The Secret Healer(41)
Madlen smiled. Her hands—in fact, her entire body—had never been this clean, even after scrubbing with soapy brushes before treating a pregnant woman. Everything here at Agathe’s seemed so foreign. If she had told her relative the real reason for her sudden appearance, she might have forfeited all of this in a blink of an eye. Agathe had received her with a cordiality that she could barely comprehend. She wanted to tell her the truth, even if Agathe decided to throw her back out onto the street.
She told her every detail of what had taken place in Heidelberg, taking small sips of spiced wine and letting it slip down her throat. She started from the terrible moment when Clara burned to death to a few days later when Barbara stood at her door begging for help. She also didn’t exclude the prearranged marriage to Heinfried. Agathe didn’t speak; she nodded every now and again and from time to time asked a question to make sure she understood her niece exactly. Finally, Madlen ended up telling her about how Andreas, Kilian, and Irma had distracted the guards at the Neckar River bridge so she could escape from Heidelberg.
“Does Jerg know that you’re here?”
Madlen gulped. She shook her head slowly.
“And Kilian? Do you think that he’ll tell your father?”
“No. Jerg lost a large sum of money because my marriage to Heinfried came to naught. He would probably want to see me hanging from the gallows himself. Kilian knows that. He would never say anything.”
“Then you have nothing to fear.” Agathe leaned toward Madlen and took her arm.
“Does this mean that I can stay for the time being?”
“As long as you want. From the bottom of my heart, I am so happy that you’re here. I’ll tell Roswitha that you’re the daughter of a close friend. Though I trust her, the fewer people that know the truth, the better.”
Madlen nodded.
“Let’s continue to call you Maria. And where do we want to say you’re from?”
“Speyer?” Madlen suggested. “That’s what I told Hedwig.”
“Speyer,” Agathe repeated. “Yes. Maria from Speyer, welcome to your new home.”
Chapter Thirteen
As the days went by, Madlen felt as though she’d never lived anywhere else. She’d never felt so happy and secure. During her first two days, her aunt showed her every corner of Worms; she familiarized Madlen with the peculiarities of the Jewish Quarter and introduced her to her business colleagues. Madlen knew that Agathe had worked many years as a seamstress and she asked many questions about her sewing skills. Agathe did not live on what she’d inherited after Reinhard’s death. She’d built up her dressmaking business and made a small fortune. Her aunt was famous in Worms and beloved by all; everyone seemed to have a friendly word for her. Madlen was taken in with similar heartfelt warmth as Agathe introduced her as the daughter of a friend. She often mentioned that she herself had always wanted a daughter. Madlen didn’t dare ask why Agathe and Reinhard had never had children. She had no desire to open up old and probably still tender wounds. When Madlen told her aunt on the first night how she had helped Clara with her midwifery work, Madlen thought that she noticed a bit of sadness in Agathe’s eyes. Now that she was being introduced as the daughter Agathe never had, Madlen realized how much her aunt’s unfulfilled dreams of having her own brood must have hurt.
“Will you show me how to sew dresses?” The women strolled side by side along the open stalls of the marketplace.
“You want to learn how to sew?”
“The women who wear your dresses seem so happy. It’s a wonderful profession.”
“Well, being a healer, from what you’ve told me, seems to be much more important.”
Madlen waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, what do I really know about healing?”
Agathe hooked her arm in Madlen’s, swinging her wicker basket in the other. “Certainly, nobody would have asked for your help if you didn’t know what you were doing.”
“I couldn’t save that baby,” Madlen said sadly.
“Even the best healer in the world can’t bring the dead back to life.” Agathe sighed. “But you were successful in saving the mother’s life.” She raised her hand when she realized that Madlen was going to object. “Even though it ended badly because that coward murdered her, you should still be proud that you helped her.”
“Thank you. It does me good to hear you say that.” Madlen stopped. “I’ve often wondered why all this happened to me. Please believe me, I only ever wanted to help.”
Agathe looked at her sympathetically. “I would advise you not to ask yourself such questions. You’ll never really find an answer.”