The Quarantine Station

by Michelle Montebello

  Rose, Bessie, Mrs March and the parlourmaids gathered in a circle in the centre of the kitchen.

  ‘I was informed a moment ago by the Duke of Northbury that he and his wife, the duchess, will remain on the station for the foreseeable future.’

  ‘The foreseeable future. What does that mean?’ Mrs March barked.

  ‘It means there has been a development with her health and they will be staying.’

  ‘I heard from the hospital that she’s with child,’ blurted a parlourmaid.

  Rose heard Bessie’s sharp intake of breath as an excited murmur rippled around the circle.

  ‘Must you be so crass?’ Miss Dalton said sternly.

  The parlourmaid shrugged.

  ‘Is it true, then?’ Mrs March asked. ‘Are they staying because she’s having a baby?’

  ‘Since the cat is out of the bag,’ she shot the offending parlourmaid a look, ‘yes. I have been informed that, due to her delicate state, they will remain on the station until the heir is born. Once that occurs, they will return to England.’

  Another murmur rippled through the group.

  ‘So they’re going to stay here for free while we wait on them hand and foot?’ Mrs March looked outraged. ‘I didn’t realise we were a hotel.’

  ‘The duke assures me we will be well compensated for the trouble. The superintendent has agreed to the arrangement.’

  ‘I saw the duchess on the verandah yesterday. She didn’t look delicate to me.’

  ‘Mrs March, it’s not our place to pass opinion on such matters. The duke wants to stay and so they are staying.’

  ‘We can’t get rid of them,’ Mrs March muttered.

  ‘I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.’

  ‘How far along is she?’ Bessie asked quietly.

  The group turned to look at her.

  ‘What a thing to ask! That’s none of your business,’ Miss Dalton said sharply, but Mrs March was also looking at her expectantly and so she relented. ‘I believe she is sixteen weeks.’

  ‘She’s got six months to go. They’ll be here until May next year!’ Mrs March complained.

  ‘Yes Alice, they will be. And I expect everyone to give them privacy for the duration of that time,’ Miss Dalton said. ‘Rose, you are the only one allowed contact with them. You will continue in your usual duties. See to it that the duchess has everything she needs.’

  ‘Yes, Miss Dalton.’

  The group disbanded and while Mrs March complained to Miss Dalton about missing bags of flour in her latest delivery, Rose followed Bessie outside, who lit a cigarette on the kitchen step and puffed heavily on it.

  ‘Are you okay?’ she asked, touching her friend’s arm.

  ‘Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?’ Bessie said nonchalantly, though Rose could tell the news of the duchess’s pregnancy had hit her like a dose of Spanish Flu.

  ‘Do you want to talk about it?’

  ‘There’s nothing to talk about.’

  ‘She’s sixteen weeks, the same as you.’

  Bessie pulled back on her cigarette and blew out a stream of smoke, her eyes fixed on the road.

  Rose nodded. ‘All right. I will leave you be, then.’ She turned to step back into the kitchen.

  Bessie reached for her hand with an anguished look. ‘He was intimate with me then he was intimate with her.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘He told me she was too delicate to lie with. That she repulsed him. That he loved only me.’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘It doesn’t change anything.’

  ‘It changes everything.’

  Bessie dragged deeply on her cigarette, tossed it to the ground then crushed it with her shoe. ‘She’s giving him a legitimate blueblood heir.’

  ‘And she’s staying on the station to give birth. Bessie, that means you’ll have to give birth here too.’

  Bessie grew pale.

  ‘Talk to the duke. Make him state his intentions. He must take you and the baby with him back to England in May.’

  ‘I’m sure he will.’

  ‘Make him tell you. I’d feel better if he said it.’

  ‘How terribly funny,’ Bessie said wryly. ‘Come May, the duke will have two new babies.’ She looked anything but amused as she said it.

  ‘I’m so sorry.’

  Bessie waved her hand. ‘Don’t be sorry. I have faith. The duke will take me and our baby back to Somersby Castle as planned. He will never cast us out. He gave me his word.’ But her smile was strained as she stepped back into the kitchen.

  Rose stood on the step and turned her face to the sky, feeling the sun on her skin. Two babies due in May, both fathered by the duke. She contemplated how angry the duchess was going to be when she found out about Bessie’s baby, what an awkward boat ride it would be back to England for them and that the duke was perhaps the luckiest, or unluckiest, fellow in the world.

  Thomas came for Rose at eleven. She was silent on the walk back to his cottage, still turning over the news of the day.

  When they walked through the door, Thomas reached for her hand and squeezed it. ‘Are you okay, my Rose? You’ve been awfully quiet tonight.’

  She smiled apologetically. ‘I don’t mean to be.’

  ‘Did you hear about the duchess?’ he asked as she laid her pillowcase of belongings on the bed and sorted through it for her shift.

  ‘I did. But how did you hear of it?’

  ‘I heard it from the autoclave boys, who heard it from isolation.’

  ‘And how did isolation hear about it?’

  ‘From first-class housekeeping.’

  ‘And we heard it from the hospital.’

  ‘Spreads like wildfire in a place like this.’ He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her into him. ‘So I guess they’re staying?’

  ‘Until she has the child in May, yes.’

  ‘Is that what’s been bothering you tonight?’

  Rose hadn’t yet told Thomas about Bessie’s pregnancy. She hadn’t even told him of her own. So to his question, she simply shrugged. ‘Yes, but not for reasons you’re aware.’

  He gave her a strange look and she knew she had to tell him of the child growing inside her, that it was no longer her secret to keep. She undid the button at the nape of her neck and while he watched her, she slipped her dress down. Next she let her petticoat slide from her body and pushed down her underwear and stockings, while Thomas’s eyes roamed over her.

  ‘You are so beautiful, my Rose,’ he said, leaning forward to kiss her collarbones and neck.

  ‘Thomas, there’s something I need to tell you.’ Her voice shook.

  ‘What is it?’ He looked up at her with such adoration she had to force herself to continue, to risk never seeing that look from him again. To risk losing him forever and being thrust out into the world with an illegitimate infant and not the faintest idea how to survive.

  Bravely, she reached for his hand and rested it on her stomach, holding his gaze with her own so that, after a moment, realisation dawned and he looked down at her abdomen. His fingers traced the skin around her navel, across the swell that was starting to protrude from her hips, and his eyes widened.

  ‘Rose?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘You’re pregnant?’

  ‘I am.’

  He looked completely astounded and for a minute, for one agonisingly long minute, he just stared at her. Rose gulped when he glanced down at her stomach again, holding onto her hips, just staring.

  ‘You’re pregnant,’ he said again.

  ‘Yes.’

  His mouth fell open but no sound came out.

  ‘Say something,’ she said.

  ‘I’m sorry, I… How far along are you?’

  ‘I’m fourteen weeks. Matron says I’m in the second trimester.’

  ‘She knows?’

  ‘She’s been taking care of me.’

  ‘How did you find out?’

  ‘I missed my monthly flow.’

  He blushed and
scratched his head. ‘Yes, of course. So the exhaustion and feeling poorly…?’

  ‘Morning sickness.’

  He sat back and she moved away, giving him space to digest it. She saw him swallow, his Adam’s apple bobbing, the air around them charged.

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me sooner?’

  She reached for her shift and dropped it over her head and shoulders, pulling it down over her stomach. ‘I was afraid.’

  ‘Of what?’

  ‘That you wouldn’t want me anymore.’ Her voice was so meek she wasn’t sure it had left her lips.

  ‘How could you think that?’

  ‘Because I know how much you want to stay on the station, but this baby changes everything. I can’t stay here.’

  He nodded as though a second wave of realisation hit him. ‘No, I suppose you can’t.’

  ‘Are you mad?’

  He pulled her to his lap and she sat, letting him wrap his arms around her waist. ‘Of course I’m not mad. I’m still absorbing it, but I’m not mad.’ He kissed her and she felt her body respond, leaning into him. His hand slid under her shift to rest on her stomach. ‘I just wish you had told me sooner.’

  She burrowed into his neck and he held her tight. ‘Where do we go from here?’

  ‘I’m not sure. You’re already starting to show. I don’t know how much longer you can hide it.’

  ‘Matron gave me a maternity corset to wear during the day. I should be able to get through most of my pregnancy without anyone noticing.’

  ‘Are you thinking of having the baby here?’

  She sat upright. ‘Yes. Initially, I wanted to leave but at least here I’ll have the matron to help me deliver. I think it’s the best place to be.’

  ‘And afterwards?’

  ‘I’ll be fired,’ she said.

  He nodded. ‘Then that will be our plan. We’ll save as much as we can in the next six months, deliver the baby here then leave together.’

  ‘You’ll come with me?’

  ‘Of course I’ll come with you.’ He stroked her stomach again. ‘That’s my child in there. Wherever the two of you will be is where I’ll be.’

  She threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him so tightly he coughed. ‘I love you!’

  ‘I love you too, my Rose.’ He kissed her lips, her neck, her breasts, sliding the shift off her body in one swift motion. He stood her up so he could inspect the new curves of her hips again, tracing them with his fingers and she could see the wonder on his face. He touched her, kissed her, made her sigh with pleasure.

  Then his fingers went lower and lower until she gasped and could stand it no longer. She pushed him back onto the bed, unbuckled his trousers and straddled him, loving him all the more for the man he was—brave, honest, a gentleman, unlike anyone she had ever known. And she showed him just how much he meant to her, just how much he meant to the tiny life growing inside her.

  An hour later, they lay with limbs entwined and sweat drying on their bodies. Thomas laced his fingers through hers, pressing her hand to his lips. It was well after midnight though neither was tired.

  ‘The female body is a wonder,’ he said. ‘It knows how to create this little person in your stomach with tiny fingers and toes, a heart and a brain. It’s incredible.’

  ‘And it has let me know every day for the past fourteen weeks just how hard it’s been working.’ She could laugh at the morning sickness now, no longer feeling quite so awful.

  ‘And to think there’s only two weeks between you and the duchess. There’s every chance you’ll deliver at the same time.’

  Rose sat up so she could see him better. ‘There’s something else I should tell you.’

  ‘Uh oh,’ he said, sitting up too. ‘I’m not sure I can handle any more surprises today.’

  ‘Well, it’s after midnight, so technically it’s a new day and a new surprise.’

  He laughed heartily. ‘All right, tell me then, my Rose. What new surprise do you have for me?’

  ‘Bessie is pregnant.’

  ‘I wasn’t expecting that.’

  ‘To the duke.’

  Thomas looked horrified. ‘Oh, dear lord.’

  ‘Indeed.’

  ‘Does he know?’

  ‘Bessie told him. She’s sixteen weeks, the same as the duchess. He got them both pregnant at the same time.’

  Thomas looked gobsmacked.

  ‘The duke is expecting two children in May.’

  ‘But Bessie won’t deliver a true heir. The duchess has the blueblood. What are his intentions for Bessie’s child?’

  ‘She still believes he will take her and the baby with him to Somersby Castle.’

  ‘For her sake, I hope he will.’ Thomas drew her closer into him. Rose could feel the gentle, reassuring thud of his heartbeat against her back, his soft and steady breath on her neck.

  She closed her eyes, feeling lighter than she had in weeks, a great weariness lifting from her shoulders. Thomas wasn’t going to leave her. He still wanted her. And most of all, he wanted their child.

  As she drifted to sleep, cocooned in his arms, she heard him speak the words, ‘I can’t wait any longer to ask you. Will you marry me, Rose?’

  To which she replied, ‘Yes.’

  Emma

  Present

  The weeks following Matt’s revelation at Rose and Thomas’s cottage, Emma launched herself into distraction like a newfound friend. She buried herself in triple shifts at The Coffee Bean and endless visits to see Gwendoline at the nursing home.

  The key was to ensure she never slowed down long enough to fully absorb what she and Matt had done. She became good at this during the day but at night, alone inside her empty apartment, the shame of it set in again and she felt her stomach flip unpleasantly. There was that and the great gaping hole Matt had left in her life, because despite it all, she’d known a wonderful man that she missed.

  But they were related. Matt’s great-grandfather, Jack Cleveland was her great-grandfather. Matt’s great-grandmother, Edith Cleveland—also known as Rose Porter—was her great-grandmother too. She and Matt were bound by blood, sprouted from the same family tree. And they’d had sex. Lots of it! She’d fallen in love with her second cousin.

  Every time she thought of it, the shame washed over her again and it stayed there until she could successfully distract herself. All the preconceived notions she’d had of a future with Matt had been washed away. It was much like anything in Emma’s life. Nothing ever remained tacked together for long, eventually falling apart.

  On a dry and hot November day that left the leaves looking tired, Emma was piling blueberry muffins onto a cake stand. The lunch rush had passed and except for a few late diners, the café was empty.

  Chloe was next to her, refilling the coffee machine with beans. ‘Why don’t you take off early today?’ she said over the bag. ‘You’ve been here since six am.’

  ‘I’ll stay until closing.’

  ‘You’ve been doing triple shifts for the past three weeks.’

  ‘It’s no problem,’ Emma said. She disappeared through the door into the kitchen before Chloe could question her again.

  But Chloe was hot on her heels, following her in. ‘Okay, I’m not asking anymore. I’m telling. Go home and get some rest.’

  ‘I’m doing the same shifts as you. What’s the problem?’

  ‘I own this place,’ Chloe said. ‘I’m supposed to pull the long hours, and I have student staff who I can roster on.’

  Emma lugged a crate filled with bread onto the counter and unpacked it.

  Chloe leant against the fridge and gave her a look. ‘Well?’

  ‘I need to get in there,’ she said, pointing to the fridge door.

  ‘What’s going on with you?’

  ‘Nothing.’ She hadn’t told Chloe about her family ties with Matt. She didn’t want anyone to know. Ever.

  ‘You’ve been acting strange the last few weeks. Kind of angry.’

  ‘I’m not angry.’<
br />
  ‘Moody then.’

  ‘I’m fine.’

  Chloe moved out of the way and Emma extracted containers of salad and packs of cold meat from the fridge. She placed them on the counter, opened them and began constructing focaccias and wraps for the pre-movie dinner rush.

  ‘Did something happen with Matt?’

  At the mention of his name, Emma slapped cheese, tomato and salami on a piece of focaccia with such vengeance that she put a hole through it.

  ‘We’re not going to have anything to serve if you keep destroying the bread like that,’ Chloe said with an eyebrow raised.

  ‘I’m sorry.’ Emma took a breath. ‘We’re not together anymore.’

  ‘What happened?’

  ‘We’re just…’ Related. ‘It’s hard to explain.’

  ‘Try me.’

  ‘I don’t want to get into it right now.’

  Chloe gave her a sympathetic pat on the arm. ‘That sucks. You guys were a nice fit. You really bonded over Rose’s story.’

  ‘Oh yes, there was a lot of bonding,’ Emma said dryly.

  ‘How’s Gwendoline?’

  ‘She’s okay. The nurses have caught her at the front door at midnight on a few occasions trying to get out. They have a locked-door policy now after eight pm.’

  ‘Good!’

  ‘Yes, but she’s agitated. I thought taking her to the station would help, but it’s only intensified her need to follow her memories. And after everything we found and all the diaries we trawled through, I’m still no closer to knowing who she was waiting for down by the wharf all those years ago.’

  And since she’d discovered who Matt was to her, their research had ground to a halt. They’d exhausted Rose’s diaries and Emma was desperate to find more, but she would never set foot on the station to search, no matter how badly she wanted to, for fear of bumping into Matt.

  ‘So what’s next?’

  Emma shrugged. ‘Maybe it’s time to let it go.’

  ‘But all that research, all the hours you put into it. You were so close.’

  Yes, but it had cost her dearly. She’d turned over too many rocks, ones that should have been left firmly in place. Ones that she wished she’d never looked under.

  Chloe gave her a kind smile. ‘How about I make you a coffee? You can finish up the sandwiches then I want you to go home and get some rest.’