"Then practice it wearing something other than your nightgown, Lancaster," Nate snapped, stepping up on the porch. His worse fears had come true. Once word got around about her beauty and lack of husband, men and lumber beasts from as far away as Saginaw and Muskegon would descend on the Grove in droves to court her.
Vivid looked down at herself. She'd forgotten her state of dress when all this began, but her gown was not a revealing one. She sensed part of his temper could be traced to the melee in the yard, but she vowed to keep her retorts to herself. Grayson held her future in his hands. It would not do to have herself dismissed and escorted to the train station over an issue she considered trivial. With him, she would have to pick her battles. "You're correct, Mr. Grayson. The next time someone comes pounding at my door, I will make certain I am dressed properly. I only hope a seriously wounded patient won't mind bleeding to death while waiting for me to comply with your wishes."
Eli chuckled, "Dr. Lancaster, the Grove's going to enjoy having you here."
Nate turned to his cousin and asked coolly, "When did you get back?"
"Last night. And don't worry, I won't be here long. I'll be heading for the Centennial in Philadelphia in a few weeks."
"Good. Stay out of my way."
Vivid could almost touch the tension between the two cousins as they glared at each other. She'd no idea what lay between them, but she had had enough brawling for one morning, so she told them, "If you two cocks are going to fight, do it elsewhere, please."
Eli spoke first, "Nate's the one spoiling for a fight, aren't you, cousin?"
“You keep printing that hogwash in that rag you call a paper and there's going to be more than spoiling."
Nate turned angrily and took off across the grass.
"You'll have to forgive his manners, Dr. Lancaster," Eli said. "He and I are having a political disagreement of sorts. He's always right and I'm always wrong."
Vivid silently watched Nate until he disappeared through the line of trees that separated the cabin from the main house. "What do you mean?"
"I'm a registered Democrat."
Vivid turned to him and stared. "A Democrat! You are jesting with me?"
"No."
Vivid, thinking about the terror in the South, said quietly, "Some folks would say your cousin has a right to be angry."
"I agree, but the Republicans have done nothing but betray us."
Vivid knew about the debate raging nationwide over which political party deserved the Black vote in the upcoming presidential election. But to be a Democrat?
"How do you justify all that's happening in the South and Washington?"
"How does Grant justify what he hasn't done to protect the people who elected him?" Eli asked.
Therein lay the debate. Black Republicans were becoming increasingly disenchanted with the country's do-nothing policy concerning the South. Many Black men had lost their lives to Democratic forces while trying to vote in the election in 1874, yet representative Blacks such as Douglass and Pinchback were calling on Blacks to consider voting Democratic this time around to keep the Republicans from taking the Black vote for granted. As far as Vivid knew, few Blacks had crossed over.
"Have dinner with me and I'll explain my position."
"And what will your cousin say?"
"Nothing I can print."
Were it not for Nate, Vivid would have probably agreed. She seriously doubted Eli's ability to convert her, for she and her family were staunch Republicans. However, she always enjoyed stimulating conversation.
"So will you have dinner with me?"
"I'll have to speak with your cousin first. I really don't know if I'm allowed to keep company."
"You're going to ask Nate if I can take you to dinner?"
"He is my employer, after all. I've no desire to be dismissed because I may have transgressed some rule."
Eli held her eyes a moment. "Well, I'll be real interested in what Nate has to say, so let me know. In the meantime, I'd like to do a story on you for the Gazette. May I stop in next week after you're settled?"
"That would be fine." Vivid doubted she would need permission for an interview.
He walked back to the road where he had left his buggy, got in, and with a departing wave, headed his rig toward town.
Vivid reentered her cabin wanting to go back to sleep, but with all she had to do today, she washed and dressed instead. She longed to put on a pair of her trousers, but they were still with the crates at the depot, so she settled for a shirtwaist and skirt instead. Her first order of business was finding food. There was none in the cabin and she didn't have utensils, either. She wondered if she'd be allowed to enlarge the kitchen, as the space now was totally inadequate for the daughter of one of San Francisco's premier caterers. Vivid enjoyed a good meal and, thanks to her father, knew how to prepare one.
In the end she sat down and composed a list of things she needed, which she planned on showing to Abigail. The woman would certainly be able to advise her on how best to make her purchases.
A knock at the door broke her concentration. She opened it to find Nate Grayson on the other side and wondered if he was still angry about that morning.
"May I come in?" he asked.
She stepped back to let him enter.
"Aunt Gail says you're welcome up at the house if you're hungry."
"That's very nice of her." Vivid replied.
Silence fell between them and Vivid mused on how best to bring up this morning's incident. Finally, she asked, "Mr. Grayson, are you holding me responsible for this morning?''
Nate surveyed her a moment. "No," he replied, though he did wonder if she realized the dangerous potential of the situation. Those men could have easily stormed the little cabin and harmed her. Her safety had been Nate's first concern when he awakened to the shouts and yells of the mob. He'd rushed to his bedroom window, and upon surveying the scene, jumped into his trousers and grabbed his rifle. To come out and find her standing on the porch in her nightclothes, prim though they may have been, made him wonder why on earth he'd bothered to come to her rescue. His mood had turned even grimmer when he noticed his handsome cousin Eli smiling down at her.
He'd calmed down after he got back to the house once he realized he had no rational reason to be angry with her.
"Did my cousin ask you to dinner?" he asked. Nate knew Eli would try and be among the first to court her, and for some reason the knowledge struck in his craw like a fishbone.
"Yes, he did."
"I thought you weren't looking for a man."
"Your cousin invited me to have dinner, Mr. Grayson, not his children. Besides, I told him I had to ask you first."
"And he said?"
"That you'd say no."
Nate chuckled, "He knows me well."
"I've no desire to be a pawn in whatever feud you two are embroiled in. If my accepting his invitation will fan the flames, or get me tossed out on my bustle, please tell me now and I'll decline."
"Just like that."
"Just like that."
Nate held her gaze. "Tell him it isn't allowed."
Vivid nodded.
Her immediate acceptance surprised him. "You aren't going to argue with me."
"Nope."
"Why not?"
"You're my employer."
"And what will you tell my cousin?"
"That you said no, just as he predicted."
Usually when Nate and Eli weren't embroiled in an argument, they were competing against each other. They'd been at it since they were boys, each trying to best the other in everything from fishing, to lacrosse, to women. Nate had effectively delivered a checkmate by refusing to let the doctor dine with him, but somehow the victory rang hollow—maybe because of the quiet censure in Lancaster's eyes. "You won't argue, but I can tell by your eyes you don't agree."
Vivid shrugged. "It's not for me to agree or disagree. You don't want me to have dinner with your cousin. So be it."
"And you don't mind?" he asked skept
ically.
"Of course I mind, Mr. Grayson. I found your cousin quite nice, but his invitation isn't worth arguing over. You and I will find many more substantive issues to fight about before I serve you your crow, so I'm picking my battles."
He gave her a brief smile. "You see this as a series of battles?"
"I view this as a campaign of sorts, yes."
"Don't tell me you've studied military strategies also?"
"No. Hannibal."
"Hannibal?"
"Yes, the great general who took the elephants over the Alps—"
"I know who Hannibal is, Lancaster, but..." Nate found her so absolutely amazing he didn't even know what to ask next.
"My mother has devoted her life to studying him."
"Your mother?"
"Yes. My sisters and I grew up on the tales of General Hannibal's bravery. Did you know it is said he tossed cauldrons of snakes onto the decks of opponents' ships during one of his naval battles?"
He didn't; in fact, Nate had no idea Hannibal had ever fought on water.
"Do you want to come up to the house?"
His abruptness caught her off guard. "I'm sorry, Mr. Grayson, I didn't mean to bore you—"
"You weren't boring me. You just leave me speechless at times is all."
Vivid looked up and fought to keep her smile hidden. "Is that good or bad?"
"I'm not sure," he replied, looking down into her extraordinarily lovely eyes. "But I'll let you know."
The room suddenly became very warm, or at least it felt that way to Vivid. She took a step back and said, "Um, just let me get my list and I'll come have breakfast."
"What list?"
"Things I need to purchase. Food supplies, that sort of thing. Is there a place nearby where I might purchase a horse and wagon or buggy?"
She seemed flustered, and Nate wondered if it was his imagination or not. "Miss Edna over at the store can probably order you one, but I'll also check around and see if anyone has one for sale."
"That would be fine."
After breakfast and a discussion with Abigail, Vivid rode into town with Nate. The trek to town seemed shorter than it had yesterday when they were delayed by the pouring rain. Today's sky was much brighter. And with the rain gone the mugginess had disappeared also. There was a nice breeze, and it felt good on her face.
Once in town, Nate let her off at the store and told her he'd be back to fetch her after he conducted his business at the mill. Vivid nodded and went inside.
"Well, hello, Dr. Lancaster," called the woman from behind the store's counter.
Vivid smiled in reply. She remembered her from yesterday. "Good morning, Miss Edna."
Edna appeared to be a contemporary of Abigail's. She had thick chestnut and gray hair coiled in braids around her head. The beauty of her youth still showed strongly in her ivory-skinned face. "I heard you had a few visitors this morning."
Remembering, Vivid shook her head in amazement. "Yes, and it was quite the scene. Mr. Grayson finally cleared everyone out. I didn't know whether to be flattered or appalled.”
"Well, it's for certain that won't be the end. You, young woman, were put on the drum yesterday. Men as far north as Grand Traverse Bay will be hearing about you by the end of the week. Women are scarce out here. Perhaps not as scarce as they were when I came to Michigan in '58, but scarce just the same. They'll hear about you and come. Some, simply because they've never seen a female do doctoring before. Others will come because they'll have heard how beautiful you are. I even had a few of the Napowesipe come in this morning and ask about you."
Edna must have read the confusion on Vivid's face because she explained, "The Napowesipe are the native people. At one time they owned all the land in this region. Most were forced out by the government many years ago, but a few still live nearby."
"Magic mentioned something about SeePees yesterday, are these the people she meant?''
"Yes. Some of the children call them SeePees; some of the adults, too, I'm sorry to say. Nate prefers they be called Napowesipe or Neshnabek, which are their tribal names. I do, too. Shortening their names to SeePees is as shameful as having our ancestors' beautiful names changed to things like Toby."
Vivid saw the rightness in Edna's thinking and made a mental note to keep her words in mind. She was about to ask whether the Napowesipe had a doctor when Edna excused herself to help a customer who'd just entered. Vivid nodded a greeting to the newcomer, and slowly strolled through the store while waiting for Edna to return.
For such an isolated place, the Grayson Grove General Store had quite a selection of goods. Vivid saw flour and spices, bolts of material, saddles, boots, building supplies, and a shelf that held a few out-of-town newspapers both Black and White. There were barrels of pickles and crackers, and on another shelf cans of Mr. Van Camp's beans in tomato sauce. "You have a well-stocked place here, Miss Edna," Vivid remarked after the customer exited.
"Well, Nate makes sure we have everything we need here," Edna replied proudly.
Vivid noted that the mail order catalogs were well thumbed and nestled next to the newspapers and the penny peppermint jar atop the counter. Above the papers Vivid spied the bottled and packaged nostrums that claimed to cure everything from baldness to lovesickness to the flushing away of an unwanted child. The store had quite a few varieties of the pretty bottled potions. Vivid hoped the quantities stocked did not indicate that the “cures'' were widely purchased in the Grove. If they were, she anticipated a hard fight weaning her new patients away from them. Most of the powders and syrups were harmless; some, like the packaged calomel, were dangerous. She began to take the jars down from the shelves. Taken in large quantities, it could harm rather than heal.
"Miss Edna, I want you to stop selling calomel."
The woman looked at the bottles Vivid placed on the counter and asked, "But why? Folks have been using calomel for years."
"It's dangerous."
"Dangerous how, Dr. Lancaster?"
"Do you know anyone who uses this regularly?"
Edna thought for a moment. "Well, let's see. There was old man Crane who used to own the mill. He died last year. He used calomel every three or four days for as long as I knew him, said it kept him cleaned out, if you know what I mean."
Vivid understood. "Now, Edna, think about this. Do you remember what condition his teeth were in when he died?"
"I don't even have to think on that one. He had none. Most of them fell out years ago."
"It was the calomel. When you use it for long periods, it destroys the gums and teeth."
"Really?"
"Really."
Edna looked at the bottles again with renewed interest. "This is one of the things they taught you in school?''
"Yes, ma'am."
Vivid could see Edna evaluating the information. Their eyes met, and Vivid could sense the older woman was not quite convinced. "Dr. Lancaster, I believe what you're saying is true, but what do I tell my customers?"
"Tell them I said they can benefit more from eating the fruits on their trees and the vegetables in their gardens."
Edna remained skeptical, so Vivid opened her handbag and began searching inside for her coin purse. "How's this for a solution? I will purchase your entire stock of calomel, that way you can tell your customers you're out of it and it won't be a lie."
"They'll want me to order it the next time the salesman comes through."
Vivid put the money atop the counter. "I'll buy the next shipment also, and I'll talk to Mr. Grayson about my concerns."
"Fine with me. If Nate says to stop selling it, I will." Edna took the money and placed it in her cash box.
For the rest of the morning Vivid and Miss Edna worked on Vivid's list of items. Miss Edna had to excuse herself a couple of times to help other customers, but Vivid used the opportunity to introduce herself to those willing to shake her hand. Some greeted her enthusiastically, while others were a bit more reserved. A few of the farmers entered to buy necessi
ties, then sat around watching Vivid and drinking Miss Edna's coffee.
"You the new doc?" one of the men asked.
Vivid walked over and introduced herself. "Yes, sir, I am. I'm Viveca Lancaster, and you are?"
"I'm Abraham Patterson, this here is my brother Aaron."
Vivid looked at the two middle-aged men and realized they were mirror images of each other. "You're twins."
Abraham looked over to his brother and said, "See, Aaron, told you she'd figure it out. She might be female, but she ain't a blind female."
Vivid couldn't decide whether they were pulling her leg. "Why didn't you think I'd be able to tell you were twins, Mr. Patterson?"
"Females ain't known to be real bright."
"I see," Vivid replied. "Well, would you be amenable to me taking your histories?"
"Why?" asked the skeptical Aaron.
"So I'll know what diseases you've had, how much you weigh, how old you are—that sort of thing."
She waited. She could see Miss Edna watching intently.
Aaron said, "Got nothing to say to a female."
Vivid looked around at the seven or eight other men in the store. "Is this how you all feel?"
Silence.
"I see," she said.
Miss Edna's voice broke the quiet. "Every last one of you should be ashamed of yourself. This girl came here to be your doctor when nobody else would, and you're all treating her like a Democrat. Avery Jackson, you had to go clear to Battle Creek last year when you fell off your roof. At the council meeting you were the one yelling the loudest about Nate finding us a doctor. And Aaron Patterson, I have apple trees with more sense than you. How dare you question her intelligence?''
Her comments were met with furious mumbles, then someone in the back said, "I still say a woman's got no right being a doctor."
"And you have mutton for brains, Peter Templeton," Edna said.
Vivid did not want to start an argument. "Please. I'm sorry that some of you feel the way you do. All I ask is that you save judgment until you know me better."
Silence.
Vivid sighed. This was going to be harder than she'd imagined.
She turned to go back to the counter but stopped. Nate Grayson stood in the doorway watching, and she wondered how much he'd heard.