The Women of Heachley Hall by Rachel Walkley

Author:Rachel Walkley [Walkley, Rachel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Spare Time Press
Published: 2018-05-03T18:30:00+00:00

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‘So, the house was let to the Observer Corps during the war,’ I informed Charles when I returned home later in the day. He was applying putty to the edges of a drawing room windowpane. The air reeked of linseed oil. My assaulted nose spontaneously wrinkled and I stifled a sneeze with the back of my hand. He carried out the task with remarkable ease and skill; pushing his thumb into the putty, while leaving even amounts spread along the edge of the wooden frame. Until I came to Heachley, I’d never lived in a house that didn’t have sealed metal units.

‘And you read this in a booklet in the library?’ Charles asked. He rolled a small amount of putty between his fingertips to warm it. In the background the radio played softly, floating a voiceless melody across the room. He’d plugged it in on the far wall.

‘Yes.’ His lack of interest in my discovery surprised me, but there again, perhaps Felicity had told him about how the hall was used during the war. Maybe, she’d had a copy of the pamphlet on her bookshelves and he’d read it himself.

Before I could ask, he shot a glance over his shoulder. ‘What else did you find out?’

I sighed, heavily with puffed cheeks. ‘Not a lot. I should go to Norwich and visit the library there, they might have more information.’

‘What are you hoping to find?’

His reflection in the windowpane showed his eyes narrowing to form letterbox slits. I moved closer to the window and inhaled the potent aroma of linseed. Opening up to Charles had become easier over time; he seemed genuinely interested in my situation and often encouraged me with ideas for improving the house, especially when my mood darkened and I lost sight of the end-point: selling the place.

‘Since I can’t find Felicity’s secrets here, I thought I might find out more about the house and its previous occupants. The librarian recommended the archives in Norwich, but when do I have the time? I’ve deadlines to meet.’ I couldn’t afford the charges either and would have to do the research myself.

Bending over the windowsill, he hunched his shoulders and bowed his head, hiding his face away from the reflective properties of the window. ‘Secrets?’

‘The contents of her box. Frankly, I think it was chucked away and nobody has it in them to admit to it. By nobody, I mean Eva Kendal.’

‘It’s becoming an obsession, that box.’

‘You reckon.’ I scoffed. It had, but then so had Heachley and the need to earn my fortune. ‘It fills my time between drawing pictures of tin can robots.’

‘No more two-headed monsters?’ He picked up the knife and began to smooth the putty, focusing in on his task.

‘I’m taking a break—’

The rapping of a distant knock interrupted.

‘Hell-oo,’ the woman’s voice sang through the hallway. Charles’ shoulders stiffened again and the knife skidded across the putty, scoring a line into it.

Liz Pyke appeared in the doorway. ‘I’m sorry, the back door was open. I tried to ring but you couldn’t have heard the bell.

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