Alice turned Jack onto his side and ran her fingers over the scar tissue that covered his back.
“It’s why I’m like I am, Alice. I sometimes don’t think, I just get driven by the moment. It’s why I had to sell the business. As it got bigger, I was making too many wrong decisions, falling out with people and being reckless. I realised I was the wrong person for the job so when the offer came to buy the business I jumped at it.”
Alice folded her arms around his muscular torso, pulling him close to her.
“I’m sorry, Jack, I’m so, so sorry. But I had to ask you. You don’t have to tell me any more though. It’s not your past I’m interested in – it’s our future. What about our future, my darling?”
They decided to dress and carry on the conversation downstairs. Alice returned to her own room, her mind still swimming with the heady ecstasy of illicit love making. She selected fresh clothing and lightly powdered her face. She knew that the conversation that she was about to have with Jack would be crucial. One side of her wanted no more than to run off with him and start afresh. Yet alarm bells sounded in her head. Supposing this was just a glorious short interlude which might end as quickly as it had begun. She knew so little about Jack, other than he was unpredictable and had a personality which was scarred by his experiences during the war. If she went off with him she would certainly burn all her bridges. However, if Jack left, she was convinced that Jed would forgive her and she would still have a home.
As they sat at the parlour table later, Alice tried to put an idea to Jack that was slowly taking shape in her mind.
“Leaving Hope Cottage is one option but let’s just think about others. What’s important for Jed is his home, having two good meals a day and building his business. He needs a wife, not a lover. What if you came to live here, Jack, permanently, as a proper paying guest. We could give Jed the choice. If he wishes, we could leave. But if he wants me to stay, you have to remain too.”
“You can’t do that to a man, Alice, that’s cruel – ask his wife’s lover to come and live under the same roof. What’d the locals say? They’d be outraged.”
“Round these parts people don’t talk about what goes on behind closed doors. It’s how you appear on the outside that folks take notice of. So as far as anyone’s concerned, Jed is the father and you’re the lodger.”
“You can’t do that, Alice, it’s a lie. You can’t bring a baby up believing its father is someone else.”
“You know, last time you were here, Jack, and all three of us were sitting in the parlour drinking ale and cider and we were discussing the business and how we would make it successful, I thought then what a good team we made – Jed the builder, you the entrepreneur and me the manager. Why can’t it be like that? It may be unusual but that doesn’t make it wrong.”
“Because Jed would never accept it. No man would ever accept that situation, not in his own house.”
“Supposing I could persuade him, would you give it a try?”
The Guest Who Stayed: Chapter 14 – August 1921
That night, after Alice and Jed had gone to bed, Jack sat up late reviewing what Alice had said earlier. On one level he was astounded by the audacity of her idea and the deception it involved. Three people pretending to the outside world that they were a harmonious family with a paying guest whilst in reality a pernicious web of deceit was being spun behind their closed doors.
Yet there was a logic to what Alice had proposed, even if she wasn’t fully aware of it. Within three years he could be dead and then the child wouldn’t have a father. If everyone, including the child, believed that Jed was the father, then the deception could continue after his own death. And at least he would have three years with his son or daughter – some small compensation for dying.
It was agreed that Jack would return to London and allow Alice to speak to Jed on her own. Alice was sure that she could persuade Jed to see the practicality of the proposition if she had time to nurse his inevitable hurt. Before leaving, Jack needed to meet with Jed to discuss the Maltings Barn bid. It was after all the reason for his sudden visit to Hope Cottage. The meeting was convened over breakfast the next morning.
“That town clerk were in again today,” garbled Jed as he tried to talk and load his mouth with food at the same time. “He reckons we’re in with a good chance. It’s what he calls ‘a community project’ – something that’s paid for from local taxes and there’s many on the council want to see it go to a local person.”
There was a noisy pause as Jed scraped the remaining breakfast from his plate.
“Trouble is, this fellow told me I’m not big enough and I don’t have financial security if something goes wrong.”
“Well, that’s why I’m here to help,” replied Jack. “I’m your financial backer and I can provide financial guarantees. I’ve been working on a draft tender and that’s one of the points I’m making. Not only that, but I’m your business advisor. That means you can get on with the building work and I can look after any administration.”
“Do you know when they’re going to make a decision?”
“Well, bids have got to be in by the end of the month. Then the council engineer has to make a recommendation to the council meeting in November. That’s when they’ll make their final decision.”
“OK then, we’ve got a couple of weeks to put the finishing touches to the bid. That shouldn’t be a problem.”
“I gotta say, Jack,” said Jed, pushing himself back in his chair, “it’s good having you round here. I don’t mind tellin’ you that when you first came, I wanted to see the back of you quick. But now, with you being a business partner and that, I’m glad to have you around, and I know Alice is too.”
Jack hoped that Jed didn’t notice the bright red flush that spread across Alice’s face as she averted her gaze.
Jack planned to leave after lunch the following day. He and Alice tried to remain at arm’s length during the morning to discuss their complex situation rationally but it wasn’t long before they were in each other’s arms again and making their way urgently up to Jack’s room where their clothing was discarded with breathless haste. Their love making was even more intense, as if time in this brief opening chapter of their relationship was running out. Their bodies locked together and their inhibitions were discarded as they hungrily sought satisfaction from each other.
Alice spent the next two days rehearsing her conversation with Jed. He would be devastated when he learnt that she was having Jack’s baby and his first reaction would be self pity. Alice would have no alternative but to offer to leave but she felt sure Jed would resist this. When he did, she had to be ready with her counter offer. She would stay if Jack could come to live with them and play a part in bringing up the baby. All four of them would be a family. To the outside world, she and Jed would be mother and father and Jack would be a kind of benevolent uncle who resided as a permanent paying guest. That way she got to stay with Jack and she now realised that there was no compromise available on that issue. But Jed got a lot from the proposal too. She would care for him and cook for him as she had done already. There would be a baby to bring up too and as far as anyone else knew Jed was the proud father. And the business would survive and maybe prosper. Jack’s investment would remain and possibly grow. Jed could realise his dream of running a prosperous business.
Weaving his way around slow moving vehicles and horse drawn carts, Jack made his way back to London in the Austin. Events had moved so fast in the past few weeks that he hadn’t had time to think rationally. He had never thought of himself as ‘father’ material and the thought of bringing a baby into the world alarmed him. It wasn’t that he disliked children, it was more that he doubted his own ability to act responsibly and consistently. Most of his life he had pleased himself and he found the idea of suddenly becoming responsible for another human being daunting. Also, he knew that his bronchial condition was getting worse. He had uncontrollable coughing spasms and had started to exhale spots of bloo
d. Would he even survive the promised three years?
The more he thought about it, the more Alice’s plan for them all to live under the same roof made a crazy sort of sense. But how to deal with Jed. Of course, he was weak and Alice was not in love with him but that didn’t make him a bad person. He didn’t deserve what was about to happen and, of course, he would hate him and had every reason to do so.
As Jack entered the suburbs of London, he began to look for the first time with disdain at the drab tenements on either side of the road and the piles of rubbish left in the streets. In the distance, the cranes of London docks could be seen above the roof tops, unloading produce and raw materials from distant dominions. Seagulls screamed angrily as they swooped low across the Mile End Road. Suddenly, he longed for the tranquillity of Hope Cottage, the fragrance of the scent from the wild roses in the garden and the warmth of Alice’s body next to his.
Jack downed another glass of whisky in his sitting room and stared once again at the row of neat terraced houses opposite. The only card he had to play was to make Jed successful, in the same way that he’d made himself successful. If Jed prospered then he would regain his self respect and Jack would give him back what he was about to take away. And in the long term, he thought Jed would make a better entrepreneur than he would a husband or lover.
Alice’s mind poured over the dilemma constantly but, in spite of exploring other possible options, she kept coming back to the same solution. Finally, she resolved to tell Jed the news one evening after supper.
It was a Friday and Jed usually started work a little later on a Saturday. Alice had baked a fish pie and listened as Jed explained the complexities of replacing the rotten roof joists in the barn. He seemed not to be stopping for breath, almost as if he sensed Alice looking for an opportunity to speak.
“Jed, Jed. I’m expecting a baby.”
She watched his face freeze and his eyes move slowly to meet hers. Briefly, the beginnings of a smile lit his face but then it was as if a dagger ripped into his heart and pain gripped his body.
“A baby, Alice? But how can ... is it mine?”
“No, Jed, I’m so very sorry but it’s not yours.”
A look of incomprehension seized him as he struggled to understand. “It’s Jack’s baby. Jack is the father, Jed.”
Incomprehension turned to dark fury.
“You and Jack, but when? In our bed, was it, when I was out working? How could you? What did I do to you?”
“You did nothing, Jed. It’s not your fault. It’s just that Jack and I fell in love. A powerful love that neither of us could resist.”
“But we were in love. That’s why we married – partners, soul mates, best friends.”
“We are, Jed, we are partners and best friends and soul mates but we’re not lovers – we never have been.”
“But you said it would come, Alice. Not to worry because it would come. That’s why I didn’t want to pester you.”
“It wasn’t right, Jed. It didn’t feel right for either of us. It was more like something we had to do, something mechanical, not full of pleasure and joy.”
“Is that what he does then, pleasures you whilst I’m out working? Is that when you done your whoring?”
At this point he broke down, loud anguished sobs seizing his body. Alice rushed to hold him and they both clung together – aching. After a while the sobbing subsided and, as Alice predicted, the self pity set in.
“So what becomes of me then? Are you and Jack going off to set up home somewhere or are you expecting me to leave Hope Cottage?”
“No one’s expecting you to leave Hope Cottage. It’s your house, Jed. You built it and you’ll always live here.”
“So are you going? Am I to be left here on my own then?”
“If that’s what you want, Jed. Only if that’s what you want.”
Jed started crying again.
“But I thought you’d always be here for me, Alice. I thought that’s what marriage was about. I’m no good by myself, we both know that. It’s why I agreed to marry you and why you agreed to marry me – because we make a good partnership. Jed and Alice. Alice and Jed.”
“That’s exactly it, Jed. We both did it like it was a business contract we were entering into. Look, I admit it. I thought that by marrying you I could escape from all this poverty once and for all. Here was you, a young man with prospects and his own house – unheard of in these parts for the likes of us. And I knew I could offer you something too. You needed caring for. You needed someone to encourage you and help you. You still do, Jed.”
“But now you’re going. You’re going to walk out and leave me.”
“Not necessarily.”
“What do you mean, ‘not necessarily’?”
“Think about it, Jed. We’ve always been realistic. We’ve done what’s necessary to get on and better ourselves. Maybe this isn’t as bad as it seems.”
“I can’t think of anything worse. A man’s business partner pleasures his wife and destroys everything that man holds dear.”
“But maybe not everything’s destroyed. Look, Jed, we all get on well, you, me and Jack. And soon there’ll be a baby too. Just supposing we stayed together as a family, helping each other and being supportive. You want a baby and soon we’ll have one. You need Jack to help you with the business. Well, supposing he was here, able to help you every day, making the business a big success?”
“What are you saying? You must be out of your mind. Are you suggesting that bastard actually comes and lives in my house?”
“I know it seems strange, Jed, but take time to think about it. We’d have to say that you were the child’s father and it’d take our name – Carter. Jack would be like an uncle.”
“What would people say? We’d be laughed out of Frampton.”
“No one would know. It’d be our secret. We’d just say that Jack was coming to stay as a permanent paying guest. We’d say his bronchitis had got worse and the doctors had ordered him out of London.”
“And you’d get your fancy man into your bed whenever it suited you.”
“I’m not going to compromise about Jack. He’s the father of my baby and I’m going to live with him. But you have a choice. Either I go or Jack comes here and we live as a family. I’ll promise to care for you and Jack will help you make the business into a success. It’s your choice, Jed.”
They sat up late that night with recriminations and regrets abounding in equal measure. Neither slept, though they shared the same bed and were aware of each sniffle, cough or sigh the other made. In the morning they were drained of conversation and went about their tasks like sleep walkers.
Jed was pleased to leave the house and head off to work. It had become oppressive just being in each other’s company and he felt as if his head was about to burst. He went through the motions of working, moving tools around and stacking bricks but all the time his mind pondered the terrible blow that he’d been delivered.
Ideas drifted through his mind. Maybe he should simply expose them – show them up for what they really were – liars and cheats. Tell people about them, have then drummed out of Frampton, jeered at, spat upon, laughed at. But he couldn’t do that to Alice. They were still partners, maybe not lovers in the physical sense but he thought of them as one being, two sides of the same coin. And however hard you tried, you couldn’t split a coin.
Jack, on the other hand, was a different matter. He’d come into their lives and destroyed everything that Jed had worked for. He was the real enemy, not Alice. He’d probably seduced her, like he had Flora. Oh God, Flora! With all that happened he’d forgotten about Flora and that bastard Jack raping her. Now, he would tell Alice. That would show her what he was really like. Yes, that was it. He’d go home and tell Alice what he saw – Jack raping Flora.
The car driven by Dr. Murray’s dour faced nurse made its way slowly up the long drive. Flora sat alone on the back seat, wrapped in an old army blanket to cover her bulging tummy. Outside, a light driz
zle was falling from a grey sky. As the car rounded a bend, Flora saw the asylum for the first time. It was an ugly grey gothic building with tall chimneys reaching up high into the mist. A steep flight of functional steps led up to the main entrance doors. As the car drew to a halt by the steps, Flora felt herself gripped by fear and she began to sob uncontrollably.
Jed sat with his head in his hands on a bag of cement. Maybe Alice’s proposal was worth considering. After all, there was no guarantee that this relationship between the two of them would last. It was an infatuation on Alice’s part. She was overawed by his ostentatious wealth, the car, meals in Cromer and all of that. But Jack’d soon be bored. Soon he’d be back to London and his fancy women there. Then Jed would be able to take the moral high ground. He’d tell Alice that he’d have her back. He’d even take the baby and rear it as his own. Alice would be so grateful she’d fall back in love with him forever.
It would be nice to have a baby in the house. He’d found himself recently thinking more about it but the more he tried to raise the issue with Alice the more she became silent on the subject. They’d have to keep it secret, mind. If anyone found out the truth, they’d be laughing stocks. And what about telling the child sometime in the future? Well, that was for the future.
More than anything Jed wanted to keep Dan’s business going. It was how people knew him now. It was his identity. He knew that people in the town referred to him as ‘Jed the Joiner’ and it pleased him to be known by his trade. Whatever happened, the business had to survive and if that meant going along with Alice’s plan then maybe he could do that in the short term.
The Guest Who Stayed Page 18