Stay with Me (41 page)

He held her gaze and the doubt he felt drained away. How could he resist his own beloved wife and the enticement she conveyed in the way she held herself so close to him?

A sharp knock on the door made them draw apart.

‘Come in!' Peter called.

Alan Frampton looked in. ‘Captain Goss is here.'

‘Show him in.'

The manager pushed the door wider and stepped to one side to allow the captain to enter. Frampton pulled the door shut and returned to his office.

‘That did not take you long, Captain,' said Peter, eyeing him quizzically.

‘I didn't think it would. An offer of full continuous employment was too tempting for my crew, especially when they heard that the
Seagull
would be repaired. They are a rough lot but feel a special affection for that ship.'

‘That's wonderful, Captain,' put in Lena quickly, afraid that Peter might still say no, although the softening she had just detected in him seemed to approve her plan.

‘Captain Goss,' said Peter firmly. ‘this is an important venture upon which we are staking a great deal. This third ship is vital to its success. We expect you to play your part. If you are successful, you and your crew will do well by it. I suggest that you return tomorrow to sign the necessary documents of engagement and to discuss the immediate course which Mrs Hustwick has in mind.'

‘Very good, sir, ma'am.'

As the door shut behind him Lena flung herself into Peter's arms. Her eyes were bright; her smile rapturous. ‘Oh, Peter, thank you! You will never regret it,' I promise you.'

‘Dr Jollif and I are so grateful for the help you have been able to give us,' said Alistair as he and Avril hurried along Church Street. ‘And I know old Mrs Smurthwaite will appreciate your visits. It has been hard on her since her daughter died; her neighbours are good but they are elderly too and she likes younger company.'

‘You know I'll do what I can,' replied Avril, pleased to be of help and to use her nursing knowledge. ‘I am very glad things have worked out so well with Olivia, but I would like to see her participating in society more often.'

They had reached the turning to the bridge where Alistair stopped. ‘While I am here, I'd like to visit Ralph at the office. Do you mind?'

‘Of course not. I'll be all right.'

‘I'll see you later then.'

Avril started towards the bridge and he stood and watched her for a few moments. It might have been Lena if . . . He tightened his lips and continued on his way, annoyed that she still had the power to shape and shadow his thoughts.

‘Good morning, Ralph,' he called cheerfully on entering the office.

‘Good day to you, Alistair. Hard morning?' he asked as his visitor flopped into a chair.

‘No, not really, just some distracting thoughts.'

‘We can always be hard on ourselves.'

‘True,' agreed Alistair. ‘What news have you? I see the
John Carnforth
is back.'

‘Came in on the evening tide. Full cargo from France. We're unloading now. Three days and she'll be off to Portugal.'

‘So things are going smoothly and we have made up for losing the Carter-Brown contract?'

‘Mostly, but that could have been ongoing regular work whereas we have had to compete for other contracts.'

‘But you are managing to keep trade flowing?'

‘Oh, yes, but as I say, it would be easier with regular work. However, I hope to put that right to some extent later this year by sealing a lucrative deal for regular shipments of timber from the Baltic.'

‘Good. I look forward to hearing more. Any news from Hull?' Alistair knew that Ralph kept an eye on the situation there since Hustwick's, or more precisely Lena, had outsmarted them.

‘I hear that the ship they hired from Grimsby for the Spanish trade is being repaired by them and being hired permanently to increase their fleet. That is going to cost them a lot. I would dearly love to know what they have in mind.'

Alistair nodded thoughtfully. ‘Beware of them.'

‘I will.'

 

Lena lay quietly in Peter's arms, enjoying the sensation as he ran his fingers over her skin. She felt a deep contentment, not only from his loving but because she had won him over to her way of thinking about the repair and hiring of the
Seagull.
The ship was on its second voyage since the work had been completed and Captain Goss had proved his worth. She looked forward to using the information Captain Washbrook brought weekly from Whitby about Carnforth's even if it could not be verified - she believed there was no smoke without fire and presumed there must be something in the rumours. She knew that soon she would turn her attention from Spain to timber shipments from the Baltic.

Peter stirred. ‘Lena, I think we should have a son.'

His words, quiet but firm, startled her.

‘We should have an heir for the business.'

She twisted round in his arms so she could prop herself on her elbows and look down at him. ‘We shall, Peter,' she replied quietly. ‘But not yet. I'm not ready to have a child.'

‘Why not? It would give us every reason to make sure the firm is set on a solid foundation, with no undue risk-taking. You know I'm uneasy. We are stretching ourselves too much at present.'

‘Things are working out. You've got to admit that hiring Captain Goss and the
Seagull
proved to be a good move?'

He nodded. ‘So far.'

‘And will continue to be so. What we are doing now will make for that solid foundation you want. We'll achieve it by next year. Then we can throw precautions aside and you can have the son you want.'

‘Promise me?'

She nodded. ‘Promise.'

‘And no more schemes to expand?'

‘Agreed.' But Lena had crossed her fingers. She crossed them again when she answered his next question.

‘And no more thoughts of trying to win back Carnforth's?'

Her lips tightened for a brief moment but she said, ‘None.'

From the way he pulled her to him she knew he was satisfied with her assurances. She uncrossed her fingers; the vows she made then were only to herself. Peter had agreed to dispatch the
William Hustwick
and the
Seagull
to the Mediterranean to bring back exotic fruits, spices and silks; what he did not know was that on information received from Captain Washbrook, Lena had seen to it that Hustwick's ships would be back in port first, leaving Carnforth's to arrive home to a flooded market and depressed prices. Hustwick's would make a good profit; Carnforth's less of one - maybe even a loss.

 

‘What news, Captain Washbrook?' Lena asked as she took the newspaper from him.

‘I haven't gleaned very much since my last visit, only a rumour, and I must say it doesn't sound likely to me.'

‘Any little item of gossip might be of use,' she urged him. ‘Tell me.'

‘There's a story going around that Ralph Bell is thinking about having a steam ship built.'

‘Steam!'

‘It's the way we'll all go, ma'am, sooner or later.'

‘I have no doubt, but I think it's far too early for a firm like Carnforth's or ourselves - too costly as yet. But prices will come down as the bigger shipping firms turn more and more to steam. That will be time for us to invest.'

‘I agree with you, ma'am. I hear that if Mr Bell takes this step, he will wait until after next year by which time he hopes profits from the Baltic timber trade will be big enough to finance Carnforth's move into steam.'

Lena had much to think about over the next few days as she awaited the return of the
William Hustwick
from London and the
Seagull
from France. She formulated a plan for the next six months, terminating at the onset of winter in the Baltic, but acted on it only when Peter was in Beverley on business connected with Raby Hall.

She wrote a letter to Chris Strutman, dissolving their trading arrangement, and took it to the captain of the
Lena,
with instructions to deliver it personally and return with an answer.

Two days later, knowing the
Lena
was due in from Middlesbrough, she asked Peter to accompany her to the quay. When she did not offer any explanation he naturally enquired what lay behind the request, but all he got was, ‘You will see when Captain Poulson arrives.'

When the captain saw them on the quay he was quickly down the gangway to hand a sealed letter to Lena.

‘Thank you, Captain,' she said, and stopped him as he turned away. ‘Did Mr Strutman reveal anything about our correspondence to you?'

‘No, ma'am.'

‘Then I think you had better wait for it will no doubt concern you. Mr Hustwick does not know I wrote to Mr Strutman so has no idea what this sheet of paper might contain.'

Both men looked askance but could do nothing but wait until she'd read the letter. It was short and brought a smile to Lena's face. She looked at them triumphantly. ‘The letter you took to Mr Strutman for me, Captain, terminated our trading arrangements.'

Astonishment crossed the faces of the two men.

‘Why?' demanded Peter.

‘I have greater things in mind for Captain Poulson and the
Lena.'

‘But she's earning us a steady income,' Peter protested.

Lena ignored that remark and turned to the captain instead. ‘Captain Poulson, I want you to be ready to sail to the Baltic with the
William Hustwick
and the
Seagull
as soon as they return from their present voyages; they should be here the day after tomorrow. You can assure your crew that all jobs will be secure so long as they fulfil the new commission. You will be shipping timber from there until the winter freeze up and will have full authority, as will Captain Checkton and Captain Goss, to buy timber on our behalf. The crews will get a share of the profits so it is up to you to buy good timber at a good price and get in as many voyages as possible. The more the better, for everyone. '

‘Yes, ma'am. I am sure all be willing to serve, though the Baltic can be a bit daunting when winter nears. The start of the freeze can be unpredictable.'

‘I am sure you can cope with anything, Captain.'

‘I can, ma'am.' He glanced at Peter. ‘Sir.'

Peter nodded and waited until he was out of earshot before turning on Lena. ‘What's this all about? You never mentioned terminating the Strutman deal or any idea about the timber trade. You've made a major decision again without consulting me!'

She did not rise to his criticism but linked arms with him affectionately. ‘Don't look so angry. It's all for the best.'

‘Best? What is so good about this hare-brained plan?'

‘We're building a solid foundation for the son we will have.'

If Lena thought her mention of a son and heir for him at this moment would soften Peter's attitude, she was wrong.

‘You are concentrating all our vessels on one commodity - and prices could fall.'

‘Timber is always needed,' she retorted sharply.

‘Yes, but the market may not always be buoyant. We'll be competing against other timber importers instead of having changing markets for goods of a very diverse nature. With timber only we'll be dangerously exposed . . .'

‘Oh, Peter, why do you always look on the dark side of things?'

‘I don't. Only when you do something risky like this! You should have consulted me first.'

‘And you would have said no.'

‘What if I had? We would still be profiting from Strutman's orders and from commodities that . . . ' He stopped and looked angrily at her. ‘I think you have something else in mind, something you are keeping from me?'

She hugged his arm. ‘Oh, Peter, I'm not. I only did it because it will benefit the firm. Make it more prosperous for our son.'

‘I trust you are right.'

Lena did not comment but thought to herself, I hope I am.

Two days later, when the
William Hustwick
and the
Seagull
arrived in Hull, Lena slipped from the office without telling Peter and was at the quays to meet them. Seeing her, Captain Checkton and Captain Goss were quickly ashore, enthusiastically reporting back on successful voyages.

After hearing them out, Lena offered her praise of them. ‘You have done very well. Now I have a new assignment for you. I want you to clear your cargoes quickly and be ready to sail the day after tomorrow with the
Lena.'
She inclined her head in the direction of the third ship, idling at her berth.

‘For Teesside?' Both captains, expecting some respite before sailing for the Mediterranean again, expressed surprise.

‘No, I have taken her off that run. I want all three ships to sail for the Baltic, for the timber trade.'

‘Ma'am, my crew, and I believe Captain Goss's too, are expecting some leave . . .'

‘Mine certainly are,' said Captain Goss, adding his weight to Captain Checkton's objection. ‘They've not been home for six months because of the quick turn-arounds we have been doing.'

‘And I'm afraid those will continue until the winter makes Baltic voyages impossible. Between now and then I want as much quality timber shipped into Hull as possible.' Before either man could speak she went on quickly to outline the tempting terms for the crews, as she had already done for the men of the
Lena.
When she had finished she did not see the expected enthusiasm in the two seamen's faces, however.