“Ye just rest here me dear.” Murdo guides Sarah to a seat under the verandah of the train station. “Lasses, come sit with ye mother while I get ye bags.”
The girls would rather run about after being cooped up in the coach for so long but they obey their father. They are soon aboard another train for the remainder of the journey to Ashburton.
.....
It is mid afternoon when they finally make it into Ashburton. They have pre-arranged for Robert to collect them from the train station but he is nowhere to be seen.
“Good afternoon to you folks,” a young lad announces as he draws a horse and wagon up in front of Murdo, Sarah and the girls. “Would you be the Campbells?”
“Aye, we would, but who would ye be? We were expecting Mr Robert Lynn.”
“Well, he’s me father,” the lad replies with a chuckle.
Sarah’s mouth drops as she wonders how her younger brother can have a son who is at least sixteen or seventeen years old. She ponders; can she see any family resemblance?
The lad’s fringe of wavy brown hair flops down over his eyes but he sees the puzzled look on Sarah’s face and knows his introduction has caused a stir.
“Willie Lockhard, is me name,” he announces raising his hand to shake Murdo’s. “Mr Lynn is me step-father. Me ma sent me to fetch you and take you to Mrs Thompson’s house over in Allenton as he has a big day ploughing today and will be late home.”
“Well, that would be much appreciated Willie,” replies Murdo as the two load the bags onto the back of the wagon.
The wagon is not designed for travelling in comfort. Sarah sits up front with Willie and Murdo and the girls are on the back with the bags. The broderie anglaise frills at the hems of their pretty dresses are now crumpled and dirty. Lexie’s fine hair has escaped its ribbon and Florence’s bonnet has been lost somewhere along the way. Sarah wanted the girls to be looking their prettiest when they meet their grandmother for the first time but she has no energy to worry about it now.
Willie takes great pleasure explaining how Robert is now stepfather to fifteen children after marrying his mother, Elizabeth, in June of this year. Willie is the eldest son and he has two sisters, Alice and Agnes; their father died when Agnes was just two years old. Elizabeth married again; a fellow called Robert Cartwright who already had seven children with his first two wives. His mother and Mr Cartwright then had another four children, Edward (or Ned as he is known), Olive, Norman and Gordon. Mr Cartwright died before Gordon was even born, just over four years ago.
“She says she needed another man to help keep us all in line.” Willie chuckles. “But I’ll be gone soon. I’m going to volunteer. And most of the Cartwrights live with other family so the house won’t be too crowded when the new one arrives in June.”
“New one?” Sarah quizzes.
“Oops. Sorry maybe I shouldn’t say. Ma is expecting again.”
“Oh.” Sarah thinks it is nice her new sister-in-law is also pregnant but thinks that with fifteen children already she must have an easier time of it than Sarah.
.....
Florence is tired and grizzly by the time the wagon pulls up outside a white weatherboard home on Carters Road. Sarah’s mother, also called Sarah, remarried after Sarah and her brother left for New Zealand. Officially she is now Mrs Thompson, but through the exchange of letters they have prearranged that Lexie and Florence should call her Grandma Lynn. When the wagon pulls up she is busy weeding the front garden. She straightens, rubs her aching back and looks to see who is making all the commotion at her front gate. The pain is forgotten, the gate opens and she embraces her eldest daughter for the first time in over a decade. Tears of joy trickle down the cheeks of both women.
Sarah introduces Murdo, Lexie and Florence to her mother. The emotion of the moment is too much and she feels the blood drain from her face. Fortunately Murdo sees it also and is at her side to catch her as she falls.
“Oh dear, ye’d better come inside.” Grandma Lynn takes Lexie and Florence’s hands and guides them up the path with Murdo carrying Sarah and following slowly along behind. “Willie, ye bring the bags. That’s a good lad.”
Murdo lays Sarah down on the settee. The coolness of the darkened room is refreshing and Sarah gradually comes to.
“It’s her heart isn’t it?” Grandma Lynn asks Murdo.
“Her heart? Nae, it’s just the heat, the baby and the long journey,” replies Murdo.
“Are ye sure? Us Lynn’s have a history of fainting. Has she done it before?”
“Mmm. Aye. Well I think so,” Murdo tries to remember, “but only when she’s pregnant I think.”
“Will ye stop talking about me like I’m nae here,” demands Sarah as she comes to. “It’s just the baby telling me it’s had enough of this heat and being bounced around on a wagon all day. Can I have a drink please?”
“Certainly, me dear, I’ll go and put the kettle on. Come along girls and we’ll see if Grandma has any special baking for good little girls.”
The girls run squealing out of the room following their Grandma.
.....
The two weeks of holiday pass very quickly. The Campbells meet Robert, his new wife Elizabeth, and their extended family. Lexie gets to experience life at school for a few days when Ned, Olive and Norman take her along to their classes. At the weekend they all enjoy a picnic down by the river at the Ashburton Domain. The children all play hide and seek while the adults relax in the shade and catch everyone up with the details of their lives over the last decade, or discuss the impending war.
“They’ll probably turn me down again but I’m going to volunteer.” Robert believes it’s important for everyone to do their duty for their country.
“Why did they turn ye down before?” asks Murdo.
“The first time it was because I was too short, not the required five foot eight and the second time because I’m flat-footed. Darned if I know what difference that would make. I’d done all me training and passed the horsemanship tests too.”
“Well, they’d not take me because I’m too short too. We cannae change that.”
“We will have no more talk of war thank you gentlemen. Willie is determined to go and losing one of me men is more than enough.” Elizabeth has already lost enough men in her life; she doesn’t want to lose any more.
.....
Murdo goes with Robert for a day on the hauler. Robert shows him how to use the jib and together they load the three trailers with over one hundred bags of wheat for delivery to the mill. Murdo meets many of the men Robert works with and for. They all sing his praises as a hard worker and one of the best ploughman in the district.
.....
Sarah has no more fainting incidents. She relishes the bonding she can see between her mother and her children. With children of her own she has an inkling of the grief she and Robert must have caused their mother when they left Ireland. Her mother has aged a great deal since she last saw her. Not just as one would expect but more so – the death of another husband, the loss of her children and the struggle to survive, which resulted in the eventual sale of the family farm, have all taken their toll.
.....
“I’ve made a decision,” announces Grandma Lynn at the dinner table on the final night of their visit, “I’m going home to Fivemiletown.”
“But why Mama, why?” Sarah thinks she has only just got close to her mother but now she is going to lose her again.
“I’m getting older. When I die, I want me body laid to rest at home.”
“But this is ye home. Robert is here. We are here.”
“Ireland is me home. It is me blood. It is where ye father lies.” Grandma Lynn has thought on this for a long time. She will not be swayed.
“But what will ye do? Ye’ve got the house,” says Sarah trying to find a reason why her mother must stay in New Zealand.
“I’ll sell it. Robert already knows somebody who is interested.”
“But ye cannae travel as a woman alone.
”
“So many buts Sarah. Ye left me once before to make a life for yeself and ye have. Ye have a fine husband and two lovely children and another on the way. Ye will be fine. It’s time for me to live what remains of me life as I want. I want to ask Murdo if he will escort me. Will ye?”
Murdo has only been half listening to the conversation but he is all concentration now.
“Ye want me to escort ye home?” Murdo’s mind races, thinking how can he help his mother-in-law, provide for Sarah and the girls, consider the baby due to be born in less than a month, his job in Runanga and the impending war.
“Aye, not till after the baby is born of course and Sarah is recovered. From the sale of the house I can pay for ye fare and set a little aside for Sarah while ye are away. It’ll nae be for long. Just there and straight back, six or seven months at the most.”
“Mmm. I’d like to be able to help.” Murdo looks anxiously at Sarah, trying to gauge her feelings.
“Well, ye are the only one who can Murdo. Ye are the only son-in-law I have. Robert brought me out here. I need ye to take me home.”
“Mmm.” Murdo rubs his forehead; he is deep in thought. “I’ll need to sleep on it.”
They retire for the night but sleep does not come to Murdo. He is restless, tossing and turning, trying to work out how can he ensure Sarah and the girls will be safe and provided for. That is his main responsibility.
“Whatever is the matter Murdo? Ye fidgeting like ye got fleas.”
“Oh I’m sorry me love, did I wake ye?”
“Between ye and the baby it’s difficult to sleep.”
“I cannae fathom how to help ye mother and keep ye and the girls safe and provided for.”
“Well there’ll nae point in staying in Runanga. They’ll nae hold ye job open for ye and ye’ll have to leave from Wellington to sail to London so I think we’d best go there too.”
“Aye, ye be right there but how will ye manage with three children?”
“If we go back to the Hutt I’ll have the Burts to call on if I need help.”
“Ye cannae be doing that everyday.”
“Lexie’s older, she can help out with the new one.”
“Oh Sarah, do ye think it would work?”
“Of course I do Murdo. Now stop worrying and go to sleep.”
.....
The journey back over the Central Alps is delayed for a day so Grandma Lynn can pack her bags and accompany them. By the time they make it back to Runanga two days later, Murdo has carved a plan in his mind. With Grandma Lynn staying with them, Sarah will be able to rest up before the birth and recover quicker after. Then after the baby is born, they will move back to the Hutt and establish a house for Sarah and the girls close to the Burts. He’ll write to Thomas and ask if Maisie can come down to help Sarah so the trip is not too onerous.
House at Runanga
Murdo
Chapter Fourteen
Upper Hutt 1914
“Florence, bring the pram here please. We need to get Lorna into it so we can fetch Lexie from school.”
Sarah finishes feeding two-month-old Lorna, changes her nappy and tucks her snugly into the pram folding a pink woollen blanket down under her chin. The bell is likely to have gone by the time they walk the short distance to the Hutt Primary School. Lexie has been at the school for less than a month since their move back to Lower Hutt from Runanga and as pre-arranged, will be waiting quietly by the gate. She is unsure of herself, unused to the structure of lessons, the discipline of a school routine and bewildered by all the changes in recent months – the birth of Lorna, the move from Runanga, a new home and her father leaving on the ship with Grandma Lynn.
Sarah too is struggling to cope. It seems each birth robs her of a little more strength. At least this pregnancy was not all in vain. She thanks God for blessing her with another girl. Lorna came into this world a little early, not surprising after the difficult return trip from Ashburton to Runanga, but in fine fettle, her little lungs announcing loudly to all that she had arrived. Maisie Burt came and stayed for a couple of weeks when Murdo first left but she has gone back to her parents house so now it is just Sarah and the three girls coping with day-to-day life.
The walk to the school leaves Sarah short of breath. Lexie is sitting on the ground surrounded by a group of older girls, some of whom Sarah recognises as girls from the Burt family. Lexie’s eyes are red, her cheeks moist with tears and her skirt and apron bunched up around her knees to reveal a bootless foot.
“What has happened here then, Lexie?” asks Sarah hoping it is nothing major as she doesn’t think she can cope with anything more.
“She’s got a big blister on her heel,” advises one of the girls on Lexie’s behalf.
Lexie turns her foot to reveal a large red welt on her heel. She sniffs and tries to stop crying but she has worked herself into quite a tither; her whole body trembles as she tries to catch a breath. Sarah thought this might happen, hoped that perhaps the leather of the second-hand boots was soft enough not to rub, but the boots are two sizes too big for Lexie.
“Well, ye’ll just have to walk home barefoot. I cannae carry ye.”
“I’ll give her a piggy-back Mam,” offers one of the girls.
“That would be very kind of ye. We just live up the road a little.”
“Yes, I’ve seen where you live. I just live a couple of doors down.”
Sarah is grateful for the help. By the time they reach the front gate they arrange for the girls to collect Lexie each morning and night and walk her to and from school. They say goodbye at the gate and go inside to apply a dressing to the blister.
.....
In August the mailman delivers a letter. Sarah recognises the scrawled address as Murdo’s handwriting and notes the postmark is Scottish. She wonders if she is brave enough to open the worn and tattered envelope whose journey halfway around the world appears to have been an arduous one. Sarah anxiously rips the envelope open, desperately wanting to hear news from Murdo. Now that war has broken out, she is terrified that Murdo will be caught in the midst of it all, or worse still, his ship will be bombed by a German vessel and he will be lost at sea. She has to sit down; her hands are trembling and she cannot read Murdo’s penned words until she lays the letter flat on the wooden tabletop. Murdo writes that they arrived safely in England, he escorted Grandma Lynn to Southampton where she plans to stay for a while with her youngest son Fred, and then he has gone on to Scotland to visit with some of his family. He is saddened to see that little has changed for his family who are still struggling to make a living in the Highlands. The croft is gone. The family is living in near poverty in the gamekeeper’s house. His elderly Aunt Jane, partially blind and unable to provide for herself, has moved in with them. Murdo feels guilty about the conditions his family have to endure but his decision to move to New Zealand is reaffirmed as the right one. The imminent war has already impacted on his family. His sister Ann has volunteered and been sent to France where she is training at a medical outpost. His youngest brother John signed up for the merchant navy and is currently posted to Scapa Flow, a naval base in the Orkneys. Murdo decides to visit him before returning to New Zealand but sends his love and promises to be home soon.
Sarah looks back at the date at the top of the letter – 20 July 1914. She knows Britain didn’t declare war until the fourth of August; a week after the Austrian-Hungarian officials delivered their ultimatum to the Serbians. She can feel her heart pounding in her head. She feels weak, drops the letter onto the table and rests her chin on her forearms.
“Och, Murdo, where are ye?” Sarah mutters out loud the question she knows there will be no answer to today. She feels angry, angry at her mother for leaving New Zealand when she needs her help, angry at Murdo for being on the opposite side of the world when he should be with his family, angry at herself for having a body that seems to no longer be able to cope with everyday living.
.....
As the weeks pass, Sarah tries
to convince herself that Murdo will be on his way home now, leaving the war behind in Europe. It is difficult though; troops both mounted and on foot march down the Hutt Road on their way from the Trentham Army Camp to Wellington when they are to be shipped overseas. The girls hear the regular clip clop of the horses’ hooves and want to cheer along with the others who gather at the roadside waving their union jacks and offering refreshments and parcels of supplies. The soldiers look smart in their khaki uniforms with polished brass buttons glinting in the sunlight and wide-brimmed hats shading their faces. Some sit astride well-groomed horses with lustrous coats in various shades of brown and chestnut. All carry packs and sleeping rolls and look excited by the adventure that lies before them. Most are young men, barely more than boys, but they walk tall, full of pride to be serving king and country. Sarah hopes that they will return home safely.
.....
As spring approaches with its hope of new beginnings, the morning sun peeks through a gap in the bedroom curtains. It is a weekday. Sarah should be up and about, making Lexie’s breakfast, helping her tie her apron and ensuring she is ready with a packed lunch for school. Instead she is drowsy, unable to rouse herself after a restless night. A baby’s cry of hunger comes from the adjacent bedroom. Sarah knows she must carry on for the children. Wearily she tries to lift her head from the pillow. She doesn’t have the strength. She tries to call out to Lexie but a hoarse whisper is all she can muster. She knocks a heavy book from the bedside table onto the wooden floor hoping to attract her daughter’s attention. It is enough; Lexie meanders into the bedroom, barefoot, rubbing her sleepy eyes, and a thumb in her mouth.
“Lexie, Mama needs ye.” Sarah beckons Lexie to the bedside. “I need ye to be a big girl and help ye Mama.”
“What’s wrong Mama?” Lexie senses all is not right, her mother’s face is as pale as her white nightgown, her wavy hair has escaped its night-time plait and is splayed messily across the pillowcase. Lexie is scared and begins to cry.
“Nae Lexie, no tears. Big girls donnae cry. I need ye to get Lorna out of her cot and bring her to me and tell Florence to come here too. Can ye do that?”
A Better Place Page 12
