‘What do you think?’
‘Go on a train?’ he asked, hopefully.
Evelyn nodded. ‘Yes. And can you guess where the train is taking us?’
‘To the sea?’
Evelyn nodded again, happy to see Nicholas was as excited about the trip as she was.
‘Is Nanny Bird coming?’
‘Of course.’
Evelyn was glad to see that Nicholas was pleased. She had gone to great trouble to find a nanny that was both efficient and caring. Nicholas loved Nanny Bird and Evelyn, unlike her own mother, did not feel jealous. She only felt contentment that he was happy.
‘Did you visit the seaside when you were a little girl?’ asked Nicholas.
Evelyn kissed him on the head. ‘No, which is why I am looking forward to it so much. Now go to sleep, or you will be too tired to enjoy it.’
She went to the door, but paused on the threshold to look at him. She could see the shape of his body clearly in his bed for it was still summer and darkness came late in the day. She smiled at his face peeping out from under the covers and he smiled back at her. She loved him so much. If things had been different . . .
At first she had hated Drake for leaving her, but she no longer felt that way. Her feelings towards him had quickly changed after Tilly’s confession and she still wondered if she would have ever learnt the truth if their paths had not accidently crossed.
She had been married for two years when she spotted her former maid in the street. Desperate for companionship, Evelyn had crossed the road to speak to her.
She was glad to see that Tilly looked well. She was married, she said, with a child of her own, but despite their once closerelationship, she appeared reluctant to stay. Evelyn, however, would not be discouraged and insisted they took tea and cake at the nearest teashop to discuss old times. Soon they were seated opposite each other, both nursing steaming tea in fine china cups with a plate of delicacies placed between them.
It was meant to be a happy experience, but suddenly tears sprung to Tilly’s eyes. Her confession quickly followed, spilling forth in a rush that shocked Evelyn into silence. She finally learnt the awful truth as Tilly told her everything, in detail and in chronological order, as if she had practiced it a thousand times.
Evelyn learnt about her meddling and betrayal. She heard, for the first time, why Drake had not been waiting for her, the beating he had suffered at the hands of a drunken man spurred on by a drunken confession. The injuries he endured had almost killed him. She listened to her former maid’s reasons for her actions, how Tilly’s concern for Evelyn’s future, and her love for Drake, had spurred her on and convinced her that what she was doing was right. Time ticked by. Their tea grew colder and the delicacies remained untouched. When Tilly finally finished, she begged Evelyn to forgive her. Evelyn felt too drained to grant her what she wished for. She could not even look at her, whilst her heart felt too raw to be kind.
Tilly had then let out a sob and stood abruptly causing the table to rock, teacups to rattle and tea to spill into their saucers. She left the teashop, sobbing and Evelyn did not stop her. Instead she watched her leave, frozen with shock and numb to her pain. It was the soft hum of the remaining customers’ whispers that finally brought Evelyn back to life. She looked through the window at the street outside and saw Tilly’s hat disappearing into the crowd. It was the last time she would ever see her.
Evelyn left Nicholas sleeping and made her way to the morning room. Mawgan rarely visited her here as it was seenas her domain, just as the study was his. She looked round the empty, silent room. The decor remained the same as when her aunt Edith had it decorated and although it was not to Evelyn’s taste, she did not dislike it enough to make any great changes. She went to her writing desk, opened the drawer and retrieved the letter she had received that morning. She opened and read it for the tenth time.
Thank you for your article, entitled “The Rest Cure: A patient’s perspective”. We are writing to confirm that your insightful and harrowing experience of the aforementioned treatment has been accepted for publication and will appear in next month’s edition of Health and Home. As per your request, the author of the article will bear the pseudonym, Mrs Turvey. Thank you for your submission. Your account has highlighted that this form of treatment, if used by ill-trained or unscrupulous professionals, is at risk of abuse and, therefore, should be brought to the attention of a wider audience.’
Evelyn neatly folded the letter and slid it back into the envelope. It was a small journal and she had not been brave enough to put her name to it, but for once she felt that she was fighting back and that some good would come from her experience. It was a small step, but great expeditions always started with one step.
* * *
Evelyn, Nanny Bird and Nicholas boarded the train and took a seat in one of the first class compartments. Nicholas’s excitement for the train journey was infectious, and soon afterthe train pulled out of the station, his mother and nanny joined him at the window to watch the countryside pass by.
The train stopped at three minor stations bringing with it a cloud of grey smoke and hissing steam, which billowed onto the rudimentary platforms. At one of the stations a small band of buskers boarded a second-class carriage. Evelyn could just hear their joyful music wafting towards them, before it was silenced by the chug, chug of the train’s engine as it pulled out of the station. Evelyn would have liked to leave their first class compartment and join the buskers’ in theirs, but with no corridor to connect them, they had to remain where they were. Nicholas seemed content to look out of the window and she decided, for safety reasons, it was probably best for them to remain isolated from strangers. After all, they were two women travelling alone with a child and one could not be too careful. Evelyn felt she was being quite daring leaving Cornwall, albeit it was only by the width of the River Tamar.
The distinct noise and iron tubular arches of the Royal Albert Bridge, which spanned the wide river, signalled to the train’s occupants that their journey was already coming to an end. Their destination was Plymouth, which was a large sprawling town on the verge of becoming a city and boasted one of the finest natural harbours in England. Their train journey had been short and over far too soon.
They took a short carriage ride from the station to Plymouth Hoe. In recent years, the increased railway network had made it a popular destination for tourists. At the top, overlooking the harbour was Hoe Park. The landscaped gardens were mainly laid to grass and laced with leisure walks made up of sweeping steps and winding paths that led down to the sea.
At the water’s edge was the grand promenade and stretching out into the bay of Plymouth Sound was the Grand Pier. Built only a decade before, it’s white, Indian inspired, domed canopyprovided the final touch of grandeur making Plymouth Hoe an acceptable place for the upper class to visit and mix with the working classes.
A brass band playing in the bandstand, the call of the ice cream vendors from their coloured wagons and the laughter of children playing on the grass overlooking the harbour, provided a relaxing soundtrack to the sunny day. Evelyn finally felt the tension brought about by her unhappy marriage, drain away.
They wasted no time in enjoying the day. They rode on the fair rides at the end of the pier, played hoopla, enjoyed a boat ride around the bay and walked for miles along the promenade. Finally Nanny Bird laid out a blanket on the lush grass of the park and the three of them settled upon it to eat ice cream served in glass cones. From their vantage point they watched women and girls playing in the naturally made water pool, which had been designated for ladies only. Further south, on a small pebbly beach, Evelyn knew that there was a bathing spot for gentlemen and boys. Evelyn hoped Nicholas would not ask to bathe. She had no male companion to accompany him and she would hate to have to refuse him.
Evelyn’s gaze wandered over the other visitors, while Nanny Bird and Nicholas counted the ships and rowing boats in the harbour. Evelyn enjoyed people watching and glimpsing into their lives. Perhaps it was because her own childhood had been so isolated, much like her adult life now. Nannies pushed perambulators, met and talked, whilst couples took leisurely strolls as they enjoyed the sea air. Evelyn turned to look behind her where a group of men caught her attention. They were talking and looking around at the gardens, arms occasionally lifted to point at certain landmarks as if discussing future developments. Evelyn’s heart began to thud as the men parted and she recognised the man in the middle. It was Drake.
He was speaking, she could tell, although she was too far away to hear. The men around him appeared to be listening intently, before shaking his hand and going their separate ways. Evelyn’s heart lurched in her chest. She had to see him, even if it was only to bring closure on their past.
