The woman’s mouth twisted as if she’d bitten on a lemon slice. “It’s all gorgeous stuff, but it costs too much to make. We can’t compete with cheaper material from China and Vietnam. I’ve been hoping to fill an order for a department store in Jersey but they just emailed to cancel this morning. That was our only hope.”
“How bad are things?”
“Very bad.”
“Why?”
“It was a scam. There was a government grant for employing refugees and Glin Etsell, took the money, claiming to invest in giving these women a job then give them shares in the business. It all sounded good, except it was offshore. No one bothered to investigate too closely because getting forty asylum-seekers out of the country…” She sighed. “I don’t know. Simon Glinn, our chief exec, made all sorts of promises then scarpered and left us in the lurch. We’ve been running at a loss all winter.”
“And then what?”
She shrugged. “It’s only a matter of time before we have to close. I’m going at the end of the month but…” She indicated the closed door where the few visitors had gone to look at the baby. “The others are stuck here.”
“Well, don’t tell them today.”
“No, of course not. I wouldn’t tell them at all except I think they’re not stupid women and they can see the writing on the wall.”
She was right, Laura realized. No textile manufacture could compete with mass-produced materials in the Far East. It was a very well-known fact. And that Glinn person must have known it too.
And yet. To have deceived these women and lure them out of the country with empty promises so he could pocket a huge government grant? It was outrageous.
Tonight, she would go home and knock on Lord M’s door. He had to be told. After all, it was his island. Something must be done to help.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Lord M,however, was in no shape to help. When she found him that evening, he was in a great deal of pain. His face was grey.
Adam didn’t look much better. “I don’t know what’s wrong with him and he won’t let me take him off the island. He needs an ultrasound and a full scan so we can find out the cause of the pain, but he’s refusing.”
“I might be old and sick but I’m not deaf,” the old man snapped waspishly. He had a hand to his stomach, rubbing back and forth, but he stopped when he saw Laura looking. “Are you branching out into baby clothing now?”
A few days ago, Laura would have bristled at this but not now. She could see he was fighting to sound strong and like his old grumpy self. But the skin around his mouth looked white. The man was very sick.
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Of course there is, you silly bint. Do your job. We have a wedding in nineteen days. Nothing must interfere with that.”
“Why don’t you tell us about the dress?” Adam said, meeting her eyes over the old man’s head. She knew why. He wanted her to talk about something distracting while he fit a blood pressure cuff on Du Montford’s arm who kept waving him away.
So she decided to tell him what she’d discovered about the Casemate business. She chose her words carefully so as not to aggravate him with more bad news.
But the old man surprised her. She hadn’t got halfway before he growled, “Of course it’s a bloody scam. It was evident from the start. Why do you think I’ve been trying to promote them?”
She didn’t know.
Adam spoke up. “Was this why you gave that speech when I first met you?”
“I’ve had Pierre write to all my old contacts. George is better connected these days and he’d not left a stone unturned.”
“You mean they can get back to the UK?”
He shook his head. “You’d think my son and I can pull the right strings, but it’s futile. That scoundrel Glinn must have paid off some weasel in the Home Office who oiled the wheels and processed the application fast before anyone could look too closely.”
“But surely it could be appealed.”
“No, it can’t. George already looked into it. The women signed all the legal waivers. Stop that!” he said to Adam.
Whatever the blood pressure reading was it wasn’t good, that much was clear from Adam’s carefully blank face. It reminded her of his expression last night after speaking to Dr Wright’s wife on the phone.
