Free Hold on to your Dreams by Beryl Matthews

moment, but what would happen in the future? They would be at his mercy, and that didn’t sit easily with her. She knew enough about her father’s business to be sure it would take a long time before he was able to buy back the house. Maybe years. Her parents liked and respected Glendale, but she had always found him to be a cold man.
    Her mother left the room to tell Cook they were now ready to eat, but Gertrude stayed where she was, lost in troubled thought.
    ‘Don’t look so downcast, my dear.’ Her father rested his hand on her shoulder. ‘We have the worst behind us now.’
    ‘I know, but I’m uneasy about this arrangement.’
    ‘Don’t be. If things should go wrong, then we can move in with Hanna. It would have broken your mother’s heart to leave this house. I have taken Alexander at his word for her sake. He has the reputation of being a man who is honest in his dealings.’
    She nodded. ‘I don’t doubt that, but he seems to lack warmth.’
    He squeezed his daughter’s shoulder. ‘I agree he guards his emotions, but let’s accept this piece of good fortune and take each day as it comes. The debt has been paid, and we can stay here, even if it no longer belongs to us.’ Sadness filled his eyes. ‘I’ve robbed Florence of her son. I didn’t want to take her home from her as well, and I grabbed at this reprieve, even if it turns out to be short.’
    She could feel the mental strain he was under and reached out to comfort him. ‘Father, you had no choice. Not only had Edward left awful debts, but you had been attacked and your family threatened. Mother understands you only did what you felt you had to.’
    When he spoke, his voice was husky with grief. ‘I know, but it doesn’t make my decisions any the less painful. He’s ruined us, and I couldn’t risk any harm coming to you and your mother. Material possessions mean nothing when weighed against both of you. Your lives are precious to me.’
    ‘Do you really believe those men would have carried out their threat?’ she asked quietly.
    He shrugged, and then sighed deeply. ‘I could not take that chance. Please don’t mention this to your mother, butI want you to be aware that we may not be able to regain the comfortable position we once held.’
    She gazed into his troubled face. He had always spoken to her frankly, and he was doing that now, alerting her to the seriousness of their position. ‘You mean it’s unlikely we’ll be able to buy this house back?’
    ‘The word I would use is impossible. Oh, I could eventually save enough if the business grows, but times are hard and it will take many years. Will Alexander wait that long?’ He grimaced. ‘I doubt that very much. He’s a good businessman and he will not want to have an investment standing idle for any length of time. I knew that when I made the agreement, but the debt had to be paid, and he was giving me a way to do that. I had to take his offer, as there was no choice. You understand, don’t you?’
    Gertrude felt sick when she nodded. Her father had been putting on a brave face for his wife’s sake. She was grieving for the loss of her son, and she had been given some small comfort to know they could remain living in the house she loved. The pain she felt for her parents was physical, making her clench her teeth. And for the first time in her life she hated her brother for doing this to them. How could Edward have been so selfish?
    ‘If there’s anything I can do, you must let me know,’ she said.
    ‘There is something. Will you come and work with me, Gertie? I’m going to need all the help I can get at the workshop. The business is our only asset now and we must work hard to expand it if we can. It’s not as profitable as it should be.’
    ‘Of course,’ she agreed instantly, then glanced up and smiled. ‘I’m not much good at sawing wood.’
    He laughed for the first time. ‘I believe you’d be good at anything you tackled, but I’ll need you to look after