Death of an Avid Reader by Frances Brody

Author:Frances Brody
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781466875708
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Nineteen

One might pass the entrance to Danby Court on the way to or from the market without noticing it, except for the stench from the middens. Twelve paces through a narrow passageway of red brick took me across uneven cobblestones. My feet alternately squelched and crunched over cinders, spread by some enterprising soul across filthy puddles. The overwhelming feeling was of gloom. Outside, the day was grey and in here several shades darker. Ahead, and on either side, loomed tall brick houses. Outside landings hinted at a multitude of occupants.

Aware of being stared at from every side, I trod lightly, taking in everything while appearing to look at nothing and no one.

A toddle of barefoot tots played listlessly at the bottom of broken concrete steps that led to upper rooms. One of the bairns hemmed in a spider that moved this way and that, trying to reach impossible sanctuary. Two men lounged by a wall, smoking. Three women formed a huddle, chatting to each other. One was immensely stout, one thin as a length of string and the other not taller than a child and with legs so bowed they made a perfect ‘O’.

‘Excuse me.’

The length of string turned to me. Her eyes were hollow, her cheekbones prominent.

I remembered something a ward sister had said about a patient who died after an operation, too weak to pull through: ‘Women feed their children and starve themselves.’

This was a dwelling place not for the poor who lived from week to week but for those who scraped by on pennies, day to day, hour to hour.

Counter assistants earned no fortune. Miss Montague should have afforded better than this, but perhaps not, if she had been sacked without a reference.

The three women now all looked at me, as did the children. The tormentor of the spider forgot his work. Perhaps the spider scuttled free. One of the lounging men cleared his throat and spat loudly on the ground.

‘Hello. I’m looking for a Miss Marian Montague. I believe she lives or visits here?’ Even as I spoke, it sounded absurd.

The thin woman shook her head. She looked at the other two and said something. They also looked blank. In unison, all three stared at me, and then looked away, as if that might make me vanish.

A prompt might help. ‘She is tall and has reddish hair. She dresses well, keeps herself neat.’

Finally, the short woman with the ‘O’ legs answered for them all. ‘You’ve come to’t wrong place. There’s no one by that name and no one fits that description.’

‘Thank you.’

I hesitated, wondering whether to leave my card, and then fished one from my satchel and handed it to ‘O’ legs.

She looked at it upside down before passing it to the thin woman who took it carefully between finger and thumb, but said nothing.

I waited for a moment, but they had decided on silence as the group response. ‘Well thank you.’ I felt awkward, stupid and out of place as I walked away.

* * *

Fortunately the roads were not too busy.

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