Later that day when they were allowed up on deck for a few minutes’ exercise, little Jimmy stuck close to Charlie’s side and Charlie was horrified when he was able to get a good look at the little chap in daylight. He wasn’t as far through as a line prop and he looked grievously ill.
Nodding towards one of the guards, Charlie told him, ‘I reckon this lad should see the ship’s doctor. He isn’t well.’
The guard sneered as he fingered the whip in his hand. ‘Gerra move on there. ’E looks all right to me, ’e’s standing, inn’t he?’
Charlie gritted his teeth. He knew that to argue would earn him a whipping so he fell quiet, but when they were ushered back downstairs again he stayed as close to Jimmy as he could, fearing that he might fall down one of the ladders.
Over the next few days, Jimmy seemed to grow weaker by the hour, but apart from trying to get him a little food, there was little Charlie could do for him, much to his frustration. Finally one morning when the guards came to take them for their exercise the boy told him, ‘You go up wivout me today, Charlie. I ain’t feelin’ so good.’
Charlie lifted his hands to feel for the boy’s forehead in the dark and was shocked to find that the child was burning hot with a fever. He could feel the sweat running down his face and he instantly called the guard again.
‘This lad has a fever,’ he informed him, but the guard merely shrugged.
‘An’ just whar am I supposed to do about it?’
‘Get the ship’s doctor?’ Charlie suggested bitterly, but the guard snorted as he elbowed another of the prisoners out of the door.
‘Do you think we ain’t got nothin’ better to do than run about after you scum? Now get in line an’ get up that ladder else I’ll give you a taste o’ me bloody whip!’
Charlie shuffled towards the door. There was nothing he could do, but he had never been so angry in his life. He was almost glad when the brief respite from the darkness was over so he could get back downstairs to Jimmy. Beside the door was a barrel of stale water and Charlie kept shuffling towards it and bringing a scoop back for Jimmy, but most of it just trickled out of his mouth as he struggled to swallow. It was clear the boy had begun to get delirious.
Sometime later, when most of the other men were sleeping, Jimmy’s voice came out of the darkness, ‘Are yer still there, Charlie?’
They were lying on the floor, for all of the hammocks were taken, and, pulling himself up on to his elbow, Charlie answered, ‘Yes, I’m here, Jimmy.’
‘Sometimes me mam used to tell us stories,’ Jimmy confided in a croaky voice. ‘She used to tell us ’ow one day we’d all go to live in a lovely cottage in the countryside wi’ trees an’ flowers and fields all around us. We’d ’ave a cow fer milk an’ she’d ’ave a proper oven to bake in an’ we’d never be ’ungry again.’
‘And I’ve no doubt you all will when you get home again,’ Charlie told him with a catch in his voice. ‘After all, we’re not going to be away forever.’
‘I ’ope so,’ Jimmy whispered. ‘An’ fanks fer bein’ a mate, Charlie. I ain’t been so scared since I met you.’
The boy’s words touched Charlie so much he was too choked to answer him, and he stayed awake for as long as he could after Jimmy finally slipped into an uneasy sleep, listening to his laboured breathing, before finally he too slept.
The sound of some of the men moaning and shuffling about woke Charlie sometime later and, yawning, he turned to face Jimmy, asking, ‘How are you feeling now?’
There was no answer, so tentatively he reached out into the darkness and recoiled as his hand met a warm furry creature sitting on Jimmy’s chest and Charlie knew this could only mean one thing. Swallowing back the bile that rose to his throat, he moved his hand to Jimmy’s arm – and sure enough it was as cold as ice, and he was lying very still.
Struggling to his feet, he shambled towards the door and began to hammer on it in a panic, ‘Guards, for God’s sake come quickly. I think the lad is dead!’
He could hear the guards beyond the door, laughing and drinking rum.
‘Well, if he’s dead there ain’t no panic to move him, is there,’ one of them shouted back and suddenly Charlie’s temper erupted.
‘You heartless bastards!’ he screeched as tears slid down his cheeks. ‘He’s just a kid!’
He heard the sound of the locks and one of the big burly guards pushed the door open almost knocking him over.
‘Who are you callin’ a bastard!’ he raged. ‘You low life bleedin’ scum.’ His hand snaked out and caught Charlie’s arm in a vice-like grip and before Charlie knew what was happening he was being hauled towards the ladder. ‘Let’s see if yer still as mouthy when you’ve ’ad a taste o’ the cat-o’-nine-tails, eh? We can’t have the likes o’ you tryin’ to cause a riot amongst the prisoners.’
Charlie was dragged unceremoniously up the ladder and on to the deck, and even as he was still blinking at the sudden bright sun, they had raised the chains that bound his hands above his head and placed them over a large hook nailed to the mast. He felt as if his arms were being ripped out of their sockets, but there was not a thing he could do.
‘Now then, yer can cool off there, an’ when the prisoners come up fer their exercise we’ll show ’em what happens to those that wanna cause trouble.’
They walked away, leaving Charlie trembling in agony; he had never been so scared in his life.
By the time the first of the prisoners appeared on deck, every muscle in his body was screaming because of the unnatural position the guards had left him in.
‘Form a circle,’ he heard one of the guards shout, and out of the corner of his eye he saw the men begin to gather around him.
‘Right you lot,’ the guard shouted when they were all assembled. ‘Now yer goin’ to see what ’appens to prisoners who try to cause trouble aboard ship.’
Stepping behind Charlie, he grabbed his shirt at the back of his neck and tore it to the waist, leaving his back exposed. Then he waved a lethal-looking cat-o’-nine-tails at him.
‘Let’s see if you still feel so mouthy after fifty strokes o’ this,’ he said gleefully and went to take his place behind him.
There was a loud whistling noise and Charlie gasped as the whip cracked across his bare back. Blinking back tears of pain and humiliation, Charlie bit down so hard on his lip that he could taste blood.
‘Now you lot, count fer me,’ the guard ordered as he wielded the whip again, and too afraid to disobey the men reluctantly began.
‘One . . . two . . . three . . . four . . . five . . . six . . . seven . . . eight . . . nine . . . ten . . . eleven . . .’
By this time Charlie was dangling almost unconscious, his back a bloody mess of ugly, ripped flesh. It felt as if he was on fire and he knew he wouldn’t be able to take much more.
Just as he’d resigned himself to die, he dimly heard a voice bark, ‘What the hell is going on here?’
The guard turned to face him, his face red with exertion. ‘The prisoner were tryin’ to cause a riot, cap’n, so I thought he should be made an example of in case any o’ the others decided to join in.’
Clearly displeased with the situation, the captain raised an eyebrow and, turning to the nearest prisoner, he asked, ‘What exactly did the lad do?’
‘He were tryin’ to get help fer the little chap at the side o’ him; he thought he might even be dead,’ the prisoner mumbled fearfully.
The captain seemed to swell to double his size. ‘So if that’s the case why didn’t you get help?’ he stormed at the guard, who was not looking so sure of himself now.
‘Well . . . there weren’t much we could ’ave done if the kid were already dead, was there, sir?’ he muttered.
The captain’s face turned puce with anger and, snatching the cat-o’-nine-tails from the guard’s hand, he flung it on to the deck and ordered the other guard, ‘Cut that young man down immediately. And you’ – he stabbed a finger at the f
irst guard, his eyes flashing fire – ‘these might be criminals but they are still human beings and deserve to be treated as such. Report to my office now! You are relieved of your duties as of this minute and I shall be making a formal complaint about your behaviour to the governor of your jail on our return to England. From now on my men will see to the welfare of the prisoners and you and your colleague will be confined to quarters. Now get to my office immediately – I’ve nowhere near finished with you yet!’
His face surly, the guard slunk away as the captain beckoned two of his crew to him. ‘Make sure these men have access to clean drinking water at all times,’ he told them. ‘And from now on, they will be allowed to exercise twice a day. I also wish to be informed of what they have been allocated to eat. Most of them look half starved. Now give them another ten minutes on deck.’ He looked towards Charlie, who was now lying motionless on the deck, and beckoning another two sailors he told them, ‘Get him into the infirmary and go gently on him.’
‘Aye, aye, cap’n.’ Bending over Charlie, they lifted him gently and carried him inside.
Charlie woke up some hours later flat on his stomach, and for a moment he wondered where he was and what he was doing there. But then, as it all came back to him, he tried to rise before gasping with pain as the weals on his back opened and began to bleed again.
‘Lie still now, lad,’ a man’s voice told him, and turning his head fractionally he saw a man wearing a white coat. He was standing right beside the bed and was dressing Charlie’s wounds.
‘Sorry, son,’ he muttered as he wiped one particularly deep wound and Charlie winced. ‘I just need to get plenty of ointment on these to try and prevent infection.’
‘I-it’s all right . . . carry on,’ Charlie told him bravely as he gritted his teeth. The pain was so severe that sweat was dripping into his eyes, but not once did he cry out.
‘There.’ At last it was done. ‘Now that should start to ease the pain shortly,’ the man informed him gently. ‘Meantime, would you like a drink?’
Charlie managed to shake his head.
‘Very well. I shall leave you to rest now, but I’ll be back shortly; I’m Doctor Hardy by the way,’ the doctor informed him.
Charlie stared at him through a haze of pain and saw a short, plump man with thinning grey hair and faded blue eyes. He looked weary, but his smile was kind and as Charlie closed his eyes, the doctor hurried away to find the captain.
‘What those guards have done to that young man is barbaric,’ the doctor raged as he paced up and down the captain’s cabin. ‘Even ten strokes of a cat-o’-nine-tails is too many let alone fifty. Thank God you happened along when you did or I’m sure he would have killed him!’
‘I quite agree,’ the captain said solemnly. ‘And have no fear, it will not happen again. I have confined both the guards below decks and from now on my men will be responsible for the care of the prisoners for the duration of the voyage. But the young boy who has been whipped . . . will he recover?’
Doctor Hardy shrugged. ‘It all depends. His back is cut to ribbons. I’ve done all I can but if he should develop a fever or the wounds should become infected . . .’ He spread his hands. ‘It’s all in God’s hands now!’
Chapter Fifteen
‘Ah, here’s my little darling,’ Alicia crooned as Agatha ushered Susie into the room ahead of her. Alicia’s parents were staying with them at present and they weren’t at all sure about the adopted granddaughter their only child had presented them with. She was a pretty little thing, admittedly, with her lovely shiny black hair and beautiful deep-brown eyes, but she was very surly and barely said a word. In fact, in the three days they had been there, they hadn’t even seen her smile as yet, although their meetings had been brief up until now.
Susie glared at Alicia resentfully. She hated being brought down and paraded in front of visitors as if she was some sort of prize, but she had no choice. She had learned to her cost that if she disobeyed Nanny, she would be smacked. She even had bruises to prove it but they were all where they couldn’t be seen. Nanny always made quite sure of that, and seeing as it was always her that bathed her, Susie doubted anyone would ever see them.
‘Come and say hello to your Grandmama and Grandpapa, darling,’ Alicia coaxed, and resentfully Susie moved forward and dutifully bobbed her knee.
‘You may leave her with us for a while, Nanny,’ Alicia informed the woman. ‘I’m sure Suzanne would like to take afternoon tea with us. Cook has made some lovely fancies and tarts that I’m certain she would like to sample.’
Agatha’s face set. ‘Begging your pardon, ma’am,’ she said quietly. ‘But it would be better if Miss Suzanne kept to her routine. She has her tea up in the nursery with me and too much sugar will be bad for her teeth.’
‘It won’t hurt the child just this once,’ Muriel O’Gilvie, Alicia’s mother, answered tartly, when she saw that her daughter was about to do as the nanny told her. She had taken an instant dislike to the woman and didn’t care if it showed. ‘Now go about your duties. We will ring for you when you are needed.’
With her cheeks flaming, Agatha bobbed her knee, turned and left the room, but inside she was seething. She could twist the mistress around her little finger, but her mother appeared to be a different kettle of fish altogether. Still, she supposed they wouldn’t be staying for long and once they’d gone, she’d soon pull Suzanne back into line again and show her who was the boss!
Susie, meanwhile, was gazing at her newfound grandmother in awe. She was the first person she had ever heard stand up to Nanny and she liked her for it.
‘So, child, how are you settling in?’ the woman asked and Susie gave her a shy smile.
‘All right, thank you.’
‘Good. Now come and help me eat some of these delicious fancies or I shall eat them all to myself and get very fat.’
Susie really smiled then and Alicia was shocked. It was the first time she had seen her so relaxed and it made her wonder what she was doing wrong. She went to see the child before she went to bed every night and she spent half an hour with her and Nanny each afternoon, but she had never seen her like this before.
Alicia’s mother, too, had noticed a change in the child the second the nanny had left the room and she began to wonder: was the child afraid of her? She would talk to her daughter about it later, she promised herself, and then set about making Suzanne smile again.
Half an hour later there was a tap on the door and Nanny entered with her hands folded neatly at her waist.
‘I’m sorry to intrude, Mrs Darby-Jones, but it’s time for Miss Suzanne’s nap.’
Alicia’s mother looked appalled. ‘Her nap . . . but she’s almost seven years old. Is it really necessary?’
‘Oh, let her go, Mummy,’ Alicia said hurriedly, afraid of upsetting the woman. ‘I’m sure Nanny knows best. She has had far more experience of raising children than I have.’ In actual fact, Alicia was almost as afraid of Agatha as Susie was, although she would never have admitted it.
The radiant smile instantly slid from the child’s face and she hastily wiped the crumbs from her mouth as Agatha held her hand out to her and she quietly allowed herself to be led from the room.
Once Agatha had closed the door firmly behind them, Alicia’s mother asked, ‘How long has the nanny been with you, dear?’
‘Oh, she came within days of us having Suzanne. Why do you ask?’
Her mother shrugged. ‘I’m not sure, there’s just something about her that doesn’t feel quite right. Did she come with good references?’
‘Well, with one reference, and yes it was excellent. She was nanny for a lord and lady before she came to us and only left when their child went to attend a boarding school.’
‘Hm.’ Muriel O’Gilvie still wasn’t convinced. ‘Then perhaps you should be spending a little more time with the child yourself,’ she suggested.
‘I have tried to, but Nanny gets annoyed and says that it interferes with Suzanne�
�s routine.’
‘And you allow her to dictate to you? Surely as her employer it should be the other way around? Don’t you think, dear?’ she said, turning to her husband, who had decided it was better not to get involved.
‘Absolutely, my love. Servants should always know their place.’
‘I suppose so.’ When Alicia looked guilty, her mother sighed. Alicia was their only child and had been spoiled shamelessly.
‘Look, we’ll start this evening by going up and getting the child ready for bed ourselves,’ she told her. ‘Just show the nanny that you intend to be more involved with Suzanne and she’ll have no alternative but to obey you if she wishes to keep her job.’
Muriel was greatly concerned. She prided herself on being a good judge of character and if she wasn’t very much mistaken the little girl was afraid of her nanny. She had a sneaky idea that her daughter was too, but she hoped to remedy that before she and her husband set off for home. It was time someone let the woman know who was in charge and Muriel considered she was just the person to do it.
‘In fact, why don’t you let the child come down and dine with us this evening? It won’t interfere with her bedtime,’ she suggested tactfully and Alicia looked faintly surprised.
‘I suggested that Matthew and I would like that when the nanny first arrived, but she said the food we ate would be too rich for her,’ Alicia answered.
Muriel snorted. ‘What utter rubbish. Suzanne isn’t a baby and she just managed to stomach a number of rich pastries, didn’t she? Leave it with me. I shall go up to the nursery presently and tell the nanny that Suzanne will be joining us for dinner myself. And furthermore, I think you should be thinking of hiring a tutor for her now. She’s quite old enough to begin her lessons.’
‘Oh, Mama, you’re so wise,’ Suzanne told her warmly. ‘Thank you, I do so want to get raising Suzanne right.’
‘You will eventually.’ Her mother patted her hand and gave her a reassuring smile. She adored her daughter, but was aware that she had absolutely no idea how to run a household or raise a child. But still, she consoled herself, before I leave I intend to put that obnoxious nanny firmly in her place. It had broken her heart over the years to see her daughter longing for a child, and now that she finally had one she was going to ensure that she enjoyed her, if it was the last thing she did!
The Winter Promise Page 11