My Name is Eva(12)
And now I’m back in my billet, wondering what to make of all that Tim told me today. If what he said is true, then I can never forgive this Robinson man. I was just about coming to terms with the death of my darling husband as a consequence of conflict, but I cannot ever accept that your life was deliberately sacrificed.
I’m unlikely ever to meet this chap, I suppose, and there’s little chance I could ever tell him how I feel, but I shall do my damnedest to see if I can meet him face to face. I want to curse him to Hell and back for ever for the pain his orders have brought me. In fact, if I can ever meet him, he shall go to Hell.
All my love, darling,
Your Evie xxx
Ps I love you
13
Mrs T-C, 7 November 2016
Keys and Cases
‘I can’t possibly talk to you in here,’ Pat says when she bustles into the drawing room in the middle of the morning. Her mackintosh is stained, it’s missing a button and the loose belt is dangling down the back. She is holding a bulging carrier bag, which has split down one side and appears to be filled with paperwork. ‘We’ll have to go upstairs to your room or find somewhere else to sit. Somewhere quiet, where we won’t be disturbed.’
‘Nobody’s going to hear us in here if we talk quietly,’ says Evelyn. ‘They’re all quite deaf, you know. Anyway, the coffee and biscuits will be coming in soon.’
‘Then they’ll just have to come and find us,’ says Pat. ‘I need a word with you in private, right this minute. Now are we going to move or not?’
Evelyn grumbles and totters to her feet, steadying herself by gripping her walking frame. ‘Oh, very well then. There’s a little sitting room down the corridor. People hardly ever go in there.’
As they leave the drawing room, Evelyn sees the trolley laden with cups and flasks and calls to the carer on her rounds. ‘Mary, could you be a dear and bring us our coffee in the morning room? Thank you so much.’
Pat steers her aunt by the elbow into the quiet, empty room and shuts the door. Once Evelyn has settled herself in an armchair, after fussing over the whereabouts of her hankie and her pencils, Pat starts talking. ‘Auntie, I’m really trying to do my best sorting out the house, you know I am. But yesterday, I found some things I’m really not sure you’d like people to know about and I need to ask you some very important questions.’
Evelyn considers her flustered niece. Careful now, this is how it starts. From now on, choose your words and gestures with the greatest of care. And then she says, ‘Of course, dear. I’m happy to help if I can. But in the end, you know that everything at Kingsley is yours anyway. You really don’t have to ask my opinion about every little thing.’
‘Yes, well, that’s half the trouble. I’m not sure we’re going to want some of the things I’ve just found, unfortunately.’
‘Like what, dear?’ Evelyn studies Pat. Her cheeks are flushed and her hair could do with a wash and a good brush. ‘You do seem to be in an awful tizz today. Are you sure you’re not coming down with something? Are the boys well? And what about your lovely husband? How is dear Humphrey? I haven’t seen him in ages.’
‘Everyone’s fine, thank you. And I’m fine too. I’m just… well, just disturbed.’ This last word is practically spat out and Evelyn tries not to smile. She has been anticipating this moment ever since she came to live at Forest Lawn.
‘Well, take a deep breath, dear, and tell me what the problem is. I’m all ears.’
Pat does as she is told and takes a breath, then her words spill out in a rapid jumble of gabble. ‘I found some keys in the kitchen drawer, like you said, and I tried to unlock the bookcase, which I still haven’t been able to unlock, by the way, and which is still a problem, because it’s such a valuable piece of furniture and the keys I found, well, I suddenly realised that on this bunch of keys were a couple of small keys, which I thought might be for the suitcases I found in one of the spare bedrooms. There was one on top of the wardrobe and one on the floor, so I took the keys upstairs and opened these heavy cases and was horrified by what was inside, absolutely horrified, I tell you. I couldn’t believe my eyes.’
‘Really, dear? Why don’t you slow down and tell me properly? I don’t remember any cases. I probably hadn’t been in that room for years. I’ve absolutely no idea what was in them.’ So why don’t you tell me what you think you’ve found and then we’ll see whether I should be worried?
‘Guns, Aunt, guns! And I think there was ammunition in there as well.’
‘Really, dear? But at Kingsley, we always kept the guns locked in the gun cupboard. Papa was always very particular about it. We never allowed guns anywhere else in the house.’
‘Well, that’s exactly what I thought. But then I looked at these guns and realised these aren’t the sort of guns that the family always used for shooting. And I don’t know anything about guns, you know I don’t. I hate blood sports. And I never got involved in any of the shoots you used to have at Kingsley years ago when I was young, but even I can see that these are not sporting guns for shooting pheasant or ducks.’
‘Aren’t they, dear? What sort of guns are they then?’ Ooh, I am enjoying this. I didn’t realise it would be such fun.