Tracie Peterson & Judith Miller - [Lights of Lowell 01]

by A Tapestry of Hope

  ‘‘And why is that? Were ya thinkin’ we’d die at sea?’’

  His laugh was cruel. ‘‘No. I was thinking that if you had any sense at all, you’d have remained in Boston and started your life anew. After all, how would I have found you? I had never seen either of you and had no idea what you looked like.’’

  ‘‘I gave me word—ya may na think I have good sense, Mr.

  Houston, but na everybody is a liar. Some of us protect our honor no matter what the cost.’’

  ‘‘You’ll have five years to prove that to me. I can make good use of you here in the house, but what am I to do with this spindly boy?’’ Mr. Houston asked while giving Paddy a look of disdain.

  ‘‘He’s of little use to me. Perhaps I can sell his papers to someone who could make better use of him.’’

  Kiara lunged forward and, without thinking, grasped the man’s arm. ‘‘No! Me brother must stay with me.’’

  Bradley’s focus moved to his arm, where Kiara’s fingers were digging deep into his flesh. ‘‘Turn loose of me, girl.’’ He waited until she removed her hold. ‘‘Now that I understand how important your brother is to you, I suppose I can find something to keep him busy. What might you recommend?’’

  Kiara gave him a winsome smile. ‘‘Paddy’s very good with animals, especially horses. Would ya be ownin’ any horses?’’

  Bradley rubbed his narrow jaw. ‘‘As a matter of fact, I do. I suppose he could help muck out the stables and curry the horses.

  Do you think you could do that satisfactorily, boy?’’

  Paddy cocked his head and gave Mr. Houston a bright smile.

  ‘‘Aye. I’ll work very hard carin’ for yar animals, sir.’’

  The man’s leering gaze returned to Kiara. ‘‘I’m sure you and your sister are going to make me very happy.’’

  CHAPTER • 18

  WHEN THE CARRIAGE rounded the driveway, Jasmine was genuinely pleased to be home. Not that she longed to see Bradley— quite the contrary. Although her stomach had settled during the final day on board the ship, she remained pallid and frail, and arriving home was somewhat comforting. Concerned over her continuing infirmity, Nolan had insisted upon escorting the two women on the final leg of their journey from Boston to Lowell. He had been resolute in his decision, stating he would leave for Boston the following day. Alice had argued briefly, but Jasmine hadn’t had strength to resist and was exceedingly thankful for the capable care he had provided.

  A dark-haired girl was sweeping the gallery when their carriage came to a halt in front of the house. Cupping one hand over her eyes as she stepped down from the coach, Jasmine blinked against the sun until the young woman came into focus. She was certain she’d never before seen her.

  ‘‘I’ll be comin’ right down to help ya,’’ the girl called out as she hurried back through the gallery doors.

  Before Nolan and the two women had time to enter the front door, the girl came bursting outdoors as though shot from a cannon.

  ‘‘I’m sorry I was na here waitin’ for ya, ma’am,’’ she apologized with a deep curtsy.

  Jasmine stared wide-eyed at the young woman. ‘‘Who are you?’’

  ‘‘Kiara O’Neill, from the beautiful Emerald Isle. Me and my brother, Paddy, are indentured to ya.’’

  ‘‘Indentured? How is that possible?’’

  Nolan grasped her elbow and urged her forward. ‘‘Let’s go inside where you can sit. You’re much too weak to be standing out here having a lengthy discussion.’’

  ‘‘Aye, ya’re lookin’ mighty pale, missus.’’ Kiara hoisted both satchels and scurried ahead of them. ‘‘I’ll just be takin’ these to yar room, missus, and then I’ll be back down to get ya a cup o’ tea.’’

  Before Jasmine could assent or object, the girl was running up the stairs with a satchel in each hand, her black mane flying wildly while Alice and Jasmine watched from the hallway.

  ‘‘I want to get you settled before I leave for home,’’ Alice said.

  Kiara looked over the railing at the threesome standing below.

  ‘‘Do na worry yarself about the missus. I’ll be givin’ her good care, ma’am. I’ll be back afore ya can count me out of yar sight.’’

  The remark brought a smile to Jasmine’s lips. ‘‘Take your time, Kiara. My grandmother will remain with me for a little longer.’’

  Nolan rubbed his hands together and glanced toward the door.

  ‘‘If you two ladies will be all right for a short time, I want to see to the horses. One of them appeared to be developing a limp. I don’t want to take him farther if he’s injured or has a stone lodged in a hoof.’’

  Sarah, the older pinch-faced maid who had faithfully cared for the house since Jasmine’s marriage to Bradley, hurried into the parlor. ‘‘Mrs. Houston! How good to have you home. Mr. Houston said you’d be arriving today, but I was out back and didn’t realize you’d arrived. Did Kiara or Paddy get your baggage?’’

  Kiara came bounding down the steps and skidded to a halt in the parlor doorway. ‘‘Yes, ma’am, I got their bags, ’ceptin’ for the trunk. I’ll have Paddy help me take it upstairs when he gets back from exercising the horse. I told the missus I’d get her a cup o’ tea, and then I’ll be unpackin’ ’er bags.’’ The words tumbled out in one rushing breath.

  Jasmine took in the black-haired beauty. ‘‘Sit down, Kiara, and tell me how you’ve come to be with us.’’

  Kiara looked toward Sarah. The maid nodded, and Kiara perched on the edge of the straight-backed chair opposite her mistress. ‘‘Yar husband owns me and Paddy, missus. We’re indentured to him.’’

  ‘‘I don’t understand. How did all of this occur?’’

  With a haunting sadness in her eyes, Kiara carefully explained how she had come to Lowell and would be required to spend the next five years indentured to her husband.

  Jasmine’s mind was reeling with the information. ‘‘Bradley agreed to this?’’

  ‘‘Yar husband said I would be workin’ as yar personal maid when ya returned from visitin’ yar ma and pa. Me brother, Paddy, is workin’ in the stable, helpin’ with the horses. He’s a good boy.

  I’ve no doubt ya’ll be likin’ him fine.’’

  The girl’s words sounded genuine, yet doubt was knocking at Jasmine’s heart like an unwanted visitor in the night. The entire tale was maudlin. Parents dying and being dumped out of their coffins into the ground without a proper burial, a voyage in a lice- and dysentery-infested ship with only inches of space to sleep, papers of indentureship requiring five years of one’s life to pay for the journey. However, the facts might be true, for she knew of the terrible famine in Ireland. Hadn’t their ladies’ group been collecting funds for relief before she had sailed for New Orleans?

  The sound of the front door closing was quickly followed by Nolan’s footsteps in the hallway. ‘‘The horse is fine. Appears the little Irish fellow knows his way around horseflesh quite well. He removed a small stone from one of the hooves in short order.’’

  Kiara beamed a look of appreciation in Nolan’s direction.

  ‘‘He’s a hard worker, Paddy is. And he loves animals, especially the horses. Happy he is to be workin’ with them.’’

  Jasmine patted the settee cushion beside her. ‘‘Come sit down, Nolan.’’

  He made no move toward the couch. ‘‘Your grandmother and I should be leaving soon.’’

  ‘‘Oh, do sit a moment. I promise not to keep you long. I’ve something to ask you.’’

  He laughed and moved toward the settee. ‘‘Considering our time aboard ship and at The Willows, we’ve been together for nearly three months. I can’t imagine there’s anything you haven’t asked me.’’

  ‘‘Had I known anything about the possibility of English relatives, I would have already inquired. Tell me, Nolan, does your family have relatives in England? Kiara says an Englishman owning vast holdings in Ireland was her family’s landlord. She went to him seeking assistance after the
death of her parents. It seems that after some urging and perhaps a wager of sorts with his wealthy visitors, this fellow paid for Kiara and her brother to come to America in exchange for five years of servitude. Supposedly, he then assigned the papers to Bradley. Have you ever heard of anything so indecorous?’’ ‘‘In answer to your first question, we do have some distant relatives in England. My mother’s uncle was some sort of nobility, I believe. I’m not certain. Bradley maintained some contact with their children or children’s children. They’d be cousins once removed or some such thing, and I must admit I never had much interest in any of them. However, Bradley was rather awestruck upon learning we were related to nobility. He began corresponding and may have visited once when he was in England, but I didn’t realize he was still in contact with any of them. I believe their name was Plamerson or Planster. . . .’’

  ‘‘Palmerston. Lord Palmerston,’’ Kiara interjected.

  ‘‘Yes! That’s it. Palmerston,’’ Nolan agreed. ‘‘Now, in answer to your second question, Jasmine, owning indentured servants is quite common in England, as it was in this country for many years—still is, to some extent, although it’s been replaced in large part by slavery.’’

  ‘‘So if Bradley has received papers on this girl and her brother, he could return their papers and let them go on their way?’’

  ‘‘Yes, of course. And I would like to think that’s exactly what he’ll do.’’

  ‘‘Obviously the thought hasn’t occurred to him yet, since he immediately put them to work. He refused to allow me to keep Mammy because the Associates look down on slavery. Why in the world would he keep indentured servants? It’s akin to the same thing.’’

  ‘‘Not in the eyes of society,’’ Nolan replied. ‘‘The indentured man or woman can work off their servitude, and generally they’ve already benefited from their employers. Just as this woman and her brother have no doubt advanced their station in life by receiving free passage across the ocean and a new life in America.’’

  ‘‘Aye,’’ Kiara said. ‘‘It saved our lives, and while I’ll be missin’ me homeland, I know we’d be dead by now had we stayed.’’

  Jasmine shook her head. ‘‘Still, this surprises me greatly, and I intend to speak to Bradley about dissolving this arrangement.’’

  Nolan tugged at the stiff collar wrapped tightly around his broad neck. ‘‘You might suggest the possibility, but I’d wait until he broaches the topic. He’s generally more flexible when the discussion is his idea. At least that’s been my experience in the past.’’

  ‘‘Thank you, Nolan. I’ll remember your suggestion.’’

  ‘‘And now, Mrs. Wainwright, if you’re quite ready, I believe I should escort you home.’’

  ‘‘Fine. And I insist you spend the night before beginning your journey to Boston.’’

  Nolan gave her a broad smile. ‘‘It’s not so far to Boston and there’s another train leaving soon, I’m sure. If need be, I can always remain at an inn for the night.’’

  Alice thumped the tip of her parasol on the floor. ‘‘I insist! I’ll not take no for an answer.’’

  Jasmine giggled at her grandmother’s antics, her new servant problem forgotten for the moment. ‘‘I believe you’ve no choice in the matter.’’

  ‘‘Indeed. You may tell my brother I’ll be spending the night with your grandmother if he wants to visit with me before I leave for Boston.’’

  ‘‘I’ll do that. Thank you again for agreeing to escort us on our journey, Nolan. I don’t know what we would have done without you. You proved yourself a capable guardian and an excellent instructor. I enjoyed our discussions.’’

  ‘‘And just what enthralling topics did you and my brother find to talk about?’’

  Jasmine startled at the sound of Bradley’s voice. She turned, praying that after a three-month absence the sight of him might well stir something inside her. It didn’t. His pale skin, intense stare, and tendency to always look as though he were sneering did nothing to endear her. ‘‘I didn’t hear you come in the house.’’

  ‘‘Probably because I came through the back of the house. I wanted to check on the stable boy.’’ His gaze shifted to Kiara.

  ‘‘And what, pray tell, are you doing? Are you sitting in the parlor, playing the part of the lady and expecting tea?’’

  ‘‘There’s no need for your derision, Bradley. I invited her to sit and tell me how she came to be living here.’’

  ‘‘Well, I’m here now and can answer your questions. Get off to your chores,’’ he commanded.

  Kiara jumped out of the chair and fled from the room while Bradley drew close to Jasmine and placed a kiss upon her cheek.

  ‘‘I’m pleased to see your ship returned as scheduled. That means the voyage was uneventful. Always glad to hear my ships have made a safe journey. I trust they also loaded the vessel with cargo for the return?’’

  ‘‘I didn’t inquire. However, the captain sent you a parcel,’’ Nolan replied. ‘‘I placed it on the desk in your library.’’

  ‘‘And Father sent you a letter also,’’ Jasmine added. ‘‘It’s in my luggage.’’

  ‘‘And your mother? Is she upstairs resting?’’

  ‘‘No. She’s ill and was unable to make the voyage. Perhaps later in the year.’’

  ‘‘Ah, well, that’s a shame, isn’t it?’’

  His words rang false, but Jasmine concealed her irritation.

  ‘‘And this young Irish lass and her brother—I understand you’ve taken them in as indentured servants.’’

  Nolan aimed a look of warning in her direction and stepped forward before Bradley could reply. ‘‘We really must be on our way, but in the event your wife decides she doesn’t want to worry you with concerns about herself, you should know that she was quite ill on our return voyage.’’

  ‘‘Really? Were the waters rough?’’

  ‘‘Actually the seas were quite calm,’’ Nolan answered.

  ‘‘That’s odd. My Jasmine has always been quite the sailor, haven’t you, my dear?’’

  Jasmine gave him a waxen smile and nodded. ‘‘Must have been something I ate. I’ve been feeling better these last few days.’’

  ‘‘And here I thought you must have been quite well. I thought you appeared a bit thicker about the waist when I came in the room.’’

  Alice immediately shot a look at her granddaughter’s waistline and then lifted her eyes, meeting Jasmine’s gaze. ‘‘Could we have a moment alone before I depart?’’ she inquired. ‘‘Perhaps you and Nolan should locate the parcel the captain sent along.’’

  Nolan’s brow furrowed momentarily. ‘‘I explained it’s on the . . . Yes, of course. Let’s go into your library, Bradley,’’ Nolan suggested, leading his brother into the other room.

  Alice quickly settled herself next to Jasmine and took the girl’s hand in her own. ‘‘Tell me, dear, have you given any thought to the fact that you may be expecting a child?’’

  Jasmine hesitated and thought about the probability—one she’d contemplated on the return voyage. Distressing as the concept might be, she knew her grandmother was likely correct. ‘‘Yes, it’s possible. But Bradley is a poor husband, and he will make an even worse father. I know Bradley Houston.’’ She was aware that verbalizing her fears would not change anything, but her grandmother was now well aware of her opinion.

  ‘‘A child may be exactly what the two of you need to draw you closer. I’m going to send Dr. Hartzfeld to see you tomorrow.’’

  ‘‘If you think that’s best, I won’t argue.’’ Her tone was dismal as she slumped and rested her back against the settee.

  Jasmine was despondent when the doctor departed the next day. He had obtained her consent to tell Alice upon his return to town, for she knew her grandmother would give the poor doctor no peace until he revealed his findings. The old woman would be pleased to hear the news, but Jasmine was in no mood to celebrate.

  ‘‘I saw Dr. Hartzfeld as he was leav
ing,’’ Bradley said as he strode into the parlor. ‘‘I must say, I was surprised he’d come to call. I thought you were feeling better. However, he says you have some news to share with me.’’

  Jasmine picked up her stitching and briefly contemplated telling her husband she had a terminal illness with only several months to live. The thought was enticing, but she quickly discarded the idea. Bradley would find little humor in her antics when she was finally forced to reveal the truth.

  ‘‘I’m expecting a child in November,’’ she whispered.

  He hurried to her side and knelt down beside her. ‘‘Truly?’’

  His voice radiated a joy she’d never before heard and his eyes actually shone with delight.

  ‘‘Yes, truly.’’

  He jumped up and sat across from her. Leaning forward, he rested his elbows atop his knees and drew near. Grasping her hand, he yelped and then pulled back.

  ‘‘Did you not see the needle?’’ she asked. ‘‘Here, use this.’’ She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and dangled it in midair.

  He hastily wrapped the cloth around his finger while keeping his gaze affixed on her eyes. ‘‘Not even a jab from your sewing needle can diminish the happiness I’m feeling at this moment.’’

  She looked down at her stitching, unwilling to share his excitement, and when Kiara entered the room with a tea tray, she issued a silent prayer of thanks. ‘‘You may put it here, Kiara.’’

  ‘‘Would you like me to pour, ma’am?’’

  Jasmine smiled at the lilting sound of the girl’s voice. ‘‘Yes, that would—’’

  ‘‘No. We’d like to be alone. Go on back to the kitchen,’’ Bradley ordered.

  With marked nervousness, the girl skittered off without a backward glance.

  ‘‘Do you take pleasure in treating others unkindly?’’ Jasmine asked.

  ‘‘I didn’t treat her unkindly. I told her to leave the room because I didn’t want to share this moment with a serving girl.’’

  ‘‘Don’t you mean with a slave?’’