Belinda Murrell: Bringing Australian History To Life | Page 45

EXTRACT

The doctor suddenly looked at
Jemma with renewed interest.
‘I know who you are,’ he exclaimed.
‘You’re the young girl who was run
over this morning by Miss Rutherford’s
carriage.’
‘Yes. My name is Jemma Morgan.’
‘Young Edward said that your parents
couldn’t be found and that you have
lost some of your memory?’ probed the
doctor.
Jemma swallowed, fighting down
the fear. ‘I hit my head,’ she explained
hesitantly. ‘I’m not quite sure how I got
here.’
‘That’s not unusual,’ Doctor Anderson
assured her. ‘It’s quite common to have
some memory loss after a head injury –
usually you’ll fully recover most of your
memory in a few weeks. You may never
recover the memory of what happened
immediately before and during the
accident, though.’
The doctor’s reassurances were not
really helpful, since Jemma’s concern
was not really with her memory but
whether she could return to the future
where she belonged. She twisted the
ivory pendant between her fingertips.
‘Do you mind if I examine you
briefly? I want to make sure you don’t
have a serious concussion or brain
inflammation.’
Jemma remembered Mrs McKenzie’s
suggested cure for that ailment – a
shaved head and leeches!
‘I just had a headache for a while, but
I’m feeling much better now.’
Doctor Anderson checked her eyes,
pulse, temperature and heart rate
before asking her a few questions. He
ran his fingers lightly over her scalp.
Jemma winced when he touched the
bruise on the back of her head.

‘You seem a
model of health,’
the doctor
pronounced. ‘Well
nourished and very
tall for your age.
Most working-class
girls of your age
would be quite a
few inches shorter,
and significantly
undernourished.’
He means
skinnier, Jemma
thought wryly to
herself. Well, I guess
hunger would do
that to you!
‘I’m sure you’ll
be completely
recovered in a
couple of days, but
please tell me if you
have any concerns,’
Doctor Anderson
continued. ‘I’m sure
that, in no time at
all, both you and
Georgiana will be
up to the usual
mischief of girls
your age.’
Georgiana and
Jemma smiled
conspiratorially at
each other. Doctor
Anderson’s eyes
twinkled with amusement.
‘In the meantime, I think Georgiana
is well enough to get up for a couple
of hours and engage in some quiet
activities, and perhaps Jemma can
keep you company for a while – that
might help with the boredom, do you

think? I will instruct Miss Rutherford
that I prescribe some fresh air on the
verandah, and perhaps a few card
games.’

What is really the matter with Georgiana? Jemma wants to help, but she’s also desperate
to get back to her own time. Read The Ivory Rose to find out what Jemma does next –
and what Sydney was like in 1895.
The Ivory Rose is published by Random House Australia and is copyright © Belinda Murrell 2011. RRP $17.99

randomhouse.com.au/teachers 45