Sentence of Marriage (19 page)

Despite her aunt’s assurances, Amy was nervous at the thought of seeing Susannah, but her stepmother was propped up against the pillows with a healthy colour in her face. Her hair had been brushed and her face washed; she looked drowsy but was clearly alive.

‘Susannah,’ Amy said quietly, ‘do you feel all right now?’

‘I feel sick, and I hurt all over,’ Susannah said, slurring her words. ‘That’s the most horrible thing that’s ever happened to me.’

‘I’m sorry. Would you like some tea?’

‘I think so. I’m very thirsty. Help me sit up better. Ow!’ Susannah gasped as she tried to shift her position. ‘No, that hurts too much. I’ll have to try and drink it like this.’

Amy held the saucer for her and took the cup after each sip until Susannah had finished. ‘Go away,’ Susannah said. ‘I want to go back to sleep now.’

‘Can’t I see the baby?’ Amy asked, looking at the cradle on the far side of the bed.

‘If you must. Don’t wake it up.’

Amy walked as quietly as she could around to the cradle, and looked at the sleeping infant. All she could see was the top of the baby’s head peeping out of a blanket. He was bald apart from a light fuzz of dark hair. ‘He’s beautiful,’ she said dutifully, then on impulse she knelt beside the bed so that her face was close to Susannah’s. ‘You’ll feel better soon, Susannah. I’m going to look after you.’

‘No you’re not,’ Susannah said, a little of her old snappishness coming through her drowsy tone. ‘You’re going next door—I think I’ve earned a rest from having you annoying me for a while.’

Amy’s vision of redeeming herself by good works evaporated instantly. For a moment she was too stunned to speak. ‘But… I won’t annoy you! I just want to help you till you feel well again—can’t I stay? Please?’

‘It’s bad enough having that Parsons woman poking and prodding at me and ordering me about—I don’t want you nagging at me and grizzling to your father all the time. He can take some notice of
me
for a change.’

‘I don’t know what you mean, Susannah,’ Amy said, standing up and shaking her head in confusion. ‘I thought I could make you nice things to eat, and help you look after the baby, and—’

There was a noise from the doorway, and Amy looked up to see her father erupt into the room. ‘It’s all over and no one called me! I went out looking for my breakfast and those women calmly tell me I’m a father again—where’s my son?’ He walked over to the cradle, crouched down and carefully pulled the blanket back to look at the baby’s face. ‘He’s a fine boy,’ he said proudly. He replaced the blanket, sat beside the bed and took Susannah’s hand between both of his. Amy, feeling out of place, made to leave them alone.

Jack noticed her movement. ‘Amy’s going to enjoy having a baby around to look after, aren’t you, girl?’

‘I… I would like to.’ Amy winced at the look in Susannah’s eyes.

‘You’re lucky to have the girl, she’ll be a real help to you,’ Jack said, smiling at Susannah.

‘You haven’t forgotten that Amy’s going to stay with Edie for a little while, have you, Jack?’ said Susannah.

‘Oh, that’s right, that nurse has to sleep in her room. Still, Amy could sleep there as well, couldn’t she?’

‘You can’t expect Mrs Parsons to share a bed with the girl! It’s hardly fair on the woman. Please don’t upset me, Jack, not when I’m so ill.’

‘All right, if that’s what you want,’ Jack conceded. ‘You don’t mind, do you girl?’

‘I… can I come and visit?’ Amy asked, reluctant to lie.

‘Of course you can! You come over every day—I’ll miss you if you don’t. You’ll want to see the baby, anyway.’

With that Amy had to be content, and she went out to the kitchen to finish making breakfast.

John and Harry were waiting at the table by now, apparently more concerned with their breakfast than with hearing about a new brother. By the time Amy was ready to dish up the bacon and eggs her father had also joined them, having seen Susannah off to sleep, and they all ate together. ‘Now mother and baby are settled I’d like to have a few hours sleep,’ Mrs Parsons said when she had finished her meal. ‘Where’s my room?’

‘My wife said you’re to have Amy’s room,’ said Jack. ‘Can Amy stay with you, Edie?’

‘Of course she can.’ Edie beamed at her.

At least
she
wants me
, Amy thought dejectedly. She plucked up her courage to make one more attempt. ‘Mrs Parsons, won’t it be a lot of work for you to look after everything here? Couldn’t I do the cooking and things for you?’

‘And where would you sleep?’ Mrs Parsons said curtly. Then, seeing Amy’s hurt face, her manner softened a little. ‘Well, if you’re that keen to help… Mr Leith, how would it be if I only stayed a week instead of the ten days? That would give me long enough to see that the baby’s thriving and your wife’s all right, then this girl could look after her until she’s able to get up. I’ve another patient near her time, anyway.’

‘Of course Amy wants to look after her ma,’ said Jack. ‘If you think it’s all right, Mrs Parsons, that’s good enough for me.’

Amy showed Mrs Parsons where everything was in the kitchen and the larder, then took the woman into her own bedroom and folded back the coverlet for her. Amy bundled up the few clothes she would need and took them out to the kitchen, leaving Mrs Parsons to her well-earned rest.

‘You must be tired too, Aunt Edie,’ she said, noticing that her aunt’s eyelids were drooping as she sat cradling a half-empty cup between her hands.

‘Hmm? Yes, I suppose I am.’ Edie looked around the room as if unsure how she had come to be there. ‘I think I’ll go home soon—after the nurse gets up, anyway. I’ll have to keep an ear open for your ma until then.’

‘I could do that if you want to have a lie-down,’ Amy said eagerly.

Edie smiled at her. ‘You’re a good girl, but you wouldn’t be much use to her. I’ll have to show her how to feed the baby when he wakes up—you can’t do that, can you?’

‘No,’ Amy admitted, with a deep sense of her own uselessness. She made herself busy around the kitchen, doing what preparations she could towards lunch so Mrs Parsons would have less to do, but at the same time trying not to make any noise that might disturb the sleepers. Edie sat at the table, somewhere between sleep and wakefulness but apparently content.

They both looked up startled when the back door opened half an hour later to admit Lizzie, leading Ernie by the hand. The little boy rushed to his mother as soon as he laid eyes on her and clambered onto her lap. ‘Pa wants to know when you’re coming home,’ Lizzie said. ‘Ernie’s been playing up, he wouldn’t go to sleep for hours last night because you weren’t there to put him to bed.’

‘Poor little fellow,’ Edie crooned. ‘Did you miss your Mama?’

‘Pa gave him a smack, but that made him worse,’ Lizzie said. ‘He really yelled then, and I had to take him to bed with me. He still bawled for ages, though. You
are
coming back today, aren’t you? Pa said you’re to come home,’ she added quickly. Amy wondered if her uncle really had said it, or if Lizzie was merely ‘sure’ he would have.

‘Yes, now the baby’s arrived safely I’m not needed. I’ll come back with you in a bit. Not just yet, though.’

Amy put the kettle on again, and they were halfway through drinking another pot of tea when Edie abruptly turned towards the open passage door. ‘The baby’s awake,’ she announced, though neither girl had heard any sound, and a moment later they heard Susannah’s voice coming faintly down the passage. Edie put her cup down and disappeared from the room, with Ernie trailing after her.

‘So, what is it?’ Lizzie asked.

‘A boy.’

Lizzie pulled a face. ‘Another one. We’re not very good at girls in our family, are we?’

‘No. It doesn’t make much difference yet, anyway.’

‘It will, though. Boys just make more work, a girl would be a help around the place.’

‘I suppose so.’

‘You don’t sound very cheerful—what’s wrong with you?’ Lizzie asked, looking at Amy’s set expression.

‘Nothing. I’m coming to stay with you.’

‘That’s nothing to look miserable about! I can tell you about me and Frank. Why are you coming?’

‘Because Susannah doesn’t want me around.’

‘Oh. That’s lucky—I thought she’d want you fetching and carrying for her.’

‘So did I.’

Lizzie took a last gulp from her cup and stood up. ‘I’ll go and have a look at this baby.’

‘Susannah mightn’t want you to.’

‘Of course she will. Women always want to show off their babies.’

Amy followed Lizzie down the passage and into the bedroom. Susannah was sitting up with the baby at her breast while Edie sat on the bed close to her, adjusting the way Susannah held her new son.

‘What are you doing here?’ Susannah said, frowning at the two girls. ‘I’m not on display, you know.’

‘Now, Susannah, don’t get upset—they just want to see the baby. He’s had enough for now, anyway, I’ll put him down again.’ Edie took the baby in her arms and Susannah quickly buttoned her nightdress. ‘Come and have a look, Lizzie,’ Edie invited, and Lizzie stared at the child with mild interest as Edie laid him in the cradle.

‘You’ve had a look, now go away—and take
her
with you,’ Susannah said, indicating Amy.

‘I think I’ll go home now, Ma,’ Lizzie said as if it had been her own idea. ‘I’ll tell Pa you’ll be home for lunch.’

‘All right, dear,’ said Edie. Lizzie pulled Amy out of the room before her mother had time to tell her to take Ernie with her.

*

The girls were awake late that night, sharing whispers in the darkness as they lay close in Lizzie’s bed. Amy was distracted from her sense of hurt by Lizzie’s chattering. ‘Frank came for lunch again on Saturday,’ Lizzie said, and Amy could hear the smug satisfaction in her voice. ‘That’s the third time Pa’s asked him now.’

‘He’s starting to be quite a member of the family, isn’t he?’ Amy said, trying hard not to giggle.

‘He’s getting there. He hardly says a word to me—’

‘I don’t suppose you give him much chance.’

‘Of course I do, but he’s so shy, if I said nothing he’d be embarrassed. Don’t interrupt all the time. He doesn’t say much, but he
looks
a lot—and he enjoys a good meal.’

‘So is he going to come regularly now?’

Lizzie gave a snort of annoyance. ‘I don’t know yet. It’s up to Pa to ask him—so far, anyway—and I don’t like talking to Pa about it.’

‘Why not?’

‘Well, when I did just casually mention it, he started making smart remarks about how there’s no need for me to panic, I won’t be an old maid for a year or two yet, and I don’t need to run after Frank because he won’t run away very fast, and—what’s so funny?’ she said, sensing Amy’s smothered giggles.

‘You, that’s what. Uncle Arthur’s a bit sharper than you gave him credit for, isn’t he?’

‘Humph!’ Lizzie said in disgust. ‘He certainly
thinks
he’s very clever. Anyway, the main thing is he’s getting used to seeing Frank around the place. Frank’ll stop being scared of me if I give him time.’

‘And you’ve got plenty of time,’ Amy said, trying to sound serious. ‘Like Uncle Arthur said, you won’t be an old maid for at least another year.’

‘Careful, girl, none of your cheek,’ Lizzie growled in a fair imitation of her father’s voice, and she gave Amy the gentlest of slaps on the arm. ‘It’s a pity that baby’s a boy,’ she said, switching subjects abruptly.

‘It doesn’t matter,’ Amy said with a shrug. ‘I’m used to brothers.’

‘I suppose it doesn’t, really. Now I come to think about it, it’d be at least five years before a girl would be old enough to be any use to you, and you’ll probably be married by then.’

‘Don’t start that, Lizzie. You worry about yourself, leave me out of it.’

‘Oh, I’ll definitely be married by then. Good grief, I’ll be twenty! Even if Pa gets really stupid about it and wants me to wait, I’m sure he’ll let me get married when I’m eighteen. Your father’s so soft-hearted, he’d probably let you when you’re sixteen.’

‘Lizzie! Don’t go on about it, I’m not very interested.’
I want to be a teacher
.

‘Hey, maybe we could get married together!’ Lizzie said in a new burst of enthusiasm.

Amy decided to play Lizzie at her own game for a change. ‘What a wonderful idea—are you going to organise Ben for me when you get Frank sorted out?’

‘Ben? I didn’t know you were interested in Ben—it won’t be very easy to talk him round… are you trying to be funny?’

‘Yes,’ Amy admitted. ‘Figuring out how to court Ben would be a bit much even for you. But can’t you just see the two of them side-by-side at the altar waiting for us? Frank’d be trying to figure out if it was too late to run away and hide, and Ben—’

‘Ben would be saying you’d be all right as long as you stayed in the kitchen day and night and never said a word,’ Lizzie interrupted, her voice rising in mirth.

The two of them dissolved into fits of giggles, until they were silenced by a thump on the wall. ‘Settle down, you two,’ they heard Arthur call, and Amy pressed her face into the pillow to muffle her laughter.