A Daughter’s Sorrow

‘I don’t know,’ I replied truthfully. ‘She didn’t tell me she was going and I haven’t heard from her, but Hans may have come back suddenly. Perhaps she’ll bring Tommy something for Christmas.’

‘She’s a fool if she didn’t wait for Hans,’ Jamie said. ‘I’ll ask Rosie if she knows anything. She hears all sorts of tales when she’s out and about.’

‘Let me know if there’s any news?’

‘O’ course, me darlin’. Enjoy yourself and tell Tommy I’ll be thinkin’ of him at Christmas.’

‘He’ll be pleased with his presents.’

I watched my brother walk down the lane before going back into the house. It was good that he had come home with money and gifts, but I felt an aching loneliness after he had gone.

Five (#ua6a5f0f3-8d21-59c9-8916-5173fed1464e)

‘So you were wanting to talk to me about Tommy?’ Father O’Brien indicated that I should help myself to the jam tarts his housekeeper had set on the table in front of us. He had already done justice to them himself, which was perhaps the reason he was rather too plump for his height. ‘The doctor confirmed your fears then, Bridget?’

‘Yes, Father. Dr Morris said he’s in the first stages of consumption and needs to get away to the sea. If you can’t find a place for him they’ll likely put him in the infirmary after Christmas.’

‘Maggie Ryan told me she thought you would be coming to see me,’ the priest said and nodded as I took a bite of the jam tart. ‘Now, what has she told you?’

‘That it might be possible for Tommy to have a holiday at the sea.’

‘That isn’t quite the way of it,’ he began, then as he saw my expression of disappointment, he continued: ‘No, it’s not a question of money, Bridget. It’s not simply a holiday for the boy. For a start he will be in a sanatorium. Tuberculosis is something that needs to be kept under strict supervision, and for a while the doctors might not want you to visit. As Tommy begins to get better, you’ll be able to see him, and that’s when he’ll be able to spend time enjoying the seaside. We usually pass the children on to families once they’re over the initial stages. It’s so they can continue enjoying the fresh air and benefits without being in hospital.’