just a little more. Women do have power, dear, but we must use it wisely."
To get bigger carriages and newer gowns, Georgina supposed as she thanked her hostess and took her leave. She couldn't see what else they were using their power for.
With a grimace of disdain she set out for the church where Daniel was distributing some of his literature. She hoped he had been more useful today than she had been.
She looked up in surprise at the sight of her father's carriage rolling down the street in her direction. It was the middle of the day, and he was usually up to his ears in work at the factory. Perhaps it was just Blucher out running errands for her mother. She rather missed the stiff old man. She waved, and the carriage slowed.
To her surprise her father sat behind the driver. To her greater surprise he jumped out and held out his hand to her.
"Georgina, thank goodness I found you. It's your mother. She's gravely ill. I need to take you to her at once."
There wasn't any mistaking the gray lines of worry and fear on her father's face. Georgina took his hand and instantly climbed into the carriage. Despite all her mother's failings, she loved her dearly. It had gone against the grain to stay away this long, but without an invitation from her family, she had felt as if she would be disgracing their doorway by returning. This wasn't the kind of invitation she had been expecting.
"What is it? Has the doctor said? How bad is she?" Anxious, she turned to her father as he sat beside her.
"I'm afraid it's the worst, Georgina. I'm afraid we'll have to send her back to the hospital. The doctor has her sedated now. I hoped she would come around before I had to send for you."
Clenching her hands in her lap, Georgina prayed for the wisdom to handle this ordeal. She wished she had Daniel beside her. She needed his experience right now. He knew more of the world than she did. Perhaps there was something else they could do, someone else they could send for. It didn't seem right to send her mother away just because she had difficulty coping with the world. Surely they must be doing something wrong, and if they could just somehow make it right...
Several hours later, Georgina was the one who was sedated.
As George Hanover carefully removed the cup from her inert hand, the physician shook his head behind him.
"It's a classic case, I'm afraid. It must run in the family. I'm sorry to see it, George. But the doctors can work wonders these days. We'll have her right in a few months. I hope this won't hurt her chances with young Mulloney. This kind of brain exertion doesn't occur in males, so he won't have to worry about sons. And Georgina will be just fine once he learns to keep her quiet and away from excitement. I'll explain the technical details to him if you like."
"That's kind of you, Ralph. If you'll signal Blucher, we'll carry her out of here. I'm certain a good long rest at the sanitarium is just what she needs. I should never have sent her away to school, but with her mother..." George gestured helplessly.
Ralph patted him on the back. "I know. It was a hard decision to make. I trust Dolly is strong enough to make the trip with you?"
"She's rested. She'll be fine. You might want to leave me some more of that medicine just in case she becomes agitated while we're traveling."
Ralph removed a bottle from his medical bag. "You might need to keep Georgina under control while you travel. This should be sufficient until you arrive. Just remember the dosage I told you. And God be with you."
As Blucher carried his employer's daughter to the waiting carriage, George tucked the bottle of opium into his pocket and went in search of his wife.
* * *
Daniel paced the street in front of the church one more time. Georgina had told him Loyolla's teas never lasted past five o'clock. He pulled out his watch and glanced at it again. Seven.
He should have paid more attention to the time. She should have been here hours ago. He had expected her here to help him long before this. What kind of crazy side trip had she made this time?
His leg was aching from the day's exertion, but he set out down the street to the mayor's house.