Licence to Dream (28 page)

He hadn’t even said goodbye!

A tear trickled down her cheek and she brushed it away angrily, but another followed. Something nudged at her leg and she looked down to see Tina’s anxious face. Dogs could always tell when you were upset. She squatted down for a moment to give her friend a cuddle – or maybe Tina was cuddling her – then stood up, summoned up enough anger to keep the tears at bay and went into her studio to flesh out her preliminary ideas for the cover.

She slept badly, of course, but at least no one tried to break in or damage her property.

The next day she had to throw all the previous day’s sketches away. They were as full of anger as she was, nasty images that would put people off buying a gentle book.

She waited for a phone call from Ben all evening.

The following morning Ben still didn’t call her, so she decided to call him. She dialled his mobile number, but all she got was a recorded message saying, ‘This number is no longer operational.’

She tried again, thinking she had misdialled.

‘What do you mean by ‘no longer operational’?’ she asked the phone when it repeated its tinny-sounding message. ‘It’s the same number as usual.’ Then she pulled a face. He’d have forgotten to recharge his battery. Or . . . a bill hadn’t been paid and he had no mobile now.

She phoned the office of Elless-Hantley. The receptionist promised to pass on the message when Mr Elless came in. Meriel spent a frustrating afternoon expecting to hear the phone ring.

He still didn’t call.

Her emotions see-sawed from anxiety to anger, to memories that brought a smile to her face, to others that brought a desperate need to her body. Of one thing she was certain, though. This was unlike Ben. Sure, he got angry at her sometimes, but he never stayed angry.

Nor did she.

She wasn’t angry now so much as worried sick. Something was wrong, she was sure of it.

She couldn’t concentrate on her art, didn’t dare move too far from the landline phone, so baked a cake. The mere sight of it filled her with nausea and she went to beckon to Ria.

Her friend walked up to the house, took one look at her and asked, ‘What’s wrong? Don’t pretend there’s nothing, because your face gives you away.’

‘It’s Ben. He hasn’t contacted me. His business over east is in financial trouble, because of his partner. I wanted to go with him to help sort things out, more as his accountant than anything else, but he refused. Insisted he has to clear up his own mess. But Ria, he’s a baby where figures and paperwork are concerned. Those people could be walking all over him.’

‘Maybe you should follow him anyway?’

‘I would if I could be sure he was still there, but he may have moved on, may even be on his way home again.’

Ria gave her a wordless hug.

‘I made a cake, but I don’t want it, so I thought you’d like it.’

‘Jim is already addicted to your cakes. Thank you.’

After her friend had left, Meriel fell back on painting the walls of the spare bedrooms. At least it made good use of her frustration.

When it began to get dark Tina, who had an infallible internal clock, started whining for her tea. Meriel cleared up the painting things and went to feed the dog.

And still the phone didn’t ring.

* * * *

The next day Meriel again called the Elless-Hantley office. ‘Did you tell him I called?’ she asked the receptionist.

‘Oh, yes, Ms Ingram. I told him about an hour after you rang.’

‘Did he say where he was going today?’

‘I’m afraid not.’

‘Do you have his home phone number?’

‘I’m afraid I can’t give that out.’

‘Of course you can. I’m living with him, for heaven’s sake!’

‘If he’d wanted you to have it, he’d have given it to you already.’

‘He forgot. Tell him to call me urgently.’

‘Certainly. As soon as he comes back.’

Meriel put the phone down, feeling frustrated in every way. She’d tried directory enquiries and he had a silent home number. Besides, she knew Ben would phone her if he could. So something was stopping him. What?

The only explanation was that the receptionist wasn’t passing on her messages. Well, she was on Phil the Rat’s side.

But that didn’t explain why Ben hadn’t rung.

If he didn’t call that night, she’d go after him. She did have his home address, at least.

* * * *

When the phone rang early that evening she pounced on it with a growl of triumph, but it was a stranger’s voice, a man, elderly from the sound of it.

‘Is that Ben Elless’s residence?’

‘Yes, but he isn’t here. Can I take a message?’

‘I think it’s you I need to speak to, actually. Your name is Meriel Ingram, I believe? I’m Rod Hantley. I gather from Ben’s mother that you two are seriously involved. I’m so glad he’s met someone. He may have mentioned me, perhaps?’

‘You’re Sandy’s uncle.’

‘More to the point now, Phil’s father.’ He sighed and fell silent for a moment or two.

She sank down on the nearest chair. This was the last person she’d expected to hear from. Had something happened to Ben? If so she’d rather hear about it straight away. Just as she was about to ask if there had been an accident, Mr Hantley spoke again.

‘I think you should fly over here, Meriel. I’m trying to help Ben, I promise you, but I want him to have someone he can turn to if anything happens to me or I don’t succeed in what I plan to do.’

‘I was going to come anyway.’

‘I’m glad. Don’t tell him I called. This is my contact number . . . ’

When Meriel put the phone down she felt better for having something to do. There was a lot to arrange and she wouldn’t get much sleep tonight. First she got on the Internet and booked the early flight to Queensland the following morning.

When she looked out of the window, everything was dark in her friends’ camp, but she had no alternative. She went and woke Ria to explain that she was following Ben and ask if they’d look after Tina and the house. Then she went to pack.

At half-past two in the morning she set off to drive to Perth airport for the six o’clock flight to Brisbane.

She didn’t know what Ben would say about her turning up unannounced and she didn’t know what Rod Hantley intended to do. Even he didn’t seem certain he’d succeed. But she did know that she intended to be with Ben – whatever the outcome.

She gave a wry smile as she slumped back in her seat on the plane. She’d always been so careful about financial security, and yet where Ben was concerned, money was the least of her worries. It was his stupid pride that was coming between them.

She couldn’t bear that.

Rod Hantley seemed to be on Ben’s side, but he’d admitted he was seriously ill and the implication was that he could die at any moment.

No way was she leaving Ben to face all the troubles alone. Whatever he said.

Ben woke feeling deeply depressed. He hadn’t heard from Meriel and when he’d tried to phone her from the office, the secretary said her line was engaged. So he’d tried to phone her from his mobile, but found he’d lost the damned thing. They made them too small these days. They fell out of pockets.

And his home phone had been cut off because the company hadn’t paid the bill. If he couldn’t get through to Meriel from the office today, he’d buy another damned mobile or ring her from his mother’s.

He hadn’t even had the satisfaction of a big row with Phil, who had gone to earth somewhere and was staying out of the way.

Well, today Phil would be forced to come out of hiding because they were having a preliminary hearing about the partnership’s bankruptcy. Ben would find out at last exactly how much his partner owed and whether there would be anything left for him from the business he’d worked so hard to build. His lawyer had offered to accompany him, but he’d refused in order to save money. This was only a preliminary not a court hearing and he’d been instructed on what to say and ask.

He found Phil in the waiting area. ‘Ah!’ He strode across, determined to find out as much as he could before they went into the hearing room.

Phil looked at him, face expressionless, saying nothing.

‘Where have you been? Didn’t you get my messages?’

‘Nareen passed them on. I didn’t feel like replying.’

‘You’ll have to reply in there, so you may as well talk to me now.’

‘I think not.’ Phil got up and went to stare out of the window.

Ben was baffled. Phil had changed so much in the past year he seemed like a stranger. He followed him across the room. ‘What the hell’s got into you?’

‘Lack of money. Lack of a home, too. Cheryl’s turned me out. I had to sleep in the car one night. Not that
you
would care about that, though this is all due to you.’

Ben’s anger boiled over. ‘What the hell do you mean, due to me? I’m not the one who’s been gambling beyond his means.’

‘I could have worked my way out of it if I’d had a guaranteed income, but no, you had to stop that.’

Ben gave up trying. ‘There’s no use talking to you. It’s always someone else’s fault and – ’

‘Elless-Hantley!’ a voice called.

Ben swung round. ‘That’s us.’

‘Please come inside.’

The formalities began.

‘You’ve had all the papers relating to this case?’

Ben frowned. ‘I’ve had the papers saying when the hearing would be. Were there others?’

‘There have been three sets. They were sent to your office.’

‘I’ve had only one small envelope, as I said.’

‘He’s lying. The others were all passed on to him,’ Phil said at once.

Ben gaped at him for a moment, then said grimly, ‘It’s you who’s lying.’ He half stood up.

‘Don’t let him attack me!’ Phil said quickly.

‘Mr Elless, please sit down.’

‘I wasn’t going to attack him.’ Ben slumped back in his chair. He couldn’t believe this. ‘I didn’t receive any of the other papers. Can I please ask for an adjournment to study them?’

The woman looked from one to the other. ‘I’ll give you two days. I happen to have a cancellation for Friday morning at ten o’clock. I’ll make sure my clerk gives you copies before you leave, Mr Elless.’

‘Then I’ll get back to work now.’ Phil stood up.

Ben jumped up and took a step towards the door. ‘Wait! We need to talk, dammit.’

‘I’d be grateful if you’d see he doesn’t follow me,’ Phil called out. ‘I’m afraid for my safety.’

She looked from one to the other. ‘You’d better leave now, then. Mr Elless, please stay where you are.’

Ben watched in frustration as Phil hurried out.

‘You can stay in the waiting area till your photocopies are ready, Mr Elless.’

He looked at her. ‘I really didn’t receive anything. Can you please make sure any future communications intended for me don’t go through the office?’

‘Yes. Do you have another address?’

He gave her his home address, plus Meriel’s address in Western Australia. He didn’t know where Phil was staying, so couldn’t follow him. He’d go straight to his lawyer as soon as he’d studied the paperwork. He felt so ashamed of this mess, he didn’t even want to see his mother.

He sat fidgeting in the waiting area until a clerk brought out a big envelope containing the various papers.

‘If you’d sign for these, sir?’

Ben didn’t read them till he got home. They contained a list of debts and claims, and these were for amounts so much greater than he’d expected that he could only sit there, shocked rigid.

When he saw his lawyer in an emergency appointment at six o’clock that evening, Ben listened in even greater horror as his situation was carefully explained to him. If the business couldn’t pay the debts Phil had taken on, then as a partner, Ben would be made bankrupt too. That meant he’d be treated as if
he
had committed a crime, wouldn’t be allowed to be a director of a company, to incur credit above a small, fixed amount, or to carry on business under a different name without disclosing that he was a bankrupt.

And the worst case scenario Meriel had described was about to come true: they were allowed to take everything away from him, his home, his investment properties, his uncle’s legacy, even his car because it was too valuable and as a bankrupt he would only be allowed to possess a cheap vehicle.

If he couldn’t start a new business, how would he support himself and a wife, how would he build a decent life with Meriel?

He couldn’t ask her to marry him now.

He forgot completely about food, wanted only to get home and shut out the world. But when he got there, the place seemed to echo around him and he wished suddenly that he’d brought Meriel with him.

Why had she refused to return his calls? Was she so angry she intended to break up with him?

How could he live without her now?

Was he to lose another woman he loved?

He went to sit outside the back of the house, feeling as if he couldn’t find enough oxygen indoors.

* * * *

Meriel arrived at Brisbane airport late that afternoon, eastern time. She felt tired after eight hours of travelling, which had included an hour’s wait at Melbourne. Why were planes always so stuffy? When she had to fly somewhere she arrived feeling lethargic and headachy until she’d got some good fresh air into her lungs.

She took a taxi out to Ben’s home, but found the place in darkness. She wheeled her suitcase to the front door and rang the bell, rang it a second time, waited, then left the suitcase and walked round the house. If he was out, she’d just have to break in and wait till he got back.

But he wasn’t out. He was sitting in the garden in the moonlight, shoulders drooping, misery in every line of his body. For a moment she watched him, her heart going out to him, then called his name softly.

He jumped in shock and turned round to stare at her.

‘Meriel? Am I dreaming?

‘Oh, Ben, of course you aren’t!’ She ran across and flung herself into his arms, hugging and kissing, incoherent with love and worry for him.

He kissed her back and held her tight for a few minutes, joy on his face. Then he stiffened and pushed her away. ‘I told you not to come.’