The Soldier's Daughter (25 page)

He handed her a brown paper bag with string handles, and when Briony peeped inside she smiled with delight.

‘She’s washed and ironed them, but she said to tell you to air them over the fireguard because they might still be a little damp,’ he warned.

Briony began to unpack the bag and lay the items on the table. There was a little red pleated kilt and a hand-knitted pale green jumper as well as two small cotton dresses and a pink cardigan. There was also a selection of vests and knickers and a number of pairs of little white socks. They all looked as if they would fit Mabel like a glove and Briony was thrilled with them.

‘She’s hunting around now ’cos she’s sure she’s still got a little coat somewhere that might fit her as well,’ he went on. ‘But she’ll bring that over with her when she comes, if she manages to find it. I tell you it’s like an Aladdin’s cave up in our loft. Anyway, where’s this bed you want shifting? I ought to go back and get the sheep down into the side field before it grows too dark. We’ve had trouble with poachers lately, with meat being so hard to get hold of, and there’s no sense in making it too easy for them.’

‘Of course.’ Briony flushed as she quickly headed for the stairs leading up to their rooms. ‘I’m sorry I’ve taken you from your work.’

‘It’s no trouble at all,’ he answered genially, swiping a lock of his copper-coloured hair from his forehead.

Once upstairs he helped Briony to manhandle a spare single iron bedstead out of another room and into Sarah’s, then they carried the mattress through and Briony told him gratefully, ‘I can manage now, thanks, if you want to get off. I could have put Mabel in the empty room but I just thought she might be more comfy in here with Sarah, seeing as everything is strange to her.’

He chuckled then. ‘Ma was telling me what a mouthful she gave you both when you were bathing her. But she looks so quiet, doesn’t she? As if good Cornish butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth. Word has it that the woman from the Red Cross would have tried us next if you hadn’t taken her.’

‘Lucky you, that’s all I can say then,’ Briony grinned. ‘She’s like a little spitfire when she gets going.’

‘I dare say she’s had to be, to survive.’ His face was sad now. ‘Ma said her little body was covered in bruises. Who do you suppose would do that to her?’

Briony shrugged. ‘I don’t know, but she certainly won’t be getting any more if I have my way.’

He looked at her admiringly for a moment then turned hastily and left without so much as another word, leaving her to make the bed up with fresh linen.

Dressed in her new finery, Mabel walked to the school with Briony to meet the children at home time. She had said very little when Briony put the new outfit on her, but the young woman noticed that every now and then she would glance down at herself and stroke the little pleated skirt wonderingly. The only thing she was still wearing that she had arrived in were her shoes. Sadly, there was nothing Briony could do about that until she had time to get out to buy her a new pair. They were very down at heel and the soles were dangerously thin, but even so they looked much better after a polish and with a pair of Talwyn’s little white socks inside them. Briony had tied her hair back with one of Sarah’s ribbons, and every now and then Mabel would raise her hand to touch it self-consciously.

The children bombarded her with questions all the way home but Mabel remained obstinately silent until in the end Briony scolded them, ‘Now come along you two and give Mabel a bit of peace. She’ll answer all your questions when she’s good and ready.’ The child walked primly at her side whilst the other two scampered ahead, but she stubbornly refused to hold Briony’s hand and Briony wisely didn’t try to force her.

Mrs Dower made a delicious shepherd’s pie that evening and Sarah and Alfie watched in horrified fascination as Mabel rammed it into her mouth as if there was no tomorrow.

‘She’s so greedy,’ Briony murmured as she stood by the sink with Mrs Dower.

‘Hungry, more like,’ the woman replied. ‘She’ll probably be like this for some while, at least till she realises there’ll be another mealtime. She’s probably had to eat when she could up to now.’

‘How awful,’ Since rationing had come into force, the selection of food back at home had been sadly limited but Briony was the first to admit that they had never gone hungry, not as this poor little mite obviously had. She promised herself to try even harder with Mabel.

When taking the food through to the dining room where the Frasiers waited to be served, she found the atmosphere so heavy that she could have cut it with a knife, and she was glad that she and the children were banished to the kitchen. Sebastian’s expression was grim and his mother didn’t look much happier. They had clearly had a row about something – and Briony wondered if it had anything to do with the ledger she had fetched from the funeral parlour. Placing the contents of the tray onto the centre of the table as quickly as she could, she beat a hasty retreat, leaving them to serve themselves.

Just before the children were due to go to bed the wind blew up and a downpour started. The windows rattled in their frames as the rain hurtled against them as if it were trying to gain entry.

‘Those poor sheep and cows out in the fields,’ Sarah said sadly. ‘But at least the pigs can go into their sty and keep dry if they want to.’

‘I don’t think sheep and cows mind the rain too much.’

Mabel’s ears pricked up at the mention of the animals but she didn’t say anything and Briony made a mental note to take her along to Kynance Farm to see them just as soon as she could. Living in a city, she had probably had no contact with any before. She had dressed Mabel for bed in a pair of Alfie’s pyjamas. Sarah’s were too big for her but the little girl hadn’t protested. She was still unnaturally quiet but Briony hoped that would pass eventually. She was clearly able to speak, as her outburst in the bathroom had proved!

Deciding that she would clear the table in the dining room whilst the children were quietly sitting in the kitchen, she picked up the tray – but as she was carrying it through the hallway she heard voices raised in disagreement.

‘What do you
mean
they used another undertaker?’ she heard William Frasier say irately. ‘We’ve known the Thomas family all their lives. Why would they go elsewhere?’

‘Because Sebastian said someone else in St Ives offered them a better price.’

‘
Rubbish!
We have caskets to suit all budgets,’ her grandfather responded, but she didn’t wait about to hear any more and instead hurried back to the kitchen. It was the children’s bedtime.

Mabel went to bed meekly enough, although she didn’t seem too pleased with the idea.

‘What time did you go to bed when you were at home?’ Briony asked as she tucked the blankets about her.

‘Whenever I wanted,’ the child muttered.

‘But didn’t your mum tell you when it was time to go?’

‘She was always at the pub by then.’

‘I see. Well, after the big day you’ve had, an early night will do you good.’ Briony stroked the springing curls from the little girl’s forehead, thinking again how pretty she looked now that she was clean. But she was so frighteningly thin. She had thought that Sarah was frail, but compared to Mabel she looked positively robust! Good fresh air and some of Mrs Dower’s lovely home-cooked meals would soon put a little weight on her bones.

She yawned then, realising that she was tired too. I’ll tuck Alfie in then I’ll have a nice hot bath and an early night myself, she promised herself, and after kissing both of the girls she went on her way.

A sound woke Briony from a dream. She had been dancing with Ernie and as her eyes flickered open she felt cheated. Howel had been in the dream too, smiling at her from the edge of the dance floor as he stood with Ruth. She lay for a moment wondering what it was that had woken her, and then it came again. It sounded as if someone was downstairs in the kitchen. Pulling her dressing gown on she crept along the landing and peeped into Alfie’s room. He was fast asleep and snoring gently so she then went to check on Mabel and Sarah. At a glance she saw that Mabel’s bed was empty, so hurrying now she headed for the stairs. The house was silent save for the creaking of the boards and the pipes settling, and she guessed that it must be very early in the morning.

Once downstairs she glanced around and stood listening. The sound seemed to be coming from the large walk-in pantry. She crossed to it and snapped on the light – and then her eyes almost started from her head as she saw Mabel kneeling on the floor stuffing the remains of a loaf of bread into her mouth.

‘Whatever are you doing?’ she gasped. ‘You surely can’t still be hungry after the massive meal you ate this evening. You’ll make yourself ill.’

Mabel’s eyes looked huge in her small face but she hugged the loaf to her possessively.

‘I
am
hungry,’ she said.

‘Well, bring it out here, then and I’ll spread some butter on it for you,’ Briony said calmly.

Mabel inched towards her cautiously, looking like a rabbit that had been caught in a trap. ‘Ain’t you gonna tell me off?’

‘Why should I?’ Briony carried the butter dish to the table then held out her hands for the loaf, which looked as if it had been savaged by a pack of wild dogs. ‘If you’re hungry you only have to say and I’ll always get you something to eat,’ she added patiently. It was hard to believe that a child could be so hungry that they would resort to stealing dry bread, and her heart ached for her.

‘There,’ she said when the bread was buttered. ‘Now would you like some milk to go with that?’

‘Not ’arf!’ Mabel was stuffing her mouth so full again that she was making herself gag and Briony had to look away. The sooner she started to teach the child some table manners the better.

At last Mabel gave a loud burp and patted her stomach.

‘All full up now?’ Briony asked.

‘Yes, but I’ll still want me breakfast.’

‘Of course you will. But come on now. Let’s get you back to bed, eh? We don’t want you being late for school on your first day.’

She held her hand out but Mabel ignored it as she strode towards the stairs again. Soon she was tucked in once more and Briony headed back to her own room, hoping she would be able to pick up on her dream where she had left off.

She had just dropped off again when a piercing scream rent the air, and once again she awoke with a start. It sounded like Mabel – but what could the matter be now?

She was along the landing in a flash and on entering the girl’s room she saw Sarah crouched on her bed looking fearfully towards Mabel.

The child was tangled in her sheets, thrashing about madly, but she seemed to be still asleep.

‘It’s all right, sweetheart,’ she told Sarah. ‘She’s just having a nightmare but she’ll be fine in a minute.’

‘
Mabel
.’ As she leaned down towards the child, Mabel’s small fist flew out and she caught Briony soundly on the chin, making her wince. ‘Blimey, she can’t half pack a wallop,’ she told Sarah, hoping to lighten the atmosphere. She shook Mabel gently and suddenly the little girl’s eyes flew open.

‘
Gerroff me . . . gerroff!
’ she screamed – and then as her eyes settled on Briony all the fight seemed to go out of her and she slumped back against the pillows in a cold sweat.

‘It’s all right, no one is going to hurt you,’ Briony told her soothingly. ‘You were just having a bad dream, that’s all, but it’s over now.’

Mabel gulped deep in her throat as Briony put the bedclothes to rights and then her eyes grew heavy and she turned onto her side and jammed her thumb into her mouth. Sarah had settled back down too and all Briony could do was hope that she might now be able to get a few uninterrupted hours’ sleep.

‘How’s she been?’ Howel asked the next morning when he delivered the day’s supplies. Looking towards Mabel, Briony lowered her voice and told him what had happened during the night.

‘Poor little devil,’ he remarked as he stroked his chin.

‘I don’t know about her, but I don’t feel as if I’ve been to bed,’ Briony yawned.

‘Well, it’s early days but I’m sure she’ll soon be all right,’ he said confidently.

She hoped he was right. When she had got up that morning she had found Mabel lying in a soaking wet bed, but she didn’t tell him about that.

‘I’ve pissed meself . . . I’m sorry,’ Mabel had muttered as she cowered against the wall, obviously expecting to be punished for it.

‘Oh, we all have little accidents. Don’t worry about it,’ Briony had responded airily before whipping her off to the bathroom for a thorough wash. There she had met with yet more problems.

‘Why do I ’ave to ’ave
anuvver
wash?’ the girl had screeched indignantly. ‘I only ’ad a bloody barf yesterday!’

‘But you have to have a bath or a thorough wash
every
day,’ Briony had explained. ‘Otherwise you might smell, and then the other children at school might make fun of you.’

Mabel glared at her. ‘I didn’t ’ave to go to school if I didn’t want to when I lived at ’ome. An’ if the kids made fun o’ me I smacked ’em straight in the gob!’

‘Well, I hope you won’t be doing that at this school,’ Briony said firmly. ‘Because you
will
be going regularly now. How else will you learn your lessons?’

‘Don’t care if I don’t learn
nuffin
’.’ Mabel crossed her arms and stared at her defiantly, but Briony ignored her. She was willing to be lax on a lot of things with this child, but her schooling wasn’t one of them.

Now as Howel watched Mabel slurping her porridge as if it was going out of fashion he remarked, ‘Not the most delicate of eaters, is she?’ His eyes were twinkling with amusement and Briony sighed.

‘That’s not the worst,’ she confided. ‘She swears like a trooper as well. I dread to think what the teachers will do if she starts swearing at them at school.’

Howel changed the subject then when he asked, ‘And how are you getting on with Sebastian?’

She grimaced. ‘Not very well, to be honest. He came storming in here yesterday and gave me a right telling-off just because I’d brought the accounts ledger back from the funeral parlour as my grandmother asked me to.’