Chapter 39

Ginny and her group met in the car park just before six.

"I think it would cause less of a stir with anyone in the bar if we went in through the back door," she suggested.

The others all agreed. Ginny led the way, knocked on the door and walked in. Jean winked at her and studiously continued with her washing up.

"Hello, Ginny ... and everybody else, what brings you to my back door?" asked James.

"We'd like a private word with you and Jenny."

"About what she told you last night?"

"Yes and about what I promised."

James sighed. "OK, I'll go and get her but I really don't think we're going to get anywhere."

Ginny let it hang. James collected Jenny who smiled wanly at them and they all trooped upstairs to the sitting room.

"Thanks for letting us in," began Ginny. "Thank you, Jenny, for telling me your sad news. I made a promise last night to both of you and this morning I was very worried that I wasn't going to be able to keep it. However, we have a proposal and we'd be very grateful if you'd at least consider it."

James shrugged. "Why not?"

"Ewan!"

Ewan explained his proposal including the fact that James would be his own boss and that there would be no interference from the shareholders. James listened attentively but not a flicker of emotion crossed his face. Jenny could not help herself though. Certainly she listened too but hope came into her eyes. She glanced at James and saw his set expression and she winced very slightly but the hope remained. Ginny and Court noticed.

At the end James paused before he replied. "Thank you all very, very much, especially you Ewan, for a very kind offer but I'm afraid we must turn it down. It would be wrong for us to live on your charity and it would take us far too long to repay your money or your kindness."

Jenny said nothing.

"That's very thoughtful of you," said Ewan, "but I don't think it would be that long before you were able to repay the money. I very much doubt that you will stay here for the next forty years just to pay us back. I suspect that you will want to move on to bigger and better things in ten or so years' time, selling this place for twice what they're asking for it now. At that stage you will be able to pay off the balance without blinking. As for repaying what you call our kindness you can do that by accepting the proposal and staying here."

James smiled sadly at him and took a breath. Court forestalled him. "And stuff your pride, James. You have been unfairly hit by something you could never have foreseen when you took on the tenancy. That you are in this situation is no fault of yours. What if you'd been sailing and got hit by a freak wave? You'd accept the first helping hand, wouldn't you?"

"We're not offering charity," chimed in Ginny. "What's the phrase? 'Cold as charity?' There is nothing cold about this offer, I promise you, except to keep a vibrant pub for this village. In the two years you've both been here you've provided that and pulled the village together. Be it the poorest council house tenants, the farming community, the well off we all love you both. Please, please don't turn us down and leave."

James was now looking acutely embarrassed. He looked around with moist eyes and then appealingly at Jenny.

"What do you think, darling?"

"I don't want to rush you, darling. This is a major decision for both of us. Part of me, my pride, says no but a big part of me is telling me to swallow it. You know we both love it here, possibly me more than you. If we were lucky enough to find another tenancy we'd be starting from scratch all over again and it might well not have the potential that this place had when we started here. Do you want to chew it over overnight?"

James looked into her eyes. He seemed unaware of the others sitting there. "When we were humming and hawing over accepting this place," he said, "we did a lot of listing of pros and cons and you said that probably in the end it would come down to gut feeling. Remember?"

Jenny nodded.

"You're working on gut feeling now aren't you?"

Jenny nodded again.

"How often have your gut feelings been wrong?"

"Never," she whispered as a huge smile bloomed on her face. She leapt out of her chair, jumped into his lap and buried her face in his neck.

James smiled at the others. "Well there's your answer," he said. "Yes, please, and thank you all very, very much. What's next?"

"When Mrs Hoddinot comes up for air I'm going to give both of you a very big kiss," said Ginny.

"So am I," echoed Liz.

"I wouldn't mind kissing Mrs Hoddinot," smiled Ewan.

There were hugs and handshakes all round.

"Now then, there are a couple of things," said Ginny. "First thing tomorrow morning, James, you must ring Venture and tell them you're going to buy the freehold. The second is for me to wind Rod up to providing an agreement and opening an account for us. Then I must organise some fund raising."

James did as he was told and rang Dick Williams at nine on Monday morning. The latter was overjoyed.

"You know I never wanted you to have to give up the Crown," he said, "and I'm delighted that you haven't been pig-headed enough to turn down a heartfelt offer of help. It just goes to show how fond of you both everyone is."

"Thank Jenny. I was being pig-headed to start with."

"Well, good for her! Now, I have a further suggestion. You haven't tried to beat us down on price and that is presumably because I told you that Charles Bontoft and I argued the price down but that the others wouldn't go any lower."

"Yes."

"Well we haven't had the whisper of an offer and I haven't heard anything from you. See how the fund raising goes and then ring me again. If and when we do get an offer I'll let you know and you can make me an up to date offer. This is between you me and the gatepost, James."

"Thanks, Dick, very much indeed. I shall have to mention it to Ginny Everleigh because she'll ask me later on this morning whether I've rung you."

"All right. Just the three of us and your lovely wife."

"It shall be."

James reported his conversation to Jenny and Ginny.

"Marvellous!" said Ginny.

She came in at lunchtime and buttonholed Gavin. She told him the story.

"I knew something was wrong," he said, "but neither of them gave me a hint. What do you want me to do?"

"I'd like you to gather up Kathy and Co. and any others you think might be useful and do the fund raising on the council estate. You're known there and would do much better than anyone else in raising money there."

"You bet. Do you know I might even get Rick and Reg. They're reformed characters and I think they've got a sneaking respect for the Jays. This might bring 'em out and help to boost them in other people's eyes."

"Brilliant idea! Thanks, Gavin. May I leave it with you? Don't hesitate, any of you, to ring or come round if you've got a problem."

"Thanks, Lady Everleigh, do you want to set us a target?"

"No. I'd rather you set your own."

Gavin grinned. "Challenge," he said. "You're on."

Gavin called Kathy and they set up a meeting for Thursday evening. They were happy to include Rick and Reg who were thrilled to be involved. Gavin said that they had not been set a target.

"Right," said Kathie taking over as usual. "We've got a hundred or so houses. There'll be thirty that never use the pub so that leaves seventy. Let's say that twenty of those are pensioners and they go once a month to the Age Before Beauty lunches. What does that cost them, Gavin?

"£8.50 without drinks."

"I'll bet they have a drink."

"Yeah. That probably comes to a fiver so they're spending twenty-two quid a month per couple."

"What about the other fifty?"

"There's some as come a couple of times a month and spend thirty five quid a go and others once a month and spend the same. Then there's people like Mike who come in lunchtime on Saturdays and Sundays and spend twelve or fifteen quid each day on beer."

"Right, so we've got twenty pensioners spending twenty-two quid, four forty. Let's say forty couples come in for a meal, twenty of them twice so that's two thousand one hundred and then we've got ten spending fifteen quid a weekend which is six hundred quid a month." She scribbled all these figures on a piece of paper as she worked them out and then added them up. Three one forty a month. That's not much, is it?"

"No," replied Gavin. "That's why getting people in from the Winterbournes and the Drill Valley to eat is so important."

"Yeah, well that doesn't affect us. How long have we got to raise the money?"

"Call it five months."

"OK. Why don't we go for twelve grand over four months?"

"You'll never get it," said Wayne.

"Why not?"

"Well you might but the Crown won't take anything for four months."

"I'll bet they do. When we go round the houses the first time we tell people what's happened to the Jays and ask them whether they'd be prepared to contribute. We tell them that we're after three grand a month which is what the people on the estate normally spend at the Crown but might not with winter coming on. We don't want to push people too hard so we'll be coming round at monthly intervals so that they can contribute gradually. With me?"

Everyone nodded.

"We'll need collecting tins and the name of the account in case people want to pay by cheque."

"I'll deal with that," said Gavin.

"Um, could I make a suggestion?" asked Kylie shyly.

"Of course," replied Kathy.

"Well, it's just that I think we ought to go round in twos or threes and, um, I don't mean anything wrong but, um, some people might be a bit suspicious of Rick and Reg. So if one of them would like to come with me and Wayne. Um, well, that's it."

"Dead right! Thanks, Kylie love. Which of you wants to go with them?"

"I will," said Rick.

"OK. Will you come with me, Reg?"

Reg, albeit with a huge smile, nodded shyly.

"When do you think you can get the collection tins, Gavin."

"Dunno but I'll tell you as soon as I've spoken to Lady Everleigh."

"'Kay."

Next they listed all ten streets on the estate and allocated them. Kylie, Wayne and Rick each got the street they lived in. Gavin and Garry got Gavin's street and two more. Kathy and Reg got her street and three more.

Gavin spoke to Lady Everleigh and was told that the account name was Crown Purchase Fund. She told him that she had got some sealed collection tins and that when they brought them in they would receive a receipt which would also verify that the seal had not been broken.