~ Love Knows No Time ~

by

Lacey Blevins

1860--Richmond, Virginia

Doctor Jonathan Lowell mused over the difficult time Mrs. Browning experienced birthing her new son. Her health had been deteriorating before this pregnancy. He told Mr. Browning if he wanted the mother of his children to raise them this would have to be the last one. It was a miracle that she’d made it through this pregnancy. She was too old to have another child. If the baby boy hadn’t been tiny, the woman wouldn’t have made it. Thank goodness, they both survived.

Moonbeams angled through the trees creating sinister shapes over the deeply rutted dirt road. He gazed at the shifting slivers of light as he approached a curve in the road. His horse shied. "Easy girl," Jonathan spoke softly to the animal as he turned the horse and buggy into the lane. The mare increased her gait, hurrying to reach the comfort and safety of her stall.

Suddenly, darkness surrounded Jonathan. He looked out at the cloud concealing the moon, hearing nothing but the sound of the horse’s hooves and the rustling of the leaves on the magnolia trees lining the lane.

An eerie feeling crept over him as he neared his parents’ stately home and saw the blaze of lights coming from every window. "That’s odd," he said aloud. He urged his horse to move faster. Alarm caught him by the throat when he saw shadows flitting back and forth behind the curtains.

A desperate urgency filled him. He urged the mare into a run. His father! Had he been taken with a heart attack? Was his mother ill?

Mandy! It couldn’t be Mandy. When he’d left her to enjoy dinner with his parents, to go to the Browning’s, she was feeling well. Besides, their baby wasn’t due for another two months. His fingers gripped the reins. When they neared the hitching post, Jonathan stopped the conveyance, dropped the reins and jumped from the buggy with his medical bag in hand. He ran the few steps to the porch and across to the front door. He jerked it open, and came face to face with his mother.

She placed her hands on his chest. "It’s bad."

Jonathan saw the shock and sorrow in the depths of her eyes. "What’s bad, Mother? Is it, Father?" When she didn’t answer immediately, his voice became more urgent. "Say something, Mandy’s all right, isn’t she?"

"No, she isn’t," she responded, her voice thick with tears.

"Mandy! Where is she?"

"In your old room, Jonathan."

Without a word, Jonathan brushed past her and raced to the door of the room he’d occupied from boyhood until his marriage. The hinges groaned when he yanked it open. A maid cowered in the corner, holding sheets dripping with blood.

"Go, leave me alone," Jonathan ordered as he dropped the medical bag on the floor. He knelt by the large oak bed. Gently, he checked for a pulse. He leaned his cheek close to her mouth and prayed to feel her life’s breath. There was none. He toyed with the soft blonde hair splayed across the pillow. He could almost hear the vibrancy of her voice and the softness from the touch of her hand. How could he live without the smile that always tempted him beyond reason? Her pulsating energy was stilled by death. His soul cried out in anguish. "Don’t leave me, Mandy. How can I live without you?" The breaking of his heart competed with the crackle of the fire. He’d lost everything. He’d lost his wife and their baby. "Mandy."

The cry, as grievous as a lone wolf, reverberated through the house and into the hills beyond.

Summoning all his strength, he turned to his mother, "Have you informed Mandy’s parents?"

"I sent a runner as soon as she went into labor. They should be here momentarily." Mrs. Lowell placed a comforting hand on her son’s shoulder.

~ * ~

The next few days were a nightmare. He was barely able to keep his composure and his In-laws were inconsolable. His wife and son were placed in one coffin and buried. It was done.

After leaving the cemetery, he returned to the home where he and Mandy had spent so many happy hours, packed his bags, wrote his parents a note and left.