A Change of Fortune (34 page)

‘Let the police handle this,’ John admonished.

‘We will.’ Fred shook hands with John and Luke. ‘We’re right glad to know Matt’s going to be all right. Nice lad. Thanks for bringing our Jen back home. We’ll look after her, don’t you worry.’

With that assurance, the brothers got back in the car and drove off.

‘Go and see Ma, Jen,’ Fred said. ‘She’s fretting bad.’

Jenny ran up the stairs and found Glad sitting beside the bed, holding Ma’s hand. She stood up to make room for Jenny.

‘Matthew is going to be just fine.’ Jenny was alarmed at how ill Ma looked.

Grabbing hold of Jenny’s hand, she croaked, ‘Tell me.’

‘He’s weak, but the doctor said that with lots of rest he’ll make a complete recovery.’

After giving a ragged sigh, Ma slumped back on the pillows and closed her eyes, still holding Jenny’s hand. Soon the grip relaxed as she fell into a weary sleep.

Anger boiled up again in Jenny. This had clearly been a setback for Ma. At that moment she hated Greaves and her family for all the anguish they were causing; she was sure that her Aunt Gertrude and her mother were also involved. How could he act without their permission?

She bowed her head, exhausted beyond belief. Her problems had all started with the Wall Street crash just over two years ago. The place her father had talked about with such pride had reached out and disrupted not only her life but also the lives of millions. And now violence was touching those she cared about. And she
did
care about Matthew very deeply, she admitted. That had been clear from the moment she had seen the man attacking him with a knife. If he had died trying to rescue her, she would never have been able to forgive herself. His life was very precious to her.

Ivy came into the room and put her hand on Jenny’s shoulder. ‘Mum’s gone back home, so I’ll take over while you get some sleep, Jen.’

‘Oh, I don’t know.’ She cast an anxious look at Ma.

‘I’ll call you if there’s any change.’

Jenny stood up, swaying with reaction and fatigue. ‘If she wakes and wants me –’

‘I’ll let you know.’ Ivy gave her a gentle push.

‘Promise?’

‘I promise.’

28

‘Good, you’re awake,’ said Dr Sterling, bending over the bed.

Matthew dragged his eyes open and pain shot through him when he tried to move, so he abandoned that idea.

‘You’re going to be sore for a few days.’ The doctor smiled benevolently. ‘But by the end of the week you’ll be up and about again. Fortunately the knife didn’t cut anything vital.’

Amen to that, Matthew thought, pulling a face. ‘I’ll have to take your word for that. I hurt all over.’

‘Let’s see if we can make you more comfortable.’ He pulled back the sheets, and a nurse came to assist with a tray of instruments and dressings. ‘The police want to talk to you, but I told them to come back this afternoon.’ He was silent while he examined the wounds after the nurse had removed the dressings.

Matt clenched his teeth to stifle a groan. God, but that hurt!

The wounds are looking fine. Nurse will put fresh dressings on, give you a shave and then you’ll feel better.’

‘How many times did that ba –’ Matt remembered just in time that there was a woman present and moderated his language. ‘How many times was I stabbed?’

‘Three, but you’re a healthy young man and should heal quickly.’

‘I’m glad to hear it,’ Matt said, relieved when they had both finished their probing.

He did feel much better after they had finished, and being allowed to sit propped up was a relief.

‘Your family are waiting to see you. I’ll send them in.’ The doctor strode out of the room.

The door opened again almost immediately, and he was astonished to see not only his parents but also John and Luke. ‘Good heavens, who’s looking after the bank?’ he joked.

‘It can function without us for a couple of hours.’ John pulled up enough chairs for them to sit down.

‘You gave us all a scare yesterday,’ his father said.

‘I gave myself a scare. I never expected one of them to come at me with a knife.’

‘The doctor says you’re going to be fine.’ His mother smiled affectionately at him, but the worry was still visible in her eyes.

‘I’ll be up in no time,’ he assured her. ‘How’s Jen?’

‘She’s all right.’ Luke gave a disbelieving shake of his head. ‘John and I took her home because she was ready to go to give Greaves a piece of her mind.’

Matt moved in alarm and felt perspiration break out on his forehead as the pain ripped through him.

Luke held up his hand. ‘We talked her out of it and warned her friends. They agreed with us that she mustn’t go anywhere near him.’

‘Thank God for that!’ Matt sighed in relief. ‘They’re
a rough crowd she’s living with, but they do love her and I’m sure they won’t let her do anything silly.’

‘They’re not the only ones who love her, are they?’ Luke pretended to straighten Matt’s pillows and spoke softly so that only his brother could hear. He winked knowingly and sat back again.

Ignoring the remark, Matt turned to his father. ‘The police are coming to see me this afternoon, but do you have any idea what those men wanted with Jen?’

‘It was obvious they were trying to abduct her, and evidently one of the men said that Greaves had paid them to take her to him.’ His father frowned, puzzled.

‘What the bloody hell is that man up to? Sorry, Mother.’

‘I’m just relieved to see you lively enough to cuss.’ The worry began to fade from her face.

‘I know you’ve always been against our interfering in Jenny’s life, Mother, but we have been drawn right into it now. We must find out why Greaves is so obsessed that he will condone attempted murder, for that is what the attack on me was. That man wasn’t playing; he intended to kill, and I think we should try to find out if that’s what he intended for Jen. If he wants her dead for some bizarre reason, then we’d better find out quickly.’

‘We came to the same conclusion last night,’ John told him. ‘We feel the answer is in America, so I’ve already sent a message to Henry Eddison in Manhattan, explaining that we’ve found Eugenie Winford, and asking if he has any further information about the father.’

Matt suddenly felt drained. His family were dealing with everything, so he must try to relax. It was obvious that Jen was in danger, and he wanted to get back on his feet as soon as possible.

‘We’ll leave you to rest, son.’ His father stood up. ‘If we find out anything of importance, you will be told at once.’

‘Thanks.’ Matt managed to rouse himself enough to say goodbye. When he was alone again, his mind began to whirl. Was that monster Greaves trying to kill Jen because she had rejected him? It was impossible to believe that he would go to such violent lengths. Only someone who wasn’t right in the head would do that … He drifted off into a troubled sleep.

Hearing a sharp knock on the front door, Jenny went to answer it and found two policemen on the step, their bikes propped up against the house.

‘Miss Baker?’

She nodded.

‘We’d like to take your statement about the attack on you yesterday. I’m Sergeant Pegg and this is Constable Wilkins.’

‘You’d better come in.’ They were both big men and seemed to fill the small front room. ‘Please sit down. Would you like a cup of tea?’

‘No, thanks, miss.’ The sergeant took a notebook and pencil out of his pocket. ‘We’d like you to tell us exactly what happened.’

She told them all she could remember, though her
recollection of some of it was rather hazy. But the terror was still vivid in her mind and she was shaking by the time she had finished. ‘What about Greaves? He should be punished as well.’

‘Ah, well, we was told by other witnesses that you said he was involved, but we do have a problem with that.’ The sergeant licked the end of his pencil, then wrote a few more words. ‘We’ve been to see the gentleman and he denies having anything to do with it.’

Jenny snorted in disgust. ‘He would, but one of the men told me they’d been paid by Greaves to attack me.’

‘They’ve changed their tune now,’ the constable said. ‘Did anyone else hear that?’

She tried to picture the scene. Who was standing near her? ‘I really don’t know. The man’s mouth was cut and he wasn’t speaking clearly, but he
did
say it. I’m certain.’

‘We’ll have another word with everyone, of course.’ The sergeant licked his pencil again. ‘But without proof, we can’t charge Mr Greaves with anything.’

‘But that’s scandalous!’ Jenny was appalled.

‘That’s the law, miss.’ The notebook and pencil were tucked back in the sergeant’s top pocket. ‘But we can put those two ruffians away for a long stretch. Attempted murder of Mr Stannard and the attack on you.’

‘That’s something, I suppose.’ It made her angry to know that Greaves was probably going to get away with this.

The policemen stood up and the young constable
gave her a sympathetic smile. ‘It ain’t right, miss, but it would only be your word against his.’

‘I know,’ she sighed, ‘and he would be believed, not me. Will I have to go to court when these men are tried?’

‘Unlikely. The prisoners have admitted trying to harm you and attacking Mr Stannard.’ The sergeant gave a wry shake of his head. ‘They couldn’t hardly do nothing else with half of this street as witnesses, and every one of them eager to talk. Makes a change. Usually we can’t get people to open their mouth around here, but we’ve more witnesses than we can handle.’

As the men went outside again, the constable looked back at Jenny. ‘We’re going to see Mr Stannard now, but if we do turn up anything we can use against Greaves, we’ll let you know.’

Jenny watched them ride off, then closed the door. It was time to get Ma her dinner, and then she’d try to snatch an hour to go to see Matthew.

The sausages sizzled and spat in the pan, and she kept turning them until they were golden brown all over. She then put two on a plate with a large spoonful of fluffy mashed potato; a dribble of gravy was poured over the meal. This was Ma’s favourite, and Jenny knew she would be waiting impatiently as the tantalizing smell wafted up to her bedroom.

She was surprised to see Ma asleep. She smiled affectionately. How peaceful she looked; it was a shame to wake her, but the dinner would get cold. She would be in for an even bigger telling-off if she allowed that to happen.

Placing the tray beside the bed, Jenny leant over and gave Ma a gentle shake. Nothing happened, so she shook her a little harder this time. Still no response!

Her heart began to thud in her chest. Ma didn’t look right. ‘Ma, wake up!’ Plucking Ma’s hand off the blanket, she held it to her cheek. It was still warm. Was she breathing? It looked as if there was a slight movement. She placed her hand on Ma’s chest and watched carefully, but panic was taking hold. There didn’t seem to be any sign of breathing now.

‘Ma!’ she shouted. After a couple of seconds she turned and fled down the stairs, out the front door and into Glad’s place.

Glad was on her own and jumped to her feet as soon as Jenny crashed into the room. ‘Whatever is it, Jen?’

‘Ma,’ she gasped. It felt as if all the air had been drained out of her lungs.

Without asking questions, Glad rushed next door, with Jenny right on her heels.

‘I can’t wake her!’ Jenny watched Glad bend over the motionless form of the elderly woman, searching for signs of life.

‘I’ll get the doctor!’

Glad caught her arm as she was set to run off. ‘There’s no rush, Jen. She’s gone, I’m afraid.’

‘But she was breathing. I’m sure she was breathing,’ she cried in anguish. ‘I cooked her favourite dinner. Are you sure?’

‘I’ve seen enough death to know.’ Glad guided Jenny back downstairs. ‘You make a nice pot of Rosie
Lee. I’ll lay Ma out and take care of the necessary.’

Jenny was dry-eyed with shock as she set about making the tea. Ma had been doing so well. At least she had until Greaves had set those two murderous villains on her, and Matthew had been stabbed. And the police didn’t think they could touch him. He ought to hang! Suddenly she cried out in fury. The worry and shock had just killed Ma …

The tears began to flow. She had planned to see Matthew this afternoon, but she couldn’t do that now. They had liked each other, and she couldn’t tell Matthew about Ma’s passing until he was stronger. Ma’s death had to be reported, and all sorts of things done. She couldn’t leave everything to Glad.

The next few days passed in a blur of pain and loss for Jenny, and she was grateful to have Fred and Glad with her. The funeral was only two days away, and she knew it was going to be a distressing time. But at least she would be able to say a proper goodbye to Ma, something she had not been able to do with her father. She would use this service as an opportunity to put that right. In her mind it would be a dual burial for the two people she had loved so much: Ma and her father. The shock of learning that he’d had another family in America had soon gone. He had been such a kind man, and she hoped he had been happy with them.

It was raining again. Matt stared out of the hospital window and brooded. He was going home today and
should be elated. His recovery had been excellent, and in another week he would be back at work, getting his hands greasy again.