‘Yeah, maybe, but if it’s that badly damaged, it won’t be fit to live in.’
‘I could get Terry to have a look at it. He’d know if it can be made habitable and what it would cost. It’s worth a try.’
‘All right, but for now if you don’t mind I think I’ll turn in. It was a busy night and I’m whacked.’
‘Yes, I’m ready for bed too,’ Emma said.
The two women left the room, and as was Emma’s routine, she checked that the street door was firmly locked. She then waited until Doris was safely in her room before switching off the hall lights. In darkness she headed for the bedroom she still shared with her daughter, another reason for buying separate premises for the business. Emma paused on the threshold, feeling a shiver of apprehension. With ears pricked she stood motionless, holding her breath, but the house was still, with only the ticking of the grandfather clock breaking the silence. With a sigh of relief she stepped into her room, closing the door behind her. She didn’t know why she was feeling jittery, why she felt she was being watched. Trying to dismiss her unease, Emma climbed into bed, but she found sleep elusive.
It was past midnight and Horace Bell was leaning forward over his desk, his eyes on the snapshot of Emma’s daughter. Until now he had done his best to forget his wife and had almost been successful, but since getting the results of his tests, he couldn’t get her daughter out of his mind.
When told that his disease was too far advanced to be cured, he had railed at fate, at the thought of dying. He had no belief in God, no belief in an afterlife, and for the first time realised that
with his death his line would be gone for ever. There would be nothing to show for his existence, for all the years he had taken building his considerable fortune, a fortune that meant nothing now, the money unable to buy a medical cure.
Once again, he scanned the small photograph, looking for signs that this child might be his-his flesh and blood. There was no getting away from the fact that she was like her mother, but he was sure he could see something of himself in her features. His mind turned, remembering when Emma told him she was pregnant, and his horror at the thought. He hadn’t wanted a child, choosing instead to believe that Emma had been unfaithful. It had given him further reason to desert her.
Now though, as he gazed at the photograph, he was facing the truth. Emma had been innocent when he married her, a virgin, and in reality he doubted that she’d had an affair so soon after their marriage. Horace finally accepted that the child was his and unexpected emotions rose to the surface. His fingers shook as he put down the photograph to pick up the report, scanning the contents. The man had been thorough, keeping a watch on Emma’s movements for months, even managing to find out how well her daughter was doing at school. The child was bright, intelligent, and as Horace turned to the next page, he felt a surge of rage. A brothel, his house was being used
as a brothel, and worse, his child was living on the premises!
He stood up, pacing the room in anger, at last calming down as he came to a decision. There was still time to do something, to put plans for the child in place, and first thing in the morning, he intended to do just that.
When Terry arrived the following morning he had the newspaper as usual. Emma made a pot of tea and then, sitting at the kitchen table, they tackled the crossword. It was a routine that had developed over the years, sharing a love of words.
‘The only one we’re stuck on now is seven across. I don’t know much about herbs.’
Emma cocked her head to one side, frowning. The clue was eluding her too, but then suddenly she smiled. ‘Lovage, it’s a herb, but does it fit?’
‘Yeah–but that’s a new one on me. Well done, Emma.’
The crossword finished, Terry pushed it to one side. Emma refilled his cup, then said, ‘I’d like to know what sort of condition the house next door is in. Would you come with me to take a look at it?’
‘Yes, but why?’
‘I’m thinking of buying it.’ Eagerly Emma went on to tell him of her plans.
Terry swallowed the last of his tea before rising to his feet. ‘All right, let’s go.’
Emma eagerly followed him next door, but as Terry walked slowly around the perimeter of the property, his lips set in a grimace. ‘It’ll need a lot of work, Emma. To start with it needs underpinning, and that’s a nasty crack in the wall.’
Emma looked to where Terry was pointing and had to admit the house looked almost derelict. ‘What about the roof?’
‘It wants replacing, and with the other things I’ve pointed out, that’s just the start. Gawd knows what it’s like on the inside.’
She held up the keys. ‘I got them from the agent.’
‘Where is he?’
‘I think he’s given up on trying to sell it, and when I said I wanted my builder to take a look at the place, he just handed them over.’
‘Shouldn’t that tell you something?’
‘Well, yes, but come on,’ she beckoned.
The street door was so warped that Terry had a job to push it open, but after putting his shoulder to it, they managed to get inside. Emma’s face fell. The house stank of damp, the once beautiful central staircase, which should have been a mirror image of hers, so badly damaged that it looked beyond repair. She went into the drawing room,
saw that the original cornices and fireplace remained, but could see daylight through a large crack in the wall.
‘Oh, Terry,’ she gasped, ‘it’s a wreck.’
‘Yeah, I guessed as much.’
‘But it’s such a shame,’ Emma said as they wandered back into the hall. ‘It has the same beautiful proportions as my house, yet only looks fit for demolition.’
Terry puffed out his cheeks, saying nothing as they continued the tour. In the kitchen they found only a badly stained sink and battered cupboard, yet the original flag tiles underfoot appeared undamaged. Emma shook her head as they went from room to room, wishing now she hadn’t built her hopes up.
‘Come on, we might as well go.’
‘Yeah, in a minute,’ Terry said, continuing to inspect floors and walls.
When they finally stepped outside again, Terry paused on the top step, looking towards the Common. ‘Look, I know you had your heart set on this place, and I must admit when I first saw it I thought you were mad. Now though, I’m not so sure. Like yours, this house is in a great position. It faces the Common and has good-size grounds. Yeah, it’ll cost an arm and a leg to put right, but the potential is there, and you’ll be building yourself a nice little nest egg.’
‘Hold on, Terry. Are you saying I should buy it?’
‘That depends on the price. As I said, it’s gonna cost money, a lot of money, to put right, and I’m not sure how you’re fixed.’
‘How much are we talking about?’
‘Depends on the builder, and it’s been a while since I was in the game.’
‘A rough idea would do.’
Terry pursed his lips, and when he named a price Emma’s eyes widened. She wasn’t prepared to tell Terry how much she was worth, but his estimate was double what she’d anticipated. Still, if she could bargain the price down, well down, it was still possible.
‘Thanks, Terry. I’ll take the keys back and have a word with the agent. If I do manage to buy it, can you recommend any builders?’
‘Yeah, I know a good crew, but are you sure about this, Em?’
Once again her eyes roamed over the façade, seeing in her mind’s eye the house restored to its former glory. ‘Yes, I’d love to buy it, but it all rests on the price.’
Emma had been pleased with her bargaining skills and now, only two months later, work was progressing on the house next door. The renovation costs had been higher than Terry’s rough estimate, but
after scouring estate agents and seeing how much property of the same size fetched, it still seemed a good deal.
It was nearly one o’clock on a fine autumn afternoon as she sat at the kitchen table, turning over swatches of material for the perfect soft furnishings.
Doris pursed her lips. ‘Ain’t you jumping the gun, Em? It’ll be ages before the place is fit to decorate.’
‘I like to be prepared. What do you think of this duck-egg-blue satin, for the curtains?’
‘Now don’t go spending a fortune on décor, Em. I know you want the place to look nice, but at the end of the day it’ll still be a knocking shop.’
Terry was absorbed in a crossword, some of the clues eluding both him and Emma. He looked up, his brows creased. ‘Hang on. Surely you’re not moving the business next door?’
‘Well, yes, I thought you knew that.’
‘No, I didn’t, and if you ask me, it doesn’t make sense.’
‘Yes it does,’ Emma snapped. ‘I want my daughter away from the goings on upstairs.’
‘I know that, but the business works fine from here. This is the last house on the row, and the nicely concealed side entrance is perfect.’
‘But I love this house.’
‘The one next door is the same, except it isn’t converted into flats.’
‘He’s right, love,’ Doris said, ‘and if you think about it, it’ll be one in the eye for Horace if he ever turns up.’
‘After all this time, I don’t think it’s likely.’
‘Yeah, but what if he did? He left you in the shit, saying this place is in his name and you can never sell it. Can’t you just see it, Em? He’d turn up to find his precious house is now a knocking shop, and that you’d managed to buy an identical one next door on the proceeds. That’d be
your
house, Em, in
your
name.’
Emma realised Doris was right. She loved this house so much that it had become an obsession to keep it. Yet it still wasn’t hers. It had never been hers. Her eyes sparkled up with excitement. ‘Yes, I’ll move next door into
my
house and, not only that, I’ll do it up like a palace.’
‘Looking at what you’ve done with this flat, I don’t doubt it,’ Doris commented. ‘There’s only one thing, Em. When you move, this flat will be empty. I’d really like my own place again, so is there any chance I could stay here?’
‘Well…I suppose so,’ Emma said, disliking the thought of living separately from her friend, ‘but I’d miss you.’
‘But I’d only be next door.’
Emma paused, thinking it over. Doris looked
so keen on the idea, her face bright with anticipation. With a sigh she said, ‘All right, you can have it, but what about furniture? I’ll be taking most of this stuff with me.’
‘Oh, don’t worry about that. I’ve got a nice few bob saved so it won’t be a problem.’
‘That’s a shame,’ Terry commented, his expression sad.
‘What’s a shame?’
‘Oh, it’s nothing. It’s just that I had my eye on this place too.’
‘Never mind, love,’ Doris said, grinning cheekily, ‘you can always move in with me.’
Terry winked. ‘Well, Doris, it’s lucky for you that I’m a gentleman or I might’ve taken you up on the offer.’
‘You don’t have to be a gentleman with me, Terry’
‘Really? Well, girl, I might just think about it.’
Emma surged to her feet. ‘If you two have finished flirting, it’s about time you opened up for business, and,’ she added, ‘I’m not sure about you having the flat now, Doris. It would make more sense to take on more girls, using the extra rooms for business.’
Doris stood up. ‘Emma Bell, if I didn’t know you better, I’d think you were jealous,’ she commented as she marched from the room.
Terry flung Emma a look before following
Doris, but Emma refused to meet his eyes. Jealous indeed! What did she care if Doris and Terry turned this place into a love nest? Emma sat down again, trying to dismiss the idea from her mind as she turned back to the swatches of material.
It was nearly teatime before Emma saw Doris again, the woman dour as she came into the sitting room. Emma raised her eyebrows as she asked, ‘What on earth’s the matter with you?’
‘If you don’t know, I ain’t gonna tell you.’
‘Don’t be childish. If you’ve got something on your mind, then spit it out.’
‘Not in front of the nipper,’ Doris hissed.
‘I’m not a nipper,’ Tinker protested, her voice now pleading as she added, ‘Mummy, can I watch television now?’
‘You spend far too much time watching television and I’m beginning to regret buying it. Why don’t you read a nice book?’
‘But, Mummy,
Blue Peter
is on.’
‘Oh, very well,’ Emma conceded, ‘but as soon as it’s finished I want to see you doing your homework.’
Tinker nodded, and after switching on the set she sat crosslegged on the floor, her eyes glued to the screen.
Emma watched her for a while, saw she was
absorbed, and then turned to Doris, her voice low, ‘Right, now tell me what’s on your mind.’
‘If you must know, I’m annoyed about this flat. You agreed I could have it, but as soon as I had a joke with Terry about him moving in with me, you changed your mind. It ain’t fair, Em.’
‘Oh, for goodness’ sake, if it means so much to you, then have the flat. And as for Terry living with you, well, I couldn’t care less.’
‘Really? Well you could have fooled me. I reckon you think more of Terry than you’re prepared to admit.’
Emma’s eyes hardened. ‘I see Terry as a friend, that’s all, and if you think there’s more to it than that, you’re mad.’
Doris didn’t look convinced but she shrugged. ‘Yeah, if you say so. Anyway, about the flat. I’ve been thinking we can still use some of the rooms to expand the business. After all, I’ll only be using one bedroom.’
‘I’ll leave that up to you, Doris. If you’re happy to have punters down here, that’s fine.’
‘And if Terry really does want to move in with me?’
‘Then let him.’
Doris grinned, ‘Just testing, but you needn’t worry. I’ve known for years that I don’t stand a chance with Terry. There’s only one woman he’s got his eye on.’
Emma refused to accept the surge of pleasure that suffused her. She didn’t believe that Terry had his eye on her, and even if he did she wasn’t interested. She wasn’t interested in any man.
Emma was smiling with pleasure as she went to wake her daughter for school, thrilled that Tinker had passed her exams. It wouldn’t be long now before the work was completed next door, and though the renovation costs had depleted her hoard of money, business was still doing well and it would be replenished in time.