When the Heart Heals (25 page)

With sincere affection,
Elijah

Rosemary held the letter close to her chest. Friday. She breathed a sigh of relief. As each day of his absence had passed, her worries grew greater that an established practice in the city would lure him away. But no. In four days he'd be home.

E
lijah paused at the entrance to the dining room to adjust his jacket. His father turned from the laden sideboard. A frown curdled his forehead.

“We've been waiting for you.” He gestured at an empty chair on the right of the head of the table. “Please seat yourself. I'll tell Mrs. Simmons to begin serving.”

From the chair next to his, Miss Adele Mason smiled a greeting. This evening she wore a ruffled dress of shiny green fabric trimmed with darker green velvet. Her blonde hair was piled on top of her head in an impossible crown of curls. Elijah suppressed a groan. In the two weeks he'd spent in Chicago, his father had managed to invite Miss Mason and her brother, Dr. Lowell Mason, to every dinner party and play they attended. Now, on his last night here, he would have to endure her tedious chatter when he would have preferred a quiet supper alone.

“Miss Mason.” He nodded at her as he took his seat. “How nice to see you again.”

“Oh, and I feel the same about you, Dr. Stewart! I feared you'd have gone back to your little village by now, but your
dear father said you aren't leaving until tomorrow. So we have one more evening together.” She fluttered her fan over her exposed neck and shoulders.

Her brother leaned across the table. “We're assuming you are returning to your village. Have you changed your mind?” His ratlike eyes glittered in the gas lights from the chandelier.

“You'll be happy to hear I have not.”

Miss Mason pouted. “He may be happy. I'm crushed.”

Elijah's father took his chair at the head of the table. “The evening's young. Elijah may yet change his mind. I've ordered all his favorite dishes for tonight's meal.”

As if on cue, Mrs. Simmons entered from the kitchen carrying a tureen. One by one she filled their bowls with pea soup for the first course, then whisked through the swinging door and returned with a platter of cold boiled salmon covered with white sauce.

Elijah paid no attention to the food in front of him. “I have a special reason for wanting to go home. I'm courting a lady. I hope she'll agree to become my wife.” He rested a meaningful gaze on Miss Mason.

She flushed. “I hope you've chosen carefully. As a doctor, you need a wife who will properly manage your household. What would a backwoods girl know about social niceties?”

“You've picked out a wife? What's her name?” His father's soup spoon clattered onto his plate. “What do you know about her? You've been here for two weeks without saying a word—are you ashamed of your bride-to-be?”

“Not in the least.” He glared at him. “I didn't believe my life in Noble Springs was of any interest to you.”

Miss Mason tapped his arm with her fan. “I'm certainly interested. Please tell us about the lucky lady.”

“Her name's Rosemary Saxon. She's from St. Louis, so she's far from being a backwoods girl. In fact, she was a
nurse at Jefferson Barracks when I was posted there during the war. Now she serves as a nurse in my office.”

“A nurse, of all things.” Miss Mason gave a mock shudder, then swept him with a coquettish glance. “You should aim a little higher. Consider your future. I'm sure you'll change your mind about returning to Chicago.”

“Nothing will persuade me to live here.”

“Don't be so sure.” She fluttered her eyelashes at him.

Elijah ignored her and lifted his fork, signaling that the conversation had come to an end.

Mrs. Simmons returned to remove the soup bowls and the salmon, replacing them with a platter containing roasted spring chicken surrounded by browned vegetables. While they enjoyed the main course, Lowell Mason and Elijah's father kept up a steady conversation about their medical practices. The chicken was followed by a dessert of individual molds of chocolate blancmange.

When Elijah finished his last swallow of the custard-like treat, he drew a breath and returned his spoon to the plate. “A delicious send-off, Father. I thank you.”

His father leaned against the back of his armchair, hands resting on his abdomen. “Doesn't have to be a send-off. You could eat like this every night if you'd get over being stubborn and join me in my practice.” He glanced at Miss Mason. “Please excuse us if we talk business in your presence.”

She waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “Think nothing of it, Doctor. I'm accustomed to hearing my brother ramble on.” She gave Elijah a demure smile. “I'd be delighted to introduce you to Chicago society should you decide to stay.”

Rosemary's earnest face swam in his vision. Tomorrow he'd be on his way back to her and to his “village,” as his father persisted in calling Noble Springs. He couldn't wait to leave the smothering atmosphere of his father's luxurious
home. Everywhere he looked he was reminded of the means his parent had used to purchase the opulent furnishings and abundant meals.

Elijah folded his napkin and laid it next to his empty dessert plate. “I have my ticket. I'm leaving on tomorrow's train.” His gaze swept the three people at the table. “After all that I saw during the war, I have no desire to live as you do, Father. A quiet life suits me.”

Miss Mason rested her hand on Elijah's forearm. “Please, don't be hasty. Chicago has so much to offer.” Her tone implied she'd be part of the city's offerings.

“I warn you, I won't ask again,” his father said. “Dr. Mason has already agreed to join me. I'd hoped the two of you would work together, but if not, I can easily find someone who won't disdain a comfortable life.”

Elijah pushed his chair back on the thick carpet and stood. “So be it. I've ordered a cab to take me to the station early tomorrow.” He gave a formal bow in Miss Mason's direction. “Thank you for your pleasant company during my stay.”

Turning to his father, he said, “You're welcome to visit whenever you wish. My spare room is always ready.”

He left the dining room and took the stairs to the second floor two at a time. Another day and a half and he'd be in Noble Springs, where Rosemary waited. His Chicago stay would be no more than a memory.

Rosemary stood outside the station before noon on Friday. Bodie sniffed around the platform as far as his leash would allow him to roam, then returned to sit at her side. When the smoke of the oncoming engine showed on the horizon, she smoothed her paisley skirt and tucked stray wisps of hair into the net covering her coiled braids.

In a few short minutes, the train whooshed to a stop, bell clanging. The stationmaster sprinted along the platform, pushing a cart toward the baggage car. Through the windows, Rosemary saw passengers standing and gathering their possessions, but she couldn't discern whether Elijah was among them. What if he'd decided to remain in Chicago? After all, he'd written the letter nine days ago. Plenty of time to have a change of heart.

A family of four descended to the platform, followed by two cigar-smoking salesmen carrying sample cases. An elderly couple was assisted down by the conductor. Rosemary had taken a step closer to the passenger car to better see inside when Elijah appeared in the opening between cars. He leaped to the ground and sprinted toward her.

“Rosemary! I've thought of nothing but you since I left Noble Springs.” He clasped her hands in his. “Thank you for meeting me. I hoped you'd be here.”

His strong grip sent a current of heat through her. “When I didn't see you at first, I was afraid you'd decided not to return.”

“Nothing could keep me away.” He tucked her arm close to his side, then bent over and touched his lips to her forehead. “Excuse me a moment while I collect my valise, then I'd be pleased if you'd walk with me. I'm eager to get home and rest. You can tell me everything that's happened since I left.”

“I'll be glad to, if you tell me about Chicago. Your father wasn't ill?”

His jaw tightened. “Not any more than he was the last time I saw him. You'll be happy to know he's planning to bring another doctor into his practice. I closed that door permanently.”

She smiled, relieved. “Did you leave on good terms?”

“As much as it depended on me, yes.”

Once he had his baggage in hand, they strolled north toward King's Highway. Rosemary tried to remember all of the news that occurred during his absence. Jolene's wedding, her own visit to Sheriff Cooper, her decision to sell her teas in the grocery. Unless she imagined it, he narrowed his eyes when she mentioned Jacob's defense of her on Monday.

Before she knew it, they'd reached the corner and turned right toward their respective homes. When she glanced down the block, something fluttering from her gate caught her attention. She tugged at Elijah's arm and pointed.

“What could that be?”

“One way to find out.” He quickened his stride.

Bodie tugged at the leash, apparently thinking Elijah wanted to run. Rosemary jerked him back to her side and picked up her own pace. When she reached her fence, Elijah had dropped his valise and gripped a sheet of paper, which he tried to hide behind his back.

“What is it?”

“Nothing.”

She held out her hand. “If it were truly nothing, you wouldn't hide it. Please, let me see.”

“Rosemary—”

She moved closer and took the paper from him. Puzzled, she glanced over a handbill advertising a public sale of farm animals and implements. Directions to a farm southeast of Noble Springs were printed near the top.

“What is this?”

“Look on the other side.”

Large black letters marched lengthwise over the page.

WITCH.

Rosemary paced from her kitchen to the front door and back again. Her eyes stung. After nearly a year and a half in Noble Springs, she still wasn't accepted—not as a nurse, and not as an herbalist. Her mother had spent much of her life growing and dispensing herbs, and no one had ever called her a witch.

She kicked at a footstool. “I won't let this stop me. I believe in what I do. I won't quit.” Her voice sounded hollow in the small house.

For a moment, she regretted sending Elijah on his way when he'd offered to sit on the porch with her until she felt calm. As if there were a way to feel calm with rumors and name-calling pounding at her.

The paper Elijah had torn from her gate lay on the dining table. She studied the jagged letters for a moment, then folded the edges over, hiding the ugly word. Bodie watched her from his rug in the kitchen.

“I'm going to see Sheriff Cooper.” She put the message in her pocket and knelt next to her dog, rubbing the fur at his neck. “You're staying here. I won't be gone long.”

After closing the gate behind her, she stood on tiptoe and leaned over to fasten the bolt Curt installed following the greenhouse incident. Doing so made her chuckle in spite of her worries. If she, as short as she was, could reach the bolt, anyone could.

She passed the barbershop and stole a glance inside. Somewhere in town lurked the person behind the harassment. Sheriff Cooper would find him if she didn't discover him first.

A few men on horseback rode by and stirred up dust, but for the most part the streets were quiet as the community dozed in the afternoon sun. Rosemary drew a deep breath before opening the door of the jailhouse. Her doubts about the sheriff's effectiveness warred with her need for his help.

“Miss Saxon.” Sheriff Cooper stood. “What brings you here? Not more trouble, I hope.” He rubbed his badge with his thumb.

She handed him the folded sheet of paper. “Someone put this on my gate this morning while I was at the depot.”

He grinned at her. “Miss Faith told Amy that the doc was due back today. You met the train, eh?”

“I did.”

He continued to smile, as though waiting for her to tell him more.

“Read what it says, please.” She gestured toward the message.

“‘Witch.'” His eyes widened. “That's a serious accusation. Could lead to trouble.” He crushed the paper in his hand and tossed it on his desk. “Sit down, please. D'you have any idea who might have written this?”