Shifted By The Winds (20 page)

“Yes. It was established about twenty years ago by Sarah Peter. It is actually the first art school in the United States.”

Janie stepped back and looked at the building with new eyes. “Are these women treated as badly as we are?”

“I don’t believe so,” Matthew replied evenly. “They are taught to design articles for domestic use, like patterns for wallpaper, carpet and woodwork moldings. Mrs. Peter realized the industrial revolution in the North could mean new opportunities for women. She has been a widow twice. Though she had financial means, she realized most single or widowed women have few resources. She wanted to change that.”

“And there are so many more of them since the war,” Janie murmured.

“Yes. Women have proven they can excel in these fields,” Matthew continued. “Most of the women who graduate from here have no trouble finding jobs.”

“Because they are doing something men believe is acceptable for women,” Janie stated. She was aware of the bitterness in her voice, but she couldn’t hide it. She realized suddenly that she wasn’t interested in trying. She had been forced to be someone she wasn’t when she was married to Clifford. Those days were behind her. She would never be anyone but herself again.

“You knew becoming a doctor would be difficult,” Matthew said.

“Did I?” Janie asked. “Or did I simply do it because Carrie was doing it, and because I didn’t know what else to do?”

“You’re the only one who can answer that question,” Matthew said gently, “but I do know you are quite gifted in medicine.”

Janie considered that for a moment, wondering if it was true. She sighed heavily and repeated what she had said to Carrie the night before. “The medical establishment here in Philadelphia is already trying to prove women have no place in medicine. They are fighting us at every turn. Now, Carrie is going to tell them they are wrong about one of their most established practices?” Her voice rose. “And that’s just one of the things, Matthew. She disagrees with much more.”

“And you think she is wrong?”

Janie was quiet for several moments, forcing herself to answer honestly. “I’m afraid to admit she is right,” she finally confessed, her cheeks burning as she faced the truth.

“Why?”

Janie suddenly chuckled. “I should have known falling in love with a journalist would be dangerous. Do you always ask so many questions?”

Matthew smiled. “I’ve learned it’s the only way to get information. I could tell you what I think, but it isn’t important. The only thing that matters is what
you
think.”

“I
do
want to know what you think,” Janie protested.

“And I’ll be happy to tell you—but not before you know what you think yourself,” Matthew answered.

Janie managed a small smile when she saw the twinkle in Matthew’s eyes. “I think Carrie is absolutely correct,” she said, finding relief in speaking her mind.

“And you’re sad about that?”

Janie shrugged. “Left to my own devices, I don’t believe I would choose to rock the boat. I don’t necessarily believe that’s a good thing, but it’s the truth. Once it has been rocked, however, and the wrongs have been pointed out to me, it would be nothing but cowardice to look the other way. That doesn’t mean I don’t wish I could do just that, though.” She stepped back and stared up at the School of Design. “They couldn’t have had it easy,” she murmured as Matthew turned and began to walk back in the direction of the house.

“No. They didn’t fight the same deep prejudices you and Carrie are fighting, but they were taking jobs that had always been considered just for men. Of course, it helped that so many of our men died fighting in the war. Industry was forced to consider a different option if they were to continue moving forward at the same pace as before.”

“Do you think I’m an awful coward?” Janie asked uneasily.

“Never,” Matthew said fervently. “You are a strong, beautiful, talented woman.”

Janie heard the words, and she appreciated his support, but she didn’t see herself that way. She let her thoughts take her where they wanted to as they walked through the deepening dusk. “Carrie is right,” she said suddenly, growing more certain by the moment. “But I still don’t know what that means. If we want to become doctors, we have to graduate from medical school. How can we do that if we don’t believe what the doctors are teaching us?” She ground her teeth with frustration.

“There might be another way,” Matthew informed her, “but I think we’ll have to continue this conversation later.”

“Why?” Janie looked at him with surprise.

“We’re back at the house,” Matthew replied, “and Carrie is sitting on the porch.”

Janie gasped. She had been so lost in her thoughts she’d had no idea they were so close to the house. A quick glance told her Matthew was right. Carrie was watching them from the porch, but Janie couldn’t read her expression because dusk had cloaked her in shadows. It didn’t matter. She knew what she had to do.  “Carrie!” Janie dropped Matthew’s arm and ran forward to envelop her friend in a warm hug. “I was an idiot last night. Will you please forgive me?”

“You were not an idiot, and there is nothing to forgive,” Carrie replied. “We had a difference of opinion. Certainly our friendship is strong enough to handle that.” She kissed Janie on the cheek, and then turned to Matthew. “Welcome home.”

Matthew smiled. “Yes, it
is
home, isn’t it?”

“Is it?” Carrie teased. “I saw your bags in the foyer. Northern society is more accepting, but they may frown upon a single man with five women.”

“Wouldn’t it be fun to give them something to talk about?” Matthew asked with a laugh, and then explained his boarding situation two doors down.

“Wonderful!” Carrie exclaimed. “And you’re here for a month?”

“That’s the plan, but we all know things could change. That’s the reality of life for a newspaper reporter.”

“But not for an author,” Carrie protested.

“How did you—”

“Know about your book deal? You couldn’t possibly think Janie didn’t announce it to our housemates as soon as she got your letter. They spilled the beans when I got home.”

“Home from…?” Janie asked tentatively.

“I’m sorry I worried you,” Carrie said contritely. “I went to visit Biddy and Faith today. I needed some time to think, and I needed to hear the rest of their story.”

“And did you?” Janie watched her closely.

“Have time to think? Yes. Hear the rest of their stories? I heard the rest of Biddy’s. Faith wanted hers to wait for another time. I think she knew I had quite enough to process.”

“And did you find what you were looking for?”

Carrie hesitated. “Let’s say I know what I need to do, but I’m not at all sure how to go about doing it.”

“Matthew has an idea,” Janie said quickly, grasping Carrie’s hand. “I’m so sorry about last night. I was feeling particularly scared,” she admitted. “I knew what you were saying was right, but I just didn’t want to rock the boat. After everything that happened during the war, experiencing the difficulty of being a woman in medical school felt like quite enough. I had no desire to make life more difficult.”

Carrie gazed at her with soft compassion. “That’s completely understandable.”

“Stop it!” Janie scolded, laughing when Carrie’s eyes widened. “I was acting like a coward last night, but that is no reason to treat me like I might break. I’m not a natural-born rebel like you are, but that doesn’t mean I can’t see the light. You were absolutely right. I was absolutely wrong. Can we leave it at that and just move on?”

“Certainly,” Carrie said with a grin. “I love being right sometimes.” Her smile faded. “But I still don’t know what to do. You were right about the need to graduate from medical school if I want to be a doctor.”

“What if you became a different kind of doctor?” Matthew asked.

Carrie cocked her head, a quick question lighting her eyes. “Go on,” she invited.

“Have you heard of the Homeopathic Medical College of Philadelphia?”

Carrie frowned. “I barely even know the term. I certainly didn’t know there was another medical school here in Philadelphia.”

“I’m not surprised,” Matthew said easily. “Homeopathy is becoming very popular in the United States, but the more popular it becomes, the more the traditional medical field fights it.”

“Why?” Janie asked.

“I suspect it’s because they don’t want competition,” Matthew replied wryly. “The American Institute of Homeopathy was founded by homeopathic physicians from New York, Philadelphia, and Boston in 1844. It was actually the first medical organization in the United States.”

“I had no idea,” Carrie murmured.

“It was created to promote standardization of the practice and teaching of homeopathy. Anyway, the regular doctors were not thrilled with this development, so they founded the American Medical Association three years later. Their charter contains very specific language against homeopathy, and all its members are forbidden to consult with homeopathic physicians.”

“Why?” Janie asked again. “I don’t understand.”

“Because homeopathy doesn’t support their beliefs in drugs and practices like bloodletting,” Carrie answered.

Matthew raised his eyebrows. “I thought you didn’t know anything about homeopathy.”

“I don’t, but I am gaining a very clear understanding of how conventional medicine works,” Carrie said flatly. “They’re against anything that doesn’t conform to their accepted standard of doing things.”

“Which is your specialty,” Matthew teased.

“Evidently,” Carrie sighed. “I’ve decided being a square peg is a wonderful thing. I lost my vision for a while, but it has returned.”

“Because of Biddy?” Janie guessed.

Florence stuck her head out the door. “Are the three of you just going to talk in the dark all night, or are you going to come in and eat some dinner?”

Janie hesitated. She didn’t want to interrupt their conversation, but Matthew’s eager look toward the house told her he was hungry. “We’re coming,” she responded. She turned to Carrie when Florence’s head popped back inside. “Can we finish talking later?”

Carrie looked puzzled. “You don’t think this is dinner conversation? Surely our housemates will be interested in this.”

“I don’t know,” Janie said slowly, trying to figure out what she was feeling. “Elizabeth and Alice both have a physician for a father. I imagine they have heard a lot of negative things about homeopathy.”

Carrie thought for a long moment before she nodded. “I think you’re right. I don’t mind disagreeing with someone, but I prefer to have some idea of what I’m talking about before I do.”

Janie nodded with relief. “I say we just enjoy a meal of baked chicken and apple pie.”

Carrie’s eyes widened. “Apple pie? That smell really is coming from our house? I thought surely it was from Mrs. Bueller’s house next door. She bakes all the time.”

“Alice has two pies waiting inside for us,” Matthew said wistfully, his eyes large and pleading.

Carrie and Janie looked at each other and burst into laughter. Linking their arms around each other’s waists, they entered the house.

Carrie leaned her head against the windowsill, relishing the feel of the cool breeze on her body. She knew it wouldn’t be long before the refreshing flow became a brutal blast of cold air against tightly closed windows, but she was enjoying the respite from the heat and very happy fall was on the way. The air drifting in carried the aroma of baking, flowers and industrial smoke. While it wasn’t necessarily distasteful, it made her long for the fresh air on the plantation. She fought against the wave of homesickness that tried to take her again. It was her decision to come to Philadelphia, and she didn’t want to waste her time here wishing for what she had willingly left behind. Biddy’s story had helped her to understand that. She was not surprised when Janie quietly opened the door and stuck her head in tentatively. “I’m awake,” she said quietly.

Janie joined her on the window seat. “I have a reason to be up late now that Matthew is in town. I thought you would be asleep.”

“My body wants to sleep,” Carrie said wearily, “but my mind doesn’t seem willing to shut down.”

“What are you thinking about?”

Carrie rolled her eyes. “A better question would be, what am I
not
thinking about? My mind seems to be swirling in circles. Just when I think I may come close to figuring everything out, it dances out of reach and swirls in another direction.”

Janie nodded and took hold of her hand. “What is bothering you most?”

Carrie felt a surge of comfort. “This is just like our late night talks during the war. You were the only thing that kept me going most of the time.”

“We did that for each other,” Janie replied before she pushed back her hair and looked out the window unseeingly. “It seems like we have quite a dilemma,” she said with a heavy sigh.

“Like what do we do about medical school?” Carrie asked flatly. “Yes, I’d say that is a dilemma.”

Janie stared at her. “Are you thinking about leaving?”

Carrie searched for words. “I don’t know,” she finally said. “I honestly can’t decide what I’m thinking, but I did some reading when I came up from dinner.”

“About homeopathy?” Janie guessed.

“It’s in one of the books Aunt Abby gave me years ago,” Carrie answered. “I didn’t even realize I had it until I went searching for answers to my questions.”

“What did you learn?”

“I learned a lot, but the crux of the matter is that homeopathy reflects my beliefs and experiences much more than conventional medicine,” Carrie said quietly.

Janie waited for a moment before she prompted her. “But…?”

“But I also know the need for surgery at times, and I’ve seen some aspects of conventional medicine work wonders,” Carrie said promptly. “That’s my problem. There are many things I’m learning right now that I don’t feel good about, but it seems silly to throw it all away because I don’t agree with
all
of it.”

“Tell me what you learned,” Janie invited.

Carrie settled back against the cushions and organized her thoughts. “Most homeopaths were former conventional doctors, what they call allopaths, who abandoned conventional medicine because they found homeopathy to be more successful in battling cholera, typhus, yellow fever, diphtheria and influenza—just for starters.”