by Ginny Dye
*****
Carrie was astonished when she walked back into the house and saw the spread of food on two tables lining the walls. They had been pushed out of the way to make room for extra chairs, and to make space for people to stand. “Alma, how did you do all this?”
Alma laughed. “You think I took care of three babies and still managed to put out all this food? You crazy, Doctor Borden. Sarge was here for an hour to move the furniture, and I had two of my girls come over to help me. They’s in the kitchen now, ready to help serve all this food.”
Carrie looked at Marietta. “You made all this food? When?”
Marietta shrugged. “If you hadn’t been working around the clock, I never would have been able to pull this off. Alma kept coming down to help me with the twins so I could cook. Sarah Rose and Marcus are now best friends with Robert.”
Carrie smiled softly. “Just as it should be.”
“Yep,” Alma said emphatically. “The circle of life don’t stop for nobody. Those little babies gonna create a whole brand new world for us.”
Jeremy smiled proudly as he entered the house with Thomas and Abby. “My wife cooked all this delicious food,” he boasted. “She cooks as well as Annie! And…” He paused for dramatic effect. “…if anyone dares to breathe a word of that to her, I will deny I ever said it.”
“Oh, I’m telling,” Carrie teased. “I’ll never have to share strawberry shortcake with you again.” She understood the flash of pain that filled Marietta’s eyes. Now that they lived so far from the plantation, pushed out of the South by fear for their children, the good-natured arguing over strawberry shortcake would not happen very often. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
Marietta shook her head, smiled brightly, and changed the subject. “Did I tell you my parents are coming today?”
“Your parents?” Carrie cried. “I’m so happy to have a chance to meet them.”
“The snow finally melted enough for them to make their way to this side of town,” Marietta said. “My father’s health is not good, so they don’t get out very often in the winter. I’m just grateful they are nearby. They moved farther north after the war, but when my father became ill, they decided to return. They were thrilled when they found out Jeremy and I were moving here with the twins.”
Carrie eyed her. “I’ve never thought to ask how old your parents are.”
“They are both almost seventy. I’m the youngest of five children,” Marietta revealed. “I have four older brothers.
“Good Lord,” Alma muttered. “No wonder you always be runnin’ around bossin’ the world. I reckon I understand it now.”
Everyone laughed, including Marietta, as Alma disappeared into the kitchen to bring out more food.
“The youngest child always has to learn how to stand up for themselves,” Marietta protested.
“I can assure you that you have learned it well,” Janie said. She cocked her head then. “I believe I hear my son calling for me.”
“Can I come with you?” Abby asked. “I have yet to meet Robert.”
“Of course.” Janie’s eyes clouded. “I hope he’s just hungry,” Janie murmured. “He can be rather irritable if he’s not.”
“Quit worrying,” Carrie scolded, knowing she wanted Abby to be immediately taken with a happy child. “He’s a model baby now. Just keep giving him the Chamomilla if he seems to be more cranky than normal.”
Janie and Abby disappeared up the stairs.
“I’m going to check on the twins,” Marietta announced, “and then I’ll finish up in the kitchen.” She looked around. “Everyone, make yourself at home. The food will all be ready in about thirty minutes.”
Carrie caught Anthony’s eye, and then glanced at Alice. His quick nod said he understood. She walked over and gripped Alice’s arm firmly. “We’re going to my room,” she said softly. “I want the whole story.”
“I’m all yours,” Alice responded.
Carrie settled on the window seat and patted the cushion next to her.
Alice smiled as she sat down and crossed her legs. “It’s like old times,” she murmured.
“Except that we both have had a lot of hard experiences,” Carrie said.
Alice reached out to grip her hand. “Wally and Nancy told me about Robert and Bridget. Carrie, I’m so very sorry. I don’t know what to say.”
“Thank you,” Carrie replied. “I won’t pretend it hasn’t been incredibly difficult, but each day gets easier. Being a doctor has become my purpose for living.”
“Not to mention the handsome Anthony,” Alice teased.
Carrie smiled. “He’s wonderful, but I’m still feeling my way forward.” She raised a hand. “Enough about me. I want to know how you got out of the insane asylum.”
“You saved me,” Alice said. “You saved my life, Carrie.”
Carrie shook her head. “I got you put into a private room. Whatever happened after that is what saved your life.”
Alice shook her head firmly. “That’s not true.” Her words came slowly. “You saw me the morning after I was beaten so badly.”
Carrie nodded. She would never forget.
“The night before, a new patient had just been admitted. I could tell she was as sane as me.” Alice’s eyes clouded with sorrow. “Beatrice Murray was a very delicate and beautiful woman. That first night was horrible for her. Her screams of pain are something I will never forget.”
Carrie shuddered as she envisioned it. She had finished Elizabeth Packard’s book, so she knew exactly what must have happened to the hapless Mrs. Murray.
“My roommates became agitated,” Alice continued. “When I tried to calm them, one of them lost control and hit me.” She shook her head. “She wasn’t trying to hurt me. She didn’t know what she was doing.” She paused. “Anyway, you came the same day with the fake letters from Governor Hoffman and David McNeil.”
Carrie chuckled. “Wally and Nancy told you?”
Alice grinned, but it quickly disappeared. “They did. Thank you,” she said fervently. “Without that private room…” Her voice trailed off and then strengthened again. “One of the attendants, Mrs. Bartle, took it upon herself to subdue Mrs. Murray. I know she would have done the same with me if I had remained. She took great pleasure in trying to drive the sane ones into insanity, because it gave her a sense of power.” Her eyes filled with pain again. “Mrs. Murray was tortured before they gave her large doses of opium to try to calm her.”
Carrie gasped. “Opium?”
“Opium,” Alice confirmed in a grim voice. “One night she stumbled and fell down a flight of stairs. The final straw for her was when they poured a large bottle of camphor over her face, and into her eyes and ears.”
Carrie groaned with disbelief.
“The last time I saw Mrs. Murray,” Alice ground on, “she was almost blind and hard of hearing.” She took a deep breath, looking away out the window. “She…”
“What happened?” Carrie asked softly.
Alice met her eyes, her own raw with agony. “She hung herself that night.”
Carrie covered her mouth. “No…”
“She gave up, Carrie, because she had no one to give her hope.” Alice grasped Carrie’s hands tightly. “You gave me hope, and you made sure I had a safe place to live until Wally could figure out how to get Sherman to release me. If you hadn’t done that, I’m quite certain I would have made the choice Mrs. Murray did.”
“Oh, Alice…”
“I mean it,” Alice said in a steely voice. “Actually, I don’t think I would have made it as long as Mrs. Murray. The insane asylums are horrible for anyone, but if you are sane enough to know what is happening to you, and have no hope of changing things, you are either driven insane or you give up.”
“I won’t insult you by saying I understand what you went through in the asylum, but I can tell you I understand what it is like to be in so much pain you want to die,” Carrie admitted.
The two friends sat for several minutes,
basking in the peace and quiet of the room, and in their shared understanding.
“So how did you get out?”
Alice smiled. “That’s quite a story…”
Carrie listened through the entire tale. “So, Sherman got what he deserved in the end,” she said. “I’m glad.”
Alice nodded. “Wally told me yesterday that his investigator has confirmed Sherman went to Chicago. It only took a few weeks before he understood he would never get a good job in New York City. Wally and Ralph Cook made certain of that.”
“Do you feel safe?” Carrie pressed.
“I think so,” Alice said. “I still have dreams of the asylum every night, and when someone knocks on the door after dark, I run to my room, but things are getting better. I know in my head that no one else is going to come for me now that my marriage is over, but my heart is taking a while to catch up.”
“It’s wrong!” Carrie said angrily. “It makes me sick to realize how many women this has happened to. To know it is still happening is maddening.”
“Yes,” Alice agreed simply, her eyes expressing the depth of her feelings.
“What are you going to do now?” Carrie asked.
“I’m taking the rest of this term to heal and get strong again. I start back to school in the fall. I am more determined than ever to become a doctor.”
“That’s wonderful,” Carrie said warmly. “Are you moving back in with Elizabeth and Florence until school starts?”
“No,” Alice replied. “I plan to in the fall so that we can all finish school together, but I feel safe with Wally and Nancy. And with Michael.” She took a deep breath. “That’s important to me right now.”
“I’m sure it is,” Carrie agreed.
“I’m also going to be working with Elizabeth Packard,” Alice revealed. “So is Nancy.”
Carrie smiled with delight. “Your story should be very powerful in helping get the laws changed. The Illinois legislature listened to her and changed the laws there. Surely, your story will help change the laws in New York.”
Alice nodded. “I hope so. Mrs. Packard has warned me it’s a long and frustrating process, but she has committed the rest of her life to making sure these atrocities don’t happen to other women. I’m going to get my medical degree, but I’m joining her in the fight.”
Carrie leaned forward to hug her. “Thank you. It’s going to take a lot of women with courage like yours to change things.”
“You know,” Alice said thoughtfully, “I have always believed women should have the vote, but I never wanted to get involved in the struggle. It’s sad that it took me getting committed to an insane asylum before I realized women’s rights are the responsibility of every woman. Until all women have equal rights, none of us do.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Thomas accepted the hot tea Alma handed him with a grateful smile. “Thank you.”
“You just sit there and relax a little bit, Mr. Cromwell,” Alma said.
Thomas was amused. “Do I look tired?”
“No, but you should be. I figure raisin’ Miss Carrie from a little girl be enough to make anyone tired. I ain’t never seen anyone go as hard and fast as that girl. Was she always like that?”
Thomas laughed. “She was,” he assured her.
“Well,” Alma said, “you raised a real special daughter. You sit there and enjoy that tea. Food will be ready real soon.”
Thomas smiled again as he leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes, grateful for a reprieve in the activity. Getting away from the factory had been stressful. They had wonderful employees, and their new manager was capable, but it would be a long time before the man would replace Jeremy. With several big orders scheduled to go out, he and Abby had worked long hours to be certain they could take the time away. The train travel, compounded by a three-hour delay because of track problems, had sapped his energy.
“Mind an interruption?”
Thomas nodded, but didn’t open his eyes. “You’re never an interruption, Matthew. Have a seat.”
“Tired?”
Thomas nodded again and forced his eyes open. “It’s been a rather intense few weeks,” he acknowledged.
Jeremy walked up as he spoke, claiming another of the chairs by the fire. “Are things all right at the factory?” he asked with deep concern.
“Things are fine,” Thomas reassured him. Jeremy and Marietta had made the right decision, and he didn’t want either of them to worry.
Jeremy eyed him closely, obviously not convinced. “Isn’t Pierre working out?”
Thomas sighed. He should have known Jeremy would see right through him. “Pierreis a good manager,” he replied, “but it will take him some time to learn everything you know. The business is growing quickly.” He paused, thinking of a way to distract Jeremy. “We’ve got our eye on an abandoned building. It might be time to expand.”
Jeremy’s eyes widened. “Expand? Now?”
Thomas knew what he was referring to. They’d had a long discussion about this very subject in regard to Moyamensing. They had decided it was far too early to expand in Philadelphia, but the situation in Richmond was different. The Richmond factory was well established and extremely profitable. “We haven’t made a decision yet, but we’re having to turn away orders because we don’t have enough space or employees to do the work. We have the funds to buy the building outright.”
“And to equip it for operations without incurring debt?”
“No,” Thomas admitted. “That’s why we haven’t made a decision.”
Matthew frowned. “Am I missing something here? If the factory is going well, why not expand? Surely the increased business will pay for the expansion.”
Before Thomas could answer, Anthony’s voice broke in. “May I join you?”
“Certainly,” Thomas said warmly. He had liked Anthony from the moment he’d met him, but now that he had heard Carrie’s declaration of love for the young man, his feelings had multiplied.
Anthony pulled up another wingback, claiming the last space in front of the fireplace. He sank into the chair and leaned his head back against the cushioned fabric. “It’s nice to sit down for a bit.”
“You didn’t get enough of that on the train?” Thomas teased.
Anthony made a face. “I found myself pacing the aisles more than sitting,” he admitted. “The seats weren’t that comfortable, and the old man snoring beside me with drool running down his chin was not that appealing.”
Thomas joined in the laughter, grateful for these fine young men in his life. “Did you finish up your business before we left town?”
Anthony nodded, his eyes shining with satisfaction. “I did.” He paused for effect. “Once again, every foal at Cromwell Stables has been claimed.”
“Already?” Thomas demanded. “Most of them aren’t even born!”
“My clients didn’t care,” Anthony assured him. “These men have seen other Cromwell Stables’ offspring from Eclipse.”
“Men?” Jeremy asked. “How many were there?”
“Five. And, I didn’t even have to leave Richmond this time. The five men were all willing to come to me.” Anthony grinned widely. “All I had to do was tell them how many foals were expected for sale this year. I asked them for a bid per foal, and then left the room for a little while. When I came back in they all handed me a slip of paper with their bid.” He paused again. “I had already done my due diligence on all of them before I allowed them to come, because I know how important it is to Carrie and Susan that all the foals go to good homes.”
“Not to mention Amber would have your hide if they didn’t go to the best stables on the East Coast,” Thomas remarked dryly.
“I’m more scared of her than Carrie and Susan,” Anthony agreed. “Anyway, all I had to do was open the sheets of paper and accept the highest bid.” He glanced at the stairs. “I haven’t had a chance to tell Carrie yet, but the bid per horse is substantially higher than last year, and there are more foals because of t
he new mares Susan purchased during the summer. It’s going to be a very good year for Cromwell Stables,” he said happily.
“And a good commission for you,” Jeremy observed.
“But of course,” Anthony admitted. “I quite earned it.” He grinned as they all laughed again, and then looked at Matthew. “When I walked up, you were talking about missing something. Might I be missing it, too?”
Thomas shrugged. “Jeremy was asking me about possible expansion for the factory in Richmond.”
“Do you need to?” Anthony asked.
“Well…” Thomas hesitated as he pondered how to answer the question he and Abby had been struggling with for weeks. “It’s true that if we want to fulfill all the orders coming in, we should expand.”
“But…?” Anthony pressed.
Thomas relaxed. There was no reason to be careful with his words. Jeremy and Anthony were both astute businessmen. Perhaps they could help him with his decision. “But, Abby and I don’t want to get overextended. Business is good right now, but that could change quickly. We don’t want to put ourselves in a risky position. The extra income would be wonderful because we would both love to hire more employees, but it could backfire on us. We don’t want our desire to expand to harm what we have already accomplished.”
Anthony nodded thoughtfully. “You’re concerned about the railroad speculation and banking decisions having a negative impact on the country’s financial position.”
“Yes.” Thomas was relieved he didn’t have to explain the situation.
Anthony nodded again. “I spoke with Abby about this earlier in the year, and I did quite a bit of study of my own. I trust Abby’s business instincts, but I find I make the best decisions when I do my own research.”