An Orphan's Journey

by Rosie Goodwin

  Mrs Forbes looked as if she was on the point of collapse by now, but knowing that she had no choice but to leave her, Pearl rushed away to find Will.

  She was back within minutes. Will had found her two pieces of wood that were just right for a splint and he had even washed and dried them for her.

  ‘Right.’ The doctor nodded towards Mrs Forbes. ‘Now!’

  She quickly pressed the cloth over her son’s nose as tears streamed down her face, and thankfully after a few seconds his moans became quieter. The doctor took a deep breath and then gently taking a hold of the foot he twisted it into position, causing Monty to give an inhuman scream as his back arched from the bed.

  ‘Sorry, old chap, but it had to be done.’ Once the doctor was satisfied that the foot was in the right position, he quickly threaded a needle. He then got Pearl to hold Monty’s head in position while he expertly stitched up the wound, before asking, ‘Have you got any whisky?’

  ‘Yes.’ It was Mrs Forbes who answered faintly. ‘In the drawing room. Would you run and fetch the decanter, Pearl?’

  Pearl thought it rather strange that a doctor should need a drink while tending a patient but when she returned with a crystal decanter, she realised what he was going to do with it.

  Taking out the stopper the doctor held it above the ankle and instructed the mistress, ‘Keep a tight hold of his shoulders now. This is going to sting like hell.’

  Mrs Forbes looked as if she was about at the end of her tether, but she nodded and did as she was told. The doctor poured the liquid straight on to the wound. Monty’s screams echoed around the room and he began to thrash about as the doctor began to splint the injured leg.

  At last it was done and the doctor stood up and wiped the sweat from his brow. ‘That’s about all I can do for now,’ he told Mrs Forbes, as he checked that the bandages about the splints were tight enough. ‘But it’s going to be a long job before he’s on his feet again, even if an infection doesn’t set in, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he isn’t left with a bad limp. That’s probably the best outcome we can hope for, but we’ll see.’

  ‘Th-thank you, doctor.’ Mrs Forbes was almost as pale as her son, who seemed to be only semi-conscious now. It was a blessing as far as Pearl was concerned because at least he was no longer screaming. She hurried away to fetch the doctor clean water to wash his hands, and once he was dressed in his jacket, he warned them, ‘He could well have a fever tonight. It will be the shock to his body and the loss of blood. Make sure you keep him as cool as you can and try to get plenty of fluids into him. I shall be back first thing in the morning to see how he is, but should you need me before then, don’t hesitate to send for me.’

  ‘Thank you again.’ Mrs Forbes dropped heavily into a chair at the side of the bed.

  ‘It looks like you’re in shock too, ma’am,’ Pearl said. ‘Just sit there and rest while I go and get you a nice cup of hot, sweet tea; it’s supposed to be good for shock.’ In fact, she was feeling more than a little queasy herself after what she had just witnessed. ‘Then when you’re feeling a little better, we’ll change the bed and Will can come and help you get Master Monty into his night clothes.’

  Pearl could see that this would have to be done; the bed looked like a butcher’s block and there was blood everywhere. Some had even dripped on to the carpet. Still, that could soon be remedied. But what might happen to Monty now was another thing altogether. Much as she disliked him, she silently prayed that he would survive; no one deserved to die so young and she suspected that her mistress would not survive the death of another child. But it was all in God’s hands now.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  F

  or the rest of that day and night, Mrs Forbes barely left her son’s side, and the next morning when Pearl went to check on her and the invalid, she found that Monty had spent a restless night, tossing and turning, soaked in sweat, and his poor mother was so exhausted that she was barely able to keep her eyes open. Her face was pale and gaunt, and her husband was so concerned that he took a day off work – a rare occurrence for him. He couldn’t help but feel that he was responsible for the accident. After all, it was he who had forced Monty to do the job, but then as Cook had pointed out, ‘Accidents happen, sir, it’s no good whipping yourself, and it could have been worse. He could have been killed.’

  Mr Forbes knew she was right, but it didn’t lessen his sense of guilt, particularly when he saw how distraught his wife was.

  ‘Why don’t you go and have a lie-down, ma’am?’ Pearl suggested kindly. ‘You’ll be no good to your son if you make yourself ill. I’ll sit with him, and as soon as the doctor comes I’ll send for you, I promise.’

  ‘Pearl is right, Emmaline,’ Mr Forbes agreed as he stood at the side of the bed. ‘Pearl is more than capable.’

  Mrs Forbes shook her head. ‘No, I can’t leave him. What if he takes a turn for the worse?’

  ‘Then of course I would fetch you immediately,’ Pearl promised.

  Mrs Forbes bit on her lip. ‘I suppose you are right,’ she agreed uncertainly, much to her husband’s relief.

  ‘Come on, darling,’ he coaxed, and as he gently drew her to her feet, Pearl took her place in the chair at the side of the bed. ‘I’m going to get you tucked into bed, have a tray of food sent up to you and then I want you to rest, even if it’s only for an hour.’

  Mrs Forbes allowed him to lead her away after a last worried glance at her son and Pearl immediately wrung out the cloth in the bowl of cold water at the side of the bed and began to mop Monty’s brow.

  Once he had settled his wife, Mr Forbes returned and asked worriedly, ‘Has he not shown any signs of waking at all?’

  Pearl shook her head. ‘Not as yet, sir. But the doctor did say to expect this. His body has had a shock, which is what has caused the fever, but once it breaks, he’ll hopefully start to get better.’

  There was a tap on the door then, and to their relief the doctor appeared.

  ‘So how is the patient this morning?’ he asked, as he took his stethoscope from his bag and leaned over Monty.

  ‘I should fetch Mrs Forbes,’ Pearl said.

  Mr Forbes held his hand up. ‘No, please don’t disturb her. She needs her rest and I can pass on whatever the doctor says.’

  ‘Very well, sir.’ Pearl stood back from the bed with her hands clasped neatly at her waist. She felt distinctly uncomfortable, for she had promised her mistress she would fetch her as soon as the doctor arrived. But then she could understand Mr Forbes’s concern and could hardly disobey him.

  The doctor continued his examination and once he was done, he told Mr Forbes, ‘Well, his heart seems strong enough. Once we can get that temperature down, he should be on the mend.’ Next, he examined the splints on Monty’s leg and nodded with satisfaction. ‘Good, good. There doesn’t seem to be any leakage from the wound and there’s no smell, so hopefully there will be no infection. I don’t really want to remove the splint until I have to. The longer it stays on, the quicker the bones will knit together. Just keep doing what you’re doing and hopefully he’ll come round before too much longer.’

  He took his leave of them then, promising to return the following day and Mr Forbes went downstairs with him to see him out, leaving Pearl to care for the patient.

  Freda entered the room at one point with the excuse that she wished to dust the furniture but Pearl sent her away, much to Freda’s disgust. And then just before lunchtime, as Pearl was gently mopping his brow, Monty suddenly opened his eyes and looked directly up at her.

  ‘P-Pearl . . . what’s happened?’

  ‘It’s all right,’ she soothed as she pressed him gently back against the pillows. ‘You had an accident but you’re safe at home now.’

  He winced as he made to move his leg and she hurriedly explained, ‘You broke your ankle, but the doctor has set it and hopefully it will start to get better now.’

  He scowled for a while as he lay there but as it all came rushing back to him, he
said, ‘Ah, yes, I remember now. I was in the wrong place when we were felling a tree. Big Joe had told me where to stand but I must have misunderstood him.’

  She nodded before asking, ‘Would you like a drink now? Perhaps tea, or would you prefer a sip of water?’

  He ran his tongue across his dry lips, and despite the fact that she thoroughly disliked him, Pearl couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

  ‘W-water, please.’

  Lifting his head from the pillow, Pearl held the glass to his lips and he tried to gulp at it but she told him, ‘No, just sips now else you’ll make yourself sick.’ She dribbled trickles of water between his lips and once he had had what she judged to be enough his head fell weakly back on to the pillow. She was happy to see that he was cooler, though, and hoped that this would be the turning point.

  His mother dashed back in at that moment and Pearl almost didn’t recognise her. Her hair was all over the place and the clothes she had slept in were wrinkled and dishevelled.

  ‘Why did you let me sleep so long? Has the doctor been? Why didn’t you wake me?’

  ‘I didn’t want to disturb you,’ Pearl told her. ‘And yes, the doctor has been and he’s very pleased with his progress. I was going to come for you, but Mr Forbes said not to; he wanted you to rest. But the fever has broken, so hopefully he’ll be on the mend now, Mrs Forbes. Why don’t you go and get washed and changed? You’ll feel much better for it and I can manage here.’

  ‘She can as well,’ Monty said with a crooked grin. He would much rather look at Pearl sitting beside him than his mother. It occurred to him then that he had managed to get her into his bedroom a lot more quickly than he had expected, although he could have wished it had been under different circumstances.

  ‘Very well, I shall,’ his mother agreed, after catching sight of herself in his dressing-table mirror. ‘But I shall be back in no time.’ And lifting her skirts, she bustled away again.

  ‘So how long have I got to lie here for?’ Monty questioned as he glanced down at his leg.

  ‘I’m afraid it could be for some time. The doctor said you must allow the bones to knit back together.’

  ‘Does that mean I won’t be able to do that job again?’ he asked hopefully.

  ‘I wouldn’t know. You’d have to discuss that with the doctor and your father.’

  He grinned. He still felt a little dizzy and wobbly, but it appeared that his ploy had paid off. He had hoped that by standing in the wrong place the tree they were felling would just clip him and hopefully knock him out. He certainly hadn’t intended to break anything, but still, there were compensations to be had if it meant having Pearl tend to him.

  Soon after his mother rejoined them, looking clean and tidy again, and Pearl was dismissed, much to Monty’s disgust.

  He didn’t see her again until she brought a tray of food up some time later. His mother had ordered a light meal for him: chicken soup and a bowl of wobbly jelly, and he eyed it with disdain.

  ‘How am I supposed to get my strength back eating that muck?’ he complained.

  His mother chuckled. He must be feeling better if he was grumbling again. ‘It’s good for you,’ she told him, as she and Pearl gently lifted him into a sitting position and piled his pillows behind him. ‘Now stop complaining and if you manage to keep it down, I’ll have cook make you something a little more solid tomorrow.’

  He grimaced as he tasted the thin soup, but then realised that he was actually quite hungry and cleared the dishes in no time.

  ‘There’s a good boy,’ his mother praised as if she was talking to a young child, and he cringed as he wondered how he was going to cope with her fussing over him. She crossed to the window and swished the curtains shut, telling him, ‘I want you to have a little sleep now.’

  ‘But I’m not tired. Can’t Pearl read the newspapers or something to me?’

  ‘No, she cannot,’ his mother said firmly. ‘I think you’re well enough to be left to have a little nap now, but I shall be back to check on you shortly.’

  ‘God save me from a bloody doting mother,’ Monty grumbled as the door closed quietly behind her but seconds later his eyelids drooped and before he knew it, he was in a deep sleep.

  Over the next few days, as Monty continued to improve, he became increasingly bad-tempered at being confined to bed. Two days after the accident, the doctor had gently removed the splint to check on the injury and although there was thankfully no sign of infection, Monty had been sickened at the sight of his injured ankle. It had been twice the size it should have been and black and blue with bruises. The skin around the stitches was tight, and he began to worry whether he would ever be able to walk on it again.

  Even so, both Pearl and his mother were endlessly patient with him and went out of their way to think of things to keep him occupied. Each afternoon, Pearl would read the newspapers to him and she enjoyed that almost as much as he did. They were shipped in regularly from England for Mr Forbes, and although they were always out of date by the time they arrived, she loved knowing what was going on back at home.

  Later in the day, his mother would play chess with him and occasionally his father would visit him in the evening for a game of cards. Cook soon discovered that while Susan tried to avoid it, both Freda and Eliza would vie with each other about who should carry the young master’s trays up, and although it was amusing, she also found it a little disturbing. Monty was a good-looking young man and she considered both of the girls to be very young and vulnerable, so she promised herself that once he was up and about again, she would keep a close eye on things. God forbid that he should take advantage of either of them.

  A week into Monty’s recovery, Mr Forbes got the local carpenter to make him a sturdy pair of crutches, and as soon as they were delivered Monty was keen to get back downstairs. Achieving that was easier said than done, and eventually they found the best way for it to happen was for him to sit with his splinted leg sticking out in front of him and slide down on his backside. The same worked in reverse when he wanted to go back up again, although that took a little more time.

  ‘I shall have huge muscles at this rate,’ Monty panted to his father, as he painfully hauled himself up step by step.

  Mr Forbes smiled wryly. The muscles certainly wouldn’t be earned by hard work, he thought, but not wishing to upset his wife, he wisely didn’t say it. Emmaline still thought the sun rose and set with their son, and he knew nothing would ever change that now, especially since they had lost Elizabeth.

  In no time at all, Monty got the hang of using the crutches, and at least now he could wander out into the garden and the orchard if he took his time. The doctor had already said that he doubted Monty would be able to return to hard, manual work for some time and so his father was trying to think of some other job he could do. He’d be damned if he was going to let him sit about doing nothing once he was fully recovered.

  One evening, as they were having their coffee after dinner, Monty told his parents, ‘I think I’m going to go outside and get a bit of fresh air.’

  ‘Oh, then I’d better come with you,’ Emmaline said immediately. She was terrified of him falling off his crutches and doing further damage to his leg.

  ‘No . . . Mother, I shall be fine really,’ Monty told her, as he rose awkwardly and pushed the crutches under his arms. ‘I shall go very carefully, I promise.’

  She wasn’t happy with the idea, but nodded nevertheless. He was so touchy that she didn’t want to upset him. ‘Very well, darling, but just see that you do.’

  As he hobbled out of the room, Zack said thoughtfully, ‘I’ve been thinking about what sort of a job Monty could do until he’s fully recovered, and I think I’ve come up with a good idea.’

  Emmaline looked none too pleased. ‘But surely, he’s not going to be well enough to do anything for quite some time?’

  Zack chuckled. ‘But he isn’t ill. He’s just broken his ankle,’ he pointed out patiently. ‘I thought I could get him to do the bookke
eping at the shipyard: balancing the books and being responsible for orders, things like that. What do you think?’

  ‘But how would he get there? He’s very slow on his crutches.’

  ‘Ah, I thought of that too. Will could take him to the office each morning in the carriage and collect him again each evening. At least it would keep his mind active, and it wouldn’t impede the recovery of his ankle if he has his leg propped up on a stool.’

  ‘Hm.’ She supposed she could see the sense in what he was saying, but she didn’t think Monty would be too thrilled with the idea.

  Monty meanwhile had almost made it to the clearing in the orchard and was sweating profusely. The splint and the many bandages that covered his leg made it very heavy to swing back and forwards and he just hoped that when he finally got there the journey would be worth it.

  He grinned to himself when he saw Eliza lying on the bank of the lake with her hands behind her head, enjoying the last of the sun. Yes, he thought. It had been worth it. She had kicked her shoes off and hitched her skirt up above the knees and he thought how pretty she looked. He had almost reached her when she turned on to her stomach and saw him. She flushed and gave him a radiant smile.

  ‘Ah, I’m glad I’ve caught you.’ He smiled back at her. ‘I’ve got you a little present for all the trays you’ve been carrying up and down the stairs for me.’

  ‘A present! For me?’ She looked astounded and when he pushed the small paper bag into her hand and she peeped inside she sighed with pure delight.