Page 81 of Strangers in Time

Oliver peered over his cup at each of them in turn. The weight ofwhat he had just decided to do was clearly pressing down upon his slender shoulders, compacting him into perhaps a lessened version of himself. He turned to look at the till and seemed to be calculating how much money was in there.

Not nearly enough, his sober expression proclaimed. A widower without children now had two, and in contravention of the law. Orphaned children were sent to orphanages. He knew that better than most. He and his brother had gone to an orphanage when their parents had been killed in a railway accident near Doncaster.

“I really can’t believe that Mrs. Pride is gone,” said Molly. “Aside from my mother she was my only companion, really. My father was always so busy.”

“I’m sure he loves you very much, Molly,” said Oliver.

“But he left without a word to me. No telegram, no letter. It’s… it’s inexcusable. And my poor mother’s in a sanatorium. I have no home. I have nothing, only the clothes on my back, literally.” She paused and glanced over at Charlie, who was watching her closely as he finished the last biscuit.

“I’m sorry, Charlie. I know that you have had to manage with far less than I have.”

“You lost your home tonight. And your nanny. You got good reason to be mad. I was mad when Gran died. I’mstillbloody mad,” he added sharply.

She took some time finishing her tea. “If only I had an idea of where my father is.” Molly eyed Oliver. “Before the sirens started you were talking about my father and the men at the graveyard. But it has nothing to do with me, does it?”

“No, not directly.”

“It has to do with my father, you mean? You mentioned this Secrets Act. If he didn’t work for the Ministry of Food, wherewasmy father working?”

Oliver slowly set down his cup of tea and rubbed his thigh where one of the burns he had suffered previously had begun to ache.

“The person I spoke with said he thought your father had also signed the Official Secrets Act.”

“And why would he do that?”

“There are many reasons. If he was involved in the war effort and was privy to confidential information would be one of them.”

“Could it be he was, I don’t know, a spy working against the Germans?” She glanced sharply at Charlie, who was watching Oliver closely. “I know he traveled to the Continent quite often before the war, but I was never told why.”

Oliver said uncertainly, “It’spossible, Molly.”

“Has he been captured by the Germans then? Has… has he been killed?”

“I really have no idea,” said Oliver. “I’m sorry.”

She persisted. “But can you find out more, considering what you used to do? And the men watching me? Maybe they would know something?”

Oliver looked at her uneasily. “I… I can try.”

“I would appreciate that very much, thank you.”

Oliver cleared his throat and said, “I did look up the Beneficial Institute. It’s on the coast near Falmouth in Cornwall.”

Molly said eagerly, “Is there a way to get there?”

“There is no bus service right now. The GWRhastrain service to Falmouth. But with wartime restrictions, it takes about ten hours, and the trains do not run regularly. The military takes precedence and all that. And the Germans routinely bomb the train tracks, so there is that impediment as well.”

“But can I still make the journey? I really need to see my mother. And she may know where my father is.”

“Thereisthe question of the price of the tickets,” said Oliver slowly, once more glancing at the till. “And you’ll need food and clothing and money for lodging and other essentials.”

“I can earn money,” she said. “I… I can work in your shop.”

“Yes, you could. Though sometimes days go by without a customer coming in.”

“Well, I could tidy up the place.”

“Absolutely. Yes, you can.”

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