At the Jerusalem, page 16
‘What book?’
‘The one you wanted me to read to you.’
‘Yes.’
‘And this is from Mrs Capes. A bottle of scent.’
‘How kind.’
‘Will you write to me?’
‘Letters?… Letters?’
‘What else?’
‘Yes, Susy. Yes.’
‘I’ve written the address in the book. Nurse S. Barrow, The Jerusalem Home, and so on.’
‘Thank you.’
*
Down one flight of steps, then another. Nurse Barrow carried the heavier case. A short corridor. Two more flights and they were passing the dining-hall. The ladies were at table. The creature wore her fur.
‘She’s asked Matron if she can have it buried with her,’ said Nurse Barrow, immediately regretting the words. She looked at Mrs Gadny, who smiled.
Matron and Henry were waiting with two men in uniform by the bust of Lord Whatsit.
‘Your son will travel with you.’
‘Stepson.’
‘In the ambulance.’
The men went out with the cases.
‘Goodbye, Faith.’
‘Goodbye, Matron.’
‘Goodbye, Faith.’
‘Goodbye, Susy.’
At the door Mrs Gadny said ‘Do not spit, Matron’ and laughed.
‘On the wall,’ Nurse Barrow explained.
‘That wasn’t me, Faith. That was a different matron.’
*
An ambulance driver ought to be more careful. He had a responsibility. She’d be falling off her perch at this rate.
‘We’re having a holiday, too. We’ve decided on the Costa Brava. I should use the week for working but Thelma insists. Her mother will have the burden of the children.’
Henry was breathing loudly. She remembered how annoyed Tom was when he heard that Henry had been told by the army he wasn’t healthy enough to train.
She had stared at the flowers on the walls and had searched her mind for things to say to him.
‘Have you forgiven your father?’
‘For what?’
‘For beating you.’
It was years back, she knew, but – as Mrs Barber once said – some scars refused to heal.
‘Yes, yes.’ He was smiling as much as he could.
‘Harry never forgave Barry.’ The names confused her. ‘Or was it the other way round? I do believe it was. Yes. It was Barry who never forgave.’
‘Who are they?’
‘I must tell you.’
She needed to talk to her stepson, she was pleased to find. Mrs Capes’s stories would do the trick. They would keep his interest.
About the author
Paul Bailey was born in London in 1937. He won a scholarship to the Central School of Speech and Drama and worked as an actor from 1956 to 1964. He became a freelance writer in 1967.
He was appointed Literary Fellow at Newcastle and Durham Universities, and was Visiting Lecturer in English Literature at the North Dakota State University. He was awarded the E.M. Forster Award in 1974 and in 1978 he won the George Orwell Prize for his essay ‘The Limitations of Despair’.
Paul Bailey has written eight novels, including At the Jerusalem, which won a Somerset Maugham Award and an Arts Council Writers’ Award, and Peter Smart’s Confessions and Gabriel’s Lament, both of which were shortlisted for the Booker Prize. His non-fiction books include two volumes of memoir and a biography of three gay popular entertainers from the twentieth century.
He has also written plays for radio and television, and as a literary critic.
About the introducer
Colm Tóibín was born in Enniscorthy in 1955. He is the author of nine novels including The Master, Brooklyn, The Testament of Mary and Nora Webster. His work has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize three times, has won the Costa Novel Award and the Impac Award. His most recent novel is House of Names. He has also published two collections of stories and many works of non-fiction. He lives in Dublin.
An Invitation from the Publisher
We hope you enjoyed this book. We are an independent publisher dedicated to discovering brilliant books, new authors and great storytelling. Please join us at www.headofzeus.com and become part of our community of book-lovers.
We will keep you up to date with our latest books, author blogs, special previews, tempting offers, chances to win signed editions and much more.
Get in touch: hello@headofzeus.com
www.headofzeus.com
@headofzeus
@HoZ_Books
Head of Zeus Books
Paul Bailey, At the Jerusalem
