Moving On (15 page)

Tom’s suggestion was still ringing in Jenny’s head when she went to bed that night. It had been such a momentous day, so packed with surprises that she wondered if she had misheard or misunderstood what he had said.

She stroked the beautiful cream fur wrap then buried her face in its softness. It felt so luxurious and was such a personal gift that she wondered if she should have accepted it. By doing so had it given Tom the wrong impression, she wondered?

It was thirty-five years since William had died. Her marriage had been such a happy one that she had never wanted to marry again. She had lived on her own for so long now that she wasn’t sure she’d welcome the restrictions that could result if she was living with another person. That was selfish, she reflected, when Tom had been so good to her while she had been ill.

Living with Eddy and Karen had been different because she had been the one in charge, even though Eddy had always considered himself to be the man of the house.

They had been a good team. He had been someone to talk things over with and he had helped her to crystallize her thoughts whenever there were important decisions to be made. He had also taken care of any of the heavier jobs around the house and garden.

Bringing up Karen had been a shared duty and Karen knew from a very young age that her father and her grandmother agreed on all major decisions so it was no good trying to play one off against the other. It was an amicable arrangement; one which suited them all.

Eddy had been dead now for seven years and although she still missed him she had come to terms with life and no longer grieved or felt lonely.

Moving in with Tom Fieldman, however, would be a major decision, not one to be taken lightly.

She cared a great deal for him but there was no question of being in love like she had been with William. Rather, he would be a replacement for Eddy’s companionship. Would he accept that she still felt responsible for her granddaughter?

She was still worried about Karen’s present disappearance and went over and over in her mind what had happened to Karen since Eddy had died. If only she had kept her job at Premium Printing, she thought sadly.

Things had started to go awry, Jenny reflected, from the moment Karen had met Jimmy Martin. He had made her discontent with her ordered life; he had agreed with her that there were more glamorous ways of earning a living and had encouraged her to try her luck.

That had been Karen’s undoing. It had led to her disastrous relationship with Hadyn Trimm and the possibility of being arrested as a drugs courier.

Marrying Lionel Bostock had been an even greater calamity. Jenny still believed that Karen had only done that because she felt the need of a father figure in her life; not as a scheming little money-grabber like so many of the people in Merseyside Mansions seemed to believe.

Jenny sighed. She certainly couldn’t contemplate making any changes in her own life until she knew where Karen was and that she was safe. She would also need to know what her plans were for the future.

On Wednesday morning she decided to put a brave face on things and to go along to the coffee morning. She hoped Tom would be there to boost her confidence if people started questioning her about Karen.

It was a bitterly cold day even for the middle of January, so she put on a high-necked red woollen sweater and black trousers. She arrived before Tom and was immediately greeted with a babble of news about Karen.

‘What a windfall for your granddaughter! You must both be over the moon!’ Beryl Willis chuckled, her plump round face creased in a smile.

‘Lucky girl! She really was “an old man’s darling” and it has paid off,’ Lorna Hill commented acidly.

‘Where is she now?’ Dan Grey questioned.

‘Off making the most of it if I know anything about her,’ someone said with a laugh.

‘Probably taken herself off on a luxury holiday?’ Lorna Hill mused. ‘I know that’s what I would do if I was lucky enough to have an unexpected windfall like that.’

‘Surely, it wasn’t that much of a surprise. I imagine she’d thought she would do a lot better than that. Old Lionel was very well heeled, remember.’

‘She could have waited for you to come home and taken you with her. You might have found her another rich old man to marry,’ Sandra Roberts commented rather sarcastically.

There were jests and jibes from so many that Jenny’s head felt in a whirl; especially since she didn’t really know what they were talking about.

She had no idea what the ‘windfall’ was, but it was not long before Jane Phillips’s comment, ‘so generous of Edwin Bostock,’ gave her a clue what it was all about.

She took a seat next to Mavis Grey and after she’d been served with her coffee asked her tentatively if she knew what the windfall was that they were all talking about.

Mavis looked rather startled, then smiled nervously. ‘I thought you looked rather bewildered. They’re referring to the very generous settlement Edwin Bostock has made on your granddaughter of course,’ she said quietly.

‘Settlement?’ Jenny looked even more puzzled.

‘You really don’t know, do you?’ Mavis murmured.

‘I don’t. Do you know the details? If so then please tell me.’

‘I can tell you what I’ve heard. It does come from Jane Phillips,’ she said in an apologetic tone, ‘but I gather it was Edwin Bostock who told her.’

‘Edwin Bostock?’ Jenny’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. ‘I didn’t know Jane was that friendly with him!’

‘Apparently he told her ages ago when she asked him what was happening about Lionel’s flat. If Edwin sold the flat then it meant that Karen would have to find somewhere else to live.’

‘Yes, I knew that was his intention,’ Jenny murmured.

‘Edwin then went on to explain to Jane that although his father had changed his will in Karen’s favour when they had got married he hadn’t signed it before he died so Lionel’s previous will, in which he left his entire estate to Edwin, was still valid.’

‘I see.’

‘However,’ Mavis went on, ‘Edwin said that as a goodwill settlement he was giving her ten thousand pounds. He hoped that by doing this it would save them going to court about his father’s estate. He said that if they did that then probably they’d both lose a great deal of money in the process.’

‘Ten thousand! Good heavens!’ Jenny put her half empty coffee cup down on the table, her hand shaking as she stared at Mavis astounded. ‘So do you think all this is true?’

Mavis picked up her own coffee and took a sip. ‘I imagine so. You mean Karen hasn’t mentioned any of this to you?’

‘No; she hasn’t said a word. Mind you, I haven’t seen her since the night I scalded myself and had to go into hospital. I couldn’t understand why I hadn’t heard from her and I have been very worried but now you’ve told me this it begins to make sense.’

Jenny picked up her coffee cup again and pondered over this unexpected news as she drank what remained. She wondered why Tom had never mentioned it.

When he arrived a few minutes later and came and sat in the chair next to hers it was the first thing she asked him.

‘I heard rumours but I didn’t attach any importance to them; I didn’t for one minute think they were true and it seemed pointless repeating them to you.’

‘It could account for why she is missing and why I’ve not had any news of her,’ Jenny said rather sharply.

‘True. If she was going away on a holiday, though, I would have thought she would have told you or at least left you a message,’ he mused.

‘Perhaps she thought I wouldn’t approve. I might have told her she shouldn’t waste the money but do something useful with it. In fact,’ Jenny added more brightly, ‘probably that’s what she has done, put it to some good purpose.’

‘Like what?’ Tom asked dubiously.

‘Now Edwin has sold Lionel’s flat then Karen must have found somewhere else to live.’

‘You mean you weren’t willing to let her move back in with you?’ Tom said in a surprised voice.

‘As everybody keeps reminding me, it’s breaking all the rules if I let her stay with me,’ Jenny pointed out. ‘According to Jane Phillips, even as a guest you have to be over fifty-five to stay here more than a couple of days.’

‘I think Jane may have been exaggerating,’ someone murmured. ‘Perhaps you should have a word with the concierge and get a proper ruling.’

‘Well, Karen’s not here now so it doesn’t really matter,’ Jenny stated rather sharply. ‘Anyway,’ she added, ‘it’s not convenient.’

‘Not for you perhaps, but she didn’t seem to mind,’ Tom reminded her cryptically.

‘She had to sleep on the sofa and you can only do that for so long; it’s not comfortable and you don’t get a proper night’s sleep,’ Jenny pointed out.

‘Yes, I suppose that’s true,’ Tom agreed.

‘I think she’s found herself somewhere else to live and is waiting until she has found a job and is back on her feet before letting me know anything because she doesn’t want me to be worried,’ Jenny stated loyally.

Tom nodded but made no comment. He hoped she was right even though from what he knew of Karen it seemed to him to be highly improbable.

He didn’t pursue the subject. The conversation all around them was now focused on the impact Margaret Thatcher was having on the country. She had been elected the previous May and because she was the very first woman prime minister the men in particular were dubious of her ability to carry off such a role.

Jenny listened to the heated arguments and comments going on all around her for a few more minutes and then made an excuse to leave. She wanted to get away and be on her own. She needed the seclusion of her own flat, where she could digest the information she’d learned about Karen.

She needed to be alone to try and work out what Karen might have done or where she might be without listening to other people’s theories. She also wanted to telephone Edwin Bostock and hear the details direct from him. She was still wondering why he had changed his mind and why he was now being so generous.

It was August before Jenny heard from Karen. Eight long months during which she had grown thin and nervy with worry; eight long months without giving Tom an answer to his proposal.

Gossip about Karen was no longer a topic at the Wednesday coffee mornings apart from one or two genuine enquiries from some of the more kindly and friendly residents. So many other things had taken their interest. Since Christmas there had been two deaths, three people had moved away, several new people had moved in. Life went on. Jenny and Tom were the only ones who were really concerned about Karen’s welfare and anxious about her whereabouts.

Jenny kept telling herself that ‘no news was good news’ but it did nothing to set her mind at rest. Lurid details about the fate suffered by victims of the Yorkshire Ripper filled her mind. Karen was young, pretty and vulnerable, so had she fallen prey to this evil man? she kept asking herself.

When she answered the telephone early one Tuesday morning and a woman’s voice said, ‘Hello, Gran, I’m back in England,’ Jenny thought she was hallucinating. ‘I’m on my way to see you but I was just checking that you were still living at Merseyside Mansions,’ the voice went on.

Jenny pulled herself together. It sounded like Karen’s and yet it didn’t. It had an odd twang. Jenny wasn’t sure if it was because she was speaking on the phone and it was a bad line or if it was someone impersonating Karen.

‘Where are you?’ she asked.

‘London; Heathrow Airport. Can’t you hear the planes?’

‘What are you doing there?’

‘Just flown in from Australia. We’re going to take a train to Liverpool, so we will see you later in the day if that is all right. I wanted to make sure that you would be at home.’

‘We?’ Jenny asked.

‘That’s right, Bill and me.’

‘Bill?’ Jenny knew she must sound simple but things were moving too fast for her. After all these months of worrying, just hearing Karen’s voice was sending her blood pressure spiralling.

‘His name is Bill Walsh. I met him while I was in Australia. You’ll like him, Gran. Look, I’ve got to go now or we’ll miss our train. I’ll see you later in the day. All the news then.’

Karen had rung off before Jenny could ask any more questions. She stood holding the receiver for several seconds before she replaced it in its cradle. Had that really been Karen? She said she’d been in Australia. And who was Bill Walsh?

She picked up the phone again and dialled Tom’s number. He was as taken aback by the news as she was. Like her he was curious to know more about Bill Walsh.

‘We had better wait until later today and see what she has to say for herself when she gets here,’ he said thoughtfully.

‘You’re right, I suppose,’ Jenny agreed, ‘but I am worried about what this means; I’ve never heard her mention Bill Walsh before.’

‘Well, she wouldn’t have done if she met him out in Australia,’ Tom reasoned. ‘You haven’t heard from her since she went there.’

‘No, I suppose you are right, but I can’t help feeling concerned; Karen seems to make such bad choices in men.’

‘True,’ Tom agreed. ‘Look, why don’t you let me take you out to lunch somewhere; it will help pass the time and might even stop you worrying about Karen,’ he added with a light laugh.

Karen arrived just before five o’clock. The man with her was in his early thirties, tall, broad-shouldered, clean-shaven and with well-spaced dark brown eyes and thick dark brown hair. His handshake was firm and his voice decisive but well modulated. He was wearing dark brown trousers, a brown tweed jacket and an open-necked brown and cream checked shirt.

Jenny’s initial fears were dispersed. She liked him on sight. What was equally important was that she thought Karen had lost weight and seemed happier than Jenny had seen her in years.

Jenny introduced Bill Walsh to Tom and, as the two men shook hands she saw that as they weighed each other up Tom appeared to be perfectly happy with what he saw.

‘Have you two eaten?’ Tom asked, looking from Bill to Karen and back again.

‘Not since we landed, but we want to find somewhere to stay first,’ Karen stated.

‘That’s no problem,’ Tom told her. ‘You can stay here tonight, I have a spare bedroom.’

‘Thank you,’ Karen said gratefully, ‘but won’t that set all the old tabbies squawking?’

‘Karen!’ Jenny said in a reproving tone, but nevertheless she laughed with the others.

‘I’m sure we can avoid you meeting any of them if you are worried about what they will say,’ she said quickly.

‘No, not in the least worried,’ Karen told her airily. ‘I’ve told Bill all about my murky past. Oh, and I’ve turned over a new leaf, Gran, in case you were wondering,’ she added, smiling at Bill.

Jenny noticed the warm smile he gave Karen in return and her heart lifted. These two really were made for each other, she thought happily. In that one glance she had seen so much honesty, trust and love between them that she was reassured.

‘Right then,’ Tom said briskly, ‘that’s settled. Come on Bill, let’s take your cases along to my flat and get you settled in and then we’ll go out for a meal.’

‘You two carry on while I stay here and have a quiet word with Gran,’ Karen told them. ‘I know where your flat is Tom and I’ll join you in a minute or two.’

‘I’m sorry not to have been in touch, Gran,’ Karen said contritely when the door had closed behind the two men. She crossed over to sit beside Jenny and took one of her hands and held it between both of her own. ‘I have missed you and I knew you would be worried but I needed time to come to terms with myself. If you remember I always wanted to travel and see something of the world, but when I left school you were so anxious for me to start work right away at Premium Printing that I couldn’t do so. I promised myself I would do it one day and when Edwin gave me that ten thousand pounds I thought it was an ideal opportunity.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me that was what you were planning to do?’ Jenny sighed.

‘Because I knew you would try and stop me and tell me I ought to invest the money as a nest egg for the future or something sensible like that.’

When Jenny said nothing Karen went on, ‘I was in Australia and met Bill quite by chance and was astounded to know that he came from Heswall and was a geography teacher at a private school in Wiltshire. He was visiting Australia during the school summer holidays because that was one of the things he had always wanted to do. Odd wasn’t it that we should both turn up there at the same moment and bump into each other.’

‘Some people might say it was fate,’ Jenny said, smiling.

Karen grinned. ‘Or sheer luck. Tell me that you really like him, Gran.’

‘I’ve only just this moment met him but I certainly do like what I’ve seen of him so far,’ Jenny agreed cautiously. ‘Tom certainly seemed to approve of him; he must do or he wouldn’t have offered to let you stay in his flat.’

‘True, but then Tom is a very understanding person and he’s also very nice and I do approve, Gran, so go on and enjoy a little happiness the same as I am doing. I think you two were made for each other,’ she added with a broad smile.

‘Karen! What a thing to say.’ Jenny felt the colour rushing to her cheeks.

‘Gran, it’s so obvious; you work in tandem. You didn’t show the least surprise when Tom said we could stay in his apartment. In fact, I wondered if you two had talked about it and reached a decision before we arrived.’

‘Certainly not! Neither of us had ever met Bill Walsh or knew anything at all about him. He might have been a most unsuitable character.’

‘You mean like some of the other men I’ve got entangled with in the past?’

Jenny bit her lip. She didn’t want to start criticizing Karen. She felt far too happy to see her home again safe and sound and she had to admit that there was something very likeable about Bill Walsh.

‘Does this mean that you two are planning a future together?’ she asked quietly.

‘It certainly does. We did think of tying the knot in Australia but then I thought I would like you to be there when we did.’

‘What about Bill’s family?’

‘No problem there at all. Sadly, both his parents are dead; killed in a car crash three years ago – and he is an only child.’

‘Heart whole and fancy free,’ Jenny murmured.

Karen’s eyebrows went up at the dubious note in Jenny’s voice. ‘Don’t you believe me, Gran?’

‘Of course I do, it’s simply …’ She stopped speaking. There were countless questions in her mind. Bill looked to be in his early thirties so why wasn’t he married? Did he have a home of any kind. Where were they going to live?

As if in answer to her unspoken questions, Karen went on, ‘Bill teaches at a boarding school and he has accommodation at the school. We are hoping that when we are married they will let him move into a larger flat or one of the houses in the school grounds. The new term doesn’t start for a couple of weeks and Bill wants to go and check out what arrangements he can make.’

‘In the meantime where are you staying?’ Jenny asked.

‘We are planning to spend the next couple of weeks down in Wiltshire in a hotel somewhere near the school,’ Karen told her. ‘If the school are unable to offer us the sort of accommodation we want then we will look for a flat or house in the area. For the next couple of nights we thought we’d stay in Wallasey because I was desperate to spend some time with you. I’ve told Bill so much about you that he wanted to meet you and get to know you as well.’

‘We’d better smarten ourselves up, those two men will be back here any minute all eager to go and eat,’ Jenny said, standing up.

‘Yes, you’re right,’ Karen agreed, ‘and I must freshen up first. I need to change. I’ve been wearing these jeans and this T-shirt ever since we left Australia. If I go and unpack some clean clothes can I bring them back here and have a quick shower?’

‘Of course you can.’

‘You are such a dear and so understanding I really don’t deserve you, Gran,’ Karen told her and gave Jenny a big hug and a kiss on both cheeks. ‘I’ll be back in two seconds.’