Page 66 of Healing Hazel

“Thank you, my friend.” Dr. Laurent’s grin was impossibly wide.

Hazel embraced the new Mrs. Laurent. “Such a lovely bride,” she said. “Nella, you are glowing.”

“Thank you, my dear.” She tugged at the shawl around her shoulders. The garment appeared to be silk with elaborate embroidery.

Jim did not know much about gentlewomen’s clothing, but he could tell it was much more delicate than the practical chocolate-colored dress she wore.

“It is much too elegant for me,” her friend said, blushing.

“Hardly.” Hazel straightened the shawl. “It suits you. I believe you shall have a very happy life, Nella.”

“I believe I shall,” her friend replied, taking her husband’s arm and smiling at him.

Dr. Laurent’s eyes were soft as he gazed at her.

Jim took a step back with Hazel, feeling as though they were intruding on an intimate moment. Their gazes met, and he tipped his head toward the couple and widened his eyes.

Hazel smiled, looking tired.

“Perhaps you should sit down,” Jim suggested.

Hazel took his offered arm, allowing him to lead her back to the chair beside her father.

The general was deep in conversation with the sergeant and Captain Bryant.

The captain shaded his eyes with his hand, and Jim imagined the sun must be making his head ache.

Jim sat on the other side of Hazel. “You don’t have to attend the banquet,” he said. “They will understand.”

“It is my last night here,” she said. “And my dear friend’s wedding. I am not going to miss it.”

Jim nodded. He’d known what her answer would be, and he tried to remind himself to treat her like a friend instead of a patient. But it was difficult. If she was to recover, she needed to rest as much as possible. “Your brooch,” he said to distract himself. “I believe you wore it the day you arrived as well. Is that...”

“An orchid.”

“Ah.” He looked closer at it, noticing its distinctive shape. “I’ve never seen a flower that color.”

“It is... ,” she began, then seemed to consider. “It is a symbol. Something special to my friends and myself.” A small smile pulled at her mouth.

“A symbol of what?”

“Sisterhood, friendship, strength in womanhood... the sorts of things men find tedious, I imagine.” Her tone sounded flippant, but there was a hint of uncertainty in what she was saying. Her friends were important to her, and he could tell she was watching to see how he’d respond, whether he would discount what she said as insignificant or whether he would be interested.

“You haven’t told me about these friends,” he said. “What are their names?”

“Sophie, Vivian, Elizabeth, and Dahlia,” Hazel responded. She touched the brooch. “Dahlia gave one to each of us.”

“It is very unique,” he said. “Beautiful.”

“It is a reminder,” Hazel told him. “The day we met, we made a promise together, a pledge, I suppose, to follow our dreams.” She looked past him, her eyes unfocused, as if she were remembering. “I promised I would finish my nurse training.”

“They sound like excellent friends, if they encourage you this way.”

Hazel’s expression was pensive. She folded her gloved hands in her lap, glancing to the other side of the cloister.

Instead of the lines of laundry that usually stood there, tables had been arranged in the garden. Alona and the other nurses were rolling out carts filled with food from the kitchen. Jim had sent to Santa Rosa for sherry, and the bottles clanked together as their cart rolled over the uneven ground.

Jim excused himself and went to assist, carrying chairs and lifting trays. As he worked, he considered what Hazel had said. He’d not thought of what her life had been like in London, not in any great depth. He’d vaguely imagined that she attended balls and dinner parties where only the most perfunctory subjects were discussed. He was pleased to know that she would return to friends who cared deeply about her. But the thought that sat heaviest was the realization that she had been ready to give all of it up: her friends, her dream, her life in London. She’d wanted to remain in Spain—with him—and knowing she would be leaving such a rich life behind, with deep friendships and plans for her future, made her willingness to sacrifice everything all the more valuable.

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