Thyla - Kate Gordon [44]
‘Let me hear the words. If I hear you say it, I might believe it’s real.’
You looked shaky, and I could see the goosebumps that jostled with freckles for space on your arms.
You cleared your throat: once, twice –
And then you read.
‘“Name: Theresa (Tessa) Geeves. Born: Hobart, Van Diemen’s Land, 1836. Age: 15. Sentence: Ten years for the crime of bodily assault. Mother’s place of origin: Skipton, Yorkshire.” Then there is … there is a picture of … of, well, it looks like you, Tess,’ said Connolly, looking up at me. ‘But, it can’t be you. You know that, don’t you? I mean, this photo was taken over a hundred and fifty years ago. It might be one of your ancestors, but it can’t be you.’
‘Please keep reading, Connolly,’ I asked. You nodded and went back to the text.
The following is a report from Female Factory guard, Isaac Livingston, on the convict Theresa Geeves, dated the first of February, 1851:
This report is compiled at the request of Female Factory Overseer, Mr Albert Hopkins, in response to the events concerning Miss Tessa Geeves. The abovementioned inmate has always been a quiet and courteous worker at the Factory, and we staff have watched her grow from a dumpling infant still in swaddling clothes, to a good, strong girl, who is brave, never cries, and is admirably keen at following instruction. It is often with a heavy heart that we farewell the children of convicts, though we know that the Factory is not a suitable place for the upbringing of young men and women. We were especially fond of young Tessa and thus it was a pleasure mixed with sadness as she joined us here again. It transpired that she had been rather too aggressive in her defence of a fellow student at the orphanage against a schoolyard bully. While her crime may, in many people’s eyes, be seen as heroic, the matron of the orphanage thought it a sure sign of vicious, violent tendencies.
I tried not to grin foolishly at the word ‘heroic’, though it did give me some sense of pride to find my crime was an honourable one. I did not draw attention to my gallantry, though, and let you read on.
We, of course, did not believe this to be true at the time. Tessa was such a gentle child. However, in the past month, following the events of New Year’s Day, we have noticed a discernible shifting in Miss Geeves’ temperament. She has turned from sensible and amenable to melancholic and, at times, even disagreeable. Of course, we are all most sympathetic to the tragic situation that is Miss Geeves’ burden following her mother’s passing. We understand, too, that she bears a certain quantity of resentment towards the staff at the factory, due to the circumstances surrounding this sad event. Miss Geeves firmly believes that the administration of ipecacuanha and the removal of rations, coupled with her mother’s poor health, was the cause of the unfortunate incident. This belief has led her to behave in a most unladylike and, at times, frightening manner. She has been observed quarrelling with other inmates, and has attempted several times to climb the walls surrounding the facility. We have also apprehended her scratching at her clothes and, on occasion, even removing her outer layers, complaining of the heat. Finally, we have observed strange physical manifestations of her new temperament; manifestations that have caused alarm amongst some factory staff.
Suddenly visible on the inmate’s back are long, slash-like scars traversing the whole of the width of her torso. There seem to be in excess of ten of these scars in total. The scars were first observed by fellow inmate, Mary Absolam, on the fifteenth day of January, when the inmates were in the wash-house. Miss Absolam relayed her observations to me, and I duly communicated the information to Mr Hopkins. Since this day, the scars have been noticed on several subsequent occasions, and it has been noted by the observers that the scars have darkened in colour and increased in size. The transformation of these scars seemed to be in direct correlation with Miss Geeves’ mental state.
Miss Absolam believes