A Loving Family

by Dilly Court

  ‘Be ready to jump, miss.’ Dragging her along after him he managed to wrench a carriage door open and hurled her inside. She fell in a heap, bruising both her knees, but as the door slammed behind her she uttered a cry of relief.

  ‘Are you all right, lady?’

  She struggled to her feet, clutching the sari to her as it began to unravel. ‘Yes, thanks.’

  ‘You’re English.’ The soldier peered at her, his bushy eyebrows drawn together in a puzzled frown. ‘And this is a troop train, miss. You got the wrong one.’

  ‘We are heading for Bombay, aren’t we?’

  ‘Yes, miss.’

  ‘Then I’m on the right train.’

  ‘What’s going on here, private? Who is this person?’

  The soldier leapt to attention. ‘She jumped in as we was leaving, sergeant. I dunno who she is.’

  ‘My name is Rosa Rivenhall,’ Stella said, adopting the tone she had heard Lady Langhorne use to her inferiors. ‘I’ve been searching for my brother, Captain Christopher Rivenhall, who I believe was recovering from cholera at Deolali. One of the officers at the camp made it possible for me to catch the train.’

  ‘And you very nearly killed yourself by the look of you.’ The sergeant looked her up and down. ‘You dress like a native, miss, but you appear to be English. This is all very irregular.’

  Stella’s knees were aching and her hands hurt where they had taken the brunt of her fall. ‘Do you mind if I sit down?’

  ‘Get up and give the lady your seat.’ The sergeant pointed at a young private who had been staring open-mouthed.

  ‘Yes, sergeant.’ The soldier scrambled to his feet. ‘Sit down, miss.’

  ‘Go and find the chai wallah, Bristow. Get the young lady a cup of tea.’

  ‘Yes, sergeant.’ Private Bristow hurried along the aisle between the rows of wooden seats.

  ‘I need to find my brother, sergeant,’ Stella said faintly.

  ‘We won’t be stopping until we reach Bombay, miss. This is a troop train. I suggest you sit there and rest.’

  ‘But I might miss him.’

  ‘We’re all headed for the docks, miss. If your brother is on the train that’s where he’ll be going. Don’t worry; we’ll find him for you.’

  It was dark by the time the train steamed in to the Victoria Terminus. The sergeant and Private Bristow had looked after Stella during the journey and promised to help her find Kit, but she became separated from them and she found herself pushed to one side as the soldiers were regrouped and detailed off to their various modes of transport. The able-bodied men were marched to the docks and those too sick or too badly wounded to walk were piled into horse-drawn buses and driven off. Stella tried to find someone in charge who would listen to her but all her efforts were in vain. She might as well have been invisible for all the attention she received. As an Indian she was just one of millions, and as an Englishwoman travelling alone she would be branded eccentric at best and at worst labelled a camp follower and a prostitute. Even the coolies ignored her and she had difficulty in finding a tonga, but eventually she hired one and gave the driver instructions to take her back to Mataji’s house. At least she could put on her own clothes and maybe, just maybe, she might find an officer at the docks who would listen to her and take her seriously. If not she would demand to see Freddie and beg him to smuggle her on board.

  Deena greeted her with a smile. ‘You are back, memsahib. Did you have success?’

  ‘In a way,’ Stella said hastily. ‘But I need my own clothes and then I must try to get on board the ship.’

  ‘You look tired,’ Deena said gravely. She glanced at the ruined sari. ‘Did you have an accident?’

  ‘In a way, but I must hurry. There’s no time to lose.’ Stella made for the staircase. ‘I have to be back on board before the ship sails for England.’

  ‘It will not sail tonight, memsahib,’ Deena said, following her. ‘They will have to wait for the tide.’

  Stella paused halfway up the stairs. ‘How do you know that?’

  ‘The sailors come to Mataji’s. We all know when the tide is right for ships to sail. It is business, memsahib.’

  ‘Of course,’ Stella said wearily. ‘I was forgetting. But I still have to find a way to board the ship. I haven’t got the excuse of working for an English colonial officer this time.’

  ‘Perhaps Freddie sahib will come tonight,’ Deena whispered as they passed open doors on the first landing. ‘He has a favourite here. If he is able then he will come.’

  ‘I cannot pay you anything, Deena. I’ve spent what little money I had, but could you bring me some warm water? I’m badly in need of a wash.’

  ‘I’ll send Kanu up with some. He’s been worrying about you all day. He’ll be pleased to see you safely back. Go to your room and I’ll bring you something to eat. The girls have had supper but Mataji will never allow anyone to go hungry. She is a good woman.’

  ‘Yes,’ Stella said wholeheartedly. ‘She is a very good woman.’

  Later, having washed and eaten the spicy meal that Deena brought to her room, Stella dressed in her own clothes and went out to sit on the flat roof. She had intended to go down to the docks but Deena had advised her against it, saying it was too dangerous, and Stella had to agree. She was exhausted after the day’s travel and sore from the headlong ride from the Army camp and her tumble onto the train, but her mind was still racing and sleep seemed far away. She waited in the hope that Freddie might come to Mataji’s that evening, but if not she planned to get up at first light and make her way to the docks. She might be able to throw herself on the mercy of the captain and beg him to take her back to England. There had to be a way. If not she would be alone in a strange land with no money and no hope of returning home.

  Freddie did not come that evening nor, according to Deena, did any of his shipmates. Stella went to see Mataji and found her smoking the inevitable hookah, sipping wine and listening to music played on a sitar by a young boy. ‘I have come to thank you, Mataji,’ Stella said, squatting on a pile of cushions. ‘I regret that I cannot pay you for my board and lodging. I used the last of my money to get to Deolali.’

  ‘And did you find your sweetheart?’ Mataji gave her a long look. ‘You have come a long way for love.’

  ‘I know he is alive, Mataji. I know he is safely on the ship bound for home, but I have to find a way to get on board and it won’t be easy.’

  ‘Nothing worthwhile ever is.’ Mataji nodded her head wisely. ‘You will try?’

  ‘Yes. I will get passage home even if I have to stow away.’

  ‘The men are sick. Is that not so?’

  ‘Some of them are.’

  ‘They will need a nurse. I can help you.

  Stella stared at her, mystified. ‘I don’t understand.’

  Mataji rang the brass bell and almost immediately Deena glided into the room. ‘You rang, Mataji?’

  ‘The Florence Nightingale costume. Get it for me.’

  ‘At once, Mataji.’ Deena salaamed and left the room.

  ‘Florence Nightingale, Mataji?’ Stella eyed her curiously.

  ‘The lady of the lamp,’ Mataji said, smiling and revealing her betel-stained teeth. ‘We all know about Miss Nightingale and her exploits. It pleases some of your English compatriots if the girls wear certain clothes. I will say no more on the subject to a young unmarried English lady, but you may have the garments. It is then up to you.’

  Wearing a plain grey cotton poplin dress with a starched white cap and apron, Stella made her way towards the ship. In her hand she carried a leather medical bag that one of Mataji’s girls had accepted from a client who could not afford to pay. Stella had packed her clothes in it and she could only hope that no one asked to look inside. She was not even sure that her bluff would work, although Mataji and Deena had been convinced that the British Army would welcome the services of a trained nurse.

  Stella had been up most of the night working out her story and when she spotted a
sentry at the top of the gangplank she realised that her moment had come.

  The sailor barred her way. ‘You can’t come on board, miss.’

  ‘I was sent for,’ she said boldly. ‘I am to look after a high-ranking Army officer on his way back to England.’

  A shadow of uncertainty crossed the sailor’s weathered features. ‘I don’t know nothing about that, miss.’

  ‘Then take me to your superior and I will tell him myself.’

  ‘That’s not possible, miss.’

  Stella hid her growing desperation with a smile. ‘Come now, surely nothing is impossible for a man of the Royal Navy. I think you’ll find yourself in more trouble if you send me away. What would happen to you if the officer were to die for lack of medical attention?’ She tapped the leather case, watching his expression change subtly.

  ‘We’re about to cast off, miss. It’s more than my life is worth to let you on board.’

  For a moment she thought she had lost and would have to retrace her steps, but her downcast expression must have registered with the sailor. He hailed a crewman. ‘Find the boatswain’s mate. I need help here.’

  Stella held her breath. Freddie would recognise her and might give the game away. She waited for what seemed like a lifetime as the crew buzzed about the deck making ready to sail. Any minute now they would be pulling up the gangplank and weighing anchor. She might find herself back on shore watching helplessly as the vessel disappeared into the distance. Suddenly home seemed like heaven on earth and she could not wait to set foot on English soil.

  Even at a distance she recognised Freddie by his walk. She stood her ground, hoping that he would not ruin everything by revealing her true identity, but as he drew nearer his attention was on the activity surrounding them and he barely glanced at her. ‘What’s the problem, Jones?’

  ‘This young lady says she’s been ordered to come aboard to look after a high-ranking Army officer. I told her that we don’t carry civilian passengers but she won’t take no for an answer.’

  Slowly, very slowly, Freddie turned to face his sister and his eyes twinkled as he met her anxious gaze. ‘That sounds reasonable, Jones. I know there is a seriously wounded general on board. Perhaps the captain has relaxed the rules in this case. In any event we’re due to sail. Get to your station, I’ll sort this out.’ He held his hand out to Stella. ‘Come with me, miss.’

  She followed him to a secluded spot in the shadow of one of the great funnels. ‘Thanks, Freddie. You were splendid.’

  He looked her up and down, shaking his head. ‘Where did you get that outlandish costume?’ He grinned. ‘I know, don’t tell me. It came from Mataji’s dressing-up box. For goodness’ sake change into something else or the men will recognise it and think you’re one of Mataji’s girls who’s been smuggled on board for their pleasure.’

  She stifled a giggle. ‘Don’t say things like that, Freddie. Anyway, what would Ma say if she knew you frequented a house of ill repute?’

  ‘Never mind that now. The question is what am I going to do with you?’ He glanced over her shoulder. ‘There’s no place to hide in a warship.’

  ‘Kit is on board. I went to Deolali and just missed him, but I know he’s here somewhere, Freddie. I must see him.’

  ‘You’ll keep out of the way, my girl. If the captain gets wind of this you’ll be dropped off at the first port of call.’

  ‘What must I do?’

  Freddie grabbed her by the hand. ‘Say nothing and come with me. I think I know where you can hide for the time being.’

  Stella found herself locked in one of the two cells below decks. The only light came from a grille high up in the door and the heat was suffocating. There was nothing she could do other than sit on the narrow wooden bunk and await Freddie’s return. She had no means of telling the time but she could feel the change in the ship’s movement as it left the shelter of the land and sailed onto the open sea. Eventually the door opened and Freddie handed her a cup of tea and a hunk of bread and cheese. ‘It’s the best I can do,’ he said apologetically.

  ‘Have you found Kit?’ It was the question that had been burning on her lips since the moment she stepped on board. ‘Is he all right?’

  ‘It’s a bit chaotic on the main deck. We’ve had to divide the soldiers up between the able-bodied and those who are too badly injured or too weak to sleep out on deck. The officers are making their own arrangements, but the captain’s day room and the dining room are going to be packed out at night.’

  ‘But have you found Kit?’

  ‘I saw him heading for the officers’ quarters, but I haven’t had a chance to speak to him. He’s a bit thin and pale but he was on his feet so he’s obviously on the mend. You needn’t worry about him.’

  ‘What will I do, Freddie?’ I can’t stay in here for the next six weeks. You don’t really think the captain would put me ashore, do you?’

  ‘I don’t know, Stella. As soon as I can get close to Kit I’ll tell him you’re here. Maybe you could be useful caring for the sick men, or maybe the captain will decide that you ought to be treated like a stowaway and kept down here.’

  She leaned back against the hard wooden bulkhead. ‘At least I’m here and you and Kit are safe and well. I’m on my way home, even if they clap me in irons.’

  ‘I’ve got to get back on deck,’ Freddie said, grinning. ‘I’ve persuaded Jones to keep quiet for now. I’ve told him you’re my sister and I think I can trust him to keep his mouth shut.’ He backed out of the doorway. ‘I’ll bring you more food when I can – and take that fancy dress off. We don’t want the crew getting the wrong idea. I’ll have to have words with Mataji the next time I go ashore in Bombay.’ He closed the door and once again she was imprisoned in the tiny cell.

  She ate the food and despite the discomfort she fell asleep, rocked by the motion of the ship and overcome with exhaustion. She was awakened by the opening of the door and a shaft of light from a lantern. She sat up, blinking and shielding her eyes. ‘Freddie?’

  ‘No, Stella, my love. It’s me.’ Kit set the lantern on the floor and sat down on the bunk, taking her in his arms and holding her in a close embrace. ‘My brave girl. I couldn’t believe it when Freddie told me you were on board. You came all this way to find me.’

  She slid her arms around his neck. ‘I had to know that you were alive, Kit. I couldn’t bear to think that you might be close to death in a foreign land.’

  He stroked her cheek, gazing into her eyes. ‘I don’t know if I’m still infectious. I want to kiss you but I’m afraid there might be some of the wretched disease lingering in my body and I might pass it on to you.’

  ‘I don’t care about anything as long as we’re together again.’ Stella’s voice hitched on a sob. ‘I thought I’d missed you yesterday and I couldn’t find you at the Victoria Terminus, and then getting on board this vessel seemed impossible, but I’m here now. I won’t leave you ever again.’

  He stroked her tumbled hair back from her forehead. ‘I’ve thought about nothing but you, Stella. I had to survive so that I could return to London and start all over again with you at my side. I don’t care about Heron Park. I’ll gladly let Uncle Gervase live there for as long as he wants, and I’ll give up the idea of the court case. I’ll take a job as an articled clerk and we’ll live in Fleur-de-Lis Street and raise our children to be model citizens.’

  Stella drew back far enough to look him in the eyes. ‘Didn’t you get my letters? Rosa wrote to you at least once.’

  He shook his head. ‘I’ve had no word from home for months.’

  ‘Your uncle is dead, Kit.’

  ‘Dead?’ He stared at her in disbelief. ‘How did he die?’

  Slowly and haltingly she told him of the events that had led up to Gervase’s murder. ‘He broke his word to you, Kit, and left the estate to my mother. Your uncle married her in order to prevent her testifying against him in court.’

  ‘I’d rather she had Heron Park than Gervase.’

 
; ‘But she didn’t want it, my love. She signed everything over to you. So much has happened in such a short time. Ma married Mr Hendy and Rosa is engaged to Tommy Langhorne. Heron Park belongs to you, Kit. It’s all yours and we’ve saved it from bankruptcy. There’s so much to tell you, it might take all night.’

  He smiled and caressed her cheek with the tip of his finger. ‘If I were to stay with you all night we would not waste time talking.’ He kissed her on the forehead and stood up. ‘I’m going to put in an urgent request to speak to the captain. I won’t allow you to spend the rest of the voyage cooped up like a criminal in a cell. I’ll leave you now, but I’ll be back as soon as I can.’

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  ‘OF COURSE I remember Miss Barry.’ Captain Lowther regarded Stella with a kindly smile. ‘She travelled with us on our outward voyage.’

  ‘I didn’t mean to stow away, sir,’ Stella said hastily. ‘I was desperate.’

  ‘It’s all right, Miss Barry. Captain Rivenhall has explained the circumstances and although it’s highly irregular I can’t allow you to spend the rest of your time at sea locked in the cells.’

  ‘I’m most grateful, Captain.’ Kit gave Stella an encouraging smile.

  ‘And so am I,’ Stella said earnestly. ‘I convinced the sailor on duty that I was a nurse, which was a lie, but I’m willing to work my passage. I’ll do anything I can to make the sick and injured more comfortable.’

  ‘This isn’t a merchantman, Miss Barry. You are not required to work your passage as you put it, but I’m sure that our medical officer would be grateful for some assistance.’ Captain Lowther sat back in his chair eyeing Stella thoughtfully. ‘You will occupy the first officer’s cabin and take your meals at my table.’

  ‘Thank you, Captain.’

  He picked up his pen. ‘Now I have work to do. Seaman Parsons will show you to your cabin.’ He motioned to the sailor who stood to attention by the cabin door. ‘Take the young lady to Mr Wilson’s cabin and see that she has everything she needs.’