Hold on to your Dreams (22 page)

For the rest of the day she kept to her plans, not daring to dwell too much on what David had told her. He could be mistaken. She knew he loved Miriam, and that might be clouding his judgement, but it was certainly an unexpected turn of events. However, she needed more proof before allowing herself to hope.

After finding suitable books, she went to see Mrs James, who was thrilled at the offer to help May with her reading and speech. She started immediately, and the little girl was an excellent pupil. They spent time on the alphabet, and then Gertrude read a story to her. By the time she was ready to leave, May was asking when she was going to come again. She left the books there and promised to come the next day at the same time.

It was late afternoon by the time she arrived home, and she was surprised to see her father there.

‘Ah, good, you’re home. Come and sit down with your mother and Hanna, my dear. I’ve got something to tell you.’

Wondering what this could be about, she settled next to her mother, praying it wasn’t bad news. But her father didn’t seem to be upset at all …

Her father removed some bulky papers from his inside pocket. ‘I had a visit from Alex this morning, and he asked
me if I would give him a shilling. It seemed a strange request, but I did so. Then he shook my hand saying it was a pleasure to do business with me, and he gave me these.’

Florence took the papers from her husband, gazed at them for a moment, then gasped, ‘Oh, my goodness!’

‘What is it?’ Gertrude and Hanna spoke at the same time.

‘I’ve just bought the house back from Alex for one shilling.’

Gertrude tipped her head back and laughed. She had been furious with him when he’d offered to give her the house if she married him, so he’d got around that. He’d sold it to her father for the paltry sum of one shilling. She hadn’t believed David, but could he have been right?

The boy’s got some nerve, Alex thought, as he read the letter for the third time. He never invested in anything unless he could examine it carefully. His family had become wealthy by knowing what was a good investment and what was not. Instinct was telling him to walk away from this one. Edward Melrose was a gambler, and it wouldn’t be wise to trust him, or his judgement of what was a good deal. Did he honestly believe he would take his word for it? How did he know he didn’t want money to pay off more gambling debts? But there was also the fact that Melrose had distinguished himself in battle and been given the Victoria Cross. Perhaps he’d changed and now deserved to be given a chance?

Resting his head back and closing his eyes, Alex allowed his mind to go over every detail. Once the war with the Boers was over, it could be a fine place for Edward Melrose
to settle. There was nothing here for him, for he doubted Sutton would ever acknowledge him as his son again. The suffering the boy had caused his family was too great.

On the deck of the troopship he had assured Edward he was looking after his family. A family he was hoping would be his quite soon. His campaign to win Gertie was going well. She no longer treated him with hostility, and had shown herself willing to help him out whenever he asked. She now laughed and joked with him. That was progress.

Opening his eyes again he stared into space, focussing his thoughts on the problem at hand. If this request had come from anyone but Gertie’s brother he wouldn’t even be considering it. He had quite enough to deal with at the moment, but the fact remained that he couldn’t get involved in this unless he saw the property. There was no way he would ever buy anything unseen, but it was a long way away. That left him with two options – refuse to help, or go out there and have a look for himself. And he had to admit that the soldier in him would love to see what the situation was out there. If he’d still been in the army that’s where he would be now, and he was still a soldier at heart.

Mind made up, he surged to his feet. He couldn’t refuse to help Edward make a new life for himself.

‘Hunt!’ he yelled.

‘Yes, sir.’ The butler appeared immediately.

‘Have the carriage made ready.’

‘At once, sir.’

His first stop was David’s office. ‘Two of my ships are almost ready to sail again, aren’t they?’

‘One today, and the other in three days. The
Falcon
’s bound for Durban—’

‘That’s perfect.’ Alex didn’t give David a chance to finish what he was saying.

‘When’s she leaving?’

‘Today. She’s carrying supplies for the army.’

‘Right, I’ll be going with her.’

David gazed at Alex in astonishment. ‘But she sails in two hours.’

‘I’d better get a move on then. Look after everything here for me.’

‘Tell me you haven’t rejoined the army – please.’

‘I haven’t.’

‘Thank God.’ David closed his eyes in relief. ‘Then what on earth’s happened? Why are you doing this? It’s dangerous out there.’

‘I’ve been asked for help from someone I can’t refuse. Keep an eye on the children.’ He turned to leave, and then spun back. ‘And if you encounter any problems with the
Ocean Sprite
, you have my permission to deal with them in any way you consider necessary. I don’t want any delays on the renovation just because I won’t be here. Oh, and if I should be delayed for any length of time, I’ve made provision for May’s continued treatment.’

‘Understood. Would you like me to tell the captain you’ll be sailing with them?’

‘Please. I’ll be there as soon as I can.’

‘Safe journey, Alex.’

He nodded and hurried away. There was a lot to do
if he was going to be on board before sailing time. Now his mind was made up, the prospect of the journey was exciting. He really needed to do something this crazy. In the army every day had been different, and he missed that kind of life.

David watched Alex stride out to the waiting carriage, jump in, and disappear up the road. He was stunned by this turn of events. What was Alex up to?

Millie came in carrying a cup of strong tea. ‘I thought you might like this. Sir told me he’s going away, but he didn’t stop to tell me where.’

‘South Africa.’ He took the tea.

‘Oh, that’s bad. Has something happened to Miss’s brother?’

David sat down suddenly, spilling tea in the saucer. ‘I’m sure he would have told me if Edward was in trouble, so it can’t be that. He said someone had asked him for help, and he couldn’t refuse. It must be to do with the army, because I can’t think of any other reason he would go there while a war is raging.’

‘Oh, I do hope he isn’t going to do anything dangerous! Did he say how long he’d be away?’

‘Hard to tell, Millie, but I should think two or three months at least. It all depends on how long his business takes, where in the country he’s going, and if he can get a ship back when he wants it.’

‘We’re gonna miss him,’ she sighed.

He agreed. Alex had become a big part of their lives, and it would be strange not having him around. David
stood up and grabbed his coat. ‘I’ve got to see the captain and tell him he’s going to have a passenger.’

The ship’s captain took the news calmly. ‘We’ve got an empty cabin he can use.’

While David was there he took the opportunity to discuss the values of various cargoes, and other business matters, then he left the ship.

It was less than an hour to sailing so he didn’t leave the dock; he waited to make sure Alex boarded on time. He’d only just reached a small hut being used as an office when a carriage thundered up, and Alex leapt out with a kit bag thrown over his shoulder. He strode up the gangplank, and it was immediately pulled up and the ship began to move away from the dock.

Alex saw him give a brief wave, and disappeared.

‘He made it on time then,’ Millie said, when he reached the office again. ‘I saw him go by.’

‘Yes, he’s on his way. Will you tell Johnny he won’t see him for a while, and I’ll have a word with Gertie right now.’

Gertrude was curled up in an armchair reading when he arrived, and fortunately alone.

‘Hello David. I’m just preparing for my next lesson with May. She does seem to enjoy the lessons.’

‘I’m pleased you’re doing this for her, because I believe she’s brighter than people think. All she needs is extra help.’ He sat down and gave a weary sigh.

Her gaze fixed on her friend. ‘What’s the matter? Has Miriam refused to go out with you?’

‘No, nothing like that. In fact we’re having dinner
together tomorrow evening. Alex has just sailed on the
Falcon
bound for Durban.’

The book slipped out of her hand and thudded on the floor. ‘Is Edward all right?’

‘He would have told me if it concerned Edward, and if he had been injured, or anything, the army would deal with it. No, he just told me he’d been asked to do something, and he couldn’t refuse. The army must have called on him, or else he wouldn’t have gone out there.’

‘Oh, dear, I don’t like the sound of that.’

He leant forward, resting his hands on his knees. ‘I’m dreadfully worried, Gertie. It was so sudden. He didn’t have time to tell me much, and only got to the ship when she was about to pull up anchor.’

‘I swear he’s the most unpredictable man I’ve ever met.’ She reached for the book on the floor, her hands trembling. ‘It must have been very urgent for him to leave like that. It’s bad enough worrying about the danger my wayward brother’s in, and now we have someone else to worry about. Did he say how long he’ll be away?’

Shrugging, David said, ‘I’ve no idea, and neither does he. The
Falcon
will only be in Durban for a week, and if he’s there longer than that, he’ll have to find another way home.’

‘I don’t believe this!’ She was looking annoyed now. ‘What about the ship, the riding school and the children?’

‘He’s left me in charge, but I’ll have to rely on you to visit the children and let me know if they need anything. I know he’s been going down there at least once a week to see May and the others.’

‘I’ll do that, of course. We mustn’t tell mother where he’s gone, or she will immediately start fretting about Edward again, and we can’t risk her having another seizure. All we need to say is that Alex has taken a voyage on one of his ships, picking up and selling cargoes.’

‘Yes, that would be wise.’

‘Oh, this isn’t right.’ She ran a hand through her hair. ‘We should all have been there on the dock to wave him goodbye. Johnny will be very upset he wasn’t able to do that.’

‘We’re all upset. It’s going to be strange not having him around.’

‘It is,’ she agreed. ‘He’s left you with a lot of responsibility. I’ll help all I can, and we’ll also call on Millie and Fred. It will be up to all of us – his friends – to see everything goes smoothly while he’s away.’

‘Good idea.’ David smiled for the first time. ‘Tell you what, I’ll call for you at around six o’clock this evening and we’ll go to Tanner Street, explain what’s happened, and enlist their help. If the children think they’re doing something for him, it might stop them getting too upset.’

They all gathered in Millie’s house. Children and parents were crammed in, sitting on the floor or standing. Many of the men were now working on the
Ocean Sprite
and had a lot of respect for Alex and David. Johnny’s mouth trembled when he heard the news, but Gertrude put her arm around his thin shoulder, whispering in his ear that they were going to need his help. He brightened up straight away.

‘What can I do?’ he asked, eagerly.

‘Well, I’m teaching May to read and improve her speech. What I’d like you to do is join in the lessons and encourage her to talk, so when Mr Glendale returns, he’ll be able to see how much progress she’s made. You know how concerned he is about her, so will you do that for him?’

He smiled round at everyone, then scrambled over to May, who was sitting on David’s lap, as usual. ‘I’m gonna help you talk, so Lord can see how clever you are.’

‘Clever,’ the little girl giggled.

‘What can we do?’ There was a chorus from the other children.

‘Well,’ May’s father answered, ‘the ship we’re working on means a lot to him, and if we had more help we’d get it done faster.’

‘It’s too dangerous for the youngsters,’ David pointed out quickly.

Mr James winked at him. ‘We couldn’t have them on board yet, but men have to leave their work to run errands, and collect drinks and food. If someone could do that for us now and again, it would be a big help.’

‘We can do that,’ they all agreed.

‘Only after school and on Saturdays mind,’ Mr James told them sternly.

David noted all the nodding heads and marvelled at the affection these people felt for Alex. All the children in the room were the ones who had followed them the first time they came here. There had been some hostility then, but there wasn’t a sign of it now.

‘Good.’ David stood up and put May on the chair.

‘Me help.’

He stooped down in front of her. ‘Of course you can, sweetheart. If you can learn to read him a story from one of your books, he’d be so proud of you.’

‘I do.’ She beamed at Gertrude. ‘She teach good.’

‘You’ll do it easily, May.’ Gertrude gave the little girl a confident smile.

‘I run too. Johnny show me.’

‘And once the riding school’s ready, we’ll have you on a pony, as well.’ David looked at everyone in the room. ‘We must be on our way now.’

‘Thank you for coming to talk to us,’ Johnny’s mother said as they were leaving. ‘We’ll all pray for his safety.’

Mr James caught them outside the door, frowning. ‘From what you’ve said it sounds as if Mr Glendale’s been roped in by the army for something. Let’s hope it isn’t too dangerous. You’ll let us know if you have any news, won’t you?’

‘Of course.’

Gertrude slipped her hand through David’s arm as they walked up the street, both silent, as they worried about the man who had become very dear to so many people.

‘Who the devil’s that?’ Jack punched Edward’s arm and pointed to a man cantering into the camp. ‘He isn’t in uniform, but he looks like an officer.’

‘Hmm, he’s on his own so he probably thought it was safer—’ Edward stopped in mid-sentence. ‘It looks like … but it can’t be!’

‘Who can’t it be?’

‘The man I wrote to about the land.’

‘Glendale? It might be, the commander’s greeting him like a friend.’ Jack studied the newcomer with renewed interest. ‘Come on, let’s get closer.’

Edward hung back, not able to believe Glendale had come all this way because he had written to him. There must be another reason. Or perhaps it wasn’t him. The man dismounting was covered in dust and had several days’ growth of beard. It was only his stature and demeanour
that made him think it was Alexander Glendale.

‘Why are you standing there, Ed?’ Jack was urging him forward. ‘Come on, I want to meet this man.’

Another frightening thought had come to Edward. If this was Glendale then perhaps he was bringing bad news about his family. He still thought of them as his family, even though he’d been disowned.

‘Quick, before the commander whisks him away.’

As if sensing the scrutiny, the man turned and faced them. The breath caught in Edward’s throat. ‘Dear Lord, it is him!’

‘You sure?’

‘Positive, there’s no mistaking those eyes. But what’s he doing here?’

‘He’s going to help us buy that land, Ed. Why else would he be here?’

‘There could be many reasons. He could have rejoined the army – or is bringing me news I don’t want to hear.’

‘We’ll soon find out. He’s coming over.’ Jack was excited. ‘It’s been weeks, and I thought he’d ignored the letter. Impressive figure, isn’t he, even under all that dirt.’

They waited while the tall, travel-stained man walked towards them. He didn’t smile or shake hands.

‘Edward, I want to see you and your friend when I’ve cleaned up and had something to eat. Two hours.’ Then he turned and walked away.

Edward ran to catch him up. ‘Please tell me how my mother is.’

‘She’s recovering. It’s slow, but she’s making steady progress.’

‘Thank God! And my sister?’

Alex stopped walking. ‘She is well, and so is your father.’

Now that he was close to Glendale he could see how weary he was. He must have ridden hard to get here. ‘Thank you.’

Giving only a curt nod, Alex walked away.

‘Oh, oh,’ Jack grimaced. ‘He don’t look too friendly.’

‘He isn’t a friendly man, but he’s the only person in London I thought might be interested in the deal.’

‘Because he wants to marry your sister, and that makes him practically family?’

‘I don’t think there’s much chance of that happening. For some strange reason, Gertie doesn’t seem to like him. No, I wrote because he’s the only man I know who’s wealthy enough to consider buying land so far from home.’ Edward sighed. ‘And now we’ve got to wait two hours before finding out why he’s here.’

‘Let’s go and have something to eat. He looks a typical officer, and I’d rather have a full stomach before meeting him.’

Food was the last thing Edward wanted. He wasn’t sure the meal would stay down, but he did his best.

They’d only just finished eating when the sergeant found them. ‘Major Glendale’s waiting for you in the commander’s quarters. You’d best hurry if you know what’s good for you.’

‘Yes, sergeant!’

As they hurried along, Jack showed the first signs of doubt. ‘Damn, Ed, if he’s back in the army we could be in trouble. Ordinary soldiers like us don’t ask an officer for money.’

‘What do you mean by ordinary?’ Edward tried to joke and lighten the tension. ‘You were wounded in battle, and I’ve earned a VC. Although I still can’t understand why.’

‘You saved my life, remember, and carried out other heroic deeds.’

‘Heroic!’ Edward snorted in disgust. ‘I’m no hero, I just didn’t care if I lived or died.’

‘Keep on trying to convince yourself of that, my friend, but no one else believes it. You’re entitled to respect, and this man knows it.’

‘Let’s hope you’re right. Here we are – take a deep breath.’

They were marched in and stood to attention.

Alex glanced up, irritation showing on his strong features. ‘For heaven’s sake, sit down. I’m not in the army now.’

‘Thanks, sir.’ Jack nudged Edward, and winked. That answered one of their questions.

Once they were settled, Alex got straight to the point. ‘Tell me about this property you want to buy.’

‘We’d like to stay here when the fighting’s over, and we believe we could make something of the place.’ Edward then went on to describe the property, and explained that the owner wanted to go to London to live.

‘There’s grazing, and fields for crops,’ Jack jumped in eagerly, ‘and the soil’s not bad. The owner, Mr Botha, showed us his records, and when the land is worked properly it makes a nice profit.’

‘Any water?’

‘Yes, sir, there’s a well near the house, and a small lake about a mile further on. The place has been neglected lately, and the house needs a lot of work done on it. Mr
Botha just wants to get out, that’s why he’d be willing to take a reasonable offer. He told us he wouldn’t talk money with us because we were a couple of penniless soldiers, but when we told him about you, he said he’d discuss it with you, if you were interested.’

Alex nodded. ‘Be mounted and ready to leave at eight in the morning, and don’t wear uniforms, but come armed. I have permission for you to accompany me.’

‘We’ll be ready, and thank you.’ Edward still couldn’t believe Glendale was here, even though he was sitting opposite them, clean shaven now. ‘I didn’t expect you to take any notice of my letter, let alone come all this way.’

‘I never buy anything unless I examine it first.’ Alex eyed the men in front of him. ‘You didn’t think I would just send you money, did you?’

The implication of his words was clear, and Edward bristled. ‘I don’t gamble now.’

‘That’s right,’ Jack told him. ‘He won’t even look at a pack of cards.’

‘I’m relieved to hear it, but that isn’t what I meant. I want to make sure it’s a sound investment, and the only way I can do that is by seeing it for myself.’

‘You’ll like it, sir.’

‘We’ll see. Congratulations on your VC, Edward. Your mother’s very proud of you, and it has helped a great deal with her recovery.’

‘Without the mess I left them in she wouldn’t have become ill.’ His mouth was set in a grim line. ‘I’m never going to be able to forgive myself for that. I’ve ruined three lives – four if I count my own.’

‘Their situation is improving, and you are making an effort to pull your life together. Joining the army is turning out to be a wise move on your part.’ Alex stood up. ‘Now I must get some sleep. Write to your mother, Edward.’

He nodded.

‘Thanks for helping us, sir,’ Jack said.

‘I haven’t done anything yet. If I don’t like the property I’ll go straight back to London. It’s too early to raise your hopes.’

‘No sir, of course not.’ Once outside, Jack grinned. ‘I don’t care what he says, there’s no way he’s made this journey if he doesn’t intend to buy that land for us.’

‘Don’t be too sure. He’s one of the wealthiest men in England, and he and his family didn’t get that way by throwing money away on lost causes. He could take one look and just ride away.’

‘Nah.’ Jack shook his head. ‘He’s got a vulnerable spot, and that’s your family. I saw it in his eyes when he talked about them. He won’t walk away because it will make them happy to know you’ve made a future for yourself.’

‘You’re ever the optimist.’ Edward laughed, relieved now the interview was over. ‘We’ll see tomorrow who’s right.’

They were on their way by first light. Edward and Jack had told Alex where the farm was, but he took a detour.

‘Er … where are we going, sir? The property’s in that direction.’ Jacked pointed to his right.

‘I know, but we’re going to do a bit of scouting for the commander first.’

‘Told you he wasn’t here just for us,’ Edward muttered.

For the next two hours they followed Alex as he drew maps and made notes about a certain area. Fortunately they didn’t run into any trouble, and Jack breathed a sigh of relief when the scouting mission was completed and they were heading for the farm.

‘You sure he isn’t back in the army, Ed?’ Jack whispered. ‘They were pretty accurate maps he’s been drawing. Perhaps they’re going to use him as a spy, and that’s why he isn’t in uniform.’

‘I really don’t know, and he certainly wouldn’t tell us. Let’s hope he isn’t using the excuse to look at our land as a cover, and has no intention of buying it.’

‘Oh, don’t say that, Ed. I really want this place.’

‘Me too.’ They rode in silence for the rest of the way, both wondering what was going to happen.

Alex made no comment as they rode through the gate and up to the house.

The owner came out holding a rifle. ‘Ah, it’s you at last! I’d just about given up hope of seeing you again.’

‘Sorry it’s been so long, Mr Botha, but they moved us to another area for a while. We only returned to Ladysmith a week ago.’ Edward dismounted. ‘This is Major Glendale, and he’d like to inspect the property.’

‘With your permission, of course, sir. And I’m no longer in the army. I don’t use the rank.’ Alex stepped forward and shook hands with the owner.

‘Come into the house first. You must all be thirsty after your ride.’

After accepting a refreshing fruit drink made by the owner, they mounted up and all rode out to see the
property. Edward and Jack were content to let Alex ask all the questions.

‘He knows what he’s talking about,’ Jack remarked, approvingly. ‘But for the life of me I can’t tell if he likes the place or not.’

‘Nor me, but from the thorough way he’s going into everything, it looks as if he really is serious about it, and not just here to scout for the army. I hope he’s impressed, because after seeing it again, I want it more than ever.’

‘And me. We could make a good life here, Ed. Look at that glorious blue sky, and all this space. It’s heaven compared to smoky London.’

The inspection over, they arrived back at the house and dismounted. Alex came over to them. ‘Two things you need to consider before we go any further with this. You will encounter hostility if you settle here, even if the war’s over. And this place is very isolated. Are you prepared to take the chance, work hard, and try your best to make this farm a viable proposition?’

‘Yes, sir!’ they said in unison.

He nodded to the two eager men. ‘Stay here while I see what kind of a deal I can do with the owner.’

It was an anxious hour, and they rubbed down the horses, watered them, and did anything to pass the time, except talk. Eventually the door opened, and the two men came out, both smiling.

The owner turned to Alex and held out his hand. ‘Thank you, Mr Glendale. I’ll meet you a week from now.’

‘I’ll see you then.’ He mounted, and without speaking to Edward and Jack, rode towards the gates.

‘How did it go, sir?’ Jack couldn’t contain himself any longer.

‘The property has potential, but you’ll have to work damned hard to make it profitable. It’s been sorely neglected.’

‘We’re not afraid of hard work, sir. Are we, Ed?’

‘Does this mean you’re going to help us buy it?’ Edward was almost afraid to breathe, in case the hope flaring inside him was taken away.

‘I’ve purchased the property on your behalf.’

Jack gave a yelp of delight.

‘You won’t be able to take over here until you’ve served your time with the army, and this war’s over. I’m going to put a caretaker in to look after the place until then. Mr Botha knows of an elderly man who will be pleased to do that for us. Once you start working the property you’ll have a year to make a profit before you need to start repaying me the purchase price. I won’t charge you any interest, and as soon as you’ve paid half the amount, I’ll deed the property over to the two of you.’

‘How much did you get it for, sir?’ Jack asked.

‘The owner’s so anxious to leave he didn’t even try to negotiate a better price. I started low, and he accepted. That’s all you need to know for the time being, but from what I’ve seen of the place you shouldn’t have any difficulty paying off the loan. Once put into good, productive order, it will be worth twice the price I paid for it. I’ll send you full details in writing on my return to London.’

Edward was stunned. ‘That’s a very generous offer. Are you prepared to wait that long for your money?’

‘I’ll lose nothing by waiting. It’s a fine place. I’ve offered Mr Botha free passage to London on one of my ships, and he’ll be able to bring all of his possessions with him. The
Falcon
will be returning for me in eight days. That should give us enough time to settle the caretaker in before we leave.’

‘Oh, I’ll bet he jumped at that offer, sir.’ Jack smiled happily at his friend.

‘He did. And now you two make sure you come out of this conflict alive.’