by Beth Bennett
Olivia drummed her fingers on the table in thought. “Would you continue with me until then? I’d like to finish what I’ve started.”
“Lovely, my dear, simply lovely. I don’t think I’ve ever been more pleased by a student’s request in my life.”
Mrs. Holland had been invited over for afternoon tea. She arrived in her traditional black dress, replete with feathers and parasol in tow. Twas a cool day and her wrap was rich and luxurious. Her bright, dark eyes greeted Olivia as if some unknown secret had already been imparted to her. “Good afternoon, my dear. And how are things in the Daniels household this glorious day?”
Mrs. Holland’s verbosity always made Olivia laugh. She waxed eloquent in response, “Superb, Mrs. Holland, the Daniels house is simply superb.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Now, where are the refreshments?” Giggling, Olivia escorted Mrs. Holland to the sitting room where Mrs. Daniels and Hettie had already gathered. A tray of delicious delicacies was laid out alongside a rose covered porcelain teapot and matching cups.
Olivia poured the tea as the others sat with bright eyes anticipating the announcement. “Mrs. Holland, I am so very glad you could come today. I have something very special to tell you.”
“Oh, a special announcement is always happily received. It is a happy announcement is it not?”
“It is.”
“Do proceed.”
Mrs. Holland was overjoyed, of course. Relaying the story of the pick-pocket, she recounted, “When Olivia knocked the stuffin out of that young ruffian, I knew right then, she was the girl for Jackson Daniels.” Mrs. Holland tapped the floor with her cane for emphasis. “It was a triumph, an absolute triumph.” The ladies laughed.
After the laughter died down, Hettie interjected, “You might not want to tell that story to Jackson. He would be furious.”
“Yes.” Mrs. Holland stamped her cane. “Most men are when they learn we women are made of more stalwart stuff than what they supposed.”
The afternoon ended on a joyful note with Mrs. Holland promising to attend the wedding. “Wild animals couldn’t keep me away,” she declared.
Olivia spent the late afternoon in her room, organizing and going through her things. Hettie lay on the bed while Olivia worked. “I’m so bored I don’t think I can breathe.” She let her legs hang off the edge and swung them back and forth. “I want to go to the market and I need you to come with me.”
Olivia straightened from her cleaning. “You must have lost your mind. Jackson expressly forbid us to leave the house.”
Hettie played with the ribbon on the bed covers. “Yes, I know he did but he doesn’t know what it’s like being shut up all day with nothing to do.”
“Well,” said Olivia, as she folded a pair of bloomers. “You could go read a book in the library.”
Hettie flopped on her stomach. “That’s worse than doing nothing.” She continued to implore. “There’s an Italian Ice stand only a few streets over. He always parks next to the grocery. I don’t see why it would hurt a thing for us to sneak away for ten minutes. Just ten minutes Olivia. It would be a celebration of sorts. Surely, Jackson wouldn’t deny us that?”
“You could rationalize your way out of prison. What time is it?”
“It’s only four o’clock. Jackson won’t be home for hours. We’ll be together. It will be perfectly fine.”
The purse of her lips and the frown across her brow revealed her thoughts. She hated to disappoint Hettie. “I know you’re used to coming and going as you please but Jackson did say it might not be safe.”
Hettie now lay on the bed with her head hanging down backwards over the side. “He’s always over reacted to everything. He’s worse than Papa ever was. We’ll only be gone fifteen minutes.”
Olivia had to snigger at her antics. The thought of an Italian ice did sound awfully inviting. Knowing Hettie was worse than a bore worm, Olivia cautioned, “Jackson must never find out.”
Hettie jumped up. “Yipeee.”
“Shhh!” Olivia said as she put a finger over her mouth. “You better not ever breathe a word of it. I’ve had more than one spanking from that brother of yours and I don’t want another one.”
Hettie rubbed her behind thoughtfully. “I’ve felt Jackson’s heavy hand as well. You don’t ever have to worry about me telling.”
No one was about the house as the two young ladies tiptoed down the stairs and out the back door. “How can we be this lucky?” whispered Hettie.
Olivia grabbed her by the sleeve. “Come on, let’s hurry.”
Chapter 24
They snuck out the kitchen, over the cobblestones and past the stables. The street opened up to the city and they were free. It was early afternoon and only a light amount of traffic passed by. Olivia linked her arm in Hettie’s and tried to hurry her along. “I want to get this over with as fast as possible. I’m as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.”
Hettie agreed, then elaborated. “Jackson is such a spoil sport.”
They walked one block then turned a corner. Olivia could already see the grocery. Vegetables and fruit filled the bins out front. The Italian ice seller was parked nearby, just as Hettie said he would be.
“I see it.” Olivia pointed. “We’re nearly there.”
As they continued walking, Olivia noticed a small black rig following a few yards behind. Oddly, it was going nearly the same pace they were walking. She tugged on Hettie’s arm. “Do you see that rig following us?”
Hettie swallowed. “Yes,” she whispered.
“Do you recognize it?” Hettie shook her head.
Out of the blue, a heavily loaded six in hand careened down the street and started straight toward them. It rattled and clattered, the horses were pulling at the bit and screamed a warning. Olivia grasped Hettie and pulled her out of the way, just as a huge beer barrel fell from its wagon bed. The barrel rolled harmlessly to the side, coming to a stop down the street.
“Good heavens,” she panted. “We were nearly run down!” The same black rig Olivia had seen before, appeared from nowhere and pulled up to the curb. The two girls were recovering only a few feet away, when the door to the rig popped open. A large, burly man exited the cab. He was wearing a kerchief pulled nearly all the way over his mouth. His hat rode low, his eyes, barely visible. his voice muffled.
“All you all right, ladies?” Unexpectedly, he jumped toward them, and grabbed Hettie by the arm. “You’re coming w’me.”
Olivia was pushed to the ground. Hettie tried to scream but the man quickly put his hand over her mouth and began to drag her away. Olivia sprang into action. The man was occupied with keeping Hettie still, which gave Olivia the advantage. Bending a knee, she rammed him as hard as she could. Right in his nether parts.
He let out a howl and immediately released Hettie. Reflexively, he rounded a balled fist toward Olivia. Hard knuckles met soft cheek and she abruptly lay disoriented on the sidewalk. By this time, Hettie was screaming and yelling so loud, a crowd had begun to gather. His opportunity missed, the man leapt back into the rig and quickly disappeared into the traffic of New York.
“Oh my merciful heavens,” Hettie cried. “Whatever shall we do? Are you alive? Olivia! Olivia! Speak to me. Kneeling beside her, Hettie was shaking her by the shoulders.
Olivia groaned then put a hand to her aching head. “Do be quiet, Hettie. We shall never get away if you draw the attention of the police.”
“Oh my God, look at your eye.”
Olivia could feel it already beginning to swell. “It’s nothing but a little black eye. Now do be quiet. Here, help me up. We’ve got to get home.”
Olivia assured the onlookers she and Hettie were absolutely fine. When she saw a New York Police officer coming their way, she grasped Hettie by the arm and took off in a fast walk. They managed to clear the scene before anyone could stop them.
“God Almighty why did I ever let you talk me into leaving the house?” Olivia cried. “Jackson is going to
kill us.”
“Never mind that. Look at your eye.” Hettie began to cry. “Oh my God, we’ve got to get you to a doctor.”
“Don’t you dare, Hettie Daniels. I mean it. You keep your mouth shut. You got us into this mess but it was my fault for agreeing to go. Jackson is going to blister both of us red.” They had walked several hundred yards before Olivia glanced back in relief. “Looks like the crowd is dispersing. I think we’re in the clear. Who was that man? Did you recognize him?”
“Nooo,” Hettie wailed. “Olivia, your eye is nearly swollen shut. Oh my God, it’s going to be black and blue. Oh Lord, what are we going to do?”
“Hush now.” Olivia gave Hettie a shake. “I’ll tell you what we’re going to do. You’re going to help me get home and then I’m going up to my room. You’ll go chip off a bit of ice, wrap it in a cloth and bring it to me. Do you have any pancake make-up?”
“Of course, I do.”
“Well, bring me your tin of that. Perhaps I can cover up the bruise and no one will be the wiser.”
Hettie got Olivia home but no pancake make-up nor ice was going to help their situation. Olivia winced as she looked into the mirror. “We’ve had it.” Black and blue streaks were forming under her eye and her lid was already nearly swollen shut.
Hettie was still a-flutter. “Jackson is going to whip us both.”
Olivia lay upon the bed. “That he will surely do. However, I say we should put it off as long as possible. When dinner is called, you go downstairs and tell everyone I’m not feeling very well and decided to go to bed early, which is the truth. I’ll be fine. At least that will give us until the morning to figure something else out.”
“Are you sure? That eye looks really bad. Don’t you think we should call a doctor?”
“What for? So he can tell me I have a black eye. No. Now go downstairs and delay the inevitable. In fact, I’ve an even better idea. Why should you suffer too? Tomorrow, I shall tell Jackson that I went out and will stick completely to the truth except, I will leave you out of it.”
“Oh, Olivia, I don’t feel right about that.”
“You do as I say, Hettie. I’m the one who got hit in the face.”
“All…All right. If that’s what you really want.”
“It’s what I want. Goodnight.”
Hettie disappeared and Olivia didn’t bother to light any lamps. They made her head hurt anyway. She began to feel worse and worse. A pounding headache crept upon her and she was so hot she couldn’t get comfortable. Her nightgown felt like a cloying blanket. Then, she couldn’t get warm but felt too bad to get up and get another blanket. She tried to go to sleep but her head hurt too much.
She heard Jackson come home and muffled voices downstairs. Then pounding footsteps coming up the stairway. I should have known, Hettie is the worst liar in the world.
The door opened and Jackson’s deep voice echoed around the room. “What is going on, young lady? Hettie is trying to tell some tale that doesn’t make any sense. She said you weren’t feeling…” He stopped when Olivia turned toward him.
“Oh my God. What in the world happened?” He leaned down and placed his big hands on either side of her head, turning it so he could see her eye. “Darling, what happened?”
Olivia felt too bad to explain. Tears managed to leak out of both her eyes. “I don’t feel good,” she croaked. All she remembered after that were blurry images. Jackson yelled for his mother and then there were cool cloths washing her face. Jackson’s strong hands soothed her cheek and he kept placing ice wrapped in cotton on her eye. A man she didn’t know was leaning over the bed and people were speaking in muffled voices. She was so tired. So tired. She slept.
The next thing she remembered, bright sunlight was streaming through the window and overall, she felt much better. Still stiff and sore, she gingerly felt her cheek. The eye felt less swollen but she was afraid to look in the mirror. Black eyes are worse the next day. Her bedside table washbasin was full of water and damp cloths were hanging all over the room.
“Hettie,” she called through the open door. Where was everyone? She tried again, a little louder. Even her throat hurt a bit. “Hettie.”
“She’s awake!” Hettie’s voice yelled from the hallway and in just a few moments, the room was full of people.
“I was so worried,” said Mrs. Daniels who sat beside her and patted her hand.
“Gosh, Olivia, I thought you were never going to wake up.” Hettie peered over her mother’s shoulder.
Even Liza joined in. “Can I get you something to drink?”
Jackson came barreling through the doorway. “Everybody out!” He looked terrible. The shadow of a beard indicated he had not shaved and his clothes were dirty and rumpled.
Olivia lay still and waited as he hustled everyone out of the room and closed the door. He turned to her with his fists on his hips. “How do you feel?”
“Fine?”
He scoffed, grabbed a chair, and dragged it over by the bed. Grasping her chin in one hand, he gently pressed on her forehead with his thumb. “How does that feel.”
“That doesn’t hurt a bit.”
“Uh hum.”
He keep pressing all over her face and jaw but as he drew closer to her eye she cried. “That hurts.”
“How about here?” He was gently pressing her nose.
“No, that part is fine. I’m glad I didn’t break my nose.”
Jackson withdrew and crossed his arms. “I, however, would like to break your neck. What the devil were you two thinking? You know you’ve been asleep for two days. You’ve had a fever nearly the entire time.” He reached over and rested his big palm on her forehead. “Until this morning, thank God.” He sat back. “The doctor said you could have had all sorts of permanent damage. He should be here any minute.” He took out his pocket watch and checked it. When he looked back at her face, the worry in his eyes tugged at her heart.
She reached out and touched his hand. “I’m sorry.”
“You scared me to death.
“You’ve been by my side the entire time, haven’t you?”
“I have indeed, my darling.” He placed her hand back upon the bed. “I should like to kill the both of you.”
“Too bad, Hettie’s not a better liar.”
“She spilled the beans as soon as I got home. We were able to report the incident immediately to the police. Had we waited for you to speak, we would have lost a day. Foolish, young lady, very foolish.”
Olivia tried to swallow but her throat was so dry. Jackson held a glass of water up to her lips. It felt so good. “Did they catch him?”
“No, not yet.”
“Do you think it has anything to do with things at the bank?”
He gently brushed the hair away from her face and pulled the covers up around her. “Darling. You do not need to worry about any of that. You only need to rest and heal. The police will probably be by today to take a statement. However, if you are not feeling well enough, they too can wait.”
Olivia nodded. “I’ll be glad to talk with them.” His eyes were looking down at her. Soft and inviting, they were the very color of a cloudless summer sky. “I’m so sorry. I should have listened to you.”
He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips. “Yes, you should have, but that’s a topic for another time. Right now, rest.”
Her head had begun to hurt again and Olivia closed her eyes and went back to sleep.
“I want you two to go stand in the corner.” The day of reckoning had come. Jackson had put off their punishment as well as the wedding for two weeks. Once the doctor had given Olivia the all clear, he waited another whole week to be sure. “I want one of you on this side of the room and one on the other. There better not be one word spoken. I want you to think about what you have done. I will be in later to administer your punishment.”
Hettie and Olivia turned and walked, heads, bowed, into the library. They didn’t dare say a word to one another. Olivia had never seen Jac
kson so angry. He had been so tender and concerned, taking care of her the whole time her eye was healing. Now that she was well, his kindness had flown the coop. She found her way to a corner and turned to face it. This is ridiculous. We are not children. She stole a glance over at Hettie. She was already crying. For pity’s sake.
It seemed like hours before Jackson entered the room. He made them stand there a long time. Olivia’s legs were aching. It was with great relief that she heard the library door creak open and Jackson’s heavy footsteps enter. Hettie was crying the entire time and really began to howl when he entered.
“That’s enough, Hettie,” Jackson barked. “You’ve earned this punishment and so you shall have it. I think I shall start with you in fact, since you were the brains behind the operation.”
“Ohhhh, Jacksonnnn,” Hettie wailed. “I don’t think you should punish me like this. I’ll never do such a thing again. I’m too old to be spanked.”
“If you are young enough to make such a foolish decision, you are young enough for a spanking. Come now, let’s be done. Bend over Father’s desk while I get his rod.”
Hettie sobbed and cried but there was no thwarting Jackson’s purpose. Olivia watched the proceedings out of the corner of her eye. Careful not to let Jackson see her doing so, she had chosen the perfect corner to be a witness to all of the events. She wasn’t sure it was the best idea to watch but she couldn’t bear to look away.
Hettie bent over the desk as she raised her skirts. Her pantalets were the only thing standing between herself and the school room rod that Jackson had retrieved. Where had that thing come from? Olivia wondered. Thank heaven the professor had never threatened its use on her. It was the standard school room rod about 3 feet long. Thick, yet supple, she prayed Jackson used it with a little mercy. The thing looked terrible.
“You will hold perfectly still, Hettie Daniels. Your palms shall remain flat on the desk.” Hettie continued crying. “If you move, I shall add extra strikes to your already hefty tally. You shall be given twelve strokes. Do you understand?”
