Page 107 of Strangers in Time

“I don’t understand.”

“You mean Ignatius never told you?” she said, obviously enjoying this.

“No.”

Macklin took a puff of her cigarette. “Well, perhaps he thought you too young. Though you’re asisterand all,” she added disdainfully.

“So what happened?” asked Molly, ignoring the other woman’s ugly tone.

“I’m not sure I should tell you if Ignatius thought not to.”

Molly realized by Macklin’s body language and expression that she was simply dying to convey what she knew. “I can assure you that I am mature enough to be told the circumstances of her passing.”

“You sound like you read lots of books, too,” said Macklin in a way that was clearly not a compliment.

“I’ve been known to pick up one or two,” Molly replied diplomatically. She had faced individuals like Macklin who, though she ran her own business, thought that a woman should probably never open a book, but only cook, sew, clean, and make babies. “But if you’d rather not tell me, that’s fine. I have some things to do.” She started to turn back to the bookshop.

Macklin tapped out her smoke on the cobbles and drew closer to Molly, her expression one of ill-concealed delight at what she was about to communicate. “Well, she took a train to the coast, Cornwall, I believe it was.”

Molly faced her. “And Mr. Oliver?”

“Hesaidhe had no idea she was going there. Anyway, she apparently walked all over the place till night fell. Then do you know what Imogen did?”

“What?” said Molly breathlessly.

“She went up on one of them cliffs there and… jumped into the sea.”

“Oh my God.”

Molly’s visceral reaction was real. While she had just learned that Imogen had taken her own life in Cornwall, she did not know the exact details because the letter had not mentioned them.

Macklin’s eyes danced merrily at Molly’s stricken expression. “Oh yes. Now, folks saw her do it, and tried to stop her. That’s how we know what happened. The tide was fierce and they never did recover her body. There were ships and mines, and U-boats all over.And, well, she was done for anyway, right? No sense in risking more lives to bring back a dead body. Especially one what done herself in.”

Molly let out the breath she had been holding. “How horrible.”

“Took her own life, she did. A mortal sin.” Macklin made the sign of the cross, kissed her fingertips, and looked to the sky. “Poor thing,” she added, with far more relish than sadness, at least to Molly’s thinking.

“Mr. Oliver must have been devastated.”

“Man didn’t leave his shop for weeks, except to do his air warden bit. I did what I could after he told me what happened, brought him some food and such. But the man was clearly in pain. Thought he might go out of his mind, actually. But he finally come round. And I’m sure it’s done him good having you here, dear. Men shouldn’t be alone. They get all sorts ofwrongheadednotions, don’t they?”

For one awful moment, Molly suspected that Mrs. Macklin knew something about Oliver that might be very damaging. “Yes, I’m sure he does like having me here. He is so very kind and gentle… and patriotic. You know, his George Medal and everything.”

Macklin just stared at her without comment, which was odd in itself, but perhaps not, if the woman knew something.

“Well, I must be going,” said Molly.

“Yes, and I must finish up here. Work, work, it’s never done. Now, don’t go telling Ignatius what I told you. It’ll be our littlesecret. Seems to be lots ofthosefloating around these days.”

With Macklin’s Parthian shot still ringing in her ears, Molly went up to her room and lay on the bed, her mind full of worry.

“Our little secret”? And “lots of those floating around these days”?

Molly felt terrified that she might very well end up losing both OliverandCharlie.

And then I’ll truly be all alone.

A SECONDREVEAL

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