Chapter 28
Devon stepped back into the dark corner between the cupboard and the door, his heart pounding. He’d slipped Morning Fawn a message to meet him here in the stone-walled kitchen out back of the main house at midnight.
Bundles of sage, mint, and other herbs swung from the ceiling, mixing with the aroma of the glowing coals which lingered on the hearth beneath the iron kettle.
Ladles dangled from hooks. Crockery of various sizes filled the work table.
In the corner by the cavernous fireplace, moonlight trickled in through the east windows and the small window used for passing wood in to the cook.
Footsteps. The latch clicked, and the door opened. Devon held his breath as Morning Fawn stepped inside. Her hair flowed down. She closed the door behind her and peered into the almost dark.
Devon sprung, clasping a hand over her mouth smothering her gasp, and drew her back against him. “Caught you.”
She tensed momentarily, then relaxed against his chest, flooding him with warmth. His hand dropped to her shoulder.
“What if I had screamed?” She leaned her head against his chin.
“I was betting you wouldn’t.” He inhaled the fresh-washed scent of her hair and rosewater.
Hiding? Surprising her? He felt like a kid again.
Only, this was no time for play. Four days until Christmas.
He needed to go over plans and make sure she was ready.
So little time. He wrapped his arms around her waist. “I missed you yesterday.”
She placed her hands over his.
What if these few days were all they had? Please God, don’t let it be so. He lingered there with her, swaying in the shadows.
Something scurried in the corner. A mouse?
“I was worried about you last night,” she whispered. “You met with your contact?”
“Everything went fine. I got supplies, filled in Jer—Captain Carson—and finalized our plans.”
“Are you going to tell me?”
“I’ll tell you everything about the escape plans. The rest as needed.” He loosened his hold and turned her to face him.
She touched his eyepatch.
He tugged it off and tucked it in his pocket.
Her fingers fluttered over his lashes.
He captured her hand and pressed his lips to her palm. He could sit right down on the work bench and cuddle all night long. But there was much to discuss. Five days from now, their lives could depend upon his clear thinking.
He nuzzled his chin against the palm of her hand, then stepped back.
“I was worried too. About Moyer.” The name stuck like tar on his tongue.
“Did he call this evening? LeBeau sent me to Patterson’s late this afternoon to check on a horse.
I get the feeling your uncle is trying to keep me as far away from you as possible. ”
“There’s a problem.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Two problems.”
“Moyer?” The word came out as a growl. “Has he gotten out of line?”
“No. Nothing like that… He asked my uncle for my hand in marriage.”
Devon exhaled. “What did your uncle say?”
She lowered her gaze. “It doesn’t matter what he said because I’m going to be leaving here Christmas night.”
The implications of her avoidance sank onto his shoulders. “Your uncle said yes without even asking you?”
She shuddered. “My opinion wasn’t required. They’re going to announce the engagement at the Christmas Ball. If I’d refused, I would have ended up locked in the attic. But as I said, it doesn’t matter. I won’t be here for the wedding.”
“I don’t like it one bit.” There were no guarantees.
He’d said it himself a dozen times. What if somehow he couldn’t get Morning Fawn away from here?
He should’ve insisted Jeremy work with him to get her out before Christmas Eve, but a disruption like that could throw the plan off in ways they couldn’t calculate.
“Captain Carson and I decided the best option would be for you to leave after Christmas…when they have a posse out looking for me.”
“I want to leave when you do.” Her voice took on an edge, like the neigh of a wild mare preparing to buck. “You said you’d have a horse ready for me.”
“I’ll still do that. Two horses. One here in the woods beyond the stables, and one near the river close to the castle.
I want you to have a way out in case suspicion falls on you, but if we play it right, no one has to know you had any clue of what I was up to.
You can tell them I must have seen you spying on me the day behind the depot and made up a story to mislead you.
” His throat tightened. What if Morning Fawn didn’t get away?
“Moyer will pursue me with a vengeance. I bet your uncle will too. The fewer people around to notice your departure, the safer you’ll be.
You can head for Houston, the opposite of where they’d think you’d go, then cut over for the coast. I’ll have a boat waiting for you.
I’ll give you directions and wait for you there three days after the attack, and every day after that until you show. ”
“Don’t put yourself at risk for me.”
“I’ll be careful, but if for some reason I can’t make it, Captain Carson or one of his men will be at the rendezvous point.”
“What do you mean if you don’t make it?” She latched onto his arms.
His swallow stuck in his throat. “If they’re pursuing me too closely, I’ll have to head directly to Matagorda Bay or the nearest Yankee stronghold, then rendezvous with you later in Brownsville.”
“You’re going to make it. You’re going to escape and be fine.” Was there a tremor in her voice?
He wrapped her in his arms. “I’d wait for you outside of town Christmas night and ride with you if I didn’t think it’d put you in further danger. I hate the idea of not being there to protect you.”
“Don’t you dare wait for anything. I’ll find you on the coast.”
Outside the snug walls of the kitchen, a dog howled.
He’d do whatever he had to do to protect her. Why did it feel as if he were abandoning her? “I’ll get word to Lucy before I go, without giving her any details, to let you out if they lock you in the attic.”
“That’s the second problem.” She withdrew from his hold.
“What?”
She wound the fringe from her shawl around her finger and drifted over to the workbench next to the butter churn. “Lucy.”
“What about her? Is Ned having trouble getting leave of his master for Christmas Eve?” He shoved a couple buckets over to make room on the bench and dropped down beside her.
“Not that.” She puffed out her cheeks and exhaled. She clutched a handful of the shawl. “I promised her weeks ago that if…not if, when I left here, I’d find a way to help her escape too.”
“Why would you do such a thing? You didn’t say anything about the mission, did you?”
“Of course not. I didn’t say a word about it. She has no idea we’re leaving in a few days.”
“Good. It needs to stay that way.” He shoved his fingers through his hair. “But why in the world would you make such a promise to her?”
“She’s been my only friend here. Until you. The only one who has showed me any kindness. I can’t bear the thought of doing nothing to help her.”
“We are helping her. We’re arranging a wedding for her and the man she loves.”
“It’s not enough.” She laid her hand on his arm. “I can’t abandon her. And now there’s Ned.”
“What do you mean, now there’s Ned?” He almost shot off the bench. “You’re wanting him to escape too?”
She turned those puppy-dog eyes on him.
“We can’t free them all on our own, Morning Fawn. Why do you think I’m risking my life to destroy the cotton? Slavery is evil, and if the Confederacy wins, that evil will keep on going.”
She blinked at him. “Lucy can’t wait for the Yankees to win. She needs our help now. Especially after what you and she have implied about my uncle’s interest in her.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “She’s likely been dealing with your uncle for weeks or even months. Ned will have to accept that reality.”
“It sounds like you don’t care.”
He glared at her. “I humiliated and shamed myself in front of the entire family by acting like I’d been the man to visit Lucy’s bedroom because I didn’t want to see her whipped or her lover beaten or worse.
I’ve found a preacher willing to marry them, and I’m committed to getting her out of her room Christmas Eve night and to her wedding. I’ve done plenty.”
“I know.” She dropped her gaze. “I’m sorry I said that.”
A noise sounded in the corner by the broom—the mouse again.
He blew out a breath. “I have all that I can handle, leading half a dozen men on a mission to strike the quartermaster’s depot and the cotton warehouse without getting any of us killed. And on top of that, I have to protect you and Fr—the Schramms.”
“Frieda?”
“She is part of this mission, and so is her father. They have orders to vacate their house before the attack. Just like you have your orders to stay put a couple extra days and then come.”
“Is she travelling with you?”
“No. Of course not.” He rolled his eyes. “They are hiding out and then leaving on their own. They’ll be assisted by their people.”
“But how can I leave Lucy? I promised her.”
He arched his eyebrows. “You had no business promising, especially not if you did so on my behalf. I’m only one man. There’s only so many people I can handle looking after.”
“Lucy reminds me of my sister.”
“Your sister?”
“Eyes-Like-Sky. The first few years after our capture, she belonged to a warrior named Old Owl. I’d hate to think of what she suffered at his hands. I couldn’t do anything to help her. I have to do something to help Lucy.” Her mournful voice wrapped its tentacles around him.
Eyes closed, he leaned against the cool, rough stone, the edges biting through his jacket.
He ran both his hands over his hair. As much as he believed in and hoped for it, there was no guarantee the war would end slavery in Texas.
If he did nothing, Lucy might never gain her freedom. Could he live with that?
His lungs deflated. “I’ll find her the address of a house.
Someone who could hide her and help her get north.
The Schramms have friends who’ve helped smuggle escaped slaves to safety.
But just like with us, there aren’t any guarantees.
Christmas is going to stir up a hornet’s nest. I’ll get her the name, without any of the particulars of our plans, but she needs to wait until after Christmas to tell Ned.
It’ll be their responsibility to find a way there. ”
“Thank you.” Morning Fawn beamed and hugged him tight.
“Thank you. I know you have much to do. Too much. If we give them the name, we’re giving them a chance, and not adding any risk for us.
More than anything, I want you to be safe.
” She bubbled like a gushing brook. Gratitude sparkled in her eyes.
How could a man say no when his lady made him feel as if he’d righted the world?
He touched her cheek. Words spilled forth from his tongue that he never thought he’d say to anyone again. “I love you.”
Wide-eyed, she hushed. Her lips parted.
Heat pulsed through him. He lowered his head and took the kiss he’d waited two days for. Heaven. If only they were already on a long, slow boat ride to Brownsville, with the danger behind them and their courting days ahead. He was quickly becoming a believer in a short courtship.
Morning Fawn crept through the back door of the house. Down the hall in the parlor, the mantel clock chimed twice. She hugged herself and leaned against the closed door.
Devon. Her heart soared. She could have sat on that bench cuddling with him all night long.
His lips and his arms. His steadfastness and strength.
His courage. He wanted a future for them.
He hadn’t said marriage yet, but he would.
Is this how things had been between Eyes-Like-Sky and Dancing Eagle?
She shuddered. Eyes-Like-Sky had lost the man of her heart. Morning Fawn glanced at the ceiling, imagining the stars beyond. Did the God of the universe listen to prayers, especially ones from someone like her who knew so little about Him? Devon would—
A creak on the stairs.
Morning Fawn held her breath. Another creak. She straightened. There was no need to flee. Her story would be that she’d been to the outhouse.
Head held high, she tightened her shawl around her and headed for the foyer.
Thea waited on the bottom step. An open silk dressing gown half covered her nightgown. A cluster of curling papers fluttered around her head, no doubt dampened with Senegal gum.
Morning Fawn tensed.
“Where have you been?” Thea arched her eyebrows and flitted her gaze over Morning Fawn from head to toe. A smirk hovered across her lips.
“To the outhouse.” Why the smirk? Did Thea suspect something?
“You got all dressed up just for that? A chamber pot wouldn’t do?”
“Hate to dump it out. As for my dress, I don’t believe in strolling around the house half clothed.” She squinted at Thea’s untied gown.
Thea’s eyes glistened in the dark. “By all means. You wouldn’t want the lieutenant to see anything.”
“I’m sure the lieutenant sleeps through the night. I was thinking more of your father.”
“Of course you were.” A sing-songy note rang in her voice as if she were giving a three-year-old a pat on the head.
“What are you doing up?” Morning Fawn crossed her arms.
“On my way to the outhouse just like you were.” She strutted past as if she were a queen.
Morning Fawn held onto the banister and stared after her. What did it matter if Thea suspected she’d slipped out to meet with Devon? There was no proof. And no need to bother Devon with it. He’d probably be over-cautious and determined they shouldn’t meet anymore.
She bit her lip and proceeded up the stairs, the magical cocoon of his arms fading into memory.