Promise Made

by Linda Sole

  ‘Frannie …’ Sam moved towards her, catching her in his arms. For a moment she was too distressed to move away and she let him hold her. ‘My God, you’re so warm and soft, and you smell wonderful,’ Sam muttered, pressing his mouth against her neck. ‘I’ve always wanted to hold you and touch you, Fran …’

  ‘No!’ Frances pushed him away in revulsion. ‘Don’t you dare to touch me like that! I hate you …’ She was sobbing but angry too, her disgust showing in her eyes.

  Perhaps it was the disgust that drove Sam past the edge of reason. He grabbed hold of her again, pressing her against the wall, his knee between her legs, clawing her skirts up above her waist. Frances struggled but it was no use. He was too strong for her and she couldn’t escape as his hand moved up her thigh, his hand touching her, his finger pushing up inside her. She could feel the heat of his erection as he pressed himself against her and she knew what was coming next. With a great effort, she shoved hard against his shoulders, bringing one knee up sharply. Sam gasped in pain and staggered back.

  ‘Damn you!’ he muttered, doubling over. ‘What did you want to do that for? It was just a bit of fun.’

  ‘To you perhaps.’ Frances spat the words at him. ‘You were going to force me if you could, Sam, and don’t deny it. You can think yourself lucky if I don’t tell Rosalind what a brute you are.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Sam said. ‘I didn’t mean it to happen that way, Fran. You know I care for you. If you give me a chance, I’ll look after you.’

  ‘Just get out of this house,’ Frances said. ‘And don’t come back until you’re invited. I shan’t say anything for the moment, because it isn’t the time – but I might.’

  ‘I shouldn’t have done it,’ Sam said. ‘I’m sorry, Fran. I’ll make it up to you. I’ll give you this house just to show you how sorry I am.’

  ‘The house was a wedding present, but you never signed it over,’ Frances said. ‘Just get out, Sam, and leave me alone.’

  He looked at her for a moment and then turned and left her, slamming the front door as he went out. Frances stood where she was for a moment, feeling as if she might faint. After a minute or two she went into the sitting room and poured herself the last of the whisky from a bottle Marcus had left on the sideboard. She tossed it back in one go, feeling it sting her throat. The memory of Sam’s hateful touch would linger in her mind for a long time, but she was lucky it hadn’t been worse. She shuddered as she looked about her. She certainly didn’t want to live in this house ever again, whether Sam gave it to her or not.

  She pulled the kitchen door shut behind her, glad that she would be staying with Alice and Daniel until the funeral was over – and Emily would be here soon. She blinked back her tears. She couldn’t let Sam make her weak. She had to be strong. She had to find a new life for herself and Charlie somehow.

  ‘I don’t know what to do,’ Frances said. Emily had her arm about her and they were alone, walking in the lane that led from the fen into Stretton Village. It was quite warm for the time of year, though the breeze was cool. ‘Sam scares me. I fought him off the other day but …’ She held back a sob. ‘He apologized and said he would give me the house, but I don’t want to be beholden to him, Emily.’

  ‘Wait and see how you’re situated after the will is read,’ Emily advised. ‘If you can afford it you might want to move away somewhere.’

  ‘But where?’ Frances frowned as she looked at her. ‘I wouldn’t know where to go. I’ve never lived anywhere but here. I shouldn’t know anyone.’

  ‘You would soon make friends,’ Emily said. ‘Anyway, you will have time to think about it, because when tomorrow is over I am going to take you and Charlie home with me. You can stop for as long as you like, and it will give you some breathing space. When you know how things stand you will be able to decide what you want to do, love.’

  ‘Yes, I suppose so,’ Frances said. Her smile was a little forced as she looked at Emily. ‘I wasn’t sure you would come – after the way I spoke to you at Henry’s funeral.’

  ‘Well, you were right in a way,’ Emily said. ‘It’s true that I’ve been wrapped up in the home for a long time, but that may be coming to an end soon.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘They are talking about closing us down,’ Emily said. ‘We don’t have anywhere near so many patients now. We’ve been able to send some of them home; they will never be quite normal but they can make some sort of a life for themselves. I’m not sure what will happen to those that remain. At Vanbrough we have made them feel as if they are at home, but if they get put into a state institution …’ She shook her head. ‘We could keep the home open as an entirely private venture, but it would be expensive, because most of the patients couldn’t afford to pay. A couple of families might, but that wouldn’t cover the running costs. Vane has been paying a lot of the cost anyway, but he did receive a subsidy from the government to help with the nursing staff. I’m not sure if he will be prepared to carry on …’

  ‘What will you do if he decides to close it down?’

  ‘I’m not sure. Vane will want me to stay on, of course – but I don’t know if it is the right thing …’ Emily was thoughtful. She had believed she was settled at Vanbrough, but just recently Amelia had been trying to take Robert over rather too often for her liking. ‘Like you, Fran. I don’t know what I should do if I left. I don’t think I would come back here – perhaps the seaside. I might try my hand at running a small hotel.’

  ‘You wouldn’t?’ Frances saw the look on her face and nodded. ‘I suppose it wouldn’t be much different from running the home.’

  ‘Easier, I would imagine. We shouldn’t have so many problems with the nursing staff. We are losing one of our best nurses. Rose is getting married. I think she is having a baby, though she hasn’t said as much. I shall be sorry to lose her, especially the way things are. I don’t feel like taking on someone new at the moment.’

  ‘It must be difficult for you.’ Frances gave her a natural smile. ‘You’ve made me feel better, Emily. It was so awful when Dan told me … I can’t bear to think of …’ She drew a sobbing breath. ‘But it must have been the same for you when Terry was killed, and you’ve managed, haven’t you?’

  ‘After a fashion,’ Emily said. ‘It hasn’t been easy, Fran, don’t think that – it never is when you love someone. For a long time I was like a zombie, walking about in a daze. I don’t know how I got through the first few months, but having Robert helped. I had to eat because of my baby, and when he was born I knew that I had to find a way to live again. I have – but that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten Terry, and it still hurts.’

  Frances nodded. ‘We had a row that night. Marcus went off in a temper because of something I said to him. Do you think …?’

  Emily put an arm about her waist, giving her a little squeeze. ‘No, I don’t Fran. Something was eating at Marcus. You told me so yourself. He should have faced up to whatever it was, found a way of dealing with it – but it wasn’t just because of a little quarrel with you. So don’t go blaming yourself.’

  ‘I have been,’ Frances admitted. ‘I keep thinking that if I hadn’t gone on at him he might still be alive.’

  ‘And it might have happened next week or next month. If Marcus was drinking too much, he could have had an accident at anytime, love. Don’t take all the blame on your shoulders, please.’

  ‘I’ll try not to,’ Frances said and shivered. ‘I shall be glad when tomorrow is over. I hate funerals, Emily.’

  ‘Yes, I’m not keen on them,’ her sister admitted. ‘But Dan and I will be with you. Alice’s mum is going to look after Robert and Danny, so Alice will be there too. I expect Dorothy and Mary will come if they can. We’ll be there to support you – and, as I said, I’m taking you back with me afterwards.’

  ‘Yes, thank you,’ Frances said. ‘I should like to visit you. See it all for myself. I’m not sure what I’m going to do next. As you said, it depends on my situation – but I might go away …�
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  Afterwards, Frances thought that she could never have faced the funeral if Emily hadn’t been there by her side. Dan was there too, but her brother seemed to get on well with Sam, and somehow that made her uneasy. She wanted to distance herself from her father-in-law, but he hovered around her, offering his assistance when all she wanted was for him to leave her alone. She could see the calculating look in his eyes, as if he was wondering whether or not she was going to show him up to his wife. It was what he deserved, but Frances couldn’t see much sense in it. Rosalind probably wouldn’t believe her – she might even think that Frances had invited his abuse.

  Rosalind nodded to her once but didn’t speak. Her eyes were dark with misery, and Frances sensed that at the moment she was raw with grief, hating everyone because her son was dead. Frances had sensed that Rosalind blamed her for the change in Marcus, which was quite unfair. She hadn’t made him drink, and she certainly hadn’t tried to stop him visiting his mother. He had made his own choice.

  The service seemed to drag on and on interminably. The church was packed out, quite a few people standing outside. Frances thought it was probably in deference to Sam Danby, though she received a lot of sympathetic looks as she walked into the church.

  Sam stood up and told the congregation how proud he had always been of his son. Marcus had been captain of the school cricket team. He had done well at college and might have gone on to an academic career if it hadn’t been for the war. He had served his country well and received several mentions and commendations.

  Frances stuck her fingernails into the palms of her hands. She wanted to scream at him to stop acting as if butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth and tell them the truth. Only she wasn’t sure what the truth was – except that the drinking had got much worse after Marcus discovered something about his father’s business affairs.

  She sat dry-eyed throughout the service, because her weeping had been done in private and she wasn’t going to make a show of herself in public. The raw grief had been changing over the past few days, settling into an ache in her breast and a deep-seated anger. Marcus had been selfish and careless, throwing his life away in a drunken rage. If he had cared for her and Charlie, he would have stopped drinking and settled down at his job.

  She pasted a look of calm on her face when they left the graveyard after the internment. She would be glad to get away from all this, to go off with Emily and not have to see people she knew for a while.

  The family solicitor had attended the funeral. Alice had invited him back to her house for the usual sandwiches and a sherry, and she knew he would tell her about her financial situation later that afternoon. She hoped he would say that there was a little money, because she might take Emily’s advice and move away from the village.

  ‘Are you sure you have everything you need for a few weeks, Fran?’ Emily asked as they all packed into her car. ‘Hold on to the dog, Charlie. He is excited because he is happy to be with you again.’ As if to confirm her words, the dog yelped and wriggled free, but she caught it almost at once and shut the back door of the car on Nanny, the two small boys and the dog. ‘I’m sorry, Nanny,’ she said as she got into the driving seat and glanced over her shoulder. ‘Are you all right there?’

  ‘Yes, madam, don’t you worry about me,’ Nanny said stoutly. ‘We shall all be fine, though we may need to stop a little more often to go walkies.’

  ‘Yes, I see what you mean.’ Emily smiled ruefully. It was difficult enough keeping one small boy clean and dry for the journey; two boys and a dog would be more difficult. ‘Well, are we all ready?’ She looked at her sister, who was sitting by her side in front. ‘You all right, Fran?’

  ‘Yes, I’m fine,’ Frances said and smiled at her. ‘I feel much better now that it is all over.’

  ‘Good,’ Emily said. ‘Off we go then …’

  She was thoughtful as she set off. Frances hadn’t told her exactly what the lawyer had said, but Emily gathered that her sister might be better off financially than she had imagined.

  Emily was busy that morning so Frances walked as far as the lake on her own. There was a touch of frost in the air, because they were well into November now, but Frances had a thick coat and a silk headscarf to keep out the cold. It was very peaceful here; such a beautiful house and the grounds were wonderful. It wasn’t really surprising that her sister enjoyed living here. She wouldn’t have minded it herself, but not as a permanent house guest. Not while Amelia ruled the roost here.

  Frances sighed. She understood what Emily meant when she said that Amelia sometimes tried to take over Robert. She’d done it a few times with Charlie, but Frances didn’t mind because she was going home in a few days. She wouldn’t have stood for it if she were in Emily’s shoes!

  Frances was trying to decide what she ought to do next. She had come to terms with her loss in this glorious place, and although the anger was still there, it was under control. It appeared that Sam had put a block of apartments into Marcus’s name after the war, at least a half share, and half still remaining with Sam. Marcus hadn’t told her anything about them, but that wasn’t unusual. He had made a will during the war leaving everything to her and hadn’t bothered to change it after Charlie was born. The lawyer had told Frances she was free to do as she pleased with her half share of the property in London. Apart from that, Marcus had only left a thousand pounds, which wasn’t very much. The house she was living in had never been transferred to Marcus, even though it was supposed to be a wedding gift.

  ‘The London property is run by your father-in-law,’ Mr Sanderson had informed her. ‘Properly, you ought to ask him to buy your shares, but you could sell elsewhere if you chose – though I wouldn’t recommend that course of action. I am sure Mr Danby will be more than happy to buy them from you, though of course you could take the income instead. I imagine that must be substantial. I think your husband must have waived it for the time being, but any such agreement would be at an end now.’

  ‘What do you mean by waived it?’ Frances had asked. ‘Are you saying that Marcus didn’t choose to take his share of the income?’

  ‘Well, there is no record of his ever having received any money from the property,’ the lawyer said. ‘So I imagine he was leaving it to be reinvested.’

  Frances hadn’t disagreed with him, but she thought it was unlikely. If Marcus hadn’t drawn on the income it was because he wouldn’t take his father’s money. She knew that at one time he had hoped to manage the London property, but something had happened that made him quarrel with his father.

  Marcus had never told her, but she had decided that she would try to find out what had caused all the trouble, and it seemed that the London property might be a good place to start …

  ‘Are you sure you won’t stay longer?’ Emily asked as her sister came downstairs with her cases packed a few days later. ‘You know you are welcome to stay as long as you want. You could even stay until after Christmas if you like?’

  ‘Yes, I know that,’ Frances said and smiled at her. ‘But if I don’t go back now it will just get worse. I have to face up to things, Emily. I have to decide what to do with my life from now on.’

  ‘Have you any ideas?’

  ‘Well, yes, I might,’ Frances said. ‘It all depends on how much I can get for my share of the property in London. If Sam offers me enough I might buy a little bed and breakfast place at the sea … not too far from here so that we can see each other sometimes. And I’m going to learn to drive. I ought to have done it years ago.’

  ‘It comes in handy,’ Emily said and kissed her cheek. ‘I think you are being very positive, love. If you wait until the weekend I could drive you home.’

  ‘No, I’ve decided to go on the train,’ Frances said. ‘I’m going to break my journey in London and have a look at that block of apartments. I want to know if Sam is offering me a fair price for my share or not, because he might try to get them back cheap. He never put the house into our names, even though it was a wedding gift.’


  ‘I wouldn’t trust that man farther than I could throw him,’ Emily said. ‘Be careful of him, love. If you’re in any doubt come to me – or ask Dan to sort him out for you.’

  ‘Dan thinks he’s a bit of a rogue but they get on all right,’ Frances said. ‘If I told him what Sam Danby was really like – what he tried to do to me that day at the house – he wouldn’t believe me. That’s why I’m going to take my money and leave, Emily. It wasn’t so bad after Marcus came back when the war ended, but …’ She shook her head. ‘I don’t like Sam, and I’m going to get away as soon as I can. If I stay there’s no telling what he might do next.’

  ‘Good for you,’ her sister said and kissed her cheek. ‘I’m glad you’re so positive, Frances. Just remember that I am on the end of the phone and I’ll always help if I can.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Frances said and gave her a quick hug. ‘I feel a lot better now. Being here with you has made me see there’s more to life than I ever dreamed. All you need is a bit of money and you can do anything.’

  ‘Well, I’m not sure that’s completely true,’ Emily said. ‘But you’re certainly entitled to your share of that property and you want to tell your lawyer to make sure that you get it.’

  ‘Yes, I shall, when I know what it is worth,’ Frances agreed. She didn’t add that she was curious to see just what it was about these flats that had made Marcus have a terrible row with his father.

  Frances stood outside the block of apartments. It was bitterly cold now and the pavements were icy beneath her feet. She was conscious of a feeling of disappointment, because this side of the river had a lot of industrial stuff going on and they weren’t exactly the luxury apartments she had been hoping to find. In fact they looked a bit rundown, even seedy, and she was surprised that Sam bothered to come up to London as often as he did. Surely they couldn’t be that valuable?

  She had employed a professional nanny to take care of Charlie and the dog for the morning, thinking that she might be quite a while, but now that she was here she didn’t feel like going inside. She lingered at the entrance door, looking at the names above the bells. It was a moment or two before she realized that they were all a bit peculiar … and all girls’ names. She read the names out to herself: Candy, Blondie, Sugar Susie and Mary, Mary Quite Contrary. There was a frown on her face as she tried to make sense of it. And then a man came and stood beside her. He pushed the bell with the name Candy on it and waited. After a few minutes a girl with bleached yellow hair, wearing what looked like a pink silk dressing gown, came down and let him in. She shot a look at Frances but didn’t say anything as she disappeared up the stairs with the man following her.