Page 62 of The Midnight Secret

‘Ordinarily she’d have been sent to Grosse Île, the quarantine island thirty kilometres from here, but by that time it was cut off by the ice, and the only way in or out is by boat. She’s in the isolation unit here.’

‘...And Mary? Where is she while Lorna’s being held?’ James asked.

‘She’s currently in the Red Cross nursery with the baby.’

‘Where’s that?’

‘Still in the Port. She can’t go through without her companion.’

Flora and James looked at one another in disbelief. They were still in the city? The two women’s misfortune was their good luck: paperwork and weather had conspired to keep them here in the city. If they had been able to go straight through when they’d docked, they could have been on a train within three hours and ended up who knew where?

Flora squeezed James’s hand, trying to keep her excitement in check.

‘...I don’t understand. Why can’t Mary go through?’

‘She can’t work with a newborn. The companion stated in her papers that she’s a nurse and will be the financial provider. So until she’s cleared from quarantine, the other one has to wait in civil detention.’

Detainment. Flora couldn’t bear the thought of her child’s first months of life being spent like this. He was seventeen weeks old, and six of those had been spent on board ship and in civil detention. Was it much different from a prison? Their hours regulated, movements restricted...

‘But they’ve got money, haven’t they?’ Flora knew that Mary had stolen the money Donald had earned selling the ambergris.

‘Not enough. Not under the new rules the government’s bringing in. It hasn’t been fully rubber-stamped yet but we’ve already been told to crack down. Things are bad here, and getting worse; we don’t need more burdens on the state.’

‘Is Lorna still unwell?’ James asked. ‘She must have been in over a month now. Either she’s actively recovering or she’s actively dying.’

Landon shrugged. ‘I don’t have eyes on the medical files, only the landing cards and papers. That’s all I know.’

‘What will happen to Mary and the baby if Lorna dies?’

‘The mother won’t have any way to earn, and they’ll be deported on the first boat in spring.’

Flora was alarmed by the thought of Lorna dying – she was still a young woman. She would never forgive Lorna for what she’d done, but that didn’t mean she wanted to see her dead.

The waiter appeared with their drinks and James sat back in his seat, deep in thought, as they were set down. He waited for the man to walk away. ‘The nursery – can we go there?’ he asked, keeping his voice low.

‘No,’ Landon said bluntly.

‘Not even for an inducement?’

‘It’s next to impossible. They’re not yet free citizens ofCanada. They’re in detention – that means they’re being held in a secure space and guarded.’

Flora remembered the barred windows.

‘The quarantine unit then?’ James pressed, undeterred.

Landon scoffed. ‘Even worse. You do understand they’re trying to contain hazardous, highly infectious diseases that could lead to epidemics if they were to get into the general population? Authorized personnel is small and entry to the building is highly restricted.Ican’t even get in there, and I have access nearly everywhere.’

‘Well, that’s very useful to know, Mr Landon.’ James glanced around the room quickly before reaching into his jacket pocket for the wad of bank notes and discreetly slipping them under Landon’s newspaper. ‘That’s for the information you’ve provided so far,’ he murmured.

‘So far?’ Landon enquired. But he didn’t look disappointed.

‘Yes. I have another proposition for you: get us a meeting with Mary.’

‘I’ve already told you—’

‘Next to impossible doesn’t mean impossible. There’s always a way.’

Landon stared. ‘The risks would be much higher. I could lose my job—’

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