Excerpt from Where the Light Enters by Sara Donati, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

"And you have seen this before?"

"I've seen at least fifteen cases."

"How many of them recovered?"

"None. I'm sorry to say, there's nothing to be done for her. The baby is another matter. It might be possible to save the child. Monsieur Belmain, if you want me to try to save her child, you must say so in front of Dr. Conroy, as a witness. I will have to operate, and I can only do that once she has passed."

For a span of three heartbeats he stared at his fisted hands where they rested on his knees. "All right," he said finally, his tone almost angry. "If you must, save the child."

Sophie started at such wording, but there was no time to inquire what he might mean.

Dr. Conroy said, "Tell me what to do, and I'll help where I can."

"I'll need your surgical instruments," Sophie said. "I have only very basic supplies in my bag."

She had surprised him. He tried to say something, stopped, and then cleared his throat. "A Caesarean?"

"It's the only way to save the child. Post-mortem, in such a case. And that may not come to pass for hours. Do you object?"

"Object? No, but—have you done a Caesarean before?"

"I'm not a surgeon, but I have assisted any number of times. In these circumstances a caesarean is tragic but it's not a very complicated affair."

"I see." He went to the bed and studied Mrs. Bellegarde for a long moment, put his ear to her chest, lifted her eyelids, looked in her mouth, tested her muscle tone. Then he put a hand on her abdomen, gently, and after a moment, he nodded.

"We are very close to port," he said. "She may last that long."

"I hope she does," Sophie said. "I would much rather a surgeon did this operation, if that can be arranged in time."

"She has always been the most stubborn person," Charles Belmain said later when the Cassandra had just dropped anchor in New York harbor. He stood calmly with Sophie and Dr. Conroy at his sister's bedside. Her respiration was uneven, thready, almost imperceptible, but the child was alive and active.

"We can take her to a hospital as she is," Sophie said. "They will look after her until she dies and then they'll deliver the child."

"Or we could let them both go." Belmain's tone was flat, without the vaguest touch of emotion. And in fact it was an impossible decision. Many people were horrified at the thought of delivering a living child from a dead mother, while others were desperate to have the child at any cost. Whatever his doubts, the decision was his to make. Sophie must keep her opinion to herself.

"I have no money for a hospital," he said finally. He spoke English, looking at Dr. Conroy.

"They will accept her at the New Amsterdam Charity Hospital," Sophie said in the same language. "I am—I was on staff there and I know many of the surgeons."

"A charity hospital?" His complexion, so damaged by sun and water, could not flush, but his tone made it clear that the suggestion was an affront.

Dr. Conroy said, "This is not the time for pride. Your sister's child may still be saved if you are willing to take the help being offered to you."

Belmain was studying the floor, every muscle in his body tensed and unhappy. His sister was very near death, and he himself was still suffering after-effects of the shipwreck. Sophie took these things into consideration and softened her tone.

"What is it that frightens you?"

He glanced up at her from under the shelf of his brow. "I can almost hear my mother shouting from the heavens. She sent me here to rescue my sister from an unsuitable marriage and bring her home, and I did that. I lied and cheated, but she came away with me and here is my reward: it was all for nothing because she'll die in a charity ward. I promised my mother on her deathbed and I've failed. And tell me, what am I going to do with a baby? How will I get it home to France, and if I somehow manage, who will want it there? I can tell you: no one."

Excerpted from Where the Light Enters by Sara Donati. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.