Winners and Losers (20 page)

Lisa couldn't have been more than fifteen, Connor thought as he got into his car and drove back to the hotel. He had more sense than to go with an underage child, even if he'd fancied her. She was well developed for her age, but she wore too much make-up and he preferred the kind of clothes Sarah wore.

He was still thinking of Lisa as he went up to his room. She was so young to be away from home. He wondered if her parents had any idea where she had gone. A tiny prick of guilt kept him awake for a while, but he was tired and finally he slept.

Alice looked at the letter that had come from Frances that morning. She had written to say that she would like them to visit soon. It was written in a friendly tone, but in the light of what Daniel had done it felt almost like a summons.

Alice had enjoyed her stay the previous summer. She would have liked to go down again, but she felt embarrassed. It was humiliating to know that Daniel had borrowed from his wealthy sister. Alice hadn't minded that they were always short of money. She'd understood that things were difficult because of the bankruptcy. They had managed to keep the few fields they had because Daniel had put them in her name. He had cleared himself now, but she felt that the stigma still hung over them – and now he owed all that money to Frances.

He had given five hundred pounds to that woman in the hairdressing shop! Alice wasn't sure what made her angrier – the fact that he had a bastard son or that he had borrowed so much money from Frances.

She had been so shocked and hurt when she saw the boy who looked like her own son, but if Daniel was telling her the truth, it had happened only once and a long time ago. That didn't make it better, because she hated the thought that he had been with another woman after they got together. Yet she knew that the same thing had happened to so many women during the war; their men were away fighting and there were always other women around. She was fairly certain that there hadn't been anyone else for Daniel, though he had worked with the Resistance in Greece until the Germans took him prisoner.

She wouldn't let herself think about that, Alice decided. She wouldn't have minded so much about what happened with that woman if she hadn't brought her son to Ely. Alice would hate it if Mary or one of her friends put two and two together and felt sorry for her.

Alice had begun to regret shutting Daniel out of their bedroom. She missed having him beside her at night, and not just because it was so cold now that the weather had turned icy. The old house let in draughts and it was always cold in winter, even with fires in the kitchen and bedrooms. She didn't keep a fire going overnight in the bedrooms, because it might be dangerous while they were sleeping, even though she kept the guards in place. Instead she piled more and more blankets on the bed. Her pride wouldn't let her back down – at least for a while yet. She was still angry with him and she had no intention of visiting Frances until they could pay at least some of what they owed her.

Daniel had started to take his milking herd to the market. He was gradually selling them off. He said he was going to plant more wheat and barley this year, though he was talking of applying for a larger allocation of sugar beet, but that was a matter of luck because everyone wanted to grow the lucrative crop.

Alice knew how much Daniel wanted to work on the cars. He really needed a garage forecourt to sell them, because not many people would bother to ride into the fen to look at a second-hand car. If he'd had any sense, she thought angrily, he would just have told her about his bastard son and kept the five hundred pounds to start up the garage.

Alice grudged that money. That woman didn't deserve it, because from what Daniel said she'd thrown herself at him – and she shouldn't expect him to pay for what had been an act of kindness.

In her heart of hearts, though, Alice admitted that it must be hard to be left alone with a growing son to bring up, but she wasn't going to feel sorry for that woman!

She had her own family to think of; they didn't exactly go without things, but it would have been nice to buy Danny a new bike instead of the second-hand one his father had done up for him. Not that Danny minded; he had been over the moon when Daniel gave it to him.

Oh damn! Alice wished she'd never seen the young boy in Ely. She couldn't help thinking about him and his mother. Why should she have that shop when Alice could have used the money for so many things? It just wasn't right.

Maura looked at herself in the mirror. She was still attractive but it didn't do her any good, because she had a child to look after and men just weren't interested in taking on other men's sons. Her first husband had sworn he didn't mind, but things had got worse and worse between them; then one night he'd simply walked out, leaving Maura to pay the bills. She had discovered they were behind with the rent and she'd had no chance of paying, so she'd packed some suitcases and moved on.

After that Maura had moved from place to place for months, never staying long, finding work that was seldom sufficient to pay the bills. It was when she was feeling close to despair one night that she'd had the idea of blackmailing Daniel Searles.

He had given her five hundred pounds, which was enough to start up her small shop in Ely. Maura was a good hairdresser and she had been lucky to find Shirley, who was looking to change jobs and had a core of loyal customers who had come with her. Maura was making more money than she'd ever had in her life, but still she wasn't satisfied. She wasn't sure what she wanted, but she knew she needed more – a bit of fun in her life. A new man.

Maura still thought Daniel Searles one of the most attractive men she'd ever met, but she was under no illusions about his feelings for her. He wouldn't touch her with a barge pole. But she was sure there must be others who would if she gave them the chance.

Her son was sitting in the corner of their tiny sitting room reading comics. She got up and went over to him, ruffling his hair. He looked up at her, a hint of resignation in his eyes.

‘You don't mind if I go out for a while, do you, love? You'll be all right on your own?'

‘I'm all right,' he muttered and scowled at her. ‘Don't come home drunk, Mum.'

‘It was only once,' Maura said, though she knew it had happened more than once over the months they'd been moving around the country. ‘I'll give you some money for sweets in the morning.'

David grunted but didn't say anything more. Maura shrugged and went to put on her coat. The pub was only just round the corner. She would have a couple of drinks, see if there were any likely men, and if she didn't strike lucky, she would come home.

She went out of the sitting room, down the stairs and out the back door. David would be all right. He was perfectly capable of looking after himself for a few hours.

Connor stood outside the recording studio. It had taken nearly four weeks of intensive work, but their first album was almost ready to be released. He had stayed on after the rest of the group had gone, because he'd become friendly with the guy who was in charge of the mixing. They had talked about various things that could be adjusted, and Connor had hopes that the album would be a success.

It was harder to get a hit album than a single – at least that was what they had been told. He would have felt happier if one of their previous singles had gone to number one, but the last release had only reached number five. The record company was making noises and Connor sensed that the album was their last chance to make it with Moon Records. If the album flopped, they would be looking for a new label.

‘What are our chances?' Connor asked when the others had gone.

‘I think two of your solos have a chance of being a hit,' Steve told him. ‘I shall recommend that Moon puts one of them out as a single at the same time as the album and that should sell the album for you.'

‘You don't think they were too sentimental?'

‘I think the mix of ballads and rock is just right,' Steve said, looking thoughtful. ‘Have you considered going as a solo artist, Con?'

‘What makes you ask?'

‘I don't think your backing group is good enough. If you want to get right to the top, you should make the break now. With a good group behind you, you could be mega.'

‘I've never thought of it,' Connor said truthfully. ‘Terry took me into the band. I would never have started in the business if it weren't for him. It would be a bit mean to let them down now.'

‘It's just a suggestion. You will always work with the Bad Boys – if being on the road is what you want. However, if you want top billing at a theatre and a big recording career, you need to make the break – and you should think about a different label, one of the major companies. Moon Records are all right. They got lucky a couple of times, because they take untried bands and put them on contracts that mean they take most of the profits. Your aim should be to get on television, but I don't think your group has what it takes. I think you could do well yourself, as a solo artist.'

‘How do I get out of our contract – if I ever wanted to go solo?'

‘You need a good lawyer. I'll put you in touch with someone if you decide to make the break.'

‘Thanks. I'll give it some thought.'

‘I'm going to a party tomorrow evening,' Steve said. ‘Some of the guests are people you should meet – the men behind the real successes. You should talk to some of them.'

‘Right. Give me your number. I'm not sure where I'll be tomorrow, but if I can make it, I'll give you a buzz.'

Connor knew they weren't due to go back on the road for another week. He had been wondering if he should go home, but now he thought that it might be better to stay around. Steve knew this business inside out. Connor wasn't thinking of breaking up with the rest of the band, but it might be a good idea to look for another label. First of all they needed to improve the group. He thought they could do with someone on saxophone. Terry hadn't wanted to take anyone else in, but Connor knew Steve was right. The band was popular but to make it right to the top they needed something more.

He remembered the night they had won the competition that started all this – and the band that had come second. He would like to get together with some of them and see what kind of sound they could produce.

‘We don't want anyone else.' Sam glared at Connor when they met the next morning as arranged. ‘We're doing fine. I've never earned as much money in my life. Why spoil things?'

‘I just think we might do better if we got a couple of extra members on board,' Connor said. ‘We didn't make it to number one, Sam. I think we could do that if we got a saxophone player and maybe a keyboard.'

‘We would have to split the money seven ways then,' Ray said. ‘It's all right for you. You get more than we do.'

Connor heard the resentment and sighed inwardly. He had been afraid this might happen one day. ‘Not on the records,' he reminded him. ‘I didn't ask for more money for the gigs but it was the way things were when we signed.'

‘We wouldn't have won the first competition without Con. We owe what we've got to him,' Terry said, frowning. ‘I know what you're saying, but I need to think about this – it would change what we are.'

‘We could go from being quite successful to being at the top!' Connor said. ‘I don't know about you, but I don't want to spend my whole life on the road. A good record company would pay us enough to make that unnecessary – especially if our records took off.'

‘We're doing all right. We're in the top ten,' Sam chimed in.

‘In this country,' Terry said. ‘We haven't been picked up by America – the really big money comes from over there.'

‘I'm doing all right,' Sam said. ‘I vote we stay as we are.'

‘I've been invited to a party this evening,' Connor said. ‘I've been told there are people I should talk to about moving on to another label. I'll let you know what they say.'

‘I'm sticking where I am,' Sam said. ‘You're getting too big for your boots, Connor Searles. Just because the girls scream and throw their knickers at you, it doesn't mean you can tell the rest of us what to do.'

‘I'm not trying to tell you what to do. I just think we could do better.'

‘Well, I'm happy with what we're doing,' Sam said and got up. He went out, followed by Ray a moment later. Jack lingered for a moment looking undecided and then followed the others.

‘Sorry about this, Con. They are stupid to resent you, because we wouldn't have got this far without you. You're the star. I know it and I accept it, but the others . . .' He shrugged his shoulders. ‘Are you thinking of moving on – going solo?'

‘I've been advised I should,' Connor told him frankly. ‘But I would rather improve what we have, Terry. We're good friends but I'm not sure how long I want to spend going from one hotel to another, never having quality time to spend at home. I want to buy a house and get married.'

‘You would still need to do personal appearances if your records hit number one.'

‘A few – on radio and maybe TV and good theatres. We've been grabbing everything they offer us just for the money. Some of those places are sleazy dives, Terry. I want something better for the band.'

‘I know you're right,' Terry said. ‘You talk to a few people tonight and see what you come up with, Con. I'll talk the guys round. If you can swing it, we'll do it your way.'

Connor dressed carefully for the party that evening in black drainpipes and a maroon jacket with a velvet collar; he wore an open-necked white shirt and white socks. At the last minute he slipped the gold signet ring Sarah had given him for Christmas on to the third finger of his left hand. Whatever happened in the future, he was going to ask her to marry him soon. Tomorrow morning he was going home for a few days.