William Monk 05 - The Sins of the Wolf

you seen the conductor?” Hester demanded breathlessly.
    “No I haven’t. But for heaven’s sake lower your voice.” And without further comment she withdrew into her compartment.
    “Can I help you, miss?”
    She spun around. It was the conductor at last, his bland face unsuspecting of the trouble she was about to impart. Perhaps he was used to hysterical female passengers. She made an effort to keep her voice calm and under some control.
    “I am afraid something very serious has happened….” Why was she shaking so much? She had seen hundreds of dead bodies before.
    “Yes, miss. What would that be?” He was still quite unmoved, merely politely interested.
    “I am afraid Mrs. Farraline, the lady with whom I was traveling, has died in the night.”
    “Probably just asleep, miss. Some folk sleep very deep—”
    “I’m a nurse!” Hester snapped at him, her voice rising sharply. “I know death when I see it!”
    This time he looked thoroughly disconcerted. “Oh dear. You quite sure? Elderly lady, is she? Heart, I suppose. Took bad, was she? Ye should’a’ called me then, you know.” He looked at her critically.
    At another time Hester might have asked him what he could have done, but she was too distressed to argue.
    “No—no, she made no sound in the night. I just found her when I went to rouse her now.” Her voice was wavering again, and her lips almost too stiff to form the words. “I don’t know—what happened. I suppose it was her heart. She was taking medicine for it.”
    “She had forgot to take it, did she?” He looked at her dubiously.
    “No of course she didn’t! I gave it to her myself. Hadn’t you better report it to the guard?”
    “All in good time, miss. Ye’d better take me to your compartment and we’ll have a look. Maybe she’s only poorly?” But his voice held little hope and he was only staving off the moment of acknowledgment.
    Obediently Hester turned and led the way back, stopping at the entrance and allowing him to go in. He pulled the blanket back from the face and looked at Mary for only an instant before replacing it and stepping out again hastily.
    “Yes, miss. Afraid you’re right. Poor lady’s passed over. I’ll go and tell the guard. You stay ’ere, and don’t touch anything, understand?”
    “Yes.”
    “Good. Maybe you’d better sit down. We don’t want you fainting or anything.”
    Hester was about to tell him she didn’t faint, and then changed her mind. Her knees were weak and she would be very glad to sit down again.
    The compartment was cold and, in spite of the rattle and jolt of the train, seemed oddly silent. Mary lay on the seat opposite, no longer in the comfortable position in which shehad gone to sleep, but half turned over as Hester had left her, and the conductor had seen her upturned face. It was ridiculous to think of comfort, but Hester had to restrain herself from going and trying to ease her back to a more natural position. She had liked Mary, right from the moment they had met. She had a vitality and candor which were uniquely appealing, and had already awoken in Hester something close to affection.
    Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the guard. He was a small man with a heavy mustache and lugubrious eyes. There was a smudge of snuff on the front of his uniform jacket.
    “Sad business,” he said dolefully. “Very sad. Fine lady, no doubt. Still, nothing to be done now to ’elp ’er, poor soul. Where was you takin’ ’er?”
    “To meet her daughter and son-in-law,” Hester replied. “They will be at the station….”
    “Oh dear, oh dear. Well, nothing else for it.” He shook his head. “We’ll let all the other passengers get orff, and we’ll send for the stationmaster. No doubt ’e’ll find this daughter. What’s ’er name? D’ye know ’er name, miss?”
    “Mrs. Griselda Murdoch. Her husband is Mr. Connal Murdoch.”
    “Very good. Well, I’m afraid the train is full, so I can’t offer you another compartment to sit in, I’m sorry. But we’ll be in London in another few moments. You just try to stay calm.” He turned to the conductor. “You got something as you can give this young lady, medicinal, like?”
    The conductor’s bushy eyebrows shot up.
    “Are you asking me if I got strong drink on me person, sir?”
    “Of course I in’t,” the guard said smoothly. “That’d be agin company policy. But I just thought as yer might ’ave had summink medicinal on yer, against the