5 March
One of my favourite people calls me on my mobile.
“Helen, Catherine from New Mills library here. I’ve just realised that I knew Fred’s wife quite well, lovely, sweet lady named Martha Handford. There are so many Handfords in the area I didn’t realise when I first spoke to you that Martha was Fred’s wife. I never knew if she was divorced or widowed since she never spoke of her husband but all I do know was that she was a lovely lady.”
Not for the first time I thank my lucky stars that everyone seems to know everyone else in the village.
“Now I wouldn’t want you to write anything bad about Martha and she’s long dead of course but when she was alive I believe there was talk…”
“Talk of what?” I ask.
“Young women,” said Catherine, “At Ball Beard Farm; well – one woman at least.”
I talk around the subject and push gently but there is no more information forthcoming.
Once again, the young woman is never actually named.
Read Janet’s Story here, in full.
The Stranger In My Life 