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Authors: Charlotte Betts
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thing when a house is shut up but I believe the Lord Mayor was right to insist upon it. The pestilence is
contained, especially in the poorer alleys where so many live crowded together.’
‘I can’t bear to think about it.’ Susannah reached out for Martha’s hand. ‘But all goes well with you and the babe? You look
so serene,’ she said, ‘even though it’s near your time. Aren’t you afraid?’
‘What purpose would that serve?’ Unconsciously, Martha clasped the silver cross at her neck. ‘As with the plague, I place
my trust in a merciful God. Fear breeds fear so I do not waste my strength but save it for the travail ahead. Besides, the
Lord has smiled upon me. Five babies and only one has been called to the arms of his Maker.’
Susannah envied her friend’s calm acceptance of her fate. ‘There is a bunch of thyme in the basket for you. When the pains
start make an infusion and sip it slowly. It will help you to have a safe and speedy delivery and bring the afterbirth away
cleanly.’
‘Thank you. Now tell me how the world is with you. What of your stepmother?’
Susannah pulled a face. ‘I cannot like her. We had a terrible argument yesterday. We found a mouse had got into the flour
crock. Jennet couldn’t understand it. Tibby has always been such an excellent mouser that the little beasts never dared to
show their whiskersin our kitchen. And then we realised we hadn’t seen the cat for two days. It turned out Arabella had called the dog-killer
and handed Tibby over to him.’
‘Surely Tibby was no threat to your health?’
‘Of course not! She never strayed further than the yard. The dog-killer is meant for the dogs and cats that roam the streets
and spread the pestilence. It was pure spite on Arabella’s behalf, since Tibby scratched Mathew when he teased her.’
‘She doesn’t sound very kind.’
‘She thinks only of herself. I wouldn’t mind so much if I didn’t believe she married Father for his money.’
‘But of course she did!’ said Martha. ‘What else is a poor widow with children to do? And she makes him happy, doesn’t she?’
Reluctantly Susannah nodded. ‘So long as she has whatever she desires. I have never known such a greed for fripperies. We
have made a new friend and it has given her the frequent excuse that she needs a new dress or a pair of gloves or a silk petticoat,
since there are more social occasions.’
‘A new friend?’
Susannah’s cheeks stained pink. ‘Mr Henry Savage, the cousin of Dr Ambrose. He is recently come from Barbados.’
‘Is he married?’
‘No.’
‘Aha!’ Martha smiled. ‘And is he tall, dark and handsome?’
‘Oh! I’ve hardly noticed,’ said Susannah, unable to meet her friend’s questioning eyes. ‘Not too tall, about my own height.
And he has golden-brown hair, which has a natural wave. He doesn’t wear a wig.’ Susannah smiled a little to herself as she
remembered the way the sun brought out the golden lights in Henry’s hair. ‘His complexion is a little swarthy from years spent
in the hot sun but he has good teeth, such blue eyes and a merry smile.’
‘Tell me about these social occasions.’
‘Well, we took a boat upriver to Barn Elms and had a picnic on the river bank and we went on another excursion to Wandsworth.
Mr Savage had to search high and low to hire a horse since they havenearly all left London for the country now and it cost him a great deal. But he said no effort was too much to give me pleasure.’
Susannah felt quite puffed up with pride that he paid her so much attention.
‘Did he now?’
‘We wanted to go to the theatre but it’s shut because of the plague so we took the children to see the lions at the Tower.
I haven’t been since I was a girl and it was such fun.’
‘I’m very glad to hear that you are able to put your books away for a little and go out into the world.’
‘I do confess I have enjoyed all these social events more than
contained, especially in the poorer alleys where so many live crowded together.’
‘I can’t bear to think about it.’ Susannah reached out for Martha’s hand. ‘But all goes well with you and the babe? You look
so serene,’ she said, ‘even though it’s near your time. Aren’t you afraid?’
‘What purpose would that serve?’ Unconsciously, Martha clasped the silver cross at her neck. ‘As with the plague, I place
my trust in a merciful God. Fear breeds fear so I do not waste my strength but save it for the travail ahead. Besides, the
Lord has smiled upon me. Five babies and only one has been called to the arms of his Maker.’
Susannah envied her friend’s calm acceptance of her fate. ‘There is a bunch of thyme in the basket for you. When the pains
start make an infusion and sip it slowly. It will help you to have a safe and speedy delivery and bring the afterbirth away
cleanly.’
‘Thank you. Now tell me how the world is with you. What of your stepmother?’
Susannah pulled a face. ‘I cannot like her. We had a terrible argument yesterday. We found a mouse had got into the flour
crock. Jennet couldn’t understand it. Tibby has always been such an excellent mouser that the little beasts never dared to
show their whiskersin our kitchen. And then we realised we hadn’t seen the cat for two days. It turned out Arabella had called the dog-killer
and handed Tibby over to him.’
‘Surely Tibby was no threat to your health?’
‘Of course not! She never strayed further than the yard. The dog-killer is meant for the dogs and cats that roam the streets
and spread the pestilence. It was pure spite on Arabella’s behalf, since Tibby scratched Mathew when he teased her.’
‘She doesn’t sound very kind.’
‘She thinks only of herself. I wouldn’t mind so much if I didn’t believe she married Father for his money.’
‘But of course she did!’ said Martha. ‘What else is a poor widow with children to do? And she makes him happy, doesn’t she?’
Reluctantly Susannah nodded. ‘So long as she has whatever she desires. I have never known such a greed for fripperies. We
have made a new friend and it has given her the frequent excuse that she needs a new dress or a pair of gloves or a silk petticoat,
since there are more social occasions.’
‘A new friend?’
Susannah’s cheeks stained pink. ‘Mr Henry Savage, the cousin of Dr Ambrose. He is recently come from Barbados.’
‘Is he married?’
‘No.’
‘Aha!’ Martha smiled. ‘And is he tall, dark and handsome?’
‘Oh! I’ve hardly noticed,’ said Susannah, unable to meet her friend’s questioning eyes. ‘Not too tall, about my own height.
And he has golden-brown hair, which has a natural wave. He doesn’t wear a wig.’ Susannah smiled a little to herself as she
remembered the way the sun brought out the golden lights in Henry’s hair. ‘His complexion is a little swarthy from years spent
in the hot sun but he has good teeth, such blue eyes and a merry smile.’
‘Tell me about these social occasions.’
‘Well, we took a boat upriver to Barn Elms and had a picnic on the river bank and we went on another excursion to Wandsworth.
Mr Savage had to search high and low to hire a horse since they havenearly all left London for the country now and it cost him a great deal. But he said no effort was too much to give me pleasure.’
Susannah felt quite puffed up with pride that he paid her so much attention.
‘Did he now?’
‘We wanted to go to the theatre but it’s shut because of the plague so we took the children to see the lions at the Tower.
I haven’t been since I was a girl and it was such fun.’
‘I’m very glad to hear that you are able to put your books away for a little and go out into the world.’
‘I do confess I have enjoyed all these social events more than
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