patients to let him try the unconventional methods of treatment? He’d explained, urged, cajoled and plain out begged, and still they clung to the old beliefs.
Thad jumped to his feet as someone thudded a fist against his front door.
“Doc? Open the door, Doc!” The slurred words were accompanied by more thudding. Thad pulled his watch from his pocket. They were starting early tonight. He flipped the rug in his small entrance back out of harm’s way and opened the door.
“Ya gotta help me mate, Doc. He got stuck.”
A tall, thin sailor stood on the stoop squinting at Thad through the blood streaming from a jagged cut over his right eye. He was supporting a burly man nearly twice his size by holding the man’s beefy arm across his shoulders. The bloodstain on the wounded man’s shirt was spreading.
“Bring him in.” Thad motioned for the sailor to follow, walked into his office and stepped over to the table he’d cleaned earlier. “Put him here.”
The sailor propped his semiconscious mate between himself and the table, then bent and hefted him up by placing his arms around the man’s knees.
“Ugh!” The wounded sailor’s eyes opened. He grabbed Thad’s arm and gave him a bleary-eyed glare. “Need a drink.”
Alcohol! Thad’s pulse picked up speed. “You need a good dose of common sense. Release my arm or you’ll get no help from me.” He waited till the drunken sailor complied, then lifted the blood-soaked shirt and stared at the deep slit just below the man’s rib cage. He frowned, picked up the two lengths of rope draped over a nearby chair and tossed them to the seaman standing on the other side of the table.
“Tie his hands together under the table and bind his feet to the legs.” Heart racing, Thad pulled the whiskey he used to help deaden pain from his doctor’s bag, splashed some into a small bowl, then pulled a coil of suturing thread from his bag and dropped it into the bowl. A needle followed. He glanced at the sailor trussing his mate like a slain deer. “Tie him snug, mind you. If he moves he could do himself serious harm.”
“Ain’t gonna move. Been sewed up before.” The sailor muttered the words without opening his eyes.
“It’s not the sewing. I’m going to apply whiskey to your wound. Are you ready?” Thad positioned the bottle over the wound.
“No.” The sailor opened one eye. ’S a waste o’ whiskey, Doc. Lemme drink it ’stead. Arrrgh!” The seaman’s body went rigid as the whiskey hit the raw flesh. His head slumped to one side.
Thad stared down at the unconscious man. Seamen were a tough lot. Whiskey poured into a wound must hurt more than he thought it would. It was something to remember. He filed the knowledge away and picked up the needle. There was a thumping at the door. He glanced over at the sailor slumped on the settle against the wall. “Open the door, please, before they break it down.”
Thad glanced up from his sewing as the sailor returned with two other seamen in tow. One of them had a broken arm dangling uselessly at his side, and the other had a deep gash on his face and was missing part of an ear. He frowned and went back to his stitching. It was going to be a long and profitable night.
“Well, tomorrow you move into your new home, Laina.” Justin glanced over, met his sister’s gaze and smiled. “And tomorrow night you can walk in your own gardens.”
“Yes.” Alone. Laina blocked the thought from her mind and returned his smile. “And soon after, I shall have a wonderful party in those gardens. Elizabeth is helping me with the invitation list, and Madame Duval is making me a beautiful gown for the occasion.” She stepped close, threaded her hand through his arm and looked up at him. “You will be very proud of me. It will be my first effort to take Abigail’s place as hostess extraordinaire of Philadelphia society.”
“Well, don’t take on her astringent personality. You are enough of a challenge to me as you are.”
Laina laughed and squeezed his arm. “Surely you’re not calling me difficult?”
Justin grinned down at her. “There is no safe answer to that question. I shall ignore it.” She wrinkled her nose at him. He laughed and patted her hand. “I have good news.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“I had a letter from Judge today. Your house in New York has sold. You received an excellent price for it.” He guided her to the left. “Since you’ve no immediate need of it, if you wish, I will invest the money for you.”
Laina nodded. “I think that is wise. Do you have an investment in mind?”
“No. There are several to consider before making a final decision.”
“I see.” She tipped her head back and looked up at him. “Would the new waterworks be one of them? I am so favorably impressed with the running water in the kitchen and dressing rooms at Twiggs Manor. Surely others would be as taken with the idea.” She frowned as Justin chuckled. “You find my thoughts amusing?”
He quieted and looked down at her. “No, indeed. I find them impressive. Very impressive. I didn’t know my older sister had such an astute business instinct.”
Laina stopped walking and studied his face. “Truly?”
“Yes, truly.” Justin started walking again. “One of my basic requirements for a good investment is that the product or service be one that people either need or want. The waterworks is both.”
“I see.” She gave him a saucy smile. “Let’s keep my business instincts a secret, shall we? I don’t want anything to tarnish my society-leader image. But I do want the money invested in the waterworks. And equal portions of it in the new railroad company and the new freight line I’ve heard you speak of.”
“Again, very wise investments. Expansion to the west is increasing in leaps and bounds.” Justin laughed and shook his head as they climbed the steps to the back porch. “You amaze me, Laina. It shall be as you wish. I am yours to command.”
“Thank you, dearheart. You take good care of me.”
He shot her a sidelong look. “I thought so, but now I’m not so certain.”
Laina gave him a pat on his cheek and walked through the door he held open for her.
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