by Jean Hill
Jeremy was a good-looking man for his sixty years. His hair was almost white but quite thick and his blue-grey oddly flecked eyes were still alert. His greatest weakness was that, although he still possessed a good and clever brain, he was a lazy man and too fond of his ‘booze’ as he put it, whisky and vodka being his favourites. He often cut corners which had backfired on him a few times during his career. He had spent money without enough thought and amassed some large and needless gambling debts. Matthew was working hard in an effort to put things in order but a legacy from Janet would be appreciated. Jeremy could not remember for a moment whether the Mace family had been included in her latest will. He believed so, yes of course they had, but he would press for a codicil to be added in their favour and to ensure their share was increased before she became completely gaga. He would talk to Matthew about that some time but he was pretty certain that they had been left a reasonable amount of money. She was a wealthy woman and a little more cash for the Mace family would not go amiss. The chairs she had promised them would not go far towards paying off the firm’s creditors, valuable as they might prove to be in an auction. Despite his grief following the death of his father and his absence this year from the usual Christmas festivities, he looked forward to one of Joyce Skillet’s excellent suppers and hoped it would be as delicious as it had been in the past.
Matthew was an attractive man in his late thirties and consequently a great asset to the family business. Women adored him, though he was adept at keeping them at a distance, and many looked upon him as a possible future husband. He appeared to be not only an eligible bachelor but efficient and astute in the office. Matthew was suspicious about Felicity’s role in her aunt’s life but he was careful not to let her know that. He had a deep rumbling voice. Hmm, Felicity thought, he is not a bad looking man and has a lovely deep voice like a bull trying to attract a mate. What a pity he is in my way. He is far too young for me, a veritable toyboy, but I would not mind getting him between my sheets before I am forced to dispose of him. Prickles crept down her plump wrinkled arms.
Matthew would have been horrified if he had been able to read her thoughts. He looked at Felicity with extreme distaste. Her face reminded him of a tapir, her nose curved slightly downwards and he thought that even vinegar would not scorch her mouth. She was an ugly looking old bird and looked just like a gaudy old pheasant in that velvet dress. Mutton dressed up as lamb seemed an appropriate phrase to describe her.
They enjoyed the meal and the excellent Australian red and white wines Felicity had found for the occasion. She filled her guests’ glasses to the brim as often as she could but although Jeremy drank his at disgusting speed, gulping and spluttering, stamping himself as the alcoholic he was, to her annoyance Matthew only sipped his. He was determined to keep a clear head. Concerned that her plan to get him drunk was not working she pushed her thin lips into a pout and gripped her wineglass with a fierceness that caused her knuckles to look like white knobs. The well-devised plan was failing and even her appetite diminished.
Jeremy, like Peter before him, ran thin well-manicured fingers down the sides of the velvet dining chairs. Charming, elegant pieces he thought. They will soon be ours. They have such skilfully carved legs ... quite unusual.
The gesture was not lost upon Felicity. ‘You seem to like those chairs,’ she said, her Canadian drawl coming to the fore.
‘Um, nice pieces,’ Jeremy said with feigned disinterest and they finished the rest of the meal in thoughtful silence.
The party moved to the lounge to enjoy the liquors and chocolates placed there by Felicity in an obvious and tempting way. Auntie nodded in her chair and was soon fast asleep. She had drunk too much wine.
‘Has my aunt left those chairs to anyone in her will?’ Felicity asked, opening her eyes wider as she assumed an innocent expression. ‘I guess she has made a will, I do not ask her about such things, of course.’
‘I have no idea,’ Matthew and Jeremy chorused. They are guilty, Felicity thought, they are too evasive. ‘There is a will, of course,’ Jeremy continued in a slurred voice. The good wine and cherry brandy was taking over his weakened body. ‘The original is kept in our safe room in the office though Mrs Lacey will have a copy somewhere I believe. It is a confidential matter, we cannot discuss it, Felicity.’
He had gulped the wine and brandy down during the meal as though he had a raging thirst, which he had, eyes sparkling and mouth slobbering with alcoholic greed.
‘Of course,’ said Felicity brightly. She was getting nowhere. She would have to try a different way to find out if the will she had found was the latest.
‘I seem to remember a will was made in the nineteen eighties,’ Matthew said with a calmness he did not feel. ‘That’s all I can tell you. You must ask your Aunt Janet about it. As I have already made clear, we cannot disclose confidential matters.’ His voice had become abrupt and hard.
He knew that Janet would not remember much about any wills and that he could play games with the avaricious niece. Indeed he was quite enjoying himself. Greedy objectionable old hag, he turned over in his mind, but the woman is not a bad hostess he had to admit. He took his third chocolate mint, chewed it with obvious pleasure, sipped his cup of good percolated coffee and wiped his mouth with a napkin from which Father Christmas, who was weighed down with a sack of toys on his back, leered through a straggly white beard. Felicity had bought the garish napkins in Brinton in what she called the ‘cheap shop’ where nothing cost more than one pound. Good enough for them, she had told herself at the time.
Janet stirred in her sleep and sighed deep and long. ‘Time for bed dear,’ Felicity said. ‘It’s almost ten o’clock. Amy will be here soon to help you get undressed and tuck you in.’ Amy, a rather stocky young woman from the village, was due to appear at any moment to help Janet undress. Amy was paid well for her services and had for the past few months or so been pleased to help out when asked. Felicity decided that she was much more proficient than the dippy Lily.
‘Can’t you help her get into bed?’ said Jeremy, who was the worse for drink, indeed his head felt quite muzzy. ‘Does she really need Amy? It’s a waste of money,’ he continued in a foolish and rash tone.
Felicity’s eyes flashed. They appeared wild and stormy, awash with grey waves, almost manic. She turned a calculated and spiteful gaze on Jeremy but he was past caring. Matthew, however, stiffened. She was dangerous and reminded him of a wounded tigress. They would have to be careful when dealing with this woman. She found him attractive, that much was clear to him, and perhaps he could use that to his advantage though he certainly did not want to get close to her, or indeed any woman. He preferred the male sex but had not come out. It would upset his father and some of his female clients and it would achieve very little. He could wait.
‘Of course,’ Matthew said quickly, in an attempt to smooth the troubled waters, ‘you need help with your aunt. It must be very difficult for you. She is so lucky to have you here now. We really must go home. My father is overtired and has had too much to drink. It was a lovely supper.’
He glanced at her provocatively under his long pale blond lashes and she, as he had intended, softened.
‘Is there anything we can do to help?’ he asked in patronizing tones, hoping that there was not.
‘No,’ Felicity said in a sharp high-pitched voice. ‘I can manage!’ and the Maces left after a feeble attempt to say goodnight to Janet who was by that time exhausted and confused. She was uttering odd snoring snorts and snuffles and Felicity felt sick.
Matthew said he would call the next day to see if Janet was all right. Felicity hoped he would not, despite the physical attraction she felt for him, but thanked him for his concern. They wished each other a happy Christmas in a stiff and forced manner. Felicity shut the front door after they had gone and heaved a sigh of relief. That is one family that will not be coming here when I am mistress she vowed. She hoped and prayed that the good Amy would arrive soon and remove
the slumbering and slobbering Janet from her sight.
A plan was forming swiftly in her twisted corkscrew mind though whether she would have the courage to follow it through she did not know.
‘One down, two to go,’ she chanted softly to herself, as she clenched her fists.
Chapter 15
An Accident March 2005
Christmas faded into the past and life in Primrose House settled down into a familiar and comfortable routine though Joyce Skillet watched Felicity like a hawk. Her dislike for Felicity grew as the days passed but she acknowledged the fact that the woman was in many ways a good companion for her aunt. ‘The creature’, as Joyce had dubbed Felicity, had apparently endeared herself to Janet who now liked having the woman around her, a fact which amazed both Joyce and Robbie.
Felicity was still in contact with her old friend in the village whom she would invite for morning coffee on at least one day a week. Muffled conversation filtered through the lounge door when the friend came but Joyce found it difficult to interpret what they were saying though she tried. She sometimes pressed an ear against the wooden panels in the hope of hearing something of interest but was always disappointed. She had an idea that the friend had a daughter who worked in Mrs Lacey’s financial adviser’s office and that bothered her. She thought that it was not a healthy situation.
Jeremy took a holiday in France early in January and returned refreshed, at least he said he felt better for the break, though he was without doubt still drinking too much. He had spent far too much money as usual and admitted that he had consumed a lot of cheap French wine, some of which he brought home with him, so that his once pale face now began to exhibit red and blotchy patches and his beer belly protruded in an unpleasant manner which made Felicity think that he looked about nine months pregnant.
‘Old fool,’ she muttered behind his back, but almost cheered when she thought about the possible damage the man was doing to his liver.
Matthew hired a new young male solicitor to help him in the office.
‘The load is too much for one person Dad. Timothy is worth every penny I pay him.’
Jeremy thought the new boy looked as though he was a ‘pansy’, a word he used to label men with homosexual tendencies. He felt a definite repugnance when he was near him, cold and deep in his gut, but it was Matthew’s business now and he could not interfere.
‘Queer chap, literally, that one,’ he commented to Matthew one morning over breakfast whilst piling a bowl high with cornflakes and fruit and patting the silver flask of brandy he kept in his inner jacket pocket. The anticipation of taking a sip of the contents as soon as Matthew left the room was more interesting than Timothy. The craving for his morning fix of alcohol was growing.
Matthew smiled. ‘He’s a good worker Dad, that’s the most important thing,’ he said and quickly changed the subject. He thought about Timothy and his heart raced. They were growing closer. It was only a matter of time. He is a lovely young man, he mused, so slim and lively with a mop of curly reddish-brown hair and stunning green eyes framed with long reddish-blond lashes. There was no doubt he was receptive to Matthew’s charms. They had brushed hands a few times and he had noted the heightened colour on Tim’s face. It would be sensible to wait a while, not too long though, and invite Timothy to spend a weekend with him in London, or some other place where they would not be recognised. It was imperative to fool his father and the locals about their relationship which was a pity but he knew that Jeremy would be horrified if he knew the truth about his potential liaison with Timothy and no doubt some of his best clients would take their business elsewhere. The latter he certainly did not want to happen. The firm could not afford that. He knew that he would have to exercise caution for some time yet where this possible relationship was concerned but a relationship he determined it should be. The firm’s mounting debts were going to be difficult to resolve, thanks to Jeremy’s careless habits, and he needed to improve their financial prospects before he took any chances.
Matthew and Tim had, however, started to walk by the river bank together most days during their lunch hour.
‘It will do us good to have a breath of fresh air,’ Matthew said to Tim. ‘It will blow away the cobwebs before we’re stifled by the central heating in the office during the afternoon.’
One day during one of their walks they stopped at a fisherman’s platform which was low and protruded into the river. It was not easy to be observed there by passers-by and in any case at that time of year there were very few walkers venturing along the muddy path next to the river. The river was swollen and fierce and the current quite fast which was a contrast to the lazy pace it maintained during the summer. Huge willows dipped their branches down towards the water’s edge and provided some, though limited, screening for the two friends. They chatted amicably as usual and were conscious that their relationship and feelings for each other were strengthening. The wind whistled through the branches of the trees above their heads and it was not easy to talk in a quiet tone.
‘Will you join me for a weekend break in Devon next week Tim?’ Matthew at last plucked up courage at to ask. ‘The hotel is comfortable and is situated in a lovely spot. The views are excellent, food good and it’s quiet there. The change will do us good since we have been working hard and deserve a rest. I would appreciate your company Tim.’ He glanced at his companion and smiled warmly. ‘We can travel separately, nobody should be the wiser.’
He stretched out a tentative arm to touch Tim. His heart beat so strongly he felt as though it might burst out of his chest. Tim moved closer, put his arms round his friend and kissed him upon the lips. They clung together in ecstatic joy for a few moments and savoured the idea of future delights.
‘I’ll look forward to it my darling,’ Tim answered, ‘but we mustn’t be seen embracing by the villagers. I have to deliver some papers to old Mrs Brownlow who lives near the pub. She’s expecting me and I’d better get going but I’ll see you back in the office in about half an hour.’
He had not officially ‘come out’ either and was fearful of prejudice which could harm his career and offend his family. Matthew was more concerned that a liaison with Tim could hurt the Mace family firm and its struggle to keep its head above water and any scandal he realized could be disastrous. It was imperative to exercise caution, a least for the time being. Dear Tim. He sighed with pleasure.
Tim turned away, a satisfied smile lingering at the corners of his mouth, and walked swiftly towards the far end of the village which could, shortly after leaving the river bank, be reached by a narrow footpath across a field about three minutes’ walk away. They had reached their meeting place after walking up the road that passed by Primrose House and Matthew planned to return that way, unobserved, he hoped by any nosy old village busybodies and he considered that there were plenty of those around. The village was full of oldies who liked to stroll with their dogs along the river bank most days then chat about what they had seen in the local shop. The bad weather had that day deterred the majority of them, a fact which he thought was fortunate.
Matthew stood still and gazed at the brown and murky water for a moment. Happiness welled up in his chest. He had found a companion of his own choice at last, a beautiful young man too. He was overjoyed.
Felicity too had decided to take a breath of fresh air that day. She longed to get away from Auntie and Joyce Skillet’s prying eyes if only for a short time. She donned her new expensive green Barbour mackintosh and wellington boots, grabbed a stout walking stick from the hall stand, and set off on the path from Primrose House to the river. As she neared a large clump of willow trees she set eyes on Matthew. He was not alone. There was a young man she did not recognize, fair and effeminate, with his arms twined around Matthew and, horror of horrors, they were kissing. She felt violently sick. Nausea passed through her body in unrelenting waves. ‘A homo, oh heavens!’ she muttered to herself. What a fool she had been to fancy him. What a waste of an attractive man.
She stood still for a moment and watched.
Tim moved away and after a loving glance at Matthew and what she construed as a sickly smile he walked along the towpath towards the far end of the village.
A clandestine meeting indeed Felicity, thought. We will see about that.
She approached the unsuspecting Matthew quietly, her wellington boots making no sound in the long soft wet grass. She tapped him on the shoulder with her walking stick. Matthew was startled and jumped.
‘Meeting a lover?’ Felicity spat out and hissed like a cat about to pounce.
‘You don’t know what you are talking about,’ he retorted. ‘Tim is a colleague. We were discussing business and he has gone ahead to deliver some papers to a client. I really don’t know what it has got to do with you anyway!’
He scowled at Felicity, his lips curling down at the corners with disdain. What a ghastly woman, trust her to turn up like this.
‘A few people would like to know about it,’ said Felicity, thinking quickly in her usual devious way. ‘It will cost you something for me to keep quiet.’
‘What do you mean?’ Matthew retorted scathingly. ‘You are going to blackmail me?’
‘I want to know if Auntie has made another will since the nineteen eighties. Tell me the truth and I will forget about your vile liaison.’
Matthew stepped backwards further on to the wooden fisherman’s perch and smiled, a malicious expression spreading over his face. What a ghastly woman, who did she think she was? She was not going to get the better of him.