Page 86 of Waiting for a Bright New Future

“I’d prefer a setup something like I had with William.”

“That’s . . . not possible at the moment.”

She wasn’t giving him the full story.

“What about all those times you wanted me to work more hours and take on another client?”

“I wasn’t going to say because there’s no proof or anything but . . .” Veronica looked down at the desk. “William’s daughter thinks you may have influenced him about changing his will.”

“I did no such thing! Yes, his solicitor visited cand yes, Andrea wasn’t happy about something. But we never talked about the contents of his will.”

“I believe you but I have to take any allegation seriously. Andrea has no proof. I’ve spoken to William’s solicitor and he says that William was definitely of sound mind and there was no indication of any pressure on the old man. So no further action will be taken. However, it’s important that the agency is seen to be doing the right thing.”

“So I’m made to suffer for something I didn’t do?”

“Call it getting off lightly, Stuart. I could’ve let you go.”

Veronica gave him the name and address of a lady who needed a lunchtime visit the following day while her regular carer was at a hospital appointment with her own mother. Stuart had a final attempt at protesting but Veronica stood up and shooed him out as though he was an annoying bluebottle. Stuart wondered which charity might have received part of Andrea’s inheritance. He hoped they’d be suitably grateful.

In the car, the primary school teacher idea flickered again. The geography lesson with Shayne and Eunice had had the advantage of Father Christmas on his travels and only two pupils, no syllabus, no paperwork, no league tables. But he’d got a kick from it. When the children in the library hung on his every word, it was magic. Imagine the high from holding the attention of thirty young pupils. And a primary school teacher’s salary would mean he wouldn’t be dependent on Jayne and would be able to eventually give her back the money for the wedding.

Florence looked serious when he got home. Since the kiss they’d avoided being alone together. When one of them walked into a room, the other would walk out, unless the children were there. Now the children were at school. Florence hadn’t found work and Stuart’s days, apart from Thursday at the library, had become a blur of nothingness since William’s death.

“Things to do upstairs,” he muttered. He’d been reading theGap Yearbook and trying to work out the best time for putting the idea to Jayne.

“Wait!” She touched his arm.

He flinched and stepped away from her.

“This isn’t working anymore,” she said. “Things have changed between us.”

He wanted to argue that everything was absolutely fine. But it wasn’t.

“I’m happy to do more singing and dancing, if that helps?” Stuart had never learned to crack a joke and the corners of Florence’s mouth hardly twitched. He adopted a more serious tone. “In the end I was quite enjoying it, you know. But after your Shirley died, it didn’t seem the right thing to suggest.”

“No. And maybe that’s my fault. I’ve had to stop acting like a star-struck teenager and become a proper grandmother.”

“Watch out the wolf doesn’t come along and gobble you up!” Stuart bared his teeth.

“Stop it. This is serious. Why the comedian act when you’ve never so much as laughed at one of the children’s knock-knock jokes before?”

“Self-preservation?” He hadn’t meant to be so honest, hadn’t even realised that was what he was doing until the word was out there.

They sat down in separate armchairs in the lounge. Stuart told her about his chat with Veronica and the feeling that the little structure his life had was leaking away. As he spoke his phone pinged — Robert telling him they’d accepted Mr Savile’s offer on the house and were aiming for completion on 31 March. He read the message aloud to Florence.

“That ties everything up then,” she said, with a tightness to her voice. “The thirty-first will be a busy day for you, what with the wedding and everything.”

Stuart nodded, suddenly remembering he was supposed to be booking hotel rooms for his brothers.

“What I wanted to say.” Florence looked at him, making sure she had his attention before continuing. “I think it’s best if the children and I leave now. Eunice keeps asking me if kissing means you have to marry someone.” She looked down at the floor and spoke quickly. “She says that she wants you and me to get married. I told her that’s impossible because you’re going to marry Jayne and I’m still married to her grandfather.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to leave.”

Florence held her right hand up like a police stop signal. “It will be difficult for you to pack the house up with all our stuff around. You’ll be wanting to sell off what furniture you can. I suspect Jayne won’t have room for it. If we stay, it won’t be good for the children to see their home disappearing from under them.”

In Stuart’s mind, the next few weeks were turning black. “Where will you go?”

“Jim’s. With two children and no income there’s no other option until the council do something. At least Eunice and Shayne are familiar with the house and they love Jim. It’s a tight squeeze but we’ll manage.”

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