A Mother's Wish Read online

  ‘The doctor’s coming, Mother.’

  The sound of Jim’s voice awakened Effie with a start. She sat upright, wincing as a shaft of pain seared through her left arm. Mrs Hoskins rose from the table where she had been shelling peas and she wiped her hands on her apron. ‘About time too. I thought that boy had run off again.’

  Jim shook his head. ‘He’s here now, and that’s all that matters.’ He ushered the doctor into the room. ‘It’s good of you to come so quickly, sir.’

  ‘That’s quite all right, Hoskins. I was in the neighbourhood when the boy caught up with me.’ The young doctor approached Effie with a friendly smile. ‘You must be the unlucky young woman who was thrown from her horse.’

  Effie nodded her head. ‘My arm, doctor. It hurts when I move it.’

  ‘Does it indeed? Then I’d better take a look at it.’ He examined the injured limb, noting Effie’s reactions when the pain caused her to flinch and bite her lip.

  ‘Is it broken?’ she asked anxiously.

  ‘No. I’d say it’s just a bad sprain, but you should try not to use the arm for a few days at least.’ He opened his bag and took out a square of calico, which he deftly folded into a sling.

  ‘But I can’t impose on Mr and Mrs Hoskins any longer than necessary, and I have to travel on to find my son.’

  ‘The young woman thinks her baby has been kidnapped, doctor.’ Mrs Hoskins drew him aside, speaking in a low voice. ‘I think she may have hit her head when she fell off the horse.’

  ‘Rest is the answer, Mrs Hoskins. Rest and quiet and a few drops of laudanum to be taken at night before retiring to bed.’ He took a small brown bottle from his bag and placed it on the table. ‘That will be one and six for my fee, a penny for the laudanum and twopence for the sling.’

  Effie put her hand in her pocket and counted out the coins. It was, she thought, an exorbitant amount to charge for a brief consultation and a scrap of calico that couldn’t have cost more than a halfpenny. ‘I’m sorry to have put you to so much trouble, doctor.’ She could tell by his rueful smile that she had hit a nerve, and she was ashamed to have spoken so sharply, but having to part with almost half the money she possessed in the whole world was as worrying as it was painful.

  ‘We all have to make a living, ma’am.’

  ‘And some of us profit from the misfortune of others.’ Effie knew that she was being unreasonable, but they were all treating her as though the bump on her head had addled her brain. She could not tell these well-meaning strangers the true extent of her trials. She had lost Tom. Georgie had been wrenched from her arms, and Toby had seemingly deserted her. She could hardly be in a worse position.

  ‘She’s a bit shocked by the experience,’ the doctor said, shaking his head. ‘I know I’m leaving the poor lady in good hands. Good day, Mrs Hoskins.’ He tipped his hat, turning to Jim with a tired smile.

  ‘If you’d get the boy to fetch my horse, please?’

  ‘Certainly, Doctor,’ Jim said, following the doctor outside.

  Effie attempted to rise to her feet but every muscle in her body protested and her arm hurt with even the slightest movement.

  ‘You must do as the doctor says.’ Mrs Hoskins went back to shelling peas at the table. ‘We can put you up for a day or two, but you’ll have to sleep on a truckle bed under the stairs. I’ll only charge you for the food you eat and not a penny more.’

  ‘You’re very kind,’ Effie murmured gratefully. ‘I do appreciate it, but you must see that I can’t stay. Georgie needs me and I must go to him.’

  ‘You could catch up with them tomorrow if you’re feeling better, but your poor horse needs a rest too. You won’t get far if the animal goes lame, now will you?’

  Effie knew that everything Mrs Hoskins said was true, but commonsense flew out of the window when it came to a mother’s anguish on being separated from her child. She could see Georgie’s tear-stained face and his desperate sobs echoed in her head, but she realised that she would have to put her feelings aside for the moment. She must take the doctor’s advice, however unwelcome. Tomorrow, when both she and the mare were rested, she would follow the Margaret. Quite how she would rescue Georgie she had no idea, but no one was going to keep her from her baby. She sat quite still, watching Mrs Hoskins as she finished shelling the peas and put them in a pan to cook. The stew simmering on the hob smelt appetising and Effie’s stomach rumbled in anticipation of a tasty meal. It seemed callous to think of food in such extreme circumstances, but she knew she had to keep her strength up for the long ride next day.

  Mrs Hoskins cut a hunk of bread from the loaf she had just taken from the oven and she ladled soup into a tin pannikin. ‘For the boy,’ she said tersely as she carried the food to the door. ‘Boy.’ She stepped outside. ‘Boy, come and get your dinner.’

  Effie heard the clatter of hobnails on the gravel path followed by a brief exchange of words that she could not quite make out, and she was suddenly curious. The boy seemed to be at the Hoskins’ beck and call, but he was not allowed into the house to eat his meals. ‘Is that your son?’ she asked as Mrs Hoskins returned to her task of serving the midday meal.

  ‘We was never blessed with children. He’s a stray that Jim took in a couple of days ago. He gets fed in payment for helping work the lock gates and running errands, although I daresay he’ll be off as soon as the spirit takes him. You can’t rely on his sort.’

  ‘What sort is that, Mrs Hoskins?’

  ‘Didicoi, that’s what he is, or maybe he’s run away from the workhouse. You can’t trust them no further than you can see them.’

  Effie held her tongue with difficulty. She knew what it was like to suffer the stigma of having been in an institution, and she felt instantly sorry for the boy who was forced to accept grudgingly given charity.

  ‘He sleeps in the pigsty,’ Mrs Hoskins said, hacking slices off the loaf. ‘He has plenty of clean straw and the old sow don’t mind. They’re company for each other.’

  The remainder of the day passed in a haze. Mrs Hoskins had made up the truckle bed and insisted that Effie lay down to rest. Exhaustion combined with a dose of laudanum sent her drifting off into a dreamless oblivion.

  When she awakened next morning the sun was already high in the sky and breakfast had been eaten and cleared away. Mrs Hoskins was scrubbing the floor with lye soap and hot water, sending wavelets rippling across the flagstones. Effie raised herself to a sitting position. She ran her hand through her hair and yawned. The headache had gone and she felt surprisingly refreshed; she had slept remarkably well even though the bed was hard and the straw-filled mattress prickly. An attempt to move her injured arm proved to be a mistake, but it was not quite as painful as it had been the previous day. She swung her legs over the side of the cot and stood up. ‘Good morning, ma’am.’

  ‘Mind how you step,’ Mrs Hoskins warned. ‘The floor’s wet and slippery. We don’t want you breaking a leg as well as an arm.’

  Effie shifted from one foot to the other. ‘Do you think I could have my saddlebag now, please? I need to change my clothes, and then I’ll be on my way.’

  ‘You can stay another day if you’ve a mind to. Tenpence should cover the cost of the vittles, and I’ll say tuppence for the hay that Jim’s fed your horse.’

  ‘Yes, of course, but I really would like my things.’

  Mrs Hoskins dropped the scrubbing brush into the bucket and scrambled to her feet. She made her way carefully across the wet floor to the open doorway. ‘Boy,’ she shouted. ‘Fetch the saddlebag for the lady and bring it here.’ She picked up the mop and began swishing it around to sop up the suds. ‘I dunno how long Jim means to keep him on, but that boy is eating us out of house and home. He’s nothing but a yard of skin wrapped round an empty belly and just about as useful.’

  Effie padded over to the table and helped herself to a slice of bread and butter. She was going to be charged for the food so she might as well eat her fill before setting off. She had not thought how she would ri
de with one arm in a sling, but she was determined to leave as soon as possible, even if she had to lead the horse and walk all the way to Limehouse Basin.

  ‘There’s tea in the pot, but I expect it’s stewed,’ Mrs Hoskins said, wringing out the mop. ‘Where is that boy? He’ll get a clip round the ear if he don’t get a move on.’ She went to the door. ‘Oh, there you are, boy. You took your time, I must say. Come in and give the young lady her things.’

  ‘I had to chase the blooming horse halfway to Bow, missis,’ the boy protested.

  Effie froze at the sound of his voice. She turned slowly, hardly daring to breathe.

  Chapter Twelve

  ‘HERE YOU ARE, missis.’

  ‘Tom, is it really you?’ She blinked hard to make sure that her eyes were not deceiving her. He was painfully thin and his skin was almost obliterated by a layer of dirt. His hair was a matted mass of dark curls spiked with pieces of bedding straw, but he was unmistakeably Tom.

  ‘Effie.’ He stood as if transfixed, staring at her in disbelief. ‘No, it can’t be. I’m dreaming. Pinch me, someone.’

  ‘I’ll pinch you,’ Mrs Hoskins said, cuffing him round the head. ‘Look what them dirty boots have done to my nice clean floor.’

  ‘Ouch,’ Tom clutched his hand to his head, but his gaze never wavered from his sister’s face. ‘Bloody hell, Effie. What have you done to yourself? Ouch, that hurt even more,’ he cried as his employer clouted him for a second time.

  ‘It was meant to,’ she said angrily. ‘I won’t have that sort of language in my house.’

  Tears streamed down Effie’s face as she held out her good arm. ‘Tom, my dear, dear Tom. I’ve been out of my mind with worry about you and yet here you are. I can hardly believe it.’

  He rushed to her and gave her a hug, which made her cry out with pain. He took a step backwards. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you, Effie. It’s just that – well – I’m lost for words. How did you know where to find me?’

  ‘I didn’t,’ Effie said, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. ‘Toby was supposed to be looking for you, but he let me down.’

  ‘No, he didn’t. Toby found me, but I was sick with the measles and he took me to his people in the gypsy camp.’

  ‘That proves I was right,’ Mrs Hoskins said angrily. ‘I don’t hold with travellers.’

  Effie placed her arm protectively around Tom’s thin shoulders. ‘You’ve no need to worry, Mrs Hoskins. We’ll be moving on as soon as I’ve changed my clothes.’

  ‘I think you’d best go straight away, missis. I don’t want no gypsy coming to look for the boy and bringing his thieving didicoi ways here to a respectable house.’

  ‘That’s not fair,’ Tom protested. ‘You can’t talk to my sister like that, you old hag.’

  ‘Tom,’ Effie said sternly. ‘That’s enough. Mrs Hoskins has been very kind to me, and she’s entitled to her opinions, even if they are misjudged.’

  ‘Just go and leave us in peace. You can pay what you owe and take some food for the road. I won’t have anyone say that Janet Hoskins ain’t a fair woman, nor a mean one.’ She took a square of butter muslin from the table drawer and proceeded to wrap up what was left of the loaf and a chunk of cheese. ‘Make yourself useful, boy. Go and bring the mare to the door so that your sister don’t have far to walk.’

  Tom shot her a resentful glance. ‘I ain’t going to thank you for taking me in. You got your money’s worth out of me in kind, so I paid me way.’ He turned to his sister and his small features relaxed into a fond smile. ‘Get your shoes on, Effie. We’re leaving.’

  Half an hour later they had left the lock keeper’s cottage behind and were on their way to London, following the route that the Margaret would have taken. The narrowboat had a good twenty-four hours’ start, but Effie knew that the Salters would have tied up for the night somewhere along the route and she hoped to catch up with them before they reached Limehouse Basin. She rode the mare while Tom walked at her side. He had not spoken too much for the first mile or so, insisting that she told her story first, but now as they passed the London Water Works reservoir, Effie had brought him up to date and it was her turn to question him.

  ‘So where have you been all this time?’ she demanded. ‘Where did you go after Salter threw you off the boat? How did you live without any money? Oh, Tom, I’ve been out of my mind with worry about you.’

  He gave her a cheeky grin. ‘Same old Effie, always worrying about other people.’

  ‘You’re my brother and I love you, of course I was worried about you.’

  ‘I’m a man now, Effie. I was fine at first. I went looking for Toby but they hadn’t seen him at the tavern, so I just kept on going. I slept rough and did a few odd jobs to earn money for food, or else I was paid in kind with a meal or a night’s shelter in a barn. I went in search of the gypsy camp, but it was then I started to feel bad. I don’t remember much else until I woke up in a caravan with some old woman looking down at me. I thought she was a witch.’

  ‘Poor Tom. You must have been terrified.’

  ‘I was ready to run I can tell you, but then the old girl give me a toothless grin and told me she was Toby’s granny. He’d found me wandering about the countryside and taken me to the camp.’

  ‘Thank God for that,’ Effie said wholeheartedly. ‘You might have died if he hadn’t come across you. But where is he now and why did he leave you with the lock keeper?’

  ‘We was on our way to the old house on the marsh where he’d left you and Georgie. We’d stopped at a pub for a bite to eat and Toby got into conversation with this cove he knew who gave him a tip-off about some horses that were coming up for sale at a fair on Hampstead Heath. Toby said it was a chance he couldn’t afford to miss and he paid old Hoskins to take care of me while he was away. He said he’d come back soon and then he’d take me to you.’

  ‘But he didn’t return.’

  Tom shook his head. ‘No, but he must have had a good reason. Toby’s a good ’un. He wouldn’t let me down.’

  ‘I trusted him to find you and bring you back to me, but he left you here and went off without giving me a second thought. I’ll have a few words to say to Toby Tapper when I meet up with him again.’

  Tom slanted a sideways look in her direction. ‘Sounds as if you like him a bit yourself.’

  ‘He’s as unreliable as the weather,’ Effie said, holding up her hand as drops of rain fell from the gathering clouds. ‘Nellie was right. He’s a charmer but he’s fickle and he’ll never change.’

  ‘What now? How are we going to get Georgie back? You and me are no match for Salter and his slut wife.’

  Effie shivered as the heavy shower soaked through her clothes and trickled down her neck. ‘I don’t know, but I’ll think of something. I’m not leaving my baby with that dreadful woman for a minute longer than necessary. I’ll get him back even if I have to sink the boat to do it.’

  ‘Perhaps we’ll meet up with Toby at the tavern,’ Tom said hopefully. ‘He’ll know what to do.’

  ‘Forget Toby. He’s helped us all he can and now he’s looking after himself. We’re on our own, Tom.’ She knew by his hurt expression that he did not believe her. He quite obviously hero-worshipped Toby, but she was certain now that his loyalty was misplaced. She had made the same mistake, and had relied too much on a man whose reputation was sadly tarnished. She had put her trust in Toby but he had abandoned them all while he went in search of a good deal.

  ‘He’ll come back. I know he will,’ Tom said stubbornly.

  ‘At least we’re together again and that’s the way it’s going to stay. We’ll rescue Georgie and then we’ll go back to the fair. I’m sure they’ll let us have use of the caravan and we can both work on the stalls.’

  Tom wiped his wet hair back from his face, leaving a clean patch on his grimy skin. ‘You can help the blacksmith when he’s pulling teeth and I’ll get a job as barker for the merry-go-round.’

  ‘That’s Frank’s job,’ Effie said, smil
ing.

  Tom let out a whoop of laughter. ‘You’re sweet on Frank. I thought you was by the way you looked when you told me about him. So that’s why you want to join the fair.’

  ‘No, of course not. Frank is spoken for and I’ve got over that piece of silliness.’

  ‘I’m glad to hear it. We don’t want no more broken hearts. I’m the man of the family now and I’m going to look after you and Georgie.’

  ‘Yes, Tom,’ Effie said, hiding a smile. ‘Would you like to hop up behind me? I’m sure the mare could carry both of us and we could move a bit faster.’

  Tom needed no second bidding. He vaulted onto the horse’s back and wrapped his arms around his sister’s waist. ‘She belongs to Toby and she’s worth a lot of money. He’ll be back if only to collect the mare. You’ll see.’

  They rode on, stopping at midday on a piece of waste ground between the soap works and lime kilns close to Five Bells Bridge. The rain had ceased and the sun forced its way through a bank of clouds. Steam rose from their clothes as they sat on the damp grass and ate the bread and cheese provided by Mrs Hoskins. The mare munched placidly on clumps of grass and after a brief rest they continued on their journey. It was early evening when they reached the Prince of Wales tavern, and Effie uttered a strangled cry of relief as she caught sight of the Margaret moored alongside with several other barges.

  Toby fisted his hands. ‘I’m going on board. I’ll sort old Salter out.’

  ‘You’ll do no such thing. Help me down, and we’ll tether the mare here with Champion and the other horses. We don’t want Salter to see us.’

  ‘He’s probably in the pub anyway.’

  His glum face brought a smile to Effie’s lips. ‘You’ll get your chance to better him one day, Tom. But getting Georgie back is the most important thing now. I want you to take a look inside the pub and tell me if they are in the bar.’