That night I sit in the hotel and look out over the beckoning lights of Guangzhou and wonder what is out there. I should go out to a restaurant, take in a Chinese opera, see what’s out there amid the twinkling neon. How can I come all the way to China and see nothing of it but the inside of three factories? There’s no fun in travelling the world if you can’t do it with the one you love and I vow that, in the future, when I have cause to go abroad with work then I’ll try to take Olly and Petal with me as much as I can. This would be a very different trip if they were here.
So instead of tripping the light fantastic in Guangzhou, I stay put. Again. I read the Cosmopolitan magazine that I picked up at the airport. And as there doesn’t seem to be much choice, I order a hamburger from the room service menu. Again.
I wake up early and lie as still as possible until the nausea has abated. It might just be the quality of air here, which feels so much more polluted than at home. The final factory in Shiling Town is the Very Good Handbag Manufacturer. I’m not sure anyone could argue with that. Mr Chu is a charming man and after three visits to three different places, I’m totally confused and my head is spinning. But the Very Good Handbag Manufacturer seems to offer me excellent terms, can turn the handbags round quickly and, having no one else to bounce my thoughts off, I decide to sign up there and then.
I wish Olly was with me, or Tod, or simply someone to tell me that I’m doing the right thing, that these are the people I should trust to make my handbags. But there’s no one. I have to make this call by myself and follow my instinct. Because I’m a new and unknown client, I have to pay for all this up front. Gulp.
I take a deep breath, sign the contract, commit a vast amount of the bank’s money to the deal, and walk out with shaky knees.
Chapter 64
‘Muuuummeeee!’ Petal races across the concourse towards me and joy surges through my heart.
Dropping my case, I scoop her up into my arms as she careers into me and twirl her round. I breathe in her scent. She smells of fish fingers, jam sandwiches and Matey bubble bath. She is what gives my life meaning.
‘I’ve been a very good girl while you’ve been gone,’ she says.
I lower her to the ground. ‘I’m sure you have.’ I root in my handbag and find the doll that I bought for her in a gift shop at the airport. Something else for my child to boss about.
I’m back home, safely on English soil once more. I sigh with relief and fall into Olly’s arms. We hold each other tightly.
‘Missed you,’ he whispers in my ear.
‘Not as much as I’ve missed you,’ I tell him.
I’m so glad that he and Petal have collected me from the airport. I couldn’t wait to see them both and I don’t think I could have faced taking the train now. I’m exhausted and elated in equal measures.
Petal falls asleep in the borrowed car on the way home. The next thing must be to get some decent wheels of our own. As soon as the money starts to roll in from Home Mall, it will be top of the list. I also struggle to keep my eyes open, but Olly and I hold hands all the way back, even as he changes gear. We catch the end of rush hour, so the roads are still busy.
‘Did you get everything sorted out?’ he asks as we hit the M25.
‘Yes,’ I say. ‘We will very soon be the proud owners of several thousand Nell McNamara handbags.’
‘Wow.’
Well, more accurately, we have paid an enormous amount for handbags that we will most likely never catch a glimpse of. Apart from a dozen for quality control, the rest will be shipped direct to the warehouse of Home Mall in Florida. But, on the global stage, that’s how business works now.
‘It went OK?’
‘Better than I could have expected,’ I admit. ‘But I can’t wait to get home.’
Olly squeezes my hand.
There’s no doubt that it was a steep learning curve for me but having done it, the process would hold no fear for me again. I am woman, hear me roar!
‘Hey, sleepyhead,’ Olly says as he shakes my arm. ‘Home, sweet home.’
‘We’re back? Already?’
He laughs. ‘It wasn’t that quick.’
I glance at my watch. Thanks to the traffic, it’s taken nearly two hours to travel home. I must have dropped off as I don’t remember half of the journey.
We’ve pulled up outside the shop. Olly lifts a still-sleeping Petal out of the back seat and carries her to the door, while I lug my case out of the boot and then along the pavement behind them.
As Olly unlocks the door and climbs up the stairs, I pause at the shop window. The handbags are lit up with little spotlights and shimmer in the dusk of the evening. It brings a tear to my eye. This is my work. All my work. One day, hopefully very soon, it will be worth all the hard slog.
With a smile in my heart, I follow them both into the flat. Even the dreary pokiness of it can’t make a dent in my contentment. Olly takes Petal straight through to her room. I abandon my wheelie case in the middle of the living room and sigh to myself. It may not be much, but it is home.
Dude is ecstatic to see me and leaps up and down, pounding everything in sight with his tail. ‘Good boy.’ I ruffle his ears and pat his head. ‘I’ve missed you too.’
‘Go and sit with her for a minute,’ Olly says as he emerges from Petal’s room. ‘I’ll run you a bath.’
‘That would be lovely.’
‘I have another surprise in store,’ he says with a wink.
‘Oh, really?’ I raise an eyebrow.
‘Yes, but you’ll have to wait until I’ve taken the Corsa back to Tom.’
‘I’m a patient woman,’ I tell him.
‘Yeah, right,’ he says with a laugh. He kisses me. ‘I won’t be long.’
Kicking off my shoes with a grateful groan – my ankles are like a pair of pumpkins after the long flight – I pad through to Petal’s room enjoying the feel of the rough carpet on my weary feet.
My daughter is fast asleep, amid a pile of soft toys, arm thrown above her head. She looks so peaceful. I stand and watch her in the glow of her little night light and my heart squeezes with love for her. I want to give her a life of ease, a life that doesn’t involve worry or pain. Isn’t that what all parents want for their children? I want her to be happy, whatever that means for her.
Nudging her up, I lie down beside her. She mutters something incomprehensible. If our roles were reversed, Petal would be sticking in sharp elbows and knees to make sure she got more than her fair share of the duvet. As it is, I balance on the edge of the bed, just content to be next to her. In the bathroom, I can hear Olly running my bath. My eyes grow heavy just thinking about it.
Just as I’m dozing off, he swings open the door softly.
‘Bath’s ready, madam.’
‘Thank you.’
‘You look too comfortable there.’
‘Hmm,’ I murmur. It wouldn’t be hard to stay here for the rest of the night. ‘A bath is a good idea though.’ I haul my weary bones from Petal’s bed and go through to the bathroom.
Olly has filled the room with candles and the bath is full, steaming and overflowing with wonderfully scented foam. On the mirror, in the steam, he’s written I LOVE YOU, NELL MCNAMARA! And there are lots of kisses.
Smiling, I strip off my crumpled clothes and slide into the welcoming hot water with a heartfelt ‘Ahhhhh.’
Lying back, I relax and let the bubbles envelop me. Olly must have really missed me as I couldn’t have hoped for a lovelier homecoming.
I doze again in the water and a few minutes later I hear the front door bang to signal his return. I can hear him clattering about in the kitchen, so I step out of the bath and dry myself. Towelling my hair, I slip on my dressing gown and go to find out what he’s cooking up.
In the living room the table is set, the candles are out in force again. Olly is dishing out Chinese takeaway and he turns when I start to laugh.
‘You said that all you’d eaten was hamburgers,’ he points out. ‘I thought this m
ight be a nice finale to your trip.’
I wind my arms round his waist. ‘It’s a lovely idea.’
He piles our plates high with sweet and sour chicken, egg fried rice and spare ribs from Hong Kong Garden, our favourite takeaway in town. The remains go onto the table, still in their cartons. A mountain of prawn crackers fills a handy Pyrex bowl.
Olly cracks open a couple of the Tsingtao beers that he’s bought and he clinks his bottle against mine. ‘A toast to China.’
‘To China!’ I echo, then I chew anxiously at my lip. ‘I hope I’ve done the right thing.’
‘Of course you have,’ he says. ‘I know I’ve been a pain in the arse, Nell, but I do trust you. If you say this is right for us, then I believe you.’
‘Thanks,’ I say. ‘That means a lot to me.’
Then, before our Chinese meal gets cold and before I let my doubts swamp me, we tuck in.
Chapter 65
The next day, I’m trying to get my jet-lagged head together by staring blankly at my computer screen, when Lola Cody from Home Mall calls me.
‘Hi, Nell, honey,’ she coos in her lilting southern accent.
‘How’s it going?’
‘Fine,’ I say. ‘Just back from China. The shipment is ordered.’ I give her the expected date for delivery.
‘That’s so wonderful,’ my new best friend says. She sounds almost as excited as I am. ‘Things are moving along just great. We can now go ahead and reserve the slot.’ Lola clears her throat. ‘There’s just the small matter of the deposit. You know that’s fully refundable providing the orders are worth more and, honey, I have no doubt that they will be.’
Thank goodness for that.
‘I can get onto it today, right now,’ I assure her. ‘The money’s in our bank. All I have to do is arrange for it to be transferred.’
‘Then you’ll need our details.’
Lola reels off her account number and bank details while I scribble them down on my pad. I notice that my hands shake. It’s a lot of money. An awful lot of money. This is the final step. After I pay the deposit, I hand everything over to Home Mall to work their magic.
‘We’re all set to go,’ she says.
‘I can’t wait,’ I tell her. ‘I’m really looking forward to it.’
‘Maybe you and Olly and little Petal can come out one day and visit with us,’ she says. ‘That sure would be nice.’
‘It sounds great,’ I admit. Miami always looks fabulous on the television. Although I’m thinking that I’ve only ever seen it on crime shows. I’d love to go there and this would give us the perfect excuse for a family holiday. But, first, we have to get the money in. Can’t do anything without that.
‘I’ll talk to you soon,’ Lola says. ‘Bye for now.’
‘Bye. And thanks again,’ I say and I hang up.
Sitting back in my chair, I stare at the screen again. I tap at the keys and locate the slick Home Mall website. Clips of pearly toothed, glossy-haired presenters selling their hearts out pass before my eyes. In a few short weeks this will be me. It will be my handbags on prime time USA television. This is it. My launch pad. Time for my big break. My stomach heaves majestically and I rush to the loo and am promptly sick. Do you reckon that Lord Sugar does this when he’s just sealed a big deal? Does Donald Trump like a good business barf? Somehow I don’t think so. I’m going to have to toughen up as the figures are getting bigger and bigger.
I wash my face, pour a glass of water and plod back out to the office. I’m sorry to have parted company with last night’s Chinese as Olly and I had such a lovely time together. We didn’t quite get down to it on the table like we did in Cornwall, but we certainly had a very romantic evening. Petal, for once, stayed in her own bed and we made the springs in ours bounce. I really think that things between us are getting back to how they were. Hallelujah!
After calming my breathing, I pick up the phone and call the bank to speak to Simon North, my business manager. We exchange pleasantries and then I ask him to make the transfer. Moments later, he tells me it’s done. My money – the bank’s money – is now winging its way across cyberspace to the United States of America and, more importantly, the coffers of the Home Mall Shopping Channel. Soon my consignment of handbags will be following it. Hey! Consignment! Did I think I’d ever be throwing that word into conversation as a fish and chip lady, eh?
When the deed is done, I collapse back and sip my water. Then a wave of euphoria crashes over me, sweeping away my dread and nausea.
That’s it. I’m on my way. Perhaps Olly and I can have a sandwich together at lunchtime and toast our good fortune with a frothy cappuccino. Maybe I’ll pop into the chippy this afternoon and see how everyone is. The doorbell of the shop door chimes and breaks into my musing. With my grin still firmly in place, I go to see who it is.
I’m surprised to see Tod standing there.
‘Hey,’ I say. ‘Good timing. I was just going to break out the kettle for a cup of celebratory tea.’
Then I notice that the expression on his face is grim.
‘What’s wrong?’
His dull eyes meet mine when he says, ‘You may not be celebrating when you hear what I’ve got to tell you.’ He holds up a rumpled newspaper and shakes his head.
‘This is not good news, is it?’
‘No.’
And my heart sinks right into my boots.
Chapter 66
‘You’d better sit down, Nell,’ Tod says.
Without protest, I go back to my computer chair and drop into it. My mentor pulls up another chair and sits opposite me.
‘No tea?’
Tod shakes his head. ‘We’ll need some in a minute.’
His face says that I actually may need more than tea. Much more.
He spreads out the newspaper on the desk in front of me. ‘I bought this first thing this morning, but I’ve only just had the chance to read it. I came straight round here as soon as I saw it.’
The column is tucked away on the left-hand side of page fifteen. The small, insignificant headline reads ‘Shopping Channel Scam’ and I know that in my heart of hearts, before I need to read another single word, that I’ve been had. Royally, truly, had.
Tears fill my eyes and I struggle to read the piece through the blur. Fat, wet droplets splash onto the type. Tod reaches out and takes my hand and squeezes it tightly.
Sure enough the perpetrator of this fraud is the one, the only, Home Mall. There’s a blurry picture of Lola Cody and she’s not the slick, sharp-suited business woman with a killer manicure and GHD hairdo that I’d imagined. She’s fat, robed in grubby sweats and a shapeless, tent-sized T-shirt. Next to her is an equally waddly man in a Hawaiian shirt with a bad combover; Mr Benito Cody, the newspaper informs me – if those are even their real names. Not only Lola’s partner in crime, but her husband, I presume.
The article goes on to say that Home Mall have been operating this scam for several months now. A dozen or more businesses have been taken down by them. The deposits are sent, the stock delivered and both mysteriously disappear without trace. I feel vomit rising to my mouth, but I force it down.
‘I’m sorry,’ Tod says. ‘This is the first time I’ve heard about it. There’s been nothing in the trade papers, nothing from the Department of Trade and Industry. Usually, we’d hear something on the grapevine. Apparently, they’re such professional operators that no one has suspected anything until now.’
Tell me about it. I was totally taken in by Lola Cody’s easy charm and friendliness. She even invited me to go there on holiday with Olly and Petal, for heaven’s sake! She knew that this meant the world to me, that it was going to mean a new start for our family. She knew that in order to scam me, she’d be taking food out of my child’s mouth. She knew all this! The woman can have no heart, no soul, and certainly no conscience. I was stupid to be seduced by the fact that out of all the handbags in the world, she wanted mine. Olly said that it sounded too good to be true – and he was right. I sh
ould have listened to him. I should have listened to his doubts, but I didn’t and the deed has been done. Have I learned nothing from having my designs ripped off by Monsieur Yves Simoneaux? Though his nasty little trick looks like amateur hour compared to the set-up of Home Mall.
‘I know this was your dream.’
Was. Already past tense.
Still staring at the newspaper page, I let the tears fall. The editor may feel that this story only warrants a small column, a tiny headline, but with it a vacuum has just opened up and swallowed my life.
‘I was so sure,’ Tod frets. ‘So sure. The contract looked above board. The website was professional. Everything seemed fine. So believable.’
I never suspected that someone would create something so elaborate, that they would go to so much trouble to perpetrate a fraud. It’s beyond my imagination. Still is. However hard I find it to believe, the golden goose, it seems, was nothing more than a mirage. Something created with smoke and mirrors to lure in the susceptible.
‘It looks like she’s done this several times before.’ He sighs heavily. ‘Pull out now,’ Tod says. ‘It’s not too late.’
Looking up, I realise that Tod doesn’t know how far this has gone. He knew I was going to China, but I’ve not yet had the chance to update him since I’ve been back. He doesn’t realise that the money has already been transferred to Lola Cody’s bank account, which could be in the Cayman Islands for all I know.
‘It is too late,’ I tell him. He looks at me blankly.
‘The bags are ordered and have been paid for up front.’ An inordinate amount of money. ‘I transferred the deposit to Home Mall not half an hour ago.’ Thirty thousand dollars. The best part of twenty thousand pounds. My head swims and I clutch the desk with my free hand. ‘I’d just put the phone down to my bank manager when you came in.’