McQueen's Agency by Maureen Reynolds Read Free Book Online

dark scarf over his face, but with the mist being so thick, he was only an indistinct shape. But yes, she thought, it was definitely a man.
    ‘I walked into a lamp post, Mum.’
    Irene looked dubious. ‘A lamp post?’
    By now, Edna had fished out her small make-up bag from the drawer and was applying a thick smear of Max Factor Pancake Stick to her bruise. It helped a little bit but didn’t cover it entirely. She didn’t know what to do. Should she sign off work today or go in as usual?
    Irene said, ‘You can’t go into work looking like that, Edna. Do you want me to go to the agency?’
    ‘No, Mum, I’ll be all right.’
    She brushed her skirt and jacket, then almost cried when she saw the ladder in her nylon stockings.
    ‘Oh no, and this is my only pair,’ she said.
    ‘Wait a minute and I’ll sort that out,’ said Irene.
    She took the small bottle of pale pink nail varnish out of the make-up bag and placed two dots, one at the top of the ladder and one at the foot. ‘That’ll stop it running up the entire stocking.’
    Edna gave another glance in the mirror and noticed that her curls had indeed gone limp. Sighing, she wrapped the scarf around her head and went back out into the street.
    ‘Do you want me to come with you?’
    Edna wanted to say yes; that she was scared to go out into the fog, but she didn’t want to give her mother any more trouble. She had enough on her plate looking after Billy.
    ‘No, Mum, I’ll be fine. I’ll watch where I’m walking.’
    Edna was dismayed to see the mist was still as thick and, instead of going past the park she decided to go up Constitution Road and reach John Knox’s house from another direction.
    She half expected her assailant to leap out again but she reached the safety of the house.
    John was looking out of the window as she made her way through the garden and he had the door opened by the time she reached it.
    ‘I was worried about you. I …’ he stopped when he saw her face.
    She tried to smile. ‘I walked into a lamp post. Would you believe it?’
    He ushered her into the kitchen and made her sit down. As he made a pot of tea and toast, he kept gazing at her, a worried frown on his face.
    ‘Maybe you should see a doctor.’
    Edna tried to be light-hearted about the whole episode. ‘No, I’ll be fine.’
    They sat by the fire and she was glad of the hot tea. She felt a bit calmer now but she was sure if someone measured her heart rate it would go off the scale.
    She gazed morosely at the ruined stocking. Perhaps she could pay a visit to the Sixty-Minute Cleaners in the High Street. They advertised ‘Invisible Mending’ for hosiery.
    John was talking and she hadn’t a clue what he said, she had been so fixated about her nylons. He refilled her cup.
    ‘I was saying that I don’t think we should do any work today. I’m sure you are still in shock over your accident.’
    Edna thought of Molly and how she would view the whole episode. It was hardly a professional thing to do, to miss an entire day at work.
    ‘Honestly, I’m fine.’
    To emphasise this feeling of being fine, she took her shorthand pad and pencil out of her bag.
    John gave her another worried look but got up and reached for his notes. He had noticed the small dots of nail varnish and he thought she must have hit the lamp post with her entire body in order to bruise her face and also damage her stocking. And she was going to gave a real humdinger of a black eye by tomorrow.
    However, he said nothing and they worked away until dinnertime when they stopped for some hot soup and cheese sandwiches.
    The hot meal revived Edna’s spirits and she was conscious of a feeling of well being in this cosy house. Not to mention the attractiveness of her client.
    They then worked on his book until the early afternoon and by the time she was ready to leave, the sun had come out.
    As she put her jacket on, John surprised her by saying, ‘I feel like a walk in the sunshine. Do you mind if I come a