Chapter 17: Linda Booth

Ashford, evening: Saturday, September 20th

‘It’s usual to stay in for ten days after you’ve given birth.’ Linda helped Harriet Worth into the armchair by the side of the bed. ‘You only had the baby last Tuesday. You’ll have to tell your husband you won’t be going out yet.’ She looked at the clock on the wall, almost quarter to seven. ‘He’ll be here soon.’ If he didn’t push his way in before visiting time. ‘Tell him then.’

‘He gets a bit … you know … impatient.’ The woman winced as she settled in the chair.

That wasn’t how Linda would describe the man. But she kept her mouth closed and shook the pillow into the case with more vigour than she would normally have done before sliding it behind Harriet’s back.

‘He just wants me home.’ Harriet settled back with a faint sigh, her arm resting on the small cot next to her, her fingers stroking the baby’s hand.

So he can control you, Linda thought. She straightened up. ‘You need to stay in until we’re sure you’re going to be well enough to manage. It’s hard work to cope with a young baby but—’

‘But worse when you’re an older mum?’ Harriet Worth smiled, wryly.

‘I was going to say, when you’re not on top form.’ Linda ran her hand over the sheet before lifting up the corners of the mattress to fold it in. ‘You had a hard birth with this little one.’ She unfolded a white open-textured blanket onto the bed. ‘Give yourself a chance to rest. It’ll be all go once you’re home.’

‘I’ve got my daughter to help me. She’s seventeen and a sensible girl.’

‘Well, that’s good; you’ll need all the help you can get. But, like I said, I’m sure your husband can manage for a few more days—’

‘And what would you know about that?’

Linda’s stomach heaved. She didn’t understand why this man had such an effect on her; in her job she’d come across some rough types before. But there was something about him that made her skin crawl. Actually made her afraid, she admitted to herself. She forced herself to carry on making up the bed, not even looking at George Worth when he came to stand close behind her.

‘I said what do you know about it?’

She moved sideways to get away from him, pretending to smooth the folded down sheet. ‘I was only saying—’

‘I heard.’

Linda forced herself to look at him. His grey eyes were bloodshot but it was the way he’d narrowed them that made her swallow hard before saying, ‘Your wife needs all the rest she can get.’

‘Well, missy, I suggest you keep your neb out of our business.’ He stroked the side of his nose with his forefinger.

There was movement behind him and a young girl appeared. She glanced apologetically at Linda before leaning towards Harriet and kissing the top of her head. ‘Mum,’ she murmured, ‘how are you feeling?’

‘Karen.’ Harriet reached up to touch her cheek. ‘I’m fine, dear.’ But she kept her eyes on her husband. ‘George? Don’t. Please. The nurse was only trying to help. It’s her job.’

‘It’s her job to know her place and stop pokin’ her soddin’ nose in where it’s not wanted.’ He kept his eyes on Linda. ‘Trying to tell me what to soddin’ do.’

‘I wasn’t.’ Linda kept her voice level even though she knew her hands were trembling. She clasped them behind her back. ‘If you’ll let me pass?’

He stayed in her way. ‘I’m not stopping you!’ But still he didn’t move.

She had to shuffle past him; the skin on her arm where it touched his seemed to tighten. Angry with herself, she closed the door with a firm click and stood next to it, breathing deeply. She wouldn’t cry, she told herself, she wouldn’t, aware of her heartbeat thudding in her ears. Her nails dug into the palms of her hands. The coolness of the wall eventually steadied her.

‘Nurse?’ The ward sister called to her from the nurses’ station. ‘Everything all right?’

‘Yes, Sister.’ What could she say? Instinctively she knew it would be Mrs Worth who’d bear the brunt of any fuss Linda made about her husband’s brutish behaviour. Yet she almost succumbed to tears at the concern in Sister Daniels’ voice. Linda pushed herself upright and crossed the main ward, now filled with the babble of visitors. All ten beds had two visitors each, cooing over the babies and chatting excitedly to the mothers, all tucked tightly under taut covers. Looking over the top of the Sister’s head and blinking, Linda said, brightly, ‘I’ll go for my break now, if you don’t mind?’

Sister Lawson checked her watch. ‘Yes, all right. Don’t be late back. The meds will need to be sorted and as soon as visiting is over, I want the babies put in the nursery.’ She bent her head over some papers on the desk. ‘I want the ward settled down for the night earlier tonight. It was chaos until after ten last night.’

‘Yes, Sister.’ Glad to be able to escape, a few words were all Linda could manage. ‘Thank you, Sister.’

The rest-room was empty. She poured herself a strong cup of tea from the large teapot and used the remains of the milk from a bottle in cold water in the sink. The tea was stewed but still quite warm. She sank into the sagging armchair by the window, rested her head against the back and gazed through the glass. It was windy; the sky had that luminous grey quality of a chilly evening and the branches of the beech trees swung away from the shelter of the hospital.

A bluebottle hit one of the panes, crawled around the frame, silent and then frantically buzzing again and again. It was like the nightmare. Just when she thought it had stopped it started all over again. She stood and pulled up the sash window and waited until the bluebottle crawled over the sill and disappeared. If only the bad dream would do the same. She held on to the beige curtains cursing the man who somehow had caused the nightmares to return. She’d dealt with bullying husbands before in her job. For God’s sake, she’d even faced up to Uncle Patrick, when he was in one of his rages that always seemed to come from nowhere. She wasn’t soft. So what was it about Harriet Worth’s husband that upset her so much?

The door opened. Linda turned with a start. Two junior nurses stopped at the sight of her, their laughing trailing away. ‘Sorry, Nurse Booth.’

‘No worries, girls, I was just leaving.’ Linda smiled at them. She rinsed her cup and hurried back to the ward with only a minute before her official break ended.

In the drug-storage room she kept herself busy by preparing the trolley for the evening round of medication. She knew she was really only waiting for the bell to mark the end of visiting-time.

When it sounded she breathed a sigh of relief. She pushed the door almost closed so that she wasn’t visible to the stream of visitors leaving the ward.

But she couldn’t mistake the loud voice. Once George Worth had passed the room she opened the door and watched him leave. He had his arm around the girl’s waist and was chatting to another man.

Just before they left the ward, Linda heard him say, ‘Look at me, walking out of here with such a pretty young lady.’

She saw him look down at his stepdaughter. ‘Now, how about I get you some fish and chips?’ The girl shook her head as she quickened her pace and, shoulders stooped, pushed past the people in front of her.

As though she couldn’t wait to get away from him, Linda thought.

All at once the fear took over. She couldn’t feel her body, only the beating of her heart. Her breathing quickened and her legs buckled. She flailed her arm behind her, feeling for a solid surface to hold on to. Not able to find one – she slumped to the floor; her head drooped between her knees.

The years that had piled one on top of the last, hiding the memory, were swept away.

It couldn’t be. Could it…?