London Lodgings by Claire Rayner

Author:Claire Rayner [Rayner, Claire]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-84982-029-5
Publisher: M P Publishing Limited
Published: 1994-09-01T04:00:00+00:00

The day after the funeral, which was carried out by the curate at Holy Trinity, for the vicar had long ago had a great argument with Austen Kingsley and could not be prevailed upon to bury him, Tilly went back to the church and told the curate all about her situation. He sat steepling his hands in quite the accepted priestly manner, even though he was not above five and twenty years old, and listened to her gravely.

‘The Lord will provide,’ he said at last when she had finished pouring out her tale of woe. Tilly stiffened her jaw at that.

‘Not necessarily, Mr Lincoln,’ she said sharply. ‘I have seen people in the streets of London who have no homes at all to go to. Does the Lord provide for them?’

He looked disapproving. ‘That is a somewhat impious way for a lady of delicacy to speak,’ he said. ‘I mean only that “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof,” and you have at present the comfort of a home. So I see no point in discussing this matter with me – ahem – at present.’

‘But surely if I wait until I am sent out of my home I will be neglecting to take sensible care of myself? That would be reprehensible, would it not? I have heard the vicar preach often enough about the need for hard work and foresight in order to make the world a goodly place.’

Mr Lincoln coughed. ‘In a parish like this, Mrs Quentin, it is important to remember that the people to whom one preaches are – ahem – people who have an understanding of the world as it is. We cannot ignore their – um – tastes or their inclinations but must preach in the manner they will find easiest to understand.’

She felt hopeless listening to him and with that loss of hope anger began to grow. ‘You are saying that the vicar here at Holy Trinity is concerned only with the welfare of the rich parishioners who are building houses here, and who make fortunes for themselves in so doing? That you are not concerned with the problems of one of your parishioners who has fallen on hard times?’

‘But you do not know that you have,’ Mr Lincoln pointed out with what seemed to be sweet reason. ‘You are assuming that your father – ahem – has left his property away from you. I am sure you will find that, when the will is read, common sense will have prevailed and an awareness of what is right and proper will have –’

‘I wish I could be so sanguine,’ snapped Tilly. ‘I do not so believe. I fear that I will have no home in the next few weeks because the property has been left to – to another, and that I and my coming infant and my ailing mother will be penniless. I came to ask you if you knew of any respectable Christian charity that would be of aid to me, as a widow in a parlous situation.

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