Chapter 32

 

Edith heard Aunt Alicia’s voice when the operator put her through and winced. She had neglected her aunt since Giles’ death.

“I’m wondering if you could possibly call on me, my dear. I’ve had a call from a young woman in search of some housework, cleaning and so forth, not to live in, as far as I could make out. I asked her to call to see me this morning–well, lunch-time, really.”

Edith’s mind worked overtime. The whole question of domestic help for Aunt Alicia had been exercising her and Archie; well, principally her, for a considerable time now. Since, the debacle with Esther Kirk no satisfactory solution had been found and they’d made do with a series of live in companion cum housekeepers from agencies, none of whom had been particularly satisfactory nor for that matter prepared to make the arrangement any more permanent.

The question of her coming to live with them in Ellbeck had been raised and firmly refused by Aunt Alicia and they had agreed that this must be respected. She was getting older and rather frail but she still had her faculties and her zest for life, not to mention her independence.

Now, Edith’s thoughts raced. She was going to speak to Julia; she’d promised Henry she would take him with her. But, it could wait, she supposed.

“She’s has a sister, Elsie who was with the Arbuthnots. I know she left them and went to London but I can’t hold that against Vera, the girl who’s coming to see me. She’s older too and, it seems, wanting to come back to Ellbeck, permanently after being spending time, in London, herself, working in service.”

Edith felt the breath catch in her throat and her hand gripped the receiver so tightly that her fingers hurt. This was the strangest thing.

“Aunt Alicia,” she cut into her aunt’s voluble stream.

“Yes, dear, I’m sorry I’m running on. Comes of spending too much time on my own, I expect.

“What time is it she’s coming, Aunt Alicia?”

Edith’s mind was doing some rapid rearranging of her day’s agenda. It didn’t happen very often in life but an opportunity to meet this Vera had been dropped into her lap in a completely unexpected manner. She was going to do her very best not to waste it. Apart from this, alarm bells were sounding, distantly but distinctly. There was no was no way that Aunt Alicia was going to be put anywhere in the path of danger even though it was impossible at the moment to see a connection with the Bishops and the murders. The fact that her aunt had once shared her home with the poor disturbed Esther Kirk was still enough to send a shiver through Edith.

“I said, lunch-time, around 12.30, a bit inconvenient, but I can get that woman from the agency…dear me, Sadie, that’s her name…I can ask Sadie to prepare a bit of something cold for me.”

The whole unsatisfactory nature of her aunt’s domestic arrangements struck Edith again, annoyingly distracting her. She and Archie were really going to have to give this some thought never mind how happy he was to keep his head in the sand or how stubbornly independent Aunt Alicia could be.

“Yes, that’s fine, Aunt Alicia, I will come round to you, of course I will.”

Aunt Alicia gave a little trill of pleasure.

“Oh, dear Edith, that would be lovely.

Edith hung up the receiver and telephoned Henry to tell him about her aunt. She’d still go out to see Julia but make it on her way to Aunt Alicia’s house. Suddenly, there was a cold sensation in the pit of her stomach and–for a moment she was terrified.

She tried to find rational reasons for this feeling. Daphne Sheridan’s death had been a shock and of course it was distressing. Seeing how upset, Julia had been by that Inspector Greene, yesterday of all days–all of that was surely enough to make anyone feel nervous. But, Edith knew that wasn’t really it. The way she was feeling was about what was going to happen rather than what had already happened. She knew, just knew that Giles’s death and that of Daphne were connected and that somehow that girl, Elsie, coming from here in North Yorkshire and working for the Sheridans down in London was involved.

Julia’s tone was despondent, “I think they’re watching me, Edith. A constable or sergeant, not completely sure which it is, keeps dropping by to see how I am - if you can believe that reason. I can’t, I think neither he nor Inspector gives a row of beans how I am. I think if he had the slightest bit of evidence against me, Inspector Greene would take great pleasure in having me carted off to Harrogate police station cells,”

There was a catch in her voice on the last word and Edith saw that her friend was on the edge. She had talked fast ever since Mrs. Sugden had led Edith into the sitting room.

Now, Edith said something, just inane words trying to soothe her friend, but it was difficult because she thought that perhaps Julia was right - Inspector Greene was just waiting for his chance to arrest Julia. Arrest Julia! The very idea of it was ridiculous.

“Anyway, apparently he and Sergeant Brown have gone to London today. I suppose I should make the best of my reprise…but, I can’t somehow,”

Edith thought she saw Julia glance fleetingly up at the ceiling and asked. “Did you talk to the boys?”

Julia nodded and bent her head.

Again, Edith noticed her neck and the shape of her face, the hollowness of the cheeks. She would have bet that Julia had lost weight.

After a pause, she spoke.

“I think it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done and considering some of the things you and I had to do…that’s saying something.”

“Oh, Julia,” Edith hesitated and then went across and stooping down, put an arm around her friend. Julia leaned against her for a few seconds and Edith heard her sigh. Then she stiffened and pulled away and Edith turned away, standing up again and going across to the French windows. She wanted to give Julia a minute to compose herself.

“It’s done now. I had no choice but to tell them before someone else did. We all learn, eventually that the adults we look up to have feet of clay. But, not usually in such a brutal fashion. Edward was angry and didn’t want to talk about it which is absolutely fine, how they are taught to behave at school. On the other hand, Charles…”

Edith saw her put a hand up to her face and she felt a leaden weight of sympathy in her chest.

“For, some reason, Charles seemed angry with me; whether because he blames me for his father straying or just for telling him. Edward just told him to shut up. That was enough for me; cowardly no doubt, but I had to leave them to it at that point.”

There was no more to be said about the miserable business of telling the boys and their reaction.

Edith thought about mentioning the connection she and Henry had discovered between the Bishop family and Daphne Sheridan but she stopped herself. It wasn’t the time; Julia had more than enough to contend with.