‘No,’ John said, shaking his head. ‘He’s always boasted that he didn’t lose anything in the crash, but he has on the horses. He invested a lot in four steeplechasers, and bet heavily on them whenever they raced. None of them ever won, and he had to sell them at a huge loss. By this time he was in debt and continued gambling to try to recoup his losses, with disastrous results.’

‘That’s a fool’s way to try to make money.’ Their mother was clearly disgusted. ‘He doesn’t sound very bright, and from what I saw of him he is too fond of the drink.’

‘Well spotted, Mother,’ John grinned. ‘That’s another of his problems.’

‘So he’s selling the family silver to pay his gambling debts.’ Matt grimaced. ‘The damned idiot. If he doesn’t pull himself together, he’ll lose everything.’

‘From what I can gather he’s quite close to that now.’ John stood up as the dinner gong sounded. ‘He needs an injection of cash very quickly.’

‘Good thing you found this out, John.’ Gilbert helped his wife up. ‘He needn’t bother coming to us for a loan.’

Luke slapped Matt on the back. ‘Well, he won’t be bothering Jenny again. She hasn’t got a dime.’

‘If he does, she’ll really give him what for!’ A deep chuckle of amusement rumbled through Matt; it also contained relief. That was one problem she wouldn’t have to deal with again. ‘She’s changed beyond belief.’

‘She’s had to change to survive,’ his mother said gently. ‘Some might have crumbled under it, but it has made her strong.’

‘Yes, it has.’ He had to agree with that. She wouldn’t let anyone push her around now, but that strength must have been there in the beginning or she would never have had the courage to run away in the first place. The harshness of her life since then had brought her true character to the surface. He had thought he was being courageous by leaving university to become a car mechanic, but that was nothing compared to what Jenny had achieved. His admiration for this plucky girl just grew and grew.

During the next two days Jenny’s hopes soared as Ma began to order her around again with the aid of the pencil and paper. She still couldn’t speak, but was obviously in control of her faculties and aware of everything going on around her. Her frustration at being helpless also showed quite often, when she threw the pencil across the room with fury gleaming in her eyes. Jenny understood how difficult it must be for her and patiently ignored the outbursts.

Ma was in this kind of mood when she and Glad struggled to move the fuming woman and change the sheets.