Hospital of Santa Clara, Coimbra

[Continued from here]


Jenny sat at the top of the stairs and tapped her foot absently, waiting for Maggie to finish telling the priest her story. Meanwhile she was thinking about money. She had fetched her own things back from the baggage, but she hadn't thought to bring Maggie's. And Maggie had a donkey, too, and lots of things to sell. Well, they were all well on their way to Avelãs now, or whatever the next town was. A donkey would have been a useful thing to have. Jenny had very little in the way of merchandise to sell, though she was an expert hand with a needle. Still, material goods were easier to sell than unseen and unknown services - except for one. But as for goods, Maggie now had next to nothing, only the pitiful things she had been wearing last night. At least Jenny's mending skills could be employed on them, once they were dry from washing.

She pondered the logistics of following Joe to the column, collecting the donkey and Maggie's goods, riding back to Coimbra - or no, walking, with the donkey carrying everything - and then going to Lisbon. The long walk back to Lisbon. Maybe they could pass for boys. They could remake their clothes and - were there people who would buy hair? Surely blonde at least would be less common here, fetch a good price, and maybe auburn brown too. As boys, they might be able to walk their donkey back to Lisbon without attracting unwanted attention. Or maybe it was a bloody stupid idea. She swore quietly and asked, "Joe, have you got any money?"

Newbury had gone back to his previous position of 'at ease', not knowing what else he could do at the present. The priest was still talking with Miss Evans and Jenny Ross had wandered away down the hall a bit. He would have to leave them on Saturday and make his way back to the army. Captain Vickery had given him a precious bit of time, but Miss Evans was going to be here for a lot longer than two days. What would Cotton think if Joe left without her?

Jenny had spoken to him, he realised suddenly. Her question startled him and he twitched. What? Did he have any money? Why? His brow furrowing briefly, he answered, "Probably, stowed away in my pack. Maybe a coin or two in my pocket too. Why?"

"All Maggie's things are in the baggage with the column. If you could lend us some money, I bet Cotton could pay you back out of her stores." She smiled apologetically, looking embarrassed for perhaps the first time since he had known her. "We're strapped, really. And I'm not sure what we'll do."

[Father O'Dwyer exits from here]

Jenny stood up when she heard the door open and she gave the priest a small curtsy as he passed. In the room Maggie was calling for her - to pass on a letter for Joe, as it happened. "From Captain Vickery," she said as she handed it to him.

He fished around in his pockets, frowning slightly as he tried to remember exactly how many spare coins he had on him. After a moment, he came up with only three. A couple farthings and a ha'penny. Not much, but better than nothing.

"Got this here," Newbury said, offering the coins to Jenny. In return she passed him a letter from Captain Vickery. This must be the permission ticket. Suddenly nervous, Newbury opened the paper and glanced at the neatly-written lines.

"S'pose this is good news," he muttered as he re-folded it and stuffed it away into his jacket.

"Thank you, Joe, darling. I'll write you a receipt. And then you can give it to Cotton when you get back to the line. Saturday is when? Two days from now? Three? I can barely remember what town we're in now."

"Receipt?" Newbury shook his head. "Don't need anythin' like that. Saturday's two days off, too."

Jenny looked exhausted, now that he looked at her for longer than a second. Nodding at the half-closed door, he added "Maybe you oughta take some sleep, you an' Miss Evans?"

She nodded wearily. "Yes. No, no. It must be getting late. I heard the bell a while ago - three or four o'clock. And we can't stay here tonight, you and me. Leastwise I don't think so. We should go find a... place... some tea at least. I haven't had anything but cuppa tea this morning." She rubbed her face. "What do you think?"

He hadn't thought about that.

"S'pose that'll do," he answered. "Dunno what's good for goin' to for tea, though. I haven't been into town much 'til now."

She gave him a sleepy grin. "Don't riflemen carry tea with their cartridges? Anyway, I've got some downstairs, and my little kettle. Just need a fire and some water, eh? And then you can shoot us something to eat."

"All right." Newbury was perfectly amenable to the idea of shooting something, even if it wasn't a certain redcoat sergeant. He hadn't gone rabbit hunting since that disastrous afternoon as forward scout.

He fished around in his cartridge box. Now that she mentioned it... with a triumphant grin, he managed to tug out a half-crushed pouch from inside the box. "This oughta do for tea. Get the kettle boiling, I'll go see about findin' something worth eating."

She laughed at his triumph. "Well done. But I don't think they'll like it if you're blazing away with your rifle shooting cats in the cathedral square. Nor will they be too keen if I cook it right there on the spot." She glanced into Maggie's room and saw that she was asleep. "Come on, hunter. Let's find a place to camp first."

Outside. Newbury stuffed the pouch into his jacket and headed for the stairs. He was reluctant to leave Miss Evans unguarded, but there were plenty of nuns around to keep anyone unwanted out.

"There many places 'round here for campin' in?"

She laughed again. It felt good to be outdoors, in the sunshine. "I have no idea. We appear to be in a city. Where did you sleep the past couple of nights?"

"I stayed in the company's camp," Newbury replied. "Easier to get to places, and all."

He hadn't seen much of her while the army had been encamped, so she'd probably found a billet in town for hiserself. Or had stayed mostly with the other women. "Did you have a decent billet yourself?"

"I stayed with friends," she answered succinctly. Returning to the matter at hand, she suggested, "We could just go to where the company camped. Is it far from the hospital? I know Captain Vickery's place wasn't far. Maggie stayed there, with Cotton. That's where - you know. It was near there that I found her. It was lucky the hospital was close."

Newbury pointed down the street. "We camped mostly down near the road. Captain Vickery's billet was just 'round the corner from us."

They began walking in that direction, soon passing the significant alley. "She was there, crying," Jenny said calmly, pointing. She reached into her apron and pulled out a coin. "She flung it away, but I kept it. Some men feel that if they pay... But it's only an insult; you would never pay a prostitute so little. They'll say 'I place this coin upon your breast, because you are not worthy of me placing it on the mantel.'"

He shuddered and didn't look toward the alley Jenny was pointing at, or the coin she had produced from her apron.

"That bastard'll swing for it," Newbury grumbled. "Or I'll..."

Or he'd what? What could he do to a sergeant? And a redcoat sergeant at that?

Jenny took his arm and continued walking. "Let's go and look at the house. It will probably still be empty. We could climb through a window or something."

"Right." Newbury allowed himself to be led along. It wouldn't do them any good to think of all the ways he could take his revenge on that damned sergeant. Not when the more pressing matter of shelter needed attention.

"Be different, sleepin' in a house," he said after a pause.

Jenny gave him a smile. "With a fire place and all. There it is," she said, pointing. "But the back entry is through the stable yard, this way."

Back entry in the stable yard. Newbury tried to anchor his concentration on Jenny's directions. "Fire place'd be nice," he commented, a bit grudgingly. Assuming there was a cooking kettle to go in it.

"Yes." Suddenly there was precious little to talk about. For all her outward gaiety, Jenny did at times have a heavy heart. But she had learned long ago that men wanted pretty women, and smiles made pretty faces. She felt a bit nauseated and gripped Newbury's arm unconsciously. But he was upset too, and she was surprised. She knew he was friends with Cotton of course, but was that the only reason? These things did happen, after all, and it was a fact of life for most soldiers, even if they despised it in theory and practice.

But perhaps he possessed a hint of imagination behind that dullness. "Do you have a sweetheart, Joe... or a sister maybe?"

Newbury looked at the house they'd come to and suppressed a shudder. Her question had gone nearly to the heart of it. She seemed good at that. He thought of Sarah and realised a respectable portion of his anger came from the thought that it might've been her instead of Maggie Evans.

"Got a sister," he replied after a long moment. Mentioning her made him feel guilty, for hadn't he run from home and left his entire family behind?