Spoils of Eden (34 page)

“Even if it takes six months, well go forward,” Dr. Jerome told her. “I’ve struggled too long to give up now.”

They left the parkland at Iolani Palace and walked back to the waiting horse and buggy.

The buggy jolted along the street between some sweetly rustling palms. The morning had been busy, but Eden wanted to hold back the rush of her father’s concerns. The royal blue sea came into view. Dr. Jerome motioned eastward, where they could make out the greenish-blue haze that was the glove-shaped island of Molokai with its leper settlement, Kalaupapa.

“Queen Emma Kaleleonalani in the 1870s had a cousin who was a leper. Peter Young Kaeo lived at the settlement on Molokai until his unexpected release in 1876.”

Eden surprisingly had never heard of this and was immediately interested. “But how was that possible?”

Dr. Jerome smiled faintly. “Peter’s leprosy was supposedly
‘arrested.’ He was even allowed to resume his seat in the Legislature. He died a few years later. Naturally doubts arose as to whether he was actually cured. There’s little a queen cannot do for a relative, my dear.”

Her father was silent now, lapsing into one of his isolated moods. Eden accepted the silence and leaned back into her seat, intending to grant him a few undisturbed minutes before the buggy brought him back to Kalihi Hospital. The mention of Queen Emma and Peter suddenly sparked her imagination with new energy.

“Father,” she said suddenly, turning to him. “If anyone can arrange for a meeting with Liliuokalani, it’s Great-aunt Nora. She’s friendly with the queen and fully supports her rule. And the queen thinks fondly of her. She told Nora how she appreciates the favorable articles in the
Gazette
.” She took hold of his arm, her eyes pleading. “Why not come to Tamarind with me? We’ve done most everything we could except turn to Nora. Perhaps we should have appealed to her earlier. Besides, you’re exhausted. You could use a few days’ rest away from the all the stress of Kalihi.”

In the end she’d convinced him, and by the latter part of the afternoon the plans were in place to visit Great-aunt Nora at Koko Head and discuss any ideas Nora might have for gaining the queen’s support for the clinic.

T
hey met Zachary at the wharf to take the ferryboat around Waikiki and Diamond Head to Maunalua Bay by Koko Head Crater. It was around twelve miles down the coastline to Tamarind House. Clouds were accumulating over the Pacific, reminding her of an invading army, and the wind was warm and damp with the feel of oncoming rain.

Arriving at the wharf, Eden and Dr. Jerome walked along the wooden planking to where boats, large and small, were anchored. The wind smelled heavily of the sea and fish. Shells were piled here and there along the beach where fishing nets were spread.

Her father motioned ahead on the wharf toward the
Kilauea
, an older boat that was now being used for ferrying. There was a sign over the cabin that read, “Tickets.” Zachary appeared on the boat, the wind tossing his blond hair and pale blue jacket. He waved at them. “Over here!”

Soon after boarding, the captain gave the order to free the boat from the pier, and it was rowed a safe distance away before the crew raised the sails. They began moving through the swells as the boat
pitched, giving Eden a sense of unsteadiness. She clung to the side rail as the water parted beneath the hull and the sea breeze dampened her face.

“How did Uncle Jerome’s meeting with the Legislature go?” Zachary asked.

She was surprised he knew of it. “Who told you about the meeting?”

He shrugged. “I ran into Rafe last night coming out of Hillsdale’s house. He mentioned it.”

Clark Hillsdale was a leading annexationist and a close friend of Parker Judson. “Rafe is in Honolulu?” she asked, trying to sound casual.

“No, not today. When I ran into him last night, he was on his way back to Hanalei.”

“Are you hinting that Rafe may have had something to do with the Legislatures delay in authorizing the clinic?”

He shrugged. “I don’t think it’s much of a secret. He’s already told Dr. Bolton and anyone else who’ll listen that he doesn’t want you going with Jerome to Molokai.”

Was that the reason Rafe had seen Clark Hillsdale on the eve of her father’s appointment with the Legislature?

She watched the green foliated hills on her left, which rose steeply out of the Pacific. The water was less rough as they sailed past Honolulu Harbor with the Koolau Mountain Range in the background, which isolated them from windward Oahu. As they sailed past Waikiki Beach, Jerome pointed out Diamond Head crater towering above the coastline. The ancient Hawaiians still called it
Lae Ahi
, or “Cape of Fire.”

When they sailed past Diamond Head into Maunalua Bay, Koko Head Crater appeared in front of them. Tamarind House was at the end of the bay.

“Another half hour,” Zachary spoke into the stirring wind. Above the bay were mounds of mist-shrouded hills, covered with tropical growth and palm trees.

“Amabel wouldn’t stay at Tamarind House,” Zachary said. “She feared the kahunas and claimed there were evil spirits. So they moved toward Kalihi and Waikiki, and built Kea Lani on good red volcanic soil. Excellent for sugarcane.”

The kahunas were self-proclaimed priests of the Hawaiian gods of earth, water, and sky. The first Christian missionaries had called the kahunas “witch doctors.” Although the old religion was banned by King Kamehameha II in 1819, a certain segment of the Hawaiian population continued to listen to the kahunas with reverence and, sometimes, fear. It was not unusual to see some aspects of Christianity (which they said they adhered to) mixed together with Hawaiian religious beliefs in an unbiblical alliance.

Eden agreed that there seemed to be a shadow across Amabel’s bridal house. Ever since Amabel, young and newly married, had fallen and lost the baby she’d been expecting, she’d been frightened by the kahunas and departed from Tamarind House, never to return.

Eden also understood why Zachary didn’t like the house. As a small child she had fallen down the stairs at Tamarind on a stormy night and, for a time, had been unable to walk. Her mother, Rebecca, had departed for the leper colony from Tamarind House, and Eden had grown up with tragic nightmares of the incident.

But Eden didn’t believe in superstitious “curses.” A house was an inanimate object made of wood and stone. If evil was lurking in a house, most likely it was due to the sinful nature of those living there. No, she wasn’t superstitious. These circumstances were merely coincidental. Her life rested in the powerful nail-scarred hands of the Son of God. Jesus was alive forevermore, seated at the right hand of the Father.

“Evil spirits,” Dr. Jerome said, “do exist. But we’ve nothing to tremble about. The Holy Spirit, who is in us, is greater than Satan, who is in the world. ‘Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world,’” he quoted from 1 John 4:4.

Dr. Jerome went on to repeat the tale. “Amabel became emotionally upset one day, and instead of reading the Scriptures and calling on
her Lord, she ran from the house and tripped, hurting herself. She had begun to plant hundreds of acres of cane on the plantation. Some missionaries were there too. They had built a bungalow church near the now-abandoned cemetery, but after she fell, she became even more afraid of the
kahunas
, believing they had cursed her, Tamarind, and the bungalow church. The
kahunas
told her that Kane, their idol-god, did not want the Christian God there. Unfortunately, Amabel feared all this.”

“Bats in the belfry,” Zachary said ruefully. “I wonder if I’ve inherited any of her bats.”

“Oh, nonsense,” Eden told him, laughing. “There’s nothing wrong with you that a pleasant evening at a merry luau wouldn’t cure, especially if Bunny Judson were there to smile at you.”

Zachary grinned. “Ah, you know me too well, Eden.”

“Bunny Judson?” Dr. Jerome drew his brows together, thinking. “I thought you were all but engaged to Hunnewell’s daughter; what was her name?”

“Claudia,” Zachary said woefully. “Yes, I’m supposed to be.”

“Supposed to be? You mean you’re not?” Jerome said with an amused smile.

“Not yet, fortunately. Not ever if I’ve got anything to say about it.”

Eden quickly changed the subject. “Oh, look. I can see the top of Tamarind House.”

Zachary swiftly backed her up. “Yes, I caught a glimpse of its red tile roof.”

Eden clung to the railing.
For Amabel to attribute a simple accident of tripping while she ran in haste as the curse of a heathen god, seemed rather immature of her. Amabel couldn’t have been much of a testimony to the omnipotent God of the universe if she trembled superstitiously before the kahunas and ran away to Kea Lani!

Eden shaded her eyes as the ferryboat came to the landing near Kuapa Pond at Maunalua. The wind was rising and the palm fronds shifted and fluttered their welcome. They left the boat landing and
walked toward a hill with a vine-tangled path and thickly growing palms. Zachary led the way, pausing to make certain she and her ailing father were able to follow.

“It isn’t too far,” he assured Dr. Jerome. “Once we reach the horse road, there’ll be a buggy waiting. Candace said she’d have one for us, even if she had to pay the driver to camp out. If not, I’ll go up and get one and come back.”

“I’m doing fine,” Jerome called up. “These legs have brought me to many a village.”

As they climbed the modest hill, the path, once rough in places, had been smoothed for easier walking. She thought of Amabel with regret. She, as well as many Christians, viewed tragedy beyond their control as from the forces of darkness, seeming to forget their Savior was all-powerful.

True to Zachary’s word, a buggy and driver were waiting. The driver was dozing under his cane hat, and Zachary boyishly enjoyed scaring him awake.

The ride to the house was longer than she’d remembered. As they rounded the bend in the road, the house emerged into view on a terraced hillside with a wall of leafy tropical trees. A magnificent structure, she could see that it loomed wide and tall, perhaps three stories high. The buggy came to a stop in the lava rock court, and both Candace and Great-aunt Nora came out the front door to welcome them.

“Whatever has troubled your health, my dear Aunt Nora?” Jerome asked, scowling his concern over her fragile appearance. Eden, too, noticed the change and was alarmed.

“Have you been taking the prescription I brought you from Dr. Bolton?” Eden asked. “You should be needing a refill by now.”

“That medicine, my foot,” Great-aunt Nora scolded. “That’s what put me in bed for what seemed weeks and nearly brought me under till the Resurrection.”

Eden, startled by the unrealistic description of the heart medication, waited for an explanation, but Nora was having none of that
just now. She turned from Eden to welcome her nephew, Jerome, and her great-nephew, Zachary, chattering away about trying to regain her strength so she could return to Honolulu to see how well Zachary was managing her newspaper.

“Well enough,” Zachary said. “This is the first week I’ve not written any articles. And the others were all welcomed by the monarchists and loathed by the annexationists, including Grandfather. So I must be doing something right.”

“You’ll need to tell me about your health problems, Nora,” Dr. Jerome insisted as they climbed the steps into the large house.

Eden was still pondering Nora’s response to the prescription when Candace followed her inside and closed the heavy front door. Candace’s eyes were troubled.

“Has Nora seen a doctor?” Eden asked.

“Not in the three days I’ve been here. You know how she is … insists she feels well enough. I need to talk to you alone a bit later,” Candace said in a low voice, “about another matter.”

Eden nodded, and as the others turned toward them, Candace managed a smile and greeted her uncle Jerome with kind affection.
So Candace is worried about something other than Nora. What could it be?

After their bags were brought in and placed in their rooms, refreshments were served in a dining room full of fine wood furnishings and carpets, glass, and fine paintings. It wasn’t until after dinner that Eden and Candace were able to meet. Candace, who believed fresh air and long, brisk walks would cure most anything, insisted they walk along the cliff to watch the sunset.

They climbed the smooth path until they came to thick ferns in rich, damp earth where orchids grew over rocks. The wind among the palms and rocks, the distant roar of waves crashing to shore, and the smell of ocean, flowers, and decaying bark saturated her senses. The path wound its way to an open area where foliage disappeared. A gust of warm, damp wind struck them. Eden caught sight of the ocean and the white sandy beach far below. The waves pounded and splashed their spray upon the beaches.

Eden caught her breath at the wondrous sight. A glorious sunset mixture of crimson and gold swept along the far horizon as the last of the sun’s rays glittered on the crests of incoming waves. She looked at Candace, smiling her pleasure and expecting to see a smile in return. She was startled to see that her cheeks were wet with tears.