“Isn’t this the picture of domestic bliss?” Mick teased, making Robbie smile. Erin caught Nora’s look of concern but smiled back, hoping to offset her fears. She would be fine after a good night’s sleep.
“Erin, this is Abe O’Malley. Cookie and I met Abe when he was fifteen, quite a few years ago. I believe you two met already.”
“Nice to meet you, Abe. Thank you for your help earlier.”
“T’was nothin’, Mrs. Quinn. Sorry, I mean Doc Erin.”
Erin smiled to try to put him at ease. “I see my husband has been coaching you on what to call me.”
“He said you got a bit rattled if people called you missus.”
“Oh, he did, did he?” Erin said making a point of staring at Mick.
“Now, that’s just lovely, Abe. Thanks a lot for getting me in trouble with my missus. Maybe I should make you stay in the saloon after all.”
“I already said I was fine over there,” Abe retorted.
“Abe, you are welcome to stay here. Mick is only teasing. Robbie might welcome some company of his own age.”
“Ah, now, that’s just lovely. Now my missus is calling me old.”
Everyone laughed. Erin took Michelle onto her lap and cuddled her. But despite the warmth of the people around her, she couldn’t get her mind off her new patient.
Chapter 12
She opened her eyes to find Doc Erin sitting at her side. The doctor seemed to be sleeping. She moved slightly, causing the doc to open her eyes and smile.
“I am just back from New York, Cathy, and still a bit tired. Sorry about that,” Erin said.
She was being very nice to her. Could she be trusted?
“Would you like a drink? Something to eat?”
“Some water, please,” she said.
Erin poured her water and gave it to her with instructions to drink it slowly.
“Cathy, can you try to eat something for me. The longer you leave it the harder it will be. I can get you anything you want, well within reason. I don’t think your stomach could handle a steak right now.”
She smiled. Erin was making a huge effort to make her feel safe. “An apple?”
Erin said she would see what she could do. She left, leaving her alone with her thoughts. Had anyone followed her? Did they know where she was? She closed her eyes again. She was so tired. Her mind focused on a kind face with eyes so brown, they seemed black. He had smiled at her and for some unknown reason, she’d felt safe in his arms. He was a complete stranger, this brown-eyed man.
“Cathy, wake up. I got your apple. I sliced it up for you,” Erin said, handing her the plate.
She bit her lip, wishing the apple was whole, then she could check it for marks. Sliced up meant anything could be hidden inside. She looked from the plate to Erin and back.
“What?”
“Nothing,” she said.
“Cathy, tell me. Why are you scared of eating?”
She picked at the cover on the bed. She was starving, yet scared. Could she risk it?
“Cathy?”
“I think that’s how they gave me the stuff.” There it was, out in the open.
“What stuff?” Erin looked perplexed, then her eyes cleared. “Do you mean you were drugged?”
She nodded.
“Oh, dear God. No wonder you won’t eat or drink anything, only water. I swear, it’s just an apple. See?” Erin took a couple of slices and ate them.
She picked up the thinnest slice and put it into her mouth. It tasted divine and just how an apple should taste. There was no bitter aftertaste. She took a couple more slices before her stomach protested.
“Take things slowly. Your stomach will cooperate better if you have regular small meals rather than trying to eat a lot now. What other things would you like?”
Erin listed off items of food to try and tempt her appetite, but she really didn’t care what she ate. She asked the question she was dreading the answer to. She wanted her here and not here at the same time.
“Is Mary here?”
Erin nodded. “She is staying at her mother-in-law’s house nearby. She has visited a few times. She brought a book and some cookies. She wanted to take your bag to sort out your clothes, do your laundry and all that, but I said no. Did I do the right thing?”
“Yes, thank you. Although she might understand a little if she opened the bag.”
“Will I get it for you?”
She smiled her thanks as Erin produced the bag. She opened it and took the small bundle out of it. Without a word, she handed it to Erin.
“These are letters. Lots of letters?” Erin’s confusion mirrored hers when she had first found the bundle.
“They are Mary’s letters to me.”
“You kept them after all these years.”
“I never saw them. At least not until a few months ago. My parents, the people who adopted me, hid them from me. My letters to Mary are in the bag.”
Erin stared at the letters and then back at her.
“You mean you never got them and the ones you wrote were never posted? But why?”
“I don’t know.” And she didn’t. No matter how many times she had asked herself that question, she couldn’t find an answer. Her parents hadn’t been cruel. Yes, they were over-protective and appeared terrified something would happen to her. She’d thought that was because their own children—a boy and a girl had died before they adopted her. But maybe it was more than that. She couldn’t put her thoughts into words. Then Erin would think she belonged in the asylum Archibald had threatened her with.
“Oh, you poor thing. What did your parents say when you found them? Or is that why you ran away?”
“My parents died six months ago. In a boating accident. I was thrown clear and rescued. I found them when I was in my mother’s bedroom. It was one place I wasn’t allowed to be alone in when she was alive.” she corrected herself quickly as it sounded like she had been snooping. “I went to her room because I missed her so much. I wanted to feel her presence. I put on some of her favorite clothes and scent, thinking it might bring her closer. And then I found those. All neat and tidy, wrapped in two bows. She liked to keep things tidy.”
She hated the bitterness in her voice but she couldn't help blaming her mother. Why had she kept the letters from her? All those years, she thought Mary hated her for being adopted. Hated her for having a better station in life, a beautiful home, everything she could possibly want. But she had wanted Mary so badly. She had begged her parents over and over to adopt Mary, too, but they wouldn’t. They did everything else to keep her happy—buying her a puppy and a horse and every other gift a girl would love. But she’d wanted her sister. From reading her letters, she knew now Mary had wanted her just as badly. Or she had. The words on the last letter Mary had sent were clear as day in her mind.
This will be the last letter I write, my darling sister. I keep hoping for news of you but you have obviously moved on. Davy, my husband, says its time to close the door on the past. Time to put the hurt to bed. I love you, Cathy and hope you are happy. Goodbye.
Erin sat in silence. She appreciated the fact that she didn’t ask questions but seemed to be waiting for her to say something.
“I guess you think I am rather sad for carrying them around with me.”
“I don’t think that at all. I think it’s sad two sisters were kept apart for so many years. Emer, our nurse, has some experience of a similar thing happening. She can tell you about it one day. I believe your mother had her reasons. From what you have said, they showed you love in other ways. Nobody teaches you how to be a good parent, you just muddle along and do your best.”
She lay back on the pillow. Was that right? Had her parents really loved her? She didn’t know what to believe now. She was tired. So tired.
“Cathy, sleep is the best thing for you right now. The loss of your parents combined with everything else will have taken its toll on your body. Would you like me to give these to Mary?”
She sat
up a little. She didn’t know. Was it a good idea?
“It may help her understand. And it would help you if she knew. Save you the energy of explaining,” Erin added.
That was a good idea. Mary could read for herself and know she hadn't forgotten her. Maybe then she would forgive her for leaving?
“Please do, Doc Erin. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Cathy. Now rest. When you wake up, we can try one of Mary’s cookies. I heard Mrs. Higgins has been teaching her how to bake cookies. Funny how she’s lived in Clover Springs with one of the best cooks in the town and she has yet to master cookies. Let’s see how well the lessons worked.”
She closed her eyes, smiling. Doc had a way of making her feel better. Maybe it was time for everything to turn out well now.
Chapter 13
Erin asked Katie to come to see Mary with her. What was coming was likely to be a big shock.
“Is it Cathy? Is she worse?”
“No, Mary. In fact, Cathy is a little better.” Erin tried to pick the right words. “Mary, you need to sit down and prepare yourself for some bad news. Cathy is fine—at least, she will be. But she has something to share with you. I asked Katie to be with us in case you need someone else apart from Martha.”
Quickly, Erin told the ladies about Cathy’s parents dying in a boating accident over six months ago and how she had been the sole survivor. Cathy had very few memories of the accident. She couldn’t really remember what she was doing on a boat, as she hated the water.
“Not again. Our parents died on the way over here. Cathy was terrified of the water.”
“Unfortunately, the loss of her parents isn't the only thing Cathy had to deal with. Mary, your sister wrote to you regularly.”
Mary stared at her in confusion. “But I never got a letter. I wrote to her all the time but nothing ever came back. Eventually, Davy told me it would be best to stop writing. He was trying to protect me. I thought she didn’t care.” Mary sobbed.
“She thought the same.”
Mary’s head lifted. “What? But how? I sent the letters to the address the convent gave me. Oh, if that Mother Superior—she couldn’t be that mean, could she?”
“We all know she was a complete witch, Mary. Look how she treated Ben and Sorcha. She could have done anything,” Katie said, taking Mary’s hand.
“I don’t know this nun, but it wasn’t her fault. Cathy’s adoptive mother kept the letters. She kept both sets, those Cathy wrote and those you sent her. I have them here.” Erin laid the two bundles of letters on the table. The writing on one set of envelopes was obviously written by a child.
“She wrote?” Mary looked at the letters, obviously not wanting to touch them.
Erin couldn’t blame her. Opening them would bring back all sorts of memories.
“All these years, I thought she didn’t care but she did. Why would her mother do this?”
“That’s something I can’t answer. Now I must get back to Cathy.”
“Can I come with you?”
“I think it would be best for you to read the letters first, Mary. I will speak to Cathy and maybe she will see you tomorrow. She has started eating a little bit so she is building her strength up.”
“Thank you, Doc, for looking after Cathy so well. I will look after Mary. We will see you tomorrow.”
Martha walked Erin out to the front door and pulled it almost shut behind her.
“There is something you are not telling Mary, isn't there, Doc?”
Erin knew Martha was a caring, trustworthy lady but there was no way she could tell her anything. What Cathy had said—or, more specifically, hinted at—had to stay between her and her patient.
“All I can say, Martha, is Mary is lucky to have you. She will need your support over the next few weeks. If you need me for any reason, send someone.”
“I will, Doc. Now you take care of yourself. You look tired, too, if you don’t mind me saying.”
Erin smiled and left. She wished she could rest but she had patients to see and wanted to check on Wilma. Although the older woman seemed fine, those turns she had prior to Erin going to New York had been worrying.
Chapter 14
Wilma and Father Molloy arrived at Erin’s house just as she got home. Wilma was carrying a large basket. From the smell, Erin guessed it was enough food to feed them for a week.
“Erin, you look very tired. Are you running yourself ragged? Mrs. Grey and Emer looked after everything very nicely when you were away.”
“Yes, they did, and I appreciate it. I am just a bit worried about my new patient.”
“I came to talk to you about that. Would it help if I came to visit her? I knew Cathy Ryan when she was younger. Never did agree with the adoption but the Mother Superior was a force to be reckoned with. I might be able to offer young Cathy some comfort.”
“That would be wonderful, Father, but aren’t you a little busy, too? Robbie says you two have started working on his conversion. You are planning Nora’s wedding, Sadie and Lizzie will be here soon and will want to get married and you have—”
“Erin, will you stop or you will have me dying of exhaustion?” Father Molloy asked, smiling. “You know me. I am happier when I am busy. Anyway, in your long list, you forgot about one major event.”
Erin stared at him, her mind blank.
“Wilma?”
“Me and Zack agreed to be married. We want to have a big party and hoped you would be there with us to celebrate.”
“Oh, Wilma, that’s wonderful. Of course I will be there. Wild horses couldn’t stop me. When is it?”
“We thought we would have it in three weeks’ time. We had to cancel the last party we were planning because I got ill and then you guys had to go to New York. This time, hopefully there will be no surprises.”
“Wouldn’t bet on that, Wilma. This is Clover Springs. We always get surprises.”
“Most of the time they are good ones, though,” Erin said, crossing her fingers that Cathy’s arrival would turn out to be a blessing rather than a curse.
“When is the sheriff coming back?”
“I didn’t know he was away, Wilma. Little Beaver didn’t say anything.”
“He is keeping it quiet, as you know how some resent him being in charge. Sheriff had to go up to Leadville. They got some trouble up there. He should be back in time for the wedding, though.”
“I didn’t know you were very friendly with him. I mean, he is a nice man, but…” Erin looked at Wilma, certain she was missing something.
“I think Wilma is doing some match-making Erin. She seems to think Mrs. Grey and our sheriff would make a good match.”
“Really? Funny, I can’t see that. Mrs. Grey is always so proper and, well, Sheriff isn’t used to dealing with the more genteel elements.” Erin smiled before she added, “You are just all romantic and think everyone else should be too, Wilma. Mrs. Grey seems quite happy on her own.”
“I don’t know, Erin. I think Wilma may be right. Mrs. Grey might be a little lonely,” Father Molloy said, helping himself to more cake.
“Father Molloy, what happened to cutting down on sweet things?”
“Doc Erin, are you planning another trip soon? I quite liked being able to eat in peace.”
Erin laughed as the priest teased her. They chatted for a while more and then after her guests left, Erin changed. She had to go back to check on her patients.
Chapter 15
“Doc Erin, could I see the man who carried me here? I would like to say thank you.”
“Who? Abe? He is staying with us at the moment. I will ask him to call in after he is finished helping Gary.”
“Have you known him long?” She stared at the bed covers, not fully understanding why she wanted to know more about the man. He intrigued her. He had kind eyes but they were full of sadness, too.
“No, he’s a friend of my husband’s. He suffered a tragedy recently and came to Clover Springs for a bit. He says he is moving on soon eno
ugh.”
She didn’t reply. She wondered what type of tragedy but she wasn’t about to ask Erin. From the little she knew of the doc, she wasn’t one for gossip.
Later that afternoon, there was a knock on the door and the tall man with the brown eyes popped his head around the door.
“Doc said you waned to see me, ma’am”
“Yes, please come in. Thank you for coming. I wanted to say thank you for the other day. For coming to my rescue.”
“You’re welcome, but I didn’t do anything special. You look better.”
She looked down at the dress she was wearing. Once, it had fit her properly. Now it hung loosely. She had lost too much weight. He was being kind.
“I feel it, thank you.”
“Well, I best be going.”
“Thank you, Abe.”
He put his hat back on and was gone. She sat there, staring after him. What was it about him that made her pulse race faster? She wanted to get to know him better. Silly, really. He was a total stranger and from what Erin had said, he wouldn’t be around town for all that long.
“Did Abe call in? Has he gone already? I wanted him to take a message home for me.”
“You can go home, Doc. I don’t need watching. I am much better now.”
She saw the doctor hesitate. “Don’t worry, I wont steal your drugs.” She immediately regretted being so straight as the doctor flushed.
“When did you start taking opium, Cathy?”
“I don’t know exactly. I found it hard to deal with Papa and Mama dying. Archibald, he’s my cousin of sorts, suggested calling a doctor. The doctor said it would help to dull the pain.”
From the expression on Doc’s face, she guessed Erin wasn’t impressed.
“The doc said not to take too much. He gave the bottle to Archibald and told him someone was to give me a few drops each morning. I think he meant the housekeeper or something. It would not be appropriate for Archibald to be in my bedroom in the mornings. Not until we were married.”
Cathy Page 4
