Orphan Train Trials Read online

  Orphan Train Trials

  Rachel Wesson

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  Chapter 62

  Chapter 63

  Chapter 64

  Chapter 65

  Chapter 66

  Chapter 67

  Chapter 68

  Chapter 69

  Chapter 70

  Chapter 71

  Chapter 72

  Chapter 73

  Epilogue

  Also by Rachel Wesson

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  46th St, New York April, 1894

  Kathleen Collins read the letter from her sister Bridget quickly, greedily consuming all her news.

  “Has Bridget listened to our advice to stay away from New York?”

  Kathleen looked up at Lily’s question. She hated upsetting this kind woman who had done so much to help her family. She shook her head. “She says they will be here in about two weeks. First, they are going to visit Doctor Powell and his wife, the people who adopted Sally.”

  “I wonder if they were able to help Sally’s limp. She was such a lovely happy child with her beautiful smile.” Lily sighed causing Kathleen to look up in concern.

  “Kathleen, I admit to being torn. I am looking forward to seeing your sister again and congratulating her on her marriage, but I don’t want to place her in danger.”

  “Lily, it’s been almost a year since we left the factory. Surely, Mr. Oaks will have forgotten about Bridget now. He should have other things on his mind with the financial crash.”

  Lily smiled sadly. “You would think so, especially with over sixteen thousand businesses folding. Charlie said one in six men are now out of work. But, somehow, Mr. Oaks and his ilk tend to survive, perhaps thrive in difficult times like these. I heard from Inspector Pascal Griffin. Oaks is a man who never forgets, especially someone like Bridget.”

  Kathleen exchanged a glance with her friend, Bella. They knew how difficult life was in New York with the increased unemployment meaning more visitors to the sanctuary. Still, she hoped Inspector Griffin was wrong, although he wouldn’t have got to such a senior level in the police force if he wasn’t usually correct in these matters.

  She was dying to see Bridget, she missed her and Annie and Liam. She also wanted to get to know her new brother-in-law better. Having only met him briefly when Annie and Liam joined the orphan train, she couldn’t help but wonder what her vivacious older sister saw in such a stern, sad man. Yet Bridget was happy, more than happy. Her letters flowed with joy over her new role as an outplacement agent. Even when she wrote of the things that annoyed her, her tone was one of someone who believed in the work they were doing. She continually praised her husband Carl.

  “Bridget won’t be staying in New York for long, so she should be fine,” Lily said, bending to reach the knitting by her chair. They were in her private sitting room taking advantage of some quiet time. Charlie was away with work and Lily had to wait for Mini Mike or Tommy to collect her to escort her home. Charlie had left strict instructions on the care his wife was to receive. Lily joked Charlie must think she was the first woman to have a child, but everyone knew he was just being careful. They had been married a long time, almost five years.

  “How is Inspector Griffin?” Kathleen asked in a bid to change the conversation away from Oaks and danger. “The papers are full of stories about how the New York police department needs to be cleaned up.”

  “I think there are more criminals in the force than outside it,” Bella said, not looking up from the sketch she was working on. Kathleen looked over her shoulder, trying to see the dress. Bella had a wonderful eye for detail. They used to take walks down to Fifth Avenue to view the dresses in the store windows. When they got back, Bella would take out her sketch pad and draw similar designs to those she had seen in the stores. She really was very clever.

  “Bella, that’s not true,” Lily reprimanded gently.

  Bella put her pencil down and looked Lily straight in the face. “Yes, it is, Lily. Every woman who comes here has a similar story about paying the police bribes, either in cash or favors.” Bella’s face turned various shades of pink, partly from anger at the injustices the women faced, and partly from embarrassment Kathleen surmised.

  “Those men are supposed to protect everyone, but they don’t care about the children in the tenements. They just lock them up.”

  “Bella, I know you are upset about young Dillon and Sammy being arrested, but they were caught in the act,” Kathleen said gently. “You can’t blame the police for picking them up.”

  “Can’t I? Those kids had to do it, the gangs told them to. What would happen to them if they refused? The police are afraid of the Eastmans and the Five Pointers.”

  The gangs ruled New York, that much was true, although there were police officers trying to fight back. But corruption was rife, and many law enforcers looked the other way depending on which gang was involved. There were rumors the government was going to do something to sort out the corruption but, as yet, nothing much had happened. But there were still some police who wore their uniform with pride and served their community as best they could.

  “Bella, that’s unfair. Inspector Griffin was talking about that very thing when he called to check on us over the weekend. He said there are moves being made to get the gang situation under control but, in the meantime, we have to be patient,” Lily said, her tired tone making Kathleen wish Mini Mike or Tommy would come back to take Lily home.

  “I’m sorry, Lily.” Bella looked contrite, “I just can’t bear the sight of those kids in the cells. I know they act all tough but putting children in with real criminals is just wrong.” Bella pursed her lips together as she screwed her eyes shut. Not one tear escaped but Kathleen had seen her friend’s eyes fill up. She squeezed her arm gently trying to show her she cared.

  “Bella, you reminded me. I can’t believe I forgot,” Lily said, sitting straighter in the chair. “Being pregnant is making me forgetful. Father Nelson spoke to me yesterday about a group of orphaned children coming to us from a prison somewhere north of here,” Lily explained.

 
“A prison?” Kathleen clarified.

  “Yes. It is bad enough when youngsters like Sammy or Dillon get picked up and thrown in a cell for a night. But these children have been living in the prison. Their only crime is that of being poor and orphaned. The local authorities maintain it’s because the orphanages are overflowing.”

  “You don’t believe them?” Kathleen asked.

  Lily picked up the teapot and poured more tea into their cups. Lily sat back farther in her seat as if taking time to compose her thoughts.

  “I believe the existing facilities are overcrowded, but that is not where the blame lies. Until our government views the needs of vulnerable children with the same importance as other issues, there will never be enough money or safe places for the people who need them most.” Lily stopped talking, an apologetic look on her face. “Forgive me, girls. Charlie tells me not to get on my soap box.”

  “Nothing to apologize for,” Kathleen said. “I wish there were more people who think like you do, Lily. I feel so bad for those we left behind in the tenements. When Mam was alive, she used to share what we had with the families who lived around us. Like Mrs. Fleming does.”

  “Speaking of Mrs. Fleming, would you like to come and visit her with me?” Lily asked. “I am going tomorrow night—Mini Mike and Tommy will be with us. I had a message to call on her last week but as I had a chill, Charlie ordered me to bed.”

  “Yes, please. I would love to see her,” Kathleen answered. “Bella, would you like to come with us. Mrs. Fleming is such a lovely lady. Her husband, Dave, and children are nice too. They were very good to us when my mam died.” Kathleen had been thrilled Bella had opened up so much and become a close friend. She would never replace Bridget in her affections, but she had helped her through a very lonely time. She wanted Bella to meet Mrs. Fleming who did so much work in the community helping families to help themselves.

  Bella looked up from her sketching, “Yes, please.”

  “That’s settled then,” Lily said, smiling at Bella. Kathleen knew Lily wanted to get Bella to be more trusting of people. To see that not everyone was as horrible as the people who had mistreated her when she was younger.

  “Kathleen, can you ask Cook to bake a few more batches of cookies? They always disappear quickly. We’ll need some blankets and some clothes as well. You know the drill by now,” Lily said, smiling at Kathleen, making her feel warm inside. Since Bridget had left, Kathleen had gone out with Lily on her rounds visiting those families who couldn’t, or wouldn’t, come to the sanctuary. She couldn’t say she enjoyed going back to the tenements. She didn’t. There was no comparison between her current home and the overcrowded, wretched squalor she had once lived. She was so grateful Lily had taken her family in.

  “I’ll go now and get organized. Thank you, Lily.” She stood and gathered the cups to take the tray with her. Bella stood to answer the door, they all recognized Tommy’s knock.

  “Evening, ladies.” Tommy acknowledged them. “Are you ready to go home, Miss Lily?”

  “Yes, thank you, Tommy.” Lily beamed at her friend and protector. “Wait, Kathleen, what about Maura? Would she like to come with us?”

  Kathleen didn’t look at Lily but stared at a point above her head. Embarrassed at her sister’s behavior, she wasn’t sure if Lily knew of the latest problems Maura had caused. Bella didn’t make any comment. Kathleen thought it was loyal of her not to complain to Lily about how badly Maura had treated her over the last month in particular.

  “Why don’t you ask Maura?” Lily asked when Kathleen didn’t respond. “She may find it good to get out of the sanctuary and back into the real world if only for a few hours.”

  Kathleen wasn’t at all sure Maura would say yes, so she just kept quiet.

  Chapter 2

  New York

  Kathleen entered the bedroom she and Maura now shared. They had moved to the smaller space when the others had left for Riverside Springs. Her elder sister didn’t glance at her as she came in, let alone say anything. Obviously, she was in another one of her moods.

  “Are you going out again, Maura?” Kathleen asked, wondering how her sister funded all her trips. Although they had jobs in the sanctuary, their wages were quite low.

  “What’s it to do with you? You’re not my keeper.”

  “I am going to see Mrs. Fleming with Lily and Bella tomorrow evening. I thought you might like to come with us.”

  “No, thanks,” Maura said as she picked up her hat and purse and waltzed out the door.

  Kathleen was tempted to scream but that wouldn’t achieve anything. She bit her lip. Why was Maura so horrid? When David, her fiancé, had been alive she’d been nicer. Not as nice as Bridget, but easier to live with.

  Now Maura refused to spend any time with her. She went out every evening saying she had to be somewhere. She didn’t elaborate, and Kathleen didn’t press her. Maura was an adult and if she wanted to follow another path it wasn’t up to Kathleen to stop her, no matter how much she disapproved. Maura had become very friendly with one of the women, Patricia, who worked in the sewing section of the sanctuary. Kathleen, who liked most everyone, didn’t like Patricia, not least as she took her temper out on Bella and the other girls. Bella was outspoken and difficult sometimes to warm too, but the girl had a kind heart. She didn’t say anything hurtful about anyone and wasn’t a gossip, unlike Patricia. That woman seemed to delight in telling the group of women stories of orphans being sent on trains to become slaves to their new owners. Kathleen had challenged her more than once, but Patricia insisted she was just repeating what she read in the newspapers. Kathleen wished Bridget were here. Her sister was strong enough to put anyone, including Patricia Martin, back in her place.

  Kathleen didn’t believe her stories. She couldn’t afford to. She was worried enough about her siblings. Not Liam and Annie, who wrote regularly about their new home with Carolyn and Geoff Rees in Riverside Springs. They were happy. But she hadn’t heard anything from her brothers, Shane and Michael. No one had. Lily had tried to find out more about where they had been placed but she could only find information which suggested they were on route to Cedar Falls, Iowa.

  Chapter 3

  New York

  It was chilly the next evening despite it being the end of April. Kathleen wrapped her shawl tighter around her shoulders, wishing she had thought to bring her coat. A cab trundled by, hitting a puddle in the process, and sending a shower of water over their small group. If it hadn’t been for Mike’s quick reflexes pulling Kathleen out of the way, she would have been soaked. She thanked the gentle giant with a warm smile which made him blush.

  They could smell the tenement before they reached it. The stench of boiling cabbage, unwashed bodies, and decades of discarded filth fought for dominance. Bella’s face was a picture.

  “I forget you never lived in the tenements, did you?” Kathleen asked her friend.

  Holding her nose in a most unladylike way, Bella shook her head as if afraid to breathe in the air.

  Kathleen’s stomach roiled too but she fought hard to keep a smile on her face. She didn’t want to offend her old neighbors; her friends who still lived in this vile place. Mrs. Fleming wasn’t standing at her door to greet them as she usually did. A feeling of dread made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She moved closer to the door, but Lily laid a hand on her arm.

  “Maybe we are too early?” Lily asked.

  “Lily, you and I both know Mrs. Fleming is always ready an hour before we’re due to arrive. Something is wrong.”

  “Wait here and I will check,” Lily said.

  “Not on your life. You need to watch out for yourself. You have someone else to think of now,” Kathleen said gently, her eyes glancing to Lily’s softly rounded stomach barely visible under her open coat. “Bella, please stay with Lily. I will come back as soon as I can.”

  Kathleen didn’t wait for her friends to argue back. Her eyes met those of Mike’s and he nodded slightly. He would stay with the ladi
es outside. Tommy followed Kathleen and she didn’t argue; she was glad of his support.

  She made her way deeper into the rooms, her heart beating so loudly, she thought it would wake the dead. What was wrong?

  “Mrs. Fleming. It’s Kathleen Collins. I came to….”

  Kathleen came to a standstill as the vision before her started to make sense. The Fleming family were gathered around the double bed which had been dragged from its normal place against the wall to the center of the room nearer to the wood burning stove. The room, normally so clean and tidy, was in disarray. The chairs were placed around the bed. Mrs. Fleming, pale and shrunken to a shadow of her former self, lay surrounded by her children.

  “Ma, it’s Kathleen Collins. Remember her? She used to live next door,” Colm Fleming said gently, bending down nearer his mother’s ear.

  Kathleen caught Mr. Fleming’s eye, his expression making the tears threaten to flow. She bent down beside the bed.