Bride for Matthew

by Kirsten Osbourne

  Dr. Jenkins walked around his desk and sat down, taking a bite of his own lunch. “I started the institute ten years ago. When I realized the hot springs were here, it was the perfect place to help people to realize their full potential, health-wise.”

  “I see. Where did you go to medical school, Dr. Jenkins?”

  “Oh, one of the schools back east. Before I found the springs, I had invented my own medicine. It cures all that ails you. Once I combined my medicine with the hot springs and the treatments here, I’ve achieved unparalleled success with my patients.”

  “So if someone came to you with the influenza, how would you treat them?” Sinead did her best to act as if she was trying to learn from the man.

  “I’d take them to the hot springs, of course. After they got a few sips of the spring water and took some of my patented elixir, they’d be healed.”

  “What if a pregnant woman came to you, worried she’d lose her baby? Would you take her to the springs as well?”

  “Of course. That’s the method that works for all ailments. Giving them my elixir, soaking them in the springs, and having them drink the water of the springs.”

  “Are you aware that there was a pregnant woman who was insisting to be taken down to the springs to have her baby the other night? I walked into the room, and the midwife was unsure how to handle her. She’d sent for the Mounties, rather than for you, the doctor in town.”

  “Stella doesn’t believe in the healing of the springs for her expectant mothers, so we don’t really see eye-to-eye.” He shrugged. “I presume you were able to save the baby and mother?”

  “I was. I just find it odd that she wouldn’t send for the medical professional she knew, rather than a Mountie who has rudimentary medical training.”

  “It is odd. I’ll have a talk with Stella.” He took a bottle of medicine from underneath his desk. The label read, “Dr. Jenkins Elixir for all that ails you.”

  Sinead looked at the bottle for a moment. “What ingredients are in your elixir, may I ask?”

  He shook his head. “Oh, no you don’t. I don’t give out my ingredients to anyone. This is patented!”

  “I see. May I?” She held out her hand for the bottle. When he’d handed it to her, she uncorked it and sniffed deeply. “Why, that’s mostly whiskey!”

  “Yes, it is. It numbs the pain the patient is in, and allows their body to heal without the tension the pain has caused. Genius, isn’t it?”

  “So you would give an expectant mother whiskey? A child who came to you for a cure for polio would get whiskey?”

  “Yes, they would.” Dr. Jenkins snatched the bottle from her and put the cork back into the top. “It’s worked for many years, and people come back for more.”

  “Because you turn them into drunks!” Sinead had seen and heard enough. “There are no magical springs in this world that will cure any disease. There are no magic elixirs either. There are medicines that can help people to get better, but those medicines should not include whiskey!”

  “What about cough syrup? Almost every cough syrup contains whiskey.”

  “I don’t like any doctor dispensing alcohol as a medicine. You turn them into drunks, and they are numbed into believing they’re better.” She shook her head. “I think it’s time for you to tell your patients the truth, Dr. Jenkins. You’re not a doctor at all, are you?”

  “I think this meeting is over, Mrs. Montgomery.”

  “That’s Dr. Montgomery. I worked too hard for that piece of paper that declares me a doctor. You wouldn’t know about that work, though, would you? You’ve just proclaimed yourself a doctor, and you don’t care how many patients you swindle along the way. I’m very disgusted with you.” She stood up, grabbing her medical bag. “And I will let it be known far and wide that you are not a doctor. I’ll do everything in my power to shut your health institute down. Good day.”

  She turned to open the door, but stopped as he grabbed her shoulder, his voice low and threatening. “I don’t think you have any idea who you’re dealing with, Mrs. Montgomery. You do not want to cross me.”

  “Oh, but I do want to cross you. I want every single person in this country to know that you are nothing but a swindler who is preying upon the sick and their families. Now remove your hand from me so I can leave.” If she had to, she’d stand in front of the sanitarium with signs, trying to keep patients away. Maybe she could talk the other brides into doing the same.

  “I don’t think you should leave until we’ve reached an agreement.”

  “Unless you agree to stop calling yourself a doctor and discontinue running a health establishment you have no business running, we will not come to an agreement. And I think I feel the need for you to stop selling your ‘medicine’, as well. You’re nothing but a swindler, Mr. Jenkins!” Sinead deliberately raised her voice at the end, hoping that Matthew or his friend would come to her rescue.

  The door slammed open and Matthew stood in front of her, his eyes narrowing on the hand on his wife’s shoulder. “Do you really think you’re going to get away with touching my wife?” His voice was soft, but filled with threat.

  “I…I’m sorry, Constable Montgomery. I won’t touch her again.”

  “If you do, you’ll draw back a bloody stub. I will not allow anyone to manhandle my wife.” Matthew took Sinead by the shoulders and moved her between himself and Easton. “Now I’d like an explanation as to why you touched her.”

  “She threatened me! I’m the most powerful man in this town, and she said she was going to tell anyone who would listen that I’m a swindler!”

  Matthew wasn’t even a little bit surprised. His bride had a way with words for sure. “And are you a swindler, Dr. Jenkins?”

  “Mr. Jenkins!” Sinead hissed from behind him.

  It was all Matthew could do not to laugh. She wasn’t going to back down one iota. She hated this man who made a mockery of the medical profession, and there was no way she was going to stop from telling people about it.

  Dr. Jenkins frowned. “I’m not a swindler. I give people what I tell them I’ll give them for their money.”

  “But are you really a doctor? My wife says there’s no way you are.”

  “How dare you question me!”

  Matthew gave the man before him a lazy smile. “I dare because it’s my job to dare. I think we’re going to need to see your medical credentials, Dr. Jenkins. I have seen my wife’s, and I know how they should look.” He looked around the office, only his eyes moving. “Would you please show me?”

  “I lost it. I’ll write to the university I attended to send another.” Dr. Jenkins looked a bit worried, but tried to brush it off.

  “Why don’t I send for it?” Matthew asked. “What’s the name of the university?”

  “Oh, it’s just a school back east. I’ll handle it. You’re too busy to mess with getting my medical diploma.”

  “I am, but I sure would like to be certain that you have one.”

  “Give me a month, and I’ll have it for you. That’s plenty of time for me, but pretty soon for you, right?”

  Matthew looked over his shoulder at Easton, who seemed to be engaged in a bit of a fight with Sinead. He started to tell his friend to stop, but he realized his spitfire of a wife deserved whatever she got! “That work for you?”

  Easton nodded, clamping his hand over Sinead’s mouth to keep her from protesting.

  “All right, Doctor. You’ve got one month. I want you to know, right now, that I will have no qualms about shutting you down if it turns out you’ve been deceiving us all for years like my wife suspects.”

  Dr. Jenkins looked angry, but he nodded. “Fine.”

  As Matthew left the building with Easton and Sinead, he looked down at his wife. “I don’t like the idea of my friends having to put hands on my wife to shut her up. What were you thinking back there, Sinead? You were supposed to go in quietly and have a nice little chat. What would have happened if we hadn’t been there?”

  She shru
gged. “I’m sorry. He just made me so angry! His special elixir is whiskey. He gives whiskey to pregnant women and to small children. That’s not safe!”

  “No, it’s not, but we can’t shut him down without proof. Do you understand, Sinead? We’re going to get proof, but you can’t be running around causing problems for him while we’re waiting on that proof.”

  Sinead crossed her arms over her chest, her medical bag dangling from one hand. “Do you mean to tell me you want me to let him keep treating people? He’s doing nothing for them!”

  “I realize that, but I can’t just go making a knee jerk reaction, which is what you’re trying to do. We have to be calm and follow the law. I’m an officer of the law, and no matter how much we both hate it, I have to follow the correct channels on this. I have to.”

  Sinead let out a heavy sigh. “I know…but I don’t have to like it, do I?”

  “No, you don’t. I’m fine if you decide to start practicing medicine. Talk to individuals about the care you can give. Just don’t go marching in front of the institute with signs that say he’s a swindler.” When Sinead looked away from him, he shook his head. “You were planning to do that, weren’t you? We’ve been married two days, and I already know you’re going to be the death of me.”

  Easton grinned at him, obviously glad someone else was having wife troubles and not just him. “I’m going to go back to the office. Why don’t you walk your wife home, then join me there?”

  Matthew sighed. “Yeah, that’s what I’ll do. See you in a few minutes.”

  He didn’t just walk, he lectured the whole way.

  Sinead said very little, but she was thinking about a way she could keep Jenkins from practicing medicine while she walked. There had to be a way she could help the people of this town and not let him hurt them. A man who called himself a doctor who was just out for people’s money…he was worse than Dr. Johnson, who’d refused to hire her because she was a woman and a quarter Negro.

  When they reached the cabin, Matthew stepped inside with her. “Will you give me your word you won’t do anything to keep Jenkins from treating patients for the next month?”

  Sinead tilted her head to the side, thinking about the question. Finally, she shook her head. “No, I won’t.”

  He sighed heavily. “How did I know you were going to say that?”

  She shrugged. “I guess you really are getting to know me.”

  “Will you promise not to do anything to keep him from treating patients for the rest of the day?”

  “I supposed I can refrain myself today.”

  He groaned. “You’re the most beautifully stubborn woman I’ve ever met. I’m not sure if God gave me a gift when he sent you, or if he was punishing me somehow!”

  Sinead kept her face neutral, but as soon as he’d kissed her cheek and left her there, she burst out laughing. Maybe God was punishing him by sending her.

  She was digging in the ice box trying to figure out how to fix something for supper when a knock sounded at the door. She hurried over and opened it to find Miss Hazel standing there.

  Without thinking, she threw herself at the older woman. “I’m so glad you’re here!”

  Miss Hazel smiled. “Because it’s supper time, and you need some help figuring out how to cook?”

  “Well, for that too, but mostly because I need to tell someone what I did.” She related the story of her meeting with Dr. Jenkins while Miss Hazel showed her how to cook the pork roast that was in the ice box. They peeled potatoes together, and still Miss Hazel listened.

  Finally, the older woman shook her head. “I hope the word ‘obey’ was not in your wedding vows, Sinead Montgomery. You are losing your mind!”

  “Yes, I am! Over the injustice of having a man who isn’t even a doctor giving people whiskey and telling them sitting in a hot spring will cure them of everything! You should go see him, Miss Hazel! He’ll give you some whiskey and put you in a hot spring, and your hot flashes will magically be gone…”

  “You know, if I thought it would help, I’d give it a try…”

  “Miss Hazel, you will not seek medical treatment from that swindler! You have to give the herbs more of a chance!”

  Miss Hazel scowled. “I know. You don’t understand how bad the hot flashes are. You’ve never had them! Wait until you’re my age!”

  Sinead shook her head. “What am I going to do with you, Miss Hazel?”

  “I think that once we have the roast in the oven, we should go for a little walk. I’d love to see more of the town.”

  “I’d like that, too.” Sinead was a big proponent of healthful walks. She loved to walk with others, or even alone. She would like to see Miss Hazel take more walks, because she was heavier than Sinead would like.

  Miss Hazel put the roast in the oven, and Sinead grabbed her medical bag. “Why are you taking that? You know it will infuriate Matthew.”

  Sinead shrugged. “Today that feels like reason enough! But what I’m really hoping is people will see it and realize there’s a real doctor in town, that they don’t have to see the swindler.”

  Miss Hazel groaned. “You’re going to do everything the hard way, aren’t you?”

  “Sure am. It’s the only way I know.”

  As they walked, Sinead made a point of talking to everyone they saw along the street. When they got to the mercantile, she noticed the woman working there was pale. “Excuse me, ma’am, are you all right?”

  “Just a little fatigued.” The woman took a deep breath and smiled. “I’m Amanda Rightley. Are you one of the new Mountie brides?”

  Sinead nodded, not surprised talk had spread to the entire town of four women coming to marry their Mounties. “I married Matthew Montgomery. I’m Dr. Sinead Montgomery.”

  Amanda blinked a couple of times before grinning. “Well, I’ll be. A lady doctor.”

  “I sure am, so if you hear about anyone taking ill, please send them my way. I’d love to treat some of the townsfolk.”

  “Dr. Jenkins doesn’t treat the folks in town because we don’t have as much money as his fancy guests. It will be right nice to have a doctor in town who’s actually interested in treating people and making them well.”

  “I’m very interested in making people well. That’s the whole reason I’m here.” Sinead grinned at the woman, who was only a few years older than her. “Now do you want to tell me what you were experiencing a few minutes ago so I can help you?”

  Amanda smiled and nodded. “I’d love to!”

  Chapter Five

  All day, everywhere Sinead looked was red serge. Miss Hazel stayed with her as if she’d been asked to protect her, though Sinead wasn’t sure what the grandmotherly woman could do to keep her safe.

  As they walked back toward her house, Sinead asked, “Does it seem like we’ve been followed by an unusual number of men wearing red serge jackets?”

  Miss Hazel shrugged. “Not really. I suspect they’re all following you because they’re sure you’re on the edge of death at any moment. You never know who might jump out and kill you after what you did this morning.”

  “The last time I looked, Canada was a free country. We’re allowed to have our own beliefs.”

  Miss Hazel shrugged. “I suppose.”

  “What about Amanda? I helped her today!”

  “You certainly did. And I’m sure you’ll help many more people here in Cougar Springs, as long as you don’t get yourself killed in the process.” Miss Hazel looked at Sinead. “You need to make sure you live long enough to help people.”

  Sinead scoffed. “I don’t think Dr. Jenkins could possibly be as bad as everyone says. I mean, he’s a swindler and a liar and a lot of other bad things, but would he really have me killed?”

  “Having met the man, I can say that yes, I do believe he would.” Miss Hazel opened the door to Sinead’s new home, stopping when she came face to face with a man she’d never met sitting in a chair. “Who are you?”

  “I’m Sylvester Jones. I work for Dr.
Jenkins. I need the little lady there to shut her pretty little mouth, or she’s going to get her due.”

  Sinead was so angry, she could just spit! “How dare you come into my home and threaten me? Did your mother never teach you any manners? Get out of my house, and don’t come back! I hope you get a huge boil on your backside, and need it lanced, but I won’t be the one to do it. Maybe you can soak in the springs, and it’ll magically disappear!” She picked up the first weapon she saw—a frying pan, and stepped toward the man, brandishing it wildly. “I’m not afraid to use this!”

  The man stood from her kitchen chair, backing up a few feet. “Now don’t get all violent, missy!”

  “My name is Dr. Montgomery, and I assure you, when I cause an injury, I don’t heal it! Get out!” She walked toward the man and watched him run. “Well, I think Dr. Jenkins is only hiring yellow-bellied cowards. I might have to talk with him about that.”

  Miss Hazel shook her head. “I’m not sure that was the best course of action, and I know you aren’t going to talk to that man again! He’s pure evil, through and through.”

  “When people aren’t willing to stand up to men like that, the world is not safe. I refuse to be cowed by him.” Sinead walked over and poked at the potatoes she was cooking with a fork. “I need to take supper to my husband, and I do believe I’ll eat at his office with him. Would you care to join us?”

  Miss Hazel seemed uncertain for a moment, but she finally nodded. “I do think it would be safer for you to stay in the house tonight, but I can see by your stubborn look that you won’t even dream of it. So let’s go!”

  They put the food into bowls and put cloth over them, then the two of them carried the bowls through the town to the Mounties’ office. They pushed the door open and found Matthew pacing back and forth. He saw Sinead and hurried over to her. “Sylvester Jones was seen leaving the house. Are you all right?”

  Sinead nodded. “I told him I’d hit him over the head with a frying pan if he didn’t get out of my house.”