Because of Rebecca

by Leanne Tyler

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Praise for Leanne Tyler and…

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  A word about the author...

  Thank you for purchasing this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

  Because of Rebecca

  by

  Leanne Tyler

  American Heroes Series

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Because of Rebecca

  COPYRIGHT © 2013 by Leanne Tyler

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Contact Information: info@thewildrosepress.com

  Cover Art by Tina Lynn Stout

  The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

  PO Box 708

  Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

  Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

  Publishing History

  First American Rose Edition, 2013

  Print ISBN 978-1-61217-751-9

  Digital ISBN 978-1-61217-752-6

  American Heroes Series

  Published in the United States of America

  Praise for Leanne Tyler and…

  AVA: “Reminiscent of Jane Austen’s Emma, this charming tale set in nineteenth century Georgia will have you chuckling at Ava’s schemes while longing for her to find her own true love.”

  ~Carolynn Carey, award-winning romance writer

  “Matchmaking has never been such fun!”

  ~Karen Hall, award-winning author

  ~*~

  VICTORY’S GATE: “Leanne Tyler’s award-winning story VICTORY’S GATE is a must read. She guides the reader through the Civil War’s era so that two people from different centuries can find love.”

  ~Loretta Rogers, award-winning author of

  ISABELLE AND THE OUTLAW

  “A delightful tale of unending love”

  ~Jessie Verino

  ~*~

  IT’S ALWAYS BEEN YOU: “What would you do if your long lost love, presumed dead for twenty years, turned up at your high school reunion? If you’re as hooked on the premise as I was, this charming tale won’t disappoint!”

  ~Jannine Gallant

  “The kind of story we all love to read—a second chance for a happy ending. Author Leanne Tyler tackles the dreaded ‘high school reunion’ with skill and fun...the perfect read for a lazy afternoon...”

  ~Karen Hall, award winning author

  Dedication

  To my critique partners: Debbie, Teresa, and Kerri.

  Prologue

  Memphis, Tennessee

  Christmas 1857

  “You must try, dearest.” Rebecca wiped her sister’s brow with a damp cloth and held her hand as another contraction came.

  Mariah’s face contorted. “I—I can’t.”

  “Just one more push,” Doctor Baldwin ordered from the foot of the bed.

  “It’s too hard,” she screamed and squeezed her sister’s hand, bearing down on the bed.

  “Now, take a deep breath and push,” he instructed.

  She screamed with the push and a drawn out silence filled the room. Then Mariah gasped and slumped against the bed, her wool gown, limp and soiled, crushed against her bloodstained thighs.

  Finally, the baby’s wail broke the silence and brought tears of joy to Rebecca’s eyes. The doctor handed him to her to hold while he severed the umbilical cord.

  “Let me see him,” Mariah urged in a faint voice. She touched her sister’s arm and Rebecca turned, holding the baby in the lamplight for her to see.

  “A fine boy.” Baldwin wiped his brow with his forearm. “You did well.”

  When the cord was severed Rebecca carried the new life over to the dresser, where a washbowl waited with warm water, and she proceeded to bathe and swaddle him.

  “I’ll call him Lucas.” Mariah’s weak voice was barely audible. “Lucas Samuel Davis after Papa. What do you think?” Her voice wobbled as the doctor finished up the delivery.

  “I think it’s perfect.” Returning to the bed, Rebecca sat on the edge and handed Lucas to his mother once the doctor left her side.

  She smiled down at her son, and kissed his soft, tiny head. In the next instant, her eyes closed and she winced for a moment.

  Rebecca watched her sister’s face contort and her eyes cloud as she took in a quick breath. “Are you all right, dearest?”

  “I want you to take him,” Mariah murmured, making another face as she took a shallow breath. “Raise him as your own. Tell him,” she paused, “tell him I loved him dearly.”

  She pushed the baby back into Rebecca’s arms and reached for one of her hands, unable to grip it. “Never let Stuart Delaney near him. Promise me.”

  Puzzled by her sister’s request, she took Mariah’s hand in hers and agreed. “I promise, but you can tell Lucas yourself how much you love him. After a little rest you’ll feel better. The worst is over.”

  “No,” Mariah whispered, closing her eyes. Her head slumped back against the pillow and her hand slipped out of Rebecca’s as she drew a ragged breath.

  “Oh God.” Rebecca’s voice rose in pitch. “Doctor, come quickly. What’s happening?”

  He rushed from the washbowl to the bedside drying his hands on his trousers in haste. “Go get your aunt.”

  Rebecca hurried from the room with Lucas safely in her arms. She found her aunt kneeling before her mother’s rocking chair in the small parlor near a warm fire. The smell of fresh cut pine draped over the mantel permeated the room.

  Josephine, wearing her prayer veil, looked up expectantly, wiping tears from her face.

  “The doctor has asked for you,” she pleaded. “Please hurry.”

  Her aunt crossed herself before rising to her feet. She pulled back the blanket and looked at the baby. “He lives, but Mariah dies for the sin committed.”

  “Don’t say that,” Rebecca admonished in a hushed whisper. “Whether you believe her or not, she truly thought Delaney had married her that night on the riverboat.”

  Josephine shook her head. “One day you’ll understand.” She turned and walked toward the door, but before she reached it the doctor appeared, wiping his bloody hands on a towel.

  “I’m sorry, Miss Davis, I did all I could, but she’s gone. Your sister hemorrhaged and by the time I got to her it was already too late. I couldn’t stop it.”

  “But—but—” she sucked in her breath until her chest ached.

  Josephine crossed herself and kissed her rosary, murmuring a silent prayer.

  Lucas wailed. Rebecca bounced him in her arms and began to
weep, recalling her sister’s last words. She’d found them odd at the time, but now she had to wonder how had Mariah known she was dying? Had she sensed this was the end? Had the pain she felt after the birth been more than she showed?

  It wasn’t fair. Lucas needed his mother. She needed her sister. She’d already lost her parents, yet she was expected to give up her sister too. For an instant she allowed herself to sink in despair, but Lucas stirred in her arms and she remembered Mariah’s last request. She’d promised to take Lucas as her own. She’d agreed without knowing what she was doing, but she didn’t regret it. Nothing would prevent her from keeping her promise.

  Through tear-filled eyes she stared at Baldwin. Her aunt had sent for him from a county over to keep her sister’s delivery silent. From the few visits he’d made to their cottage he’d seemed like a good man. He’d never asked why they didn’t call upon the town doctor. Surely, he’d agree to what she proposed to keep her promise to Mariah. She’d pay him handsomely to ensure it.

  She walked to the mantel and removed her money purse from the ornate box.

  The doctor’s baritone voice broke the mournful silence. “I’ll notify the Parish of the birth and death records.”

  Rebecca nodded. Her real problem wouldn’t be the doctor, but convincing her aunt.

  “What shall we name him?” Josephine looked up from her rosary.

  Wiping away her tears with the back of her hand, Rebecca turned and looked her aunt squarely in the eye. “Lucas Samuel Davis. That’s what Mariah named him before she…before she…”

  “That’s a fine name for him,” her aunt agreed.

  “Mother’s full name?” Baldwin sat down at the table.

  Swallowing, Rebecca stiffened, prepared for her aunt’s reaction. “Rebecca Kathleen Davis.”

  “Rebecca!” Josephine turned pale and crossed herself.

  The doctor looked up, their eyes locking for a brief moment and she saw understanding. He’d obviously heard her sister’s last request. He nodded. “Father?”

  “Unknown.”

  “Rebecca, no! You can’t take your sister’s sins. You’ll ruin yourself,” her aunt pleaded.

  With resolve, Rebecca looked her aunt in the eye again and stated, “It is done. Mariah asked me to take him as my own. If I’m to do this, I must become his mother. There’ll be no record of Mariah giving birth and no shame to her name. Nor will there be a link between Lucas and his father if the man ever comes looking for Mariah.”

  Josephine turned away, but Rebecca heard her weeping.

  Taking a deep breath, she walked to where the doctor sat and handed him the more-than-generous handful of gold coins for his services. “Can I count on you to keep silent?”

  He nodded without examining the gift. “Are you certain you want to do this, Miss Davis? You’ll be changing your life forever.”

  She looked down at the baby in her arms. His tiny hand reached up and grasped the lace on her dress and he yawned, closing his eyes. He was hers and nothing would change that. “Yes.”

  He repositioned the wire glasses on his nose and cleared his throat. “I need to enter the death record. Her full name?”

  “Mariah Kimberlynn Davis.”

  Chapter One

  Jackson, Mississippi

  June 1858

  “Surely we can do something about this, Mitchell.” Jared Hollingsworth tossed the missive on his attorney’s mahogany desk and paced across the room. “I won’t turn over Oak Hill to this Delaney fellow. I don’t care how many IOUs Rory signs with my name.

  “You know as well as I that my cousin was asked to leave West Point for lack of interest in his coursework. He had little need to study, since he could easily forge any high ranking officer’s signature to get himself promoted.”

  “Knowing and proving are two different things when it comes to the law, Jared. The boy was good at his art...or should I say craft.” Mitchell Cooper stood and crossed to the credenza. He poured two fingers of whiskey from a cut crystal decanter into a pair of matching glasses, and offered one to him. “It isn’t right,” he agreed, “but unless you can persuade Mr. Delaney to accept monetary compensation for the markers, he could go to the magistrate and insist ownership of Oak Hill be forfeited to him.”

  “I’ll be damned if I’ll allow that.” Jared slammed his fist down on the desk, rattling the contents and causing stacks of papers to slide. “I’ve slaved myself and the few workers I can afford to make Oak Hill what it is today. I don’t have the money to pay Delaney what the plantation is worth. I already owe the bank a small fortune to cover the expenses of the last three years.”

  “Then you must find Rory,” his attorney stated.

  “I haven’t seen him since his mother died. No doubt he’s used up his inheritance and is off somewhere writing more bad drafts using my name. Isn’t there some way to protect Oak Hill?”

  Shaking his head, Mitchell sat in his leather chair and read over the letter again. “Delaney says he’ll be here within the month with the auctioneer to look over the estate. It may be an idle threat, but you have until then to get Rory back here and face the man. I’ll help any way I can. I’ll send a few inquiries around to cities known for their gaming clubs and see what we can turn up.”

  Jared ran a finger around the rim of his glass. “What do you propose I do until then?”

  “Pray that we find Rory in time.”

  “And if we don’t?” he countered.

  Silence filled the office for a few moments until Mitchell grinned. “Have you thought of remarrying?”

  “Remarry? You want me to marry a woman I can’t even support?” He scoffed. “Not likely.”

  “Her dowry could buy you some leverage with Delaney, or at least the bank.”

  “Listen to you. You’re getting married tomorrow so you think everyone should be consumed in marital bliss.”

  “It’s a thought. Besides, Elizabeth has a former Augusta Seminary classmate attending the wedding. I had hoped you’d agree to be her escort. Keep her company during the afternoon festivities.”

  Chuckling, Jared shook his head. “Too priceless. You’ve waited how long now to drop this little request on me?”

  “Only a week. I wanted to make sure you hadn’t changed your mind about coming,” Mitchell confessed. “Besides, Elizabeth just received word her friend is going to attend. She assures me Rebecca is a very beautiful woman and she comes from a wealthy family.”

  “At least you didn’t say likeable.” He didn’t appreciate the position his attorney put him in, especially since he rarely went to social functions anymore. The last thing he wanted was to be saddled with a chattering female. However, Mitchell was more than his attorney. He was a friend and he rarely made requests. Jared took a breath before speaking. “I’ll consider it if you allow me to dance with the bride at the wedding.”

  Mitchell smiled and came around his desk to shake Jared’s hand. “Absolutely. Try not to worry too much about this ordeal with Delaney.”

  “Easier said than done.” He drained the rest of the whiskey from his glass and sat it on the credenza. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Jared left the office and headed to Maple Street to check with the postmaster for any mail. He prayed Rory wasn’t dead. If he could get his cousin to return to Oak Hill and show Delaney there were two Mr. Hollingsworths and explain his fool hearted actions, then perhaps the man would reconsider staking a claim on the plantation. Since this fellow wanted to auction it off, he surely cared more about the money than the land.

  Jared opened the door to the post office and paused to allow a young woman to exit. As she passed, he smelled lemon verbena and saw the glow of her auburn hair peek from beneath her fashionable bonnet. Enchanted, he hesitated before going inside, choosing instead to watch the sway of her hips as she strolled down the street toward the Bakersfield Hotel. It had been years since he’d noticed a woman.

  ****

  Rebecca watched in the mirror as the mulatto servant repinned
her hair for the wedding. She’d left her maid at the hotel to help her aunt with Lucas while she attended the wedding festivities.

  “Ah, there you are.” Elizabeth entered the guest room, looking flushed. “I thought I’d never get away from Mama to have a word with you.”

  Rebecca dismissed the servant and turned to her friend. “You look beautiful.”

  “I think so too.” Elizabeth grinned and slowly turned a complete circle showing off the dress. “I’m so nervous. Does it show?”

  “Not at all.” Rebecca stood and helped her friend carefully sit down on the bed without wrinkling the heavy, beaded wedding dress of imported Italian satin.

  “I can’t wait until it’s your turn to marry. I just know you’ll meet someone handsome, and he’ll sweep you off your feet.”

  “Perhaps.” Rebecca doubted any man would give her a second look with an infant in tow.

  Elizabeth fidgeted, touching a tendril of golden hair near her ear. “How’s Lucas doing?”

  “Trying to crawl. He’ll be walking before I know it. The doctor says he’s healthy.”

  “I wish you could have brought him out for the wedding. I do adore babies. Does he look like Mariah, or is it too soon to tell?”

  “I’m not sure who he looks like. He does have my auburn coloring though, so I believe he must take after Papa.” Rebecca smiled. “But good heavens, I couldn’t have brought him today.”

  “Why not?” Elizabeth asked. “It’s my wedding. Shouldn’t I invite who I want?”

  “Aunt Josephine would have died at the mere mention of my bringing him here. She made a big enough fuss when I asked for her and Lucas to make the trip from Memphis with me.” Rebecca shook her head. “I’m so tired of being trapped out in the country, never seeing anyone. I feel we’re constantly in hiding. Josephine keeps us there for fear gossip might start about Lucas and damage her stellar reputation among the parish women. I believe she’s told them I’m traveling and she’s living at the cottage alone.”