Free Mistress of Greyladies by Anna Jacobs

get tired of pestering her if she didn’t give him any encouragement?
    She shivered. Would he, though? He’d made her feel nervous today, as if he was intending to take over her life by force if necessary. But she didn’t want to go anywhere else. It was daunting to think of being on your own in a strange town where you didn’t know a single person and couldn’t even find your way around.
    And what was she doing standing in a shop doorway like an idiot? She’d noticed a small hotel near the station which advertised itself as a ‘family hotel’ and had a vacancies sign in the window. She’d try there. It wasn’t too far from the station.
    Even that wasn’t easy. The lady behind the counter studied her, eyes narrowed. ‘On your own, are you?’
    ‘Yes. I lost my job when my employers moved away. I’m looking for work.’
    ‘Where’s your luggage?’
    ‘At the station, in the left-luggage office.’
    ‘Shouldn’t a young woman of your age be staying with family?’
    ‘I don’t have any family, only some cousins who live out on a farm. There are no jobs there, so I’ve come back into Swindon.’
    ‘Who were you working for?’
    She hesitated and saw suspicion grow on the woman’s face, so told the truth. ‘I was working for Mr and Mrs Stein. They’re Austrians not Germans, but they were taken into custody because they’re foreigners, so I’m out of work.’
    Expecting to be told there were no rooms, she was given a smile instead. ‘Ah. I thought your face looked familiar, but I couldn’t place you. The Steins made the new curtains for the hotel sitting room last year. They did a lovely job of it, too. I agree the government has to be careful with foreigners, butI can’t imagine
them
harming anyone. All right. I’ll give you a room. I’m Mrs Falshaw, by the way.’
    Phoebe let out her breath in a whoosh. ‘Oh, thank goodness! It’s getting a bit late to be wandering the streets looking for a room.’
    Mrs Falshaw reached for a key. ‘No men allowed in the bedrooms, mind.’
    ‘I don’t have a boyfriend. Do you do meals?’
    ‘No. But I’ll provide you with a pot of tea and two biscuits for sixpence and there’s a shop on the corner which stays open till nine. They’ll do you a sandwich and they usually have some little cakes.’
    ‘Thanks. I’m very grateful to you.’
    ‘That’s all right. I don’t like to think of a decent young woman walking the streets. I’ll have to ask you for payment in advance, though.’
    Phoebe paid the money and was taken up to a small but clean room and provided with a ewer of cold water to wash in.
    ‘Hot water is twopence extra.’
    ‘I’d rather save my pennies and use cold, thank you. What time does the left-luggage office close, do you know?’
    ‘It’s open till midnight. Come to the desk when you want your pot of tea, but make it before half past nine. We close the hotel at ten.’
    It was lovely to have a quiet room and some time to simply sit without having to chat. After a while, Phoebe realised the shadows were lengthening and the sun had started to go down. She’d better go and buy something to eat before the corner shop closed.
    The shop owner was very obliging and made her a ham sandwich.
    ‘We get quite a few people coming in at this time for something to eat,’ the woman said, obviously in a chatty mood. ‘Off the trains, usually. We don’t often have much bread left over by the end of the evening.’
    ‘It must give you a long working day, though.’
    ‘I don’t mind. I put my feet up for an hour in the afternoon and leave things to my husband. There you are. A shilling with the bun.’
    Outside Phoebe was tempted to sit in a small public garden nearby for a few moments, enjoying the cool evening air. She saw a man come into the garden and tensed, ready to get up and run, but he chose another bench to sit on and didn’t even glance in her direction once he’d sat down. He was a bit older than her, quite good-looking, though