Nurse Bonnet had come highly recommended. She was a tiny woman almost as far round as she was high with white hair and faded blue eyes. Over the years she had delivered hundreds of babies so at least Jeremiah felt that his niece was in safe hands.
‘Reet then, lass, get your arm round my neck an’ we’ll get you into bed,’ she told Amber in a no-nonsense voice and, too afraid to refuse, Amber obliged.
As the evening progressed Jeremiah paced up and down in the parlour, too worried to even concentrate on his newspaper or take Fancy for a walk. Slowly the wails from upstairs were becoming louder and closer together and he had never felt more helpless in his life. But he trusted Nurse Bonnet and that gave him a measure of comfort. Biddy had been running up and down all night with jugs of hot water and towels and now she looked worn out, but her work wasn’t over yet nor would it be until the baby arrived.
Ten and eleven o’clock chimed on the grandfather clock in the hallway and then midnight, by which time Jeremiah was convinced something must be terribly wrong.
‘Run up and ask Nurse Bonnet if she wants me to fetch the doctor,’ he urged Biddy.
She was back in no time. ‘Nurse says everythin’ is goin’ along fine, sir, an’ it shouldn’t be long now.’ And then suddenly another sound floated down the staircase and they stared at each other. It was the sound of a newborn baby’s cry and Jeremiah was sure nothing had ever sounded so sweet.
‘Thank God,’ he whispered as he went to stand at the foot of the stairs. Minutes later Mrs Carter appeared with a tiny bundle wrapped in a white shawl in her arms and started down the stairs towards him.
‘It’s a little girl, Jeremiah.’ Her voice was full of wonder. ‘A verybeautifullittle girl.’ As she gently folded the shawl back, he found himself staring down into a tiny face. ‘And look, the midwife calls this an angel’s kiss.’ She pointed to a small heart-shaped birthmark on the infant’s thigh.
‘She is truly special then. And Amber?’
‘Doing fine. She was so brave,’ she said with a catch in her voice. ‘But now would you mind coming into the kitchen with me to hold her while I prepare some water for her bath.’
‘Of course.’ Once in the kitchen Jeremiah sank down into Mrs Carter’s favourite chair and when she placed the newborn in his arms he smiled down at her, his joy at her birth tinged with sadness.
‘I don’t think it’s going to be as easy for Amber to give her up as she thought it would be,’ he said quietly and Mrs Carter nodded in agreement.
‘I know. She wouldn’t even look at her and she was crying so hard she couldn’t catch her breath, but what else can the poor lamb do? She wants to feel she’s doing the best for the baby.’
They both fell silent.
‘Well?.?.?. there is something?.?.?.’ he said hesitantly.
‘Oh yes, and what would that be?
‘They could both stay here with us!’ When Mrs Carter stared at him in amazement, he hurried on, ‘It makes sense, doesn’t it? The few people who have met her since she came to stay here believe she is a young widow. They need never know any different.’
‘Hm, I suppose we could put the idea to her,’ she agreed pensively, although deep down she had an idea that Amber wouldn’t agree to it. Other people might not know but Amber would, and the girl had morals.
Once the baby was bathed and dressed in one of the tiny nightshirts Amber and Mrs Carter had made, she was carried upstairs to her mother but the moment Mrs Carter entered the room with her, Amber turned her head away.
The midwife was just about to leave and if she thought it strange that the new mother was showing no interest in her baby, she didn’t comment on it. ‘Right, that’s me done then. You know where I am if you should need me,’ she told them, and keen to get home to her feather bed she quickly took her leave.
‘Surely you want to see her, even if it’s only just the once,’ Mrs Carter urged as she stood at the side of the bed, but again Amber stubbornly refused.
‘It’s only going to make it harder,’ she said in a wobbly voice. ‘Now please take her away and send word to Mr Greenwood that she is ready to leave?.?.?. It’s better this way. There’s no point in delaying it.’
And so with a heavy heart, Mrs Carter took the little one back downstairs. It appeared that Amber had made her mind up and she doubted that anything would change it.
Chapter Twelve
Nurse Bonnet had no sooner arrived back at her home and put the kettle on for a well-earned cup of tea when there was a loud banging on the door. She sighed. It looked set to be a very long night if yet another of her mothers-to-be had gone into labour!
She found Barnaby Greenwood standing on the step with a look of panic on his face. ‘It’s the baby, Nurse.’ Despite the fact that there was a cold wind blowing in off the sea she saw he was in his shirtsleeves. ‘I think it’s coming. We’re staying in Sea View Cottage up on the headland.’
‘I know where you are reet enough,’ she answered wearily. ‘I’ll go an’ get me bag an’ I’ll be with you shortly. Meantime, get her into bed and get me plenty of hot water and towels ready.’
He inclined his head before racing off back to his horse and after hopping lithely into the saddle he galloped away as if the hounds of hell were after him as the nurse went back inside to prepare anything she might need for the next birth.
He had just arrived back at the cottage when he saw a cloaked figure approaching the front door and when he reined his horse to a shuddering halt, he saw that it was Mrs Carter.
‘I’ve come to tell you that the baby has been born.’ She stared at him disapprovingly.
