Chapter 2

It was a pretty silent journey most of the way home. Both of them were lost in thought, weighing up the good and the bad points. Each wanted to be able to discuss the problem in a balanced way and not be sidetracked by their emotions. Both of them longed to be able to set up on their own but were aware that they must not let their hearts rule their heads.

At length, Jenny rested her hand on James's thigh and stroked it softly. She sighed. James covered her hand with his own and squeezed it gently.

"This is not going to be easy, darling, is it?" she said.

He shook his head. "No. When we get home we need to sit down with paper and pencil and list all the pros and cons. Then we'll have to weight each one. I think the profit and loss statements and the sales facts are going to be the deciding factors."

Jenny nodded. "Even so, I suspect the final decision will include a lot of gut feeling, such as whether we've got the energy and will to flog our hearts out for anything up to two years before we see things going the way we want."

"That's right. The first six months are going to be depressing anyway. As Jim says, October to March, apart from Christmas and New Year, are the low season anyway. The other thing is it's the worst time of year for overheads with heating and lighting. I would hope to see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel come the end of April though."

"I hope so too," said Jenny softly. "I wonder just how much Venture will play along."

"Me too. That could be the deciding factor in itself."

They both fell silent again.

Once home, Jenny put the kettle on and James dug out paper and pencils. With a mug of tea apiece they set to work. James started by studying the figures the Joneses had given him. Although each summer they had a made a small profit their winter losses cancelled them out. They had lost £4,750 in their first year and £6,875 in the second. Their food sales showed a slow but steady decline over the two years with marginal increases in the summer months. Their sales of wine and spirits matched that decline. Beer sales were pretty well constant which indicated that their local trade had been maintained but that was piffling. The starting sales of food were not high, supporting what Sophie had said. The two wine merchants had lost that trade and Sophie's efforts had been in vain. It was not an encouraging thought.

Without saying anything, James tossed the figures over to Jenny and started to list his pros and cons. They both worked on in silence for half an hour when James put down his pencil.

"My mind's starting to go round in circles," he said.

Jenny smiled at him. "Mine's not even managing that. I think it's about to seize."

"Let's walk the dogs."

"Good idea."

The dogs thought so too. They walked for an hour, the Jays hand in hand, and the dogs running about at full tilt and chasing each other. By tacit agreement the Jays did not discuss the Crown at all. Instead they laughed about some of the village gossip, agreed it was time they went and saw Jenny's parents, worried about James's father, Richard, and discussed the imminent fleeting visit of James's brother, Bill, from Dubai. Richard was not going to be much of a host and they would have to keep him amused.

When they got back James pulled Jenny into a hug. "Busman's holiday this evening," he said kissing the tip of her nose. "We'll take all our bits of paper down to the bar and read what each of us has written and then we'll try and draw some conclusions while we have a drink and I treat you to supper since you're such a pretty lady. Or would you prefer to go to the Pheasant? We're liable to interruptions here although Jim might come and join us."

"Let's stay here, darling, then we can both enjoy a drink and a glass of wine with dinner without having to worry about drink and drive. Anyway, it's cheaper."

"Why do I love you so much, Mrs Hoddinot?"

"We haven't got time for me to tell you all the reasons just now, Mr Hoddinot. Just remember my brains and beauty for now and, of course, my money."

"Ah yes," said James. "Your money. How stupid of me."

That earned him a kick on the shin and a kiss.

They settled the dogs, gathered up their papers and went down to the bar via the kitchen where Jim was preparing for the evening.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"We're still trying to make up our minds," replied James. "We're going to have a drink and see if that sharpens up our brains. We're also going to eat here."

"Fine. You obviously don't want to eat yet. Do you want to me to keep something aside in case there's a run on it?

"The lamb for me," said James. "What about you, darling?"

"You know what's best, my love. I'll follow you."

"OK," said Jim. "They're all yours when you're ready."

"Thanks, Jim dear," said Jenny.

They went through the bar to the lounge.

"Ooh, we are honoured," said Judy as they went through.

"So are we," riposted Jenny with a smile. "You've done your hair, sort of."

"Ga'arn," shrieked Judy laughingly.

They settled down with a drink apiece and read each other's notes.

"Great minds..." said James.

"Ye-es but we've both left out any intangible factors. What it boils down to is whether we've got the flair and the energy, not to mention the patience, to turn it round because, at the moment, it's a dead duck."

"If we were to take it on for six months, the leanest six months of the year, and not see any light at the end of the tunnel, how much are we prepared to lose? Two grand? The Joneses lost over five last winter and they weren't paying rent and bought their drink at free house prices."

"If Venture gives us a fifteen per cent discount on beer that would be close to free house prices. They'd also have to offer us the peppercorn rent."

"Dead right! They'd also have to get in commercial cleaners to sort the kitchen out. I'm not paying for that and I'm not prepared to risk being done by the Health and Safety guys."

"There's a lot of other cleaning. It would take us at least a week what with washing and ironing all the curtains..."

"Re-varnishing the tables."

"I'll bet the shelves and cupboards behind the bar are filthy too."

"A lot of the pictures need replacing."

"Anne Simpkins might help us there. You know she has a small art business on the side. She'd probably be happy to let us have some which customers could buy."

"Good idea."

They talked on, throwing ideas at each other. It became clear to both of them that, provided they could make a deal with Venture, they wanted to try and make a go of it.

They ordered their dinner and both enjoyed it. The conversation turned to how they might regain business. They both realised that they knew little about how to do it. Jim's pub was well established. There was no real need for publicity in itself. His patrons spread the word and invited their friends for a drink or a meal. His trade was self-generating.