Meet Martha Plank
You will have heard of my husband, I am sure. Constable Samuel Plank has been a magistrates’ constable for more than ten years now, and there’s not many in our part of London – that’s Marylebone – that don’t know him at least by reputation. And as for that reputation, well, I would say he’s a fair man, and definitely a good man, respectful of the law – but sometimes a little quick to temper, and certainly not lacking in confidence when it comes to his own appearance!
And as a husband? Well, you’d have to hunt high and low to find a better. When I first met him I was only fifteen and thought, as young girls will, that there would be plenty of men to choose from and I need not settle too soon. But he was so kind and so patient that I said to myself, Martha, these other fellows are just windmills in your head, whereas this man – this gentle man who reads stories to you and spends his wages on flowers and ices just to see you smile – he’s here and he’s now.
As to what he saw in me, he reminds me often enough: he liked my smile and my eyes and my curling hair and my curving figure. But in our years of marriage – coming up on three decades now – I hope I have shown him more than that. Certainly I think he knows I have a good mind; after all, he taught me to read and write and I picked that up fast enough. But when there’s a problem that’s gnawing at him, he tells me of it and I think I am usually of help. Even Mr Conant (Sam’s magistrate) suggests that he asks me, only half in jest.
It is a blessing that we have our closeness, as the Lord has not seen fit to send us any children of our own. Not that we lack young company – what with the girls I see at the school and the young constables Sam is asked to help – but I would have given a great deal to see Sam bouncing his own child on his knee.
Now, then, see what talking about yourself does: here’s me all maudlin and red-eyed, and Sam due home any minute. It’s a good job I’ve his favourite pigeon pie waiting for him – a hunk of that on his plate, and my head could drop off and he wouldn’t notice.
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Buy links
Fatal Forgery (the first Sam Plank Mystery):
https://mybook.to/FatalForgery
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