John
While Mason was telling me details about teh time and circumstances ofthe crime, we briskly walked towards the police station. There, walking down the stairs to the cellars, my nose met a distrubing smell of decay. Thats probably the place they examine corpses. And I was right, as he showed me the way to dead leonards, whose case I had to take care of.
"The doctors examined him already. Thats why I called on you. They are uncertain what exactly caused his death. As I told you, he was pushed and fell down a staircase lateron. They dont know ifit was the physical violence inflicted upon him by a fight, the fall or maybe even his drinking habits."
"You told me, that he had been excessively drinking for a long time now. Wouldnt that mean, the alcohol was the reason why his body didnt recover from such impacts? Why do you investigate further when it is clear that he put that upon himself by drinking?"
"Well, we would stop, and yet there are two more problems, which prevent us from closing up the case. Firstly, he was surely injured by someone, in a fight or something similar to that. There are injuries that could just not come from falling down a staircase, so we have to find out who inflicted those on him. Secondly, there is the matter of his fianceé, who I believe is working at your house as a servant. She will surely insist on the persecution of the one responsible for his death. And there is something else..."
He stopped talking and started to observe me, searching for something, looking me up from head to toe.
"And what is there else?" I demanded. I was getting uncomfortable with him looking at me like that. And by the way, I still had some other business to attend to, he may hurry up.
But instead of going on with his talking, he went over to one of the makeshift beds and lifted the blanket it was covered with. There laid a dead man, still young, blonde and his features showed hints of his hard life of working and the exessive drinking of alcohol. I knew him. When Mason called the man Lenards I couldnt connect the name to anyone. Now I had seen him and suddenly I remenbered why the date, time and place made me feel anxious inside. He was the drunkard that attaced Margarets spanish lover.
I didnt notice how Mason was observing every emotion that played on my face quite obviously.
"The other problem, Sir, is that you, our local Magistrate, have been seen, fighting with this man, just mere hours before his death, and in the company with a man, that was earlier seen acompanying a Lady named Miss Hale."
I froze in place. I had been seen. I had to stopp any further investigations on this case. That man was that drunk, he surely wouldnt have survived anyway. It wasnt just to think that way, and yet I couldnt let anyone look further into it.
If word spread, and it surely will onces this inspektor is disturbing every house to find some information, Margaret would know I had seen her with her lover and probably would escape before I had a chance to confront her about it.
But she wouldnt run away, wouldnt she? She would rather stand before me and tell me the truth after I already knew everything instead of running away like a coward. Nevertheless, I could not trust my opinion of her,as it seemes to be that I never knew her at all. The Margaret I knew would have never betrayed me like that, and yet she has. Surely I couldnt think of her character as trustworthy now.
"Mr. Thornton?" Mason tried to get my attention, with one quizzical brow raised at me.
"Yes, I remember. It was me. He attaced the man, I only helped. He didnt fall then, or I would have called somebody to help him. Its not like I would have left him on the streets. At that time I only saw him as a drunkard, searching for trouble and nothing more. The man he attaced was younger than me, I thought it to be right and help him."
"Yes, of course you did. What shall we do then, Sir? What is your command?" He asked, yet his expression showed that he didnt actually believed me, I could even note his voice sounding a little bit to sarcastic for my liking when he called me Sir. As if my actions made him doubt that I still had the right to be called formally like that.
"You will drop the case. You have all the evidence needed to show that he clearly found death in his drinking habits."
"Yes, of course, Sir. We shall proceed as you command." This time, his voice changed to all business again and I was glad for it. He shouldnt dare to talk to me like that.
"You understand you have to be discreet about my part of the story, we dont want the people to over exagerate the circumstances."
"Of course, Sir. I will be and dont doubt that those who know of the case will also keep their mouths shut firmly." He said with conviction.
"But there is one more thing, before you go." He said, after I already turned to leave. Couldnt he just manage to tell me everything that has to be said in a quicker and more efficient way, or did he enjoy being in the cellars with a corpse?
"Go on then, I am already late for my appointment, you should hurry though." I said, annoyed of still not being able to get away from him.
"Do you know of the kind of relationship that Miss Hale had towards the gentleman she was with?" He put an emphasis on the word relationship and I asked myself if he knew about me and her, and yet, how could he have known? There was malice in his eyes, that could have made someone shiver. He surely was up to something else than hurting me by pointing out that Margaret preferred the compony of someone else. Or was he in love with her, too, and his hatred filled eyes are meant for the spaniard?
"No, I do not know, nor do I care." Oh, how much I cared. "And you shouldnt eighter. This would be a theme for mere gossip,not an police interrogation. I think you are payed for work, not tittle-tattle, are we clear?"I told him a little to striktly. I hope he wouldnt search for something else in my words, but just be aware of the threat I just put to his career. He raised his brow again, but eventually nodded.
"I just asked as I remembered that one of my witnesses recalled him being called 'Mr. Hale'by Lenards. It would have been great if it had really been a brother of hers."
A brother? I wished it could have been like that. But she surely didnt have any other siblings. Richard would have told me if he had a son, surely he would have. Mrs. Hale wouldnt have been stopped singing his praises, as that was what all mothers did. She didnt have any sons. And, to add to the list, that man had told me his name, it sure wasnt Hale.
"The man presented himself to me. He was spanish. Not english. So that would answer your question quite eloqently I presume? THis case is finished. I dont want you to disturb the Hales with further useless iterrogations. They are momentarily mourning for a loss, so I would apreciate your keeping your distance form them. You have better things to do, dont you?"
"Most certainly, Sir. The case will be closed, just as you said." The little respect he still had came out as he feared for his position. If I would let comanders know, he was wasting time, he would loose his place.
"Good, I will be on my way now, if you dont mind." I said, fiving him one last nodd as my goodbye and fled the building, as I couldnt wait to get away from there.
As soon as I got out of the police office I breathe d in the fresh air. Well, it was fresh in comparison to the drafty atmosphere in the cellars not long ago. I wanted to know how the air was down in the south, were she was raidsed. Surely, if it had been so green and beautiful there, maybe she wanted to go back, or even leave for spain to get away from here. Maybe that was my fault - maybe it wasnt me but Milton and she knew I would never leave this place, even if she pleaded me. Maybe she longed for the place where she grew up. I could understand how someone was bound to have a place in their hearts for a place they spend such a bright and wonderful childhood in.
Shaking my head, I banned all thoughts of her out of my mind and started to focus on the situation at hand. I am about to meet Mr. Latima to beg for more money, if i wont succed, the future of my mill will be done for.
Margaret
It has been some weeks since mothers funeral. I could onlytell as Dixon told me the date today. It was quiet in our house, father kept to himself while I was holdnign up by doing the chores with Dixon. I didnt go outside, as I didnt want to meet anyone, and I couldnt persuade father to do so eighter. So we kept inside all those weeks, only creeping out if it was completely necessary.
A week ago, when Dixon was out to get the things needed on the market, I broke down. With having no chores to occupy my mind, I started thinking, and that lead my mind to the topic of my loss. I cried my eyes out and was happy nobody noticed. In that moment I couldnt have handled any of Dixons talks, about how my mother would have been upset to see me like that.
But I imagined that I had a right to cry my eyes out, she was my mother after all. I wanted to mourn for her, but it was only possible when nobody watched me. I didnt want father to grieve more because of me, as he was already doing better.
Recently I got a letter from Fred, stating that he was already back and safe in Cadíz. He has met Henry discreetly to plead his case to him. As far as I knew, Henry was a qualified and good lawer, if someone could help Fred, it would be him. I hoped he would send me a letter, explaining the chances Fred had. He would have to write to me as we didnt tell him his spanish name, nor did we give him the information of the place he has found refuge. Its not that I didnt trust him not to blow the secreet, I knew he was loyal, and yet, father didnt trust anyone with the information. He also told me not to tell anybody else of it. So I had to keep it from John. He was the Magistrate of town. What if he felt his responisbility would be neglected if he kept it to himself? What if he would be more loyal to the crown than to me? I couldnt tell him. Not until I was perfectly sure of where his loyalties are.
Though the anxiousty about his arrival and nobody knowing of it was there and created a tension, the house was awfully quiet. Not peaceful, quiet. I had nobody to talk to, nobody to tell my thoughts. The only person I talked to was Dixon, but that didnt help. I needed someone with superior mind to talk to. Someone who I could really talk to, somebody with knowledge and intelegence. I loved Dixon, she was always there for us, she was our most loyal servant, but I couldnt talk to her about any important topics.
I missed him. I missed talking to him. He was my rock, I could hold on to him. It was much to long since I have seen him. That was mostly the reason why I stopped hiding inside of the house. He wasnt coming to me on his own, so I started going outside again with the hope of meeting him in the streets. I knew that the chance of meeting him out in the streets in time of the working hours was very slim, yet I had to try it.
It was a long enough time to be inside and hide from the people outside our own little buble. I started going outside, going to the market, buying the things we needed myself, instead of letting Dixon get it the way it has been these last weeks.
Dixon gave me a little note with all the ssupplies she needed me tou buy for us. Walking through the streets of Milton, sotoping in one store after another, I noticed the glances directed at me, the whispering wiht my name clearly among their words.Not many peobple new me personally but as I got aquainted with the wifes of the manufacrurers, it was sure enought that they did start to waste their brearh to talk about me. Not talk, gossip woul dbe a more appropriate word to describe it.
Surely they were talking about her sympathie for the people of the working class, making up colourfull stories along the way. Surely, they thought, I must have done something desasterous whenever I was in the princeton district. It seemed nobody noticed that I was still wearing my black mourning dress. That didnt seem to be interesting to their judgemental eyes. The sorrow I lived throuhg was of no ones concern. It would not encourage more malicious gossip, so it wasnt a good topic to debate about at all.
Normally I would be frustrated, even furious with their ways, but today, I didnt seem to care at all. I have been inside for long days and the exersion of walking and conversing wiht other people than our loyal servant did wonders, it made me feel a little more alive.
I looked down at my note and noticed that I had just one last store to visit. It was the draperer and I was glad I looked at the paper in time as I was just about to walk by.
When I went inside the usually quiet store, a overly 'positive', if you may call it that way, and extremely squeaky voice filled the whole room. That voice alone demanded all the attention it could get and I immediately regretted entering it in the first place as the voice was unpleasantly familiar. It was Fanny Thornton.
Fanny wore an extravagant gown dyed into a dark violet colour. I shuddered. I had the colour quite vibrantly burned into my mind. The water of the river was coloured with it. The river in which they found him. The corpse of boucher. I willed the pictures away from my mind and tried to make an unnoticed escape. But the problem was, that Fanny was obviously already finished with her choice of goods and already went into the the direction of the door, when she spotted me.
"Miss Hale!" She chirped and I vinced at her tone. She sounded like she had won in a spekulation. I had the feeling she was coming to my side to tell me everything abour some success of hers, as to show me how inferior I was to her. I knew that she turned up her nose at me, so it wasnt something new that she talked to me about her achievements with that silly triumphant expression plastered on her face. How could one so selfish and selfassured be so closely related to somwone so humble and kind? I dont understand. Thinking about that my mind shortly wandered to John and I felt like crying again, as it had been so long sicxe I had seen him. I wanted him to take me into his embrace and tell me everything was going to be alright. He would always stick to my side, never leaving me alone. But I had to stop those thoughts, as tears would start to form in my eyes, which I definitely dont want to explain to anybody right now, least of all to Fanny.
"How are you? You look quite ill if I dare say so." Her concerned face was false, I could have seen that from miles away. Fortunately with commenting on my unhealthy look, alll her concern was already at its end.
"Have you heard the great news?" She asked me, her grinn widening every second that passed, you could have thought the corners of her mouth were about to pay her ears a short visit. She started shoving her right hand and the unmistakably expensive ring into my view, doing it in a way she thought would be inconspicious, and yet it wasnt like that at all.
I understood her wink and dindt want to disapoint her by intentionally ignoring her ring and the message it was carrying. So I started to congratulate her, silently praying to make the converstation with her to stop at that. My efforts didnt stop it, but merel yencouraged her to start a full ant on her future husband, the good connection, the money her owned and a lot more of information I could have lived without, being more triumphant than happy.
A match for money. Who would have thought it. Although it was clear that possesions were very importatn in her rlife, I thought that a sentimental person like her would settle for someone that she at least "liked" and not just called "a little grey". Not someone who was by far older than her, with a personality that you wouldnt admire at all.
My interest was back when she mentioned her future husband venturing in some speculation and was trying to persuade John into doing the same. I did hear about the story of their father. He killed himself because he gambled with fate at speculations and lost everything, leaving nothing but debts to his wife and children. How could she speak wiht such conviction, anticipation even? Could it be that she dindt know about their father past? No it couldnt be. Even I knew it, it would surely not be possible to keep such a secret from their own daughter.
I never had a good opinion of her and with every word, that came out of her mouth, the esteem in which I still held her, for being the sister of my future husband, lowered into a deep and dark absyss. I knew that John would never risk the livelyhood of the families who depend on him. He thought more about humanity than his own economical benefits.
"I am sure, Mr. Thornton would never participate at something as risky as that. Surely not, with so many lives depending on him." I tried to say with as much conviction as I could muster. And yet I didnt want her to see my irritation at her words. Her eyes widend at my comment. She soon recovered and answered in a very extatic voice: "Be sure Miss Hale that I know my brother better than you ever will. We surely dont have financial problems, we never had. So he would risk anything by entering the venture. As for the risk, it is nothing of importance. It will surely win, and if not, we wont even notice, as we have loads of money to spare. Really you shouldnt imagine yourself to know anything about business maters. Everybody does it, how bad could it be than?"
I wanted to apologize to her a she misunderstood my words for an insult at her and her family. She thought I wanted to insult her by demonstrating their financial struggle. But that wasnt my intention at all. I wasnt nearly like her.
But she didnt grant me a second retort as she hurried off to the store owner and shouted for everyone in the store to hear, that he should send tha bills to her home as they were "quite rich enough" to pay it themselfves, as she put it. Not wanting to stand and watch that pathetic spectacle, that she pulled of in front of me, I fled outside, hurriedly trying to get home and away from people. That was quite enough for one day as I wasnt used to it anymore.
Sorry! but it's extra long though...
I had some though weeks, my exams are within my reach and I am freaking out. I had written this chapter already weeks ago, shortly after I updated the last time, and yet I wrote it on paper and didnt have the time to type it....