Two Strangers (28 page)

As soon as Bill reached them Charles introduced himself. ‘You won’t remember me, but we did meet in that hellhole. By God, it’s good to see you, Manton.’

Bill frowned, studying Charles carefully, but there was no sign of recognition. ‘I’m afraid you are right, sir. I don’t remember meeting you, but I do know you are the man who helped Vicki when she was desperate. I thank you for that.’

‘I should have done more, but all has turned out well. What do you think of our school?’ he asked proudly.

‘A place like this is badly needed, sir. It will give a few children a good education and a life away from abuse.’

‘Just so. There’s no need to call me sir, my boy; we are not in the army now. Everyone here calls me Charles. Not only are we helping needy children, but we have been able to employ ex-soldiers who would otherwise find it difficult to find employment.’

‘I had noticed.’

‘I saw too much suffering, Manton. Can’t turn my back on it. Now, I hope you are a good judge of horses because I’ve brought over two more animals. Come and have a look at them and tell me what you think.’

Vicki watched them walk over to the truck where Fred was already unloading the animals. ‘That went well, Harry.’

He nodded. ‘Next step will be to bring Peter here, and then Bill’s parents.’

‘In the meantime, we’ve got to decide where to put the tennis court.’ Edward rubbed his chin thoughtfully. ‘Needs to be well away from the house and stables, don’t you think, Harry?’

Seeing that all the men were occupied and Pearl had already left to prepare the room for the new arrivals, Vicki went in search of Dave and Alfie.

She found them with the other boys. Dave had already told them about her, so they were quite open and friendly towards her.

The afternoon was spent roaming the countryside around the school with eight lively boys who were eager to show her their favourite places. They also asked a lot of questions, wanting to know how she had survived on her own, and, in turn, she learnt a lot about them. By the time they got back for their tea, they were talking freely and joking with her.

Jack was one of the boys who had been the most difficult to handle when he’d arrived, and as Vicki was about to leave, he asked, ‘When you coming down here again?’

‘Next Sunday, if I can manage it. It’s the only day I have free.’

He glanced around to make sure no one else was listening. ‘Er … Can I see you when you come?’

‘Yes, of course, Jack. Is there something you want to talk about?’

He shrugged. ‘I had a sister, older than me, but she died. She stuck up for me, but things got real bad after she’d gone. I ain’t told no one about this, not even Mr Harry, so don’t say nothing.’

‘I won’t say a word, Jack. You can trust me.’

‘Dave and Alfie trust you because you are one of us. My sister would have been about your age. You’re like her.’

With that declaration, he turned and ran into the school, and she was disappointed. She had hoped to get him to talk longer. There were so many troubled youngsters, she thought sadly. Next time, she would try to spend some time with him alone.

‘Enjoy your long walk?’ Pearl asked when she came into the kitchen.

‘Exhausting.’ She sat down. ‘I’m gasping for a cup of tea.’

‘Coming right up. Ah, here are the men at last.’

Charles stayed with them for tea and left immediately after.

‘Our train leaves in an hour, Vicki,’ Flo reminded her. ‘We must say goodnight to the boys.’

‘I also want to see Bill before I leave. Do you know where he is, Harry?’

‘In the staff lounge or the library, I expect.’

‘Thanks. Boys first, though.’ The school had a large sports hall where the youngsters could play before bedtime, and that’s where they all were. Vicki went round to everyone she had spent the afternoon with, and made a point of saying to Jack that she would see him next time. That seemed to please him. Dave and Alfie hugged her as they always did, and then she went in search of Bill.

He was in the library, surrounded by open books and writing. ‘Sorry to disturb you, but we are leaving now.’

‘I didn’t hear you approaching.’ He stood up and smiled. ‘It’s been an eventful day. Although I didn’t show it at first, I really am pleased to see you again. You’ve made a good life for yourself, and that couldn’t have been easy.’

‘It wasn’t, but I took your advice and studied that little book diligently. Harry said you are an excellent teacher, and I hope you will be happy here. Harry and Edward need men like you and John.’

‘This school is an ambitious undertaking, and I would like to see it succeed.’

‘It deserves to.’ She noticed the English book on the table and picked it up. ‘I am so pleased to have been able to return this to you at last.’

‘I gave it to you, Vicki. I never expected to see it again.’

‘I couldn’t keep it. It belongs to you.’

‘I had about three books with me at that time, and that was just one of them. It didn’t mean anything to me. I like books and pick them up cheaply wherever I can.’

‘It meant a lot to me.’ She smiled up at him. ‘I must go now or I’ll miss my train. Bye, Bill.’

His only reply was a nod of his head, and Vicki walked away. When she had seen him writing, she had hoped he was looking into the origin of the book, but he had been preparing lessons. He hadn’t appeared to have any interest in finding out about the crest. As far as that was concerned, his mind seemed to be a blank, and yet one thing was clear: he had known all the time that he was a teacher.

Two days later, when they had finished clearing up after the evening meal, Bob made Vicki sit down with them. ‘We’ve been discussing your future, my dear, and realize we have taught you all we know about hairdressing. You are good and need another teacher now.’

Vicki’s heart gave a lurch. Where was this leading? Were they going to send her away now? The old fears came rushing back. ‘But you both know all there is to know about hairdressing.’

‘Things are changing fast, and your talent needs a more advanced teacher now.’ Flo caught hold of her hand. ‘Don’t look so upset, Vicki. We want the best for you.’

‘That’s right.’ Bob leant forward. ‘I saw Don James yesterday. His salon in Knightsbridge is favoured by the wealthy and famous. I told him about you, and he is willing to take you as a student for the next two years. After that, you will have all the necessary qualifications to work in a high-class establishment. With Don’s name behind you, there will be no limit to what you can achieve.’

Vicki looked from one to the other in dismay. ‘But I’m happy here. Don’t send me away, please!’

The desperation in Vicki’s voice brought Flo to her feet in alarm. ‘Oh, my darling, we would never do that. We were so excited about giving you this marvellous opportunity that we haven’t made the arrangements clear. You will go to Don James only two days a week, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. You can travel by train and come back here at night. This is your home, Vicki, and always will be. When we’ve gone, all this will be yours. We’ve made legal wills.’

Shaken and stunned, Vicki couldn’t speak.

‘I’m going to employ another girl just for those two days each week, and then you can show me what you’re learning.’ Flo sat down again. ‘We can try the new things out on our customers. That will be fun, won’t it?’

‘Of course, if you really don’t want to do this,’ Bob told her, ‘you don’t have to. We wouldn’t force you to do anything you didn’t want to. It’s a rare opportunity, but think it over and let us know what you decide.’

‘I don’t have to think about it,’ she told them. ‘It would be foolish to turn down a chance to improve, and I’ll do my best to be a worthy student of Mr James.’

‘We know you will be. If we’d had any doubts about your abilities, we would never have approached Don. Flo and I talked about this a while ago but knew we had to wait for the right time. You’ve found Bill at last, and we hope you are now ready to move on with your life. You have a talent, Vicki, and that needs to be developed by someone more qualified than us.’

‘I understand you want me to become a skilled hairdresser, but I must admit the thought of working with someone else is rather frightening. And the salon sounds posh!’

‘You don’t need to worry about that.’ Flo smiled encouragingly. ‘Your manners are impeccable, and your speech excellent. Do you know your accent is very like Bill’s? How did you manage that when you only met him once?’

‘I liked the way he spoke and I kept that sound in my head as I practised.’ A worried expression appeared on her face. ‘I do hope he’s going to be all right.’

‘If you mean is he going to regain his memory, then no one knows that. My concern is that it has been too long since his injury, and if his memory was going to return, it would have done so by now.’ Bob gave her a sympathetic look. ‘But you mustn’t worry about that. He is with Harry now and he will do all he can to help him.’

‘You are right, of course,’ Vicki agreed, and then changed the subject. ‘So, when do I go to this posh salon?’

‘Next week.’

Twenty-Nine

‘I got your message.’ Peter ran up to Harry. ‘Are you sure it’s him?’

‘Certain.’

‘Oh, that’s marvellous! How is he?’

Harry studied the excited young man. ‘He’s taking a class at the moment; you can see him during the break. As to how he’s doing, Peter, the answer is he’s struggling. This is going to be difficult for you – for both of you – but you must let me introduce you. Try not to overwhelm him by rushing in and greeting him like the old friends you really are. To him, you will be a stranger.’

‘But we grew up together. Is his loss of memory that bad?’

‘I’m afraid so. When I first met him, there were a couple of things that made me believe his memory would return if prodded – now I’m not so sure. A doctor in the village is keeping an eye on him and trying to find out where he was treated, but he hasn’t had any luck so far.’

‘Oh, Lord, that’s terrible.’ Peter’s eyes clouded with sorrow for his friend. ‘But at least he’s alive. I’ll do whatever you say, Harry.’

‘How much we tell him will depend on how he reacts to meeting you.’

‘I understand.’

‘Ah, there goes the bell. Follow me.’

Bill was still in the classroom cleaning the blackboard when they walked in. He turned his head, showing no recognition of Peter. ‘Hello, Harry.’

‘Here’s someone who wants to meet you. Peter Harmond.’

Dusting the chalk from his hands, Bill nodded and shook hands with Peter. ‘Are you a teacher?’

Harry could see Peter was having difficulty containing his emotions. When he shot Harry a quick beseeching glance, Harry nodded, and the young man turned back to his friend.

‘No, Will, I am what you always said I would be – a gentleman farmer.’

Stillness came over Bill as he looked intently at Peter. ‘You know me?’

‘Yes, we grew up together. There were three of us, we were inseparable, and our greatest pleasure was riding. We used to gallop around the estate trying to beat each other. You always won,’ he said, a touch of a smile on his face. ‘Ah, they were good days before the damned war came and ruined everything.’

‘Three of us?’

Peter nodded. ‘You don’t remember?’

Bill shook his head. ‘Sorry.’

‘Oh, God, Will!’ Peter’s composure began to crack. ‘I am overjoyed to see you are still alive! We were told you were dead, and it’s like a miracle to see you standing here. You obviously don’t know who the hell I am, so can we start over again, as if we have just met?’

‘I have a free couple of hours, so would you like to ride now? We have horses in the stables.’

‘I’d love to!’ Peter’s face lit up in a broad smile. ‘I’ll beat you this time.’

‘I wouldn’t bank on it.’ Bill winked at Harry to let him know everything was all right. ‘I’ve got a special horse.’

When they walked out of the classroom, Harry let out a silent breath of relief. Bill had handled that well. He had seen how distressed Peter was becoming and had done exactly the right thing. They had been firm friends once, and there was no reason why they couldn’t be again. Bill was going to have to get to know the people from his past all over again, including his parents. That meeting was going to be the hardest of all, he suspected.

It was late in the evening when Bill sought out Harry. ‘Can you spare the time to have a talk?’

‘All the time you need, Bill. Sit down. Would you like a drink?’

‘A whisky, if you’ve got it, please.’

‘A double?’

Bill’s smile was wry. ‘Definitely.’

‘Who won the race?’ Harry asked, handing Bill a large tumbler of whisky, and watched him take a good swig.

‘I did. It felt right racing over the countryside like that. It’s a mess, isn’t it, Harry? What the hell have I been doing for the last few years? I haven’t even tried to find out if I have any family.’

Harry topped up the glasses. ‘Your past has been completely wiped out. You’ve had nothing to go on – no idea where to start looking – and you did what you had to do by trying to make a life for yourself. The situation you were faced with must have been devastating, but you didn’t crumble or sink into despair. You held yourself together and reached for as normal a life as possible for you in the circumstances. You have nothing to reproach yourself for.’

Bill took another swig of the drink and shook his head. ‘I should have tried! You didn’t have anything to go on, but you found me.’

‘Vicki wouldn’t give up, even when every step we took ended nowhere. It was one disappointment after another, but that lovely girl was determined. It was only by chance she saw a photograph and insisted that one of the young boys was the stranger she had met. Even when everyone said you had died in the war, she would not accept it, declaring that you were alive, much to everyone’s disbelief.’

‘She’s a very determined young lady and I’m glad everything has turned out well for her.’

Harry nodded. ‘She has blessed us all.’

Draining his glass, Bill ran a hand through his hair and drew in a deep breath. ‘It was hard seeing Peter so distressed when I didn’t recognize him. He said we have been friends since we were children, and it meant nothing to me. It was as if we were meeting for the first time.’