31
Caris heard a cry of pain, and recognized the voice of Gwenda. She felt a throb of fear. Something was wrong. In a few hurried steps she was at Perkin's stall.
Gwenda was sitting on a stool, looking pale, her face twisted in a grimace of pain, her hand on her hip again. Her dress was wet.
Perkin's wife, Peg, said briskly: 'Her waters have broken. Her labor is beginning.'
'It's early,' Caris said anxiously.
'The baby is coming anyway.'
'This is dangerous.' Caris made a decision. 'Let's take her to the hospital.' Women did not normally go to the hospital to give birth, but they would admit Gwenda if Caris insisted. An early baby could be vulnerable; everyone knew that.
Wulfric appeared. Caris was struck by how young he looked. He was seventeen and about to become a father.
Gwenda said: 'I feel a bit wobbly. I'll be all right in a minute.'
'I'll carry you,' Wulfric said, and he picked her up effortlessly.
'Follow me,' said Caris. She walked ahead of him through the stalls, calling: 'Stand aside, please - stand aside!' In a minute they were at the hospital.
The door was wide open. Overnight visitors had been tipped out hours ago, and their straw mattresses were now piled high against one wall. Several employees and novices were energetically washing the floor with mops and buckets. Caris addressed the nearest cleaner, a middle-aged woman with bare feet. 'Fetch Old Julie, quickly - tell her Caris sent you.'
Caris found a reasonably clean mattress and spread it on the floor near the altar. She was not sure how effective altars were at helping sick people, but she followed the convention. Wulfric put Gwenda down on the bed as carefully as if she had been made of glass. She lay with her knees up and her legs parted.
A few moments later Old Julie arrived, and Caris thought how often in her life she had been comforted by this nun, who was probably not much past forty but seemed ancient. 'This is Gwenda Wigleigh,' said Caris. 'She may be fine, but the baby is coming several weeks early, and I thought it a sensible precaution to bring her here. We were just outside, anyway.'
'Very wise,' said Julie, gently pushing Caris aside to kneel by the bed. 'How do you feel, my dear?' she said to Gwenda.
While Julie talked to Gwenda in a low voice, Caris looked at Wulfric. His handsome young face was contorted with anxiety. Caris knew that he had never intended to marry Gwenda - he had always wanted Annet. However, he now seemed as concerned for her as if he had loved her for years.
Gwenda cried out in pain. 'There, there,' said Julie. She knelt between Gwenda's feet and looked up her dress. 'Baby's coming quite soon,' she said.
Another nun appeared, and Caris recognized Mair, the novice with the angel face. She said: 'Shall I get Mother Cecilia?'
'No need to bother her,' said Julie. 'Just go to the storeroom and fetch me the wooden box with 'Birth' written on the top.'
Mair hurried away.
Gwenda said: 'Oh, God, it hurts.'
'Keep pushing,' said Julie.
Wulfric said: 'What's wrong, for God's sake?'
'Nothing's wrong,' said Julie. 'This is normal. This is how women give birth. You must be the youngest of your family, otherwise you would have seen your mother like this.'
Caris, too, was the young sibling in her family. She knew that childbirth was painful, but she had never actually watched it, and she was shocked by how bad it was.
Mair returned and placed a wooden box on the floor next to Julie.
Gwenda stopped groaning. Her eyes closed, and she looked almost as if she might have been asleep. Then, a few minutes later, she cried out again.
Julie said to Wulfric: 'Sit beside her and hold her hand.' He obeyed immediately.
Julie was still looking up Gwenda's dress. 'Stop pushing now,' she said after a while. 'Take lots of short breaths.' She panted to show Gwenda what she meant. Gwenda complied, and it seemed to ease her distress for a few minutes. Then she cried out again.
Caris could hardly stand it. If this was normal, what was childbirth like when there were difficulties? She lost her sense of time: everything was happening very quickly, but Gwenda's torment seemed endless. Caris had the powerless feeling that she hated so much, the feeling that had overwhelmed her when her mother died. She wanted to help, but she did not know what to do, and it made her so anxious that she bit her lip until she tasted blood.
Julie said: 'Here comes baby.' She reached between Gwenda's legs. The dress fell away, and suddenly Caris could clearly see the baby's head, facedown, covered in wet hair, emerging from an opening that seemed impossibly stretched. 'God help us, no wonder it hurts!' she said in horror.
Julie supported the head with her left hand. The baby slowly turned sideways, then its tiny shoulders came out. Its skin was slippery with blood and some other fluid. 'Just relax now,' Julie said. 'It's nearly over. Baby looks beautiful.'
Beautiful? Caris thought. To her it looked horrible.
The baby's torso came out with a fat, pulsing blue cord attached to its navel. Then its legs and feet came all in a rush. Julie picked up the baby in both hands. It was tiny, its head not much bigger than the palm of Julie's hand.
Something seemed wrong. Caris realized the baby was not breathing.
Julie brought the baby's face close to her own and blew into its miniature nostrils.
The baby suddenly opened its mouth, gasped air, and cried.
'Praise God,' said Julie.
She wiped the baby's face with the sleeve of her robe, tenderly cleaning around the ears, eyes, nose, and mouth. Then she pressed the newborn to her bosom, closing her eyes; and in that instant Caris saw a lifetime of self-denial. The moment passed, and Julie laid the baby on Gwenda's chest.
Gwenda looked down. 'Is it a boy or a girl?'
Caris realized that none of them had looked. Julie leaned over and parted the baby's knees. 'A boy,' she said.
The blue cord stopped pulsing and shriveled, turning white. Julie took from the box two short lengths of string and tied off the umbilical cord. Then she took out a small, sharp knife and cut the cord between the two knots.
Mair took the knife from her and handed her a tiny blanket from the box. Julie took the baby from Gwenda, wrapped him in the blanket, and gave him back. Mair found some pillows and propped Gwenda up. Gwenda pushed down the neck of her shift and took out a swollen breast. She gave the baby the nipple, and he began to suck. After a minute, he seemed to sleep.
The other end of the cord was still hanging out of Gwenda. A few minutes later it moved, and a shapeless red mass slipped out: the afterbirth. Blood soaked the mattress. Julie lifted the mass, handed it to Mair and said: 'Burn this.'
Julie scrutinized Gwenda's pelvic area and frowned. Caris followed her gaze, and saw that the blood was still flowing. Julie wiped the stains away from Gwenda's body, but the red streaks reappeared immediately.
When Mair came back, Julie said: 'Fetch Mother Cecilia, please, right away.'
Wulfric said: 'Is something wrong?'
'The bleeding should have stopped by now,' Julie answered.
Suddenly there was tension in the air. Wulfric looked frightened. The baby cried, and Gwenda gave him the nipple again. He suckled briefly and slept again. Julie kept looking at the doorway.
At last Cecilia appeared. She looked at Gwenda and said: 'Has the afterbirth come out?'
'A few minutes ago.'
'Did you put the baby to the breast?'
'As soon as we had cut the cord.'
'I'll get a physician.' Cecilia walked quickly away.
She was gone some minutes. When she returned, she was carrying a small glass vessel containing a yellowish fluid. 'Prior Godwyn has prescribed this,' she said.
Caris was indignant. 'Doesn't he want to examine Gwenda?'
'Certainly not,' Cecilia said crisply. 'He's a priest as well as a monk. Such men don't look upon women's private parts.'
'Podex,' Caris said contemptuously. It was the Latin for asshole.
Cecilia pretended not to hear. She knelt beside Gwenda. 'Drink this, my dear.'
Gwenda drank the potion, but she continued to bleed. She was pale, and looked weaker than she had immediately after the birth. The baby slept contentedly on her breast, but everyone else was scared. Wulfric kept standing up and sitting down again. Julie wiped the blood off Gwenda's thighs and looked as if she might cry. Gwenda asked for something to drink, and Mair brought a cup of ale.
Caris took Julie aside and said in a whisper: 'She's bleeding to death!'
'We've done what we can,' Julie said.
'Have you seen cases like this before?'
'Yes, three.'
'How did they end?'
'The women died.'
Caris gave a low groan of despair. 'There must be something we can do!'
'She's in God's hands now. You could pray.'
'That's not what I meant by doing something.'
'You be careful what you say.'
Caris immediately felt guilty. She did not want to quarrel with someone as kindly as Julie. 'I'm sorry, sister. I didn't mean to deny the power of prayer.'
'I should hope not.'
'But I'm not yet ready to leave Gwenda in the hands of God.'
'What else is there to do?'
'You'll see.' Caris hurried out of the hospital.
She pushed impatiently through the customers strolling around the fair. It seemed amazing to her that people could still be buying and selling when a drama of life and death was going on a few yards away. But there had been many occasions when she had heard that a mother-to-be had gone into labor, and she had never stopped what she was doing, just wished the woman well and carried on.
She emerged from the priory grounds and ran through the streets of the town to Mattie Wise's house. She knocked on the door and opened it. To her relief, Mattie was at home.
'Gwenda's just had her baby,' she said.
'What's gone wrong?' Mattie said immediately.
'The baby's all right, but Gwenda's still bleeding.'
'Has the afterbirth come out?'
'Yes.'
'The bleeding should have stopped.'
'Can you help her?'
'Perhaps. I'll try.'
'Hurry, please!'
Mattie took a pot off the fire and put on her shoes, then the two of them left, Mattie locking her door behind her.
Caris said vehemently: 'I'm never going to have a baby, I swear.'
They rushed to the priory and went into the hospital. Caris noticed the strong smell of blood.
Mattie was careful to acknowledge Old Julie. 'Good afternoon, Sister Juliana.'
'Hello, Mattie.' Julie looked disapproving. 'Do you believe you can help this woman, when the holy prior's remedies have not been blessed with success?'
'If you pray for me and for the patient, Sister, who knows what may happen?'
It was a diplomatic answer, and Julie was mollified.
Mattie knelt beside mother and child. Gwenda was becoming paler. Her eyes were closed. The baby sought blindly for the nipple, but Gwenda seemed too tired to help him.
Mattie said: 'She must keep drinking - but not strong liquor. Please bring her a jug of warm water with a small glass of wine mixed into it. Then ask the kitchener if he has a clear soup, warm but not hot.'
Mair looked questioningly at Julie, who hesitated, then said: 'Go - but don't tell anyone that you're doing Mattie's bidding.' The novice hurried off.
Mattie pushed Gwenda's dress up as high as it would go, exposing all of her abdomen. The skin that had been stretched so taut a few hours ago was now flabby and folded. Mattie grasped the loose flesh, digging her fingers gently but firmly into Gwenda's belly. Gwenda grunted, but it was a sound of discomfort rather than pain.
Mattie said: 'The womb is soft. It has failed to contract. That's why she's bleeding.'
Wulfric, who seemed close to tears, said: 'Can you do anything for her?'
'I don't know.' Mattie began to massage, her fingers apparently pressing Gwenda's womb through the skin and flesh of her belly. 'Sometimes this provokes the womb to shrink,' she said.
Everyone watched in silence. Caris was almost afraid to breathe.
Mair came back with the water-and-wine mixture. 'Give her some, please,' Mattie said without pausing in her massage. Mair held a cup to Gwenda's lips and she drank thirstily. 'Not too much,' Mattie warned. Mair took the cup away.
Mattie continued to massage, glancing from time to time at Gwenda's pelvis. Julie's lips moved in silent prayer. The blood flowed without letup.
Looking worried, Mattie changed her position. She put her left hand on Gwenda's belly just below the navel, then her right hand over the left. She pressed down, slowly putting on more pressure. Caris was afraid it must hurt the patient, but Gwenda seemed only half-conscious. Mattie leaned farther over Gwenda until she seemed to be putting all her weight onto her hands.
Julie said: 'She's stopped bleeding!'
Mattie did not change her position. 'Can anyone here count to five hundred?'
'Yes,' Caris said.
'Slowly, please.'
Caris began to count aloud. Julie wiped the blood off Gwenda again, and this time the streaks did not reappear. She began to pray aloud. 'Holy Mary, Mother of the Lord Jesus Christ...'
Everyone was still, like a group of statuary: the mother and baby on the bed, the wise woman pressing down on the mother's belly; the husband, the praying nun, and Caris counting: 'A hundred and eleven, a hundred and twelve...'
As well as her own voice and Julie's, Caris could hear the sound of the fair outside, the roar of hundreds of people all speaking at once. The strain of pressing down began to show on Mattie's face, but she did not move. Wulfric was crying silently, tears streaming down his sunburned cheeks.
When Caris reached five hundred, Mattie slowly eased her weight off Gwenda's abdomen. Everyone looked at her vagina, dreading the gush of blood.
It did not come.
Mattie breathed a long sigh of relief. Wulfric smiled. Julie said: 'Praise God!'
Mattie said: 'Give her another drink, please.'
Once again, Mair put a full cup to Gwenda's lips. Gwenda opened her eyes and drank it all.
'You're going to be all right now,' Mattie said.
Gwenda whispered: 'Thank you.' Then she closed her eyes.
Mattie looked at Mair. 'Perhaps you should go and see about that soup,' she said. 'The woman must rebuild her strength, otherwise her milk will dry up.'
Mair nodded and left.
The baby cried. Gwenda seemed to revive. She moved the baby to her other breast and helped him find the nipple. Then she looked up at Wulfric and smiled.
Julie said: 'What a beautiful little boy.'
Caris looked at the baby again. For the first time, she saw him as an individual. What would he be like - strong and true like Wulfric, or weak and dishonest like his grandfather Joby? He did not resemble either, she thought. 'Who does he look like?' she said.
Julie said: 'He has his mother's coloring.'
That was right, Caris thought. The baby had dark hair and beige skin, where Wulfric had fair skin and a mane of dark blond hair. The baby's face reminded her of someone, and after a moment she realized it was Merthin. A foolish thought crossed her mind, and she dismissed it immediately. All the same, the resemblance was there. 'You know who he reminds me of?' she said.
Suddenly she caught a look from Gwenda. Her eyes widened, an expression of panic crossed her face, and she gave a barely perceptible shake of her head. It was gone in an instant, but the message was unmistakable: Shut up! Caris clamped her teeth together.
'Who?' said Julie innocently.
Caris hesitated, desperately thinking of something to say. At last she was inspired. 'Philemon, Gwenda's brother,' she said.
'Of course,' said Julie. 'Someone should tell him to come and see his new nephew.'
Caris was bewildered. So the baby was not Wulfric's? Then whose? It could not be Merthin's. He might have lain with Gwenda - he was certainly vulnerable to temptation - but he could never have kept it secret from Caris afterward. If not Merthin...
Caris was struck by a dreadful thought. What had gone on that day when Gwenda went to plead with Ralph for Wulfric's inheritance? Could the baby be Ralph's? It was too grim to contemplate.
She looked at Gwenda, then at the baby, then at Wulfric. Wulfric was smiling with joy, though his face was still wet with tears. He had no suspicions.
Julie said: 'Have you thought about the baby's name?'
'Oh, yes,' said Wulfric. 'I want to name him Samuel.'
Gwenda nodded, looking down at the baby's face. 'Samuel,' she said. 'Sammy. Sam.'
'After my father,' Wulfric said happily.