Page 36 of Moonlight Kisses at Willow Tree Hall

‘Good, good,’ said Eric, nodding. ‘Now, let’s talk about Willow Tree Hall.’

‘You’re still obsessing over that property? It’s not like you to be sentimental about a place,’ said Jack, laughing.

Eric wasn’t laughing, though. ‘What I want, I get.’

Jack’s humour quickly faded. ‘Look, I understand it’s a great building, but if the family don’t want to sell then we can’t make them.’

To his surprise, Eric smiled. ‘I thought your naivety had dissipated somewhat over these past couple of years, but obviously not. You’re still the fresh-faced electrician who came into my office all those years ago.’

Jack remembered the day well. He had trained at college to be an electrician, thinking that a trade would be the best way to stop him from ever being hungry or homeless again. He had taken charge of his future.

But then he had begun talking to Eric, who had wanted some new lights fitted in his office. Eric had sensed the hunger in Jack and had ended up taking him out to lunch. He needed somebody he could use. Someone with drive and a desire to make an awful lot of money.

And he had succeeded. Yet Jack remained uneasy as to the way he had made his fortune.

‘Did you really think that I would ever take no for an answer?’ Eric continued. ‘I want that place as one of our flagship hotels.’

‘But there’s absolutely no chance of them selling,’ Jack repeated.

Eric spread out his hands. ‘You obviously don’t play chess,’ he said. ‘You’ve got to play the whole board.’ Jack remained silent as Eric carried on. ‘Everyone has a pressure point. You just need to find it.’

Jack understood about being a hard-nosed businessman, but on occasion Eric’s ethics left a lot to be desired.

‘And you’ve found this magical thing?’ asked Jack.

Eric smiled. ‘As it happens, one of my friends is on the local council. You’ve heard talk of this new bypass, I presume?’

Jack nodded, not liking where this conversation was going.

‘You see, the suggested route for the new road system didn’t really add up. Getting a bit close to our beloved golf club!’ Eric laughed. ‘Terrible idea! It’ll ruin the peace over there when we’re playing. Anyway, there is still a necessity for the traffic to be rerouted, so here is the latest idea.’

He slipped a piece of paper across his desk.

Jack leaned forward to take it and stared down at the map. The silence stretched out as he studied it.

‘I don’t understand what I’m looking at,’ he said slowly. Or rather, he thought he understood but was hoping to be proved wrong. ‘The new proposed route takes the bypass right alongside Cranley.’

Eric shook his head. ‘Better than that. If we play our cards right, we can actually have it going through the grounds of Willow Tree Hall itself.’

Jack looked up at his boss, aghast. ‘But then you’d never get your hotel!’ he spluttered.

‘Think!’ urged Eric. ‘Of course we’re not going to have the bypass go that way, but give them a big enough threat and they’ll cave in. People always do. We’ll give them a not-too-generous offer and off they’ll go. Then the bypass plans can be quickly dropped and I’ll get my luxury hotel.’

Jack swiftly stood up, the anger surging through him. ‘You can’t do this!’

Eric seemed surprised at his fury. ‘I think you’ll find that I most certainly can, and will be doing so. I like to win.’

Jack was shaking his head in disbelief. ‘You can’t play with people’s lives like this. These are good people.’

Eric held out his hands, palms facing upwards. ‘I understand that the Earl of Cranley has been experiencing financial difficulties in recent years. I’m sure the upkeep of a large stately home must require very deep pockets.’

Jack paced up and down, trying to find a coherent thought. ‘There must be some other way.’

‘Not as far as I’m concerned.’

It was the smug smile on Eric’s face that finally brought Jack to his senses. He realised that, for once, business had to come second place and his personal feelings had to come first.

He stopped pacing and put his hands on the desk to lean forward. ‘If you do this, you’ll have to carry it through without me,’ said Jack. ‘I cannot and will not work on this project.’