A Foreign Shore

by Catrin Collier

  ‘I’m serious.’

  She thought of the secret she had to tell him. If he’d noticed she’d put on weight he hadn’t mentioned it. But it could only be a matter of time. And then … it was easier to put it from her mind and enjoy the moment. ‘I don’t want to think about anything except you and making love.’ She fed him another slice of ham before linking her arms around his neck, snuggling close, and kissing him.

  Realising he would get no sense from her while she remained in her present mood he lifted her from his lap. ‘We need to sleep. I’ve arranged to meet Mr Hughes in his house after breakfast.’

  ‘You’re coming to bed?’

  ‘In a few minutes. Warm the sheets for me.’ He watched her climb back beneath the eiderdown.

  ‘Glyn …’

  ‘I’m coming.’

  Her eyes closed. A few minutes later her breath steadied into the rhythm of sleep. He reached for his box of cigars and matches, lit one, sat back, and stared at the fire. His priority had to be making provision for Praskovia if anything untoward happened to him.

  He’d amassed considerable savings since he’d begun working for John Hughes. Because the company paid all his travelling and living expenses he’d been able to bank practically all his wages except for the allowance he paid Betty. After a particularly bad Channel crossing early in his career he’d taken out a life insurance policy payable both as an annuity and lump sum to his wife on his death.

  Betty would be able to live in comfort for the rest of her days, but now there was Praskovia. He couldn’t bear to think what could have happened to her if he’d been killed in that fall.

  Would Sarah and Richard have stayed on in the house and continued to employ her, Yelena, and Pyotr? The house was mortgaged to the company. Would the company have taken possession and sold the property evicting not only his lodgers but his servants?

  He had to check his savings …

  Praskovia opened her eyes. ‘Glyn, you said you need to sleep.’

  ‘I’m coming, my love.’

  ‘My love’! How easily that phrase had come to him. He climbed into bed, wrapped his arm around her, and was mentally listing his assets when sleep washed over him. A deep sleep in which he was aware of nothing except Praskovia lying next to him.

  Sarah woke with a start. The room was dark. Then she heard the sound that had woken her. Footsteps running lightly over the landing and down the stairs. They were followed minutes later by a slightly heavier more masculine tread. Anna and Alexei.

  She moved and felt the warmth of a body lying alongside her own. Her spirits soared. Peter …

  She opened her eyes, stared into the shadows until her eyes burned and remembered. Memories came flooding back of the previous day and – night. Ashamed, embarrassed by the thought that she’d seduced Richard, a child over a decade younger than her, she grabbed the white splash of robe lying on the floor, slipped it on, and tied it at her waist.

  ‘What time is it?’ Richard mumbled groggily from the bed.

  ‘I’ve no idea,’ she whispered. ‘I can’t see a thing but I heard Alexei and Anna go downstairs.’

  Richard sat up and fumbled with the matches and lamp on his bedside table. He lit the lamp at the second attempt, replaced the shade and read the clock on the wall.

  ‘Twenty past six. I have to get moving if I’m going to talk to Mr Edwards over breakfast.’

  ‘As long as it is just talk. You can’t work with those hands …’

  ‘They’re not that bad.’

  ‘You’ve had hardly any sleep.’

  ‘I had as much as you.’

  She felt colour flooding into her cheeks and looked away from him. ‘The first thing every nurse learns is how to live without sleep.’

  ‘Sarah …’

  ‘I have to get back into my own room without anyone seeing me.’

  Richard lifted the bedcover, scrabbled for his pyjama trousers, which he found in a crumpled heap at the foot of the mattress, and pulled them on. The bandages on his chest were already stained by blood. He went to the French windows, opened the drapes, and looked out at the balcony. ‘There’s no one in the street, but there’s a sprinkling of rain, you’ll need your shoes.’

  ‘I have them.’ She found her leather slippers under the bed.

  ‘Is your window open?’

  ‘I never lock it.’

  ‘Good, I’ll come in that way tonight.’

  She glared at him. ‘You will not …’

  ‘We need to talk.’

  ‘Last night …’

  ‘Was a mistake?’ he challenged. ‘I don’t think so, Sarah.’

  ‘“Sarah”! I’m still Mrs Edwards, Richard.’

  ‘As soon as I’m free I’ll visit the hospital.’

  ‘With the number of patients we admitted yesterday I’ll be busy all day.’

  ‘Then I’ll sit and wait until you’re free.’

  ‘Richard – last night was – ’

  ‘Wonderful.’

  Speechless, all she could do was look at him.

  ‘Can you honestly say any different?’

  ‘This is not the time to argue. Is the street still empty?’

  ‘Yes. Go. I’ll follow and mess up the puddles on the balcony so the maids won’t see your tracks.’

  Sarah slipped out through the door, letting in a draught of fresh morning air. Richard picked up his robe, thrust his feet into his slippers, and followed her. He saw her prints in the pools of water and trod in them, walking up and down, covering the steps she’d taken with his own. He glanced occasionally at the window of her room but the curtains remained resolutely closed.

  ‘Sir?’ A maid peeked out of the French windows to his room. ‘Shall I close the door?’

  ‘No, thank you. I’m coming in now. I wanted some air.’ He continued scuffing the pools of water with the damp toes of his wool work slippers as he made his way inside.

  ‘I brought your warm water and tea, sir.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  The girl bobbed a curtsey and left.

  He realised how quickly he’d become accustomed to being waited on. If his mother could see him she wouldn’t be proud of one of her children ordering other people around.

  He poured water into the bowl on the washstand, and managed to ignore the pain in his skinned hands long enough to wash his hands and face. He lathered his shaving brush but he couldn’t concentrate on the simplest task because his thoughts kept returning to the events of the night. He even caught himself smiling at his reflection.

  After his initial fumblings, what had happened between him and Sarah – he’d never be able to think of her as Mrs Edwards again – had been so natural, exhilarating, and passionate that he couldn’t wait to repeat the experience – and the only way he could think of ensuring that was to marry her.

  Lost in imaginings of his future married life he didn’t give a single thought to Alice or her existence until he finished dressing.

  Mr Edward Edwards had been right in advising him to forget Alice. It had been nothing more than a childish infatuation on both his and Alice’s parts. It had probably only lasted as long as it had because of her father’s opposition.

  Whereas Sarah was now his entire world.

  Chapter Four

  Glyn Edwards’ house, Hughesovka

  June 1871

  ‘You will be careful today?’ Praskovia handed Glyn a freshly laundered shirt.

  ‘I’ll have no choice until my hands heal. I can’t fasten a button, let alone pick up a shovel, drive a carriage, or operate machinery.’

  She waited until Glyn pushed his arms through the sleeves of the shirt and buttoned it for him. ‘You look tired. You should have stayed in bed.’

  ‘I have to see Mr Hughes. Decisions have to be made about the pits.’

  ‘Surely there’s nothing that can’t wait.’

  ‘If the company’s ever going to manufacture iron we haven’t a minute to spare. We were hoping to run the initial produ
ction tests early next year. At this rate we’ll be lucky to run them ten years from now.’

  ‘You and Mr Hughes are going to drive yourselves into the ground.’

  ‘Rubbish. We thrive on hard work.’ He snapped without intending to.

  ‘I suppose that means you’re going to go underground again today, although with your hands the way they are if you trip you won’t even be able to stop yourself from falling.’

  Glyn heard a tremor in her voice. ‘I’ll be fine.’

  ‘You say that but …’

  ‘I’ll be home early, Praskovia. I promise. I’ll find an excuse so we can have supper here, alone together.’ He wiped a tear from her eye.

  ‘I must check that the girls have laid the breakfast table properly.’

  ‘I’m sure they have. Praskovia …’

  ‘We’ll talk when you come back early.’

  He wondered if she’d intended to sound sceptical.

  ‘Richard. We weren’t expecting to see you until late afternoon.’ Glyn entered the dining room to find Richard and Alexei already at the table.

  ‘I want to take a closer look at the mine,’ Richard said. ‘That fall brought down a wide section of seam. There’s quite a few tons of coal just lying there, ripe to be picked up and hauled to the surface.’

  ‘Before we do anything about the coal we need to make the entry shaft and the area around it that leads to the seams secure.’ Glyn managed to grasp up a fork in his heavily bandaged hand and spear a piece of bread.

  ‘I’ll go down with Alf and examine the props.’

  ‘No work and no digging until those hands heal,’ Glyn ordered. ‘Good morning, Sarah. You’re another one I didn’t expect to see until afternoon, the time you went to bed last night or should I say, early this morning.’

  ‘Patients can’t look after themselves, Glyn.’ She reached for the coffee pot and filled her cup.

  ‘Aren’t you going to sit down?’ Richard asked.

  ‘No time. Look after your hands and chest.’ She avoided his gaze.

  ‘Chest?’ Glyn asked.

  ‘He skinned it yesterday but didn’t tell the girls in the hospital. I dressed it last night but it needs to be looked at again today.’

  ‘I’ll visit the hospital this afternoon,’ Richard said.

  She remembered the fresh blood staining his bandages. ‘Make your visit this morning.’

  ‘You’re not eating?’ Glyn asked.

  ‘I’ll grab something in the hospital. See you later.’ Sarah left her cup on the table and almost ran out.

  Immersed in his thoughts Glyn didn’t notice she’d gone until after she’d left, but Alexei did.

  ‘Like your sister, Sarah’s in a hurry to get at the patients this morning.’

  ‘Some of those miners are badly injured,’ Richard reminded Alexei.

  ‘I was there, I saw them.’

  ‘Sorry, too tired to think properly.’

  ‘In which case you’re definitely not going underground today, Richard.’ Glyn looked up as Praskovia entered with a tray.

  ‘Fried and boiled eggs, ham, and blinis. Thank you, Praskovia.’ Alexei helped himself to fried eggs.

  ‘If you tell me what you want I’ll put it on your plate to save your hands, master.’

  ‘Ham and boiled eggs please. Thank you,’ Glyn gave Praskovia a conciliatory smile. It wasn’t reciprocated.

  Hospital, Hughesovka

  June 1871

  Sarah used the excuse of the influx of patients to remain in the hospital until late evening. She ate sandwiches in the office with Nathan rather than cross the road to share the evening meal with Glyn, Anna, and the one person she didn’t want to face – Richard.

  It was Nathan who demanded she go home. ‘What is it you tell your nurses when they work until they fall asleep on their feet? I believe it’s something about “being no use to themselves or their patients”.’ He looked up from a copy of The Lancet; one of several Peter had packed, ‘in case they proved useful’.

  ‘I’m concerned about the double amputee.’

  ‘We all are, which is why I’ve made a bed up for myself on the sofa in here again. As I’m staying here, you won’t be needed tonight, Sarah, but you will be tomorrow, especially if the girls call me in the early hours.’

  ‘I’m going.’ She left Sonya’s desk where she’d been making out the ward maids’ rotas for July and August.

  ‘There’s no need for you to hurry over in the morning. Catch up on some sleep. In fact, you could do with a few days’ break, just don’t take it until all the miners are well enough to be discharged.’

  ‘And you? You have a wedding to go to remember?’ She lifted her cape and hat from the back of the door.

  ‘The rabbi has postponed it until next Thursday.’

  ‘Let’s hope we don’t get any more patients between now and then.’

  ‘I’ve no doubt Vasya has sent up a prayer. Goodnight, Sarah.’

  Sarah shouted ‘Good night’ but she couldn’t resist making a last visit to the ward. Yulia was sitting at the nurse’s desk that had a vantage point of all the beds. The patients were all sleeping, either naturally or as a result of the soporifics Nathan had prescribed.

  She waved to the porters in their room, left the building, and crossed the road. Pyotr opened the front door of Glyn’s house as she reached the gate.

  ‘Mrs Edwards, I’ve been waiting for you.’ Praskovia came to meet her. ‘We’ve cleared the dining room but I can lay the table again, or make you up a tray.’

  ‘Neither, but thank you, Praskovia. I should have sent a message. I ate in the hospital.’

  ‘My mother made poppy seed cake, and fresh coffee is brewing.’

  Sarah smiled. ‘You know how to tempt me. I’ll have it in the drawing room, please.’ She hung up her cape and walked in to find John Hughes sitting with Glyn, Alexei, Anna, and Richard around the fire.

  ‘How are the invalids?’ John asked.

  ‘All the patients are resting, but some are better than others.’ She avoided Richard’s eye as she took the comfortable chair Glyn pulled close to the fire for her.

  ‘You sound like a hospital bulletin board,’ Glyn poured her a glass of wine. ‘What about the man whose legs were amputated?’

  ‘He isn’t doing as well as we’d like. Nathan’s sleeping in the office in case he’s needed.’

  ‘You were right about Dr Kharber, Mrs Edwards,’ John said. ‘He’s proving to be an excellent medical director.’

  ‘I’ve worked with many doctors, but few as dedicated as him. We’re lucky to have him.’

  ‘We were just talking about the Cossacks – the regiment not the people. Colonel Zonov has invited us all to go hunting with the officers after church on Sunday,’ Glyn updated her on the conversation.

  ‘Hunting what?’ Sarah asked.

  ‘Hares, deer, wild boar, wolves if we find any.’ Alexei took the cigar Glyn offered him.

  ‘Thank you,’ Sarah took the coffee and cake Praskovia brought in for her.

  ‘Every woman living on the steppe should learn to hunt, lest they become the prey. Venture out alone and you could be stalked and attacked by a bear, boar, or …’ Alexei lowered his voice to a booming and, he hoped, frightening baritone, and howled in a fair imitation of a wolf.

  ‘Women stand more chance of being attacked by a two-legged drunk in this town than a four-legged animal.’ Praskovia cleared their empty plates and glasses.

  ‘Surely not.’ Glyn was instantly concerned for her safety.

  ‘We’re used to looking out for ourselves. But Alexei’s right,’ Praskovia conceded, ‘women should learn to hunt. As my father used to say, every cookpot needs filling.’

  ‘Not with wolf, I hope,’ Glyn commented.

  ‘Some venison or wild boar wouldn’t go amiss. But whether we succeed in filling the cookpots or not, hunting’s good, healthy exercise, and a day in the fresh air might do us all some good. That’s if Richard and Glyn’s hands are u
p to holding reins. If they’re not they can ride in a troika.’ John rose. ‘Time I left if I’m going to put in a day’s work tomorrow. See you in the office first thing, Glyn, Richard Alexei. Goodnight, everyone.’

  ‘I’ll tell your coachman you’re leaving, sir.’ Praskovia headed for the kitchen where she knew she’d find the man flirting with the parlour maid.

  ‘I’ll walk you to the door, sir.’ Glyn went out with John.

  ‘Do you think our new riding habits will be ready by Sunday?’ Anna asked Sarah.

  ‘I’ll ask Miriam to call in the shtetl tailor’s tomorrow. If they are, he can send them down.’ Sarah sipped her coffee. ‘Will your grandmother allow us to borrow her horses again, Alexei?’

  ‘She’ll be glad to have them exercised.’

  ‘That’s what I love most about your grandmother. She always makes her generosity appear as if the recipient is doing her the favour.’

  ‘It’s a gift she has,’ Alexei acknowledged.

  ‘If it wasn’t for her I’d never have learned to ride,’ Anna said. ‘Her horses are so well-schooled compared to the hired mounts I’ve seen people taking out of the public stables.’

  ‘As the Cossacks buy up every decent foal on the steppe, the only ones left for hire are either broken down nags or wild.’ Alexei stretched his arms above his head. ‘After yesterday I need an early night.’

  ‘I should go up, too. I have a textbook to finish.’

  ‘You need sleep, Anna, not study, or if you must read, do so for pleasure.’ Sarah kissed the cheek Anna offered her. ‘Sleep tight.’

  ‘Goodnight, Alexei, Mrs Edwards.’ Richard, who’d been unnaturally silent since Sarah had entered the room, followed his sister out.

  Glyn returned as the boys left. ‘Would you like me to visit Peter and your daughter’s grave with you tomorrow, Sarah?’

  ‘It would be good to have company. Neither of us need Peter’s birthday to remember him but I’d like to mark the day.’

  ‘You are happy here, aren’t you?’ Glyn asked seriously. ‘We’re all so busy there’s never much time for talking. I still feel guilty for dragging you and Peter here.’

  ‘I told you when Peter died, it was our choice to come here and it was a marvellous opportunity. If we’d stayed in London, or even Merthyr, we wouldn’t have had the freedom to run our own medical facility until we’d reached old age.’