The Hanged Man Rises by Sarah Naughton

Author:Sarah Naughton [Naughton, Sarah]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Juvenile Fiction, General
ISBN: 9780857078650
Google: G6HkDhVr0LgC
Amazon: B0098MER32
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2013-02-27T00:00:00+00:00

12

The morning after Titus’s visit to Mrs Rancer, Inspector Pilbury arrived late for work. Titus was relieved. He hadn’t slept much that night, worrying that while he’d been spying on the old woman Pilbury might have been in real danger. The Inspector was pale and drawn, though this was not unusual, but seemed otherwise himself. At lunchtime Titus offered to go to the market to give the men a change from their usual pies. The offer was taken up enthusiastically and he took orders for salt beef and cod, oysters, cheese and plum pudding. He headed down to Strutton Ground and hurried round the stalls, annoying all the wives by pushing in front of them, before finally ending up at Doctor Lovegood’s Natural Remedies stall.

While the doctor was talking to another customer he glanced through the dark blue bottles. There was thousand-leaf oil for digestion, distillation of milkweed for torpor, chamomile essence for hysteria, but no sign of anything containing tansy.

‘Looking for something in particular?’ the doctor, now free, said, his eyes narrow.

‘My mother bought some of your tansy oil,’ Titus said, ‘and she said it didn’t work.’

The man glanced around nervously, as if to check no-one was listening.

‘What did she want it for?’

‘Ummm . . . a baby . . . she wanted another baby . . . Another boy.’

The doctor shook his head.

‘It’s not meant for that. If she’d told me she wanted that I’d’ve given her red clover. Tansy’s for long life. This stuff, was it?’

He lifted up a bottle labelled ‘athanasia’. Titus hesitated, then nodded.

‘Athanasia’s Greek for immortality. You sure she’s not ill?’

‘Umm . . . I dunno . . .’

The doctor looked uncomfortable.

‘Listen, son, often people use tansy when they’ve got . . . a tumour. If your ma’s that sick she doesn’t want you knowing, well . . . Here, take this, it’s for pain.’

Titus took the little bottle and thanked him.

Back at the station, the men were delighted with the respite from meat puddings, but Pilbury did not join them so Sergeant Samson sent Titus to his office with a hunk of bread and cheese. Without looking up from his work, Pilbury told Titus to have it.

In the doorway Titus hesitated. What he had seen at the Rancers’ place might be important. But how could he tell the Inspector without arousing suspicion or seeming to be impertinent? Perhaps Pilbury already knew and was following other leads. He almost turned and went back to the kitchen, but something stopped him.

‘Excuse me, sir.’

Pilbury raised his head and Titus was shocked to see just how thoroughly exhausted he looked.

‘I was walking back through the Acre last night and I saw something curious.’

‘Go on.’

‘I was passing Judas Island and I happened to notice a light coming from St Mary Rouncivall. I couldn’t resist a look, you know, see what the old witch was up to.’ He laughed nervously. ‘Her neck was huge, and she could hardly move and she was moaning a lot and, well, sir, I think she’s ill.

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