Natalie Martin sat in the waiting room at Dr. Blake's surgery, twisting the handkerchief in her hands. She kept her face down, trying in vain to hide the bruises and scratches.
Jean, once again, was mildly embarrassed by her husband's absence while a patient was waiting. "Mrs. Martin, can I get you a cup of tea?" she offered.
"No, thank you, Mrs. Blake. Don't go to any trouble on my account," Natalie mumbled.
That wasn't at all the sort of reaction Jean was expecting. She sat down—with some difficulty due to her growing pregnancy—and put a comforting hand on Mrs. Martin's arm. "I'm very sorry the doctor is running late. With the death of that poor teacher, he's working with the police to find her killer."
Natalie swallowed hard. "It's been rather hard to accept. My Eddie was in her class."
"My Valerie, too."
"Yes, it seems she and Eddie have become friends."
"Oh of course, I should have made the connection. I'm afraid I haven't been as involved in Valerie's school as I should be," Jean admitted.
"You're quite busy running the doctor's surgery, I'm sure. And you've got another one on the way. That must make it difficult."
Jean smiled kindly. "Yes, at my age, Lucien and I are rather worried about it, but so far it's been alright."
"You're very lucky to have a husband who loves you enough to be worried." Natalie's watery eyes said much more than her words.
"Mrs. Martin, do you know where your husband went?" Jean asked quietly.
"No, and I don't want to know. Eddie and I are better off without him. Once my face heals and I can go in public again, I'll find a job to support us. It'll be alright. Though I suppose all of this is no more than what I deserve," she said sadly.
"I can't believe anyone deserves what he did to you."
Tears began to flow down Mrs. Martin's face as she confessed, "I was unfaithful to my husband. But I couldn't stop myself. I…I don't love my husband. But I did love…" A sob cut off her words.
Jean put her arm around Natalie Martin and held her tight as she cried. "Shh, it's alright," she whispered.
"It was wrong. I knew it was wrong. It was against God. Against nature. This is my punishment. I'll be damned for what I've done!"
"I'm sorry, I just can't believe that. Certainly being unfaithful to your husband is a sin, but love is never against nature or against God. Loving another person, wholly and fully and deeply, is the most divine thing there is. I spent years being ashamed of myself for how I felt about the doctor. I loved him, despite being in his employ, despite knowing that I was a widow and a woman of God. But I loved him. I do love him. And through all the struggle, my love only grew deeper. And I don't want to presume anything about your situation, but you won't be damned for being in love." Jean gave Natalie a comforting squeeze. "And if anyone should be punished, it's Geoffrey, for what he's done to you," she added bitterly.
"You're a better woman than I, Mrs. Blake," Natalie said quietly.
"I don't know about that. But here, I don't know when Lucien will be back. He tends to get distracted. You go home. And when he comes home, I'll tell the doctor to come by and see you. He'll bring his medical bag, and if it's after school, I'll have him bring Valerie so she and Eddie can keep occupied." Jean pushed herself to standing with more effort than she liked to admit. "Go on home, Mrs. Martin. Rest for a while. Everything will be alright."
Natalie wiped the fallen tears from her cheeks and sniffed back those threatening to fall. "Thank you, Mrs. Blake."
"Of course," Jean said with a nod. "If you or Eddie need anything, please let us know. And I'll call you when the doctor is on his way over later."
Before she left, Natalie wrote down her phone number for Jean so the Blakes wouldn't have to bother with the operator. She wrote her name at the top of the page in very neat, careful letters, and had her number written below.
Meanwhile, Lucien spent all day in interview with Charlie and Frank Carlyle, speaking with every single staff member of the school. There was very little anyone could tell them. Elaine Archer was kind, she loved her students, all the other teachers liked her, no one had ever seen her in an argument with anyone, no one knew about her life outside of school.
Lucien had gone to check Miss Archer's home. Her small flat was shockingly impersonal. No family photographs anywhere. There was a potted plant on the dining table of that same purple flower she had on her desk. Lucien made another mental note to ask Jean about it.
As he wandered the rooms, opening drawers and cabinets for any sort of clue, Lucien couldn't help but feel oddly sad. By all accounts, the deceased had either an incredibly private and secret life, or else she simply had very little in it. It was beginning to look like the latter. Lucien could just picture her coming home with little drawings made for her by her students, putting them in the box on her desk, fixing a small meal of toast and cheese—that's all that was in the kitchen—and sitting down alone on the sofa in front of the television or perhaps reading a book while the wireless played.
But then Lucien discovered something that changed his mind about Elaine Archer. Right by her bed, propped up against the lamp, was a handwritten note.
I can't stop thinking about you. As soon as I'm able to get away again, I'll phone. I love you. –N.
Lucien put the note in his pocket. He'd show it to Charlie at home to see if he recognized the handwriting from one of the school people they interviewed that morning. If they could only find whoever "N" was, whoever it was that proclaimed his love for Miss Archer, Lucien knew they could figure out what happened to her.
As soon as he got home, Jean called out to him. "Lucien, you missed Mrs. Martin's appointment!"
"Oh that's right, I did. I was in interview longer than I wanted, and I wanted to see Miss Archer's flat before I came home. Here, take a look at what I found," he said, taking the note from his pocket to show her. "What do you make of this?"
"I'll look at it later. Go see Mrs. Martin. She's been beaten by her husband who's run off and left her with their little boy. Good riddance, but nevertheless, she needs her doctor to make sure she's alright." Jean had Lucien's medical bag all ready by the door for him. "And take Valerie with you. She and Eddie can keep occupied while you're with his mother."
Lucien put the note on the front table and picked up his bag. "Valerie! Would you like to go on a housecall with me?" he shouted.
Jean rolled her eyes as their daughter's thundering footsteps sounded on the stairs.
"Daddy, can I help!?" Valerie asked excitedly.
"I think you certainly can," Lucien replied, smiling proudly.
"Be sure to keep your coat on when you're outside. The nights still get cold, even in the springtime," Jean warned. She kissed the cheek of her daughter and husband, sending them off. "I'll let Mrs. Martin know you're on your way."
As soon as the door closed, Jean made her way to the telephone where she'd kept the phone number for the Martin house. Natalie answered right away and thanked Jean for calling. After that task was done, Jean went around cleaning up after the veritable hurricane left in the wake of her child. She went upstairs to see what sort of destruction Valerie had left in her bedroom.
Downstairs, Mattie came home from her day of work, very pleased she wouldn't be on call this evening. She had dealt with several difficult cases that day and was eager for some happy distraction from her Blake family. But the house was quiet. Charlie would still be at the station. The doctor's hat and coat were missing from the rack by the door. Mattie found a folded page on the side table and looked at it, surprised to find a love note.
Jean waddled down the stairs to go start on dinner. Valerie's room had been too much of a mess for her to deal with while six months pregnant. She'd have Valerie clean up after herself before dinner.
Mattie head footsteps and went to see. "Jean, what is this?" she asked, holding up the love note.
"Oh that was something Lucien wanted to show me from Miss Archer's." Jean took the page and looked at it. "Hang on, I know…Oh my god!"
Jean rushed into the other room and got Mrs. Martin's phone number. And sure enough, the "N" on the love note exactly matched the way Mrs. Martin had written the N of Natalie. Mattie saw the comparison immediately. "What does this mean?"
"I have to go see Mrs. Martin," Jean replied, taking the notes and putting on her coat by the door.
As she walked the four blocks to the Martin house, Jean started to piece together everything. And once it all fell into place, Jean felt her heart break for Elaine Archer and Natalie Martin. She knocked on the door perhaps a bit more hastily than she should have.
"This is Eddie Martin, who is at the door, please?" came a small voice inside.
Immediately after, another small voice sounded, "This is Valerie Blake, who is at the door, please?" The two children erupted into giggles.
"This is Jean Blake, and I need to speak with the doctor, please," Jean announced. She smiled at the sweet innocence of the children, happy to have her heart warmed in the midst of all the unpleasantness.
Eddie opened the door for Valerie's mother as Valerie ran to get her father.
"Valerie, you know you can't interrupt when I'm with patient," Jean heard Lucien chide. But he came down the hall and saw her, exclaiming with surprise, "Jean, is everything alright?"
The Blakes stood off in the corner so Jean could show the notes. "Lucien, I spoke with Natalie Martin this morning, and she told me that her husband did all that to her because he found out she'd been unfaithful, that she'd gone against God. I thought she just meant adultery, but if you found this at Miss Archer's flat, could it be that…"
At that exact moment, Lucien noticed the potted plant on the end table in the living room. The same purple plant he'd seen in Miss Archer's classroom and in her flat. "Jean, what kind of plant is that?" he asked.
Confused by his abrupt change in subject, Jean answered, "African violet. It's rather tricky to grow in this climate."
Lucien chuckled. "Oh my."
"What?"
"Jean, I think you got it exactly right. Mrs. Martin and Miss Archer were lovers."
Her eyes went wide.
He explained, "There was an ancient Greek poetess, Sappho, who proclaimed her love for beautiful women and presented her lover with a garland of violets. As a teacher, even for young children, Elaine Archer probably knew of it. She had those same violets at her home and in her classroom."
"Daddy, what's going on?" Valerie asked, interrupting her parents in their hushed murmuring.
"Valerie, you and Eddie go play in his room, please," Jean instructed.
Natalie Martin passed the children on her way down the hallway. "Dr. Blake? Mrs. Blake?"
Lucien came and put a gentle hand on Natalie's shoulder. "Mrs. Martin, did your husband find out about you and Miss Archer?"
Natalie immediately burst into tears. "Geoffrey found Elaine's letter to me. He cursed me and beat me and then swore he'd do the same to her. That's what happened, isn't it? He killed her?"
"I'm so sorry," Lucien said softly, handing her his handkerchief. "But Natalie, if you suspected what had happened to Elaine, why didn't you tell the police?"
"They'll arrest me for indecency. Eddie's got no one but me," Natalie explained through her sobs.
Jean stepped forward. "Natalie, why don't you and Lucien go to the morgue? You can say goodbye to Elaine. I'll stay here with the children," she offered.
Natalie nodded numbly. Lucien took her in his car and drove to the hospital. "What happened? Please tell me," she begged, once she'd stopped herself from crying.
"Dr. Harvey and I determined that she was grabbed very roughly and thrown back. She hit her head on the desk. The brain trauma and blood loss were what killed her. Geoffrey must have fled the scene before Valerie found her."
"Valerie found her?" Natalie gasped.
Lucien nodded gravely.
"I'm so sorry for all the hurt and pain I've caused."
"You didn't do this, Natalie. This was the act of a horrible man. A man who will spend the rest of his life in prison as soon as the police find him," Lucien insisted bitterly.
"Dr. Blake, are you going to tell the police about me and Elaine?" she asked quietly.
"We'll figure it out," he assured her as he parked the car.
They made their way to the morgue. Lucien was surprised to find Alice sitting at her lab table, reading a book.
"Dr. Harvey, Mrs. Martin is going to have a few minutes with Miss Archer. Could I speak with out for a moment?" Lucien asked, ushering Alice out to give Natalie some privacy.
"What's going on?" Alice asked.
"Never mind that. What are you doing here?" Lucien asked. "It's Friday evening. Shouldn't you be home?"
"I don't want to go home," Alice replied stubbornly.
"What's going on with you two? You can't keep this up much longer. I don't like being caught between you both without knowing what's happening!"
"Matthew wants to propose!"
Lucien's jaw dropped. "Well, isn't it about time? I mean you've been living together for almost two years, haven't you?"
"Yes, and it's lovely. But why on earth would he want to marry me? We're already living together and doing practically everything married people would do anyway. I don't see what the point is," Alice grumbled. "Why would he want to change things?"
"I think you've thrown our Matthew Lawson for a loop. He's a fairly traditional bloke, you know. I know he was rather concerned about living without out of wedlock when he first moved in. But he loves you so very much, I don't think he could bear the idea of losing you. Alice, I can't speak for Matthew. I haven't spoken to him about this. But I do know that you avoiding him isn't going to do either of you any good. Just hear him out and tell him how you feel, and I'm sure you'll figure out what will be best for you both."
Natalie Martin came out from the door, wiping tears from her eyes. Lucien took her home, leaving Alice with quite a lot to think about.
Late that night, after Jean had made a small supper for Eddie and Natalie and gone home with her own husband and daughter to make dinner for them as well and cleaned it all up, she practically collapsed in bed.
"Jean, are you feeling alright?" Lucien asked with concern, coming into the bedroom from singing Valerie to sleep.
She ignored the obvious reference to the pregnancy and instead replied, "I can't stop thinking about Natalie Martin. To live in a loveless marriage, to finally find the person she truly loves and who loves her in return, only to have to hide away and feel that guilt until it's ripped away? I can't imagine what it's like to live like that." Jean waited for Lucien to get into bed beside her before snuggling up beside him. "We're so lucky to have each other and our children. That we're all happy and healthy and we have a house full of love."
Lucien held his wife close, placing a hand on her belly with their unborn baby. "I couldn't agree more. I told Natalie we'd work it out, but I can't promise what the police will do when they catch Geoffrey Martin."
"I think we should try to help Natalie get a job at the florist's. She grew those violets herself. She has a gift, and I think she'd do well there," Jean suggested.
"That is a marvelous idea, love," he replied, kissing her forehead. "Oh, and I found out that Alice is avoiding Matthew because she's afraid he's going to propose marriage."
"Yes, Matthew explained when he came over early for dinner yesterday. I told him I wasn't going to interfere, but I couldn't speak for you. I know better than to predict what you're apt to do in any situation," she teased, patting his chest affectionately.
"You know, I have a strange feeling that everything will work out."
"That's rather optimistic for you, Lucien," Jean noted.
"Yes, it feels rather odd, but there's just something about everything that's happened in the last two days…somehow, our baby will be fine, Natalie and Eddie Martin will be alright, Valerie will be just as wonderful as always, and Alice and Matthew will find their way."
Jean yawned and cuddled closer to her husband. "You do tend to be right about most things. I won't be surprised if your right this time, too."