The Bone Garden: A Novel

— Hardly a burden, sir. She's my own family. — Her only family now.

— You're certain the child is safe? —

— As safe as I can make her. —

— Where is she? May we see her? —

Rose hesitated. Though Wendell's gaze was unflinching, though he'd given her no reason to doubt him, still, this was Meggie's life at stake.

Norris said, — She seems to be at the center of it all. Please, Rose. We only want to be sure she's well protected. And healthy. —

It was Norris's plea that convinced her. From their first meeting in the hospital, she had been drawn to him, had felt that, unlike the other gentlemen, he was someone she could turn to. Last night, by his charity, he had confirmed her faith in him.

She looked out the window. — It's dark enough. I never go there in daylight. — She stood. — It should be safe now. —

— I'll call a carriage, — said Wendell.

— No carriage will make it down the alley where I'm taking you. — She wrapped her cloak tight and turned to the door. — We walk. —

In Hepzibah's world, shadows always reigned. Even when Rose had visited while the sun was shining, the light barely penetrated into the low-ceilinged room. In her zeal to keep warm, Hepzibah had nailed her shutters closed, turning her room into a dark little cave where the far corners remained eternally invisible. So the murky space Rose saw that night looked no different than always, with the fire reduced to glowing coals, and not even a single candle burning.

With a joyful laugh, Rose swept up Meggie from the basket and brought the little face up to hers, breathing in the familiar scents of her hair, her swaddling clothes. Meggie responded with a wet cough, and tiny fingers reached out to grasp a handful of Rose's hair. Mucus gleamed on her upper lip.

— Ah, my darling girl! — said Rose, hugging Meggie to her own empty breasts. Wishing that she could be the one to nourish her. The two gentlemen standing behind her remained strangely silent, watching as she fussed over the baby. She turned to Hepzibah. — Has she been ill? —

— Started coughing last night. You haven't been here in a few days. —

— I sent money today. Billy brought it, didn't he? —

By the faint glow of the hearth, Hepzibah, with her fat neck, looked like an enormous toad planted in the chair. — Aye, the idiot boy brought it. I'll be needing more. —

— More? But it was what you asked. —

— She's keepin' me up now, that one. Coughing. —

Norris said, — May we take a look at the baby? We'd like to confirm that she's healthy. —

Hepzibah eyed him and gave a grunt. — Who might you gentlemen be, to care about some fatherless child? —

— We're medical students, madam. We care about all children. —

— Ooh, fancy that! — Hepzibah laughed. — I can show you ten thousand of 'em, when you're done wi' this one. —

Norris lit a candle at the hearth. — Bring the baby here, Rose. So I can get a better look at her. —

Rose carried Meggie to him. The baby gazed up with trusting eyes as Norris peeled away the blanket and examined her chest, prodded her abdomen. Already he had the sure and confident hands of a doctor, Rose observed, and she imagined him as he would one day look, his hair streaked with gray, his gaze sober and wise. Oh, she hoped she would know him then! She hoped she could watch him gaze down at his own child. Our own child. Thoroughly he inspected Meggie, whose plump thighs were testimony to an adequate diet. But the baby was coughing, and strands of clear mucus trickled from her nostrils.

— She seems to have no fever, — said Norris. — But there is congestion. —

Hepzibah gave a dismissive grunt. — All the little ones have it. Not a child in South Boston who doesn't have snot under his nose. —

— But she's so young. —

— She eats more than enough. And for that as well, I'll need to be paid more. —

Wendell reached into his pocket and withdrew a handful of coins, which he placed in the wet nurse's hand. — There'll be more. But the child must stay well fed and healthy. Do you understand? —

Hepzibah stared at the money. And she said, with a new note of respect, — Oh, she will, sir. I'll be sure of it. —

Rose stared at Wendell, stunned by his generosity. — I'll find a way to pay you, Mr. Holmes, — she said, softly. — I swear to you. —

— There's no need to talk of payment, — said Wendell. — If you'll excuse us, Mr. Marshall and I need to speak alone. — He looked at Norris, and the two men stepped outside, into the alley.

— Not just one, but two gentlemen paying your way, eh? — Hepzibah looked at Rose and gave a knowing cackle. — You must be quite a girl. —

— This place is appalling! — said Wendell. — Even if she keeps the child well fed, look at the woman! She's grotesque. And this neighborhood? all these tenements? they're ridden with disease. —

And they're filled with children, thought Norris, looking up the narrow alley at windows where candles flickered. Countless children, every bit as vulnerable as baby Meggie. They stood outside Hepzibah's door, shivering in a night that had fallen significantly colder in just the short time they'd been indoors. — She can't stay here, — he agreed.

— The question is, — said Wendell, — what's the alternative? —

— She belongs with Rose. That's where she'll be best cared for. —

— Rose can't feed her. And if she's right about these murders, if she's truly being hunted, then she needs to stay as far away from the baby as she can get. She knows that. —

— And it's breaking her heart. You can see it. —

— Yet she's clear-eyed enough to realize it's necessary. — Wendell glanced down the alley as a drunken man came tottering out of a doorway and staggered away in the other direction. — She's quite a resourceful girl. She has to be clever, just to keep body and soul together out on the streets. I have a feeling that, no matter the situation, Rose Connolly will find a way to survive. And keep her niece alive as well. —

Norris remembered the wretched lodging house in which he'd visited her. He thought of the room crawling with insects, and the coughing man in the corner, and the floor covered with filthy straw. Could I endure one night in such a place?

— A remarkable girl, — Wendell said.

— I've come to appreciate that. —

— And quite a pretty one, too. Even under all those rags. —

So I've noticed.

— What are you going to do with her, Norris? —

Wendell's question brought Norris up short. What was he going to do with her? This morning, he'd been resolved to send her on her way with a few coins and his best wishes. Now he realized he couldn't turn her out on the street, not when the whole world seemed poised to crush her. And the baby had become his concern as well. Who could not be charmed by such a serene and smiling child?

— No matter what you choose, — said Wendell, — even if you send her away, your fates seem to be tied together. —

— What do you mean? —

— The West End Reaper haunts you both. Rose believes she's stalked by him. The Night Watch believes you are him. Until he's caught, you and Rose won't be safe. — Wendell turned and looked at Hepzibah's door. — Nor will the child. —