The Secret Healer (25 page)

Chapter Thirty-Two

Elsbeth was desperate. She didn’t know what to do if her plan failed. She’d asked all over Worms, trying to find those who’d been healed by Madlen when sick with the cough. But everybody just shook their heads. She tried to convince Roswitha two more times without success. Roswitha was much more willing to believe that she was being forced to testify against her friend; she remained resolutely silent about what had happened when she was a servant in Agathe’s household. Elsbeth had also spoken with Sander, but he hardly said a word, either, despite Elsbeth’s vows that she only wanted the best for Madlen.

Now Elsbeth resorted to announcing throughout Worms that those who would come forward to testify that evening at St. Paul’s Church would be able to earn quick money; it didn’t matter if it was a lowly servant or a lofty member of the high council. It was a last desperate attempt; she had even confided in her husband. Peter Goldmann could only shake his head sadly over the latest developments. As she had expected, he didn’t think her efforts carried much weight; he was the type that would rather just let things go, exactly as he always did.

People flocked to the church and were greeted at the entrance by Brother Simon, who welcomed each and every one into the house of the Lord. The monk had only agreed to this gathering because Elsbeth had made a generous donation. But he seemed pleased that, due to his benevolence, the house of the Lord was being used for the good of mankind. Elsbeth had kept her composure despite this seemingly holy man’s greed. Surely, not even one-third of her donation would be applied to the good of the church’s congregation; more than likely, most of the money would be used for worldly pleasures strictly forbidden by doctrine. But Elsbeth could not fight the cleric’s odious behavior on top of everything else.

She was nervous and rubbed her cold hands together. More and more people came in and crowded together in the church pews. Would this project succeed? She waited a while until everyone settled down, and Brother Simon closed the door. When he gave her a sign, Elsbeth stood, then went to the front of the church; her knees trembled as she faced the crowd.

“Dear friends.” She cleared her throat and held up her hands to ask for quiet, waiting until the church was dead silent. “Dear citizens of Worms,” she began again, this time with a louder and clearer voice. “I’ve asked you all to come here today because I have something important, something vitally important, to say.”

The crowd looked at her in anticipation.

“We all know what has been said about the secret healer.” She raised her hands again to calm down the crowd’s obvious uneasiness. “I know that you’re afraid,” she continued. “You’re afraid of being punished because you let this woman help you.” The crowd became uneasy again, and Elsbeth feared they would get up and go. She had to explain things quickly so they would listen. “The secret healer needs your help now.” She let her words hang in the air. “She saved your life. Say what you want, but this woman has never done anything wrong.”

The crowd whispered to one another, but their mood seemed to change. They listened with a degree of reluctance, but were still interested in hearing her out.

“Some people say that she has no right to heal.”

“And that’s true!” The city physician jumped up.

“And why not?” Elsbeth shot back.

“She gave people false hope.”

“She,” Elsbeth said, enunciating carefully, “never promised anybody anything. She simply helped people to be healthy again.”

“Elsbeth Goldmann, how dare you!” The physician’s face was red as a beet.

“How dare you speak so poorly about a woman who never charged a penny for saving the lives of many who sit here with us today! She did it out of compassion and not for profit, as you have.”

The color of his face changed from dark scarlet to blue. “It’s my job. Everybody takes money for his work.”

“That’s true. This is not meant as a condemnation of anyone here. I’m simply stating that the healer did not get paid.”

“Because she shouldn’t have been. She’s no doctor.” He slammed his fist down on a pew.

“That’s correct. However, she was able to do what you could not. And in exchange, she got nothing more than eternal thanks from those she was able to save.”

The physician started to speak, but Elsbeth held up her hand and looked at him angrily. “But now I ask you politely to hold your tongue or leave the church, my lord.”

He gasped. The crowd craned their necks to look at him. “This is blasphemy,” he spewed out.

Elsbeth laughed aloud. “Blasphemy? Just who do you think you are? God?”

“Be gone, Doctor,” a voice bellowed. “We want to hear what she has to say.”

“Yes, you couldn’t help anybody,” a woman roared.

“You’ll be sorry for this,” the doctor threatened as he pushed his way toward the exit. Brother Simon readily opened the large wooden door for him so he could leave once and for all. As the door closed, all eyes were once again upon Elsbeth.

“Now, let me tell you dear people why I’ve asked you here today. Some of you know the secret healer as Maria, but in reality her name is Madlen. She is being brought to trial in Heidelberg. She will soon be convicted for helping so many of us.”

“But why?” a woman cried out.

“Why?” Elsbeth repeated. The question had surprised her. “You’ve heard the doctor. No one is allowed to heal for the welfare of the people alone. Especially a woman.” She spit out the last few words contemptuously. “You all know that the healer was able to accomplish what the doctor, with all his knowledge, couldn’t.”

“My Georg died anyway,” called one woman. “She couldn’t help him.”

“She’s just a human being,” Elsbeth shot back. “A person, with no magical powers.”

“What should we do?”

“I need you. If any of you has been cured by the secret healer, I beseech you to go to Heidelberg and testify on her behalf in front of the court.”

“In front of the court? So that they can lock us up because we put ourselves in her hands?” The crowd murmured uneasily.

“No one will be punished!” she assured them, though she didn’t sound terribly convincing. No wonder, as she wasn’t even sure of that herself; much depended on who presided over the court proceedings.

“She saved your lives!” Elsbeth called out as loudly as possible.

A few people stood to leave.

“Stop! I offer five guilders to the first ten to come with me to testify.”

The crowd considered this.

“Stop!” Otilia suddenly roared; she’d been sitting to the side and following the events closely. She walked to the front and stood next to Elsbeth. Otilia glanced up at her before speaking.

“If this woman pays you to appear in front of the court, your testimony will be worthless.” She lifted her head proudly. “Fellow citizens of Worms, you should be ashamed to accept money to save the life of a woman who has already saved yours or the life of a loved one.” She let her gaze wander over the crowd. “Do you really have so little honor? Is that how we think in this city?” She turned to Elsbeth. “My daughter, Reni, had the cough. She was so terribly ill that I had no hope for her survival. But I went to the healer. She didn’t want to risk it, but her compassion for others was stronger than her own instinct for self-preservation, and she came with me.” Otilia’s eyes welled up with tears. “She came and helped my Reni. She gave her back her life, which had almost slipped through my fingers. I’ll never be able to thank her enough, and as I live and breathe, I will head out first thing tomorrow morning to Heidelberg.” She turned again to the crowd, holding up her head. “I will not allow this woman to be punished. She helped my Reni as though she were merely doing her duty as a humble servant of the Lord.” Otilia’s voice grew louder. “She cares nothing for social standing or class. She never thinks about her own advantage or about money.”

The people started cheering. “You’re right!” a man’s deep voice resonated above the crowd. “We’ll help her!” a woman called from the other side.

“We will stand together as one people, one voice, one city, and one soul and revolt against the injustice of the authorities who want to hang our healer!” Otilia cried out as loud as she could. “She is our healer, and we will save her.”

“She’s a saint with the most merciful of hearts!” a voice echoed across the church.

“Tomorrow morning, let us all stand together as one and go to Heidelberg!” Elsbeth called out. “We will save my daughter-in-law! We will save our secret healer!”

The crowd roared as people embraced each other. They called out Madlen’s name, and it echoed against the church walls. The atmosphere was electric with emotion. Elsbeth and Otilia held each other happily. She had succeeded. Would this incredible feeling hold out through the long night? She hoped desperately that it wasn’t just a straw fire that burned bright for a moment and died out just as quickly.

“Go back to your homes, and tomorrow at dawn, gather in front of the church. We will head out together!” Elsbeth hoped that her voice could still be heard above the jubilation. Soon the last people shuffled out of the hallowed hall, and Brother Simon turned the key in the lock.

“That was unbelievable!” Brother Simon praised. “I’ve never seen the town so enthusiastic, so taken in.”

“I won’t be able to sleep a wink tonight.”

“Try anyway,” he advised. “I’ll walk you home.”

“Thank you.”

They both took the short walk home, caught up in their thoughts. As they reached the Goldmann estate, Elsbeth stopped. “I thank you, Brother Simon.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” he announced.

“Did she heal you, too?”

“No, but it has always been quite clear to me who the secret healer was. I taught her how to read and write. And if I can do nothing but sit in the courtroom and pray for her, that’s exactly what I’ll do. She needs all the support she can get.”

Elsbeth smiled. “I wish you a good night. Pray that at least some remember the promises they made in the church this evening.”

“I’m sure they will,” Brother Simon replied. “Good night.”

He waited until Elsbeth was safely back at home. Then he went back to the rectory. He imagined Madlen, a woman who was no longer a mystery to him, and smiled at the thought of seeing her again in a few days. If he weren’t a monk, she would be the woman that he would want to have by his side. He said a long, fervent prayer in hopes that tomorrow morning more than just a handful of people came back to the church.

Although Elsbeth knew that she would need the strength, she could hardly force one bite of breakfast down her throat. She had tossed and turned half the night, staring off into the darkness, repeatedly praying to the Lord for help. She got up to drink something because her throat was dry and she was much too hot. A moment later, she pulled her blanket up to her neck because she was suddenly freezing. Just before dawn, she’d fallen fast asleep; Helene had to shake her gently awake.

Now she sat in front of her food, gnawing on a piece of bread. The sight of the wheat mash made her sick and she pushed the bowl away. She could barely choke down the few bites of bread and ham. This day would play the most decisive role in Madlen’s journey. Had Elsbeth really convinced the crowd? She sickened at the thought that she would go to the church and, except for two or three people wanting to be paid for their efforts, there would be no one there.

Helene had already packed up some clothing for her. She had offered to accompany her mistress, but Elsbeth had shook her head. Her husband would stay in the city. It was out of the question; he wouldn’t agree to leave Worms to support his daughter-in-law. Helene would need to take care of Peter until Elsbeth came back home. She sincerely hoped that Madlen and Johannes would be by her side upon her return.

Peter Goldmann was in the office when Elsbeth bade him farewell. He did not disguise his displeasure at his wife’s foolishness. But he didn’t want to forbid it. After all, the prospect of several days without her gave him certain freedoms. And even better, he liked the fact that Helene would be there. If Elsbeth wanted to wage a war against the authorities in Heidelberg, it was all the same to him, as long as she remained committed to her duties in Worms.

Elsbeth bent over slightly and kissed her husband on the cheek. Then she walked out of the house, her heart beating wildly. The closer she got to the church, the more intently she listened for voices coming from afar. As she turned the final corner, she put her hands over her mouth. She would have never believed that so many Worms citizens would show up. The whole city seemed ready to go with her to Heidelberg. Elsbeth was speechless; she finally spotted Otilia amid the teeming throng and went to her. Some people noticed Elsbeth had arrived and began to applaud and cheer. Elsbeth embraced Otilia. “My prayers have been answered. I never dared hope that this many would come.”

Otilia winked at her. “You’ve started something. Let’s pray that together we can bring Madlen safely home.”

Elsbeth took a deep breath, then made her way through the crowd, hopping up on the steps in front of the church. She raised her arms to quiet them. “My good citizens of Worms. Let me thank you all. Today is a happy day. Together we will fight against injustice and corruption!”

“Against injustice and corruption!” the crowd echoed.

“And for our healer!” Elsbeth replied.

“For our healer, for our healer,” they began to chant, and Elsbeth gestured for all to head out. She herself walked ahead with Otilia, Reni, Roswitha, Sander, and Brother Simon; those citizens that could not accompany them lined the streets on either side, cheering them on. Their chants could still be heard echoing far beyond the city gates. It seemed to Elsbeth as if their voices carried the travelers along.

The guards standing watch on the Neckar River bridge were astounded; their jaws dropped as hordes of people crossed the bridge.

“What’s that?” the guard asked his colleagues as he shaded his eyes.

“I haven’t the slightest idea,” his colleague replied as they stared at the crowd.

The citizens of Worms marched decisively, waving at the men amiably as they crossed over the bridge.