by Cathy Sharp
‘What is Sister going to do?’ Rose asked.
‘She said she would speak to the children and staff this evening before supper. I know she didn’t like the idea, but she can’t stand by and do nothin’ – but some of the kids are goin’ to feel bad about this,’ Wendy told them. ‘A lot of them have come from homes where the father has a record for thieving and brutality. They’re bound to think she’s pointing the finger at them.’
‘Well, she has to do something,’ Kelly said. ‘We’ve never had to lock things up before and I don’t like it.’
‘No, I don’t blame you,’ Rose said. ‘Look, I’ll lend you a pound so that you can get your shoes before you go home, Kelly. I don’t need it so you can give it back when you like …’
Kelly hesitated, and then shook her head. ‘I don’t believe in borrowing off friends, Rose, though it’s lovely of you and I’m grateful – but I shan’t take it, even though I know you mean well.’
Rose understood her pride and nodded. She’d wanted to make Kelly feel better, but this petty thieving was troublesome for them all and wouldn’t get better until they discovered the thief and stopped it.
Nick hadn’t been working at St Saviour’s for a couple of weeks. Besides, Rose couldn’t believe that Rob or his brother would take money that didn’t belong to them; they worked hard and were generous, bringing in a box of chocolates to say thank you for the cups of tea and biscuits they’d been given while working at St Saviour’s. None of the carers or nurses would take money from each other, because they were all friends, and anyway it had only started happening recently – that only left Jinny, as the newcomer, and the kids, and Rose found that the thought of Jinny or the children stealing left a bad taste in her mouth. She wished it would all go away, but theft was theft and they couldn’t just brush it under the carpet. Sister Beatrice was going to have to use her authority to stamp it out before it went too far …
CHAPTER 15
The kids had started to file into the dining room for supper when Sister Beatrice entered. They’d been told she was coming to talk to them and a hush fell as she walked to the little dais at the end of the room. Her eyes seemed to move over the children and staff, a hint of disapproval in her manner as she began to speak.
‘It pains me to have to speak to you all on such a subject,’ she said. ‘Indeed, it has never happened at St Saviour’s before and I find it upsetting that it should happen now. If anyone has a grudge against us or feels they have been treated badly please come and see me in my office later – but I am afraid that what I have to say is not pleasant. It has been brought to my attention that money has been taken from the cash box in the staff room and from a member of staff’s bag, also from Sandra’s office. This is a serious matter and one I should like to resolve without resource to the law. I would very much dislike having to speak to Sergeant Sallis about this – but if it continues I shall have no alternative. At the moment we have no particular suspects, and if anyone wishes to tell me anything I shall give them a fair hearing – but this must stop.’ She looked round the room and her eyes seemed to linger on Elsa and then on Jinny. ‘That is all I have to say and I hope that will be an end to this unfortunate incident.’
‘’Ere, I ’ope she don’t think it were me,’ Elsa hissed at Jinny as she moved to her side. ‘She were lookin’ at us the longest …’
‘I’m sure she doesn’t,’ Jinny said but her throat felt tight and she was prickling all over because she’d sensed that Sister was looking at her and so was Sister Rose, and she didn’t like the look in Rose’s eyes. Surely, she couldn’t imagine that Jinny had taken the money?
She had no time to think about it because the kids were queuing up for their supper and she was kept busy serving drinks and pouring custard over the apple pie she’d made that afternoon, but something was making the back of her neck prickle as she tried to remember. It wasn’t until the rather subdued children had eaten their supper and gone and she was washing up in the kitchen that it came back to her. Suddenly, Jinny remembered that she’d seen Tom – the boy who had complained about the lack of good food on her first day – coming from the staff room on one occasion. And when she’d gone in to collect the dirty dishes, she’d seen the drawer containing the cash box slightly open.
Jinny hadn’t told anyone. She hadn’t looked in the box and she didn’t know whether any money had been taken that afternoon – it was the afternoon that Mrs Davies had been late back after taking a nap in her room and Jinny had been on her own in the kitchen as she prepared tea and supper …
Jinny had forgotten it because she was too busy and caught up in her own life, but now she wondered. Had Tom taken the missing money? And had someone seen Jinny leaving with her tray and was now thinking it might have been her?
Sister Rose had looked at her so oddly. Perhaps she’d seen Jinny walking away with the tray and then found the drawer still open. She felt hot all over and tears pricked behind her eyes. She liked the nurse a lot and had thought Rose liked her – but if she thought Jinny could do anything like that … it made her want to shout and punch something, because it was so unfair. Yet it would be just as unfair of her to blame Tom without proof. If she tried talking to Rose about what she’d seen she would probably think she was covering her own tracks. No, she couldn’t do that, but it made her feel uncomfortable to know that she was under suspicion. No one had said anything to her, but Rose had looked so strange – and Sister Beatrice had definitely looked at her and Elsa longer than anyone else. Naturally, Sister wouldn’t want to blame her nurses or the staff who had been with her for years. Mavis, Jinny and Elsa had been there the shortest time and so people were wondering if one of them was to blame.
Jinny felt hollow inside as she dried her hands and put the tea towels into soapy water to soak for the morning. She would wash them and put them out in the garden to dry if it was fine first thing. The laundry wasn’t back yet this week and tea towels needed changing every day.
After saying goodnight to Elsa, Jinny went to the office to ask Mrs Davies if everything was all right. She saw the cook busily counting the money in her cash box and turned away feeling as if she’d been struck. It seemed as if Mrs Davies couldn’t wait to count her money in case she too had lost some of her allowance for the kitchen …
The cook turned to look at her and scowled. ‘What are you doing spying on me?’
‘I wasn’t,’ Jinny said, clenching her fists. ‘I just came to ask if there was anything else you needed me to do before I leave.’
‘Nothing. I’m going to lock this money away. If there’s a thief about I can’t risk losing my monthly budget. It’s hard enough to manage as it is …’
‘Perhaps we could get some free stuff from the market like Mrs Adderbury used to when she was here …’
‘What nonsense are you talking?’ Mrs Davies snapped. ‘I don’t know what went on here in the past, but I don’t buy low standard fruit and veg from the market. I trust proper grocers to provide me with quality food.’
Jinny didn’t bother to argue. She’d seen the bills for food provided on a couple of occasions and they looked unreasonably high to her, especially as she often had to cut bits out of potatoes and carrots, but there was no point in getting her head bitten off again by suggesting that she could do much better by shopping with her friends on the market. Nellie had often trusted Jinny with her weekly shop, telling her that she got things fresher and cheaper than she could from the shops.
‘I sometimes shop nearer home, ’cos it’s a long way to trudge with a heavy basket,’ Nellie had told her, ‘but they don’t ’alf charge if yer don’t watch ’em.’
Judging by the bills she’d seen lying around after Mrs Davies had shown them to Sandra, St Saviour’s was being overcharged for lots of things – but Jinny was only the kitchen help and no one would listen to her opinion. Besides, if they suspected her of stealing, she might not be here for long …
‘I feel very distressed that anyone should steal from my staf
f,’ Beatrice said to Sandra later in her office as they sat over their morning coffee. ‘I can hardly believe it has happened – we’ve never had stealing at St Saviour’s before. The money you lost was for the children’s visit to the zoo … now who would be mean enough to take that?’
‘I couldn’t believe it until all the other thefts happened,’ Sandra said. ‘I kept thinking I’d mislaid it – and then Kelly lost money from her bag. Someone is a thief …’
‘We’ve never had anything like that here before …’
‘Has anyone given you any clue as to who it might be?’ Sandra asked. ‘I mean we do have the builders in, but I think they’re honest. They certainly seem hard workers and nothing has disappeared from your office – or the nurses’ home, has it?’
‘Not as yet – or not that I’ve been told. The Thompson brothers have had the run of the place, but they’ve been so punctilious in asking permission to work in various rooms that I just cannot believe they would steal anything.’
‘Well, it doesn’t seem likely …’
‘Most of my staff has been with me for years,’ Beatrice said. ‘I know they wouldn’t steal their own money or Kelly’s – but that leaves just the kitchen girls or one of the children … or the girls next door. They are supervised when they come to tea, but one or two of them have been sneaking inside at odd times, in the hope of being given something nice to eat. Mrs Davies told one of the older girls to clear off yesterday. She came up to tell me, because she’s most concerned about her money. She says she can’t afford to lose money or food from the pantry …’
‘Jinny seems honest to me. Elsa is a little workshy but I can’t see her stealing money myself. It might be one of the children, of course, but I would think they would just take a shilling or two, something that might not be noticed. Two pounds from the petty cash, my money, and then a pound from Kelly’s purse is rather a lot. None of them has been buying lots of sweets, I suppose?’
‘I hate to think of our children as thieves … but if not the kitchen girls or the girls from next door … who else?’
‘You haven’t mentioned me …’
‘Sandra! As if I would ever think such a wicked thing after what you suffered. I know it isn’t you.’
‘I suppose … what do you know about Mrs Davies?’ Sandra frowned as Beatrice looked at her oddly. ‘I hate to cast doubt but …’ she shook her head. ‘No, that is unforgivable but we should all consider all angles … perhaps someone came in from outside and stole it …?’
‘There’s something you’re not telling me, isn’t there?’ Beatrice asked, looking at Sandra’s pink cheeks. She was the last one to accuse an innocent person because of what had happened to her when she was arrested for a theft she hadn’t committed. ‘Please, tell me what is in your mind, Sandra.’
‘Well, I’ve been meaning to mention it, but I know you had difficulty in replacing Muriel … but I’ve questioned some of the items in Mrs Davies’ accounts once or twice. She always has an answer I can’t refute, but I’ve felt she was lying … I suspect that she is overcharging us and … I suspect she must be pocketing the difference, but I’ve never been sure.’
‘What makes you think she’s benefiting from the accounts? Some of the shops do charge a great deal, which is why Angela was so good at getting low prices from people she charmed …’
‘Haven’t you noticed that some of the food isn’t as good as it ought to be? I’ve noticed that children leave meat on their plates sometimes and I asked one boy why. He said it was gristly and too fatty and made him feel sick …’
‘If we’re being cheated Mrs Davies should change her suppliers. Did you speak to her about it?’
‘I did ask her if she was satisfied with her butcher and she told me it was all in hand so I didn’t say anything more.’
Beatrice stared at her, feeling a little sick. Mrs Davies wouldn’t be the first woman to steal small amounts of money from her employers in this manner – it often happened in the kitchens of rich ladies and was considered the cook’s perks – but this wasn’t a rich woman’s kitchen. It was a charity-run home for disadvantaged children and the thought that someone could cheat those children of the good food they were entitled to turned her stomach.
‘Why didn’t you tell me before?’
‘Because I don’t have proof of anything,’ Sandra said, ‘and I hate to cast doubts on another woman’s character. Perhaps Mrs Davies is just paying too much without knowing it.’
‘I should like to look over the accounts myself, and I will walk round at lunchtime sometimes,’ Beatrice said. ‘I do have Muriel’s old books here and it would be interesting to compare, but I think if you’ve noticed discrepancies they are there … However, that doesn’t mean that she has stolen from the cash box or from Kelly’s bag …’
‘No, of course not …’ Sandra said but still seemed doubtful.
‘If I discover discrepancies I shall speak to her quite severely …’
‘I’ll bring the accounts to you. I’m sorry if you feel I’ve let you down …’
‘Not at all,’ Beatrice said. ‘You help me a great deal, Sandra, and I understand your reluctance to point the finger of blame. I should feel much the same myself. Mrs Davies is a widow and of good character. I find it difficult to believe that she would syphon off money for herself, though I do know that she had some money worries before she came to us – something to do with her son I believe.’
‘Yes, but that doesn’t make her a thief,’ Sandra said. ‘I know what it is like to be short of money to care for your children – and what it is to be accused of theft for no good reason …’ She frowned. ‘Does Mrs Davies have more than one child?’
‘Just one son I think,’ Beatrice replied. ‘She told me he no longer lived at home and that’s why I gave her a room here, because she could not afford the rent for a house.’
‘Perhaps I was wrong even to suggest …’ Sandra looked distressed and uncomfortable.
‘I am glad you mentioned it. If St Saviour’s is being overcharged we must change our suppliers,’ Beatrice said. ‘Angela was so good at getting us donations, of fresh fruit and vegetables as well as money …’ She sighed. ‘The trouble is, we’ve never had quite enough funds to pay for everything. I could not ease my conscience if I allowed our children to be cheated of what they are entitled to.’
‘No.’ Sandra rose to her feet. ‘I’ll ask for the accounts book. It covers the past six months so you can easily see any changes.’
‘Yes, please do. I have to make my rounds now, but I shall be in my office again in an hour …’
Beatrice was thoughtful as her secretary and helper left. Sandra was efficient but Angela would have picked up any overcharging immediately and sorted it. A sigh escaped her. Perhaps life would be easier if she were to take up the offer to join Angela at Halfpenny House.
Yet she’d always felt her vocation was here in the poorest part of London, caring for the children when they were most in need. By the time they moved out to the country they had healed in body and spirit and she had helped that healing. Warmth filled her as sunlight filtered through the glass of the old windows, sending a shower of light across the room to the newly painted pale walls of her office. Only if she was forced to leave would she feel able to let go of the reins and move on … and in the meantime there was the unpleasant task of examining the books and perhaps an awkward interview with their cook …
‘Oh, Jinny,’ Sandra said as she went into the kitchen and found the young girl hard at work peeling vegetables and in the middle of making a large Yorkshire pudding. She’d left the mixture to stand in the yellow pudding basin while she peeled carrots and she washed her hands. ‘Are we having roast beef then?’
‘No, that’s much too expensive,’ Jinny said and laughed. ‘We’re having sausages done in the oven in a Yorkshire pudding … toad in the hole, Nellie calls it. She makes it a lot for her family and it tastes smashing with mashed potatoes, gravy and carrots and greens …’
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‘Where is Mrs Davies? I need the account books. Sister wants to check them …’
‘She went off quick half an hour ago. Someone brought her a message …’ Jinny frowned. ‘She looked upset – said she was sorry but she’d have to leave the dinner to me …’
‘Does this often happen?’
‘No – well, she goes shopping in the afternoon sometimes but it’s easy to manage tea and supper. Elsa’s in the scullery peeling potatoes for the mash so we’ll manage all right. I made the apple crumble early this mornin’ …’
‘It’s rather awkward …’ Sandra shook her head, because she couldn’t discuss her thoughts with Jinny; it wouldn’t be right. ‘Do you know where the accounts are?’
‘Well, Mrs Davies locked her money in a drawer of her desk last night, because of the thefts …’ Jinny went painfully red. ‘She accused me of spying on her but I was only going to ask if she wanted anything more before I went off … but I think the book is in the top drawer of her desk.’
‘Well, I’ll see if I can find it …’ Sandra started towards the cook’s office and then stopped. ‘I’d like you to come with me, Jinny. I’d like a witness that I took only the book …’
Jinny stared at her in surprise. ‘No one could think you would take anythin’ …’
Sandra looked sad. ‘When money starts to disappear, anyone and everyone is under suspicion, Jinny. I was once branded a thief and I do not intend it should happen again, therefore I need a witness …’
‘Oh Sandra, that’s awful …’ Jinny said and shivered as if she’d turned suddenly cold. ‘Elsa and me thought they was lookin’ at us last night, but neither of us took that money. I swear I didn’t – and Elsa was savage that anyone would think it …’