Elm Tree Road

by Anna Jacobs

  ‘I’ll go and check the place out tomorrow. Maybe it’ll be worth paying my pal to take me in his motor car.’

  ‘You’d not get me to ride in one of those things,’ his aunt said at once.

  She was turning into a proper old misery. He looked round. But it was worth putting up with her because this house would be his one day – and some of that money too.

  And Nell had better not cross him about this.

  The following morning Nell, Hugh and May were walking back from the village, about to turn off onto the path across the fields, when they heard the sound of a motor car. They moved to the side of the road and it slowed down as it came near.

  Nell stared at it in shock. Could that be … It was! Frank Greenhill. She reached out blindly for Hugh’s hand and he looked at her in puzzlement.

  The car came to a halt and the passenger stared at them. ‘Nell,’ he said. ‘Fancy meeting you here!’

  She couldn’t speak for a moment, then said quietly, ‘I’m visiting friends.’ Tugging Hugh’s hand, she moved on quickly, but she didn’t hear the car start up again. As they turned off the main road, she glanced back and saw Frank still staring at her.

  ‘Who is he?’ Hugh asked quietly.

  ‘My husband’s cousin Frank. I can’t think what he’s doing out here. They aren’t the sort to go out driving. The Greenhills usually only do things for money.’

  The car started up again.

  ‘Well, he’s gone now. You’ll probably never see him again.’

  But Nell couldn’t get the thought of Frank out of her mind, or the memory of the fierce way he’d looked at her. She couldn’t believe their meeting was just a coincidence, either. He must have found out where she lived. But why was he bothering to pursue her? Cliff’s mother had made it plain they wanted nothing more to do with her.

  Was he still after the money?

  She tried to shake off her worries and get on with her day, but although Hugh went to work in his study in the afternoon and May went out to play with the dog, Nell still couldn’t concentrate on her book.

  In the afternoon Nell heard the sound of a motor car approaching the farm and her first thought was that Frank was pursuing her. As it came up the lane to the farm and stopped outside, she looked out of the window. Thank goodness! It wasn’t him.

  Thinking it was someone who’d got lost, she went to open the door, but took an involuntary step backwards at the sight of Stan Telfor, looking as big and boisterous as ever. Common sense took over. They’d left their address for Stan, so he was here by their invitation. She was letting her nerves get the better of her.

  He beamed at her as if they were old friends as he came towards the house. ‘Living posh now, are you, Nell girl?’

  ‘Shh, Stan. This is my employer’s house and—’

  ‘If this is Mr Telfor, you’d better invite him in,’ said a voice behind them.

  She glanced at Hugh, grateful that he was there. ‘Come in, Stan.’

  She took him into the kitchen, which felt like her domain now and gave her a bit of much needed confidence. At least this man wasn’t scowling at her. In fact, he looked happier than she’d ever seen him before.

  ‘This is my employer, Mr Easton.’

  Stan stuck out his big hand and the two men shook. ‘Pleased to meet you, sir.’

  ‘Sit down and I’ll put the kettle on.’ It was a universal thing, a cup of tea – softened arguments, comforted you with its warmth. She’d never met anyone who didn’t enjoy a cup.

  When Hugh joined them at the table, Stan’s smile faded. ‘If you don’t mind, sir, this is private business.’

  ‘I’m a good friend of Nell’s and I think she’d prefer me to stay.’

  Stan looked across at her and shrugged as she nodded agreement. ‘Sorry about your dad, Nell. Poor old Bart went to pieces after you lot left. He wasn’t good at looking after himself and he’d been worrying about his health for a while.’

  ‘He never said anything.’

  ‘He wouldn’t talk about something like that. Too frightened of losing his job if they found out he got pains in his chest whenever he did the heavy work.’

  ‘Oh, I see. I’ve only recently come back to Swindon. I went to the house to see him and the new people told me he’d died. They said you’d cleared the house out, so we came to see you.’

  ‘Yes. Nice young couple they are, saved me a lot of trouble by buying half his stuff.’

  ‘It was very kind of you to do that, Stan.’

  He shrugged. ‘He was a good drinking mate of mine, old Bart was, for all he could get a bit grumpy at times. I heard your Cliff had died too, but no one knows how. You know how tight-lipped them Greenhills are. Never tell anyone what’s going on unless it pays them to. How did he die?’

  ‘The gas cooker blew up. He was standing right next to it.’

  Stan let out a long slow whistle. ‘Nasty, that. You’re all right, though. You didn’t get hurt?’

  ‘No, I was out at the shop. But our little daughter was killed too.’ She had to swallow hard to contain her grief. She could control it now, but it was always there.

  He patted her arm awkwardly. ‘Aw, no. Hard to lose a kid. I don’t know where I’d be without my two stepsons. The eldest has started work now. I got him into a trade.’ He leant back and smiled. ‘So that’s two of you sisters still living near Swindon now, eh?’

  Nell was so surprised by what he said that she splashed herself with the boiling water she’d been pouring into the teapot and cried out in pain.

  Hugh jumped up and held her reddened hand under the cold tap. Stan went across to finish dealing with the teapot.

  ‘Which of my sisters have you seen?’ she asked from across by the sink, trying to pull her hand away from Hugh and failing.

  ‘Your Mattie. She’s living out at Shallerton Bassett now.’

  ‘Where’s that?’

  ‘Over to the west. Just a small village. Me and Bart went out to see her once.’

  Nell burst into tears of joy and couldn’t speak coherently for a few moments, she was so glad to hear that Mattie was all right.

  Hugh wrapped her hand in a damp tea towel and guided her to a chair.

  Stan shoved a cup of tea in front of her.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘It’s just … I wasn’t sure I’d ever see either of them again.’

  Stan looked at her in surprise. ‘Has your Renie gone missing too?’

  ‘Yes. She was working in London and she just … vanished one day. No one knows why or where she is.’

  ‘She’ll be all right. That girl was born to land on her feet like a cat. Cheeky little madam, she is, but you couldn’t help liking her.’ He drained his cup and went to pour himself another one without asking.

  By now Nell was clutching Hugh’s hand and happiness was tingling through her. ‘Do you have Mattie’s address, Stan?’

  ‘Not her actual address.’

  She looked at him in sudden fear.

  ‘But I can tell you exactly where the house is. Big house it is too. Talk about landing on her feet. Some old lady left it to her. Oh, and she’s got herself married as well. He walks with a limp, but he’s a big strong fellow all the same. Bart tried to thump him. Stupid sod. Should have wished her well and stayed in her good books, like I did. She and I parted on good terms.’

  ‘Why did you go to see her?’

  ‘I had my reasons. Personal. I wanted to know something.’

  ‘Have you heard anything from her since?’

  ‘I sent word to her when Bart died, but it was her husband who came and sorted things out. I said I’d clear out the house and he told me to keep the money I got for the furniture. She didn’t want anything of his. I sent them his bank book, though. I didn’t realise how much he’d got tucked away, the old devil.’

  ‘And you’ve not seen them since?’

  ‘No reason to. I go out along the Bath road sometimes, but I don’t think she’d welcome a visit from me, even though w
e smoothed things over that day.’ He looked at her and added, ‘I didn’t know Bart was trying to force her to marry me, you know. I thought she wanted to.’

  ‘He wasn’t kind to any of us, just used us for his own purposes.’ Then she turned to beam at Hugh. ‘I can’t believe Mattie’s married! Oh, I do hope she’s happy!’

  ‘She looked at the fellow fondly enough,’ Stan offered. ‘I’ve got wed, as well. Good lass, she is. Best cook I ever met, my Betsy. Got two sons. Great little chaps, they are. I never thought I’d enjoy being a father so much.’

  ‘Did you come all this way to tell me about Mattie? That was very kind of you.’

  He shrugged. ‘I like to take my motor car out for a run now and then. Betsy usually comes with me, but she’s in the family way and she’s feeling a bit tired today.’

  ‘Congratulations.’

  He smiled, a proud smile, without the old sharpness in it.

  ‘You must stay for lunch, Mr Telfor,’ Hugh said.

  ‘I won’t, if you don’t mind, Mr Easton, though I’d not mind another cup of tea if you can squeeze one out of that pot. I told Betsy I’d not stay out all day. I’ll just tell you first how to find your Mattie. You’d better write it down.’ He explained and Hugh made notes.

  Nell didn’t need to make notes. She’d remember every word he said because she was longing to see her sister. ‘You look as if you’re doing well for yourself, Stan,’ Nell said as she handed him a third cup of tea. ‘You must be, if you can afford a car.’

  He tapped the side of his nose. ‘Ah. Not doing badly at all. Your Mattie’s not the only one to have had a bit of luck. I’ve been dealing in this and that for a while now, on the side, like, but I’m dealing for a living now. We clear houses out when someone dies, and we buy and sell old things. Not like pawnbroking. I never could fancy that. But antiques and second-hand furniture are different.’

  He leant back, obviously happy to talk about his success. ‘You’d be surprised at how much some daft folk will pay for old dressers and such, even when they’re scarred and scratched. My partner knows a lot about antiques and he’s teaching me. I was no good at school, but I’ve picked this up quick, because it’s real stuff. My partner runs our auctions and does the valuations, but I do the house clearances and keep an eye on things at auctions to make sure no one stirs up trouble. It’s all done fair and proper, though.’

  ‘That’s wonderful.’

  ‘Never a dull moment. Beats slaving at the railway works. They don’t always treat you well when you get older and lose your strength. That’d been worrying your father for years. In my new trade I can work as long as I can stand upright, and I can get younger men to hump the heavy stuff around later on.’

  When Stan had left, she went to sit down in the kitchen.

  ‘Happy?’ Hugh asked, with a smile of his own.

  ‘Very. I can’t believe how Stan’s changed. Wasn’t he talkative? I’m so glad for him. Um … can I have the day off tomorrow, please, to go and find Mattie? It’ll take me all day, I’m afraid.’

  ‘No, certainly not.’

  She looked at him in shock, this was so unlike him.

  He chuckled as he took her hand. ‘I’m coming with you, and what’s more, we’re getting young Harry from the village to drive us in his motor car. Otherwise we’d spend half the day changing trains and we’d be stuck for transport out to the village once we got to Wootton Bassett.’

  She relaxed again. ‘You’re so kind to me.’

  ‘It’s my pleasure.’

  He was leaning forward, kissing her cheek when May came running into the kitchen from outside.

  She stopped dead by the door, looking at them accusingly. ‘No!’ she cried and ran out again.

  ‘Nothing’s easy with May, is it?’ he said ruefully. ‘I’d better go after her, then I’ll nip into the village to see Harry.’

  Nell let him go, wanting time on her own to take in the news that Mattie was well and living only twenty miles or so away.

  But whatever Hugh had said to his niece didn’t reconcile her to finding the two of them kissing. May was sulky for the rest of the afternoon and hardly said a word to either of them all evening, while the looks she threw at Nell were angry and resentful.

  Instead of her usual protests at any disturbance of her routine, May only shrugged when told to go to Pearl’s after school the following day and stay there until her uncle came to pick her up.

  When it was time for May to go to bed, Nell stood up to go with her as usual.

  ‘I can get myself to bed, thank you!’

  ‘I’ll fill your hot-water bottle, then.’

  ‘I don’t want one.’ May stamped off up the stairs.

  Hugh turned to Nell. ‘She’ll come round. It was just the shock of seeing us together.’ He frowned at the sounds of banging doors and things being thrown about that came from upstairs.

  ‘It seems to have really upset her.’

  ‘The world doesn’t revolve round her and she’ll have to learn that. I’m not letting anything come between us, Nell. And I’m not letting her be rude to you, either. You don’t deserve it.’

  Children could be rude without saying a word, Nell thought sadly. The way May had behaved upset her, most of all because it reinforced what she’d been telling herself. There was such a big gap between Hugh and herself. Would things ever work out for them? Was that possible?

  She woke in the night and it took her a while to get to sleep. And it wasn’t May or Stan she was thinking of, but Frank. He’d looked at her with such anger. Whatever Hugh said, she was sure it was no accident that he’d been passing.

  Only how had he found her? She hadn’t given Mrs Greenhill her new address.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The following morning Harry picked them up early in his motor car, which he told Nell proudly was a Vauxhall A-Type. It was shining with polish, just as his face was shining with love for his vehicle.

  Their washerwoman found out that morning that they were going out with Harry and would leave her to do the washing on her own. She told Nell that he’d spent nearly all of a small inheritance from an aunt on this vehicle and his family were upset about that, thinking he’d wasted it.

  Mrs Compton seemed to know all the gossip in the village and no doubt that evening she’d be telling them about Nell and Mr Easton going out somewhere with Harry. She could only hope Mrs Compton hadn’t noticed her feelings for Hugh. Nell didn’t feel ready to face the world about that.

  On his advice, she’d dressed up warmly today, wearing her mackintosh over her tweed suit, and using a long scarf he’d found for her to tie her hat on firmly.

  ‘How fast can it go?’ she asked Harry.

  ‘Thirty or forty miles an hour on the good roads, faster sometimes.’

  She stared at him in horror. ‘Is that safe?’

  ‘You’ll be all right with me, Mrs Greenhill, I promise. I’m a good driver and this fine lady won’t let us down.’ He slapped one hand down proudly on the bonnet of his car. ‘The first car built like this won the RAC trial for two thousand miles in fifteen days as far back as 1908. They’re tried and tested by now, these A-Types are, though the man who owned this one didn’t understand cars and got into trouble with it a few times, which is how I got it so cheaply. Now, who wants to ride in the front?’

  ‘You ride in the front, Hugh. You know you want to talk to Harry about cars.’

  ‘Well, if you don’t mind, I would like to ask him about a few things as we go.’

  She sat on the comfortably upholstered rear seat, feeling nervous at first, then getting used to travelling so fast. She held on tight to the strap though, as she listened to the two men’s conversation, smiling at Harry’s enthusiasm, wondering what some of the words he used meant. But she couldn’t be bothered to ask. She was too excited about seeing her sister again.

  ‘They said I’d wasted my money buying this car, Mr Easton, but I’m making a respectable living by repairing bicycles and other vehic
les, and hiring my car out to people like yourself, so I don’t agree. I won’t let anyone else drive her, of course. And I’ve only just started. You’ll see. They’ll all see. I’m going to do much better before I’m through, whatever anyone says. I’m going to sell motor cars.’

  It was lovely to hear a young man with such ambition. He was only a year or two younger than Cliff had been, but what a difference there was between the two of them. This man had a happy open approach to the world.

  She held on more tightly as they got to a main road and speeded up.

  ‘We’re going about fifty miles an hour now, Mrs Greenhill!’ Harry shouted back.

  She’d rather go more slowly, thank you very much, and stay safe. Hugh clearly didn’t share her anxiety. He kept asking more questions about the car.

  Nell let them talk. As long as they were heading towards the place where her sister lived, she’d put up with the speed. She’d do whatever it took to find Mattie again. Fly to the moon, if necessary.

  When they stopped on the outskirts of Swindon, she was glad to get down for a moment or two, while Harry checked everything.

  ‘Do you want a longer break?’ Hugh asked.

  ‘No. I want to get to my sister’s as soon as we can.’

  ‘Sorry. I was so interested I forgot how impatient you’d be to see her. Come on, young Harry. Let’s be off again.’

  They skirted the town centre and headed south-west to Wootton Bassett, then took the Bath road.

  Harry suddenly yelled in triumph and pointed to a sign saying Shallerton Bassett. He turned off the main road, and as Stan had told them, the road sloped uphill for a couple of hundred yards. The roofs of a village came into view downhill to their left, while to their right, further up the hill, stood a large house, three storeys high, with outbuildings at the rear. It was built of stone, which had weathered to a comfortable greyish colour, with a roof of large stone tiles. At the front there was a wall, with big double gates standing open onto the drive.

  Nell stared at it in amazement. It was the sort of house you saw pictures of in magazines. It didn’t seem possible that Mattie could own one so grand. Surely they’d come to the wrong place?