When Oliver drew the horse to a halt outside the funeral parlour he was surprised to find that Nessie wasn’t there waiting for him so he knocked on the door.
Reuben answered it and smiled at him. ‘If it’s Nessie you’re after, I’m afraid she left some time ago,’ he told him apologetically. ‘Said something about wanting to make an early start, I believe.’
‘Oh, very well, thanks, Reuben.’ Oliver climbed back up on to the seat of the little barouche with a frown on his face. He really didn’t like Nessie wandering about at night with a murderer on the loose. He was also disappointed not to get her on her own for a few minutes.
Urging the horse on he set off again, pondering on just how much he looked forward to seeing Nessie nowadays. But now he was concerned that what he had discovered that evening might have already put a distance between them. His mother had told him at dinner that Marcie had left because she had accused George of making her pregnant, which had caused an almighty row among the family.
‘If this is true, you should do the right thing and stand by the girl,’ Oliver had stated angrily, which had resulted in his brother storming out of the room.
‘Why don’t you just keep your nose out of things that don’t concern you,’ his father had ranted. ‘I’m well aware that you’re seein’ far too much o’ that sister of hers, an’ all. It’s bad enough that you chose to go into medicine rather than join me in the businesses without you mixing with trollops like that!’
‘Nessie is not a trollop,’ Oliver had growled, then he too had risen from the table and slammed from the room.
He had got the distinct impression that his mother more than half-believed the girl but his father was adamant that Marcie was a strumpet, and George had flatly denied the union. Now the atmosphere back there was so bad that he was actually grateful to get out of the place.
It was an excuse to be close to Nessie too, and to him that was never a bad thing. Now he was concerned that if there was any truth in Marcie’s accusation, it could well affect how Nessie looked on him. He had no doubt Marcie would be staying with her and wondered how he should approach it. After giving it some thought, he decided it might be best to leave the subject well alone until Nessie broached it.
‘Why, you’ve done marvels,’ Oliver told them as he arrived. ‘Now what would you like me to do?’
Molly and Nessie nodded a greeting. ‘You could fill a couple of buckets of hot water for us,’ Molly told him. ‘There’s some water heating on the range. The next job is giving the floors a final scrub so we can start to set out the tables and chairs. Charlie and Reuben are coming around tomorrow evening to fit some shelves for all the pots and pans and then we can make a list of what else we need. We’re bound to have forgotten something.’
Oliver rolled up his sleeves and set off to do as he was asked.
He noticed that Nessie seemed to be unnaturally quiet and he wondered if it was anything that he might have done to upset her or if it was the fact that Marcie had lost her job.
The three worked in companionable silence for a while, but when Molly left early to look after her son, Joe, who had come down with a bad cold, the silence between Nessie and Oliver became awkward.
Finally, Oliver tentatively began to speak, ‘I was so sorry to hear that Marcie had left my mother’s employment.’ He had promised himself that he wouldn’t raise the subject until she did but now he felt as if it was lying between them and he wanted to clear the air.
Nessie flushed, embarrassed. ‘Don’t worry about it. To be honest, I’m surprised Marcie stuck the job as long as she did. She hasn’t got the best of records when it comes to holding a job down.’
‘Oh.’ Oliver was shocked that she hadn’t mentioned the baby as the reason for Marcie leaving. Could it be that her younger sister hadn’t told her about it yet? If that was the case, he certainly didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news, so forcing a cheerful note into his voice he said, ‘Shall we get these chairs set out, then? It’s going to look grand in here, I reckon.’
Between them they soon had everything in position and they stood back to admire their hard work.
‘The sooner we open the better is the way I see it,’ Oliver said proudly. ‘We’re still some way off spring yet and I’m sure that this place will be a real life-saver for some people.’
She smiled, then told him coyly, ‘Actually, as I’ve been going around trying to get sponsors for the soup kitchen, I’ve also been cadging used clothing for those who really need it, as well as blankets or anything else that the better off no longer need. You’d be surprised what I’ve got together already. Some of the clothes I’ve been given are almost new. What do you think of the idea?’
Oliver shook his head and smiled. ‘I think you never fail to amaze me. It’s a marvellous idea. Some of the patients I visit only have rags to keep them warm so I think they’ll come in very handy indeed.’
Their eyes met for a moment and Nessie blushed furiously as she quickly looked away, all of a fluster.
‘Er … I don’t think there’s anything more you can do tonight so why don’t you get off home now?’ she suggested hastily.
Oliver nodded and rolled his sleeves down before putting his hat and coat back on. ‘Aren’t you coming too?’ he questioned. ‘I was going to give you a lift home.’
‘It’s all right, I still have a few bits to do,’ she answered as she busily began to wipe down the tabletops.
Oliver hesitated for a moment then reluctantly made his way to the door, saying, ‘Shall I see you tomorrow?’
She shook her head. ‘There’s nothing for you to do, really. Charlie and Reuben will be working here tomorrow evening so you can have a well-deserved night off.’
He nodded, slightly crestfallen, and made for the door where he paused to look back at her and said softly, ‘Goodnight, Nessie.’
‘Goodnight, Oliver.’ She kept her eyes focused on what she was doing until she heard the door close behind him and only then did she sag against the table as fresh tears sprang to her eyes. They could never be, she knew that, so why did it pain her so much?
With a determined effort, she pulled herself together and when she was sure that he was gone, she too prepared to leave.
Nessie was approaching the clock tower in the marketplace when she suddenly spotted Reuben. He was talking to someone who stood in the shadow of a shop doorway. She saw Reuben hand them something, just as she had before, then the man, for it certainly looked like a man, hastily took off up Queen’s Road in the opposite direction. He was huddled in an old coat with his hat pulled low over his eyes and he was lurching unsteadily from side to side, obviously the worse for drink.
Nessie bit down on her lip and frowned. Could it be that Reuben had been handing over the money he had been hiding under his mattress? And why was he suddenly mixing with these shady characters? He had a good job and prospects now as well as a lovely young lady who clearly adored him. It just didn’t make any sense.
When she entered their warm kitchen a short time later she found Reuben standing at the stove warming some milk before he retired to bed.
‘Ah, here you are,’ he greeted. ‘After you left Maria came round to see me, and I just got back from taking her home and Joseph is fast asleep. Marcie’s turned in early for a change, an’ all. Fancy some warm milk?’
Nessie shook her head as she undid her bonnet and laid it on the table. ‘No, thanks.’
‘Here’s hopin’ an early night’ll put her in the mood for lookin’ for work,’ Reuben went on. ‘She can’t expect to sit back here an’ let us keep her, can she?’
‘I’m sure she will soon.’ Nessie said shortly. She desperately wanted to ask Reuben what he was playing at but thought better of it. Whoever the person was, Reuben clearly didn’t want her to know about him. Instead she wished him goodnight but sleep eluded her as she thought of Marcie and Reuben. She was convinced that there was something more to Marcie leaving her post at Haunchwood House than she was telling her, and she was worried about Reuben too. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do to help either of them until they chose to confide in her so she lay there fretting as the minutes and the hours ticked away.