Underbelly (5 page)

“
Is this about Stuart?” Laura asked. He had only been gone a few days and Laura assumed his mother was worried about him, needlessly in her opinion. He was a quiet man to whom solitude would come naturally and she felt that he would enjoy working as caretaker for her property and Grey and Germaine’s farm.

“
No, it’s a little odd, truth be told. I just thought you should know that I had two priests asking me strange questions about you yesterday.”

“
What did they ask you?” Laura said, not bothering to hide her discomposure.

Margaret was vague, unable to remember exactly how they had worded their questions, though she assured Laura that she told them very little (she knew nothing of Laura’s secrets anyhow). Laura asked her to describe them and the descriptions made her believe that they were sent from Rome, which disturbed her further. She left Margaret alone and made her excuses to the others, saying that her migraine had worsened, as she went up to her bedroom.

The party was over by ten, at which point Laura heard a knock on her bedroom door. She went to her door and saw Alice standing there, clearly about to ask her something.

“
Sorry for disturbing you, Laura. Is it still no better?”

Laura shook her head glumly.

“
I’ve tried to keep them quiet downstairs so as not to bother you. The guests are leaving now and I was wondering if it would be all right if my three friends stay in my room with me. They’ll be no bother.”

“
I expect they’re your bridesmaids so it would make more sense for them to stay. I don’t mind,” Laura said, having bigger things to worry about.

“
Thanks ever so much. See you in the morning,” she said chirpily, a sharp contrast to the misery Laura was feeling. An investigation by the Catholic Church was the last thing she needed. If they had talked to Margaret Lambert then they had probably talked with others, or intended to. Even if the church decided to take no direct action against her, they would still ruin her life in Scotland, advertising what she was. With her way of life under threat she realised how much she enjoyed her life in Ravensbeck, which had seemed a little dull after the Greys’ departure but only because she hadn’t had enough time to readjust to solitary living. She tended McKinley’s grave here, at the village church in the dead of night; her home was the place of their courtship. McKinley was not the only thing that tied her to the area, Ravensbeck and the land that surrounded it beauteous and unspoilt, possessing a natural beauty once present over much of Britain in the years of her youth and now largely gone. Industrialised Britain was not to her tastes, Ravensbeck belonging to an earlier century and the place she loved. She would survive moving if she had to, but to never return – that would be a hardship.

Father Rossi had Reverend Stuart sit down as he began the dark tale of cruelty and inhumanity, of mass murder and sordid perversion – what he believed to be Laura’s history. The farfetched tale was utterly implausible, yet Reverend Stuart took it seriously, trusting the storyteller. After he had learnt as much as Father Rossi knew about the monster in their midst, he asked, “What are you going to do about her?”

“
We are here to control her.”

“
If Laura is that person, and I feel that it has to be proven more conclusively,” Reverend Stuart said, realising that, as a member of his community, it was his duty to protect her until she was proven to be a witch, “how could such a person be controlled?”

“
We have ways.”

Reverend Stuart kept talking with him for a while longer before he left the cottage to go in the church where he knelt and said a silent prayer. He believed that Laura was all that Father Rossi said that she was, which also meant that demons and witches were real, and he talked to God for comfort. His prayer was long and when he got up his legs were stiff and he felt a hand on his shoulder, making him jump.

“
It’s just me,” Father Rossi said, noting his alarm. “I hope what I’ve told you hasn’t disturbed you too much.”

“
The world has changed. If dark forces are real that means that our work is more important, I think. My mind is a little clouded,” he admitted. “Are my parishioners in danger?”

“
The beast is quiescent. For how long, we don’t know, but we endeavour to find out. God is with us, Craig,” he said supportively.

“
From what you’ve said that’s just as well.”

Laura couldn’t sleep and heard Tony stumble around in the early hours, helped to his bedroom by Alice who Laura sensed had never been to bed, sitting up alone. She went down to join her, startling Alice who didn’t hear her approach.

“
Aren’t you feeling tired?” Laura said.

“
I know I’ll have horrible dark circles under my eyes tomorrow but I can’t sleep. My mind’s too active.”

“
It’s a big day for you. I think that’s why the men get so drunk, because they know they’d never sleep either.”

“
I’m sure Ewan will be sleeping soundly now. He said they were going to drink Ravensbeck dry and I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve done that. My dad can hold his drink and he was paralytic so I don’t know what the rest of them will be like tomorrow. A lot of those old wives tales they were telling you for headaches will be being tried out in the village.”

“
Now that you’ve seen the place are you interested in moving up here in the future?”

“
I don’t think so, though it’s beautiful. I’d have come here to live with him if he wanted but I’m pleased he doesn’t mind settling in Southampton because that makes my life easier. I work as a teacher and I think I would find it hard to find work around here, and Ewan loves his job down there at the docks. We will come up here a lot though.”

“
What do you think of your in-laws so far?”

“
His mother is really friendly, I can see she’ll be a proud grandmother.”

Laura stared at her knowingly, smiling a little and Alice smiled back at her and admitted, “Yes, there will be a baby Chapman early next summer. Spring probably.”

“
I imagine your parents know.”

“
Yes, but the wedding was arranged before I knew I was pregnant so they’ve never been cross or anything.”

“
I didn’t think they would be. They seem very easygoing.”

Alice nodded. “They’re both treasures. We’ll be living with them for a while and I’m sure there’ll be no problems. I don’t think there’d be any problems if we were staying with Ewan’s parents either.”

“
Has his father talked to you at all yet?”

“
Yes, but I think he’s a man who’ll take time to get to know,” she said generously.

Laura looked at her closely and smiled at her and took her hands in hers. “Even if you don’t get a wink of sleep tonight you’ll still look beautiful. You’re glowing,” she said, Alice’s happiness making her radiant. While she felt the girl was nice, she praised her so because Laura was playing a part – if she was going to be demonized she had to start winning people over and make them believe her too nice to be what was claimed. In the olden days it was always the unpopular women who were burnt, not pillars of the community, and she considered changing how she was regarded.

“
Thank you, for everything. We all really appreciate it.”

“
I’m just glad to be invited to your wedding, even though there’ll likely not enough room for me.”

“
There is. We don’t know how everyone will fit in the church, but there will be room for you.”

“
My wedding was a small affair. He would have invited everyone he’d ever met if I’d let him, that’s the sort of man that he was, but I kept the numbers down.”

“
Has he passed away?” Alice asked sensitively.

“
Yes, a while ago.”

“
I know it always sounds inadequate, but I’m sorry.”

“
It was a long time ago, Alice, before the war. He was a Scot too, so I can understand your choice.”

“
It feels so good to know it’s the right one too. I think a lot of people married in haste during the war and are now living to regret it. Ewan and I have been seeing each other for four years, when his leave allowed – we spent a week together up here in the winter of 43 at a friend’s cottage, which his parents didn’t know about. I wanted to marry him back then and he did propose to me early on but he always insisted that we married after the war. He said he wouldn’t make a widow out of me so young so we had a three year engagement instead.”

“
That’s quite thoughtful of him,” Laura said, expecting very little from any of the Chapmans.

“
He has that side to him, very strongly, actually. You must have been widowed young yourself, Laura."

“
Yes, well, better to have loved and lost, et cetera. On the eve of my wedding day I was as sure as you that I was making the right choice and the marriage was the happiest time of my life, even if it was all too brief.”

“
What about James and Germaine? How nervous were they?” Alice said, knowing a little about them from Ewan and interested in talking about them as Laura was obviously fond of them, their wedding photograph the only photograph on display (though there were many paintings on the wall, including a portrait of McKinley).

“
I think they were fine. James slept at the Lamberts the night before because of silly tradition and Germaine didn’t have a bridal shower, she just spent the evening fantasising about her big day. Theirs was a small wedding and that makes it easier.”

“
I always wanted a big do. I’m probably having a bigger do here than if we’d married in the city.”

Laura stayed up all night with her, asking her for details of her courtship, which she keenly gave, confiding a lot in Laura who she sensed wouldn’t be judgemental. Laura was less revealing, talking more of the year she had spent with Grey and Germaine and of their wedding rather than secrets of her own life. Alice talked of her family, admitting that she was the daddy’s girl out of the three of them and that he would be the one person who could set her off crying if he started.

“
Prepare to cry then because I can’t see him remaining dry-eyed giving you away.”

Alice laughed lightly at this astute observation and said, “He’s said he’s going to try not to, just because he doesn’t want to give the Scots any ammunition.”

Kate was the next one up and she asked Laura how she was and then noticed that Alice was in the same dress from last night and realised she’d never been to bed.

“
Alice! Go up for a couple of hours now quickly.”

“
I won’t sleep and it’s too late now anyway. How’s Dad?”

“
Not good, but he’ll be fine in a couple of hours. I don’t know what they’ve given him – do they serve moonshine in these parts, Laura?”

“
A lot of them drink strong whisky and that would be my bet,” Laura said.

“
Don’t be cross with him though, Mum, he had to go with them.”

“
I’m not cross with him. I’m going to go and wake the others up – I’ll leave him for a little while – and then we’ll start getting you ready,” Kate said, starting to feel excited herself.

“
The countdown has begun,” Laura said to Alice after her mother had left them.

The house was madness all morning, the bathroom perpetually occupied and clothes being ironed last minute as the bridesmaids (all three of Alice's friends and her two sisters) and Kate and Tony ran around in a panic. Alice was calm throughout, as was Laura, who dressed up for the occasion in a long flowered dress with a thick grey man’s long blazer buttoned up over it and her long black hair brushed back. Alice looked beautiful in her demure bridal gown but it was one of the bridesmaids, Georgie, a made-up bleached blonde, who appealed more to Laura, who would have seduced such a girl during her bisexual period. Another car was laid on for the bridal party and Laura travelled with Alice’s three friends to the church. Laura took her leave from them and entered the packed church – almost every villager was there, along with many young men she didn’t recognise, likely friends of Ewan. He was already there and was being propped up by two of his friends, joking with a couple of others nearby, and in front of him, next to the inexperienced vicar, she saw them. They were sent from the Vatican, she had no doubt of that, and the elder of them looked right at her and smiled disingenuously. She smiled back – while they wouldn’t fall for her front, she still had to give it a try, deceit preferable to confession.