The Infamous Bride (33 page)

"Very clever." And it was. Annabel might even have unwittingly let her go, just as she allowed her to attend all those afternoon lessons that masked her apprenticeship.

But Juliet could not allow her to do so. She must tell R.J.

As she went into the hallway, worried whispering drew her glance upward. She looked at the children peering between the rails of the staircase banister. Worried eyes, all trained on her. She summoned tremendous courage from somewhere and smiled at them all. "Everything will be fine, little chicks. Back to your schoolwork, all of you."

"Will you sing us to sleep tonight?" Emma asked worriedly. She always worried about the things far ahead of her.

Juliet wished she had worried about how Susannah's secrets could stop her from coming here. But R.J. would be furious. He would no doubt forbid her to come back to the orphanage. "I cannot tonight." Unless she could convince her husband that she had not known about Susannah's masquerade.

"I will sing." Dominic said proudly.

"You sing for the boys. I'll sing for the girls." Missy was not one to be outdone.

"Excellent." Juliet watched the children go eagerly back to their lessons, anticipating the end of the day. She wanted to cry — with pride, with pain, with fear that her life would never be the same again. That she, like these orphans, would lose the anchor of her life.

She went to the kitchen and pressed one of the older children into delivering a message to R.J.'s office. She sealed it, and scrawled Urgent on the envelope, so he would not dismiss her summons.

* * * * *

R.J. was shocked when one of Juliet's orphans appeared in his office, clutching a wrinkled envelope that looked as though it may have been dropped in the dirt several times along the path.

He tipped the solemn faced boy a quarter and smiled at the melodramatic Urgent scrawled on the outside of the envelope. Inside, the note said only: Susannah needs you. Come to Wellburn. Now.

He did not stop to inform his secretary of his destination, but followed the boy out into the street and hailed the first cab he saw. When the boy hesitated at the idea of entering a cab, R.J. tossed him inside without a word, and then followed after a clipped instruction to the cabbie.

There appeared nothing amiss at the orphanage when he arrived. Juliet opened the door and hurried down the walk to greet him. Her face was white and the blue shadows under her eyes stood out starkly. How had he not realized that she was exhausting herself with this orphanage work?

He asked, "What is wrong?"

"Susannah is set upon ruining her life. You must make her see reason."

He did not want to think what the implications might be that she had called him to the orphanage. "Will it be necessary for me to call Phineas out, then?"

"It is not Phineas, it is Susannah. I do not know what to do, or to say." The drawn quality of her features, the whiteness around her lips, something in her face, convinced him.

"Perhaps we should enlist Father's help, if it is such a serious situation? Or Annabel?"

"Your father does not like trouble, and Annabel would lock Susannah in her room forever if she knew what your sister planned. You are the only one who may be able to make her see reason."

"Phineas knows of this?" Despite his friendship with the man, R.J. did not like to think his family's private business was common knowledge.

"He is the unwitting cause of it, I'm afraid."

"Then I shall have to kill him," he said grimly. "I would not have expected this of either of them."

"Then you are blind," Juliet said. "They are quite in love, I'm afraid. But that is not the trouble that threatens Susannah."

He could not credit what she said, until he entered Phineas's office and saw his sister dressed as a man, and looking as defiantly proud as any young man he had ever known.

He sank slowly into the chair that Phineas proffered, as his sister unfolded her plan to ruin not only her own reputation, but that of the entire family.

"Have you gone entirely mad? You cannot become a doctor." He spoke slowly, in the hopes that she would see reason before he must tell their father and Annabel. Juliet was right that their parents would sooner let Susannah go to the madhouse than to ruin her life by attending medical school as a man.

Juliet. How long had she known of this? He stared at her, trying to judge her part in this foolishness. "Why didn't you tell me of this sooner?"

She retreated almost imperceptibly at his accusation. He wanted to reach out to her, but he did not. If he had not reached out to her the first time, that night on the balcony, Susannah would not be entertaining this utter madness.

Susannah stepped up beside Juliet, looking incongruous in her male garb. "She did not know until today. She sent for you immediately, R.J."

He turned his gaze away from her. "Go and change into proper clothing Susannah. Your mother will not want to see you this way."

Susannah said softly, "R.J. You must understand that I do not mean to hurt you, or Father or Mama. I just want to be a doctor."

"Go and change, Susannah. I will not talk to you while you are dressed like a man."

He heard the sharp clip of her boots on the wood floor. Boots. He realized she was taller as a man. No doubt the boots added several inches to her height. He turned to Phineas. "How dare you encourage her in this foolishness."

"I thought I offered discouragement. I did not know her heart was truly set on becoming a doctor." The doctor's voice broke. "I have tried everything I know to show her that she is not meant for medical school. But she has been accepted. And now she believes she should go."

"She was accepted?" R.J. stared at his friend, feeling suspicion where once was trust. "That means that you must have offered her a recommendation. Why would you do that?"

Phineas slumped in defeat. "I could not deny her. She would have made a fine doctor, if women were accepted into medical school."

"You must write the school, and let them know that you have duped them."

Susannah rushed into the room protesting, "No. There is no duplicity. I am well qualified."

Juliet put her hand on his arm. "R.J. I do not think she is frivolous in this desire. Please, listen to what she has to say. Perhaps we can help her find a solution to this impulse."

"A solution? My sister is not like those in your family, who choose to ignore the rules of society when it suits you. I will not allow her to destroy her life by caring so little for her own reputation."

Her eyes flashed with hurt at his words, but she pressed her lips tightly to seal in any retort.

Before he could say another blistering word, the orphan who had summoned him came into the room, his face pale. "The coppers is here. I ain't done nothing. I swear it."

* * * * *

Juliet hurried to the door, still reeling from the look in his eye. Did he truly think she cared nothing for her reputation?

The sight of the two policemen in their uniforms was not unusual, but she had to gather herself to smile pleasantly at them. "Has Toby been a bother again?"

They did not return her smile. The solemn expressions on the men's faces held a hint of condemnation that reminded her of the frostiest of Boston matrons. "We're here for Dr. Abernathy, Mrs. Hopkins. We have grim news for him about his wife."

"Drusilla? Has she been in an accident?" Juliet gave way, letting the policemen into the entryway. She hesitated, unsure whether to lead them into Phineas Abernathy's office, considering the circumstances, or call him to the entryway.

He took the decision from her, by appearing from his office to greet the policemen. "Officers. I trust my children have not been causing undue trouble today."

Bluntly, the policeman on the right, said, "I'm sorry to tell you this, Dr. Abernathy, but your wife is dead."

"Dead?" The news hit him like a blow. He turned white and his knees began to buckle. Juliet rushed to his side.

The other policeman frowned at her action. "It appears she killed herself."

"Killed herself? How?"

"Poison."

Juliet did not think the policeman delivered the news as gently as she'd have thought warranted.

"Who has been poisoned?" R.J. demanded as he strode out into the room, his temper checked by the sight of Phineas and Juliet in an embrace.

"It appears Drusilla has been." She saw the quickly suppressed jealousy as his eyes met hers and stepped away. She prayed Susannah would have the sense to stay in Phineas's office.

Phineas turned to Juliet. "This cannot be true. She was well this morning when I left her. I must go to her. Can you see to things here?"

"First, we have some questions for you." Again, the tone was not one of sympathy for a man reeling from the news his wife had poisoned herself.

The other officer stepped forward. "And for you, Mrs. Hopkins."

R.J. stepped between them. "What has my wife to do with Drusilla Abernathy's suicide?"

"It seems Mrs. Abernathy took her own life because she believed your wife and Dr. Abernathy were in an adulterous relationship."

"How could she think such a thing?" Juliet stood, stunned at this turn. She glanced at R.J., whose face was masked. Would he believe such a lie? It must have been Annabel who had poisoned Drusilla Abernathy's mind, enough for the poor woman to kill herself. R.J. would know that. He would trust her. Wouldn't he?

He looked at the policemen coldly. "My wife has been a gracious benefactress to this orphanage. Nothing more." He took her arm, rather more tightly than warranted, and propelled her to the door. He gestured to Susannah, who had come to watch the spectacle at some point. His tone brooked no objection. "You will understand if I send my wife and sister from this place. Mrs. Abernathy was a good friend to my stepmother, and she will need someone with her when she is told the news."

Juliet did not like his closed expression. "R.J., you know that Drusilla's note is wrong, do you not? I have done nothing to be ashamed of. I promise you."

He did not answer her, but only said, "It is fortunate that I asked the cabbie to wait for me." He handed them both into the cab without once meeting Juliet's eyes and gave terse directions to the cabbie. "You will both go home at once and wait for me. I will speak to Father, and bring him home."

Susannah said softly, "She was not a good wife to him, but she did not deserve to die."

"No, she did not." He glared at Susannah. "Your mother must be told the sad news. We will spare her the news of what has been happening under her very nose if you promise to give up your foolishness at once."

Susannah looked at him stubbornly, sadly. "It is not foolishness, R.J. I am meant to be a doctor."

He closed the cab door without another word and they lurched off to give the bad news to Annabel.

Annabel greeted them in the parlor, already aware of the news. She threw her arms around Susannah and announced, "Drusilla Abernathy has been murdered." She seemed eerily calm about the death of her friend. Juliet assumed shock had consumed her, blunting her emotions.

Susannah, white with distress, cried out, "The police said she took her own life. Why would you call it murder?"

"I am sorry my dear. I did not mean to upset you. I had not realized you knew the news."

Juliet followed the pair. "The police called upon us at the orphanage. Why did you call it murder?"

Annabel gave her a cool smile. "She would not have taken her life if not for the gravest of betrayal." Annabel said soothingly as she led Susannah to the parlor. "Here, I have tea for you."

Susannah took the tea her mother handed her and drank deeply. "She was not betrayed. Who could have been so cruel as to tell her such a lie?"

Annabel hesitated only briefly before she said briskly, "You cannot know it is a lie, my dear. Dr. Abernathy is a handsome man, and some people are too weak to do the right thing when proximity and temptation coincide, though I'm sure you do not want to credit it."

"No. He did not betray her. I was there — "

Annabel handed Juliet a cup of tea, just as she interrupted Susannah's flood of words to ask, "How could she not ask him? He would have told her the truth. Then there would have been no reason for her to end her life with poison."

"Poison." Annabel smiled eerily. "It was poison that killed Romeo and Juliet, was it not?"

Susannah said softly, "Poison. But he would never do that. He is a doctor. He saves lives, he does not take them." She began to cry heartfelt sobs. Juliet had to wonder how much of her sorrow was for Drusilla Abernathy and how much for Susannah's own dreams.

Annabel was sharp, shaking her daughter more roughly than Juliet had ever seen her do. "Someone did, obviously. Who else but Dr. Abernathy himself?"

"He couldn't, Mama, he couldn't." Susannah was nearly incoherent. Juliet watched her worriedly. More than grief made her appear like a ragdoll in her mother's arms. Had Annabel dosed her tea with a sleeping draft? She eyed her own tea warily. Had it tasted odd?

She set down the cup with a clatter, just as R.J. rushed into the parlor with an air of distress.

"What is the matter?" She rose and ignored a faint wave of dizziness that grew as she crossed the room to him.

"I'm afraid things do not look good for Phineas. The police may suspect him of the deed."

"No!" Susannah whispered her distress, her tears flowing freely, her head lolling backward, her eyes closed.

Juliet's first thought was of the orphans. "I must go to the orphanage."

"No." R.J. was white. "You will stay away from him. Far away if you know what is good for him. I saw the note. The policemen showed it to him after you and Susannah had gone. If he is lucky, they will not press the matter, as she did leave a suicide note."

"Press what matter?"

"They could say that he planned it. That he wrote the note."

Juliet scoffed. "Why would he implicate himself in adultery then? If he wrote the note he would not have caused himself such trouble."
"No?"

"Of course not. Why would he?"

"Because he might imagine that I would put you aside were I to discover the betrayal. That I would leave you to him." He turned on his heel and left the room.