The Guest Who Stayed

by Roger Penfound

  Afterwards, they lay in each other’s arms, their legs tightly entwined.

  “You can’t leave, not now,” whispered Alice.

  “I have to go, there are things I‘ve got to see to. But I’ll be back. Jed’ll need support with the business so I’ll be back to help him. It’s OK, Alice. We’re going to be OK.”

  Jed returned later that evening to find a full three course meal awaiting him and a flagon of his favourite ale. As they ate, he told Alice about Jack’s offer to finance the business. She expressed cautious surprise and asked Jed what he thought of the offer.

  “Well, I don’t mind saying I didn’t like the fellow at first. I thought he was stuck up and taking too much interest in you and Flora. But now I’ve had a chance to talk to him proper like, I’ve changed my mind. I think he’s alright. And the point is, my love, it allows us to stay here in our house and rescue the business. What was it old Dan used to say about following your dream or following your star? Well, this fella’s our star and we’d better follow ‘im.”

  Jack returned just after eight o’clock, having eaten at the Fox and Hounds. It was an opportunity to discuss some details of the investment before he returned to London the next day.

  “I reckon,” said Jack as he warmed to a topic he was familiar with, “there are two aspects to this. One, you’ve got to keep your costs as low as possible and two, you’ve got to be efficient so you can maximise your income.”

  “So what does that mean in plain language?” asked Jed.

  “Well, costs – I think that having your yard here at home is going to be a big benefit. You get rid of the rent on Dan’s place immediately and start afresh with your own office and new equipment.”

  “New equipment? Where’s all that coming from then?”

  “I’m just coming to that. You can’t grow if you’re still trundling that hand cart of yours around the town. It takes you nearly half a day to get anywhere. You need a truck – your own truck with your name on to advertise your business as you go about the town.”

  “A truck, new tools – are you crazy? Who’s going to pay for all that?”

  “I am – your financial backer. What’s the point in me investing in a company if it’s going to fail? I want to invest in success and to be successful you’ve got to have the right tools.”

  “Blimey!” retorted Jed as he expelled air through his pursed lip. "This is all too much for me. What do you think, Alice?”

  “I think it’s very, very exciting, my love, and it gives you a chance to be a big success. But, Jack, we’ll need cash to keep the business going and to pay ourselves a wage. What are we going to do about that?”

  “You’re quite right. I propose to invest an initial sum of five thousand pounds for six months. After that we review progress and I’ll invest more if need be.”

  Jed expelled another blast of air through his lips producing a high pitched whistle.

  “You’re a good man, Jack. I don’t really know how to thank you.”

  The Guest Who Stayed: Chapter 12 – August 1921

  Jack left the following morning to return to London. Alice felt an emptiness invade the house. It seemed that within the last couple of days her life had been turned upside down. All the certainties that gave boundaries to her life had been dismantled and she felt exhausted but also strangely exhilarated. With Jack’s investment there was a real chance that the business could prosper. Jed had lost a good friend with Dan’s death but he’d gained a business mentor – surely a better prospect given their present circumstances.

  And then she had acquired a lover. She had expected to feel guilt but she didn’t. She always knew deep inside herself that Jed was a means to an end. She didn’t intend this to be hurtful. She loved Jed in a caring, cherishing sort of way and she wanted to help him to prosper. But now that she had experienced the passion of illicit love, she knew that she could never return to Jed’s sterile love making in the bedroom.

  Dan’s Funeral took place on the 15th August, 1921. St. Martin’s Church was full and many people were forced to wait outside in the summer sunshine. Alice and Jed chatted to those in the congregation who had memories of Dan’s kindness when it was needed most. Jed realised that Dan had been respected and trusted. Maybe he hadn’t understood this properly. In his obsession with building the business and taking control, he’d begun to patronise Dan and treat him disrespectfully, forgetting that it was Dan that people came to when they needed help, not him.

  During the service, Jed read falteringly from Ecclesiastes, chapter three, which seemed to sum up the contrasts of Dan’s life from impoverished child to warrior, to craftsman and sage.

  “A time to be born and a time to die,

  A time to plant and a time to uproot,

  A time to kill and a time to heal,

  A time to tear down and a time to build.”

  The words pricked at Alice’s conscience as she sat in the front row with Flora. ‘A time to tear down and a time to build’. Was she tearing down something she’d only just started to build with Jed – something that could lead to her ambitions being fulfilled? Was her relationship with Jack putting that future at risk? She felt a shiver run down her spine.

  “A time to be silent and a time to speak,

  A time to love and a time to hate,

  A time for war and a time for peace.”

  Jed struggled to the end of the reading and rejoined Flora and Alice. Dan’s coffin was borne from the church by pall bearers, drawn from amongst his drinking friends. He was laid to rest in the churchyard by the wall facing the pub.

  Friends and acquaintances gathered in the Fox and Hounds afterwards. Jed was pleased to discover that many people there had assumed that he would be taking over Dan’s business and there was plenty of talk of work that needed doing. Two local farmers approached Jed about repairs to barns and the clerk to the town council enquired whether Jed would be available for general maintenance work.

  That night in bed, Alice and Jed lay talking about the day’s events.

  “You know, Alice, I’m feeling optimistic about this whole business idea. People at Dan’s funeral seem to have accepted that I’m the boss now and were treating me right, you know, like I was somebody.”

  “You are somebody, my love, and you’ve worked hard for it. You deserve their respect.”

  There was a pause before Jed spoke again.

  “I’ve been thinking, my love, when we’ve got that truck, the one that Jack’s getting for us, well, I’ve been thinking about what words it’ll have painted on the side.”

  “It’ll have our name, Carter,” replied Alice, looking slightly puzzled, “and something like ‘builders merchants’ – is that what you mean?”

  “I was just thinking, sometime in the future I could imagine it saying ‘Carter and Sons’, you know, like a real family business.”

  Alice felt herself stiffen. Jed had begun to mention children a few times recently and it rang alarm bells. Their sex life was still virtually non–existent and this sounded like Jed attempting to inject some fresh impetus into it. And besides, with Jack coming into her life she didn’t think she would cope with dividing her loyalties in bed.

  “I’m not sure now’s the right time to be thinking about children. We’re both going to be so busy building the business over the next few years. Wouldn’t it be better to wait for a while until we’re a bit more secure?”

  Jed knew that what Alice said was right. Having children now would be a burden but he hoped it would encourage Alice to be more accommodating in bed. Perhaps if there was a good reason to make love she would be less inclined to dismiss his advances towards her.

  “I just thought, Alice, that you might want children and maybe we should be doing a bit of practicing.”

  “There’ll be plenty of time for that, my love, in the years ahead. Now, let’s go to sleep, we’ve both got a busy day tomorrow.”

  Two days later the postman delivered a letter to Hope Cottage after Jed had lef
t in the morning to start a new job. Alice knew immediately from the postmark that it was from London and must be from Jack. She nervously opened the envelope and unfolded the hand written letter.

  Dear Jed and Alice,

  I hope things are going well for you. I thought about you both on the day of Dan’s funeral and, of course, I thought about poor Dan too.

  But now for the good news. I have the £5,000 ready to transfer into your business account. But then it occurred to me that you may not have a business account. So, Jed, you need to put on your best suit and get down to see that bank manager and open an account.

  “Best suit,” thought Alice, “he doesn’t even have one suit. We’ll have to buy a second hand one.”

  And now for the really exciting news. I’ve found a truck. It’s an Austin truck built in 1917 for the army but sold at the end of the war to a coal merchant in Dulwich. A friend of mine heard it was for sale so I went to see it. It was pretty dirty but I think it’ll clean up OK. I’m hoping to drive it up to Frampton next Thursday and then stay a few days to help Jed sort out a proper business plan.

  Alice’s heart skipped a beat when she read this. In her mind she hadn’t planned for Jack coming back so quickly. She wasn’t sure that she was mentally prepared.

  I’ll finish now but just to say thank you for allowing me to stay with you over the bank holiday and a special thank you to Alice for looking after me so well.

  She blushed.

  I look forward to seeing you next Thursday.

  Yours truly,

  Jack P. Malikov

  Alice held the letter tight in her hands. Events were moving so quickly that they were taking her breath away. Since Jack P. Malikov walked into her life, nothing was the same.

  The next two days were hectic. Alice bought a reasonable suit for Jed in the second hand shop and, with a little strategic trimming and sewing, it looked good enough. On the Wednesday before Jack was due to arrive, they went together for a meeting with the manager of the local bank. It stood in single story premises on the main square. Inside, it was dark and austere. Clerks sat writing at wooden benches and cashiers were incarcerated like criminals behind iron grills.

  Alice and Jed were made to wait for twenty minutes before being shown into the bank manager’s office. Ignoring Alice, the bank manager, who was corpulent and balding, addressed himself to Jed.

  “Now then, young man,” he began, in what Alice considered was a most patronising tone, “I don’t understand why you want to open a bank account. Having a bank account is a great responsibility and I understand that you building types deal mostly in cash. So are you sure you need a bank account?”

  Jed seemed perplexed and lost for words so Alice leapt to his support.

  “We have an investor, someone who’s going to put money into the business and we need an account for that.”

  “I was addressing the question to your husband, Mrs. Carter,” replied the bank manager. “I assume it is his business?”

  “It belongs to both of us,” responded Jed, suddenly finding his voice. “We’re partners, Alice and me, and we’re doing this together.”

  Alice had never actually discussed with Jed whether she had any formal position in the business but Jed’s description of her as a ‘partner’ pleased her and she realised again how much he needed and depended upon her.

  “Our business partner’s going to invest £5,000 in the business and that’s just to start with,” she heard Jed telling the bank manager.

  The bank manager looked up causing a bead of sweat to trickle from his balding crown and run down his sagging cheek. Now he was interested. His pen was poised above a sheet of clean paper and Alice could see him write down the figure in bold numerals – £5,000.

  When the documents were signed and the account was set up, Alice and Jed walked back through Frampton. Alice looked again at Jed in his freshly pressed suit, carrying a black valise with the bank documents inside. He was no longer the uncoordinated boy she had married. He carried himself with an air of confidence now and she noticed a couple of passers–by look briefly in his direction. Perhaps there really was a chance that he would do well. But then it appeared that Jack was key to that success and, worryingly, she seemed to have a stake in both camps now.

  On Thursday afternoon, Jed returned to Hope Cottage with the first batch of tools piled onto his hand cart. These were the tools he would need to build his new office and work shop. Alice was inside the house sewing curtains for the sitting room.

  The discordant noise of a horn brought them both running into the front garden. Making its way slowly down Duck Lane was a large motor truck. Its square cabin sat solidly behind a black engine compartment and to the rear was an open wood–panelled goods box painted in bright red. As the truck drew nearer, the gold lettering on the side became visible – ‘CARTERS – High Quality Builders and General Repairs'.

  The horn sounded again as the lorry ground to a halt outside Hope Cottage. Jack leapt from the driver’s seat, grinning broadly.

  “What do you think then? Do you like her? She’s an Austin three ton lorry. Ideal for the building trade.”

  Jed’s mouth hung open, a look of stupefaction painted across his face. Alice broke the silence by squealing with delight.

  “It’s beautiful, Jack, and the name on the side, it suddenly all seems so real.” She leant forward and kissed Jack on the cheek, avoiding his eyes as she turned quickly away. Jed by now was running his fingers over the wooden panels, exploring the tail gate and making his way round to the driver’s cab.

  “How about a run out in her then? What do you say, Jed?” asked Jack with boyish delight.

  They all jumped up into the cab with Jack at the wheel and Alice sitting between them. The lorry lurched up Duck Lane with Jack struggling to engage the gears. As they approached the centre of town, Jack hooted enthusiastically at passers–by. People in turn waved back, recognising the occupants of the lorry from the name garishly displayed on the side.

  In the town square they drove round three times, drawing a small crowd of admirers. Then on to the Fox and Hounds where a group of afternoon drinkers raised their tankards in salute.

  “Let’s go out into the country and you can have a go at driving, Jed,” suggested Jack as they made their way out of Frampton. “Have you driven one of these before?”

  “No.”

  “It’s not difficult, I’ll teach you.”

  Jed’s initial attempts were nearly catastrophic with the truck veering towards drainage ditches, only to be rescued by Jack seizing the steering wheel. But slowly Jed got the hang of the steering and the double declutching necessary to change the gears. A broad smile soon replaced the look of studied concern. By the time Jed drove the truck back down Duck Lane in the receding light of the evening, he was in love with the vehicle. Alice had never before seen a look of such joy and fulfilment as he brought the vehicle to a halt outside the house.

  That evening the three of them ate together and Jack brought them up to date with plans to transfer the first sum of investment money. Jed was keen to discuss how the business would be run in the future. It was agreed that he would build a workshop and office in the garden at Hope Cottage and move the business home. They also discussed employing additional labour to help with the peaks of demand. Jed suggested that his brother might be able to help out. The farm was doing badly and his father was under threat of eviction.

  After the meal they retired to the little used sitting room and drank ale and cider to celebrate their new venture. Alice marvelled at how well they were all getting on and how natural it seemed for the three of them to be together. As a little group they all had something different and unique to offer. If only it could work at this level always. Yet underneath she knew lay the spectre of sex which was so often partnered by jealously and deceit.

  The next morning Jed was gone by six thirty to start work on a barn repair close to the centre of Frampton. The Maltings Barn had once been at the hub of a thrivin
g farm but as the town had grown it had become detached from the country it served and had been turned into a municipal store. The town council was debating plans to convert it into a public hall and assembly room and so needed Jed to carry out basic repairs to the structure until the rebuilding was agreed. Jed hoped that his readiness to carry out this work could lead to him being awarded the contract for the full refurbishment.

  Alice heard Jack moving around upstairs long after Jed had departed. She busied herself in the parlour, feeling uncomfortable about the prospect of being alone in the house with Jack. She found herself in a strange dilemma. On the one hand, she was still strongly attracted to Jack and wanted nothing more than to be in his physical presence yet, on the other hand, Jed’s growing confidence and enthusiasm left her feeling more guilty about the relationship she had begun with Jack. The irony was not lost on her that Jed’s improved prospects and sunnier disposition were down entirely to the generosity of Jack. Since he had come into their lives, their fortunes had undergone a complete transformation.

  “Am I too late for breakfast?” he said, lingering in the doorway.

  “No, of course not,” she said, smiling wanly as she indicated a chair at the table.

  “Would you like a cooked breakfast?”

  “If that’s not too much trouble.”

  “I’ve got the bacon cooking already.”

  There was silence, interrupted by the sound of spitting fat.

  “I know you think it’s peculiar,” he said, “but sometimes it’s best to let things be. Jed is happy because his business is going to be a success. I’m happy because I’m with you. But what about you, Alice, what are you feeling? What do you want?”

  Alice stopped what she was doing and stared out of the window at the garden. The sky was a bright blue interlaced with whispers of white cloud. There was no easy or simple answer to Jack’s question. She turned to face him.