Chapter 50

Later that week Abby took a day off to drive over to Coolton Grange. She wanted to pick Richard's brains a little, and felt that time with Maggie would give her some relaxation.

Richard was a mine of information about many things, but what gave Abby great hope was his mention of refrigerated transport. The slaughter house in Paverton could do the transport, but at a huge cost as Abby would be using the lorry for a whole day with only a small load. Richard mentioned that he was using transport once a week, with a hired vehicle and an agency driver. There would be space on the lorry, for Abby to use, and it would be at proportional rates.

"The wagon is going anyway." He told her. "So what space you use will help with the hire and labour cost. Helps me, and helps you." His reaction when she told him that she applied to register Combe Lyney as a brand was very positive.

"That's a damn good idea! Branding will help you establish your produce as upmarket, get you better prices."

Maggie couldn't wait to get Abby away from Richard and settle down with a drink and hear all her news. Abby immediately told her that James and she were not related.

"Oh well, we knew that anyway." Maggie sounded unsurprised. "It was confirmed when you and James went away for the weekend. James is far too honourable to do that if there was anything dodgy about it." Abby laughed.

"Well in that case there is nothing else to tell, you seem to know it all anyway." She paused for a moment. "How did you know?" Maggie shrugged her shoulders.

"I told you once before. You are of great interest to everyone around here. What you say and do is soon spread along the grapevine. But it is especially of interest when James Comberford, whose name has never been linked to any girl around here, goes off with this newcomer. Eyebrows were raised, tongues wagged, and there was many an 'Ooh' and 'I see' spoken." She smiled broadly. "I won't ask if it was good, it obviously was, otherwise you wouldn't be sitting there with that great smile on your face." Abby started laughing, and put her cup down in case she spilt it.

"Let's just say we were very compatible, and leave it at that."

"So when's the wedding?"

"Don't you start. I have had enough of Gwen Comberford going on about that."

"I can imagine. She was on the phone to Richard, pumping him about your financial state. Richard, bless him, didn't say a thing. Be careful with Gwen, Abby, she sees you as the answer to her problems."

"You mean with James never having married."

"No. I mean that Gwen would like to spend her old age without money trouble. You, she thinks, could assist with that." Abby was startled.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm pretty sure. Richard thinks the same. Gwen has lived quite well, what with her friend in Berkshire. She had the insurance money when Charles died, but it's anybody's guess what she did with that, but I am certain that James saw nothing of it. I also understand that James gives her a very good allowance from his income. Richard reckons that is the reason he has never been able to improve the Estate. You know that some of the cottages need a lot of work on them. James cannot afford to do the work, so as compensation he has kept the rents low. Because the rental income is inadequate that means he can't live as he would want."

"That seems unlikely for Gwen. She gives the impression of being quite organised..." She stopped as a sudden recall came to her, of Gwen wanting to employ a cook and gardener, and of James insisting that they could not afford that. Maggie looked at her curiously.

"What were you going to say?"

"I have remembered something Gwen said to James, it would appear that Gwen does not seem to have too much of a grasp on economic reality."

"You have to realise, Abby that Gwen was brought up in a Society, where girls were not expected do anything except ride horses, decide on menus, look decorous and have babies, but never to have any dealings with something as sordid as money. Men administering their estates, investments and property made the money, the ladies spent it. She moves in a world of good country houses, Dinners, horse racing, and limousines. She came from that world, and has never been able to leave it. She would have no more idea of budgeting than fly in the air, she was never taught how."

"That's positively Victorian. Surely those days are long gone." Maggie had to smile. For all her success in this world, Abby was still somewhat naïve.

"Oh it still exists. Times have changed but there are still families like that, and Gwen's family was one of them." They were interrupted by Josie the help.

"Lady Margaret, Sir Richard will be joining you soon. Will you want another pot of tea?"

"Good idea. Would you like another cup, Abby?" with Abby's affirmation Maggie turned to Josie.

"Yes please Josie, and if there is any of that Cake left, will you bring that?" Josie nodded and left. Maggie mused somewhat.

"It must be you being here. She never calls me Lady Margaret as a rule. Makes us sound like Gwen Comberford's lot."

When Richard arrived, he had hardly sat down when Maggie announced.

"Gwen Comberford is after Abby's money."

"Thought so!" He turned to Abby. "What do you think about that?" For Abby the answer was simple.

"Not a chance!"

"Good." Richard seemed pleased. Abby had been thinking about this for some time, and was quite aware that if, and at the moment it was only if, she and James got together, she would have to help him build the estate back to where it had once been. The news that James was contributing to Gwen's extravagant lifestyle was not entirely a revelation. But she would be damned if she was going to contribute as well.

"None of this comes totally as a surprise. I suspected that something was going on. Even I could work out that the rents for acreage let, should have given James a better standard of living than he has. It hasn't been spent on Lyney House, that's for certain, so unless he is an irresponsible gambler, money was going elsewhere." She paused and then said slowly. "I don't think that James is a gambler." This was said with a smile as her two companions looked ready to refute that idea. They subsided. Richard had something to say.

"Abby, from what I have learnt from talking to you, and what others have said, I am certain that you are astute. I am not going to ask questions of you, because I don't want to know, but I am sure that what capital you have is invested wisely. My advice, and I am sure you don't need it, is keep it well invested, and never let slip control of your accounts. For heaven's sake don't start subsidising Gwen, you will find that a drain that is never full. James likes you, because it is you, and for no other reason. He's too bloody upright to have any ulterior motive." Abby smiled at them.

"I know." Then something that Richard had said stopped her smile.

"What others."

"Pardon?"

"What others have talked about me?"

She was a little angry. If others had been talking about her behind her back she was going to sort it out. Richard relaxed. "The chap you sold your flat to, Bernard."

"Yes?"

"Well he is quite a high-flyer, and has dealings with a number of City Institutions, amongst them your ex-employer. When he mentioned that he was buying your flat the Director was interested and mentioned a couple of things. Bernard gathered that you were very well thought of, and sorely missed. He gave me to understand that the chap who allowed you to leave, has, as they put it, reached his ceiling." Abby's smile was involuntary, but spread slowly across her face.

"Oh good. Steve's been rumbled."

"Is that the chap who allowed you to leave?"

"He didn't have a choice. At least he thought he didn't. He dared not make waves as I let him believe that I was about to hit the Bank with the Tribunal. He would have been history after that, and he knew it, so he had little option." Maggie had listened and with women's intuition understood that Abby had left after scoring one for her side. One thing she didn't understand.

"What do they mean by reached his ceiling?" Richard answered for Abby.

"No chance of promotion, no chance of a better package, bonuses at the absolute minimum, and no point in complaining. If he doesn't like it, he can go and try elsewhere, if they will have him." Abby nodded.

"It's like a slow death in the City, where you are rated according to the last bonus you got. If your bonus doesn't increase or drops, then you are seen as un-bankable and on the way out." Maggie shrugged her shoulders.

"Sounds like boys competing to see how high they can piss up the wall if you ask me." Richard and Abby were in fits of laughter, with Abby a little shocked that Maggie would say such a thing in company. Richard turned to Abby.

"Now I have told you this, you aren't going to go back, are you?"

"It's nice to know that you are missed, but no, Richard, I am not going back. I have got my teeth into a new challenge here."

Later after Abby had left, Maggie returned to the subject of Abby's acumen.

"She was good at her job, was she?" Richard slowly nodded his head.

"Yes. Bernard let on more than I mentioned to Abby. It would appear that as soon as she left her department suffered quite a reversal of fortune. The main board couldn't understand it, as this bloke Steve had always put in reports to the effect that he was responsible for the success. Consequently when bonuses were handed out he got the lion's share. As the profits tumbled they started asking questions of everyone in that department, and they realised that it had been Abby who did the business, and this man had been manipulating things to claim the glory. I imagine that Abby was aware of this, hence the outcome. I suspect she hit them for a tidy sum as well."

"She was that good then?"

"I would think she was, and even though she didn't get paid what she was due, I am sure she has got a tidy bit of capital tucked away, more than anyone would think. She's a cute girl and make no mistake."

"If James doesn't ask her to marry him then he needs his head examined."