The Secret Healer (5 page)

Chapter Seven

Madlen put on her good dress as she readied herself for the trial. Yesterday, Kilian told her he had discovered the names of some of the jury members. He’d gone directly to Andreas to fill him in about the men who would ultimately decide Madlen’s fate. In the afternoon, Kilian returned home and immediately went to the woodshop to do at least some work for his father that day. Madlen heard Jerg roaring about how he couldn’t tolerate him wandering all around town instead of helping him in the woodshop. When the two came home that evening, Madlen put dinner on the table and tried to appease her father by telling him that Kilian had just been trying to help her. Jerg told her to spare him all the drivel. No matter what happened at the trial, he said, life went on and he had to earn money, which he couldn’t do without the help of his son. She should handle this alone; after all, she was the one who went to Adelhaid and brought their dead child into the world.

Venomously, Kilian spit out that their father had been all too happy to take the money Madlen received for this service. Without warning, Jerg gave his son a resounding slap in the face, and Kilian tumbled to the ground. Horrified, Madlen rushed to her brother’s side to make sure he wasn’t seriously injured. His eyes glowed red with unmitigated hatred, and she wondered whether one of them would end up killing the other after Heinfried took her away. Afterward, she ate in silence and Jerg consoled himself with a tankard of beer before insisting that the siblings go to bed so as not to bother him anymore. Kilian never had the opportunity to give his sister all the details about his work with Andreas von Balge.

Now that morning had come, she focused on making herself presentable to make a good impression at trial. Jerg had already forced her brother into the woodshop. Madlen’s hope of having Kilian by her side during the trial scattered like dust blowing in the wind. With a sigh, she pulled her long dark-brown hair into a braid, straightened her dress, and finally made her way to town.

Her feet seemed to find the way all by themselves. Madlen couldn’t say how she reached the town hall on the market square. The trial would take place in this venerable building, where noblemen could make life-or-death decisions about the accused. She swallowed hard as guards standing to the left and right of the entrance opened the door for her. Blood roared through her ears as she climbed the stairs. For a moment, she had to gather herself so as not to lose consciousness.

How much she would have liked to simply turn around and walk away, passing by the guards standing on the city wall until she reached the outskirts of the city. She’d walk over the long wooden bridge that reached the other side of the Neckar River. Madlen had never crossed that bridge, although she often wished she could. One of the traveling merchants had told Kilian that it took a grown man over two hundred steps to cross the Neckar River. Two hundred steps! His eyes shining, Kilian had reported after his conversation with the merchant that it took just two hundred steps over the wooden planks to reach the opposite shoreline. Only two hundred steps to where the boats were docked and ultimately to freedom. These were steps that she would probably never make.

Still, the thought of crossing the bridge both frightened and excited her. She’d never stepped a foot outside of Heidelberg, spending her whole life in the confines of the city walls, mostly limiting herself to her father’s cottage and Clara’s little hut on the path leading to the castle. When she was little, she had imagined that the castle was enthroned on the cliff above them for their protection. She still had that feeling as she gazed at the brown stone walls. In the summer, the stones warmed her. In the cool evenings, Madlen leaned against them after a hard day’s work and daydreamed for a minute or two. Then she would climb a couple of feet higher until she stood on a small ledge leading to a cave hidden by bushes. There, she could see all the way over to the other side of the Neckar River. There were also hills and rocks there, offering no protection, maybe even preventing people from ever escaping from the valley. Sometimes, Madlen even imagined the world came to an end on the other side of the rocks. But she knew better. From the merchants’ descriptions, the forests and valleys behind the hills were some of the most picturesque landscapes found anywhere.

Sometimes Madlen dreamed of just running away. She would jump down from the ledge, cross the market square to the bridge, and just keep moving, continuing past the boats, then up onto the rocky paths. When she reached the top of the hill, she wouldn’t even turn around. She’d continue to go out where everything was quiet, where no marketplace pulsed with life, a place wholly unlike the town hall looming in front of her right now. It was almost like her skin was on fire as everyone gawked, trying to determine whether the accusations were true. Did she really stir up a batch of poison and murder an innocent unborn child? Faces loomed in front of her, appearing and disappearing from her field of vision. She was startled when one of the guards cleared his throat; she gazed at him nervously.

“You’ll need to go upstairs now,” he explained. “The doors to the courtroom are open.”

“Thank you,” Madlen croaked; her voice almost failed altogether. She gathered up her skirts and climbed the stairs as the guards’ looks burned into her back.
Was this the baby murderer?

Madlen heard some voices and turned around when she reached the end of the hall. Constables struggled to hold back the people trying to secure the best seats. Madlen’s throat was dry as she entered the courtroom, and she was relieved to catch sight of Andreas von Balge, who immediately strode toward her.

“You’re here. I must say, you look perfect. Conservatively attired. Exactly right.”

Madlen’s head spun. She just nodded and let him lead her to her seat.

“I’m here beside you. I won’t let anything happen,” he reassured her. Unfortunately, his words fell on deaf ears. It seemed to him that Madlen wasn’t able to hear a word he said. “Is everything all right? You look pale.”

Madlen stared at him. Pale? What was he thinking? That this was going to be a breeze for her?

“I know what you’re thinking,” he continued. “Don’t worry. I’m not taking this lightly,” he said so softly that only Madlen could hear it. He leaned in closer. “It’s important that you smile and radiate certainty that an acquittal is imminent. Appear to be surprised over what you’ve been accused of, although you already know. Believe me. Those who win their cases have to convince the sheriff and the jury of their innocence. And above all”—he raised his index finger—“the winner is the one the jury wants to see win. Nobody wants to see someone trembling with fear.” He looked at her urgently. “Smile.” He touched her lips.

Madlen tried, but it was impossible. The advocate pinched her arm.

“Ow!” she said indignantly.

“Smile right now, or I’m going to leave the courtroom.”

She opened her eyes wide. Very slowly, she raised the corners of her mouth, at first hesitantly, then a little more, until she beamed brightly at Andreas von Balge.

“Very good,” he said, then turned to the front door as more and more people poured in. Matthias Trauenstein was not among them. Andreas turned and put his mouth close to Madlen’s ear. “Listen to me. Can you see the table facing us?”

She nodded as she continued to smile.

“Soon, Lord Trauenstein will take his place there. And there in the front”—he pointed with his chin—“the sheriff and the jury will sit together at a long table. It’s important to listen to them. You should take careful note and nod repeatedly when they ask you something as a sign that you are listening closely. However, when Matthias says something, shake your head almost imperceptibly, as if every single word he says is a lie.”

She stopped smiling briefly. “As if every single word he says is a lie,” she noted, then again tried on a cheerful demeanor.

“Very good. That was very good.”

Madlen sighed. This man drove her crazy.

“Once Matthias starts to testify, make sure you gaze out over to the spectators in the courtroom as you listen in disbelief to the lies of your accusers. You need to connect with the people in the room. Do you understand that?”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Good.” He poked her lightly. “There he is.”

Immediately, she turned toward the door, where Matthias Trauenstein appeared. Her accuser gave her a withering look. “Raise your head and smile at him,” the advocate ordered. She obeyed his request and noted that her genuine smile seemed to unsettle the nobleman. Matthias quickly looked away, avoiding Madlen. She had just won her first small victory.

“Did you see that?” von Balge asked conspiratorially. “You scared him. He didn’t know where to look.”

Madlen gave her advocate an amused grin. “You’re right. It will be my pleasure to smile through the entire trial if need be.”

“Not the entire trial.” Andreas von Balge raised his hand defensively. “Never smile when it comes to Adelhaid’s suffering. This could be interpreted as arrogance or even a sign of derision. Instead, you must radiate genuine concern.”

“That won’t be hard to do.”

“Very good,” he replied crisply.

More and more people pushed into the courtroom.

“It won’t be long before the sheriff and members of the jury enter the courtroom. We’ll stand up to show our homage to them.”

“All right,” Madlen answered softly. “Were you able to use the information that my brother brought you and find out something about the members of the jury?”

“Yes, indeed,” he said with a broad grin. “Especially one of them.”

“Who?”

“Does the name Ewald Oberdinger mean anything to you?”

Madlen wrinkled her forehead. “No, although I’ve heard his name once or twice.”

“What about the name Agnes Oberdinger?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Four years ago, Agnes had a baby. It was a tough birth.”

“Agnes. Of course. Now I remember.”

“Well, Agnes thinks very highly of your abilities.”

A warm feeling flooded through Madlen. “I remember it well. The baby hadn’t rotated.”

“And you saved her.”

“No, Clara did.”

“The midwife that passed away recently?”

Madlen suddenly got a lump in her throat. “That’s right. That was Clara.”

Suddenly, the back door opened and the sheriff entered the courtroom, followed by six men. Their demeanor was serious as they went to their seats.

Andreas signaled Madlen to stand and look at the men with a respectful and open demeanor. He nodded deferentially as the men reached their seats.

“You may sit,” said the sheriff loud and clear. Chairs squeaked here, scratched there. Finally, it was quiet in the room. The sheriff waited a moment, letting his gaze fall upon all present.

“Good citizens of Heidelberg,” he began with a loud voice. “We are here today to decide the guilt or innocence of this young woman, daughter of Jerg, the carpenter.”

Madlen happily noticed that he said “guilt” softly but said “innocence” loud and clear. He was on her side, of that she was quite sure.

“First, I would like to say,” he went on, “that both sides have declared their acceptance of the judgment of the court, which under my chairmanship, includes six members of the council.” The sheriff looked at Matthias Trauenstein first, who nodded, and at Andreas von Balge, who followed suit.

“Let’s do everything in our power to ensure justice is served in alignment with the views of our Heavenly Father, our Creator.” He inhaled deeply and turned to the defendant. “Madlen. You are accused by Matthias Trauenstein of poisoning his unborn child before removing it from its mother’s womb. What do you say?”

Andreas von Balge signaled Madlen to speak for herself. She rose slowly. Immediately, the sheriff made a movement with his hand.

“Thank you for your respect, but please, keep your seat.” He smiled politely, and Madlen sat down again. “Thank you.”

She cleared her throat. “I have not committed the crime of which I am accused.”

The sheriff waited for her to continue, but she only looked on in anticipation of his next question.

“Do you want me to tell you what really happened?”

The sheriff nodded, but Andreas von Balge held up his hand.

“First, I would ask the accuser to present his testimony.”

“Why?” Matthias Trauenstein replied. “Is this common?”

Von Balge smiled. “No, unless the high court—in this case, the sheriff and the members of the jury—demands it.” He looked questioningly at the sheriff, who looked right and left to verify that the jury members were in agreement.

“We do not call on the defendant,” the sheriff said. “Please, Matthias Trauenstein, report what happened to the best of your abilities.”

This turn of events didn’t seem to sit well with Lord Trauenstein. He shot the advocate a furious look. “If it so pleases the court, this is what took place: The defendant was asked by our maid to check on my wife, who was indisposed, as often happens during pregnancy. The defendant came to our house and mixed a brew with her toxic herbs. A short time later, my wife started to bleed heavily and almost passed out from pain. Finally”—he stretched out his arm and pointed at Madlen—“
she
snatched the still-living body of our baby from my wife’s womb and suffocated him until he was no longer moving.” He lowered his arm and closed his eyes for a moment.

The courtroom burst into whispered excitement at the nobleman’s horrific description. He looked up and was shocked to see that she shook her head with a knowing smile. The advocate, however, scribbled some notes.

Andreas stepped in front of the table. He held up the piece of parchment.

“First of all, everybody in this room feels for your loss. You have our sincerest condolences.”

Matthias nodded quickly.

“Did your wife have any health problems before the miscarriage?”

“No.”

“No?” The advocate lifted his eyebrows in surprise.

“No.” Matthias repeated.

“If that’s the case, can you please tell me who Hyronimus Auerbach is?”

Matthias looked surprised.

“You don’t know? Well, in that case, let us bring him up to refresh your—”