Unspoken: A story of secrets, love and revenge T. Belshaw (good books to read for beginners txt) 📖

I’m running a little bit behind today. I thought I’d ring you to give you an update on progress.’

I visualised his handsome face as he was talking. His voice was as smooth as ever and I found myself patting my curls into place as he spoke.

‘I have some good news and some bad news for you. Which do you want to hear first?’

‘The good,’ I said.

‘Right. The good news is, I have successfully transferred the farm into your name. Your father’s will was very specific in that regard and you are now the legal owner. I have a couple of documents for you to sign, but that’s just a formality. From today onwards, you are the sole owner of Tansley Farm.’

I did a little skip, and punched the air. ‘And the bad news?’

‘The bad news is, you owe the government ninety-two pounds and ten shillings, in Estate Tax.’

My jaw hit the floor. ‘Ninety-two pounds…’

‘And ten shillings. But you will have to add our company fees for the work done, and the total you need to find is, one-hundred and ten-pounds, thirteen shillings and ninepence.’

I was dumbstruck.

‘I understand your shock, Alice. It’s a lot of money.’

‘I don’t know how I’m going to pay it. I don’t have that sort of money; it would wipe the farm out completely if I withdrew it from the bank. We just wouldn’t survive. I’ve got my men’s wages to find, Mr Wilson.’

‘I wish I could help, but this is a government tax. You can’t avoid it.’

‘I’ve got thirty pounds left out of my mother’s insurance money, and I can add another twenty from the bank without putting the farm’s finances under too much pressure, but that’s only half of what I owe.’

‘Your mother’s insurance money?’

‘Yes, she had a policy worth sixty pounds, but I spent thirty of it on a new bathroom.’

‘Was your father insured?’

I slapped my forehead with my free hand.

‘OF COURSE, HE WAS!’ I shouted. ‘Wait a moment, please.’

I put down the handset and rushed to the safe. It took me three attempts to get the key in the lock.

I rifled through the old documents until I found a brown envelope with the word ‘insurance’ written across it in my father’s scrawl. I tore it open and rushed back to the phone.

‘I have it here. He was insured for…’ I scanned the document quickly.

‘One hundred and fifty pounds! We’re saved,’ I cried.

Mr Wilson sounded relieved. ‘I’m so pleased for you, Alice. There will be a little extra money to play with now. You have to settle the bill before the end of August, so you have plenty of time to telephone the insurance company and get the claim settled.’

I was still in shock from discovering the amount that my father’s life was insured for. I decided that I had better get my own policy in case something happened to me. I’d leave it to Martha.

‘I’ll telephone them tomorrow,’ I said.

‘Good. Now then, Alice. I’d like you to call into my office tomorrow and sign the inheritance documents. Your name will have to be on the deeds when it comes to paying the government their dues. It can get complicated if the handover hasn’t taken place when the bill is paid. Could you call in at, let’s see… twelve o’clock?’

‘I’ll get Frank to drive me up,’ I said, without thinking. What would he make of me visiting my ‘lawyer friend’ again?

‘There is one more thing, Alice. My brother recently lost his wife. Sadly, she was only in her thirties when she passed. Anyway, he’s moving away to live in the West Country. The house he’s moving to contains a lot of the appliances he already owns, so he wants to sell a lot of the things he’s not taking with him. He’s having an auction on Saturday.’

‘What sort of things are up for sale? I have most of the stuff I need. I don’t think I have the time to stand around all day at an auction and, I’ve spent a lot just lately, I really should slow down a bit.’

‘Oh, I wouldn’t expect you to come to the auction, Alice. You can have a private viewing after the appointment tomorrow. I thought of you because there are a few things that might be of interest. His children are now school age, so he’s got a lot of things that they have grown out of. He’s leaving a cot and all the bits that go with it, there’s a pram, and—’

‘A pram, Really!’

‘Yes, really. There’s a toddler’s rocking horse too, then there’s a gas cooker, and a lot of other household items.’

‘How much does he want for it all? I’m interested in the cooker, rocking horse, cot, and of course, the pram.’ I couldn’t keep the excitement out of my voice.

‘I’ll talk to him tonight, but you’ll get them at a good price. Auctions can be incredibly disappointing to the seller. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, Alice.’

Had he been here, I would have kissed him. I’d have to fight off that urge tomorrow.

I walked back to the kitchen daydreaming about the gangster and his moll again.

Chapter 65

June 1938

On Wednesday, at nine o’clock precisely, I rang the parish vicar, Reverend Villiers, to see about setting a date for my father’s funeral service, and burial in the grave next to my mother’s. My mother had bought the plots, way-back in nineteen-twenty, following her health scare when she had me. The plot wasn’t exactly centre stage of the churchyard. It was hidden away in a dark corner, beneath the branches of a huge oak that hung over the boundary wall. There was room for one more, if I ever fancied lying down beside them. No one else would want to be buried that far away from the church, unless they didn’t want anyone to know they were there. It was a strange position to choose, but my mother was happy with it, and that was all that mattered. I think she felt sorry