The Workhouse Children

by Lindsey Hutchinson

  ‘What was the food like, Charlie?’ Gracie asked.

  ‘Thin soup mostly, made outta rotting vegetables. God, it was horrible, tasted like horse…’ His sentence trailed off as he cast a glance at Cara. ‘At least when I scavenged, the bits I got were fresh!’ Charlie swelled a little with pride at the memory.

  ‘Go on, Charlie, you’re doing so well,’ Cara whispered.

  ‘Ar well,’ he sniffed, ‘we was supposed to go to school in the workhouse… and some did for three hours a day, but old Tulley kept me oakum picking. That’s unpicking old rope with a metal spike. It don’t half hurt your hands, makes ’em bleed if you don’t do it right. It d’aint matter about the school though, cos our mum had taught us our letters and numbers.’ Again, tears formed at the memory and Charlie lowered his head to hide his misery.

  Gracie listened as she bustled about the kitchen making tea. Molly grabbed the cake and sliced it, her eyes constantly darting to the young boy.

  ‘Now, Charlie, when I was in Tulley’s office I saw a cupboard full of canes.’ Cara saw him nod. ‘Were you ever caned?’

  He shook his head and Cara sighed with relief.

  Gracie spoke up, ‘Thank the Lord for that!’

  With tea and cake before him, Charlie nodded his thanks before he continued. ‘No, I wasn’t caned but there was plenty who were.’

  ‘Whatever for?’ Molly asked in disbelief.

  ‘Some of the older lads got cocky and answered Tulley back, for which they got a thrashing. The schoolmaster caned some for being unable to learn their letters. It weren’t their fault, they was just slow.’ Charlie bit into his cake as he watched the women exchange a glance. ‘One little kid got so scared he wet his pants and we found him in a drawstring bag hanging from the rafters crying his heart out. A couple of the big boys got him down and Tulley thrashed them for interfering.’ Charlie finished his cake and sipped his hot tea.

  ‘Jesus Christ!’ Gracie gasped, her hand flying to her chest. ‘You hear such terrible stories about this sort of thing, but I always hoped it weren’t true.’

  ‘It still goes on, Mrs Cox, and it will until someone puts a stop to it.’ Charlie’s eyes moved back to his big sister and Cara felt the weight of obligation settle on her.

  ‘The matron used to thrash us with a stick as well sometimes,’ Charlie muttered.

  ‘Christ A’mighty!’ Gracie rasped through clenched teeth. ‘What I’d like to do to that woman!’

  ‘Me an’ all,’ Molly added.

  ‘Charlie, a very important question now. Was anyone killed while you were there?’ Cara had to ask, she needed ammunition if she were to fight this battle.

  ‘Not killed as far as I know. If somebody got ill they was put in the hospital part and the doctor would come. I couldn’t be sure about anyone dying, cos it were the men who worked the mortuary.’ Charlie sighed as if in resignation. ‘I suppose that’s life… or in this case… death.’

  Cara was amazed at the adult way Charlie was relating his experiences of the workhouse.

  ‘I think that’s enough for now.’ Cara said, ‘Charlie you’ve done well.’

  ‘What about our Daisy?’ he asked.

  ‘We will find her, but at the moment I’m not sure where to look. One thing I am sure of though, I won’t give up looking for her.’ Cara steeled her resolve once more.

  The boy said quietly, ‘Neither will I.’

  Eight

  Cara sat on the bench in the garden enjoying the sunshine. A warm breeze blew and the birds were singing and squabbling in the laburnum trees. She shaded her eyes to watch them a moment then her mind drifted back to the missing child – her sister. Where was Daisy Flowers? Where would she have gone when she ran away from the house in Queen Street? Did she know the area?

  Suddenly jumping up, Cara ran into the house yelling for Charlie. The boy came running immediately at the urgency of her call.

  ‘Charlie, does Daisy know the area?’ Cara asked quickly as she held onto the boy’s shoulders.

  ‘Ar, I suppose. Her used to come scavenging with me, so her knows the market and her knows the cottage we lived in.’

  ‘Get your coat,’ Cara said, ‘we’re going out.’

  Charlie grabbed his jacket from the coat stand in the hall while Cara dashed to the kitchen to inform Gracie and Molly where they were going.

  Brother and sister walked briskly down Proud’s Lane.

  ‘Where we going?’ Charlie asked.

  ‘We are going to the market first. We’ll ask around, maybe someone has seen Daisy,’ Cara said as they crossed the bridge over the railway line.

  ‘I never thought of that!’ Charlie laughed.

  ‘Well let’s not get too excited, but at least it’s another avenue to explore,’ Cara said. However, unable to contain their excitement, they both walked a little faster.

  Eventually coming to the market in Vine Street, Cara stopped. ‘I need you to take me everywhere you went to scavenge. Do people here know you?’

  Charlie’s head bobbed up and down, saying, ‘Ar, me and Daisy was well known by the stallholders. They helped us a lot; they gave us stuff, you know, like an old frock for Daisy once, but more important was they gave us bits of food. At least we could have a bit of dinner then, otherwise we’d have gone hungry, which we did often enough. I may be a bit older now, but I’m sure they’ll still remember me.’

  ‘Right, let’s go.’ Cara followed behind the boy as he walked through the outdoor market. Threading his way between the stalls, he passed the time of day with the women. Cara smiled at the ease with which Charlie laughed and joked with the stall holders. He was comfortable with them because he trusted them.

  Going to a woman who had once saved him from being caught by the market inspector by hiding him beneath her long outer skirt, he asked, ‘Hiya Mrs, remember me?’ He pasted a grin on his face.

  ‘Who could forget you, you young rascal!’ The woman returned.

  ‘Here, have you seen our Daisy lately?’ he asked.

  ‘Ar Charlie, her was here yesterday… why? You ain’t gone and lost her have you?’ The woman grinned.

  Charlie said, ‘You know our Daisy, always going missing. Thanks Mrs.’ Turning to Cara, he said joyfully. ‘Well, at least she’s still alive!’ Then his smile turned down, ‘Where is Daisy now though?’

  ‘Where is your old cottage?’ Cara asked, feeling her heart beat faster as hope began to rise within her.

  ‘My God! You think her’s gone back there?’ Charlie was beside himself and began to shuffle from foot to foot as his excitement rose.

  ‘Let’s go and have a look!’ Cara said as she tugged on the boy’s sleeve.

  Setting off, they ran through the streets so fast it made people stare. On past the iron and brass foundry and out onto the small heath that separated the dilapidated building from the town, they ran.

  Stopping short, Charlie gasped. ‘Look!’

  Cara followed the direction his finger pointed and saw the faintest wisp of smoke escape the broken chimney. As they ran, she saw the true state of the cottage. She was sure it could fall down at any minute. Clearly it had been deserted and had stood empty for some time. She struggled to keep up with her brother as he sped across the uneven ground.

  Bursting in through the door, he yelled, ‘Daisy? Daisy, you here? Daisy, it’s me… Charlie!’

  Boots sounded on the wooden stairs and a small dirty girl shot through the doorway straight into Charlie’s arms.

  ‘Charlie…!’ The girl sobbed. ‘Oh Charlie! I d’aint never think to see you again!’

  Charlie held onto his sister’s thin body as she cried. ‘Awww, come on it ain’t that bad,’ he said, trying to quell Daisy’s tears as well as his own. However, she was having none of it and cried all the harder. She held him so tight he thought his ribs would crack.

  ‘It’s all right now, kiddo, I’m back!’ he said, holding her tight. ‘Look here, this is Cara.’

  The girl peeped shyly at Cara before he
r tears began to fall again.

  Charlie kept his arms tight around her thin frame as he talked quietly to her. ‘Daisy… stop crying and listen to me,’ he urged, but no amount of coaxing would encourage Daisy to stop. ‘All right half pint, you cry it out.’ Kissing the top of her head, he waited while his younger sibling wept.

  Cara stood by and watched, her brows drawn together in angst. She placed her hand over her mouth to silence the sobs she felt pulling at her chest. She didn’t feel she could intervene; this was something they needed to do together, for all she wanted to gather them both in her arms. Her heart was close to breaking as she saw Charlie’s shoulders heaving up and down as he held Daisy close to him. He was silently sobbing his heart out too.

  Cara felt her own tears sting then roll down her cheeks as she watched her family, until at last sniffs took the place of sobs.

  Then Charlie spoke again. ‘Where have you been, Daisy? You been in this place since you ran away from Queen Street?’

  The child nodded, ‘How did you know I ran away?’

  ‘Well… first of all, this lady is Cara Flowers…’ Charlie began.

  Daisy glanced over and cut in with, ‘You got the same name as us!’ Then she sniffed loudly before wiping her nose with her sleeve.

  Cara stepped forward, handing her a clean handkerchief. ‘That’s because we are family. I’m your big sister, Daisy.’

  ‘Well Charlie is my brother!’ Daisy stated.

  ‘I know, he’s my brother too,’ Cara smiled down at the dirty face watching her.

  ‘It’s right, kiddo, Cara found me and got me out of the “Spike” and took me to her house. Then we set out to look for you!’

  Daisy eyed the young woman Charlie called Cara suspiciously before turning her attention back to her brother. ‘I ain’t half glad you found me, Charlie. I was ever so worried. I thought you was killed. Have I got to go to her house as well? I want to stay here, I want to stay at home. Why can’t we both stay here, Charlie, just you and me like it was before?’ Daisy still clung on tightly to her big brother.

  Cara felt she had her work cut out with this young lady. Charlie looked at Cara for help and she answered gently, ‘It’s cold here, Daisy, and there’s no food. When you get to my house, you’ll have a nice hot dinner and… a room of your own!’

  The young girl was still not convinced. She cowered behind Charlie’s legs. Cara knew she was afraid. After all she’d been through, now a stranger had come to take her away from her home again. As she thought about the best way to coax the child into coming with her, Cara was surprised by a question.

  ‘Did you find our mum and dad?’ Daisy suddenly asked.

  Cara scooched down so her eyes were at the same level as Daisy’s. ‘No, Daisy, not yet, but I will search for them.’

  ‘Can I help?’ the child asked.

  ‘Yes of course you can, but first let’s get home and get you fed, shall we?’

  Reluctantly Daisy took a step to the side of her big brother and grasped his hand tightly. Her other hand went to her mouth as she dipped her head shyly.

  Cara walked from the cottage; Charlie and Daisy behind her, chatting quietly together.

  Relief had flooded Charlie when they had found Daisy. He had been unable to hold back his tears of joy, and had vowed to himself he would forever watch over her, no matter how old she was. He thought he would dearly like to find his mum too… but he prayed he never met up with his dad this side of the grave, so great was his anger at the man.

  On their walk back to The Laburnums, Daisy clung to Charlie’s hand. She began to speak and talked the whole way there.

  ‘Mrs Tulley told me I was going to live with a nice lady who would look after me,’ she said, ‘well, the lady wasn’t nice at all! I had to do all the chores and I didn’t get much to eat. What you scavenged from the market was better, our Charlie.’

  Cara and the boy exchanged a smile as Daisy’s voice droned on. ‘Then I got smacked a lot cos she said I back-chatted her. I suppose I did, a bit, but not enough to be clouted for it, and then…’

  Cara grinned at Charlie as he shrugged his shoulders. Obviously he was au fait with Daisy’s incessant chatter. For Cara it would take some getting used to.

  Cara could hear Charlie reassuring his sister all would be well and there was nothing to be afraid of. She smiled to herself when she heard Daisy chuckle at something Charlie had whispered. She hoped this meant the young girl was warming to the idea of having a sister as well as a brother, and that they would all be living together. She knew it would take time to adjust, but she prayed Daisy would be happy once she’d settled in.

  Arriving at the house, Cara led them straight to the kitchen.

  ‘Daisy, this is Gracie Cox, my friend and she’s a fantastic cook. This is Molly Barton, who is also my friend and the maid here,’ Cara said, ‘Ladies, this is our sister, Daisy Flowers!’

  The two women welcomed the young girl with hot tea and a plate of sausage and mash with thick onion gravy. All sat around the table to enjoy their meal. Daisy continued to talk between mouthfuls of food. Sly grins passed across the table as they all listened.

  Later, Molly prepared the tin bath and set water to heat. Cara found one of her nightgowns for Daisy to use until new clothes could be purchased later in the day.

  Daisy watched the flurry of activity whilst staying close to her brother.

  ‘Daisy,’ Molly said tenderly, ‘when you’ve finished your dinner you can have a nice warm bath.’

  The child’s eyes opened in horror at the thought, but Charlie held his nose between his thumb and index finger and said, ‘Our Daisy, you do stink a bit.’

  ‘That’s not a nice thing to say to a lady!’ Daisy retorted and everyone fell about laughing.

  ‘I’m so sorry, your Highness,’ Charlie said, giving a little bow, ‘but just so you know, I had a bath too when I came here.’

  Daisy cocked an eyebrow and looked at him as though she didn’t believe a word of it.

  Molly whispered in Daisy’s ear, just loud enough for everyone to hear. ‘I know where Cara keeps her fancy soap.’ With a wink from the maid and a nod from Daisy, the bargain was struck. She would relent and have a bath on the proviso she could use Cara’s special soap. Cara was delighted that Daisy appeared to be settling in quite well, and pretended not to have overheard the whispered conversation.

  Gracie filled the bath and again ensured the temperature was correct. Everyone left the kitchen while Gracie bathed the young girl, singing softly to her all the time.

  Dressed now in a voluminous white cotton nightgown which belonged to Cara, Daisy followed Cara upstairs and into her bedroom, which was next door to Charlie’s room.

  ‘Charlie’s room is right there in case you need him,’ Cara said as she watched Daisy gaze around in awe. For once the girl was speechless. ‘Molly said she’ll go to town for some new clothes for you later, then tomorrow we’ll go shopping and you can fill your wardrobe and drawers. We’ll get you some new shoes and a bonnet until your hair grows back properly.’ She smiled as Daisy rubbed a hand over her short hair.

  Daisy felt like she was in a dream, her only fear was she would wake and find herself back in the workhouse. She had never seen such luxury. A bed of her own, which meant she didn’t have to share a pallet with Charlie. She walked over and touched the pretty curtains and peered through the window at the garden. Her small hand stroked the dresser gently as she walked around the room. Her room. She twirled around with her arms outstretched and began to sing a little ditty. Her excitement became contagious and Cara joined her. Dizzy, they both fell on the bed laughing heartily.

  Later, Daisy sat by the fire in the parlour with the others and listened as Cara explained about the challenge set down by their grandmother before she died. She heard about Charlie being bought out of the workhouse, and how Molly and Gracie helped find her brother. The next step of the challenge was to discover if their parents were still alive, and if so, where they were.

>   A talkative Daisy asked many questions which were answered by a patient Cara. The youngster related her experience of the workhouse to the others; how Ada Tulley had smacked her often for being outspoken.

  Charlie fumed as he listened. He said, ‘The matron informed me herself that Daisy had been sold and laughed spitefully as she did so.’

  Daisy added, ‘I sometimes had to work in the kitchen but it weren’t so bad, cos the inmates gave me little treats. I once had a bendy carrot. Another time I had a whole apple all to myself! I liked the cook, she was a nice lady.’ Daisy prattled on and before long she began to yawn.

  ‘Come on young lady I think it’s time for you to be heading up the wooden hills to Bedfordshire,’ Cara said with a smile.

  Daisy nodded and said her goodnights following her big sister up the stairs. Cara settled a very tired Daisy into bed, leaving the door open in case the child became frightened in the night. Then she returned to the parlour.

  Charlie had also retired to bed and for a while they could hear the children talking and laughing. Then all went quiet… asleep at last.

  ‘She’s sound asleep now by the sound of it.’ Cara whispered.

  Tiptoeing up the stairs and peeping into Daisy’s room, she saw her sister snuggled up in the bedclothes and big brother lying on top of the bed close to her, both fast asleep. Despite having their own rooms, they were obviously overjoyed to be together again and Cara smiled at the scene before her. With both hands covering her mouth, Cara stood and watched them for a while. A tear of joy seeped from the corner of her eye as she whispered, ‘Goodnight, my darlings, sleep well.’

  Quietly making her way downstairs, Cara sat again in the kitchen and the three women began to discuss the day’s events.

  ‘Thank God the little mite was found safe and well,’ Gracie said. ‘So, what’s next?’