‘I’ll have to be quick,’ the woman said, as two nurses entered through the front door and hurried into the hospital through the double doors. The three women jumped as the doors swung open, with Stella putting her hand to her chest to still her beating heart. It felt as though it was hammering nineteen to the dozen.
‘In cases where the child fails to waken . . . I know that Doctor Hind arranges for the body to be laid to rest.’
‘My daughter has a grave?’ Ruby asked, as emotion stirred deep inside. ‘I feared the worst,’ she added as the other two women hushed her high-pitched tone in case it alerted the almoner, whose office door was close to a wide staircase next to the double doors.
‘Sshh,’ the nurse hissed. ‘You must remain quiet or I’ll have to ask you to leave.’
Both women apologized and Stella took Ruby’s hand, ready to give it a hard squeeze if her young neighbour became over-excited again. ‘Where does he send the children?’ she asked. ‘I assume they go to an undertaker?’
‘Yes. I only know this as I have a cousin who works for the undertaker. Both Doctor Hind and the undertaker are benefactors of this hospital and wish to do what they can for the people of Erith. However, it may be that your child does not have a marked grave. I know little more than that,’ she said, as Ruby gave a quizzical look.
‘May we speak to your cousin?’
The nurse looked alarmed. ‘No, I dare not give you his name, as then he would know I’d broken his confidence.’
‘Then please, can you at least tell us which funeral director would have laid Sarah to rest?’ Stella begged.
‘I named my child Sarah,’ Ruby explained.
‘Why, that’s my name also,’ the nurse said, as if it had helped her make up her mind. ‘All I will tell you is that the business where you may find all you wish to know is in the high street,’ she added, before wishing them luck and scurrying away just as the almoner came from her office, her black gown rustling as she moved.
‘May I help you, ladies?’ she enquired, her dark, hooded eyes peering at Stella and Ruby.
Stella pulled Ruby to her feet and gave a polite nod. ‘We came to see Doctor Hind, but he is busy. Thank you for your interest,’ she said, as the pair hurried away.
‘We are no closer to knowing where Sarah was taken,’ Ruby sighed.
‘But we are. There are only two undertakers in the town, and just one in the high street. Follow me,’ Stella said, weaving her way through the busy shoppers.
Ruby found it hard to catch up. For one thing, she wasn’t feeling very fit: it was the first time she’d left home since being so poorly. Secondly, her ill-fitting shoes were giving her grief. She’d packed the insoles with newspaper due to them leaking in wet weather, and she could feel her toes becoming sore from the chafing. She was relieved when Stella halted in front of a sombre-looking establishment, the window draped in black crepe sashes with the sign above in gold lettering declaring the business to be Michael Hind, Funeral Director.
‘He has the same name as the doctor,’ Stella remarked, trying to read the letters while jumping aside to avoid a woman pushing a perambulator. She opened the door and walked in. Ruby followed close behind, a little unsure of what to expect, as she’d never been in such a place before. She looked around warily. A man in a sombre black suit and a wing-collared shirt rose to his feet from behind a highly polished desk. Nodding respectfully while placing his hands together, which Ruby thought made him look rather pious, he gave a thin-lipped smile.
‘How can I help you?’ he said, giving Ruby a look that suggested she was unworthy of stepping over the threshold of his establishment.
‘We’ve come to make an enquiry about a baby that may have been buried by your company in the past three weeks. It was taken from my house in Alexandra Road by Doctor Hind. My name is Mrs Stella Green.’
The man flinched at the mention of Doctor Hind’s name. ‘You would need to speak to my employer. I’m afraid I’m not at liberty to give out confidential information,’ he said as he sat down, dismissing Stella’s question.
‘Please,’ Ruby begged, ‘can’t you at least tell us if you help the stillborn babies find a final resting place? Is there a special grave for them?’
The man coughed and ran a finger round his stiff collar. ‘If my employer is party to such charitable concerns, it is none of my business. I suggest you speak to him.’
Ruby felt a frisson of excitement course through her veins. The man hadn’t dismissed her question, so there was hope that indeed they had come to the right place.
‘When will Mr Hind return to his office?’ Stella asked.
‘He is away on business for the rest of this week. I suggest you put any questions you might have in writing. He will deal with it upon his return. Now, if you will excuse me.’ He opened a leather-bound ledger on his desk and picked up his fountain pen.
Stella nudged Ruby’s arm, and they stepped out onto the street.
‘I’m not one for writing letters. Surely if that man knew about Sarah, he could tell us?’
Stella shook her head. ‘He’s doing his job, and no doubt has been given his orders. But there was something in the way he acted when we explained why we were there . . . It was as if he knew what had happened to Sarah, but didn’t wish to say – or did not approve. There must be another way to find out.’ She looked at an alleyway that ran alongside the shop. ‘Follow me,’ she said over her shoulder as she stepped briskly towards it.
Ruby shivered as she followed closely behind her new friend. ‘Where are we going?’ She did her best to
