Bridewell, My Penance, My Pain. Chapter 16
I dare not move or the pain starts anew. I lay on my stomach upon the hospital bed, my head turned toward the bed next to me. Occupying that bed is my bed partner from the woman’s dormitory, Elsbeth. Attending to her wounds are the prison surgeon and several of his assistants. They have to hold the big woman down when they swab her back with the brine solution. Extra help is needed when the surgeon begins to stitch closed several of the deep cuts left by the viscous cat-of-ninetails. I actually feel sorry for Elsbeth. She is treated roughly with little compassion.
Soon the last prisoner Lydia Best is brought in after her punishment. I just get a glimpse of her beet red buttocks as two guards lead her past me to a bed across the room. I can tell by her heaving shoulders that she is still sobbing heavily. In obvious pain, she too is laid upon her stomach which gives me a better look at her bottom. It appears swollen and the skin looks bruised and raw but I see no blood.
My attention reverts back to Elsbeth as the surgeon and his helpers complete her treatment. I can see the tears running down her cheeks. “ Are you alright Elsbeth?” I ask.”Why do you care,Pennyworth?” She snaps back at me. I respond “ Though, for some reason, you seem to dislike me Elsbeth, I wish you no ill will. There is too much hate in this vile place already. I do not wish to add to it.” She closes her eyes and turns her head away from me without uttering a response.
Soon the doctor and helpers tend to my back and bottom. I cry out when they swab my wounds with the brine solution, the raw skin burns like fire. I feel the doctors hands on my backside gently touching my damaged skin but soon a hand moves slowly between my legs and his finger slides up between my nether lips. I stiffen and flail with my arms and legs, catching the surgeon in the groin with my right heal. He doubles over, pulling away from me, in obvious pain.
“ Pennyworth, you bitch” he shouts “ I try to show you a bit of personal kindness and you attack me so.” I retort “ I have no want for such “ personal kindness” from you or anyone else at Bridewell.” He looks back as he backs away from me, still in pain, and says,“ The governor will get a full report on your misbehavior. I’m sure that he will prescribe something adequate to adjust that poor attitude of yours, Pennyworth.” They move away from me to attend to another prisoner. It is quiet for a moment until I hear Elsbeth whisper “ Well done, Aslin. Next time kick the bastard harder, he deserves it”
For the rest of my stay in the hospital, the surgeon avoids me, choosing to save his ministrations for the younger duo of Lydia Best and Margaret Mead. Although only a few years younger than I, they are far less worldly and probably unable to gain the resolve to stand up against him. My minor wounds are tended to by the assistants. After only three days, I am one of the first discharged back to the woman’s dormitory. It is late when they bring me back. I am still unable to sit or lay on my back comfortably. The cot I share with Elsbeth is empty as her wounds don’t allow her to return as of yet. I am able to spread out on my stomach and sleep well.
When I awaken to the morning bell, I am apprehensive that my bruised and abraded bottom can withstand sitting on a hard wooden stool for the whole of the day at the spinning wheel. I clean up, brush my hair and begin to remove my shift to change into my work clothing. One of the guards Mrs Wilson taps me gently with her cane, “No need to change into your work clothes today, Pennyworth. You will stay in your shift and wait for the matron.” I stand near my cot, not wanting to sit, in only my shift and bare feet, as the other prisoners are escorted to the spinning room. A wave of apprehension flows over me…..I know this will not be good.
It is only a matter of minutes before the Matron and two guards enter the sleep dormitory. One guard stands to each side of me and they each take one of my arms as the Matron addresses me.“Penny-worth, you continue to rebel against authority. You refuse to accept that you must obey your betters, even striking the good surgeon when he was trying to help you.” I want to tell her that I do not need his idea of help but I bite my tongue as I know it will do me no good. She continues “ The governor suggested another stint at the Capstan for you but I dissuaded him. You will work the
“Barrow and stones” this day. We’ll see if that brings you to your senses. Guards take her to the courtyard.” She ordered.
I am led to the courtyard where I see a large pile of stones and a wooden wheelbarrow at one end of the dirt courtyard. I am led to the pile of stones and the guards release me as the Matron explains the process. “ Pennyworth you have one hour to move these stones all the way across the courtyard and back. You must dump all of them on the opposite side before you can return any of them to this spot. You will repeat this process for 8 hours in today. Any hour that you do not complete the full process means one hour at the Capstan this night. But not for you Pennyworth, it will be for your friend Alice Walker.”
They will torture my friend if I fail to complete the monumental task they have put before me. I have tried to distance myself from Alice, to keep her safe, but the evil of this place links her forever to me. One of the guards turns an hourglass and says “ You better get too it girl.” I bend lifting the first heavy stone to my scantily clad body, take two labored steps,and drop it into the barrow. I hurry back to the pile of stones knowing I will have to do my best to prevent my only friend any more suffering.
I work hard but it takes a while to lift all the rocks into the wheelbarrow. The guards laugh when I try to lift the full wheelbarrow, it is too heavy for me to budge. I quickly realize that it will take more than one trip to move all the rocks to the other side of the prison yard. As quickly as I can manage, I take half of the rocks back out of the wheelbarrow. I lift the wheelbarrow this time but it is very heavy and it takes me a while to navigate across the yard. I am tired by the time I empty the wheelbarrow and hurry back to get the rest of the stones.
I try to be quicker this time but my arms and legs are tired. After I have loaded the rest of the rocks ,move them to the other side, and empty the barrow; I start the process all over again. The guard yells to me , holding up the hourglass “ Over half the sand is gone, Pennyworth. You better pick up your pace, girl.” I work as fast as I can to load half the stones and head back to my starting point. I dump the stones and head back for the final load, but before I can return with the stones, the guard yells out that my time is up, there is no sand left.
I have failed. I have failed my friend Alice and she will suffer for it. After I return with the stones and dump them, the guard looks at me and smiles. “Well Pennyworth, you have just condemned your friend Alice to an hour pushing the capstan.” I plead with her “ Oh please, mam, punish me instead. Alice has done nothing.” She smiles again
“Alright Pennyworth, I’m a fair person. Bend over and grab your ankles. If you can take six of my best with the cane and not move, I won’t tell the matron about you failing. But if you move, your friend Alice will double her time at the Capstan.”
What could I do but bend over as she directs.The guard lifts my shift up to my lower back and pulls my drawers down so that my bottom is bared. “Your bottom still looks a little raw from punishment day so you best be prepared for some real pain girl” she says as she reaches way back for the first stroke. I brace myself, willing myself not to move as the first stroke impacts my bottom. A bottom that has not yet fully recovered from my birching.
I feel the impact and a split second later the explosion of pain. I yelp but maintain my position. The second stroke draws forth a scream and the pain is brutal, a more deep burning pain that will leave bruises I am sure. The third stroke strikes home and I fight the pain that follows, grasping my ankles with all of my strength so as not to move. The fourth stroke fills my eyes with tears as my body begins to quiver. Only two more I tell myself, only two more. I scream and shake violently after the fifth stroke. I honestly don’t know if I can withstand another, but I must for Alice’s sake. The final stroke is viscous, the pain almost too unbearable to manage. I fight the urge to straighten. I dig my fingernails into the skin of my ankles and hold on for dear life as my bottom burns like hell-fire. (to be continued )