An Orphan's Journey

by Rosie Goodwin

  When Eliza walked into the room to find her sister in tears, she looked genuinely concerned. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘Oh, er . . . it’s nothing.’ Pearl stuffed the letter into a drawer and wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand.

  Eliza frowned. ‘Was that letter from Nick?’ She was confused. Surely a letter from her beau should have made Pearl happy, or perhaps it had made her miss him? Yes! she thought, that must be it. ‘Never mind, I’ve no doubt he’ll be home before you know it,’ she said comfortingly, which only made Pearl cry all the harder.

  ‘We’re not courting anymore,’ Pearl told her dully. ‘At least, we won’t be when he does come home and I tell him we’re finished.’

  ‘But why would you do that?’ Eliza scratched her head. ‘I thought yer loved him?’

  Pearl pulled herself together with a great effort. This was where the lies must begin. ‘Yes, I thought I did too, but I’ve changed my mind.’

  And without another word she sailed past her sister, leaving her with her mouth gaping slackly open.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  I

  t was in early February as Pearl was clearing the pots from the dining room table following breakfast that Monty sidled back into the dining room, closing the door behind him. It had been eight weeks since the night he had raped her and ever since then Pearl had managed to avoid being alone with him – but now, she was cornered.

  ‘What do you want?’ She stared at him calmly, although her stomach was churning.

  ‘I wanted to see you, of course.’ His voice was sickly sweet, but she knew him for what he was and had no time for him.

  ‘Please step aside. I have to get these pots back to the kitchen.’ Her voice was as cold as the icy wind that was blowing outside but he merely chuckled.

  ‘There’s no need to be like that.’ He took a step towards her and gave her a mocking smile. ‘I was thinking it was time we had another little get-together. I know you enjoyed it last time. You just don’t like to admit it, do you?’

  Pearl slammed the tray back on to the table so hard that the pots rattled and before she knew what she was doing she had snatched a knife up and pointed it at him.

  ‘You step away from me right now or I swear I shall stab you!’

  Monty stepped back in alarm. The look in her eye told him more than any words could have done that she meant every word she said.

  ‘And furthermore, let me tell you that should you ever lay so much as a finger on me again, I shall scream so loud the whole town will hear me, even if it means your mother does throw me and Eliza out on to the street! You are truly the most despicable, vile man I have ever met!’

  His expression was menacing now but he kept his distance as he spat, ‘You stupid little whore. Do you really think I would want you! Why, your little sister is far more fun!’

  ‘And the same goes for Eliza too!’ Her eyes were flashing now. ‘If I find out you’ve gone near her again, I swear I shall kill you!’

  Without a word, he turned on his heel and slammed out of the room, his hands balled into fists. Pearl was shaking uncontrollably when Eliza appeared and asked, ‘What was all that about then? You’ve right upset Master Monty if the mood he slammed out of here in is anythin’ to go by.’

  ‘I want you to keep right away from him from now on,’ Pearl warned, but to her horror Eliza only grinned.

  ‘Why, did he turn yer down?’ she sneered. ‘I could have told yer he would. It’s me he wants.’ And then she too left, leaving Pearl shaking her head in despair.

  It was two days later when the sickness started and Pearl was afraid. Was she coming down with the same illness that was afflicting Freda? She was still ill in bed showing no signs of getting any better, if anything she was growing weaker. What if she had it too now? Who would look after Eliza if anything was to happen to her? But she kept her concerns to herself. Perhaps it’s just a little bug I’ve picked up, she tried to tell herself as she went on as normally as she could.

  The following morning Pearl had just come in from visiting the toilet in the yard where she had thrown up her breakfast, or what she had managed to eat of it, when she caught Cook staring at her with a strange look on her face. ‘Not feeling too good, hinny?’

  Pearl shook her head. ‘Actually, I am feeling a bit off. But don’t worry, I shall be as right as rain in a while.’

  ‘Hm.’ The cook went back to rolling the pastry as Pearl made a list of the provisions she needed Will to fetch from the town.

  Mid-morning, she and Susan went up to wash Freda and change the sheets on her bed. The doctor was due to visit her later that day, although he still had no idea what might be wrong with her. Her skin was taking on the sickly yellow pallor that Mrs Veasey’s had, and although there had never been any love lost between them, Pearl was feeling sorry for the girl now.

  ‘She ain’t getting any better, is she?’ Susan whispered worriedly, as they made their way to the laundry with the dirty washing.

  ‘No, I have to say she doesn’t appear to be. But what more can we do for her? Even the doctor can’t figure out what’s wrong with her.’

  They carried the washing into the laundry room and dumped it into the deep stone sink. A woman from the outskirts of town came in twice a week to do the washing now and they had certainly kept her busy recently.

  ‘Did you hear the ruckus outside again last night?’ Susan asked then and Pearl shook her head.

  ‘Master Monty and some chap were having a right old row.’ Susan grinned. She was no fan of Monty either. ‘It were probably another of his gamblin’ buddies that he owes money to. Somebody’s goin’ to knock his block off one o’ these days, you just see if they don’t!’

  There was no time for them to talk more, though, as Will had come back with the supplies and Pearl liked to put them away herself so that she could keep stock of what they were growing short of. Thankfully it had stopped snowing some days before, but now that the thaw had set in, they were presented with other problems, and many houses and businesses in the town were flooded. The river was also dangerously high once again and had burst its banks in places, sweeping away livestock and any unfortunate wildlife that was in its way. People had been warned to keep well away from the water as no one would stand a chance of surviving if they were to slip into it.

  The following week was a worrying time as Freda continued to get worse with each day that passed despite everyone’s efforts.

  ‘The poor lamb is so young,’ Cook sniffed tearfully following a visit by the doctor one day. ‘Surely there must be something we can do to help her!’

  ‘Only what we’re already doing.’ Pearl was now taking it in turns with Eliza and Susan to sit with her – and even Mrs Forbes took a turn now and again. She was so ill that they didn’t dare to leave her on her own, even throughout the night.

  And then almost a week later when Pearl and Susan had changed the bed for the second time that day, Freda’s tortured breathing suddenly stopped and they knew that she was gone.

  Susan had never been in the presence of death before and backed away from the bed with tears streaming down her cheeks and her hand clamped across her mouth.

  ‘Oh, my dear God . . . she’s gone ain’t she?’

  ‘I think so.’ Pearl crossed to her and felt for the pulse in her wrist, but there was nothing. ‘You’d better run down and get Will to fetch the doctor.’

  Only too glad to escape, Susan took to her heels as Pearl gazed sadly down on Freda. She couldn’t pretend that they had ever been friends or even that she had liked the girl, but for her to die like this at such a tender age was tragic; they’d been through so much together over the years that Pearl truly felt the loss.

  Cook was absolutely distraught when she heard of her passing and sobbed uncontrollably. She had been the only person in the house who had liked Freda and she would miss her.

  Freda was laid to rest in the churchyard three days later with only the people from the house an
d Mrs Briggs, their former teacher and travelling companion, to mourn her. It was a wickedly cold day, with rain lashing down like sharp little needles and once the service was over, they were glad to get back to the warmth of the house.

  ‘I shall have to look for another girl to take her place,’ Mrs Forbes informed Pearl, and true to her word the following week she employed another girl fresh from England who had arrived on one of the orphan ships the week before.

  Sally Stuart was a mouse of a girl who looked as if a good puff of wind would blow her over. She was tiny with light-brown hair and grey eyes, but she soon proved to be a good worker and by the time they were into April, things were beginning to return to normal.

  At least they were for the rest of the household – but Pearl now had grave concerns and was beginning to wonder if her life would ever be normal again. She had missed her third course and was slowly beginning to make herself accept the fact that she might be carrying Monty’s child. Her breasts were tender and sore and she knew what morning sickness meant; she had seen her mother go through it many times and each time it had resulted in a baby. She was sick with fear and worry, because if her suspicions were correct it would mean she and Eliza would likely be thrown out, and then what would happen to them? She had nowhere near enough money to get them a passage back to England and worse still Nick could be back any time now. What was she going to tell him? It would be bad enough having to end their relationship without him knowing that she was carrying another man’s child. But how much longer could she hide it? she wondered. Up to now her stomach was still flat but she was bound to start showing soon and then what? Already Cook was eyeing her with suspicion when she had to keep rushing out to the toilet to be sick, but fortunately she hadn’t said anything as yet.

  Things finally came to a head early one morning when she returned from the outside toilet to find Cook and Eliza in the kitchen.

  Cook was turning plump mushrooms in a large frying pan and glancing at Pearl she said casually, ‘Been sick again, have you?’

  Pearl blushed to the roots of her hair. ‘I, er . . . think I must have picked up a little bug.’

  ‘Oh yes?’ Cook turned to Eliza, telling her, ‘Go and set the table in the dining room like I showed you, there’s a good girl. Your sister looks a little off colour.’

  Eliza scowled but went to do as she was bid, and the second they were alone, Cook raised an eyebrow. ‘So . . . is there something you want to tell me, lass? I wasn’t born yesterday, you know.’

  ‘I-I don’t know what you mean.’

  Cook shook her head as she loaded the mushrooms on to a plate and wiped her hands on her apron. ‘Oh, but I think you do. When is the baby due? Your Nick left you with a bellyful, has he?’

  Pearl’s mouth gaped before she snapped indignantly, ‘No, he did not. Nick is a gentleman and it’s not hi—’ Realising she had made a terrible blunder, she began to chew on her lip.

  Cook nodded knowingly. ‘I thought as much. But if it’s not Nick’s, then whose is it?’

  Suddenly the need to confide in someone was too much and tears tumbled down her cheeks as the whole sorry tale came out. Pearl had hoped that telling someone would help her come to terms with what had happened to her, but if anything it only made her feel worse and soon she was sobbing uncontrollably.

  ‘The dirty young bugger!’ Cook ground out. ‘And to think that he did that to you in this very room. Why, I’ve a good mind to take a whip to him.’ Cook’s arms went around her and Pearl leaned into her as she sobbed.

  It was only when Eliza came back into the room that the two women broke apart.

  ‘So what’s goin’ on?’ she asked in a surly voice.

  After glancing at Pearl, Cook decided to tell her. It wasn’t as if Pearl was going to be able to hide it for much longer after all.

  ‘It’s your sister. She’s . . . Well, the truth of it is Master Monty has . . . he’s taken her down.’

  ‘Taken her down?’ Eliza stared blankly from one to another, not quite understanding what Cook was saying.

  ‘Yes . . . what I mean is . . . he’s taken her against her will, and she’s going to have his baby now.’

  A dull red colour crept into the girl’s cheeks as her hands clenched into fists. ‘It ain’t true,’ she declared, as she shook her head in denial. ‘Monty wouldn’t touch our Pearl. It’s me he loves!’

  Cook was so shocked that she plonked down heavily on to the nearest chair. This was a fine kettle of fish and no mistake, but how were they going to resolve it?

  Pearl was the first to break the stunned silence when she told her sister gently. ‘It is true, Eliza, I swear it.’

  Eliza’s finger was trembling as she wagged it towards her. ‘You’re a lying bitch! I’m going to find Monty and he’ll deny it, I know he will. You only want him because he loves me!’

  ‘B-but I don’t want him. I’ve never wanted him.’

  Seeing that this was about to erupt into a full-scale row, Cook suddenly rose and told them heatedly, ‘Stop it this minute, the pair of you! Now isn’t the time to discuss what we’re going to do; we have a meal to get in to the family, so I suggest we all get on with it. We’ll talk again this evening when everyone has gone to bed.’

  Pearl lifted a dish and carried it off into the dining room while Eliza went to the sink where she began to scrub so hard at the dirty pots that Cook was sure she’d wear a hole in them, but at least she was quiet, which Cook supposed was something to be grateful for.

  For the rest of the day, the atmosphere in the kitchen was strained and Eliza refused to so much as look in Pearl’s direction, although Cook did manage to snatch a few minutes alone with Pearl later in the afternoon.

  ‘We need to think about the best way to tell the mistress about this,’ she told Pearl worriedly. ‘But there’s no need to do anything just yet. Sometimes . . . Well, nature has a way of dealing with things and it’s still early days yet. How far on do you think you are?’

  ‘I’ve missed three courses.’ Pearl looked so miserable that Cook gave her hand a squeeze.

  ‘God knows what the mistress is going to say, but don’t worry. I’ll back you up.’

  Much later that evening, Pearl made her way to bed to find Eliza sobbing into her pillow and her heart went out to her.

  ‘I’m so sorry about this . . .’ she began.

  Eliza rounded on her, her eyes flashing. ‘No you’re not sorry at all,’ she spat. ‘Everybody always likes you better than me, even Monty, and it’s not fair.’

  ‘But that isn’t true.’

  ‘Just don’t go thinking he’ll do the right thing by you and put a ring on your finger because he won’t,’ Eliza sneered.

  ‘I wouldn’t want him to!’ Pearl turned her back and began to undress. ‘In fact, I’ll never marry anyone now,’ she said with a catch in her voice, and then she climbed into bed and extinguished the candle as an uneasy silence descended between them, and eventually they fell asleep.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  T

  he sound of Will’s raised voice woke them both very early the next morning and Pearl tumbled out of bed and dragged her clothes on, wondering what could possibly be wrong, before rushing downstairs to find Will speaking to the master in the kitchen.

  It was still dark, but even in the gloom Pearl could see that Mr Forbes, who was wearing his dressing robe, was as pale as lint, while Will was standing by the back door as if to prevent the man leaving the room.

  Scrubbing the sleep from her eyes Pearl asked, ‘Whatever’s wrong?’

  Will was clearly shaken and she saw that his hands were trembling. ‘It’s Master Monty . . . he’s lying outside . . . and I think he may be dead. We need to fetch the doctor.’

  At that moment Emmaline Forbes, also in her dressing robe, appeared looking anxious. ‘What’s all the commotion about?’

  Her husband instantly went to her and, pressing her back towards the door, he urged, ‘You go back up to bed, darling. I’ll handle it
.’

  ‘Handle what?’ She pushed his hands from her arms and asked again, ‘What’s happened?’

  ‘I-it’s Monty . . . he’s injured and Will is just going to go for the doctor now.’

  ‘What do you mean – injured? Where is he?’

  They could all see the panic on her face.

  ‘He’s lying outside, ma’am, but I wouldn’t go out there if I were you,’ Will warned.

  ‘Then we must carry him in.’ Completely ignoring his advice, she made for the back door and Will flew into a panic.

  ‘No, please . . . don’t go out there . . .’ His words trailed away as she shouldered past him and she was off out of the door like a shot from a gun.

  As her husband made to follow her a scream rent the air and Will lowered his head. Monty was not a pretty sight.

  Seconds later Mr Forbes half dragged and half carried his hysterical wife back into the kitchen and snapped at Will, ‘For God’s sake, run for the doctor – NOW!’ Yet already he knew that his son was beyond any doctor’s help and what he had just seen would haunt him till his dying day. Mrs Forbes’s robe was soaked with blood and mud and her hair was plastered to her head from just the few seconds she had spent out in the rain that was lashing down and bouncing off the ground.

  Taking a deep breath, Will sprinted for the door and disappeared into the darkness.

  Susan, Sally and Cook had appeared by that time, also in their nightclothes, and with her hair encased in a nightcap, Cook looked a comical sight.

  ‘Eeh! What’s all the to-do about? The shouting were enough to waken the dead,’ she grumbled as she moved towards the table to light the lamp.

  ‘It . . . It’s Monty . . . something’s happened to him,’ Pearl explained just as Eliza too appeared. At Pearl’s words, her sister’s face drained of colour and she leapt towards the back door before Pearl could stop her. Pearl had no choice but to follow her, but she stopped abruptly and stifled a scream as she saw Eliza fling herself across what was left of Monty. He was lying on his back in the mud in a pool of blood, his eyes staring sightlessly up into the dawn sky, but that wasn’t the worst of it. It was evident he must have been lying there for some long time, because during the night creatures had attacked and feasted on his body.