“Told her what?” Holly joined them. “She insisted on speaking with Mr. Murphy though I warned her against it, then charged out of the study and up the stairs without explaining why.”
“He wants to take you away,” Cate whimpered. “He’s going to take you away from us.”
The silence which fell over the room was nearly deafening. Not one of them made a sound, they might even have been holding their breath.
It was Rachel who spoke first. “That’s right. So he told me downstairs. He may have to arrange a safe location for me to flee to if Liam doesn’t leave down or show himself at some point.”
Phoebe gasped.
Holly moaned.
Cate let out a squeak which more than likely proceeded a full outburst.
“I’m having a baby,” Molly whispered.
Four heads turned at once.
“You’re what?” Rachel asked, her problems forgotten for the moment. “Did you say you’re having a baby?”
Molly nodded. “I didn’t wish to say anything while this was going on, you understand. I didn’t wish to take the attention away from you. But it’s true. I visited the doctor this morning, and he confirmed it for me, though I had suspected for weeks.”
“That’s why you felt ill!” Cate hugged her.
“And why Lewis warned you against getting worked up,” Holly recalled.
“I thought he’d given us away with that,” Molly admitted with a chuckle, wiping away tears which had just overflowed onto her cheeks. “I feared you might all be too worried over me when it’s Rachel we ought to be concerned with.”
Rachel kissed her sister’s cheek in the midst of so many congratulations and giggles and embraces, but she could not bring herself to be as wholeheartedly thrilled as the others. While Molly’s announcement brought her a great deal of much-needed happiness, it also brought about a grim reminder.
There was still life to be lived, by all of them.
They’d already spent days away from the ranch because of her, days when they should have been attending to their own concerns. If the house sat empty for much longer, there might be trouble with the bank. She’d already gotten the sense that they would do anything to steal the property out from under its rightful owners, and if they’d made their homes elsewhere, it could constitute a breach of terms.
Now, with Molly’s condition and the fact that she needed to rest in her own home, her own bed, with her husband beside her…
It seemed there was no other choice to be made.
“If Mr. Murphy believes it best that I go somewhere for my safety, I’ll go.” She made this declaration quietly, with no build-up. “He knows best about these things. We cannot keep intruding on Rance and Phoebe, and the rest of you need to get back to your lives. I shall be just fine.”
“Absolutely not!” Molly gasped.
“Don’t upset yourself.”
“I’m not upsetting myself.”
“It sounds as though you are,” Holly muttered.
“I’m not,” she insisted. “I simply refuse to entertain the notion of you being separated from us.”
“What about the will?” Cate asked. “I would miss you terribly, of course. I hate the thought of you not being with us. But what would the bank say?”
“I’d suspect Mr. McKendrick—Mason’s uncle—might be able to speak to them. So might Mason himself, once he’s free to stop pretending to be dead. There has to be some leeway granted. I certainly can’t help this.”
“You don’t have to go.” Phoebe took her hands. “You don’t have to.”
“I feel like I should. I feel like I’ve already been a burden on all of you, and please, don’t tell me I haven’t,” she pleaded. “I know you don’t want me to feel as though I have, but I can see it. It weighs on me, terribly so. I don’t want to ruin your lives.”
“You never could.” Holly draped an arm about her shoulder, holding her close. “Not ever.”
It was marvelous of them to be so kind. She knew that was what this was, her sisters’ kindness, their love for her.
She also knew that it was far past time for her to manage her problems without them. They didn’t deserve to be dragged into this, any of it. They never had.
If she did nothing to separate them from it, they could all very well suffer along with her for months or even years to come. Until she went into hiding, they would all be at risk.
If only she could go back and change things. She would never have paid such close attention to Mason and his messages.
For heaven’s sake, she might have taken a position in some other office entirely. Anything to avoid this. No amount of flirtation with a handsome man was worth the grief it had caused them all.
Not even when the man was one whose eyes she would still enjoy clawing out with her nails. Let him see what it meant to anger her. Let him think twice about ever speaking to a woman that way again.
He would see just how much damage she could wield without a pistol in hand.
“So, it’s decided?” Molly looked her in the eye, gravely intense. “You’re going to abandon this foolish notion?”
What was there for her to say? She could argue the point, and be shouted down until every single one of their voices gave way. And then, she suspected, they would still insist on arguing. Perhaps they would write their responses down and throw them at each other to get their point across.
Worse, they might take it into their heads to restrain her. She did not put it past Phoebe to lock her in the bedroom, or even to ask her husband to use one of the cells at the jailhouse. Anything to hold her in place.
That was a risk she simply could not take.
If their freedom meant accepting Mason Murphy’s terms, so be it. While she felt no affection for him at present, this did not mean she had taken complete leave of her senses. She still understood that he knew much more about these matters than she ever could. He knew Liam and his gang, and had likely done a great deal of research into the Molly Maguires. He knew what they were capable of.
And he had managed to secure the safety of Mr. Byrne. Whether or not the man deserved that safety was up for debate, she could only imagine the sort of villainy in might have taken part in. He might well have menaced his enemies the way she was currently being menaced.
With this in mind, it was difficult to muster sympathy for him.
She, on the other hand, had done nothing to deserve this. She had never hurt anyone. She’d never done anything but her level best at bringing in income into her household, and while doing so, had just so happened to make the acquaintance of a man who was not who he pretended to be.
It would’ve all been so much simpler if he’d been who she’d taken him for.
She looked around her sisters, the four of them wearing nearly identical expressions of hope. Waiting for her to confirm that yes, she would stay with them. That they would find a way out of this together.
Who was she to break their hearts now?
“I suppose there is little I can do,” she shrugged, and hoped they would accept this with minimal questioning. It was one thing to lie, but another to repeat the lie again and again. She wasn’t sure she had it in her.
She needn’t have worried. Molly released a tremendous sigh of relief. “Now that that’s over, and we’re all thinking rationally again, perhaps we had better prepare ourselves for sleep.”
Yes, because it was that easy for her. Because she might be able to sleep tonight.
“We can’t possibly allow you to sleep on the floor!” Cate insisted.
“Absolutely not. You’ll take my place on the bed.” Rachel patted her hand, then shook her head hard when it became clear her sister was about to protest. “I shall accept no back talk from you at the present moment. Like it or not, it’s because of me that you’re here rather than at home, preparing to spend the night in your bed. The least I can do is make certain you sleep in another bed, rather than on the hard floor.”
“And do you believe Lewis wou
ld let us live it down if he got word of our making his wife sleep on the floor when we know of her condition?” Holly giggled. “I don’t think I would like to be the one to explain myself to him.”
“Neither would I. In fact, you can take the entire bed. I shall sleep on the floor, as well.” Cate stood, stretching. “After all, it is best for me to be familiar with all types of existence. Once I join a theatre troupe, there will be no telling in advance just what sort of accommodations we’ve been afforded from one city to the next.”
Rachel allowed her eyes to slide shut for a moment, willing herself the strength to withstand her sister’s flights of fancy without offering argument.
While she doubted she would get a wink of sleep, this did not mean she wasn’t terribly tired. Arguing with Cate would deplete what little strength left in her.
Though if the youngest Reed sister thought any of them would allow her to pull up stakes and run off with some second-rate acting troupe, she was sadly mistaken. Considering that Cate herself was just as vocal as the others when it came to keeping Rachel in place, she had a great deal of nerve expecting them to accept her silly notions.
“It’s settled, then.” Rachel turned down the bedding before fluffing the pillows. “Make yourself comfortable, my dear. From what I understand you shall find it rather difficult to be comfortable before much longer.”
Molly blushed. “I had hoped to speak with Martha on that very subject. If I cannot take my questions to our mother, at least I know of a mother who might be able to advise me.”
This gave Rachel an idea. “Why don’t you all go for a visit tomorrow? Martha should be home all day long, and it will be good for all of you to get out of the house for a bit. Get some fresh air. You needn’t be here from dawn to dusk, simply waiting for word to arrive. She will be delighted to hear of Molly’s news. And if I am not mistaken, she will be full of advice and reassurances.”
To her relief, it appeared as though Molly took this idea seriously. “That’s a good idea. I have so been longing to speak to someone who knows what I am about to embark upon.”
“And we might better learn how to assist you,” Holly pointed out. “Yes, I like this.”
Rachel smiled, though she felt none of the warmth that smile was intended to convey. She felt cold and hollow inside. More alone than she’d ever been.
For while they were gone, she would get her few things together and, if he was prepared, allow Mason Murphy to take her wherever he intended them to go. Whether or not he wished to leave during daylight hours was none of her concern, he would do as she said, or they would not go at all.
When a person felt utterly out of control of their own life, it was important for them to take control wherever they could. This is where she would take control.
And then? Then, she would have endless amounts of time to mourn her decision.
16
There was a great deal of giggling and fussing going on throughout the house when Mason emerged from his room the following morning.
It is been a rough night, perhaps the worst he had spent since this entire ordeal had begun.
Her accusatory expression, the anger in her eyes, the sound of her voice when she called him cruel. All of it plagued him until there had been little choice but to lie in bed, awake and troubled, until the first light of dawn gave him an excuse to get up and prepare himself for the day.
What sort of day would it be? For what was he preparing himself?
Uncertainty was something he had long since forced himself to become accustomed to, after all, there was no telling what another person would do. He could only anticipate but so much of what his targets were likely to do or say. The rest was up to them, and he could only react.
He had never so hoped for the end of a case. After their fight, he wanted nothing more than to close things up and perhaps go on a long trip elsewhere. Anywhere else. His uncle might not appreciate the sudden request for yet more time away from the office. That was something he’d have to deal with on his own.
After all, Mason had already gone through more in the last week than he ever had on any other assignment.
The Reed sisters were in the kitchen when he descended the stairs, speaking in hushed tones. Were they speaking about him? What did it matter if they were? He shook off his uncertainty and added what confidence he could to his stride as he stepped into the room.
“Good morning, ladies,” he ventured.
He expected them to glare at him, to accuse him with their eyes.
Instead, all he found before him were looks of sympathy. Exactly what had Rachel told them?
Cate, always the most empathetic of all, stood and offered him her hand to shake. “We know you are only doing what you believe is right.”
He looked around, more than a bit startled. “What did your sister tell you?”
“That you believe it might be for the best to take her elsewhere.” Molly finished a cup of tea before rising to wash the cup at the sink. “I’m glad to say that, while we respect your experience on such matters, we were able to talk her out of it.”
He was certain he must be hearing things. “Talk her out of it?” He knew he must sound ridiculous, merely repeating what was being said. What else was he to do when they surprised him so?
“She was determined to do as you suggested, but we convinced her of the foolishness of such an idea. It’s simply unnecessary.” Holly took a sip from her cup, watching him over the rim all the while. As if her statement was a challenge. Argue with me if you dare, her gaze suggested.
He was certain he’d fallen asleep without his knowing it and was suffering from a nightmare. Had they any idea what they were saying? They couldn’t possibly, they loved their sister enough to want nothing but the best for her.
Or did they? Had he underestimated them all along?
“With all due respect,” he began, wondering why the notion of speaking this way to four women rattled him so, “this is a matter between Rachel and myself. Not only that, but it pertains to her safety. I should think you would all consider her safety of paramount importance.”
“Naturally.” Phoebe eyed him up and down. “Are you suggesting anything to the contrary?”
“Not at all, I would never dream of it. Yet knowing of your bond and how seriously you take each other’s well-being and happiness, I have no choice but to wonder at your refusal to support her in this. Trust me when I tell you, the suggestion that she go into hiding was not made without careful consideration. I would never dream of disrupting a person’s life in so serious a manner if I did not feel there was no choice but to do so. I would much rather put all of this to rest and go back about my business, as I’m certain you all would as well. I have nothing to gain from this. I have no reason to want to take her away, other than the same reason which brought me here, to begin with. If Liam is out there, and if he is hiding purposely in order to draw her out, she is in grave danger. I feel as though I’m the only person in this room who understands that.”
“He was no longer supposed to be a threat.” Molly took on her normal stance, arms folded, chin lifting as if sensing a challenge. “Do you mean to tell me you were wrong all this time?”
“As much as it pains me to say it, I don’t see any other way to describe it. If Liam is still here, I was wrong. I admit it. I expected him to leave once he could see for himself that Rachel was no threat. Perhaps he never read the newspaper, I couldn’t say. He hasn’t been in nearly the sort of contact with the group as he should be, or perhaps he has, and they’ve been less forthcoming with the information they share with the remaining undercover agents still lingering in Baltimore. I truly don’t know.”
How he regretted dashing their hopes that way. He’d insisted he was in the right, that there was no true threat. Now, he was telling them the opposite.
“What I do know is this, if he is still waiting for her, he will continue to wait. She can either spend the rest of her life locked in this house, or in a cell guarded by Ran
ce. Or, she can go somewhere without all of you, with none of you being the wiser as to her location, and I realize how painful that is for you,” he added at the stricken look which came over their faces. “I don’t say this lightly. This will require tremendous sacrifice from all of you. But in the end, it will mean saving her life. And it will mean she’ll be able to have a real life, instead of being captive here, unable to so much as stand by the window to take some sunshine without fear of being seen by someone. Do you understand? Do you see what this truly means for her?”
If he had been a lawyer arguing before a judge and jury, he couldn’t have made a more impassioned plea.
This was not an ordinary case, and he knew it. While he was eager for it to be over, that didn’t mean he no longer cared for her.
No matter what she said to him, it only mattered as much as it did because he did care. He cared for her tremendously. He suspected he might even have fallen in love with her, as unfortunate as that was, after all, what man wanted to be in love with a woman who loathed him? Nothing could come of it, no matter how he wished it were otherwise.
All of that came through in his explanation, in his attempt at making them understand. He was not taking her away to punish her or them. He was taking her away so that he might help salvage what was left of her life.
Simply saving it was not enough. Why save a person only to lock them away for years?
And knowing Liam as he did, it would be years. The man would wait and wait until he finally got what he wanted. He’d always struck Mason as being rather unhinged, there was little he’d put past the brute.
There was no longer a look of triumph on the sisters’ faces. In fact, they all looked rather ashamed. The way Jesse might look after being caught stealing the cookies his mother had set aside.
“What are we to do?” Molly looked around the room, no longer quite so prepared for a fight. “She was willing to send herself away for our sake. We were selfish to argue with her.”
Cate sniffled, which came as no surprise. “I feel terrible. All of the pleading I did with her, insisting that she stay. I’m sure I only made things worse.”
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