Josephine Cox Sunday Times Bestsellers Collection. Josephine Cox

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СКАЧАТЬ no notice of him, Mom.’ Kissing Vicky on the cheek, Susie explained, ‘It wasn’t my driving that made him a shivering wreck. He was already like that when I found him.’

      Leonard was delighted to see Ronnie. ‘Your mother was worried about you,’ he said.

      Ronnie never had much to say to Leonard, and tonight was no exception. Without replying, he addressed Vicky. ‘There’s no need for you to worry. I’m quite capable of taking care of myself.’

      ‘I only wish that were true!’ Vicky knew her children like she knew herself, and she never cared much for the way Ronnie deliberately excluded Leonard from any conversation. ‘But I’m glad you’re here, all the same. We all are, aren’t we, Leonard?’

      His stepfather smiled at Ronnie, a smile that said, ‘Even if you don’t accept me, I’ll still be here whenever you need me.’

      ‘I think Ronnie already knows,’ he replied. ‘I’m always glad to see him.’

      Vicky gave Susie a grateful glance, discreetly thanking her for bringing Ronnie home, even if it was only for a short time. He was the stray sheep that had not yet found its way back to the fold.

      ‘Right,’ she announced, ‘dinner’s ready. There’s pea and ham soup to start, thick and rich, the way you all like it.’ It had been one of Barney’s favourites.

      The evening went just as Vicky had planned, with everyone together, all eager to catch up with the latest news and gossip. ‘Now that we’ve managed to secure Baron’s Farm, that will bring our holding up to close on a thousand acres of prime productive land.’

      Leonard had been after the 200-acre farm for some long time, and now that he had secured it into the family holding, he was desperate to persuade Ronnie to come back and work with them. It was what he wanted and, more importantly, it would make Vicky a contented woman.

      Vicky picked up immediately on his piece of news. Addressing Ronnie, she told him, ‘Leonard has it in mind to renovate the old farmhouse. It’s yours, if you want it.’ Under the table she kept her fingers crossed, hoping he might leap at the chance. ‘You know the place,’ she reminded him. ‘It’s in a lovely spot, and you can be as isolated as you want. Please, Ronnie, we all want you to come home. Say you’ll take it.’

      All eyes were on Ronnie as he seemed to be considering the proposition. When at length he gave his answer, it was not the one Vicky wanted to hear, yet it was the one they all expected. ‘Not yet, Mother.’ He gave a determined shake of the head. ‘I’m not ready. It’s not that I don’t want to, you know that.’

      ‘So, what is it then?’ Thomas was quick to lose his temper where Ronnie was concerned. ‘You don’t seem to know how lucky you are. Leonard is offering you a tidy house, and a chance to come back where you belong. At least give it a try. If it doesn’t work out, then you’ve got choices.’

      But Ronnie could not be persuaded. ‘Like I said, I’m not ready. It’s a wonderful offer and I appreciate the thought, but I can’t be shackled. I need the freedom to work when I can and wander when the mood takes me.’ He looked at his stepfather. ‘Sorry, Leonard. Like I say, it’s not that I don’t appreciate the offer.’

      While Susie had kept her silence, Sheila was bolder. ‘You must be mad!’ This was the first she’d heard of Baron’s Farm being sold to Leonard. ‘If it’s not wanted, we’ll take it, won’t we, darling?’ Snuggling up to Thomas she made cow eyes. ‘We could really do something with that old place, and like Lenny says, it’s in a lovely spot.’

      Like everyone else, Thomas ignored her comment. He, more than most, knew how Sheila was never satisfied with what she had. To her, the grass was always greener on the other side.

      ‘The house was not offered to us,’ he said coolly, ‘and even if it was, we don’t need two houses. End of discussion.’

      ‘The farmhouse is yours, whenever you’re ready,’ Leonard assured Ronnie. ‘You’re an important part of the family business, and we all want you with us, like I say … whenever you’re ready. At the moment, the house is being totally renovated. The builders reckon it should be finished in about six months’ time. Take it or leave it, but it’s yours. The deeds will be in your name, and the keys put aside for when you decide to come and collect them. There’s no pressure. It’s entirely up to you.’

      Ronnie thanked him sincerely, and now that the discussion was over and the mood had lightened, Susie had a thing or two to say. ‘I wouldn’t give him a choice,’ she teased. ‘I’d lock him up in the house until he came to his senses. Anywhere is better than that hellhole he lives in.’

      Grinning, Ronnie shrugged his shoulders. ‘It’s my hellhole,’ he objected. ‘It’s where I want to be … for now.’

      Vicky had listened to all of this, and her heart ached for Barney’s youngest son. Like the rest of them he was still hurting, but instead of getting on with life, he had immersed himself so deeply in the past, he just couldn’t let go. All she could do was wait and pray, and hope that sometime soon, Ronnie would find peace in his heart and the need for his family about him. More than that, she could not do.

      She now turned her attention to her daughter. ‘And what’s happening in the world of hats?’

      Susie swallowed a forkful of potato. ‘Well, I too have bought property – I acquired the old butcher’s shop, and I’m already having plans drawn up to change it into a fashionable milliner’s. It’s in a good area, on a corner position, with two panoramic windows and huge floorspace. It’s got great potential.’

      ‘Well done, sis!’ Thomas exclaimed. ‘I’m proud of you.’

      Everyone raised their glass in celebration, even Sheila, though her comment was a touch sarcastic. ‘What will that be – your fifth shop now? Soon you’ll own the whole of Boston and we won’t be able to walk down any street without seeing your name in lights.’

      Her face fell with Susie’s second revelation of exciting news.

      ‘You know I’ve been after that contract to supply the French house for the spring season?’

      Ronnie groaned. ‘We should do,’ he said jovially. ‘You’ve been harping on about it these past nine months! I told you then – the French have cracked it where hats and fashion are concerned. You’ve no chance. Might as well forget it, sis. This time you’ve lost out.’

      ‘Ah, well that’s where you’re wrong!’ Susie took delight in telling them all, ‘I sent them half a dozen samples and they’ve all sold. I have now secured the contract to supply for the coming two seasons. There! I told you I’d get it and I have.’

      Vicky leaped out of her chair. ‘Oh Susie, you clever thing.’

      Glasses were raised for the second time, and everyone congratulated her.

      All but Sheila, who skulked in her chair, loathing Susie as never before. She envied the girl her dogged determination to succeed in business; she resented her natural talent and skills, and the warm caring nature she had been blessed with. But mostly she envied her natural prettiness; with her gently-rounded figure, childlike features and soft shining hair, Susie was attractive in an unassuming way. Yet in spite of the fact that she was no striking beauty, Susie had caught the eye of many an admirer. As yet though, none of them had captured her heart.

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