the verge of losing control for she took her hands away from her face, pulled a handkerchief out of the open, sacklike leather bag at her feet and held it over her eyes for a moment. Then she blew her nose and stuffed the handkerchief up her sleeve.
The telephone rang. Antonia leaped to her feet, but Blake grabbed her wrist before she could run to answer. ‘Wait a minute,’ he said. ‘OK – now. And take it carefully.’
‘Hello?’
They all watched as her body sagged again.
‘Yes. Thank you, Georgie. It’s really kind of you to ring. No. No, there’s no news. Yes. Of course. If there’s anything, I’ll ring you. No. No, that’s OK. Right. Bye.’
She was breathing heavily as she returned to the fender stool.
‘Just a concerned friend,’ she said to Blake. ‘Another one. They think it helps. What was it you were saying?’
‘You’d just said you felt guilty and I couldn’t understand why. You weren’t even in the country.’
‘That’s why,’ she said with an unsuccessful attempt at briskness. ‘If I’d been here, it would never have happened. I know that. If I hadn’t let my work take me away, Charlotte wouldn’t have had to be with someone irresponsible enough to let this happen. She …’
Antonia couldn’t go on and sat biting her lower lip and staring helplessly towards Trish, who got up at once and went to sit beside her on the wide fender stool. The fireplace behind them was empty and smelled faintly of soot and brass polish.
‘Look,’ she said quickly, ‘that’s not true, Antonia. Lots of mothers who’ve gone back to work have to be away at weekends occasionally. It’s not your fault. You couldn’t have known this might happen.’
‘No, but it has, and I wasn’t here to stop it,’ said Antonia. ‘And it was I who chose Nicky to look after Charlotte and so it is my fault. It has to be. You must see that.’
‘Yes. Now, Nicky Bagshot,’ said DCI Blake. Trish had the feeling that he was working hard to sound calm, almost uninterested. ‘Tell me about her, Ms Weblock. Where does she come from?’
‘There’s not much to tell. She’s only twenty-one, but she trained at the Wincanton School of Nursery Nursing, which has a wonderful reputation.’
‘And was that how you found her? Directly from the training school?’
‘No. She got herself on the books of Holland Park Helpers, who have one of the safest names in the business. They’ve got all her details. I’m sure they’ll hand them over if you ask. She’d done a series of temp, jobs by the time she came to me, and she got good references from them all. She’s always seemed reliable, and absolutely truthful. That’s why I believed her.’
They were on to it at once, even before Trish had opened her mouth. It was the WPC who voiced the question.
‘But you haven’t spoken to her since you got back this morning, and you said it was Mr Hithe who telephoned you yesterday. When have you talked to Nicky?’
‘I haven’t. What d’you mean?’
‘You said it was because of her truthfulness that you believed her. That sounds as though you’ve spoken to her.’
Antonia produced a smile of sorts.
‘Not about this, Constable Derring. It was a few weeks ago. I was worried about something but Nicky reassured me and I believed her.’ The smile disappeared as Antonia started to bite her lips, first the top and then the bottom, gnawing like a rodent trying to eat its way out of a trap. Trish briefly touched her hand just as the chief inspector said:
‘What were you worried about?’
‘I didn’t think it was sinister, you see. She’s a nice girl, kind. I’m sure she is. If anything she’s usually too soft on Charlotte. I’ve noticed she can’t bear to hear a child crying and so she tends not to be very strong on discipline and she gives in much too easily. But Charlotte loves her. I know she does – and she wouldn’t have if they’d meant anything, would she?’
‘If what had meant anything?’ asked
The telephone rang. Antonia leaped to her feet, but Blake grabbed her wrist before she could run to answer. ‘Wait a minute,’ he said. ‘OK – now. And take it carefully.’
‘Hello?’
They all watched as her body sagged again.
‘Yes. Thank you, Georgie. It’s really kind of you to ring. No. No, there’s no news. Yes. Of course. If there’s anything, I’ll ring you. No. No, that’s OK. Right. Bye.’
She was breathing heavily as she returned to the fender stool.
‘Just a concerned friend,’ she said to Blake. ‘Another one. They think it helps. What was it you were saying?’
‘You’d just said you felt guilty and I couldn’t understand why. You weren’t even in the country.’
‘That’s why,’ she said with an unsuccessful attempt at briskness. ‘If I’d been here, it would never have happened. I know that. If I hadn’t let my work take me away, Charlotte wouldn’t have had to be with someone irresponsible enough to let this happen. She …’
Antonia couldn’t go on and sat biting her lower lip and staring helplessly towards Trish, who got up at once and went to sit beside her on the wide fender stool. The fireplace behind them was empty and smelled faintly of soot and brass polish.
‘Look,’ she said quickly, ‘that’s not true, Antonia. Lots of mothers who’ve gone back to work have to be away at weekends occasionally. It’s not your fault. You couldn’t have known this might happen.’
‘No, but it has, and I wasn’t here to stop it,’ said Antonia. ‘And it was I who chose Nicky to look after Charlotte and so it is my fault. It has to be. You must see that.’
‘Yes. Now, Nicky Bagshot,’ said DCI Blake. Trish had the feeling that he was working hard to sound calm, almost uninterested. ‘Tell me about her, Ms Weblock. Where does she come from?’
‘There’s not much to tell. She’s only twenty-one, but she trained at the Wincanton School of Nursery Nursing, which has a wonderful reputation.’
‘And was that how you found her? Directly from the training school?’
‘No. She got herself on the books of Holland Park Helpers, who have one of the safest names in the business. They’ve got all her details. I’m sure they’ll hand them over if you ask. She’d done a series of temp, jobs by the time she came to me, and she got good references from them all. She’s always seemed reliable, and absolutely truthful. That’s why I believed her.’
They were on to it at once, even before Trish had opened her mouth. It was the WPC who voiced the question.
‘But you haven’t spoken to her since you got back this morning, and you said it was Mr Hithe who telephoned you yesterday. When have you talked to Nicky?’
‘I haven’t. What d’you mean?’
‘You said it was because of her truthfulness that you believed her. That sounds as though you’ve spoken to her.’
Antonia produced a smile of sorts.
‘Not about this, Constable Derring. It was a few weeks ago. I was worried about something but Nicky reassured me and I believed her.’ The smile disappeared as Antonia started to bite her lips, first the top and then the bottom, gnawing like a rodent trying to eat its way out of a trap. Trish briefly touched her hand just as the chief inspector said:
‘What were you worried about?’
‘I didn’t think it was sinister, you see. She’s a nice girl, kind. I’m sure she is. If anything she’s usually too soft on Charlotte. I’ve noticed she can’t bear to hear a child crying and so she tends not to be very strong on discipline and she gives in much too easily. But Charlotte loves her. I know she does – and she wouldn’t have if they’d meant anything, would she?’
‘If what had meant anything?’ asked
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