Restless Hearts (12 page)

“What do you mean?”

“I saw something last night that’s been bothering me.” She told Anna about the injured woman. “Imagine, being injured, but too afraid to accept help.” She pulled a bowl of apples across the work surface, and started peeling.

Anna took over rolling the pastry. “The hard part,” she said. “Is that those women are stuck here in San Francisco. Even if they wanted to get away, where are they going to go?”

Sarah nibbled on a piece of apple. “I hadn’t thought about it that way.” She started to peel again, her movements brisk. “You know, I think I’m going to go to the hospital and check on her. Charlie spoke about the hospital, and apparently the conditions are terrible.”

Anna’s eyes grew wide. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Sarah put down the paring knife with more force than necessary. “Anyway, unless I miss my guess, this Hiram character isn’t going to be sitting there holding her hand. He’ll never know I was there.”

Anna had seen her new friend in action often enough to know not to argue. “You’ll be careful, won’t you?” She started to fill the remaining pastry with fruit. “While you’re out, see if you can find some more sugar, okay?” She looked around. “And some milk would be wonderful. I know it’s scarce, but I love a drop of milk in my tea.”

Sarah grinned. “Only in San Francisco. Champagne, claret and brandy by the caseload, but no milk.” She pulled a shawl over her shoulders. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Appalled by the smell that greeted her, Sarah hesitated at an empty desk near the entrance to the hospital. A surly man came by, clutching a tray of bandages. She couldn’t help but notice that his hands were filthy. She suppressed a shudder.

“Who are you looking for?” he asked, looking her up and down. She smelled brandy on his breath and tried not to react.

“I don’t actually know her name,” she said, stepping a bit farther into the building. “She was brought in last night with a broken leg.”

His eyes narrowed as he looked at her. “You know her?”

His attitude made her determined to see the woman. “No, I don’t know her,” she snapped. “But she looked to be badly hurt, and I want to check on her.”

The man shrugged and pointed to a long room, lined with pallets on either side. The lighting was poor, but even so she could see the thin, dirty blankets covering the patients, some of whom were lying in their own excrement. “I think the one you’re looking for is down there, on the left. Behind the curtain.” He disappeared up a set of stairs.

Overwhelmed by the misery on all sides, Sarah moved down the room. It was unbelievable to her that people who had come here so full of hope had been reduced to sleeping on the floor in such dire conditions.

Pale light from a narrow window fell on a pallet and she recognized the woman from last night. Dark eyes challenged her as she paused. The woman was not going to make this easy. “What do you want?” she said at last, her voice surprisingly strong.

“I came to see you,” said Sarah, moving closer.

“Don’t tell me you’re one of those do-good preacher women.”

“No, I’ll leave that to someone who knows what they’re doing.” Sarah pointed to the blanket covering the woman’s leg. “May I have a look?”

Doubt flickered across the woman’s face. “Why?”

Sarah tried not to let her frustration show. “Because I have some medical training.” She kneeled down and lowered her voice. “And I’ve heard that the care in here can be questionable.” She lifted the blanket before the woman could respond. “Are you in pain?”

“What do you think?”

Sarah’s lips twitched. “You’re right. Foolish question.”

The expression on the woman’s face softened. “It’s not as bad as it was.”

Sarah looked into her eyes. “Are you on laudanum?”

“No. They offered, but I didn’t want to be at anyone’s mercy, if you know what I mean. This hospital isn’t safe for a woman and that flimsy canvas divider doesn’t offer much protection.”

Sarah shook her head as she examined the woman’s leg. “The dressing looks good, but you should come home with me. I don’t know how anyone heals in here.”

“What’s your name?” The woman offered a tentative smile.

“Sarah.”

“I’m Madeleine.” She studied Sarah’s face, as though trying to make up her mind about something. “Thank you for your offer, but my friend said she’d come to get me around noon.” Her gaze moved to the woman in the next bed. “If you want to help someone, you should help her. That’s Adaline.”

Sarah could see nothing of the woman. A frail form under a blanket and some dirty blonde hair was all that was visible.

“Is she a...” She couldn’t bring herself to say the word.

“... a prostitute? Yes.”

“You know her?”

Madeleine looked uncomfortable. “Nobody knows much about her background, but she’s been here about six weeks, working on her own.”

“What’s wrong with her?”

Madeleine looked away, then brought her gaze back to Sarah. “Hiram decided he wanted her in one of his cribs, but she was determined not to fall under his influence. She’d been drinking a lot and when Hiram discovered that, he started providing her with brandy, only she didn’t know it was laced with opium.”

“Laudanum,” murmured Sarah.

“His plan was to make her dependent on him, but when he found out that she’d somehow weaned herself off his brandy, he beat her.” She closed her eyes for a moment. “Someone dropped her off here last night.” She stopped abruptly. “I shouldn’t be telling you this. I could get into serious trouble.”

“I understand.” Sarah touched Madeleine gently near her bound leg. “Make sure you change the dressing, and keep it clean, all right?”

Tears welled up in Madeleine’s eyes and she nodded. “Thank you, Sarah.”

Sarah had already turned to the next pallet. “Adaline?” she said softly. “Can you hear me?”

A soft moan was her only answer. Sarah pulled back the threadbare blanket and revealed a face swollen beyond recognition. The woman’s right eye had turned purple, and a streak of blood was smeared from her nose across her cheek, where she’d made a feeble attempt to wipe it away. Sarah could only imagine what the rest of the woman’s body looked like.

“Adaline,” she said again, and the woman stirred. “I know you’re in pain, but do you think you can stand up?”

Adaline rolled slowly onto her back and lay there for a moment, gasping from the effort. When she’d caught her breath, she looked at Sarah through her functioning eye. “Why?” she croaked, through swollen lips.

“Because I’m going to take you out of here.”

Sarah thought she saw a flare of hope on the woman’s face, but it was hard to tell. “Why?” she asked again, displaying the ingrained caution of a woman who has had to protect herself.

“Because you need help.”

Adaline turned her head toward Madeleine, an unspoken question in her eyes.

“It’s all right,” said Madeleine. “Go.”

Adaline relaxed back onto the pallet and for a moment Sarah thought she’d passed out. “Thank you,” she said, her words barely audible. “I think I can stand up.”

“Good, but wait until I find a cart. I’ll be right back.”

* * *

Spotting a man who had just delivered a load of lumber to the building next door, Sarah offered him money to take them to Sacramento Street. Supporting Adaline, she walked out the front door and into the cart, covering the woman with the hospital’s blanket. Despite the odd moan of pain from beneath the blanket as the cart lurched over ruts in the road, few people paid them any attention as they made their way back to Sarah’s house.

The driver’s head came up as they approached the house. “Something smells good,” he said, a hopeful smile on his face.

“We’re setting up an eating house,” she said, using the local expression. “We just made our first batch of meat pies today. If you’d like to wait, I’ll get you one.” She smiled at him for the first time. “And if you like it, I hope you tell your friends.” She helped Adaline down while the driver held the horses. “I’ll be right back.”

The door opened before they reached it. Melissa’s gaze darted back and forth between the horses and the strange apparition coming toward her. She backed up as Sarah guided Adaline into the house, and the blanket fell away.

“What is it...” Anna’s mouth fell open. “Good Lord, Sarah, what’s happened to her?”

“I’ll explain in a minute, but this is Adaline and she’s going to be staying with us. Let’s find somewhere comfortable for her to lie down.”

Anna took over. “We’ll put her in the back room. Missy and I moved upstairs this morning while you were gone.”

“Thank you.” Sarah picked up one of the meat pies. “I hope these are good. I promised one to the driver.”

“They’re great. Missy and I tested one.” Anna exuded positive energy. “Give him an apple one as well.”

Sarah presented the man with the beef, and he wasted no time. “Amazing,” he said, spraying pastry flakes as he spoke through a mouthful. “These are going to be popular.” He finished and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“And this one is made with apples.” Sarah handed him the other pie. Anna had sprinkled it with sugar, and he made short work of it.

“Is that your little girl?” he asked, motioning to Missy, who was back in the door.

“No, she’s the daughter of a friend.”

The man’s expression softened. “Do you mind if I give you a tip?”

“No, of course not. I’ve just arrived, and I’m still learning.”

His voice was suddenly husky with emotion. “There are a lot of us family men here, and we miss our children.” He cleared his throat. “Get the child to help you sell your pies, and you won’t be able to make them fast enough.”

“Wouldn’t that be...” Sarah searched for the right word. “... exploitation?”

“Not really.” He waved at Missy, who waved back. “You’d be doing us a favor. We don’t get to see very many children. When we do see one, it reminds us of why we’re here.”

Sarah nodded. “I see what you mean.”

“Well, I’d better go. Good luck with your eating house, ma’am.”

“My name is Sarah.”

“Albert,” he called over his shoulder. Sarah walked slowly back to the house, absorbing his words. It
did
seem like exploitation, but if it helped their business, could it hurt? She’d need to find time to talk it over with Anna, but at the moment, Adaline needed her attention.

Anna met her in the hallway. “Sarah, that woman’s been beaten within an inch of her life.” She gave her head a confused shake. “I thought you said she had a broken leg.”

Sarah looked blank for a moment. “Oh, that was Madeleine. She has a friend coming to get her today. This is Adaline.”

Anna glanced over her shoulder. “She’s a...”

“Yes. Is that a problem for you?”

“Heavens, no.” Anna’s back stiffened noticeably. “She needs our help. I filled the water reservoir in the stove while we were baking the pies, so we have lots of hot water. Would you like help cleaning her up?”

Sarah thought for a moment. “I think perhaps one person is all she wants seeing her injuries for now. She hasn’t uttered a word since we left the hospital.”

“I’ll make her a cup of tea.” Anna looked hopefully at Sarah. “You didn’t find milk, by any chance?”

“Sorry, but I did get the sugar. It’s in my bag.”

“Oh well. Maybe next time.”

* * *

Sarah’s anger grew as Adaline’s injuries were revealed. The other woman sat quietly, staring into the distance as Sarah removed her soiled dress and undergarments. She made no sound as Sarah bathed her bruised body, even though she must have been in pain.

Sarah slipped one of her own night shifts over Adaline’s head and lifted a section of dirty hair. “Shall I do your hair? If you could manage to lean over the washtub, I could wash it for you.”

Tears rolled silently down Adaline’s cheeks.

“I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”

“No.” Adaline looked directly at her for the first time. “It’s just that nobody has been kind to me for a long time.”

A knock on the door saved Sarah from tears. She opened it to reveal Anna with a cup of tea. Adaline’s gaze went immediately to the teacup and she swallowed involuntarily. “Thank you,” she said softly, accepting the cup and closing her one good eye as she drank. “That tastes wonderful.” She handed the cup back to Anna with a shy smile and turned to Sarah. “I think I feel strong enough for that hair wash now.”

* * *

“When was the last time you ate?” asked Sarah once she had finished washing Adaline’s hair. Long and luxurious, it was a soft ash blonde color, and Sarah could tell it had once been the other woman’s pride and joy.

“I don’t remember.”

“Anna and I made two types of pies this morning. Meat and apple. We’re planning to sell them eventually, and we’d welcome your opinion if you’d like to try them.”

“Why are you doing this for me?” Adaline seemed genuinely puzzled.

Sarah lifted her shoulders. “Because you needed help. I have no hidden agenda, if that’s what you’re thinking.” She lifted the bucket of dirty water. “I can bring you some more tea and a couple of pies, or if you prefer, you can join us in the front room. Anna has a new baby, and he should be awake about now.”