‘I will inherit some businesses when I’m thirty,’ Harry divulged, reluctant as ever to talk about his wealth.
‘And there’s me wondering if you were going to touch up your father when you offered to pay the Ellises’ debts.’ Toby surveyed the house. ‘Very solid, middle-class and respectable – and I mean that in the nicest possible way. I have had enough of the bohemian existence. When are you moving in?’
‘I don’t know. What I do know is that I need to return to the Swansea Valley to clear my room, pick up my car and settle a few things. Are you going back up there today?’ Harry asked.
‘I checked the timetables. There’s a train that leaves Pontypridd station at six that will get me into Penwyllt just after nine. If you don’t mind me using your telephone I thought I’d call Mrs Edwards from here and ask her to keep me a meal.’
‘I have arranged to see my solicitor when everyone’s gone, so I won’t be able to go to the Swansea Valley until tomorrow. Don’t suppose you fancy staying the night? There’s a decent guestroom.’
‘I haven’t even brought a razor.’
‘I can lend you whatever you need,’ Harry offered.
‘In that case, yes. This meeting with your solicitor isn’t anything to do with the Ellises by any chance, is it?’ Toby asked cautiously.
‘And if it is?’ Harry challenged.
‘Harry, be reasonable. I thought your father performed miracles to get you out of that scrape. You could have knocked me down with a feather when I telephoned here on Sunday and Bella said that vicious agent had dropped the charges against you.’
‘I didn’t know you spoke to Bella on Sunday.’
‘I was worried about you,’ Toby said guiltily. ‘I didn’t know whether to rush up to Brecon to see if I could do something to help, or if I’d only make things worse. But if I’d gone, I would have taken the train. Given the trouble I had getting your car back to the inn I certainly couldn’t have driven there.’
‘I never thought to ask, can you drive?’
‘I can now.’ Toby exchanged his empty glass of wine for a full one.
‘And my car?’ Harry’s voice heightened in concern.
‘Only has a couple of dents, but Alf’s done his best to knock them out and it doesn’t look half bad.’
‘Toby, is this one of your jokes?’
‘It could be, but on the other hand, I did say that Alf has done the best he could,’ Toby replied maddeningly.
‘That will teach me to get arrested at a moment’s notice.’
‘All the more reason not to go back to the Swansea Valley. I can pack your things and send them on.’
‘I’d rather pack them myself into my dented car, if you don’t mind.’
‘Alf would drive it here for you if you asked him.’
‘No.’ Harry finished his second glass of wine, collected the plates and glasses, and stacked them on the tray. ‘There are a few things you don’t know about me and the agent, Toby. I’ll fill you in on the way back tomorrow. Thank the Lord, people are finally beginning to leave,’ he said in relief, when he saw guests walking down the drive. He gave Toby a sideways glance. ‘I suppose I could find Bella for you. But no talking to her unless all my other sisters are present or you’ll incur my father’s wrath, and, believe me, that is not something you want to do, whether you are serious about wanting to court Bella or not.’
*……*……*
Although some people made a point of paying their respects and then leaving Lloyd’s house, those who knew Billy Evans well lingered, wanting to remain with his family and talk about him. Some stayed so long Harry began to wonder if they had homes to go to. His parents had invited Lloyd’s brothers and their families as well as Mr Richards, Father Kelly, Betty Morgan and Billy’s closest friends to dine with them that evening, which meant that Harry didn’t have a chance to talk to Mr Richards about the Ellis children until almost ten o’clock.
Victor took Father Kelly, Megan and the boys back to the Rhondda in his truck, the children riding in the back, which they loved, especially at night. Joey drove Rhian and his family the short distance to his home soon afterwards. To Harry’s surprise, Betty Morgan was spending the night and, after dinner, she and Mari disappeared to the housekeeper’s room with a bottle of Mari’s favourite sherry to toast Billy’s memory.
As a special concession, Sali had allowed all the girls to stay up, even Edyth, who was pale and subdued, and nine-year-old Susie, who was sleeping on her feet. Bella commandeered Toby to play cards with them in the library.
Ruby made coffee and carried it to Lloyd’s study, and Harry and Mr Richards retreated there as soon as they had waved Joey and Victor off.
‘Join us?’ Harry asked Sali and Lloyd when they closed the front door and walked down the hall.
‘You sure you want us to?’ Lloyd looked round the door.
‘After what happened to me on Saturday, most definitely. I know that Mr Richards has been trying to work out ways for me to help the Ellis family and, given the problems he’s come up against, I need all the advice I can get.’
‘Put like that, how can we refuse?’ Lloyd pulled up a chair next to Harry. Sali fetched two extra cups from the dining room and set them on the coffee tray. Mr Richards took a notebook from his pocket, opened it and, with his customary businesslike approach, went straight to the point.
‘As a single man you won’t be allowed to remove the younger children from the children’s section of the workhouse, Harry. And, after being labelled a “moral degenerate”, it may prove impossible for anyone to sign Mary Ellis out. But let’s concentrate on the younger children first. If you were married you wouldn’t have a problem either in adopting them or taking them into your home as prospective servants.’
If Harry hadn’t known Mr Richards better he would have thought he was joking, but much as he respected and loved the old man, in all the years he had known him he had never seen him exhibit a trace of humour. ‘As I’m not about to rush up the aisle, I’ll have to advertise for a respectable married couple to look after them. But I know the Ellises. They’d hate to admit that they can’t look after themselves. And they can. They proved it every day between their mother’s death and their eviction.’
Mr Richards glanced down at his book. ‘The workhouse rules are simple and never waived. No child may be taken out except by a respectable married couple,’ he glanced up at Harry, ‘spinster or widow.’
‘There is a highly respectable widow without a position staying the night in this house,’ Sali reminded Harry.
‘Of course! Betty Morgan. Why didn’t I think of her?’ Harry said excitedly. ‘Have you asked her?’
‘Your mother and I did discuss the idea, but decided against broaching the subject with her until after we had spoken to you, Harry. Finding someone to take the children out of the workhouse is just one of many obstacles,’ Mr Richards warned. ‘I have approached each of the trustees in turn and after talking to them, have taken it upon myself as your solicitor to call an emergency board meeting for nine o’clock tomorrow morning. You need their permission to set aside sufficient money from your trust fund to care for the family. And I warn you, there is no way that they will vote to allow the Ellis children to return to the Ellis Estate.’
‘But the house and the farm are theirs, by right,’ Harry protested. ‘They have paid for it ten times over. Morally -’
‘It’s what I said to you last Sunday. The trustees are only concerned with preserving your inheritance until your thirtieth birthday. The Ellis Estate is a large and valuable one. Managed correctly, it could prove extremely lucrative.’
‘Then I’ll find a farm manager that the trustees will approve of, and he can live there with the Ellises.’
‘Any manager worth having would want to live in the house with his family, and he would resent the presence of a family of pauper children. Particularly if they regarded themselves as the rightful tenants.’
‘If I explain the situation to the trustee
s they’ll understand and see it the way I do,’ Harry persisted.
‘Believe me, Harry, I have tried.’ Mr Richards took the coffee Sali had poured for him. ‘If you’ll forgive me for saying so, you are allowing your heart to rule your head, and the trustees are doing the converse. In my experience, when heart meets head there is never enough common ground to reach a compromise. If you want to take the Ellis children from the workhouse you will have to find somewhere else for them to live.’ He filched a sheet of paper from his notebook, leaned forward and handed it to Harry. ‘That is a list of modest farms and smallholdings in the Swansea Valley owned by E and G Estates that are vacant.’
‘All repossessed by Robert Pritchard,’ Harry said in disgust.
‘And all empty,’ Mr Richards emphasized. ‘And I mean empty – no furniture, no livestock, not even the bare essentials of a table and bed. I believe that given the way the Ellis family have been treated by the representative of E and G Estates, the trustees might look favourably on a request from you to earmark one of those properties for the family’s use. But the problems don’t end there, Harry. Should you take the family from the workhouse you will become legally responsible for them. The trustees see that as an onerous and unnecessary burden.’
‘Not on an estate the size of mine.’
‘Financially, it won’t be.’ Lloyd finally spoke. ‘But the Ellis family might well become an emotional drain on you, Harry. Hopefully, you won’t remain a bachelor for ever, and your future wife may resent your involvement with this family.’
‘And if she, whoever she may be, asked me to abandon the Ellises, as they have been so many times by people who should have cared for them, I’d walk away from her.’
‘You say that now, Harry, but who knows what the future holds? Circumstances change.’ Lloyd offered his cigarettes around.
‘I don’t need reminding that only a few weeks ago I wanted to go to Paris for a year and now I’m not sure that I want to go at all.’ Harry set his coffee cup on a sofa table and took one of his father’s cigarettes.
‘We didn’t say that, Harry,’ Lloyd said flatly, ‘you did. Stop being so hard on yourself, you are only twenty-one. You have your whole life ahead of you, and you have to stop blaming yourself for what Robert Pritchard did. You were in school when he was appointed. And no sooner did you finish university than you left here to take care of Dad.’
Harry quoted the lecture Lloyd had given him so many times. ‘“Wealth brings responsibilities. You owe it to the people dependent on the wages your companies pay to make sure that every business you own is run fairly and honestly. And the only way you can do that is by monitoring them. It is time you learned everything there is to know about them and the people who labour for your benefit.”’
‘I’ve always been too severe with you, Harry.’ Lloyd reached across and gripped Harry’s shoulder.
‘No, you haven’t. All you ever tried to do was make me see that my inheritance was more than a windfall of wealth. That I owed a responsibility to the people who work for the companies held in trust for me. And you were absolutely right to do so. I have done a lot of thinking this week and I’ve made a few decisions. I want to try to be the kind of man Granddad was. When I reach old age, as I hope I will, I want to be able to look back and say, “I did make a difference. I did manage to make some people’s lives better.”’
‘That’s a tall order, Harry.’ Lloyd smiled.
‘I know, and I also know that I’ll never be a fraction of the man Granddad was. But you’re right, it is high time that I shouldered my responsibilities and tried to put things right in the companies I will inherit. I know that I haven’t done anything to convince you that I have a serious side, not yet,’ he said earnestly, ‘but the Ellis family wouldn’t have lost their home and each other if it hadn’t been for my shortcomings.’ He looked at Mr Richards. ‘I told you what I thought of a man who would employ an agent like Robert Pritchard and it still holds. The Ellises are in desperate straits because of my refusal to take control of my inheritance.’
‘Your mother and I are here if you need us to do anything, Harry,’ Lloyd offered.
‘That’s good to know.’
‘So, what do you want to do, Harry?’ Mr Richards asked.
‘Offer Mrs Morgan a job looking after the Ellises and hope she’ll take it. Attend the trustees’ meeting in the morning and then travel to the inn. Rent a cottage for the Ellises until Mrs Morgan and I can prepare one of these farms for them. As soon as we have somewhere to house the family, go to the workhouse and get the Ellises released. When they are settled, I intend to take a good look at E and G Estates. If Mr Beatty is willing, I’d like him to stay in Brecon and work with me to clear up the mess Robert Pritchard made. He knows a great deal more than I do about my own business,’ Harry said wryly.
‘It may take an increase of salary, but I’m fairly certain that we can persuade Mr Beatty to stay in Brecon, Harry.’ Mr Richards closed his notebook and returned it to his pocket.
‘You’re going to be very busy, Harry. You’ll find time to telephone us when you reach the inn tomorrow?’ Sali took Mr Richards’s empty coffee cup from him.
‘Of course.’
‘And at least once a week,’ she pressed.
‘At least, but I’ve a feeling that it’ll be a lot more often than that, given the help I’m going to need. Thank you, Mr Richards, for all your hard work on my behalf.’ Harry shook the old man’s hand.
‘My pleasure, Harry. I only wish that your Great-great aunt Edyth could see the fine young man you’ve become. She made a wise decision when she left her estate to you.’
‘I’ll see you to your car, Mr Richards.’ Lloyd opened the door.
‘And I’ll ask one of the girls to get your coat.’ Sali went into the dining room, where the maids were putting away the silver.
Lloyd laid his hand on Harry’s arm to detain him after Sali and Mr Richards had left. ‘This Mary Ellis, how old is she?’
‘Nineteen,’ Harry answered shortly.
‘Pretty?’
‘No.’ Harry met Lloyd’s searching gaze. ‘Beautiful.’
‘And from what Mr Richards said, illiterate and uneducated like most of the women Robert Pritchard raped.’
‘Yes, and because she’s lived in isolation with her family all her life, she’s wild and full of crazy ideas, especially when it comes to caring for her brothers and sisters. And no matter how impossible they are, she tries to carry them out. She will do anything to protect them. Robert Pritchard knew that and used it to hurt her.’
‘You love her?’ Lloyd asked bluntly.
‘With all my heart.’ It was a relief to admit it.
‘But her lack of education is an obstacle.’
‘Only for her. I’d marry her tomorrow if she’d have me.’ Harry meant it. Life had battered Mary with more injustices than anyone person should suffer in a lifetime, yet she had remained essentially true to herself. And he thought that if he could get her to care for him half as much as she cared for David, Matthew, Martha and Luke, he’d have a love worth more than all the wealth in his trust fund.
‘Then good luck with her, but a word of warning: tread carefully. Damaged women are fragile; smother them with kindness and you’ll suffocate them.’
Harry looked at Lloyd in confusion. His stepfather sounded as though he was speaking from experience, but he couldn’t be … He looked to his mother, immaculately and elegantly dressed as usual, as she helped Mr Richards on with his coat.
Toby and Bella walked, hand in hand, out of the library. Edyth, exhibiting the first trace of her old spirit that she’d shown since she’d come home from the infirmary, was making faces at them behind their backs.
‘All right, Edyth?’ Harry held out his hand, and she went to him.
‘Aren’t I always?’ She smiled up at him, before sticking out her tongue at Bella and Toby’s backs when they went into the drawing room.
‘No, you are not,’ Sali corrected
her fondly. ‘And you are supposed to be taking things quietly, young lady. If Bella sees that tongue of yours there’ll be ructions.’
‘Young Ross going back with you tomorrow, Harry?’ Lloyd asked.
‘Yes,’ Harry confirmed.
Lloyd glanced at him and said just one word: ‘Good.’
Harry sat up as straight as he could to compensate for the low chair on which he was sitting, and faced the workhouse master across his desk. ‘I believe that I have complied with all the requirements. The regulations state the Ellis children can only be removed from the custody of the parish if they are transferred into the care of a respectable person who will be responsible for their welfare as well as meet the financial obligations of their keep.’ He glanced at Betty Morgan, the picture of propriety in her widow’s weeds. ‘You have seen Mrs Morgan’s references from her employer of the last twelve years and her reference from my father,’ he couldn’t resist adding, ‘the MP.’
‘Yes, we received them last week and checked them out.’ The master squirmed and stared down at his desk rather than meet Harry’s eye.
Harry wasn’t surprised at the workhouse master’s disquiet. Word travelled fast in a small town like Brecon, and everyone who had done business with Robert Pritchard either had been or was about to be interviewed by the police. Anthony Beatty, who had worked closely with Harry during the two weeks it had taken him to prepare the cottage he had rented in Abercrave for the Ellises, had told him that the workhouse master was no exception, and there were rumours that Robert Pritchard had sold the master furniture at preferential prices in exchange for the swift removal of families after evictions.
‘You found Mrs Morgan’s references satisfactory?’ Harry challenged.
‘Eminently. But the Ellis family will need more than housing; they will need to find work in order to support themselves. Otherwise they could become a burden on the parish again at some future date.’
‘They will need educating first,’ Harry said firmly. ‘You have seen the letter from the trustees of my estate.’
‘Offering to support them until such time as they can earn their own keep, yes, Mr Evans, but that sets a precedence. Paupers -’
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