“He asked me if I remembered a woman who sometimes visited the Bluebell children, and brought us things.”

“And did you?”

“When he reminded me. She once brought a rag rug. In the middle it said, ‘ABC’ in red. Round the edge, it had numbers one to ten in yellow. No one had ever seen anything like it. She said that if we stood on the letters, we would be good at reading and writing. If we hopped from number to number, we would learn our sums very well.”

“That sounds a wonderful rug.”

“He said she takes an interest still, and that I should visit. She lives in the village, the bottom house on Silver Street. I should tell her that I am making my way in the world.”

Chapter 54

Chapter Fifty-Four

The Dell house didn’t look right. I sensed Mrs. Dell was still absent. The shutters were up at the downstairs windows. It was if the occupants planned to go away for the season, or someone had died.

“Still want to give it a try?” Sykes asked.

“Yes. You two stretch your legs and stay out of sight. If Gertrude is here, it will disarm her if she thinks I’ve come alone.”

I lifted the knocker and let it drop, knocking three times.

When no one answered, I turned the knob. The door wasn’t locked. I stepped into the hall. “Hello! Anyone here?”

Footsteps on the stairs.

Gertrude and Eliot Dell appeared. Both wore long black motoring coats. She wore a fur headband over a woollen cloche.

“Oh Eliot, Gertrude, hello! Benjie said I’d find you here. I’m sorry I let myself in but the place looks deserted.”

Now that she was closer, Gertrude gave a cold smile. “Hello, Kate.”

“I’m glad to find you together. I can see you’re just on your way somewhere, but do you have a moment?”

Eliot opened the door to the billiard room. The only light came through the slats in the shutters. The place felt eerie, with the dark shape of the big table dominating the room. The chairs all stood in a row at one side. We were not meant to sit down. And I would get nowhere with them if I used the same line as I had on Benjie—an outbreak of smallpox on the ship.

Eliot went to the window. He opened the shutters, letting a pale light into the room. The cover on the billiard table had looked black. Now it was its green self.

Eliot stayed by the window, looking out. “You have a different car.”

“Yes. Apparently the steering linkages on the Short Two deteriorated.”

Eliot inclined his head. “How unfortunate. And you’ve come alone.”