Cassidy's War

by Susan Macatee

  Cassidy led her to the small room they’d shared before Sarah had married and moved to York. After they’d settled on Cassidy’s narrow bed, she asked her sister, “How are you feeling, really?”

  “Elated. And scared of course. I’d feel more comfortable if I was living here and you could attend the birth.”

  “Me?”

  “Sure. You’ve worked alongside Papa for the past few years delivering babies. I’d love to have you attend the birth. Is there any chance you could come to York and stay with us for a while?”

  Cassidy bit her lip. “I don’t think I’m the person you want.”

  “Why?” Her sister frowned. “You’re the perfect choice.”

  Cassidy sighed. “You haven’t been home long enough to hear...” She swallowed, finding the words difficult to say. “I attended a birth the night before last and it ended badly.”

  Sarah wrapped her arms around Cassidy, her rounded belly brushing up against her. “I’m so sorry, Cassie, but I know whatever happened wasn’t your fault.”

  Cassidy rested her hand on Sarah’s stomach. “Has he been kicking yet?”

  “Not yet, but I have felt some fluttering.”

  “That’s good. You’ve been to a doctor in York?”

  “Yes.” Sarah grimaced. “A gnarled old man. I reckon I could find a midwife, but I’d much rather have you. I love you, Cassie.”

  “I love you too, Sarah. Give me some time to think on it.”

  Sarah smiled and patted Cassidy’s hand. “And how has it been going with you since I’ve been gone? Any beaus?”

  Cassidy scowled. “No.”

  “No one since George?” Sarah frowned, her words revealing the contempt she had for Cassie’s former fiancé.

  “I haven’t had the time. I’ve been busy helping Ma with the house. And since Papa passed, I ended up with all his patients, at least until Quinn finishes his internship.” She glanced at her sister who probably didn’t hear a word she’d said.

  “You need to go to dances, Cassie, be escorted to dinner and taken on picnics.”

  Cassidy spread her hands. “It’s not like there’s a gaggle of men sniffing around me. We are still in full mourning, after all, plus the town has been deserted since...”

  Sarah sighed, half reclining on the bed. “I know. Since the war. There just aren’t enough men to go around.”

  Cassidy recalled the available men in Burkeville. Half were old enough to be her father, and the other half weren’t out of school. But George was back. Don’t you dare let him invade your thoughts. He’s not the courting or marrying type.

  “…And I can’t help thinking about Josh.” Sarah continued. “Do you think about him often, Cassie? I’ve always wondered if he hadn’t died at Gettysburg, would he be married, have children?”

  “As much as we loved our brother, it doesn’t help matters to dwell on what might have been. The war’s in the past. We’ve got to move on. It’s what Josh would want. Papa too.” Cassidy brushed a tear from the corner of her eye. She’d tried hard to keep her mind off both their deaths. The family seemed cut in half.

  “And Quinn’s still in Harrisburg working at the hospital?”

  “Yes, but his internship is just about up. He’ll be returning for good. We expect him home any day now.”

  “Reckon he’ll take over Pa’s practice?”

  Cassidy shrugged. “I suppose that’s his plan.”

  “Then you’ll be free to pursue a husband.” Sarah straightened to face Cassidy.

  A slight smile tipped her lips. Sarah will never quit trying to find her a husband. “Well, what I really want to do when Quinn comes back...” She trailed off.

  “Is what?”

  “I’d like to attend medical school.”

  Sarah frowned. “With all those men? Whatever for?”

  “Although I do the work of a physician, no one in town calls me doctor. I’m just Doc Stuart’s daughter. And I need to attend school to have a chance at performing surgery. Right now, I feel like all I am is a nurse.”

  “Well, there’s nothing wrong with that, Cassie. Since the war, lots of women are going into the nursing field.”

  “But that’s not what I want.” Cassidy rose from the bed and paced. “I want to be a doctor. It’s what I’m good at. I want to feel legitimized. Respected.”

  Sarah sighed. “You need to find a man. Start thinking of having a home. Children.”

  Cassidy clenched her fists. “Everyone says that, except for Quinn. He’s my only ally since George left.”

  “I’m sorry.” Sarah twirled a finger through one of her curls. “But George just wasn’t the marrying kind, I reckon. Wonder where he is now?”

  “If you must know, he’s back in town. He was here yesterday.”

  “Oh, no, Cassie...” Sarah shook her head, sending her curls dancing. “Don’t get involved with George Masters again. He’s nothing but a bad seed and will never amount to anything. He’ll drag you down with him.”

  Cassidy clenched her teeth. Her desire to defend him warred with the reality of what he had done. She fisted her hands on her hips. “Believe me; I don’t intend to get involved with him ever again.”

  Chapter Seven

  Friday, Cassidy stood at the sink peeling carrots and potatoes. Banging at the door and voices caught her attention. Drying her hands on her apron, she rushed to the foyer.

  Wesley stood with his back to her, conversing with someone on the threshold. When he stood back, she caught the sight of rust colored hair on a handsome clean-shaven face. She rushed forward. “Quinn!”

  Quinn caught her gaze and broke into a broad smile. “Cassie.”

  She wrapped her arms around his back as he held her close. Her older brother hadn’t been home for months and had many tales of his times at the hospital.

  She pulled him toward the parlor. “What have you been up to? Tell me all of it!”

  Quinn smirked in Wesley’s direction. He waved the two siblings off and retreated.

  Cassidy settled on the settee before the fireplace, while Quinn took one of the upholstered chairs. “So, come on, tell me.”

  Quinn grinned, running a hand through his hair. “Well, it’s been a lot of work. I’ve been on call for a week straight. No time for sleep and forget about any social calls.”

  Cassidy sighed. “It was like that for me before Pa died. But now...we’re losing patients by spades, since Dr. Madison set up his practice.”

  Quinn grimaced. “Now that my internship’s up, we’ll work on getting those patients back.”

  “I don’t know, Quinn. When you hear what happened the other day, there may be no practice for you to return to.” She twisted her hands in the folds of her skirt.

  “What happened?” He leaned back and studied her.

  “I attended a birth. Mrs. Tasker.”

  He nodded.

  “Both mother and child died.” She licked her lips. “I don’t know what happened. And then Dr. Madison appeared and blamed the whole thing on me.”

  “Cassie...” Quinn reached for her hand. “Women die in childbirth and so do babies. It happens more than I’d like to admit.”

  She shook her head. “But what if I was the cause...what if I killed them?”

  “You didn’t kill anyone. I can assure you of that.” He scowled. “This Dr. Madison is just trying to make you look bad. Maybe I should pay him a visit and see what he’s all about.”

  “You’d do that?” Cassidy’s anxiety lifted knowing her brother would rally for her. Help her.

  “Of course I will.”

  She bit her lip. “George paid us a visit yesterday.”

  “George?” Quinn’s rust colored brows rose. “You don’t mean George Masters?”

  “One and the same.”

  “He’s back in town?”

  She nodded. “Just a few days ago.”

  “Well...” Quinn furrowed his brows and crossed his arms over his chest. “Wonder why he’s here?”

  “H
e’s here to pay respects to his pa. Now he has, I suspect he’ll go back to wherever he came from. He never really said.”

  “Where’s he staying?”

  “At the hotel.”

  Quinn grinned. “Maybe I’ll just pay him a visit, too, before he leaves. And don’t you worry about Madison, Cassie. If he’s trying to ruin Pa’s practice, I’ll see if I can find a way to discredit him in the town’s eyes.”

  “I surely hope you can.” She shivered. “I really don’t know what to do anymore. I wish Pa were still here.”

  Quinn covered her hand with his. “I know. We all do.”

  ****

  George rose to answer a rap on his hotel room door. Expecting the maid or a hotel clerk, he drew in a breath as he gazed at a young woman with wide blue eyes, dark lashes, chestnut colored hair, and a stylish hat perched on her head.

  “Morning, ma’am.” He glanced down the hall but saw no one else. “To what do I owe this visit?”

  She smiled. “I’m your contact from the agency.”

  “My contact?” He’d expected a man. “I’d invite you in, but under the circumstances...”

  “I understand.” She held out a small piece of paper. “I’m staying at the boardinghouse across town under the name of Mrs. Sadie Claymore. I’ll be available to take messages back and forth. If you need me, contact me at the boardinghouse, but be discreet.”

  George grinned. “I always am, ma’am.”

  She smiled again and turned to leave.

  George’s gaze never left her as she stepped toward the back stairwell, her fashionable bustle swaying. Had she come in this way? But of course, she’d never have taken the chance of leaving the message at the front desk.

  Once she’d retreated from his sight, he closed the door and read the post.

  Mr. Masters,

  Please send all correspondence on Madison case via courier. Only emergency correspondences are to be sent by telegraph.

  Mrs. Claymore is very reliable. She’ll wait in town until you have information then relay it to us in New York.

  Sincerely,

  William Pinkerton

  George grimaced. He’d been so concentrated on Cassidy, he hadn’t had the chance to get anything on the doctor yet, but he did know where he lived and practiced.

  Talking to people in town hadn’t gotten him anywhere. The townsfolk had nothing but praise for the new doctor. He feared Cassidy would lose any patients she had left, especially after the Tasker deaths. His heart broke for her. What had she done to deserve this twist of fate?

  He had to find something he could use against Madison. If the townsfolk wouldn’t give him information, maybe he’d pay the good doctor a visit. He’d pose as a patient and try to wrench as much as he could from the man himself. Tapping his lower lip, he reconsidered. Maybe he could pretend to be interested in information about Cassidy, since Madison seemed so eager to discredit her, and throw the doctor off the scent. As a boy, he’d developed the ability to talk his way out of anything and get others to reveal things they wouldn’t ordinarily. If the doctor had anything to hide, he’d try to wriggle the truth out of him. The hard part would be finding proof of anything he learned.

  He slipped into his vest and coat, patting his bowler into place on his head. He had to get the goods on the man before he caused Cassidy any more grief.

  ****

  Cassidy spent the next few days quizzing Quinn on all the medical procedures and cases he’d witnessed in the Harrisburg hospital. She sighed with envy at the stories of post war veterans he’d treated and the arcane medications some of the doctors prescribed.

  “One of them was actually giving calomel to a patient,” Quinn told her. “Can you believe it? Pa would be spinning in his grave.”

  “He surely would.” She gazed at her brother as they strolled toward home, after a short stop at the mercantile. She glanced at the leaden, overcast sky, the scent of rain in the air. “What did you do?”

  “Well...what could I do? I couldn’t allow the man to poison a patient, no matter how many years he’d been practicing medicine.” Quinn grinned. “So, I confronted him.”

  “You didn’t?” Cassidy’s pulse raced with delight imagining her brother questioning an older doctor’s orders.

  “I did.”

  “And then what happened?”

  “He threatened to have me dismissed.”

  “Oh, Quinn, I’m so proud you stood up for that poor patient. I wish I could’ve been there to see it.”

  “Well...in the end it didn’t matter much. The man died.”

  “I’m sorry.” She wrapped her arms around her brother’s neck, inhaling his spicy warmth and comforting strength. “You stood up for a patient; that’s what matters.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know, Sis. Doctors have to change their way of thinking, if anything is going to improve. A lot of men who served as stewards and doctors during the war are now working in hospitals and private practices all over the country. I hope it’s enough to start us on the road to advancing medicine and saving lives.”

  Cassidy nodded.

  Quinn’s head swiveled toward the right. “Who’s that?” he breathed.

  She followed his gaze. The new schoolteacher emerged from one of the shops, a basket slung over her arm. Glancing back at her brother, she noted the widening of his eyes as he followed the young, blonde-haired woman.

  “Oh.” Cassidy shrugged. “She’s the new school marm. Miss Baker.”

  “Miss?”

  She gulped to avoid laughing. “Reckon you’d like an introduction.”

  Quinn scowled but continued to follow Miss Baker’s progress until she strolled beyond the building out of sight. “She lives in town?”

  Cassidy nodded. “She’s staying at the boardinghouse for now. But I do believe she’s looking for a permanent residence. She cut her arm a few days ago, and I had to suture it. I told her to see me in ten days to have them removed. Since you’re back to stay, you’ll have a chance to be formally introduced.”

  Quinn licked his lips. “Reckon so.”

  “Well, sir.” She reached for her brother’s arm. “We really should hurry back. Ma’s prepared a light supper in your honor, and I made a peach pie.”

  “Peach?” He smiled. “My favorite. Don’t want to miss peach pie. Let’s go.” He crooked his arm.

  ****

  Late Monday morning, George stood on the threshold of Dr. Madison’s residence as the maid, a middle-age, dark haired woman appraised him.

  “Do you have an appointment with the doctor, sir?”

  “Ah...no, ma’am. I’m new in town, and my illness came on right quick. The only other doc in town is a woman and I...”

  The woman scowled. “I can quite understand your qualms about seeing Miss Stuart, sir.” She leaned forward. “She’s not really a doctor, you know, though she pretends to be. Her father was the town doctor before Dr. Madison arrived, but he met with an unfortunate accident.”

  George smiled, nodding. “So you can see why I’d prefer to see Doc Madison.”

  “Of course, sir. Come right inside.” She led him through a foyer with patterned wallpaper, blue trim, and two large portrait renderings of a man and woman. He wondered if they were the doctor’s esteemed parents. A maple table sat by the rail at the bottom of the staircase with a potted plant and upholstered chair on either side of the table.

  He followed the woman into another room down the hall. “You can wait here, while I summon the doctor.” She closed the door behind him.

  George scanned the room. A typical examining room with a desk. Papers and a file sat on top. He leaned casually against the desk, in case someone opened the door, and lifted the file. A paper bearing the name “Miss Elizabeth Baker” lay inside. He scanned the form quickly. Seemed to be just a routine exam. She was single, twenty-two years old. The exam seemed to be for treatment of a minor infection on her arm.

  Maybe he’d just find this Elizabeth Baker and see if anything imp
roper happened during the exam. She was the same age as Colonel Wellingham’s daughter.

  By the time the door opened, George had left the desk and lounged in a straight back chair across from it. The doctor entered, scanning George as if trying to place him.

  “My maid tells me you’re new in town Mr....”

  “Masters.” George suddenly recollected the brief encounter at the mercantile. They hadn’t spoken, so he hadn’t realized at the time the man was Madison. Had he seen George speak to Cassidy? He’d have to play his hand differently than planned.

  The doctor held out his hand. “A pleasure to meet you, sir. I’m Dr. Madison.”

  After shaking the doctor’s hand, George sat back waiting for him to take a seat behind the desk.

  “And now, Mr. Masters, what seems to be the problem?”

  George leaned forward. “It’s not a physical problem I have, Doctor.”

  Madison’s brows rose. “Go on?”

  “I’m actually here to gather information on a Miss Cassidy Stuart.” George settled back waiting for Madison’s reaction.

  Madison sputtered. “Why she’s not even a competent midwife! If you’ve been in town long enough, I’m sure you heard of the Tasker deaths.” The doctor frowned. “Just a minute, I saw you in the mercantile. You were speaking to the lady in question, and if I recall correctly, she invited you to visit her home.”

  George laced his fingers together. “I’d contacted her previously by post, so I could speak to her in person.”

  “She seemed to know you, sir. It’s hard for me to believe you’ve never been here before or made acquaintance with the lady.”

  George sighed. “This is irrelevant. The point is, I’m investigating her.”

  “On the Tasker’s behalf? Are you a lawyer?”

  “No, sir, I’m just conducting an investigation, as I said.” He raised his hand, palm up. “If we could get back to the night in question? I’ve learned you were in attendance.”

  “After the fact, sir. If I’d gotten there sooner, believe me, this all could have been avoided.”

  “What would you have done different, Doctor?”

  Madison waved a hand. “Why, I would have given Mrs. Tasker something for the pain. It would have eased her suffering and the birth would have been an easy one.”