by Lynn Wolfe
“I’ve raised you and your sister with the knowledge that life can change in the blink of an eye. We’ve been blessed for many years with a very happy and comfortable life. But today, your mother and I received news, that’s any parent’s worst nightmare.”
Anna waited for her father to continue. But he stopped and just stared at her. Then when she thought she couldn’t take any more silence, he continued.
“Susannah stopped to tell us she has a confirmed case of consumption. She says Dr. Morris thinks she has six months to less than a year to live.”
Anna jumped from her chair and paced frantically. Her face was flushed. “No, this can’t be true! It can’t be! She has two small children who need a mother. She has everything she’s ever wished for! Why? Why now?”
John held her as he’d held her sister earlier. “No one can answer that, Anna. We must be strong for her. Susannah would have told you herself, but she knew how much this would distress you. And I don’t think she was physically able to face you, yet, for she’s known for some time she was very ill. Looking back, I think we all ignored the symptoms because that was easier to do than to think of the alternative.”
Anna thought back to a few weeks past, trying to remember anything that seemed out of the ordinary. “She’s had a cough for the past few weeks. I’d questioned her about it one time. She passed it off as a reaction to the change in the weather and the growing of the things outdoors.
“I think we’ll all remember little things we took as something not important because she hid her symptoms well. It’ll do us no good to try to second guess ourselves. Knowing any sooner wouldn’t make any difference to the outcome. You and I both know that even if we’d known– there’s no cure.”
Those words, no cure, were what hurt John Webb the most to think about. Why couldn’t there be a remedy for this terrible disease?
Anna kept pacing. “I can remember Aunt Amy dealing with this. I guess if the truth was told, we’ve all wondered if any of us might contract this dreadful disease. But somehow, I thought we’d be spared. Do you think she’d like me to visit her, Father?”
“Not for a few days, Anna. James won’t be home from his trip to Baltimore until late on Friday or sometime Saturday. Mother will be staying with her for the next few weeks or more. James and Susannah will need some time to adjust.”
“How does one adjust to such news? I feel so helpless, Father.”
“We all do.”
Chapter Forty-Nine
Baltimore Docks
James was delighted to learn that Edward would be joining him for his meeting with his father at the docks, since he hadn’t seen Edward for a few weeks and always enjoyed his company. Edward had just stopped by on a whim so Clayton invited him to tag along to the docks after they had lunch at a local pub. Their big decision now was which pub to dine in.
The morning turned out to be a fairly pleasant one and after lunch the men decided on walking the few blocks to the ships instead of fetching a carriage. Clayton and Edward took this time to discuss the best way for Clayton to ease out of the company.
When they had almost reached their destination, James surprised both Clayton and Edward with foul language exploding from him with so much anger, and aimed at the man approaching them. They were not yet to The Emerald. The man was obviously a dock worker by the way he dressed. But neither Clayton nor Edward had ever seen James out of control.
James now stood toe to toe with Henry Ball, wondering if he should knock him down or wait to hear what the bastard had to say.
“James Parker, fancy meeting you here,” Henry said ever so sweetly.
“What in the hell are you doing here? I’ve a notion to beat you till you bleed to death, you son of a jackal!”
Edward, as well as Clayton, was shocked by James’s outburst. It was obvious to anyone around them; James Parker acted like he wanted to kill the man standing in front of him.
“Now James, I’d think you’d want to be a little nicer to your best friend’s father. After all, we were almost related, at one time.”
“Henry Ball, you’re the most evil man I’ve ever known. I think rotting in hell, would be far too good for the likes of you. Why are you here? Does Thomas know you’re in Baltimore?” Then, James felt introductions were in order.
“Father, Edward, let me introduce you to Thomas’s father, Henry Ball.” James spat out still furious and realizing he’d lost all sense of reason.
As Clayton and Edward took in the news of who the man was standing in front of them, Henry pulled out his hanky to wipe his brow.
Now, it was Edward who chose to speak, surprising James and Clayton. “Henry Ball, I believe we’ve met before. Don’t you remember me, Edward Pierce?” Edward asked hesitantly. He was now facing the man who’d given him the awful news about losing his wife and son so many years ago in London. Henry Ball had aged some and gotten heavier, but he was the one who Edward had spoken with, so many years ago, he was sure of it.
Edward noticed Henry paled at the mention of his name. Before Edward could say anything further, someone yelled about a fire. James, Clayton and Edward turned to see where the fire might be, looking behind them.
The carriage came hurriedly down the street. Henry noticed that no one was paying much attention to the carriage, just as he had hoped. Henry waited until the last possible second before he shoved James, with everything he had, in front of the racing horses’ hooves. He took off running for all he was worth in the other direction.
Henry could hear people loudly screaming now, as he ran to meet Chester. He felt certain that some of the people heading for the fire had now stopped to see who’d fallen in front of the carriage. Henry had not waited to see what had actually happened to James. He was certain he had to be dead. He had to be! No one could have survived such an accident.
He found Chester waiting for him as planned. They quickly grabbed the gold from the ship where they’d hidden it, and placed it in the carriage. They’d transfer the chest to the boat they’d hidden, and then stash the carriage in an alley, away from view. They’d then row to an inlet, where they would find the horses they had tethered to a tree earlier in the day.
Soon, they’d be out of Baltimore and find a place of refuge, until the dust settled. In time, they’d be safe once again to be seen in public, just not in Baltimore.
*****
“James, are you hurt,” Clayton asked bewildered by what had happened and relieved James hadn’t been killed.
“I’m fine, a little shaken, but fine. I wish I could say the same for my clothes and my ego. I should have known Henry Ball was up to no good. I’d have been killed if I hadn’t at the last moment realized what Henry was up to. He shoved me a second too early. I rolled quickly out of the way of the carriage.”
“You mean, you think Thomas’s father intentionally tried to harm you? Why, James?” Clayton asked, shocked and in disbelief. The idea that someone would want to cause harm to James, let alone kill him, was unthinkable.
Before he could reply, one of the men from The Emerald came upon them. “I saw what Henry Adler did. He pushed you, Mr. Parker, as sure as I’m standing here; he intentionally pushed you right in front of that carriage.”
“Please stay around; we’ll need your statement once the law arrives” Clayton said, thankful there had been another witness.
“I can’t believe that was Henry Ball.” Edward spoke out loud, dazed. “But, the witness had called him Henry Adler! Did you catch that, James?”
“Yes, I did. That puzzled me too! But Edward, how in the hell would you know Henry Ball?” James asked, becoming more confused by the minute. First, Henry tried to murder him, and now, Edward seems to know of him, but how and from where? In all these past months that Edward had been around Thomas, Edward never once mentioned knowing his father. And Thomas showed no recognition of knowing Edward, once they’d been introduced. This puzzle was missing pieces, James thought, still unsure how everything went together.
; “Why don’t you explain your knowledge of Henry while we wait for the authorities to arrive?” James demanded.
Chapter Fifty
Edward knew the time had come to tell his friends about his suspicions regarding Thomas and to share about the earlier part of his life he’d kept hidden from everyone.
“I’ve kept a secret for many years. I’ve never wanted to talk about certain things that happened in my past.” Edward looked down and took a deep breath to steady him, “You see, many years ago, I was married to a wonderful, wonderful woman in England, named Jane Adler, this was a few years before I met Clara.”
Immediately, Edward saw James and Clayton take notice of the Adler name, along with their surprise when he mentioned he’d been married before.
“Aye, Henry used the Adler name to cover his identity, not thinking he and I would ever cross paths.
“I was a young man and I’d become a member of any shipping crew that would take me on. I’d traveled the world and had no plans of living on land. I loved the sea. While in London for a few days, I’d flirted with a young lady, harmlessly, of course, or so I thought. She was beautiful and no match for the likes of me.
“We’d had a chance encounter at the local market when she’d become separated from her mother. She was a lady, and I was a seaman, who’d no right to even address her.
“But thinking I’d never see her again, I did a few minutes of harmless conversation with the lovely lass. She then boldly asked if I’d be at the market the next day. I, of course, flattered by the interest, said I could be. So, for the next several days, we met at the market flirting and talking nonsense. Foolishly, we made plans to meet every few weeks, when I’d return to London. Don’t bother to say how stupid I was, that I knew. Yet, I’d fallen in love. Even with knowing nothing could ever come of our flirting–or so I thought, I continued to be the fool. What she told her parents to manage to be in the market unaccompanied, I have no idea. I just knew she was there, alone, to see me.
“Then, Jane begged me to marry her. That was when I tried to break things off, but she cried and carried on so, that I kept on with our relationship and kept looking for her whenever I was in London. Each time we met, she kept stating she was in love. As stupid as this sounds, I allowed myself to go along with her plan to confront her parents. I knew they’d never accept me nor should they, yet, I was so in love, I went along with anything she asked.
“We informed her parents we were deeply in love and wanted to be married. Going with Jane to see her parents was the biggest mistake of my life. Not that I didn’t love her, but that we’d set in motion a string of events that not only cost Jane her place in society, but her place with her family.
“The same day we addressed her parents was the same day Jane left her home forever. She never saw her parents again. She, being an only child, didn’t realize the importance of marrying so far beneath her and how this could affect her future and her family. I fear our plan was only the beginning of what was to be a painful time in Jane’s life. Her parents threw her out with the strict instructions that she never return or speak to them again.
“As you can surmise, we lived a very meager life. Then we were blessed with a son. A son we named Thomas. He was the joy of our lives. Jane was certain her parents would forgive her once she bore them a grandchild, but that wasn’t to be. They broke her heart and mine, too, when they wrote to say nothing would ever make amends for what she’d done. They wanted nothing to do with a bastard bred by a sailor.
“Needless to say, Jane was devastated. But she never blamed me. She and I decided it would be for the best to leave England and start a new life in America. I foolishly left her and Thomas alone in London. He was just over two when I went to sea, until I could save enough money to pay for their trip to America. Upon my return after two years to sea, with money in hand for their passage, I was met at the dock by a man named Henry Ball.
“Ball found me just as I left my ship and informed me that Jane and Thomas had died in an epidemic that had spread through England while I’d been gone. I knew hundreds of people had died and I was so distraught when I learned it took Jane and Thomas, I never checked on the accuracy of the information given. I never questioned how he knew me or how he knew I was arriving in London on that ship. I was so stupid. But I never forgot the name of the man who changed my life forever.
“I’ve tried living my life never thinking of Jane or Thomas because of the pain it brings to me by remembering them. I felt such grief every time I allowed myself to remember their beautiful faces, so I buried their memories deep inside me.
“Then, I met Thomas at your office, Clayton, and at some point you mentioned how much Thomas and I resembled one another. Only then, did I allow my memories to come flooding back. I was shocked at how much Thomas resembled me in my younger days.
“His last name being Ball made me reflect on what I’d lost. I’ve been pondering for months how to approach my concerns of Thomas’s parentage. But each time I thought I had the courage to do so, I realized how foolish I’d look, just an old man wishing for the son he’d lost so many years ago.
“I’d continued to tell myself that I was a fool to think that Thomas could possibly be my son, but now, seeing Henry Ball, knowing he took the name of Adler, has made me think that he actually did betray me those many years ago and took my family. Do you think I’m being a foolish old man or could there possibly be merit in my thoughts?”
Clayton and James stood there in disbelief as Edward Pierce told his story. James finally was the one to speak.
“Edward, I wish you’d come to me the minute you thought Thomas might be your son. I think it’s very possible Henry’s made fools of all of us. He, too, had tricked me years ago. We must find him and soon! If we don’t, we’ll never know why he’s so intent on my demise and if Thomas is actually your son!”
“Clayton, James, I must go to London as soon as possible. That’s the only way to have my questions answered. Certainly, someone must still live there that can confirm once and for all the truth of who Thomas belongs to. I see no other way to go about it. I can no longer live without knowing if my suspicions have merit.”
“Aye and I happen to know there’s someone you can speak with to get your questions answered.” James announced. “Her name is, Miss Minnie Baker. She was a close friend to their mother, and is very close to Thomas and Mary. She owns, Miss Minnie’s Dress Emporium. She should be able to fill you in on Henry Ball and answer all your questions.” James stated, not yet sure what to make of the events of the last couple of hours. “What about Thomas’s sister, Mary? Could she, too, be yours?” Clayton asked, still struggling to understand why someone wanted James dead and Edward being married before Clara.
“Aye, I suppose she could, depending on her age. I’ll have to find that out as well. If Jane was with child, she never made mentioned of it. But, we may be getting ahead of ourselves. Until I know for certain Jane and Thomas died when Henry claimed, this is nothing but speculation and wishful thinking from an old man.”
James nodded. He closed his eyes as he rubbed his forehead. After everything Mary has been through, how would she handle the news, if it turned out to be true, that Ball was not the father of Thomas and possibly not hers either, poor Mary. If that was truly the case, life had not been fair to her at all. In fact, her whole life would have been full of betrayals.
“The Emerald is leaving tomorrow for London, Edward. If you wish, I’ll arrange for you to have a cabin. Hopefully, you’ll have the answers to those questions that have been plaguing you all these years,” Clayton said, concerned for his friend.
“Thank you, Clayton. I shall take you up on your generous offer. When I return, I’ll share what news I’ve uncovered. In the meantime, please don’t say anything to Thomas. I want to be sure of my facts before we open Pandora’s Box. Only when I can verify my parentage, will I decide on how to handle this.”
“And what about Thomas’s Sister Mary, what will happen if you l
earn you’re also her father?” James inquired of Edward.
“Let’s not jump to any conclusions. First, I must find the proof I need as to who Thomas and Mary belong to.”
The authorities finally arrived on the scene to take their statements. The next thing that needed to happen was to locate Henry Ball and put him behind bars, where he belonged. Where had he gone? And who was driving the carriage?
Chapter Fifty-One
Parker Plantation
Before James left Baltimore he made arrangements with his parents to come for an extended visit. James would tell Susannah he invited them to spend precious time with the grandchildren. But the real reason was so he and his father could make sure the plantation was protected from Ball. James was positive once Henry found out his plan had failed, he’d certainly try again to take his life. Ball, in James’s opinion, had somehow gone from angry to insane. He was so bent on revenge, that James felt certain he wouldn’t stop his attempts on his life until he completed his task or die trying. However, Ball was about to find out how tough an opponent James could be.
James plans about Henry Ball where suddenly put on hold when he returned home to find Mrs. Webb and Susannah waiting for him. Susannah greeted him with a huge embrace announcing she needed to speak to him immediately regarding something urgent that needed to be taken care of immediately. James followed his wife into the parlor, as the children scampered outside and Mrs. Webb went on the veranda to keep an eye on things. James surmised something terrible had happened, when he realized Mrs. Webb had been living at the house.
“James, I’m sorry for this need to speak with you the minute you’ve arrived, but I fear if I don’t speak with you now, it’ll be too difficult for me to handle this conversation later. I’ve spent my morning planning which words would be the best to use to break this news to you as gently as I can. Mother promised to occupy the children for the next hour or so.”
