‘I had been with Gilbert and Dorothy for a year, and Caroline was there, a lovely little girl, similar in so many ways to her father, but she had her mother’s looks. I never wanted much out of life, just somewhere to live. My father had been a good man, hard-working, but with a reckless streak. That explains Ralph’s impulsive behaviour. My mother was the same as me, a stay-at-home mother who always ensured we were clothed, and there was a meal on the table when my father came in. It was a good life, but when I was seventeen, they both died suddenly. My father from too many years down the coal mine, my mother from grief. I was distraught and had nowhere to go. I thought to go into service, work in a grand house somewhere, a domestic. I found an agency, and they put me in contact with Dorothy. We hit it off straight away, and I moved in above the garage. I was happy. I knew my place and they treated me well. Gilbert was always exceedingly polite to me, not abusing his position, no pushing up against me in the house, pinching my bottom. Always the perfect gentleman. I grew to love them both very much.
‘One day, Dorothy was in the kitchen. She was sad. I went over to her, and she told me what the problem was. It seemed that Gilbert was desperate for a son, but Dorothy couldn’t give him one. She had had a difficult birth with Caroline, and she was incapable of bearing another child.’
Wendy sat transfixed by the story, Isaac couldn’t say a word, only to listen to Molly recount an incredible tale.
‘I had never considered motherhood, not for myself. All I wanted was a quiet and simple life, but I could see the anguish in Dorothy. I offered myself.’
‘Her reaction?’
‘Shock, what else? To me, it seemed the ideal solution. They were my family, and I was always a practical person. I could see a way out of any dilemma.’
‘She agreed?’
‘Not then, but over a few months she’d occasionally raise the subject, and I would always reply in the positive. It was a great deal of trust we placed in each other, in Gilbert. Not once did the bond break between the three of us. Eventually, we all sat down and discussed the matter. It was me who convinced them that I was the best, the only opportunity for them to have a son. No guarantees you realise, as it could have been a daughter.’
‘Any legal agreement between you and them?’
‘I would never have accepted it. They were family. This was my gift to them.’
‘You became pregnant how?’ Isaac said.
‘Men, they always see the difficulties,’ Molly said to Wendy. ‘It was a long time ago, no visits to a fertility clinic. I slept with Gilbert on three separate occasions, Dorothy and me calculating the optimum times.’
‘Dorothy?’
‘She wasn’t there when I slept with Gilbert. She always went out those times. Anyway, the third time I’m pregnant. six months later, I left the house and checked into a place up north, Dorothy coming with me. Caroline was at a boarding school for two months, and then she spent the next holiday with Gilbert and then a cousin in Cornwall. After the birth, Dorothy and I returned with Ralph, his mother holding him close to her body.’
‘Dorothy was now the mother?’ Wendy said.
‘Oh, yes. I was delighted in that I had given birth to Gilbert’s son. You must have realised that I always loved him. Dorothy was pleased, and her husband now had a son.’
‘After that day?’
‘I was there as my son grew up, although he never knew, and I never spoke to Gilbert and Dorothy about the matter. Nothing changed after our return, and I loved them both all the more.’
‘Did you…?’
‘Never. Apart from becoming pregnant, Gilbert and I never slept together again.’
‘Yet Ralph became trouble, a disappointment to his father.’
‘It was my side of the family, don’t you see. My father could be reckless, but I still loved Ralph regardless. He was a lovely boy, a charming man, and he has never found out the truth.’
‘Why have you told us this?’ Isaac said.
‘I had to. My friends are dead, and I am slowing down. One day it will be my turn to pass on. I need, at least once, to hold my son and for him to recognise me for who I am. It’s the foolish request of an old woman, and it might cause complications, but I had to tell you first.’
‘Why?’ Wendy said, a lump in her throat, a tear forming in her eyes.
‘Someone murdered Gilbert. Your investigations need the facts, and my relationship with Gilbert and Dorothy may have some bearing on your investigation.’
‘Do you think anyone else knows the truth?’
‘It was a long time ago, and none of us ever spoke of the matter. It was always our secret. You must understand why I have come here today.’
‘We do,’ Isaac said, feeling the same emotions that Wendy did.
Chapter 19
Michael checked out of the rehabilitation centre, and after a few days at Yolanda’s hotel, moved in with Ralph. It was not an ideal situation. For one thing, both men still felt uneasy in the other’s presence, and also Michael proved to be untidy, open toothpaste tube in the bathroom, dirty clothes thrust into the washing machine looking for someone else to wash and dry them.
Ralph prided himself on his appearance, his clothes arranged on hangers in his wardrobe, his washing done by a lady who came in once a week. And she was now complaining, wanting more money, not to mention having to clean the sheets after Michael had
