“Uuuhh! What’s that you say?” Patrick’s voice was fuzzy with sleep, but when Elizabeth repeated her insistent statement, he awakened fully and got up at once. “Who could it be at this hour?” he muttered. He walked over to the door, put his hand on it, and opened it. “Who is it?”
Elizabeth could not hear what he said, but he shut the door, then came back and said, “Put your robe on, Elizabeth.”
“Who is it? Is one of the children sick?”
“No, it’s Rebekah. She seems quite urgent about something.” Patrick pulled a light wool robe out of the clothespress and put it on as Elizabeth slipped into the blue silk one she kept next to the bed.
“What can she want at this hour? It must be one of the children!”
“We’ll soon find out.”
Elizabeth waited nervously as Patrick moved across the room, stopping to light a lamp from a candle they left burning. He turned the wick up so that the room was illuminated. His hair was wild and ruffled, and concern lined his face as he opened the door quietly. “Come in, Rebekah,” he said. He stood back, and the young woman stepped inside. She was fully dressed, and her eyes were wide, the hollows of her cheeks highlighted by the lamplight.
“Is Sarah sick?” Elizabeth asked quickly. “Or Andrew?”
“Oh no, ma’am. They’re all right. It’s not that.”
They waited for her to speak, and when she did not, Patrick said kindly, “Are you sick, Rebekah? Or is it your grandmother?”
“No, nobody is sick, sir. It’s just—well, I don’t know how to say it.”
Seeing that the girl was terrified, Elizabeth walked over and said, “Don’t be afraid, Rebekah. Whatever it is, it’s all right. Here, sit down and tell us about it.” Seating herself beside the frightened girl, she asked, “Is something wrong with you, Rebekah?”
Rebekah’s cheeks flushed, and she reached up and touched one of them nervously. “Oh no, ma’am. It’s not me. It’s just something I thought you and Mr. Patrick ought to know about.”
Patrick pulled a chair closer and said quietly, “I can see you’re troubled. Just take your time.” He reached over and patted her shoulder and gave her a warm smile. “Don’t worry. Whatever it is, we’ll help you.”
His reassurance warmed Rebekah at once. She twisted her hands nervously and looked down at them. She knew she had to tell them what she had discovered, but now that she had come, it all seemed dangerous somehow. The world of the servant was so far removed from that which these two occupied. They could have no possible way of knowing how difficult it was for her to step across the invisible line. For a servant to meddle in the affairs of those who ruled the big house—well, it was something she had never heard of—certainly something she had never thought she herself would do. Looking up and seeing the concern on their faces, she gathered her courage and began, “I . . . was in the library last night while the party was going on.”
“Were you, Rebekah?” Elizabeth said quietly. “You went to get a book, I suppose?”
“Yes, ma’am. I couldn’t sleep . . . and usually I don’t go into the library. Mr. Will, he usually gets books for me, or sometimes his father does. But I read the last of the ones he gave me, so I thought I’d just go down and get another one. I didn’t think there’d be any wrong in it.”
“Of course not! I’ve heard Father say many times he’s proud of the way you’ve picked up on your reading so much.”
“Did he say that, ma’am?”
“He surely did. So I don’t think you have to worry about borrowing another book. It wasn’t such an awful thing, going into the library like that.”
“Oh, but that wasn’t it, Miss Elizabeth,” Rebekah said quickly. She took a deep breath and said, “I . . . I know about the trouble you’ve had—you and Mr. Patrick. About the money being missing, and how you . . . well, you’ve been blamed for it.” She looked straight at Patrick, and there was a fierceness, almost, in her mild sweet face. “I know you didn’t do it, sir. You wouldn’t do a thing like that. Never in a million years!”
Patrick reached over and took her hand and squeezed it. “I appreciate your saying that, Rebekah. It’s good to hear.”
“I’m saying no more than what anyone thinks who knows you, Mr. Patrick. It’s not right.”
“But what does all this have to do with your going into the library?” Elizabeth asked, somewhat bewildered. She felt a warm feeling for the young servant girl and determined if there was any way to help her in the future, she would do it. Not that there would be any way with her and Patrick out on their own resources, but she knew many people who would be glad to have a good servant like Rebekah.
Rebekah swallowed hard, looked at the two, and then said, “Well, I was in the library—over in the corner, you see. It was real dark, and only one candle was lit. I’d just reached up to get a book, and I opened it and was looking at it to see if it was the right one—and then the door opened.”
The girl halted abruptly, and a frightened look crossed her face. “Who came in, Rebekah?” Patrick asked.
“It was Miss Charlotte and her father, Mr. Van Dorn.”
“Did they see you?”
“Oh no. They didn’t see me. It was like, ma’am . . . they just came in to talk, kind of. And they whispered like they were afraid someone would hear them. I was over in the dark corner, and I crouched down so they wouldn’t see me. Oh, I was so afraid! All I thought was they would catch me there, and they would report me to your mother. She wouldn’t like it, Miss Elizabeth.”
“Did you hear what they were saying?” Patrick inquired.
“Yes, sir, I did.” She looked at him fully in the face and said, “They were talking about the company, Mr. William’s shipping company, and about you.”
A warning alarm went off in Elizabeth’s head. Something seemed sinister about Charlotte and her father creeping into the library to find a secret place for a meeting while the party was going on downstairs. “What did they say, Rebekah?” she asked quietly. “Tell me every word of it.”
“Well, I didn’t hear it all, ma’am, but what I did hear was that Miss Charlotte had written a letter to her father, and she had told him in the letter how she had changed those business books that you’re always working in to make it look as though Mr. Patrick had taken the money.”
Patrick stared at the young woman, unable to believe what he was hearing. “Are you sure you heard them right, Rebekah?”
“Oh yes, sir! They were whispering, but I’ve got very good hearing. Miss Charlotte said, ‘You didn’t keep the letter, did you?’ And he said, ‘Yes, but it’s in a safe place.’ And then she said, ‘You didn’t leave it at home? One of the servants might find it.’ And then Mr. Van Dorn said, ‘No, it’s in my suitcase.’ Then that’s when Miss Charlotte told him to burn it, and they said a lot of things about how it would be better if you and Miss Elizabeth weren’t in the business anymore, and how when your father died, Miss Elizabeth, they could take it all.”
“I see. Did they say anything else?” Elizabeth asked calmly. Fury was rising in her, but she hid it from Rebekah.
Rebekah thought hard for a moment, then said, “They said how it would be better if you and Mr. Patrick were out of the house. That she would always be able to make Mr. Will do whatever she wanted him to. And I almost forgot—that Mr. Van Dorn has lost his money somehow, and that the new business would save them as soon as Mr. Will and Miss Charlotte got married.”
Patrick reached over and hugged the girl’s shoulders. “It took a lot of courage for you to tell us this. I think, though, we’ll have to have the letter. No one would believe you. It would be your word against the Van Dorns’.”
“Oh, I’ve already got the letter,” Rebekah said. She reached into her pocket and pulled it out. “I went up right away, into the room, and I took it.” She looked very frightened and pulled her shoulders together. “Would they put me in jail for stealing it, sir? I couldn’t bear to leave my grandmother.”
“Of course they wo
n’t. Now don’t you worry. You did the right thing. Now that I have this letter,” Patrick said, his jaw growing tense, “it’s all I need.”
Elizabeth reached over and hugged the young woman. “You’ll never know how much this means to me and Patrick. Now Patrick won’t have to go around with a blot on his name.”
“That’s right. You just about saved my life, Rebekah.” Patrick smiled. “I’ll have to find some way of making it up to you.”
“Oh, it was nothing. You and Miss Elizabeth have been so kind to me and to my grandmother. I hope this will all come out right for you.” She hesitated, then asked, “Do you still think Mr. Will will marry Miss Charlotte?”
“I doubt it,” Elizabeth said dryly. “Once he finds out about her deceit in this, I hardly think he’ll want her for a wife.”
An odd look appeared in Rebekah’s eyes, and for the first time she smiled. “I think that would be good. She wouldn’t make him a very good wife, I don’t think.” She rose suddenly and said, “I’ve got to get back to my room.”
“Thank you again, Rebekah,” Patrick said, walking to the door with her. He patted her shoulder as she went outside and said, “I’d kiss you, but my wife is a jealous woman. She won’t let me kiss any good-looking young girls, you know.”
As soon as the door closed, Patrick turned to his wife, and for a moment they stood there, both thinking about the fraud that had to be exposed. Patrick took a deep breath and said, “It’s going to be like a blast of gunpowder going off. Are you sure you want to let your parents know about this?”
Elizabeth stared at Patrick. “What are you talking about? Of course we’ll let them know about this. You don’t think I’d let Will marry a . . . a vixen like that, do you?”
“It’ll hurt your mother terribly.”
“Not as bad as if Will married the minx and they found out what she was later. Besides, Mother is very protective of Father. When she finds out what they’ve tried to do to him . . .”
“Well, maybe we can stop her from scalping the Van Dorns. Really, I think I see the hand of God in this. That young girl has saved our good name, Elizabeth. We really don’t have to leave here now, you know.”
“Yes, we do!” Elizabeth said firmly. “Ever since we’ve talked, I’ve been praying, and God has showed me more and more clearly that we need to leave and be on our own. Just you and me and the children. Sometimes,” she added, “I think it would be best if all young married couples would get a thousand miles away from every in-law and relative. Far enough away so that they’d only have each other to cling to.”
Patrick grinned suddenly, looking very young in the amber lamplight. “Not a bad idea,” he said. “We’ll do the best we can. We’re starting a little late, but it looks like the time has come.”
“When will we tell my parents?”
“Today. As soon as possible.” He paused and thought about it. “Without this letter, it would never have worked. Do you know Charlotte’s handwriting?”
“Yes.” Elizabeth took the letter and nodded. “This is it, and she’s signed it. It’s enough evidence to hang her if this were a hanging offense.”
“I doubt if we’d go that far, but the Van Dorns are going to have to find other victims to restore their lost fortune. Well, let’s go back to bed, but I doubt if I can sleep.”
They went back to bed, and for a long time lay there quietly. Finally, Elizabeth reached over and put her hand on his arm. “It’s going to be good, isn’t it? Just you and me and the children.”
“Yes, it will be very good, wife.” He reached over and pulled her toward him. She moved against him and felt like a bride again, even after all those years.
****
Later in the morning, Elizabeth went to her parents first, and without revealing the secret, she said, “We must have a family meeting at once.”
“About what?” her mother asked, eyeing Elizabeth sharply.
“I won’t tell you now, but it’s something important that we need to handle as a family.”
After Elizabeth left, having asked her parents to bring the Van Dorns and Charlotte and Will to the library as quickly as possible, Anne said, “I think I know what it is.”
Her husband looked at her cautiously. “What do you think it is?”
“I think they’ve finally realized there’s no hope, so Patrick’s decided to make a clean break of it and throw himself on our mercy.”
“If he does, he’ll certainly have it!” William said.
“Well, of course, we’ll have to be forgiving. The Scriptures teach us that. But at the same time, a certain amount of retribution should accompany wrongdoing of this nature.”
“What are you thinking of, Anne?” William said wearily. “I think he’s had punishment enough just having to bear the awful gossip that’s gone around about him. I can’t imagine how he must have felt at Charlotte and Will’s engagement ball, knowing everyone was talking about him.”
“We’ll talk about it later. In the meanwhile, I’ll go down and get the Van Dorns and Charlotte and Will. You go on to the library.”
Fifteen minutes later, the library seemed very small. Will was there, standing beside Charlotte; Anne and William were ranked on the other side of the room; and Mr. and Mrs. Van Dorn stood slightly back toward the line of books against the far wall. Patrick and Elizabeth came in last, and Anne said at once, “Very well! What’s this all about, Elizabeth?”
“I’ll let my husband tell you,” Elizabeth said calmly. She looked at Patrick, nodded slightly, and then held his arm, squeezing it to give him assurance.
“I never desired to be the bearer of ill tidings,” Patrick said slowly. “When I tell you what I’ve discovered, you’re going to think that it’s because I’ve been mistreated, that I’m angry and want revenge. I assure you that’s not the case.”
“What do you mean discovered?” Will said. “What are you talking about, Patrick?”
Patrick looked over at Will and felt a great wave of pity. He was about to shake this man’s life to the very foundation, and it was not pleasant. “Will, I’ve loved you like a brother, and the news I’ve got is going to be most unpleasant for you.”
Will’s face paled. “What are you talking about, Patrick? Get down to it! You’ve called us all in here. I assumed you wanted to tell us you were guilty and ask for pardon.”
“No. I’m not guilty. I never have been, Will. But there are guilty people in this room.”
Anne Martin had a sudden feeling of fear—something about her son-in-law’s face frightened her. Although she had always looked down on him, she had been well aware of a steadiness and a strength to his character that was a rare find. She had never admitted it to him or to Elizabeth or to the grandchildren, but now as she watched him, his firm lips drawn into a tight line, she suddenly knew that he had some awful news to deliver. In a voice not entirely steady, she asked, “What are you talking about, Patrick?”
“There’s been a conspiracy to take over the Martin Shipping Company,” Patrick said in an even voice. “I might as well state the accusations right now. Mr. Van Dorn, you and your daughter have been involved in a scheme to blacken my name, and you plan to take over my father-in-law’s company. You’ve played on his ill health, upon your relationship with my mother-in-law, and you’ve been completely dishonest. In fact,” he said, his voice getting stronger, “you’re nothing but a pair of crooks and thieves!”
Charlotte cried something incoherent. Her face went suddenly pale, and she grasped Will’s arm strongly. “Will, don’t let him talk to me like that!”
Stepping forward, Will clenched his fist. “I won’t have you talking about my fiancée or her family that way!”
“I’d think less of you, Will, if you felt any differently,” Patrick said. “I know what I’d feel like if someone accused my wife of being dishonest, but I have hard evidence of what I’m saying. Charlotte, I have a witness who heard everything that you and your father said in the library last night.”
&nbs
p; Mr. Van Dorn’s face turned ashen. He tried to speak, but his throat seemed to be clogged. Finally he managed to wheeze, “I . . . I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“Who is your witness, Patrick?” William asked. He seemed to have gathered strength and was now staring at his son-in-law with a strange light in his eyes. He gave the Van Dorns one look and did not like what he saw. Mrs. Van Dorn looked merely shocked, but guilt was written plainly across the faces of Charlotte and her father. “Who is this witness?”
“I’ll bring her in, Father.”
Elizabeth stepped to the door, opened it, and said, “Will you come in, Rebekah?”
As Rebekah came in, Elizabeth said quietly, “It was very difficult for Rebekah to come to us with what she had discovered. I hoped to keep her out of it, but she insisted on telling what she heard. She’s been a faithful servant in this household, and she’s hated every lie and bit of evil gossip that’s been spread about Patrick.”
“That girl hates me because I have not tolerated her!” Charlotte cried out at once.
“Be quiet, Charlotte!” William spoke with authority, and his strength seemed to have returned. He came over and stood before the servant, who looked back at him fearfully but with her chin held high. “What is it that you’ve seen, Rebekah?” he asked quietly. “Don’t be afraid. Just tell the truth.”
Rebekah began to speak, falteringly at first, but when she saw the encouragement on the faces of Patrick and Elizabeth, and the kindness in Mr. Martin’s eyes, she grew steadily stronger. She told the story from beginning to end—how she had seen the two and heard the secret conversation in the library.
When she had finished, William Martin turned to say, “What do you two have to say for yourselves?”
“It’s all a lie,” Mr. Van Dorn blustered. “You’re not going to take the word of a servant girl over that of a gentleman, are you? Why, she’s nothing but a maid!”
Patrick spoke up. “I knew that her word would not be enough. However, I think this will be. You know Charlotte’s handwriting, do you not, sir?” He handed the letter to his father-in-law.
Over the Misty Mountains Page 17
