The Gray Chamber Page 11

  Jasper let out a snort. “As you can imagine, after that little discovery, Mrs. Foster grew quite excited and sent me out of the room.” He laughed and leaned his elbow against the mantel of the dormant fireplace. “I’m not exactly sure what that woman is planning, but if Edyth doesn’t marry and have a child soon, I’m pretty certain they will attempt to commit her to the asylum.” He grinned. “However, I am intending to offer my hand to her now that Bertha has seen fit to throw me over for a duke. Even though I was well compensated for my troubles, I do need to marry well to secure my future. Edyth will be desperate enough and, well, I could use a fortune. And as we saw from the party, she does look fine enough in a fashionable gown to tempt me down the aisle.”

  “Have you attempted such an offer?” Bane asked, only inquiring so he might discover if Jasper knew where Edyth was located.

  He shrugged. “Haven’t had much of a chance to, but I intend on asking the next time I see her. I have no doubt that she will accept when I present her with the facts. While Edyth and I might have our differences, I’d hate to see a pretty, wealthy girl wilt away in an asylum, and we both know she would rather marry a dandy like me than relinquish her freedom.”

  Bane ran his thumb over the plain pommel of his sword, measuring his words. “And if they have already taken action? Do you have any idea where they would send her if they had her diagnosed as mad?”

  Jasper scratched his chin. “As my father practices at the nearest asylum, I would assume that the obvious choice would be on Blackwell’s Island. The entire asylum is designated for women now.” He gave a shudder and shook his head. “I went there once to visit my father while he was working, but I did not linger long. It is not a place for the faint of heart.”

  The scrawled lines on the paper flashed in his mind, and Bane knew the horrible truth. Edyth was trapped on Blackwell’s Island.

  Chapter Ten

  In rivers, the water that you touch is the last of what has passed and the first of that which comes; so with present time.

  ~ Leonardo da Vinci

  After a long morning of cleaning the central rotunda’s apartments for the physicians, offices, and parlors with the rest of the women from Hall Six, Edyth’s back ached from scrubbing the hard floors, her knees throbbing with each step as she left the dining hall. The midday meal had consisted of not much more than breakfast, with its unsalted food that she barely choked down. Now, her only concern was keeping it down to maintain her strength.

  She followed Nellie into the hallway where there was a growing commotion as the women were being herded to a side door. Her stomach fluttered at the thought of possibly stepping outside the building.

  “What are you waiting for, girl? Time for the promenade. It’s not every day you’ll get the chance to stroll outside the fenced yard of the west wing, but we nurses need to see outside the fence every now and again lest we join you wretched souls in your madness.” Nurse Madison shoved Edyth into the crowd of women.

  “Get a hat and covering from the rack. You have a half hour.” The matron shouted instructions, taking a seat in her wooden rocking chair beside the window as she threw back her coffee, the smell making Edyth dizzy.

  Edyth pressed her hand to her waist and breathed a prayer of thanks. She hadn’t dared to hope that they would be able to go for a stroll about the grounds outside the fenced-in area, much less this soon. This could be her chance. Please, God, let it be so.

  There was a scramble as the women from Hall Six dove for hats and cloaks, attempting to snatch those they deemed best. As Edyth didn’t particularly care which hat she wore, she hung back to avoid being trampled, but at the end of the scramble, she was left with nothing but a tiny straw sailor hat that would do little to block the wind and a cloak that was more threads than fabric. But as the disgusting piece was brown, it would help her blend into her surroundings should she have a chance of escape and need to hide somewhere on the island.

  The women queued up in a long line, and spotting Nellie again, Edyth wove her way to Nellie’s side.

  “Are you enjoying your stay? I quite liked the calisthenics that they boasted of in their promotions of the asylum,” Nellie commented, her light tone sounding out of place.

  Is she mad? Edyth snapped her head toward Nellie and nearly laughed at the inane smile at the corner of Nellie’s mouth, revealing her teasing.

  Nellie joined in her giggles. “If I do not make some mild attempt at humor, I will be driven mad by the alleged gentle treatment of their patients.” She tied her cloak at her throat and pressed her lips together at Edyth’s wrap as Poppy joined them.

  Poppy shook her head, clicking her tongue in disapproval. “You need to be faster, Edyth. You can never tell how chilly it is outside until it’s too late to find a good wrap, but usually the winds ripping across the island can chill you to the bone, and you will be hard-pressed to warm yourself upon your return.” She unfastened her hat and handed it to Edyth. “I managed to secure the warmest wrap, so let’s swap hats. Mine offers far more protection than that paltry thing.”

  Edyth swallowed back the sudden lump in her throat at this sweet girl’s offering and that she would willingly sacrifice her own comfort to keep a stranger warm. With stiff fingers, she untied the tattered, stained ribbons that once may have been a vibrant green but were now a mottled brown. She handed the hat to Poppy, grateful for the ratty fur-trimmed bluish bonnet Poppy held out to her in return. It possessed the fierce aroma of a wet mutt, but it would be warm. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  Edyth fairly shook with the anticipation of being in the fresh air again and stepped through the threshold to the unfettered grounds at the south wing, drawing in a deep breath of the crisp, sweet air that she had always taken for granted. She looked about the open grounds and thought of the lone gate at the end of the asylum’s road separating her from the ferry. If she could only get away from the group without being noticed, perhaps she could escape through the sparsely wooded area and swim for it.

  Her fists clenched at the thought of what she would do when she finally confronted her uncle and aunt … if she could without fear of being returned to the island. While part of her longed to settle the score with the couple who had betrayed and abandoned her, she hated that inkling of hope that remained inside her heart that her uncle would forsake his wife’s scheme and come to his senses and her rescue. She wanted to loathe him, much like she had the night of his betrayal. But now, all that remained was a deep sorrow, a sense of loss of her uncle’s love that she had apparently never possessed. Her new aunt was another matter entirely. Edyth had no qualms of throwing that shrew from her home. The woman had poisoned her uncle towards Edyth, of that she was certain.

  But what of his declaration of not wanting her, or his claim of her grandmother’s passing? No, she could not ignore those allegations like she had ignored anything unpleasant in her past by keeping busy. She would have to deal with the pain or it would fester and grow into something else entirely. She reached out and snapped off a naked twig and ran her fingers over the soft bark, when someone reached out and slapped her hands, causing her to drop it.

  She jerked back as Nurse Sweeney’s eyes burned into her. “Fall in line. Do not touch anything. You are to do nothing but walk. If you try to do anything else, you will be sent back inside at once. When we are outside the fenced area, you are to keep your hands at your sides or clasped at all times, else you will ruin the promenade for the rest of us. The matron does not allow anyone to bend the rules, understand?”

  Edyth gave a short nod and tucked her smarting hands under her arms to keep from striking the woman, watching her move on to another unfortunate soul. How dare she hit me over nothing.

  Poppy shook her head and whispered, “I’m sorry. I should have warned you, but I didn’t think. If we had taken our shorter walk in the west wing’s fenced yard, it wouldn’t have been a problem, but some days the nurses want to take the longer, scenic walk. They are almost just as much prisoners as we are
.”

  “It is of little consequence. My hands don’t hurt anymore,” Edyth replied, her voice rough from suppressed anger.

  “They’ve struck you before, I take it,” Nellie said, her eyes widening under her fringe of bangs that would be pretty if curled but on the island were a frizzled mess.

  Edyth didn’t dare think what she looked like now without her special concoctions to tame her wild locks and lotions to soothe her reddened skin. Edyth lifted her eyes skyward, but at the sight of the blue darkening into the water-colored painted sky of dusk, her heart became lighter if only for a moment. “Yes.”

  Nellie exhaled with a grunt and shook her head. “I wish the doctors would protect us more, but merely the claim of being mad is enough for them to commit us and leave us to the mercy of the staff. It already feels as if I’ve been here for an eternity.”

  “I’ve been here for years,” Poppy whispered, keeping her hands clasped in front of her skirts.

  “Do you know of any weak points?” Edyth asked, taking Poppy’s elbow before dropping it in fear of the nurse’s heavy hand and threat.

  “What?” Poppy blinked as if the thought had never occurred to her.

  Dear girl. She probably has no one to run home to. “Are there any points where escape is possible? Perhaps the river? I might take the risk and swim.”

  The woman in front of them laughed softly and replied in a low voice, “If the river was a viable option, I would have taken it long before now, and so would have every poor soul who has ever seen the inside of the Gray Chamber, but the river is not called Hell’s Gate for nothing. Many a ship has gone down in those dark waters, and anyone fool enough to attempt swimming to shore would drown. No. You best act without emotion, and hopefully you will be spared from ever finding out what they do inside that room.” Without another word, the woman quickened her pace and joined another patient a few rows up.

  Edyth grunted. “No matter what she says, I know I can do this. I am a very strong swimmer.”

  Poppy grasped her hand. “If you make a run for the river, it has to be when we near this next corner. There should be some foliage where you can hide yourself. From what the nurses say, this side of the island is not as populated, but be warned, there is a lighthouse on the northernmost point. If the guard there spots you, there will be no hope for escape.”

  Edyth bit her lip. Dare she trust a mad girl for information? She weighed it quickly, thinking that, yes, while Poppy talked to ghosts, everything else about her seemed sound. Besides, if she didn’t try, Edyth did not know if or when another chance would come.

  Nellie wrung her hands, whispering, “But won’t it be dangerous? You could drown.”

  “More dangerous than her undergoing a treatment in the Gray Chamber if they catch her committing some small offense, such as snapping a second twig? They would see that as open defiance.” Poppy shook her head. “That happened to me once in the beginning, and I have not made the mistake again.”

  Edyth pressed her sweaty palms together. “What is the Gray Chamber?”

  Poppy’s gaze shifted. “It is where they administer treatment that is not fit for dogs.”

  Edyth shivered, her decision made. “The nurses and staff have marked me for punishment, and I cannot give them the chance to act first.” She looked ahead to the south side of the island and shook her head at the thought of the many buildings along the road to the ferry. “No. I cannot risk taking the roads. I’d be spotted for certain. I will swim for it.”

  “But the currents.” Nellie twisted her fingers around her wrist as if she were fidgeting with a phantom bracelet of old before catching herself and dropping her hands to her sides.

  “Hush.” Edyth seized her hand. “I would not risk crossing the river if I were not such a strong swimmer, and besides, we can see the city from the shore. It is not too far. Trust me. I can do this, and you need not fear your conscience for allowing me to go. You know that I must try or loathe myself for the rest of my miserable days under this roof.”

  “But what is so important on the other side of the river to risk your life to have?” Poppy asked.

  “The freedom to love a man who was meant to be my husband,” Edyth answered simply.

  Poppy slowly nodded. “I have never loved a boy, but if I had, I would try to reach him with every breath of my lungs. But I have no one except Papa, who is here with me.”

  Nellie clasped Edyth’s hands. “If you are certain, then I will cover for you as long as possible. Best of luck.”

  “I will pray for your safety, dear Edyth.” Poppy pressed a quick kiss onto Edyth’s cheek.

  Edyth squeezed her newfound friends’ hands and switched places with Nellie so that she would be on the outside of the group. They rounded the corner, where Edyth spied the bushes and waited until it was her turn to pass by. She dove for cover, rolling to her feet and holding her breath, waiting and staying crouched. One, two, three, she counted until the last of the women and nurses passed her. Heart pounding, she viewed the group as they slowly marched up the narrow steps and into the building. When the last woman had vanished, Edyth scanned the area surrounding her and, seeing no one, spied another patch of trees about twenty yards from the clump of bushes she was hiding behind. She searched the long windows lining the sides of the building where the matron could be watching from her chair.

  Not daring to wait a minute longer for fear that the alarm bell would sound, she slipped her feet out of her useless crimson shoes. Gripping them in one hand, she sank her toes into the freezing earth and bolted for the tree line, her arms pumping at her sides. Reaching a tree, she pressed her back against the bark and listened. But no alarm sounded. Nothing sounded except the pounding of her pulse in her ears.

  Drawing a deep breath, she sprinted through the sparse wood, branches slapping her cheeks and dried twigs biting into her soles as she sprinted for the shoreline. Pausing in the brush, she removed her hat and slipped off her thin gown and rolled them and her slippers into her cloak and tied the ends into a bundle. She would rather leave the filthy, lice-ridden items, but she would need them when she made it to the other side and to Bane. Her tears threatened to well at the thought of him, but she straightened her shoulders and cleared her mind. If she was going to make it across, she needed to be focused on the river and nothing else.

  Edyth stepped forward in only her chemise and drawers as twilight darkened into night and the scent of impending rain drifted to her in the cool air. She waded into the reeds at the base of the bank, sucking in her breath as the icy waters stung her skin and the mud curled between her toes. Stepping deeper, her drawers billowed out atop the water until the bank dipped and she sank to her waist. Stifling her gasp, she kept her arms out of the freezing waters as long as she was able, but as the river continued to deepen, she was forced to swim. Holding the bundle out of the water as best as she could, she kicked her legs underwater and pulled with one arm to silently cross the river toward home.

  The water about her swirled, and she felt the current’s steady pull. It grew too strong to swim with only one arm, so she moved the foul bundle to her mouth, biting down while she used both her arms to stroke. I can do this. She willed her teeth not to chatter, for once that began, she would never tame her mind over the freezing water. Stroke and pull. Stroke and pull. She kept her mind on her form as if this were merely an exercise that she used to perform with her mother during those summers spent at their cottage in Newport. She hadn’t been back since the accident. She was afraid her happy memories of those times with her mother and father would become tainted with the sorrow that shadowed her.

  A bell jarred the night, and she started back to life with a muffled cry, knowing she didn’t have time to waste. Releasing her bundle, she increased her pace along with the frantic peal of the bell as the lighthouse beam swept the island and waters once, twice, and then held on her.

  Using her arms to stroke above her head and pulling the water underneath her body, she kept her head above the freez
ing water and saw that she was nearing the shoreline. Three minutes more and she would be there. Dear God. Please. Her breaths came in sharp pants as a stitch pierced her side. She could no longer feel her limbs, but she kept them moving, her mind stalwart.

  Men’s cries wafted across the water, and with them, the waves grew, knocking her under, sending her tumbling head over heels, and disorienting her. Her cheeks bursting, she twisted around, uncertain which way was up as time drew the air from her lungs. The water churned beside her, and she felt arms encircle her waist and draw her upward until she burst through the surface, gasping for air and blinking in the light beaming from the house and lantern light on the ferry.

  The current must have pulled her back to the ferry’s route. “No!” She screamed again and again, kicking the man holding her and pounding her fists into his back, but two days without proper nourishment and the freezing swim had taken their toll. “God. No.” She wailed, begging the man to allow her to go home, bribing him, threatening him, and weeping.

  “Why, calm down, little lady. Don’t you know I am taking you home?” he cooed as hands drew them aboard. The action flickered an image in the recesses of her mind, but as fast as it had appeared, it vanished, leaving her shivering on the ferry’s deck in a puddle.

  The man’s stare flitted to the side and she at once remembered her state of undress. She crossed her arms over her chest, quaking, afraid to even whisper the hope-laced word. “Home?”

  “Yes, the asylum has been asking about you. You’ll be home in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.”

  She dove for the railing and was met with splintering pain.