The feeling was overwhelming. She remembered Gertrude’s words: “There was a time when doctors, healers and midwives experienced exactly what ye say ye want. They knew their patients and spent time with them.”
That time is long gone, had been Elizabeth’s response. And yet, now, for her, time had looped back on itself. This is what she had wanted to experience when she accepted the pocket watch. She didn’t count on it igniting such a potent longing within her. As she walked back to the keep with Deirdre chattering away she vowed to seize these days she had been given and immerse herself in this life.
David would approve.
Morag caught up with them, “Elsie, I have some rounds to make today and I thought, perhaps, ye’d go like to go with me.”
I’d like it more than you can imagine. “Aye, Morag, I would. I do just need to check in on Lady MacKenzie first.”
“You do that. Take yer time. I expect Lady Wynda would enjoy the company. When ye’re done meet me at my cottage.”
“Aye. I will.”
When they reached the keep, she hurried upstairs to Laird and Lady MacKenzie’s chamber. Alice opened the door when Elsie knocked.
Lady MacKenzie called from the bed, “Oh, Elsie, dear, it’s good to see ye. Come in. Can ye stay for a bit?”
“I’ll be going with Morag on her rounds today, but I can stay with ye a while.”
“Wonderful. Alice, since Elsie is here, ye should take a break.”
“Aye, my lady. Shall I return in an hour or so?
“That will be fine.”
After Alice bobbed a curtsy and left, Lady Wynda looked at Elizabeth as if she were sizing her up. Elizabeth suddenly had the feeling that she was about to get another grilling along the lines of the one Morag had given her the day before.
But after a moment, Wynda looked directly into Elizabeth’s eyes and said, “I asked Alice to leave because I want to talk to ye alone. I need for ye to tell me the truth.”
The truth? “My lady, I don’t understand. I assure ye, what I’ve said about yer condition is true.”
“I’m not talking about my condition. I am oddly confident that everything ye’ve said is precisely true. However, I am also dead certain, ye aren’t the midwife my husband sent for.”
“But, my lady—”
“Nay, lass. I need to know. Morag, one of the finest midwives I know, has never heard of this weakness in the opening of a womb. But ye’re little more than a child and not only do ye know about it, ye’re supremely confident about what to do. Ye cannot be who we sent for. Ye must tell me the truth.” She fixed Elizabeth with a serious look. “Now.”
Elizabeth wasn’t sure what to say. Laird Macrae had threatened her with a beating if she told anyone the truth. What’s more, the truth was nearly impossible to believe and could get her accused of witchcraft or some dark art. And yet, what Laird Macrae had done was wrong—even if it turned out to be very much for the better.
“Now, Elsie,” Lady Mackenzie insisted.
Elizabeth sighed. “I will tell ye the truth, my lady. But what I’m going to tell ye will sound fantastical. Please promise ye’ll listen to the whole story before ye make any judgement.”
“I so promise.”
“If ye want the whole truth, I also need the promise of yer protection from Laird Macrae.”
“From Laird Macrae?” She arched a brow, but nodded. “Ye have it.”
“All right. I guess it all starts with the idea of time. Most people believe that yesterday is followed by today and then tomorrow. They believe that time is a line that goes ever forward. But, it isn’t.” Elizabeth proceeded to tell her about the pocket watch and the essence of soul exchange.
Lady Wynda didn’t seem as shocked as Elizabeth expected. She simply asked, “So what had Elsie done that would have resulted in her death?”
“As it turns out, nothing…yet. Ye see, Laird Macrae did intend to deal falsely with ye. Elsie was the niece of the woman ye sought. Evidently she was training to be a midwife, but just like all of the rest of ye, I too doubt she has the experience to deal with anything very unusual. But Laird Macrae didn’t believe there was a single chance anyone could help ye. It was his opinion that some women simply can’t carry a child to term. He figured since no one could help ye, it didn’t matter who he sent. If he passed an apprentice off as a master the outcome would be the same. All he needed was for Laird MacKenzie to believe Elsie was indeed a master to gain a powerful ally. To her credit, Elsie would not have agreed to the ruse. But she would have been beaten for her disobedience and the beating would have resulted in her death.”
“Oh, the poor child.”
“As it turns out, we actually changed places before any of that happened. Gertrude—she’s the old woman who gave me the pocket watch—she thinks that’s why the watch stayed in the future with my body and Elsie’s soul. And it’s also probably why time is equal in both places.”
Wynda looked mildly surprised at the mention of Gertrude, but made no comment.
“And Laird Macrae didn’t know any of this about ye?”
“Nay, my lady, he believes I’m Elsie.”
“Tell me, how is it ye know so much about pregnancy? Are ye a midwife in the future?”
“Not exactly. I’m a doctor—but one who specializes in pregnancy and women’s health, similar to a midwife.”
“A doctor from the future? It seems when ye said, ‘there is no one in Scotland who is better able to attend’ me, ye spoke the absolute truth.”
“Aye, I believe I did.”
“But I suppose this means since ye have a little less than sixty days left, ye’ll not be able to attend me at delivery.”
“Aye, but ye won’t need me. Ye don’t need me now. I’ve told ye everything ye need to do—what’s left is up to ye. But, I won’t be leaving immediately. I haven’t remembered the word that will switch us back yet. Gertrude believes that I will when the time is right, but I confess, I’m worried about this entire situation.”
“I too expect ye will remember the word. What has ye worried?”
“Like I said, ye don’t really need me here, but I’m concerned about going back to Elsie’s home. I was only at Castle Macrae for a few minutes before leaving with Cade. No one had time to notice that I had no memories there. I’m new here so there’s no memory loss to explain. If ye send me back, the Macraes will likely think I’ve lost my mind if I can’t remember anything.”
“Put that out of yer head. I’ll see that ye’re not sent back for as long as ye need to stay.”
“Thank ye, my lady. But what if Laird Macrae demands that I be returned?”
“I don’t think he will. The whole reason for sending ye was to fool my husband into thinking he was trying to help. Since Laird Macrae believes ye aren’t even a fully trained midwife, he has no reason to push for yer return right away. At least as long as Angus is happy.”
“I’m not certain Laird MacKenzie is very happy with me.”
Lady Wynda laughed. “Aye, he is a bit put off by yer boldness, but this bairn means the world to both of us. He won’t send ye away as long as I want ye to stay.”
“Thank ye, my lady. I’ll try my best to curb my tongue and not upset him.”
Wynda’s smile was warm. “I would appreciate that. ‘Twill make all our lives a bit easier.”
“I expect so,” Elizabeth said wryly. “It’s just things are very different for me. Women in the future have more of a voice, more power.”
“I suspect that’s a very good thing.”
Wynda’s complete acceptance of the concept of time-travel astounded her. “My lady, May I ask ye something?”
“Anything, lass.”
“Ye believed my story, without hesitation or question. Why?”
“As it happens, there’s an old woman who passes this way every now and again.” She smiled broadly. “Her name is Gertrude. She told me ye’d be coming, ye wouldn’t be what I expected and that if I pushed, ye’d tell me something that was
nearly impossible to believe. Regardless of that, she asked me to believe it and trust that ye knew what ye were doing, despite the fact that ye’d look very young.”
“Gertrude beat me here?”
Wynda chuckled. “It seems so.”
“Where is she? I need to talk to her.”
“She isn’t here now. She came right after Cade and my husband’s other men left for Castle Macrae.”
“How’s that possible? I only met Gertrude four days ago, the same day Cade arrived at Castle Macrae.”
Wynda laughed merrily. “Now lass, didn’t ye just tell me time is not linear?”
Elizabeth smiled. “I did. But ye should know, my lady, even in my time, most people don’t know that. Having only just learned it myself, I’ll beg yer forgiveness.”
“Ye have nothing to worry about, Elsie. Oh, I guess that’s not really yer name.”
“Nay it isn’t. My name is Elizabeth. Elizabeth Quinn.”
“It’s lovely to meet ye, Elizabeth. I am infinitely grateful that ye decided to try the pocket watch. For the first time in years I have hope.”
Hope. I may have no real voice here, but I have the power to give hope where there was none. “I am so glad I was able to help. I’m also finding being here a blessing in ways I didn’t expect.”
Wynda smiled. “I daresay that was Gertrude’s plan.”
Elsie laughed. “I suppose it was.”
“Well, Elizabeth, I suspect the best way to keep ye safe is to keep all of this between the two of us. As angry as I am about Laird Macrae’s duplicity, I fear that if Angus knew the truth he would be furious, and ultimately Laird Macrae would find out that we knew the truth. If that happens, I’m not certain we could keep ye safe from him forever.”
“Aye, I expect that’s best. It’s probably also best that I just go by Elsie. I’m getting used to it anyway.”
“Elsie it is then.”
~ * ~
As Elsie walked to Morag’s cottage, after leaving Lady Wynda, she felt lighter than she had since arriving in the thirteenth century. The knowledge that someone else here knew who she really was and how she came to be here—and perhaps more importantly, believed the story—was a comfort. She didn’t feel quite so alone.
Morag’s rounds consisted of a walk through the village, stopping at every cottage where there was a pregnant woman or a newborn. It felt very casual but Elsie noticed how Morag mixed the occasional health related question in with ordinary conversation. She smiled to herself when she realized Morag asked each woman what she was making for dinner.
After about the third time Morag had done this, when they left the cottage Elsie asked why.
Morag smiled. “’Tis Lent. I firmly believe the eating of flesh is important to a woman who is with child but during the days of fast and abstinence it is forbidden. However, Father Henry says that the birds of the air and the fish of the sea were created on the fifth day. While the creatures of the earth were created on the sixth day. Therefore, eating fish is allowed. I always like to make sure a lass knows not to be too strict with herself.”
Elizabeth saw this as an opportunity to add a little twenty-first century nutritional information. “Aye that seems prudent. I’ve also found a number of plantstuffs to be very beneficial.”
“Have ye? Like what?”
“Actually, eating any fruits and vegetables have value. Nuts, peas, lentils, and beans are very good as are root vegetables like carrots and beets. Anything dark green is wonderful—but I suppose that is hard to come by in the winter.”
“About the only dark green plantstuffs available in the winter are some dried seaweeds.”
“Aye, kelp is excellent. Milk is too.”
“Ye mean almond milk?”
Almond milk? Who knew it was medieval? Elizabeth thought it was a trendy new fad from her own time. Well at least it had a little protein. “Aye, almond milk.”
Still, she thought modern Catholics consumed milk and eggs on Fridays during Lent and she was certain they ate fish. But Morag seemed to have to defend that choice. Maybe the rules were different in the middle ages. She would have to ask Wynda.
“Have ye found anything else to be particularly helpful?”
“Well, now that you mention it, I’ve found mothers and newborns succumb to fever less if you keep things very clean. I wash my hands a lot.”
“How could that possibly make a difference?”
Elizabeth said the first thing that came to her mind. “Dirt.”
“What about it?”
Where was she going to go with this? “Uh…things grow in dirt…and, uh, things rot in dirt. I think dirt helps festering to start. So I try to keep things very clean.”
“Really?” Morag sounded skeptical.
“Aye, really.”
Morag shrugged. “It is a bit of nuisance, but it can’t hurt.”
Woohoo! Score one for germ theory.
By the time Morag completed her rounds, it was well after midday. Morag took Elizabeth to her cottage for a bannock and a mug of herb tea, which she called a tisane. While they sat at the table, Morag said, “Tell me more about this heat treatment ye want to try. What do we need?”
“We’ll need something that will provide a small focused heat source. Yesterday I said that hot fire irons might work but I am a bit worried that their length might make them hard to manage. Do ye suppose the blacksmith could loan us eight iron spikes and tongs to handle them with?”
“Aye, I’m sure he can. Why so many?”
“I expect it takes a while to heat them, but they’ll cool fairly quickly. If we have several heating we can switch them out often.”
“Ah, I suppose ye’re right.”
“We also need three blocks of wood.”
“That won’t be a problem. I’ll get all the things we need. Ye said it’s best to do it at night?”
It would still be several hundred years before Sir Isaac Newton described the laws of gravity. She had to make this simple. “Aye. It’s best to do it just before the mother goes to bed for the night because when the mother is lying down, it’s easier for the baby to move.” She smiled. “Its little bottom isn’t sitting down so firmly in her pelvis.”
Morag laughed. “I guess that’s right. So come back ‘round to my cottage after the evening meal and we’ll try this.”
Chapter 12
Elizabeth spent some more time with Wynda that afternoon. Wynda gave her a quick summary of Lenten practices, so Elizabeth wouldn’t make any serious gaffes that might raise eyebrows.
Then, after the evening meal, Elizabeth met Morag at her cottage as she had said she would. “Were ye able to get everything?”
“Aye, I was. The wood was no problem. Jessie’s husband, John, is a bow maker and fletcher. However, when I asked our blacksmith, Gil, for eight spikes and a pair of tongs I’m sure he thought I’d lost my senses.” She grinned, “But he’s Jessie’s uncle and when I explained why I needed them, he gave them to me. He said to make sure the fire is burning hot and to prop the spikes so their tips are in the white part of the flame because it will be hottest. He said he’d help us if we need him.”
“That’s kind of him. If we can’t get the spikes hot enough can we send for him?”
“Aye, of course we can. He only lives a few cottages away.”
Elizabeth smiled. “Well then, let’s see if this works.”
Morag led her down several village lanes until they reached Jessie’s cottage.
Jessie ushered them in. Morag introduced Elizabeth to Jessie and her husband. When Morag asked about their wee daughter, Flora, Jessie explained that she was at John’s oldest sister’s cottage for the night. “I figured we should sort out how to do this without having to worry about her this first time.
Elizabeth agreed, “That’s a very good idea.”
“John thinks once we learn how to do it, he can help me so ye don’t have to come every evening.”
“We’ll see how it goes but that might work. So, I
understand Morag has explained what we want to try?”
“Aye, she has.”
“Would ye mind if I examined ye before we start?”
“Nay, that’s fine.”
“Morag, maybe we should go ahead and put the spikes in the fire to begin heating them, and we should probably have a bucket of water close by too.”
Elizabeth had Jessie lie down and assessed the baby’s position, confirming that it was still bottom down. Jessie was indeed a very small woman, but Elizabeth knew that really didn’t matter as much as people once thought. Still, delivering a baby that isn’t head down is hard and Jessie had difficulty delivering her first child.
“Does the baby move a lot?”
“Aye, it kicks something fierce. Every now and then it feels as if the baby is stretching, pushing up and down at the same time.”
Elizabeth smiled. “Aye bairns have no respect for the fact that their mamas only have a limited amount of space for them.”
Jessie laughed. “I suppose not.”
“Morag explained to you that this heat treatment is supposed to cause the baby to become active?”
“Aye.”
“And just by making it active, it might turn over, but it might not.”
“Aye, that’s what she said. She also said that there is a chance it could start labor early.”
“That’s right. But we think ye are far enough along that the risk of going into labor is smaller than the risk of delivering the babe as it currently lies. I will show you some body positions that may encourage the little one turn over too. Even if ye decided not to try this heat treatment, you can do those and they still may help.”
“I understand, but I do want to try. My last labor…well I’m a little afraid.”
Elizabeth nodded. “I understand. But Jessie, try to put yer fears to rest. Each labor is different and the first ones are often the hardest. Still, it would be nice if the little one would oblige us and turn, so we will give this a try. When the spikes are hot I am going to have you stand on this block of wood. Maybe we should take your outer garment off and make sure that yer léine is pulled up and out of the way. We wouldn’t want it to brush against the irons and catch fire.”
The Midwife: The Pocket Watch Chronicles Page 11
