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“All by herself.” A widening of the blue eyes.
“Oh, yes. She admitted that she had to consult Gabe’s notes, and she was very nervous about what she was doing. But apparently it was a successful procedure.”
“Procedure?” Curious, yet unsure just how many medical details she might want to hear, Hannah tilted her head. “What did she have to do?”
Camellia gave a little shiver. “Something I couldn’t imagine anyone doing, let alone Letitia. Two young brothers were tussling with each other at the barber shop, while their father was getting spruced up, and fell right through the window.”
“My heavens!”
“Exactly. The younger boy wasn’t really hurt, other than a few bumps and bruises, but the older boy, who actually fell first, had to have shards of broken glass removed from various parts of his body.”
Just imagining the consequences, and how to deal with them, had Hannah mimicking the shiver. “No wonder Letty was nervous.”
“And who could blame her? But she got everything taken care of, stopped the bleeding, disinfected until, she claimed, the room positively reeked of carbolic acid, and then bandaged where necessary.”
“The father must have been greatly relieved. And I’m sure Gabe will be feeling quite proud of her, once he returns.”
“No doubt. Oh, Hannah, must you leave already?” For her sister had risen, gathering their tea things together for a trip to the kitchen. “It seems you only just arrived.”
Hannah chuckled. “Cam, I’ve been here a solid two hours. And I’ve loved visiting, but it’s getting on toward dark, and I really should stop in at the Gazette to see what Mr. Crane might have for me.” She sighed dramatically. “Oh, it’s a hard life, being a newspaperwoman at the beck and call of her demanding editor.”
“Hen.” Camellia unearthed herself from various coverings and pillows to reach out for an embrace. “You sounded exactly like Gabe just then.”
“Did I?” She was startled. “Unintentional, I assure you. Some of his doggerel must have rubbed off onto me, without my knowing it. All right, sister dear, I’ll leave our cups for Ben to wash. That’ll larn him to leave you alone for so long.”
“Thanks for coming by, hon. Oh, and Hannah? Please let me keep one more cookie.”
“You can have the entire box of cookies.”
“Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome.”
Chapter Twelve
1871 JANUARY 28
My dear Miss Burton,
Please accept my humble apologies for this lengthy delay in answering your
lovely letter. Circumstances beyond my control have prevented me from
attending to personal elements right now, and I certainly hope this has caused
you no distress of mind.
You rightfully have questions that ought to be and must be answered. One is
possibly about my appearance. Let me reassure you that, should I happen to
be taking my leisure upon a city sidewalk, neither children nor adults will ever
run screaming from my presence. Perhaps that fact will put your mind at rest
as to the physical side of my character.
Also, while I can understand and appreciate your affinity for your current
