The Paying Guests

by Sarah Waters

Now, at last, a mouse had been caught—but caught badly, pinned by its mangled back legs. It was making frantic efforts to escape.

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supposed that husbands and wives told each other everything.’ Lilian didn’t answer that. She still looked preoccupied, burdened. And after another minute of silence she passed a hand across her face and said, in the same flat way as before, ‘I ought to go, Frances. I’ve things to do, before Len gets back.’ Frances nodded. ‘Yes, of course.’ But she looked on in dismay as Lilian got down from the bed. Watching her straightening the seams of her skirt, she said, ‘Thank you for coming in. I’m so very sorry to know about your baby. But I’m glad you told me. Thanks for talking so honestly. And thank you for listening to all that—all that vampire business.’ Again Lilian said nothing, simply stood looking back at her through the gloom. Then, with an awkward

amazing way that men, Frances had found, did stare

The house had the dazed wide-awakeness she remembered from the after-hours of other emergencies:

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Bromo, it seemed—then the gushing of the cistern

he was as unwieldy as a sodden roll of carpet.

up on his feet. He greeted Frances with the flustered,

It was Billie who was growing flustered—for Mr Ives had finished with