it, though, would it? Tossing it in a river, perhaps. Ooh, yes, she’d love to do that.
She looked at her own phone. She was quite sure he’d have that monitored so it’d be safer to lose hers as well. She’d just buy the simplest and cheapest one she could to replace it.
He didn’t know about her personal savings account, thank goodness. She’d been setting aside small amounts of money from the housekeeping for a while. It all mounted up.
She’d managed that because the one thing Frank didn’t bother to control these days was grocery shopping. He wasn’t interested in food, boasted about keeping himself ‘trim, taut and terrific’. But she knew he’d checked with a friend that she wasn’t spending too lavishly on housekeeping because she’d heard him boasting to their neighbour about that.
Shopping was the woman’s job, he always told her in a patronising tone. His attitude and way of speaking to her had grown distinctly sexist over the past year and he’d changed markedly since Dennis next door had introduced him to a group of macho male friends.
Frank didn’t seem to realise how old-fashioned he sounded nowadays. Had he ever cared about her? No. She didn’t think so. He cared about her cooking skills, though, and only used her as a housekeeper nowadays. Thank 14goodness he’d moved out of their shared bedroom several months ago, saying he’d been sleeping badly. In fact they rarely even chatted now let alone shared interests.
However, when she’d tentatively raised the idea of them splitting up, he’d flown into a rage and threatened to make her regret it if she tried to leave. He’d thumped her to prove it. And when this happened again, she’d started planning ‘the great escape’ seriously, even before the bruises faded.
But not without her money. And this would be the best chance she’d ever have to take it and escape.
She drove to the small local shopping centre, which was still open for late-night shopping, to buy a few personal necessities, including a second-hand suitcase from the charity shop. As she was walking round she saw that the hairdresser’s was still open. She caught a glimpse of herself in its window and stopped dead. Bottle blonde, her mother would have called it. It was Frank’s preferred colour for a woman’s hair, so he insisted she keep hers that way.
She could see through the window that no one was waiting in the salon and her regular hairdresser was just finishing with a customer so she nipped in. ‘Any chance of getting my hair done straight away, Penny? I know it’s late, but I’d really appreciate it.’
‘It’s not that late and it’s been a slow day so I don’t mind earning a bit more money. What do you want – roots bleaching, shampoo and blow dry, as usual?’
‘No. I want my own hair colour back, chestnut brown, or as near as you can get to it, and a shorter style this time.’
‘Good. Brown will suit your skin tone much better.’
‘I know. But Frank liked it blonde.’ 15
When she sat down, Penny said, ‘Did you know your skirt is torn?’
She looked down. ‘Oh. So it is. I forgot to change when I got back. We were involved in an accident on the way home from work, you see. Frank is in hospital with a broken leg.’
‘Are you all right?’
And heaven help her she felt tears well in her eyes. ‘Not yet. But I’m going to be. I’m leaving him, Penny, hence the hair change. Tomorrow will be the best chance I’ll ever have of getting away safely. Even an abusive partner can’t chase someone round the country with a leg in plaster, can he? And by the time he gets fully mobile again, I’ll have found somewhere to hide.’
‘Abusive? Oh, you poor love.’ Penny gaped at her, then gave her a sudden hug. ‘Got to confess I don’t like your Frank, nor does my husband, but I didn’t realise he was that bad. How you’ve put up with his arrogance for so long, I don’t know.’
‘He used to travel a lot on business and anyway he wasn’t as bad until he changed to this new job and acquired a new set of friends. I didn’t realise your husband knew Frank.’
‘They belong to the same golf club, but they don’t hang out with the same groups of people. Now, let’s get on with your hair while you tell me about your plans.’
‘I haven’t got any plans yet, except to get away, because it only just happened. I can’t leave till the banks open tomorrow and I can take my money out.’
‘Well, you’ll have a nice modern car to get away in, won’t you? You’re not leaving it for him, are you?’
‘I’d not dare take it. He loves that car and I think he’d 16kill me, literally, if I took it. Anyway, that would make me much easier to trace. I heard him boast to a friend that he’s installed a GPS tracker and done the same to my car. He always knows where I am. My car is in for repairs or I might take it and leave it somewhere en route, but it’s so old now they can’t repair it till the new part arrives.’
She waited till Penny had finished rinsing her hair to continue, speaking more for herself than for her companion. ‘I’m going to use public transport at first. I’ll take a taxi to the nearest railway station after I’ve been to the bank tomorrow and who knows where I’ll go from there?’
Penny’s hands stilled, then she said slowly, ‘I’ve got a better idea.’
‘Oh?’
‘It’s my day off tomorrow and I’ve arranged to take Monday off as well so that I can visit my gran and not have to rush back. She lives in Swindon in Wiltshire. I can take you there, if you like, and drop you in the town centre. It’ll give you a start on escaping that no one will be able to trace.’
‘You’d do that for me?’
‘Yes. I’ll miss having you as a customer, though, and swapping books to read.’ She scribbled on a piece of paper. ‘Here. This is my mobile number. Phone me if you change your mind but if you’re still leaving just let me know when you’re ready to go tomorrow morning and we’ll meet in the car park here, round the back.’
‘It may take a while at the bank.’
‘I can wait. I was going to avoid the morning rush hour anyway. And I’m extremely happy to be able to help you escape.’ 17
‘I can’t thank you enough, Penny.’
‘My pleasure. Now, let’s finish your hair.’
An hour later Linda smiled at her reflection. She looked like herself again.
But she wouldn’t feel like herself till she got away.
She didn’t sleep very well that night but she was so tense she didn’t feel at all sleepy as she got ready to leave the following morning.
When the phone rang just as she was about to set off, it caught her by surprise and she jumped in shock. She checked before picking it up and it was the hospital. Should she take the call or not?
Not, she decided, so listened to the message some woman was recording. There had been a delay in operating because of two even more urgent cases so her husband’s operation had not taken place until late last night. He wouldn’t fully recover consciousness until later today and he wouldn’t be thinking clearly till the next day, so though Linda was welcome to visit if she wished, it’d probably be a waste of time because he’d forget what they talked about and she’d have to repeat herself.
She didn’t correct them about him being her husband. He often told people that they were married. And the late operation was good news. That gave her longer to get away. She wanted to make sure that even if he sent a private investigator after her, as he’d boasted one of his friends had done to his runaway wife, they’d have trouble finding her.
Actually, if she was very lucky she’d never need to see Frank again. Now wouldn’t that be wonderful?
She decided not to phone Penny until after she’d been to 18the bank, because sorting the money out might take some time. She’d probably have to see the manager to get the account changed so drastically.
The taxi took her to the shopping centre and she hauled her two battered suitcases and backpack out, paid him and watched it drive away. Then she went towards the entrance, struggling to cope with the luggage.
When someone took one of the suitcases away from her, she jumped in shock and swung round, groaning in relief when she saw it was Penny.
‘I didn’t phone you because I haven’t been to the bank yet. That might take a while. Can you wait?’
‘Yes, of course I can. I decided to leave home at the time I’d originally planned so that even my husband, bless his little cotton socks, won’t know about you coming with me. What people don’t know, they can’t reveal to others even accidentally, can they?’
‘You’re taking this very seriously.’
‘Yes. Your situation brought back memories. We had a neighbour once with an abusive husband. He killed her.’
Linda gasped and stared at Penny in shock.
‘You should take what you’re doing very seriously indeed as well, Linda.’
There was dead silence as Penny stared into the distance, looking sad, then turned back to her. ‘So if I can help you now, I’ll do whatever is necessary. It’ll feel like a tribute to Rina’s memory.’
‘Thank you.’
‘I’m parked in a quiet spot at the back, so how about we carry your luggage round to my car then you go and do whatever you need to at the bank. I’ve brought a book, so 19I’ll sit in the car and have a peaceful read.’
Linda nodded, touched by this generous help.
As she’d expected, it took a while to sort things out at the bank because she did indeed have to see the manager. He didn’t seem to take her seriously till she explained that she was leaving her partner because of his violent behaviour.
When he brought up their account details on his desktop, she was shocked rigid. ‘He’s taken most of the money out,’ she said in a croaky whisper. ‘My money’s nearly all gone!’
‘Oh dear. Legally he had the right to do that, I’m afraid, the way the account was set up.’
‘Then can I withdraw the rest?’
‘As long as you leave a small amount in to keep the account open, you can take nearly all that’s left. We can’t close it completely without both of you agreeing. I’m sorry I can’t help you otherwise. Do you want to report it to the police?’
‘No. I have to leave straight away.’
She was left with only a few thousand pounds instead of the hundred and fifty thousand that her parents had left her.
She walked out of the bank with a purse full of banknotes and the rest of what she felt was rightfully her money transferred to a new account. She’d leave the secret account as it was for the time being. It was with another bank anyway.
‘What’s the matter?’ Penny asked before she’d even buckled her seat belt.
Linda burst into tears and explained between gulping sobs.
‘What are you going to do?’ 20
‘Get as far away as I can, then start a new life under a new name. Rent the cheapest bedsitter I can find, I suppose.’
As Penny set off, she asked, ‘You won’t be going back to your maiden name or anything like that, will you?’
‘No. I’m changing my name completely. I’m going to call myself Carla from now on.’
‘Carla isn’t your middle name, is it?’
‘I may be stupid at times, as I proved by moving in with Frank, but I do have a few grey cells still functioning. I’ll be using a different surname too, one I have no connection whatsoever with. So I’m now Carla Hewitt. Sounds good, doesn’t it?’
‘Sounds nice. You’re quite sure you don’t know anyone called that?’
‘Definitely not. I picked the surname out at random from the newspaper. And I chose Carla from a book of baby names simply because I like it.’
When they were a short distance out of town, she asked, ‘Can we stop after the bridge so that I can throw these two mobiles into the river?’
‘Throw two mobiles in the river?’
‘His and mine. He’s bound to have trackers on them both.’
Penny grinned. ‘Great idea, Carla.’
She asked her friend to call her ‘Carla’ from then on so that she could start getting used to it, but she found it hard to chat. She was still too upset about losing her money.
When they got to Swindon, Penny stopped in the town centre near a taxi rank and sighed. ‘I wish I could help you more, L— I mean, Carla.’ 21
‘You’ve helped me hugely already: not only brought me here, but enabled me to get away without leaving any traces. I’m extremely grateful.’
‘You’ll stay in touch, won’t you?’
‘If I can.’ She wasn’t planning to stay in touch with anyone, not even her kind friend. Better safe than sorry from now on.
She found somewhere to buy a new phone but she wasn’t even going to try to reclaim her money, she realised. She didn’t dare. She was too afraid of what he might do if he found out where she was.
It was going to be hard to find somewhere to hide, even with this flying start, because she’d have to get a job as soon as she could now. She didn’t dare run her money down lower than this in case he found her again and she had to flee.
Chapter Three
It was nearly three months before the interiors of the four units were fully fitted out and ready to be occupied, and extensions to the warden’s cottage completed. All the tenants would have lovely views of the park and the two large trees in the centre of this end. By then Amanda was happily settled in the cottage.
However, during that time Warren Padgett was promoted to the position of manager of the council building department, and had proved a thorn in her flesh. He immediately started reorganising ‘his’ department and making his presence felt in a variety of annoying ways.
He seemed to have set his sights on the trust as well and she suspected that he was trying to find a way to take over its administration. His initial target was the selection of tenants and he made it clear during his first meeting with Amanda that he did not approve of homeless people from outside the valley being given priority for places ahead 23of local people already on the council’s waiting list for housing.
Two more meetings showed that he didn’t approve of anything else she was doing, either, and someone tipped her the wink that he was sneakily lobbying councillors about passing new bylaws that would help him to take over the trust from this amateur female who was (he told everyone) so inefficient.
She doubted he could do anything legally because she prided herself on her ability to write watertight contracts and she knew she was managing things efficiently, but he could and did slow down progress on the council signing off on the buildings. In fact, he was an absolute pain to deal with.
Today was what she hoped would be the final meeting with him about the units and unfortunately her return to the valley was delayed by heavy traffic.
Padgett was already waiting for her, scowling of course, with Corin standing nearby. The usually friendly architect wasn’t even looking in the other man’s direction let alone chatting to him, but fiddling with his phone. That said something about the general mood of their encounter. She knew whose side she was on. If you couldn’t get on with Corin Drayton there was something wrong with you.
When she got out of her car, Padgett made a big display of glancing at his watch and tapping it before she could even begin to explain what had delayed her.
She retaliated by giving him a beaming smile, something which, as she’d already found, made him visibly uneasy.
‘Sorry I’m late, Warren. Traffic problems.’
‘You should have made allowances for traffic delays. 24This is a busy time of day. And, as I’ve said before, Ms Denby, I prefer that we address one another formally. This is a business meeting not a social event.’
She smiled. ‘I’m just not a formal person, I’m afraid.’ She turned to the other man. ‘Hi, Corin. Lovely to see you again.’
He came across and plonked ostentatious social kisses on each of her cheeks in turn, taking his time about it. This made Padgett wince again.
‘Always lovely to see you, Amanda darling. You’re looking rather tired.’
‘It’s been a busy week finishing everything off.’ She turned reluctantly back to Padgett. ‘Ready to go round again, Warren?’
This would be the second ‘final inspection’ they’d made. He’d found two unimportant faults during the first one and had insisted on another complete inspection once they’d been dealt with. She’d agreed only because it seemed likely to be quicker to do that than causing a fuss about his uncooperative behaviour with the town council.
He scowled at her. ‘My staff and I have already checked the houses.’
That made her stare. ‘How did you get in without keys?’
He avoided looking her in the eyes as he replied. ‘The council always retains a master key to any new developments it’s dealing with, in case something goes wrong. The key opened the doors of all the units so we were able to have a good look round this time.’
She opened her mouth to protest and he held up one hand like a traffic cop in a movie. 25
‘We always do this with public housing. We didn’t want to waste our time hanging around waiting for you and anyway we didn’t think you’d object to us going inside. It is our job to supervise local building projects, after all.’
‘I do object. Please don’t try to gain entry to these private premises again. This is not and never will be public housing. There is a reversion clause in the trust’s favour if you close them down.’
She waited in vain for a response to that. He treated her to another scowl and continued talking at her.
‘Everything seems to be in order this time, Ms Denby, though since you didn’t gain council approval for your choice of builder there will have to be regular, ongoing checks of these premises to ensure that they do not deteriorate and continue to meet local standards.’
‘There won’t be any further checks, I assure you. I checked and you don’t do that to other private housing so I’ll make a major legal complaint if you try to do it to the trust’s dwellings.’
He stiffened visibly. ‘Of course there will be ongoing checks. Someone has to keep an eye on the safety side of buildings in this valley. That is well within my remit.’
‘For council properties, perhaps, but the trust owns these units and as its CEO, I shall be dealing with their ongoing maintenance. If any problems arise, I shall call Corin in.’
‘I must insist—’
‘You can’t insist on anything. The rules were legally set in place before you even came to work here when the trust first acquired the plot of land. It will take care of its own tenants and building maintenance from now on. All the council needs to do is receive the rates money paid on the 26units. Read the contract again if you’ve forgotten the terms and don’t hesitate to ask for help if you don’t understand any of the long words.’
He breathed deeply and started to say something but she turned back to Corin. ‘If you’re ready now, you and I will do a final inspection to satisfy ourselves that there is nothing else that anyone can complain of.’ And, she thought, to check that nothing had been tampered with, but though she was tempted to say that, she didn’t want anything else to cause delays.
‘Happy to do that,’ Corin said.
Padgett breathed deeply. ‘I shall join you in case you have any queries about council regulations, though I have already put it on record that this project is being conducted in a way that I thoroughly disapprove of.’
She ignored him and unlocked the rear door of the first unit. She couldn’t stop Padgett trailing along behind them without creating a scene but she locked the doors of each unit carefully as they left and didn’t address any remarks to Padgett until an hour later, when they went to stand in the residents’ summer house and barbecue area at one side of the small garden at one side of the units.
‘Did you find any problems, Padgett?’
‘Not at the moment.’
‘I didn’t think you would, so I brought the final document with me and I’ll ask you to sign it here and now. We can get your assistant and Mr Drayton to act as witnesses.’
‘But I don’t—’
‘If you are unwilling to do this, I shall make a formal complaint to the council immediately about your lack of 27cooperation and charge for the waste of my time.’
‘I’ll sign it for now but you can be quite sure that I’ll be keeping an eye on those units.’
‘From a distance only.’
‘As needed,’ he corrected.
We’ll see about that, she thought, but didn’t bother to argue.
Once the document had been signed, she said, ‘May I have the master key back, please?’
From the smirk on his face as he handed it to her, she guessed he’d had a copy made.
She put it in her bag and turned to Corin. ‘I owe you a coffee, my friend. How about I pay my debt now?’
‘Good idea.’
She walked quickly across to her cottage before her annoyance with Padgett made her do or say something rash that she might regret.
Corin joined her at the front door and they stood watching Padgett fuss his way into his council vehicle and watch them without making any attempt to leave quickly.
She said in a low voice, ‘I’m going to get all the locks changed this afternoon and every person who moves in will be told not to give copies of their door key to anyone, especially people from the council.’
‘Very wise.’ Corin glanced back over his shoulder and chuckled. ‘He looked like an outraged turkey, don’t you think? And now he’s shouting at his poor clerk. How the hell did he get hold of a master key?’
‘I don’t know but it won’t happen again. I’ll use a different locksmith this time, one from outside the valley.’
She made them a cup of coffee and sat down next to Corin 28with a sigh. He grinned at her. ‘I was lost in admiration at how well you kept control of your temper today.’
‘It was touch and go at times. What is wrong with the man? I’ve never met anyone so negative.’
‘He’s empire-building and wants control over everything he can grab. Some bureaucrats are like that. Though I must say we’ve never had one in Essington as bad as him.’
‘And yet his deputy has been nothing but helpful. I wish she’d got the job.’
‘Well, our direct association with Padgett is now officially over. You should tell the tenants to contact you directly if they have any problems with the council, and to have nothing whatsoever to do with him or his minions.’
‘Don’t worry. The situation will be made very clear to them.’ She paused to consider the situation for a moment then snapped her fingers as she thought of something else. ‘We’ll add an electronic keypad as well as a lock to each unit, using a system to which we’ll have an override for, of course.’
‘Good idea. And feel free to call me if you need any further help. There will be no charge for my services because I greatly admire what the Calliers have done here. I think their trust really is going to help people experiencing difficult situations in their lives.’
‘I hope so. I can start looking for tenants in earnest now. I’ve already put the word round and got a couple of possible leads to follow up on.’
Chapter Four
Carla found a cheap hotel in Swindon for the night and got online with the new mobile phone she’d bought to plan her itinerary for the next day. She felt nervous, though there would surely be no way Frank could track her down now, even once he was able to get around again. She was so grateful to Penny.
She wondered how he’d manage when no one could find her and hoped he’d have a lot of trouble sorting out his own care during his convalescence. Presumably he’d have to pay someone to do the housekeeping.
She wondered whether to buy a cheap old car because fares on the railways were horrendous unless you booked trips well ahead, but she came to the conclusion that it’d be better to manage with buses for the time being.
Then she decided that she needed to change her name officially, so had to stay in Swindon till that was done. She found an even cheaper hotel for a day or two and ate 30sparingly, trying to conserve her money.
To her relief she discovered that there were special provisions for women in danger of assault from former partners who’d become abusive, so she managed to do all the paperwork necessary very quickly and would be able to make contact online with the authorities from then on. At least the new laws meant Frank wouldn’t be able to trace her through official channels, whatever he did.
It was hard travelling with three pieces of luggage, but they contained all she owned in the world now so she didn’t want to get rid of anything.
She decided to get the local newspapers from places to the west of Bristol and scout around for a job, preferably one with accommodation included.
She found a job as a barmaid at a country pub in a village she’d never heard of, thanks to her experiences years ago as a student, and when the owners found out her situation and lack of transport, they came to interview her in Bristol while they were visiting someone there.
To her relief they offered her the job together with a tiny bedsitter and storage for her suitcases in the attics free in return for some after-hours cleaning of the bars.
After a few days they complimented her on her hard work and lent her an old banger of a car that had once belonged to their son to get around the neighbourhood in. They even seemed to understand that she needed to get out from time to time. She’d forgotten how reasonable and helpful most people could be.
She didn’t enjoy this sort of work but decided that she would put up with it for the time being because what she really needed was some quiet time to change back into a 31single person. And it didn’t hurt to be able to live cheaply and save some more money.
She had no idea what she would do with her life long-term. That would have to wait till she found somewhere to settle permanently.
But long walks in the countryside and drives to nearby beauty spots seemed to give her a start at finding herself again at least. She’d eventually go back to doing something more interesting, even perhaps start another cake-making business. Well, she hoped she would be able to do that.
Not yet, though. She still felt as though she were a convalescent. She hadn’t realised how much Frank had controlled her life until she left him.
And until other people started giving her compliments about her work she hadn’t realised that he’d also made her feel insecure and lacking in modern skills.
Chapter Five
Brett Powell knew the change he’d been dreading all year was about to happen when his foster mother told him his social worker was coming to have an important chat with him that evening. His heart sank. He’d been transferred to this foster carer only three months ago when the one he was with fell seriously ill. He wasn’t looking forward to yet another move.
And where was he going to move to? He knew that when you turned eighteen you were considered an adult and they moved most young people out of the care system then. It had been his eighteenth birthday last week. Not that anyone here had so much as wished him happy birthday.
He’d bought himself a small bar of chocolate but that was all. He didn’t dare spend his meagre savings. It was all he had if they threw him out.
His previous social worker had given him some leaflets about this coming change a while ago, saying they 33contained valuable information for later in the year when he turned eighteen. He’d tried to read them but as usual the words had started blurring together after a minute or two, especially the longer ones, and he’d abandoned the effort, contenting himself with struggling through the summary page.
Couldn’t the system even give him a week or two’s leeway without harassing him? They knew he’d been actively looking for a bedsitter but hadn’t found anywhere he could afford yet, not on the social security payment he’d receive till he found a job. What more could he do? He had no family left to help him.
Ms Vernon didn’t waste time asking him how he was. ‘You must have guessed what this meeting is about, Brett?’
‘Yes.’ He glanced across at his foster parents, who were sitting at the other side of the room and thought it prudent to say, ‘I shall be sorry to leave here.’
He wouldn’t really be sorry. Indeed, he’d have been happy to leave if he’d had somewhere decent to go to instead. But he didn’t have anywhere and had no idea what to do next. He was absolutely terrified of being left homeless and having to sleep rough.
The Shearers hadn’t ill-treated him but they usually took younger children and they’d only agreed to provide a stop-gap placement for him when his previous foster father had a sudden heart attack.
Brett had also been forced to change schools at the same time because the one he used to attend was too far away now and came under a different local authority. They’d have allowed him to stay on for the last few months of the school year, but he had no way of getting there and back 34each day as there was no public transport going anywhere near it.
That double change had made his life even more difficult than usual.
‘Any luck about finding yourself a full-time job, Brett? I know you recently found a part-time shelf-stacking opportunity at the supermarket, but that’s not enough to build your life on, is it? You really should get some qualifications.’
He looked at her wearily and said it again. ‘I told you before that I’m no good at exams or the sort of studying that gets you into colleges.’
‘Your former teachers told me that too, but the one I spoke to in your new school didn’t think you were trying as hard as you might have done. He thought you could definitely have improved your skills if you’d bothered.’
He guessed, no, he knew that would be Mr Barton, who was a grumpy old sod and didn’t believe dyslexia existed, let alone severe dyslexia. Brett stared down at his hands, not knowing what else to say or do. If in doubt, stay quiet was one of his rules for avoiding trouble.
‘Well, as it turns out, I have a suggestion that may help you.’
He waited. It’d probably be another temporary place to stay, a hostel maybe. Which would be better than nothing, admittedly. What else could she do for him at this stage? There weren’t any full-time jobs round here for unskilled young people like him, nor were there any affordable bedsitters. He’d tramped the streets looking for jobs and accommodation, had tried everywhere he could think of, but since he didn’t have a car and the bus services were 35poor, he couldn’t search any further afield.
‘There’s a charitable trust that may be able to help you. It will find you a temporary place to live and help you sort out a job. It’s at a place called Essington St Mary.’
‘I’ve never heard of it. Is it far away?’
‘It’s in a small town in Wiltshire, about an hour’s drive away from here. Your family came from that county originally, I gather.’ She looked at him questioningly.
‘Yes. But they’re all dead now.’
She couldn’t have read his file properly if she didn’t know the rest, but this was no time to quibble so he filled in the details. Again.
‘My parents worked on a farm in Wiltshire till I was eight, then my mother died and my father couldn’t cope with looking after me and his new job as a truck driver so I was put into care. I never saw him or heard from him again, but the social worker told me he’d died of a heart attack.’ He hadn’t missed his father because as a long-distance truck driver he’d never spent much time at home. It had been his mother who did everything.
He waited. He did a lot of waiting with this social worker, who spoke slowly to him with regular pauses, as if giving him time for what she’d just said to sink in. He could always tell when people thought him stupid. She certainly did.
That had annoyed him when Ms Vernon first took over managing his care, and he’d told her several times that it was written words he had trouble with, not what people said to him. But she hadn’t changed how she spoke to him, so probably didn’t believe him.
Now, he no longer cared what she said or did. Or 36about what Mrs Shearer thought either. If this trust could help him, he’d not be seeing these foster parents again and probably not this social worker either, with a bit of luck.
Ms Vernon started speaking again, so he tried not only to pay attention but to show that he was doing so by nodding occasionally.
‘There’s a project run by a trust in Wiltshire set up in memory of a girl who was killed in a road accident. Her parents have built a row of four residential units for people who can’t find accommodation and are going through a difficult time in their lives. The manager is willing to consider you for one of their units and will try to help you in other ways too once you get there. We’ve never placed anyone with them before because it’s a brand-new set-up, so I wasn’t sure about it, but given the urgency of your situation, I think it’s worth risking it in your case.’
He stifled a sigh. These people in Wiltshire would want to interview him first and he was no good at formal interviews. But you had to play along, so he asked, ‘What do I have to do to be considered?’
‘You have to chat to their lawyer.’
So he said that again, too. ‘I’m no good at interviews.’ He knew it’d be a waste of time even going to this one but he didn’t dare say that. He’d learnt to seem willing to do anything. And he was willing. He always tried his hardest. He just wasn’t very clever.
‘Luckily this isn’t a formal interview. It’ll just be you and this lawyer having a chat. I’ve spoken to her on the phone a few times and she seems really nice.’
He didn’t know what to say to that. An interview by 37any other name was still an interview as far as he was concerned.
‘You have to give this a really good try,’ she said slowly and emphatically. ‘You’re nearly an adult now and have to learn to control childish nerves and get on with things.’
‘However kind this lawyer is, I’ll still feel nervous. I can’t help it.’
