by Linda Sole
‘Recording . . .’ Daniel shook his head. ‘This all sounds too good to be true to me, Connor. I hope you’ve checked the small print of this contract.’
‘Terry’s father did that for us. We’re putting out a couple of singles in the next two months. If they get into the charts, we shall record an album and we might even get on the TV. There’s a programme for new groups like us.’
‘Well, good luck. I hope it works out well for you.’
‘I’m sorry I’m letting you down. You and Alice have been good to me, Dan.’
‘You’ve done your share and for little enough,’ his brother said. ‘I’m not sure how I shall manage once you’ve gone. Even if I can find someone to take your place, he won’t do all the extra hours you did – unless I pay double rates and I can’t afford that.’
‘I know it won’t be easy. If money would help . . .’
‘No, I told you once. I don’t want your money. It makes things difficult but I’ll struggle through. I always have.’
‘Yes, I know.’ Connor was silent. He felt guilty for leaving his brother in the lurch, but he would be mad to turn down the money he’d been offered and the prospect of a bright future. ‘Well, if you change your mind, I’ll be back every so often, because I shall want to see Sarah.’
‘Will she want to see you? Most girls want someone to take them out and buy them presents. If you aren’t around, she may start looking for someone else.’
‘I know.’ Connor looked thoughtful. He had almost turned his friends down because he was afraid of Sarah’s reaction, but he couldn’t let this chance go. It was too important. ‘I was going to wait for a while before I asked if she would get engaged, but I have to ask now, because otherwise I may lose her.’
‘You’re going away on tour with the band?’ Sarah stared at him in dismay. ‘But when shall I see you?’
‘I’ll get back every few weeks. It isn’t what I’d planned or wanted, Sarah, but I have to take this chance while I can. Even if the records don’t sell, I shall have a few thousand in the bank and I’ll be able to buy us a nice house. And I got you this . . .’
Connor took the leather ring box from his pocket and held it out. Sarah eyed it hesitantly.
‘You’ve already given me that lovely gold locket. I don’t need presents, Con . . .’
‘This is an engagement ring. I know it is a bit soon. I had planned to wait until nearer Christmas – but if I don’t ask you now, you will think I don’t care and look for someone else.’
‘I wouldn’t do that – as long as I know you care.’ Sarah looked up at him, her eyes wide. ‘Are you saying you love me?’
‘Yes.’ Connor bent his head. He took her lips in a sweet kiss that made her moan softly and lean into him. He felt himself harden, knowing that she must feel the bulge of his erection burning against her. She didn’t flinch or move away, just stayed pressed against him, her lips slightly parted. ‘Sarah, I want you so much, but I’m not going to ask you to do anything yet. It wouldn’t be fair until I see how things are going. Once we’ve got our feet firmly on the road to the success, I can marry you and you can come on tour with me.’
‘Dad wouldn’t let me get married yet anyway,’ Sarah said. She hesitated and then looked up at him. ‘He has been saying he wants to meet you. I think you should come in and tell him what you’ve told me. He will expect you to ask for his consent before we get engaged.’
‘Are you saying yes?’
Sarah smiled, her mouth soft and inviting. ‘You know I love you, Con. I think I have from the moment you asked me to dance. But you have to speak to my father before I can wear your ring. I know he will be at home, because he told me.’
‘I’ll come in now if that is all right,’ Connor said. ‘I shan’t get over again until Sunday afternoon. We’ll go for a ride in the car then if you like? Maybe have a drink or something.’
‘Yes, please.’ Sarah looked upset. ‘I am going to miss you so much! I was hoping we would see more of each other soon.’
‘You must go out with your friends,’ he said and touched her face. ‘I shan’t expect you to sit at home all the time – but don’t let anyone bring you home. Remember you’re my girl.’
‘I shan’t go with anyone else,’ she vowed. ‘You must promise not to go chasing girls. I know they will be all over you. You’ve already got a reputation and no one believes me when I say I’m your girl.’
‘Well, you can show them your ring,’ Connor told her, kissing her once more. ‘Let’s go inside and talk to your father . . .’
Sarah put her hand in his. ‘I’m sure he will say yes when he knows that you have a real future ahead of you, Connor.’
Daniel worked until it was too dark to see what he was doing and then went into the house. Alice was sitting with a pile of mending, but she got up as soon as he came in and started to make a pot of tea.
‘You will kill yourself if you keep working so hard,’ she said. ‘I know you’ve always dreamed of having a garage, Dan, but this isn’t the way to do it.’
‘I promised the tractor for tomorrow,’ Daniel said. ‘Besides, Connor won’t be here to help out after Sunday. He is meeting his friends on Monday and they are going somewhere up north to a club. He says they will be playing at three different clubs and then they start work on their first record.’
‘It is like something out of a film. It has all happened so fast – Connor must think he is dreaming.’
‘I just hope it lasts for a while,’ Daniel said, ‘and that he doesn’t spend all the money on daft things. If the records don’t sell, he may be back looking for work on the land sooner than he imagines.’
‘I am sure that won’t happen. I always thought he had a lovely voice. I used to hear him singing in the yard or the bathroom. He is as good as some of those songs he plays on his record player.’
‘He isn’t bad,’ Daniel said grudgingly. ‘I just hope he doesn’t get into trouble, Alice.’
‘You’re thinking he was a bit wild when he was young. He was unhappy, Dan. His father died and the family seemed to fall apart. Emily went away; you were in the army and he had to live with Frances – and she wasn’t fit to look after him because she had troubles of her own.’
‘Yes, I know,’ Daniel agreed. ‘He knuckled down to work once he came to live with us. I suppose I’m still thinking he is a boy but he isn’t – and he was bound to leave us sooner or later. I can’t afford to pay him a decent wage.’
‘You will find it difficult to pay anyone more than you gave Connor. Does that mean you will have to put your repair and restoration business on hold for a while?’
‘Yes, I think it does. I’ll manage to do what I’ve got booked in if I work evenings, but after that . . . well, the cars I intended to rebuild will have to wait.’
‘You couldn’t borrow some money?’
‘I don’t want to go to the bank.’ Daniel sighed. ‘The interest they charge is crippling. It has taken me this long to clear my name. I don’t want to end up with the bank foreclosing on us.’
‘Frances wouldn’t lend you some money?’
‘No.’ Daniel turned his back to her as he washed the grease from his hands. ‘I can’t ask her, Alice. I shall manage somehow.’
How the hell he would ever repay her what he already owed, Daniel didn’t know. He was owed about a hundred pounds for work he’d done for neighbouring farmers. He knew they would settle eventually but some of them would hang it out until the last minute, because they weren’t in a much better state than he was himself.
If he could take the time to repair and rebuild the cars he’d bought cheaply, he would stand to make a good profit, but he had the cows to milk and the work in the fields was constant. Maybe once all the root crops were stored he could find a bit of time, but by then the evenings would be drawing in. Besides, it meant he had to leave Alice sitting alone hour after hour, and any woman would get fed up with that after a while.
He regretted giving that five hundred pounds
to Maura. If he still had that in his pocket, he could have afforded to take on a full-time labourer to help with the work. As it was, he could only take on someone for a few hours a week. Joe was a good-hearted lad, but you couldn’t leave him to do the milking alone – and that meant Daniel would be tied to the yard in a way he hadn’t been since Connor left school.
He wished his brother had never got in with that band, but that was being selfish. He couldn’t expect Connor to go on working for a pittance all his life, but at the moment he could see no way out of this mess.
Sarah was surprised that her father seemed to take to Connor. She had expected that he might ask a lot of questions, but she’d thought he might be rude. Instead, he had listened with interest as Connor told him about the record deal. He seemed impressed and he’d agreed that the engagement could go ahead, though he said she was too young to marry until the following summer.
‘That suits me fine, sir. It will give me time to see where I’m going and to save something for the future. I want Sarah to have a nice house and all the things she is used to.’
After Connor had gone, Sarah went back to the kitchen. She sensed tension between her mother and father.
‘Is something wrong? You did like him, didn’t you, Dad?’
‘He seems a sensible young man to me. His family used to be well off, but the war was difficult for a lot of people. The farm lost money and the bank foreclosed on them. That can happen to anyone. If Connor is willing to wait until next year – and he can afford to buy that house he promised – then I see no reason why we shouldn’t have the wedding in June.’
‘Thanks, Dad.’ Sarah threw him a smile of gratitude. June was nine months away, but it was better than waiting until she was twenty-one.
‘I think it is much too soon. But I suppose if you still want to marry him next year, I can’t stop you . . .’
‘I shall want to marry him,’ Sarah said confidently. ‘I love him.’
‘That is all very well,’ her mother said. ‘But how are you going to be when he’s away for weeks at a time? You won’t know where he is or what he is doing.’
‘Connor says he will telephone me – and he’ll get back as often as he can.’
‘Fine promises – as long as he keeps them.’
Sarah was thoughtful as she went upstairs to her room. She wished her mother hadn’t put doubts in her mind. It was going to be awful knowing Connor was far away from her, singing to lots of screaming girls. She knew what went on at the gigs, because Janice had been to one of them and she’d delighted in telling her of the way he seemed to sing to one particular girl each time.
Sarah understood that her friends were jealous. She was the one with a good solid background, a better job and now a famous boyfriend – because she didn’t doubt it would happen. She had seen how much people enjoyed Connor’s singing at the club. She liked to listen to him too. She wished he didn’t have to go away to do it, but she knew he was working for a better future for them.
All she could do was believe that he loved her and make the most of the time when he came home on a flying visit . . .
Emily sat with Alice’s letter in her hand. The news about Connor was wonderful. It made Emily smile to think that her youngest brother might be on the road to fame and fortune. It was true that Connor had a good voice, but she had never expected to hear him singing on the radio or see his name up in lights. Apparently, he was going to be on the radio quite soon – and his first record was due for release this week.
He came home for a few hours at the weekend, Alice had written. But he wasn’t in the house more than a few minutes. He brought presents for us all and then went off to Ely to see his fiancée. He is engaged to a lovely girl – at least I’ve been told she is, but, of course, we haven’t met her as yet. I’m not sure how she feels about all this, but Connor seems very happy – and he has changed so much. He is so confident and he looks as if he owns the world.
I’ve had a letter from Frances asking us to stay at Christmas, but there is no possibility of our getting away. Dan is managing with that youth I told you of before and a man who comes in part-time to give him a hand with the milking. Thank goodness the potatoes are up. It cost more to get them up than usual, but Connor used to work so hard. We shall miss him terribly, but I think it is wonderful that he has this chance.
Emily read between the lines. She guessed that her sister-in-law was worried about Dan and the way things were going. She wished that they could come to her for Christmas, but she knew it was out of the question, and Frances had refused all her invitations to come and stay. Emily would have to make time to pop down there before Christmas. She would take a brace of pheasants from the estate and some gifts – and she would have to try to visit Alice and Dan too, even though she had guests coming for a few days after Boxing Day. If Alan came, they would be alone for Christmas Day itself. She had only received one postcard from France since he left and she had begun to wonder if he was feeling worse. Her hand hovered over the phone seconds before it rang.
‘Emily.’
‘Yes, Alan.’ Emily laughed as she heard his voice. ‘I was just thinking of telephoning to see if you were coming for Christmas?’
‘I am ringing to confirm that I shall be there tomorrow – tea-time at the latest.’
‘Oh, that is lovely,’ Emily said. ‘I am so glad. We can plan the tree and the Christmas Eve party together.’
‘I should enjoy that, my dear.’
‘Are you feeling any better?’
‘Yes, I am much better.’ Alan replied. ‘I think the complete rest has done the trick, Emily. I dare say I shall live for a few years yet.’
‘I am so pleased.’ Tears wet her cheeks. ‘I am longing to see you!’
‘You sound as if you mean that?’
‘I do. Of course I do.’
‘Good. Expect me tomorrow.’
Emily smiled as she replaced the receiver. Her trip to Frances would have to be postponed. She could visit Alice in the New Year, because she knew she was always welcome in their home. Frances might be put out if she didn’t visit, but she had been invited to stay and it was her own fault if she chose to stay at the hotel.
Emily’s heart was racing. She had thought about Alan so much in the months since he was last here and now she could hardly wait for him to arrive.
Six
Connor opened his eyes and glanced around the hotel bedroom. The floor was littered with his clothes; he’d dropped them as he took them off. The wonder was that he hadn’t gone to bed fully dressed, he’d been so drunk. They’d been invited to a big party at a posh hotel. The man giving the party was by reputation a playboy millionaire and he had invited them to spend Christmas on his yacht, cruising the Mediterranean islands.
Most of the group had been disappointed that they couldn’t go because they had several bookings at theatres all over the country. Connor had been able to refuse with an easy heart, because he wanted to go home on Christmas Eve and spend the next day with Sarah and her parents. He had been invited to spend the night and would have dinner with them on the day. After that, he might just have time to visit Alice and the children before heading back to Liverpool. They were booked into a popular venue for Boxing Night and then had two days to rehearse before it was back to the recording studio to start on their album.
Their lives were mayhem sometimes as they packed their things and moved from one booking to another. Connor thought he had never worked so hard in his life, but they were being paid at least five hundred pounds each time they did a live show, and he sometimes got double what the others were paid.
Connor still felt guilty about the difference and he had insisted that they were paid in equal shares from the sales of their records. Their first release, which had been a song written specially for them by an American composer, had gone to number eleven in the charts. Terry was disappointed that it hadn’t reached the top, but the second had been released for Christmas and had a seasonal lyric. It was already at
number three and they were hoping that it would go all the way this time, but they were up against some big names. Connor was amazed at how well they were doing, but he knew that Terry had his eye on the big time. A lot of young groups enjoyed a brief moment of fame and then disappeared. Terry wanted the Bad Boys to make it all the way to the top.
Dressing in his favourite black drainpipes, Connor found a girl’s silk bra under a pile of his own clothing. He stared at it in bewilderment, because he was certain he’d been on his own when he came to bed. He knew that several girls had been hanging around him at the party, though he’d done his best to avoid getting into a clinch with them, because he wanted to keep his word to Sarah.
It was getting harder and harder to stop his name being linked with girls who sang on stage with them. The manager said it was good business to link female stars to them, because of the publicity. One girl called Tina had draped herself over him when they left a theatre in London, kissing his neck and rolling her eyes when she was asked if they were courting.
Connor had untangled her and walked away, refusing to answer questions, and the next day the papers were full of innuendo about a secret affair. Connor had phoned Sarah’s home that night and told her it was a publicity stunt. He promised there was nothing in the story and Sarah had said it was all right, but she’d also sounded upset. He had bought her a diamond pendant for Christmas and he was praying that she would believe him when he told her that none of the girls he’d met on tour measured up to her.
He groaned as he rang down to room service for coffee. The time it took to get through was longer than it should be, even though this was one of the best hotels they had stayed in so far. His head was hammering. He must have been mad to drink so much, but there had been loads of booze and everyone kept giving him drinks. He knew that there had been drugs circulating at the party, but he wasn’t interested in trying them.
Connor suspected that Sam and Ray might have snorted some kind of powder. He wasn’t sure what it was but he had heard them mention heroin and cocaine. Terry stayed well clear, as did Jack and Connor – though even Terry had been pretty drunk when the taxi brought them back to the hotel.