Читать книгу Charles Augustus Fenton - Alana Whiting - Страница 11

Magda arrived soon after nightfall. She swept into the house with a dignified grace. Charles awkwardly thanked her for coming so quickly and then showed her to my room where I lay listening to Meg reading me a story. She startled at seeing Magda and laid the book down. Elizabeth looked up from her sewing and smiled. She ordered Meg to go to her room, which she did with alacrity. The two women looked at each other and embraced. Magda pulled away first to give Elizabeth a reassuring touch to the cheek. Elizabeth started to cry.

‘No tears, my love. I’m here now. Hush now. Hush.’ She gave Elizabeth her handkerchief to dab her eyes. Elizabeth sniffed and looked at Magda gratefully.

‘You don’t know how awful it’s been, Magda. I have died a hundred deaths for not being able to see you again. Damn that cursed shopkeeper. Damn him to Hell.’

Magda laughed. ‘Don’t worry too much about that. He has grown to rue the day he crossed my path. My only concern is for you and your darling boy to get better. You look gaunt, my sweet. You should have called for me much sooner. But, not to bother – that’s in the past. Let’s look at the here and now and fix your little son.’

She drew close to my bed and gazed at me. I stared back, equally curious. She closed her eyes and began to chant softly under her breath. Her hands moved up and down just above my weakened body, gesturing and flicking away periodically. She rubbed them together and placed them firmly onto my swollen abdomen and I could feel a rising heat radiating from her as she muttered away. There was no pain, just warmth and a feeling of lightness going through my body. I relaxed immediately, cooing and smiling at her as she concentrated on her spell. Her shoulders hunched and lifted as she cupped her hands and drew them away from my stomach, flicking them towards her shoes and stamping down seven times with each foot. She did this several times and with each cupping I could feel my stomach easing and growing softer. She touched my forehead with her left thumb and drew a circle from the top of my face to the bottom going anti-clockwise. She then pressed my cheeks with her forefingers and flicked away towards my earlobes, hissing as she flicked. My mother watched her with love in her eyes as she touched my face and body, murmuring and whispering to herself. She finished with an incantation spoken so softly only the wind could have picked it up. She closed her eyes and placed her right hand on her heart and her left hand on my brow whilst repeating what she said. When she stopped the silence was thick in the air and no one moved for some time.

Unexpectedly, she opened her eyes and the mood vanished. She smiled at me and then at Elizabeth and turned to fossick in her bag, removing a small leather pouch and tucking it into my pillowcase.

‘This is a little collection of herbs that will help ease your son’s restless nights. From now on you will notice an improvement or my name is not Magda Williams.’ She smiled and kissed Elizabeth on the lips. ‘Make sure to keep it there for one week and he will be back to his happy self in no time. I promise you.’

As she spoke I drifted into the arms of Morpheus, not noticing the women in each other’s arms.

‘Oh Magda, how can I ever thank you? You are my saviour yet again.’ Elizabeth placed her hands on Magda’s cheeks and kissed her back.

‘You have already repaid many times over, Lizzie. It is I that is in your debt,’ Magda huskily responded, parting her lips to kiss her deeper. ‘I look forward to seeing you again.’

‘And you shall, my love. Charles has agreed to me seeing you. But for now, we must say good-night.’ And with that, they regretfully parted, going arm in arm to the front door of the house, where Magda disappeared into the night.