Nell said, ‘It’s interesting, isn’t it, that one person’s name keeps recurring in all this.’
‘Maria Porringer. Yes. And what intrigues me are those references she makes to some kind of secret.’ Michael opened his notebook again, and flipped the pages. ‘Here it is. After the Mabbley girls disappeared, Maria stressed to Breadspear that no one except herself went into the upper part of the Hall, and she said, “I gave you my word … It is a terrible secret we share”.’
‘And something about “what happened in another cold cruel daybreak”,’ said Nell, thoughtfully. ‘Michael, you do realize this is starting to sound like the ultimate classic Victorian gothic story?’
‘Yes, I do, and I wish I could think Mrs Porringer was simply making notes for a novel,’ said Michael. ‘But those letters are real.’
‘Could we track down the egregious Maria?’
‘I wonder if we could. She refers to her husband being an apothecary,’ said Michael, consulting his notes again. ‘With his own business. That might give us a lead. I should think there are societies and associations that list pharmacists, although it’s anybody’s guess how far such lists would go back. Oh, wait, when I drove out to Deadlight Hall, I did see a pharmacy in the village street. And Maria seems to have been a local girl. It’s stretching it a bit to think it’s the same shop, but it’s worth a try.’ He put out a hand to Nell. ‘You’re good at that kind of thing. If I go out to look at that shop tomorrow, could you come with me?’
‘Is that my cue for quoting the line about following you to the ends of the earth?’
‘Well, just at the moment I was thinking about following me upstairs. Or does that sound as if I’m taking things for granted?’
‘Never,’ she said, smiling and taking his hand.
‘Michael?’
‘Nell?’ He was sitting in the window seat of Nell’s bedroom, where he sometimes liked to sit after they had made love. The window looked between Nell’s shop and Godfrey’s, straight through to part of the old Court, and Michael liked Court at this hour.
‘Do you ever feel this place is a bit small?’ asked Nell from the drowsy warmth of the bed.
‘The shop or this house?’
‘Both.’
He came back to the bed. ‘The shop is fine,’ he said. ‘Although I suppose a bit more space would be good. You’d be able to have more stock, wouldn’t you? And maybe do more renovation work. Why? Have you got some kind of project in mind?’
‘Well, I have, but I’m not sure yet if it can be done.’
‘Do you want to talk about it?’
Nell had decided she would not talk about it at all, until she had decided what to do. But Michael was looking at her with that intent gaze that made him so very dear and so very endearing, and his hair was tumbled so that she wanted to reach up to smooth it … And a very short while ago they had been locked together and there had been the feeling not just of their bodies fusing, but also of their minds flowing seamlessly back and forth. Marriage used to be referred to as being one, and when things were like this with Michael – when there was no longer any sense that they were two separate beings – Nell understood exactly what that meant.
Without knowing she had been going to speak, she said, ‘Godfrey’s leaving Quire Court. He’s going to Stratford. And he’s given me first refusal of the lease of his shop.’
Michael’s eyes registered surprise, then he said, ‘Instead of this one, or in addition?’
‘In addition.’
‘With the idea of knocking both units into one?’
‘Yes.’
‘And you’d live over Godfrey’s shop?’
‘Over it and behind it. There’s masses of space.’
‘And this place? Oh, but you’d make this into a workshop, wouldn’t you? Like you had in Shropshire.’
Nell said, ‘Exactly.’
‘It sounds a tremendous idea,’ he said, sliding back into bed. ‘What’s wrong with it?’
‘The money.’