The town buzzed with the news of the letter read out in church and a furious Martin, unable to cope with the gossip, upped and left within the week.
The whole household had kept a wary eye on Cara after the debacle of the wedding cancellation. However, she appeared to have vigour once more and a lightness in her step they had not seen in a while. Cara Flowers was back to her old self again.
*
As the leaves fluttered gently on the wind to land quietly on the ground, Cara realized that autumn had rolled round yet again. She sat on a bench in the allotment gardens and gazed at the beauty that surrounded her. Russet and golden leaves fluttered lazily in the zephyr that carried them from the branches to land in her lap. Birds sang and in the distance the train’s steam whistle blew. She considered life was good, not only for her but also for the people she had helped over the years. Her only regret was… her mother.
Striding from the gardens, Cara made her way home. In her bedroom once more she lifted out the letters she’d found in the old ottoman. Sitting on her bed, she began to read them in order once more.
Cara’s challenge now was one she wasn’t sure she could complete. She looked at the last letter and the newspaper clippings attached to it. Finding a screwed up clipping attached to the back of the letter she realized it was one she had not seen before. It announced the wedding of the widow Elizabeth Flowers to a wealthy banker, Arthur Townsend, based in Birmingham. A later one reported the birth of a daughter to the happy couple. Surely this had to be her mother! It could not possibly be a coincidence! Cara’s heart soared as she re-read the clipping. She had found their mother!
Refolding the letter, Cara shook her head, she had yet one more thing to do. How could she complete this last task? How could she tell Charlie and Daisy she thought she had found their mother? How could Cara explain to ‘Mad’ Liza Townsend that she suspected they were mother and daughter?
Forty-Two
Daisy was spending the day with Molly and baby Tansy who she doted on, and Charlie was off with Bill Rowley somewhere or other, thoroughly enjoying his role as apprentice, which Bill had informed her was going extremely well.
Cara and Gracie sat in the parlour, toasting their toes before the blazing fire. Suddenly Cara asked, ‘Gracie, will you come with me to see Liza Townsend?’
‘Of course I will wench…’ she said, ‘can I ask why you want to see her?’
Nodding, Cara said, ‘Gracie, I believe Liza is our mother.’ Cara saw Gracie splutter tea everywhere then wipe her mouth on her apron.
‘God’s teeth! You sure? How do you know?’ Gracie asked.
Cara explained as she passed the letters to her friend, a nod giving permission for Gracie to read them.
‘Bloody hell!’ Gracie said as she finished.
Climbing into the cab at the end of the driveway, Cara gave George the cabbie the address they wished to visit. The chill that reached Cara’s bones was more to do with her final challenge than the autumn breeze.
During the journey no words were spoken and Cara shivered with a nervous anticipation.
Knocking lightly, on Bertha Jenkins’ front door, Cara and Gracie waited patiently. Cara’s nerves jangled as she considered what was to come. The door was opened by Bertha herself who had just returned from her work.
‘Cara! What a lovely surprise! Come in, come in. Gracie, nice to see you, wench.’ Bertha ushered them into her living room.
Liza Townsend sat in a chair pulled up to the fireside. She eyed the young woman being introduced to her. So this was Cara Flowers, the one she’d heard so much about. As she stared Liza could have sworn she’d seen those eyes before.
Cara couldn’t help staring with an open mouth at the woman she recognized from the wedding photograph. It was her mother! She felt an overwhelming desire to rush to Liza and throw her arms around her, for all she couldn’t remember having seen her before. She felt ashamed she had not found time to visit earlier, especially as she’d promised herself she would.
Bertha set about brewing tea and cutting cake for them all as the visitors sat on the sofa.
There was an uncomfortable silence as Liza stared openly at the young woman. She was trawling her mind for memories. None came.
Cara’s nerves jangled and her eyes darted from Liza to Gracie and back again.
Drawing in a breath, she said, ‘Forgive us just arriving with no warning.’
Bertha waved away the apology with, ‘You’re welcome here any time… you know that, both of you.’
Grasping her courage in both hands, Cara went on, ‘To be truthful Bertha, it’s Liza I’ve come to see.’ All eyes turned to the named woman before returning to Cara. ‘I have something I think you should see, Liza.’ Passing the letters and photographs over, she waited.
‘These letters are addressed to Henrietta Selby; why would you think I should see them?’ Liza asked, full of suspicion.
‘Liza, please read them, they pertain to you.’
Bertha directed a frown to Gracie who gave an imperceptible shake of her head. Just wait, you won’t believe what’s coming next, the head shake said.
In the quiet of the small living room, Liza read each letter then came to the photographs. ‘Oh my God!’ She gasped as she looked at Cara then back to the photograph. ‘That’s me, there in the picture, that’s me and… John!’ She caught her breath at the sudden memory and felt the tears begin to sting her eyes. Tracing a finger over the picture, she then went on to read the newspaper clippings.
Liza replaced the clippings in the envelope saying, ‘It would appear from this that after John’s death, I married again to an Arthur Townsend.’ Liza shook her head. ‘I don’t remember him, but that would explain my name being different to yours.’ She looked again at Cara who nodded.
‘It would seem, Mrs Townsend, that you and I are mother and daughter!’
Bertha’s gasp resounded as she looked at Gracie who nodded in confirmation. ‘Hellfire, damnation and buckets of blood!’ Bertha’s cursing broke the spell.
Then Liza drew in a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she digested Cara’s words. Sitting silently for a while, Liza tried desperately to recall memories, but still they eluded her.
‘Cara Flowers,’ Liza said at last, ‘I know the name, from somewhere deep in here.’ She laid a hand on her heart.
‘What about Charlie and Daisy Flowers, do you know those too?’ Cara urged.
Liza screwed up her face as she thought hard. ‘I’m not sure, but I think so.’
‘They are your children too, Liza, yours and John’s,’ Cara said gently.
‘Oh God! I wish I could remember!’ Rubbing her tired eyes, she dragged her hands down her face then Liza began to cry.
‘Oh please don’t distress yourself! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you!’ Cara felt a rush of love for the woman sat by the fire sobbing quietly, her head now held in her hands.
Bertha muttered, ‘Gracie and I will be in the kitchen if you need anything. We’ll get a bit of dinner on the go.’ Gracie frowned as Bertha tilted her head and shoved her into the kitchen.
Liza looked into the eyes of the daughter she couldn’t remember. ‘We have the same eyes you and me,’ she whispered, ‘and hair, at least until mine started turning grey.’
‘Daisy and Charlie have the same eyes and hair too, Liza.’ Cara smiled.
‘Tell me about them… please?’ Liza asked.
‘Oh Liza, they are an absolute delight!’ Cara began. ‘Your son is a young man now and training to become an architect. He took care of himself and Daisy after you and your husband, John Flowers, disappeared.’ Cara saw the sadness creep across Liza’s face as her tears fell once more. ‘I’m just telling you as it is, Liza, I’m not saying these things to hurt you, please understand that.’ Liza wiped away her tears and nodded. Cara went on. ‘Charlie tried his best to take care of them both, but they were eventually sent to the workhouse.’
Liza gasped her distress at the thought, knowing that alth
ough very recently they had all probably been in the ‘Spike’ at the same time, it would have made no difference. After all, segregation was in effect; besides which she wouldn’t have known who they were anyway.
‘Henrietta Selby…’ Cara said then nodded as Liza held up the letters, ‘yes, she was your mother, my grandmother. She tasked me with a challenge to find and care for any blood relative. I found Charlie in the workhouse and got him out. Daisy had been sold on by Tulley.’
‘That swine!’ Liza rasped through gritted teeth.
Cara went on quickly, ‘Well, we found Daisy and brought her home. It appeared John died in a carting accident. I’ve been searching for you for a long time.’
At that moment Gracie bustled in with fresh tea. ‘How’s it going, ladies?’ She asked as she placed the tray on the table. Curiosity was written all over her.
‘We’re getting there,’ Cara said.
Gracie bustled back into the kitchen, wishing she could stay and listen.
Cara spoke again. ‘Charlie is a talented young man; caring, considerate and passionate about the things he loves.’
She saw Liza give the tiniest of smiles at her words.
‘Daisy… Oh my goodness! Daisy has a dry sense of humour, she’s full of energy and chatters constantly. She has the prettiest face. Blue eyes, blonde hair – a real picture. She still prefers to eat with her fingers…’
‘Fingers came before cutlery,’ Liza whispered almost to herself.
‘That’s exactly what Daisy says!’ Cara beamed excitedly.
Everything she was told made sense to Liza, but the frustration of being unable to remember was driving her mad. She had remembered John from the photograph so that was a start. The children’s names were strangely familiar to her too, but she could remember nothing else.
Holding her head once more she thought, they must be my children, the newspaper clippings and letters prove it.
‘Liza, how did you come to lose your memory? Do you have any idea?’ Cara asked tentatively.
Rubbing her temples as if to provide inspiration or provoke memories, Liza shook her head. ‘I only remember waking on the heath with Phoebe beside me, anything before that is lost to me.’
‘Phoebe Townsend?’ Cara whispered.
‘Yes. She died in the workhouse.’ Liza’s eyes closed but the tears squeezed between her lashes.
‘I’m so sorry. I heard about it,’ Cara said quietly. ‘Then Phoebe must have been the baby mentioned in the newspaper.’
Opening her eyes again, Liza said, ‘It would seem so.’ Holding up the letters, Liza added, ‘If these are correct, Phoebe was your step-sister.’ Watching Cara, she saw the realization dawn.
Cara’s eyes began to well with tears as she thought about the little girl who had died long before her time.
‘Where Mr Townsend is, I have no idea. All I know is we ended up in the “Spike” and my Phoebe died in there.’ The threatened tears began to roll down Liza’s face and Cara’s heart went out to her. ‘They threw me in the asylum when I attacked Ada Tulley. She made them use the bad meat and my little girl died because of it!’ Liza’s temper began to rise as she thought again of that woman. Her mind then formed a picture of Ada lying dead at the bottom of the stairs and her anger quelled. ‘It was Bertha and Dr Cooper who saved me from that awful place.’
‘Dr Cooper kept me abreast of it,’ Cara said, much to Liza’s surprise. ‘He told me about you and we worked together to get you released.’
Liza tried her best to smile. ‘I thank you for that.’
A silence descended which was broken by Gracie and Bertha trundling in with steaming bowls of thick broth and a large fresh loaf which Bertha hacked into chunks.
‘Time to eat,’ Gracie said. Everyone gathered around the table and began their meal.
As they ate, Cara thought the women had more than likely heard some of the discussion; probably with their ears pinned to the door. They ate in silence, each enjoying the food given. Bertha made more fresh tea and while they drank it, Cara spoke again.
‘Liza, are you up to a meeting… with Daisy and Charlie?’
‘Oh… I’m not sure it’s a good idea,’ she shook her head, ‘they most likely think I abandoned them – they’ll hate me!’ Liza felt fear grip her.
‘No they don’t!’ Cara said quickly. ‘I promise you, they don’t hate you – they miss you dreadfully!’
Bertha added, ‘Be brave, wench, take that first step.’
Cara said, ‘Look at what you’ve already faced, Liza, and you overcame all that. This is a walk in the Allotment Gardens in comparison.’
Liza’s eyes moved to each of the women in turn before returning to Cara. ‘Do you think it will be all right? Oh God, I’m so afraid!’
‘Yes!’ Cara answered enthusiastically. ‘I think it will be more than all right! You don’t have to be afraid, Daisy and Charlie will be thrilled to see you again!’ Turning to Bertha, she said, ‘Thank you for our meal and the use of your living room. Why don’t you come along with us? Would that help, Liza?’
‘Oh yes it would,’ Liza said, giving Bertha a nod of thanks.
‘You bet your life! I ain’t missing this!’ Bertha threw over her shoulder as she rushed off to grab a coat for Liza and herself.
The four women climbed into the cab and George clucked to the horse to walk on. Apprehension hung heavy in the air on their journey back to The Laburnums. Liza’s eyes constantly darted from one face to another; she looked like a frightened bird.
Cara was excited at the prospect of Daisy and Charlie seeing their mother again.
Liza on the other hand, was terrified. Maybe the children would not like her, what if they blamed her for leaving them? Yet again she dredged her mind for anything that could shed light on why she had been separated from them. Breathing heavily, Liza shook her head in sheer frustration. She felt the feeling that had been stirred however, and she longed to see the children she couldn’t remember.
Climbing from the cab, Liza looked up at the house and gasped. ‘I remember this house!’
Cara beamed as she took Liza’s arm. ‘Yes, you grew up here, Liza.’ Liza began to shake and Cara wrapped an arm around her. ‘It will be fine, you’ll see.’
Leading them all inside, Cara heard her brother and sister in the parlour laughing together. Turning to Liza, she said, ‘It might be best to forewarn them…’
‘I’ll wait here in the hall with Bertha and Gracie,’ Liza said quietly. Her throat was dry and sweat lined her brow. She wiped her damp hands down her skirt.
Leaving the door ajar so her words could be overheard, Cara said, ‘Hey you two, I have a surprise for you.’
‘Oooh what is it?’ Daisy asked.
‘We have visitors and I’d be pleased if you would make them feel welcome.’ Cara smiled.
‘Don’t we always?’ Daisy said full of mischief.
‘Ah, but one of them is a very special visitor. Shall I invite them in?’
Daisy plonked herself into a chair and nodded.
Cara pushed open the door and the three women entered the room.
‘Mum?’ Charlie said in disbelief. ‘Mum? Is that really you? Oh my God! Mum, mum!’ He jumped up and ran to Liza, throwing his arms around her. For all he was a young man now, he did nothing to stem the flow of tears.
Daisy fled to her mother’s side, floods of tears coursing down her face. ‘Our mum’s home! Oh Mum, we ain’t half missed you!’
Liza folded her arms around the two youngsters who were hugging her so tightly and looked up at Cara who could see by her eyes that Liza had finally remembered her children.
‘Oh my babies, my dear sweet babies! Oh thank God!’ Liza burst into tears. As she held her children tightly, she smothered them in kisses. ‘Oh, I can’t believe it! My God, oh my darlings, I love you so much!’
Bertha and Gracie wept openly as they saw Liza beckon Cara to her. ‘Cara my darling, come… oh sweetheart, I love you. I love you all so very much!’
Tears flowed freely as Cara joined the family hug. Liza whispered quietly, ‘Cara, I can’t recall everything, but now I’ve seen them, I do remember my beautiful children. Thank you so much, my beloved daughter.’
Once everyone had settled, Cara watched as Daisy and Charlie chattered incessantly, Liza listening attentively.
Bertha and Gracie, still sobbing, were wiping away tears on damp handkerchiefs.
Wiping her eyes, Cara leaned back in her chair. She realized she had, at last, completed her final challenge.
Over the following days, Liza had been a constant visitor to The Laburnums to see her three children. Then one evening Cara asked, ‘Why don’t you come and live with us here mother?’
Charlie and Daisy watched as Liza considered the idea. ‘It would be nice I have to admit but, please don’t get upset when I say this, but I’m not sure I’m ready yet. I need to get you all again. At the moment I’m settled in nicely with Bertha and we enjoy a good gossip. Besides, we’re company for each other. I love you all very much and it gives me something to look forward to each time I visit.’
Daisy wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck and gave her a peck on the cheek. Charlie said, ‘We love you as well mum, and I’m sure if you change your mind we’ll all be over the moon, won’t we Cara?’
‘We most certainly will,’ Cara answered. ‘Hey, tomorrow is Sunday so how about we all have a picnic in the allotment gardens?’ It was agreed and chatter surrounded what should be packed into a couple of picnic baskets. ‘You will ask Bertha to join us won’t you mother?’
Liza nodded as Daisy ran down to the kitchen to invite Gracie too.
The Workhouse Children Page 31