“Dr. Blackwell was his father,” she said, confirming his suspicion. “And I gather Dr. Blackwell must have deserted the family.”
“Yes, he… he left his first wife and children several years ago. It wasn’t intentional,” he assured her quickly.
Sarah raised her eyebrows, wondering how such a thing could be unintentional, but she didn’t have to ask the question aloud. Mr. Potter anticipated her.
“He explained it all to me. You see, he was always a healer by profession, but he was doing very poorly in Virginia. That’s where he lived then. He couldn’t support his family, so he traveled to Boston to study with a well-known practitioner of the art of magnetic healing there. He thought if he could improve his talents, he could be more successful. He worked as much as he could and continued to send money home to his family. He never intended to leave them permanently.”
“At some point he apparently changed his mind,” Sarah pointed out. “Was it when he met Letitia Symington?”
“Oh, it wasn’t like that at all! Letitia would never… She’s much too… Oh, no, it had nothing to do with her at all!”
“Then what did it have to do with?” Sarah prodded, wondering why Potter felt he had to justify Blackwell to her but glad for his need nonetheless.
“He became quite proficient in the new art of magnetic healing, and so he came here to the city and began to build a following. He lived frugally, still sending money home when he could and depending on his satisfied patients to recommend him to their friends. One of those patients recommended him to Mr. Symington.”
“For his daughter,” Sarah said. “I understand she’d been severely injured in a riding accident.”
“Yes, and her father was desperate to see her whole again. Letitia’s mother had died years earlier, so she was all he had. He’d called in every doctor he could find, but nothing had made her any better. Edmund was the only one who was able to help her at all, and within days she was out of her bed for the first time in a year. It was like a miracle.”
“I’m sure the Symingtons were very grateful to him,” Sarah said, encouraging him in his tale.
“You can’t know how grateful. Mr. Symington would have done anything to repay Edmund, but all Edmund wanted was for them to help spread word of what he had done for Letitia. Mr. Symington offered to rent a hall for Edmund so he could give a public lecture about his techniques, and when Edmund explained that he needed someone to speak who could personally testify to Edmund’s abilities, Mr. Symington eagerly gave his permission for Letitia to do so.”
“How did she feel about that?” Sarah asked, already knowing but wondering what Potter would say.
“Oh, she’s very refined, and it was difficult for her, but she was so grateful to Edmund, she overcame her natural reserve. People openly wept when she told the story of how he had cured her. After that, Edmund’s success was assured.”
“I’m sure it was. He must have treated many wealthy people after that.”
“Well, it’s not so easy as it sounds. Many people were still skeptical, of course. His practice grew slowly at first.”
“So he felt the need to do more lectures,” Sarah guessed.
“It’s important to educate people. You would be amazed at how many people distrust medical treatment of any kind.”
“No, I wouldn’st, Mr. Potter. I’m a nurse and a midwife by profession, remember.”
“Oh, of course,” he corrected himself quickly. “I did not mean any offense.”
“You gave none. So I’m assuming that Blackwell didn’t become an overnight sensation.”
“It may have seemed like it to some, but he struggled for months before he could consider himself comfortable. By then he’d fallen in love with Letitia, and she with him. You may wonder that so young a girl was taken with a much older man, but Edmund is… was a very attractive and charming man, and women are often attracted to maturity. It was all very romantic, as you can imagine.”
“I’m sure Edmund’s first wife wouldn’t agree,” Sarah pointed out.
“Oh, you’re right, I’m sure, but sometimes… Well, while I cannot condone what Edmund did, forgetting about his first wife and family, I can certainly understand it. Letitia is like no other woman. Her beauty and charm are irresistible, and knowing how much she adored him, Edmund couldn’t bring himself to disappoint her.”
“Wasn’t he afraid she’d be even more disappointed when she found out he was already married and she was living in sin with a man who had cruelly deceived her?” Sarah asked in amazement.
“I’m sure he intended that she never find out,” Potter assured her defensively. “Edmund would have died rather than hurt her.”
“He did die, and he still hurt her,” Sarah pointed out.
For a moment Potter was nonplussed and stammered around for a reply. Sarah waited patiently, knowing there was virtually nothing he could say that would excuse Blackwell’s behavior, and while she waited, a new thought occurred to her.
“Who else knew about Blackwell’s other family?” she asked.
Potter stared at her stupidly. “No one. I am the only one in whom he confided.”
“Are you sure? Did Letitia know? Or her father?”
“I can’t imagine Edmund would have told anyone at all, particularly Letitia or her father,” he sniffed. “A scandal like this would have ruined him. He intended to pay Calvin off and thus buy his silence. I’m sure he wouldn’t have spoken of it to anyone else.”
“Why did he tell you, then?”
Potter was beginning to dislike Sarah. She could see it in his tiny, mud-brown eyes. “I was Edmund’s business associate and dearest friend. He needed advice from someone, and I was the only one he could trust.”
Sarah was sure she now understood. “And you helped him get the money to bribe Calvin.”
“Really,” Potter huffed, so thoroughly offended that Sarah knew she had guessed the truth. “I’m sorry to have bothered you with this, Mrs. Brandt. You must think me terribly inconsiderate. A female must find this entire business extremely distressing.”
Sarah wanted to tell him she’d seen birth and death and murder and murderers enough that hardly anything shocked her anymore, but she simply smiled sweetly, playing to Potter’s prejudices. “You needn’t worry that you have distressed me, Mr. Potter. I’m simply concerned for Mrs. Blackwell’s health. A scandal could be very detrimental to her recovery.”
“Oh, dear, of course. I should have thought of that. I was merely concerned with her mental state. I never thought… But you needn’t worry, Mrs. Brandt. I am completely trained in the healing arts that Edmund practiced. If Letitia suffers a relapse, I am more than competent to attend her.”
“I’m sure she’ll find that a comfort, Mr. Potter,” Sarah said, although she believed no such thing. “And speaking of comfort, I should check on Mrs. Blackwell. I want to make sure she wasn’t disturbed by Calvin’s arrival. The less she knows about this the better, as I’m sure you’ll agree.”
Potter did not protest her departure. He obviously had grown uncomfortable with the turn of the conversation. And clearly, she had gathered all the information he had to give her at the moment, although she doubted the accuracy of some of the details. Potter’s version of events was colored by his loyalty to Blackwell-or his eagerness to whitewash Blackwell’s reputation so he wouldn’t be hurt too much by his association with him. At least she knew the bare facts now, however. Blackwell was a bigamist who had deceived a wealthy young woman from a powerful family. If that wasn’t a motive for murder, Sarah would dance naked down Fifth Avenue.
CALVIN BROWN DID not resist when Frank pushed him down into one of the overstuffed chairs in the parlor. The boy’s clear blue eyes were wide with fear, although he was doing his level best to pretend he wasn’t afraid at all. Frank had to admire his spirit.