Page 37 of Mrs. Endicott's Splendid Adventure

Ellie climbed the steps to the house, the sun and salt stinging on her skin.

It was the first thing she had done in her whole life that had felt dangerous, but exciting.

And Nico had told her she could take the boat out if nobody was renting it.

The thought of taking it out alone was terrifying, but she knew she was going to do it.

Opening the front door, she called out, “The pirate woman returns. You won’t believe what I’ve just done ...”

Silence met her. “Dora? Mavis?”

Then from upstairs came a scream. Ellie stumbled as she rushed up the stairs. The scream came again, from Yvette’s room. She opened the door. Yvette was lying on the bed, while Dora and Mavis stood beside her.

“The baby’s coming,” Mavis said. “I’m so glad you’re back. We don’t know what to do.”

Yvette let out a little moan. “The pain, the pain,” she whimpered.

“Mavis, is Bruno working today?” she asked. “Tell him to go and fetch the doctor. Tell him the baby is coming. I’ll wash my hands and do what I can.”

Ellie washed, then assembled towels and a bowl of hot water. She had given birth twice, but the midwife had given her instructions, and frankly the pain was so overwhelming that the whole thing was a blur. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do to help Yvette.

“Don’t worry,” she said, putting a comforting hand on Yvette’s arm. “It will all be over soon.”

“Make it go away,” the girl shouted. “I don’t want this. I don’t want a baby. I want to go home.”

Mavis burst back into the room, panting, having run. “Bruno’s nowhere around,” she said. “I’d better go down to get the doctor.”

“Yes, thank you, Mavis,” Ellie said. “I’m afraid you better. I’m no expert at this. I don’t know what’s normal.”

The last part of her sentence was cut off by Yvette screaming again, imploring the Madonna and all the saints.

Since she had shown no interest in religion before, Ellie assumed she must be in great distress.

She stared down at Yvette’s swollen body, at blood that was now escaping on to the towel.

What if the child was stuck and needed to be pulled out?

And what if the child died, or Yvette died because she didn’t do what she had to?

Time passed as an eternity. Yvette screamed, tossed, sweated, then grew calm again. Dora stood on the other side of the bed, shooting worried glances at Ellie.

“Is it supposed to take this long?” she asked in English.

“One of mine was over twelve hours,” Ellie said.

“I don’t think I can stand it that long,” Dora said. “Can she really be in that much pain? Do you think she’s dramatizing?”

“Oh no,” Ellie said. “I’m sure she is in pain. I was, but being British, I didn’t scream.”

Dora smiled.

At last they heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Mavis came in. “I found the doctor. He was about to drive to a farm, but luckily I stopped him.”

The doctor came into the room, carrying his black bag. “Now, young lady,” he said firmly. “Stop that noise. I am here. There is nothing to concern yourself about. This is all quite normal. Let’s take a look at you.”

He washed his hands in the basin on the wall, dried them, then examined Yvette.

“Good,” he said. “The head is coming down nicely. It should not take too long now.”

“Make it stop,” Yvette begged, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“It will soon be over. What you have to do is to push when I tell you. Not yet, but soon. Understand me?”

“Yes, monsieur le docteur,” she replied in a small voice.

After that, everything calmed down. Yvette stopped screaming and only made small grunting noises of desperation as she pushed. And then, all of a sudden, there was a rush of fluids, and the baby came shooting out. “Congratulations, young lady,” he said. “You have a lovely baby girl.”

“Oh,” Yvette said. “A baby girl.”

The doctor tied off the cord, cut it, wrapped the child in a towel and handed her to Ellie.

“You can get her cleaned up,” he said, turning to Ellie, “then give her to the mother to let her nurse. That encourages the milk to come in. And make sure the afterbirth is delivered properly. I must be on my way. I’m needed elsewhere. ”

Then he was gone, and Ellie was left literally holding the baby. When she finally handed her to Yvette, the girl stared down at the tiny bundle, the dark eyes staring in wonderment at her face.

“She is so perfect,” Yvette said.

“What would you like to call her?” Dora asked.

Yvette kept on staring. “Josephine, I think. After the empress. She was very beautiful, wasn’t she?”

“Josephine. Very nice,” Dora said.

“She can be Jojo,” Yvette said. “N’est-ce pas?”

Ellie encouraged her to put the baby to her breast. Josephine immediately latched on and began sucking. This made Yvette laugh. “How does she know?” she asked. “This feels so strange.”

“Well,” Dora said after they had left Yvette to sleep with the baby beside her, “that’s that, then. I hope she doesn’t become too attached to that child, because she’ll surely have to give it up. There’s no way she can keep it.”

“I suppose not,” Ellie said hesitantly. Dora frowned, watching Ellie’s face.

“Now don’t you dare say that she can go on living here with us and we’ll help take care of the child,” she said firmly.

“At least until she’s got her strength back, Dora. And then it’s up to her what she wants to do. Maybe she can write to her young man in prison and make a plan for their future.”

“I don’t see how, if he’s got five years to serve,” Dora said. “They are not going to release him on compassionate grounds because he’s fathered a child.”

“No, I suppose not.”

“And frankly, I don’t want to be uncharitable, but I’d prefer to have my last moments on earth without her mooching around. She’s not exactly the most lovable of creatures at the best of times.”

“I know,” Ellie said. “But let’s not discuss this now. I’ll go and see Father André and learn where she can safely hand over the child.”

But she put this off, returning to the doorway and watching the tiny human asleep in Yvette’s arms. What if she does want to keep it? a voice whispered. Couldn’t we make it possible for her?

And then it was decided for them. One morning two weeks later they woke up to find that Yvette had gone. No note. No message. Just her clothing taken from the wardrobe and the baby lying in its bed, howling to be fed.

“Well, at least that settles it,” Dora said as Ellie picked up the baby and attempted to quieten it. “We take the child to the nearest nuns and drop it off there.”

Ellie looked down at Jojo’s tiny face. “I can’t do that,” she said. “What if Yvette has only gone off to think, to make up her mind? What if she’s gone in an attempt to see Pierre? Or to find a situation that will let her keep her child?”

Dora shrugged. “She hasn’t shown much initiative before,” she said. “So you’re suggesting we keep this child?”

“For now, Dora. Just for now.”

“And how do we feed her?”

Ellie sighed. “I presume there are plenty of mothers who can’t breastfeed for some reason or other.”

“They employ a wet nurse, and neither of us is equipped to perform such a task,” Dora said icily.

“I think wet nurses went out of fashion long ago,” Ellie said. “I’ll ask the doctor. He’ll know.” She reached out and put a tentative hand on Dora’s shoulder. “It’s only for now, Dora. We have to give Yvette a chance.”

“I’d say you’ve given her more than a fair chance, Ellie.

We’ve handed everything to her on a plate.

We’re paying her doctor bills. We’ve fed and housed her.

And now she has left us in the lurch. Gone without a word, without a single thank you.

She has played us for fools, Ellie. That’s what she’s done.

I guarantee she’s off on the Riviera at this moment. ”

“How can she be? She’s no money, has she?” She paused. “I’d better check my jewellery box. So should you.”

They returned almost immediately. “One or two of my good pieces are gone,” Dora said.

“And the emerald ring you gave me,” Ellie said. “Oh Dora, I’m so sorry. You were right. She was using us. Not the least grateful.”

“So do we tell the police? Have her arrested for theft?”

“I hate to do that,” Ellie said. “For all her faults, I did become fond of her. And she could have taken all our jewellery, but she took just enough to get by for now. Let’s give her a chance to make amends.”

“Hmph,” Dora said.

Mavis agreed with Dora. “I never did trust her,” she said.

“And where I grew up, you got a pretty good feel for who was up to no good. I’ve always felt that.

Maybe she was scared and we rescued her from a bad situation, but then she saw how soft-hearted you were, and she realized she was not only on to a good thing, but she could hide out with us, if they were looking for her.

” She met Ellie’s gaze. “What’s to say she wasn’t part of a robbery ring with her young man?

And we helped her hide out until the heat died down. ”

“Oh Mavis,” Ellie said. “You may well be right. I wish I knew what the best thing to do was.”

“I’d say we are well rid of her,” Mavis said.

“If we have her arrested, then this child has no chance of ever returning to her mother. She’ll go straight into an orphanage and maybe a loving family will never be found for her.”

“So you’re thinking that we could be that loving family?” Mavis asked.

“For now, anyway. Poor little innocent babe. At least we can love her.” Ellie picked up the baby and nuzzled her against her cheek, smelling that sweet smell of talcum powder and baby softness.

Ellie visited the doctor and learned to make a formula from evaporated milk, sugar and boiled water.

She drove into Marseille and purchased baby bottles and a good supply of cans of milk.

Jojo seemed to tolerate it well, but it didn’t take Ellie long to realize that motherhood is for the young.

Jojo woke every three hours, demanding to be fed.

Her loud protests echoed through the house, disturbing the sleep of all three women.

“You need a rest,” Dora said over breakfast one morning. “Let me get up in the night to her. You look quite ragged.”

“Oh Dora, you have your own health problems. You need your rest, and I’m afraid this is disturbing you. I try to wake to anticipate Jojo’s needs, but then I doze off.”

“As for my health problems, my doctor told me I only had a few months before my heart gave out. I should point out that it’s been six months, and I’m still going strong.

So maybe he was wrong, or maybe this climate has worked miracles.

Or maybe just being with you, where I feel cherished and wanted, has made all the difference. ”

Ellie put a tentative arm around her, as Dora was not one who had demonstrated physical contact before.

“Dora, I’ve been so glad to have you here with me.

You’ve made all the difference to such a difficult time.

Instead of feeling lost and worthless I’ve never felt more alive and hopeful.

Let’s hope the miracle has happened and you live another twenty years. ”

Dora gave a snort. “I don’t see that happening, but I am making the most of the present. And I suppose that child will grow out of her nightly wailing soon enough.”

“Let’s hope so,” Ellie said. “She is putting on weight nicely.”

“But in the meantime take a day to yourself. You’ve been washing nappies, making formula and running yourself ragged.” She gave Ellie a little push. “Go on. We can cope. Go and buy yourself a magazine and a pastry and sit on a rock somewhere.”

“Like the Lorelei on the Rhine?” Ellie laughed.

“Singing for your fisherman, no doubt.”

Ellie gave her a withering glance. “Just because I went out in a boat with him once does not make him my fisherman. If you want to know, I find him quite intriguing. He is certainly not your average peasant.”

“Of course not. He’s a smuggler. We’ve all said so. Maybe you should confront him about it.”

“Dora, if he brings in cigarettes or brandy from Italy via Corsica, is that such a terrible thing?”

“Or guns? Or drugs?”

“Oh no. I’m sure he wouldn’t do that,” Ellie said, but she hesitated. How can I be sure? she wondered. And yet she didn’t want to ask him, because at that moment any trust would be broken. He’d no longer use the shed, or ever take her out in a boat again.