When not with Sarah, Murdo is thinking about her and their future together. If there is to be a future where he can provide for a wife and children, first he needs to find more appropriate accommodation. From Burt’s Store he buys the Hutt & Petone Chronicle and immediately turns to the back section where the advertisements are printed.
“Are you looking for something special, Murdo?” asks Thomas Burt, store manager and son of the owner. Murdo is a regular at the store, making deliveries for Williams Bakery or buying his own provisions and is on first name terms with Thomas who is about ten years his senior.
“Aye, I need to find somewhere new to live. Do ye know of any two-room accommodations available?”
“Well, it just so happens that the living rooms above the shop across the road have become vacant. Mama owns the building and mentioned just the other day, she’d have to advertise and find a new tenant. You can save her the bother. I’ll get my daughter Maisie to take you across so you can have a look.”
So it is settled. The rooms are unfurnished so Murdo spends some of his precious savings to buy the basic necessities – a bed, man robe and table and chairs. Sarah advises him on the selection of bed linen and crockery and makes a rag rug for the floor. With a vase of fresh flowers on the table and floral curtains at the windows, the small apartment with its simple wooden furnishings takes on a homely feel.
A new job is next on the list. One with more pay, better hours of work and more customer contact is what he would like. The Burts help to solve this problem as well. They have a position available in the general store. There is no baking involved but Murdo is happy to let that go in the meantime. With the general store just across from the apartment he will be able to enjoy dinner each day with Sarah. Well, assuming she will agree to what he has in mind.
.....
Eventually Murdo feels he has everything he needs to provide for a wife and family and decides it is time to ask Sarah to marry him. Although there isn’t much money to spare he has enough to purchase a plain gold band. Wanting the occasion to be special, he waits a few more weeks to save enough to be able to take Sarah on a picnic at Bellevue Gardens.
It is a fine Sunday morning when Murdo pulls up outside the cottage in a hired horse and gig. Thinking she is going to the morning church service Sarah is already dressed in her finest outfit. Her white blouse has delicate ruffles down the bodice, which disappear behind a jade green sash. The sash accentuates her narrow waist and matches the ribbon on her wide brimmed bonnet. She raises the hem of her navy full-length skirt in a most lady-like fashion as Murdo helps her up into the gig.
They set off in the opposite direction to church. Murdo just smiles mischievously at Sarah when she asks where they are going. He turns left into Waiwhetu Road, passes the horses and gigs tethered outside the Anglican Church and continues on down to the gardens. Sarah is bubbling with excitement when they pass through the gates to Bellevue. She has heard stories of the beautiful gardens and is overjoyed at the opportunity to visit them.
Strolling arm in arm, they discover the beds of dahlias and geraniums nestled amongst shapely conifers and grand magnolias. Camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas in a variety of colours and various stages of bloom add to the floral delight. Other visitors to the gardens enjoy a game of tennis on the grass courts or partake in a picnic under the twisted trunks of the willows. They pass the aviaries where multi-coloured birds trill out their morning chorus. The monkeys demand an audience, screeching loudly as they swing from branch to branch on the bare-limbed tree in their enclosure.
Murdo senses Sarah’s weariness and guides her towards a wooden bench seat in the shade of a beech tree. The tree’s coppery leaves rustle in the gentle breeze and provide an accompaniment to the pianos being played at the morning concert at the summerhouse. Once seated, Murdo takes Sarah’s hand in his and asks the question that will change their lives.
“Sarah, will ye do me the honour of being me wife?”
Tears well up in the corners of her eyes but they are tears of happiness.
“Aye, Murdo, aye,” is all she can say.
Murdo lifts his thumb to gently tilt Sarah’s chin, raising her face. He bends in below the brim of her bonnet and conveys his feelings with a kiss.
The rest of the day seems surreal to Sarah. They walk hand in hand back to the summerhouse to enjoy a lunch of cucumber sandwiches, cut in small triangles and seasoned with just the right amount of salt and pepper. These are followed by a dish of strawberries, picked fresh from the Bellevue’s vegetable garden, and cream, milked from the house cow this very morning. They discuss plans for the future – wedding preparations, living arrangements and families. There are hundreds of visitors to the gardens this sunny Sunday but they are invisible to the happy couple.
It is mid afternoon before they mount the gig and make the return trip. Eager to tell Mrs Munro the news, Sarah rushes inside the cottage but finds her napping in her usual position in the rocker. Murdo is by Sarah’s side by the time she is able to raise Mrs Munro from her slumber. She waves her left hand in front of Mrs Munro’s face. With a new shiny gold band on her wedding finger, she proudly announces,
“I’m gonna be Mrs Murdo Campbell.”
Mrs Munro looks at Murdo.
“Mmm mmm. It’s about time young man.”
Chapter Eleven
The Hutt 1906-1907
Shafts of March afternoon sun glint through the stained glass windows of the Wesleyan Church onto the nervous wedding party assembled inside. The circulating minister, the Reverend Samuel Garlick, has agreed to marry Murdo and Sarah on Murdo’s mid-week afternoon off. Maggie Ebbett has travelled down from Hastings to be Sarah’s Maid of Honour and witness to the vows. Murdo McKenzie stands by Murdo’s side as the other witness. Murdo McKenzie is a commercial traveller from Wellington. He calls at the Burt’s Store each month on his rounds of the Hutt and Wairarapa. He and Murdo share the same sense of humour and have become the best of friends.
Mrs Munro, Mrs Burt Senior and a few acquaintances from the congregation occupy the front pew but otherwise the church echoes in its emptiness. Sarah is dressed in a simple muslin frock that she has made herself and carries a small bouquet of white lilies whose sweet fragrance permeates the air. Murdo stands proud in his best suit, his white shirt pressed, hair neatly groomed and moustache newly trimmed.
Reverend Garlick clears his throat and begins reading the standard wedding ceremony. Murdo and Sarah make pledges to love, honour and support one another in sickness and in health, in richness and in poorness until death do they part. In his authority the reverend pronounces them husband and wife. They turn to one another and to a smattering of applause from the assembled guests enjoy their first kiss as a married couple.
Mrs Burt Senior insists an afternoon tea in celebration of the wedding be served in her front parlour. Dressed in mourning black, since the death of her husband some eight years ago she appears a formidable woman, but she is kind of heart and delights in the company of her children and grandchildren. Murdo has vague memories from a distant childhood of his great-grandmother being very like Mrs Burt. Since joining the staff at Burt’s Store, Murdo has become like an adopted son.
The deep red velvet drapes at the bay window are drawn against the afternoon sun as the small group gathers inside. A mahogany tea trolley is laden with platters of sandwiches, teacakes and raspberry buns. On the sideboard is a selection of drinks – a bowl of fruit punch, a jug of chilled water and as a special treat, a bottle of champagne. When everyone has a full glass, Murdo gathers their attention and proposes a toast.
“To me dear wife, Sarah, thank ye for becoming Mrs Campbell. May we have a long and happy life together.”
Sarah is not used to being the centre of attention. Champagne bubbles tickle her nose as she takes a small sip. She is unsure whether it is embarrassment or the alcohol, which causes her cheeks to redden. The day has been perfect and she does not want it to end.
There is no money for a honey
moon, nor time, for Murdo has to return to work the day after tomorrow. That does not dampen the spirits of Murdo and Sarah as arm in arm they cross the road to the little apartment that is now their home. The furnishings seem drab after the ornateness of Mrs Burt’s front parlour but to the newlyweds, material possessions are unnecessary, for they have each other and a whole lifetime ahead of them.
.....
Life settles into a routine quite quickly. Sarah keeps busy cleaning and tidying, preparing meals and ensuring Murdo’s clothes are laundered. Murdo works long hours but always returns home to dine with Sarah at midday and ensures he is home for supper before dusk each evening. Sarah utilises her sewing and embroidery skills to add feminine touches to the décor – doilies for the dressers and frilled pillows for the chairs in front of the fireplace. They are nothing too fancy though; there still isn’t much money even though Sarah takes in some sewing work now and again.
.....
Several months on, late one afternoon when Sarah is carrying the dry laundry back inside from the line, she must sit and rest halfway up the staircase. She is short of breath and feels faint. Perhaps she has been overdoing things of late. She has been feeling a bit off colour recently but tells Murdo it is nothing more than a winter chill. After a few minutes, she stands to begin the ascent again but a sharp stabbing pain grips her lower abdomen. She drops the laundry basket and it tumbles back down the stairs spilling its load on the way. Maisie Burt hears the commotion and comes running across the road. She sees Sarah collapsed on the staircase and rushes to her side.
“Oh, Sarah, you are bleeding. What’s wrong? How can I help?”
Sarah hadn’t noticed the blood colouring her skirt but senses what is happening. She is losing the baby she hasn’t even told Murdo they were expecting.
“Please, fetch Murdo,” she begs, shedding tears of physical and emotional pain.
Murdo is soon by her side. Blood stains his white apron as he lifts Sarah and carries her up the remaining stairs into their apartment. With an anguished look on his face he asks Maisie to fetch the doctor, all the while holding Sarah’s hand in an attempt to comfort her.
“I’m sorry Murdo.” Sarah’s eyelids are half closed. “I’ve lost our baby.”
“Donnae fret for the baby Sarah.” Murdo is more worried about the health of his wife than a baby he did not know anything about. “Just be worrying about yeself, me love.”
The doctor arrives and directs Murdo from the room. He examines Sarah, notes she has lost a lot of blood and thinks it best if she is taken to hospital. Ordered from his wife’s side, Murdo paces backwards and forwards across the kitchen floor, feeling useless, feeling responsible and feeling scared.
A small crowd, attracted by the arrival of the ambulance, gathers to see what all the commotion is about. Sarah doesn’t remember being carried down the stairs to the waiting ambulance. She is in a sterile hospital ward when she wakes. Murdo is still holding her hand, very loosely though for he has nodded off in the chair beside the bed. The bloodied apron has gone but he is looking dishevelled with a rumpled shirt and tousled hair. Sarah gently rubs her finger on the back on his hand. He stirs; he looks shocked until he remembers where he is and why, and then turns to Sarah with a worried expression.
“Och, me love, are ye feeling better?”
“Aye, Murdo, just a wee bit tired and sore.”
“The doctor says we can fetch ye home in the morn.”
No mention is made of the lost baby. Murdo and Sarah smile fondly at each other and push regrets and sadness for what may have been, into the past.
“I was thinking, maybe we could invite Maggie to come and stay and take care of ye until ye are back on ye feet, or maybe Maisie will be able to come over.”
“Aye, Murdo, it’d be nice if Maggie could come.”
.....
Maggie should be a mother. She loves to take care, nurse and nurture any creatures – human or otherwise – back to health. Unfortunately she has never been able to find a man suitable for a husband. Perhaps they find her bustling nature, buxom build and booming laugh a little overpowering, or perhaps she is too busy taking care of others that she never finds time for herself. Sarah appreciates her kindness and enjoys the healthy meals she prepares. Maggie is never short of a funny story and the apartment is full of humour when she is about. Sarah’s strength gradually returns and before long it is time to farewell Maggie on the train back to Hastings and welcome life back to its familiar routine.
.....
Murdo has not set his alarm but his body clock wakes at the normal time anyway. It is Christmas Day. At this quiet hour of the morning, the sun is just rising above the eastern hills and shines through the small window above their bed. Sarah regards Murdo surreptitiously through half-closed eyelids and sees his whiskers twitching as though he is suppressing a smile. She knows that he is struggling to keep a secret and wonders what he has for her on their second Christmas together. He reaches over to the top drawer of the dresser and removes a small parcel wrapped in green paper from beneath his socks. He places it on the pillow inches from Sarah’s face and she cannot help but break into a smile.
Excitedly she sits up in bed and begins unwrapping, impatiently ripping the paper. Sarah is delighted to find a trinket box fashioned from the mottled timber of the rewarewa tree and lined with red velvet.
“Happy Christmas, me love.” He kisses her gently and Sarah almost forgets that she has a gift for Murdo.
It is a man’s white handkerchief; on one corner Sarah has embroidered Murdo’s initials in red thread. It is a simple gift, inexpensive to buy but too precious to lose. Murdo proudly tucks it into the pocket on the breast of his jacket as he dresses for the Christmas service.
.....
Following the service, Murdo and Sarah are invited to join the Burts for Christmas dinner. It is a family affair with all six surviving children, ten of the 32 grandchildren and several great children having gathered for the day. The Burt’s large homestead is a bustle of activity with everyone assigned a task to ensure dinner is served. The younger children are lined up along the rear verandah, each with a bowl in which to shell a ration of peas picked fresh from the vegetable garden. For every pea that makes it to the bowl there is another that has been mischievously swallowed. William, as the eldest son, has responsibility for carving the ham, which has been wrapped in cheesecloth and is hanging in the safe to keep cool. Thomas has been out early in the garden to dig a row of new potatoes. These are now boiling away on the coal range next to Mrs Burt’s special recipe Christmas plum pudding, under the watchful eye of Thomas’s wife, Mary. In the coal range is the turkey, which has been basted with juices from the roasting dish and is smelling delicious.
Murdo and Sarah stand in awe. They are reminded of their homes and their families – so far away. Sarah pats her stomach and looks fondly at Murdo. They both look forward to the day when they are old and happy and surrounded by their children and grandchildren. Only five months to go and all going well, their little family will grow.
Tables and chairs are brought in especially and assembled in a long row from the dining room through double doors into the adjoining sitting room. In the corner of the sitting room a Christmas tree reaches for the ceiling, filling the room with a pine aroma. A golden-haired angel has pride of place on the highest limb, while the lower branches are all bedecked in an array of decorations. Glistening baubles, silver bells and edible candy canes sit amongst a dusting of icing sugar snow. The Christmas stockings have long since been removed from their hooks on the mantelpiece. The eager children were up at first light to find the treasures left for them by Santa Claus – boiled lollies, sherbert suckers and penny tin whistles.
As matriarch of the family Mrs Burt is seated at the head of the table. The noisy chattering children are at the other end and Murdo and Sarah are invited to sit opposite one another in the middle. The table holds an impressive feast – turkey, potatoes, cold lamb with mint sauce, baby carrots, sweet
peas, beetroot, lettuce salad and sliced ham.
Mrs Burt taps her knife’s edge on a crystal glass and a hush comes over the room. Heads are bowed and Thomas stands to recite grace.
“Heavenly Father. We give thanks for the bountiful food we are about to receive. Please bless it to our use in Christ’s name. Amen.”
“Amen,” repeats Murdo who also adds a silent prayer for his wife to stay well and their long-anticipated child to be born safe and healthy.
.....
The food is delicious but Murdo thinks it is the people that make the day special. The room is full of laughter and frivolity. The empty plates and serving dishes are cleared and while stomachs settle before dessert the children offer an impromptu performance. The concert begins with a solemn rendition of ‘Silent Night’ to the applause of the small but appreciative audience. The finale is ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ complete with actions, which erupts into fits of giggles when the pretend partridge is unceremoniously dropped by the human arms of the pear tree.
Dessert is brought to the table. Murdo and Sarah have never seen such an array of delectable dishes. The children are eagerly awaiting their grandmother’s special plum pudding to count how many threepences and sixpences they will be lucky enough to get in their serving. There are bowls of trifle, fresh fruit salad, pavlovas adorned with fresh cream and strawberries and a jug of golden custard to drizzle over the plum pudding.
When everyone has eaten to their heart’s content, there are still leftovers for supper tonight. Sarah feels as if she has eaten for two and pats her pregnant belly. Murdo sees her and smiles a knowing smile. It is not the done thing for a man to touch his wife’s stomach in company. But at night when his wife snuggles into his back he likes to feel the fluttering of movements of the tiny person alive and growing within her.
The Christmas cake is cut into for afternoon tea. Maisie offers a platter of small pieces to be enjoyed with a quiet cup of tea. The cake has a moist texture and its rich fruity mixture and sweet almond icing is a wonderful finale to a perfect day.
A Better Place Page 9
