Cissie straightened and shook her head. ‘Well, from where I’m standin’ there’s only one thing yer can do. You need to get into town an’ check the bank account an’ if he’s taken the money out, you’ll have to ring Mr Dixon.’

Mr Dixon had been Sunday’s solicitor for many years, as well as being a close personal friend. When Tom was alive, he had always advised him on any financial matters as well as keeping track of how the stud business was doing. Each month, Tom had submitted a list of his takings to him and at one time Mr Dixon had invested a certain amount of the profit for him in stocks and shares. Now that Sunday came to think of it, she realised that they hadn’t seen him for some months, but she knew that Cissie was right. She would have to contact him for advice to see how much money was left tied up for them. But first she would check how much money was in the bank.

‘I’ll ring him straight away and ask him to come out to see me,’ Sunday agreed and hurrying down to the hall she lifted the phone and rang his office in Bond Gate.

‘He’s out at the minute but his secretary assured me she would pass on my message and get him to come as soon as possible. But what do we do now?’ she asked Cissie as she came back into the kitchen.

‘We wait,’ Cissie said, her lips set in a straight grim line. ‘Meanwhile I’d best get George to run you into town. You need to get some money out of the bank to pay Bill and he’ll have to see to the horses an’ all if Ben’s cleared off.’

‘But he still isn’t well,’ Sunday objected.

‘No, he ain’t, but I doubt the horses will care about that,’ Cissie answered as she hurried away to find him.

Two hours later Sunday returned from town and as she entered the kitchen her chalk-white face told its own tale.

‘He’s cleaned you out, ain’t he?’ Cissie said softly and Sunday nodded, still too deep in shock to answer.

When the girls returned that evening and Sunday told them what had happened, Sunday was shocked at Kathy’s reaction. Livvy was understandably upset but the colour drained out of Kathy’s cheeks and she was frantic.

‘What do you mean – he’s gone?’

Her mother shrugged helplessly. ‘Just that. He didn’t come down for breakfast and when Cissie went up to see if he was all right, she found his room empty.’

Kathy plonked down on the nearest chair and began to cry. ‘But he wouldn’t just go off like that … he wouldn’t!’