The Secret Healer (9 page)

Without thinking, she bent over and pulled him close to her. “I don’t know how I can ever thank you.”

Andreas von Balge cleared his throat. “Just do what I tell you,” he replied quickly. “You’ll be out of Heidelberg before you know it.”

“Thank you.” Tears welled up in her eyes.

He nodded, then briefed her on his plan. By the time she finally crawled all the way out of the cave, crippling fear had given way to fierce determination.

Andreas von Balge led the horse by its reins as it pulled the cart. Kilian walked on the right to ensure that the stacked goods did not slide out. They tried hard to seem nonchalant as they strolled over the bridge. A good half dozen guards stood at the watchtower, enduring the winter cold. Kilian saw one guard nudge his colleague and scrutinize them closely. “Hey, you down there. What do you have in your cart?”

“Just some goods that I need to deliver. Nothing special.”

“Wait a minute!” He signaled the two other guards. “We want to take a look.”

“There’s nothing here, I assure you . . .” Kilian fell quiet.

“Stop, I said!” Immediately, two guards stormed down, while the other tower guards started to gather, too. The horse balked as the men came running. Kilian threw Andreas von Balge a frantic look.

“Who are you?” asked a guard. Eight guards surrounded Andreas, Kilian, the horse, and the cart.

“What kind of question is that?” Andreas shot back. “Since when is it illegal to cross the Neckar River?”

“I’ll ask you one more time, who are you?” The guard bared his teeth.

“What is your problem?” Andreas replied snidely. Kilian threw him a furtive glance, one the guards didn’t catch.

“Say, you’re not the advocate who defended that child murderer, are you?”

“She didn’t kill a child or anyone else. But I don’t expect you to believe that.”

The guard ignored him and glared at Kilian. “And you, I’ve seen you before. Aren’t you her brother?”

Kilian shrugged.

“What are you two bringing to the other side of the Neckar?” The guard raised his eyebrows.

“Watch out!” Five craftsmen struggled to carry a heavy wooden beam on their shoulders across the narrow bridge. “We need to bring this beam to the boats over at the pier,” said the man in front. “Step to the side so we may pass.”

The guards huddled together, giving the carpenters a wider berth. As soon as they had passed, the guards surrounded Kilian and Andreas again.

“What do you have in your cart?”

“Goods,” Kilian answered tersely.

“Just goods?” He seemed skeptical. “An advocate and the brother of an escaped murder suspect are bringing goods over the Neckar. You expect us to believe this?”

“Believe what you want to. Now let us through,” von Balge demanded gruffly.

“You’re not going anywhere,” the guard decided. “Clean out the cart. I want to see what’s inside.”

“You have no right to do this,” Andreas protested.

“The sheriff decides what’s right in Heidelberg, and it’s our duty to enforce the laws on his behalf.” He pushed past Andreas, who stood protectively in front of the cart. “Now let me through before I break both your legs.”

Two men pushed Kilian and Andreas back, while the other guards began to dump baskets, blankets, and boxes out onto the bridge. When they managed to empty about half of the cart, a guard called out, “Here’s something!” He hurriedly lifted another box, and a young woman, her head covered in a simple muslin veil, jumped out. She could only take a few steps before the guards grabbed her. Her blood-smeared dress made the guards’ ringleader smile broadly. “Well, well, what have we here?”

The young woman kept her head down.

“Well, if it isn’t the little murderer.” He glanced at her dirty face. “Take all three to the sheriff. There will be a nice reward in it for us.”

The horse was taken away, but the cart still stood near the bridge as the carpenters returned from unloading the wooden beams. There were only four now, but no one noticed. Everyone was too busy celebrating the alleged killer’s capture.

Chapter Eleven

Madlen was relieved, but it wasn’t yet time to rest. She had to get as far away from Heidelberg as possible before the guards realized they’d been tricked. Madlen chuckled at the thought of the sheriff’s anger when he realized that Irma had been turned over to him instead of her. Poor Irma. She hated having to put on that bloodstained dress. But she’d done Kilian one huge favor. Madlen had pulled on her brother’s hose, shirt, and jacket and topped it all off with an old hat. She carried the huge wooden beam with some of Kilian’s friends. As her brother had said, nobody would give the carpenters a second look while he and Andreas von Balge staged their distraction and Irma was found hidden under boxes. If the circumstances hadn’t been so dead serious, Madlen would have found it easier to laugh.

But now that she was outside of Heidelberg and completely alone, she didn’t feel like laughing at all. At the beginning of her journey, on the path that took her north over the hills toward Heppenheim, she’d walked so quickly that she hardly had time to think; the only thing that mattered was escaping unnoticed. But now, half a day later, she felt empty and frightened to be somewhere so unfamiliar. She would have turned around if she wasn’t sure she would end up dead. But what would life be like for her now? Everything was new and uncertain. She didn’t know. Kilian had advised her to join a group of traveling merchants as soon as possible. She was easy prey as a woman traveling alone. She trudged on, her oversized shoes making it difficult to move forward. Again and again, they’d slide off and she’d lose her balance and fall.

She stayed close to the edge of the forest, where she’d be able to hide easily if she happened upon a horde of unruly men. But she didn’t see a soul all day. Although it was still afternoon, it had started to get dark. She decided to look around for a safe place to sleep for the night. Faster than expected, she found shelter under several trees that must have blown over during a fierce storm. She gathered branches and tried to build up another wall for added protection. But it didn’t amount to much, so she simply sat as close as possible to the tree trunk. She drew up her legs to her chest then threw her arms around them, longing to be in the warm cottage with Kilian, even with her mercurial father. It was better than being alone in this godforsaken wilderness, without any prospects. She thought about whether she should take Kilian’s advice to find her father’s sister in Worms, though it was a good deal away from here. Still, it would probably save her life. The sheriff wouldn’t look as far away as the Rhine. She had almost no memory of her aunt. She’d only seen the woman once, more than ten years ago. Madlen remembered that Agathe’s eyes looked like her father’s. Other than that, the two seemed to have nothing in common. Whenever the topic of his sister came up, Jerg had nothing but bad things to say. Madlen had no idea why the two had had a falling out. And maybe that wasn’t even the case. Maybe they just didn’t get along. Each one lived their lives the way they wanted, and they didn’t want anyone to get in the way. Reinhard, Agathe’s husband, had been dead for years. How he died, Madlen didn’t know. She had to admit she’d never been that interested in any of her relatives until now. She’d make a decision where to go first thing tomorrow morning. Perhaps the opportunity to join a group of traveling merchants would present itself. Where she would end up, only the good Lord knew.

Early in the morning, a crackling noise startled her; her clothing was frozen as stiff as her limbs and Madlen had trouble getting back on her feet. She wouldn’t survive another night in this freezing weather. Although she’d fallen asleep early in the evening, she felt exhausted and powerless. She jumped up and tried to get blood rushing back into her frozen legs. But every time she tried, a sharp pain shot through her body. Bravely, she continued to hop until she felt the tips of her toes tingle. Her stomach growled so loudly that she winced. She looked around in fright. If someone was nearby, they might hear her. But nothing stirred. She was here by herself, reassuring on the one hand, but on the other, very sad. She’d lost everything, although she’d committed no crime. Kilian had told her that she should stop near the edge of the Odenwald. This would lead her toward Heppenheim, and from there she could go to the Rhine. She trusted her brother, but she doubted whether he knew the right way. So far, she hadn’t seen any people or cottages, though she should have reached the next village yesterday. Maybe she was lost? She decided to continue her way along the edge of the forest. At some point, she was bound to encounter another person.

She walked till almost noon, when she finally spied a small village in the distance. Her whole body tingled at the prospect of speaking to another person. Her violent shivering seemed to be getting worse. Hadn’t she felt the sun on her skin just a few weeks ago? Winter had stolen over the land with a vengeance. Soon, at least, she would be delivered from the cold; she would be able to pay for a stay at an inn or even in a barn. Feeling slightly queasy, she walked along the frozen path.

A woman came out her front door to empty a bucket. Madlen felt her gaze. She gathered all her courage. “Forgive me, please. Is there a tavern here?”

The woman scrutinized Madlen. With her baggy clothing and big shoes, she must have made a really strange impression.

“It doesn’t look as though you can afford a tavern, and the host isn’t exactly famous for being charitable.”

Madlen shrugged. She didn’t know how to respond.

“Do you want to eat or do you also need accommodations?”

“Both.”

“For how long?”

“Just a day. I don’t want to sleep outside tonight. Tomorrow, I have to go on.” The thought of spending another night in the cold made Madlen shudder.

“If you’d like, you can stay in my cottage,” the woman offered, after she’d scrutinized Madlen for a little while. “For a coin, I’ll feed you, give you a place to sleep, and send you off with breakfast in the morning. But only porridge.”

“Do you live here alone?”

“Yes, if you must know. But don’t think I couldn’t fight should one of your friends try to steal from me.” The woman raised her eyebrows, suspicious.

“Oh, no, of course not. I only want to make sure there’s enough room.” Madlen nodded at the woman’s cottage, even smaller than her own cramped house.

“It’ll do. Well, what now? Do you want to stay here or not?”

“Indeed, I would.”

“But you’ll pay me immediately so you don’t disappear early in the morning.”

Madlen agreed. “I’ll pay you once we’re inside the cottage.”

“They call me Hedwig. And you?”

“Ma . . .” Madlen coughed. “Maria. My name is Maria.”

“Come on in, Maria. You’ll freeze to death out here.”

She followed the old lady inside. Though the exterior of the cottage didn’t seem particularly inviting, Madlen changed her mind when she entered. There were two beds, a table with two chairs, some shelves, a fireplace, and a small chest.

“So, nobody lives with you?” Madlen pointed at the beds.

“No.” Hedwig shuffled toward the hearth and put on the cast-iron pot. “Someone lived here for a long while, but he’s gone now. It’s better that way.”

Madlen could hear a tinge of regret in Hedwig’s voice, even though she appeared matter-of-fact. “I’m sorry.”

“You shouldn’t be. I was wrong about him. That’s just the way it is. As a widow, sometimes you believe things that are too good to be true.” She laid a log onto the fire and stirred the soup; its wonderful smell permeated every corner of the little cottage. Hedwig turned to Madlen. “Why are you wearing men’s clothes?”

Madlen knew enough to keep her mouth shut; she just shrugged.

“You don’t have to tell me. It’s none of my business.” When Hedwig turned to devote her attention to the soup, Madlen pulled open the money pouch around her neck and took out one of the coins. She immediately stuffed the little sack back under her clothes.

“Here. Your money.”

Hedwig accepted it. “If you want, you can take off your wet things and hang them up. You can find something else over there in the chest to change into.”

“That’s very kind of you, my lady. Thank you.”

“Just call me Hedwig.”

“Thank you, Hedwig.” Madlen smiled. She went over to the chest and took out a piece of clothing. “Can I wear this?”

“Go ahead.” Hedwig waved her hand as if swatting away an insect. “And then spread your wet things over there.” She pointed at two shelves with a thin rope stretched between them. “They’ll dry soon.”

Madlen took off her wet clothes and swiftly pulled on the dry ones. She didn’t feel comfortable exposing herself to a stranger.

“Where are you going?”

“I don’t know exactly. In the direction of the Rhine.”

“Why the Rhine?”

“I have relatives there. But here”—Madlen swallowed hard—“I have no one.”

“Why not? Is your husband dead?”

“Not my husband,” Madlen corrected. “My father. I lived with him until a couple of days ago,” she lied, feeling guilty. In reality, she wanted to wring her father’s neck.

“So where do you come from?”

“Speyer,” Madlen spit out quickly; it was the first city that came to mind.

“A truly noble city,” Hedwig said appreciatively. “But then you’ve been on the road for days. Did you sleep outside the whole time?”

“No, just one night. Other than that, I always had shelter.”

Madlen’s blood spiked from hot to cold. This Hedwig asked many questions. Madlen had to be careful with her answers. After all, it was still possible that the sheriff had sent men after her. Revealing too much, even to an old lady, could be her undoing. But it was as if Hedwig could read her mind.

“Oh, forgive my questions. I just don’t have visitors often.”

For a moment, Madlen felt sorry for the old woman. She seemed lonely. But Madlen still had to keep up her guard. “I know how you feel,” she said sympathetically. “I was often alone even when my father was still alive. I enjoy chatting with you, my lady.”

“Hedwig,” she corrected.

“Hedwig. Right.”

Hedwig seemed happy. A smile scurried across her face as she filled a bowl with soup and put it on the table. “Here. This will do you good. Enjoy.”

The two women talked for several hours. Hedwig told Madlen that she had been a farmer’s wife, living just a short distance away until her husband was killed by someone in a dispute. After that, the feudal lord refused her the right to continue cultivating the land. They took away her farmhouse as well as all her fields. She had to sell her oxen and her cow just to survive for a little while.

Finally, she found a job with a butcher’s wife, helping her in the house and also assisting the butcher. As she explained to Madlen, she seemed to have done all right with this work, and sometimes she was even rewarded with a pot of lard to take home.

Madlen hung onto Hedwig’s every word. What a woman! After her husband’s death, she didn’t compromise her dignity and sell herself in a brothel, as Madlen had so often seen in these cases. She refused to become despondent over the obvious injustice meted out to her by the feudal lord. Rather, she’d looked to the future and made the best of a terrible situation. Her stories gave Madlen hope. She wanted to do the same thing. She pumped Hedwig for advice without hinting at the real truth behind her own situation. She admitted only that she was focused on being a healer. Hedwig seemed skeptical. The profession wasn’t considered proper for a woman. She advised Madlen to find some other way to make a living if her relatives on the Rhine could not support her.

“Don’t rely on a man. Even though he may be the best match for you in the entire world, believe me, at some point you’ll regret it.”

“My father wanted me to marry shortly before he died. I would have been taken care of then.”

“For a little while, yes. Thank God that you chose another path. Now you will learn to take care of yourself. There is no greater gift.”

“So you wouldn’t consent to another marriage?”

Hedwig looked down. “If someone came along who was blind enough to take me as I am, I would probably agree. But give up my work? Never. I wouldn’t share my money either, even if he beat me.”

Madlen gazed at her. “I wish I was as strong-willed.”

“You can be, believe me. The Lord has given that to you. Just ask him; he’ll show you what you’re capable of if you want it bad enough.”

“I should ask God?” Madlen looked at the old woman in amazement. She never would have thought that this simple woman had such steadfast faith.

Hedwig laughed and shook her head. “But of course. With the Lord on your side, you are always stronger than your opponents.” She stood up from the table. “Now lie down and rest. If you leave early tomorrow morning, you’ll reach the Rhine before nightfall. And Maria?”

“Yes.” Madlen looked expectantly at Hedwig.

“Do it right now. Lie back and say a silent prayer to God. He will wake you up early in the morning, and you will feel the power he graced you with overnight.”

Madlen didn’t quite know what to think, but she gratefully accepted the invitation to grab the blanket and lie down in a warm bed. She briefly touched her chest to make sure that the money pouch was still around her neck. It gave her a sense of security to hold onto the little pouch. She thought about the right psalm to recite. Which prayer would please God and help her on her journey? She didn’t know. Words, phrases, and songs passed through her mind, though none seemed to fit. She pondered long and hard, and without realizing it, she prayed silently. Then she prayed some more. She laid all her fears and worries in God’s hands until she finally fell asleep.

In the morning when she awoke, she felt rested, strong, and yes, fearless. How was this possible? Had God really heard her prayers and sent help to her as she slept? Or was it Hedwig’s firm conviction that led her to believe that this was God’s merciful assistance? She couldn’t tell. But she knew that she would never forget this feeling and was deeply grateful for Hedwig’s advice. Yes, she did believe that God gave her courage and strength. God was on her side; she felt it with every fiber of her body. She couldn’t feel any happier than she felt right now.