The Master of Medicine (The Secret Healer Series Book 2) Page 15

  “What’s the matter?” Agathe asked, noticing Madlen’s hesitation at the bridge.

  “Oh, nothing really. I’m just thinking about all that happened the last time I was here.” She threw her a look. “You know what I mean.”

  “Of course I know what you mean,” Agathe said loudly enough for everyone to overhear. “You’re talking about the false accusations and the trial that ended with an acquittal.”

  “Otilia already told me all about it,” the doctor called out cheerfully. “But thank you for including me in your conversation.”

  Agathe smiled. “Keeping secrets from you isn’t easy.”

  “I should hope not.”

  Madlen was relieved. Even though she’d been exonerated and the real culprit had been arrested, she still felt ashamed just for having been accused. She nudged her horse’s flanks and rode to the bridge’s watchtower. The guards waved the little group across the bridge without hesitation. With every step her mare took, Madlen’s excitement grew.

  “Why haven’t we ever come to Heidelberg to visit my uncle?” Cecilia asked.

  “Because your father works for the archbishop and so is needed in Cologne, and your uncle Kilian, your aunt Irma, and your cousin Juliana live here. Just think how long the trip from Cologne to Worms is! And from there it takes at least one more day. Would you really want to travel such a long way so often?”

  The little girl shook her head. “Veit,” she called out, “in the future, we will live in the same city. I don’t want you to be so far away from me.”

  Veit hadn’t been following the conversation. “What do you want?” he said, annoyed.

  Cecilia waved him off. “Oh, I’ll tell you when you get married.”

  Veit shrugged and leaned back against Peter again.

  When they reached the far riverbank, the group greeted the guards.

  “Would you like to visit your brother and father first?” Elsbeth asked Madlen.

  “Actually, I would rather look for accommodations first. My brother doesn’t have enough room for all of us at his place, and I don’t want to put him in an awkward position.”

  “So let’s find a decent inn,” Agathe said.

  “Let me bid you all farewell for now and make my required appearance at the university. A bedchamber is awaiting me there, and I hope it’s comfortable,” Franz said, arching his back. “I’m not used to such a long ride, and I am looking forward to a nice bed.” The doctor turned to Madlen. “May I suggest that you come to the university at noon tomorrow? I’ll have sorted everything out for your arrival by then. Oh, and can you please tell me where the university is?”

  “When I was here last, it was over there,” Madlen said, pointing, “and I doubt its location has changed since then. Just keep going straight ahead.”

  “I’m certain I’ll find it.”

  “I’ll be there at noon tomorrow. Thanks so very much, Doctor. God protect you.”

  “And may the Good Lord hold each and every one of you in His hand!” He bowed ever so slightly then rode off.

  Madlen led the rest of the group to an inn that once upon a time had been quite a respectable establishment. She sincerely hoped it hadn’t changed since then.

  “If it’s more expedient for you, I’ll go inside to inquire about the availability of their accommodations,” Gerald offered.

  “Yes, thank you,” Madlen said.

  “We’ll be staying in an inn?” Ursel, the housekeeper, groaned. “In Worms there was hardly any work for me, because Helene, that little busy bee, always took care of everything. And now an innkeeper will be taking care of everything. Why couldn’t I have simply remained in Cologne where I’m needed?”

  “Don’t worry. There will be work,” Madlen assured her. “Be happy that you can rest in the meantime.”

  “How can people be happy without work?” Ursel shook her head in bewilderment. “Sometimes I simply don’t understand you people.”

  Madlen smiled. She knew that Ursel wasn’t trying to be rude when she complained about this or that. Never being satisfied was just her way. Most of the time, she complained about having too much work, what with the children and their big house in Cologne. Sometimes Madlen felt guilty about it. But now that she’d heard with her own ears the housekeeper complaining for the opposite reason, Madlen decided to make a mental note not to take her grumbling too seriously in the future.

  Gerald came back outside. “They have four rooms available.”

  “Good, we’ll take them all.”

  “Ursel and I can share a room,” Agathe offered. “Then you can share a room with the children. Peter and Elsbeth can take the third room, and Gerald and Ansgar can share the fourth.”

  “We have no problem sleeping in the stall with the horses,” Ansgar said.

  “Nonsense. You’ve earned a comfortable room. Thank you, Agathe.”

  “Let’s bring in our belongings right away. I’m famished, and I want to sit down on something besides the backside of this old nag.”

  The children played outside the inn before helping to carry the bags to the rooms. Although they were exhausted from riding all day, they seemed cheerful, almost giddy.

  “It will take hours before they calm down,” Madlen whispered to Elsbeth as they walked upstairs to their respective rooms.

  Elsbeth looked at the children. “Just wait until they lie down on their beds and you rub their little heads. They’ll fall fast asleep in no time.”

  “I really hope you’re right.”

  Late in the evening, when all had made their way to their bedchambers to get a good night’s sleep, Madlen lay in her bed contemplating her situation. She held Cecilia on her right arm and Veit on her left. It was uncomfortable, but she didn’t dare move, because the children were finally asleep. Her mother-in-law had been wrong about how things would go with them—the children wouldn’t calm down and had given over to bouts of wild laughter, chitchat, and pranks late into the night.

  Madlen felt guilty that she hadn’t at least tried to go for a quick ride over to Kilian’s place before dark. She asked herself whether she hadn’t secretly settled in a little more slowly than necessary so that she wouldn’t have to go over there right away. But why would she do that? Why was she reluctant to see him?

  She gently pushed Cecilia’s arm away when the little sleepyhead flung it across her face. Then she rolled over. She remembered how Kilian looked when he was that age. They both had the same light-blue eyes and dark hair. Anyone could immediately see the resemblance. As a little girl, Madlen had always admired her brother. When they were children, Kilian would hide the large stick their father used for beatings. She had no reason to fear seeing her only brother now, and she sincerely wanted them to have a happy reunion. With this thought, she fell asleep. She woke the next morning with both children still in her arms.

  With Cecilia and Veit flanking her, she knocked lightly on her brother and sister-in-law’s door. For a moment, there was no response. Madlen knocked on the door again, this time louder.

  “One moment.” The door opened, and Irma stood there looking as if she’d been struck by lightning. “Madlen?”

  “God bless you, Irma.”

  “Madlen!” she shrieked. She hugged her sister-in-law enthusiastically. Veit and Cecilia let go of their mother’s hands so Madlen could return the warm embrace. With tears in their eyes, the women hugged tightly, pulled apart to look at each other, and then hugged again.

  “It’s so wonderful to see you,” Irma said.

  She looked down and noticed the children. “My goodness, you’re practically a man! God bless you, Veit. And Cecilia, right? You’re just as beautiful as your mother.”

  “Veit cut my hair even though he’s not a real barber,” Cecilia said. “Before that my hair was as long as Mother’s.”

  Irma suppressed a smile. “God will let your hair grow again, and it will be even longer than it was before. And it will be even more beautiful.”

  “Really?” Cecilia�
��s face lit up. “You have beautiful hair.”

  “At one time, my hair was just as short as yours.” She pushed back the little girl’s bonnet. “Yes, that’s exactly what my hair looked like. But look at me now.” Irma turned and touched the end of her hair, which flowed down her back almost to her hips.

  “Did you hear that, Mother?”

  “See there,” Madlen confirmed. “A person gets thick, beautiful hair like that only if it has been cut quite short once.”

  “That’s why I did it,” Veit added with a haughty look, for which Madlen would have liked to scold him.

  “Come on in. I am overjoyed you’re here. And Kilian will be as well.”

  “How is my brother?” Madlen and the children each took a seat around the table. Kilian and Irma’s cottage was small and simple, but Irma had succeeded in making it feel cozy despite its size.

  Irma’s expression changed. “It’s hard for him,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes. “You couldn’t have known. Our Juliana was taken from us last winter.”

  “No.” Madlen put her hand over her mouth. “Oh, please God, no.”

  Irma nodded. “Many people here in Heidelberg got sick, and many died. It was a terrible time. Few were spared a death in the family.”

  “But why did they die?”

  “God alone knows. We thought for a time that we’d been spared. Then Juliana got a fever. The doctor couldn’t do anything for her. She fought for her young life for nine days. Then the Lord saw fit to take her.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Madlen grasped Irma’s hand across the table.

  “I pray that the Lord, in His infinite goodness and wisdom, will bestow another child upon us, one that will grow to adulthood.”

  “That’s right. You shouldn’t give up hope.”

  “I won’t. But since the loss of Juliana, Kilian has changed drastically. He gets in fights, and he often comes home in the middle of the night. Yet I refuse to believe that I have lost him for good.”

  “Let me talk to him. Hopefully, I can help.”

  “I would be forever grateful.”

  “Where is he now?”

  “In the woodshop. At least, I hope he is.”

  “And Jerg?”

  “Your father is in his cottage, I think. He rarely works. I prepare meals and bring them over to him. But he doesn’t have a kind word for me or anyone else.”

  “He’s always been like that. It’s not your fault, Irma.”

  “It’s good to hear you say that. Now, tell me some good news. How is everybody in Cologne? You look so beautiful. What are you doing in Heidelberg?” She looked toward the door, as if expecting more visitors to drop in at any moment. “And where is Johannes? I hope nothing has happened to him.”

  “Oh, no. He’s still in Cologne. It’s a long story. I just came by to let you know that we’re in Heidelberg. We rented some rooms at the Golden Rooster.”

  “How long can you stay?”

  “I don’t know exactly. It’s so . . .” Madlen tried to think of the right words. “There’s a reason we came here. Agathe and my in-laws came with us.”

  “What for?”

  Madlen took a deep breath. “I’ve been given permission to listen to some medical lectures at the university.” There. She’d said it. She anxiously awaited her sister-in-law’s reaction.

  “At the university?”

  “Correct. Dr. Franz von Beyenburg, a very wise man who studied in Salerno, will be delivering lectures there.”

  Irma didn’t seem to understand what Madlen was saying. She shook her head. “I don’t want to be rude but . . . the university? I mean . . . why?”

  “In order to determine whether I want to go to Salerno at some point to become a doctor.” With that, Madlen had expressed something that, up until now, she’d hardly been able to admit to herself.

  Irma looked at the children, who were quietly following their conversation. She didn’t say anything more.

  “I know it sounds strange. But it’s true: women do study medicine there,” Madlen said.

  “Madlen, you know how much I love you. But it sounds to me as if you’ve lost your senses.”

  Madlen tried not to show her hurt feelings. “Don’t misunderstand me, Irma. It would have been nice if you’d been happy for me, but I did not expect it. The decision to do this lies with me alone.”

  Irma shook her head. “God becomes angry with those who endlessly want more instead of being grateful for the gifts they’ve already been given.”

  “God has blessed me with a keen intellect and a gift for healing so that I may be of use.”

  “You make me nervous.” Irma looked from Cecilia then to Veit and back again. “How could you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He will take them from you, Madlen. The Lord will take your children, I know it. I too wanted more than I had, and He took my Juliana away. I’m begging you, don’t go to the university!”

  This was just too much for Madlen. She was losing patience with her sister-in-law’s stubbornness and ignorance. “We’re going now,” she said, standing up. “Please inform Kilian that I was here and that we’re staying at the Golden Rooster. I would be thrilled to see him again.”

  Irma got up, too. Cecilia and Veit slid off their chairs. “I see that evil already surrounds you, sister-in-law. Why do you refuse to see the dark clouds enveloping you?”

  “Irma, you’re talking nonsense.”

  “Mother, I’m frightened,” Cecilia said, looking furtively at Irma, who had a stony look on her face.

  “We need to go now. Give our regards to Kilian. And may God protect you.”

  “And may God’s wrath—which will surely be brought down upon you—be moderate.”

  The door slammed shut behind them.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Who have you been working with? Who picked up your pal Christopeit? Tell me right now!” Johannes pounded his fist so hard against the wooden door that it clattered. “Otherwise, I swear to you, I will order the archbishop’s guards to come in here, and then I will leave and lock the door behind me. When I return, I’ll be able to wipe up what’s left of you with a damp cloth.”

  “But, my lord . . .” Benedict sat on the filthy floor, pressing his hands against the sides of his head. “I already told you! I wasn’t with this Christopeit, and I didn’t pick him up!”

  “You are willing to lose your life for a traitor,” Johannes concluded. “Is the payment so great that you would deceive the archbishop and ally yourself with such treachery? Give me his name!”

  Benedict ran his hands over his face. “I haven’t done anything, and I don’t know why you’re accusing me. The archbishop is my employer. I have always been loyal to him.”

  “What about your family?”

  Benedict sat upright with a jolt. He stared at Johannes. “My family?”

  “As far as I know, you have two sisters who serve two good households. What do you think would happen to them if they were brought here by order of the archbishop, whom I represent, to be interrogated? I could have a nice little discussion with their masters about you being suspected of treason. What do you think their employers would do with them then?”

  “You can’t do this, my lord.”

  “Oh, indeed, I can. And I will if you don’t confess immediately.”

  “But I can’t confess,” Benedict shouted at the top of his lungs, “because I haven’t done anything!”

  “You were seen, my dear fellow. You and your cronies. There’s a witness.”

  Benedict looked up. His eyes were bloodshot. “Then the witness is wrong. Or he’s lying. I don’t know, my lord! Please keep my sisters out of it! They haven’t done anything.”

  “Where did you go with Christopeit the night after Bartholomäus’s murder? And who were your companions?” Johannes felt as though he’d already asked the same question a hundred times. It had become a sort of chant he could recite backward and forward.

  “I wasn’t at
the vicar’s house,” Benedict answered exactly as he’d already done so many times.

  “Then it seems that your sisters’ fates are sealed.” Johannes stood up.

  “No, my lord, please. I beg you. I’ll confess. I’ll confess to whatever you want.”

  “What took you so long?” Johannes crossed his arms in front of him. “Who were your companions?”

  “I don’t know them, my lord.”

  The attorney raised his eyebrows. “And you expect me to believe that?” He sighed. “And who contracted you to do this?”

  “A stranger. I don’t know his name.”

  “What are you doing, boy?” Johannes shook his head. “You just said that you would confess.”

  Tears slid down Benedict’s face. “What can I tell you? What do you want me to say? It was me and me alone. I thought everything up by myself and killed everybody. Tell me what to confess and I’ll do it. You want a name? Tell me a name and I’ll swear that he was involved. You want to tie me to the wheel and break every bone in my body? Do it. I won’t resist.”

  Johannes paused for a minute to think. Did he understand Benedict correctly? Did the guard think that it was a matter of simply naming someone—anyone? “How old you are, boy?”

  “Nineteen, my lord.”

  “And how is it that you’re in the service of the archbishop?”

  “Because I’m skilled in battle and weaponry, and the opportunity presented itself,” Benedict said, baffled.

  “The opportunity?”

  “I know a guard named Gisbert. He helped me get an interview with the vicar, who then helped put me in the service of the archbishop. It was a blessing, my lord.”

  “A blessing in what way?”

  Benedict didn’t seem to understand the question. “Because I could henceforth be in the service of the archbishop.” He shook his head. “This is the highest aspiration of any healthy young man of goodwill.”

  The way Benedict spoke about his service made Johannes stop short; the young man’s eyes lit up when he talked about the archbishop.