An Orphan's Journey

by Rosie Goodwin

  She watched in the mirror as Pearl followed her instructions with her tongue in her cheek as she concentrated, and half an hour later, they both smiled as they studied the end result.

  ‘Wonderful,’ Emmaline praised. ‘And now I think it’s time to get into my gown.’

  Pearl helped her into her undergarments before fitting a tight girdle over the silk drawers, giving her mistress an hourglass figure. Then came the short silk chemise and the huge hooped underskirt that would give her new gown it’s shape. Next came the gown itself, and Pearl found she was all fingers and thumbs as she did up the numerous tiny buttons that ran from the tight waist right up the neckline at the back. Beneath it the mistress wore silver silk shoes and Pearl couldn’t help but be a little envious as she looked at them. She was very grateful for the built-up boots that Mrs Forbes had bought for her – at least when wearing them she didn’t walk with a limp – but she would never be able to wear anything as dainty as these.

  Finally, Mrs Forbes took a velvet box from the drawer of her dressing table and when she snapped the lid open Pearl gasped. Nestled inside on a bed of silk was the most beautiful pearl necklace and matching earrings that Pearl had ever seen.

  ‘These were also a gift from my husband for our last wedding anniversary,’ Emmaline told her, as she carefully lifted them from the box. ‘And I thought they would complement the gown. What do you think, Pearl?’

  ‘I think they’re just beautiful, ma’am,’ Pearl breathed as she took the necklace from her and fastened it about her neck. Emmaline fastened the earrings herself and at last she was ready. She gave a little twirl as she examined herself in the mirror.

  She laughed girlishly. ‘So, will I do?’

  Pearl nodded emphatically. ‘Oh yes, ma’am. You look really beautiful!’

  The opalescent pearls perfectly matched the soft glimmer of the velvet and Pearl thought her mistress looked just like a princess who had stepped from the pages of a fairy story book.

  ‘Thank you, my dear. Why don’t you go and see if there are any little last-minute jobs you can do for Cook in the kitchen? I’ve no doubt she will be in a panic by now. And don’t forget, it’s the staff party tomorrow when you can all let your hair down. You’ve certainly earned it over Christmas.’

  ‘Yes, ma’am, thank you, ma’am.’ Pearl bobbed her knee and left the room, leaving her mistress to dab expensive French perfume on her wrists before going downstairs where the first of the guests were just arriving.

  Just as Emmaline had predicted, Pearl found organised chaos in the kitchen as the maids scuttled about like busy little ants carrying trays of food through to the table in the dining room. It made Pearl’s mouth water just to look at it. There were platters full of roast beef, pork and gammon, pickles, pork pies, potatoes and pies of all shapes and sizes, as well as baskets of freshly baked bread and rolls. On another table were tiny individual jellies in all the colours of the rainbow that gleamed like jewels under the crystal chandeliers, and big jugs of fresh cream. There were rich-looking cakes, trifles, mince pies and pastries, and Pearl wondered just how many people had been invited as plate after plate was rushed through.

  ‘There must be enough food to feed an army there,’ she muttered.

  Cook smiled. ‘Oh, it’ll go, believe me. The men will soon start to put it away when they’ve ’ad a drink or two. It seems to give ’em an appetite.’

  Within no time at all, if the noise coming from the hallway was anything to go by, the party was going with a swing and now the maids rushed in and out filling trays with glasses of champagne before rushing out again.

  ‘Phew! That’s me done for the night,’ Cook declared, sinking into the wing chair at the side of the fire and kicking her slippers off. ‘Eliza, put the kettle on, there’s a pet. Me throat is parched and I’m dying for a cuppa.’

  Pearl watched as Eliza sullenly did as she was asked. Her ringlets had disappeared now and her hair was pulled back and tied with a ribbon at the nape of her neck. Cook had soon decided that the clothes she had arrived in were inappropriate for working in the kitchen, and now she was dressed in a drab, grey dress that had once belonged to one of the other kitchen maids who had worked there. Pearl felt a stab of sympathy for her. Once again, her young life had changed, but perhaps when they set off back to Canada their mistress would take her under her wing again. For her sister’s sake, she half hoped that she would, despite the fact that she had enjoyed having Eliza to herself again for a while – albeit she had been quiet and bad-tempered. But they would just have to wait and see.

  Throughout the evening, they each took it in turns to peep around the kitchen door so they could catch a glimpse of the beautiful dresses the women were wearing as they sailed past, and it was soon agreed that the young mistress looked the most stunning.

  ‘Yer did a fair old job of puttin’ ’er ’air up,’ Bridget, the little Irish laundry maid, said admiringly and Pearl preened with pleasure. ‘It’s just a shame as they ’ad to let ’is lordship attend,’ she said cuttingly, as they watched Monty sneak a glass of champagne from one of the maid’s trays. ‘He’s a spiteful little so-an’-so,’ she went on. ‘He come in the laundry room when I were up to me elbows in suds t’other day and upended the washtub just fer the spite of it! Took me ages to mop it all up, it did, an’ the rotten little bugger just laughed like ’e’d done somethin’ funny.’

  ‘He’s sick in the head,’ another one agreed. ‘Nothing at all like his little sister was. Now she were a sweet little thing, but I reckon he were jealous of her.’

  At last the grandfather clock in the hallway chimed twelve o’clock and suddenly everyone, even the kitchen staff, was turning to the person closest to them and giving them a kiss and wishing them a happy New Year. Unfortunately for Pearl, she was just returning from the dining room with a pile of empty platters when suddenly she was swung round to find herself face to face with Monty. His eyes were glazed and she knew instantly that he was drunk. She could remember seeing the same look in her father’s eyes a million times before. Clutching the platters, she glared at him and he laughed.

  ‘Aw well, seein’ as you’re the only one close, I suppose you’ll have to do,’ he said – and before she could stop him, he had grabbed her and thrust his tongue into her mouth.

  There was nothing she could do to prevent it. One of his hands was behind her head holding her close, but she knew she would be in serious trouble with the cook should she drop the platters so she merely tried to pull away as she retched.

  ‘Ugh! That was disgustin’,’ she spat when she finally managed to break away – and completely forgetting all the lessons on etiquette that the mistress had taught her, she turned and fled to the kitchen.

  ‘I swear I’ll get my own back on ’im one o’ these days,’ she growled, reverting back to the way she used to talk as she wiped her hand across her mouth, trying to rid herself of the disgusting taste of him.

  Mrs Brookes, who had witnessed what had happened, shook her head. ‘Don’t worry, dear. He’ll meet his match,’ she said and sighed. She could quite easily have reported what had gone on to her mistress but she was fretting already because it was only days away from her daughter’s departure. It was also only days away from Monty returning to school, so she decided it would be best to say nothing for now. Hopefully he’d get his comeuppance eventually. His type always did.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  ‘O

  h darling, are you quite sure it’s safe to set sail in this weather?’ Mrs Kennedy-Scott asked as she glanced anxiously at the stormy weather beyond the window. ‘I can’t believe that you’re really going again. It seems like only a moment since you arrived.’

  ‘I know, it has gone quickly, hasn’t it?’ her daughter agreed, as Zack placed a thick, fur-lined cloak about her slender shoulders. ‘But I’ve really enjoyed it. Thank you so much for having us.’ In truth anything would have been better than having to stay in the house in Canada where the ghost of her little daughter haunted
every corner. And of course, it had been wonderful to spend Christmas with Monty, although he hadn’t seemed overly excited to see her and his father. But then she supposed that was just his age. All teenagers were notoriously moody and hopefully the expensive school he was attending would make a man of him.

  The groom was loading the last of their trunks and boxes on to the top of the carriage and Emmaline noticed that they seemed to be leaving with far more than they had come with, thanks to the many shopping trips she had been on with her mother. Just then, Pearl and Eliza came from the kitchen, dressed in their outdoor clothes and clutching the bags they had brought with them.

  ‘Ah, here you are, girls. Go and hop into the carriage and have a safe journey,’ Mrs Kennedy-Scott told them, and once they had gone her face became solemn as she addressed her daughter again. ‘Don’t forget what I told you. Once you get home, you must let Eliza return to her duties in the kitchen. And don’t think I won’t know if you try to do otherwise, because Zack will be keeping an eye on you too!’ Her face softened then and she caught her daughter to her with tears in her eyes. ‘Have a safe journey, darling, and remember, we love you very much.’

  ‘I love you too,’ Emmaline answered in a choked voice. Then she hugged and kissed her father, before turning her attention to Monty, who was standing with his hands behind his back and the usual sullen expression on his face.

  ‘Are you quite sure you have everything you need for your new term?’ she asked for at least the tenth time.

  ‘Oh, for goodness sake,’ her mother laughed. ‘Stop worrying. If there’s anything he needs we’re still here and he won’t go short of anything, I promise.’

  Monty allowed her to kiss him on the cheek as, looking slightly worried, Zack pointed out, ‘The captain will be waiting for us, darling, and you know what a stickler he is for sailing on time. If we miss the tide we’ll have to wait until this evening.’

  The sailors had been busy all day loading the ship with food and stock for the shops back in Canada. None of Mr Forbes’s ships ever sailed without being fully loaded.

  Emmaline was ushered outside and into the carriage, where the two girls sat quietly waiting for them and then she was hanging out of the window waving through the snow until her parents disappeared.

  ‘Thank goodness for that; I thought you were trying to freeze us all,’ Zack said.

  Emmaline closed the window with tears glistening on her lashes and leaned back against the squabs, as the horses picked their way across the snowy cobblestones.

  The cabins aboard the ship were just as cold as they remembered them and they instantly added some more layers of clothing, painfully aware that the journey ahead was not going to be at all pleasant.

  As the ship set sail and the lights of London began to fade into the distance, Pearl stood watching them through the tiny porthole in their cabin with tears in her eyes, while Eliza lay curled up in a tight ball on her narrow bunk. It was incredible to think that she had arrived full of excitement at the prospect of seeing her parents and siblings again, only to find that they were all gone now. All except Amy, that was, and she knew the chances of ever seeing her again were slim. There would be nothing to tempt her back to the place of her birth anymore and it was a sobering thought.

  Within hours, the ship began to rise and fall on the choppy sea and both Eliza and Mrs Forbes became ill again. Pearl found herself rushing between them with buckets and bowls as they vomited, offering what comfort she could. Here we go again, she thought with a rueful smile.

  It was so bitterly cold over the next few days that the deck and the rails of the ship froze solid, and the poor sailors had to wear thick leather gloves and rubber-soled boots to stop them slipping over the sides. Both Eliza and Mrs Forbes were still feeling desperately sick, although because their stomachs were empty at least they had stopped vomiting.

  ‘Come along, Pearl,’ Mr Forbes said one evening when she had finished helping Mrs Forbes to wash and change her nightdress. ‘The ship’s cook told me earlier that he was cooking stew and dumplings this evening. Just what the doctor ordered to keep the cold out, eh?’

  At the mere mention of it, Mrs Forbes turned an alarming shade of green again, but knowing there was nothing more that could be done for her for now, he nudged Pearl towards the cabin door. ‘We’re going to try to eat something, otherwise we’ll be ill too and we won’t have the strength to look after the invalids.’

  Seeing the sense in what he said, she followed him to the dining room, where they found some of the sailors tucking into plates piled high with food. Even Pearl was feeling sickly by then but, determined not to give in to it, she did her best to eat as much as she could when he carried a steaming plate back to her. Surprisingly she did feel much better with something inside her stomach, and as Eliza was fast asleep when she got back to the cabin and Mr Forbes had assured her that he would look after his wife, she clambered into her own bunk and, despite the tossing and turning of the ship, was asleep in no time.

  From then on, the endless days seemed to roll one into another. The storms they encountered were so bad that some days none of the women dared venture from their bunks, where they would lie praying that they were not about to sink. The ship was tossed about like a feather in the wind, and Eliza and Mrs Forbes were so ill that Pearl feared they might not make it. But worse still was the bone-chilling cold. Even wrapped in blankets they lay shivering, their teeth chattering and their hands and feet so numb that it was almost as though they were no longer attached to their bodies. They discovered that one of the sailors had been swept overboard to his death and they wondered how many more might follow him as the men struggled to keep the ship afloat. It was only because of the captain’s expert skills that they hadn’t all been lost already.

  At last, late one afternoon when Pearl had resigned herself to being lost at sea, a shout came from above and minutes later the door flew open and Mr Forbes stood there hanging on to the handle to keep himself upright as he told them joyously, ‘They’ve sighted land. We’re almost there. We’re going to be all right.’ There had been times when even he had had his doubts, for it was the worst journey he had ever been on.

  ‘Thank God,’ Pearl muttered, gripping the side of the bunk. She had been so busy trying to stop herself being thrown out of it that she hadn’t even been able to read any of the books Mrs Forbes had packed for her.

  ‘Don’t try and get up to start the packing until we dock,’ Mr Forbes warned her. ‘Once we’ve anchored, I’ll send someone up to the house to get Will to come and fetch us in the carriage and you can do it then.’ And then he was gone, and Pearl lay there crying tears of relief and offering up a silent prayer of thanks.

  It was pitch-dark by the time they finally anchored, and Pearl cautiously clambered out of her bunk and began to pack her own and Eliza’s things. Next she went along to her mistress’s cabin and helped her to dress, which was no mean feat as the poor woman was so weak she could barely stand. Once she was dressed, Pearl began to pack her clothes, and minutes later a burly sailor appeared to carry all their luggage up on to the deck for her.

  ‘I thought we were all going to die back there,’ Mrs Forbes told her in a small voice.

  Pearl nodded. ‘So did I for a while, ma’am,’ she admitted. ‘But we’re back now and once Will arrives, we’ll have you home in no time.’

  ‘And how is Lizzie?’

  Pearl shook her head. ‘No better than you have been, to be honest, but I’m sure once she’s back on dry land she’ll be fine again.’

  Soon after that the sailor returned to take them all to wait in the dining cabin, but he had to practically carry both Mrs Forbes and Eliza up the steep steps. The ship’s cook made them all a hot cup of tea but after the first sip both Eliza and Mrs Forbes were sick again, so they pushed the mugs aside.

  At last Will appeared and they breathed a huge sigh of relief.

  ‘Welcome home,’ he said cheerfully. He had so many layers of clothes on that he looked al
most twice his size and they soon discovered why when they ventured out on to the deck. All they could see was a vast white world. A path had been roughly cleared to give access to the dock and through the town, but drifts ten foot high were piled everywhere they looked and it was so cold that it took their breath away.

  ‘Be careful,’ he warned, as he led them towards the gangplank, which was treacherously slippery. ‘This is like a skating rink, so hold tight to the rails.’

  They did as they were told, breathing a sigh of relief when they eventually reached the carriage. The poor horses had thick blankets across their backs, but already Pearl could see there was ice forming on their manes and tails. It hurt to breathe, so they climbed in as quickly as possible. Mr Forbes said that the luggage could be delivered later and now all they wanted to do was get home as quickly as possible. The journey back was unpleasant as the poor horses slithered on the ice, and as they turned into the drive leading to the house they stopped abruptly and stubbornly refused to go another step, despite all Will’s coaxing.

  ‘I’m afraid you’re going to have to walk from here,’ he apologised as he came to open the carriage door. ‘I shall have to leave the carriage here and lead the horses round to the stable one at a time. They’re too afraid of the ice to venture any further.’

  The men helped Mrs Forbes and the girls down and, slipping and slithering and holding tight to one another, they set off for the house. The snow was coming down thickly again now and Pearl had never seen anything like it.

  It seemed to take a lifetime, but at last the house was in sight and as they staggered towards the door, Mrs Veasey threw it open and ushered them inside, where the welcoming warmth instantly made their clothes start to steam.