‘That’s all sorted out,’ Patrick told her. ‘Sonny says he’ll have her.’
There came an involuntary cry of disappointment and everyone looked at Erin. ‘But that seems so silly,’ she argued. ‘Peggy will have enough to fill her day without another young baby to look after. It would be a much better idea for me an’ Sam to have her.’ She took the baby from a surprised Thomasin and cuddled her acquisitively, throwing a pleading look at Sam.
‘I suppose you have a point there,’ said her mother, but Patrick jumped in swiftly.
‘I’m sorry, lassie, but I think it best Rosanna goes to Sonny and his wife where she’ll have a brother or sister.’
Erin beheld him with condemnation in her flashing eyes. ‘She’ll have brothers and sisters with us – won’t she, Sam?’ She beseeched her husband who continued to stare at the carpet.
‘Erin, I know she’s a bonny little creature, an’ anyone in their right mind would want to keep her,’ conceded Patrick. ‘But what’ll happen when ye have children of your own? Will Rosanna be as dear to ye then? Ye see, that child upstairs, when it’s born, will be Rosanna’s half-sister or half-brother. A point in favour, wouldn’t ye say, of placing her in Sonny’s guardianship?’
‘Your father’s right, love,’ said Thomasin, not understanding the reasoning beneath this exchange but detecting from the firmness in Patrick’s voice that it was done in Erin’s interests. He must know something Thomasin didn’t.
Erin glared censoriously at her husband, at his failure to reinforce her case. Then, as his eyes came up to look at her, she saw in them the reason for his non-alliance, and felt her body go limp. Poor dear Sam! What must he be going through. How selfish and cowardly she was, wanting babies and not prepared to give anything in return. And he was so kind and patient, never forcing himself upon her. She would try tonight, honestly she would. She would make a huge effort to trap that scream within her heart and offer herself to him. God give her strength, she would.
She handed the baby back to her mother and clasped her hands behind her back so that no one would see her fingers twising out their torment on each other. ‘Hadn’t we better think about getting her something to eat?’ she put forward as the baby started to grizzle. ‘She must be hungry.’
Thomasin gently pinched Rosanna’s cheek. ‘What about it, Treacle-face? Shall Granny get us some din-din?’
‘Oh, for Heaven’s sake,’ breathed Hannah disgustedly.
‘Eh, I forgot,’ said Thomasin to the baby. ‘We have to talk proper in great-grandmother’s presence.’ She thrust her tongue into her cheek, procuring a grin from her husband. ‘Erin, will you go and ask Josie to make some pobs for our little Rosie? Eh, listen to me – poetry! I wonder what those tinkers fed her on? She’d certainly never get any mother’s milk if her mother died giving birth, an’ she’ll not get none here neither, poor little devil.’ Out of sudden interest she asked her husband, ‘How did you manage to feed her on the way home, by the way? I assume you wouldn’t let her starve.’
‘She had the same as us,’ he answered.
‘Which was?’
‘Bread, soup, cheese …’
‘Oh, Patrick!’ she admonished. ‘She’s not old enough to be weaned by rights and there you are giving her bread and cheese.’
‘Ye make it sound as if I was stuffing her with great wadges o’ the stuff,’ he said sheepishly. ‘They were only little pieces – an’ I dunked them in me ale fust to soften them.’
‘You did what?’
‘We-ell, she lapped it up. An’ we never got no sleepless nights with her, neither.’
‘I should think you didn’t. The poor mite must’ve been sozzled,’ said his wife drily. ‘It makes you wonder how she survived the tinkers’ welfare, because I don’t suppose they went out of their way to meet her needs.’
‘Well, whatever she’s had she’s certainly thrived on it.’ Patrick pointed to the baby’s healthy cheeks, then took her from his wife and cuddled her fondly. She was an endearing little person. ‘What do you make of her, Billy?’ he consulted his father-in-law whose silence during the conversation was very unrepresentative.
‘Woah, she’s a menseful lahl goblin!’ William chucked the baby’s chin in his rough and ready fashion. Rosanna displayed her gums. ‘We’ve hardly had a peep out of her yet. ’Ere, Hannah don’t tha want to hold tha great grandbairn? First of her kind.’
‘Certainly not!’ But it was too late, William had plonked the child in Hannah’s lap. ‘Oh, dear.’ She held Rosanna gingerly, unable to hide her dismay, then all at once her face went crimson and she held the baby at arm’s length. ‘Take her back, please.’
‘Nay, tha’s not had her for two seconds! Don’t tha want a good cuddle?’ William fitted his horny hands round the baby’s body, lifted her and immediately began to rock with laughter.
‘And what pray is so amusing?’ said his wife stiffly, hands spread over her lap.
‘Nay, it’s no good tryin’ to ’ide it, lass!’ he chuckled, gesturing at the damp patch on Hannah’s dress. ‘She’s just med it reet plain what she thinks o’ thee.’ He handed the child back to Patrick. ‘By, tha’s gorra grand lass there, Pat an’ no mistake. She’s never gonna let anybody say things not without gettin’ her own back. That’n’s gonna get what she wants out o’ this world, no doubt abaht it. She’s got reet outlook: if tha can’t impress folk by bein’ friendly – piss on ’em!’
Chapter Thirty-Seven
It was early afternoon before Sonny was allowed access to his wife. He had made use of his spare time by cutting a great bunch of flowers from the garden, much to his mother’s annoyance, and now as the midwife opened the door he burst into the bedroom, arms piled with pink and purple daisies.
‘Peggy, oh how I’ve missed you!’ He dropped the flowers onto the bed and stooped over her eagerly. The midwife made a diplomatic exit.
‘An odd way you have of showing it,’ she replied sulkily, not returning his kiss. ‘Leaving me here to be bullied and used by your mother and the servant.’
Instantly he wanted to know all that had transpired and Peggy took great enjoyment from enlightening him. ‘The moment you left this house I was at their mercy. They dragged me out of bed when they knew how ill I was. I could hardly walk and almost fell down the stairs, but did they show mercy? No! They forced me to walk up and down the garden until I almost fainted. That is only the beginning.’ She paused for breath. ‘After two days of this they said I was well enough to help around the house and made me stand for hours in that stupid kitchen of all places, making stupid pastry with that idiot of a maid guarding me to see I didn’t escape. Imagine it! Me, forced to do servant’s work by my own husband’s mother.’
‘She might’ve thought it’d help you to get up for a while, to take your mind off your discomfort,’ placated Sonny, not wanting Peggy to work herself up at this stage; she had enough to face.
She started to weep. ‘She hates me! I know she does. Her and that spiteful fat slut of a maid.’
‘Eh, come on, Peggy.’ Sonny stroked her hand. ‘You know that’s untrue. Mother doesn’t hate you and neither does Josie. What reason could they have?’
‘Your mother hates me because I’ve taken her son,’ sobbed his wife. ‘And the maid hates me because she wants you for herself.’ She caught his negating smile. ‘It’s true! I can see it in her eyes.’
‘Peggy, you are daft,’ he smiled and pulled her to him, rubbing her back soothingly. ‘As if I’d look at a plain old thing like Josie when I’ve got an angel for a wife. Here, use this.’ He produced a handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes.
She took it from him to blow her nose. ‘I don’t know how you can say that of me at the moment. Look at me – I’m grotesque!’
‘No, you’re not. You’re just a bit plump because you’re about to have a baby, that’s all. Why, in a few days’ time you’ll be able to wear all those becoming dresses again.’
‘Oh, I was hoping you might buy me some new ones.�
� Her voice was plaintive. ‘It doesn’t seem much to ask in return for what I’m about to go through. Aagh!’ She arched her back suddenly, mouth and eyes wide open. ‘Oh, help me! It’s getting worse. Help me, Sonny, help me!’
He gripped her hands, teeth gritted, sharing her pain as her fingernails cut into him. After a few writhing moments she relaxed and took a deep breath. ‘See? See what I have to face? And this is just the start.’
‘Oh, Peggy, you’ll have your new dresses, of course you will.’ He coaxed the stray hairs from her forehead. ‘And anything else you might want.’
‘Then stand up for me, Sonny,’ she begged him. ‘Tell your mother that you won’t allow your wife to be treated like a servant.’
‘Of course I’ll speak to her …’
‘And you must get rid of the maid, too. She frightens me – I daren’t eat anything she prepares for fear it’s poisoned.’
He started to laugh, then curbed himself at her pained expression. ‘I’m sorry, Peggy, but that really is being silly. As if Josie would do a thing like that.’
‘She’s got to go!’ she screamed.
The midwife returned to the room with a pile of linen over her arm. ‘Right me laddo, let’s be havin’ yer.’ She tapped her foot and indicated the door with a toss of her head.
‘Is it time?’ he enquired anxiously.
‘Nay! D’yer think I’d let you in here if it were that close? She’s barely started yet.’
‘But the pain seems so bad.’ Sonny was loath to move from the bed, let alone the room.
‘Aye, well. Some make more fuss than others,’ said the nurse scathingly. She’d had a bellyful of this little madam already, fetching and carrying, wanting this, than an’ t’other. She’d be no less relieved than Peggy when it was all over. ‘Happen I might let you in later – if the young lady behaves herself.’
Sonny rose. ‘You’re not going to leave me with her?’ Peggy clung to him, dragging on his arm.
‘I really can’t stay.’ He eyed the dragon of a midwife. ‘And you’ll be perfectly safe I’m certain. Nurse will take care of you, won’t you, nurse?’
‘I will indeed,’ she replied darkly and began to gather up the flowers from the bed. ‘Yer’ll have to tek these out o’ me road an’ all. Can’t have ’em cluttering up t’place.’ She pushed them into his arms and manoeuvred him from the room.
‘Sonny!’ yelled Peggy. ‘You’ll remember what I asked you to do?’
‘I’ll take care of it, don’t worry!’ He craned his neck around the midwife’s bulk as she tried to shove him out. ‘Trust me! I love you!’ The door was slammed in his face. He stood on the landing for a while longer then went downstairs to confront his mother.
‘You couldn’t wait for me to close the front door before it started could you, Mother?’ he opened, on finding her alone in the dining room. She and Erin had shared the task of feeding Rosanna. Meal over, Erin had taken her upstairs to have a nap.
‘Before what started?’ asked Thomasin, engaged in wiping a creamy stain from her dress where Rosanna had dribbled the bread and milk. She sniffed the spot and wrinkled her nose. ‘Pooh! We’ll have to get some bicarb on that.’
‘The persecution of my wife!’ Sonny had her full attention now. ‘Peggy’s just told me how you and Josie bullied her out of bed when she was unwell and made her tackle the baking.’
‘Oh, she has, has she?’ answered his mother. ‘And did she also tell you how she’s been forcing the maid to embezzle money from your mother? How, when we finally managed to haul her fat carcase out of bed she called me every name in the book – and I don’t mean the good one neither! And as for baking, well – after seeing what a performance she made of that I decided that perhaps bed was the best place for her after all!’
‘What’s all this nonsense about forcing Josie into embezzlement?’ he demanded. Thomasin passed on everything that the maid had told her and his face showed unbelief. ‘I think you’re just making that up!’
‘Are you calling your mother a liar?’ She pulled herself up to her full height which, though not very tall, could be very imposing.
He reddened at his impulsive blunder. ‘Of course not. I apologise. It’s just so hard to believe this of Peggy, especially when you say it happened some time ago and it’s the first I’ve heard about it.’
‘Well, you’d hardly expect Josie to say anything,’ retorted his mother. ‘When she’s so taken with you.’
He frowned. ‘That’s what Peggy said. I told her not to be so daft.’
‘It’s you that’s daft. That lass idolises you, it’s as clear as day. Though I’m not surprised you never noticed, you’re that besotted with that wife of yours.’
Sonny puckered his eyebrows thoughtfully. ‘That will make it all the harder then.’ Thomasin waited for enlargement. ‘Peggy wants us to sack her. She says Josie is trying to poison her.’
‘Oh, my God!’ Thomasin could have laughed if it wasn’t so serious. ‘That’s a load of bunkum,’ she snorted. ‘And you know it.’
‘Yes, I’ve got to agree on that score. I think it’s just Peggy’s condition that’s making her like this. But she is awfully upset Mother, and I’m afraid it will harm the baby if Josie stays. It would be best if we hired a new maid.’
‘Oh, would it? Well, we’re not going to. Now, look here, my lad.’ Thomasin came to stand directly in front of him and though she had to look up there was nothing subservient in her manner. ‘Let’s just get a few things clear. When you’ve got a household of your own you can run it in any way you please. But this is my house and I’ll be damned if I’ll have anyone telling me what to do with my staff. Josie has been very patient with your wife – I doubt anyone else would’ve put up with her for so long – and I’ll not throw her out just because of one of Peggy’s spiteful whims.’
Sonny’s face was the colour of his hair. ‘Right! Now we all know where we stand I can go back and tell my wife that she has less status in this house than a servant. Hah! And that’s a good one about running my own household when you know very well I’ll never be able to afford one. Oh yes, very rich. No wonder my dear brother escaped – he knew he’d never see any charity from you!’
Fortunately Thomasin missed the deeper meaning of the word ‘escape’. ‘That is totally unjust!’ she cried. ‘Not every mother would’ve allowed her son to bring a pregnant woman into her house.’
‘You know as well as I that your action wasn’t born of benevolence, Mother,’ volleyed Sonny. ‘On the contrary, you retracted your promise of a settlement knowing that I’d be unable to afford my own house without your assistance and would have to bring Peggy to live here – where you could keep her under your dictum. Don’t try to deny it.’
‘I wouldn’t dream of denying it,’ rejoined his mother angrily. ‘It’s perfectly true and its fortunate for you that I did because anyone who’d stoop to forcing a poor maidservant to defraud would have no scruples about duping her husband. If I had given you the money as promised she would’ve juggled it from you in days.’
‘She wouldn’t have had to juggle it from me!’ he shot back. ‘I’d have given it to her gladly – because I love her. But you wouldn’t understand that, Mother, you’re far too busy guarding your money to worry about a paltry thing like love.’
His words came like a slap in the face. ‘How can you speak so?’ came the wounded reply. ‘Was there ever a moment when I gave you cause to doubt my fondness for you?’
He was still too incensed by her treatment of Peggy to show any compassion. ‘If you did love me you wouldn’t treat my wife as you do, knowing how it hurts me. Even admitting that your invitation for us to live with you was made out of pity, that emotion has not been sustained. Peggy just cannot do a thing right here; if she as much as asks the maid to serve one of her favourite dishes you think she’s trying to displace you as mistress.’
‘But, Sonny! Can’t you see that everything Peggy does is manufactured to cause mischief? Why are we arguing now? Beca
use she told you a pack of untruths which she knew would have you crying for my blood. I did give her every opportunity to help in the running of the place when she first came, but did she take advantage of it? No.’
‘Because you insist on questioning her motives!’
‘No! … oh, very well, yes I do sometimes – but really, Sonny your wife would take over the whole house if I allowed it. I must keep a little authority; it is my house.’
‘Mine, mine, mine!’ hurled Sonny. ‘That’s the crux of the argument. Everything’s yours – the money, the servant, the house.’ He could see that he was not going to incur any sympathy for Peggy here and turned about, flinging a final retort. ‘Well, you needn’t worry about us any more, Mother. As soon as Peggy’s given birth I’ll be sure to have her up and about so that we can all get from under your feet. Then you’ll have your precious house all to yourself!’
‘Damn!’ hissed Thomasin, then picked up two cushions and threw them at the wall. ‘Damn, damn, damn!’
* * *
Sonny was spared from having to relay that Peggy’s request had been vetoed by the sudden speeding up of his wife’s labour. He was forced to sit on the landing, listening to her screams and the low, patient commands of the midwife. It was horrific to witness. The house was filled with shrieks and yells and the vilest of language. Poor Peggy, whom he had never heard utter one swear-word, must be in appalling agony to resort to such profanities. There was no reason for him to sit here and listen to it – he could just as easily spend the next couple of hours out of earshot in the alehouse as most men were relieved to do – but by being here outside her door he felt at least as if he were somehow taking a bit of her pain onto his own shoulders; helping her. Curse his brother for heaping all this suffering upon her.
He was still sitting there, propped against the wall, several hours later when Erin, Sam and his grandparents had gone home and his parents came up to bed. Thomasin faltered and looked down at him as if to speak, but he refused to even look at her, confining his goodnight to his father alone. By the small hours the noisy screams had dimmed to horrible, painfilled groans, and still Sonny sat there, his head nodding, only to jerk awake with each of his wife’s contractions. He looked up, bleary-eyed, as someone padded along the landing and flopped down beside him on the carpet.
For My Brother’s Sins Page 48