A Good Woman

hadn’t lagged for a minute.

“You look as though you enjoy the work,” he said to her as he wiped his hands on his bloody apron. Hers looked just as bad. She didn’t seem to notice, and she had a streak of someone’s blood on her face. He handed her a rag to wipe it off with, and she thanked him and smiled. He was a French surgeon who had come from Paris, and was one of the few male doctors they had. Most of the medical personnel were women, which had been Elsie Inglis’s intention when she set it up. But they made exceptions, as they needed a lot of help. They were treating so many men that by now they were grateful for all the doctors they could get.

“Yes, I do,” Annabelle said honestly, as she put away the rag with the other linens that the girls in the laundry room would pick up later. Some of it just had to be thrown away. “I’ve always loved this kind of work. I just wish the men didn’t have to suffer so much. This war is such a terrible thing.” He nodded. He was in his fifties, and he had never seen a carnage such as this himself.

“The head nurse thinks you should go to nursing school,” he said tentatively, looking at her as they walked out of the operating room together. It was impossible not to notice what a pretty girl she was, but there was a great deal more to her than that. Everyone had been impressed with her medical skill since she’d arrived. The doctor who had written her reference hadn’t exaggerated, she was even better than his glowing praise. “Is that what you’d like to do?” the surgeon inquired. He was impressed by her French as well, and it had improved dramatically in the past two weeks. He had no problem speaking to her in French, or she in responding to him.

She thought for a moment before she answered him. She was no longer married to Josiah, and her parents were gone. She could do anything she wanted now-she answered to no one. If she wanted to go to nursing school, she could, but as she looked up at him, she was as surprised as he by what she said.

“I’d rather be a doctor,” she almost whispered, afraid that he would laugh at her. Dr. Inglis, who had established the hospital, was a woman, but it was still unusual for a woman to attend medical school. Some did, but it was very rare. He nodded in response.

“I was thinking that myself. I think you should. You have a talent. I can tell.” He had taught at the Faculte de Medecine for years before the war, and had dealt with men far less capable than she. He thought it was an excellent idea. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“I don’t know,” she said, looking shocked. She had never allowed herself to think of it as a real possibility before. And now this kind man was taking her seriously and offering to help. It brought tears to her eyes. “Would it be possible?”

“Of course. Anything is possible if you want it badly enough and are willing to work for it. And something tells me you would. Why don’t you think about it, and we’ll talk about it another time.”

His name was Dr. Hugues de Bre, and their paths didn’t cross again for another month. She heard that he went to work at one of the field hospitals closer to the front for a while, and came back to the Abbey in November. He smiled the moment he saw Annabelle, and had her administer chloroform to the patient herself. She was gentle and efficient as she put the crying man to sleep, and then a young doctor took over from her after that. Dr. de Bre talked to her that night before he left.

“Have you thought any more about our plan? I thought of another thing,” he said cautiously. “Medical school is expensive. Would that be possible for you?” Something about her suggested to him that it would, but he didn’t want to assume it. He had been thinking about how to get a scholarship for her. It would have been difficult because she wasn’t French.

“I think it would be all right,” she said discreetly.

“What about going to Dr. Inglis’s medical college in Scotland?” he suggested, and Annabelle shook her head.

“I think I’d rather stay in France.” Although the language would be easier in Scotland, she could manage in French, and the prospect of spending years in the dreary weather in Scotland didn’t appeal to her as much.

“I could do more to help you here. I was thinking of a small medical school I’ve always liked in the South of France, near Nice. And I don’t think you should wait until the war ends. It would be easier to get in now. Classes are smaller, they need students. Many of the young men are gone, so there is less competition to get in. They would welcome you with open arms. With your permission, I’d like to write to them and see what they say.” Annabelle smiled up at him in astonishment and gratitude. It was impossible to believe this was happening. Perhaps it was destiny. Six months before, she’d been married, hoping to have a family one day, in her safe, predictable life in Newport and New York. Now she was alone, in France, talking about going to medical school, and everything in her life had changed. Josiah was with Henry in Mexico, and she had no one to answer to at all. If this was her dream, she could follow it now. There was no one to stop her. The only thing that made her sad was that she had no one to discuss it with except Dr. de Bre.

They were still dealing with waves of wounded coming from the front, as the weather turned colder, and more men died of infections, wounds, and dysentery. She had lost two of the men she’d been caring for only that morning, when Dr. de Bre stopped to talk to her again. It was two weeks before Christmas, and she was homesick for the first time. She’d been thinking that only a year before, her mother had been alive. Dr. de Bre broke into her reverie and told her he had had a letter from the school in Nice. He looked at her portentously, and she held her breath, waiting to hear what he had to say.

“They said they would be very happy to accept you with a recommendation from me. They’ll put you on a probationary basis for the first term, and if you do well, you will be accepted as a full student after that.” He was smiling at her as her eyes grew wide. “They would like you to begin on January fifteenth, if that appeals to you.” Her eyes and mouth flew open in disbelief, and she stared at him.

“Are you serious?” She almost jumped into his arms. She looked like a very young girl as he laughed at her. It had been a pleasure to assist such a talented young woman. In his opinion, the world needed doctors like her. And as much as she was needed here to assist, he thought it far more important for her to train as a physician as soon as possible. She would do the world a lot more good as a doctor.

“I’m afraid I am serious. What are you going to do about it?” he asked, still unsure if she would go. She hadn’t been sure herself. His inquiry had been more of an exercise to see what they would say. She hadn’t expected it to be so easy, or so quick. But the school needed students desperately, and with a recommendation from Dr. de Bre, they had every confidence that she would justify his faith in her, and so did he.

“Oh my God,” she said, staring at him, as they left the ward and walked into the cold night air. “Oh my God…I have to go!” It was a dream come true, something she had never expected to happen, never dared to dream of, and now the dream was within reach. She didn’t have to just read medical books on her own, trying to figure it all out for herself. She could study them, and become exactly who and what she wanted to be. He had given her a gift beyond belief. She had no idea how to thank him as she threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him on the cheek.

“You’re going to make a wonderful doctor, my dear. I want you to stay in touch with me, and come to see me when this war is over, and life is normal again, if it ever will be.” It was hard to believe that now. The death toll in Europe had reached three million. Far too many lives had been lost already, and nothing had been resolved. All of Europe was at war with each other, and America was still determined not to get involved.

Annabelle hated to leave the Abbey. She knew she was needed there, but Dr. de Bre had made a good point, this was the perfect time for her to go to medical school. In peacetime, with more men applying, they may not have been as willing to accept her. They had told him that in the coming term, she would be the only woman in her class, although they had had female graduates before. Her studies would take six years in all. One mostly in the classroom, and five years thereafter taking classes and working with patients in a hospital near the school. They were affiliated with one of the best hospitals in Nice. She would get a lot of experience, and it was a good place for her to live. In peacetime, it was safer for her than Paris, more provincial and smaller, since she had no one to protect her. He had told her there were dormitories at the school, and they would give her a large private room of her own, since she was the only female student. And he suggested that afterward, she would come back to Paris, and perhaps work for him. He had so much faith in her that she was determined to justify it.

She was floating that night when she went back to her cell, and Dr. de Bre had said he would write to the school to accept the place for her. She had to send them some money by the first of January, which wasn’t a problem. She could pay the rest of the tuition for the first year when she got there. Her mind was chock-full of excitement and plans. Her head was spinning, and she was awake most of the night, thinking about it. She remembered telling Josiah once that she wanted to dissect a cadaver, and now she would, and nothing and no one could stop her. She had already learned a great deal more about anatomy after working in the operating room at