‘Now, let me see her. Come on, give her over, I’m a nurse for heaven’s sake, I’m not going to hurt her,’ and she took the baby out of Edie’s reluctant arms and laid her on the change table. ‘Come on, come on, you both need to see this,’ and when the girls were standing nearby she looked up at Edie to make sure she had her full attention and felt chagrined that the girl was still looking at her as though she was likely to injure the infant. Beatrix opened the shawl smartly and removed the baby’s nappy. She didn’t look at the child’s face so she didn’t see her smile. She was concentrating on the other end, and hoisted the baby’s legs in the air, raising her bottom well off the table.
‘Here, here and here are where she’ll get a rash, you need to open the folds of skin and powder every day. I find Cashmere Bouquet the best. If the rash appears, use ointment straightaway, don’t delay or it will only get worse.’
Beatrix put the baby’s bottom back on the table and inspected her own fingers. Her forefinger had the shortest nail so she shoved it in the baby’s mouth. Gracie sucked furiously. Beatrix poked her finger around and explained, ‘I’m feeling for teeth, don’t look shocked. I myself have delivered a baby born with a full set.’
Beatrix wiped her finger on her skirt. ‘Beth, you can put her in a clean nappy and put her in her bassinet now,’ but Beth ignored her and Edie stepped forward, put a clean nappy on Gracie and then cuddled her close to her chest.
Beatrix sighed. This was going to take some work. She picked up her bag and said, ‘I’ll come thrice weekly, as I said, to check how you’re getting on and to give you further instructions as she grows. I’ll charge the two sovereigns a week I mentioned.’ She waited. She looked at Edie and waited again. She said, ‘In advance.’
An outrageous sum, she knew, but she sensed she might have the upper hand here given both girls’ complete lack of knowledge. Still, she gave Edie another moment to haggle. It took her a full three minutes to realise Edie wasn’t going to, so she filled the space with a cough and went on.
‘For that you can call me any time you have a problem. Just send Beth down. Oh, and one last word of advice,’ Beatrix leant over to Edie, ‘and I’d take this most seriously if I were you. Never bother your father with the infant. When he comes home make sure she is shut up tightly in the nursery. She will only remind him of your poor mother’s untimely death and no good will come of that.’
With that Beatrix left, her purse jangling with coins and her last words hanging in the air. She made a bet with herself that Miss Edith Cottingham would not last much more than a few months and the novelty of playing babies would wear off. That baby would soon be living with her and she’d be four sovereigns a week richer if she played it right. Normally she’d have given someone like Edie only two weeks but she’d seen in an instant how determined Miss Cottingham could be. She fossicked in her purse to feel the four half sovereigns she had been paid in advance. She might catch one of those new electric trams down Sturt Street; she hadn’t ridden on one of them yet. She’d only ever ridden a horse-drawn tram and, well, that was just an oversized carriage. An electric tram ride would be a little treat to celebrate the regular wage she’d be getting as of now. She couldn’t help it; she was a tad anxious as the conductor helped her onto tram number 12 at the Drummond Street stop. He was very nice, he reached down and put his hand under her elbow and lifted her up into the tram and she took a seat next to the window so she could see for herself just how fast the houses flashed by. She heard it was so fast they became a blur. Everything in the tram was new: the shiny red leather seat that she kept slipping off, the timber panelling polished so she could see her reflection, the clear glass without scratches. The conductor took her threepence, clipped a ticket and gave it to her and then pulled his rope. As he did, Young Colin Eales and his smart-alecking mates leapt into the carriage hooting and shouting. She knew these boys, Young Colin who lived next door and Jimmy and his string-bean brother. So much for her peaceful tram ride. The three boys were grubby and grimy from the mines, they looked like they hadn’t washed in years and their skin was stained with streaks and crusts of dirt. Their veins stuck out on their scrawny necks, dark brown instead of purple. Their eyes were grey smudges, but she had a pretty good idea they’d also been drinking. They normally went to the Bunch of Grapes, so something had brought them to a watering hole up this end of town instead. They sat right opposite her, whispering with one eye on her, hoping she couldn’t hear them, laughing inanely, slapping each other and cooking up some lark.
The conductor stood in front of them, waiting for them to stop larking around and hand over their fares and they made a big show of fossicking in their pockets looking for coins. The conductor looked over at Beatrix and rolled his eyes and she looked at the boys sternly. Finally Young Colin pulled two coins out of his pocket and held them high in the air for the world to see — well, Beatrix and the conductor.
‘Sorry, sir,’
