The hospital mistress gave Colin and Elizabeth a tour of the premises, all the while telling them about the hospital’s history, explaining how the children were admitted, the maximum age of admission, as well as informing them that the infants were sent to wet nurses in the country whenever possible.
“I wonder if we could set up something at Norwich,” Talbot thought out loud, and Elizabeth’s whole face showed her delight at the idea.
The mistress seemed equally excited. “That would be a tremendous help, Your Grace. The resources we have are simply powerless against the high number of abandoned children. At this point, almost all of the children here are first children of unwed mothers, and we accept them in the hopes that relieving those mothers of the burden and the stigma of raising an illegitimate child, will help them find their way to a more virtuous life, but there are just so many of them,” she said dejectedly. “Let me show you something.”
She led them into a small room that was filled with rows of shelves containing all sorts of objects, such as coins, pieces ofcloth, jewellery and the like. Each item had a piece of paper attached to it.
“What are these?” Elizabeth asked as she inspected some of the items.
“These are the things that some of the mothers left with their babies on admission as a way of, I suppose, later being able to identify them or prove their relationship with the child if they ever return to claim them.”
“And do they ever?” Lizzie asked in a hoarse voice, then cleared her throat. “Return to claim them?”
“Almost never,” the mistress replied, and Lizzie turned away, pretending to look at the items on the other shelf.
Colin was tempted to send the woman out and let his wife cry out her pain like he was certain she wanted to, but he didn’t dare say a thing. He resorted to silently cursing the day when they had embarked on this endeavour of helping their fellow man.
This was a mistake,he thought angrily.She is suffering too much.
“What about their names?” His wife’s words startled him.
“What do you mean?” The mistress frowned slightly.
“Do the mothers name them or does the hospital?”
“Even if the mothers do, we rename them,” Miss Florence said matter-of-factly, like they were not discussing taking away the first gift a mother gives her child.
Lizzie went completely still.
“What happens when they grow up and have to leave?” Colin asked, eager to move away from the painful topics.
“Well, there is a small benevolent fund to help them start their life, and we typically guide them towards an apprenticeship as soon as they are old enough. The late Captain Coram, the founder of this institution, was adamant that both boys and girls needed to be educated. Let’s go see the babies now.”
Miss Florence led them into a large, bright room filled with dozens of cradles filled with mostly crying babies.
“These are all new admissions and are waiting to be placed with wet nurses across the country. We have several wet nurses we use in the city, but it is not enough for all of them. You can rock those who seem most agitated, or change them if they are soiled. Don’t console them too much, though, we don’t want them to get used to being held or soothed.”
Elizabeth and Colin exchanged a glance after she left.
“What are you thinking?” He asked her when he noticed her square her shoulders.
“I am going to soothe as many of them as I can,” she said with a defiant lift of her chin.
“But Miss Florence said,” Talbot started to protest, but Lizzie shook her head.
“I know what she said, and I think she’s wrong.”
“What do you mean?”
“Whenever I hug Emma, I imagine my love for her coating her bones, fortifying her against the world, making her stronger somehow. I truly believe it remains inside us, every gentle feeling, every kind word we are given. Isn’t it better for these children to be held with love and to feel safe, even for a brief moment?”
“Very well, wife, we shall do it your way,” Talbot said with a nod. “Let me just warn you that I’ve never held a small child.”
“It’s easy, come here,” Elizabeth lifted a particularly agitated, red-faced newborn and gently rocked it before depositing it into Talbot’s waiting arms. “Mind the head.”
The baby was still crying. It was so small and frail. Colin found himself rocking left and right in an attempt to soothe it. It seemed so desperate, so unhappy, that his heart ached for it. Colin at least had nurses and staff looking after his every need growing up, even if he didn’t necessarily have his mother’s love, but these children, they had no one.
He looked up to see his wife lovingly nuzzling a baby’s head.
