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“As far as Glory is concerned, I wrote to one of my sisters to see if she could take her in.”
“She would do that?”
“I believe so. Mary Beth has been married for more than ten years and has only one child, a boy, who is eight years. Thomas is the light of her life, but she’s always wanted at least one more child. I believe she would jump at the chance to raise Glory.”
“That seems like a perfect solution. Where does she live?”
“Her husband owns equestrian property in Staffordshire. He buys, trains, and sells horses. He is a baron and holds some prestige in the area. Mary Beth is a wonderful mother, and I believe she has a tutor who comes to the house for Thomas.”
“Do you think Glory will have a hard time adjusting to leaving here?”
“No. Not at all. Don’t forget the poor girl came to us from the streets. As long as I assure her that she will be safe and well-taken care of by my sister I’m sure she will be happy to go.”
“Dr. Stevens, a man is at the door with a woman who has been shot. They don’t want to take her as far as the hospital.”
“Oh, goodness, yes, have them bring her in.”
Two men carried in an older woman, the loose clothes on her body evident that she had been larger at one time. Blood dripped on the floor in a trail from the doorway to the table Rayne had them place her on.
Rayne bent over the woman and spoke over her shoulder to the man who brought her in. “Did you witness the shooting?”
“Yes, ma’am.” The other man stepped forward. “The woman was walking along Avon Street when a carriage stopped alongside her. A man got out and pointed a gun at her. She yelled for help and ran, but before anyone could do anything, the man shot her in the back, then jumped back into the carriage and it sped away.”
“How terrible for the poor woman,” Rayne said. She looked over her shoulder at the man. “Can you help me turn her?”
Edwin had also moved to her side, so with the two men and Rayne, they managed to get the patient turned onto her stomach.
Whoever shot the woman had done so at close range since the wound was larger than Rayne expected. “Miss Kincaid, please gather some things for me to clean the injury and then sew it up.”
Without hesitation, the nursing assistant moved around the infirmary, placing cloths, sewing implements, tweezers, bandages, and salves into a clean pan, and then brought them to Rayne. She reached up to the shelf over the sink and pulled down another pan and headed to the kitchen, no doubt to fill it with the boiling water Mrs. Foster always kept handy for tea and emergencies.
The two men shuffled their feet, obviously uncomfortable now they’d done their Christian duty and brought the woman to a doctor. Rayne turned from the woman. “Thank you very much for bringing her in.”
They both nodded and quickly took their leave.
Once Miss Kincaid returned to the infirmary, she said, “We must get her dress off.” Luckily, the dress buttoned down the back, so they were able to remove it and push it down to her hip, along with her chemise and stays.
It was an ugly wound and Rayne feared it might affect the woman’s legs, since it was at the bottom of her spine. A bit of prodding told her the bullet was still in her back. She would do her best to remove the bullet, stop the bleeding, clean out the wound from particles from her clothing, and then sew her up. Whether this would affect the woman’s ability to walk was yet to be seen.
Once she completed her examination, the woman groaned and opened her eyes. She looked around, the pain she suffered evident on her face. “Where am I?”
Rayne squatted so she could look in the woman’s eyes. “I am Dr. Stevens, and you are in my infirmary. You were brought in with a bullet wound to your back. Do you remember being shot?”
“Yes.” She closed her eyes and a lone tear leaked down her cheek. “I remember, and I know who did it.”
“Do you want us to summon the police?”
It took a minute for the woman to answer, almost as if she were wrestling with the answer and not sure what to do. “No.”
Rayne leaned back on her heels and glanced up at Edwin who studied the patient, also. Although quite odd to not want the authorities involved, Rayne did not pursue it. Perhaps in a day or so she would change her mind. “What is your name? Do you have family I should contact?”
The woman began to shake her head, then stopped. Most likely any movement caused additional pain. “No family.” She hesitated for a moment, then said, “My name is Mrs. O’Leary.”
Mrs. O’Leary. Why did that name sound familiar?
Chapter 15
Edwin and Rayne looked at each other and said at the same time, “Lizbeth!”
