Everything seemed to be clothed with clouds. All were scenes from the past, at least she remembered that much. She saw herself dressed in her white dress as she made her First Communion, and standing close to her were Sister Agnes and Reverend Mother and her friends. It was as if she were seeing it through a veil of some sort, and she strained to see more clearly.
The scene changed, and she saw herself with her friends from the convent on a picnic. In this scene she was older, and she remembered that it was on the day of this picnic that she had experienced the primary signs of a young girl turning into a young woman. She had been so frightened. It had been Simone d’Or who had taken her to the mother superior, and the older woman had explained what was happening to her.
The clouds seemed to swirl around the scene, and she saw herself working in the clinic with Dr. Sheffield. The scene was clearer this time, and she watched his face, noting the seriousness of it. And then in the dream he looked up, smiled at her, and said, “You’re going to be a f ine nurse.” She remembered that day. It had not been long ago.
But then abruptly she felt a sharp pain in her head and the clouds dissipated, and she felt the firmness of the mattress supporting her. She smelled the acrid odor of antiseptic and was conscious of a terrible thirst.
The sounds of voices from far away came to her then, and she could not distinguish any of them. But there was someone singing, and she knew she had heard the song before. Slowly she opened her eyes, and at first the light overhead blinded her and added to the pain. She closed them quickly and memory came swirling back. I was in an accident. I fell out of the carriage, but where am I now?
Cautiously she reopened her eyes and allowed them to become accustomed to the light. She knew then that she was in the room where Dr. Sheffield treated patients who came in from accidents. A fly buzzed in her ear, and she shook her head, but that was a mistake. The movement sent pain like a dagger running from temple to temple. She moaned slightly and lay very still. Finally the pain left her, and she turned her head slightly. There beside her in a chair, Dr. Ransom Sheffield slumped, his head back and his mouth open. He was snoring slightly, and the sight of him made Leonie feel better. She watched him as he breathed and finally settled himself into a more comfortable position.
For some time Leonie lay there, letting herself savor consciousness. Some of the dreams had not been particularly pleasant, although some had. Now she was back in her own world, and Ransom was there, and she was alive.
Slowly she raised her hand, touched her head, and her fingers felt the bandage that swathed her. She touched an area that brought a cry of pain from her, and when she did she saw Ransom’s eyes open. When he saw her face, he jumped out of the chair instantly and cried with a glad voice, “Leonie, you’re awake!”
“Yes,” she whispered faintly. “Could—could I have some water?”
“Of course you can.”
Leonie watched as he quickly moved to the table beside the bed and poured water from a pitcher into a glass. He went to her side and put his arm behind her. “I’m going to lift you up, so you can drink. I know you’re dry as a bone.”
Leonie felt the strength of his arms as he pulled her up. His arm behind her gave her a feeling of safety. When he lifted the glass to her lips, she gulped thirstily.
“Take it easy now. Just a sip at a time. You can have all you want, but a little now and a little later.”
The tepid water was the best drink Leonie had ever had, but even better were the safety and security she felt in Ransom’s embrace. He held her as if she were a child, and she rested against him. Looking up, she whispered between sips of water, “How long have I been here?”
“Two days. You’ve been unconscious the whole time.”
“What’s wrong with me, Ransom?”
“You got a nasty crack on the head, but you’re going to be all right now. Here, have a little more water.”
For some time Ransom held her, giving her sips of water, and he said, “The mother superior was here, and so was your grandmother.”
“Grandmother was here?”
“Yes. She and the mother superior seemed to become quite good friends. They’ve both left for a while, but they’ll be back later to see you.”
Leonie could not think very clearly. She knew that her grandmother was highly displeased with her, and finally she said, “Did Grandmother say anything?”
“She said you were of her blood and that she loved you.”
“Really, Ransom?”
“Yes, really.” His arm tightened about her, and he set the glass down for a moment and put his hand on her cheek. “My heaven, I thought I’d lost you,” he said softly. “You gave me quite a scare.” He leaned forward then, kissed her forehead, and when he saw the look on her face, he said, “Here I am, taking advantage of a helpless young girl. Just the sort of a rascal I am!”
“I don’t mind,” Leonie managed to whisper, and then she felt herself retreating somehow. “I don’t mind at all,” she whispered and lost consciousness.
“Well, it’s very good news, Lady Maria,” Ransom said cheerfully. He had greeted Maria when she had come back from taking a rest, and he had taken her hand and said, “I know you’ve been terribly worried, but she woke up about two hours ago.”
“Is she all right? Why didn’t you send for me?”
“I thought you needed the rest. You’ve slept hardly at all. But yes, she’s all right. Her eyes are clear. She’s weak, but I think she should be awake now. Come along.”
Ransom led Lady Maria into the room where Leonie still lay in the bed. Her eyes were open and she smiled when she saw her grandmother. “You have a visitor,” Ransom said cheerfully. “You think you feel up to a little talk?”
“Oh yes,” Leonie said. She tried to struggle to a sitting position, but Ransom at once went to her, reached down, pulled her up, put a pillow behind her back, and then said, “I’ll just leave you two to catch up.” He looked at Maria and said, “God has been good to us, hasn’t He?”
Maria Augustine could not speak for a moment. Relief had flooded through her when she had heard the good news, and now, seeing Leonie sitting up with some color in her cheeks . . . Then she gathered herself together and said, “Indeed He has, Doctor. Indeed He has.”
Ransom left the room, and Leonie said, “Dr. Sheffield told me how you came at once when you heard I’d been hurt.”
“Yes, and Reverend Mother was here, too.” Maria sat in a chair at Leonie’s bedside. She struggled to put into words what she felt. She thought again how very much Leonie looked like her father, Ives. Ives had had that same shape of eye, dimple, hairline. It was amazing now that she had accepted the fact that Ives’s daughter was alive and well, and she saw freshly how much the girl resembled him. How did I ever miss it before! she cried to herself.
“I have something to say to you, Leonie.”
“Yes, Grandmother.”
Taking a deep breath, Lady Maria said, “I have failed you, and I failed Ives, and I failed myself.”
“Oh no, don’t say that!”
“Yes, I must. I should have ignored the stories I heard and trusted my heart. I know now, although I don’t have any evidence, that you are innocent of those things I was told about you. I don’t understand what happened, but I’m going to get to the bottom of it.”
Leonie’s face glowed, and she held her hand out, but Maria did not take it. Instead she leaned forward, embraced Leonie, and held her tightly. “Can you forgive me, my dear, for doubting you?”
“Oh yes. Certainly I can.”
“Good. Then welcome to the family, and I will never doubt you again—not ever!”