Chapter Thirty-Five
THE HARDEST THING EZEKIEL HAD ever done was to do nothing.
Well, he hadn’t exactly done nothing. Waiting must count as something, for the Lord commanded His people to wait upon Him far too often for it not to be something.
Still, it felt like he was continually failing Nora by going about his day, searching for a job, or conferring with the Guardians, while she sat alone, probably frightened and struggling to hope, in some cold room.
Even Tristan seemed lost without Nora. Instead of taking his usual outdoor foray, he sat next to his basket or in it, meowing for Ezekiel to take him for a visit.
Even when Ezekiel set out sardines, Tristan sniffed at them and then walked back to the basket.
At least today was Tuesday. According to Dr. Pelton, Nora would be moved out of isolation.
Though she would not be allowed visitors, Ezekiel had every intention of charming or, if necessary, begging Nurse Abbott into allowing him to see her.
He was debating bringing Tristan when a fist pounded on his door.
When he opened it, Miss Gibson and Miss Plane spoke in unison. “Nora’s in trouble.”
“What’s happened?” Ezekiel snatched his coat off the hook.
Miss Plane led the way to where her carriage waited. “Mrs. Reed left the house wearing a nurse’s uniform.”
Miss Gibson worried her hands as she waited for him to lock the door. “I know I shouldn’t have risked her recognizing me, but I pretended to be someone interested in becoming a nurse and asked her where she worked. She didn’t recognize me and told me today is to be her first day at Longview.”
All warmth fled with the blast of the bitter news. If she was heading to Longview, she must be ready to enact her next plan. As a nurse, she’d have access to Nora and Mrs. Davis, as well as any number of medications that could torment or kill. “How long ago was this?”
“Almost an hour. I had to wait a couple stops before doubling back to get Theresa and her carriage from Nora’s. Then we had to stop by the police station to have Abraham notified to meet us here. I’m certain he’ll grab—”
“We’re here!” Miss Pelton called from a hack as it pulled up behind the carriage. She didn’t even wait for Detective Hall to assist her down before hopping to the ground and rushing toward them. “What’s happened?”
They didn’t have time to stand here rehashing information. Ezekiel opened the door to Miss Plane’s carriage and gestured for the ladies to precede him inside. “We’ll discuss it on the way. Mrs. Reed is likely at Longview by now.”
As five people squeezed into a four-person conveyance, Ezekiel breathed out a strangled prayer for guidance. It would take God’s hand to get them where they needed in time, and Ezekiel wasn’t sure he had enough faith to believe it would happen.
If Nora ever got out of here, she would never again drink a cup of tea.
Instead of the normal invisible but bitter tincture, the sediments of a crushed pill settled at the bottom of her cup.
Supposedly it was the perfect drink to calm her nerves after transferring from isolation to the dayroom.
Not that she needed it. The only outburst Nora was liable to suffer was a bad case of the yawns.
Nurse Ingram tapped the lip of Nora’s cup. “Drink it, or I’ll help you drink it.”
Nora glanced at the brutish orderly watching from the corner. Bottom’s up. She threw back the bitter brew and gulped. Thank goodness Longview didn’t believe in serving anything hotter than tepid, or she might have scalded her throat.
Satisfied with Nora’s compliance, Nurse Ingram exchanged the cup for a book and turned her attention to one of the other two patients in the room.
Nora opened the purple cover to the title page. The Illustrated Book of Manners: A Manual of Good Behavior and Polite Accomplishments. What a stimulating read. Should the medicine not knock her senseless, boredom surely would.
The hall door opened, and Mrs. Beaumont scuffled in on the arm of Nurse Abbott.
“Here we are, and look, Mrs. Beaumont. Miss Davis must have been transferred while you were undergoing treatment.” Nurse Abbott assisted Mrs. Beaumont into the seat next to Nora.
“As Miss Davis is to be your daughter-in-law, this is the perfect opportunity to become more acquainted. Perhaps it will encourage you both to heal and return to Mr. Beaumont.”
As Nurse Abbott turned away, Nora realized today was Tuesday. Ezekiel. She wouldn’t be allowed to visit him, but maybe she could convince Nurse Abbott to pass along a message. “Nurse Abbott?”
The kind woman turned with a sympathetic smile. “Yes, dear?” “When Ezekiel comes, would you tell him how Mum attacked Winston last week? It’s important he know I wasn’t the only one Winston visited.”
Sad compassion announced her no before she spoke it. “Miss Davis—”
“Please. What will it hurt to tell him? And doing so will give me peace of mind. Isn’t that important to my healing?”
Her lips firmed at the manipulation. “I’ll tell him, but only if you promise to speak no more of attacks by Winston.”
At Nora’s agreement, Nurse Abbott left for her visiting day duties. Hopefully Ezekiel would understand the importance of Mum’s attack and would somehow use it to prove her sanity.
“He asked you to marry him?” Mrs. Beaumont’s soft voice broke into Nora’s thoughts.
“I’m sorry, he has not. He lied so we could have a few minutes alone when I was upset.”
“My boy doesn’t lie. He’s already chosen you. He’s just waiting for you to be willing.”
Considering all the weeks she’d avoided his purposeful attempts at an introduction, Nora could well believe Mrs. Beaumont’s claim.
He was a patient man who knew what he wanted, but there was something else he wanted.
Perhaps even more. “He also has chosen and chooses daily to love you. He desperately wants you better so you can come home.”
“I want to get better too. But these thoughts . . .” Mrs. Beaumont shuddered.
Nora tucked the book between her hip and the chair and took Mrs. Beaumont’s hand in both of hers. “What about those thoughts?”
“I’m too ashamed to say.”
She well knew the power of hidden thoughts.
The shame they induced. The relationships they hindered.
The self-destruction they caused. Her fear of ending up here had kept her silent and gained power over her, tricking her into believing that so long as no one knew, she’d be okay.
And yet, when she’d voiced her fears to Ezekiel and the Guardians . . .
Nora leaned in, hoping that what had worked for her would help Mrs. Beaumont.
“Speaking the thoughts you’re ashamed of robs them of their power over you, especially when you share them with someone you trust. It’s scary, embarrassing, and uncomfortable to expose them to others, but once they’re out, they’re no longer your burden to carry alone.
Your trusted person can help you to see them for what they are. ”
“Speaking them doesn’t make them go away.”
“I didn’t say they went away. I only said they lose their power.
What you are walking through is hard, but that doesn’t make you broken.
This place, this struggle . . . They’re not the end of your story.
I’m not Ezekiel, but it appears I might be here for a while.
You can tell me any of your thoughts, no matter what they are, and I will not judge you for them.
Your son likened this sharing of burdens to Jesus’s yoke, and I’m happy to share this yoke with you. ”
“I can see why my son loves you.”
“We’ve only known each other two weeks. Love needs more time to grow, but I do like him. Very much.”
The hall door opened, and Mrs. Reed strode into the room dressed as one of the nurses.
Nora gripped the arms of her chair, uncertain if the wave of dizziness was from the medicine Nurse Ingram gave her or the horror at knowing she’d been found.
“Who are you? This isn’t your ward.” Nurse Ingram bristled like a territorial dog.
“It is now. Nurse Rhodes sent me to fetch you and the orderly. She’s having problems with Mrs. Davis in isolation. I’m to watch the dayroom until you return.”
“That woman is a perpetual thorn in my side. The ones in here are quiet and calm for now, but watch that one.” Nurse Ingram nodded toward Nora. “She’s Mrs. Davis’s daughter and bound to be as dangerous and unpredictable.”
“Good to know. Oh, and I was told to give you this to administer to Mrs. Davis.” Mrs. Reed passed Nurse Ingram a small, long box. “The medicine is already inside the syringe. Once given, she won’t be a problem anymore.” A devilish grin stretched across Mrs. Reed’s face.
The blood in Nora’s veins turned to ice. “No! You can’t. It will kill her!”
Nurse Ingram ignored Nora and swished out the door with the poison in hand and the orderly following her.
“Almost thirty years I’ve been waiting for this.” Mrs. Reed turned a key in the lock, then snapped it off.
Nora shot to her feet, and the room wavered. She spread her stance to keep her balance. Blast that medicine! She was already at a disadvantage without its effects.
“Too bad Katherine couldn’t be here to watch her daughter die, but I console myself that the fear of me drove her to a madhouse.”
“You can’t get away with this. There are witnesses.”
“You mean the other insane patients whose words can’t be trusted and are inadmissible in court? No, Eleonora. I’ve planned everything too well.” Mrs. Reed retrieved another syringe from a box in her pocket. “You will be blamed for what is about to happen, and I will walk free.”