‘I can’t afford to pay rent,’ said Una, her chin and bosom jiggling with indignation. ‘I haven’t got a job.’
‘Well, you’ll have to get one then, won’t you,’ said Marnie, starting to enjoy herself now.
‘I can’t work,’ said Una. ‘I have bad feet.’
‘I do believe there are actual jobs you can do sitting down these days,’ replied Marnie with faux sweetness. ‘You pay, you stay, say no, you go. Next.’
David Parselow raised one hand whilst rubbing his chin thoughtfully with the other.
‘The loyalty payments that the businesses have received in the past, do we have to pay them back?’
Marnie had to be careful how to answer this because she’d written to Titus that he had to.
‘The two businesses in the area, i.e. the pub and the post office, were given a bonus payment in compensation for lack of custom, from what I understand. By increasing the amount of people who live in, and who know of, Wychwell, it is hoped your businesses will have a much-improved turnover. There is absolutely no other reason for anyone else to have received a loyalty bonus.’ She looked pointedly over at Titus, who was firing daggers at her with his rheumy eyes. ‘But to answer your question directly, David, no. I think that would be unfair.’
He sagged with relief, as if he’d been a balloon and a pin had been stuck in his back.
‘Who is the new owner?’ asked Emelie. ‘Do you really not know, Marnie?’
‘I have no idea,’ she replied.
Titus gave a short bark of laughter and everyone’s head swung around to him.
‘I have no idea,’ Marnie reiterated. ‘One of you is, I’m sure. One of you has a set of keys – the owner’s keys – to the manor. One of you was up there last night.’ She looked around hoping to spot some giveaway body language, but she saw nothing. ‘Now, is there anything else?’
Silence answered her. ‘Okay, well, if there is and you want to discuss it with me in private, you know where I am. I do need your intentions to stay and abide by the new agreements in writing by the end of the month. I will take any non-responses as a desire to terminate your residency in Wychwell and will then issue a thirty-day notice to quit your property. Thank you for your time.’ She stood and pushed the seat back with her legs.
She was at the door when Roger asked, ‘So where has all the money gone?’
‘Maybe Titus can explain that one,’ said Marnie.
A church-like hush fell upon the group after Marnie departed from their midst. Cyril Rootwood, an old quarry miner with a resultant bad chest, was the first to break it.
‘So, where has all the money gone, Titus? What did she mean by “Titus can explain that one”?’
‘I have absolutely no bloody idea,’ he replied, with convincing confidence. ‘Always a clever ploy to shift the focus onto someone else when you are trying to divert it from yourself.’
‘Well, with the greatest of respect, Titus, she can’t be held responsible for there being no money in the estate.’ This from Mrs Court. ‘You must know what’s happened to it all. You looked after that side of the business.’
‘Dear lady,’ began Titus in the most patronising tone he could muster, ‘Lilian had absolutely no fiscal sense. I could only advise, not dictate.’
‘Did she invest any of her savings with you?’ asked Griff.
‘I don’t like what you are inferring, Griff Oldroyd,’ Titus replied, his expression hard.
Lionel, sensing a meltdown, asked for calm. ‘I think that Marnie has answered all the questions we were going to raise. I didn’t realise she hadn’t been invited, Titus. What would have been the point in a meeting without her?’
‘Lilian was half-senile when this . . . this stranger breezed into her life and two minutes later Lilian is dead and the woman is running the estate. Is there any wonder that I do not trust her?’
‘Lilian was sound enough of mind to recognise a good soul when she saw one, Titus,’ said Emelie.
‘Yes,’ he spat back, ‘and that’s why she had a Nazi as a friend.’
‘Whoa.’ Herv was on his feet now. ‘There is no need for that.’
‘Shame on you, Titus Sutton,’ said Lionel, also moved to stand.
Emelie picked up her handbag to leave.
‘You horrible, stupid, ignorant man . . .’
‘Our business is done, I think,’ snarled Titus. ‘Can’t you see what that Salt woman is doing to us? Setting one against the other? Wychwell was a haven of peace before she came here.’
‘It wasn’t Marnie who started with the insults though, was it?’ said Herv, towering over Titus, his blue eyes sparking fire, but the money-bloated man wasn’t in the least cowed.
‘Well don’t blame me if you’re all turned out of your houses before the year is out. Whatever it says on those let—’
Hilary, at his side interrupted him, ‘But Titus, she said that wouldn’t—’
‘Oh do be quiet, Hilary,’ he snapped. ‘You don’t know what you are talking about.’
‘I think we should go,’ said Lionel, before things got even uglier and he was sacked from his post for belting one of his parishioners. ‘Thank you for the tea, Hilary. It was much appreciated.’
‘A pleasure, Vicar.’
Silently the villagers filed out of Titus’s house. Ruby pushed past the Rootwoods to catch up with Herv.
‘We’re going to the Wych Arms, Herv, would you like to come for a drink with us? I think we all need one after that.’
‘Thank you, Ruby, but I’m going to make sure Emelie gets home and is all right,’ he said, without breaking his stride.
Kay Sweetman saw her daughter’s face crumple.
‘You want to watch who you mix with, Herv Gunnarsen,’ she said, loud enough for her voice to travel past Lionel and Dr Court and reach him. ‘I have it from a very reliable source that your perfect Miss Salt isn’t interested in men unless they’re attached. She’s one of those home-wrecker sorts. Her last man was married with three children and a pregnant wife and she ran off up here with her tail between her legs when the wife gave her what-for in front of everyone she worked with.’
Kay saw the slight hesitation in Herv’s step before he carried on at an increased pace and she knew she had hit home with that bullet. She’d been saving it for the right moment. But she hadn’t finished yet.
‘She told Lilian all about it, that’s why she offered her a house here. Because she did to some poor other woman what your wife did to you.’
‘Mu-um, you shouldn’t have said that,’ Ruby said with an annoyed huff. ‘It’ll not make any difference.’
‘Oh yes it will,’ said Kay Sweetman triumphantly. ‘You just wait and see.’
Chapter 35
The rest of the week passed without incident or drama. Marnie didn’t see Herv to talk to, he was working away from the manor, mending windows, fixing tiles on Dr Court’s roof, doing general maintenance around the village. She spotted him at the top of a ladder when she was strolling back to Little Raspberries on the Wednesday. He turned, saw her – or so she thought – she waved, but he turned back, so she presumed he couldn’t have. She thought nothing more of it than that he needed to concentrate on not falling and breaking his neck.