“We can use our carriage. I’ll go get the servant in the waiting room. He’s very strong. I think he can carry the man.”
Julius walked in at once at Leonie’s urgent call. “What happened to you, Miss? You’re all bloody!”
“I helped care for that wounded man who walked in.”
“I seen him go in holdin’ himself. Is he dead?”
“No, but we’ve got to take him to the hospital. Can you pick him up?”
“I expect I can.”
Indeed, picking up the man was easy for Julius; he was a powerful individual. He put the man in the back seat, and then the three of them got in the front. Julius drove quickly to the hospital following Dr. Sheffield’s instructions.
“I expect I’ll have to go back and change clothes before we go tend Lady Augustine,” he said. Dr Sheffield was examining Leonie carefully. “Most women would have panicked seeing a thing like that. Have you had any experience with nursing?”
“Just with girls. Never with wounds like that. I don’t see how you did it, Doctor.”
Sheffield grinned, which made him seem much younger. “That’s what doctors do, Miss Dousett.”
Chapter thirteen
The sun was going down rapidly as Julius drove the horses at a fast clip. He had mentioned that he wanted to get home before dark, and indeed, this was Leonie’s wish also.
Dr. Sheffield looked more presentable since he had changed clothes, but Leonie still was wearing the bloodstained garments. She looked down and saw that the blood had dried into a brownish color and wondered at herself for functioning as she had.
Sheffield was watching the young woman. He asked, “Have you been living with Lady Augustine long?”
“Oh no. Only a few weeks.” She struggled to find a way to explain her position and then said, “It really is complicated, Doctor.”
“Don’t tell me if you don’t want to, Miss Dousett.”
“I don’t mind. Well, you should know that I grew up in the Ursuline Convent. I just left there two years ago. Since then I’ve been working as a seamstress.”
“Do you have a family?”
“Well, that’s the complication. I was left as an infant, only a few days old, at the convent. Only recently have I learned that I may be related to the Augustine family. As a matter of fact, Lady Augustine may be my grandmother.”
“Sounds like a mystery.”
“It is rather.” She said, “What about you, Doctor? Are you from Louisiana?”
Sheffield laughed. “Can’t you tell from the way I talk I’m not a Louisiana man? No, I was born in Kentucky. Lived there all my life until recently.”
“Is your family here?”
“My family? Oh, I’m not married.”
“I meant your parents.”
“They’re gone now. As a matter of fact, I’m here because of my mother.”
“Was she from here?”
“Oh no. She was born in Kentucky. We were from the mountain country. Very poor. My father died when I was only eight. Mother had a rough time raising the four children. She had already lost three in miscarriages. It was hard living, Miss Dousett, very hard.”
Leonie turned to study the doctor’s profile. He was not a handsome man, but somehow he had a winsome quality that pleased her. “How did your mother cause you to be here?”
“She grew ill, and none of the doctors would come and look at her. I was just a boy, barefooted almost. I was only seventeen. I went to every doctor that I could find, and none of them would come without pay, so she died a slow, painful death.”
“How terrible!”
“Yes, it was. So I determined I’d do something about it.” He turned to face her, and she saw a warm light in his brown eyes. “I fought my way through school, working nights and going to school in the daytime. Finally I finished my medical training. I had a chance to go into practice in St. Louis, but I’d always said I’d try to do something for poor people if I became a doctor. So that’s what I’m doing here.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Not long. Just about six months. I know that’s a pretty poor place, where I am now. Someday it will be different. I’ll have a clinic. Maybe there’ll be a whole hospital that will take poor people when nobody else will.”
“What a fine thing to do!”
Her compliment seemed to make Sheffield uncomfortable. He laughed shortly, “Well, I’m not nearly as noble as I make myself sound.”
“I think you are.”
The two talked all the way to Belle Fleur, and when Julius drew up in front of the house, Dr. Sheffield jumped out and helped Leonie down. “You’re going to scare them, covered with blood like that.”
“Maybe no one will see me,” Leonie said hopefully. She turned and said, “Thank you, Julius. I appreciate it.”
“Anytime, Miss.”
Leonie led the doctor up the stairs to the porch. Before they reached the front door, it opened. Mrs. Danvers took one look at Leonie and exclaimed, “What in the world happened to you?”
“It’s not my blood, Mrs. Danvers. I was helping Dr. Sheffield with a patient. It is the patient’s blood. How is Lady Maria?”
“She’s no better, I think.”
“This is Mrs. Danvers, our housekeeper. She’ll take you up to Lady Augustine while I go change.”
“I’m not sure she’ll see you, Doctor. She doesn’t like changes.”
Sheffield grinned. “We all have to change, Mrs. Danvers.”
As quickly as she could, Leonie changed her clothes and hurried to Lady Maria’s room. She stepped inside and saw Mrs. Danvers standing back in the shadows, looking anxious. Sheffield was standing beside the sick woman. He turned and smiled at Leonie. “You look a little better now.”
“What’s wrong with her?” Lady Maria said, her voice weak.
“Why, nothing, ma’am,” Sheffield said easily. “She helped me with a patient and it got a little messy. She’s quite a nurse.”
“You’re too young to be a doctor.”
“Well, there’s a cure for that.” Sheffield smiled, reached down, and took her hand. He held her wrist, taking her pulse, and said, “I’ll get older soon enough. Time always takes care of that.”
“What’s wrong with me?”
“Why, you have scarlet fever.”
“Oh no!” Leonie said. Gloom filled her face. “I thought it was something less.”
“You two need to get out of here. It’s very contagious.”
“I had to nurse the girls at the convent when they had it, and I never caught it.”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t catch it this time.”
“Mrs. Danvers, you leave now.” Lady Maria’s voice was weak. “We’ll need you to keep the house running.”
“I need to help you.”
“No. You leave now. Mind what I say.”
As soon as Mrs. Danvers left, Dr. Sheffield said, “You will need a great deal of care, constant almost. There’s some danger of this disease spreading. I’d like to keep it confined to this room.”
“I can do that, Dr. Sheffield,” Leonie insisted.
Lady Augustine lay still. Her fever was high, and her face was crimson. She whispered to Leonie, “I don’t want you to be exposed.”
“I’m already exposed. Let’s not argue about it.”
“Really, Lady Augustine, I think it might be wise to let the young lady help. I’ll stay until you’re out of danger.”
“You seem awfully young. Are you a good doctor?”
“Why, I’m the best doctor in this room.” He leaned over and put his hand on her forehead. “Would you mind,” he asked, “if I pray for you?”
Lady Augustine’s eyes opened wide. “I suppose it would be all right.”
“I always like to pray for my patients. God needs to be involved in any sickness.”
Leonie’s eyes met those of Lady Augustine, and the two women were speechless. Sheffield began to pray, and it was a simple enough prayer, asking that
he be given knowledge and skill but most of all that the great Physician would take over the case. When he said amen, Lady Augustine said, “You are a strange doctor.”
“You’re probably right.”
“Come with me, Doctor,” Leonie said. “There’s a room right next to this one. You can stay there. Julius can go get some of your clothes to bring here.”
“Very well.”
Mrs. Danvers had come to help Leonie fix the room for the doctor. The housekeeper commented, “I’m surprised that Lady Augustine would let him treat her.”
“He took her by surprise.” She related how the doctor had asked if he could pray for her, and laughed. “It caught Lady Augustine off guard. She said a doctor never did that before.”
“I hope he knows what he’s doing. He’s so young.”
“I think he does, Mrs. Danvers.”
“This is Dr. Ransom Sheffield,” Leonie said as the two of them entered the dining room. “He’s been kind enough to come and treat Lady Augustine.” She introduced the other members of the family and saw their curiosity.
“Are you new to New Orleans, Doctor?” Lowell asked.
“Very new, Mr. Augustine.”
“How long have you been in practice?” Hugh Langley asked.
“The ink’s practically dry on my certificate. Here, let me help you, Miss Dousett.”
Leonie was surprised when he pulled her chair back. She took her seat, and when he seated himself next to her, she said, “Dr. Sheffield’s going to open a clinic for the poor people of New Orleans. Isn’t that wonderful?”
“You must be independently wealthy.” Lowell grinned. “Most doctors are more interested in making money.”
“I suppose I’ll do some of that too. I may have this young lady as my nurse. She’s quite handy.”
“How do you mean that?” Zara demanded, her eyes on Leonie.
“Why, this man came in just as we were leaving, cut to shreds. She helped me patch him up. Didn’t blink an eye.”
Lowell stared at Leonie. “I don’t think I could do that.”
“Of course you couldn’t,” Zara said. She was watching the doctor carefully. “How is my aunt?”
“She’s not at all well. I’m going to keep her confined to her room. No one should go in but Miss Dousett and myself.”
“Should we get another doctor?” Zara said.
“If you would like. Two doctors are probably better than one.”
“Why, that’s ridiculous, Zara,” Lowell said. “We have a doctor here.”
Nora began serving dinner. It was an excellent meal consisting of crawfish casserole and crawfish bisque.
Lowell seemed very interested in Dr. Sheffield and peppered him with questions.
Sheffield answered easily and seemed to be studying the two cousins. Leonie was fairly sure he was trying to figure out the family situation.
After the meal was over, the doctor excused himself, and Leonie went back with him to check on the patient. As soon as they were gone, Lowell said, “It’s a good thing that Leonie is here. You wouldn’t want to be in a sick room with scarlet fever, would you, sister dear?”
“No more than you.”
“I’ve been wondering about the will. You haven’t seen it, have you?”
“No. She’s very secretive about things like that.”
The two sat talking in whispers, and finally Lowell said, “You know, it might be better if she didn’t make it through this illness. I’m pretty sure she hasn’t changed her will yet. I’d still be the heir.”
The two stared at each other and Lowell laughed. “I didn’t mean that, of course.” The two got up and left the room, but Zara pondered what her brother had said.
“Well, I think the crisis has come.”
Leonie had been sitting beside Lady Maria. She looked up quickly at Dr. Sheffield. “What do you mean?”
“I mean if she can make it through tonight, I think she’ll be all right.”
“She has to live. She just has to.” She looked over at the woman whose lips were parched, although Leonie had kept them as moist as she could.
“Do you ever pray for your grandmother?”
Leonie was confused by the word “grandmother.” “Yes, I do pray for her.”
“You know the Bible says that it’s better for two to pray than for one.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Yes. One of my favorite verses. ‘If any two of you shall agree on anything, it shall be done.’ Jesus said that Himself.”
“I don’t know that verse.”
“It’s given me a lot of comfort. I always like to find somebody to pray with me, to stand with me before God, so why don’t you and I take our stand together?”
“All right,” Leonie said rather breathlessly.
“Here. Give me your hand.”
Leonie tentatively reached out, and he took her hand. “Now you put your hand on your grandmother’s shoulder and I’ll do the same on her head. The Bible says, ‘Lay hands on the sick and they shall recover,’ and that’s what we’re going to do—to pray that God will work.” He bowed his head and said, “Lord, we remind You of Your promise, for You cannot lie. And You have said that if we will agree, You will do what we ask. So Miss Dousett and I agree that we want to see this woman made strong and well again. In the name of Jesus, we ask for this healing.”
Leonie trembled. There was a unique power in the man’s prayer. His hand was strong, and when finally he released hers, she looked up and said, “I feel the Spirit of the Lord here in a strange way.”
“Nothing strange about it.” The doctor’s face changed, and he said, “God is going to do something in Lady Augustine’s life.” He added, “And I think in your life.”
Leonie looked up at him. “I’m thankful that you came, Dr. Sheffield.”
“Do you believe God’s promise?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Good. The two of us make a good team, don’t we?”
Leonie suddenly felt warm and confident about the future. She looked at the face of the woman that now she was certain was her grandmother. The fever seemed to have gone down, and she turned and said, “Yes, Dr. Sheffield, we make a good team.”
PART THREE
• NOVEMBER 1833–MARCH 1834 •
Maria
Chapter fourteen
One of the heavy logs settled in the fireplace, making a hissing sound and sending a shower of golden sparks up the chimney. Lowell Augustine had been reading a book but looked up and watched the display for a moment. He got up and walked over to the fireplace. He picked up one of the logs, put it on top of the glowing embers, and then used the heavy poker to shove the log until more sparks flew upward. The tiny flames began to lick around the fresh fuel, and for a time Lowell stood soaking up the heat. It had been a cold November for New Orleans, and Lowell made a note to remind Julius to bring in more wood for the fireplaces.
From somewhere deep in the house, he could hear voices. Punctuating this noise, the grandfather clock began striking a slow, sonorous tune. Replacing the poker, Lowell walked over to the window and looked up at the leaden gray sky. The sun had been hiding itself for several days behind heavy gray clouds, and now the whole earth seemed cloaked in funeral garb.
Lowell’s gaze fell upon a large red squirrel that scampered down the tree and dug industriously in the soil, then sat up. He folded his paws and for a moment looked like a priest engaged in his prayers.
“I wonder if squirrels ever pray,” Lowell murmured, and then the foolishness of his thoughts made him grin. “I’m going crazy in this house. I’ve got to get away.” He turned and walked around the room, looking at the covers of the books. His Uncle Ancel had been a collector of fine first editions, and Lowell had found great pleasure in going through the library. He remembered suddenly how grim life had been as he and Zara grew up. Their father had been a failure in business, and they had moved from one wretched house to another as he tried to eke out a living at various occupat
ions. None of them had succeeded, and when he had finally died, Ancel Augustine had taken his family in.
Reaching up, Lowell took down a book and ran his hands over the fine leather cover, memories flooding him about the days that he, his sister, and his mother had first come to Belle Fleur. It was like going to heaven, he thought. Plenty of food, warm rooms, no worry about how to pay the bills.
He thought briefly of his mother, who had died only two years after they had moved to Belle Fleur. He still missed her, for he’d had a genuine affection for her. He replaced the book slowly, stood irresolutely before the books, and considered his future. He had tried several occupations. None of them seeming to suit, and he faced up to the fact that he was not by nature a driven individual as his Uncle Ancel had been. He loved the life of high society; parties, balls, and social events of all kinds were his delight. Zara was the same. Both of them had grown accustomed to an exorbitant style of living. Their Aunt Maria had been generous, far more so than Uncle Ancel had been. Since Ancel’s death, she had given them everything they wanted, although at times she also delivered a lecture on wastefulness.
Footsteps coming down the broad hallway interrupted Lowell’s thoughts, and he turned to see Julian Harcourt enter. “Hello, Julian,” he said. “Foul weather, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is.” Julian walked over and turned his back to the fireplace, spreading his hands out behind him. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it snowed.”
“Not in New Orleans. It’s not our style.” Lowell studied Julian carefully. At the age of twenty-seven, Harcourt was a fine-looking man, not more than average height and very trim. He had fair hair, bright blue eyes, and classic features. His family had a long and illustrious history, but Harcourt’s grandfather had started dismantling the family fortune with his dissolute habits, especially gambling. Harcourt’s father, Sir Ralph Harcourt, had done the same. He had finally killed himself rather than face poverty, leaving Julian, his mother, and two sisters practically penniless.
“Are you and Zara going out?”
“Yes. The McKays are having a ball. You’re not going?”
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