Both men were speechless. They laid their hats aside and sat as they were bade, watching in awe as Lizette poured tea with practiced precision and grace.
“Dr. Kendall, how do you take your tea?”
“Uh ... milk will do nicely, thank you.”
She complied and handed him the cup and saucer with a steady hand.
“And I know my husband likes sugar in his. There you are, my dear.”
“Thank you.”
Daniel stared at her, and then he and Kendall exchanged a look, brows raised. Hopes too.
“It does happen,” Kendall said to him later, behind the closed doors of the study. “Some remedy creates a delayed effect or a woman’s balance somehow restores itself on its own.”
“But will it last?”
“I don’t know. But it seems quite possible.”
“Thank God.”
“Indeed.”
“Will you do me a favor and stop by the inn and let Sally Mitchell know she may return?”
Kendall paused, then nodded. “Of course. I shall tell her she may return ... in the morning.” Kendall smiled at him and turned on his heel, donning his hat.
For an unmarried man, Kendall was quite astute.
“When puerperal mania does take place, the patient swears,
bellows, recites poetry, talks bawdy, and kicks up a row... .
Every precaution must be taken to prevent her doing
injury to herself, to the infant, or her friends.”
—ROBERTGOOCH, EARLY 19TH CENTURY PHYSICIAN
CHAPTER30
The next morning, Daniel came down the stairs whistling, knowing all the while how cliché it was to do so. Still, he could barely keep the smile from his face. The day was sunny and so were their prospects for the future.
In the kitchen, he found Sally Mitchell eating a biscuit.
“You’re returned early. How is Anne?”
“She fell asleep on the way home. Already laid her down for an early nap. ’Fraid the inn was awful noisy last night. Neither of us got much sleep.”
I know how you feel. “Sorry to hear it,” Daniel said, though the cheerful tone did not match his words.
“The missus really has turned the corner, then?”
“Yes, it seems she has, thank God. Though we must still monitor her progress.”
“That is good news, sir. Your friend said as much, but I was afraid to believe it.”
“I understand.”
