pinned the sheet closed over Thomasâs body. Together, Lucas and Mr. Stukeley put the lid back on the coffin and covered it with dirt once more.
Mr. Stukeley carried Thomasâs heart back to the house, where Mrs. Stukeley had the fire blazing. Lucas watched, transfixed, as Sarah was brought over to the hearth. Mr. Stukeley placed the heart in the flames. As it burned, Mrs. Stukeley fanned the smoke into the room, toward Sarah, who breathed deeply of it. Then the others, too, moved closer to breathe in the smoke. When the flames died down, Mrs. Stukeley gathered the ashes, mixed them with water, and gave the potion to Sarah to drink.
Lucas joined the family in a prayer for Sarahâs recovery, then made ready to leave. The family was quiet and subdued, as befitted such a solemn ritual. But, afterward, there was something new in the room and in the faces of the Stukeley family. It was hope. Lucas could feel it filling his own heart as well, as he rode slowly back to Docâs in the darkness.
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When he had rubbed down Jasper and given him an extra portion of oats, Lucas stopped by the next stall to give Mosesâs nose a rub. âSorry for leaving you behind, Moses,â he said. âBut I couldnât very well ride the both of you, now, could I?â
Moses rolled his eye, but moved his head so Lucas could rub between his ears.
âCome on, boy.â Lucas coaxed him with a laugh. He continued to talk soothingly as he scratched the big horseâs head. âDonât be feeling sorry for yourself. Iâll take you next time, howâs that?â With a final pat to Mosesâs smooth back, Lucas went to the house to find Doc Beecher. He couldnât wait to tell Doc what had happened at the Stukeley farm.
To his disappointment, he was greeted in the kitchen by Mrs. Bunce, who said, âDr. Beecher has gone to bed, Lucas, and at this late hour Iâve already had my supper. Iâve kept yours warm. But, first, itâs time for you to bathe.â
At the mention of supper, Lucasâs stomach growled, and he looked longingly at the pot that sat on the cookstove.
âThereâs hot water and soap and, as you can see, Iâve washed your clothes.â
Lucas sighed. So it was to be another bath. He thought of Eben Oaks asking, âIs she as persnickety as they say?â and his lips twitched in a smile. Once again he promised himself that heâd ask whether Doc held to all this washing and bath-taking.
Doc. Heâd been feeling âpunyâ that morning, and had gone to bed early. âHowâs Doc?â Lucas asked Mrs. Bunce. As soon as he asked the question, he realized he was afraid to hear the answer.
âMuch better, he says,â she answered briskly. âYou be sure and wash up properly, mind you,â she said, turning to leave the room.
âYes, maâam,â said Lucas.
Shivering as he undressed, Lucas wished again that Doc was awake so that they could talk over Sarah Stukeleyâs cure. Washing himself âproperly,â as heâd been instructed, he marveled at how much his life had changed in the short time since he had come to be apprenticed to Doc Beecher. Here he was, he thought, grinning sheepishly, taking his second bath in onlyâwhat?âfive days.
But it was more than just the bathing. More, too, than the big house with all the fine and fancy things in it, that made his life here so different. Lucas struggled to fix in his mind just exactly what it was that felt so new. It was something about Doc himself. It was the way Doc talked to Lucas.
At home on the farm, life had been hard. Mama, Pa, Asa, and Lucas himself had all worked from sunup to sundown just to finish the chores. When dark came, they usually fell into exhausted sleep. There was laughter and there was talk, sure, but most often it was about the crops or the weather, or the work that had to be done the next day.
Pa had been, for the most part,
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