“Well, of course I can, but I am not going to. William, you cannot do this. They will hang him.”
“It is better than what he deserves.”
“Your friend has a refined sense of honor, my dear. He plans to let the government wreak his revenge for him,” Matthew sneered, and Perkins glared at him, stiff with rage.
Katherine could feel the animal hatred stretching between the two men, the tension palpable in the air.
“Matthew!” she snapped. He seemed to be goading Perkins, as if he wanted to drive him to violence. “You are in a pretty poor position to be hurling insults. William, please listen to me. Please, don’t send him to his death. Please. He saved me once—more than once. He brought our ship through a terrible storm and then another time he rescued me from a brothel.”
“Katherine!”
“I couldn’t tell you, William; I am embarrassed. But it is true. If it weren’t for him, I would be dead by now, probably.”
“If it weren’t for him, you would not have been in danger in the first place,” Perkins retorted. “Katherine, you are too softhearted. Why should you care what happens to him? He kidnapped and raped you. Why do you want to save him?”
“Because I love him!” she flared. She swallowed hard at the stricken look in his eyes. Softly, she continued, “I am sorry, William, but it’s true. That is why I could not marry you; I had fallen in love with him.”
William stared at her in shocked disbelief, and her voice dropped to a whisper: “Please, I know how awful you must think me, but if you ever had any love for me, please don’t kill him. I would die if they hanged him.”
“Goddam it, Kathy, don’t beg him for me,” Matthew said harshly.
“Then you went with him willingly?” William forced out the words, his voice tortured.
“Never! She never came to my bed willingly. I forced her every time.” Matthew pulled himself out of the chair.
“Matthew, for God’s sake, would you be quiet!”
“No, I will not. I won’t have you debase yourself to this—”
“Matthew, you are out of your head. Please sit down and keep your mouth shut before you get yourself killed. William, please, please, for my sake.”
“All right,” William said tiredly. Katherine felt tears start at seeing the pain and contempt in his eyes. “I will leave you to him. I won’t tell anyone who he is. My ship leaves tomorrow, so you need not worry that I will change my mind. I wish you luck, Katherine.”
He left the room and Katherine turned to Matthew, tears streaming down her face.
“He is a fool,” Matthew rasped. “I would have killed me in his place.”
“Oh, shut up!” Katherine snapped. “Not everyone is as primitive as you. He is a fine gentleman.”
“Then why didn’t you go with him if you admire him so much?”
“Because I love you, damn it,” she shouted.
He smiled weakly. “Kathy, my love, come here. I am afraid I cannot—” He sat down heavily.
“Matthew!” She flew to his side.
He had fainted, and his face was ashen. She grabbed a cloth and poured water on it and cleaned his wound, a narrow furrow along the left side of his head. Now what? She could not let him remain here. Soon they would be bound to suspect Commander Forrest, especially when he did not show up at work the next day, and then they would come here looking for him. But even when he came to, he would be in no condition to travel. She had to find someplace where he could recuperate. Certainly she could not take him to a hotel looking like this. The only thing she could see to do was to take him back to her room.
“Matthew, wake up.” She shook him and dabbed at his face with the cold, wet cloth. “Matthew, please.”
His eyelids fluttered open. “Kathy,” he said thickly. “So damned noble, I could kill him.”
“Matthew, please, I know it is hard, but you must get up and come with me. We have to leave; you must not black out again or we are both ruined. Do you understand?”
He nodded and his eyes grew clearer. “I understand. I am sorry, Kathy. Help me up.”
She pulled him to his feet and put her arm around him to support him. He winced at her touch.
“Side hurts,” he explained. “I think I broke something. I fell several feet. Maybe I have a concussion, too. God, my legs feel like rubber.”
“Lean on me; I’ll try not to hurt your side. And please don’t pass out.”
It seemed to take hours to get home. Matthew was sometimes alert and able to walk, at other times he slumped against her so that she had to lean against a wall to keep them upright. But the people they passed seemed to assume that he was drunk and left them alone. When they reached the Van der Vries house, she stopped, nonplussed. How on earth was she to get him up to her room? If they went in through the house, they would surely awaken the entire household—but neither was he fit to climb the tree.
“Matthew,” she whispered.
He mumbled incoherently against her neck. “Shot him. No, not really. If you asked for him, I’d have given him to you.”
“Matthew, please listen. Please wake up.”
He smiled at her glassily. “Only I’d-a kept you—bargain, you see. ‘Cause I’m not noble.”
“I know that. Listen to me, Matthew. Can you climb that tree? We either have go to in the front and not make a sound—or climb that tree. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” He struggled to clear the fog in his brain. “I can climb it.”
“Are you sure? Perhaps we should hide you in the gardener’s shed.”
“I can climb it.” He looked at her, his gaze clear and sharp.
“All right. Then quick, before you pass out again.”
He pulled himself up, smothering a cry at the sharp stab in his side. She hiked up her skirts and followed him. He climbed quickly and surely and crawled out the limb to her window. For a moment the world began to swim before his eyes and he clung to the branch, but then it passed and he swung onto her windowsill. Katherine scrambled in after him. Matthew looked at her bared legs and smiled.
“How very improper, Miss Devereaux.”
“Well, I can see you are all right,” she snapped.
“But of course,” he said, smiling, and then quietly fainted.
Katherine caught him before he fell and eased him onto the bed. She tore a petticoat into strips and bandaged his head, then cautiously felt his ribs. It seemed to her that some were broken, but she did not quite know what to do about it. So she just took off his shoes and pulled the covers over him. Then her knees gave way and she sat down quickly in a chair.
She was awakened by Pegeen’s horrified whisper, “Oh, Miss Katherine, whatever is going on?”
Katherine blinked at her, trying to collect her scattered wits. Pegeen locked the door behind her and hurried over to the chair where Katherine had fallen asleep.
“Oh, God, I forgot to lock the door,” Katherine groaned, and repressed the hysterical laughter trying to bubble out.
“Mum, why are you sleeping in the chair? And what is he doing here?” Pegeen blushed. “I—I mean, all bandaged and all; he looks—”
“Well, he isn’t,” Katherine snapped. “He just passed out, that’s all.” She rose and went to feel his pulse—still strong. “Oh, Pegeen, we are in the most terrible mess.” Hurriedly she described the events of the night before. “And now what are we to do? I don’t even know what to do about a broken rib.” She felt on the edge of tears.
“Well, my brother Tommy once got three ribs broke in a brawl at a pub, and all they did to him was wrap a bunch of bandages around him real tight. I can do that; I watched.”
Katherine attacked her petticoat again, and they pulled Matthew up and Pegeen tightly bound his ribs. By the time they finished, Katherine had regained control of herself.
“All right, now, Pegeen, I am going to stay in here all day. You go out and say I have the vapors from fear, because of the explosion last night. Make sure no one comes in here except y
ourself; I will keep the door locked. Bring me my meals on a tray, as big as you can make them without arousing suspicion, because Matthew will need to eat, too. Don’t let Angela call a doctor; convey the idea that I am just having an attack of ladylike fear. And find out all you can about that ironclad’s being blown up.”
“How did you know already that—” Pegeen began and then stopped, her eyes wide. She swung her gaze toward Matthew. “You mean he had something to do with that?”
“Pegeen, the less you know about this the better for you. He is a dead man if they find him, and I probably will be, too.”
Pegeen gulped. “Yes, miss. I understand. I will keep my mouth shut and my ears open.”
After the girl left, Katherine settled down in the chair to wait, her gaze fixed on Matthew’s pale face. Terror welled up in her, but she stubbornly fought it down. Somehow she would find a way to do it
He did not regain consciousness until midafternoon. She jumped, her heart pounding, when at last his eyelids fluttered open. He looked bemused; then his eyes fell on her and he smiled weakly.
“Katherine.”
“Shh.” She rushed to his side and leaned down close to his face to whisper. “You must not talk or make any noise. You are in my room at my cousin’s house, and they must not discover you.”
He nodded to show his assent and took her hand and brought it to his lips. In a moment, he drifted back to sleep. He slipped in and out of sleep all afternoon, but she managed to keep him awake long enough to get some food into him. Again she spent the night in the chair, afraid to sleep beside him where she might bump against his sore ribs. Toward morning she was awakened by the sound of his voice. He was mumbling in some dream. She covered his mouth with her hand to muffle it, and that awakened him. He caught her wrist and tried to rise; the pain in his side brought recollection and he relaxed.
“Can we talk now?” he whispered.
Katherine sat on the bed beside him and leaned down so that their faces were inches apart. “I guess so, if we whisper. Everyone’s asleep, and the walls are thick.”
“Kathy, you were a fool to bring me back here; you are risking your neck.”
“Well, I could hardly leave you there to be caught, could I?”
“Now, don’t get all ruffled,” he grinned. “I am very grateful to you. But I am also very concerned about what might happen to you.”
“Well, nothing is going to happen to either one of us so long as we keep quiet; no one here will suspect. I played sick today. Tomorrow, I shall lock the door whenever I leave. Pegeen is the only servant who ever comes in here. And Angela won’t come in if I am not here. Peg and I will sneak food up to you, so you won’t starve. You can just lie here and be lazy while they are searching for you all over the place. They will never think to look here. No doubt they think you have fled New York.”
“I cannot stay here forever.”
“No, but you can stay here a few days until the search has cooled a little and you have grown a beard to make you less recognizable. You are in no condition to travel anyway.”
He frowned, but acquiesced and went back to sleep. Katherine could not sleep, however, and waited impatiently for Pegeen to bring their breakfast. At last Pegeen came in with a huge tray filled with food. “What on earth will the kitchen staff think?” Katherine giggled.
“I told them you always ate like a horse after one of your attacks.”
“Attacks? Good heavens, Pegeen, what did you tell them was the matter with me?”
The maid laughed merrily and did the imitation of a grand lady having the vapors which she had performed for the servants. Katherine protested lightly as she ate one of the rolls and sipped at a cup of coffee.
“Matthew,” she whispered, “wake up. Here is a huge, hot breakfast.”
She helped him sit up and solicitously fluffed up the pillows and put them behind his back. He attacked the food hungrily, while Pegeen dressed Katherine’s hair. Pegeen chattered about the general shock over the explosion, which the newspapers were attributing to local copperheads.
“I haven’t heard a word about Commander Forrest,” she said, setting down the brush to admire her work.
“Whatever that may mean,” Katherine said, getting up and beginning to dress.
As Pegeen helped her into her clothes, she felt Matthew’s gaze on her and glanced over at him. He was looking at her, a slight smile on his face. She blushed; she had been used to dressing and undressing before him, but somehow Pegeen’s presence made it embarrassing. His smile broadened, and she looked away.
She spent the day pretending to be terrified at the bombing. “Madmen!” she declared to Angela. “Absolute madmen, and they are still on the loose! We might all be murdered in our beds. I know I shan’t sleep a wink until they are caught. In fact, I think I ought to leave New York altogether and return to Boston, where it is safe.”
Katherine played her part so well that she soon had her susceptible cousin wondering if perhaps she ought to remove her household to their summer estate on the Hudson, even though the Season was in full swing. Katherine did nothing to dissuade her; if Angela was not in New York, there would be no danger of discovery if her father sent a letter to her in New York after she was supposed to be at home in Boston. For Katherine’s intent was to pretend to return to Boston; in reality, she would take Matthew south. The only problem was how she was to accomplish that.
As the days passed, she found she had another problem: keeping Matthew down. He soon regained full control of his faculties and was climbing the walls with impatience and boredom. Katherine gave him books to read, but that helped little. He wanted to be up and gone, and forced rest and silence and the pain in his side which kept him there all combined to put him in a black mood.
“Katherine,” he whispered one night after she had undressed and slipped into a nightgown.
“Shh,” she admonished and went to him.
“I am leaving tomorrow.”
“Don’t be silly. How far do you think you will get? You know your side won’t allow you to ride a horse, and they are watching the train station.”
“Well, it is better than lying here starving to death.”
“How unfair! Pegeen and I bring you plenty of food.”
“Yes, and you are going to get caught. Katherine, can’t you understand that the longer I remain here, the more likely you are to be discovered?”
Katherine sighed. “I know.” She looked at him thoughtfully. “I guess your beard has grown enough. Shall we leave the day after tomorrow?”
“We?” he repeated ominously.
“But of course. Surely you don’t think I would just throw you to the wolves.”
“You are not going.”
“I am.”
They glowered at each other. Finally Katherine said, “Oh, be reasonable, Matthew. You are going to need help and you know it. Besides, I have thought of a ruse, and you need me to carry it off.”
“What?” he said warily.
“I thought of it while looking at your bandaged head. I shall bandage your entire head and eyes, and you will be a poor blind soldier and I your devoted wife taking you home. Who would suspect us?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“It’s too dangerous for you. What if someone asks me for identification or my discharge papers?”
“Who would badger a blinded soldier? And if they did, I would simply burst into tears and embarrass them so they would take any lame excuse of ours, just to get rid of us.”
“They will be looking for a commander.”
“Yes, but not a private in the Army.”
“And where do you intend to come up with a private’s uniform?”
She smiled. “Pegeen has cousins here in New York, one of whom is a private in the Army—or was, rather. He got shot in the leg and is home again and quite willing to sell his old uniform.”
He swore softly. “All right, then, damn it. Would you like to tell me where we are going?”
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“Well, I wasn’t sure about that,” she faltered. “I was going to ask you.”
“I find that surprising.”
“Oh, Matthew, please don’t be cross.” Tears started in her eyes.
He touched her face tenderly. “I am sorry, Kathy. Sweet girl; here you are being so brave and resourceful and saving my neck, and I growl like a bear at you. It’s just that I feel so helpless lying up here all day, and I hate myself for putting you in danger.” He kissed her hand. “We shall go to Philadelphia. There is a shipper there who has traded with us from time to time; I can sail on one of his ships.” He paused and then said, “And you can, too, if you wish.”
“Thank you, I don’t want your gratitude.”
“Well, you have it, whether you want it or not. You also have my heart.”
She jerked her hand back and said shakily, “Hush. Go to sleep now.”
“Katherine, if you sleep in that chair again, I will scream the house down.”
“I am afraid I might hurt your ribs.”
“Then lie on the other side, goose. I want to tell you something, and you are going to listen.”
She lay beside him, nestling naturally against his shoulder. “Kathy, did you mean what you said to Perkins the other night? That you loved me?”
“What if I did?”
“Don’t be so damn prickly, or I will have to take my whip to you yet. Do you love me?”
“Yes!” she hissed.
Softly he kissed her ear. “And I love you. Now, don’t protest. If you will think for a minute, you would realize that I am not the sort to pretend to love someone out of gratitude.”
She lay stiff and unyielding against him. “Then why did you send me away?”
“Because I loved you. I didn’t want you to go. But you recoiled from my touch—”
“Oh, Matthew, I couldn’t let you touch me. I felt so soiled and unclean; I could not let you dirty your hands on what they had touched.”
“Katherine, my love, why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was so ashamed.”
“Girl, I wanted to keep you and hold you and make you forget those bastards, but I was sure you despised me. You had told me so all the way across the ocean, and I was to blame for your escaping and getting thrown into that brothel. I was being so damned noble—and it’s the last time I will ever try that, believe me.”
Gregory, Lisa Page 33
