The Hanging Noose

Twenty-Two

1924

To our Dottie,

How are you? How is baby Eliza? I suppose she's no longer a baby anymore. I was told by Micheal and Rosemary to stay away, so I did, for the sake of your health, I just hope that has paid off. I hope to see you soon, I've missed you so much, my darling girl. The whole family have.

Thomas is getting married. He's marrying the girl who betrayed us before you and Micheal came back to me. Her names Grace. I would love for you to come, to come back home where you belong, however if you choose not to come, I won't hold it against you.

The wedding is in Arrow House on the outskirts of Birmingham. It's a beautiful house, and I have a beautiful room already prepared for you.

I hope you're well and hope to see you soon. I love you.

Lots of love,

Mum

Dottie fiddles with her hair as she reads the letter over and over again. She hardly expected a letter from her mother. She heard the first time when Micheal came to the house in Kent, Rosemary shooed him away, begging for him to leave before Dottie got distraught. That was nearly two years ago, and now as Dottie sits with a sleeping toddler buried in to her side, her heart aches, missing the arms of her mother and her brother.

She had been surprised when she read that her cousin Tommy was getting married. Tommy never seemed like the type to settle down, at least not her and Tommy spent some time together two years ago. Her eyes travel over the words over and over again as her driver continues driving down a small narrow dirt path in the middle of nowhere. Dottie takes a deep breath as she moves her eyesight to look out of the window, seeing fields of green grass and shrubs. A house comes in to view.

"Miss, shall I wait for you here?" Her driver, Lawrence, a friend of Rosemary's, asks, looking at her via the middle mirror.

Dottie shakes her head, "no. Drop me off and then go back to Rosemary. I will be here for a while, Lawrence."

Lawrence frowns slightly, his cap dipping to which he uses one hand to quickly adjust it. "Miss, I cannot leave you."

"Lawrence, I'll be with my family. Nothing bad will happen," Dottie argues back, "you know Henry, you should know he won't let anyone hurt either one of us."

"Miss, I was instructed to stay with you and keep my eye on you—"

Dottie tilts her head slightly, catching his eyes in the middle mirror with her own. He looks away.

"Do you trust me, Lawrence? I will put myself in no danger. I have grown out of that phase of mine," Dottie says, itching at her neck, "now, I insist. Go back to Rosemary and thank her for letting me stay."

Lawrence doesn't respond for a moment.

"This will be our secret," Dottie adds. "Now please, go back to Rosemary."

Lawrence nods his head, "alright, miss. Give Henry my best wishes."

"I will." Dottie responds, nodding her before she looks out the window again. "Where are we, Lawrence?"

"We're on the outskirts of Birmingham, miss."

Dottie nods, staring at the large house. As they pull up to the house, the door opens to reveal a confused Polly. Dottie can see the frown on her face.

Dottie leans down to the toddlers head, folding the letter and placing it in to her bag, "wake up, darling."

Eliza murmurs, shaking her head.

"I have someone I want you to meet," Dottie says as the car comes to a slow down the dirty path, she can see Polly's frown deepen, "wake up, darling, come on."

Eliza shakes her head again, trying to push her head in to Dottie's side however, as the car pulls to a halt, she bolts her eyes open, confused as to why they are stopping.

"Micheal!" Polly yells in to the house, "Micheal! Get down here! You won't believe who's here."

Dottie smiles as she opens the door, allowing Eliza to crawl out behind her and helping her down on to the ground. Polly is quick to move, running to Dottie and wrapping her arms around her daughters frame.

"My darling girl," Polly breathes deeply, clinging to Dottie's body, "I have missed you so much! So much!"

Dottie breathes in, inhaling her mothers scent, "I've missed you too, Mum." She says in to her ear, "I've been begging to see you!"

Polly pulls back, taking Dottie's full face between her hands. Her eyes skin over every feature, "you look so healthy, so happy now. I'm glad."

Dottie smiles, the same smile Polly used to see in her dreams all those years ago. Dottie pulls back, looking down at Eliza. She picks her up, sweeping her up from her feet and balancing her on her hip.

"Do you remember the stories I've told you?" Dottie asks, pushing Eliza's curly hair away from her face, "about your nana?"

"Granny—"

Dottie is quick to stop her daughter from talking, "no, baby, your other Nana. My real mummy. Do you remember me telling you about her?"

Eliza nods her head.

"Well this is her," Dottie says, facing Eliza towards Polly, "you're named after her, do you remember me telling you that? You're Elizabeth Pollyanna."

Eliza shakes her head, burying her head in to Dottie's neck and wrapping her arms tightly around Dottie's neck, refusing to be released by her.

Dottie strokes down Eliza's curly hair, looking sympathetically at Polly, "I'm sorry. She's really tired, she's shy, but normally not like this."

Polly nods, "that's okay. Let's get your bags, and I can show you your room. She can sleep and me and you can talk, does that sound alright?"

Dottie grins, "that sounds good."

Polly smiles, going past Dottie to the car and grabbing the same bag she had packed for Dottie nearly two years ago. She resists the urges to let her smile grow, before she leads Dottie in to her nephews large house. They take a short walk up the stairs and down a corridor before Polly shows Dottie a large room with its own bathroom.

A large double bed sits in the middle of the room, the large windows allow the sun to dance in and a fireplace sits cozily opposite the bed, next to a door leading in to a small bathroom.

Dottie is quick to lay Eliza down on to the bed, tucking her in and wrapping the blankets around her. She strokes her daughters hair as she falls asleep, with Polly watching from the doorframe, noticing how different her daughter looks from when she last saw her.

When she last saw her, she was skinny, with her bones poking out from beneath her skin, there were large eye bags underneath her eyes, her hair was thinning and greasy, her eyes dim with hardly any life to give.

Polly was extremely worried about her daughter, however, now looking at her, seeing her plump body and her healthy skin, with her eyes full of life, she knows she did the right thing, allowing another woman to look after her daughter.

Her worries are set aside when Dottie turns her head, looking at Polly.

"I've missed you so much, Mum."