Page 55 of The Stranger in Room Six
Conscious that all eyes were on her – Cook at the door of the dining room and James the groom in the hall – Mabel followed Frannie nervously into the drawing room.
The policeman was different from the last one. This man was shorter with sandy hair and a belted raincoat.
‘Please sit down,’ he said, as if he was the owner of the Old Rectory and Mabel was a visitor.
‘You might wonder why I want to talk to you alone.’
She nodded, too scared to speak.
‘Someone has come forward to say that they saw you by the river a few weeks ago. They said you were ripping up paper and throwing it into the water. Can you tell me more about that, Mabel?’
Mabel felt her throat tighten and her mouth go dry. ‘They were letters to my mother,’ she croaked, thinking quickly.
The policeman’s eyes narrowed. ‘I was told your mother was killed in the London air raids.’
Mabel winced at his stark words. ‘I still write to her. It makes me feel as though she is still here.’
‘Then why were you throwing the letters away?’
‘Because I realized I had to accept that she had finally gone. At least, that’s what everyone seems to think I should do.’
The policeman’s face softened. ‘So it wasn’t a leaflet encouraging people to rebel against the government?’
‘Of course not,’ she said, trying to sound firm. ‘Who saw me?’
‘Your aunt’s maid.’
Frannie? How could she? Was she trying to get revenge for her father’s death, even though Mabel had had nothing to do with it?
The policeman leaned in closer. ‘Has the Colonel or your aunt, or maybe both, shown a leaning towards the ideologies of Hitler?’
‘What does that mean?’
‘Have they shown sympathy towards the enemy?’
‘Not that I know of.’
‘What do they talk about?’
‘Hunting. Digging the land. And doing our best for Britain.’
‘I see.’
There was a silence. Mabel had the distinct feeling that the policeman was waiting for her to say something but,remembering the lacemaker’s words, she decided now might be a good time to stay silent.
Eventually, he spoke instead. ‘Very well,’ he said. ‘But if you do hear your aunt saying anything along those lines, I would expect you to come to the station and tell us. Otherwise, Miss Mabel, you could be in a great deal of trouble yourself. Failure to disclose important information could be a criminal offence.’
‘I understand,’ she said quietly.
After he left, Clarissa called her into her room. ‘What did he say?’ she demanded.
Mabel gave her a shortened version.
‘You write to your mother? What on earth do you do that for?’
‘It helps to keep her alive in my head,’ said Mabel quietly.
‘I miss her too,’ her aunt said after a moment. ‘Sometimes I wish we had done things differently.’
