Red and Lowering Sky by Lynn Morris

Lynn Morris is a well-known and skilled writer in her own right, the daughter of famed historical novelist Gilbert Morris. The first volume in this eight-book series was released in 1994, and it became an instant bestseller (the series' eight books have sold approximately half a million copies). Lynn has a grown daughter and lives near her parents in Alabama. The author's detailed background investigations of the historical context, medical customs of the late 1800s, and the training institutions finally being opened to women, provide for intriguing plots and emotional conflicts for the unique character of Cheney Duvall.