Belle - Lesley Pearse [22]
‘That’s something nice to think about,’ she said, and leaned forward and kissed his cheek. ‘Thank you, Jimmy, for cheering me up. I’ll do what you said.’
They hurried back then, aware they’d both be in trouble for being gone so long, but as they parted at the way into Jake’s Court, Belle waved and he blew her a kiss.
Chapter Five
‘Where have you been?’ Mog asked indignantly as Belle walked into the kitchen after saying goodbye to Jimmy. ‘You should have asked me before you went out alone.’
‘Sorry,’ Belle said. ‘I only wanted some fresh air.’
‘You’re lucky your ma is still in bed,’ Mog said. ‘I’ve got to go out in a minute to arrange Millie’s funeral. The peelers say they’ve had no luck in finding out where her folks live, but I don’t suppose they even tried.’
‘Is there anything I can do to help?’ Belle asked. It was clear Mog was a bit overwrought.
‘Not really, ducks. It will just be Annie and me going. We don’t want no one else tagging on.’
‘Will her family ever find out what became of her?’ Belle asked, thinking how sad it was that such a lively, sunny person should be buried almost in secret.
‘Well, they knew where she was when she first come here,’ Mog said with a disapproving sniff. ‘But they’ve never written. I’d say that meant they had no feelings for her.’
Belle had to agree it looked that way. ‘When’s it to be then?’ she asked.
‘Friday afternoon at four,’ Mog said. ‘At Holy Trinity. We’ll have a little tea here for us and the girls afterwards. Just a little send off, nothing fancy. I’ll make a few cakes and sandwiches. It’s all we can do for her.’
Belle thought witnessing a murder must have made her grow up suddenly, for she sensed Mog was holding in her grief about Millie because everyone always expected her to cope with whatever life threw at her. Belle was used to thinking of Mog as being old, but in reality she was just ten years older than the dead girl, and she’d spent over half her life in this house, rarely going out, at everyone’s beck and call and mostly unappreciated.
She moved closer to Mog, put her arms around her and hugged her tightly.
‘What’s that for?’ Mog said gruffly.
‘Because you’re so special,’ Belle said.
‘Get off!’ Mog responded, but the playful way she pushed Belle away and the tremor in her voice said she was touched.
On Friday at three-thirty, Mog and Annie, in black clothes and veiled hats, left the house to go to the undertaker’s in Endell Street. Millie’s body had been taken there after it had been examined at the mortuary. The two women would follow the horse-drawn hearse on foot the short distance to the churchyard for the burial. During the morning two wreaths and a couple of bouquets had been left at the door in Jake’s Court. There were no cards with them, but Mog thought they were probably from gentleman admirers. Annie had bought a wreath of evergreens with wax red roses, which she said would last longer than a wreath with fresh flowers. She had been very spiky during the morning, and Mog said it was to be expected as she’d been fond of Millie. Belle thought it was more likely she was afraid the funeral would draw further unwanted attention to her.
Lily and Sally, the two eldest of the remaining girls, had been left in charge. Mog told them they were to put the kettle on at four-thirty and lay out the tea things in the kitchen. She and Annie would be back soon after.
As soon as Mog and Annie were out of sight, Belle put on her cloak and left by the back door. The girls were all upstairs – she could hear them shrieking at one another. Dolly’s necklace had gone missing and she had claimed one of the others must have stolen it.
They had been bickering constantly since Millie was killed. Mog said it was because they were bored, but whatever was causing it, Belle was sick of hearing their nastiness to one another. She was going out to find Jimmy.
She didn’t dare go into the Ram’s Head to look for him,