Hold on to your Dreams by Beryl Matthews

but David had explained how they bought and sold anything, often working for someone wanting to purchase a cargo. They made a decent living, but were not wealthy. David had been around ships all his life, and was extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of shipping.
    The wind was a biting northerly as she reached his house. She knew he often came home for his midday meal, and she hoped he was here today.
    She was in luck and he took her into the sitting room, where there was a welcome fire.
    ‘You look frozen,’ he remarked as he took her coat. ‘Are you staying for lunch?’
    ‘No, thank you. This is just a brief visit. We were wondering if you have any news of Edward.’
    ‘Not yet. I’ve checked with everyone he might have gone to, but he hasn’t been seen.’
    ‘Where could he be?’ She stared at the fire, watching the flames dancing, and felt sick with worry. ‘Do you think he’s left London?’
    ‘It’s a possibility, I suppose. I would have expected him to stay close to the familiar, but if he has left London thenhe will be hard to find. I’ll keep looking.’ He gave her an understanding smile, changing the subject. ‘I see from the package you’re clutching that you’ve been to the bookshop again.’
    She nodded, and told him about Millie and Fred, showing him their work.
    ‘Hmm, the girl has a neat hand. What kind of an education has she had?’
    ‘I don’t know, but she’s intelligent. Fred is an interesting boy. He can make a pack of cards do his bidding and said that Edward might have been cheated.’ Gertrude gazed anxiously at her friend. ‘Do you think he could be right?’
    ‘The thought has already occurred to me. He lost a terrible amount of money, and no one could be that unlucky. Most people win from time to time.’
    ‘I wish we could prove the men he played with were cheats.’ She sighed. ‘But there’s little chance of that.’
    ‘The Hayworth brothers are powerful men. Edward always played with them and they appear to be the leaders of the group. It would be useless accusing them of being cheats without firm evidence.’
    ‘And that we don’t have.’ Her mood plummeted. It all seemed so hopeless.

Chapter Seven
    David watched Gertrude walking up the road and his heart ached for her and her family. She was desperately worried. He hadn’t said anything to raise her hopes but as he’d listened to her talking about Fred, he’d had an idea. He was going to need the help of someone with influence if he was going to put the idea into action, and Alexander Glendale would be the ideal person. With his influence, no doors were closed to him. If David sought his help then he would have to be told the whole story, but it was already common knowledge about Edward’s enormous debts. Gertie and her family had not tried to hide the disaster, so he wouldn’t be breaking any confidences. He was aware that Glendale had been taking an interest in her, and if he was reading the signs correctly, it was a serious interest.
    He gazed out at the bustling activity of the Port ofLondon. Glendale had always treated him in a friendly way, and he liked the man. They had even been able to sell a cargo for him when he hadn’t had the time to deal with it himself.
    Yes! He’d go and see him. The man was always straight, and if he didn’t want to help he wouldn’t hesitate to say so. If he went now it might be possible to catch him while he was at lunch.
    With his mind made up, David closed the office and hailed a cab, anxious to get to Park Lane as quickly as possible.
    The butler answered the door and showed him to a waiting room. ‘I’ll see if he is free, sir.’
    ‘Thank you.’ While waiting he studied the paintings on the wall, pleasantly surprised. They were all beautiful landscapes. Not one dark, dreary picture among them.
    The door opened and he spun round to face the impressive man who had just entered. He topped David’s six feet by at least three inches. His green eyes held