Riches to Rags Read online

  Before the police arrived, Jenny wanted some answers. She walked over and faced her attackers, anger out of control. The two men had taken a beating, she saw, and that was no more than they deserved. They had stabbed Matt. He might die. There wasn’t an ounce of compassion in her for these villains. ‘What did you want with me?’ When they didn’t answer she raised her fist and the man who had spoken flinched. The last thing he obviously wanted was another punch in the face. His lip was cut, one eye was closed, and it looked as if his nose was broken. Even a woman could add to his pain now. ‘Tell me!’

  ‘A bloke called Greaves gave us twenty quid to take you to him.’

  Greaves? Her hand dropped to her side in surprise. ‘What on earth for?’

  ‘Dunno.’

  A car pulled up with Luke driving and Mrs Stannard sitting beside him, deathly pale. ‘Where have they taken Matt?’ she asked, her voice trembling.

  ‘St Thomas’s.’ Ron leant on the window and explained briefly, then stepped back as the car sped off.

  ‘Jen.’ Glad touched her arm. ‘Come on, Ma’s worried.’

  ‘You go,’ Ron said. ‘The coppers are just arriving and we’ll deal with this lot.’

  ‘Thanks.’ Jenny began to run home, anxious to let Ma see she was all right.

  Ma held out her hand as soon as she entered the bedroom. ‘Tell me,’ she croaked.

  She knelt by the bed and cradled Ma’s hand in her own, explaining what had happened. By the time she’d told her about Matthew being stabbed, the tears were flowing down Ma’s cheeks. ‘You go see. Now!’

  Ivy came up the stairs at that moment. ‘I’ll stay with Ma, Jen. Go to the hospital.’

  Without a moment’s hesitation Jenny was off and running for the bus stop. She was lucky as one was just arriving. It would have been agony if she’d had to wait.

  Arriving at St Thomas’s, she rushed to Accident and Emergency, guessing that was where they would have taken him first. The sight that met her brought her flying feet to a sudden halt, and she whimpered in panic. Mr and Mrs Stannard, Luke and John were all there, grim-faced with anxiety. The three men were standing, shoulders drooping. Mrs Stannard was sitting, head bowed, obviously trying to hold back the tears.

  Jenny forced herself to move and fell to her knees in front of Mrs Stannard, quite expecting to be told to get out of their sight. But she had to know. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she gasped. ‘How is he?’

  ‘He’s lost a lot of blood and they’re working on him now.’ John made her stand up and then sat her beside his mother.

  She brought Mrs Stannard’s cold hand to her cheek and held it there, desperate to give some kind of comfort if she could. ‘You must regret the day I came into your life. I’m so sorry, so sorry.’ How inadequate that sounded, but she couldn’t think of anything else to say. If they lost their fine son because of her, they would never forgive her.

  ‘None of this is your fault,’ Mr Stannard said gruffly. John and his father appeared to be the only ones capable of speech. Luke and his mother were lost in silent misery.

  ‘Will you tell us what happened?’ John stood in front of her, but spoke gently and didn’t appear to be angry with her.

  Jenny explained as much as she could remember, but she faltered when she got to the part she still viewed with horror. ‘When Matthew tried to rescue me, I told him to run. I did! Those men were really nasty. I saw one of them pull a knife out of his pocket and I was frantic. I fought as hard as I could, but …’ She shook her head in despair. ‘He shouldn’t have risked his life for me. I yelled at him to run. He should have run!’

  ‘Matt wouldn’t have left you at the mercy of those thugs.’ Mrs Stannard spoke for the first time. ‘You mustn’t blame yourself. We’ve brought up the boys to oppose wrongdoing of any kind.’

  Jenny gazed at each face in turn and saw only kindness towards her. They should hate her.

  ‘Do you know why those men attacked you?’ Luke had now found his voice.

  ‘One of them told me that Greaves had paid them to catch me.’

  ‘Greaves again!’ John was obviously furious. ‘What is that bloody man playing at?’

  ‘I don’t know but I’m certainly going to find out!’ Jenny was on her feet now with fists clenched. ‘As soon as we know how Matthew is, I’m going round there.’

  ‘You mustn’t do that!’ John and Luke spoke together.

  ‘The boys are right,’ Mrs Stannard said sternly. ‘For some strange reason Greaves will do anything to get hold of you. If you go to his house, you might not leave it again.’

  That was sensible, of course, but she wanted answers from that obnoxious man. For some inexplicable reason, Greaves was going to dangerous lengths to catch her. The question ‘why?’ thundered through her mind. ‘I can get a couple of the men from my street to come with me.’ Her gaze was pleading. ‘They’re tough and used to trouble, and they won’t let anything happen to me.’

  Mr Stannard sighed, shaking his head. ‘You mustn’t go anywhere near him.’

  A doctor strode towards them and everyone leapt to their feet.

  ‘I’m Dr Sterling, Mr and Mrs Stannard. We’ve managed to stop the bleeding and no vital organs were damaged, but your son is very weak. We’ve had him transferred to a private room, where he’ll have round the clock nursing.’

  ‘Is he going to be all right?’ Matthew’s father asked gruffly.

  The doctor smiled. ‘With plenty of rest he will make a full recovery.’

  The sighs of relief all round were audible, and Jenny felt tears gather in her eyes. She sent a silent prayer of gratitude upwards.

  ‘We’d like to see him.’ Mr Stannard looked as if a weight had been lifted from him as he straightened up.

  ‘Of course.’ The doctor cast Jenny a glance. ‘Family only, of course.’

  The disappointment was crushing, because Jenny knew that unless she could actually see Matthew it would be hard to believe he was going to be all right. There had been so much blood … Of course she knew why the doctor had given her such a strange look. This scruffy dishevelled girl could not be one of the family. She bowed her head mournfully and stepped back. The doctor had said he was going to recover, and she would just have to cling to that.

  Then Mr Stannard took her completely by surprise by saying, ‘This is the young lady my son was trying to save. I think it would make him rest easier if he could see she was unharmed.’

  ‘Very well. Please come with me.’ Dr Sterling led the way. ‘He has been taken to a room on the next floor.’

  Jenny hesitated, still uncertain what she should do. The doctor had clearly agreed with reluctance to let her see Matthew.

  ‘Come on, my dear.’ Mrs Stannard took hold of her arm, and they all made their way up the stairs.

  Matthew was obviously exhausted after his ordeal and having great difficulty keeping his eyes open, but he did manage a brief smile that quickly turned into a grimace.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ he assured his family. ‘There’s no great harm done.’

  ‘The doctor told us.’ Louise kissed her son on the forehead. ‘We won’t stay long. We just wanted to see you for a moment, then we’ll let you sleep.’

  Jenny hung back by the door while the rest of his family greeted him. He was still terribly pale, but a slightly better colour than immediately after the attack. Her relief was overwhelming. He would be taken good care of here. She started to leave the room.

  ‘Jen?’

  At the sound of Matthew’s voice she stepped towards the bed, her whole body trembling with emotion.

  ‘Are you unhurt?’

  ‘Yes,’ she whispered, ‘thanks to you. I’m so sorry …’

  ‘That’s all she keeps saying,’ Luke teased, appearing to be back to something like normal now that he knew his brother was going to survive.

  ‘You don’t need to apologize,’ Matthew said firmly. ‘Tell Ma I’ll be along to see her as soon as I’m on my feet again.’

  The doctor checke
d his patient. ‘You must all leave now. Come back tomorrow when he’s more rested.’

  After taking their leave, they filed out of the room. Jenny glanced back and saw that Matthew was already fast asleep.

  ‘I’ll drive you back,’ John said, when they were outside the hospital.

  ‘I can catch a bus.’ Now that Jenny had seen Matthew, the anger was building inside her against Greaves. How dare he send thugs after her armed with a knife!

  John’s eyes narrowed. ‘I’ll take you home because I want to be certain that you don’t charge off to confront Greaves on your own.’

  How had he guessed that’s just what she was planning to do? He held her arm, and she allowed him to lead her to the car without further protest. This eldest brother was not someone you argued with. His strength of character and determined nature were clear to see. Each son was different in character, but all were fine men. Their parents must be so proud of all three.

  ‘I’ll come with you.’ Luke held open the passenger door of the car. ‘Dad can take Mum home in my car.’

  After saying goodbye to Mr and Mrs Stannard, Jenny was made to sit in the front, with Luke in the back.

  As they drove away from the hospital, John said, ‘Have you any idea why Greaves wants you so badly?’

  ‘None at all.’ She was completely bewildered by what was happening. It just didn’t make sense after two years. Surely he couldn’t still want to marry her?

  Luke leant forward until he was looking through the two front seats. ‘You’ll have to do some more digging, John.’

  ‘I intend to,’ was the curt reply, ‘but it might just turn out that having set his mind on Jenny, he’s not prepared to give up.’

  ‘I must admit that it does seem the only logical answer.’ Luke rested his hands on the back of John’s seat. ‘But sending murderous villains after her is rather desperate, isn’t it?’

  The conversation came to an end as they pulled up outside Ma’s house. The street was immediately alive with people wanting to know how Matthew was. There were smiles all round when told that he would make a full recovery.

  Fred hugged Jenny. ‘And what about you, dear, are you all right?’

  ‘I’m fine, but I’m so angry …’

  Luke gave his easy laugh. ‘Jenny’s fuming and wants to go to tell Greaves just what she thinks of him, but she mustn’t do that. It’s far too dangerous.’

  ‘I’d like to give that devil the thrashing he deserves,’ Ron growled. ‘It was bloody lucky no one was killed today.’

  ‘I understand how you feel’ – John gave a grim smile – ‘but I should hold off on that, if I were you. While we were waiting for Matt to be patched up, the police arrived. If it can be proved that Greaves is behind this attack, the law will deal with him.’

  ‘And if they don’t, then we’ll give him something to think about!’ Jimmy looked around for approval and smiled when Fred, Stan and Ron nodded.

  Jenny was alarmed; her friends could end up in serious trouble. ‘I don’t want this turning into another fight and you all ending up in prison. I’ve caused enough trouble for everyone.’

  ‘Let the police handle this,’ John admonished.

  ‘We will.’ Fred shook hands with John and Luke. ‘We’re right glad to know Matt’s going to be all right. Nice lad. Thanks for bringing our Jen back home. We’ll look after her, don’t you worry.’

  With that assurance, the brothers got back in the car and drove off.

  ‘Go and see Ma, Jen,’ Fred said. ‘She’s fretting bad.’

  Jenny ran up the stairs and found Glad sitting beside the bed, holding Ma’s hand. She stood up to make room for Jenny.

  ‘Matthew is going to be just fine.’ Jenny was alarmed at how ill Ma looked.

  Grabbing hold of Jenny’s hand, she croaked, ‘Tell me.’

  ‘He’s weak, but the doctor said that with lots of rest he’ll make a complete recovery.’

  After giving a ragged sigh, Ma slumped back on the pillows and closed her eyes, still holding Jenny’s hand. Soon the grip relaxed as she fell into a weary sleep.

  Anger boiled up again in Jenny. This had clearly been a setback for Ma. At that moment she hated Greaves and her family for all the anguish they were causing; she was sure that her Aunt Gertrude and her mother were also involved. How could he act without their permission?

  She bowed her head, exhausted beyond belief. Her problems had all started with the Wall Street crash just over two years ago. The place her father had talked about with such pride had reached out and disrupted not only her life but also the lives of millions. And now violence was touching those she cared about. And she did care about Matthew very deeply, she admitted. That had been clear from the moment she had seen the man attacking him with a knife. If he had died trying to rescue her, she would never have been able to forgive herself. His life was very precious to her.

  Ivy came into the room and put her hand on Jenny’s shoulder. ‘Mum’s gone back home, so I’ll take over while you get some sleep, Jen.’

  ‘Oh, I don’t know.’ She cast an anxious look at Ma.

  ‘I’ll call you if there’s any change.’

  Jenny stood up, swaying with reaction and fatigue. ‘If she wakes and wants me —’

  ‘I’ll let you know.’ Ivy gave her a gentle push.

  ‘Promise?’

  ‘I promise.’

  28

  ‘Good, you’re awake,’ said Dr Sterling, bending over the bed.

  Matthew dragged his eyes open and pain shot through him when he tried to move, so he abandoned that idea.

  ‘You’re going to be sore for a few days.’ The doctor smiled benevolently. ‘But by the end of the week you’ll be up and about again. Fortunately the knife didn’t cut anything vital.’

  Amen to that, Matthew thought, pulling a face. ‘I’ll have to take your word for that. I hurt all over.’

  ‘Let’s see if we can make you more comfortable.’ He pulled back the sheets, and a nurse came to assist with a tray of instruments and dressings. ‘The police want to talk to you, but I told them to come back this afternoon.’ He was silent while he examined the wounds after the nurse had removed the dressings.

  Matt clenched his teeth to stifle a groan. God, but that hurt!

  ‘The wounds are looking fine. Nurse will put fresh dressings on, give you a shave and then you’ll feel better.’

  ‘How many times did that ba –’ Matt remembered just in time that there was a woman present and moderated his language. ‘How many times was I stabbed?’

  ‘Three, but you’re a healthy young man and should heal quickly.’

  ‘I’m glad to hear it,’ Matt said, relieved when they had both finished their probing.

  He did feel much better after they had finished, and being allowed to sit propped up was a relief.

  ‘Your family are waiting to see you. I’ll send them in.’ The doctor strode out of the room.

  The door opened again almost immediately, and he was astonished to see not only his parents but also John and Luke. ‘Good heavens, who’s looking after the bank?’ he joked.

  ‘It can function without us for a couple of hours.’ John pulled up enough chairs for them to sit down.

  ‘You gave us all a scare yesterday,’ his father said.

  ‘I gave myself a scare. I never expected one of them to come at me with a knife.’

  ‘The doctor says you’re going to be fine.’ His mother smiled affectionately at him, but the worry was still visible in her eyes.

  ‘I’ll be up in no time,’ he assured her. ‘How’s Jen?’

  ‘She’s all right.’ Luke gave a disbelieving shake of his head. ‘John and I took her home because she was ready to go to give Greaves a piece of her mind.’

  Matt moved in alarm and felt perspiration break out on his forehead as the pain ripped through him.

  Luke held up his hand. ‘We talked her out of it and warned her friends. They agreed with us that she mustn’t go anywhere near him.
’

  ‘Thank God for that!’ Matt sighed in relief. ‘They’re a rough crowd she’s living with, but they do love her and I’m sure they won’t let her do anything silly.’

  ‘They’re not the only ones who love her, are they?’ Luke pretended to straighten Matt’s pillows and spoke softly so that only his brother could hear. He winked knowingly and sat back again.

  Ignoring the remark, Matt turned to his father. ‘The police are coming to see me this afternoon, but do you have any idea what those men wanted with Jen?’

  ‘It was obvious they were trying to abduct her, and evidently one of the men said that Greaves had paid them to take her to him.’ His father frowned, puzzled.

  ‘What the bloody hell is that man up to? Sorry, Mother.’

  ‘I’m just relieved to see you lively enough to cuss.’ The worry began to fade from her face.

  ‘I know you’ve always been against our interfering in Jenny’s life, Mother, but we have been drawn right into it now. We must find out why Greaves is so obsessed that he will condone attempted murder, for that is what the attack on me was. That man wasn’t playing; he intended to kill, and I think we should try to find out if that’s what he intended for Jen. If he wants her dead for some bizarre reason, then we’d better find out quickly.’

  ‘We came to the same conclusion last night,’ John told him. ‘We feel the answer is in America, so I’ve already sent a message to Henry Eddison in Manhattan, explaining that we’ve found Eugenie Winford, and asking if he has any further information about the father.’

  Matt suddenly felt drained. His family were dealing with everything, so he must try to relax. It was obvious that Jen was in danger, and he wanted to get back on his feet as soon as possible.

  ‘We’ll leave you to rest, son.’ His father stood up. ‘If we find out anything of importance, you will be told at once.’

  ‘Thanks.’ Matt managed to rouse himself enough to say goodbye. When he was alone again, his mind began to whirl. Was that monster Greaves trying to kill Jen because she had rejected him? It was impossible to believe that he would go to such violent lengths. Only someone who wasn’t right in the head would do that … He drifted off into a troubled sleep.