“They are music to Jack,” Kate said. “Add a couple of power saws and he’ll start singing.”
The driver looked from one to the other for a moment, seeming to be curious about their relationship. Then he opened the black painted door to the house and they went inside.
The kitchen was divine. It had a huge oak table in the center and lots of open shelves full of copper pots, with dishes below. There was a giant Aga cooker against the middle of the back wall. It was a stove that was always warm, always fighting against the cold and damp.
“A lot of this is for the viewing pleasure of the guests,” the driver said. “They want England to look like they imagine it.” He moved a wooden slab to one side to expose a modern induction cooktop. “Microwave is behind those doors. Right now Mrs. Aiken has everything that doesn’t look like a movie set covered up. She likes the old things.”
He opened a big oak door to expose a built-in refrigerator. Inside, there wasn’t a sliver of plastic. Little white pots had red-and-white-checked covers tied on with string. Cotton covered a big slab of cheese. There were several ceramic bowls.
“I like it,” Kate said. “Where are our rooms?”
“Mrs. Guilford said you could choose any one you want. Except the Queen Anne. That goes to Mrs. Medlar.”
They didn’t correct him that Sara had never been married.
“That sounds lovely,” Kate said. “We—” She broke off because the kitchen door was flung open so hard the glass rattled. A woman, grocery bags in hand, came inside with the force of a storm. “Look what you’ve done to my kitchen.” She glared at the driver.
“I, uh, I’ll take your bags up.” The driver scurried out the door so fast he made the hanging pans shiver.
The woman was older, but looked to be strong and healthy. Short, iron gray hair, a cotton dress over a sturdy body. She was glaring at Jack and Kate.
Kate gave her a big smile. “I take it that you’re Mrs. Aiken, the cook.” She held out her hand to shake.
The woman ignored it. “I’m to cook for them!” Mrs. Aiken was scowling. “Worthless bunch, all of them. Parasites. Leeches every one.”
Kate looked at Jack and gestured. Does she mean us?
“Poor little Nicky,” Mrs. Aiken continued. “I don’t know why he bothered. They were sucking him dry. They ate more than he could afford.” She glared at them. “Do you mean to stand there? Go get the food!”
Jack and Kate nearly jammed in the doorway as they tried to get out.
Outside was a white van with the back doors open. Inside were boxes and bags of food.
As Kate took a bag, she glanced over her shoulder. “Who are the parasites?”
“I have no idea,” Jack said, “but I bet you a fifty that your dear aunt knows everything.”
They loaded up with bags of groceries and headed back into the house.
In the kitchen, Mrs. Aiken was still glowering as she lifted a huge, heavy copper pot from a shelf and put it on the table.
“Could I help?” Kate asked.
The older woman looked Kate up and down and obviously found her wanting. “I’ve got a couple of village girls coming to help.” It was a dismissal.
“That’s good,” Kate said. “Uh, mind if I ask what all this is for? If it’s for the three of us, I can assure you that we can take care of ourselves. Jack is great at grilling and—”
“I already said it was for them. The ones coming. I swear I never heard of anything so cruel. They want a time just like the other one. How can that be done? Half of them are dead. And who wants to do over that time? That night? Broke my Nicky’s heart, it did. And that playacting fellow. I knew he’d do something like that.” She looked at Jack by the door. “You want something to eat?”
“No, ma’am, I do not.” He and Kate hurried out of the kitchen.
“Ma’am,” Mrs. Aiken muttered in disgust. “Sounds like I’m the queen.”
Three
Jack hadn’t let it show but he was angered by what the driver had said about the woman called Puck. Nobody deserved to be thought of as “invisible.” He’d known too many people who believed others were insignificant. Humans who were overlooked because they didn’t fit the socially accepted norm of being friendly and gregarious.
It was the “invisibility” of a young woman he’d loved that had caused people to ignore her disappearance. Finding her and her mother had started them in mystery solving.