Daughter of the Home Front by Jennie Jones

Author:Jennie Jones
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mira
Published: 2022-09-07T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Two fractious weeks later, Emma reached the entrance hall after running from the linen room and paused to catch her breath before climbing the stairs to the first landing. She had to get to Wynn, who was in another of the guest bedrooms, dusting the furniture and shaking out dead bugs from the curtains. One of the girls had left the window open all night after sweeping and there were mosquitos and flies everywhere, dead and alive.

Emma hadn’t had time to fully contemplate what might be happening with her letter. The priest had been and gone but now the nuns were in a state of high excitement because they were expecting a bishop to visit after a commendation from the priest and every girl, regardless of how far she was into her pregnancy, had been ordered to scrub and polish everything twice. They’d been at it all week. It was best if she didn’t dwell on her letter, as hope had a way of drifting like clouds which could accumulate at any hour and become a mighty storm.

‘There’s a colossal ruckus going on downstairs,’ she said to Wynn as she stepped inside the guest bedroom at the far end of the first-floor landing, closing the door with her foot. ‘Jemima Cartright is having her baby but the horse has gone lame. They’re sending for another.’ Emma dropped the towels on the end of the bed, then propped her hands on the mattress, leaning forwards, legs apart, to ease the twinge beneath her ribs.

‘I’ve got a pain,’ Wynn said.

Emma took a deep breath and exhaled it. ‘Me too.’ She straightened and pulled the top towel off the stack and shook it out, ready to refold it and hang it neatly over the towel rail next to the dresser. A scream rang out from below and her hands stilled. ‘They’ve put her in the linen room,’ she told Wynn. ‘And guess what? It’s not just Jemima. Cook’s assistant—the one with red hair—scalded herself. She was putting a log in the wood stove and wasn’t paying attention. She’s burned her hand and half her arm. Mandy Smith fainted. Right in front of Sister H.’

‘Where’s Mrs Ross?’

‘They told her to boil water and get some old sheets to put down. They’ve dragged another table into the linen room and said it would all need to happen right there. Apart from Cook’s assistant—she’s been taken to the laundry. Wynn,’ she said in a hushed tone, ‘I saw them take in straps. They’re going to tie Jemima down.’

‘Oh, God,’ Wynn moaned. ‘Have they sent for the doctor?’

‘He’s out on another visit so it’ll be a while before he gets here.’ Emma pushed back strands of hair that had escaped from its tight bun. ‘What’s wrong?’ she asked when she realised her friend hadn’t finished putting the clean pillowcases on the pillows.

‘Where is everybody else?’ Wynn asked.

‘We’ve been told to stay out of the way. The other girls have gone to the dormitory, which is where we’re to go after we’ve finished in here.

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