Test of Time (Nurses of New York Book 5)

by Amelia C. Adams

  “And you may borrow my dress,” Mrs. Russell said. “The stain is completely gone now—you can’t see it no matter what you do.”

  “Where will you have the wedding? At a chapel or the house?” Phoebe asked.

  “Well, I thought we’d just go over to the courthouse,” Phillip replied. “I have a friend who’s a judge over there, and I already wired him in the hopes that Jeanette would say yes.”

  “As if she’d say anything else,” Sophie retorted, and everyone laughed.

  Dr. Russell held up both hands. “I think we need to establish a timeline here,” he said. “We had planned to administer the students’ final exam tomorrow, ending around four o’clock in the afternoon. Then we’re holding a graduation party tomorrow evening. If you were to marry the day after tomorrow, does that give you time to make all the arrangements?”

  “I believe it does,” Phillip said, squeezing Jeanette’s hand. “What do you think?”

  “I think it’s perfect.” How could it not be? She would be marrying him—she still couldn’t believe he was there. She leaned her forehead on his shoulder, and he squeezed her hand again.

  “Your dress is going to need a hem,” Laura pointed out to Mrs. Russell. “Jeanette’s not very tall. I’ll get started on that after dinner.”

  “Thank you, Laura,” Mrs. Russell said. “And now that we have our plans made, should we let Mrs. Everett feed us our dinner?”

  Everyone laughed, and soon, they were all eating. Jeanette ate too, but she was so caught up in the moment, she had absolutely no idea what they’d been served. All she knew was that she’d never been so happy in her entire life.

  ***

  Phillip had gotten himself settled at the hotel the night before, and he’d be spending the day talking to his friend the judge and making sure everything was arranged for the wedding. That left Jeanette free to take her exam—and worry.

  “You can’t be nervous,” Sophie said, looking at Jeanette with surprise. “You’re the star pupil of this class, aren’t you?”

  “Libby was the star pupil,” Jeanette replied automatically as she pinned up her hair.

  “But Libby isn’t here anymore, making you the star pupil. Come on now—you need to calm down.” Sophie took the last few pins and finished Jeanette’s hair, which was a good thing because her hands were trembling so badly, she was making a terrible mess of things.

  When the girls went downstairs, they found Dr. and Mrs. Russell waiting for them in the dining room instead of the parlor. “Tests are much easier to take at a proper table,” Mrs. Russell explained as they all sat.

  “Before we begin the exam, we thought we’d share the feedback we’ve gotten from the doctors you’ve worked with over the last six months,” Dr. Russell said. “Perhaps that will strengthen your resolve and put you in a more positive mindset for the test.” He picked up a sheet of paper. “Without exception, every one of you impressed your assigned doctors. They felt you were knowledgeable, showed initiative, and took directions well. They also said they were impressed with the teaching methods used here at our school, so Mrs. Russell and I will take some pride in that.”

  The girls all laughed, then Dr. Russell cleared his throat and continued. “They highly recommend this class of students to work in the field of nursing, and congratulate you on your accomplishments. I have copies of this letter for each of you, along with a personal evaluation. We’ll hand those out after the exam.”

  Mrs. Russell stood up and walked around the room, placing paper and pencils in front of each girl. “There are fifty questions on this exam. You will be expected to number your paper to correspond with each question. You will be allowed one minute to write the answer to each question, and we will take a break at question twenty-five. Are you ready?”

  When the girls indicated that they were, Mrs. Russell nodded. “Question number one.”

  With her head bent over her page, Jeanette was able to block out everything around her except for the sound of pencils on paper as the other girls wrote their answers. The first few came to her mind easily, but soon she found herself doubting everything she wrote, wondering if she’d forgotten all her study materials after all.

  At question number ten, she paused and wiped her forehead on her handkerchief. Why couldn’t she remember? This was simple … she remembered thinking it was simple when she learned it, but now?

  “Are you all right?” Sophie whispered. “You look pale.”

  “I’m fine,” Jeanette said.

  “Ladies, is something wrong?” Mrs. Russell asked from the head of the table.

  “Jeanette doesn’t look well,” Sophie replied.

  “Really, there’s nothing to worry about,” Jeanette protested, but even as she said it, she felt a wave of dizziness.

  “Pencils down, everyone,” Mrs. Russell said, and the girls scooted back from the table.

  Sophie pressed a glass of water into Jeanette’s hand, then unbuttoned her collar. “I don’t think she slept very well last night,” she told Mrs. Russell when she walked up.

  “That wouldn’t surprise me at all.” Mrs. Russell took the chair to Jeanette’s right. “What’s going on, Jeanette? Did you get enough to eat at breakfast?”

  “I thought I did, and I know I studied well enough for this test. It’s just . . . everything happening all at once.”

  Mrs. Russell smiled. “I don’t think the good Dr. Wayment knew how his coming would affect you.”

  Jeanette felt her cheeks get warm. “I’m not the kind of girl who gets faint when a man pays attention to her,” she said.

  “That’s not what I mean. He surprised you, changing your expectations and upsetting the schedule you had in your mind of how things were going to go. Your mind didn’t know how to accept those changes, and now it feels unsettled.”

  “That sounds about right,” Jeanette replied.

  “So now your mind just needs to go with the flow.” Mrs. Russell smiled and stood up. “Are you feeling any better?”

  “Quite a lot, thank you.”

  “All right, let’s continue. And don’t forget to breathe.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “Breathe … breathe …”

  Dr. and Mrs. Russell had been grading papers for two hours, and the girls were becoming more anxious by the minute. Sophie had finally pulled out a couple decks of cards in the parlor and organized some games, but no one was really focused on winning, and as soon as the dining room door opened, they were gathered in the hallway, looking for all the world like cats wanting bowls of milk.

  “Here are your papers,” Dr. Russell said, moving down the row and handing out their tests. “You all passed.”

  Everyone gasped with relief.

  “The questions you got wrong have been marked so you can study up on them, but I’m pleased to say, there really were only a few missed questions in the entire bunch. I’m not sure whether to congratulate you for being so intelligent, or us for being such excellent teachers.”

  “Both, I’m sure, my dear,” Mrs. Russell said.

  “Now take your papers and get ready for the party. I believe we have some celebrating to do,” Dr. Russell said, and the girls rushed for the stairs.

  Jeanette had received ninety-seven percent on her exam, and when she looked for her incorrect answers, she shook her head. Of course those answers were wrong, and she knew what they should have been. She’d just been nervous, and now that this was over, she could concentrate on celebrating.

  The dress she’d left out of her trunk was pale blue with darker blue flowers embroidered on it. She brushed through her hair, then let it cascade over her shoulders. She tucked a few blue ribbon roses here and there in her curls, and was quite pleased with the results. She hoped Phillip would be too.

  Phillip. It was so hard to believe he was really here, but he was, and she couldn’t wait to see him. As soon as she was changed, she dashed down the stairs and there he was, having just come back from his errands. His eyes lit up when he saw h
er, and she knew she’d chosen the right dress.

  “Ninety-seven percent,” she whispered to him as the guests began to arrive.

  “What did you miss?” he asked.

  “Just a few little things that I knew as soon as I looked at them again,” she replied.

  “Good for you.” He squeezed her hand. “I’m proud of you.”

  The graduation party turned out to be the perfect chance for Jeanette to say thank you and good-bye to everyone she’d worked with during her time in New York. All the doctors she’d assisted at St. Timothy’s, friends of Dr. Russell’s, some of their former patients—it was as if the party had been created just for her, and of course she introduced everyone to Phillip and told them they were getting married the next day. She’d rarely felt so appreciated in her entire life. The only thing that could have made it better was if Abigail was there, but she knew she had her sister’s blessing, and that meant the world.

  ***

  The next morning, wearing Mrs. Russell’s ivory tapestry gown and clutching flowers given to her by Dr. Russell, Jeanette became Mrs. Phillip Wayment, bound together under the laws of New York. Nothing could have made her happier—nothing. Finding this man, receiving his love in return, and marrying him? Those were her wildest dreams, and they had all come true.

  They returned to the Russells’ home for wedding cake and to open the few gifts the girls had pulled together in such a short amount of time. Mrs. Russell gave them a quilt that had been pieced by her mother. Sophie gave her handkerchiefs, Laura and Meg gave her perfume, and the other girls had pooled their money to get her a nice set of stationery. “So you can write us,” Phoebe said, pointing to the box. “We all put our addresses in there.”

  “Of course I’ll write to you,” Jeanette replied, her heart all but breaking. How could she say good-bye to her dear friends? She’d known for six months that this day was coming, and yet . . . it was so hard.

  But when the time came, she hugged everyone and let Phillip lead her out to the hired carriage that would take them to the hotel where they would stay until their train left—the train that would carry them back home to Topeka, where she truly belonged. She climbed into her seat and Phillip climbed up next to her, then wrapped his arms around her tightly as the horses began to canter away.

  “Are you happy?” he asked, lifting a lock of hair and nibbling at her neck.

  She giggled as the tickling sensation spread down her arm. “I’m very happy. You?”

  He lifted her chin with his finger and looked into her eyes. “Deliriously. And I plan to spend every moment of every day for the rest of our lives making sure you know that.”

  The End

  Epilogue

  “Do you see it? You’re taller than I am.” Jeanette went up on tiptoe and tried to see around the length of the train ahead of them.

  “No, not yet. Probably after we go around the bend.” Phillip stood behind her, his hands clasped on the railing, making sure she wouldn’t fall off the train platform as they approached their destination.

  Jeanette turned around in the circle of his arms and grinned up at him. “Thank you so much for coming to get me. That was the most wonderful, thoughtful, amazing thing anyone has ever done for me.”

  He kissed the end of her nose. “It was entirely selfish, I assure you. I’d gone without you far too long already, and I wasn’t about to wait another minute.”

  “So, tell me about this old friend of yours who came to town. Alexandra, was it? Opening a dress shop?”

  “Yes, that’s right.” He studied her face. “Oh, come on now. You weren’t jealous, were you?”

  “Jealous? Me? Whatever for?”

  He grinned. “You were jealous, you little minx. But you’re not to worry. Every single piece of my heart belongs entirely to you.” He pointed. “And there you go.”

  Jeanette turned back around probably a little more quickly than she should have. As the train rounded a curve, she could finally see it up ahead—a tall brown building next to the tracks. The train sounded its whistle, letting the people of Topeka know they were coming, and she wrapped her arms around Phillip’s. “There it is—the Brody. I’m home, Phillip. I’m finally home.”

  About Amelia C. Adams

  Amelia C. Adams is a wife, a mother, and a novelist. She spends her days dreaming up stories and her nights writing them down. Her biggest hero is her husband, and you might just see bits and pieces of him as you read her novels.

  She loves all things historical and enjoys learning about days gone by, but she's glad she was born more recently (she won't say how recently or not recently) because the Internet is awesome, and she's glad she doesn't have to wash her clothes by hand in a galvanized tub. She has hit Amazon bestseller status three times.

  You can reach Amelia at ameliaadamsauthor@gmail.com.

  Please join Amelia on her website to learn more about her, sign up for her newsletter, stay on top of news and upcoming releases, and follow her on Facebook.

  The Kansas Crossroads Series:

  A New Beginning

  A Free Heart

  The Dark and the Dawn

  A Clean Slate

  A Clear Hope

  The Whisper of Morning

  A Careless Wind

  A Narrow Road

  The Bitter and the Sweet

  The Calm of Night

  A Begrudging Bride

  The Nurses of New York series:

  Sea of Strangers

  Cause of Conflict

  Touch of Tenderness

  Heart of Hearts

  The American Mail-Order Brides series:

  Hope: Bride of New Jersey

  Tabitha: Bride of Missouri

  The Hearts of Nashville series:

  Whiskey and Women

  As part of the Brides of Beckham series by Kirsten Osbourne:

  Mail Order Molly

  As part of the River’s End Ranch series:

  Accidental Agent

  Rugged Rockclimber

  As part of the Grandma’s Wedding Quilts series:

  Meredith’s Mistake