The market was not busy, and Leonie made her purchases quickly. Jean had gone along with her, insisting on carrying the heavy parcels. Back at the carriage, Jean helped her in and seated himself. Suddenly the horse reared up, and he said loudly, “Stop that, you stubborn creature!”
“What’s the matter with him? That’s not your usual horse, is it?”
“No. My horse had a sore fetlock. I had to borrow one from my friend. This one is young and not ready to work. He thinks only of running. Stop that, you!”
Jean finally managed to pull the young horse around until he headed back toward the clinic. They had gone only a block when suddenly a bunch of youngsters ran toward them down the street, yelling happily. They were young boys who had obtained some firecrackers. They threw one with a yell, and it landed almost under the feet of Jean’s horse.
When the firecracker exploded, the horse uttered a wild cry, screamed, reared up, and then dashed down the street at full speed. Jean hauled at the reins, but the horse was strong and had the bit in his teeth.
Leonie tried to hold on, but when the wheel of the carriage fell into a large pothole, the jolt threw her to the side. She made a wild grab but missed her hold and was thrown abruptly out of the carriage. For her the world seemed to go around, and then as her head struck the hard cobblestone street, it seemed to dissolve in a shower of brilliant stars.
Ransom heard the sound of pounding feet in the outer office and looked up from the patient he was treating. The door burst open, and Jean Larue ran in, his eyes wild. “Doctor, come at once!”
“What’s wrong, Jean?” Ransom demanded. He headed for the door toward the older man and said, “Somebody hurt?”
“It is the Mademoiselle Leonie.”
“Leonie! What’s happened?” Ransom demanded.
“My horse, he ran away, and she was thrown. She struck her head on the pavement.”
“Where is she?”
“Outside in the carriage.”
Ransom did not ask more questions but dashed outside. He saw at once the wound on her head and her swollen face. Her eyes were closed, and she was pale. Quickly he reached in, picked her up, and shoved Jean aside. Going into the office, he told the patient, “Just take two spoons of that medicine every day, then come back in a week. I’m sorry, but right now I’ve got to tend to this young woman.”
Placing Leonie on the table, he quickly examined her injuries. She seemed to have no broken bones, but the head injury troubled him. It looked serious, and he said, “Jean, do you know where Dr. McDowell’s office is?”
“Oui, I know him.”
“Go at once,” he said. “I need him here immediately. Don’t take no for an answer. Then get Lady Augustine here.”
“I bring him, you bet!”
“Dr. Sheffield—is he hurt?” Maria asked.
“No, it is not him. It is the young lady Leonie. She has had a bad accident.” After delivering McDowell to the clinic, Jean had raced to the Augustine estate.
At once Maria Augustine jumped to her feet. “What happened?” She listened as the cab driver explained the accident. He spoke rapidly and nervously and said, “The doctor, he says you come quick!”
Dr. Jamie McDowell stood looking down at the pale face of the patient. He leaned over, examined the head injury, and said nothing.
Ransom could not keep still. He desperately wanted to help Leonie, but he knew that McDowell was a far more experienced doctor in cases like this. “What do you think, Doctor?”
“You know these cases as well as I.”
“No, I don’t. What’s your opinion?”
McDowell was a small man of Scottish descent. He had a full set of side whiskers, and his eyes were green. “I wish we could look inside her skull and see. Someday we may be able to do that, but for now,” he said, looking down at Leonie, “it’s in God’s hands.”
“I wish we could do something! It’s hard to just stand here.”
“I know, lad. This young lady—is she your fiancée?”
“Why, no. What makes you ask?”
“You’ve lost your calm spirit. It’s easy to see you have feelings for her.”
“I have a great respect for her.”
“Indeed?”
“Yes. She’s had a hard life, and I would like to make it easier.”
“Well,” McDowell said, shrugging his thin shoulders, “again, it’s in God’s hands.”
“I may be some time, Julius. You’ll have to wait.”
“Yes, Madam, I will be here.” Julius helped his mistress down and said, “You tell the young lady I’ll be praying for her.”
“I’ll tell her that.”
Maria reached the door just at the same instant that a woman in a habit arrived. The two paused. “You go first, please,” Maria said.
“You are Lady Augustine, are you not?”
“Why, yes I am.”
“I am the reverend mother at the convent.”
“You’ve come about Leonie.”
“Yes, I have.”
“So have I. Perhaps we could go in together.”
The two women entered, and Dr. Sheffield met them. “Reverend Mother, Lady Augustine, I’m glad you could come, both of you.”
“How is she, Doctor?” the mother superior asked quickly.
“Not as well as we’d like.”
“How badly was she hurt? What’s her condition exactly?” Lady Augustine asked.
The two women listened as Ransom Sheffield described Leonie’s fall and injury. He took a deep breath, and they saw how serious he was. “Head injuries are always more difficult than any other kind. She’s been unconscious since she was brought in. I’ve had another doctor in who is very good in such cases. He’ll be back later this afternoon.”
“Could we see her?”
“Of course. I’ll take you to her.”
The two women followed Ransom Sheffield into an inner room. Leonie lay on a single narrow bed with a blanket over her, her bandaged head resting on a pillow. Lady Augustine whispered, “She looks so pale.”
“We’re doing everything we can,” Ransom said, then added bitterly, “which isn’t much, I’m afraid. These cases are very hard.”
“We’ll sit with her while you treat your other patients, Doctor,” the mother superior said.
“That’s kind of you. If you see any change, please come for me at once.”
“Of course.”
As soon as Sheffield left, the two women sat down in chairs next to Leonie’s bedside. The room was silent, and finally the mother superior said, “Leonie was with us from the time she was born.”
“Yes, I know.”
“She is your granddaughter, I understand.”
Lady Maria hesitated, then nodded. “Yes. It’s a very complicated story.”
“I think I know most of it. Leonie told me. When she discovered her identity, I was very happy for her. I was the one who found her, you know.”
“You?”
“Yes. She was left at the convent, and I discovered her that morning. Somehow it made me feel closer to her. In all of the years that she was growing up, I did the best I could for her.” She looked down at the silent young woman and whispered, “She has always been such a fine girl. A fine child at first and then an exemplary young woman. The best that I have ever known.”
“I haven’t known her long, but I had the same impression. But—” Maria bit her lip. “I don’t know how much you know about the problem we had.”
“I think I know most of it. She told me the story.”
“I’ve been so disturbed about it, Reverend Mother,” Lady Maria said. “She seems such a sweet child, so much like her father, Ives. He had a sweetness himself, but then—”
“I know the story, but I don’t believe a word of it.”
Lady Maria stared at the nun. “But we have evidence.”
“And I have Leonie. I’ve know her all her life. Such a thing as she’s been accused of, it is not possible.”
; Lady Maria did not answer. Finally she bowed her head. The mother superior started to speak, but then she reconsidered. She had learned that the power of conscience often had more impact than the spoken word of another. She prayed silently, “Work on her, God. Let her see that this child is not what she thinks.”
Ransom came often into the room and once brought Dr. McDowell with him. The two physicians removed bandages from the wound and reexamined and redressed it. Dr. McDowell turned to the two women and said, “There’s little change. I think it’s a time for prayer.”
The mother superior asked, “Would you object if we prayed for her now?”
“No, certainly not,” Ransom said quickly.
“I think we should anoint her with oil, and then all four of us should agree in prayer.”
“Aye, that’s what the Bible says,” McDowell said.
“What kind of oil?” Ransom asked quickly.
“It doesn’t matter. Olive oil will do.”
“I’ll get some from the kitchen.”
In a few moments Ransom was back with a small bottle of olive oil. The reverend mother took the oil, let a few drops roll out on her palm, and then handed the bottle back. With her other hand, she dipped the tips of her fingers in, and walking over, she touched the head of the young woman and began to pray. It was not a formal prayer, but all three of those that gathered around the mother superior heard the pain in her voice.
Maria began to weep. She reached out and put her hand on Leonie’s head and held it there. She felt light-headed, and her knees felt weak, and when the woman ceased praying, tears were running down Maria’s face. She looked up at the three who were watching her closely. “She is of my blood. This is my granddaughter, and I love her. She must get well!”
The Mother superior said, her face beaming. “She is blood of your blood, and she needs you at this time. God will give her back to you. I know it!”
Chapter twenty-three
Everything seemed to be clothed with clouds. All were scenes from the past, at least she remembered that much. She saw herself dressed in her white dress as she made her First Communion, and standing close to her were Sister Agnes and Reverend Mother and her friends. It was as if she were seeing it through a veil of some sort, and she strained to see more clearly.
The scene changed, and she saw herself with her friends from the convent on a picnic. In this scene she was older, and she remembered that it was on the day of this picnic that she had experienced the primary signs of a young girl turning into a young woman. She had been so frightened. It had been Simone d’Or who had taken her to the mother superior, and the older woman had explained what was happening to her.
The clouds seemed to swirl around the scene, and she saw herself working in the clinic with Dr. Sheffield. The scene was clearer this time, and she watched his face, noting the seriousness of it. And then in the dream he looked up, smiled at her, and said, “You’re going to be a f ine nurse.” She remembered that day. It had not been long ago.
But then abruptly she felt a sharp pain in her head and the clouds dissipated, and she felt the firmness of the mattress supporting her. She smelled the acrid odor of antiseptic and was conscious of a terrible thirst.
The sounds of voices from far away came to her then, and she could not distinguish any of them. But there was someone singing, and she knew she had heard the song before. Slowly she opened her eyes, and at first the light overhead blinded her and added to the pain. She closed them quickly and memory came swirling back. I was in an accident. I fell out of the carriage, but where am I now?
Cautiously she reopened her eyes and allowed them to become accustomed to the light. She knew then that she was in the room where Dr. Sheffield treated patients who came in from accidents. A fly buzzed in her ear, and she shook her head, but that was a mistake. The movement sent pain like a dagger running from temple to temple. She moaned slightly and lay very still. Finally the pain left her, and she turned her head slightly. There beside her in a chair, Dr. Ransom Sheffield slumped, his head back and his mouth open. He was snoring slightly, and the sight of him made Leonie feel better. She watched him as he breathed and finally settled himself into a more comfortable position.
For some time Leonie lay there, letting herself savor consciousness. Some of the dreams had not been particularly pleasant, although some had. Now she was back in her own world, and Ransom was there, and she was alive.
Slowly she raised her hand, touched her head, and her fingers felt the bandage that swathed her. She touched an area that brought a cry of pain from her, and when she did she saw Ransom’s eyes open. When he saw her face, he jumped out of the chair instantly and cried with a glad voice, “Leonie, you’re awake!”
“Yes,” she whispered faintly. “Could—could I have some water?”
“Of course you can.”
Leonie watched as he quickly moved to the table beside the bed and poured water from a pitcher into a glass. He went to her side and put his arm behind her. “I’m going to lift you up, so you can drink. I know you’re dry as a bone.”
Leonie felt the strength of his arms as he pulled her up. His arm behind her gave her a feeling of safety. When he lifted the glass to her lips, she gulped thirstily.
“Take it easy now. Just a sip at a time. You can have all you want, but a little now and a little later.”
The tepid water was the best drink Leonie had ever had, but even better were the safety and security she felt in Ransom’s embrace. He held her as if she were a child, and she rested against him. Looking up, she whispered between sips of water, “How long have I been here?”
“Two days. You’ve been unconscious the whole time.”
“What’s wrong with me, Ransom?”
“You got a nasty crack on the head, but you’re going to be all right now. Here, have a little more water.”
For some time Ransom held her, giving her sips of water, and he said, “The mother superior was here, and so was your grandmother.”
“Grandmother was here?”
“Yes. She and the mother superior seemed to become quite good friends. They’ve both left for a while, but they’ll be back later to see you.”
Leonie could not think very clearly. She knew that her grandmother was highly displeased with her, and finally she said, “Did Grandmother say anything?”
“She said you were of her blood and that she loved you.”
“Really, Ransom?”
“Yes, really.” His arm tightened about her, and he set the glass down for a moment and put his hand on her cheek. “My heaven, I thought I’d lost you,” he said softly. “You gave me quite a scare.” He leaned forward then, kissed her forehead, and when he saw the look on her face, he said, “Here I am, taking advantage of a helpless young girl. Just the sort of a rascal I am!”
“I don’t mind,” Leonie managed to whisper, and then she felt herself retreating somehow. “I don’t mind at all,” she whispered and lost consciousness.
“Well, it’s very good news, Lady Maria,” Ransom said cheerfully. He had greeted Maria when she had come back from taking a rest, and he had taken her hand and said, “I know you’ve been terribly worried, but she woke up about two hours ago.”
“Is she all right? Why didn’t you send for me?”
“I thought you needed the rest. You’ve slept hardly at all. But yes, she’s all right. Her eyes are clear. She’s weak, but I think she should be awake now. Come along.”
Ransom led Lady Maria into the room where Leonie still lay in the bed. Her eyes were open and she smiled when she saw her grandmother. “You have a visitor,” Ransom said cheerfully. “You think you feel up to a little talk?”
“Oh yes,” Leonie said. She tried to struggle to a sitting position, but Ransom at once went to her, reached down, pulled her up, put a pillow behind her back, and then said, “I’ll just leave you two to catch up.” He looked at Maria and said, “God has been good to us, hasn’t He?”
Maria Augustine could not speak for a m
oment. Relief had flooded through her when she had heard the good news, and now, seeing Leonie sitting up with some color in her cheeks . . . Then she gathered herself together and said, “Indeed He has, Doctor. Indeed He has.”
Ransom left the room, and Leonie said, “Dr. Sheffield told me how you came at once when you heard I’d been hurt.”
“Yes, and Reverend Mother was here, too.” Maria sat in a chair at Leonie’s bedside. She struggled to put into words what she felt. She thought again how very much Leonie looked like her father, Ives. Ives had had that same shape of eye, dimple, hairline. It was amazing now that she had accepted the fact that Ives’s daughter was alive and well, and she saw freshly how much the girl resembled him. How did I ever miss it before! she cried to herself.
“I have something to say to you, Leonie.”
“Yes, Grandmother.”
Taking a deep breath, Lady Maria said, “I have failed you, and I failed Ives, and I failed myself.”
“Oh no, don’t say that!”
“Yes, I must. I should have ignored the stories I heard and trusted my heart. I know now, although I don’t have any evidence, that you are innocent of those things I was told about you. I don’t understand what happened, but I’m going to get to the bottom of it.”
Leonie’s face glowed, and she held her hand out, but Maria did not take it. Instead she leaned forward, embraced Leonie, and held her tightly. “Can you forgive me, my dear, for doubting you?”
“Oh yes. Certainly I can.”
“Good. Then welcome to the family, and I will never doubt you again—not ever!”
Chapter twenty-four
“Oh, Louis, what have you done?”
Louis looked up with satisfaction at Leonie and said, “Yow!” He held the baby rabbit that he had brought into Leonie’s room between his paws, and his golden eyes glowed with pleasure.
“You’re a bad cat, Louis!” Leonie cried as she bent over. “Turn it loose.” She freed the tiny rabbit from Louis’s grasp and cuddled it in her hands. “You poor little thing,” she said. “Now I’ll have to take care of you.”
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