by Kate Eastham
‘Is this new?’ asked Maud, running a hand over the shiny wood of the sewing machine and admiring the ornate pattern on the drawers before placing the vase of flowers on a cork mat.
‘Yes, it’s a brand-new Singer,’ confirmed Miss Fairchild. ‘I still have a tidy sum of money saved up – it will all go to you and Alfred – no, don’t wave your hand like that Maud, who else am I going to leave it to? So I thought I might as well spend a bit of it and I ordered the machine when I got back from hospital, thinking I could help out in the house by doing some mending, or sewing tea cloths or something. But I’m completely out of breath just working the treadle.’
‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ soothed Maud, walking back towards her friend, ‘that’s such a shame. Maybe I could help you have another try?’
‘No,’ replied Miss Fairchild forlornly. ‘No more tries.’ And then she looked up with a gleam in her eye. ‘I want you to have it now, Maud. I will ship it to your address when you get your accommodation settled.’
‘No, I couldn’t possibly …’
‘You could and you will,’ smiled Miss Fairchild, lifting her chin in a determined way, and reaching out to take Maud’s hand. ‘A beautiful modern machine like the Singer needs to be used, Maud. It needs to be working. Have you ever used a treadle?’
‘Well, my landlady in New York had a new machine, almost identical, and she let me use it a couple of times. I didn’t even know you could buy these yet in England.’
‘You can now – these are some of the first – and I know you will get good use out of it, Maud. I remember how adept you were with your fingers, and how quick you were to learn. You were the best housemaid this place had ever seen.’
‘Well, thank you, Miss Fairchild,’ said Maud, blushing.
‘Right, well, at least we’ve got that settled. Now pull up a chair and let’s both listen to the rest of this chapter. You are going to be a fine scholar, Alfred,’ said Miss Fairchild, quietly. ‘Your reading is beautiful. And you’ll be very pleased to know that I’ve got lots of new pens and books for you to take with you to school—’
There was a firm knock on the door and a woman wearing a nurse’s starched cap walked in carrying a medicine glass on a porcelain plate. ‘Time for your medicine, Miss Fairchild,’ she said, matter-of-factly. Then, seeing the visitors, she gave a hint of a smile, revealing two very prominent front teeth.
‘Here is Nurse Ashworth with my medicine,’ grumbled Miss Fairchild, ‘and this is the stuff that tastes bad.’
‘I’ve mixed some honey in it for you, this time,’ lisped Nurse Ashworth, holding out the plate unflinchingly.
Miss Fairchild muttered another grumble before taking the medicine glass and knocking the mixture back. She pulled a face as she swallowed and gestured for a glass of sherry that she kept at the side. Once she’d had a sip, all seemed to be well.
‘What medicines is Miss Fairchild taking?’ enquired Maud.
The nurse pursed her lips for a moment, considering her response. Then, as if a light had dawned behind her eyes, she spoke. ‘Ah, you must be Maud, the nurse.’
‘Yes,’ replied Maud, taking the hand that was proffered. ‘I am Maud Linklater.’
‘I’ve heard all about you, and I’ve already met your friend Alice, when she was here visiting. I trained at the Liverpool Royal Infirmary too – a good few years before your time, though.’
‘Really?’ said Maud. ‘You must have been in one of the very first sets of probationers.’
‘I was. We bore the brunt of it from Miss Merryweather and some of those sisters on the wards. Miss Fairchild has been telling me all about Sister Fox. She doesn’t seem to have changed at all. But I found real solace when I was there with one of the assistant superintendents, Miss Merryweather’s sister, Elizabeth. She is so quiet and kind, and very well spoken. Did you have any dealings with her?’
‘Not really. I did meet her a couple of times, though, and she did seem a very pleasant person,’ said Maud. Then, changing the subject in case Nurse Ashworth started making enquiries about her personal situation, she asked again, ‘What are the medicines that Miss Fairchild is taking?’
‘Oh, I’m afraid that I can’t disclose that information. Miss Fairchild’s private physician likes to keep these things confidential.’
Maud caught an amused glance from Miss Fairchild and decided not to pursue the issue any further.
Nurse Ashworth started to turn away, but then she looked back at Maud and smiled again, more broadly this time. ‘I forgot to ask your friend, Nurse Sampson, when she visited, but I have an acquaintance that probably trained at the Liverpool Royal around the same time as you two. Did you know a Nurse Sellers, Nancy?’
Maud felt the hairs at the back of her neck prickle. She hadn’t seen or heard of Nancy since the day they received their certificates in the boardroom of the hospital. She took a deep breath. ‘Nurse Sellers was in my set.’
‘Was she?’ grinned Nurse Ashworth.
‘Yes. But how do you know her?’
‘Oh, I handed over one of my patients to her. I’d been nursing a lady called Mrs Davenport in her own home for a number of years, a chronic case. I would still have been there now but, unfortunately, I was called home to a family illness. So Nurse Sellers took over the care of my patient and, as far as I’m aware, she’s still there. She seemed such a lovely person, such a sweet smile and so gentle with Mrs Davenport. I only had a half day with her, to hand over, but she made a real impression on me.’
‘Did she?’ offered Maud, not knowing what else to say.
‘Well, I must get on, I need to go and prepare a coddled egg and some aspic jelly for your tea, Miss Fairchild.’
‘I can’t wait,’ muttered Miss Fairchild, turning to Alfred and pulling a face.
Well, well, thought Maud, feeling a tightness in her chest, I didn’t expect to have to listen to an account of our Nurse Sellers again so soon. Then she straightened her back as she sat in the chair and tried to force any thoughts of Nancy right out of her head.
‘Do you know what your medicines are?’ she asked, turning to Miss Fairchild.
‘Yes, of course,’ she said with a conspiratorial gleam. ‘I’m having a digitalis infusion each morning and some kind of tonic, afternoon and evening. And I can have laudanum drops for my aches and pains if I need them. No big mystery.’
‘That sounds about right,’ murmured Maud. ‘They might be able to increase the digitalis a little, perhaps, if you need it.’
‘Well, I’m on quite a big dose already,’ said Miss Fairchild quietly. ‘And I suppose you might say I’m as good as I can be. I’ve got enough breath for sitting here and talking to you and Alfred. But once I start to move …’
‘I know,’ said Maud, taking her friend’s hand, ‘and I wish there was something else to offer. But apart from an injection of morphia, if the breathlessness gets very severe … However,’ she mused, looking around the room and seeing the window tightly sealed, ‘you might find some relief from opening the window, letting a bit of air in. And you could try facing that way, so that you can see out to the street. In her Notes on Nursing Miss Nightingale strongly advises that we not only nurse the patient but also the room, paying particular attention to ventilation, light and air.’
‘That sounds like a very good idea,’ said Miss Fairchild. ‘I’ll speak to Nurse Ashworth.’
‘Well, I can open the window for you now,’ said Maud, getting straight up and opening the curtains to their fullest extent before pulling up the sash. ‘Let’s get more light in here, and some air,’ she murmured. ‘Not too much so there’s a cold draught, but just enough to circulate.’ Satisfied with her efforts, she then gestured for Alfred to help her swivel the chair with Miss Fairchild sat in it.
‘Right, we’ll turn you around so you can see what’s going on out there. Is that all right?’
Miss Fairchild nodded, and then Maud and Alfred together heaved the chair and managed to turn it just enough.
‘Oh, wha
t a difference,’ sighed Miss Fairchild, ‘just being able to look out of the window. I can see the people passing by. Oh, look at that little boy, pulling a naughty face. And I can see the horses … I’ve always loved horses. And now with the window open, I feel like I can breathe just a little easier. And I’ve got Alfred’s lovely flowers on the side table. Thank you, Maud. Thank you so much.’
Maud didn’t know what Nurse Ashworth would make of the changes in her patient’s environment but she felt very satisfied with her efforts as she made her way back to Stella’s. As they walked she held tight to Alfred’s hand. Miss Fairchild had already organized the sending of his trunk to the Blue Coat, and arrangements had been made for him to start school tomorrow morning.
That evening, as Maud sat on the wooden bench in the backyard listening to Alfred’s reading practice, she could hear the murmur of voices from the kitchen. A shriek of laughter made Alfred glance up from his book. ‘Just Alice back in from work,’ said Maud, indicating for him to continue. She smiled to herself at how much life Alice had now. Last year when she’d been a probationer, hiding her pregnancy, she’d been a shadow of the person that Maud had found on her return to Liverpool.
Maud knew that Alice would be out to see them just as soon as she’d checked on Victoria. Sure enough, within moments, she was peering through the back door. ‘There you two are,’ she said.
Maud beckoned for her to come and sit next to them until Alfred had finished his passage. ‘Right, that’s enough for tonight,’ she said gently, placing a hand on his cheek. ‘Do you want to go and pack your things ready for tomorrow?’
Alfred nodded and got up from the bench.
‘You’re such a good lad,’ said Alice, ruffling his bright blond hair as he walked past her.
‘He’s excited about going back to the school,’ said Maud, watching him disappear through the door.
‘Really?’ said Alice, her eyes wide. ‘He’s one on his own, isn’t he? But, then again, if I’d had to grow up in the workhouse, maybe I’d have a different way of looking at things.’
‘True,’ said Maud, standing up from the bench to straighten her skirt before sitting back down again with her hands neatly folded in her lap. ‘What?’ she asked, bewildered by the amused expression on Alice’s face.
‘Oh, nothing,’ laughed Alice. ‘It’s just that I’m used to sitting here with Eddy spread-eagled all over the place.’
‘Ha,’ laughed Maud, ‘I sometimes wish I could be so carefree. Harry has really tried to “loosen me up”, as he calls it, but it just doesn’t work. I need to have order and tidiness, and there really doesn’t seem to be any way round it.’
‘Well,’ smiled Alice, sitting down beside her, ‘we love you just the way you are, Maud. And what’s more, you’ve been the talk of the whole hospital today – in a good way. Sister Law and Sister Pritchard were especially excited about your return. But I suppose that makes sense, given that they’re in charge of the surgical wards and you are the queen of theatre.’
‘I wouldn’t exactly say that,’ said Maud steadily. ‘I still have a lot to learn.’
‘You sound just like Sister Law,’ laughed Alice.
Maud puffed out her chest and pretended to tie the strings of a sister’s cap very tightly beneath her chin. ‘We’ll have no skulking in the sluice, Nurse Sampson,’ she said, trying to keep a straight face.
‘Sorry, Sister,’ sniggered Alice, ‘but I was just polishing the sink and emptying the sputum pots and washing the urinals in between making the beds and applying leeches and poultices to every single patient.’
Maud laughed out loud. ‘Have you been on Male Surgical today?’
‘No, I had to help out on Female Medical.’
Maud pulled her mouth down in mock horror.
‘I know, Sister Fox. She is truly evil, you know. She’s so evil that I’ve almost come to admire the perfection of her evilness. But thank goodness I’ll be back on Female Surgical with our lovely Sister Pritchard tomorrow. Anyway, that’s not what I came out here to tell you. I wanted to tell you that I’ve spoken to Miss Merryweather and Miss Houston and they can’t wait to get you back on the wards. So much so that they not only gave me a district nurse’s cape and hat for you to wear so that you can safely pass through the city, but they also gave me express instructions to make sure that you report to the Nurses’ Home and Training School in the morning and start work as soon as possible.’
‘Really?’ said Maud, her eyes wide. ‘They don’t even want to interview me first?’
‘No, of course not. They know you and they know your work. They want you back as soon as possible.’
Maud smiled. ‘Well, I need to take Alfred up to the Blue Coat first thing, then I’ll go straight to the hospital. Will that be all right?’
‘Yes, of course,’ said Alice. ‘They wouldn’t give anything away as to where you’ll be placed, but it would be such a shame if they don’t let you work in theatre.’
‘Oh, I’ll fit in wherever they need me. Although it might be a bit strange working on the male wards again, after nursing just women for so long. But I’ll manage.’
‘That’s the spirit,’ said Alice, resting her head back against the brick wall. ‘And how did you find Miss Fairchild today?’
‘I’ll tell you in a minute but first, before I forget, you had a visitor this afternoon – Sue Cassidy, she brought this,’ said Maud, rooting in her pocket for the gold ring. ‘She said it was a special find, just for you, and I thought at first it was brass. But I think it’s the real thing, I think it’s pure gold.’
‘Really?’ said Alice, taking it from Maud. ‘Difficult to see in this light, and I have no real idea what gold looks or feels like.’
‘She said she found it outside Lewis’s, between the cracks in the pavement. If it is gold, maybe we should go back, see if anybody’s reported it missing.’
‘Yes, of course we should,’ said Alice, slipping it into her pocket. ‘How did Sue look, was she all right?’
‘She was unkempt. I felt like I wanted to give her a good wash and hold her head over a dolly tub to clean that lovely red hair. With those big green eyes, she’s a real beauty under all that muck, isn’t she? But she didn’t stay long, she was gone before I could offer her any food or drink.’
‘She’s been coming to see me, on and off, all the time you’ve been away. The first time I met her she tried to steal a pillowcase off the washing line so she could sell it for a few pennies to buy food. She was starving hungry that day. There’s something really special about Sue. She helped me when I was going through things whilst you were away. It felt like she was some kind of guardian angel, turning up just at the right time.’
‘Maybe she is an angel,’ smiled Maud, ‘someone who’s been sent to both of us.’
‘You’re very fanciful this evening, Maud. Maybe you have come back from New York with a whole new side to your personality.’
‘Mmm, I don’t know about that,’ said Maud, leaning back and resting her head against the wall.
‘Well, how did you find Miss Fairchild?’ murmured Alice, turning to face Maud. ‘And did you meet that nurse of hers?’ she asked, tapping her two front teeth with the tip of her index finger.
‘Stop it,’ laughed Maud. ‘Don’t be mean. And yes, I did meet Nurse Ashworth.’
‘Did she tell you that all details of her patient’s case are confidential, like she did with me?’ laughed Alice. ‘Even though I was the one to provide Miss Fairchild’s case history when she was discharged from Female Medical.’
‘She did tell me that, yes,’ replied Maud.
‘And I thought all of us nurses were supposed to be working together – hospital, district, private – all trained together under the same system,’ continued Alice, her cheeks flushing pink with indignation as she spoke.
‘We are supposed to be. But maybe having sole charge of just one patient, it makes things seem different sometimes.’
‘Might make you go a bit crazy, you
mean! Some of the patients I’ve nursed, if I had them all day and all night … just imagine.’
‘Imagine what?’ called Eddy, pulling off her district nurse’s hat and unpinning her hair before throwing herself down on the bench at the other side of Maud.
‘Having the same patient, day and night, like a private nurse.’
‘Oh, I don’t know, that might not be so bad … not after the day I’ve had,’ breathed Eddy. ‘I not only had all of my usual cases, but the daughter of a patient – who was only visiting, mind, not resident in the house of my patient – she only started to give birth, right there and then. So I had to roll up my sleeves and deliver a baby. It was chaos. My patient lives in one room with two cats, so I had to shoo all that lot out first. And move him to a chair, so we could use his bed. And then, despite my best efforts with the rubber sheet that I always carry, the bed had to be changed. But it was an easy delivery, thank goodness, and what a beautiful baby boy, with a full head of blond hair. Oh, and you should have seen the face of my patient – the baby’s grandfather – such a poorly man, but he was laughing and crying and singing songs in his native tongue.’
‘Where is he from?’ asked Alice, her eyes wide.
‘He’s a sailor from Riga, used to work the Baltic timber ships but hasn’t been able to go home due to a back injury. So one of his daughters came here to look after him and she fell for a local man. And now Mr Indars Berzins has a grandson called Eddy!’
‘Ha, ha, well done,’ laughed Alice. ‘They’ll be wetting the baby’s head in the Baltic Fleet pub tonight.’
‘What a lovely thing, though, for a man who might never see his homeland again,’ said Maud quietly. ‘To witness the birth of his own grandchild.’
‘Yes,’ smiled Eddy, ‘and he didn’t bat an eyelid. I don’t know why men scurry off as soon as women go into labour. I think we should encourage them to stay and bear witness to it. After all, seeing a baby come into this world is an absolute wonder. However, it might have been better from my point of view to have assisted with the absolute wonder at the end of the day, rather than in the middle, and then I wouldn’t have been put so far behind. But at least I can sleep well tonight thinking of little Eddy Berzins.’