Celestial Springs

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

1846

The baby was beginning to fuss just a bit. He was still his sweet little self, but today had been a hard day for both of them. It was one of those dreary days that made Maryland resemble Maine, and she could barely even stand to look out the window. The wind was whipping about, stirring up the surf, agitating the few seagulls that dared to traverse such blustery skies, and so the baby seemed to have caught some of the disagreement in the air. She was holding him, rocking him, shushing him, and didn’t hear the woman behind her until she’d called that name—Mrs. Edwards—a few times.

“What is it?” she asked, turning to look at the scowling face behind her at last.

“I spoke your name four times,” she chirped. “Are you finished eating?”

Normally, she would have attempted to keep things civil at all costs, but how someone in service could be so rude at a time like this, when the baby was crying so, made her a bit cross. “I beg your pardon,” she began, “but can’t you see the baby isn’t well? I don’t know why you insist on calling me that anyway. It isn’t even my name.”

The woman huffed and puckered her lips. “It is your name, madam,” she replied, sternly. “As you know, we are not allowed to call you anything other than Mrs. Edwards or madam. Otherwise,” she lowered her voice, “he gets very angry.”

The eyes staring back at her were deep ink wells, and she didn’t dare to argue. “Well, I shan’t answer directly when you call me by a title that isn’t my own,” she said dismissively. “And, yes, I’m finished. How could I possibly eat another bite with the baby fussing so?”

“I wouldn’t know about that,” she shot back, picking up the plate and replacing it with the medicine. “That is for you. I suggest you take it.”

She looked at the medication for a moment, not trusting it. The baby let out another wail, grabbing her attention. “Oh, will you try holding him for just a moment?” she asked, offering her child to the other woman. “Maybe you can quiet him.”

“I will do no such thing!” the woman said, turning. “I will take your plate and empty the pot, and by then, you better have taken your medication.”

“You don’t have to be so difficult, Scarlet!” she yelled over her shoulder as the woman walked quickly towards the door.

She stopped in her tracks, and turning back to face the woman in the chair by the window, she enunciated, “My. Name. Is. Not. Scarlet!”

A look of confusion crossed her pretty, worn, face. “Whatever do you mean?” she asked, a lilt in her voice. “Of course, it is.”

“No, it isn’t. My name is Joanna. The other girl, the one with the dark brown hair—her name is Hazel. No one here is named Scarlet,” she explained, a bit of the sharpness gone from her words.

She settled down into the chair, turning back towards the window. “But… where is Scarlet then?” she asked, confused. Scarlet had been here earlier today. She was sure of it.

“I don’t know Mrs.—madam,” she said, catching herself, a rare moment of mild kindness showing through. “But please try to remember. My name is Joanna.”

“Right. Joanna. Of course,” she mumbled. The baby was still now, and she lay him back down in his cradle next to her. She heard the door close behind her and eyed the medicine. Was it helping her, or was it making it worse? Perhaps, rather than taking it, she should hide it—or throw it out the window. But no, she could do neither of those things. She had gotten in trouble once before when she hadn’t taken her medicine. The alternative was far, far worse. With a shudder and a sigh, she picked up the cup, swallowed it down, and took a sip of water.

She didn’t hear the door open, but she did hear a voice beside her. “Oh, good. You took your medicine. Will there be anything else?”

“No, thank you, Scarlet. I’m fine,” she replied.

Joanna let out a deep sigh, and shaking her head, she exited the room, shutting the door behind her.

With the click of the latch, the baby began to cry again. The young mother reached down, took him in her arms, and began to rock.