Read Online A Mother's Courage by Dilly Court - Free Book Online Page B

the pale glimmer of Ada's
white nightgown as she blundered onwards,
seemingly oblivious to the claustrophobic
atmosphere. When they finally came to a halt,
Eloise thought at first that Ada was kept hidden
away in some sort of garret, but on entering the
room she was amazed to discover a large airy
space. Thick pads of snow covered the roof
windows, gleaming palely in the light of several
oil lamps, and a fire burned in the grate behind a
brass nursery fireguard. A large wooden rocking
horse stood in the middle of the floor, and the
stark white walls were adorned with what
appeared to be pages torn from a scrap book. In
one corner stood an iron bedstead covered with
a bright patchwork quilt, and rag dolls with
painted smiles on their faces lay on the rumpled
pillow. The bare floorboards were dotted with
brightly coloured rugs and littered with
children's books.
    Ada loped over to the bed and leapt upon it,
scooping up an armful of dolls and cuddling
them to her flat chest. 'Mine,' she said, smiling
for the first time. 'I made them all, as I made the
baby that grew in my tummy.' Her face
crumpled and tears spilled from her pale eyes.
'They took her away from me. I keep looking for
her but I can't find her.'
    Touched beyond measure by this simple child-woman,
Eloise went to put her arms around Ada
and she gave her a hug. 'I am so sorry, my dear.
That must have been dreadful for you.'
    Ada wiped her nose on the sleeve of her
cambric nightgown. 'They say she died, but I
don't believe them. My mama died and she was
cold and stiff, but my baby was soft and warm
and she had blue eyes, like me. I'll find her one
day, I will.'
    'I'm sure you will, but I think you ought to get
into bed now and try to sleep.' Eloise pulled back
the coverlet and held it while Ada obligingly
snuggled down between the sheets. It was like
dealing with Joss, Eloise thought sadly as she
bent down to kiss Ada on the forehead. 'Goodnight,
my dear. Sleep tight – don't let the bed
bugs bite.' It was a silly saying from her earliest
memories of childhood, but it seemed appropriate
and it drew a responsive chuckle from
Ada, who curled up with an armful of dollies
and closed her eyes.
    Eloise crept out of this strange other world and
closed the door softly behind her. It was bitterly
cold on the top floor and her thin nightgown felt
like ice as it touched her bare skin. She was
terrified of losing her way in the dark, but some
deep instinct and a desperate need to return to
her children guided her feet through the maze of
corridors as she hurried back to the nursery.
After making certain that Joss and Beth were
sleeping peacefully, Eloise crawled into bed, but
she could not relax. She was chilled to the bone,
and as she lay there shivering her mind was
filled with questions. Who was Ada? Why would
Joan Braithwaite want to keep her hidden from
sight? Obviously the servants had a vague
knowledge of Ada's existence, but both Mabel
and Nancy seemed to think of her as a ghost
rather than as a flesh and blood being. Eloise was
intrigued and curious but also saddened to think
that such a simple soul could be treated with
such callous •indifference. There was little she
could do about it, but she knew she would not be
able to rest until she had discovered the dark
secret which kept poor Ada a virtual prisoner. Of
one thing she was certain: the person who had all
the answers was the formidable Joan.
    Next morning Eloise was already up, dressed
and had given Beth her morning feed when
Mabel arrived with a jug of rapidly cooling water
for the washbowl and a scuttle filled with coal for
the fire. 'Goodness me, missis. You never slept in
here, did you? What will Miss Joan say?'
    Eloise patted Beth's tiny back as she lay over
her shoulder. 'Miss Joan won't know and I doubt
if she would care. Nancy had a bad dream and so
I allowed her to sleep in my room. Anyway, I
prefer to be in here with my children.'
    Mabel put the jug down on the washstand.
'She won't like it, missis. I can