Page 12 of Earl of Excess
Matt, we are here with you.Evan’s voice again. Evan was persistent and loyal to a fault.
I miss my friends.
“Your aunt. Your grandmother,” he said, recalling that she had answered his questions with her own. “Whatkindof healers?”
“They practice as I have done for you. My Grandmère taught me. We are descendants of the French Acadians. My grandmother’s parents came down as children after they expelled the French from Canada. They farmed and traded with the native people and learned remedies. They passed all these things down through the family for generations. They use herbs.”
“Ah. They are herbalists. I am familiar with the term. We have similar at home and find them very helpful.” He knew the local herbalist in the village near his home helped the doctor with many of the illnesses.
“They use plants and herbs for good, for healing,” she said. “They are not feared. People ask them for help. The doctors believe in cutting, bleeding—harsh things. Grandmère believes that the earth has the power to heal itself. The cures are in nature. You only have to know where to look.”
“Perhaps they will help me,” he said resignedly. He questioned his ability to get past this blindness, and it frightened him. Would he get home?
“You are healing, Matthew. But yes, they may know something that can help your vision. They know far more than the little of which I am aware. My Grandmère taught me to extract certain things... the bullet, for instance. I watched her once or twice. That helped when I took out the ball.”
He could hear the pride in her voice. She had a genuineness about her.
“You believe heading south on the river is best? I confess I am not wont to get in a boat on the river, not being able to see,” he whispered, finally recognizing his fear. “I believe my fear is not being able to see.” Admitting it felt better. “I will be of limited use to you.”
“Can you swim?” she asked with a lilt to her voice.
“I can.” He answered. “I grasp where you are going here.”
“I swim as well. Swimming is instinctual, as my Grandmère calls it.”
“Yes, I quite agree. Your Grandmère is very clever. I look forward to meeting her,” he said, suddenly giving a slight smile. “You must be very much like her.” He found the edge of his bed and sat down, placing the cane near the head of it. He heard her take the chair and pull it away from the wall before getting comfortable.
“She has raised me. My mother died when I was much younger, and my father enlisted with the American army. He could not seem to stay put after Mother died. I have not seen him in years. I was lucky to have Grandmère.” Her voice was soft. “She is my best friend—she and Dandie, here.” The dog yipped at the mention of her name.
“Yes. You have an indoor dog. I rather like that. Our dogs were relegated to the stables. I always wanted one for myself. I learned to hunt, but never took up the sport.”
“We will be fishing for our meals,” she said. “There is much to recommend the food supply the Mississippi offers.”
“If you feel that we should move to the colony, I am in no position to disagree. However, I wish I knew more about this man that visited. Can you share more?”
“He said he was here at the bequest of a family to find a man who had been missing for a while. He gave me a place to go to ask after him, should I wish to talk further or have something to offer. You are the only missing person of which I am aware. And you went ‘missing’ this week.”
“Nothing else?” Something nagged at him.What is missing here?An ache started in the back of his head as he thought of it. Frustrated, he nodded his head in acceptance. “You are right. I have only been missing a few days. Better than dead,” he gave a dry chuckle. “Thank you for saving me. Both of you. I had not thanked you, yet. Life is much better than the alternative, in any form,” he acknowledged.
“It was that he said they had seen me taking you that makes me need to leave. I cannot in good conscience make you go. But if I stay and am found out for taking in a British soldier, I could face treason charges. I would want to avoid that,” she acknowledged.
“I understand.” He cleared his throat. “One thing we learn in the military is to pack light and pack tight. I will help you with anything I can. When do you feel we should leave?”
“I think before dawn. We should get an early meal and sleep. I will slip out when it is darker and bring the boat as close to the cabin as I can and hide it beneath the brush. My grandfather built a narrow room on the side of the cabin. You cannot tell a room is there. I will put our things there until it’s time to leave. He called it a safe room, although I did not appreciate it until right now. There is a small door hidden from outside view that will allow us to leave the cabin behind a wall of brush, to get away without being seen.”
“That sounds fascinating. And sensible. I have noticed a few things,” he offered. Matthew felt somehow better about circumstances. “My sense of smell is keener. Is that fish stew I am smelling?”
She swatted him lightly. “You rogue. Yes! It is more of a fish broth at this point. I had dried vegetables. I need to catch the fish. I thought a good meal would be paramount. We shall have bread and cheese. A full belly will do us all good.”
“And there is something else. That tea you make,” he said with a slight grin. “I remember its scent.”
“I had not realized there was one. That’s fascinating, Matthew.”
He laid his head down. “I apologize. But I have a slight headache from my burst of activity today,” he chuckled. “Will you be disappointed if I abandon your company and take a nap?”
“I insist on a nap. Here is your cup of willow tea,” she chuckled. “It will help the headache. I am afraid this is in your future until I can be sure the fever and chance of infection are over. Does your side hurt?”
“It does. I think I may have over-indulged,” he gave a slow grin.
