Dear Diary
I don't consider myself a motherly type, not even to Jane – for her I am perhaps more a big sister – maybe ... but what some people do to their children is just plain wrong – though in this case it was a step mother.
Lila Waddington had gone missing, her father called me in to find her. He told me she was struggling to come to terms with the death of her mother the previous year and when I was introduced to his new and very pregnant wife I could understand how she felt – I think. The new Mrs Waddington was young, very young, I don't think she's that much older than Lila's elder brother, Paul, and Mr W must have married very quickly after the death of Lila's mother. Apparently she committed suicide in an asylum, was very religious which was something Lila had become – but – she was even more so, had a portrait of the Virgin that was apparently weeping tears and believing it was a sign and gone to the convent to ask to become a noviciate, they said she was too young so in her desperation she went to the very asylum her mother had died in and had herself committed!
Jane, meanwhile, had got into trouble at school, a fact Aunt P was at pains to tell me was scandalous – Jane had defended a girl who was being bullied so we decided on a written apology though I am glad Jane sticks up for the less able girls – when Jane went to get her books and work from school she managed to get into Lila's locker and took her diary which indicated she was in love with her brother even though it was a sin. Did we get that bit wrong!? Lila had seen her brother and step-mother in a less than innocent position, I think, and it was this love she referred to. When I saw them together I understood – the little touches, the softening of the voice – it is highly likely the baby Mrs W carries is Paul's – they are that intimate. Mrs W 2nd had tried to pay off the convent and had painted the portrait with glycerine so Lila thought it wept. The convent have agreed to take her, and she will be safe there, I suppose. My fee from Waddington is that he talks to his workers about the strike, offers them terms, maybe a wage rise.
And that brings me to the 2nd case that occurred while I was looking for Lila, an anarchist was shot at the docks while I was there, a young man, he died in my arms, it brought back memories ...
His name was Yourka, he had a sweetheart. He was at the docks to destroy some ammunition the cell were planning to use but he was killed by someone who was sort of leading them, they were planning a bank robbery. Really, Diary, it was all a bit messy, badly organised ... an attempt was made on my life then Dot was kidnapped instead of me, just because she was collecting the milk from the gate they assumed she was me. Yourka's girl, Nina, was at the 'safe house' when they took her, so Dot tells me, and she was the one who told them they had the wrong woman. I mean, if you're going to kidnap someone make sure you know what your victim looks like ... I roll my eyes at the ineptitude!
My Latvian isn't brilliant, and Nina's isn't good, being raised in Australia, so Jack was told the wrong bank branch. Me and Hugh, and Nina's father (Diary I had a very brief fling with him) went to the right branch – all well in the end, though Nina's father was shot, not fatally, thank goodness, there had been enough killing.
I found out more about Jack, he stood on the picket line during the police strike of '23, almost rebellious for the dour Inspector, he was lucky he kept his job, but I'm glad he did, he's very good at it. He was impressed at my resourcefulness at getting Mr W to negotiate with his workers to end the strike.