by Anna Jacobs
She hesitated then asked, ‘Can this be from Godfrey Seaton, do you think? Would he do something like this?’
After Rhoda had read the letter again, she said in a low voice, as if afraid, even in her own home, of someone overhearing, ‘He’d be the most likely sender, I should think. Unless you have other enemies I don’t know about, and I’m sure I’d hear about it if anyone in the village took against you.’
‘Of course I don’t have any other enemies.’ She tapped the piece of paper. ‘This has upset me and I can’t seem to think straight. What should I do? I felt so sure he didn’t know where I lived.’
‘Wait till Mr Seaton gets better and show it to him. He’ll know how to deal with it.’
‘But what if Godfrey hurts the children in the meantime? They’re too old now to be with me all the time, and there’s the long walk to and from school. Maybe I should do what the message says and move away?’
‘No. It never does to give in to threats. Anyway, I think it’d be easier for him to kill you in a place where you’re not known.’
‘Kill us!’
‘How else can he inherit legally when Mr Seaton dies?’
Kathleen couldn’t speak at this terrible thought; she could only stare at her companion in numb horror.
‘If you ran away, I doubt you’d be able to hide where you went, not if someone with the money to pay for a search really wanted to find you. A pretty woman and two children would be easy to follow. No, better to rely on Mr Seaton protecting you.’
‘But he’s been so ill, and he still isn’t well.’
‘We’ll all be very careful. He’s getting better now and he’ll know what to do better than either of us.’
She didn’t contradict Rhoda, who was fond of her former employer, but what if Mr Seaton didn’t get better? What if he died? Her children’s safety was at stake, so she ventured to say, ‘He’s not his old self, Rhoda, and probably never will be.’
The older woman bent her head and began to fiddle with the braid on her skirt. ‘I know he’s not been in good health for a while, and … well, this illness has aged him greatly. I don’t think he’ll make old bones, but he’s got the money to look after himself and I think he’ll live for a good while yet. I visit him regularly so I’ll see if he’s taken a turn for the worse and be able to warn you. I do think you’ll be safer near him … for the moment. No, he’s not at death’s door yet. Not Mr Seaton.’
‘Well, if nothing else happens, I’ll stay here as long as he’s alive, but I’m ready to run away at a moment’s notice and I’ll do it if anything else happens. Mr Seaton’s money isn’t nearly as important to me as the children’s lives.’
‘Oh, my dear.’ Rhoda took hold of the younger woman’s hand and held it tightly. ‘If you feel threatened, come to my house at any hour, day or night. You have a key. If I’m away on one of my little trips, just let yourself in.’
‘Thank you.’ But one small old woman wouldn’t be much help in protecting them.
‘I’ll choose my moment and tell Mr Seaton what happened today. Could you make a copy of that letter to show him? I’m sure he’ll have some good advice for us.’
Kathleen didn’t have much faith in her father-in-law, or in Rhoda’s present advice. But where else could she turn? No one would believe her if she accused Godfrey Seaton of plotting to murder her and her children? He was a respected member of the community, working at the biggest undertakers in the area.
And people would be even less likely to believe her if she was a stranger who had just moved to another town. No, better to stay here, where people knew she was a decent woman, a good mother, where the neighbours would come running if she shouted for help.
They sat together for a few moments then Kathleen went home to get on with her daily chores.
But she couldn’t settle. She was too upset about this sudden twist in the situation and too uncertain of what to do for the best.
After some thought Kathleen wrote to Mr Seaton about the anonymous letter, letting Rhoda take a copy of the horrid thing to give him on her next visit to her former employer.
He’d read it, frowning, Rhoda reported, and told her he’d have to think about it. She’d asked him about his will, but he’d told her to mind her own business.
They hadn’t heard a word from him since.
Something made Kathleen hide the original letter away carefully with her marriage certificate and the children’s birth certificates in the secret drawer of the little desk.
She didn’t see her father in Monks Barton again, but Rhoda saw him sometimes at the yard. ‘I can see why you’re afraid of him. He’s such a big strong man.’
‘My father will be plotting something, I know he will. He always has plans and you can’t blame him after his dreadfully poor childhood. In some ways he’s done really well for himself. But he used to accuse my mother of holding him back. And she did, she was such a poor manager. He probably thinks I might be useful to him. So if anything happens to Mr Seaton I have two people to worry about, Godfrey and my father.’
‘Well, at least your father won’t be trying to kill you. If it came to a choice and you had nowhere else to turn, you could seek his aid.’
‘I’d have to be utterly desperate to do that. If he got me in his power, he’d order me around and find ways to make me do everything he asked. And I won’t have my children growing up as I did, terrified of angering him.’
She studied the local and national newspapers carefully from then on, learning as much as she could. She looked at adverts for jobs, small businesses for sale, anything that might offer her a way to make a new life for the children. Thank goodness she had a decent amount of money saved. Now she had to learn what to expect if she went looking for a business of her own. They paid women only about half of what they paid men, so she decided against looking for a job. No, it had to be a business of some sort. And she was inclined towards running a boarding house.
The questions that began to pile up in her mind seemed endless.
Should she emigrate to Australia? To America?
How did you change your name officially?
But most of all, how could she get away from Monks Barton in the first place without being seen? If only there was a railway station in the village. That would have made it so much easier to escape.
And how could she carry enough luggage? They’d need clothes, all sorts of things.
But she had to prepare for the worst, so took what steps she could. She sewed some banknotes and coins into a new wide belt, which she wore all the time, and she kept her savings bank book on her, in a flat pouch tied round her waist under her clothes.
Her children had grown nervous, picking up on her mood even though they still didn’t fully understand the gravity of the situation.
It was another two months before Kathleen heard from Mr Seaton again, or rather, from his lawyer, Mr Morton, who wrote to say that sadly his client had passed away suddenly and had wished her to be informed immediately if this happened. Mrs Seaton was organising the funeral, with the help of Mr Godfrey Seaton.
Kathleen went running to show the letter to Rhoda, who burst into tears and was of no help.
The lawyer had said nothing about the children, let alone them attending their grandfather’s funeral, so she waited to hear. Surely Mr Seaton had left them something? Surely they should at least be invited to his funeral?
But she didn’t hear a thing. Rhoda received a message not to go to the funeral from the lawyer on behalf of Mrs Seaton, who wished to confine attendance to their family and friends. That upset Rhoda greatly.
Kathleen bought the local newspaper, the Swindon Advertiser, every day and when she saw an announcement about the funeral, she wondered how to get in touch with Bill, so that she could hire him to drive her and the children into Swindon.
But before she could arrange this, she had another visit from her father, who had come openly this time, driven to Monks Barton in his friend Bill’s taxi.
&nb
sp; He came striding up the path to her front door and hammered on it with his usual impatience.
She heard him try the handle as she went to open it and that annoyed her. She gestured to him to come into the front room. What a pity Rhoda was out! She would have preferred not to be alone with him.
He didn’t speak for a few moments, staring round as if cataloguing every item she owned, then he looked across at her. ‘You’ll have heard from the lawyer about Mr Seaton dying?’
‘Yes.’
‘Mrs Seaton’s queening it and pretending to weep for her husband. As if she cares for anyone but herself! She’s brought Mr Godfrey in to help her with the business and to organise the funeral. He’s staying at the house and you’d think he was her son, the way he’s behaving.’
Kathleen couldn’t think what to say.
He continued as if he didn’t expect an answer. ‘It was him who sent me to see you today.’
Her heart lurched and she found it difficult to breathe for a moment or two. ‘Godfrey Seaton did? What does he want?’
‘Yes. He says to tell you his aunt doesn’t know about you and the children, and he doesn’t want her to know, because it’ll only upset her. If you keep out of sight, he’ll see your rent is paid and give you a pound a week for your keep. If you try to attend the funeral, he’ll have you locked away as a madwoman and your children taken from you.’
Kathleen plumped down on the nearest chair. ‘He couldn’t do that, could he?’
‘I reckon he could. His firm does the funerals for the workhouse and the infirmary, so he knows all the officials there. He could probably get you certified quick as that.’ He snapped his fingers to emphasise his point.
‘I don’t know what to do, Da.’
He gave her a long, thoughtful look, then nodded as if acknowledging their relationship and his wish to help her.
‘Do what he says, for the moment. It gives you a roof over your head and money to put bread on the table. But don’t, whatever else you do, push your children forward as Seatons. I don’t think they stand a chance of getting any of the old man’s money, more’s the pity, so be grateful for what Godfrey gives you.’
She nodded. That was fairly obvious.
‘And you should be very careful what you say and do. Don’t even mention his name or the relationship in public. He can be a nasty sod if you cross him. You need to remember it’s my job that’s at stake as well if you cause trouble.’
‘I’ll try not to upset him. Only Da, do you think I should run away? I don’t feel my children and I are safe here any longer. They may stand between him and an inheritance when Mrs Seaton dies.’
‘Don’t do anything for the moment. She’s put him in charge so I’m working for him now. She doesn’t come near the yard or the office, never did. Too dirty out there for her ladyship. Blood is thicker than water, so I’ll keep my eyes and ears open. I can send Bill to get you away quickly if I think you’re in danger. For the time being, just do as he asks and we’ll all see how we go.’
He eased his collar a little as if uncomfortable asking the next question. ‘You did get married properly, didn’t you?’
‘Of course I did.’
‘I never saw the marriage certificate. Have you got it handy?’
‘No. I keep it at the bank with my children’s birth certificates, for safety.’ She didn’t know why she’d said that, when it was in the secret desk drawer near him at this very moment, but she didn’t trust her father completely. Oh, he’d not let anyone kill her, she did believe that. But if he saw a way to make money for himself out of her awkward position, she doubted he’d hesitate to use her and the children.
And he was working for Godfrey Seaton now, wasn’t he?
She watched him chew the corner of his lip for a moment or two, as he did when undecided about something, then he nodded. ‘Wise of you.’ He got up and moved towards the door, then stopped and said, ‘I nearly forgot. He says he’ll come and see you when everything’s settled.’
‘When?’
‘He didn’t say.’
And with that, her father was gone. He hadn’t asked to see the children, who were his grandchildren as well, and he’d left her with a lot to think about. She’d wait to see what happened, but thank goodness Godfrey and her father didn’t know about her savings.
She went to study the little desk that Ernest had been so fond of. It was rather battered now but must have been a fine piece of furniture when first made. The secret drawer was fiddly to open, but she couldn’t think of a better place to hide her documents.
They were all playing a waiting game now.
But if she had the slightest doubt about her children’s safety, she’d be off.
A few days later she read about Mr Seaton’s funeral in the newspaper. It sounded to have been a very grand affair, with the coffin carried in a glass-sided hearse drawn by four black horses. The body had been kept in the new ‘chapel of rest’ that the funeral company had built recently, to fit in with the modern taste of not keeping a dead body at home.
The widow had worn an elegant black silk mourning gown with a black jacket edged in jet beads, and a hat with a wide brim sumptuously trimmed with black feathers. Mrs Seaton had gone to London to buy these garments in a mourning warehouse in order to do her beloved husband credit, the report said, then it went on to list the guests who were entertained at the house afterwards and to say what some of the more important ones wore, too.
After that, Kathleen made sure to keep one of the old carpet bags that had belonged to Ernest in each bedroom, so that clothes could be grabbed from the drawers and stuffed into them quickly. She even made the children practise doing it.
To think she’d nearly thrown Ernest’s old bags away when they first got married, they looked so worn and dusty!
But she still wasn’t sure where to go for safety. London, she supposed, or Manchester. Easier to get lost in a big city and they could go there by train if she managed to get them all to Swindon without being seen.
Chapter Sixteen
Godfrey Seaton turned up without warning two days later and would have walked straight into her cottage without knocking if Kathleen hadn’t still been keeping the front door locked.
She and Rhoda were chatting in the kitchen when they heard a motor car pull up outside, so she went to peep out from behind the net curtains. She knew who this was because she’d seen him officiating at her mother’s funeral. Godfrey always looked rather puffy in the face, as if he ate too richly, and he was now wearing Mr Seaton’s gold watch and chain. She’d recognise it anywhere. By rights that should have gone to her son.
Worst of all to her, Godfrey had a strong resemblance to his cousin Ernest, which made her feel uncomfortable.
He hammered on the door for a second time, so impatiently she went running to open it. She didn’t need her father’s warning that it wouldn’t be wise to offend this man.
‘Mr Seaton. Please come in.’
He didn’t move, studying her in a way that made her feel very uncomfortable, as if she had no clothes on. Men did that occasionally, which disgusted her, but not so-called gentlemen, usually.
Rhoda called from the kitchen, ‘Who is it, Kathleen dear?’
‘Is that old biddy still poking her nose in where it’s not wanted?’ he asked scornfully.
‘Rhoda’s been a good friend to me.’
‘Well, at least you’re not entertaining a male friend.’
She drew herself up. ‘I don’t have a male friend in that sense, Mr Seaton. I’m a widow.’
‘And see that you don’t take up with anyone or I’ll cut off your allowance and throw you out of this cottage.’
‘There’s no need to threaten me. I’d never even think of doing that. Would you … um … like a cup of tea? We’ve just made a fresh pot.’
‘No. What I’d like is to see how you live and check that you’re keeping it all clean. You can go home, Rhoda. Mrs Seaton will be safe with me.’
When her f
riend had gone, he asked, ‘Are the children at school?’
‘Yes, of course.’ He looked at her that way again. If he tried to touch her, she’d kick him in a very tender place.
But he made no attempt to take liberties. ‘Make sure they study hard. They’re going to have to earn their living once they leave school. I won’t support them past the age of fourteen, or you from then on, either. So you should think about finding a job for yourself then as well.’
‘My children are already good scholars, Mr Seaton. Christopher came top of his class last term.’
He didn’t even comment on that, but started walking round her house, opening and shutting drawers and investigating their contents. She had to dig her fingernails into the palms of her hands to prevent herself from telling him to stop that at once.
When he’d inspected every room, every drawer and cupboard, he went back to the front door. ‘You understand that you are not to show yourself in Swindon, or make any claims on Mrs Seaton. She’s too old to be upset by finding out about you and your brats.’
‘Yes, I understand.’
‘See you stick to that if you want to keep your weekly money.’ He left the house, leaving the front door swinging open, and she stood a little way further back in the hall to watch him being driven off before she moved to shut it.
What was all that for? He was indeed a horrible man, checking up on her like that. Why, he’d searched her whole house.
Then she had a sudden thought. Had he been looking for her marriage certificate? Someone must have prompted her father to ask about it. What if Godfrey demanded she hand it over to him?
She had to sit down for a few moments to recover from her unwelcome visitor.
After that, the year seemed to drag on for ever, but to her relief nothing bad happened to them.