Towards a Dark Horizon Read online

  He made a great show of pulling down a large folder from the top shelf. He placed in on his desk and began to inspect the contents.

  I had this absurd mental picture of him blowing away cobwebs from it but it was pristinely clean and looked as if it had hardly been handled in years. In fact my own folder here was almost identical to it.

  I was suddenly worried. Had we lost our money through a bad investment? He had explained all these things to me at the time of my inheritance but it all sounded double-Dutch to me and I was glad to leave it in his capable hands. Had it all gone wrong?

  He saw my worried face and he smiled. I relaxed. I somehow didn’t think he would smile if the news was bad.

  He gave us both a serious look. ‘Now, ladies, I have some important news for you both. You know that Miss Hood has died and thank you both for going to her funeral last week. I have her will here and she has left you all – yourselves and Mr Potter the gardener – a good sum of money.’

  I gasped out loud. ‘She couldn’t have mentioned my name, Mr Pringle – she tried to kill me.’

  He looked solemn. ‘Indeed she did, Ann, and you’re right – none of the beneficiaries are mentioned by name. Her will is a strange one, I must admit. It was drawn up years before either of you went to work for Mrs Barrie.’

  Jean piped up, ‘Well, how come we’re mentioned in it?’

  He explained, ‘As I told you, it was drawn up during her early days with Mrs Barrie. There is no doubt that she loved her very much and when the question of wills came up one day she asked Mrs Barrie for advice. Now this is the strange part. Mrs Barrie told her that she was leaving the bulk of her estate to one beneficiary but there was also to be a few minor ones.’

  Jean was puzzled. ‘What’s that got to do you with us, Mr Pringle?’

  ‘Well, it seems that Miss Hood did the same. She decided to have exactly the same will as her employer. Now, I suppose she thought the minor bequests would be for some charities or something like that and I do believe she was very fond of dogs so she probably thought the money might go there. But, because her will states firmly that Mrs Barrie’s minor bequests are also to be hers, you both now find that you’re beneficiaries of Miss Hood – and Mr Potter, of course.’ He took off his glasses and wiped them on a tiny chamois cloth.

  I was quite upset at this news and I said so. ‘I don’t think I should take this money, Mr Pringle, because it wasn’t meant for me to inherit it. She hated me.’

  ‘I know all that, Ann, but the fact remains that Miss Hood being of sound mind and body copied Mrs Barrie’s will and that’s how it stands.’

  Jean said, ‘But she wasn’t of sound mind.’

  ‘When this will was drawn up she was. I can’t force you to take the bequests but I strongly urge you both to think carefully about this. You can both do with the extra money.’ He looked at me. ‘Especially you, Ann – you have your sister to bring up and that will take a good deal of money.’

  Not in my neck of the woods it didn’t. There were hundreds of families living on the breadline and they seemed to get by. Why should I take this money which obviously wasn’t meant for me? If Miss Hood was still alive she would say so.

  ‘What will happen to this money if we refuse it?’

  ‘Miss Hood had a son and he is the main beneficiary so this money would be added to his. However, we have failed to trace him and, if this remains the case, after a number of years the money will go to the Crown.’

  Jean looked pensive. ‘Will this son get a lot of money even if we take ours?’

  ‘I’m not at liberty to divulge this but what I can say is this – these three small bequests are just a small part of the estate.’

  Jean made up her mind. ‘Well, I can’t speak for Ann but I’ll take my bequest and say thank you very much, Miss Hood.’

  They both looked at me. I was torn between my feelings for the late housekeeper and my urgent need of cash. I made up my mind. ‘I’ll take the bequest as well, Mr Pringle, but can this money be put into a post office account or something similar. I don’t want it to be with my bequest from Mrs Barrie.’

  ‘That can be arranged,’ he said. He placed the folder back on the shelf. ‘Now, what did you want to see me about?’

  ‘I wanted to see you …’ I said.

  Jean stood up. ‘I’ll wait outside, Ann, and let you conduct your business in private.’

  My mouth felt dry. ‘I need some more money, Mr Pringle.’

  He looked at me but said nothing.

  Flustered, I continued. ‘It’s just that the money I got a wee while ago is finished and I need some more.’

  He then lifted my folder down and I almost laughed. It was certainly a day for the poor folders.

  ‘I’ll need to go to the bank but if you wait till I come back, you can have it later. We’re closed tomorrow and I know you must be desperate to have some more money so soon, Ann.’

  My heart lifted at this news. I would have money for the rent man and the shopping and I could also repay Jean’s loan.

  ‘I’ll wait outside, Mr Pringle, and thank you.’

  Jean was sitting on the chair outside with a faraway expression. I knew she was thinking about Miss Hood. I was doing the same. Although I felt awkward about taking her money, I didn’t bear the dead woman any bitterness – it was all in the past where it belonged. In fact, I had a great sympathy for her unhappy life.

  Jean put into words what we were both feeling. ‘Imagine giving us a bequest, Ann?’

  I didn’t add that it wasn’t a personal thing. Miss Hood probably thought it was going to a dogs’ home or a sanctuary for aged donkeys. It certainly wasn’t meant to go to her arch enemy – me.

  Mr Pringle was back within the hour and I re-entered his office. He handed me a brown envelope and, once again, it contained my money in small denominations – fifty pounds.

  He said, ‘It’s your money, Ann, and you can do what you like with it but can I give you some advice?’

  I nodded.

  ‘Please don’t be so generous with your father and his new wife. Your father has a job and he can well look after themselves and you and Lily as well.’ He stopped and gave me a searching look. ‘I don’t want to pry, Ann, but I hope your stepmother isn’t asking you for this money?’

  ‘No,’ I said but he wasn’t fooled. I decided to be straight with him – well, almost straight. ‘She doesn’t ask for it, Mr Pringle, but my dad did get some of the last lot.’ I didn’t dare mention he had had most of it. ‘But they’re not getting any more.’

  He seemed pleased with this. ‘I’m glad to hear it. Now, I’ll arrange to have your other bequest paid into the post office savings account and I’ll let you know when you can pick up the book.’

  I was almost at the door when he said, ‘Don’t underestimate your stepmother, Ann.’

  I gave him a straight look. ‘Don’t underestimate me either, Mr Pringle.’

  He smiled and said, ‘Oh, I’ve never done that, my dear.’

  Outside, Jean tried to make me see sense over this new bequest. ‘Make the most of it, Ann. It’ll make your life so much easier.’

  I tried to explain, ‘Oh, I’m not turning my back on it, Jean. Like I said, I just don’t want it beside Mrs Barrie’s money.’

  We parted with Jean catching her bus and me walking slowly back home in the late afternoon sunshine, clutching my envelope. I would have to get a new hiding place for it and I knew just the place – the next day, I would ask Connie to look after it for me. There was no way that Dad or the sneak thief would ever know where it was. They could search all week and never find it. I was feeling very happy and I suddenly realised it had been a long time since I’d felt this contented. The one dark blot was Lily but I would get her back – I was sure of that.

  Dad appeared that night at the same time as the rent man. Luckily for me I had put the two weeks rent in the book so he didn’t see my envelope of money. I had been worried about having it in the house and, until I cou
ld see Connie, I had hidden the envelope down inside the packet of washing powder. Who would think of looking inside a packet of Rinso? I thought.

  I had made a big pot of soup – enough to last me a few days – plus a pan of stovies as I was slowly regaining my appetite and I was feeling hungry. However, I was shocked by Dad’s appearance. His neck looked so thin that the collar of his working shirt stood out and he had a half-starved appearance. A sharp worry hit me – was Lily also looking like this?

  ‘What do you want, Dad?’ I said without charm. I was totally fed up with him. ‘I’ve got nothing here for you so you’d better get away home for your tea.’

  He looked so ill and drawn as he turned to go back out the door that I suddenly felt so sorry for him. Was this to be my cross to bear in life? To be annoyed with him one moment then so sorry for him the next?

  I ran after him and I almost collided with the rent man as he came from the landing above.

  ‘Dad!’ I shouted after him. ‘Come back up and get some soup.’

  He bounded up the stairs and I was taken aback when he sat down and ate three slices of bread and butter before I even put the bowl of soup in front of him.

  ‘Is Margot feeding you, Dad? You looked starved.’

  ‘Och, aye, she does make some meals but they’re not like this nice thick soup or your stovies. It’s usually just wee dainty bites of things and she never makes a dinner. It’s just a couple of tiny sandwiches.’

  My earlier worry about Lily surfaced again. ‘I hope she’s feeding Lily?’

  He looked sheepish and it wasn’t because he was on his third plate of soup either.

  ‘Well, that’s the reason I’m here, Ann. Margot says she needs more money to look after Lily – to keep her clothed and fed, she says.’

  Should I tackle him about the missing money? I decided to leave that for the time being.

  ‘I gave you twenty pounds not that long ago, Dad. How much does it take to look after a wee lassie? Surely Margot hasn’t spent all of that money?’

  He was now tucking into a huge plate of stovies and he had sliced more bread. He spread a thick layer of butter on his slice of bread before replying. ‘Margot likes to keep her dressed in bonny things and it’s aye the very best she buys for her and it costs money.’

  I had made up my mind that afternoon and I was sticking to it. ‘Well, she’s not getting any more and that’s final.’

  He stopped eating. His fork poised in mid air. ‘She’ll take it out on the bairn,’ he said sadly. ‘Believe me, she’ll make Lily suffer.’

  I was so incensed that the words shot out of my mouth. ‘What do you mean she’ll suffer?’

  He looked downcast at his plate. ‘She’ll cut right back on our food for a start.’

  I looked at him. ‘Are you meaning to tell me that she’ll stop feeding you and Lily if I don’t give her money? What does she spend your wages on?’

  ‘Aye, I’m telling you the truth about the food.’ He seemed resigned to this terrible state of affairs.

  I couldn’t believe my ears at this terrible news. I knew then that I had to get Lily back. I could do nothing about Dad but Lily was another matter – especially now that I knew she wasn’t getting fed properly.

  Dad sat down with another plate of stovies. ‘Don’t worry about her, Ann. I make sure she gets a good meal every Saturday when we go down the town together.’

  ‘How do you manage that if you’ve no money?’

  He grinned for the first time in ages and I could see he was still the handsome man I remembered – albeit a thinner and hopefully a wiser one.

  ‘It’s true that Margot demands my whole wage packet but I’ve got this mate in the warehouse who’s a dab hand at altering his payslip. He never gives his wife the entire amount although she’s under the illusion that he does. Now he does the same thing for me. That way I can manage to sneak a few shillings for Lily and me. It was the same when you gave me that twenty pounds. I gave Margot eighteen pounds and we kept two for ourselves. It gave Lily such a laugh.’

  Oh, I bet it did, I thought – turning her into a juvenile fraud.

  ‘But even if I give you more money, Dad, it doesn’t give you both a better life, does it?’

  He stood up and said darkly, ‘No but it makes life that wee bit more bearable.’ He looked so unhappy that I felt sorry for him – much against my better judgement.

  I had a sudden thought. ‘If Margot had a lot of money, would she give Lily up and let her come back here to stay?’

  He seemed dubious. ‘It would depend on the amount and I’m not letting you give up your legacy and give it to her – no, indeed.’ He put on his jacket. ‘Leave it with me and I’ll do my best to get your sister back here because this is where she should be.’

  I was actually quite proud of him then. He hadn’t dropped into Margot’s pit entirely because he was sincere when he spoke of my legacy – I was sure of that. But there was still Miss Hood’s bequest. Although I hadn’t said it at the time, I felt that money was somehow cursed. I wasn’t a particularly superstitious person but I felt uneasy about it. It wasn’t meant to be mine and it hadn’t been given with a loving thought and a kind heart. On the other hand, Margot wouldn’t see it like that. If I gave her the post office book when it came, then I could demand Lily back. I had no idea of the amount of this legacy but Mr Pringle had said perhaps a couple of hundred pounds which, to me, was a fortune.

  I was beginning to get the measure of Margot and I thought that money was her whole world. I knew she wasn’t dependant on my handouts but it was clear she had no intention of spending her own money on anyone but herself. If she didn’t spend money on essential things like food, what did she spend it on? Surely not clothes and flowers?

  The next morning, Connie listened to my story and took the envelope, saying, ‘I’ve got a wee safe in the back shop, Ann. Your money will be there if and when you need it.’

  She seemed dubious when I outlined my plan. ‘She might just take the money and not hand Lily over. That way, she’ll aye be able to call the tune.’

  ‘No, she’ll not, Connie, because I’ll go to Mr Pringle and get him to shift the money back into his control. I’ve got it all worked out and I’ll put it to Dad this weekend. He’s promised to bring Lily up for her tea tonight.’

  Connie still seemed unsure. ‘Well, for your sake, I hope you’re right.’

  Lily and Dad appeared at teatime. It was lovely to see Lily again but I was shocked at her thinness. She looked so small in the red dress I had bought her before the wedding.

  I had prepared a big meal and it was great to see them both enjoy it. I had also bought a box of fancy cakes from the baker shop and we let Lily choose the first one.

  I let her into a secret. ‘You know that Maddie and Danny are getting married in September Lily?’

  She nodded and I almost burst out laughing at the ring of cream around her mouth.

  ‘Well, they want you to be a flower girl. What do you say about that?’

  She was delighted. ‘Oh, Ann, that will be great. Will I get a bonny frock to wear and a bunch of flowers?’

  ‘Aye, you will. Maddie has her exams to sit soon but, when they’re over, she’s going to make all the arrangements for her wedding so she’ll see you then.’

  Her face beamed then I saw the tears in her eyes.

  ‘What’s the matter, Lily? Do you no’ want to be a flower girl?’

  ‘Oh, I do, Ann, but Margot won’t let me. She doesn’t let me do anything but sit in that awful room and look out of the window. I’ve not to make a mess, she says.’

  Anger threatened to overwhelm me but I tried to stay calm. ‘It’ll not be long before you’re back here to stay, Lily,’ I promised her.

  Dad gave me a warning glance but I had made up my mind. There would be no more nonsense from him or Margot and she was welcome to the cursed money.

  I put my proposition to Dad later while Lily was sitting with a huge pile of comics that Connie had give
n her. ‘I’ve inherited some money from Miss Hood’s will, Dad.’

  He almost choked on his cup of tea. ‘You’ve what?’

  I repeated it and added, ‘You and Margot can have it in return for Lily.’ I sounded like Al Capone from some gangster picture playing at the Plaza cinema.

  Dad was dumbfounded and he remained speechless.

  I went on, ‘I don’t know the right amount at the moment but it should be about two hundred pounds. Tell Margot what I’ve said and, when I get Lily back here, then I’ll give her the post office book and change the name on it or, if you want, I’ll put your name on it, Dad – whatever you both want.’

  When it came time for them to leave, he was still quiet. But, then, as he went through the door, he said, ‘I’m not having you give your money to Margot – it’s not right and she doesn’t deserve it. No, you keep it and I’ll find a way to get things sorted out.’

  ‘No, Dad, I want you to tell her what I’ve said. She’s welcome to it.’

  Lily was tearful and I felt terrible to see her go. She clung to me and her wet tears left a damp patch on my jumper.

  I whispered to her, ‘Now mind what I told you, Lily, you’re to be at Maddie’s wedding and you’ll be a bonny flower girl – you and Joy.’ I slipped her two half crowns. ‘Keep this hidden from Margot and get yourself some sweeties on your way to the school.’

  ‘Cheerio, Ann,’ she said through her loud sobs and my heart hardened further against Margot. If anyone deserved Miss Hood’s tainted money, then she did.

  As the days passed, I had no word from either Dad or Margot and, worse still, nothing from Lily. Then, one afternoon at the end of June, just a couple of days before the summer holiday, there was an urgent knock on the door. Lily and an older girl were standing at the door. Lily looked so ill and she almost fell into my arms. I carried her through to her bedroom where fortunately the sun was streaming in through the window, making the room warm.

  Meanwhile, the older girl remained on the doorstep. I called her in. ‘What’s happened?’