When I entered John Schaeffer's office he rose from behind his desk, hand outstretched to shake mine. Mrs Plover left, closing the door. Schaeffer was older and taller than I expected him to be. His sharp eyes were blue and calculating, his face wearing a faint sneer. "Hello, Mr Bentley - say something that interests me." His voice was typical Sandhurst military officer.

     I did not shake the hand. "I'm not Mr Bentley," I said. His eyelids closed fractionally. "I'm Alan Dibley; you telephoned my wife concerning Natalie. I reckon that should interest you."

     Schaeffer was an inch taller than I and he stood his full height to emphasise this. His tongue moistened dry lips. "You have the audacity to use a false name to gain entrance to my office?" He came closer, trying to stare me down. "Do you realise I could have you thrown out of here?" He returned to the desk but remained standing, a hand hovering over one of three telephones. "I thought there was something odd when Mrs Plover said you represented Bentley's from the south of England. I know of no textiles company called Bentley, so what is it you want?"

     "You know damn well what I want: an explanation of why you employ a private detective to follow me and obtain my personal details and you use them to telephone my wife and upset her."

     "I telephoned your wife," Schaeffer cut in, "because you are a married man having an affair with Natalie, my youngest sister."

     "Natalie does not have to answer to you."

     "Oh, but she does!" I will not tolerate her dating a married man, especially a man of your type." He stared at me as though I were a disease. "Now get out of here before I call Security." His right hand rested on a telephone.

     "Pick up that phone, Schaeffer and I'll give you all the trouble you can handle." I didn't recognise my own voice - it was quiet, yet coercive. "Because of you my wife has left me, taking my daughter with her."

     "That is not my problem, Dibley."

     "Maybe not, but here is something that is: Natalie resents you pushing her around. You have threatened to fire her and her friend, Samantha. Christ - what sort of man are you? You should take no notice of Angela. Don't you know she's on the weed? Just leave Natalie alone. You're not her father."

     Indecision showed on Schaeffer's face. "No, I'm not her father, but someone has to look after her. You see..." He looked at me hesitantly, his eyelids flickering. "My father is seriously ill. A couple of years ago this company started sliding financially and Father was thinking of shutting it down because he could not handle the pressure." He sat down behind the desk and stared at me. "We employ thousands of people here. If Father had closed this factory, many families would have lost their jobs. I could not allow that to happen and so I took over as sole director. I have worked longer hours than most men do, to save this business, and it's working too." 

     He smiled briefly. "My father was once the city's Lord Major, and when you have such a position the City Fathers look up to you and Business leaders hang on to your every word. Then, suddenly, Father's health cracks and before you know it, Schaeffer's is heading for disaster. The men who looked up to you for leadership begin to doubt you and you have to fight to stay afloat." His gaze became more piercing. "And you are right - Angela does have a drug problem. I see that she gets treatment whenever she needs it."

     I was surprised to hear myself say, "How long have you worked here?"

     "Eight years - since I left the forces."

     "What branch were you in?"

     "Infantry."

     "Any rank?"

     "Yes, I was Captain."

     I felt my eyebrows rise slightly. "Did you see active service?"

     He nodded. "I was at Dunkirk." He studied me. "Have you done service?"

     "Yes, two years National Service. I made Lance corporal."

     "So you were too young for the real war then?" He spoke without rancour or criticism.

     "I was too young, but my father fought in the war. He died at Dunkirk." Schaeffer did not answer but I saw that he understood. "Let's get back to why I'm here," I said. "You didn't have to wreck my family just because of Natalie. Why didn't you contact me personally instead of speaking to my wife?"

     "I could think of no other way to stop you and Natalie meeting. I had warned her several times about seeing you and when she wouldn't toe the family line - I told your wife."

     "Are you married?"

     Schaeffer leaned back in his chair. "No, I'm single. I have no time for marriage. I'm too engrossed in my work."

     "That's strange, isn't it?"

     He frowned. "What is?"

     "You do your best to save thousands of jobs, and yet you threaten to sack your own sister and her best friend." I ruffled a few papers on the desk. "How do you think your father would react if I told him how you have split my marriage? I wouldn't be doing anything to your father that you haven't done to my wife, would I?"

     Schaeffer's eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't do that!"

     "You're right. Normally I wouldn't do that but if you contact my wife one more time then I will inform your father, and also the local newspaper."

     I left the office and walked past Mrs Plover without speaking to her. An office door opened to my left and a hand grasped my arm "Alan," said Natalie. "Come with me." She retained a grip on my arm and pressed the lift 'down' button. She looked tired. There were dark circles under her eyes and her skin had lost its healthy glow. She did not speak on the way down and took me to a small sitting room near Reception. "What are you doing here, and how did you get in? Security is very strict."

     "There's always a way in," I said. "How did you know I was here?"

     "I saw you in the corridor from my workplace when you entered Mrs Plover's office." Her laugh was hollow. "I could not believe my eyes. I thought of stopping you but then I thought - why should I?" She smiled. "I'll bet you shocked him because he hates challenges. Did he threaten to throw you out?"

     "He thought about it."

     She leaned forward. "This is my fault. Once I had discovered you were married I should have refused to see you again." Her eyes showed hurt. "But I can't help that, Alan, because I love you." Her hand came out and rested on mine. "I want to see you again."

     "If I did that I'd have no chance of getting back my wife and daughter."

     Her eyes clouded. "What does your wife look like?"

     "She's beautiful - a slim brunette. Our daughter, Edwina looks very much like her."

     "And you love them?"

     "Yes. I love them very much and I want them back."

     "What will you do if your wife does not return to you?"

     "I don't know. I haven't considered that."

     Natalie stood up suddenly, staring past my shoulder. I looked round and saw John Schaeffer standing by the open door. He glowered at me. "Alan's waiting for me," Natalie said, going to him. "We still intend to see each other - and there is nothing you can do about it" Her tone was almost brutal. "And don't send your private army to frighten him off, because it will not work. Oh, and you don't need to fire me - I'm leaving as of now." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "You have upset Samantha also. I'll be leaving Golden Street on Friday."

     "You can't do that!" said John. "Where would you live? What job would you do?"

     "I can live with Mum and Dad at the Hall," she said impulsively. "I'm sure I can get a job in Leskam village." She came back and stood next to me. "You have interfered too often in my life, John, and this is the end of it."

     A girl came to the door. "Excuse me, Mr Schaeffer, there's a telephone call at Reception for you." John hesitated, thanked the girl, gave me a look of loathing hate before leaving.

     I looked down at Natalie. "You don't have to do any of this."

     "We can be together now," she said. "I'm not afraid of John anymore." Her voice gathered strength. "We can go to London. Or even travel abroad. I have a good bank account so we would be okay for money."

     She would have rambled on but I put my fingers to her lips. "I'm not leaving Shefton."

     "Yes, but..."

     "There's no argument, Natalie. We must end it." The distress in her eyes tugged at me. "Can't you see that?" I said.

     "We could go away together," she said. "Just for a couple of days this weekend. I have a cousin who owns a boarding house on the coast at Shrimpton. She will let us each have a room overnight." I could feel the warmth of her body reaching out to me. Her auburn ringlets glinted as sunlight broke through the clouds. "Just this once," she said, "and then, if you don't want me, I'll go to London and maybe contact my eldest brother, Ronald."

     I wanted to pull her close and say things to her that I should not be saying, but suddenly there were staff personnel moving past us: it was lunchtime. "Wait here while I collect my things," she said. "We can go to Shefton for lunch."

     I should have walked away from her right then, saying that our situation was impossible. I should have hurried past the gatehouse, out to the street, and collected my car and driven off but I waited until Natalie had returned wearing a thick winter coat with a handbag hanging from her left shoulder. "I'm parked just off Compton Street," I said.

     She pointed to a Jaguar in the interior car park. "I'll drive us to your car and you can follow me into Shefton."

     It was a cold, snappy afternoon and the sun was losing a battle against grey, trailing clouds. As we reached the Jaguar, Natalie looked up at the office block. I followed her gaze and saw John Schaeffer standing at a window and looking down at us. Even from this distance I could see his desolation.

     She pulled in behind my Austin. "I'm happy to be free of John. He can't do anything to me now." She turned to me. "You've helped break his grip on me. Every move I made he was saying I was wrong. I was absolutely sick of it."

     "But you don't have to leave your apartment and lose your job. How will your parents feel about that?"

     A pensive look came into her eyes. "They don't understand the real world anymore. Ronald left Shefton years ago and they have almost forgotten him. They know that John, Angela and I exist, but they hardly notice. If we have a problem, they solve it by pouring money at us. That is how they communicate. There is no love in our family - there never was. We grew up believing that money and property were the only things in life that mattered. Mother never recovered when John went away to the War. Father worked hard to maintain his company's high standards but he became ill and so he retired to Schaeffer Hall. Luckily for Schaeffer's, John was demobbed by then and he saved the company from closure." She sighed deeply, as though willing herself to change the past. "Then Angela started dabbling with drugs. John was horrified." Her face brightened. "But I'm free now. I'm grateful for your help. There are a lot of things that we can do together."

     "I want my wife and daughter back," I said. My words must have passed over her head for she never heard them.

     "I'll fix things at Shrimpton for us," she said.

     "I'm not going to Shrimpton."

     Her eyes focused on me, as though seeing me for the first time. "But you must."

     I placed a hand on her shoulder. "Listen, I have a wife and a daughter who I love, and although I find you breathtaking, I cannot keep seeing you."

     "But you must," she repeated.

     "No. We must end it - right now."

     "I won't let you do that." Tears sparkled in her eyes. "Your wife has left you. I would not do that." She reached up and clasped my hand that still rested on her shoulder. "If your wife refuses to come back to you - would you see me then?" Her question troubled me. "I'll do anything for you, Alan. Let us suppose your marriage fails. What would you do then?"

     "It won't fail."

     "It will!" she snapped.

     It was then I realised Natalie was not for me. Something clicked within me and I remembered Billy Wells saying, 'if you have a problem, do what you think your father would have done. You won't go far wrong by doing that.' I moved away from her and got out of the Jaguar. Natalie wound down the window to speak to me and I said, "I want my wife and daughter back. And if I don't succeed the first time - then I'll keep trying."

     Natalie said nothing. I felt a lousy rat, but I knew I had no chance with Laura if I continued seeing Natalie. I felt something wrench at me, almost tearing me apart as I looked down at her.

     "I'm sorry, Natalie," I said. Then I climbed into my Austin and drove off.