Otilia shoved past Agathe and went directly to Madlen. As soon as she reached her, she fell to her knees and grabbed Madlen’s hand. “Please, Maria, if that’s your name, please help me. It’s my daughter. She has the cough. You have to help her.” She stayed on her knees and twisted toward Agathe. “Please, Agathe, I’m begging you. We’ve known each other for so long. You know that my Reni is a good girl. She’s never hurt anybody. And now she’s sick, so sick.” She turned again to Madlen. “Please, help me. I’ll give you everything that I have.”
Madlen was embarrassed to see this strange woman kneel in front of her. What should she do?
“Please, Otilia. Get up.” Agathe helped the visitor stand. Only with another nudge did she let go of Madlen’s hands. “Come, Otilia. Please sit down and tell us what’s happening.”
“Please,” she pleaded again. “There’s no time. She’s going to die, Agathe. My Reni is going to die.”
Agathe struggled to keep her composure. “How did you hear that we could help you?”
“Mechthild. She said that her brother also had the cough. And now he’s healed.” She pointed at Madlen. “She healed him.”
Madlen didn’t know what to say, staring at her aunt helplessly.
“She’s not a healer, Otilia. She . . .” She was at a loss for words.
“Please, Agathe,” Otilia begged. “What have I done to you? Why would you let my Reni die?”
Agathe made up her mind. “Does anybody know about this?”
“No, only me.” Otilia looked beseechingly between the two women. “Now I understand. You’re afraid. You’re afraid because the doctor can’t help but she can.” Otilia pointed at Madlen again. “You’re afraid of the consequences if somebody accuses her of miracle healing.”
“There’s no such thing as miracle healing,” Madlen clarified. “It’s the herbs, just the herbs, nothing more.”
“Then will you help her?” Otilia’s voice sounded hopeful. “I promise you, I swear that I’ll tell no one. I’d rather die. I beg you. Please help my Reni. She’s all that I have.”
A quick glance between Agathe and Madlen was enough. “I’ll go fetch my herbs,” Madlen said. “I need frankincense, though. Send your maid to Mechthild’s brother. Roswitha will be there. She can bring the rest of the herbs; they should help.”
Otilia nodded. “I thank you so much!”
“I don’t know whether I can save your daughter,” Madlen said, trying to prepare her for the worst. “But I’ll do everything I can.”
Otilia’s eyes welled up with tears again. Agathe went to her chest and took out her cloak. “I’ll come with you. Two sets of helping hands are better than one.”
Neither Madlen nor Agathe could say how the news spread through all of Worms. But wherever a cough occurred, cries were raised on high for the healer. Although no one knew where she came from, who she was, or where she lived, someone knew someone else who could contact the mysterious woman. Madlen never got more than a few hours of sleep, and Agathe tried to throw them off track with false addresses. Madlen couldn’t save all the sick people, there were just too many. And she had to be careful not to reveal her identity; she didn’t want to risk being discovered. Agathe had heard rumors that a physician paid two men to discover the healer’s identity. So far, Agathe could rely on the secrecy of those Madlen had saved. For her own protection, Madlen began to wear a mask when she visited the sick. Not only did it keep her from getting infected—though she seemed to be immune—no one could see her face, thus protecting her from being recognized. Agathe even kept away completely, continuing to lead her life as normally as possible. She convinced Madlen, despite her heavy work schedule, to accompany her to the market or to customers to give the impression that she was nothing more than the daughter of Agathe’s good friend, who helped her produce fine dresses. But she didn’t delude herself. The rumors that there was a woman who could cure the cough that had plagued many towns and killed hundreds of people spread far beyond the borders of Worms. Time and again, people came with their patients in ox-drawn carts, seeking the healer, their last and only hope. The never-ending city wars and accompanying unrest kept the local governments from having enough time to take care of the problem. As soon as the Rhine alliance became victorious, independence would cause Worms, just like other Rhine cities, to finally answer to the king and gain freedom for the realm. There would be a city tour. Certainly, the top city leaders wouldn’t risk Worms’s reputation and endanger commercial transactions with rumors of an alleged healer. One way or another, powerful men would want to ensure that Madlen was snuffed out.