by Jacobs, Anna
As for them working on his special project together, that was out of the question for a good long time. He could only be glad she’d had enough wit not to sign a contract with him. At least she’d keep her land, whereas he’d probably be losing his. His inheritance from Uncle Johnny was what the loan sharks were after, the only real asset left.
And once that was gone – well, he was the sort for whom love included marriage and who expected to support his wife and family. He wouldn’t like to be dependent on Meriel for everything, even if they were in love.
He didn’t know what he’d do after the dust settled. It’d take years for a new business to start making serious money.
But if he was forced into bankruptcy, would he even be allowed to open a new business? He wasn’t quite sure what was permitted . . . afterwards.
He could blame Phil for a lot of this, but not all of it. He’d known what Sandy’s cousin had done in the past, so he should have kept better control of things.
He didn’t deserve a woman like Meriel.
* * * *
When Ben got back to Somerlee, the first thing he did was pull Meriel into his arms and kiss her. But he didn’t take matters any further, just held her close.
Her voice was quiet, without that crisp edge to it. ‘Something’s wrong. I can sense it. Tell me.’
He hesitated.
‘Ben, you have to tell me.’
So he took her to sit on the sofa and explained what he’d found. ‘I still don’t know exactly what Phil owes, though. I’d guess there will be other debts besides the main one. My lawyer is trying to find out.’
‘Oh, Ben, what a dreadful mess!’
‘I don’t know what to do. I just – can’t see straight about it.’
‘We can’t really do anything till we have more information.’
‘No. I suppose not. I guess I’ll go for a walk. I think better out of doors.’
She didn’t try to stop him but held his hand to her cheek for a minute or two. ‘Don’t be too long. I’ve missed you.’
When he’d gone, she stayed where she was, trying to understand her own feelings. The thought that he was in trouble didn’t make her want to head for the hills. On the contrary, she wanted to help him, comfort him.
She was changing, she knew. He was causing those changes, just by being there. The money side of things seemed to matter less and less. Even if he was bankrupt, he’d still be Ben. Her Ben. Marriage might not matter to her, but being together did. It mattered more than anything else had in her whole life.
And if he had to start up a new business she’d make very sure it was on a sound footing – wherever it was! She wasn’t going to live apart from him.
He was addictive. In the nicest possible way.
* * * *
As the days passed there were no more attacks of any sort – though whether that was because of the presence of their new friends and the watchfulness of the massive hound, or for some other reason altogether, was anyone’s guess.
Then a call from Queensland had Ben tight-lipped and calling for Meriel. She went into his office to find him lining up a plane reservation on the Internet. ‘What’s happened now?’
‘Phil’s creditors have foreclosed. There are other debts, as I thought. The bank is refusing to pay our final bills. I guess this is where I find out if I have anything left from the company at all – and how many of my assets will be seized.’ He let out a long, shuddering sigh. ‘I can just about afford my plane fare.’
She put one hand across the doorway to stop him leaving. ‘Let me come with you this time.’
‘No. That hasn’t changed. I don’t want you involved in the muck-raking and mess.’ He looked at her pleadingly. ‘You will stay with me afterwards, Meriel, won’t you? Whatever happens.’
‘Of course I will, you fool! I’m not a fair weather friend, or a fair-weather lover, either. But I think you’re wrong. I could be a valuable resource. You should use me! Bounce ideas off me at the very least and ask my advice. Let me be beside you for comfort and support, even if I can’t do anything to help. Don’t just clam up on me and then take off into the wide blue yonder.’
He set his hands on her shoulders. ‘Look, darling – in the new project I’ll tell you every detail, I promise, and account for every single paperclip – but I haven’t changed my mind about this. My mess, my responsibility to clear it up. I haven’t told my family about you yet, except for my mother. This is not the time to introduce you.’
She felt hurt by that. ‘I thought you’d have told them by now. After all, you’ve asked me to marry you.’
‘I was going to tell them last time, only Sandy’s uncle was rushed back into hospital – and I was busy with Phil.’
‘I hate being shut out like this and I’m worried. You aren’t the world’s best businessman, you know you aren’t. What you do now, any unfinished ends left over from this, could affect your next project.’ She was too upset to watch what she said. ‘I daren’t put my money into your project unless you can convince me that there’ll be no trailing debts from Elless-Hantley.’
Ben shut his eyes and clenched his fists. ‘It seems to me that what it comes down to is you just don’t trust me. I have consulted a lawyer, you know. I’m not in this on my own.’
There was a dead silence.
He held out his hands in the age-old gesture of appeal. ‘Meriel, you have to let me do this myself.’
She grasped his arm, ‘Ben, I trust you, but not them, especially this Phil. Please take me with you. Just as your accountant. I’ll stay out of the way the rest of the time and – ’
‘No!’
She turned round and walked from the room. What if Ben lost every single thing he owned, his uncle’s land as well? However hard the two of them tried, such a setback would affect their relationship, if only because it would hurt him deeply, perhaps scar him for life.
She waited for him to come and say goodbye but he didn’t. When she heard a car start up outside, she ran to the window and watched in disbelief as he drove off down the drive.
He hadn’t even said goodbye!
A tear trickled down her cheek and she brushed it away angrily, but another followed. Something nudged at her leg and she looked down to see Tina’s anxious face. Dogs could always tell when you were upset. She squatted down for a moment to give her friend a cuddle – or maybe Tina was cuddling her – then stood up, summoned up enough anger to keep the tears at bay and went into her studio to flesh out her preliminary ideas for the cover.
She slept badly, of course, but at least no one tried to break in or damage her property.
The next day she had to throw all the previous day’s sketches away. They were as full of anger as she was, nasty images that would put people off buying a gentle book.
She waited for a phone call from Ben all evening.
The following morning Ben still didn’t call her, so she decided to call him. She dialled his mobile number, but all she got was a recorded message saying, ‘This number is no longer operational.’
She tried again, thinking she had misdialled.
‘What do you mean by ‘no longer operational’?’ she asked the phone when it repeated its tinny-sounding message. ‘It’s the same number as usual.’ Then she pulled a face. He’d have forgotten to recharge his battery. Or . . . a bill hadn’t been paid and he had no mobile now.
She phoned the office of Elless-Hantley. The receptionist promised to pass on the message when Mr Elless came in. Meriel spent a frustrating afternoon expecting to hear the phone ring.
He still didn’t call.
Her emotions see-sawed from anxiety to anger, to memories that brought a smile to her face, to others that brought a desperate need to her body. Of one thing she was certain, though. This was unlike Ben. Sure, he got angry at her sometimes, but he never stayed angry.
Nor did she.
She wasn’t angry now so much as worried sick. Something was wrong, she was sure of it.
She
couldn’t concentrate on her art, didn’t dare move too far from the landline phone, so baked a cake. The mere sight of it filled her with nausea and she went to beckon to Ria.
Her friend walked up to the house, took one look at her and asked, ‘What’s wrong? Don’t pretend there’s nothing, because your face gives you away.’
‘It’s Ben. He hasn’t contacted me. His business over east is in financial trouble, because of his partner. I wanted to go with him to help sort things out, more as his accountant than anything else, but he refused. Insisted he has to clear up his own mess. But Ria, he’s a baby where figures and paperwork are concerned. Those people could be walking all over him.’
‘Maybe you should follow him anyway?’
‘I would if I could be sure he was still there, but he may have moved on, may even be on his way home again.’
Ria gave her a wordless hug.
‘I made a cake, but I don’t want it, so I thought you’d like it.’
‘Jim is already addicted to your cakes. Thank you.’
After her friend had left, Meriel fell back on painting the walls of the spare bedrooms. At least it made good use of her frustration.
When it began to get dark Tina, who had an infallible internal clock, started whining for her tea. Meriel cleared up the painting things and went to feed the dog.
And still the phone didn’t ring.
* * * *
The next day Meriel again called the Elless-Hantley office. ‘Did you tell him I called?’ she asked the receptionist.
‘Oh, yes, Ms Ingram. I told him about an hour after you rang.’
‘Did he say where he was going today?’
‘I’m afraid not.’
‘Do you have his home phone number?’
‘I’m afraid I can’t give that out.’
‘Of course you can. I’m living with him, for heaven’s sake!’
‘If he’d wanted you to have it, he’d have given it to you already.’
‘He forgot. Tell him to call me urgently.’
‘Certainly. As soon as he comes back.’
Meriel put the phone down, feeling frustrated in every way. She’d tried directory enquiries and he had a silent home number. Besides, she knew Ben would phone her if he could. So something was stopping him. What?
The only explanation was that the receptionist wasn’t passing on her messages. Well, she was on Phil the Rat’s side.
But that didn’t explain why Ben hadn’t rung.
If he didn’t call that night, she’d go after him. She did have his home address, at least.
* * * *
When the phone rang early that evening she pounced on it with a growl of triumph, but it was a stranger’s voice, a man, elderly from the sound of it.
‘Is that Ben Elless’s residence?’
‘Yes, but he isn’t here. Can I take a message?’
‘I think it’s you I need to speak to, actually. Your name is Meriel Ingram, I believe? I’m Rod Hantley. I gather from Ben’s mother that you two are seriously involved. I’m so glad he’s met someone. He may have mentioned me, perhaps?’
‘You’re Sandy’s uncle.’
‘More to the point now, Phil’s father.’ He sighed and fell silent for a moment or two.
She sank down on the nearest chair. This was the last person she’d expected to hear from. Had something happened to Ben? If so she’d rather hear about it straight away. Just as she was about to ask if there had been an accident, Mr Hantley spoke again.
‘I think you should fly over here, Meriel. I’m trying to help Ben, I promise you, but I want him to have someone he can turn to if anything happens to me or I don’t succeed in what I plan to do.’
‘I was going to come anyway.’
‘I’m glad. Don’t tell him I called. This is my contact number . . . ’
When Meriel put the phone down she felt better for having something to do. There was a lot to arrange and she wouldn’t get much sleep tonight. First she got on the Internet and booked the early flight to Queensland the following morning.
When she looked out of the window, everything was dark in her friends’ camp, but she had no alternative. She went and woke Ria to explain that she was following Ben and ask if they’d look after Tina and the house. Then she went to pack.
At half-past two in the morning she set off to drive to Perth airport for the six o’clock flight to Brisbane.
She didn’t know what Ben would say about her turning up unannounced and she didn’t know what Rod Hantley intended to do. Even he didn’t seem certain he’d succeed. But she did know that she intended to be with Ben – whatever the outcome.
She gave a wry smile as she slumped back in her seat on the plane. She’d always been so careful about financial security, and yet where Ben was concerned, money was the least of her worries. It was his stupid pride that was coming between them.
She couldn’t bear that.
Rod Hantley seemed to be on Ben’s side, but he’d admitted he was seriously ill and the implication was that he could die at any moment.
No way was she leaving Ben to face all the troubles alone. Whatever he said.
Chapter 20
Ben woke feeling deeply depressed. He hadn’t heard from Meriel and when he’d tried to phone her from the office, the secretary said her line was engaged. So he’d tried to phone her from his mobile, but found he’d lost the damned thing. They made them too small these days. They fell out of pockets.
And his home phone had been cut off because the company hadn’t paid the bill. If he couldn’t get through to Meriel from the office today, he’d buy another damned mobile or ring her from his mother’s.
He hadn’t even had the satisfaction of a big row with Phil, who had gone to earth somewhere and was staying out of the way.
Well, today Phil would be forced to come out of hiding because they were having a preliminary hearing about the partnership’s bankruptcy. Ben would find out at last exactly how much his partner owed and whether there would be anything left for him from the business he’d worked so hard to build. His lawyer had offered to accompany him, but he’d refused in order to save money. This was only a preliminary not a court hearing and he’d been instructed on what to say and ask.
He found Phil in the waiting area. ‘Ah!’ He strode across, determined to find out as much as he could before they went into the hearing room.
Phil looked at him, face expressionless, saying nothing.
‘Where have you been? Didn’t you get my messages?’
‘Nareen passed them on. I didn’t feel like replying.’
‘You’ll have to reply in there, so you may as well talk to me now.’
‘I think not.’ Phil got up and went to stare out of the window.
Ben was baffled. Phil had changed so much in the past year he seemed like a stranger. He followed him across the room. ‘What the hell’s got into you?’
‘Lack of money. Lack of a home, too. Cheryl’s turned me out. I had to sleep in the car one night. Not that you would care about that, though this is all due to you.’
Ben’s anger boiled over. ‘What the hell do you mean, due to me? I’m not the one who’s been gambling beyond his means.’
‘I could have worked my way out of it if I’d had a guaranteed income, but no, you had to stop that.’
Ben gave up trying. ‘There’s no use talking to you. It’s always someone else’s fault and – ’
‘Elless-Hantley!’ a voice called.
Ben swung round. ‘That’s us.’
‘Please come inside.’
The formalities began.
‘You’ve had all the papers relating to this case?’
Ben frowned. ‘I’ve had the papers saying when the hearing would be. Were there others?’
‘There have been three sets. They were sent to your office.’
‘I’ve had only one small envelope, as I said.’
‘He’s lying. The others were all passed on to him,’ Phil said at once
.
Ben gaped at him for a moment, then said grimly, ‘It’s you who’s lying.’ He half stood up.
‘Don’t let him attack me!’ Phil said quickly.
‘Mr Elless, please sit down.’
‘I wasn’t going to attack him.’ Ben slumped back in his chair. He couldn’t believe this. ‘I didn’t receive any of the other papers. Can I please ask for an adjournment to study them?’
The woman looked from one to the other. ‘I’ll give you two days. I happen to have a cancellation for Friday morning at ten o’clock. I’ll make sure my clerk gives you copies before you leave, Mr Elless.’
‘Then I’ll get back to work now.’ Phil stood up.
Ben jumped up and took a step towards the door. ‘Wait! We need to talk, dammit.’
‘I’d be grateful if you’d see he doesn’t follow me,’ Phil called out. ‘I’m afraid for my safety.’
She looked from one to the other. ‘You’d better leave now, then. Mr Elless, please stay where you are.’
Ben watched in frustration as Phil hurried out.
‘You can stay in the waiting area till your photocopies are ready, Mr Elless.’
He looked at her. ‘I really didn’t receive anything. Can you please make sure any future communications intended for me don’t go through the office?’
‘Yes. Do you have another address?’
He gave her his home address, plus Meriel’s address in Western Australia. He didn’t know where Phil was staying, so couldn’t follow him. He’d go straight to his lawyer as soon as he’d studied the paperwork. He felt so ashamed of this mess, he didn’t even want to see his mother.
He sat fidgeting in the waiting area until a clerk brought out a big envelope containing the various papers.
‘If you’d sign for these, sir?’
Ben didn’t read them till he got home. They contained a list of debts and claims, and these were for amounts so much greater than he’d expected that he could only sit there, shocked rigid.
When he saw his lawyer in an emergency appointment at six o’clock that evening, Ben listened in even greater horror as his situation was carefully explained to him. If the business couldn’t pay the debts Phil had taken on, then as a partner, Ben would be made bankrupt too. That meant he’d be treated as if he had committed a crime, wouldn’t be allowed to be a director of a company, to incur credit above a small, fixed amount, or to carry on business under a different name without disclosing that he was a bankrupt.