Maisie was worried about seeing Doris that morning at school, knowing what she did about her father. Not that she would dream of saying anything to her friend – she would not even tell Audrey what she had overheard – but she would feel sort of awkward and embarrassed. It seemed as though Walter Nixon might be no better than her step-father, Sidney Bragg, although she didn’t think that Mr Nixon knocked his wife about like Sid had done with her mother.
As it happened, the morning at school was just the same as any other. Maisie didn’t avoid Doris, but neither did she go out of her way to talk to her. Doris seemed just the same as ever, happy and laughing, and they all rejoiced in the sunshine at playtime. It was warmer than it had been for months, and they soon discarded their coats, piling them up in a corner of the playground whilst they enjoyed their skipping and ball games.
Patience soon put her concern about Maisie to the back of her mind because she had something of much greater importance to think about. She had an appointment with the doctor that morning, one that she had not even told Luke about, and she hoped to have some very exciting news to report to him when she had seen Dr Forrester.
She had not had a monthly period since the middle of December, but she had thought nothing of it when the usual sign did not appear in January. Her monthlies were irregular; they always had been since she was a girl. This had made it more difficult when she and Luke, in the early years of their marriage, had desperately wanted to start a family. There had been several times when their hopes had been raised, only to be dashed again. She had had two early miscarriages as well, in the first few weeks of pregnancy. And since then they had come to the conclusion that it was their unfortunate fate to remain childless. They had decided to make the best of it, not to complain about their lot and make themselves miserable. And now they had adopted one child and the adoption of Timothy was almost complete.
What had happened seemed miraculous, too wonderful to be true, after all this time. She had not dared to tell even Luke, fearing that she might be mistaken. But in her own mind Patience was sure. She felt queasy in the morning, although she had not actually been sick, her breasts were tender and…she just knew in her heart that she had conceived a child of their own.
Her appointment was at ten o’ clock at Dr Forrester’s surgery, about ten minutes walk away, in a side street near to the market hall. He was a family practitioner who knew her and Luke very well, and he had attended to Timothy’s broken leg and to minor ailments of Audrey and Maisie. He raised his eyebrows and gave a surprised smile when Patience told him the reason for her visit.
‘Well, well, well…’ he said. ‘Let’s take a look at you then, shall we, Mrs Fairchild, if you don’t mind…’
She steeled herself for his examination, but he was very gentle and it was not as bad as she had expected. Anyway, what did it matter if the news was good? When she had gathered herself together the doctor beamed at her.
‘Well, Mrs Fairchild, you are right. You are pregnant; about three months on, I would say. Your baby will be born towards the end of September, as near as I can tell. Congratulations to you, and to the Reverend! It’s wonderful news.’
‘It is indeed,’ said Patience, unable to stop the tears of joy springing to her eyes. ‘Thank you so much, Dr Forrester.’
He laughed. ‘Don’t thank me, my dear. You should be thanking that husband of yours.’ His eyes twinkled. ‘A Christmas conception?’ he whispered.
‘It seems like it,’ said Patience, a little embarrassedly, thinking back to their night of love after the Christmas festivities.
Then the doctor became serious again. ‘Of course you will need to be careful, Mrs Fairchild. A first baby at your age…I won’t say that it is a risk. You are fit and healthy, but you are no longer twenty or even thirty.’ Indeed, Patience would be forty later that year. ‘But we will take very great care of you, and I will get you booked into Middlebeck hospital directly. Now, off you go and tell your husband the good news…’
Luke was in his study, working at his sermon for the following Sunday, when there was a knock at the back door. Patience was out – she had told him she had some shopping to do – so he hurried to answer the knock himself. He found his elderly verger standing there. Seth Jowett was nearer eighty than seventy and had been the caretaker at St Bartholomew’s church since long before Luke took over the living. He always wore a long black cassock as a sign of his office, a position of which he was very proud, having been a worshipper at the church since his Sunday school days. Now, his pale blue watery eyes were wide with fright and his hands were visibly shaking.
‘Reverend, you’d best come wi’ me straight away,’ he said. ‘There’s summat in t’ bushes betwixt here and t’ church. I think it’s a body, but I daresn’t go any nearer to find out.’
‘Very well, Seth, I’ll come right now,’ said Luke, but he was determined not to show any sign of panic. Seth was an old man; his eyesight was not good and it was possible that someone had thrown something away into the bushes. The path was frequently used as a short cut as it eventually led on to the lower end of the village green.
Seth led the way silently along the footpath near to the rectory’s back gate. ‘There… Look over yonder, Reverend,’ he said, when they had gone some twenty yards through the bushes, which were just beginning to bud with the green of early spring. The old man pointed, but, as he had said, he did not venture any nearer; he rather seemed to cower away, averting his eyes.
The body, for it was obvious that it was, indeed, a body, was fully clothed and was lying a couple of yards away from the pathway, only partially concealed by the undergrowth. Luke gave a gasp of shock and horror as he recognised it was that of a girl; one of the land girls, because she was wearing a khaki greatcoat and those corduroy breeches they all wore. She had pretty fair hair which curled over her forehead and ears… And before he stepped forward to take a closer look, as he knew he must, Luke had guessed at her identity.
‘Oh, dear God, no!’ he breathed, as he looked down on the bruised and swollen face of Priscilla Meadows. Her coat was gaping open and he could see the red marks on her neck where someone must have handled her roughly – strangled her – and her blue eyes were wide open, staring sightlessly at him. Very gently he knelt down and closed them, although he knew he must not touch anything else.
‘Rest in peace, my dear…’ he whispered, but it was all too clear that poor Priscilla had come to a violent end.
He stood up, brushing the soil from his knees and turned to Seth. ‘You were right, I’m afraid. It’s Priscilla, one of our land girls, and a member of the church choir. She would have been here for a practice last night…’ he added thoughtfully. ‘Come along, Seth. You need a stiff drink after a shock like that, and I must phone the police right away.’
‘Poor lassie,’ said Seth. ‘I’m still trembling like a leaf. Yer can’t take it in, can yer, summat like this? Aye, I think I know the lass you mean; pretty little thing she were.’
Luke took the verger into the sitting room and gave him a glass of brandy and hot water. ‘Here – drink this; it’s good for shocks. And that’s what you’ve had; a terrible shock.’
‘D’you think…? Did somebody…kill her? Was she…murdered?’ asked the old man.
‘I’m afraid it looks very much like it,’ said Luke. ‘I’m going to phone the police now.’
‘There’s courting couples as use that there path,’ said Seth. ‘You can’t blame ’em. And there’s nowt we can do about it. Did she ’ave a young man, d’you know? The rotten bastard!’ he added feelingly.
‘I don’t know,’ replied Luke, ‘but I suppose she must have had.’
The police arrived very promptly and cordoned off the area around the pathway. The inspector in charge of the case had come to ask Luke some questions and they were sitting together in the lounge when Patience arrived home.
‘Hello, darling…’ She burst into the room, then stopped dead at the sight of the policeman sitting there with her
husband.
‘Oh, Patience… This is Inspector Davies,’ said Luke. ‘Come and sit down, my dear. I’m afraid there is some very bad news.’
Patience felt her high spirits droop as she sat down next to her husband. Her good news would have to wait a while. Her mood of elation quickly evaporated even further on hearing the tragic tidings. Priscilla…dead! Most likely murdered… It was impossible to take it in. She shook her head unbelievingly.
‘But…who? Who could possibly do such a dreadful thing?’
‘That is what we intend to find out,’ said the inspector. ‘You knew the young woman, Mrs Fairchild? Your husband was saying that she was probably at the church last night, at the choir practice. You didn’t see her yourself?’
‘No…I have nothing to do with the choir, and my husband doesn’t usually go to the practices, do you, Luke? One of our little girls is in the choir; Maisie, she came to us as an evacuee and she is still with us. She would probably have seen Priscilla…but I don’t want her questioned, Inspector.’
‘No, of course not; I understand. Did the young woman, Priscilla, have a boyfriend, do you know?’
‘As a matter of fact, I believe she had,’ said Patience. ‘Our little girl, Maisie, whom I’ve just mentioned, was friendly with her. Priscilla used to chat to her and Maisie had beome quite fond of her. Oh dear…she is going to be so upset! And I remember Maisie mentioning, only a few days ago, that Priscilla had met a young man that she liked very much. He’s in the army, stationed at Catterick; he’s called Jeff, I believe… You know how little girls love to chatter, and Maisie was quite thrilled because Priscilla had confided in her.’
The inspector nodded. ‘I see… Yes, that is very useful information.’
‘But you won’t have to question her, will you? Maisie, I mean?’
‘No, I promise you, Mrs Fairchild, we will not want to ask your little girl any questions. It would be too upsetting, we realise that. My sergeant has gone to break the news to Miss Thomson, the landlady of the poor girl, and maybe the young woman’s friend, Jennifer Brewer, will be able to give us some information. That will be all for now.’ Inspector Davies stood up. ‘Thank you both for your help… We will get him whoever he is,’ he added grimly.
Luke went to the door to see him out, then returned to Patience who was sitting motionless, stunned into shocked silence. He sat down and put his arms around her. It was several moments before she spoke.
‘Maisie and Audrey; whatever are we going to tell them? Maisie especially; she’d taken quite a shine to Priscilla. Oh, Luke; it’s so dreadful, so wicked…’
‘I’m afraid we will have to tell them the truth,’ he said. ‘If we tell them a half-truth they will only find out from someone else. Bad news travels fast; it will be all over the village, you can be sure, by the end of the day.’
‘But there’s never been anything like it in our little town before. Middlebeck was always such a peaceful little place. Hardly any crime to speak of, certainly no…murders.’
‘It’s wartime, my dear. We don’t know who was responsible, of course, but there are lots of newcomers round here who were not here a couple of years ago.’
‘You mean…the soldiers?’
‘Maybe…but we mustn’t speculate.’
‘Maisie and Audrey will be back from school soon,’ said Patience, ‘and Tim as well. I put a casserole in the oven before I went out, so it should be almost ready.’
‘Then I will go and see to it.’ Luke got up and gave her shoulder a squeeze. ‘You stay here and compose yourself.’
‘No, I’ll come as well. It’s better for me to keep busy.’
Together they set the table in the dining room and Patience put the plates to keep warm. ‘We’d better have our meal first before we tell them,’ she said, ‘or else nobody will want to eat anything at all.’
It was an uncomfortable lunchtime for Luke and Patience, although the children ate hungrily, as they always did, and chattered away to one another about their morning at school. Patience recalled how Maisie had seemed a trifle disturbed and quiet that morning, although she appeared all right again now. Had something happened at choir practice? she now wondered. Something which might have been connected with today’s shocking discovery?
It was Luke who broke the news. ‘We have something very sad to tell you,’ he began. ‘I am sorry, and I know you are going to be upset, but we would rather you heard about it from us.’ Three pairs of eyes looked at him steadily as he went on. ‘You all know Priscilla, the land girl who lived at Miss Thomson’s.’ They all nodded, Maisie the most interestedly. ‘Well…I am afraid she has met with an accident. I am sorry…but the poor young woman is dead. She was found in the churchyard this morning.’
The three children looked stunned. Maisie, in particular, turned pale, her mouth fell open and she stared at Luke in horror. ‘You mean…you said she’d had an accident. Did she fall over or what? Or did somebody…? You don’t mean she was…murdered, do you?’
Luke nodded briefly. ‘It looks very much like it. I’m so sorry, Maisie. I know she was a rather special friend to you, wasn’t she?’
‘Nobody knows what happened, darling,’ said Patience. ‘She might have been going to meet her boyfriend. They will have to ask him some questions, and anybody else who might have seen her.’
‘Jeff…’ said Maisie quietly. ‘She said he was called Jeff. But it couldn’t have been…’ She had turned as white as a sheet and her startled eyes were fixed on Luke in horror. ‘Oh no,’ she cried. ‘Oh no, no! He can’t have…’ She laid her head on her arms on the table top and began to sob uncontrollably.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Maisie was far too distressed to go back to school that afternoon, and as it was Friday, Patience said she could stay at home.
‘Just tell Miss Mellodey that Maisie is not feeling very well, and that I will explain to her later,’ Patience told Audrey.
‘All right,’ said Audrey. She, too, was shocked at the news, but not so distraught as Maisie, and Timothy just looked puzzled as though he was unable to completely understand what had happened.
‘And don’t say anything – you mustn’t say anything at all – about poor Priscilla; do you understand, Audrey, love? Not to anyone.’
Audrey nodded. ‘I won’t, Aunty Patience; honestly I won’t. And you’ve not to say anything either, Tim,’ she told the little boy.
‘Because the news might not have got round yet,’ Patience went on, ‘and we don’t want to start everybody talking before they need to, especially the children.’
‘You’re quite right, Patience,’ agreed Luke. ‘I know Audrey will be sensible, won’t you dear? And you as well, Tim. But I must go across and see Miss Thomson. She will have heard by now and she is sure to be upset.’
‘Very well, dear,’ replied Patience. ‘That is what you must do, of course. And Maisie and I will tackle this washing-up. Come along, Maisie.’ She gave the girl a hug. ‘It’s better to keep busy, believe me. We’ve all had a dreadful shock, and it will take us a while to get over it. I am so sorry, dear; I know you were fond of Priscilla.’
Maisie burst into tears again. ‘She was lovely…’ she sobbed. ‘I did like her. D’you think…? Will they find out…?’
‘I’m sure they will,’ said Patience. ‘But don’t start worrying your head about that. The police will find out who…who was responsible. Now, come along, Maisie. Come and help me in the kitchen and try to take your mind away from it all.’
But Patience knew that that was easier said than done. The child was clearly devastated by the news, and she seemed frightened, too. As for Patience’s own wonderful news, that had had to be completely shelved for the moment. But she must find an opportunity to tell Luke when he returned from seeing Miss Thomson. She hoped it would alleviate, to some degree, the sadness and shock they were feeling. But the euphoria she had experienced earlier in the day had utterly vanished.
Jennifer Brewer, Priscilla’s friend, was at home w
ith Miss Thomson when Luke arrived. She was red-eyed with weeping, and it was obvious that Miss Thomson had shed tears as well, although she was trying to behave with her usual dignity and decorum.
‘What a dreadful business, Rector,’ she said, ushering him into the lounge. Jennifer was huddled into an armchair with a damp handkerchief held to her face. ‘The police sergeant left us only a little while ago. He came to tell me the terrible news and, as it happened, Jennifer was here as well. Come along now, Jennifer; do try and pull yourself together. I know you’ve had a shock, but we knew something was wrong when Priscilla didn’t come home last night… Do sit down please, Rector.’
‘Take your time, Jennifer,’ said Luke, sitting down opposite her. ‘We are all distressed, of course, to hear about your friend.’
‘She didn’t come home,’ the girl sniffed, ‘like Miss Thomson said. We just had to go to bed, but I didn’t sleep. And then when I went to work this morning Mr Nixon asked me where she was and I said I didn’t know. He knew I was worried, though, so he told me to go home at the end of the morning to see if Miss Thomson had heard anything about Priscilla. And then the policeman came and he told us…’ She started to cry again, quietly.
Luke nodded and waited until she had composed herself. ‘The policeman asked me some questions,’ she said after a moment or two, twisting her handkerchief round and round in her fingers. ‘He wanted to know when I saw her last. And I told him it was last night. She went off to her choir practice, and we were supposed to be meeting later in the Green Man, but she never turned up.’
‘Just you and Priscilla?’ asked Luke gently.
‘No… She’s got, I mean, she had a new boyfriend. She only met him a couple of weeks ago, but she really liked him. He’s called Jeff Beaumont and he’s stationed up at Catterick. Well, he said he’d bring a friend along, like…’ She blushed a little, ‘and the four of us would have a drink at the Green Man.’
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