He sat back in his chair and smiled at her. âWill you marry me, Emma?â
âWhy?â she asked.
He was amused, but all he said was, âA sensible question. I need a wife to run my home, entertain my friends andâerâsupport me.â
âBut Kulk runs your home beautifully and your friends might not like me. Besides, you donât need supporting. Indeed, youâve been supporting me.â She added politely, âThank you for asking me. But Iâve had a very good idea this morning. I shall sell the cottage and then I can pay you back. Then Iâll get a job.â
âFor such a sensible girl you have some odd ideas, Emma. How will you pay the rent and feed yourself on the kind of wages you are able to earn?â
âWell, I must say,â said Emma crossly, âthis is a very strange conversation.â
âIndeed it is. Shall we start again. Will you marry me, Emma?â
THERE were three people in the room: an elderly man with a fringe of white hair surrounding a bald pate and a neat little beard, a lady of uncertain years and once very pretty, her faded good looks marred by a look of unease, and, sitting at the table between them, a girl, a splendid young woman as to shape and size, with carroty hair bunched untidily on top of her head and a face which, while not beautiful or even pretty, was pleasing to look at, with wide grey eyes, a haughty nose and a wide mouth, gently curved.
The elderly man finished speaking, shuffled the papers before him and adjusted his spectacles, and when her mother didnât speak, only sat looking bewildered and helpless, the girl spoke.
âWe shall need your advice, Mr Trump. This is a surpriseâwe had no ideaâ¦Father almost never mentioned money matters to either Mother or me, although some weeks before he diedâ¦â her voice faltered for a moment ââ¦he told me that he was investing in some scheme which would make a great deal of money, and when I asked him about it he laughed and said it was all rather exciting and I must wait and see.â
Mr Trump said dryly, âYour father had sufficient funds to live comfortably and leave both your mother and you provided for. He invested a considerable amount of his capital in this new computer company set up by a handful of unscrupulous young men and for a few weeks it made profits, so that your father invested the rest of his capital in it. Inevitably, the whole thing fell apart, and he and a number of the other investors lost every penny. In order to avoid bankruptcy you will need to sell this house, the car, and much of the furniture. You have some good pieces here which should sell well.â
He glanced at her mother and added, âYou do understand what I have told you, Mrs Dawson?â
âWe shall be poor.â She gave a little sob. âThere wonât be any money. How are we to live?â She looked around her. âMy lovely homeâand how am I to go anywhere if we havenât any car? And clothes? I wonât be shabby.â She began to cry in real earnest. âWhere shall we live?â And before anyone could speak she added, âEmma, you must think of somethingâ¦â
âTry not to get upset, Mother. If this house and everything else sells well enough to pay off whatâs owing, we can go and live at the cottage in Salcombe. Iâll get a job and we shall manage very well.â
Mr Trump nodded his bald head. âVery sensible. Iâm fairly certain that once everything is sold there will be enough to pay everything off and even have a small amount leftover. I imagine it wonât be too hard to find work during the summer season at least, and there might even be some small job which you might undertake, Mrs Dawson.â
âA job? Mr Trump, I have never worked in my life and I have no intention of doing so now.â She dissolved into tears again. âMy dear husband would turn in his grave if he could hear you suggest it.â
Mr Trump put his papers in his briefcase. Mrs Dawson he had always considered to be a charming little lady, rather spoilt by her husband but with a gentle, rather helpless manner which appealed to his old-fashioned notions of the weaker sex, but now, seeing the petulant look on her face, he wondered if he had been mistaken. Emma, of course, was an entirely different kettle of fish, being a sensible young woman, full of energy, kind and friendlyâand there was some talk of her marrying. Which might solve their difficulties. He made his goodbyes, assured them that he would start at once on the unravelling of their affairs, then went out to his car and drove away.