‘Aye, I suppose it does. I wonder who could do something like that.’
‘I don’t know. I hope it’s not someone we know.’
They waited for Robert to finish his paperwork and then they travelled back up the dale to Westgate. Robert apologised to Tom over and over again, and to them both for inconveniencing them so soon after their wedding and so close to Christmas. He said again and again that he was just doing his job. Tom and Mary were just pleased to be going home together knowing that Tom was no longer in danger.
Chapter 31
Moorside Cottage, Westgate
Christmas 1873
When Christmas Day finally arrived, Tom found Mary in the kitchen cooking breakfast. She was singing to herself and he smiled. It was good to see that she was happy. She must have felt his presence because she turned around and looked embarrassed that she’s been caught singing.
‘Happy Christmas to my beautiful wife,’ he said and kissed her on the lips.
‘Merry Christmas, Tom. Please get your breakfast before it gets cold.’
‘Is Josie still asleep?’
‘Yes, I’ll get her up after we’ve eaten.’
Mary smiled all the way through the meal. When they had finished eating, Tom said, ‘What is it? Have I got egg on my face or something?’
Mary laughed, ‘No, it’s nothing like that. I have something to tell you.’ She went to his chair and stood next to him with a huge grin on her face. ‘You’re going to be a father.’
He looked up at her with wonder in his eyes. ‘You’re going to have a baby?’
‘Yes, we are going to have a baby,’ she grinned.
He put his arms around her and held her as though she was the most precious thing in the world, and as far as he was concerned, she was.
Christmas Day was one of the best days of their lives. They swapped gifts in the morning. Mary gave him a scarf and hat that she had knitted and he loved them. They were useful presents and he would think of her every time he wore them. Tom had made a wooden rattle and a teething ring for Josie, and Mary had crocheted a beautiful shawl for her.
Tom had made Mary’s gift before they were married. It was a practical gift and he hoped she would like it. He had carried it over from High House the night before and hidden it in the shed. He went outside to fetch it. She looked surprised when he carried in a matting frame, but it was no ordinary matting frame; it was made from polished oak and he had carved an intricate pattern on three sides. At the top, he had carved, ‘Tom & Mary Milburn 1873’ — their names and the year that they were married.
‘That’s wonderful, Tom.’ Running her fingers along the lettering, she said, ‘I’ll treasure this, always.’
‘And that’s not all,’ he said.
Tom left the house and came back a few minutes later carrying a large cat. ‘This is Tabby and he’s going to get rid of those pesky mice for you!’
When Tom put the cat down on the ground, it strolled over to Josie, who was sitting on the floor, and rubbed around her. She laughed and tried to pull his tail, but he wagged it so quickly that she couldn’t catch it, which made her laugh even more. Tom and Mary laughed too.
Tom’s mother had sent over a plucked chicken and a sack of vegetables for them. Mary cooked a tasty roast chicken dinner and she had prepared a traditional Christmas pudding for afters. They spent the rest of the day in front of the fire feeling very full and very contented.
Chapter 32
Westgate
January 1874
Tom kissed Mary as he picked up his bait bag and left for work. It was a mizzly morning and he would be soaked through before he got to the mine.
He walked briskly to the shaft to meet his partners — Harry, John and Watson — who were waiting by the mine entrance. They exchanged pleasantries before descending the shaft. Each miner waited patiently until it was his turn to enter the dark hole in the ground and climb down the series of slippery wooden ladders into the mine below. They lit their candles to light their way to the cross-cut where they were working.
All morning, the miners worked in pairs to drill shot holes in the rock face. The miners’ tools were basic — a long, iron chisel, known as a jumper, and a heavy hammer. It was a long, slow process. When the holes were finally ready, deep enough to take a charge, Harry fastened his candle to the rock with a lump of clay and took the gunpowder out of his bag. He carefully placed the powder at the back of the shot hole, laid a fuse and then backfilled the hole with clay. His partners moved to a safe distance from the blast site, back to Rigg vein where the air was better. Harry lit the fuse and walked quickly to where they waited.
The blast was deafening and the ground shook. The rumble of falling rocks echoed through the tunnels. The air was filled with dust and the miners couldn’t see each other. They heard a groan and then there was silence.
‘Harry, are you alright?’ shouted John.
‘I’m fine, John. I’m standin’ here right beside you.’
‘Watson, where are you?’ asked John.
‘Right here, mate. Me arm got hit with somethin’ — it feels like it’s bleedin’, but it’s not bad,’ replied Watson.
‘Was it you that shouted?’
‘No, it wasn’t me.’
‘Tom, what about you?’ asked John.
There was no reply.
He shouted as loud as he could, ‘Tom!’
Still, there was no reply.
All three men started to shout for their missing partner, but their calls were met with silence. The air was thick with dust and they were unable to see anything. They continued to call Tom’s name as they got onto their knees and felt the ground around them in a desperate attempt to find Tom.
‘He was stood talkin’ to me a few minutes ago. He can’t be far from here,’ said Watson.
Harry came across a pile of rocks in the tunnel. He said, ‘These rocks shouldn’t be here. There must have been a fall. Get over here and see if you can find Tom!’
Watson said under his breath, ‘Dear God!’
The men felt amongst the rubble to try to find Tom but they couldn’t start to move the rocks until the air cleared. They continued their search for their friend and hoped the dust would settle soon so that they could see where he was.
‘I’m goin’ out to get help,’ said Harry. ‘We’re goin’ to need more men and a stretcher.’
As visibility returned, the size of the rock fall shocked John and Watson. They had seen falls before, but nothing on this scale — the tunnel was almost blocked.
‘That’s Tom’s hat!’ exclaimed Watson. He pulled at it to release it from the rocks and held it to his chest. ‘Poor Tom, he must be under there.’
They started to remove the rocks carefully, one by one, so as not to cause any more injury to their buried friend.
***
Mary was changing Josie’s nappy when she heard voices outside the cottage. She recognised two of Jacob’s children standing at her door, arguing over who was going to knock.
Smiling at their antics, Mary went to the door and opened it. She greeted them with, ‘Hello!’
The boy said, ‘Hello, Mrs Milburn. Harry told me to come and fetch you. He said there’s been an accident at the mine and Mr Milburn’s missin’.’
Mary couldn’t take in the words. Tom had been in a mine accident, she understood, but missing? It didn’t make any sense. How could he be missing?
‘Mrs Milburn, it’s alright,’ said his sister. ‘Me mother told me to stay here and look after the bairn for you. I look after me baby sister when I’m not at school.’
Mary thought the girl didn’t look old enough to see to Josie, but what choice did she have? She had to go to the mine and find out what was going on.
‘Thank you. What’s your name?’ asked Mary.
‘I’m Sarah Rowell and I’m nearly eight years old,’ the girl replied with a toothless smile.
‘Thank you, Sarah. This is Josie.’ Mary grabbed her shawl and rushed out of the house. She ran most
of the way to the mine. There were already a few people at the entrance, waiting for news. She asked what had happened and was told that there had been a rock fall and that Tom couldn’t be found. She thought that could only mean one thing, that he was buried under the rocks, buried alive and unable to move or... Please, please, God, let them find him alive.
‘They’ll have to bring him out of Grey’s Level. They’ll never lift him up the shaft,’ said an old miner.
The bystanders made their way down the hillside to the water level. Mary followed. It had been raining most of the week and water was gushing from the mine entrance and running over the sides of the wooden leat that fed the waterwheel at the mill.
The morning’s mizzle had turned to rain and there was a cold breeze blowing down the hillside. Mary didn’t feel it. She stood with her arms crossed over her chest, as though hugging herself. All she wanted was to see Tom.
She remembered the day Tom had come to The Moss to propose to her. Was it just four months ago? She had hardly known him then. He promised her that he would be a good husband and a good father, and he had kept his word.
They had a perfect marriage of convenience. They liked each other and got on very well together. After being with Joe, she didn’t think that she would like being intimate with another man and that had worried her before the wedding. It needn’t have. It was obvious that Tom desired her; he was a good lover and left her feeling fulfilled. She wanted him more and more as time went by. She was sure he cared about her even though he had only married her to make up for Joe’s mistreatment of her. When she had told Tom that she was pregnant, he had looked at her and held her as though she was special to him. Please let him live to see his child.
***
Harry returned with another team of miners and the men worked relentlessly to clear the fallen rocks from the dry and dusty tunnel. A couple of boys brought some food and water down for them, for which they were grateful. It was tiring work but the miners wouldn’t rest until Tom was found.
Watson moved a large boulder and saw Tom’s twisted leg underneath it. ‘Over here!’ he shouted. ‘I’ve found him. I’ve found Tom.’
They all concentrated on the area where Tom was lying. Stones were passed back from one man to another and stacked neatly in piles. The work was efficient and methodical because they were well-practised at it.
As the dust cleared further, Harry realised that it was just Tom’s legs that were buried under the pile of rocks, his torso was visible beyond the fall. There was blood on Tom’s brow. Harry clambered over the rocks to reach him.
***
Mary had been waiting outside the mine most of the day. The boys who had taken the food in for the rescuers came back without any news and she continued to wait. She was soaked through to the skin and very cold.
Joe pulled up with his horse and cart and jumped down. He went straight to Mary, ‘What’s happenin’? Have they found him yet?’
‘No news,’ she replied. She glanced at the cart and realised that he had brought it to take Tom home, whatever the outcome, but she couldn’t think about that. ‘Thanks for coming,’ she said.
‘Of course, I’d come. He’s me brother,’ said Joe. Looking at Mary’s sodden clothes, he said, ‘You’re drenched, lass, you’ll catch your death. Here, put me cloak on — you’re fair nithered.’
Mary stood still while he fastened the cloak around her as if she was a child and she noticed that the attraction that had once been so strong between them had gone. She felt nothing.
‘I dropped me mother off at your place. She’ll look after the bairn ‘til we get back,’ he said.
They stood side by side and waited. Nobody seemed to notice them. All the gossip of the previous year was seemingly forgotten now that there was something serious going on.
As dusk began to fall, someone shouted, ‘I think they’re comin’ out. I can see a light down yonder. Aye, they’re on their way out!’
Everyone huddled at the entrance, looking into the tunnel, watching the men’s slow progress. Eventually the miners reached the adit and carried Tom out on a stretcher. There were murmurs from the crowd and everyone stepped back to let Mary get to the stretcher. She wasn’t sure if he was dead or alive. Watson took her hand, ‘Mary, he’s alive.’ She looked up at Watson in disbelief. ‘He’s in a bad way though. He was knocked out and he hasn’t come round yet. His leg’s bad an’ all. It’s broken.’
Harry turned to Joe, ‘Best get him home and into a warm bed. I’ll let the doctor know to come up.’
The exhausted miners lifted Tom into the back of Joe’s cart and threw some blankets over him. Mary climbed in next to him and lifted her husband’s head into her lap. Watson climbed up front with Joe so that he could help to carry Tom into the house when they got him home.
Joe slowly drove them back to Moorside Cottage — the horse at a gentle walk. He was careful to avoid holes and grooves in the road which would jostle the cart and cause more injury to his brother. Tom’s head rested on Mary’s lap and she held his hand to her face. He looked so still and so pale, and there was blood all over his brow. Were they sure he was alive? His hand felt warm against her cheek and she could feel the pulse in his wrist. He was alive. Thank God, he was alive.
When they arrived at the cottage, Jane Milburn met them at the door. She saw her son lying in the cart with Mary huddled over him. She clutched her chest as she asked nervously, ‘How is he?’
Joe climbed down and said, ‘He’s alive. He’s unconscious and it might be better if he stays that way until the doctor’s finished with him. His leg’s broken.’
The two men struggled to carry Tom into the house and upstairs to his bed. When they came down, Mary and Jane went up to remove his dirty clothes and to discover the extent of his injuries. Jane washed her son to remove all the dust and dried blood from his skin. The cut to his head didn’t look too bad. It had bled and was clean. There was a big lump there though. Mary washed the wound and bandaged it.
There were small cuts all over his body and bruises were starting to form. His leg was a mess. The lower part was twisted at an unnatural angle; the fractured bone almost piercing his skin. As desperate as Mary was to talk to Tom, she hoped for his sake that he wouldn’t wake up until the doctor had set it. Joe was right, it would be better if he stayed unconscious for a bit longer.
Doctor Rutherford knocked at the door and Joe showed him into the cottage, pointing the way to the bedroom. Jane went downstairs to make tea for everyone, but Mary wanted to stay with Tom while the doctor examined him.
The doctor checked the cut to Tom’s head first and was happy that Mary had cleaned the wound well. ‘He’s been out for a while now. Have there been any signs of him waking up? Any movement at all? Has he said anything?’ he asked.
‘Not since they brought him out of the mine,’ replied Mary.
‘I think you should prepare yourself, Mary. The longer he’s out cold, the less chance of a full recovery,’ the doctor said. ‘Sometimes people just don’t wake up from accidents like this. Sometimes they do, but they aren’t right. You understand what I’m saying, don’t you?’
Mary was troubled by his words but replied, ‘Yes, I understand.’
Doctor Rutherford examined Tom’s neck, arms and chest for any signs of damage. His rib cage was bruised but no ribs were broken. There was no swelling in his abdomen. The examination moved down to his pelvis and legs, where there was more bruising. When he moved down to his leg, he said, ‘This is going to be tricky though,’ as he looked closely at the broken bone and tried to work out the best way to repair it. ‘I brought chloroform with me when I heard that he’d had a bad break, but he won’t need any if he stays unconscious. I’m going to need Joe’s strength to help me though. Thankfully the bone hasn’t come through the skin — much less chance of infection getting in that way.’
Mary called for Joe to come upstairs. Doctor Rutherford was setting out everything he would need for the procedure on the chest of drawers. He e
xplained that he would need Joe to pull the lower leg down slightly so he could make sure the bone was returned to the right place. Mary couldn’t watch. She turned her back while the doctor and Joe manipulated the shin bone back into place. Thank God Tom was asleep, she thought. She couldn’t imagine how painful that would have been if he had been awake.
When she turned back, the doctor was carefully bandaging Tom’s lower leg to keep the bones in place. ‘He’ll have to stay in bed for at least six weeks for this to heal properly,’ he said. ‘That means he can’t get up for anything.’ Mary nodded. She had cared for her mother when she had been bedridden and she would care for Tom as long as he needed her help. The doctor finished dressing the broken limb and gathered his things together.
Shaking his head, he said, ‘I’m concerned about this head injury.’ He took out his pocket watch and studied the watch face. ‘He must have been knocked out over six hours ago.’ He shook his head. ‘Now, I don’t need to tell you to keep an eye on him overnight and send someone down for me if you’re worried. Otherwise, I’ll be back first thing in the morning to check on him.’
She walked with him to the door and thanked him for coming. The she took the cup of tea that Jane offered her and sat down. Her hands were shaking and the cup rattled in the saucer. How was she going to manage? She had Tom to take care of and Josie, and no wages coming in until he could get back to work. What if he didn’t wake up? What if he woke up but couldn’t move? He had to wake up. He had to be alright. She couldn’t imagine a future without him.
The Lead Miner's Daughter Page 19