A Loveless Marriage

Chapter 24: Fred

As a small market town, Bishopton had little to distinguish itself from any of the other Lake District towns.  It had a picturesque square, little stone houses and cobbled streets, which is fine if you like that sort of thing.  The only good thing I could say about the place is that it was well-served by the trains, although they were only passing through on their way to more remarkable places.

According to the grizzled station master, there were two establishments with decent rooms; the Grand Hotel and the Red Lion.  Although the Red Lion looked slightly shabbier, I was reliably informed that they did an excellent breakfast and I felt some intuition that it might be the sort of place Mary would stay if travelling incognito.

As the landlady bustled around, I was proved right about my hunch.  I saw my wife's handwriting across the pages of the guest book "Mary Taylor, Mary Taylor, Mary Taylor", the most recent dates made my stomach lurch.  She was still signing her maiden name a month ago, living a life away from me as Mary Taylor.  I did not know why it bothered me so much but it did.  On reaching my room, complete with chipped wash jug and hideous wallpaper, I unpacked quickly.  Unwilling to be left alone with my thoughts, I descended to the front bar.

It was not as lively as I had hoped, but the barmaid pulled a good ale, so I settled into the Snug and tried not to dwell on the guest book.  The curly-haired barmaid was not a bad-looking girl, on the right side of twenty-five with lovely almond-shaped eyes that lingered on me.  

Tempting.

My loneliness was close to consuming me, I longed to feel the warmth of another body under my own.  She gave a broad smile as she cleared my empty glass and asked if I wanted another.  She told me her name.

         "Mabel, that's pretty," I said, charming her with my smile.

          "Why thank you, sir," she said with a coquettish dip of her head.

So tempting. It wouldn't take much.

I lit my cigarette and took a sip of beer.  As pretty as the girl was, she wasn't what I was here for, but she could help me in another way.

    "I'm visiting Chestnut Lodge tomorrow, do you know the place?"

Mabel looked unexpectedly flustered, a reaction that perplexed me.

   "Yes," she said hesitantly. "Are you one of them alienists, sir?"

  "No, I am not," I said, trying to remain calm.  "Do I look like one?"

The girl gave a nervous laugh. 

   "More like a lawyer, sir," she said.

   "Clever girl," I said smoothly.  

It seemed like a plausible lie.  I had uncovered a truth though, Mary's mother resided at a place that employed alienists, which seemed to suggest one thing: my mysterious mother-in-law was a lunatic.

The next morning I woke with a dread of what secrets I was about to uncover.  Mary has been right about one thing, our marriage was built on lies.  Maybe her absconding was a gift, I could be rid of her with a small allowance and very little embarrassment.  The thought of my life without her caused me such intense pain that I could not move from my bed.  Inside I howled like a child but I clenched my fists so no tears escaped. These emotions were best swallowed down and ignored.

I had no plan for when I got to Chestnut Lodge, just trusting that my instincts would kick in and the lies would flow smoothly.  My breezy self-confidence and good suit got me past the dragon of a matron, then through the doctor's door.  

    "And what can I do for you, Mr Wilkes? A relative in need of our care, perhaps?"

There was no plan.  All I could do was reach inside my pocket and place crisp banknotes on the desk in front of me.  The eager flicker of greed on his face as he leaned forward gave me hope.