Liza laughed, “I wouldn’t put it past them, but I do have some hidden ready for such an occasion. I think Si is going with them as he also wants to ‘inspect’ the twins. I’d better warn the doctor that the boys will be coming.”
The next morning, the doctor’s two wagons came rolling down towards his house and parked outside. There were many helpers ready to lift their possessions into place and Liza called in to see how their first night in their new home had been.
“We all had a very comfortable night thanks to you, Liza,” said Dr Tom.
“It wasn’t just me Tom, Kathy helped as well,” said Liza. She noticed that their table was covered in cakes, jams, pies, fruit, vegetables, milk, butter and much more. “I know you didn’t bring all that with you.”
Just then his wife, Hannah, appeared and said, “People have been calling all morning and bringing gifts; everyone is so kind and I must thank you for making us so comfortable. We were so tired when we arrived that it was wonderful just to be able to fall into bed and sleep in such a warm house. We feel so welcome; I know Tom said that the people here were friendly, but I hadn’t realised just how friendly so many people could be. We really have brought our family to the right place.”
“I have to warn you that my boys and Gabriel’s son, Si, want to come and see the twins as they have never seen twins before. I hope they aren’t going to make a nuisance of themselves and I have a feeling that they may wish to sit and stare at them but they know that it’s rude to stare, so they may try to stare through their fingers or peeping around the door. How are the twins with strangers? I don’t want them to be upset,” said Liza.
“Would you like to come and meet them, Liza, and our niece also?” asked Hannah.
“I’d love to, I really would,” said Liza.
Hannah took Liza up to the twins’ bedroom, they were playing together and Ellen was watching over them. They were beautiful and were so alike that if the boy’s hair had been longer or if the girl had her hair cut short, they would have been identical. She knew that the boys would be fascinated. Liza could see that Ellen was very protective of them and Hannah introduced Liza to her as the American soldier’s wife and her eyes lit up and she seemed to relax.
“You’re the Liza that everyone talks about,” she said in a very broad Irish accent and she came over and kissed Liza on the cheek which momentarily surprised her. The twins came over and they clasped Liza one on each leg and she bent down and put an arm around each of them and held them tightly.
Hannah said that Ellen knew that it was probably best for the twins if their past was not mentioned and hopefully, they will forget all the nastiness that went before. Also Ellen had made the decision not to mention her previous life to anyone other than those who already knew about her, but all three of them were anxious to meet the American soldier.
“You’ll meet him when he comes off duty later today,” said Liza, “and I know he’s looking forward to meeting you. When do you think it will be convenient for the boys to come and visit, I believe they have a housewarming offering for you but I’d look at it very closely before you make any attempt to eat it?”
Hannah smiled and said, “Possibly the best time for the boys to visit would be when the wagons have been unloaded. I would think that it would be fairly soon after lunch, and I look forward to meeting them again and of course, their friend.”
As Liza was leaving, the townspeople were still bringing presents for the new doctor. She saw Dr Steele riding up the town and waved at him. He was going to welcome Dr Tom and his family to Benson. It was a very busy time for them.
When Patrick came home after lunch, he took the boys around to visit the doctor’s family and they had strict instructions not to stare at the twins and to hand their gifts to Mrs Marsden. Liza took the opportunity to rest and enjoyed the fact that Patrick had to take responsibility for keeping the boys in order. She was tired and felt slightly unwell which Zelma noticed and she quietly watched over her.
There was a knock on the door and when Zelma opened it, she found that it was Ellen and she asked to see Liza. Zelma was about to say that she was unwell but Liza called to say to show her in.
“How are you, Ellen, and what can I do for you?” asked Liza.
“I want to learn and although Aunt Hannah is helping me with my words, I know that you have taught older people and fairly quickly. I don’t want to go to school until I can at least read and write properly. I don’t want to be laughed at by the younger children who can already read and write. Can you help me?” asked Ellen.
“Yes, I can help you, Ellen, and I’d be pleased to do it but I am going to have a baby in a few weeks’ time, so I can help you until I have it and then after it’s born and I’m fit again, we can continue. What do you think you would like to do with your life because you have obviously got something in mind?” asked Liza.
“I think I would like to teach children, which probably sounds silly as I know nothing at the moment, but I would like to work with children and be able to help some of the little ones that need it,” said Ellen.
Liza smiled, “It doesn’t sound silly at all. Just because you had a bad start in life mustn’t stop you from aiming as high as you want and your experience, bad as it was, will help you to know what some little ones need. When shall we start? On Monday? I look forward to it. Come around at eleven in the morning.”
Liza was impressed by Ellen and had a feeling that she wanted to do more than teach little children; Liza thought that she wanted to save them from a life of abuse as she had done for the twins. The look on Ellen’s face also told her that the twins weren’t the first that she had managed to get to safety, but she wasn’t saying what she had done and who had probably helped her. Liza was going to spend time with Ellen and thought that whatever was going to be taught it was going to be a two way learning curve which would ultimately help every abused child.
It was Liza’s turn for Sunday lunch the next day and it had been decided that this would be her last until after the baby arrived, all future Sunday lunches would be at Kathy’s but Liza and Zelma wanted to do this one for everyone. Purposely, they had not invited Dr Tom and his family as they thought that they would enjoy their first Sunday in Benson alone in their new home. No doubt they would be at church and they would be seen and welcomed there.
As always Mark and Sean were standing smiling at the back of the church; there was no need for them to be invited any longer as they had become part of what Sunday lunch was all about. Patrick was on duty and would be joining them later. Dr Tom and his family were also at church and George made a point of welcoming them not only to the church but to Benson as a whole.
Dr Tom had previously met Mark and Sean, but he introduced them to his wife and the rest of his family, and of course, they were fascinated by the twins and were charming and gentlemanly to both Mrs Marsden and Ellen.
“I trust you are organised for Sunday lunch,” said Liza to Hannah.
“Yes, everything seems to have been supplied by the good people of Benson and we are looking forward to our first Sunday here. You and Kathy have made the house so comfortable for us that, at the moment, all we have to do is sit, eat, relax and sleep. I do have many things that I want to make and organise but after our long travels, it really is wonderful to be able to just settle. Tom is going to spend later today and tomorrow getting his surgery ready. We would all like to help him but he says it’s better if he does it himself,” said Hannah.
The twins were creating a great deal of interest and they were a little overwhelmed. Ellen was holding each of their hands, but they were hiding behind her skirts, until Matthew and John came to the rescue and took charge of the situation and walked each side of them leading them and Ellen back to their home whilst chatting to them all the time. Somehow children knew instinctively how to help others when necessary.
Liza and Zelma went on ahead to finalise the meal; Kathy and Angela joined them whilst the men stayed outside playing ball with the bo
ys in the street. The twins could be seen watching from their front gate and no doubt, in the fullness of time, they would be included in these games.
The table was set for nine with the three boys on a separate small one as Liza’s table was not big enough for them all to sit around comfortably; Patrick wasn’t due home until after lunch. Even though the boys were separated, they weren’t so far away as to be excluded from the light-hearted conversations and laughter. Liza thought that it was just as well that Dr Tom and his family were eating in their own home as she would not have been able to accommodate them all. Kathy would have been able to as her dining room was much bigger than Liza’s.
Everyone was helping to clear the table ready for one of Kathy’s superb fruit pies for afters. As Liza was about to help serve she found herself lifted from both sides by Mark and Sean and marched towards her chair at the table and told to sit and stay there whilst everyone else waited on her, and they turned and said, “Including you boys,” who immediately jumped up offering their help as they would always take notice of Mark and Sean. Gabriel nodded his approval and thought it was good that the boys looked up to Mark and Sean.
With lunch over, the three boys decided that the way to help was by holding Liza down in her chair so that she couldn’t do anything, much to the amusement of all the adults. Patrick arrived and approved of the situation, laughing.
The boys were allowed to go to their room to play and Liza, Zelma, Angela and Kathy went into the sitting room leaving the men to chat with Patrick eating his delayed lunch. Sunday’s were always like this with everyone content in their close friendship.
Mark and Sean were always the first to leave as they had the furthest to go. George was normally next and it was his habit to escort Angela to her boarding house. Kathy and Joe collected up their dishes making sure that all knew that Sundays for the foreseeable future would be at their home. They were so used to Gabriel being with them that it wasn’t unusual for him to be there until it was time for Si to go to bed. He was just as much a part of their household as Zelma was.
“How have you been today, Liza?” asked Patrick when they were finally alone and in bed.
“I have been fine, thanks. I wasn’t allowed to do too much today, Mark and Sean saw to that by keeping me in a chair and each time I was about to move, they pushed me down again. It was frustrating but very kindly on their part. Dr Tom and his family were at church this morning; the twins were a little shy but Matthew and John came to the fore and helped them to feel better. Children can be more sensitive than you would think. In all, I’ve had a very lazy day,” said Liza.
“Good, so you’ll feel up to accommodating your husband tonight then. Although I think your stomach is going to get in the way. Do you think it’s time for us to come at things from a different angle?” said Patrick.
“Hmmm, I suppose so,” and she turned and kissed him for a long while before moving onto her side with her back to him.
He put his arms around her and said, “I see you’ve thought about how we would do this when the time came. I can hardly get my arms around you now.”
He made love to her that way, slowly and gently and when he had finished, he turned her and made sure that she also reached a climax. He kissed her and said, “Thank you, my Liza; you always make me feel so loved and wanted. I wish I could make you feel better because I know that you feel worse than you say on many occasions.”
“Not much longer now, Patrick, just a few more weeks and I’ll be back to my normal healthy self,” said Liza.
“Yes, not much longer,” Patrick repeated and once again a cold fear engulfed him and he pulled Liza closer to him. He could not imagine what life would be like if he lost her, he felt choked and hoped that Liza hadn’t sensed his thoughts. How did Gabriel manage to cope when he lost his wife, it must have been unbearable for him? Patrick could tell that he still mourned her. He prayed that he wouldn’t have to go through the same thing in a few weeks’ time. He wouldn’t be as brave as Gabriel, he knew that he would go to pieces if anything happened to Liza and it would all be his own fault. Because he loved her he couldn’t stop making love to her even though he had been warned, he’d even done it again tonight, so yes, it would be his fault if she died and he didn’t know whether he would be able to live with that on his conscience.
“There must be no morbid thoughts tonight, Patrick,” said Liza and Patrick once again wondered how she could read his mind. She carried on, “we have had a wonderful day with all our friends, our boys have had lots of fun and tonight you and I have enjoyed ourselves together yet again; so no sadness please. You know I’m going to be all right; I still have lots of lives left and I have you to keep me out of trouble. Go to sleep, Patrick and have happy dreams, I’m going to.”
She wriggled her body into him as best she could with her stomach protruding considerably now, and she laughed as she tried to get even closer to him. She pulled his hand onto her stomach so that he could feel the baby moving as it seemed very lively tonight.
“That feels good, Liza; it’s really moving tonight. It’ll probably stop you sleeping, you’ll have to rest tomorrow,” he said.
“Yes, Patrick, of course I will,” said Liza sleepily.
***
Whilst Liza was giving her first lesson to Ellen the next morning, Dr Marsden made his way to see Dr Steele, he wanted to discuss some of the people who were going to be his future patients, but his main concern was Liza. He had discussed her case with the specialist in New York and wanted to talk to the doctor about her.
When they were settled in Dr Steele’s small office and were confident that there was nobody around to hear their discussion, Dr Marsden started:
“I had a very long talk with the doctor specialising in women’s problems. He has had a great deal of experience over the years and when I described what had happened to Liza, he told me that he had known of one or two women who had survived having a foetus removed, although never by someone who was not qualified and never when it had been dead inside her for such a time, but it was virtually impossible for them to have conceived after such an event. When I told him that this was the second conception since that time, he was amazed. He felt that the miscarriage would probably have happened regardless of the fact that it occurred after an accident, but her having carried this baby for this length of time is all but impossible.”
“Did he have any suggestions which would help when the time comes for Liza to give birth?” asked Dr Steele.
“His recommendations were more for before the birth than during or after. He seemed quite pleased when I said that the baby appeared rather small as it would mean that the birth should be relatively easy as a protracted labour would put too much strain on the mother. I didn’t find that very useful as it seemed to be a natural observation; although he did add that the strain on her womb and placenta during labour is going to be quite considerable and could create a haemorrhage which would undoubtedly result in the mother’s death and possibly the child’s also.”
“He hasn’t really given any constructive advice has he? He really has only told us what we already know,” said Dr Steele. “I have examined her every week during her pregnancy and apart from chronic morning sickness in the early days and the child being somewhat small, everything has gone according to what is considered normal.”
“We have no choice but to treat it as normal but encourage Liza to take it very easy from now onwards, possibly tell Patrick that she must rest and he will ensure that she does. I was shocked at the amount of people who bothered her with their problems when I was here before, they seem to think that she has answers for everything,” said Dr Tom.
“Yes, that has been the case since she arrived here and that is why we have now formed a town council to take some of the pressure off her and I believe it’s now working, but she does come up with a great many answers for people, but besides all that, neither she nor Patrick are stupid and I believe they are well aware of what the outcome of this pregnancy cou
ld be. I believe Patrick shows his awareness more than Liza does; she pretends that nothing adverse could happen and reassures Patrick that she is quite fit,” said Dr Steele.
“You said that you believed that everything could be considered as normal in her pregnancy; I have seen her putting on a brave face to the outside world when she has so obviously been feeling unwell and I think you are right that she pretends that everything is all right and I believe she pretends it to herself. I think that as my house is so close to her I’m going to call in every day from now onwards, just to make sure that she is as fit as we can keep her and then when her time comes, say a great many prayers,” said Dr Tom.
“She’s going to confound us all, I’m sure she is. There’s something about her that has kept her alive and out of trouble on many occasions,” said Dr Steele.
“Hmmm, are you talking about the dark shadow that comes to her sometimes? And you think that’s going to help her, do you?” asked Dr Tom.
“Who knows, but if she believes it, where’s the harm. The rest is up to us,” said Dr Steele.
Dr Tom left the fort with a feeling of depression but he knew that he was the one who now had to put on a brave face to the outside world and especially to Patrick and Liza.
***
Ellen’s first lesson went very well and Liza could see in her an intelligence which could now come to the fore with some gentle encouragement and she felt quite excited about it. She arranged that Ellen would come to her every day at about the same time and Liza felt that it would also stretch her own mind. She had told Ellen that they would also have to work on her accent, as, although there was nothing wrong with such a broad accent, there were many people who would find it difficult to understand.
“I want to sound like you,” said Ellen.
“No, you want to sound like yourself and an Irish accent can be very attractive. Could you not read at all before you came to the doctor and his wife?” Liza asked Ellen.
“No, I’d never been taught and where I was and what I had to do, they said I didn’t need to read. I know that it would be better if I don’t talk about my past to anyone but you already know about me and I do sometimes need to talk,” said Ellen.
Against All Odds Page 47