He heard the voice of the deck steward as he passed by his door.
“Port call. Port call. Wilmington, North Carolina. Port call in two hours.”
Suddenly Ryan knew what he had to do. Or, maybe more importantly, what he could not do, and that was keep on going all the way to New Orleans, to waste a lot of time trying to make up his mind about what he already knew.
He loved Erin.
He was going home to let her know it.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Eliza watched from a window as Erin came slowly up the walkway. She looked worn, weary, and as she drew closer, Eliza could detect a large blue-and-purple bruise on the right side of her face. She noted, too, how Erin would take a few steps and then pause as if she was in pain and clutch her side.
Eliza suspected she’d been beaten, but who could have done it? And why? A lot of strange things had been going on, ever since Miss Victoria had ridden out to follow her. That had been three days ago. When Miss Victoria had come back, she was pale as a ghost, shaken, and even crying. Real tears this time. Not like when she put on for Master Ryan to make him think her heart was broken over his marriage, hoping to make him feel bad. Eliza figured she was crying with anger, because she’d stood outside her door and listened to her cursing and stomping around. She’d even smashed some things against the wall. A vase. A crystal powder box. Eliza knew because she’d had to clean up the mess, of course.
Eliza didn’t dare ask what was going on, and she was even more puzzled because Miss Victoria had always shared her miseries. This time, however, she wasn’t saying anything, and if she did, it was to yell and scream.
She had got rid of Annie, too. Eliza had eavesdropped as she asked her about the man Miss Erin had met in the maze, but Annie swore she didn’t know anything. She pretended not remember telling Miss Erin she’d found a rose at the grave. She heard the sound of several slaps, and Annie crying, and then Miss Victoria told her to report to the overseer in charge of the field workers, and if she ever set foot near the big house again, she’d be taken to auction and sold.
As Erin crossed the porch, heading for the front door, Eliza hurried up the stairs to announce she was back.
Victoria suppressed a smile as she closed the book she was trying unsuccessfully to read. She couldn’t concentrate. All she could think of was getting rid of Erin, and finally the moment was at hand. “Listen to me carefully,” she said, her voice ringing with excitement. “Go to the stable and find that boy, Thaddeus. Tell him I said, ‘It’s time.’ He’ll know what to do.”
“She looks like somebody beat her,” Eliza felt the need to inform her.
Victoria’s eyes glittered as she exulted, “Well, then, she must be very tired and in need of rest. After you’ve taken my orders to Thaddeus, you can take her some tea. Since we want to make sure she relaxes, you can lace her tea with some of the laudanum the doctor gave me for my nerves.”
“The way she looked, she won’t need anything to make her relax.”
At that, Victoria flared, “I didn’t ask for your opinion, Eliza. I told you what to do, and I expect you to do it.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Eliza bit out the words, turned on her heel to go, but was furiously ordered to turn around.
“Now you listen to me. I’m starting to sense reluctance in you to obey my orders, maybe even rebellion. I don’t like that, Eliza. I don’t like it one little bit. And I’m warning you, if you continue this arrogance of yours, I’ll have you taken to the block.”
Eliza’s eyes widened, and she cried, “You’d do that to me? After all these years, you could sell me off?”
Victoria lifted her chin and snapped her fingers. “Just like that, if you give me cause. Now get out of here and do what I told you to do. And make sure you put plenty of laudanum in her tea. I want her to get a good night’s sleep. And send Ebner to me.”
Eliza was hurt and angry again. It wasn’t right for her to be treated like that. Not right at all. She had always regarded her relationship with Miss Victoria proudly, as a rare and special kind of friendship. But, sadly, bitterly, she realized she’d been wrong.
She hung back in the shadows of the upper hallway and waited for Miss Erin to get inside her room before moving to obey Miss Victoria’s orders. She didn’t want to see Miss Erin, because for some reason she couldn’t understand, Eliza felt sorry for her.
After sending Ebner to answer Miss Victoria’s summon, she found Thaddeus to give him the message. As he nodded in compliance, she couldn’t resist wanting to know, “What does she mean? It’s time for what?”
He thought a minute. Miss Victoria had told him he better not tell anybody what he was supposed to do, but like the rest of his people, he knew not to cross Eliza and get her down on him. “Well, I ain’t supposed to tell,” he pointed out, so she’d appreciate him obliging with the information, “but she means it’s time for me to ride into Richmond to the big ’bacca warehouse and find Mastah Nate Donovan and tell him the same thing—that it’s time. For what? I just don’t know.” He finished with a toothy grin.
Eliza knew a lot of things about what went on in the world out there, and one of them was that Nate Donovan was believed to be the meanest slave trader around. It was said he’d tear a suckling babe from his mama’s teat if he had a buyer for it. And while she might not know what was going on, she was sure if it had anything to do with Nate Donovan, it could only mean trouble.
Thaddeus watched as she headed back to the big house and thought how he couldn’t ever remember seeing her with her shoulders stooped as if she were carrying the weight of the world. Well, he just wasn’t surprised at anything anymore. The drums were beating every night, and he’d heard Tulwah was working his obeah at the Tremayne place, and things were real bad over that way. So it was only natural, he guessed, that the pall had spread to Jasmine Hill. He only hoped Master Ryan came back soon, because he was sure he’d find a way to keep the evil spirits away. He was a good man. And Thaddeus liked Miss Erin, too. He was worried about her, because when she’d come walking up a little while ago, she looked like something one of the barn cats had dragged in. But Master Ryan would fix everything. Thaddeus was sure of that.
He jumped on his mule and took off to obey his mistress.
Eliza looked from Ebner to Miss Victoria and fearfully asked, “But why? Why do you want Ebner to tell Miss Erin that Master Ryan is back, when he’s not?”
Victoria gritted her teeth. More and more lately she was starting to question Eliza’s loyalty. It wasn’t anything particular she could put her finger on. There was just an air about the old woman that made her wary. Testily, she cried, “I don’t have to explain myself to you. Now I want you to make sure all the doors to her room are locked and remain locked.”
Eliza bit her lip. Evil. It was all evil. And she wasn’t even sure what it was but knew she had to obey without question.
Erin realized it was probably useless to pull the bell cord but did so anyway. She supposed she would have to fend for herself till Ryan returned, as Victoria obviously intended to make her life miserable. Well, no matter. Personal discomfort was of no consequence. All she was concerned with was her mother’s whereabouts. Oh, dear God, she only hoped Tulwah was right when he said Sam Wade had secret contacts, and he would be able to trace where she’d been taken. Legal wheels would then be put in motion to free her from whatever fate had befallen her.
She went to the window to look down at Henrietta Youngblood’s grave. From such a distance, it was difficult to see whether a rose had been left in the vase. Of course, she’d have to go to the labyrinth opening to check on that site. She couldn’t depend on Annie to do it for her, either. It was all up to her now, and she was so tired.
How she longed for a bath, but the tub was empty, and she lacked the strength to bring up water pail by pail herself, especially with her injured side. Tulwah had run experienced fingers over her rib cage to probe, and sensed, he said, a cracked bone. She would have to take it easy for a while. We
ll, she grimly reflected, turning away from the window, what other choice did she have? All she could do was wait, and pray.
She removed her soiled clothing and put on a robe. Her stomach gave a hungry lurch. Surely she could make it back downstairs to the service kitchen and find some cold biscuits; anything to quell the gnawing emptiness.
Just as she was about to leave the room, there was a soft, almost hesitant knock at the door. She hoped it wasn’t Victoria, spoiling for another confrontation. She just wasn’t up to it.
She was surprised to find Eliza standing there holding a tray. “I saw you were back.” She kept her eyes down, not looking at her. “I thought you might like some tea and spice cake.”
“I would. Oh, thank you, Eliza.” It was easy in that grateful moment to forget every unkind thought she’d ever had about the woman. She waved her in. “This is so nice of you. I didn’t know what to do with Annie forbidden to serve me. I was going to take a bath, and—”
“I can get you some water,” Eliza was quick to offer. She figured she could do that much, and maybe Miss Victoria wouldn’t find out about it. The poor girl, she noted, looked awful. The bruise up close was worse than she’d thought. And her eyes were dull, with dark circles, and the little puffiness revealed she’d been doing a lot of crying.
Erin smiled, shook her head in wonder. “You’re an angel.”
Eliza hurried out, not wanting Miss Erin’s gratitude or praise. It made her feel guilty, and she wasn’t sure why. All she knew was that she felt like whatever bad things had happened, or might happen, she somehow had a hand in causing them, and she didn’t like the feeling. Not at all.
Erin set the tray on the table next to the bed, then propped herself against the pillows. She gulped the tea eagerly. It was wonderful to have something besides Tulwah’s heavily herbed potions, even though she noted a rather slick taste to Eliza’s brew. But no matter. It was still delicious. She poured another cup and nibbled at the cake with equal relish, knew that by the time she’d had her bath, she’d feel like going to look for the symbolic rose. Maybe, she dared hope, Sam would be back with good news.
She realized that getting something tasty in her stomach made her feel optimistic. All she needed was a few moments of rest, and she’d be fit and ready for anything. The only thing that could make her happier in that relaxing moment would be to lay her head on Ryan’s shoulder and feel his arms, so tender, so protective, about her…
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath—and that was when she heard the sound of a door slamming loudly, and she sat straight up, alert and alarmed. It seemed to have come from the direction of Ryan’s room.
She got up and went into the parlor, glanced about to see a few of his personal belongings scattered about—the cheroots he enjoyed with brandy, a glass, a book he’d been reading. Her heart leaped with joy to think he was back. But why hadn’t Eliza told her?
Running to the connecting door to his room, she was stunned to find it locked. Ryan never locked his door! She knocked loudly, happily calling, “Ryan! It’s me! Let me in. I have to talk to you. Oh, I’ve missed you so…” Tears of joy were filling her eyes, and she bounced on her toes impatiently at the sound of footsteps responding to her call.
A key turned, and the door jerked open, but instead of Ryan’s dear face, she found herself looking into Ebner’s bodeful eyes.
“Ebner, where’s Master Ryan?” She tried to look around him, beyond him, into the room, but he stepped this way and that to block her view, as well as entry, should she attempt. “I thought I heard him in here.”
“You did.” He made his voice sharp, brusque, impatient, wanting to get the lying over with. “He said his trip was delayed due to some sudden, urgent business, but he’s not here now.”
“When did he return?”
“Yesterday.”
She shook her head in an attempt to dispel the creeping shadows, for she was feeling terribly sleepy and unsteady. “Does he know I’m home?”
“Yassum. He knows.”
“And he didn’t come to me?” None of it was making sense, unless—
No!
She would not allow herself to think, even for a moment, that he’d turned back because he’d somehow heard about her mother and was angry. It just couldn’t be so. “I want to come inside.” She made her voice strong, even though she was feeling weaker by the moment. “I’ll wait for him in there.”
Ebner swallowed hard and made himself stand very straight in an effort to look imposing. “He said you wasn’t to come in.”
“But that can’t be.” She swayed and caught the doorframe to steady herself. “You have to let me in…”
Quickly, swiftly, Ebner reached to grab her under her shoulders and gently turn her about to guide her back to her room. She was slipping away fast, he knew. No doubt from the laudanum Miss Victoria had Eliza put in her tea. He helped her all the way to her bed, and she was only able to protest feebly as he sat her down and lifted her legs up.
“Ebner, why?”
She looked up at him, pitiful and beseeching. He handed her another cup of tea, just as Miss Victoria had ordered. He was to get her to drink as much as possible. “I don’t know.” He gave the answer he’d been told to give to any of her questions. “He seemed real upset And mad. He said not to let you in, that you were the last person he wanted to see right now, that he needed time to think about what he was gonna do, what he had to do,” he emphasized, as instructed.
Erin could almost hear her heart breaking. Dear God, it could mean only one thing—that he had somehow heard about her mother passing for white and now faced the reality she was also of mixed blood. She was hurt and disappointed for many reasons. Mostly because she’d dared to think she knew Ryan to be a liberal and beneficent man, one to whom it would not have mattered. Now she sadly feared she’d made a terrible mistake in judgment.
Ebner was heading for the door. Erin struggled to get up and follow him. She had to see Ryan, talk to him. If she told him the secret in her own heart, how she’d come to realize she loved him, and how deeply, perhaps it might make a difference. There had been times when she felt he really cared for her, and if they could only talk…
Ebner walked out, and she heard the sound of a key turning.
“No.” She stumbled to fling herself against the door and twist the knob, but it was locked. Slapping her palms against it in protest, she said, “Please, Ebner. Don’t do this to me. I have to see him, talk to him. I have to tell him I love him.”
She went to the hall door and cried to find it, too, was locked from the outside. Moving to the French doors leading to the veranda, she found the same. There was no way out. But why? Why was Ryan doing this to her? Did he think she’d known all along and kept it from him? Did he now despise her? Hate her?
A heavy, invisible shroud was descending, making it difficult to think. A great roaring had begun in her head, and she felt as if she was going to collapse if she didn’t get off her feet. Wearily, slowly, she made her way back to the bed, lifted the cup and saucer in hopes the tea would help clear her head so she could think of some way to fight this nightmare.
She was not aware when the cup fell from her lap, the remaining drug-laced tea soaking into the mattress. Neither did she hear the saucer when it clattered to the floor beside the bed as her hand dropped to one side.
Eliza unlocked the door to bring in the first pail of water. Two of the downstairs servants were coming up behind her. Peering into the room and seeing Miss Erin was sound asleep, she waved them to go back. There would be no need for a bath. As much laudanum as Eliza had poured into the tea, Miss Erin would not need anything before morning.
Victoria kept a vigil at her parlor window. And yes, she silently avowed, it was still her parlor. Tomorrow, every reminder of Erin would be removed. She would tell Ryan her motive was to ease his pain. It would have been awful, she planned to point out sympathetically, for him to have to come home to face his wife running away with another man and then
have the added torment of being surrounded by memories of his broken dreams.
There was much to do, she thought excitedly, besides temporarily moving herself back in where she belonged. The divorce shouldn’t take long, not when Judge Tillingham heard Ryan’s tale of woe. But Victoria didn’t intend to wait till then to start making plans for the wedding. She intended to consult Ermine as to her thoughts on how to redecorate the master suite. Maybe the connecting parlor should be turned into a nursery. Ryan and Ermine wouldn’t need a private parlor all their own. They were going to be a close family, and they would all gather in one of the rooms downstairs.
Victoria just felt so much better about everything, now that the nightmare was nearly over. At first, she had to admit, she’d gone to pieces, not knowing what to do, but then she realized perhaps it was best she hadn’t caught Erin with another man. She might have lied her way out of that, and Ryan might have been so foolish as to believe her. After all, he’d admitted he loved her. But hearing the deep, dark secret, Victoria had known she could take no chances. Nate Donovan was providing the final solution.
She wasn’t worried any longer about gossip, either. If her circle of friends and associates were even to hear about what had happened to Arlene Tremayne, they would have the decency not to mention it around her. Also, they’d have much compassion for her when the story spread about Erin’s alleged adultery. In time, it would all be forgotten anyway, and she and Ryan and Ermine, and all their wonderful and beautiful children, would live happily ever after.
Midnight Rose Page 32
