The Silent Cry by Anne Perry

composure in her which Hester could not help but admire. Her first impression was most favourable.
    She stood up immediately. "Good morning, Mrs. Duff. I am Hester Latterly, the nurse Dr. Wade engaged in your behalf, to care for your son during his convalescence.”
    "How do you do, Miss Latterly." Sylvestra spoke with a low voice, and rather slowly, as if she measured her words before she uttered them. "I am grateful you could come. You must have nursed many young men who have been terribly injured.”
    "Yes, I have." She considered adding something to the effect that a large number of them had made startling recoveries, even from the most appalling circumstances, then she looked at Sylvestra's calm eyes, and decided it would be shallow, and sound as if she were minim ising the truth. And she had not yet seen Rhys Duff, she had no idea for herself of his condition. Dr. Riley's pinched face and anxious eyes, his expressed desire to hear of his progress, indicated that his fears were deep that he would recover slowly, if at all. Dr. Wade had also seemed in some personal distress as he spoke of it to her when engaging her.
    "We have prepared a room for you, next to my son's," Sylvestra continued, 'and arranged a bell so that he can call you if he should need you. Of course he cannot ring it, but he can knock it off on to the floor, and you will hear." She was thinking of all the practical details, speaking too quickly to cover her emotion. "The kitchen will serve you meals, of course, at whatever time may prove most suitable.
    You must advise Cook what you think best for my son, from day to day. I hope you will be comfortable. If you have any other requirements, please tell me, and I shall do all I can to meet them.”
    "Thank you," Hesteracknowledged. "I am sure that will be satisfactory.”
    The shadow of a smile touched Sylvestra's mouth. "I imagine the footman has taken your luggage upstairs. Do you wish to see your room first, and perhaps change your attire?”
    "Thank you, but I should prefer to meet Mr. Duff before anything else," Hester replied. "And perhaps you could tell me a little more about him.”
    "About him?" Sylvestra looked puzzled.
    "His nature, his interests," Hesteranswered gently. "Dr. Wade said that the shock has temporarily robbed him of speech. I shall know of him only what you tell me, to begin with. I should not like to cause him any unnecessary annoyance or distress by ignorance. Also…" she hesitated.
    Sylvestra waited, with no idea what she meant.
    Hester took a breath.
    "Also I must know if you have told him of his father's death…”
    Sylvestra's face cleared as she understood. "Of course! I'm sorry for being so slow to understand. Yes, I have told him. I did not think it right to keep it from him. He will have to face it. I do not want him to believe I have lied to him.”
    "I cannot imagine how difficult it must be for you," Hester acknowledged. "I am sorry I had to ask.”
    Sylvestra was silent for a moment, as if she too were stunned even by the thought of what had happened to her in the space of a few days. Her husband was dead and her son was desperately ill, and locked in his own world of isolation, hearing and seeing, but unable to speak, unable to communicate with anyone the terror and the pain he must feel.
    "I'll try to tell you something about him," Sylvestra replied to the request. "It… it is difficult to think of the kind of things which would help." She turned to lead the way out of the room and across the hall to the stairs. At the bottom she looked back at Hester. "I am afraid that because of the nature of the incident, we have the police returning to ask questions. I cannot believe they will trouble you, since naturally you can know nothing. When Rhys regains his speech, he will tell them, but of course they don't wish to wait." A bleakness came over her face. "I don't suppose they will ever find who did it anyway. It will be some pack of nameless ruffians, and the slums will