Never Less Than A Lady | Herophine

Chapter Two

Josephine

"Mrs Thomas?" a light female voice called as the bells on the cottage door rang to indicate a visitor. "It's me, Ellie Flynn."

"Good afternoon, Ellie." Josephine moved from the kitchen into her examining room, taking the young woman's toddler into her arms. "How is Master Alfred feeling today?"

"Much better, Mrs Thomas." The woman smiled fondly at her redheaded son, who was reaching for Josephine's cat. "That horehound and honey tea you gave me helped his cough right smartly."

"The Duchess of Ashton's cough remedy." Josephine looked the little boy over. He grinned back at her. "The name alone is halfway to being a cure."

The tea was a recipe she'd learned from her friend Rose, who hadn't been a duchess then. Rose had been raised by a grandmother who was a village healer not unlike Josephine, but more knowledgeable about herbs. Josephine had learned a few simple remedies from the midwife who had trained her, but Rose knew many more, and her recipes had been a good addition to Josephine's store of treatments.

She handed the little boy back to his mother. "He's flourishing. You're doing a fine job raising him, Ellie."

"I couldn't have done it without your help. When he was born, I hardly knew which end was which!" Ellie, also redheaded and no more than nineteen shyly offered a worn canvas bag. "I've some nice fresh eggs for you if you'd like them."

"Lovely! I've been wanting an egg for my tea." Josephine accepted the bag and moved to the kitchen of her cottage, removing the eggs from their straw packing so she could return the bag. She never turned away a mother or child in need, so while many of her patients couldn't afford to pay in cash, Josephine and her household ate well.

After Mrs Flynn and her little boy left, Josephine sat at her desk and wrote notes about patients she'd seen that day. Snowball, her tabby cat, snoozed beside her. After finishing her notes, Josephine sat back and petted the cat as she surveyed her kingdom.

Willow Cottage had two reception rooms at the front of the house. She used this one as an office for treating patients and storing remedies. The other front chamber was her sitting room. The kitchen, pantry, and bedroom ran across the back of the cottage. A slant-roofed but spacious second bedroom was up the narrow stairs.

Behind the cottage was stable for her placid pony and a garden that produced herbs and vegetables. The flowers in front of the cottage were there simply because she believed that everyone needed flowers.

Willow Cottage was not what she'd been raised to, but that life had turned out very badly. This life was so much better. She had her own home, friends, and she provided a vital service for this remote community. With no physicians nearby, she had become more than a midwife. She set bones and treated wounds and minor illnesses. Some claimed she was better than the doctors in Carlisle. Certainly, she was cheaper.

Though her trip to London several months earlier as Rose's chaperone had left her restless, she was mostly content in Hartley. She would never have a child of her own, but she had many children in her life, as well as the respect of the community. She took pride in the fact that she'd built this life for herself with her own hard work.

The front door opened and a young woman bustled in, a toddler on one hip and a canvas bag slung over her shoulder. Rose smiled at the other two members of her household. "You're back early, Faith. How are Mrs Wolf and Annie?"

Faith Samuels beamed. "Happy and healthy. Since I delivered Annie myself, whenever I see her I'm as proud as if I'd invented babies."

Josephine laughed. "I know the feeling. Helping a baby into the world is a joy."