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‘Didn’t she move to London with the kiddies after he disappeared?’
Mabel nodded. ‘I believe so.’
‘What I want to know,’ said Marjorie, breaking her golden rule of never talking about the past, or the bookshop, ‘is why it has stood empty all these years.’
‘Ray looked into it. You know Ray, the retired police officer who used to run the art and craft shop across the yard, before his heir-hunting business took off.’
‘Yes, of course I know Ray,’ said Marjorie indignantly.
‘He didn’t find anything, did he?’
‘That’s right, nobody inherited the property, which means …’
‘Which means – what, exactly, Marjorie? I really wish you’d get to the point sometimes, and not talk in riddles.’
‘I am not talking in riddles, Mabel. I thought it was obvious?’
‘What?’
‘There is some statute of limitations – if you’ve been missing for so many years, then you can legally be declared dead.’
‘I don’t want to talk about this. What point are you making, Marjorie?’
‘Ray couldn’t find out who has inherited the property for one simple reason.’
Mabel looked at her sister, exasperated. ‘Which is …?’
‘That his wife never filed a claim for declaration of presumed death.’
‘But isn’t it automatic?’ Mabel asked, aware that her sister would have some knowledge of such things, as she had worked as a solicitor’s secretary way back when.
‘No, it is not.’
Mabel stood up, rounded the counter and walked over to the display window, looking outside and across the yard at the bookshop.
Marjorie joined her.
‘His wife doesn’t think he’s dead.’
‘It’s obviously what she wants to believe,’ said Marjorie.
‘I want to believe it too. I miss him.’
Marjorie nodded. ‘So do I.’ Like her sister, Marjorie wished they hadn’t been estranged, and that they’d had a chance to repair their relationship before it was too late. ‘I liked her, you know, Henry’s mother.’
Mabel smiled, remembering the young lady with the infectious laugh. She stared at the bookshop. ‘I think Father liked her too.’
‘Oh, I have no doubt,’ said Marjorie. ‘Remember after the war, she went home, but we were so happy – and so was Father – when they started evacuating women and children from London again, and she returned?’
‘I don’t really remember. Why did they do that?’
‘From what I recall, they still thought there might be bombs dropped on London, even though they had declared victory in Europe.’
‘We didn’t think we’d ever see her again.’
‘That’s when we had a party,’ commented Marjorie.
‘That’s right. It was a bit strange really. We were celebrating VE day and the return of the evacuees.’
