her elbows, her arms reddened from hot water, stood at the door.
‘Oh, it’s you, Eliza,’ said Mrs Springett, forgetting manners in her emotion and turning her back to hide her face.
‘Has anything been heard?’ asked Davey.
Eliza came in, wiping her hands on her apron. ‘It’s only —,’ she said, and stopped.
Mrs Springett whirled to confront her neighbour. ‘Have you seen her?’
‘No, no I’ve not and I don’t want to come here worrying you about nothing, but you’ll hear about it soon enough from someone else, and I thought —,’ she passed a thick forearm across her forehead. ‘There’s a woman’s body been found. In the Serpentine.’
Mrs Springett gave a little scream and Davey exclaimed, ‘Oh don’t say that!’
Jem put his arm about his mother. ‘Come on, then, Mrs Brooks, best give it all,’ he said.
Eliza seemed to be regretting her intrusion. ‘It’s some poor creature who’s drowned herself and they don’t know who she is. I mean, there’s all sorts of women throw themselves into the Serpentine, but I know Tilda and she never had any reason to do anything like that so I’m sure it can’t be her.’
Davey shook his head. ‘No, it won’t be my Tilly. She’d never do anything like that.’
‘Right – well, I’d best go then,’ said Mrs Brooks with some embarrassment, and backed away.
Mrs Springett began to cry and Jem hugged her tightly. ‘Now then, Mother, no need for that. I’ll go straight there and have a look just so we know for sure it’s not our Tilda. I’ll find a carrier’s cart to take me and I’ll be there and back in no time. Davey, you can go out looking for her, and Mother you wait in, in case she comes back. Mrs Brooks!’ he called after the retreating figure of the neighbour, who stopped reluctantly. ‘Come on in and sit with Mother while we go out. Do I go to the Receiving House? Is that where they have the body?’
The neighbour nodded and crept back indoors, while Jem hurried out followed by Davey. ‘Well,’ said Mrs Brooks after a pause, ‘I’d better make some tea.’ Mrs Springett sank into a chair, her hands clasped over her mouth.
Frances helped Mrs Brooks with the tea and took the opportunity to question her. ‘When was the body found?’ she asked softly. She hoped her question would not disturb Mrs Springett, but a glance told her that that lady was locked deep in her own nightmare.
Mrs Brooks was so flustered that she didn’t think to ask who the stranger was. ‘Nigh on an hour ago, and if it hadn’t been found then it would have lain in the dark till morning. It was under one of the arches of the bridge. One of the boatmen pulled it out, and took it up to the Receiving House, but there was nothing they could do.’ She leaned closer. ‘I know that it was a woman,’ she whispered, ‘a young woman. Perhaps she was up on the bridge and threw herself over into the water.’
They drank tea in a silence that was broken only by Mrs Springett’s whimpers. Deaths in the Serpentine, Frances knew, were not uncommon, though more usually in the warmer months when the waters were in regular use by bathers and boats and there were accidents. Sometimes it was no accident, but a deliberate act of terrible desperation. Mrs Brooks tried to coax Mrs Springett into taking some tea, and Frances took advantage of the distraction to slip upstairs and look about, but saw no sign that Matilda had been there recently. She returned to the parlour after a quick glance into the front room, which was, as she had surmised, for Sunday and holiday best, and explained her absence by admitting with some embarrassment that she had been looking for the WC. ‘It’s out back,’ said Mrs Brooks, as if it could scarcely be anywhere else, and Frances went through the scullery to the garden, where there was a small outhouse and a shed with a washing boiler. She pried for as long as she could without it exciting comment, but everything was as it should
‘Oh, it’s you, Eliza,’ said Mrs Springett, forgetting manners in her emotion and turning her back to hide her face.
‘Has anything been heard?’ asked Davey.
Eliza came in, wiping her hands on her apron. ‘It’s only —,’ she said, and stopped.
Mrs Springett whirled to confront her neighbour. ‘Have you seen her?’
‘No, no I’ve not and I don’t want to come here worrying you about nothing, but you’ll hear about it soon enough from someone else, and I thought —,’ she passed a thick forearm across her forehead. ‘There’s a woman’s body been found. In the Serpentine.’
Mrs Springett gave a little scream and Davey exclaimed, ‘Oh don’t say that!’
Jem put his arm about his mother. ‘Come on, then, Mrs Brooks, best give it all,’ he said.
Eliza seemed to be regretting her intrusion. ‘It’s some poor creature who’s drowned herself and they don’t know who she is. I mean, there’s all sorts of women throw themselves into the Serpentine, but I know Tilda and she never had any reason to do anything like that so I’m sure it can’t be her.’
Davey shook his head. ‘No, it won’t be my Tilly. She’d never do anything like that.’
‘Right – well, I’d best go then,’ said Mrs Brooks with some embarrassment, and backed away.
Mrs Springett began to cry and Jem hugged her tightly. ‘Now then, Mother, no need for that. I’ll go straight there and have a look just so we know for sure it’s not our Tilda. I’ll find a carrier’s cart to take me and I’ll be there and back in no time. Davey, you can go out looking for her, and Mother you wait in, in case she comes back. Mrs Brooks!’ he called after the retreating figure of the neighbour, who stopped reluctantly. ‘Come on in and sit with Mother while we go out. Do I go to the Receiving House? Is that where they have the body?’
The neighbour nodded and crept back indoors, while Jem hurried out followed by Davey. ‘Well,’ said Mrs Brooks after a pause, ‘I’d better make some tea.’ Mrs Springett sank into a chair, her hands clasped over her mouth.
Frances helped Mrs Brooks with the tea and took the opportunity to question her. ‘When was the body found?’ she asked softly. She hoped her question would not disturb Mrs Springett, but a glance told her that that lady was locked deep in her own nightmare.
Mrs Brooks was so flustered that she didn’t think to ask who the stranger was. ‘Nigh on an hour ago, and if it hadn’t been found then it would have lain in the dark till morning. It was under one of the arches of the bridge. One of the boatmen pulled it out, and took it up to the Receiving House, but there was nothing they could do.’ She leaned closer. ‘I know that it was a woman,’ she whispered, ‘a young woman. Perhaps she was up on the bridge and threw herself over into the water.’
They drank tea in a silence that was broken only by Mrs Springett’s whimpers. Deaths in the Serpentine, Frances knew, were not uncommon, though more usually in the warmer months when the waters were in regular use by bathers and boats and there were accidents. Sometimes it was no accident, but a deliberate act of terrible desperation. Mrs Brooks tried to coax Mrs Springett into taking some tea, and Frances took advantage of the distraction to slip upstairs and look about, but saw no sign that Matilda had been there recently. She returned to the parlour after a quick glance into the front room, which was, as she had surmised, for Sunday and holiday best, and explained her absence by admitting with some embarrassment that she had been looking for the WC. ‘It’s out back,’ said Mrs Brooks, as if it could scarcely be anywhere else, and Frances went through the scullery to the garden, where there was a small outhouse and a shed with a washing boiler. She pried for as long as she could without it exciting comment, but everything was as it should
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