When the Heather Blooms

by Gwen Kirkwood

  The first visit Josh and Charlotte had made to the hospital had been far from satisfactory. Sister Stevens knew them by now but she was not on duty. The nurse in charge was officious and they were forced to obey her instructions to look through the window and not to go near Lucy’s crib.

  ‘Anyone would think we’re criminals,’ Charlotte muttered.

  ‘Maybe she thinks we are,’ Josh nodded. ‘She’s keeping an eye on us as though we might steal Lucy away.’

  ‘Will Sister Stevens be on duty tomorrow?’ Josh asked when she came into the corridor.

  ‘That isn’t your business,’ the nurse snapped. ‘The people from the adoption society said there was no reply on the telephone number you left and you never came in here once last week. Babies needs better attention than that.’

  ‘But we were on our honeymoon …’ Charlotte began.

  ‘You’re just married?’ she glared at them. ‘Why should you want to adopt a baby then? You’ll have brats o’ your own before long. They’ll need to be told about that before they consider allowing you to adopt this poor bairn.’

  ‘Did the man from the adoption society leave a name or a telephone number?’ Josh interrupted her tirade in a cold voice.

  ‘You’ll have to wait until I’ve time to look for it,’ she muttered.

  ‘We shall wait all night if necessary,’ he insisted but some time later he realised she had kept them waiting so long the office would be closed. ‘We’ll come back tomorrow to see Lucy. Maybe Sister Stevens will be back on duty.

  Charlotte couldn’t sleep that night. She tossed and turned.

  ‘Try not to worry, sweetheart,’ Josh murmured, turning to take her in his arms. ‘I suppose they have to make sure we are capable of looking after Lucy. There may not be slave traders in the world any more but there are still people who can be cruel.’

  ‘If they deem us unsuitable,’ Charlotte fretted, ‘it will be my fault. I always knew what a wonderful father you would make and since we’ve thought of Lucy as ours I’ve seen how much you enjoy planning for her to come home, choosing her wee crib, the teddy bear, and buying a pram.’

  ‘We have both enjoyed preparing,’ Josh agreed. ‘I’m sure they’ll consider us suitable parents and it was Morven’s wish that we should care for Lucy.’

  ‘I know how prejudiced and afraid some people are about tuberculosis. My mother was terrified of catching it; that’s why she sent me away to Switzerland.’

  ‘Did you hear what I said, Charlotte?’ Josh interrupted. ‘You go for regular check-ups, so they can’t argue with the doctors over your health. They told us at the clinic you had suffered pericardial effusion and that was the reason they were wary of recommending you should have children of your own. Mary was very ill when she was having Mimi; Willie thought he was going to lose her.’ His arms tightened. ‘I couldn’t bear that, Charlotte. Whatever happens over Lucy, promise me you’ll never take that risk, my dearest girl.’

  ‘I promise,’ Charlotte agreed, ‘but it’s not only my health. What if the adoption people look into those horrible stories in the newspapers about my father and Billy’s mother, and then if they find out my mother was an alcoholic and sh-she c-committed suicide … Oh Josh they’ll never consider I’m a suitable person with my background.’ She began to weep against his chest. Josh held her close and did his best to soothe her.

  ‘Maybe your mother will be relieved if we don’t get Lucy after all.’

  ‘No, she won’t. She’s coming round to the idea. Victoria reminded her that she and Mark had been orphans and Mark had been adopted as a baby. My mother admitted she wouldn’t have missed having Victoria in our family for all the tea in China.’ Charlotte knew he was doing his best to cheer her up. She could never fail to respond to his tender loving and eventually they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

  Neither of them had realised there would be rules and checks to be met before they had any chance of making Lucy their child. She was growing stronger by the day and would soon be ready to leave the hospital. Still nothing had been decided and Charlotte’s anxiety increased. The end of the school holidays was approaching and Josh would soon be starting his new job as a maths teacher in Dumfriesshire. The tradesmen were working on the house at Lintysmill and Josh had to make frequent drives down there to consult with them. It was not an easy time for either of them but Josh was tender and kind when Charlotte burst into tears of despair or frustration and she loved him more than ever.

  Sister Stevens had been off sick but when she returned she suggested they ask Father Turner to support their cause. He had been present on the night of Morven’s death and he had heard her wishes.

  ‘We haven’t much time before I must move down to Dumfries to my new job. I hate the thought of leaving Charlotte alone here, and Lucy still in the hospital,’ Josh fretted.

  ‘Then ask Father Turner to accompany you when you meet the adoption people and you could suggest fostering Lucy until they reach a decision. She is almost ready to leave us and it will be better if she could start off with you. The district nurse from your own area will check up on her and give advice. As soon as they give permission you can come in every day and help with her feeds, Mrs Pringle.’

  ‘Can I?’ Charlotte’s eyes shone with anticipation. ‘I’ve met the district nurse for Darlonachie. She attended my brother’s baby when he was born in February. She’s very nice. I should welcome her advice.’

  ‘Tell the folks on the panel that. Some people resent all officials, even if it is for the sake of the babies. So Lucy would have a wee cousin five months older than she is, eh? She’ll want to play before you know it.’

  ‘Oh, I do hope you’re right,’ Charlotte sighed.

  ‘In wee Lucy’s case I expect the adoption will follow if all goes well with fostering.’

  Josh lost no time in searching out Father Turner. He asked similar questions to the adoption people. Neither of them had been in trouble with the police, they had both worked with children and had excellent character references, Josh had an exemplary record in the RAF and yes, they could afford to keep a baby. When Father Turner asked about their respective families Charlotte confessed that her mother had committed suicide.

  ‘I-I didn’t tell the adoption people,’ she admitted.

  ‘If everything else is satisfactory they will not hold that against you, my dear child, but it’s possible they sense you are holding something back. Then there is the possibility you may have children of your own and you may not love this baby as much as your own flesh and blood.’

  Charlotte told him why they didn’t intend to have children of their own. ‘But I have had good reports from the doctors, both here in Glasgow and from Switzerland. I know how serious it would be if the tuberculosis returned, but they have discovered new medicines since I had my treatment.’

  ‘I see …’ Father Turner pondered. Then he smiled at them. ‘I will do my best. Your young friend had every faith in you. She had shared your flat, I believe?’

  ‘Yes, for the last school term before she died.’

  ‘I believe Sister Steven’s advice to take one step at a time is sound. The reports will probably be sent to your own authority and the people down there will see for themselves how you cope with being foster parents.’

  Less than a week before Josh was due to start the autumn term at his new job they heard they had been approved as foster parents for Lucy Morven MacRory.

  ‘I must dash down to Lintysmill,’ Josh said. ‘The builders still have much to do and I fear you will find the house a mess, Charlotte. I must make sure the bedroom is finished and the bathroom. We shall need a place for Lucy, but …’

  ‘Dearest Josh, don’t worry about the house,’ Charlotte flung her arms around his neck and kissed him exuberantly. ‘So long as we’re together, and we have Lucy too, then I can cope with builders and a bit of upheaval. I feel so relieved, and so happy.’ Josh kissed her back and swung her up into his arms.

  A while later he dropped Cha
rlotte off at the hospital to begin feeding Lucy while he drove back to Darlonachie for a couple of days, which turned into three whole days. Charlotte wondered what could be keeping him but her heart was filled with love and tenderness each time she cradled the baby in her arms.

  Charlotte sensed Josh was tense and on edge when they set out for Darlonachie on the Sunday morning with Lucy in the new carry cot on the back seat. It was almost as big as a small pram with no wheels. Josh was due to start work on Tuesday so they would just have one day to settle in. Charlotte had brought enough food to last until they could get to the grocer’s in Darlonachie on Monday morning and they had an electric kettle and a tin of milk powder for Lucy. She was anxious about Lucy being too hot or too cold, too many blankets or not enough. Now they had her to themselves she realised taking care of a defenceless baby was a big responsibility. Lucy had been fed and changed before they left and she showed no signs of waking up but Charlotte still worried and peered at the tiny face.

  As they drew nearer to Darlonachie she noticed the pulse throbbing in Josh’s jaw and she wondered why he was so tense. Then they were drawing off the road onto the short drive into Lintysmill. She could not stifle the gasp of dismay when she caught her first sight of the piles of bricks and sand, a cement-mixer, planks, and rubble and various piles of rubbish.

  ‘I’m so sorry to bring you to this mess, Charlotte,’ Josh apologised. ‘I underestimated the time it would take to carry out all my ideas.’

  ‘Don’t worry.’ Charlotte gulped and patted his knee. ‘We’ll manage.’

  Chapter Fourteen

  It was plain they would never get near the door but Josh drove on round to the back of the house. The track was new. Charlotte blinked. There were still bits of debris and tools lying around but there was a flagged path to the back door and a new extension.

  ‘They must have taken off the roof! They’ve built up the walls …’ She climbed out of the car and stared up at the house in amazement. ‘All the windows at the back are new, Josh …’

  ‘Some parts are finished. I hope and pray you’ll think it’s all right once it’s completed. It seems to have taken so much longer than I expected. I wanted it to be a surprise and instead it’s a muddle.’ He looked like a worried small boy and Charlotte’s heart swelled with tenderness. He took her in his arms and looked into her upturned face. ‘I can’t give you a castle, Charlotte, but I promise I shall do my best to give you a decent, comfortable home, and all my love to go with it.’

  ‘Oh Josh …’ Her chin wobbled and her eyes filled with tears. ‘I don’t want a castle even if you could give me one. All I want is you and Lucy.’ They peered into the car but Lucy was still asleep.

  ‘Come and have a quick look before she wakens and needs to be fed,’ Josh urged. ‘The men promised to lay the carpets in the bedroom and living room. Let’s see what they’ve done. At least I shall be here to chivvy them on now.’

  ‘I didn’t know the house very well before, except that it was single storey and not very big.’ Charlotte said, following him into what had been a small kitchen with the carry cot in her arms.

  ‘I thought we’d keep this for coats and boots and I’ve ordered a Bendix washing machine.’ Josh looked at her anxiously, wondering whether he had made too many decisions on his own in his efforts to give Charlotte a pleasant surprise.

  ‘We saw those new machines in Glasgow but the salesman said they were automatic, all in one tub, and they’re very expensive, aren’t they?’

  ‘You deserve the best, sweetheart, and you’ll have Lucy’s nappies to wash. Come and see the new kitchen. I didn’t know whether you would like a dresser so I’ve left that to you.’ He opened the door and watched her face. She opened her mouth in astonishment, took two tentative steps onto the blue and cream Marley floor; she spun round to face him, put the carry cot down, and flung her arms around him.

  ‘I can’t believe it, Josh. It’s beautiful, and it’s so spacious. It’s even bigger than the kitchen at Langmune and I’ve always thought how welcoming it is.’

  ‘Yes, well er … it’s a different shape, but the builder says it will be easy enough to put up a partition wall if you want.’

  ‘I love it just the way it is.’ She moved towards the cooker. ‘Do I smell paraffin …?’ she asked, running her hands over the big silver lids which covered the hot plates. Josh moved up behind her. ‘It runs on oil. You’ll never need to fill it up with coke like Victoria and Libby do.’

  ‘I think you’re spoiling me, Josh,’ Charlotte said, leaning back against him and tilting her face up to his.

  ‘The bits that are finished have to make up for the wilderness outside and the rooms still to be done.’

  ‘This does more than make up.’ She twisted round to face him, drawing his dark head down so that she could kiss him on the mouth. It was several minutes before they drew apart.

  ‘Is this a brand new refrigerator?’ She opened the door to peer inside. ‘Goodness, it’s all stocked up with milk and butter, eggs and bacon. There’s even a roast of meat, and a big piece of cheese. Oh, and look, Josh. Someone has prepared a lovely salad and a cold roast chicken.’

  ‘All this is a surprise to me too,’ Josh said. ‘It must be Libby or Victoria.’

  ‘There’s a trifle too. I’ll bet that’s from your mother.’

  ‘They must have brought all this last night.’

  ‘You have a wonderful family, Josh,’ Charlotte said, her eyes wistful.

  ‘They’re your family too now, Charlotte, and Lucy’s. Do you like the new unit with the stainless-steel sink? I wondered if you’d think it was a bit too modern.’

  ‘I love it and it will be a lot easier to clean than the wooden drainer we had in the flat.’

  ‘I’d like to see what they’ve done to the sitting room and whether or not we have a bedroom to sleep in tonight,’ he said anxiously. Charlotte followed him through the door into a square hall which had once been a small bedroom. It still had a bare stone floor and the green distemper was peeling off the old walls. They crossed to the opposite door and it was like entering a different house.

  ‘That’s the carpet we saw in Glasgow one Saturday.’ She turned to Josh. ‘You must have taken note of it. Oh my goodness, it goes right to the walls, no wood-stained surrounds to dust or let the draughts in.’

  ‘Someone has lit the fire in the new grate,’ Josh remarked. ‘It’s well banked down but it will soon blaze away.’ He bent to fiddle with the front.

  ‘This is a huge room, Josh. You must have had them knock two rooms together. How lovely it is. What a beautiful view from the windows. Josh!’

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Josh straightened up from the fire which was flickering merrily now.

  ‘The piano …?’ Charlotte said and crossed towards the familiar instrument. ‘It is! It’s the one we had in the Dower house. It’s the one you thought I should keep back from the sale for myself. How …? And the corner display cabinet. Oh Josh, I always loved it. How did you manage it?’

  ‘I left bids with the auctioneer; they have been in storage until now. I knew I would give them to you as a wedding gift one day, but I always hoped it would be as my wife, and not someone else’s.’

  ‘Oh Josh, I don’t think there can be another man as kind and thoughtful as you, or as generous to me. I-I can’t quite believe it.’ She reached up and hugged him and he felt the flutter of her damp lashes against his cheek. If it had not been for Lucy, he thought, they would have made love there and then in front of the fire.

  ‘There are four bedrooms upstairs now but only one is finished. The other downstairs room was a small back bedroom. I hoped we might make it into a study where I can have peace to mark up books and such like?’

  ‘Of course that’s what we’ll do,’ Charlotte agreed.

  ‘You’ll have a busy time fixing curtains and cushions. We can use the chairs from the Glasgow flat until you can choose something to your liking.’

  ‘I recognise these two sm
all tables, Josh, and the big standard lamp. You must have taken careful note of everything I wanted to keep from the sale.’

  ‘I knew by then you were the girl I wanted to marry,’ Josh grinned, ‘but I wasn’t sure whether I would ever dare to ask you.’

  ‘And I was longing for you,’ Charlotte beamed. ‘I’ll come with you to get some of Lucy’s things into the kitchen. I never knew babies needed so much equipment.’ ‘Come on, let’s look at the bedroom before she wants a feed.’

  The bedroom was furnished and someone had made up the bed and brought a fluffy sheepskin rug.

  ‘I’ll bet that was Willie and Mary,’ Josh grinned. ‘He cured some skins himself and I know Mimi has one in her bedroom. She says it warms her toes when she gets up in the morning.’

  ‘I can’t believe how kind everyone has been,’ Charlotte said, ‘and that’s the bedroom carpet I admired in Glasgow too. You’re so thoughtful, Josh.’

  She moved to stand in front of the dormer window and gaze at the view. The corn was ready for harvesting and fields looked like swathes of pure gold waving in the late afternoon sunshine, stretching up the side of the glen towards Langmune. Josh moved to stand beside her.

  ‘It’s so beautiful,’ she said.

  ‘What, the garden?’ Josh teased, looking down on the rubble beneath their window.