"Eat up and you'll feel better." Sally took a seat across the table, sipping from a mug. "The effects of that soothing potion I gave you are wearing off, I warrant. I used a mixture of tansy and pennyroyal with a touch of laudanum. Does your head still hurt?"
"Only if I touch it by mistake. Thank you for everything, Sally. This tastes so good." Fiona's pewter spoon scraped the bowl and she started on the bread. "I must get home. My mother won't know where I am."
"Yes, she will. Giles told her last night that you'd fallen and were going to stay here. He will come and take you home this morning. When you are up to it, I would be interested in knowing why you were in the woods so late at night."
"My memory has returned." Fiona gave a little shiver. "I know you'll think me a silly, gullible fool. I let curiosity lead me into a very dangerous situation."
"Oh, Fiona, tell me everything. Let's sit outside in the garden."
"The dishes—"
"Later. I must hear your tale."
They settled upon a garden bench beneath a cherry tree and Fiona told briefly about first meeting the judge at church, then later at the beach.
"It was so strange," Fiona went on, "at the beach, the judge seemed to cast a spell on me. Can you imagine that? However, I soon came to my senses and repulsed him. I ran from him and managed to get away."
"I was so confused that I wasn't sure what had actually happened on the beach. Did I misinterpret things, react too strongly? Had no harm been intended? Anyway, later on, when an invitation came for me and my mother to dine with him, she accepted."
"Oh, dear," Sally murmured. "Never mind. Pray continue."
"Well, at first the judge was most gracious and the house and supper were divine; but when my mother had to lie down after taking too much wine, the judge took me alone to view his treasures."
Sally's voice grew hard. "Jewels, silk gowns, art objects from all over the world?"
Fiona stared. "You've seen them?"
Sally held up her hand. "Go on. What happened next?"
"Well, he tried to take advantage of me," Fiona stated flatly. "I hit him with a mirror. He fell down and I ran back to the parlor. My mother had left, so I escaped into the woods. He followed me, but he didn't find me. I hid up in the tree until I thought it was safe. Unfortunately, I slipped and hit my head. But then Giles came along and brought me here."
"How did Giles happen to be in the woods?"
"I don't know. I saw him briefly at the judge's mansion that night. He had been summoned to attend the cook, who had caught his foot in a wolf trap. Giles told me that he didn't trust Judge Blaize, so perhaps he became worried about me and was on his way back to the judge's house."
"He is right not to trust Nicholas Blaize," Sally said between gritted teeth. "The man's a monster."
"You sound as though you know him!"
Sally turned an agonized glance upon Fiona. "Remember what I told you about my guardian? That was Nicholas Blaize."
Fiona's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh, Sally, if only I had known—"
"Yes, I wish I had told you sooner. You might have been seriously harmed by him. He is a villain toward women, a lecher and seducer of the young, and cruel and merciless as a judge. If an accused girl takes his fancy, he will free her for sufficient favors in his bed." Sally put her head down in her hands and groaned. "I had no idea you were acquainted with him or I'd have warned you."
"Don't blame yourself. I'm all right and I intend to stay out of his way. But Sally, please tell me the rest of your story. You recall, you never finished it. To think your guardian was Judge Blaize!"
Sally flushed and looked away. "It is not a pretty tale, but I will finish it. Nicholas fixed a date to marry me when I turned fifteen, and though all was arranged, I still pleaded with him for more time. Nothing moved him from his purpose. Finally, I guess he grew afraid that I might escape, so he decided to bind me to him before the formal marriage. "
Sally gripped her hands, which lay white-knuckled in her lap. "One night, he put a potion in my dinner wine, and when I retired early, he came to me in my room. I cried and sobbed, begging for mercy. He stifled my screams with one hand. Nanny pounded on the door, but he wouldn't let her in. Later, he told Nanny to tend to me."
"I thought I would die! But Nanny gave me a strong herbal potion, dressed me, dug out the jewels I had, and we staggered outside, hidden in our cloaks. I could hear my defiler snoring and wished that I had the means to kill him!"
"I know how you must have felt," Fiona said, deeply shaken. She clasped Sally's hands tightly until the girl stopped shuddering and was able to continue.
"Nanny urged me through the grounds. We took horses from the stable and galloped for our lives. If Nicholas pursued us—and I'm sure he did—we had a good head-start and got away. The next day we reached an old sister of Nanny's who lived deep in the woods not far from Salem. She took us in."
Sally's voice sank to a whisper. "Alas, it wasn't many months before I realized that I was expecting a child. It was then that I remembered Giles, a young medical student I had met in Boston. He lived in Salem. I was very ill, and he tended me with all his skill, but I lost the baby. And, oh, Fiona, I was glad, Glad!"
Fiona put an arm around the trembling girl. "Of course you were. A child from that monster would remind you constantly of your ordeal. Did Giles know who was the villain?"
"No, I didn't want a whisper to get back to Nicholas; however, Oliver knows."
Fiona gasped. "Dear heaven, it's a wonder there wasn't murder done. Oliver strikes me as a man who protects his own."
Sally nodded, smiling faintly. "It was only through my pleading that Oliver was persuaded to lie low so no attention would be drawn to us. We married and have been very happy, but I don't think I can ever bear the child we both long for."
"I'm sorry. Weren't you frightened when the judge came to Salem? Does he know you're here?"
"Yes to both questions. I go to Salem only to attend Divine Service. When I see the judge I am frightened, but he is equally afraid of Oliver, so he tries to harm me in a secret way. I think Nicholas planted the hints about my witchcraft along with how I tamed a wolf—he is mortally afraid of Gray. Oliver told me he saw the animal chase Nicholas through the woods when he came too near my home. So you see, I have two protectors."
Even two protectors were not enough, Fiona thought. The judge was putting traps into the woods for Gray. Might he not also hire an assassin to kill Oliver some dark, lonely night when he returned from work, weary and alone? After that, Blaize would be free to wreak his will on Sally for any kind of vengeance he desired.
"What became of Nanny? Did you ever discover what hold she had on the judge?"
"She wouldn't talk about it except to say he had been in trouble with the law in England and had emigrated to America with all speed. It had something to do with thievery in the house where she had been employed in London. Nanny came on the same ship with us and later offered to care for me in return for her silence."
"She and her sister died a few years after we fled to Salem, but from the sister I learned the art of simpling. I have often wished there were some way to get a potion into Nicholas to render him completely helpless forever, along with that fiendish slave Solbaid."
"Do you really think the judge has satanic powers?" Fiona faltered.
"I don't know," Sally cried fiercely. "I only know I wish he would end up burning somewhere for all eternity!"
In her heart, Fiona fervently agreed.
Chapter 17
A few minutes later, Giles came riding down the road in his horse-drawn wagon. He sprang out and hurried toward Sally and Fiona, an anxious frown upon his face.
"Good day, Sally. How is our patient?" He drew Fiona to her feet, giving her a keen inspection. "How do you feel?"
"Fine." She smiled. "My mind is clear now. I have a slight aching in my bones from my jarring fall, I guess, but that is all. Sally took good care of me."
"Of course she did. Thank you,
Sally. Now, let me feel that lump, Fiona. Yes, the swelling is almost gone. I spoke to your mother last night and calmed her fears. Are you ready to go home?"
Sally interrupted with a hand upon Giles's arm. "First, I think you both would like to talk in private, so I will say goodbye. Why don't you sit here in the garden for a while?" She waved away Fiona's attempt to express her gratitude and ran into the house.
"This is a good idea. I am most eager to know what happened." Giles sat down on the bench and drew Fiona to a place beside him. He took her hands in his, then gazed hungrily at her lips as though he longed to kiss her. Instead, he drew a ragged breath and moved away, putting a little distance between them.
Fiona felt a likewise yearning, and although she had remembered his commitment to Grace, she knew she wanted this fine-looking, honorable, passionate man to belong to her and her alone.
"Don't look at me like that." Giles groaned. "You have no idea how you make me feel, do you?"
"Yes," she murmured, "because I feel the same way. Oh, Giles, are you really tied to Grace?"
He dragged his eyes away and stared across the sunlit garden, saying shortly, "It's true, Fiona. You must believe that."
Fiona bowed her head. "I understand. Our future paths run in separate directions, then." She rose. "Shall we go to my aunt's house now? We could talk another time—"
Giles put out a detaining hand. "Sit a moment longer. I haven't heard yet what happened last night at Judge Blaize's dinner party to send you fleeing through the woods."
Fiona sank back down, smoothing the rumpled blue silk across her knees. How much should she tell him? If Giles knew the extent of Blaize's attempted seduction, he might try to avenge her honor by thrashing the judge… or at least, bring him up before the elders of the town on a charge of attempted rape. With his vast power, the judge probably would escape any punishment, but his retribution would be swift and harsh, directed at both Giles and herself.
Carefully, Fiona chose her words. "My mother became weary after dinner and was driven home while I stayed to see the judge's treasure room, not knowing she had left. The judge displayed his gems and tried to give me some of them… a rope of emeralds."
"What was his price?" Giles ground out.
"A—a kiss," she whispered. "When I refused, he grew angry and insulting, trying to kiss me against my will. I struck him and got away, but he—he pursued me into the woods, calling, coaxing…"
"The cad! What was he saying?" Giles asked harshly.
Fiona cleared her throat. "He merely said he wanted to take me home, but I didn't trust him, and so I hid and didn't answer. Finally, I climbed up in a tree and waited until I thought the way was clear. I fell. You found me. And that's all."
"Is it? I wonder if you're telling me the whole story. Perhaps there's something you're ashamed to mention."
Fiona was unable to stop the betraying rush of heat into her face, but instead of answering him, she questioned, "Why were you there in the woods last night?"
Giles linked his hands between his knees and frowned at the buttercups crowding around the bench as though he saw an ugly scene instead. "I have heard some unsettling rumors about Judge Blaize. A few young girls were badly beaten and their parents muttered about a powerful lecher, a judge who had recently come to town. I guessed it might be Blaize; however, due to his influence at the witch trials, none dared speak out against him. You can imagine how disturbed I was to find you visiting him. Later that night, I decided to go back to his house and see if you were all right and perhaps try to bring you home. However, as I rode through the woods, I heard you cry out and soon found you, unconscious, on the ground. That was a bad moment for me, my dear."
Fiona darted a quick glance at him beneath her lashes. Giles must still cherish some warmth for her in spite of his strong efforts to quell it.
"Why did you go to visit Judge Blaize?" Giles wanted to know. "He's not exactly the sort of friend I'd think you'd care to cultivate, is he?"
Fiona shrugged, trying to make her answer casual. "I felt curious to see his house and the treasures he'd mentioned. He'd also invited my mother, and with her along, I didn't see how anything might harm me."
"I'm sure he has designs on your virtue," Giles growled, and clenched his hands. "Offering you that necklace proves it. He is evidently very shrewd, and knows just who is most vulnerable. I imagine he often picks someone new in town who hasn't heard about his escapades. You were lucky to escape unharmed."
"You're right," Fiona admitted in a low, shaken voice. Then she sat up taller. "I may be new in town and vulnerable, but I am not weak. I hit him hard with a mirror and he fell down."
"That bad, eh?" Giles's lips twitched, then he sobered. "I think I shall have some words with him—"
"No, you must not." Fiona clutched his sleeve. "We can't afford to incur his wrath. He has wealth and power on his side. He'd be furious if he knew I'd complained to you, and since my mother and I have already aroused some suspicion, he might avenge himself on us all."
Giles was silent for a few moments, a muscle twitching beside his jaw, then he spoke tightly. "I suppose you're right, but believe me, if he tries anything else—"
"He won't get a chance. I shall avoid him like the plague."
"By God, the man sounds like a fiend," Giles muttered, unconsciously echoing Sally.
Heavens, Fiona thought, what would Giles do if he knew how badly Sally had been treated? It was a wonder someone hadn't killed the judge by now. The world would be well rid of him, but she didn't want Giles or Oliver to become his executioner and be hanged for taking the law into his own hands.
She knew how strict and harsh Puritans were to wrongdoers. Mercy had told her that willfully setting fire to a person's house was punishable by death. Beating another man brought large fines and a long spell sitting in the stocks. Drunkards wore a "D" around their necks for a whole year. Lying incurred a cleft stick worn upon the tongue. Adulterers were often branded. Unlawful games of chance were fined as much as five pounds, half of it going to the informer. Fiona wondered suddenly if a witch's informant was also thus rewarded, since guilty persons forfeited all their estates to the local government.
"You look pale, Fiona," Giles muttered, peering at her with deep concern. "Do you feel weak, dizzy? Is there any pain—?"
She managed to smile. "No, doctor. I am quite all right. Shall we go now? My mother may be worried."
"Yes, let us go, though I am sure that I allayed her fears about you."
They bade goodbye to Sally and drove off. Fiona's thoughts fixed sadly on the man beside her.
What a fine, conscientious doctor he was. No doubt he would go far with the help of Grace's dowry. She began to question him about his practice, wondering aloud if he yearned for a larger place, perhaps a partnership in Boston.
"No, I like to work alone. I know many men who call themselves doctors but have no degrees at all, and they favor many methods now scoffed at in British hospitals. I don't believe in purges or leeching, as both only further weaken a sick body that needs all its strength to fight disease. Yet these things have been faithfully practiced for centuries and still are used. Some so-called doctors also swear by animal and insect parts for curing. They place dung, hair, blood, sweat, and so forth on sores, which only causes more irritation. I believe in many natural remedies: honey, milk, yeast, eggs, and certain plants and herbs all have most mysterious yet effective results in promoting health."
"Do your new ideas annoy any of your patients? There seems to be so much narrowmindedness and superstition, things I certainly didn't expect to encounter in this New World. Everybody came here to be free, yet they really aren't."
"Ironic, isn't it?" Giles grunted. "Well, in answer to your question, there has been some grumbling about my new methods, but since I'm the only doctor here, they either have to abide by my decisions or stay sick. I've been very busy, incidentally. There has been a lot of illness in Salem."
"That's one thing that probably encourages
the belief that Satan has invaded Salem. Do you think Judge Blaize could have dark powers?"
"You're wondering if Blaize is Satan in disguise? I doubt it. He'd be doing a lot more injury if he were. You got away from him, didn't you?"
"Yes, but sometimes when I'm around him, things seem to change—his appearance… the objects in the room he showed me… his manner became kindly, warm, beguiling…"
"And he doesn't seem so bad?"
"My father told us once about a man who could influence other people's minds, and I wonder…"
"You mean wizards," Giles said. "Some people can be influenced in their minds by a master will. Not everyone succumbs, of course."
"So this power can be resisted?"
"I've heard it's possible. If you think about a thing or person you love, feel hatred for the magician, and avoid looking into his eyes—all these things can break the spell."
Fiona thought with shame how close she might have come to being seduced by Judge Blaize, tempted by his flattery, jewels, and a skillful play upon her senses. She had let him kiss her, lure her to his home, tempt her with a gift of emeralds. How she would have despised herself if she had succumbed. She thought how he had betrayed and injured Sally so that she could bear no more children. There were no words harsh enough to describe him, and a blinding rage swept through her. How many other young girls had he also harmed? She might have been one of them herself.
Was it possible that she still might be in danger from him?
Suddenly Giles's voice broke into her thoughts. "Are you going to tell your mother how the judge acted when you were alone?"
"Y-yes." But not quite everything, Fiona amended in her mind. "I told Sally, and she was very upset."
Giles burst out, "By God, some way, somehow, I must figure out a way to stop this demonic beast who is masquerading as a man."
"What are you considering, Giles?" Fiona cried in alarm. "You know he's dangerous, rich, and powerful. Everyone is afraid of him. He can do anything he wants."
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