“I know.” Samuel rested against the desk, pulling her closer. “That doesn’t matter to me.”
Eliza’s heart dipped at his casual acceptance, but she wouldn’t surrender. “Samuel, I don’t believe my Father was wrong in what he did. In truth, I feel the same as he.”
Samuel bristled and pushed Eliza away before scooting off the table. He rolled his shoulders back and clenched his fists by his sides. “Here you go again, talking of things about which you know nothing. There is much happening in politics and the issues are far too elaborate for you to even begin to understand.”
“But I do understand!”
“No you don’t!” He yanked her arm. “Anyone who goes against the king does not understand. I forbid you to ever speak of such treason again!”
Eliza shoved him away, her limbs tingling as she gained strength. “I will not remain quiet. I will say what I feel, no matter how it offends you. Christ is my only King, Samuel, and there is nothing you can say or do to make me believe otherwise.”
He snatched her to him again, holding tight to her arms with unforgiving fingers. “Even Christ said to render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s. We should serve our leaders and be obedient citizens.” He released her and pivoted, running one hand through his hair. “You should know all this, Eliza. King George needs our devotion.”
Blood pumping, Eliza lifted her chin. “He doesn’t need anything from us, Samuel. If you had only served God with half the zeal you serve your king—”
“Don’t quote Shakespeare at me, Eliza!” He spun toward her with venom in his eyes. “When we are man and wife you will do as I say. You will never speak of this again!”
Samuel came forward and loomed over her, his thick breath clouding the air in front of her face. “When you are mine, you will obey me.”
“I will not be your wife. I refuse to marry a man who is dishonest.”
“I have never been dishonest with you.”
Fresh malice boiled in Eliza’s belly. “You said you would not harm Thomas if I promised to return here and marry you, did you not?”
“I did.”
“So why did you tell Donaldson to burn Thomas’s property after we were married? I refuse to be your wife, since you have rescinded on our agreement.”
A monster unleashed before her. Samuel shoved Eliza against Father’s rows of books, their hard covers stabbing into her back just as Samuel’s eyes stabbed into her chest.
“If you do not marry me, not only will his house burn, but Thomas will as well.”
Eliza’s blood escaped her face and she braced herself as the room twisted around her. “You wouldn’t.”
Samuel’s eyes narrowed into small black slits. “I would.”
Her bones wanted to crack under the weight of his words and her voice refused to work, but somehow she found her ability to speak. “If I find that you have done anything to him after we are married I will do everything in my power to leave you, make no mistake.”
Samuel relaxed his numbing grip, a wicked laugh rumbling in his chest. “You can’t leave me, Eliza. Not after everything I’ve done for you.”
“I can and I will!”
Samuel roared and without warning slapped her across the face, causing her to tumble sideways. She hit Father’s chair and landed in a rough heap on the floor.
He rushed to her, panic lighting his features, as if it had been someone else who had struck her. “Eliza, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me. Are you hurt?”
A trickle of warm liquid ran down her cheek. He tried to touch her face, but she slapped his hand away.
“Don’t you dare touch me.”
His face drained of all color and he sputtered as he spoke, his voice quiet. “I’m so sorry, Eliza, I—”
“Thomas would have never dreamed of hitting me, Samuel.” She straightened to her full height, breathing in deep heaves. “He lets me speak my mind and ask questions. He believes that what I think matters. He loves me!”
Samuel lowered his brow and his tone rumbled in his chest as he shook her shoulders. “You will never speak of Thomas again. Today we will be married, and you will be mine forever and you will love me! As far as you are concerned, Thomas never existed.”
The finality of his statement sluiced over her, causing her knees to buckle. She gripped the row of books behind her to steady her stance.
“So be it, Samuel Martin,” she said, filling her voice with razors. “But know this, there is only one man that I will ever love—dead or alive. And it will never be you!”
Eliza’s words stripped Samuel of every bit of hope still clinging to him.
She bolted from the room as if he were some kind of thief, ready to steal her very innocence. He couldn’t stop his hands from shaking and the fury in his gut consumed every ounce of his body until his limbs grew weak.
Samuel righted the fallen chair and sat. His shoulders slumped and his features dropped. He stared ahead of him into the rows of books and cringed as if they derided him for his weaknesses. He replayed Eliza’s murderous statement over again in his mind. There is only one man I will ever love—dead or alive. And it will never be you.
The recollection burned him anew and a powerful rage bubbled in his already boiling blood. He scratched his fingers through his hair and grabbed at his scalp squinting his eyes so hard the muscles in his face began to cramp. How could she? After all he’d done for her, after the love they had shared.
He clenched his fists and ground his still wounded knuckles into one another, grinding his bones until the cracks in his skin peeled and oozed blood. The pain helped him to think clearer. To think harder.
She still loves me. I know it. She has been brainwashed. Once we are married, and I have a chance to show her the full measure of my affection, when I can clear her mind of Thomas, then she will remember how she loved me.
Samuel sat straighter and rubbed at the blood on his hands. Once they were married. Yes. Once they were married and Thomas was dead, she would have no choice but to accept him and love him the way he knew she could.
That would be tonight.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Dressed in the gold and cream brocaded silk as Samuel requested, Eliza sat before the dressing table mirror while Kitty styled her long brown hair. The emptiness that swirled made her nauseous.
Suddenly Kitty smacked the brush on the table and dropped her arms. “Liza, I can’t stand it any longer. What’s going on? Why are you marrying Samuel? This is madness. You love Thomas and he loves you.”
How I wish I could tell you! Eliza could not open her mouth for fear that both the few bites of food she had eaten, and an uncontrollable wailing would erupt. She wrapped her hands around her stomach.
Kitty’s mouth tightened into a straight line. She looked into the mirror and met Eliza’s wet gaze, her face softening as she gripped Eliza’s shoulders. “That mark on your cheek. How did you get it?”
Kitty’s words struck Eliza’s crumbling defenses and she cupped her hands over her face and tried to stop the flow of tears.
“Liza, please tell me!” Kitty knelt at her side with her hands on Eliza’s knees. “If you are unhappy, you don’t have to do this. It rips at my heart to see you hurting. Why won’t you tell me—”
“There’s nothing to tell, Kitty.” Eliza sucked in a ragged breath and wiped her nose with a clean handkerchief. “I’m simply over tired and wishing Mother and Father could be here, that is all. Please don’t worry about me.”
Eliza studied her reflection. Swollen eyes, splotchy cheeks, a red gash on her face. Not the picture of beauty that a bride wishes to be on her wedding day. The mar on her cheek represented the beginning of a life filled with the pain of regret and wounds that would never heal. And it was all her doing.
Eliza rested her face in her palms again and breathed through her fingers. Father in Heaven, please deliver me!
Slowly, Kitty rose to her feet and squeezed her sister’s shoulders. She blinked, shedding
large tears and her soothing voice wavered as she kissed the top of Eliza’s head. “I love you, Liza. I hope you know that.”
Blotting at her own eyes, Eliza tried to smile. “I know.”
“If this is what you really want, then I know you will be happy. Samuel loves you deeply, I’m sure of it.” She looked away, and her grip grew tighter. “And I . . . I hope you can forgive me for my outburst. I want you to know I hold no ill feelings toward you, even though you and I cannot agree on certain things . . .” Her voice trailed away as her lips pulled down.
The tenderness in Kitty’s voice clamped around Eliza’s fractured heart. She spun on her seat and flung her arms around Kitty’s middle. “Oh Kitty, I love you. Please forgive me for causing you pain. I would never want anything to come between us.”
Kitty fell to her knees again, clinging to Eliza, clutching ever harder as she cried. “Forgive me for being so angry. No matter what you believe, I will always love you.”
Before too long, Kitty pulled away. She tilted her head and smiled through tight lips as if trying to be happy for an event that she knew Eliza didn’t want. “I suppose we better finish your hair. There isn’t much time left before the reverend arrives.”
Eliza nodded as her heart stopped beating. No, there wasn’t much time left. Not much time before her world ended.
While Kitty placed the last curls atop Eliza’s head and worked the cream colored ribbon through her hair, Eliza prayed. She prayed more earnestly than she’d ever done. Though it seemed her prayers would float no higher than the top of her mirror. Had God forgotten her?
With her coiffeur complete, she stood to examine her appearance. Kitty came forward and rested her head on Eliza’s shoulder. Eliza set her cheek on Kitty’s head, relishing in her last moments of freedom. She had chosen this path to keep Thomas alive, but even that was no guarantee. She could do nothing to protect him from what awaited after she and Samuel were wed.
Surely, God in his wisdom could find a way to protect her dearest Thomas, even if He would not deliver her.
“You are more lovely than I have ever seen you, Eliza,” Kitty whispered.
Eliza blinked slow, ignoring the shallow sensation that wedged its way into her middle. “I suppose that’s thanks to you, dear Kitty.”
A knock sounded on the door and Samuel pushed it open. His eyes grew wide and trailed over her, possessive. “You look like a dream, Eliza.”
A familiar rolling nausea surged upward and Eliza had to force a smile as she swallowed it away.
“I’ve come up to tell you the reverend has arrived.”
“Already?” Every muscle flexed and the bit of hope she’d clung to, that maybe God would still provide a way to deliver her from such torture, died instantly. Her legs twitched with the need to run from him—from her future. But she couldn’t. Thomas’s life depended on this night.
Samuel bobbed his head and a demanding grin possessed his lips. “He’s waiting downstairs, and since you are ready, we may as well begin.” He motioned toward the door in a quick, soldierly movement after a nod of acknowledgement to Kitty.
When she didn’t instantly move, Samuel took her arm. “Are you feeling alright my dear? Here, let me escort you downstairs.”
Eliza’s legs were heavy as sacks of flour and she was forced to lean upon Samuel as he helped her walk down the stairs and into the parlor.
The reverend greeted her, bowed, and offered a gentle smile. “Good evening, Miss Campbell.”
She blinked and tried to calm the whirling cyclone in her chest. “Good evening.”
Donaldson and Kitty moved to the side of the room, silent, mouths tight. Each held a look in their face that told Eliza they were ready to flee and fight all at the same time. Was her distress so obvious?
With hands outstretched, the reverend stepped forward. “Shall we begin?”
From that moment on, the room grew fuzzy and the voices around her seemed to come from some great distance. The reverend’s mouth moved, but Eliza couldn’t concentrate on anything he said. The walls swayed, a little at first, until the floor beneath her feet threatened to give way. She had no choice but to hold on stronger to Samuel to keep from toppling. He gripped her tighter and whispered in her ear.
“I love you too, my darling. Now, you will be mine forever.”
It seemed as though the reverend droned on for hours though it could only have been minutes. How much longer must I endure this?
A loud crash echoed in the room and Eliza almost jumped out of her shoes as the front door burst open. Three unfamiliar soldiers filed into the front room, their faces grim.
Samuel spun toward the door, keeping his voice low as if trying to maintain the reverence of the moment. “What’s the meaning of this? I told you not to bother me under any circumstances, did I not?”
The largest soldier took a step forward with a hand on the sword at his side. He bowed slightly at the waist before speaking. “Captain, there’s a massive crowd gathering at the Old South Meeting House. All available soldiers are requested to gather in town until further notice.”
Samuel shot a frantic glare at Eliza and the others in the room before he turned back to the three strangers. “They are rioting?”
The tallest soldier took a step forward and answered in a thundering timbre. “No, sir. They are peaceful, but it’s the sheer numbers of them. Many thousands have gathered. We’re needed right away. It’s believed the members of the Sons of Liberty are behind this. We fear they will do something with the three tea vessels in the harbor. We understand the sensitive nature of your engagement this evening, but we have our orders.”
“Are there not plenty of soldiers already in Boston? I refuse to leave. This is my wedding!”
“I’m sorry, sir,” the leader of the three said, “but I have my orders.”
Samuel’s nostrils flared and his chest pumped. “I will not leave. Not until we have finished here!” He shot a fiery look at the reverend. “How much longer will this take?”
The old man shook his head and gripped the Bible in his hands. “These things cannot be rushed if they are to be done properly.”
“I don’t care about it being done properly—”
“Please forgive Captain Martin, he is understandably frustrated.” Donaldson moved toward the door, his hand stretched toward the soldiers. “We will leave directly.” He aimed a fierce glare at Samuel. “You can finish this later.”
Knees trembling, Eliza shook her head as the room began once again to take shape. Had God heard her pleas? Perhaps, somehow, their wedding could be delayed long enough for her to think of a way to escape—or at least change Samuel’s mind—anything to keep her from marrying him.
The muscles along Samuel’s jaw ticked and his face reddened. “Cursed patriots.” He turned to Eliza and brushed his thumb across her chin, his voice soft. “I’m so sorry, darling. I won’t be long.”
She gripped her dress to keep her hands from trembling. “Do what you must. I understand, truly.”
After giving her a quick kiss, Samuel flipped his cloak around his shoulders.
“I will come as well,” the reverend announced, snatching his weathered hat and greatcoat. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
Samuel’s eyes thinned as he glared at the old man. “Stay with me, preacher. I’ll not have you shirking your duty here. You’ll return when I do.”
Eliza kept her gaze on Samuel, yearning for the moment he walked out the door. But he stopped and took Donaldson aside as the others bounded down the few front steps and mounted their waiting horses.
“I will go with the rest of the men and see what needs to be done. You must stay here and guard the house.”
“Excuse me?” Donaldson jerked his own cloak around him and glared. A blatant hatred rose off him like a foul steam.
“I don’t want anything getting in the way of my marriage. I don’t trust Watson,” Samuel continued. “And when Eliza is finally my wife, you will go to Sandwich and follo
w through on my previous orders, but make sure that Watson does not escape. He deserves to burn for what he’s done.”
All the air sucked from Eliza’s lungs. She reached for the table at her side and tried to keep steady. Kitty rushed to her side.
Eyes narrowing, Donaldson growled. “Go to hell.” He shoved out the door, slamming his shoulder against Samuel as he went.
Samuel stood in the open doorway pointing and yelling at Donaldson’s back. “You will obey my orders, Donaldson! Or your sister’s will feel what it’s like to die in the streets!”
Eliza’s body shuddered as she worked to keep her composure. She turned her head toward Kitty, hoping to detect whether her sister had caught the dreadful command. Kitty’s eyes were round, her face pale. She had heard. Thank you Lord, I needed her to know, to bear this burden with me.
Samuel spun out the door and called to Eliza over his shoulder. “I’ll return as quickly as I can, my love.”
The door slammed shut and the house went instantly quiet. The pounding of hooves rumbled away leaving Eliza and Kitty alone.
Alone except for Donaldson. Eliza could see him pacing in front of the house from the large front window.
Kitty faced Eliza. “There is more I should know, I can see it in your eyes. Tell me.”
Eliza shuffled to the nearest chair and sat, resting her head behind her on the striped upholstery as a smothering defeat blanketed her shoulders. “Kitty, Samuel was the one who blackmailed Thomas.”
Kitty clapped a hand over her mouth. “What?”
“I had just learned about it myself, the night of the rally. I saw him in the barn the next morning. I didn’t know how in heaven’s name he found us. I could tell he wanted me to meet him, so I did, thinking I could help us all. We argued. I told Samuel that I planned to marry Thomas, but that only infuriated him more. Finally, I told Samuel I would come back to Boston and be his wife if he promised not to hurt Thomas. He agreed.”
Kitty slid to her knees in front of Eliza, her brows folding down. “So why did he just tell Donaldson—”
So Fair a Lady (Daughters of His Kingdom Book 1) Page 28
