A Dark Anatomy by Robin Blake Read Free Book Online

gaffer. Thwaite’s toothless mouth opened a hole in his copious whiskers and he shook his head gravely.
    â€˜Not a thing, Mr Cragg sir. Not a thing, only this.’
    He produced a horseshoe from beneath his smock. ‘Where was it?’
    â€˜On ground, under the leaf-mould.’
    â€˜Near the body?’
    â€˜No, no. A dozen yard away.’
    I inspected the find. It was worn away from use, but not rusty.
    â€˜Did you find any nails still in the holes? There’s none there now.’
    â€˜No, it were just as you see it.’
    â€˜Well, it doesn’t seem of any significance but perhaps it will bring us good luck in our inquest, Mr Thwaite,’ I said.
    Thwaite spat a thick, tobacco-stained gob onto the cobbles.
    â€˜It didn’t bring the mistress owt of that, did it, though it was by when she died?’
    I could think of no clinching reply to this so I just thanked him and went back inside. As I stood in the passage, about to push open the kitchen door, a servant-girl appeared at the passage end, coming from the family side of the house and wearing oversleeves and a calico apron.
    â€˜Mr Cragg, is it?’ she asked. ‘I’m Polly, sir. Mrs Pearson, she says I’m to come from my work and see you.’
    â€˜Yes, we must have a talk,’ I said. ‘Come with me, will you?’
    And she followed me submissively, through the kitchen and the pantry, to the parlour.

Chapter Four
    Â 
    Â 
    I PUT THE HORSESHOE on the mantelpiece, poked the fire and flung myself into Mrs Marsden’s wing chair. Polly Milroy I invited to take the chair on the opposite side of the hearth. The whiteness of the girl’s mob cap emphasized the self-conscious flush of her face. I adopted a kindly tone.
    â€˜So, Polly, you are the sister of Jenny, whom I met in the woods this morning?’
    â€˜Yes, sir.’
    â€˜And in addition you are – or were – Mrs Brockletower’s personal maid.’
    â€˜Yes, sir, I was that.’
    â€˜Tell me about her.’
    â€˜What sort of thing would you want to know, sir?’
    â€˜Well, the sort of thing that might help to explain what happened. Why she’s dead.’
    Her eyes searched the hearthrug for an answer, but did not find one.
    â€˜For instance,’ I prompted, ‘had she ever told you about anything that happened to her before, while she was out riding? Was there anyone she saw in the woods, maybe?’
    She made her eyes wider, suddenly excited.

    â€˜You mean meeting on purpose? Secret meetings with strangers?’
    â€˜That’s not quite what I meant but, very well, were there any secret meetings?’
    â€˜If there was, she wouldn’t have told me.’
    â€˜Were you not privy to your mistress’s secrets? Some personal maids are, so I understand.’
    She shook her head.
    â€˜Never, sir. Mistress was very private and serious. Didn’t tell secrets. Didn’t laugh and joke. Now I think of it I don’t know why she was bothered having a lady’s maid at all.’
    â€˜Well, it’s usual, surely.’
    â€˜Yes, but for all the use she made of me she mightn’t have been bothered. She never let me dress or undress her. I put her room in order but the closest I got to herself was when I braided her hair, or brushed it. She was always fretting about that hair. Were the ends split, was it falling out? She was always going on about it falling out.’
    â€˜Oh?’
    â€˜It didn’t grow as thick as she would have liked it. She said it was fretting that did it.’
    â€˜Ah! Worrying. What did she worry about, do you think?’
    â€˜Maybe it was Squire. He … Oh, no. I shouldn’t tell that, should I? Will I not get into trouble?’
    â€˜You must tell what you truthfully know, and I will guarantee it does you no harm.’
    For a moment I despised myself saying this. If the squire should choose to punish or dimiss Polly Milroy for