The Bone Garden: A Novel

Twenty-seven

— THESE ACCUSATIONS are extremely dangerous, — said Dr. Grenville. — Before you take them any further, gentlemen, I advise you to consider the possible consequences. —

— Norris and I both saw him come out of that building last night, on Acorn Street, — said Wendell. — It was Dr. Sewall. And there were others at that house, others we recognized. —

— And what of it? A gathering of gentlemen is hardly an extraordinary occurrence. — Grenville gestured to the room in which they now sat. — We three are now having a meeting in my parlor. Is this to be taken as a suspicious gathering? —

— Consider who those men were, — said Norris. — One was Mr. Gareth Wilson, recently returned from London. A most mysterious individual with few friends in town. —

— You've been inquiring into Mr. Wilson's affairs, all because of what some silly girl told you? A girl I have yet to lay eyes on? —

— Rose Connolly strikes us both as a reliable witness, — said Wendell.

— I can't judge the reliability of a girl I've never met. Neither can I allow you to slander a man as respected as Dr. Sewall. Good God, I know his character! —

Wendell asked, quietly: — Do you, sir? —

Grenville rose from his chair and paced in agitation to the hearth. There he stood with his back turned to them, his gaze on the fire. Outside, Beacon Street had fallen silent in the deepness of night, and the only sounds were the crackling flames and the occasional creak of servants' footsteps. They heard such footsteps now, approaching the drawing room, and there was a soft knock on the door. A parlor maid appeared, carrying a tray of cakes.

— I'm sorry to interrupt, sir, — she said. — But Mrs. Lackaway asked me to bring this in for the young gentlemen. —

Grenville didn't even turn from the fire, just said, brusquely: — Leave it. And close the door behind you. —

The girl set the tray on a side table and quickly withdrew.

Only when her footsteps had receded down the hall did Grenville finally say: — Dr. Sewall saved my nephew's life. I owe him for my sister's happiness, and I refuse to believe he's involved in any way with these murders. — Grenville turned to Norris. — You, better than anyone, know what it's like to be a victim of rumors. Based on all the tales now circulating about you, you possess horns and cloven hooves. Do you think it's been easy for me to be your champion? To defend your place in our college? Yet I have done so because I refuse to be swayed by malicious gossip. I tell you now, it'll take far more than this to rouse my suspicions. —

— Sir, — said Wendell, — you haven't heard the names of the other men at that meeting. —

Grenville turned to him. — And you spied on them as well? —

— We simply took note of who came and went from Acorn Street. There was also a gentleman who seemed familiar to me. I followed him to an address at Twelve Post Office Square. —

— And? —

— It was Mr. William Lloyd Garrison. I recognized him, because I heard him speak this past summer, at the Park Street church. —

— Mr. Garrison, the abolitionist? Do you feel it's a crime to advocate the freeing of slaves? —

— Not at all. I find his position a most noble one. —

Grenville looked at Norris. — Do you? —

— I'm in complete sympathy with the abolitionists, — said Norris. — But there are disturbing things being said about Mr. Garrison. A shopkeeper told us— —

— A shopkeeper? Now that is a reliable source indeed. —

— He told us that Mr. Garrison is often seen out late at night, moving in a most furtive manner in the vicinity of Beacon Hill. —

— I, too, am often out late at night, due to the needs of my patients. Some might call my movements furtive as well. —

— But Mr. Garrison is no physician. What would draw him out at all hours of the night? Acorn Street in particular seems to attract visitors not from the neighborhood. There are reports of eerie chanting heard in the night, and last month, bloodstains were found on the cobblestones. All these things have deeply alarmed people in the neighborhood, but when they complained to the Night Watch, Constable Lyons resisted any investigation. Even odder, he issued orders that the Watch is to avoid Acorn Street entirely. —

— Who told you this? —

— The shopkeeper. —

— Consider your source, Mr. Marshall. —

— We would be more skeptical, — said Wendell, — except there was one more familiar face that emerged from the house. It was Constable Lyons himself. —

For the first time, Dr. Grenville was stunned silent. He stared at the young men in disbelief.

— Whatever is going on in that house is being shielded at the highest levels, — said Norris.

Grenville gave a sudden laugh. — Do you realize, Mr. Marshall, that Constable Lyons is the only reason you are not in custody? His dimwit associate, Mr. Pratt, was ready to arrest you, but Lyons stayed his hand. Even with all the rumors, the whispers against you, Lyons has been your ally. —

— You know this to be fact? —

— He told me. He's under pressure from all sides— the public, the press, everyone is braying for an arrest, any arrest. He knows full well that Mr. Pratt covets his position, but Lyons won't be rushed. Not without evidence. —

— I had no idea, sir, — said Norris quietly.

— If you want to remain at liberty, I suggest you not antagonize your defenders. —

— But Dr. Grenville, — said Wendell, — there are so many unanswered questions. Why did they meet at such a modest address? Why would men of such diverse occupations come together late at night? Finally, the residence itself is interesting. Or, rather, one detail of that residence. — Wendell looked at Norris, who removed a folded sheet of paper from his pocket.

— What is this? — asked Grenville.

— These symbols are carved on the granite lintel above the doorway, — said Norris. He gave the sheet to Grenville. — I went back this morning, to examine it by daylight. You can see two pelicans facing each other. And between them, there's a cross. —

— You'll find many a cross on buildings in this city. —

— That's not just any cross, — said Wendell. — This one has a rose at its center. This isn't a papist symbol. It's the cross of the Rosicrucians. —

Abruptly Grenville crumpled the sheet. — Absurd. You're chasing phantoms. —

— The Rosicrucians are real. A society so secret, no one knows the identity of its members. There are reports, here and in Washington, that their influence is growing. That they indulge in sacrifices. That among their victims are children, whose innocent blood is spilled in secret rituals. This child that Rose Connolly protects seems to be at the center of this mystery. We assumed the baby's sought by the man who fathered her. Now we witness these secret meetings on Acorn Street. We hear reports of blood on the cobblestones. And we wonder if another motive entirely is at work here. —

— Child sacrifice? — Grenville threw the drawing into the fire. — This is thin evidence indeed, Mr. Marshall. When I meet with the trustees after Christmas, I'll need more than this to defend you. How can I support your enrollment if my sole argument is an outlandish conspiracy theory, hatched by a girl I've never met? A girl who refuses to meet with me? —

— She trusts few people, sir. Even fewer since we spotted Constable Lyons on Acorn Street. —

— Where is she? Who shelters her? —

Norris hesitated, embarrassed to reveal the scandalous fact that he, an unmarried man, allowed the girl to sleep only a few feet from his own bed.

He was grateful when Wendell interjected smoothly: — We have arranged for her lodgings, sir. I assure you, she's in a safe place. —

— And the baby? If this child is in such danger, can you guarantee its safety? —

Norris and Wendell looked at each other. Little Meggie's welfare was, in fact, a matter that worried them both.

— She, too, remains hidden, sir, — said Wendell.

— And her circumstances? —

— Far from ideal, I admit. She's fed and cared for, but in the most unclean surroundings. —

— Then bring her here, gentlemen. I should like to see this mysterious child whom everyone seems so intent upon. I assure you she'll be safe, and in the healthiest of households. —

Again, Norris and Wendell exchanged glances. Could there be any doubt that Meggie would be far better off here than in Hepzibah's filthy hovel?

But Norris said, — Rose would never forgive us if we made such a decision without her. She's the one who cares most about the child. She's the one who must choose. —

— You cede a great deal of authority to a seventeen-year-old-girl. —

— She may be only seventeen. But she deserves respect, sir. Against all the odds, she's survived, and she's kept her niece alive as well. —

— You would stake a child's life on this girl's judgment? —

— Yes. I would. —

— Then your own judgment is in question, Mr. Marshall. A mere girl cannot be trusted with such a grave responsibility! —

A knock on the door made them all turn. Eliza Lackaway, looking concerned, stepped into the room. — Is everything all right, Aldous? —

— Yes, yes. — Grenville released a deep breath. — We're just having a spirited discussion. —

— We could hear you upstairs, which is why I've come down. Charles is awake now and would dearly love to see his friends. — She looked at Wendell and Norris. — He wanted to make sure you didn't leave without saying hello. —

— We wouldn't dream of it, — said Wendell. — We were hoping he'd be up to seeing visitors. —

— He's desperate for visitors. —

— Go. — Grenville brusquely waved the young men out of the room. — Our conversation is at an end. —

Eliza frowned at her brother's rude dismissal of their visitors, but she refrained from commenting on it as she led Norris and Wendell out of the parlor and up the stairs. Instead, she spoke of Charles.

— He wanted to come downstairs to see you, — she said, — but I insisted he stay in bed, as he's not yet steady on his feet. This is still a delicate time in his recovery. —

They reached the top of the stairs, and once again, Norris caught a fleeting glimpse of the Grenville family portraits hanging in the second-floor hallway, a gallery of both young and old, men and women. He recognized Charles among them, posed in a dapper suit, standing beside a desk. His left elbow was propped jauntily on a stack of books with his hand draped over the leather spines, a hand he no longer possessed.

— Here are your friends, darling, — said Eliza.

They found Charles looking pale, but with a smile on his face. His left wrist stump was discreetly hidden beneath the sheets.

— I could hear my uncle's voice booming through the floor, — said Charles. — It sounded like quite a lively discussion downstairs. —

Wendell drew up a chair to sit beside the bed. — Had we known you were awake, we'd have come up sooner. —

Charles tried to sit up, but his mother protested: — No, Charles. You need to rest. —

— Mother, I've been resting here for days and I'm sick of it. I'll have to get up sooner or later. — With a grimace, he leaned forward, and Eliza quickly propped pillows behind his back.

— So how are you, Charlie? — asked Wendell. — Is it still so very painful? —

— Only when the morphine wears off. But I try never to let that happen. — Charles managed a tired smile. — Still, I am better. And look at the bright side. I'll never have to apologize for not learning the piano! —

Eliza sighed. — That's not funny, dear. —

— Mother, would you mind if I had some time alone with my friends? It feels like an eternity since I saw them. —

— I'll take that as a sign you're feeling better. — Eliza stood. — Gentlemen, please don't exhaust him. I'll check on you in a bit, darling. —

Charles waited until his mother had left the room, then he gave an exasperated sigh. — God, she smothers me! —

— Are you really feeling better? — asked Norris.

— My uncle says all the signs are good. I haven't had a fever since Tuesday. Dr. Sewall looked at it this morning and he's satisfied with the wound. — He regarded his bandaged wrist and said, — He saved my life. —

At the mention of Dr. Sewall's name, neither Wendell nor Norris said a word.

— So now, — said Charles, brightening as he looked at his friends. — Tell me the latest. What news is there? —

— We miss you in class, — said Norris.

— Fainting Charlie? No wonder you all miss me. I can always be counted on to make everyone else look brilliant by comparison. —

— You'll have all this time to study, lying here in bed, — said Wendell. — When you come back to class, you'll be the most brilliant of us all. —

— You know I'm not coming back. —

— Of course you are. —

— Wendell, — said Norris quietly. — It's kinder to be honest, don't you think? —

— Really, this will all work out for the better, — Charles said. — I was never meant to be a doctor. Everyone knows it. I have neither the talent nor the interest. It's always been about my uncle's hopes, my uncle's expectations. I'm not like you. Lucky you, always knowing exactly what you wanted to be. —

— And what do you want to be, Charlie? — asked Norris.

— Ask Wendell. He knows. — Charles pointed to his boyhood friend. — We were both members of the Andover Literary Club. He's not the only one prone to bursts of poetic verse. —

Norris gave a startled laugh. — You want to be a poet? —

— My uncle hasn't accepted it yet, but now he's going to have to. And why shouldn't I choose a literary life? Look at Johnny Greenleaf Whittier. He's already finding success with his poems. And that writer fellow from Salem, Mr. Hawthorne. He's but a few years older than I, and I'll lay odds that he'll soon make a name for himself. Why not pursue what I'm passionate about? — He looked at Wendell. — What did you call it once? The drive to write? —

— The intoxicating pleasure of authorship. —

— Yes, that's it! The intoxicating pleasure! — Charles sighed. — Of course, there's hardly a living to be made at it. —

— Somehow, — said Wendell drily as he looked around the well-appointed bedroom, — I doubt you need to be concerned about that. —

— The problem is that my uncle thinks poems and novels are merely frivolous diversions, with no real significance. —

Wendell gave a sympathetic nod. — Something my own father would say. —

— Aren't you ever tempted to ignore him? To choose the literary life anyway? —

— But I don't have a wealthy uncle. And I've rather taken to medicine, anyway. It suits me. —

— Well, it's never suited me. Now my uncle will have to accept it. — He looked down at his stump. — There's nothing so useless as a one-handed surgeon. —

— Ah, but a one-handed poet! You'll cut a most romantic figure. —

— What lady would want me? — Charles asked plaintively. — Now that I've lost my hand? —

Wendell reached out to grasp his friend's shoulder. — Charlie, listen to me. Any lady who's worth knowing, who's worth loving, won't give one whit about your missing hand. —

The creak of a footstep announced Eliza's return to the room. — Gentlemen, — she said, — I think it's time for him to rest. —

— Mother, we're just catching up. —

— Dr. Sewall said you're not to exert yourself. —

— All I've exerted so far is my tongue. —

Wendell stood. — We do need to be going anyway. —

— Wait. You never told me why you came to see my uncle. —

— Oh, nothing really. It's just about that West End business. —

— You mean the Reaper? — Charles's attention perked up. — I heard they found Dr. Berry's body. —

Eliza cut in: — Who told you that? —

— The maids were talking about it. —

— They shouldn't have. I want nothing to upset you. —

— I'm not upset. I want to hear the latest. —

— Not tonight, — said Eliza, curtly ending the conversation. — I'll see your friends out now. —

She accompanied Wendell and Norris down the stairs to the front door. As the two men stepped out, she said: — While Charles welcomes your visits, I do hope that next time you'll keep the conversation on pleasant and uplifting subjects. Kitty and Gwen Welliver were here this afternoon, and they practically filled his room with laughter. The kind of happy chatter he needs to hear, especially around Christmas. —

From the brainless Welliver sisters? Norris preferred to be comatose. But all he said was, — We'll remember that, Mrs. Lackaway. Good night. —

Outside, he and Wendell paused on Beacon Street, their breath clouding in the cold, and watched a lone horse and rider clop past, the man hunched deep within his greatcoat.

— Dr. Grenville is right, you know, — said Wendell. — The child would be much better off here, with him. We should have taken him up on the offer. —

— It's not our decision. The choice is Rose's. —

— You trust her judgment that completely? —

— Yes, I do. — Norris stared up the street as the horse and rider faded into the darkness up Beacon Street. — I think she's the wisest girl I've ever met. —

— You are besotted with her, aren't you? —

— I respect her. And yes, I'm fond of her— who wouldn't be? She has the most generous heart. —

— The word is besotted, Norris. Bewitched. In love. — Wendell gave a knowing sigh. — And clearly she's just as besotted with you. —

Norris frowned. — What? —

— Haven't you seen the way she looks at you, the way she hangs on your every word? The way she's tidied up your room and mended your coat and done everything possible to please you? Do you need any more obvious clue that she's in love with you? —

— In love? —

— Open your eyes, man! — Wendell laughed and gave him a clap on the shoulder. — I must go home for the holiday. I take it you're going to Belmont? —

Norris was still stunned by what Wendell had just said. — Yes, — he said, dazed. — My father expects me. —

— What about Rose? —

What about Rose, indeed?

She was all Norris thought about after he and Wendell parted. As he walked back to his lodgings, he wondered if his friend could possibly be right. Rose in love with him? He'd been oblivious to it. But I never looked for it, either.

From the street below, he could see candlelight flickering in his attic window. She's still awake, he thought, and suddenly he could not wait to see her. He climbed the stairs, feeling more anxious with each step. By the time he opened the door, his heart was pounding as much from anticipation as from exertion.

Rose had fallen asleep at the desk, her head resting on her folded arms, Wistar's Anatomy lying open before her. Looking over her shoulder, he saw that she'd been looking at an illustration of the heart, and he thought: What an extraordinary girl. The candle had guttered down to a mere puddle of wax, so he lit another. As he gently closed the cover of Wistar's, Rose stirred awake.

— Oh, — she murmured, lifting her head. — You're back. —

He watched her stretch, her neck arching, her hair tumbling loose. Looking into her face, he saw no artifice, no guile, just a drowsy girl trying to shake off sleep. The shawl she'd draped around her shoulders was of coarse, dun-colored wool, and when she wiped her hand across her cheek, she left behind a cindery smudge. He thought of how different she was from the Welliver sisters with their silk gowns and pretty fringed scarves and fine Morocco leather boots. There was not a moment, keeping company with those sisters, when he'd felt he was actually seeing them for who they were, so skilled were they at the dishonest game of flirtation. Not like this girl, who openly yawned and rubbed her eyes as naturally as any child awakening from a nap.

She looked up at him. — Did you tell him? What did he say? —

— Dr. Grenville reserves judgment. He wants to hear the story from your own lips. — He leaned in close and placed his hand on her shoulder. — Rose, he made a generous offer, one that both Wendell and I think is for the best. Dr. Grenville has offered to take in Meggie. —

She went rigid. Instead of gratitude, what flashed in her eyes was panic. — Tell me you didn't agree! —

— It would be so much better for her. Safer and healthier. —

— You had no right! — She shot to her feet. Staring into her eyes, Norris saw the primal fierceness of a girl prepared to sacrifice everything for someone she loved. A girl so loyal that she'd endure anything to see her niece survive. — You gave him Meggie? —

— Rose, I'd never betray your trust! —

— She's not yours to give! —

— Listen to me. Listen. — He took her face in his hands and forced her to meet his gaze. — I told him you're the only one who'll decide. I told him I'd do only what you want. I follow your orders, Rose, whatever your wishes. You're the one who knows best, and I just want you to be happy. —

— You mean that? — she whispered.

— Yes. Truly. —

They stared at each other for a moment. Suddenly her eyes went bright with tears and she pulled away. How small she is, he thought. How fragile. Yet this girl has carried the weight of the world, and its scorn as well. She's quite a pretty girl, Wendell had said. Looking down at her now, Norris saw a pure and honest beauty that glowed even through the smudges of ash, a beauty that the Welliver sisters could never match. They were merely two simpering princesses dressed in satin. This girl had so little to her name, yet she'd taken that half-wit Billy under her wing. She'd scraped together all she owned to buy her sister a decent burial and keep her niece fed.

This is a girl who'd stand by me. Even if I don't deserve it.

— Rose, — he said, — it's time for us to speak of the future. —

— The future? —

— What happens next to you and Meggie. I must be honest: My prospects at the college are dim. I don't know if I can afford to keep this room, much less keep us all fed. —

— You want me to leave. — She said it as a statement of fact, as if no other conclusion was possible. How easy she made it for him just to send her away. How generously she absolved him of all guilt.

— I want you to be safe, — he said.

— I don't break, Norrie. I can live with the truth. Just tell me. —

— Tomorrow, I go home to Belmont. My father expects me for the holiday. I can tell you it won't be a cheerful stay. He's not one for celebration, and I'll probably spend it doing chores around the farm. —

— You needn't explain. — She turned. — I'll be gone in the morning. —

— Yes, you'll be gone. With me. —

Suddenly she turned back to him, her eyes wide with delight. — Go to Belmont? —

— It's the safest place for you both. There'll be fresh milk for Meggie, and a bed of your own. No one will find you there. —

— I can bring her? —

— Of course we'll bring her. I wouldn't dream of leaving her behind. —

Sheer delight sent her flying into his arms. Small though she was, she almost knocked him backward. Laughing, he caught her and twirled her around in the tiny room, and felt her heart beating joyfully against his.

Suddenly Rose pulled away and he saw the doubt in her face. — But what will your father say about me? — she asked. — About Meggie? —

He couldn't lie to her, certainly not with her gazing so directly into his eyes. — I don't know, — he said.