The Forget-Me-Not Girl

by Sheila Newberry

  *

  Emma was already aware what was involved in becoming a local midwife. There were no lying-in hospitals nearer than Norwich, and learning midwifery in the countryside was achieved by working with an experienced midwife, alongside some teaching sessions from the local doctor. Doctors attended the well-to-do patients and the local midwives saw to the mothers who could not afford hospital care.

  After the doctor’s first examination of TF upstairs, Emma was anxious to talk to him out of earshot. Immi brought cups of tea to them in the living room, and then took Alice and Ernie for a short walk along the common. They were well wrapped up against the cold.

  Emma sat facing the doctor over the table. He said, ‘Mrs Meehan, as you are aware, your husband is a very sick man. However, I will endeavour to do all I can for him, and I think it would help if the excess fluid could be drained from his legs. There is a procedure for this, which I would like to try, with your permission.’ He supped his tea while waiting for her reply.

  ‘Is it painful?’ Emma asked anxiously.

  ‘We have to cause discomfort, I’m afraid, in order to achieve relief.’

  ‘He isn’t one to complain,’ Emma said. Her hands were shaking and her cup rattled in the saucer, but she added resolutely, ‘What must be done must be done.’

  ‘I’m glad you agree. Now, what was the other matter you wished to ask me about?’

  ‘I must be the breadwinner now, doctor. I have told Tom, and he agrees – I wish to train as a midwife. Would you be willing to assist me in this?’

  ‘My dear Mrs Meehan, I would, but you must also speak to the local midwife. However, I believe she could do with another pair of capable hands. So go ahead, but bear in mind that life will become more difficult as your husband’s disease progresses.’

  *

  The standard treatment for oedema of the lower legs – dropsy caused by build-up of fluid when the legs can become enormous – at this time, and for almost a century thereafter, was the insertion of Southey’s tubes which drained the fluid.

  Although the doctor would have preferred TF to have this procedure done in hospital, Emma was adamant that she wanted him to be at home, with her support. The treatment would take at least a day, possibly two. TF bore all this with his usual stoicism, and the relief was great after the initial sessions.

  The doctor observed, ‘You will make a good nurse, Emma.’ He was already a friend to the family and she had invited him to call her by her first name. It was arranged that she would begin her midwifery training after Easter, when the children were settled in their new routine.

  Reverend Eden called once a week and spent time talking to TF and Immi, and Tommy took Alice to Sunday school at his suggestion. Sarah was always ‘dropping by’ with welcome dishes – ‘I made too much as usual and thought of you!’ – and William appeared with baskets of vegetables in season and newly laid eggs from Sarah’s pet bantams.

  Immi’s cat Tip soon took to the countryside, and stayed out all night, bringing not-so welcome gifts to the kitchen, like wriggling mice, which Immi rescued and released away from the cottage garden. ‘They’ll come back,’ Emma reminded her gently. They did, and Tip pounced.

  TWENTY-ONE

  1875

  The highlight of their first year in Wymondham was the marriage of Jerusha and Chas, in the Abbey church in March. Emma and her family had shown their support by hearing the banns read in church. It was all very exciting, for Alice was to be a bridesmaid along with Ellie, her Uncle Jonathan’s small daughter. Ellie’s mother had not returned home, in fact the poor young woman was in and out of hospital at this time with ‘nervous problems’. Ellie, it seemed, could not come to terms with this.

  TF was to be best man and William would give the bride away. Sarah and her daughter Jane were providing the wedding breakfast, which would be in William and Sarah’s house. Jerusha and Chas arrived there on their wedding eve, a bitterly cold day, and overnight there was a fall of snow.

  William took Chas over to the cottage early on, as the bridegroom was not allowed to see the bride again before they met in church. He brought Emma and Alice back with him and then went to fetch Ellie. Then he and Jeremiah got busy with shovels and brooms to clear the path before the bride emerged next morning.

  There was a lovely fire warming the big bedroom, and Emma and Jerusha were there together, while the small girls were playing downstairs with Jane’s children. As Sarah said, ‘Best dress them at the last minute, eh?’

  ‘I hope you’re wearing something warm, Ru,’ Emma said anxiously. ‘I could have offered you my wedding gown, as I did Keturah. I’ve not worn it again – since my waistline expanded.’

  Jerusha said, ‘Open the box, I know you want to! To my surprise I was given twenty pounds when I left my position in Sydenham. For nearly ten years – can you believe it? – faithful service! Anyway, I asked Anna to accompany me to a couturier in London, because she has such good taste. I hope you will approve of our choice!’

  Emma lifted the jacket and skirt from tissue wrappings. ‘Oh Ru, it’s perfect!’

  ‘I chose blue because Chas says it’s my colour, and velvet, like you, for warmth.’

  Emma laid the outfit on the bed, and said, ‘Sit by the mirror; I must do your hair now.’ She removed the hairpins and, after sprinkling a little eau de cologne on the brush, began to sweep the long locks back and upwards to twist into a topknot. The heavy fringe softened the effect, together with ringlets teased out either side of her face. ‘The fringe suits you and is very fashionable.’

  It was time for Jerusha to divest herself of her flannel wrapper and to shiver in her undergarments, despite the fire, before Emma helped her into the underskirt and then the overskirt, with its extravagant tiers of ruffles at the back. The tight-fitting jacket flared over her hips and there were wide cuffs at the wrists, sparkling with diamanté, and a high collar similarly embellished. The tiny matching hat, which would perch on the topknot of hair, remained in its box for the moment.

  ‘Ru, what made you change your mind?’ asked Emma.

  ‘I suppose it was because I realised I was coming up to thirty-two and I had kept dear Chas waiting far too long.’ She paused. ‘Also, he told me what you said to him, Emma, and how time is precious.’

  ‘It certainly is. I don’t know how much longer Tom and I will have together, Ru, but the most important thing is that we are together.’

  The door burst open and the little bridesmaids rushed in to show off their own blue velvet dresses with matching bonnets and ribbons tied under the chin. They were well-matched for size, though Alice’s fair curls contrasted with her cousin’s braided dark hair. Jane appeared behind them. ‘Are you ready? Father hev put the pony in the shafts – he is going to take TF and Chas to the church first, so they don’t get their boots muddy. Can you watch the girls up here? Mother needs me to put the finishing touches to the table. My Tom will be round to see to our little ones, they would cause too much disturbance in the church!’

  ‘Nonsense!’ Jerusha said firmly. ‘You must all come, or I won’t go myself!’

  Just then Ellie burst into tears, sobbing, ‘My mama in’t coming, Auntie Ru—’

  Jerusha scooped her up into her arms – this wasn’t the time to worry about her lovely dress – and said, ‘Well, you are, my darling girl – I need you and Alice to help me down the aisle!’

  Back in the cottage, TF and Chas were talking of this and that, remembering all the good times when TF was fit and well, and of their friends in the fire brigade.

  ‘I requested a week off for a honeymoon and to my surprise, it was granted!’ Chas said.

  ‘We will be brothers-in-law, now,’ TF realised.

  ‘I couldn’t wish to join a nicer family. If only things could be different for you.’

  ‘I know you and Jerusha will be there for Emma and the children, when—’

  ‘I can promise you, we will.’

  Before any more could be said, Immi appeared with Tom and
Ernie in tow, in their best clothes. ‘Uncle Will is here,’ she said.

  Chas helped TF to his feet, then wound a warm scarf round his mouth against the cold air, and passed him his stick. William supported him on one side and Chas the other as they assisted him up into the trap. ‘Jeremiah will collect and bring all of you in the wagon very shortly,’ William told Immi.

  The bride and bridesmaids were the last to leave the house with William. Jerusha wore a lovely cloak of midnight blue over her wedding finery, a gift from the bridegroom. Ellie insisted on sitting on her lap. Jerusha had a sudden inspiration. She wouldn’t say anything until after the wedding, she thought. How could she put it to her new husband? ‘Shall we ask Jonathan if we may take Ellie away with us? A holiday is just what she needs . . .’

  *

  A chair was waiting for TF after his slow progress down the aisle with Chas. The pews were fast filling up, but they followed tradition by facing the altar until the organist alerted them to the arrival of the bride. Chas wore his uniform at Jerusha’s request, but TF wore his best suit and retained his overcoat, because there was little heating in the church.Emma watched anxiously from the front pew, hoping that Alice and Ellie would remember what was expected of them, after all, they were only four years old. Tommy was with his mother and Immi, but the smaller children sat in a row between Sarah and Jane. Emma suddenly recalled when she and Jerusha had followed Sarah on her wedding day, wearing the white muslin frocks her mother had made. It was summer, she thought wistfully, and I still miss dear Mother, but I hope I am the woman she wished I would become . . . Father, too, they will both be in my heart and prayers always.

  Heads turned as the music swelled and the bride in her beautiful wedding gown must have been aware of the gasps of appreciation. Behind came the little girls, catching up now and then with a skip or two.

  *

  The Maid’s Head Hotel was close to the great cathedral in Norwich, and the railway station was conveniently close by. The original building dated from the thirteenth century and over the years had encompassed other buildings already on site. The impressive facade faced the intersection of Tombland, Wensum and Palace Streets. There were eighty-four bedrooms and several staircases within the hotel and it was rumoured that Queen Elizabeth had slept there in 1587.

  ‘I hope her ghost doesn’t walk at nights,’ Jerusha murmured in Chas’s ear, as she didn’t want to frighten an already nervous child.

  ‘Oh, she would be too regal for that. But,’ he whispered in return, ‘it said in the brochure I sent for that if you sense a smell of musty lavender, you won’t see her, but a maid is passing by.’

  ‘Auntie Ru, where will I sleep?’ Ellie tugged at her sleeve. They were standing in their bedroom with its big carved oak bedstead and brocade curtains.

  ‘On this couch. It is called a chaise longue. The maid has provided pillows and blankets for you, see?’

  ‘I hope it weren’t the maid who smells of lavender!’ Ellie said. Jerusha and Chas looked at each other, then burst out laughing, and Ellie joined in.

  Maybe it wasn’t the honeymoon night they’d dreamed of, but as Chas told Jerusha, ‘There is plenty of time for that – I’m just glad you agreed to marry me at last!’

  They spent two days sightseeing in Norwich, which Chas had not visited before, then it was off to London after Jonathan had collected his daughter. Ellie clung to Jerusha. ‘Can I come and stay with you again?’

  Jerusha kissed her tearful face. ‘Of course you can! But now your family are looking forward to having you back home! You must tell them the story of the maid and the scent of lavender, eh?’

  ‘Not so many musty smells in London now, I hope,’ Chas said. ‘The main sewage system is at last complete.’

  ‘Thank goodness for that!’ Jerusha said with feeling. ‘I’m glad we will be in the Southwark Bridge area. ‘The only drawback is, London will lose some of its history.’

  *

  The newlyweds were not required to share their large house, as Chas rose swiftly up the ranks in the brigade, but it seemed they were not to be blessed with children of their own.

  However, when Jonathan decided to move to Cambridgeshire to set up in business, Ellie was upset and said she wanted to stay with her Auntie Ru and Uncle Chas in London. Jonathan had hoped she would stay on with him, but he decided she be allowed to do so.

  Jerusha and Chas regarded Ellie as their foster daughter. They were a happy threesome. However, as Emma wrote to Jerusha: Wicklewood has much to answer for in the problems of this family. It breaks my heart.

  When Jonathan’s in-laws moved near their widowed daughter, Susanna, a dressmaker in Battersea, Ellie was reunited with her brother John and later with her sister, Ivy, who joined Susanna and her family after a while. Susanna was a handsome woman with a flamboyant personality, whose skills at design and dressmaking afforded the family a comfortable living. She had a young daughter of her own, named after herself, known as Little Susie.

  Jerusha wrote to Emma:

  I take the children out and about, yes, to the Crystal Palace, of course! Susanna gets on with her sewing meanwhile! Chas comes with us when he can. I wish you were able to visit us though!

  I am excited because dear Chas is taking me to Trial by Jury tonight! It is a new comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan – you must have heard of them? Susanna has made me a special gown to wear – I wish you were here to arrange my hair! Ellie is staying overnight with Susanna. She wanted to come too, but we felt she is too young to be in an evening audience and although it is a comedy, we think the law is not a subject she would appreciate.

  Emma, Jerusha and Rebecca were also glad to hear that Keturah and Harry not only had the support of their friends, Eliza and Francis, but were in touch with Jane in Amble, where they had been invited to visit when possible. Keturah’s letters were full of her little son and her hopes for a daughter in due course. Henry says a girl will be Keturah after me! So, dear Becca is expecting a baby soon – they took their time.

  If Jerusha felt a pang that she had no such news to impart, she kept it to herself, but Chas knew she regretted the fact that she couldn’t have a baby of her own. He gave her a special present for her birthday: a gramophone. It had an elaborate horn, and it was a pleasure not only to them, but to young Ellie, who loved music and singing. Another favourite entertainment was the magic lantern, a Christmas treat which they never tired of, despite the jerky movements of the actors.

  Jerusha had nice clothes to wear now, not hand-me-downs from her employers as in the past. She and Ellie wore the latest fashions, created for them by Susanna, sometimes matching outfits. If Chas sometimes thought privately that she was spoiling the little girl, he kept it to himself, for he adored the child, too.

  That evening, Chas came home to get ready for the opera with a surprise for Jerusha. She was sitting at her dressing table, regarding herself in the mirror. He bent over her, and gently moved her hair to one side and then kissed the back of her neck.

  She smiled: ‘That tickles!’ she told him.

  ‘You know you like it! I gather that Ellie has already been collected by Susanna?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes. Susanna says young John will entertain them with his Magic Lantern Show!’ She turned her head and smiled at him. ‘I hope he has more slides than we have!’

  ‘I must just get changed,’ he said, ‘out of my boots for a start and wear my new shoes! We will be eating at the restaurant before we go to the Opera, of course. I have a surprise for you—’

  ‘Whatever can that be?’ she exclaimed. ‘Don’t tell me it’s a box of new slides!’

  ‘You will shortly find out!’ He smiled.

  Chas fastened the emerald necklace round Jerusha’s neck. ‘It’s not my birthday!’ she exclaimed, for the gift was a surprise. ‘Or even Christmas!’

  ‘I know, but I knew when I saw it in the jewellers that I had to buy it for my beautiful wife—’

  ‘Chas! How good you are to me—’ She g
azed again into the mirror. The filigree silver chain gleamed in the gas light, and the jewels sparkled.

  ‘How lucky I am,’ he said quietly, ‘To have married you, Jerusha.’ He kissed the nape of her neck again, cleared his throat. ‘I guessed right, it is a perfect match for your frock. I’ll fetch your cape. Your carriage awaits!’

  ‘Just a minute,’ she put out a hand to keep him beside her, as she rose from her chair. They embraced and she said breathlessly, ‘I love you so much,’ before they exchanged a long, lingering kiss.

  Jerusha thought happily, this is the perfect way to begin our evening out.

  TWENTY-TWO

  Wymondham, September 1876

  After three months of assisting the experienced midwives, Emma attended her first birth, and following a question and answer session with one of the three local doctors, known as surgeons, she passed the test to Dr Hughes’s satisfaction. He was the father of two little daughters himself and he was also the doctor who looked after TF and the one who had encouraged her in this venture. The births, he reminded Emma, would not always be happy events, however, he believed that Emma, having experienced tragedy with her first baby, was someone who could console and help in similar sad situations.

  And he was right, Emma made great efforts to help her patients and always kept her hands soft and supple with home-made lotion. Often she’d ask for a hairbrush and soothe her patients with rhythmical strokes, and the exhausted new mothers would close their eyes and relax. ‘You are so gentle, nurse,’ a grateful new mother who had endured a lengthy labour, told her.

  One morning, Emma received a very unwelcome request when the doctor told her that the matron at the workhouse urgently needed help with a difficult patient who was having a protracted delivery. The workhouse in Wymondham was a place Emma had no wish to visit, because of the memories it evoked of her younger siblings being sent there when the children were orphaned, however she did not hesitate to say she would go. ‘The regular nurse is with her, but has other patients to see to, of course,’ Dr Hughes said.