“That, well, ah, would not be advisable,” Elsy sputtered. “Eunice will not appreciate it if you blow her cover, which means you cannot, under any circumstances, try to run her to ground.”
“I’m afraid I have no choice but to do exactly that, especially when I believe there could be a good chance Eunice Holbrooke knows exactly where to find Eugenia Howland. In fact, I would think she’s been inveryclose contact with her for years.”
As Elsy and Judith exchanged horrified looks, Arthur turned to Lloyd and Chase. “Gentlemen, we must be on our way, because Blackwell’s Island Insane Asylum awaits us, as does a woman I have no intention of allowing to slip from my grasp again.”
CHAPTER
Eleven
“Eunice, thank goodness,” Ann whispered as she edged closer to where Eunice was waiting in a long line of women to go into breakfast. “I was just about to contact Cooper and Ivan and ask for their assistance getting you out of that locked room. Thankfully, here you are, but perhaps we should consider abandoning this particular plan and develop another one to get Mrs. Mills released because”—Ann’s nose wrinkled as she looked her up and down—“you’re a mess.”
“I’m sure I’ve looked better,” Eunice said, pulling the tattered sleeve of her mourning gown over fingers that were practically frozen.
“What happened to you? Where are your veils, why’s your hair straggling around your shoulders, how is it that you managed to avoid trading in your widow’s weeds, and why did you get thrown into isolation in the first place? You cannot imagine my alarm when I learned you’d been locked away.”
Eunice patted hair she knew was looking downright frightful. “Nurse Grady forgot to leave me with a change of clothing after she locked me into a room. The nurse who let me out this morning was quite put out about that but not put out enough to where she was willing to fetch me other clothing.” She shoved a strand oftangled hair out of her eyes. “As for what happened to my hair, Dr. Franklin tore the veils from my head. I didn’t have an opportunity to reclaim my veils or pins before the good doctor—and I use that term loosely—decided I needed time in isolation because I was clearly, and I quote, ‘mad as a hatter.’ He was seemingly under the belief that time alone would improve my overwrought state, but were I mad, in my humble opinion, that would have only increased the problem, not diminished it.”
“I’m not surprised by the doctor’s diagnosis,” Ann admitted. “I’ve been speaking with the other nurses on the two floors they’ve had me working on, and every woman committed here is considered insane, even though a number of the patients I’ve encountered don’t seem insane at all.”
“I’ve gotten that same impression.” Eunice brushed some dirt from her sleeve. “I’ve been wondering if these doctors get paid by the number of patients they have committed or if they’re simply grossly incompetent.” Eunice shook her head. “However, even though I’d love to pursue the answers to all the troubling questions I have, I vowed last night that I would attempt to not draw further notice, although I’m certain that’s going to be difficult if I run across Nurse Grady again. That woman needs someone to take her down a peg or two.”
“That someone definitely shouldn’t be you. That’ll get you sent over to the Lodge for certain.” Ann shuddered. “I’m beginning to think Ivan was right and we’re not prepared for this case. It never crossed my mind that you’d get thrown into isolation, and I couldn’t help wonder what you were doing in there for what... eighteen hours?”
“Eighteen hours, thirty-six minutes to be exact. As for what I was doing, I spent the first hour raging against the injustice that had been mounted against me, using the small notepad I’d stuck in my stockings to jot down notes about the ridiculous exam I was forced to undergo. Honestly, Ann, what legitimate diagnosis could possibly be arrived at pertaining to a person’s sanity by looking at that person’s tongue?”
“I’d be curious to learn the answer to that as well.”
“Quite. However, after I realized my temper was getting the better of me when I was jotting down notes about Nurse Grady and her lack of compassion with women who are in a most vulnerable state, I decided I needed a distraction, especially if I wanted to keep my vow of going unnoticed after I got released from my cell. I pulled one of the sandwiches Alma insisted I bring from where I’d stashed it in a pocket in my petticoats, and while I ate it, I took an hour to compose a lesson to teach the children at St. Luke’s Chapel the next time I’m asked to fill in for one of the regular teachers.”
“I didn’t know you taught at St. Luke’s Chapel. Frankly, I’m curious as to why anyone at St. Luke’s would suggest you teach children. Don’t you frighten them half to death with your rather spooky appearance?”
“While I do teach children at St. Luke’s, they’re not afraid of me because I don’t wear my veils when I’m teaching.” She smiled. “Reverend Patrick Danford is the one who suggested I teach Sunday school after we became good friends over the past year. He was concerned I was spending too much time beneath my veils as well as too much time on my own, hence the request to teach at his church. He assured me that it would be safe to remove them within the confines of St. Luke’s. I couldn’t resist that, nor could I resist the opportunity to immerse myself in a house of worship, because my opportunities to attend church were limited in Montana, what with how my grandfather didn’t have much use for God.”
A nurse suddenly swept past them, stopped, spun around, and settled a scowl on Ann. “That patient isn’t appropriately dressed.”
Ann waved the complaint aside. “The widow’s weeds comfort her, but speaking of comfort...” She gestured to the open windows that were allowing a stiff breeze to swirl around the hallway. “Someone apparently thought the day was to be warmer, but I think the patients would be more comfortable if those windows were closed.”
“Fresh air is good for the patients.”
“True, but many of them might come down with an illness since none of them are dressed for chilly conditions.”
Instead of replying to that, the nurse turned on her heel and strode past dozens of shivering women, not stopping until she reached the dining room door. She pulled a large key ring from her pocket and struggled to fit one of the keys into the door that would finally allow the women into the dining room.
“I’m going to have to rethink the Bible verse I settled on for my lesson with the children,” Eunice muttered as they began to shuffle forward. “I was considering centering a lesson around a verse from Ecclesiastes—‘Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.’ However, after seeing the hostile environment and blatant disregard for the care of the patients these nurses display, I’m certain my anger is warranted.” She shoved another strand of hair out of her face. “Maybe I’ll need to find a verse that deals with injustice and how one is expected to deal with injustice in a calm and deliberate fashion.”
“It’s certainly becoming a trial to remain calm,” Ann said, taking all of three steps forward before stopping when another nurse walked out of the dining room and announced that breakfast was going to be delayed, something to do with the tea not being ready. “I hope you’re not hungry, because from what I witnessed during the meals that were served yesterday, you’re going to find whatever is on the menu to be less than edible.”
“Alma sent me with three sandwiches. Although seeing these poor women, I’m feeling guilty for eating them instead of sharing.”
“That might have caused a riot.” Ann pulled the thin nurse’s cape she was wearing close as a gust of wind blew through one of the open windows. “The nurses don’t take kindly to any type of insubordination. I witnessed that yesterday while I was assisting patients from hall eight taking a bath. Let us hope we’ll be able to get out of here before your hall is called to bathe, because there’s only one tub, the water is not changed after a woman is done having water thrown over her and being scrubbed with soap, and towels are in short supply.”
“How many women use the same bathwater?”
“The hall I helped with yesterday had forty-six women in it.”
“Forty-sixwomen used the same bathwater?”
“They did. It’s awful, as is the treatment the women receive if they balk at getting into the tub.” Ann’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “Some nurses held a woman by the name of Mary underneath the water for at least twenty seconds after she refused to sit down in the tub. I was afraid they were going to drown her and was just getting ready to intervene when they let her up. Needless to say, none of the other patients hesitated to climb into the tub of their own volition.”
