The Secret Healer (20 page)

“I was told that Sander would be here.” She stared at the floor.

“Really?” Johannes folded his arms in front of his chest. “Well, I think that there must be a misunderstanding. Did you tell her this, Mother?”

Elsbeth fell silent. She looked at her son expectantly.

“Well,” he continued, “Sander is not here, but I know where he can be found.”

“Where?” Roswitha’s body began to tremble.

“I will gladly tell you, once I have some answers.”

Roswitha nervously chewed her lower lip. “What do you want me to do?” Her trembling became even more violent.

“Sit down,” Johannes ordered, moving a chair away from the table. The maid obeyed without looking up.

“I only have one question,” Johannes stated.

“Is Sander all right?” She lifted her head to look at Johannes through tearful eyes.

“We can go into that in a moment,” he replied dismissively. Johannes started to pace the room. Horrified, Elsbeth followed his movements. It was if he were a completely different person.

“We haven’t seen each other in a long time, Roswitha.”

The maid didn’t answer.

“That last time was in Agathe’s home.”

She nodded mutely.

“Your Sander had the cough and was healed. How did that happen?” he said, suddenly changing his tune.

Roswitha winced as if someone had dealt her a blow. “He just had a light cough.” Her voice wasn’t more than a whisper.

“Just a light cough. Really? I heard otherwise.”

“It was just a light cough,” she reiterated, although she didn’t dare meet his gaze.

“If you say so.” Johannes’s eyes fell on Elsbeth, who was tense and pale. He would have preferred that she wasn’t in the room for this. Johannes knew that Elsbeth would be quite displeased with the way he forced Roswitha to talk.

“Are you happy with your new husband?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“You’re lucky that you found a new job. Or did Agathe take care of that?”

Roswitha looked up, gazing first at Johannes then at Elsbeth. It was obvious that she hadn’t expected this question.

“Well, don’t you want to answer?” Johannes asked.

“Yes, it was Agathe who arranged it,” Roswitha admitted.

“How nice of her,” Johannes replied sarcastically. “And Otilia just so happened to have an open position?”

“She was looking for a maid, yes, at least until Agathe comes back.”

“Wait a minute.” Johannes lifted his eyebrows. “Agathe’s coming back?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“And do you know when?”

“No, my lord.”

“But you are sure that she’s coming back?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“And how you can be so sure?”

“She told me. As soon as . . .” She chewed on her lower lip, looking for the right words. “As soon as she’s taken care of business, she will come back with your wife.”

Johannes laughed. “How nice to hear that from the mouth of a maid.” He banged his fist on the table. Elsbeth and Roswitha yelped.

“I’ve had enough. Where did they go? Tell me right now!”

Roswitha’s eyes were wide with terror. “I . . . I . . . please.”

“Please what?” Johannes put his hands on the table and moved his face right up to hers.

“I, really, I really don’t know. I swear to you. I don’t know,” the maid stammered.

She gulped as she tried to look past him to Elsbeth, but he wouldn’t let her.

“You seem to have less concern for Sander than I thought.”

Roswitha broke down in tears. “Please, Sander hasn’t done anything.”

“He let the secret healer fix him, and we both know who that is, don’t we?”

Roswitha felt her whole body pulsate. “You know?” she asked in disbelief.

“Yes, I know everything. So you can stop lying.” He banged on the table again, then folded his hands behind his back and paced the room. “What I don’t know is where my faithful wife went. You will tell me, if you value Sander’s life at all.”

“But you’re not . . . Sander has nothing to do with this.”

“It’s up to you. I’m going to find Maria, with or without your help. Tomorrow, I leave Worms.” Johannes felt Elsbeth’s eyes sticking to him like glue. He’d just made the decision, but he was confident that it was the right one. He lifted his head. “No one, except me, knows where Sander is. Think about that. If I leave tomorrow and you haven’t told me where I can find these women, Sander will stay where he is and rot. No one will find him. It’s your decision. Tell me where they went, and I’ll set Sander free. If not, I’ll present you with his decomposed remains when I return in a few months.”

Terrified, Roswitha blurted out, “A skipper named Hugo took them. He sailed with them on the Rhine.”

“Where did they go exactly?”

“I heard Maria and Agathe talk about a merchant who buys her dresses whenever he moors in Worms.”

“And where does this merchant live?”

“I don’t know exactly.”

Johannes took a deep, exasperated breath as the maid struggled to remember.

“I know it’s a city close to the Netherlands. I just can’t recall the name.” Tears welled up in her eyes. Suddenly, she lit up. “Emmerich! That’s it. The place is called Emmerich.” Her heart beat wildly in her chest. Whether it was due to relief or because she’d betrayed her mistress, she couldn’t say.

“Emmerich, you say?”

“Yes, my lord. I’m sure of it. That’s all I know, I swear.” She looked at him expectantly. “Can I get Sander back now?”

Johannes hired a skipper the very next morning to take him north on the Rhine, although he would not reveal his exact destination until they arrived. The pouch filled with money was all the skipper needed to sail out.

“I have to pick up some goods first. It’ll only take an hour.”

“I’ll be waiting here.” Johannes took back the money pouch.

“Hey, wait a minute. You need to pay me.”

“I’ll pay you half as soon as we make sail and the other when we arrive.”

The skipper mumbled something, but he left it at that. Some people were simply distrustful these days.

Chapter Twenty-Five

They had to ask half the population of Emmerich before they found out where Ruppert lived. Agathe fervently hoped he was home. She knocked, and a toothless woman opened the door; she was a good twenty years older than Agathe.

“What do you want?”

“We’d like to speak with Ruppert. He lives here, yes?”

“So what if he does? What do you want with him?”

“Tell him that Agathe from Worms is here.”

“From Worms? You’ve traveled a long way. Has he done something wrong?”

“No, he hasn’t. Can’t you let us speak to him?”

The old lady looked sullen as she finally let both the women enter. “Ruppert!” she bellowed upstairs. “Ruppert, you good-for-nothing, come on down. You have a visitor.”

There were signs of life upstairs. “Who is it, Mother?”

“A woman named Agathe from Worms,” the old hag yelled back. “Come down here right now; otherwise, I’m going to throw them both out again.”

Agathe and Madlen traded looks until Ruppert came downstairs. He stopped at the next to last step, gazing at his visitors with confusion. “Agathe, is that really you?”

“It wasn’t easy to find you, Ruppert. This is my foster daughter, Maria.” Agathe hesitated briefly before saying her niece’s name. She wondered whether it was wiser to give her a completely different name. But there was no turning back now.

“Greetings to you both!” He walked over to the women. “To what do I owe the honor? What are you doing in Emmerich?”

“So many questions,” Agathe said, trying to distract him with her charm. “Do you have a moment?” She looked around. The house was dark and small and smelled musty. “Why don’t we take a little walk?”

“As you wish.” He followed as the women stepped outside. “Mother, I’m going out again.”

They left the house together and walked a bit before Agathe continued, “You live with your mother?”

“When I’m here, yes. It doesn’t make sense to have my own place since I’m away so often. And I can take care of her when I’m home. You’ve seen her. She’s gotten old and needs help.”

Agathe had a completely different impression of the old lady. She was bossy and irritable and didn’t seem helpless in any way. But she nodded. “Old age is not easy. It’s good to have a son who can take care of you.”

Ruppert smiled. “Now tell me, what are you doing so far away from Worms?”

“Haven’t you always raved about Emmerich?” Agathe let out a forced laugh.

“No, seriously.” Ruppert looked at her pointedly.

“We want to operate a booth to sell our dresses, but the head of the market will not admit us unless a man takes part in the business contracts.”

“Yes, that’s the way it is here.” Ruppert realized that she still hadn’t answered his question. The women had something to hide, and he would be much happier if he knew what it was.

“Can you help us?” Agathe asked.

Ruppert scratched his head. “You need me to get permission so you two can do business here?” He thought it over. “What’s in it for me?”

Agathe had worried that the merchant wasn’t the friendly man she had done business with for so many years. She had to offer him something. “As long as we do business under your name, we’ll give you ten pfennigs for every dress we sell.”

“Twenty pfennigs,” he countered.

“What’s the use of selling dresses if we don’t make a profit?”

“You want me to believe that you don’t make more than twenty pfennigs’ profit on every dress you sell?” He laughed throatily. “Agathe, how stupid do you think I am?”

“Ten pfennigs,” she insisted.

He stopped, and Agathe and Madlen followed suit. Ruppert scrutinized the women. Then his expression changed. “Ten pfennigs and a small kindness from time to time.” He smiled crookedly and let his gaze rest on Madlen.

Agathe laughed scornfully. “You’ve completely lost your mind.” She grabbed Madlen’s hand and pulled her away with her. After a few steps, Ruppert caught up with them.

“Wait, wait, can’t a man make a little joke?”

Agathe stopped again. “How many jokers do you think I’ve met in my life?” She approached Ruppert until her face was inches from his. Suddenly, he felt a sharp point where the braiding held his jacket together. “Sir, this is a knife whose blade I make sure to sharpen every single day. You were too distracted by your vulgar thoughts to notice that I was wearing it, or how quickly I pulled it out. I was wrong about you, Ruppert. I mistook you for an honest businessman, but I know the look in your eyes. You weren’t joking. We’ll take our leave now.” The knife tip bored deeper into his flesh. “If you are ever in Worms again, spare yourself a trip to my house. I want nothing to do with you ever again. Do you understand?”

Ruppert had broken out into a cold sweat. He felt a trickle of blood make its way down his stomach, where the tip of the knife had broken his skin. He nodded.

“Good.” Agathe drew her knife back. “Now be on your way.” He scurried off, and she linked arms with Madlen. “People can really fool you sometimes.”

They walked a while silently until they reached the booths. Madlen was the first to dare speak. “Did something bad happen to you?”

“You need to accurately assess the men you meet. A woman must be able to defend herself; otherwise, all is lost.”

Madlen stopped and looked her aunt right in the eyes. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

Agathe dodged her niece’s intense look and peered over her at the booths. “We have to try to find someone else to help us now.”

“Will you tell me?”

Agathe paused, then shook her head. “We have too much to do. If we can’t find anyone to help us today, we won’t be able to sell anything tomorrow.”

Madlen understood that pushing the issue was futile. She swallowed down the feeling of terror and followed her gaze. “And if we can’t sell here, can we give something else a try? Maybe Fronicka can help us?”

“That’s not a bad idea. Come on, we’ll go and ask her.” They left the stands and walked back to the Golden Rooster, where they’d already spent five nights. When they entered, they asked after Fronicka, but the maid said that she was out shopping. The women sat in the tavern with spiced wine. Soon, the craftsmen would return after work, and then it would be anything but harmless there for the two women. Agathe knew how to save her skin, but she was worried about Madlen, who was even more vulnerable in her current condition. Agathe was relieved when the landlady returned to the tavern.

“Fronicka,” Agathe said immediately. “Can we speak to you?”

“Of course.” Fronicka handed her shopping basket to the maid, who disappeared instantly into the adjoining room. The landlady came to their table, and Agathe pointed at a chair. “We would like to ask you a question.”

Her interest piqued, Fronicka took a seat. “What can I do for you?”

“We’re seamstresses, and we have a few dresses to sell. It’s different here than back home; women may only do business on behalf of a man.”

“That’s correct,” Fronicka confirmed. “I have the tavern here only because it belonged to my husband when he was alive. I also paid a large sum to the city leaders not to take it away from me when my Ewald died.”

“I understand.” Agathe pressed her lips together. “Is there any way to sell dresses here without a middleman?”

“You don’t want to pay?” Fronicka affirmed.

“Above all, we don’t want to be dependent on a man,” Madlen explained.

“I like you,” Fronicka said, amused. “What kind of dresses do you have?”

“A more simplistic style than the women here wear,” Agathe admitted. “We’ll be adding some pearl work soon.”

“There could be a way,” Fronicka thought out loud. “Initially, you wouldn’t sell many; this type of business takes some time to develop.”

“How?” Madlen said, perking up.

“You must understand that the real business deals are not made at the market in Emmerich. At first glance, there seems to be a wide selection of goods, but if you look closely, they offer the same old stuff, made the same old ways. People buy these things, but what the people really want is something unique.”

“Unique?”

“Exactly. And you can only get those things if you know the right people.” She pointed at the door. “Take my ham, for instance. My ham is famous far beyond Emmerich’s boundaries. I would never tell anyone where I get it. Nobody knows but me, and of course, I won’t tell anybody.” She smiled. “Or my honey, with which I sweeten my recipes. Everyone knows that it’s the best honey, but where does it come from?”

“You have a secret ham recipe and special honey?” Agathe was amazed. She had never heard of such a thing. In Worms, everyone knew where to get what product at what price. Such secrecy wouldn’t have occurred to anybody.

“But of course! Emmerich is home to people from all regions. And we are very proud members of the Hanseatic League. Emmerich may not be big, but it is important in commercial trade. If we find something only we can offer, we make sure to keep it under lock and key.”

“And how will this help us?”

Fronicka smiled again. “Let me see one of your dresses,” she said.

“They’re upstairs in our room. Shall I go get one?” Madlen offered.

“Oh heavens, no!” Fronicka stood. “We certainly won’t bring these special goods down here where anybody could see them. Come on. Let’s go to your room.”

The women climbed the stairs, and Agathe unlocked the door. She carefully spread the two dresses out over the beds. Fronicka gazed at them, rubbing her chin as she pondered. “And you say that you’re planning to change them?”

“Yes, of course. What do you think?”

“They have to be different than anything the women here have seen.”

“I know,” Madlen said suddenly, picking up a dress. “I noticed that the ladies wear almost all their jewels around their necks. What if we sew the jewels directly onto the dresses?”

Agathe looked at Madlen; she was speechless. She had never heard such creative ideas from her. She was just about to speak when Fronicka beat her to it.

“That’s it! Why didn’t I think of that?” She looked excitedly from Madlen to Agathe, inviting their opinions.

“But where could we get those kind of jewels?” Agathe argued. “Something like that is expensive. The ladies would have to pay a fortune for every dress.”

“They’ll gladly pay you a fortune, believe me,” Fronicka assured her. “But you’re right, these types of fine jewels are hard to find.”

“How about necklaces and cording attached so that they drape like jewels?” Madlen said daringly.

“Exactly!” Fronicka held up her finger. “I know a woman who creates almost all the gold jewelry for her husband. He’s very famous, far beyond the borders of Emmerich, but in reality, it is his wife who makes the goods. Anyway, he’s so drunk most of the time he can’t even walk straight.” She laughed. “I’ll speak with her to see if she’d be willing to create simple gold chains for you.”

“Oh, Fronicka, that would be wonderful. When can you meet with her?”

“Now.” Fronicka wasn’t the kind of woman who wasted time. “I’ll go to her right away, and you should accompany me so she can begin fashioning your order as quickly as possible. I’ll prepare a way to sell these unique dresses to a very wealthy lady.” She looked at the dress’s cut. “But you’ll need to let out some fabric from around the middle. The woman is rich and eats accordingly.”

Agathe laughed. “About how big is she?”

Fronicka blew some air out of her cheeks and lifted her arms to indicate that the woman was at least twice her size. “I think about so. And think what she’ll say when you present her with a dress that fits her like a glove, sight unseen? You won’t be able to sew fast enough to keep up with her orders.”

“We’ll share some of our profits with you for your help,” Agathe announced.

Fronicka waved her off. “That won’t be necessary.”

“Not necessary? You don’t need money?”

“You know, I fought my way through life for a long time by myself. And it gives me such pleasure to help women like yourselves. Our goldsmith is a drunkard and a lazy bastard; the most wonderful pieces of jewelry come out of his workshop because his wife is quite skilled at the craft. The wine I offer here is sent from a large vintner in wonderful oak barrels and is popular because his wife has quite a refined palate. The baker here can’t even haul sacks of flour, and yet we have the best bread because his wife and daughter work themselves to death. Wives and daughters create fine goods that merchants come from far and wide to purchase. And yet it’s always the man who gets credit. I see it over and over again.” She looked at Agathe, then at Madlen. “And here you stand, two women who work and want to find happiness. Who could help you better than a woman who all too often had to get what she wanted all by herself?” She smiled. “No, I don’t want your money. I want you to succeed.”

Agathe and Madlen were speechless. The people here in Emmerich were different. Madlen wanted to begin her new life more than ever.