The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman
Saving the life of a village boy and later struggling to help him birth twin calves, awakens for Beetle the first stirrings of real pride and individuality within herself. Following a trip to a nearby town, in which she is mistaken for a young woman named Alyce, Beetle discovers the dignity to grace herself, and her feline companion, with appropriate names.
The naming acts as a catalyst for Alyce as well as the townspeople, who now begin to treat “the midwife’s apprentice” with a measure of respect. When Jane, the midwife, leaves one birth to attend another, Alyce struggles to overcome her innate fear of attempting, thus failing. In a miraculous triumph of willpower and survival, Alyce successfully delivers the baby who the midwife had believed destined to die unborn.
Is it the magic of this great accomplishment which lights the spark of compassion and nurturing in Alyce’s young bosom? Perhaps. Likely it has lain dormant, waiting to blossom along with her spirit, wit, and intelligence. So it is that Alyce discovers, saves and cherishes a fondness for a nameless, homeless boy. Determined that his lot shall be better than her own, Alyce names the waif Edward, and sends him up to the local manor to acquire honest labor.
Just as she has begun to settle into her place in the world, Alyce’s life is shaken by the arrival of a messenger. The boy has come to request her assistance at the birthing of his new sibling. The midwife is enraged by this affront to her skill and experience, but bows ungracefully to the woman’s desires, sending Alyce off in a hail of cookware, crockery, and all else she could lay hands on to throw at her. This time, however, Alyce’s inexperience and lack of confidence prove her undoing. Unable to ease the baby into the proper position for delivery, Alyce gives up and sends the messenger to bring Jane to deliver the child herself.
Allowing her failure to taint her sense of self-worth, Alyce flees town with Purr at her side. It is the cat’s hunger and Alyce’s feelings of responsibility toward him which ultimately lead her to take shelter at a nearby inn. The innkeeper’s wife, Jennet, admires Alyce’s hardworking nature; Alyce remains at the inn, working through the long days and nights. It is her continually somber countenance that catches the eye of one of the Inn’s long-term guests, one
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