Shadow of Deceit (Shadow #2) (8 page)

Billy returned with the doctor.  He introduced himself as, Doctor Hall.  He asked Billy to leave so he could examine Julia.  Billy left and let Lydia know her condition, since she waited patiently in the hall.

The doctor felt her head, looked into her eyes, ears and mouth.  He took her pulse and listened to her heart.  “How do you feel?”

“My head hurts.  It hurts to even talk, and the light hurts my head,” she answered.

“What do you remember about last night?”

“It’s scary, Doctor, because I don’t remember last night.  And Billy said my mother had died, and Billy is at least five or six years older than when I saw him last, and I have no idea who Lydia is.”

“Doctor, what is wrong with me?” Julia asked.

“I think you have a mild case of amnesia,” he said checking her pulse again. 

“Amnesia!  Oh no!” she cried.  “Can you fix that?”

“No, I can’t,” he said, “but you might be able to help by trying to remember after the pain in your head lessens.  The memory loss is more than likely temporary.  We’ll have to see.  In the meantime, don’t stress over it.  That will only make it worse.”

“I feel panicky, like there is something I need to do, but I don’t know what it is,” Julia said.  “This whole experience is beyond frightening.  I feel as though I’m back in our cabin in Hays, but everyone else is gone, or older.  And to hear my beloved mother had died… I feel grief-stricken.”

“How old do you think Billy should be?” the doctor asked.

“He was twelve when I went to bed last night.”

“Excuse me a moment,” the doctor left the room and came back a few minutes later. 

“Your brother is now seventeen, almost eighteen.  That tells me that you’ve only lost the memory of the last five or six years.  It’s a more promising sign than being totally unable to remember
anything
.  I think you’ll recover,” he pulled the sheet up to her chin and said, “Just rest.  The memory will slowly return.  It seems the part of your brain that holds recent memory was injured.  In most cases it eventually returns.”

“I just know there is something urgent that I have to do,” she said.

“Relax, Julia.  It’s probably something from years ago, and whatever it is, I’m sure it’s already been resolved.”  The doctor stood.  “I’ll be back in a few days.”

Martha settled in with the Armstrong’s.  Caleb went on with his life as usual. He worked days in the lumber mill, went to church on Sunday, and spent his nights in the craft building.

Caleb didn’t see Martha again until he ran into her at church on Sunday.  She sat with his father and Phoebe.  He introduced her to Jonas, Ivy and little Zoe.   Then, probably out of curiosity, Peggy and Quinn Iverson came over expecting an introduction, and Caleb obliged.  Peggy immediately invited Martha shopping, Quinn invited her to the barn dance at the Smith’s Saturday night, so Caleb now felt relieved that it was no longer his duty to escort and entertain her. 

As the Armstrong’s were crossing the side yard of the church to the their buggy, the Jeffries family hailed them.  Caleb performed the introductions, and he purposely watched Violet’s face when she heard the name of their guest. 

She gave him a look that could only be described as an “are you kidding me?” look.

Violet waved her family on, and told them she would catch up to them later.  Today’s Sunday dinner was at the Armstrong’s, and she told them she would meet them there.  After both carriages had trotted away, she turned to Caleb.

“What?  How can that be?  We just wrote to her a few days ago?”

Caleb gave her a knowing smile.  “May I escort you to my chariot?”

He helped her onto his buggy, jumped up himself and then sat and smiled like the cat who just swallowed a mouse.

“Come on, Caleb.  What happened?  I’m dying to know.”

“You would not believe the afternoon I had after you left the other day.”

“I might if you’d ever tell me,” Violet sounded so impatient that Caleb decided to put her out of her misery.

“First, Miles came crying about his lost love and what could he do—I had no advice for him. After he left, I had another visitor, Martha.  Here’s her story.” He proceeded to explain the whole story.

After he’d finished he saw contemplation on Violet’s face.  “Well, what do you think now that you know the story?”

“I think it’s miraculous.  Could it be God’s doing?”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because she just happened to choose your envelope to use to write down information, and that was the only reason she had your address with her.  The poor woman.  What do you think of her?” Violet asked.

“I really don’t think anything.  She’s a nice woman, but I don’t feel any inner urgings to get to know her better as I did with Julia.  But, in her favor, she didn’t seem put off by my limp.”

“Well, I do believe she’s the answer to someone’s prayers,” she said.

“It might be in answer to Iverson prayers, then.  Peggy’s been missing Ivy since Ivy’s marriage, and she already is taking Martha shopping.  Quinn and Mary Beth broke up two months ago, and Quinn has asked her to the Smith’s barn dance.”

“She’s sure to stay in town, then.  Don’t you think you should ask her for an outing of some type?  Out of courtesy, mind you,” she added.

“I suppose I should.  Maybe after dinner today I’ll take her for a ride and show her the area,”

“That’s a marvelous idea,” she said.

Caleb picked up the reins and was about to get the buggy moving when Violet grabbed his arm.  “Wait!” she cried. “I received a letter from Miles pouring out his heart.  I’m confused. Will you read it and give me some advice?”

She handed him the letter.  He opened it, read it, and then he folded it and gave it back to her.

“I think you should at least talk to him,” he said.  “Start with friendship and see where it goes,” he said.  “He is definitely sincere, because he told me much the same.  The young man is really smitten, but I wondered if he was good enough for you.  I still don’t know the answer to that.  I guess only you can be the judge.  God forgives us, so at least hear him out.

“He said in the letter that his brother’s life was endangered, and that is true to what his sister told me,” Caleb said.  “So I believe him.  That would be enough to tempt many people.  You have siblings, what would you have done?”

Violet moved closer and gave him a hug.  “Thank you, Caleb.”

Lydia, Geoffrey and little Edward sat on the front porch with Julia, sipping lemonade.  It was midsummer, and hot.  Lydia and Julia fanned themselves. 

“I think I remembered something this morning,” Julia said. 

All eyes turned to her.  “A vision flashed before my eyes right after I awoke.  I saw you, Lydia, in the parlor of my cottage in Hays. You were standing by the door with a cake in your hand.  You were dressed in a pink dress, with a white bonnet.”

“Really?” Lydia said.  “That’s got to be a memory because I do own a pink dress, and being one of my favorites, wear it often.”

“Focus on that memory,” Geoffrey said.  “More are bound to start popping up.”

“I hope so because I still have this nagging feeling that I’m supposed to be acting on something important,” Julia said.

“Lydia, when I arrived did I say what my plans were after I helped Billy?”

“You said as soon as his shoulder was healed you were taking him with you back to Abilene.  You were both going to live with Miles,” she said.

“That doesn’t sound too urgent.  Maybe this feeling is just an aftershock from the fall,” she said.  “I did find the tickets in my reticule.”

“Do you remember Abilene, and staying with Miles at all?” Geoffrey asked.

“No, at least I don’t think so.  Sometimes a memory starts to come through and then vanishes.  I thought I saw Miles and a shadowy figure I couldn’t recognize.  It’s just flashes and as soon as I try to focus on it, it’s gone.”  Julia rubbed her temples.  “I do so want to remember.”

Geoffrey stood. “I’m going for more lemonade, who else wants some?”

“I’ve had enough,” Lydia said.

“Me too,” Julia said.

Geoffrey limped to the door. 

“Stop!” Julia called, but he’d already gone into the house.

“What is it, Julia?” Lydia asked, as she rocked little Edward.

“Why is Geoffrey limping?” Julia asked.  She trembled without knowing why.

“He fell off his new steam tractor.  He hit a rock and bruised the calf of his right leg pretty good, but he’ll be fine.  Why does that upset you so?”

“I don’t know,” Julia said. She rubbed her temples.  “I had a sudden flash when I saw him limp. It disappeared fast.  But at the same time my heart suddenly beat faster.”

“Does Miles limp or get hurt recently?” Lydia asked.

“No. Not that I know of,” Julia said.  “I’m suddenly feeling a bit queasy, I’m going to lie down.”

Every time Julia watched Geoffrey limp, an empty, sad feeling ran throughout her whole body, and didn’t know why.  Not knowing made her ill.  Each time she saw Geoffrey walk she had to lie down.

Lydia came into her room and sat beside the bed.  “Julia, are you awake?”

“Yes.  I’m just resting.”

“You saw Geoffrey limping again?”

Julia nodded.

“I have an idea.  Let’s take a ride to Hays.  We’ll visit your old cottage. Maybe it will help you remember,” she said.

“That’s a good idea,” Julia said.  “I
have
to remember.  I don’t know why Geoffrey’s limp does this to me, but it gives me mixed messages.  It’s like a wonderful memory that I am missing because I can’t remember.  The way my heart throbs, and then when I can’t recall, I get an ill feeling and then a feeling of doom.”

“Let’s go, Geoffrey is harnessing the buggy,” Lydia said, patting her shoulder.  “I want you to remember too.  I hate seeing you like this.”

When they arrived in Hays, Julia looked around the town, but nothing seemed to jar her memory.  They continued to the cottage she’d shared with her mother and brothers.  When they drove up they noticed that the house stood empty.  In fact, it looked worse now than it had when she’d left.  No one had cared for it. The yard was overgrown, windows were broken and the roof had a huge hole in it.

“It looks as if the landlord couldn’t find a new tenant for this place, and he was too cheap to fix it up,” Julia said.  “Let’s go inside.”

“Do you remember the landlord?” Lydia asked.

“I remember him, it was Harry Godwin.  He wouldn’t ever fix anything when we asked,” Julia said.  “Poor mother had to hang canvas over the broken window and Miles tarred the roof several times.”

“They announced in church about six weeks ago that Mr. Godwin died,” Lydia said as she stepped from the buggy.

“He was only in his fifties,” Julia said, stepping to the ground.

“No, he was sixty when he died,” Lydia said.  “I spoke to his daughter.”

They entered the house.  Julia walked from room to room.  “I feel something.  It isn’t so much memory as a feeling nostalgia, because I do remember this house, my mother, and two little brothers.”

“Keep walking around,” Lydia said.

“All right, let me try,” she said.   She walked into one of the bedrooms.  “This was Mama’s room.  I do remember her in bed…it could be a memory.”

“Do you remember her passing?” 

“I don’t think so.”

Julia continued walking through the house. 

“Did your mother limp?” Lydia asked.

“No,” Julia answered.  “She was bedridden much of the time after Billy was born, on and off.  She never fully recovered, and then with my father taking off—well she went to pieces.” Julia walked through each room but kept becoming drawn to her mother’s room for some reason.

Julia walked back into her mother’s room.  She touched the wall. “Her bed was here.”  Julia rubbed her forehead.  “I see her!  She is lying there, dead.”  I feel the grief all over again.”

“So you remember now that your mother is gone?”

“Yes. And I remember the funeral.” 

“Try to picture your brothers.”

“I see them standing by the grave.  Miles has his arm around Billy,” Julia swiped at a few tears.  “Billy is weeping.  I run to them and we all hug.  I remember that.”

“Good… keep remembering” Lydia said.

“That’s all I remember.”

They walked back outside and Julia looked back at the house as she approached the buggy. “I slightly remember moving out, and crying to leave this place.  I came to your house, didn’t I?” 

“Yes.” Lydia said, “And Billy too, but Miles went to Abilene with Michael Green, whose uncle left him a farm or something there.” 

“I cried when I saw Miles off at the train station,” Julia said.  “I’m remembering some things.”

“Try not to strain yourself.  You can try remembering more later,” Lydia said. 

They climbed back into the buggy and headed for Victoria.  As they rode down the main road through Hays, a man looked up at them from in front of a saloon.   Julia gasped.

“Lydia, do we know that man?”

“Good heavens, no,” she said.  “Why? Do you?”

“I don’t think so, but when he looked at me I got the chills.”

“Well, he is sort of scary looking with that beard and mustache.”

“The way he looked at me, did you notice?” Julia asked.

“Yes. I wonder if he is one of the men you paid off for Billy,” Lydia said.

“Oh, maybe.  He might have recognized me.  He isn’t following is he?”

“No.  Thank goodness.”