‘There’s been another murder!’ Molly blurted out the second she set foot in the shop the next morning. ‘The whole of the marketplace is cordoned off an’ there’s police everywhere. They reckon she’s another one o’ the loose women from the whorehouse.’
Nessie caught her breath. She’d had a sleepless night and felt more tired than she had when she’d gone to bed and now this! She felt sick with fear to think that the murderer was still so close.
‘I’m sure they’ll catch the murderer soon,’ she said quietly, trying to assuage Molly’s fears. Every time it happened, all the hurt she had felt when her mother had been his victim rushed back tenfold.
‘It’s a bit too close for comfort for me,’ Molly commented as she tied her apron about her waist before she pottered away to begin her chores.
Andre, Reuben and Charlie had just left to transport a deceased greengrocer to St Nicholas’s Church for the burial service when the shop door opened again and a pretty young girl appeared.
‘Hello,’ she said holding her hand out. ‘You must be Nessie. I’m Eliza, Marcie’s friend. We worked together at Haunchwood House and Cook has sent me into town to pick up a few things so I thought I’d pop in and see her. If she’s in, that is. I hope you don’t mind?’
‘Of course not, you’re most welcome,’ Nessie assured her with a friendly smile. ‘I’ll take you through to our living quarters. Marcie had just got up when I checked on Joseph half an hour ago.’
Minutes later she opened the door to their kitchen to find Marcie curled up in a chair at the side of the fire as Molly cleaned around her. She was still in her dressing robe with her hair loose about her shoulders are looking thoroughly miserable, but she perked up immediately the second she saw Eliza.
‘Eliza, what are you doing here?’ she asked delightedly. Perhaps she had come with a message from George saying how sorry he was and that he wanted to marry her?
‘I can’t stay long,’ Eliza warned as she pulled off her mittens, ‘but I wouldn’t say no to a cuppa if there’s one going spare. It’s enough to freeze the hairs off a brass monkey out there. Cook sent me into town for some bits she needed so I thought I’d stick me nose in an’ see how you are.’
She went to hold her hands out to the fire as Marcie turned to Molly and asked, ‘Would you mind leavin’ the rest o’ the cleanin’ in here till later, Molly?’
‘I suppose so,’ Molly muttered, none too pleased. ‘But if I do you’ll have to watch Joseph till I get back.’ She’d already rightly assumed that Marcie didn’t even like being in the same room as the child if she could avoid it.
‘Of course I will,’ Marcie assured her as she ushered her towards the door and when it had closed she turned to Eliza and asked hopefully, ‘Has George sent you with a message?’
Eliza looked uncomfortable. ‘I’m afraid not. It’s as I said, I’m just poppin’ into town, but …’
‘But what?’ Marcie demanded, hands on hips. She had the feeling she was about to hear something she wasn’t going to like.
‘Well, the atmosphere up at the house is so thick yer could cut it wi’ a knife since you left, but word has it that George’s engagement to Belinda Lewis is still goin’ ahead sometime in March. I heard him an’ his brother havin’ a right old row about it over breakfast this mornin’! Mind you that don’t surprise me. Master Oliver is a decent sort, while George is just a cad.’
Marcie’s face paled to the colour of putty as she sank down heavily onto the nearest chair.
Eliza stared at her apologetically. ‘Sorry to have be the bearer o’ such bad news but I thought you deserved to know,’ she said quietly.
They sat in silence for a moment until Marcie frowned and her shock turned to anger. ‘Right! Well, we’ll see about that,’ she growled. ‘I want you to do somethin’ for me, Eliza!’
‘What’s that then?’
‘I want you to find the Lewises’ address in London for me. It shouldn’t be too hard to do. Mr Dorsey is bound to have an address book in his study so when you’re cleaning in there you could look for it.’
It was Eliza’s turn to look horrified. ‘But if I did that an’ I got caught lookin’ through his personal things, I’d get the sack for sure!’
‘So make sure you don’t get caught then,’ Marcie snapped. ‘If George can’t do the right thing and stand by me after all the promises he made then I’m bloody sure I’m not goin’ to stand by an’ let him marry somebody else. I’ll write to Belinda’s parents an’ then let’s see how they feel about him marryin’ their precious girl when they find out I’m carryin’ his baby!’
Eliza chewed on her fingernail uncertainly. She did sympathise with Marcie’s predicament but all the same she didn’t want to lose her job. Connie Dorsey was a good sort and fair with her staff but she knew that there were plenty who weren’t. Even so, after a time she sighed. ‘All right then, I’ll do me best but I ain’t promisin’ anythin’, mind.’
‘Thank you.’ Marcie hurried across the room to hug Eliza but still her heart was heavy. There could be no happy outcome for her now. George had clearly made his choice, but at least she could spoil that for him. By her reckoning the baby would be due early in August and they were almost into February already, and she wouldn’t be able to hide the fact that she was having a child from Reuben and Nessie forever. She had noticed a small difference in her body already, but how would they take the news when they found out? She had no doubt that Reuben would be all for kicking her out on her arse with nowhere but the workhouse to go, but Nessie, well, she was a different kettle of fish entirely. Perhaps she should tell her that George Dorsey had taken advantage of her and evoke her sympathy?
First, though, it might be worth just one more last-ditch effort to talk George around. How to get him alone was the problem. And then it came to her, he was a keen rider and took his stallion for a gallop along the track across Rapper’s Hole towards Galley Common most days, regardless of the weather. Deciding that now was as good a time as any to confront him, she hurried away to get washed and changed, leaving Joseph alone on the sofa.
Marcie strode purposely through Stockingford intent on cornering George, even if it meant she had to stand in the copse in Rapper’s Hole and wait for him all day. She had gone to especial pains with her appearance: her hair had been brushed till it shone and hung loose about her shoulders just as he had always told her he liked it, and she was wearing her best blue bonnet and the second-hand dress she had bought from the rag stall, which, with a little work was now far superior to anything she had ever owned before. She drew more than a few admiring glances as she walked, but Marcie was oblivious to them. She knew that this would be her very last chance to get George to make an honest woman of her and if she failed the workhouse could well be beckoning.
By the time she reached Rapper’s Hole she was breathless and cold but still she moved on until she reached the shelter of the copse, which at least afforded her a little respite from the biting wind. She knew that it must be at least one o’clock by now and if things went to plan George could appear at any minute. He had always liked to take his stallion for a gallop after lunch, unless his father forced him to work that was. As she waited she couldn’t help but think of her poor mother, whose body had been found there and she kept glancing about nervously.
The minutes ticked away into hours and Marcie had almost given up hope of catching a glimpse of him. The brightness had gone from the afternoon and she knew that soon it would start to get dark, but still she waited, although her hands and feet were so cold that she could no longer feel them. And then suddenly she heard the sound of hooves pounding the grass and she stepped quickly from behind the trees in time to see George galloping towards her. He saw her almost instantly and even from a distance his mouth was set.
Determined not to be ignored she stood directly in the path of the galloping horse with her hands on her hips and her eyes flashing. As the animal advanced on her, for one awful moment Marcie thought that George was going to mow her down but then, right at the last minute, he reined the horse to a halt just feet away from her.
‘Just what the hell are you doing here?’ he snarled as he struggled to bring the horse under control
‘What do you think I’m doing here? I hardly make a habit of standing out in the freezing cold for pleasure. You know exactly why. I’ve come to try and talk some bloody sense into that thick head of yours!’
‘Then you’ve had a wasted journey,’ he snapped. ‘Now will you kindly get out of my way and let me get on.’
‘No, I bloody will not, not till we’ve talked.’ Marcie sprang forward and grabbed hold of the horse’s reins and seeing that she wasn’t going to be put off, George swung his leg over the saddle and dropped nimbly to the ground.
‘Look, Marcie,’ he said softly. ‘I’m sorry for what’s happened … if you really are having a child, that is … But at the end of the day I have to do what my father wishes or he’ll disown me.’
‘So you’re telling me that you’ll marry Belinda Lewis just to please your family?’ Two spots of colour had appeared high in her cheeks and she was having to resist the urge to lash out at him as she suddenly saw him for the spoiled, selfish young man he was.
‘That’s about the long and the short of it,’ he admitted shamelessly. ‘But don’t worry, I’ll make sure that you’re all right. I’ll drop some money into wherever you’re living from time to time so you won’t starve.’
‘You bastard!’ She dropped the reins and stepped away from him, and as he swung himself back into the saddle she had one last parting shot. ‘Don’t think you’re going to get away with this. When I’ve finished, Belinda Lewis will drop you like a ton of hot bricks.’
‘I wouldn’t go doing anything you might regret, if I were you,’ he said threateningly.
But it would take far more than threats from George Dorsey to frighten Marcie. ‘We’ll see who ends up having regrets,’ she said icily as she stepped away from him and just for a second a cold finger ran up and down his spine. But then, gathering his reins, he dug his heels into the horse’s sides and galloped away.
Marcie watched for just a moment before turning about to make her way back to the funeral parlour with murder in her heart.