Tangled Threads (42 page)

Richard answered him calmly, adding, ‘We should go now but we’ll let you know.’

‘Can I come with you?’

‘Of course you can. But what about your work?’

‘Sod that!’ Andrew said. He jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards the workshops. ‘He can go hang, for all I care. There’s other jobs.’

Eveleen glanced up at Richard. As an employer, it was not the sort of reaction he would like, but she could see the sympathy for Andrew’s sentiments written in his features.

‘Come along then,’ Richard said briskly.

As they came out into the street and he saw Fred and the cumbersome figure of Josh already sitting in the trap, Andrew faltered. ‘Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize there were
more of you.’ He thought quickly and then added, ‘Look, I’ll borrow my mate’s pony and trap. I’ll follow you. I know the way.’

Richard nodded. ‘Right, because I don’t think we should wait for you.’

‘No, no,’ Andrew urged. ‘You go.’ He gave Eveleen a quick hug and said, ‘I’ll be right behind you. I’ll come straight to your house.’

Eveleen nodded and climbed back into the trap. It was only as they moved away that she realized she hadn’t even asked after her grandmother and her uncle.

Although the police had been informed earlier in the day, Mary and the child had not been found nor had word come to the factory from those looking out for them in the
countryside.

‘You’d better both go home and change into dry clothes,’ Richard said to Josh and Fred, but the two men glanced at each other. It was Josh who answered their employer but Fred
nodded in agreement. ‘We’d sooner stay here, Mr Richard, thank you. There might be news. And if there is, this is where it’ll come.’

When Richard finally took Eveleen home, a pony and trap were standing outside the door. Eveleen felt a brief surge of hope and then she saw Andrew pacing up and down the yard. Behind him, Win
was hurrying towards them.

‘Any news?’ she called out as Richard drew the trap to a halt and Andrew held out his hand to help Eveleen climb down.

Eveleen shook her head sadly and led the way into the house. She ran from room to room, leaving them to follow her inside.

‘Mam? Mam?’ But the house was still and silent.

She returned downstairs and sank into the chair at the side of the range. Win busied herself reviving the fire and setting the kettle to boil.

‘Now what do we do?’ Andrew, fresher than the others, who had been looking all day and half the previous night, was eager to carry on the search.

‘First,’ Richard said firmly, ‘Eveleen must rest. She’s exhausted.’ She felt them looking at her and knew her face was white, her eyes dark-rimmed with fatigue and
worry. ‘And I’m going home for something to eat, a wash, a change of clothes and then, if there’s still no news, we’ll begin again.’

‘It’ll be dark by then,’ Andrew persisted. ‘We won’t find them in the dark.’

‘Well, we—’ Richard began but whatever he had been going to say was left unsaid. Someone was thumping urgently on the door and shouting.

‘Eveleen? Eveleen, they’ve found her.’

A rush of adrenaline brought Eveleen to her feet and running to the door. She flung it wide to see Fred standing there, leaning against the wall, his hand to his chest.

‘I ran – all the way – from the factory,’ Fred panted in staccato bursts. ‘Word’s just come – from that farmer. He’s found her.’

‘Who? Bill?’

‘No. That other one. Joe Elgin. That was his name, wasn’t it? The one that gave us breakfast. She was walking past his farm.’

‘Are they all right? Is Bridie all right?’ Andrew, having followed Eveleen to the door, asked urgently. Richard and Win were close behind him, craning to hear the news.

‘I must go to them,’ Eveleen said. ‘I’ve got to see for myself. The baby could have taken a chill. Anything.’

Without waiting for an answer, Andrew was already climbing into the pony and trap he had brought. ‘Come on, Eveleen.’

Richard moved forward. ‘Eveleen, you ought to rest.’

‘No, no,’ she argued. ‘I’m fine now. Honestly.’ Before anyone could stop her, she had climbed in beside Andrew.

‘Can’t you just have something to eat?’ Win called. ‘And you ought to change out of those wet clothes.’

‘Eveleen, wait—’ Fred was reaching out towards them, trying to delay them, but Andrew flicked the reins.

‘I’m fine,’ Eveleen insisted and, as they moved off, she called out, ‘Thank you. Thank you for everything.’

Turning the corner of the yard, they passed Josh, puffing and panting, on his way in. It took a moment for him to recognize them and then he began to wave his arms. Eveleen could see his lips
moving, but above the rattling wheels she could not make out his words. He was shouting something and gesticulating that they should stop, but Andrew only drove the pony faster.

Eveleen smiled and waved and nodded, hoping that Josh would understand that they had already heard the good news.

As the trap was headed out of the city, Eveleen linked her arm through Andrew’s and hugged it to her. ‘Oh thank goodness they’re safe.’

Already she had forgotten her weariness and the wet clothes that clung to her and made her shiver from time to time. All she could think of was holding Bridie in her arms. She couldn’t
reach her fast enough.

‘I just hope the babby’s all right,’ Andrew said. Eveleen smiled to herself. Andrew’s only thought was for the child. And then, guiltily, she realized that Bridie had
been uppermost in her own thoughts too.

The journey seemed interminable but at last Eveleen was directing Andrew through the gates and into the Elgins’ farmyard. It seemed an age since she had been there and yet it had only been
that morning.

The farmer was coming towards them. ‘She’s in the house with the missis,’ he said at once, without any greeting. ‘But we can’t get any sense out of her.’

‘She’ll be upset,’ Eveleen murmured as the farmer led the way to the house. ‘Is the baby all right?’

Joe Elgin stopped and put his hand on her arm. ‘I’m sorry, lass, but she had no baby with her.’

It was as if someone had knocked the breath from her. Eveleen’s whole body began to shake.

‘Oh dear God, no!’ Andrew ran his hand through his hair and his eyes were dark with fear.

Eveleen grasped the jamb of the open door for a moment’s support. Maybe that was what Fred, and then Josh, had been trying to tell them. She dragged in a deep, steadying breath and then
forced her legs to move into the kitchen.

Mary was sitting in front of the range wrapped in a blanket. Mrs Elgin was bending over her, coaxing her to drink a steaming cup of tea.

‘Mam, oh Mam!’ Eveleen put her arm around her mother’s shoulders and hugged her. ‘Thank goodness you’re safe.’

Andrew, following her in, asked harshly, ‘Where’s the baby? Where is my Bridie?’

Eveleen knelt on the hearthrug and took her mother’s hands into her own. ‘Mam,’ she began, trying desperately to keep her voice calm as she looked into Mary’s vacant
eyes. She knew from bitter experience that anger would only drive her mother deeper into the trance-like state she was in, or worse still, it might induce one of her bouts of near-hysteria.
‘Mam, where is Bridie?’

The vacant eyes focused on Eveleen’s face and yet the girl felt a shudder run through her. It was as if Mary did not even recognize her own daughter. ‘In a ditch,’ the poor
woman murmured. ‘Born in a ditch. In the dark and the cold.’

Eveleen gripped her mother’s hands tighter. ‘Mam, that was a long time ago. Bridie’s fine. She – she—’ The lump in her throat threatened to choke her. Oh let
her still be fine. Let her be safe, she prayed silently. ‘Bridie is Rebecca’s little girl. Mam, where is she? Where have you left her?’

Mary’s eyes were vacant again, seeing only into the past.

Joe Elgin filled the doorway. ‘I’ve got a search party out.’

Eveleen stood up slowly. It was no use. Mary was so sunk into her own little world that they would get nothing from her. But Andrew was not going to give up so easily. He bent over Mary, grasped
her shoulders and shook her so hard that her head snapped backwards and forwards. ‘Where is she, you stupid, stupid woman? What have you done to my Bridie?’

‘No, Andrew, no,’ Eveleen cried, pulling at him, but it took the burly farmer to step forward and drag the distraught young man away.

‘That’ll do no good, lad,’ he said firmly, but with a gruff kindness in his tone. ‘Can’t you see, she’s in a bad way herself.’ He glanced at his wife.
‘I’ve sent word for the doctor. She needs help.’

Mrs Elgin nodded in agreement and fussed over Mary who began to wail. ‘Jimmy. I want Jimmy. Eveleen, take me home to Jimmy.’

Eveleen glanced quickly around at the others and then looked down at her mother. She was still not thinking quite rationally, but at least she seemed to be coming back into the present.

Again Eveleen knelt in front of her and though her own instincts were exactly the same as Andrew’s – she too felt the urge to shake the truth out of Mary – she managed to say
calmly, ‘I’ll take you home, Mam, I promise you. But first, tell us where Bridie is.’

The wailing subsided to a quieter sob.

‘Bridie?’ Mary shook her head. ‘Poor motherless little mite. Cast out, just like me. How can Harry turn his back on his own grandchild, Eveleen? How can he do it?’

Gently Eveleen said, ‘Is that where you took her? Back to Uncle Harry?’

‘She didn’t—’ Andrew began but was hushed by both Joe Elgin and his wife.

Mary was shaking her head and now there was spirit in her action. ‘No, no. I wouldn’t take her there. Not back to
him
,’ she said bitterly.

‘So, where were you going?’

‘Back home,’ Mary said simply. ‘Back to Bernby where she’d be safe.’

‘Is that where she is? Back at Pear Tree Farm?’ Could they have missed finding the child earlier that day? Eveleen agonized. Had Bridie been there all the time and they’d not
seen her or heard her cries?

Mary was shaking her head. ‘No. No, she got so heavy to carry and it was raining. She was hungry too. Crying and crying. She wouldn’t stop.’ She covered her face with her hands
and rocked to and fro.

Cold terror seeped into Eveleen’s being. What had her mother done? Had the child’s crying driven her over the edge? Oh, what had she done? Eveleen swallowed the fear but now even she
could not keep the tremble from her voice. ‘Where is she, Mam? What have you done with her?’

‘If you’ve hurt her—’ Andrew began and struggled to break free of Joe’s grasp, but the farmer still held him firmly.

‘Now, now, lad. Hold on. She’ll tell us in a minute.’

‘I left her in a barn,’ Mary began and added quickly, ‘She’s all right. She’s warm and cosy in the hay loft. I went to find some milk for her and I thought
I’d be quicker if I went on my own . . .’ The faraway look was back on her face. ‘I started to walk, but I couldn’t find a farm and – and I got so tired.’ Her
voice trailed away. ‘I can’t remember any more.’

Joe took up the story. ‘She did look sort of lost when we found her and she didn’t speak to us at all until you got here, but she let us bring her in here and look after
her.’

‘Where’s the barn? Where have you left her?’ Andrew demanded.

‘It can’t be far away. We’ll find her,’ Joe said with more determination than either Eveleen or Andrew could feel.

Eveleen was the first to reach the door. She flung it wide and rushed out into the yard, straight into Richard’s arms.

The local police and all the men from the neighbouring farms joined in the search and, after four hours, the child was found in an isolated barn in the corner of a field.

‘I heard her crying,’ the searcher placed the child tenderly into Eveleen’s arms. ‘She’s hungry, poor little thing. But she was cosy and warm.’

Andrew hovered close by, peering over Eveleen’s shoulders, itching to hold Bridie himself. ‘Is she all right? Has she hurt her?’

‘Of course she hasn’t hurt her,’ Eveleen snapped, but even she was thankful to feel the baby wriggling in her arms.

Richard put his arm around Eveleen’s shoulders and gently led her to the trap. ‘Let’s get her back to the Elgins’ farm.’

When they arrived back, the doctor was with Mary. He examined Bridie too and pronounced her fit and well, but ravenous. Drawing Eveleen to one side he said, ‘I’m concerned about your
mother. Physically she’s taken no harm, but I’m not happy about her state of mind. I’ve arranged with Mrs Elgin for her to stay here and I’ll call each day. Good food, fresh
air and plenty of rest should work wonders, but I want to be sure.’

Eveleen bit her lip but nodded agreement. She would worry about how to pay the doctor’s bills later.

‘And you, young lady,’ he said with pretended severity, ‘should take the same prescription.’

Eveleen felt as if her legs would give way any moment, but she managed to say, ‘I’ll be fine, Doctor, thank you.’

It was not Bridie, or even Mary, who took a chill and developed pneumonia, but Eveleen.

After a few days’ rest and being cosseted by the farmer’s wife, whose name they learned was Sarah, Mary and the child were fine, as the doctor had predicted.

‘I just wanted to go home,’ Mary said tearfully, when Eveleen sat beside the bed in the big room at the rambling farmhouse and took her mother’s hand.

‘It’s all right, Mam,’ she said gently. ‘You’re both safe now. That’s all that matters.’

‘Yes, but I shouldn’t have taken the bairn with me. I – I might have lost her, like – like . . .’ Her voice petered away and Eveleen knew she was thinking of that
other tiny baby so long ago.

‘It’s over now,’ Eveleen patted her hand. ‘We’ll say no more about it.’ But as her mother drifted into sleep, Eveleen began to worry again.

I must get her back to the country. Somehow I must or else this could happen again.

When she could see that her mother was sleeping peacefully, Eveleen slipped out of the room and went downstairs. As she entered the warm kitchen, she felt suddenly dizzy. She clutched at a chair
for support, but there were wavy lines in front of her eyes. The room began to swim around her and then she felt herself falling.