A Mother's Courage (10 page)

Ted cast an anxious glance at Harcourt. 'Can I
go with them just a bit of the way, master?'

'I won't hear of it,' Harcourt said grimly. 'Put
Jester in harness, Ted, and bring out the dog cart.
You must drive them to the station.'

'Thank you,' Eloise murmured, taking Joss
from Ted's arms. She watched him disappear
into the dim recesses of the stables and then she
turned to Harcourt with an attempt at a smile.
'You at least have shown me kindness, Mr Cribb.
I won't forget that.'

'Nay, lass. I had a duty to our Ronnie's wife
and I fear I have let you both down. It's the least
I can do for you.' He hooked his arm around
Ada's shoulders. 'Stop struggling, Ada. You
cannot go with them and there's an end to it.
Come inside and Mabel will take you up to your
room.'

Eloise gave Mabel a hug. 'Goodbye, dear
Mabel. You have been a true friend to me and I
will never forget you.'

'G-goodbye, ma'am,' Mabel said, gulping back
tears. 'I shan't forget you either.'

'I'll need you to help me,' Harcourt said,
attempting to control the wildly struggling Ada.
'We must get her back indoors before the rest of
the household stirs.'

With great difficulty, for Ada was putting up a
valiant fight for freedom, they half dragged, half
carried her across the yard to the scullery. Beth
had begun to cry and Joss was whimpering
against Eloise's shoulder and it took her all her
time to pacify them. After what seemed like
hours, but was only minutes, Ted brought the
dog cart out of the stables and he tossed the luggage
in the back. As soon as Eloise and the
children were settled on the driver's seat, he
leapt nimbly up beside them and took the reins.
'To the station then, ma'am?'

'To the station, Ted,' Eloise said, sighing with
relief. Inside the house she could hear voices, and
bleary-eyed grooms were stumbling out of their
sleeping quarters to hold their heads under the
pump in the yard. Ted flicked the reins and Jester
sprang forward, eager to be off. Eloise could
have shouted for joy. She was escaping from
Cribb's Hall and she had her children clutched to
her breast. Her only sadness was on leaving Ada,
but she prayed silently that now Harcourt was
fully aware of her plight, he would do something
to improve her lot. Eloise might hate her mother-in-law
and Joan with a passion, but she had a
sneaking liking and a certain amount of respect
for her father-in-law. Had things been different,
she knew that she could have grown quite fond
of Harcourt Cribb.

A blood red sun was slowly edging its way
above the horizon and they were heading into its
fiery light as Ted expertly handled Jester, driving
the dog cart down the drive and out through
the wrought-iron gates. To Eloise it was like
escaping the mouth of hell and she knew that
whatever the future held, it was not going to be
quite as awful as the months she had spent in
Cribb's Hall.

'Are you all right, ma'am?' Ted asked
anxiously.

'I'm perfectly fine,' Eloise replied, smiling. 'I'm
just sad that I had to leave poor Ada behind.'

Ted glanced over his shoulder. 'Look round,
ma'am. I think Miss Ada had other ideas.'

Eloise twisted in her seat and saw the ungainly
figure of Ada with her arms flailing like a windmill
and her long legs gangling like those of a
newborn colt, racing after them with her bonnet
hanging off and her cloak flying out around her.

'Stop, Ted,' Eloise cried, tugging at his arm.
'For pity's sake stop.'

Ted drew Jester to a halt and he sprang down
to help Ada, who had fallen headlong and was
sprawling lengthwise in the mud. She was limping
as he helped her to the vehicle and bundled
her somewhat unceremoniously onto the back
seat.

'Ada, are you hurt?' Eloise asked anxiously.
'What happened? How did you get away?'

Breathless and muddy, but smiling broadly,
Ada brushed the mud off her face. 'I twisted me
ankle, but I don't care. I run away, I did. I run
away and I'm coming with you, Ellie.'

'Are you sure this is what you really want?
Things won't be easy.'

Ada nodded emphatically. 'I'm coming with
you. We'll find my baby.'

Eloise exchanged worried glances with Ted as
he climbed up beside her. 'Perhaps we ought to
take her back.'

He shook his head. 'I wouldn't send my worst
enemy to live with the mistress and Miss Joan.
The master is all right, but I don't know how he
puts up with those old witches.'

'Then drive on, Ted. The sooner we get on the
train to London, the better.'

'I'm right sorry, ma'am,' the man in the ticket
office said, peering at Eloise through the thick
lenses of his spectacles which made his eyes look
huge, like those of a goldfish in a glass bowl. 'The
London train went half an hour ago and there
won't be another until midday.'

Eloise had somehow imagined that the train
would be there waiting for them to leap on
board, and now she was terrified that Joan and
Hilda might come in hot pursuit. 'Is there
another train southbound before then?'

'The Hull train is due any moment, ma'am.'

At least Hull was in the right direction and
they could wait there in safety for the London
train. 'Two single third class tickets for Hull,
please.' Eloise glanced over her shoulder to
where Ada was standing with Beth in her arms,
watching Joss who was bouncing on the suitcase
at her feet.

'Third class, ma'am?'

'Third class,' Eloise said firmly. She had not
had a chance to count the money in the pouch,
but she must save every penny she had. She
might have escaped from Cribb's Hall, but she
knew that only a complete fool would be complacent.
From now on, life was going to be hard
and the future was uncertain. She pushed all
such thoughts to the back of her mind as she paid
for the tickets, thanked the man politely and
went over to pick up her luggage, refusing the
help of a porter as that would mean sparing
some money for a tip.

The platform was crowded and they had to
fight their way into an overfull third class compartment.
They managed to get seats but these
were little more than wooden benches with
slatted backs, and had obviously been designed
for utility rather than comfort. Ada's odd and
dishevelled appearance was drawing curious
looks from their fellow passengers and a certain
amount of sniggering at her expense, mainly
from children. Eloise glared at them, but her
attention was soon diverted by concern for Beth,
who did not seem to be her usual sunny self. She
had been sleepy and uninterested in taking her
milk that morning, but Eloise had put this down
to their early start and their hasty departure from
Cribb's Hall. After sleeping fitfully during the
cart ride to the station, Beth was now awake and
crotchety; her cheeks were flushed and she was
abnormally hot. Eloise recalled Mabel's words
with a stab of fear. Norah, the scullery maid, was
one of Nancy's sisters, and if she had gone down
with the dreaded measles it was just possible that
Nancy might have passed it on to Beth, who was
obviously running a temperature, and seemed to
be getting worse by the minute.

Ada was sitting opposite Eloise, doing her best
to keep Joss amused, but even she noticed that
something was wrong, and when Beth had a
mild convulsion, Ada began to scream. 'Is she
going to die? My baby died. Beth is going to die
too.'

'Hush,' Eloise cried, close to tears herself.
'You're not helping, Ada.'

A woman who had been sitting on the opposite
seat leaned over to feel Beth's forehead. 'She's
proper poorly, lass. I know, because I lost three
babies to fever. You don't want to take chances.'

By this time, Eloise was completely terrified
and close to panicking. 'What should I do?'

'Where are you bound, lass?'

'To Hull and then on to London.'

'I doubt she'll make it if you stay on the train.
Driffield is the next station. Get off there and ask
the station master to direct you to the doctor's
surgery. I wouldn't take risks if I was you.'

By the time the train stopped at Driffield, Ada
was hysterical and Joss was sobbing with sheer
fright. Helped by some of the other passengers,
Eloise managed to get them all onto the platform,
as well as her luggage. Clouds of steam
enveloped them in a thick, damp mist as the train
pulled out of the station and Eloise watched it
leave with a heavy heart. She had pinned all her
hopes on reaching London by nightfall. In her
haste to escape from Cribb's Hall she had formed
no definite plans, but she had vaguely thought
that she would return to Myrtle Street and seek
shelter with the Higgins family for a day or two
until she could find lodgings and suitable
employment. The chugging sound of the engine
and the clatter of its wheels as they ran over the
points grew fainter as the train disappeared into
the distance. Eloise had never felt so lost and
alone in her whole life as she attempted to
quieten Joss. Ada was clinging to her mantle
like a frightened child and Beth was lying in
Eloise's arms, deathly pale now and terrifyingly
still.

'Can someone help me?' Eloise cried out in
desperation, and to her intense relief the door to
the station master's office opened and a gentleman
in a frock coat emerged. He placed a top hat
on his head and strode towards them. He looked
rather fierce but Eloise was too desperate to
worry about offending a railway official. 'Please,
sir, I need help. My child is ill and we have had
to leave the train before we reached our
destination.'

His stern expression softened into a look of
concern. 'The doctor's house is not far from the
station. If you'll wait here for a moment I'll
summon a porter to carry your luggage and he
will take you there.'

'Thank you,' Eloise murmured. 'You're very
kind.'

He tipped his hat, looking slightly embarrassed.
He turned away to summon help in a
booming voice, and almost immediately an old
man wearing a porter's uniform came through
the ticket office pushing a trolley. 'Yes, master?'

'This lady has a sick child, Brough. Take her
luggage and escort her to the doctor's house.'

'Aye, master. Right away. Follow me, missis.'
Brough hefted the cases onto his trolley and
shambled off the way he had come.

Murmuring her thanks to the station master,
Eloise took Joss by the hand, and with Ada
clinging to the hem of her mantle she followed
Brough out of the station. He led them to a neat
red-brick house set a little way back from the road,
surrounded by a well-kept garden which in
summer must be a riot of colour, but was now
carpeted with golden daffodils filling the air with
their fresh scent. Brough set the luggage down
outside the front door and he rapped on the
knocker. With Ada snivelling at her side, Eloise
could not hear what he said to the pleasant-faced
woman who stood in the doorway, but she
pushed past him and came towards them with her
arms outstretched. 'Come in, my dear. Let me take
the babe while you look after the little lad.' She
glanced at Ada. 'That will be enough of that noise,
miss. You are not helping.' Taking Beth from
Eloise, she marched into the house. 'Leave the
lady's luggage in the hall, Brough.'

Eloise fumbled in her purse to find a coin, but
the aged porter laid his gnarled hand on hers.
'No need, ma'am. I'm pleased to help.' He
tipped his cap and walked off down the garden
path.

'Thank you, Mr Brough,' Eloise called after
him and was rewarded by a backward glance
and a crooked smile. Lifting Joss over the
threshold, Eloise hurried into the house.

'Come into the front parlour. My husband, Dr
Robinson, has been called out but he should be
back soon.' Mrs Robinson ushered them into her
small front room. 'But until he returns, I'll be
happy to take a closer look at the baby, if you will
allow it, Mrs. . .'

'Mrs Cribb, Eloise Cribb. I fear that Beth is very
sick, ma'am. I believe that she has been exposed
to measles. She had a convulsion on the train and
she is burning up with fever.'

Joss clutched his mother's hand, his blue eyes
swimming with tears and his lips trembling. Ada
was quieter now, but she still clung to Eloise as if
scared to let her go.

'And this young person?' Mrs Robinson stared
at Ada with a puzzled frown. 'She seems very
distressed, Mrs Cribb.'

'Ada is very sensitive,' Eloise said hastily. 'She
suffers with her nerves.'

'I'd advise her to sit down and take a hold of
herself. Giving way to hysteria is a sign of
weakness.' Mrs Robinson drew Eloise aside. 'Is
she quite right in the head?'

'She is a little bit simple but there is no harm in
her,' Eloise answered in a low voice. 'She will
calm down in a moment, but please, I am so
worried about Beth. Is there anything you can do
for her until the doctor returns?'

'We will take her to my room, where she can be
kept quiet until Steven gets home. I used to be a
nurse, so you can trust me to take care of your
baby. I suggest you stay here with your son and
the simple soul, who seems to need a great deal
of comfort.'

'I – I don't want to leave Beth,' Eloise began,
but Mrs Robinson raised an imperative hand.

'Not only am I a nurse, but I have had six
children of my own. I know what I'm doing. You
must not worry.'

Still uncertain, Eloise followed Mrs Robinson
out of the parlour. 'What do you think is wrong
with her, ma'am? It has come on so suddenly and
her little face is flushed, when just now she was
white as a sheet.'

'I've seen it many times before, and, unless I
am very much mistaken, your baby has
definitely contracted measles. Now go to your
boy, Mrs Cribb. He might be sickening for it too,
so you must see to him.'

Eloise went back to the parlour where she
found Ada curled up on the sofa, apparently fast
asleep, and Joss sitting on the floor looking
dazed and lost. She scooped him up in her arms
and held him close. Measles – the dreaded
disease that killed so many young children.
Eloise felt Joss's forehead, but he was cool with
no sign of fever. She was not afraid for herself as
she remembered having the disease when she
was six or seven, but she sent a silent prayer to
her father's unforgiving god in the hope that he
might heed her plea to make Beth well again.
Beside herself with fear, Eloise smothered a sob.
If only her mama were here now. She would
know what to do. She always rose to a crisis, and
she had seen many of them in her years as a
vicar's wife. She had nursed sick children and
comforted the bereaved, taken calves' foot jelly
to the ailing and food to the needy. Mama had
always been so brave and strong, if only she were
more like her. Eloise felt her world crumbling
about her shoulders. If Beth died it would be all
her fault for bringing her to this. She cuddled
Joss closer to her and she cast an anxious glance
at Ada. Perhaps she had done a foolish thing by
taking them away from Cribb's Hall? Maybe
they would have been better served if she had
abandoned them to the care of Ronnie's family?
At least they would have been fed, clothed and
well educated. What future could she offer
them? She was now a woman on her own – so
very much on her own.