Doorways Chapter 9e

“She has no choice. It's different.” Darius said moodily.

“Hark at you.” Barney raised his eyebrows at Darius. “And who's fault's that?”

“Will you stop arguing?” Bowles said wearily. “This Margot person?”

“Is tired and on her way home so this better be good.” Darius and Bowles had to adjust their eye level to around the four foot eight mark to focus on the hunched figure of a woman who was at least seventy years old. “Well? Shit, my bloody knees are butching me.”

“We're looking for Alexandria Rayne.” Darius told the grimacing old lady.

“Macca's shed.”

“We can't get to it, ma'am.” Bowles said.

“Ma'am?” Margot cackled. “Oh you are a pretty boy. Ah I doubt she's in it anyway. How much time would you spend in a ten by six tin hut?”

“Have you any idea where she is, Margot?” Darius said desperately. This place was depressing him something awful and his own guilt was adding to it a hundredfold. “Please? It's very important.”

“You could try Bessie Cowall's scrub house.” Margot suggested.

“Eh? Rayne doing laundry?” Barney sneered. “Margot you're senile.”

“Aye and you're ugly.” Margot sniffed. “She helped Bess with her books. Poor cow couldn't add up to save herself and the Cotters were ripping her off left right and centre. Alexandria helped her sort it and showed Bess how to do it too. Bugger knows where she learned all that, but she put the Cotters in their place.”

“Oh get a grip Margot.” Barney scoffed. “Rayne's as thick as a plank. All she's doing is fleecing Bess and the daft old boiler deserves it if you ask me.” Darius was rapidly running out of patience with Barney and his opinions on everything, especially on Alexandria.

“Cope, when Alexandria mentioned me, who did she say I was?” He snapped.

“Huh? Some boffin from the university.” Barney shrugged. “Not my concern who her fancy man is.”

“So given that you know I'm a boffin, and her ... fancy man ... does it not strike you as odd that I'd ignore the fact that my ... fancy girl ... couldn't read or write? Think before you make such asinine comments, Cope, and think more before you make any more insulting comments. OK?” Darius snarled.

“She told us you'd taught her to read and write.” Val smiled. “Poor Alexandria. We didn't believe her. None of us did. All those stories about dancing and hot baths and soap and warm food! Well that just doesn't happen to us here, Master Hawk. Don't be too hard on Barney. The Alexandria you want just never existed here, that's all. Come on, we'll go to Bessie Cowall's.”

“Well if she's not there, we go hole up somewhere.” Barney nodded.

“Hole up?” Bowles frowned. “Cope we don't have the time for that.”

“The gangs round here are night-crawlers. You'll have even less time if that lot catch you out in the open. Suit yourself.” Barney shrugged. “We'll walk with Margot to Bogg's corner, go see Bess, then I'm going back to the jail house.”