fascinating.”
“Of course you do.” He comes out from behind the table and gestures to another row of jars. “We also have two-headed pigs, another fused sheep, a three-faced dog, the bladder of a stunted horse, legsfrom a malformed kitten, eyeballs of a blind goat, and my favorite—the body of a rooster that was born without a head. He lived for three weeks until one of the other roosters started to peck away his—”
“My father collected these?” I interrupt. Reaching for the jar labeled SPECIMEN: MALFORMED PIG , I take it down from the shelf and peer at it closely. There are two clearly defined heads, each with their own eye sockets, yet only one snout that joins them. It truly is fascinating. I wonder what Father has learned by studying such a creature.
I go to open it, but Edgar puts up a hand.
“I wouldn’t do that. The smell can be quite overwhelming.”
Reluctantly, I place it back upon the shelf. I scan the rest of the jars, noting that the other specimens all seem to have some type of abnormality or malfunction. “Why doesn’t Father have any healthy tissue?” I question.
Edgar tilts his head, as if measuring me. “It’s not his area of … interest.”
“What
is
his area of interest? I thought he was a doctor.”
“Oh, he is. Or rather,
was
. It’s all very”—he pausesand gives me a sly smile again—“
scandalous
.”
A fly buzzes around my head, and I brush it away impatiently. “Cook told me he lost his license. Is that true?”
Edgar suddenly reaches out and swipes his thumb across my face. I pull back, but he gives me a mocking grin. “The fly returned,” he offers.
“Is it true that Father lost his license?” I say again.
“Does a bird stop flying just because someone tells it not to? It cannot stop, if that’s what it was meant to do.”
Cannot stop …
It’s then I realize that Father must be practicing medicine illegally. That’s why there are strange noises and clandestine deliveries late at night. Why I have been warned not to come down here. Practicing medicine without a license is against the law, and if word should get out, he will be sent to prison.
Edgar stares at me intently. “Ahhh, you’ve figured it out.”
His tone makes me suddenly wary of where I am. If Edgar is my father’s assistant, then surely, he has been helping him with his illegal endeavors. That means I now know not just Father’s secret, but Edgar’s as well.
Is Allan involved, too? Will Father be upset if Edgar’s
revealed what he’s told me? How dangerous is it for me to know such a thing?
I try to think of something to say that will not arouse his suspicion. I must not allow him to know my thoughts. “Thank you for sharing this with me, Edgar.”
He scowls. “Why are you thanking me?”
“It was very kind of you to bring me down here. Thank you for showing me Father’s laboratory.”
“I did not do it to be
kind
. I did it because I thought you would be scared.” He watches me carefully. “But I suppose it
is
in your blood. You were never going to be scared by any of this, were you? You are your father’s daughter after all, Annabel Lee.”
Twelve
I take my leave from Father’s laboratory with the excuse that I must help Maddy with something, and quickly return upstairs. But I cannot stop thinking about Edgar’s words.
What does he mean “It’s in your blood?” Perhaps my fascination with the cow’s heart and the specimen jars is abnormal. Are other women of medicine interested in such things?
I pace the floors of the hallway outside the dining room, strangely conflicted by my feelings. I don’t wish to give up on my hopes of becoming a surgeon, yet thethought of living the rest of my life being looked at as someone who is abnormal is not something I’m sure I can bear.
I pass a small mirror hanging above a marble table, and I stop and glance into it to fix a loose tendril of hair that has come free.
But what I see horrifies me.
High on my left
“Of course you do.” He comes out from behind the table and gestures to another row of jars. “We also have two-headed pigs, another fused sheep, a three-faced dog, the bladder of a stunted horse, legsfrom a malformed kitten, eyeballs of a blind goat, and my favorite—the body of a rooster that was born without a head. He lived for three weeks until one of the other roosters started to peck away his—”
“My father collected these?” I interrupt. Reaching for the jar labeled SPECIMEN: MALFORMED PIG , I take it down from the shelf and peer at it closely. There are two clearly defined heads, each with their own eye sockets, yet only one snout that joins them. It truly is fascinating. I wonder what Father has learned by studying such a creature.
I go to open it, but Edgar puts up a hand.
“I wouldn’t do that. The smell can be quite overwhelming.”
Reluctantly, I place it back upon the shelf. I scan the rest of the jars, noting that the other specimens all seem to have some type of abnormality or malfunction. “Why doesn’t Father have any healthy tissue?” I question.
Edgar tilts his head, as if measuring me. “It’s not his area of … interest.”
“What
is
his area of interest? I thought he was a doctor.”
“Oh, he is. Or rather,
was
. It’s all very”—he pausesand gives me a sly smile again—“
scandalous
.”
A fly buzzes around my head, and I brush it away impatiently. “Cook told me he lost his license. Is that true?”
Edgar suddenly reaches out and swipes his thumb across my face. I pull back, but he gives me a mocking grin. “The fly returned,” he offers.
“Is it true that Father lost his license?” I say again.
“Does a bird stop flying just because someone tells it not to? It cannot stop, if that’s what it was meant to do.”
Cannot stop …
It’s then I realize that Father must be practicing medicine illegally. That’s why there are strange noises and clandestine deliveries late at night. Why I have been warned not to come down here. Practicing medicine without a license is against the law, and if word should get out, he will be sent to prison.
Edgar stares at me intently. “Ahhh, you’ve figured it out.”
His tone makes me suddenly wary of where I am. If Edgar is my father’s assistant, then surely, he has been helping him with his illegal endeavors. That means I now know not just Father’s secret, but Edgar’s as well.
Is Allan involved, too? Will Father be upset if Edgar’s
revealed what he’s told me? How dangerous is it for me to know such a thing?
I try to think of something to say that will not arouse his suspicion. I must not allow him to know my thoughts. “Thank you for sharing this with me, Edgar.”
He scowls. “Why are you thanking me?”
“It was very kind of you to bring me down here. Thank you for showing me Father’s laboratory.”
“I did not do it to be
kind
. I did it because I thought you would be scared.” He watches me carefully. “But I suppose it
is
in your blood. You were never going to be scared by any of this, were you? You are your father’s daughter after all, Annabel Lee.”
Twelve
I take my leave from Father’s laboratory with the excuse that I must help Maddy with something, and quickly return upstairs. But I cannot stop thinking about Edgar’s words.
What does he mean “It’s in your blood?” Perhaps my fascination with the cow’s heart and the specimen jars is abnormal. Are other women of medicine interested in such things?
I pace the floors of the hallway outside the dining room, strangely conflicted by my feelings. I don’t wish to give up on my hopes of becoming a surgeon, yet thethought of living the rest of my life being looked at as someone who is abnormal is not something I’m sure I can bear.
I pass a small mirror hanging above a marble table, and I stop and glance into it to fix a loose tendril of hair that has come free.
But what I see horrifies me.
High on my left
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