Children of the Tide Read Online Free Page B

a woman – grandmother to this infant. The child has been abandoned and we wish to return him.’
    ‘Like a parcel!’ one of the men guffawed. ‘Lost and found.’
    Sammi ignored him and turned to one of threewomen. ‘We understand that the baby’s mother has died, but he needs a nurse or he’ll die.’
    ‘Then it’s a pity he didn’t die with her.’ One of the women spoke up coarsely. ‘Death can’t be worse than ’workhouse.’
    Another of the women came across to Sammi and undid the blanket wrapped around the child, and peered at him. She smelt of gin and Sammi turned her head away. ‘He’s not one of mine. And none of my mother’s have died this week, though I lost two a month ago. This is a new bairn, no more than a day old. Have a look, Ginny. See what tha thinks.’
    The third woman moved forward slowly, and reluctantly, Sammi thought. She, too, looked down at the child, who was beginning to stir. She ran a rough finger across the child’s cheek and he moved his open mouth towards it. She glanced at Sammi and then back at the baby. ‘He’ll last a bit longer on milk and water, then tha must feed him on pobs if a nurse can’t be found.’
    ‘But we must find his family, he needs love as well as food,’ Sammi implored.
    ‘Maybe they can’t afford to love him, miss. It costs money to love a bairn, but maybe tha’s too young to know that. Too young and not poor enough.’ She was dressed shabbily, but her eyes were honest and she looked directly at Sammi and then at James and Isaac. ‘If there’s nobody to take care of him, then tha’ll have to take him to Charity Hall. They’ll take him. They’ll allus take them that nobody else wants.’
    James’s mother was waiting for them on their return; she was wearing her bedgown and robe, and her eyes were red as if she had been weeping. She was angry and ashamed, she said, at the disgrace that James had brought on the family. ‘What will people think?’ she cried, as they told her that they had not been able to find the woman. ‘How can I possibly meet people if this scandal gets out?’
    ‘It won’t be the first time,’ Isaac said patiently. ‘I’m not diminishing what has happened, my dear, but I imagine that there are very few people whose lives could bear scrutiny.’ He put his hand out towards her. ‘There’s many a young woman slipped up!’
    Mildred ignored his gesture. ‘James must go away for a while so that no-one hears of it.’ Her voice was hushed, but as Sammi watched her she thought that there was fear in her eyes. ‘If he wants to support the child out of his allowance, then that is up to him.’
    ‘But where will the child go, Aunt?’ Sammi appealed in vain to her aunt. ‘There’s only the workhouse or charity!’
    Her aunt didn’t answer, but simply sat straight backed and stared in front of her. There was a clatter of wheels on the drive and Isaac shook his head impatiently. ‘I’m forever telling Gilbert not to come so fast up the drive. The gravel gets knocked all over the flower beds, but I can talk till I’m blue in the face for all the notice he takes!’
    Gilbert was whistling cheerfully in the hall and he put his head around the door. ‘Hello! Still up at this hour?’
    ‘You’re very late, Gilbert. We expected you earlier!’ His mother spoke sharply.
    ‘But I told Father I wouldn’t be home; you didn’t wait supper? I’ve been to the house, I wanted to speak to the builder about some alterations that Harriet wants, and then I went on for a game of billiards.’ He bent to kiss his mother on the top of her head and as he did, he looked across at Sammi and winked.
    He could get away with murder, Sammi thought. His mother’s favourite, whilst poor James— The two brothers were quite different in temperament as well as in physical attributes. Gilbert was self-assured, sociable, arrogant even sometimes. He was tall and athletic, and his side whiskers and his hair, which he hated, were red, like