A Mother's Courage (25 page)

Next day, Eloise put on her only clean change
of clothing and she set off for the post office and
Missionary Society office with a spring in her
step. To her great delight there were two letters
from her mother, and she could hardly wait to
tear open the envelopes and devour their
contents. Tucking them safely in her reticule, she
set off along Gray's Inn Road, walking briskly
until she came to the gardens of the Foundling
Hospital. At this time of day they were quite
deserted, and she sat down in the shade of a
plane tree and tore open the first envelope with
trembling fingers. It was not a very long letter
and some of the news was disturbing. The
missionary post was in a village deep in the
bush, and a long way from what her parents
considered to be civilisation. Their home was
little more than a windowless mud hut with a
dirt floor and a thatched roof. It was set in a
compound surrounded by a hedge of tall, thick-stemmed
grasses to keep out the wild beasts, but
that had not prevented a spitting cobra from
nesting in the roof of the privy and a green
python inhabited the flame tree which grew just
outside the hut. It was little better inside,
according to Mama's account of the frightening,
but harmless, praying mantis which climbed up
the walls at night to catch flies and insects, or the
huge hunting spiders that lurked in the corners
ready to scuttle out to eat a cockroach or even a
small rodent. Mama said that no matter how hot
it was, she and Janet never took off their high
button boots until they climbed into their camp
beds at night to huddle beneath mosquito nets.
Their water was carried from the river daily and
every drop had to be boiled before use. They
were living mainly off dried and tinned food
prepared by their Kikuyu cook, and a few fresh
vegetables they had managed to grow in the
small kitchen garden. Papa was in his element,
she wrote, and he felt that at last he was fulfilling
his vocation, although he was often laid
extremely low by bouts of malaria and had to
take to his bed. Janet was not happy living in
what she termed 'this godforsaken place', but
although she grumbled she was a tower of
strength and Mama repeated several times that
she would have been lost without her.

The second letter went on in much the same
vein, and Eloise was left feeling rather disturbed.
Papa might be in his element, but reading
between the lines she sensed that the reality of
the African bush was harder for women to bear
than for men. She read and reread the two letters,
biting back tears of worry and frustration. Of
course Papa was a good man, but their lives
would have been so much more comfortable if he
had not had such high ideals. She was just
putting the letters back in their envelopes when
the sound of small footsteps on the gravel caused
her to look up. A little girl in a white muslin dress
was skipping towards her, rolling a large hoop
along the ground with the aid of a short stick. It
hit a stone and careered off the path to land at
Eloise's feet. She leaned over to retrieve it and
handed it back to its small owner.

'Thank you, but you shouldn't be in the
gardens. The public are only allowed in on
Sundays.' The child's voice and manner were so
grown up that Eloise had to hide a smile.

'I'm sorry,' she said, getting to her feet and
brushing bits of grass off her skirt. 'I didn't know.'

'Well, you do now.'

'Maria!'

At the sound of a man's deep voice, the little
girl turned with a guilty start. 'Yes, Papa.'

The man, whom Eloise recognised instantly as
Barton Caine, the governor of the Foundling
Hospital, came striding along the pathway
towards them. 'You are not supposed to be out
here, Maria. Miss Trinder has been looking
everywhere for you.' He seemed to realise then
that his daughter was not alone and he stared at
Eloise with raised eyebrows. 'And who might
you be, ma'am?'

From the tone of his voice he might have been
speaking to a servant. Eloise was suddenly
conscious of her shabby attire and the shadows
of grime that no amount of carbolic soap would
quite wash away from her face and hands. She
must look like a skivvy, but there was no need
for him to take that tone. She drew herself up to
her full height. 'I beg your pardon, sir. I was not
aware that I was trespassing. I thought the
gardens were open to the public' Without giving
him a chance to reply, she marched off along the
path towards the main road, holding her head
high, but inside she was seething with anger and
embarrassment.

She was still fuming when she arrived back in
Magpie Alley, but her anger was replaced by
alarm when she saw people milling about in the
lane. It was not dinnertime at the dust heap, and
anyway most of the workers ate their bread and
dripping in the yard. She knew instinctively that
something was wrong and she ran towards Peg,
who was speaking to Cora in an agitated manner
and gesticulating wildly.

'What's the matter? What's happened?' Eloise
demanded breathlessly.

'It's young Joss,' Peg said, biting her lip. 'He's
gone missing, Ellie. Some of the men are out
searching for him, but he's been gone a good
hour. Cora said he was playing with young
Jimmy Bragg one minute and gone the next.'

All Eloise's worst fears were suddenly realised
and one word came into her head. 'Pike.'

Her heart missed several beats and Eloise
swayed on her feet, overcome by a wave of
dizziness. Peg took her by the elbows, giving her
a shake. 'Don't you dare swoon, Ellie. That won't
help to find young Joss. Anyway, Mick and the
boys have gone looking for him and they know
this area better than anyone.'

Gertie bustled up to them. 'Have a heart, Peg.
We're not all as tough as you, me girl.' She took
Eloise by the arm. 'Come inside, ducks. I'll make
you a nice hot cup of tea.'

Frantic with worry, Eloise snatched her arm
free. 'Tea! Is that all you can think about when
my boy has been taken by that man?'

'You don't know that for certain,' Gertie said,
frowning. 'He's probably just wandered off and
got lost. The men will find him.'

Peg linked her hand through Eloise's other
arm. 'Come on, Ellie. Ma's right. You wouldn't
know where to start looking and you should stay
here with Beth.'

Eloise nodded mutely. In her panic she had not
given a thought to Beth, who was attempting to
take her first shaky steps but was not yet
toddling. She allowed herself to be led into the
cottage where Beth was sitting on the floor
watching the next door neighbour's youngest
daughter playing with a cup and ball.

'Thank you, Flossie,' Gertie said, patting the
child on the head. 'You can go home now,
ducks.'

Flossie skipped off, still attempting to catch the
small wooden ball in the crudely carved cup, and
Eloise lifted Beth up in her arms to give her a
cuddle. At least one of her children was safe, but
as the minutes ticked by she became more and
more convinced that Pike had somehow
discovered their whereabouts and had abducted
Joss. He might even now be on a train heading
north to Yorkshire and Cribb's Hall. She sank
down on a chair, holding on to Beth as though
she would never let her go.

'That's better,' Gertie said, taking the bubbling
kettle off the fire. 'We'll have a nice cup of tea
and wait here for the men to get back.'

'I'm going out looking too,' Peg said. 'We'll
find him, Ellie.' She disappeared out into the
bright sunshine.

'What if Pike has got him?' Eloise whispered.
'I'll never get him back, Gertie.'

Busying herself making the tea, Gertie gave her
a reassuring smile. 'You mustn't think like that,
ducks. Your Mr Pike would have to be a clever
fellow indeed to trace you here. I'm sure there's
a simple explanation and you'll have him back in
no time at all.'

'I'll never leave him again. If he comes home
safe, I swear I'll keep him close to me forever.'

By mid-afternoon, Eloise was convinced that
she would never see Joss again and close to
despair. With Beth in her arms she paced up and
down the lane outside the cottages, listening for
the sound of the searchers returning as they did
every half-hour or so to check that the child had
not been found, before setting off again and
widening their search area. Eloise was frantic. If
Pike had not snatched Joss, any manner of
accidents could have befallen him. He might
have fallen into the canal and drowned. He could
have been trampled by a carthorse or run over by
a train. By teatime she was even more desperate,
and every time someone entered the lane she ran
outside demanding to know if they had any
news of Joss.

One by one the searchers returned, shaking
their heads apologetically.

'We've searched everywhere we can think of,'
Mick said, taking off his battered bowler hat and
scratching his head. 'I'm sorry, ducks, but there's
no sign of the little fellow.'

Peg was at his side and she laid her hand on
Eloise's arm. 'It's true, Ellie. We've looked
everywhere.'

Eloise thrust Beth into Peg's arms. 'Take my
baby. I'm going to look for Joss myself.'

Mick caught her by the hand. 'Don't, girl.
You'll only get yourself lost into the bargain.'

'I will go. I can't just stay at home while my boy
is out there all alone and frightened.' Eloise
struggled to get free but Mick was much stronger
than she and he held her in an iron grip, shaking
his head.

'Listen to him, Ellie,' Peg urged.

'No,' Eloise screamed, kicking out with her
feet. 'Let me go.'

'Hello, there.'

Eloise stopped struggling and turned her head
to look at the man striding towards them from
the far end of the terrace. In his arms he carried a
bundle and her heart was in her throat as she
recognised the curly blond head resting against
his shoulder. 'Joss.' His name was wrenched
from her lips in a cry of sheer joy as she raced
towards the man and snatched her son from
his arms. 'Joss, my baby.' Eloise clutched him to
her breast, sobbing with relief. 'Oh, Joss, you're
safe.'

Peg hurried over to her with Beth in her arms.
'Is he all right, Ellie?'

Joss opened his blue eyes and gave them a
sleepy smile. 'Mama.'

Ellie buried her face in his curls, unable to
speak, and Peg patted her on the shoulder. 'Bring
him into the house. I'll bet he's hungry and
thirsty.'

Eloise nodded her head and she flashed a
watery smile at the man who had found Joss. 'It's
Mr Tully, isn't it?'

He tipped his cap. 'Yes, ma'am.'

'Thank you,' Eloise breathed, unable to find
the words to express her innermost feelings.
Suddenly a heavy weight had lifted from her
shoulders and she felt light-headed with relief.
'Thank you, so much.'

Mick held out his hand. 'Good work, mate.
Where did you find him?'

'Curled up asleep on me bed. Must've been
there all day and I never thought to check the
back room until just now. My old lady had left
the door open and the little chap must have
wandered in.'

Mick slapped him on the shoulder. 'Well,
Tully, thank God for that. We'd almost given him
up for dead.'

Tully grinned sheepishly. 'He'd have been
there until nightfall if I hadn't gone to look for
me baccy pouch. But that's kids for you.
Anyway, no harm done.'

Eloise could not quite agree with his last
statement as she carried Joss into the cottage. No
harm had come to Joss, but that was down to
good luck. The truth was that someone as young
as Cora could not be relied upon to keep an eye
on even younger children. Every time Eloise left
Joss and Beth to go to work in the dust yard she
was exposing them to danger, and it was only
now that she realised just how much potential
peril there was all around them. Then there was
Pike, who might not have given up his search.
Although she had tried to convince herself otherwise,
Eloise suspected that Hilda had paid him
generously for his services and would continue
to do so until she had what she wanted. Hilda
Cribb was not a woman to give up easily.

That night, as she lay on her palliasse in front
of the fire, Eloise knew that their days here were
numbered. It would soon be time to move on.
Next day very early, before her shift at the dust
yard was due to start, she walked to the station
and bought a newspaper. She scanned the
Situations Vacant columns but there was nothing
remotely suitable. All the living-in domestic jobs
required single women and she was not trained
for any type of office work or even to teach. This
left her with little choice other than serving in a
shop or doing manual labour in a factory, neither
of which would help her to care for Joss and
Beth. Each day she spent some of her precious
hoard of coins on a newspaper, but it was no use.
There did not seem to be anything on offer which
would suit her purpose, and it seemed that she
would have to stay on at the Tranters' cottage
and work in the dust yard for a very long time.
But Joss's escapade had terrified her, and Eloise
was no longer content to leave him and Beth with
Cora.

The long, hot summer days were taking their
toll on everyone in Magpie Alley and those who
worked in the dust yard. The carters who
brought in the loads of rubbish and night soil
were even more grumpy and belligerent than
before, and the stench of the heaps was overpowering.
It was gruelling work at the best of
times, but with the sun hot on her back, and her
throat, nose and eyes permanently clogged with
dust, Eloise was suffering miserably. Her hands,
which had once been soft and white, were now
calloused, and the dirt was so ingrained that no
amount of soap and water seemed to wash it
away.

On the following Sunday, Eloise took the
children to the Foundling Hospital gardens.
After her last brush with the governor, it was the
last place that she would have chosen, but she
had promised to meet Annie there and she was
not going to allow Mr Barton Caine to deflect her
from her purpose. She sat on the grass while Joss
and Beth played, and then, getting tired of
sitting, Eloise took them for a walk along the
gravelled paths between the beds of red, pink,
white and yellow roses. Their scent was heady,
but it did not disguise the stench coming from
the fly-infested dung on the streets outside the
gardens. After an hour, Eloise began to think that
Annie was not coming. Perhaps Queenie had not
given her the time off, or maybe she hadn't
received her letter? The children were hot and
thirsty and she bought them some ice cream
from the hokey-pokey man, but by this time
Eloise's head was beginning to ache. The sun
bore down mercilessly and when the ice cream
had gone Joss began to get crotchety. His mood
seemed to rub off on normally sunny-natured
Beth, who also began to snivel. Eloise decided
then that Annie was definitely not coming and it
was time to begin making their way back to
Magpie Alley. She picked up Beth, who protested
loudly, and she took Joss by the hand.
They had just walked out of the gates when a
shabbily dressed man barred their way. 'You are
Mrs Eloise Cribb?' It was more a statement than
a question.

Eloise held her breath. The man who confronted
her simply had to be Pike. There was a
touch of arrogance in his manner, and a sly look
in his narrowed eyes that immediately put her on
her guard, but she was not going to give him the
satisfaction of seeing that she had guessed his
identity. She met his gaze with a hard stare.
'Who are you, sir?'

'My name is Pike, missis. I think you know that
well enough. You've led me a merry dance these
past few weeks, but I'm on to you now.'

'I don't know what you're talking about, sir.
Please allow me to pass.' Her heart was hammering
against her rib cage and Eloise could hardly
breathe, but she was not going to let this man
intimidate her.

He planted his feet wide apart and leaned
against the gatepost, pushing his face close to
hers so that she was almost choked by the odour
of bad breath mixed with stale sweat. 'I am
ordered to take the boy back to his grandparents
in Yorkshire. You will give him up to me without
a fuss, or my client will go through legal
channels and have the child made a ward of
court.'

'You have the wrong person,' Eloise cried in
desperation. 'I am not who you think I am. Allow
me to pass, or I'll call a constable.'

'Oh, I don't think you'll do that, lady,' Pike
sneered, thrusting his hand into his jacket
pocket. He pulled out a tattered piece of paper
and waved it under Eloise's nose. 'I knew you'd
make a mistake one of these days, and that's just
what you did when you sent this letter to the
little skivvy in Nile Street. Mrs King intercepted
it and passed it on to me.'

Eloise bit her lip. 'That is against the law.'

'I am the law, dearie, or a branch of it anyway.'
Pike's wolfish smile was replaced by a snarl.
'Don't try to play games with me. I want the boy
and I want him now.'

'You shan't have him. Leave us alone.' Eloise
tried to push past him, but Pike barred her way.

'Run for it if you will, but I know now where
you've been hiding. There's only two types of
work in London where the dirt won't wash off
the skin, and I don't think you've been working
as a sweep's boy, so you must have been living
close to a dust yard. Oh, yes, you was clever
enough not to mention that detail to young
Annie, but I'm paid to be observant. Even if you
get away from me now, it won't take me long to
find which yard you're at. You won't get the
better of me, ducks, so you might as well hand
the boy over now.'

'Never. You'll never take my son from me.'
Eloise kicked him hard on the shin, catching him
by surprise. Pike howled with pain and hopped
on one leg, rubbing his bruised flesh. 'You bitch.'

Eloise didn't wait to hear the rest of her
character assassination. Joss was crying from
sheer fright and Beth was clinging round her
neck. Eloise snatched Joss up under her arm and
ran blindly along the pavement, neither knowing
nor caring which way she was heading in her
desperation to escape from Pike. She could hear
him hurling abuse at her and the sound of his
booted feet on the paving stones was getting
closer all the time. Carrying both children
slowed her down and she knew that Pike could
outpace her. She looked round desperately for
somewhere to hide; a narrow alley that she could
dodge down or an open doorway where she
could shelter, but there was nothing. As she
rounded the corner into Guildford Street she
cannoned headfirst into the arms of a tall man
whose black frock coat and top hat were somehow
familiar. Momentarily winded, she stared
down at his highly polished black patent shoes
as she fought to catch her breath.

'Good God, woman. What do you think you're
doing? You could have hurt yourself and these
infants.'

Gasping for air, Eloise looked up into the
coldly handsome face of Barton Caine. 'I – I . . .'

Joss and Beth were howling with fright and
their wails reached a crescendo as Pike came
flying round the corner and skidded to a halt.
When he saw that Eloise was not alone, his
expression changed subtly and he tugged off his
bowler hat. 'Excuse me, sir. Is this woman
bothering you?'