An Orphan’s Dream

‘It’s odd not going to the infirmary every day,’ Sarah told her with a smile. ‘How are you, Mum? Are the boys all right?’

‘Charlie is thrilled to bits to be working,’ Gwen told her and laughed softly. ‘He couldn’t wait to give me half his wages on Friday – I don’t really want to take his seven shillings, but he is determined to pay for his keep, bless him.’

‘Let him pay, Mum,’ Sarah told her with a smile. ‘You can save some of it for him and then one day, if he needs it, you can give it to him – or spend it on whatever he needs.’

‘Yes, that’s what I’ll do – I used to do the same with the money you gave me. It came in handy for your wedding.’

‘Yes, I know.’ Sarah went to put the kettle on as her mother took a batch of sweet-smelling coconut tarts and another of rock buns from the oven. Her mouth watered in anticipation because those tarts had hot strawberry jam beneath the layer of crisp coconut and were delicious. ‘Oh, my favourites!’

‘Yes, I know. I was going to bring some round,’ Gwen nodded and looked pleased. ‘Ned likes them too.’

‘Is he able to eat them now?’ Not too long ago the young boy had had to be very careful with what he ate and most treats were banned.

‘Last time we visited the doctor he told me to start letting him try things in moderation, so that’s what I’ve done – and he can eat one of these without getting tummy trouble.’

‘How wonderful. I must tell Matron when I visit the infirmary.’

‘Yes, I expect you’ll go in now and then just to see your friends,’ Gwen agreed. ‘Are you feeling well in yourself, love?’

‘Yes, I’m fine, Mum. I could’ve worked a bit longer really but Steve wanted me to look after myself and I couldn’t argue, because he’s so loving and good to me.’

‘So he should be,’ Gwen said but there was only warmth in her tone. Sarah knew her mother truly liked her husband and was glad she’d married him.

‘Look at those drawings Ned did at school,’ Gwen said, indicating some pictures on the sideboard. ‘I think he’s very talented.’

Sarah picked up the drawings, which were of a dog, a cat and a cottage surrounded by trees and flowers. She was surprised how well done they were, far more advanced than she would have expected of a boy of thirteen.

‘This dog is wonderful,’ she said. ‘You should frame it and hang it on the wall, Mum.’

‘Yes, I’d like to – but they belong to Ned. He might like to give it to his mother.’

‘After the way she behaved towards him?’ Sarah shook her head. ‘As far as Ned is concerned you are his mother now. He loves you and he would hate it if he was made to go back to her.’

Gwen nodded. ‘I’m just his foster carer but I would adopt him if they would let me.’

‘Perhaps you should speak to Lady Rosalie about it,’ Sarah suggested. She had made the tea and carried the tray to the table and could no longer resist the tantalising smell of the coconut tarts, biting into one with relish, then going on, ‘I know she’s always looking for more foster mothers – it is possible they might even ask you to take another child on if they get stuck, but I’m not sure if you could actually adopt Ned.’

‘I think I’ll pop round to her office tomorrow,’ Gwen said and smiled as her daughter reached for another of her favourite treats. ‘You can take some of those home, love, you don’t have to eat them all at once!’

‘I hope you didn’t mind my ringing you this evening?’ Matron Mary Thurston asked her friend Lady Rosalie. ‘Only, there is a little girl in our ward, June, and I know she was beaten severely before she was found unconscious in the school playground and brought in to the Rosie. Sister Matthews questioned her very gently and she said it was some bullies outside the school – but I believe it was either June’s mother or father. Sister Matthews noticed she flinched when her parents were mentioned.’

‘Then we must get to the bottom of it – and if June has been ill-treated, we must intervene,’ Lady Rosalie said. ‘I shall start inquiries immediately if you will give me the name of her parents and her address.’

‘Yes, of course,’ Mary said and passed on the details. That done, their conversation turned to other things.

‘When is your son coming home again?’

‘He is going to a friend’s home for a week for the Easter holidays; Freddie Forsdyke comes from a good, kind family so he’ll be all right with them,’ Lady Rosalie said, ‘and I shall have both the boys for part of the long summer holidays – I’m taking them down to our cottage in Cornwall for a month then. Freddie’s father is being posted overseas and his mother wants to go out and see him settled – and so I said I’d have both boys while she’s away.’

‘You’ll enjoy that,’ Mary suggested and heard the smile in her friend’s voice as she agreed.

‘Yes, I shall. Children are so special, it’s why I love my work for the orphans we help to place in foster homes,’ Lady Rosalie told her sincerely. ‘However, a long summer break will be wonderful. I only wish you could come with us, Mary.’

‘Well, I might manage to come down for a week,’ her friend said, ‘if you would like to have me?’

‘Yes, I would love it – and your nurses are well able to look after the infirmary for a week.’

‘Yes, of course they are,’ Mary agreed. ‘I’m not foolish enough to imagine I am indispensable, Rosalie. If I died tomorrow, I could be replaced—’

‘You’re not ill I hope?’ There was sudden alarm in her friend’s voice and Mary laughed.

‘No, not at all, I assure you! I normally don’t bother to take holidays because I have no one to share them with, but if I could spend a week with you and your son and his friend, well, I should enjoy that.’

‘Come for as long as you like. There is plenty of room.’

‘Thank you – but a week will be sufficient, at least this time,’ Mary said. ‘Well, that has cheered me up! I’ve been worrying about a patient we have in isolation – a woman in her seventies who isn’t recovering as she should – but the idea of a holiday at the sea makes me feel much better.’

‘Good, I’m glad of that …’ Lady Rosalie paused and spoke to someone over her shoulder. ‘Forgive me, Mary. Someone has called and I need to speak to him. I shall keep you in touch with what I discover about June’s family.’

‘Yes, of course. Thank you.’

Mary replaced the receiver and smiled. A holiday at the seaside. Well, wasn’t that nice? It was years since she’d been away for a holiday – not since her dearest mother passed on. In her early years of nursing she’d lived at home with Mama and, when her health failed, cared for her, interrupting her nursing career to look after her until she died. While she’d been able, they’d taken a little holiday each year, either at the sea or in the countryside visiting places like Ely in Cambridgeshire. Mama had loved that small town with its beautiful cathedral and they’d spent many happy hours by the river eating either at the Lamb Hotel, where they’d stayed, or in little pubs and cafés. It had been such a happy time …

Sighing, Mary put the memories – good and sad – to the back of her mind. It was time to make her rounds of the infirmary. First of all, she would go to the kitchens and have a chat with young Kathy who had been looking a little down in the mouth lately so she’d see if she could help, and then she would call in on Edie Simpson and see how she was getting on. At least she had a chance of avoiding the spread of an infection – and she’d alerted Rosalie to the plight of little June. She frowned at the thought of the little girl’s injuries. So many children in the district were ill-treated and she couldn’t possibly help them all, but those that came to her attention would be looked after and cared for. She just wished she could stop the cruelty but it was a huge task …

Kathy finished her work in the kitchens and got ready to go home. Her husband Bert was still working, but she had a half day and she was almost reluctant to leave. Here there were people to talk to and have a laugh with but at home her mother would be grumbling as usual. Nothing Kathy ever did was quite right, even though she tried hard to please.

Bert could do no wrong in his mother-in-law’s eyes but Kathy had only to suggest that she did one of the jobs her mother normally did and it brought down a ton of complaints on her head.

Matron had asked Kathy if anything was wrong, but she couldn’t tell her – it would be disloyal, for one thing, and for another it would sound as if she were the one complaining. It wasn’t that she didn’t love her mother, she did – but perhaps two women living in the same house would never quite agree.

Kathy wished now and then that they had decided to live in their own house when they married, but her mum had offered to take them in and, as Bert said, it made sense.

Sighing, Kathy decided to buy a nice cream cake for tea from Lavender and Lace, the lovely little teashop around the corner that all the nurses liked to buy special treats from. Kathy liked them too, but Mum thought it was a waste of money – well, it was her money and for once she was going to do as she liked and take a treat home that they would all enjoy.

She thought about what Matron had been telling her about Lady Rosalie’s orphans and wondered how folk could be cruel to young children. Kathy loved going up to the children’s ward; she liked talking and playing with the children but couldn’t stop long because she always had work to do.

It would be nice to foster one of those unfortunate kids, Kathy thought – or to have a child of her own. A smile touched her mouth. If she was living in her own home, she would have had a little girl or boy to live with her and be glad to help with some of Matron’s hard luck stories, but of course it wasn’t her house and her mother would say she had too much to do already – but Kathy had a big heart and perhaps one day she would have a family to match …

CHAPTER 7

Danny opened his eyes and looked about him. It was dark in this place, darker than it had been in the house he’d first been taken to and he thought they were somewhere near the docks from the sounds coming from outside. He’d heard hooting from barges on the river earlier, when a little light had still shown through the high windows, and the noise of a crane working – at least, he thought it was a crane. Once he’d heard men’s voices coming from outside and he’d tried to call out to alert them but Jake had been there and had hit him hard just above his ear and knocked him to the ground. Danny had lost consciousness then and it was dark now that he was awake again.

‘Are you awake, Danny?’ he heard the soft timid voice of the little girl he now knew was called Marjorie and felt the touch of her small hand on his. She’d clung to him after he’d arrived at the house and he’d tried to comfort her through that first night and the next day until they were all given something to drink that made them fall asleep. When he’d woken, he’d found they were all still together and he was one of the last to wake.

‘They give yer more ter make sure you was knocked out,’ Ron told him when Danny tried to stand and fell back, his head spinning. ‘I heard that bugger Ron say as you were a troublemaker.’

Danny had felt sick and his head was pounding. He’d sat on the floor until the dizziness passed and Marjorie had sat next to him, her shoulder against his, seeking warmth.

‘I’m cold, Danny,’ she’d told him. ‘I’m hungry …’

‘Yes, so am I,’ Danny had agreed. His stomach ached because he hadn’t eaten since he’d been given those fish and chips. He thought the men were keeping them hungry to subdue them and he felt the anger ball inside him. If he had something sharp, he would stick it into Jake the next time he came near him.

‘Are you all right?’ Marjorie asked now and Danny looked at her. She was only eight and looked so small and vulnerable that he felt protective of her. Those wicked devils had stolen her from the street outside her front garden when her mother was hanging out the washing in the back garden. She’d screamed and kicked but they’d bundled her into a van and driven off with her and she was terrified and often cried for her mother. ‘I was worried when you didn’t move after that man hurt you.’

‘I’m all right, Marjorie,’ Danny told her and put his arm around her, trying to instil some warmth into her frail body. ‘I’ll try to protect you as much as I can.’

Tears filled her blue eyes. ‘What will they do to us, Danny?’ she asked. She sniffed and wiped her nose on the sleeve of her coat which was blue and looked better than most of what the others were wearing. Danny thought she must have been taken from a better area. Her parents were probably frantic with worry, and they were right to worry, because unless he and Ron could find a way for them all to escape the future looked frightening for all of them.

‘I don’t know – but it isn’t nice and it’s against the law to hold us here like this,’ Danny said. ‘We’re going to try to get out of here when they open that door, so you stick close to me, Marjorie. Run when I tell you to … do you promise?’

Marjorie nodded vigorously and her hand held on to his. He knew she was frightened and he tried to be brave and strong for her, even though, underneath, he was nervous himself. He would do what he could to get away from here, but he wasn’t going without Marjorie and the others could come if they were quick enough. He knew Ron had been telling the other boys what their plan was: to all attack the men they feared at the same time, kicking, scratching and biting at once so they were overwhelmed. It wasn’t much against men armed with drugs that could knock them out, men who had far more strength than them, but since they had no weapons it was all they could do. They had to fight or they were lost!

‘I shall be glad to get off duty,’ Constable Steve Jones remarked to his fellow officer after they’d finished pounding the beat allotted to them that evening. He stamped his feet to instil a little warmth into them. ‘I suppose we’d better check out the information that docker gave us and then we can get off to the station for a cuppa. It will probably be a waste of time, but we’ve got to show willing.’

‘Too bleedin’ right,’ Constable Reed agreed and grinned at him. He was a tall, thin man, new to the station and eager to earn his place amongst his colleagues. ‘Even he said it’s probably nothing – a light flickering last night in the old abandoned Hudson warehouse was probably vagrants sheltering overnight, but then he thought he heard a child scream this morning when he went into work and it’s been playing on his mind so he decided to report it. So we need to make sure – especially with that little girl being reported missing Thursday last week.’

Some of their colleagues had already searched the docks looking for little Marjorie Lacey but so far there was no sign of her. The search was still going on but hope had faded of finding her alive. It was thought she must have wandered away and they were considering dragging the river for her body.

‘The place has been empty, for years,’ Constable Steve Jones said. ‘The import firm it belonged to went out of business and for a while a gang of thieves took it over to store their ill-gotten goods, but we put most of them away last winter.’

They were approaching the warehouse now and it was immediately clear that the derelict building was once again being used, because the bar and padlock had been taken off and the door was slightly open. Constable Jones sent a warning look at his colleague and received a nod of understanding in return. Both men grasped their truncheons, determined looks on their faces. If someone was up to no good it was their job to sort it out.

Pausing outside the door, they heard a cry of alarm and then a child’s scream, followed by more yells. Galvanised into action Constable Jones wrenched the door open and charged in, followed closely by his colleague. One young boy and a small girl were huddled together under the guard of one disreputable rogue, while two others were holding a second boy on the ground. Another two slightly bigger lads were attacking the abusers with feet and fists and yelling.

Constable Jones’ truncheon crunched against the neck of the man attacking the lad and Constable Reed hit the second man in the face. The rogue went down with a grunt and stayed down as a third man came charging in like a bull but the young constable swung his truncheon, hitting him three times in the face until he went down on his knees, blood streaming from a cut over his eyebrow.

‘Bloody pigs,’ the first man muttered as he fought back with his fists, but he was no match for an infuriated Constable Jones and went down after the fourth blow on his shoulder. Constable Reed kicked the man at his feet in the side but was warned by his more experienced colleague.

‘Reasonable force,’ he barked. ‘Put your cuffs on him, mate.’

Constable Jones cuffed his own prisoner, resisting the urge to beat the filthy beast to a pulp. He knew how his colleague felt, but he also knew their superiors would kick up a fine dust if they worked the offenders over. It was dinned into their heads all the time that their duty was to apprehend and leave the punishment to others, no matter how much they would love to give the bastards what they deserved.

The boy who had been on the floor was shaking and another one of them was holding the side of his head, but the one protecting the girl was pale and angry. His eyes smouldered with resentment as he looked at the men now being ordered to stand up by the police constables.

‘Why don’t yer kill the buggers?’ he said bitterly. ‘It’s what they deserve. I’d ’ave done fer ’im if I could.’

‘And what’s your name, young ’un?’ Constable Jones asked.

The boy hesitated for a moment, then, ‘Danny. I thought ’e was all right ’cos he give me fish and chips, but ’e’s the worst of the lot.’

‘You’ve learned a useful lesson then, Danny,’ Steve said. ‘It’s best not to trust strangers – unless they’re police officers or men who have been introduced to you by someone you know well.’ He paused, then said quietly, ‘Have you been hurt?’

‘Only cuts and bruises – but I’m not sure about the other two, or what they had in store for me and Marjorie. They brought us all ’ere last night because they were goin’ ter sell us to some bloke but ’e didn’t turn up so they got drunk.’

‘Good lad,’ Constable Jones nodded to his colleague. ‘Go and get some help here, mate. We need an ambulance for the children.’ He glanced down at the men lying battered and bruised on the ground and then at the one he’d forced to his knees and cuffed. ‘I’ll take this one to the station.’ He saw that Danny looked nervous and took his helmet off. ‘You’re not in trouble, lad. You seem bright to me and you can likely give me some more information.’

‘Look out, sir!’

Constable Jones moved sharply as the cuffed man lunged at him. This time he used his fists and felt a satisfactory crunch as the man’s jaw cracked under his hammer blows and he fell to his knees with a groan. Steve Jones shot a look of triumph at his victim.

‘I’m an amateur boxing champion, you bit of shit, and that was sweet. Try it again and I’ll break your ribs. Just have another go. Please. I’d love an excuse to do for you once and for all. Think yourself lucky I stick within the law!’

The man spat at his boots but Constable Jones didn’t rise to the provocation. He knew the police doctor would question him rigorously about the man’s injuries. Glancing at the smaller boys, he felt shocked to his core that these men could take advantage of these vulnerable children in this way. They were cruel and heartless, using them for their own ends and ruining their young lives.

‘Tell your friends I’m sorry,’ he said to Danny. ‘Tell them they will be going to the hospital, where they will be safe and cared for.’

‘All right – what about me?’ Danny asked, his jaw jutting defiantly.

Steve looked at him, smiled and nodded. ‘I’m going to take you to the police station and get a statement. After that I’ll give you a cup of tea and a bacon sandwich – and then we’ll see.’

‘Danny has been through a rotten time,’ Constable Steve Jones said to the matron of the Rosie three hours later. ‘I’ve left him with Sister Matthews. He’ll be all right with her, I know – but I thought I’d better tell you Danny’s history.’

‘He was one of the children they hadn’t physically abused,’ Matron said and the look on her face spoke volumes. ‘Why was that do you suppose?’

‘He said he fought them off and I think you’ll find he’s got a few fresh bruises – and some old ones. Danny was badly beaten by his father which is why he went on the run a few days ago. He couldn’t remember exactly how long, but he thinks it might be a week or a bit more.

‘How did he get picked up?’

‘He was hungry and a man offered him food – told him he would show him where the Sally Army Hall was and that they would give him a bed for the night. Danny trusted him because his mum had told him the Sally Army was all right, but they locked him in a house in a dingy alley with the others and then moved them to the warehouse to be taken away by someone on a ship.’ He shook his head. ‘They would have been sold overseas and that would have been the end of them.’

‘My God! It sticks in your throat,’ Matron declared, furious now.

Steve nodded. ‘I wanted to kill them – but I’m trained to obey the law.’

She nodded her understanding. ‘Could Danny tell you where the house was?’

Steve nodded and smiled in satisfaction. ‘He’s a bright boy and when he realised what was happening to him, he started taking notice. He said the name of the alley was Treacle Lane and it was the fifth house down on the left and the window has a crack in it.’

‘Very bright boy,’ Matron said and looked surprised. ‘I don’t think many lads would have noticed that sort of detail.’

‘His mum told him always to take notice of things so he could tell her,’ Steve said, nodding. ‘I knew there was something special about him so that’s why I chose him to give evidence. His friend’s name is Ron and he’s been taken to another hospital while the little girl has been restored to her parents after a health check.’

‘I am very glad to hear it,’ Matron said. ‘At least we have one happy ending.’

‘Her mother cried. She’d been blaming herself for not watching Marjorie and I think her husband half-blamed her too – but they have their daughter back and they’re lucky. Had a conscientious docker not reported what he saw and heard, she might have disappeared forever.’

‘Poor little thing,’ Matron said and now she looked angry. ‘If I had my way men like that would hang.’

‘The law doesn’t allow for that – unless we can prove a child has died because of what they’ve done, but I know they will be put away for a long time. We caught them red-handed and we’ll make sure they don’t breathe fresh air again for years.’ His eyes took on a grim look.

Matron nodded. ‘They deserve all they get. And you say the other children have been taken elsewhere?’

‘To the London Hospital, because they were in a bad way. The older one isn’t talking but I think he has been on the streets a while,’ Steve said. ‘We know there’s a gang trading in children – these brutes were planning to sell the children on to them, but when the buyer didn’t turn up, they took their anger out on the kids. I dread to think what might have happened if we hadn’t got there when we did.’

Matron crossed herself. ‘Dear God, what is the world coming to? Men do such evil things sometimes – may the Good Lord forgive them and protect our children.’

‘It’s a terrible world, Matron,’ Constable Jones said. ‘It makes me sick to my guts sometimes – and this is the tip of the iceberg, believe me, though we manage to find some of the missing kids before it’s too late.’

‘I thought we had put that kind of thing behind us in Victorian times … Well, we’ll be glad to take Danny,’ Matron said shaking her head in distress. ‘It’s the least we can do – and you can be certain he will be safe here with us until Lady Rosalie can find a foster home for him.’