His falter caused her to stop as well. The crickets and frogs filled the night air with their croaks and chirps. But William said nothing, only stared, his silhouette mingling with the shadows.
Finally, he broke the crushing silence, his voice low and deep. “I have no family, Miss Whitehead.”
He turned and stared again without another word, leaving Anna behind him. Inky ribbons of regret twisted around her. She should never have asked, for clearly he hadn’t wished to speak of family. Whatever his reasons, they pained, or his tone would not have carried so much sorrow. And here he continued to use a name that wasn’t even hers.
Stupid, ignorant girl. Carrying on with her need to keep her identity secret seemed a vain attempt. Why continue the charade when her rescuer could likely do more for her if indeed he knew her true identity.
“Mr. Fredericks.”
He stopped again and looked over his shoulder, questioning her with only the lowering of his chin.
She swallowed and cleared her throat, his acute expression unsettling the ground she stood upon. “I feel I should tell you, I have not been completely honest. My name…is Mrs. Rone.” Shame coated her voice so thick she feared she couldn’t speak the rest. “I…I used Whitehead in hopes that I would not be found. But it seems it made no difference. I hope you can forgive me.”
The dusting of light that rested over him showed little of his expression, but his stance softened. “I understand.”
Two simple words, but spoken with such raw depth that the air warmed around her.
William motioned in front of him. “We are here.”
Praise the Lord. Engulfed with pleasure at their arrival, her body began to give way with the knowledge that rest was nearly within her grasp.
She reached for the tree beside her and held fast, as her limbs cramped.
Darkness shrouded his face, but the tenderness in his voice coated her weakening limbs. “Forgive me for making you walk so much today. I wanted to reach our destination before nightfall.”
She squeaked out the only words she could manage, the reserves of her strength at risk of depletion. “Not at all.”
He must have detected the weakness she tried to mask, for in a moment he was at her side. “Take my arm.”
Ashamed at how much she relied on his strength, Anna was careful not to linger on the thickness of his muscle. She kept her eyes on the ground then ahead as the trees cleared and the side of a house came into view. How he’d been able to find this place in the dead of night, she would never know.
When they reached the house, he stopped and Anna gratefully released her grip and clung to the wood siding.
“I’ll go to the door first, to be sure I’ve found the right home,” he said. Almost as an after thought added, “Don’t go anywhere.”
Anna grinned, feeling light-headed thanks to the exhaustion that weighted her down. “Where else would I go?”
He stared, his dark blonde hair looking black in the shadows that covered him. A flash of white behind his smile was all she could see before he finished the few steps to the door.
CHAPTER FIVE
A single light glimmered in the upstairs window. Was someone awake? Staring up, William raked a hand over his head, catching a quick but pungent scent from beneath his arm. A bath could not come soon enough. He sighed. It must be near midnight.
William glanced to the woman who clutched the side of the house. All those miles and she hadn’t breathed a word of complaint. He knew from the hobble in her step that her feet pained her, and she must be as starving as he, if not more.
Pushing out a firm exhale, he knocked twice.
After a moment with nary a rustle from within, he reached to knock again, but the door creaked open a crack then flew back wide.
“Hen—”
“Good evening, Thomas. ’Tis I, William Fredericks.”
Thomas scowled, analyzing William’s expression, before reaching out his hand. “Of course. ’Tis a pleasure, old friend. Come in, quickly.”
“I have someone with me.”
Thomas’s expression dropped. “Aye?”
William looked to where the woman stood. “I happened upon a woman…she is in need and I assured her you would be willing to help.”
“We are happy to assist however we can.”
William finally inhaled a deep breath, though he hadn’t even known he’d stilled his lungs. His friends would help her, just as he’d promised. Thank the Lord for people such as these.
He motioned to her at the same time that Thomas called to Eliza to come down quickly, and with a blanket.
Eliza hurried down the stairs, flinging a shawl around her shoulders. Her mouth opened and she rushed to the door, but Thomas slowed her with a gentle touch to her arm.
“Eliza, you remember William.”
With a quick look to her husband then back to William, the question in her expression dispelled in place of a smile.
“Why of course, William, how good it is to see you. I—” Her gaze fell upon Anna. “Have you both journeyed here through the night? You poor dear!” She reached a caring arm around Anna’s shoulder and led her toward the kitchen. “You’ll want to soak your feet. I can attest to that from experience.” Eliza turned and spoke to Thomas as he shut the door. “There’s bread and cider on the table. Be sure he gets some.”
“Of course.” Thomas pointed toward the table and chair. “Refresh yourself. I’m going to fetch Nathaniel. That wound on your arm looks like it needs care.” He flung his cloak over his shoulder and snatched his hat off the wall. “Then you will tell us everything.”
William satiated his need for nourishment, and not a quarter hour later Thomas burst back through the door. “Nathaniel will be here promptly.” A grin flooded his face as he hung up his hat and coat. “Kitty as well. She refused to be left behind.”
William frowned. “Kitty is at Nathaniel’s home?”
Thomas angled his head. “I should have guessed that would be obvious.”
The realization clapped William on the back, and his mouth dropped open. “They are married.”
“You are surprised?”
“Nay…” He chuckled lightly. “Not at all. I am pleased.”
Grinning, Thomas nodded then looked in the direction of the kitchen. “I suppose Eliza is still seeing to your companion’s needs?”
“Aye.”
Thomas went to the fire and added another log before lighting two more lamps. “I would hear more of what you know about her, but first to the matters most pressing.” His timbre deepened. “I am pleased you came to us. We have always hoped you would trust—”
The door creaked and Nathaniel Smith pushed it open, his doctor’s bag in hand, but ’twas Kitty who entered first, her large eyes wide and full of worry.
“Are you all right?” She rushed forward and reached for William’s wounded arm just as Nathaniel came behind her. “This was all my doing.” Her pinched voice and the drop of her features pulled at William’s heart.
“Nay, ’tis the army which is to blame for all of this. For all that we have suffered.”
Her gaze still did not leave his. “I am so pleased you came to us.”
The sight of her lifted the weighted pieces of his soul, making the loss of Julia and Jane easier to bear. He glanced at Nathaniel. “I understand congratulations are in order.”
Nathaniel’s smile expanded, brightening his entire frame. “Did you think I would have waited another moment?”
“You’d have been a fool.”
“I’ll say amen to that.” Thomas lifted an amber-filled glass and took a drink.
Kitty gently patted William’s arm. “I shall see to the woman in the kitchen.”
The three of them watched her go before they fully relaxed, the meat of their conversation waiting to be spoken.
Nathaniel rested his bag on the table beside the largest upholstered chair and motioned for William to sit. “You couldn’t bear to be so long parted from us, I see.”
“I was only curious to know whether you would make good on your debt.”
With an answering laugh, Nathaniel pulled another chair beside William. He reached in his bag and retrieved a pair of shears, a vile of salve and a roll of bandages. “Let me have a look.”
When both men were seated, Nathaniel’s face grew solemn and with Thomas standing close behind, he upended the cup of curiosity. “Thomas tells me you are no longer Henry Donaldson. Rather, you’re calling yourself William Fredericks.”
“’Tis true.” Though the name offered an element of safety, a shield to hide behind, and though he could make himself think such a name were his identity, his soul would always answer to Henry.
Thomas answered before William had a chance. “He’s defected.”
Nathaniel’s eyes shot open then narrowed as his brow dipped in a deep V. An unvoiced inquest circled in his face, just as it had in Thomas’s.
“When was this? Immediately after?” Nathaniel asked.
William looked between them, knowing exactly to what “after” Nathaniel referred. The battle in the woods, the frantic flight to safety…
He lowered his voice. “Three days ago. After you and Kitty escaped, I returned to camp as planned. Stockton believed my story. Most of it…” He cringed at the memory then grunted as Nathaniel prodded at the wound on his arm. “But his son did not, insisting that this was not the first time I had sided with the colonists.”
Though such was true, no evidence could prove it.
Thomas leaned his shoulder against the fireplace. “His son?”
William nodded. “Ezra has a son, Paul, and his company joined our camp the next morning. He convinced his father I had planned Kitty’s escape. I was able to send word to Higley about your plight that morning, but only hours later I was on my way to trial in New York. I then constructed an escape of my own—have mercy!” He half-scowled, half-chuckled at Nathaniel. “Are you trying to torture me?”
Nathaniel’s expression held little amusement. “This wound is greatly infected.”
William ground his teeth. “Can it be healed?”
“The tear, yes. The infection, I believe so, with care.”
“No stitches?”
“Nay. With proper wrapping I expect it will heal well.” Nathaniel reached for additional bandages in his bag. “What will you do now?”
Rubbing his head, William exhaled. “In truth, I have thought of little beyond coming here.”
“You did right in coming,” Thomas said. “You may stay as long as needed.”
“I cannot do that.” William kept speaking as Nathaniel rubbed an ointment around his wound and wrapped it anew. “I have already placed you in considerable harm. I must leave by morning.”
Nathaniel and Thomas exchanged looks.
Still leaning beside the fireplace, Thomas put his hands in his pockets. “If you truly wish to defect, you must assimilate somewhere. Why not here?”
The pointed question struck William as if it were a blow to the head. “You are not serious.”
Nathaniel tied the bandage in place. “Do you know any other people so foolish as to stick their necks out for you?”
“I cannot live here.” A weak chuckle leaked out through his words. “You know what kind of suspicion that would cause. I have been in town before, so I could be recognized. Besides, if you have regulars here…I can’t take that risk.”
Again, Thomas and Nathaniel eyed each other.
Thomas looked toward the kitchen, the soft voices of the women not quite reaching beyond the open doorway. He lowered his tone. “You could convert. The local Quaker population is high, and many wish to stay out of the conflict. If you did the same, perhaps we could find you a place—”
“I cannot ignore this fight, Thomas. I’m a soldier. I’ve simply been fighting for the wrong side.”
Nathaniel stood and began replacing the shears and unused bandages back in his bag. “’Twould be foolish to think you could hide somewhere else.” He crossed his arms and leaned back against the table, his gaze narrowing. “Kitty has worried over you.”
William examined the fresh bandage and relished in the soothing sensation from the ointment that coated his wound. “As I have worried over the two of you. But now that you have joined your lives, I supposed I need worry no longer.”
Nathaniel chewed the inside of his lip. “You know, William, if a man remains a bachelor for too long he runs the risk of being a menace to society.” He stopped almost before he’d finished his words and narrowed his eyes. “How do you feel about marriage?”
The last word blasted like an icy wind, freezing him where he sat. “I am afraid I don’t understand.” Though he did. Fully.
Again, Nathaniel and Thomas exchanged a glance. Thomas tilted his head and Nathaniel nodded.
William lowered his voice breathing a threat through his teeth. “Speak aloud or I leave this instant.”
Nathaniel ignored him, directing his communications to Thomas. “You heard the Atticks family passed.”
Thomas shook his head, his expression falling. “All of them?”
“Aye.” Nathaniel nodded. “The fever took them all despite our best efforts to save them. Their home is now empty.” He turned to William. “In need of care.”
Thomas continued the thought. “The farm is small but provides plenty. A husband and wife would do well there. Could make a good home, just as the Atticks did. Custer and his wife had no family to take the land. It may as well go to someone in need of a fresh start.”
Nathaniel smacked William on the back. “All we must do is find you a good woman.”
“Absolutely not.” His muscles burned. “I’d sooner take the noose.”
“Come now.” Thomas leaned back against the table and crossed his arms with an annoying grin on his face. “A woman can do great things for a man.”
Aye. Such as betray him and leave bare his heart to be trampled by the painful memories of what would never be.
William exhaled a rough laugh as he stood and poured himself another glass of cider. “You may do as you like for yourselves, but marriage could not be further from my thoughts.” He downed the amber liquid. “Do not press me.”
“Of course, if you did marry,” Nathaniel continued, sitting in the chair next to the fire as if William had issued no warning, “you would have to keep your identity a secret from even your wife…at least until the conflict with the crown is ended.”
William grimaced, the stench of the conversation permeating the room like rot. “I will say it again. No.”
Thomas motioned with a finger toward town. “There are plenty of fine women—”
“Gentlemen, please.” William clutched the glass in his hand, fearing it might break from the pressure. “I do not take my plight lightly.”
“Neither do we.” Nathaniel glanced at Thomas without moving his head before nailing his gaze on William, his expression every bit as heavy as his tone. He stood and rested a hand on William’s shoulder. “We would not wish you to think we are anything but deadly serious.”
Thomas neared. His volume dropped and the earnest caring in his voice soothed William’s ruffled pride. “If you mean to defect, we will help you in any way we can. If you mean to stay hidden, then taking on a new life, far from the one you have been living, is the best way to ensure the least amount of suspicion.”
William stared at the bottom of the glass in his hands as a chill crept up his spine. It was true. If he took not only a new name, but a new life, the risk of being found would plummet. He swallowed and shut his eyes against the vaporous memories—her smile, the cushion of her mouth, the scent of her hair—and the way she patted his arm with a grin and turned her back on him forever.
“Fredericks.”
William jerked at the sound of his new name.
The half-smile on Thomas’s face said more than words. “You cannot do something you do not believe in. We won’t press it upon you. We simply mean to help.”
&
nbsp; With another forced breath, William exhaled through clenched teeth. “I thank you for your sincerity.” He set the glass down. “I do believe in marriage…” The words stuck in his throat. What was he thinking?
Nathaniel tipped his head. “Then you would consider it?”
Rubbing his temples, William groaned his answer before he could reconsider. “I suppose.”
Such a stark silence followed he jolted up to be sure he wasn’t suddenly alone. Thomas and Nathaniel both stared at him, their expressions knit in thought. Thoughts clearly occupied on the very subject he didn’t wish to discuss but had willingly become a party to.
His friends’ expressions shifted, their eyes thinning, mouths quirking sideways. William’s muscles tightened, ready to snap like the lock of his pistol. He took the open seat nearest the kitchen and slumped back, voice bare of expression. “Do not look at me as if you were fitting me for shoes.”
“Fitting you for shoes? Nay.” A chuckle sparkled in Nathaniel’s eyes. “But if we are to find you a wife then we must consider the options.”
“What’s this?”
The men jumped at the sound of Eliza’s melodic tone. She and Kitty stood wide-eyed in the doorframe of the kitchen.
Thomas reached for his wife’s hand and she neared, taking his fingers in hers. He seemed to relay the entire conversation to her in a single, solemn look. “Fredericks is in need of a bride.”
Kitty’s mouth dropped open and she flung a glance to her husband. “Nathaniel?”
“’Tis true.” Nathaniel answered with such seeming delight William fought the urge to smack the mirth from the man’s face.
Kitty’s eyebrows shot up and she pinned her gaze on Eliza, who nodded slowly and brushed a hand over her rounded belly. After a moment of quiet thought a smile grew on her face and she turned to Thomas. “I know you gentlemen mean well, but if we are to find Fredericks a wife, you cannot simply choose a woman and be done with it.”
“True.” Nathaniel sat back in his chair and rubbed his jaw. “What would you suggest?”
William’s stomach turned to granite. Was he in some terrible dream where moments from now he would awaken, covered in sweat and heaving breaths of gratitude that this conversation had been only in his mind?
So Rare a Gift (Daughters of His Kingdom Book 3) Page 8
