A Mother's Gift Read online

  At six o’clock, wrapped round with her thick cloak, Katie walked around the building before going inside for supper. She was happy, because tomorrow was her day off and tonight was her evening off and Billy was coming to see her. Not that they were doing anything in particular, just going to the second house at the pictures which she would probably have to leave before the end to get back into the Nurses’ Home before curfew. But her heart lifted at the thought of seeing Billy. He was so good, coming all this way after his own day at work.

  Billy was a fully fledged surveyor now, a figure to be looked up to in Winton Colliery, an official. He was talking of getting a car and not a second-hand one either but a new car, a Standard Big 9. ‘Then I’ll be able to pop over to see you often,’ he had said. ‘Would you like that?’

  Katie had looked at him; he had a quizzical expression, almost, as though he wasn’t sure if she would like it or not.

  ‘Of course,’ she had replied. ‘You know I will. But … you know I don’t have that much free time, Billy. And it’s a long way just for an hour or so.’

  ‘Maybe I’ll be able to transfer to a mine closer to the hospital,’ said Billy. ‘Next year, perhaps.’

  ‘That would be lovely, Billy,’ Katie had replied.

  Tonight he was staying at his aunt’s house; tomorrow they were going to travel back to Winton together. Oh, it was grand, a whole twenty-four hours away from the hospital. And then, next week, she was starting on A Ward, which was men’s surgical. That would be something new again.

  Billy did not come. Katie waited by the telephone in the entrance for his call; he had said he would ring her; for her not to wait about outside in the cold. She went out to the front of the Nurses’ Home and peered down the drive but there was no sign of him. She put on her coat and hat and wound her scarf around her neck for this evening, after the spring sunshine, there was a ground frost and the cold air was sharp and penetrating. She walked down the drive and said ‘Good evening,’ to the porter and he watched her go out of the gates and look up and down the road. She walked up and down a few times and then came back into the grounds and went past the porter and back into the Nurses’ Home.

  Katie hesitated in the hall of the Home and gazed at the telephone in the corner, partitioned off by a dark brown box with glass in the top and a brass handle on the door. She counted the twists in the cord that hung from the receiver to the handset, willing it to ring. She had a dread rising in her and it was silly, she told herself. What had she to dread? Billy had missed the bus that was all, he would be here soon. She looked at the clock on the wall, it was half past seven, and the next bus would be in soon. Then he just had to get out from the bus stop on Borough Road, that would take fifteen minutes.

  The thing to do was go into the nurses’ sitting-room and sit down in a comfortable chair, maybe read a magazine. She could hear the telephone from there couldn’t she?

  There was only one person in the sitting-room, a second-year nurse listening to a broadcast by the BBC. The ether crackled and hummed and the nurse fiddled with the knobs, trying to get decent reception. She looked up as Katie went in.

  ‘You’d think you’d be able to hear this modern set better than the old one, wouldn’t you,’ she said. ‘I particularly wanted to hear this programme, it’s a concert from the Albert Hall.’

  Suddenly the crackling subsided and a man’s voice was heard.

  ‘… death toll would have been more but it was the end of a shift and most of the men were on their way out of the mine. Consequently, there were only twelve miners killed in the explosion, which was confined to one face. We return you now to the concert …’

  ‘What was that? What was it?’ Katie demanded of the girl by the wireless. A Strauss waltz filled the room, the music light and lilting.

  ‘What?’ the girl looked irritated as she looked up but then she saw Katie’s face. ‘Hadn’t you heard? There’s been an accident at a colliery near Bishop Auckland. Wilton, was it? No, of course not, Witton? No—’

  Katie was no longer listening, she had run out into the hall. But then she didn’t know what to do. How could she find out? She looked at the telephone but the only telephone she was aware of in Winton was the Post Office one and the Post Office would be closed. Though of course, there were the pit offices. She went into the dark wooden box and lifted the handset, getting close into the mouthpiece on the wall to make herself heard. The front door banged behind her and two nurses walked past, laughing and talking and she glared at them. But the operator was answering.

  ‘I’m sorry caller, the line is engaged.’

  Katie hung up the telephone and stared at it, trying to think. It might not be Winton, she might be imagining things. But why was Billy not here as he had said he would be? She tried again.

  ‘Get me the number of Winton Colliery office please.’

  And after a moment or two, the operator’s voice told her again that the line was engaged.

  ‘Can you get me Mr Matthew Hamilton, please?’

  ‘What address is that, caller?’

  Katie thought hard, the address of Mrs Hamilton had been on her notes, she had looked at it in curiosity really. Where was it? ‘Hamilton Hall, North York,’ she said hesitantly.

  ‘There’s a Hamilton Hall, Guisborough?’

  ‘Yes, that’s it.’

  ‘Please insert tuppence, caller.’

  Katie fumbled in her purse and found the coins and put them in the box.

  As the telephone rang out Katie had a moment of panic and was about to put it down but it was too late, it was answered.

  ‘Hamilton Hall,’ a man’s voice said and she pressed button A.

  ‘Can I speak to Mr Hamilton?’

  ‘Who wishes to speak to him?’

  ‘Just tell him – never mind, he won’t know my name,’ said Katie. He probably wouldn’t speak to her now. ‘Tell him it’s Nurse Benfield,’ she said, ‘I nurse at South-East Durham General.’

  ‘One moment, please.’

  A minute or two later she heard Matthew’s voice on the other end of the line. He would help, she was sure he would.

  ‘Mr Hamilton? It’s me, Katie Benfield. I’m sorry to disturb you but I thought you might have heard something. I know I’ve no right to disturb you. I’m sorry …’ (Oh, pull yourself together, she told herself. Stop apologising.)

  ‘Nurse Benfield. You’ve heard then,’ said Matthew. The message had been waiting for him when he came into the house at six; he had been out of touch before that.

  ‘I have the situation in hand, Mr Hamilton,’ Parsons had said when he phoned. ‘Don’t worry; the damage is limited to the one face. It was probably the miners taking risks anyway. We may even find one of the young boys took in cigarettes and matches. I will keep you informed.’

  The conversation ran through his mind as he listened to Katie’s halting voice on the line. But he couldn’t tell her anything; he wouldn’t get the list of dead and injured until tomorrow. When Parsons phoned in again. He had been looking forward to dinner and an evening spent before the fire in his study but he forgot about that.

  ‘Mr Hamilton? Are you there?’

  ‘Yes. Yes, I’m here, Nurse Benfield. There has been an accident, it’s true. I’m trying to get hold of the casualty list. Look, give me the number of the telephone you are using and I will ring back in ten minutes. Can you do that?’

  ‘Yes. Oh, thank you, Mr Hamilton,’ Katie was filled with gratitude for his concern. She put the telephone back in its cradle and went out of the box to stand close by. Music from the wireless filtered through the door from the sitting-room. Outside, white frost glistened in the light that shone on the tarmac from the glass inlet in the door. She watched it unseeingly, her mind concentrated on listening for the telephone.

  A staff nurse came and went into the box and picked up the telephone, asked for a number. Katie watched in agony, terrified he would ring back and find the number engaged and not bother any more. But the staff nurse came out
of the box and went into the sitting-room.

  Matthew had lost no time in calling the colliery office at Winton. This was his chance to put himself in a good light with Katie Benfield and he wasn’t going to miss it. That would be where Parsons was he was sure. The agent would be engaged in preparing a statement for release to the papers, trying already to show that the management was not to blame for the accident. Yes, he would be there with Thompson.

  ‘Thompson? Is that you, man? Parsons there, is he? Well, put him on, man and be quick about it. Parsons? You have the casualty list then? Is it complete?’

  ‘I do,’ said Parsons, swiftly recovering from his surprise in hearing the ironmaster’s voice. ‘And I have to report that preliminary inquiries suggest that the accident was the fault of the men, bypassing safety precautions—’

  ‘Never mind that now,’ said Matthew. ‘Just give me the names, will you?’ He tapped his fingers on the table impatiently.

  Noah Benfield was halfway down the list of names, just before those of David Canvey and James Dowson. ‘… and there is one official, a young surveyor. William Wright.’

  ‘Very well. Stay there, I am coming over. I’ll be there in a couple of hours.’

  ‘You’re coming over, sir?’

  ‘That’s what I said, didn’t I?’

  Matthew rattled the receiver rest to get the attention of the operator. ‘Hartburn 40,’ he said when she answered.

  Katie wrenched open the door of the box and picked up the telephone with trembling fingers. ‘Yes? Mr Hamilton?’

  ‘I’m afraid I have bad news, dear,’ he said.

  ‘Oh!’ Katie didn’t know what to say or think, there was a crashing and banging in her head and for a minute her sight dimmed to almost black. In the distance she heard his voice, the name of her grandfather.

  ‘Katie! Nurse Benfield! Listen, do as I say. Go to the office; tell whoever is in charge what has happened. No, don’t. I will call the office. You go to your room and wait. I will come for you and take you back to Winton. I … I have to go there in any case. Are you listening, Nurse Benfield? Will you do that?’

  ‘Yes,’ Katie managed to say before dropping the telephone and stumbling up the stairs to her room. She sat on the bed and waited obediently. After a while there was a knock on the door and she jumped up to open it, ready to rush out there and then and go with him to Winton. But it was not Mr Hamilton, it was Home Sister.

  ‘I’ve heard what happened, Nurse,’ she said. ‘Are you all right?’

  She handed Katie a cup of tea and Katie took it and drank it obediently though it was sickly sweet with added sugar. But she heard nothing of what Sister was saying; all her attention was taken up with listening for Mr Hamilton coming to take her home. And then, at last, she heard his footsteps coming along the corridor.

  Chapter Twelve

  LAWSON HAD NOT been very happy about being ordered out on a cold dark night when he had already done a full day’s driving. He was looking forward to sitting in front of the fire, listening to the wireless and waiting for Daisy to sneak out and up the stone steps to his rooms above the stable. It was cosy there and he stretched his legs out to the blaze and loosened his belt a notch after the supper Cook had sent over for him. It wasn’t a bad life, he told himself. Though he had dreams of one day buying his own lorry and starting to work for himself. There was work to be had all right, he knew that. There were one or two owner drivers got in at the Cleveland Arms and he knew what they could make for themselves, hauling goods around the place and even further afield. Of course he would have to find his own accommodation.

  Lawson’s plans for the future were interrupted by a soft knock on the door and Daisy came in. Blimey, she was early tonight. He sat up and turned to her.

  ‘Howay, lass,’ he said and held out his arms.

  ‘No time for that Eddie,’ said Daisy. ‘You’re wanted. There’s been an accident or something, his nibs is going over to Bishop Auckland.’

  ‘Bloody hell,’ Lawson swore. ‘Just when I’ve got settled in. By, when I’m my own boss no one will call me out on a cold night, I tell you that.’

  ‘Oh aye?’ said Daisy. ‘That’ll be the day.’ She grinned.

  ‘Aye well, you need laugh but the day will come,’ said Lawson. Reluctantly he got to his feet and fastened his uniform. Before putting on his cap he caught hold of Daisy and kissed her, one hand on her breast and the other holding her bottom. Groaning he let her go and went out to the car.

  His employer was already coming out of the front door, tripping down the steps as though it was the beginning of the day not the end, Lawson thought sourly.

  ‘We’re going to the hospital first,’ said Matthew. ‘Hurry up, we have to go to Winton.’

  Well, Lawson thought, that told him which hospital at any rate. He was shivering in the night air so was glad when the car began to warm up. He was not overly surprised when they arrived at the hospital and his employer rushed inside, coming out with that young girl. He reckoned the old man was going soft in the head but it was none of his business. He jumped out to open the back door for them then got back in himself.

  ‘Winton?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes man, I told you. Winton Colliery to be exact, haven’t you listened to the news on the wireless tonight?’

  Oh yes, there’d been an accident, some miners killed. Lawson could vaguely remember hearing something about it. But accidents at the pits were commonplace, it wasn’t exactly on the lines of a major disaster. And even if it had been, the boss didn’t normally rush to the scene. No, it was the girl. Lawson grinned to himself as he pulled away from the kerb and turned the corner out on tb Durham Road.

  Behind him, Matthew Hamilton and Katie were barely aware of his presence. Matthew sat with a fatherly arm around her shoulders and with his other hand held hers. He said little but in the light of the streetlamps she could see the sympathy in his eyes. She did not question the way he had come so quickly, she thought he had to go to the colliery. He was the owner, wasn’t he? So he must have things to see to. It didn’t occur to her that his position at the top of the business empire meant this was not a thing he would normally do.

  Katie felt numb, she hardly felt the weight of his arm on her shoulders or the occasional squeeze he gave her hand. Her grandda was dead in the pit. No, he couldn’t be, it was a mistake, they had mixed him up with some other miner. Noah Benfield had worked a lifetime in the pit, he was too wise in the way of it to get caught. He used to say how you could hear the coal face working by tapping on the coal seam, ‘Jowl, jowl and listen lad and hear the coal face working …’ The old mining rhyme ran through her head. ‘There’s many a marra missing lad—’ No she wasn’t going to think of that any more.

  ‘How do you feel?’ asked Matthew.

  How was she supposed to feel? she wondered. She didn’t know how she felt. She didn’t believe her grandfather was dead, killed in the pit. Killed in the pit. The phrase ran through her head, she couldn’t stop it. She felt it was being drilled into her skull. And in the back of her mind there was another dread. What about Billy? But she refused to believe Billy was probably dead too. She should ask Mr Hamilton. But she dare not. Oh no, she dare not.

  ‘All right,’ she said. ‘Thank you.’

  She stared out of the window at the lights of Darlington as they sped through the town. The High Row was lit up and people were walking about as though nothing had happened. How could that be? Then they were out in the country again, heading for South-West Durham.

  There were lights in the pit yard when they got there. The winding wheel whirred as the cage was brought to the surface. A small crowd of people, women and officials, pressed forward eagerly to see who or what was coming to the surface. Katie stood up and was out of the car before Lawson could open the door for her.

  ‘Wait,’ said Matthew and caught hold of her arm and the women turned back from the entrance to the shaft and looked at the posh car suddenly in their midst. One stepped forward.

>   ‘Katie,’ said Dottie Dowson and Katie shrugged off Matthew’s hand and ran to her. ‘What am I going to do without him?’ Dottie asked her. But Katie had no answer, just a hug of fellow feeling.

  ‘Where’s my gran?’ she asked the woman who had been their neighbour all Katie’s life.

  ‘They took her home. They’ve got Noah’s body up, there’s only the injured now. They’re laid out in the lamp cabin.’ She broke off as the crowd parted and the stretcher men came through with a man writhing under a blanket.

  ‘Come away, Lawson will take you home.’

  Katie looked up at Matthew Hamilton, the man who had brought her over from the coast in his car. It was like looking at someone from another planet, he looked so strange and out of place in his Crombie overcoat and his homburg hat. The pit folk were staring at him. But still she didn’t ask him about Billy.

  ‘I’ll go home with Dottie,’ said Katie. ‘Thank you, very much for your help. Come on Dottie, you should be home now. There’s nothing you can do tonight. Tomorrow maybe.’

  Matthew watched as the two women went out of the pit yard in the direction of the miners’ rows. A voice was raised among the people waiting by the pit head.

  ‘What about the safety work that needed doing, eh gaffer?’

  Matthew turned to the man who had shouted but he wasn’t looking at him but at the door of the office. Thompson had opened it and was coming across. There was a murmuring in the crowd.

  ‘Come in, Mr Hamilton, sir,’ said Thompson. ‘Mr Parsons is already here.’

  The crowd hadn’t even realised who he was, Matthew thought. He followed the manager into the office and Thompson closed the door on the yard. ‘A bit nippy tonight,’ he commented and the comment sounded ludicrous in the pit yard, that someone should actually be noticing the weather.

  Kitty Benfield was sitting quietly by the fire when Katie opened the back door and went into the kitchen. The shock had diminished her somehow and she looked older, her hair more white than grey, her cheeks white and sunken. The sight of her was enough to break Katie’s heart, bringing home to her finally that it was true, her grandfather had been killed.