Because of Rebecca Read online

  The two men laughed, while Elizabeth glowed.

  “By the way, Jared, would you mind seeing Miss Davis back into town? We’re going to be pressed for time getting away to catch our train,” Mr. Cooper asked.

  “It will be my pleasure to see Miss Davis to town.”

  “Excellent,” Elizabeth stated as the music died away. “Rebecca, be a dear and come upstairs with me while I change into my traveling suit?” Then she placed a hand on her husband’s shoulder. “Darling, I promise not to be long.”

  “If you’ll excuse us,” Rebecca said to the men before following her friend away from the party.

  Once they were upstairs, Elizabeth closed her bedroom door and leaned against it. She placed her left hand, now graced with her wedding ring, over her chest. “I think I’ve died and gone to heaven!”

  Unable to keep from laughing, Rebecca fell down on the bed, lying on her back and recalled the many evenings they’d spent talking into the wee hours at Augusta. A twinge of sadness pricked at her heart and she realized she missed those carefree days very much.

  “Does getting married make you feel that celestial?”

  Elizabeth nodded and pushed herself away from the door. “It’s so glorious to be in love. To have someone whisper the unthinkable in your ear and promise you’ll feel splendor in his arms.”

  “Elizabeth!” Rebecca exclaimed, sitting up and pushing herself off the bed before she wrinkled her dress. “Come, let me undo your gown or else your husband will come impatiently looking for you.”

  “Don’t act so innocent with me, my friend. I saw how you looked at Mr. Hollingsworth while you were dancing. From where I stood it looked like he did the same thing,” she teased, stepping out of the heavy satin dress. She quickly donned the sturdy linen traveling suit with Tilda’s help, changed pearls for a locket on a chain and put on her hat. Standing back, she looked at herself in the floor-length mirror.

  “Well, do I look all grown up?”

  Rebecca laughed, carefully laying the wedding gown across the bed. “I wager you’ll be asking me if you look different when you return from your wedding tour in a few weeks.”

  “I hope so. I’ll be a woman that has been repeatedly made love to by her husband.”

  Rebecca covered her cheeks with her hands. Elizabeth’s words had unthinkable thoughts about Mr. Hollingsworth running through her head. “I shouldn’t be hearing this.”

  Her friend laughed, applying a drop of fresh perfume behind her ears.

  “Come, let’s go back down so you and Mr. Hollingsworth can travel behind our carriage into town,” she urged. “Tilda, please bring down Miss Davis’ bag from the guest room.”

  A few minutes later, the two friends descended the staircase to find an array of guests waiting below. Mr. and Mrs. Calhoun and Elizabeth’s three sisters and brother were at the front of the crowd. Near the door waited Mr. Cooper and Mr. Hollingsworth. While the bride bid farewell to her family and friends, Rebecca joined the gentlemen before they boarded the carriages.

  Mr. Hollingsworth offered her his arm and escorted her outside. His touch had the strangest effect on her. A warmth like she had never felt before flowed through her and she again wondered what it would feel like to have him kiss her or whisper his desire into her ear. Rebecca already knew it felt heavenly to be held in his arms while dancing.

  The driver opened the door for them, and Mr. Hollingsworth helped her into the open carriage. Once she settled on the seat, he joined her.

  “Give Lucas a big hug from me.” Elizabeth called as the bridal carriage rolled past them.

  Rebecca’s smile faltered. Oh why had Elizabeth said that?

  “Who’s Lucas?” Mr. Hollingsworth asked as the driver eased their carriage forward behind the newlyweds’ coach for the journey.

  Rebecca hesitated only slightly before answering. “My son.”

  Chapter Two

  “Your son?”

  “Yes.” Rebecca’s palms sweated and she hesitated a moment, not sure how he would react. “He’s six months old.”

  His jaw twitched as he stared straight ahead. He remained quiet for several moments. When he did speak his words lacked emotion. “My wife died giving birth to my son.”

  Again, Rebecca’s heart ached at his loss, and she regretted not successfully correcting him earlier about being a widow. There hadn’t been a day since she lost Mariah that she hadn’t prayed to have her sister back. They’d been close growing up, the four-year age difference never coming between them.

  Remorse overcame her and she laid her gloved hand gently on his. “I’m terribly sorry. I didn’t know.”

  “Don’t apologize, Miss Davis. There was no way for you to have known how I lost my wife.”

  “I can tell you loved her very much,” Rebecca said softly.

  “I did.”

  He turned to face her, glancing down at her hand. Flushing, she removed it, regretting her boldness.

  “What about your husband?” he asked. “Did you love him dearly?”

  Rebecca blinked unsure how to respond having never been in love or married. She regretted not correcting the misunderstanding immediately, but how would she now explain having Lucas if she did? Oh what a tangled web. How would she get herself out of it?

  “You don’t have to answer. I know that every marriage isn’t love based. And since you prefer to be addressed as Miss Davis it is clear that you wish the union never happened. But I do not judge you, Miss Davis. Many marry for security. Others through an arrangement. Those who marry for love are lucky indeed,” Mr. Hollingsworth said, taking her hesitance to respond as her answer. He looked at the passing scenery, ending the discussion.

  The knot that formed in her stomach twisted tighter and tighter as she stewed over a way to explain to him about Lucas. But there wasn’t one without divulging Mariah’s naivety. And now with the confusion over her title it would be even more difficult.

  She sighed and opened her purse, unfolding the note from the day before. She glanced down at it and reread the lines. I will contact you shortly after your arrival.

  Why hadn’t Mr. Hollingsworth spoken to her about the mission? Was this his first as well? Or had he thought better of speaking to her in public about their orders, especially after Mr. Wimple’s declaration? She’d nearly fainted when the man mentioned the runaway. Refolding the note, she put it back in the hidden pocket and closed the purse strings.

  As they rode in silence, she studied her companion more closely. She knew why she was involved with the Anti-Slavery Vigilante Committee, but why would a plantation owner risk everything? What could he possibly gain?

  The carriage slowed to a stop at her hotel. Not waiting for the driver, he opened the door and stepped down before turning and offering her his hand.

  She took his hand and again felt a spark of awareness from his touch as he helped her out of the carriage. “Thank you for seeing me into town.”

  “I’ve enjoyed our time together, Miss Davis. Would you care to join me for dinner in the hotel dining room?”

  She couldn’t help smiling at the invitation. “I’d be delighted to have dinner with you, Mr. Hollingsworth,” she said. “May I have a few moments to check on Lucas first?”

  “Of course.” He handed her small bag to the driver before seeing her inside. “I’ll reserve a table in the dining room.”

  “I won’t be long,” she assured him, turning toward the large staircase. She took the stairs at a proper pace, but at the mid-point landing stopped and glanced below. To her surprise he was still standing there, watching her. Smiling, she quickened her step, anxious to return to him.

  Nearing her suite’s doorway, she heard crying and her aunt’s voice clear into the hallway. Her smile faltered.

  “Oh Charlotte, can’t you make him be quiet?”

  “I’m trying my best, Miss Josephine.”

  Rebecca opened the suite door and found her aunt lying on the fainting couch with a compress to her forehead. The maid bounc
ed a fussy Lucas as she walked back and forth across the room.

  “What’s wrong with my boy?” Rebecca asked, taking Lucas and handing her discarded gloves to Charlotte. He immediately hushed and laid his head on her shoulder. “Have you missed Mama?”

  “Thank heavens, you’ve returned” Josephine sat up, holding a compress to her head with one hand and her rosary in the other. “I’ve a splitting headache. He hasn’t stopped crying since you left.”

  Behind her, Charlotte grinned and opened the small bureau drawer, putting away the gloves.

  “Goodness. I think we have a spoiled little one on our hands,” Rebecca soothed, kissing Lucas’ auburn hair as she sat in the rocking chair.

  “You better take this or he’ll soil your dress, miss,” Charlotte insisted, rushing back with a cloth for her to put between his head and her dress. “He’s been drooling this evening. I believe he’s starting to teethe.”

  Nodding, she rocked him as he snubbed. “I’ve thought the same for the last day or two. Will you prepare him a warm bottle? I’ll get him to sleep before I go to dinner.”

  “Dinner?” Frowning, Josephine came up off the couch. “You’re going to dinner? With whom? You don’t know anyone in town besides that Calhoun girl.”

  Rebecca sighed, rubbing Lucas’ back. “I’m having dinner downstairs with Mr. Hollingsworth. He’s a friend of Elizabeth’s husband. He saw me back to town after the wedding.”

  “I don’t like it.” Josephine paced in front of the settee. “If I didn’t have this horrible headache, I’d dress and go down with you. But I really don’t feel well.”

  She silently counted to five before responding to her aunt. She didn’t want a fight on her hands, but good heaven’s Josephine could be a prude at times.

  “Then go lie down and rest. Lucas will sleep until I return and Charlotte can bring you something from the dining room,” she assured her. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

  ****

  Jared requested a private table and ordered a bottle of wine to be chilled as he waited for Miss Davis to return. He’d expected her to be gone no more than ten minutes. He hadn’t anticipated it would take her half-an-hour.

  “Would you like to order, sir?” the waiter asked.

  “Not yet. I’m waiting…” he said, finally spotting her enter the dining room. The gas-light cast a lovely glow on her auburn hair, reminding him of the first time he’d seen her at the post office.

  He waved and her face lit up with a smile. She spoke to the Maitre d’ and followed him across the room to the table.

  Jared stood and pulled out the chair for her to sit.

  “I’m sorry to have taken so long. Lucas was fussy. I stayed to feed him before putting him down for the evening.”

  “Is he all right?”

  “He’s teething.”

  “Not a pleasant experience for him then.” He remembered the pain he’d experienced the last time he’d had a toothache. “Would you like some wine?”

  In the dim light, he could see her facial features brighten and he thought she looked exceptionally lovely. In fact, he found he enjoyed looking at her far too much.

  “I’d love a glass. Thank you.”

  He motioned for a waiter. As the man approached, Jared noticed the Maitre d’ attempting to seat a couple. However, they refused the table next to them. Miss Davis glanced at him with a questioning look.

  “How odd.”

  “Are you ready to order?” the waiter asked, uncorking the bottle and pouring them each a glass.

  Jared cleared his throat and glanced over the menu once more. “What would you like, Miss Davis?”

  “The pot roast with carrots, potatoes and peas.”

  “And for you sir?” the waiter asked.

  “I’ll have the steak with boiled potatoes and green beans.”

  “Excellent choices.” The waiter took their menus and left.

  “Did you want him? Lucas, I mean? Since your marriage wasn’t a love match.” The question shocked him as soon as he asked it. “Please forgive my rudeness. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  “None taken,” she replied, smiling. “I loved him from the moment I first saw him. I’ll never forget how soft he felt when the doctor laid him in my arms.”

  A smile tugged at his mouth for a moment as she described that experience, feeling the joy of the new life through her enthusiasm. However, the joy soon faded to pain as he recalled how he’d longed to hold his son, but the child had been breech, the doctor inexperienced, and Charisse too weak from a difficult delivery for either of them to live.

  He clutched at the cloth napkin lying on the table in front of him a little too tightly. Miss Davis’ green eyes widened with acknowledgement. Embarrassed, he cleared his throat and placed the napkin in his lap.

  “Have you always lived in Jackson?” she asked, adroitly changing the subject.

  Jared silently expelled a sigh of relief. “Yes. Oak Hill has been in my family for many generations. It started out as ten acres and over the years each generation acquired more land until it now stands at over two thousand acres. I love the land. The history it holds.”

  “It sounds lovely,” she said. “I’d enjoy seeing your plantation before I return to Memphis.”

  “I’d be honored to show it to you.”

  She smiled. “Wonderful. Do you ever imagine living anywhere else?”

  He shook his head. “The only time I’ve not lived at Oak Hill is the four years I attended West Point and the four years of military service in Texas after graduation. Nowhere else comes closer to my heart than being home at Oak Hill.”

  “I think having a home of your own is very important in life. That’s why I want to see Ruth reach her family again.”

  Ruth?

  Jared was about to ask what she meant when their meal arrived. The waiter sat the hot plates before them then refilled their wine glasses.

  “Can I get you anything else?” he asked.

  “No, thank you,” Jared said and the waiter disappeared as quietly as he’d appeared.

  “How’s your pot roast?” he asked after he’d taken several bites of his own meal.

  “Delicious. The roast is very tender.”

  He watched as she carefully placed a small combination of carrot, potato and pea on her fork with the pot roast before taking a bite. She closed her eyes, chewed slowly and savored the experience. Her movements made eating appear an art form and her facial expression as she chewed made him long to taste the flavorful palate as well.

  He watched as she repeated the action with each bite until she put her fork down and reached for her napkin. She touched the corners of her mouth with it then replaced it in her lap. “Is something wrong, Mr. Hollingsworth? You’ve hardly touched your food.”

  Jared blinked, embarrassed at being caught staring. “No—no. I’ve never seen anyone find so much enjoyment out of eating before.”

  She flushed and looked down at her plate. She loaded her fork with a precise portion to create the perfect bite then looked up at him. “It’s a terrible habit I have I know. It bothers my aunt immensely.”

  He smiled and they continued their meal in pleasant conversation. When the waiter offered dessert Miss Davis declined.

  “I need to get back to Lucas,” she explained. “Thank you for inviting me. I’ve enjoyed our afternoon together.”

  Jared nodded, wishing there was a way to detain her from leaving. “Be sure to contact me at Oak Hill if you need anything while you’re in Jackson. I will be honored to assist you in any way I can.”

  The waiter returned with their bill, and Jared paid him.

  They stood and she leaned forward. “Then we shall meet again about Ruth?” she whispered.

  “Ruth?”

  “About getting her home?” She smiled and looked hopeful.

  He found her comment odd. “Tomorrow is Sunday. Shall I call on you and Lucas after church services? We can have a picnic.”

  “That sounds wond
erful, but would you mind if I invited my aunt? I hate to leave her at the hotel alone again.”

  “The more the merrier,” Jared said, as they walked to the stairs. He lifted her hand to his lips and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. “Until then.”

  Rebecca bit her lower lip as she watched him walk away. Tingles lingered across her hand from his kiss. Warmth pooled in her stomach and she smiled. She couldn’t remember when she’d spent a more delightful day.

  Chapter Three

  “Rebecca! I can’t believe you’d agree to a picnic without even consulting me,” Josephine complained the next morning, as they dressed for Mass.

  “If you don’t want to go, I’ll make your excuses for you, but I’m going,” she said firmly. “Mr. Hollingsworth is being very hospitable by inviting us to a picnic and tour of his plantation. The least you can do is join us.”

  Josephine muttered something under her breath as she put on her dove-gray bonnet. She looked older than her thirty-six years in the outfit.

  “What did you say?” Rebecca picked up Lucas unable to hide the grin that crept to her mouth. She knew her aunt well enough to know the woman stewed behind her cool demeanor.

  “I’ll go, but if my headache returns then I will insist we leave.” She headed toward the door. “Come along, Charlotte. Don’t dawdle.”

  “Yes, Miss Josephine.” The maid hurriedly followed her out the door.

  During Mass, Rebecca went through the motions of the service, but her mind was on Mr. Hollingsworth. She couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss he’d placed on her hand last evening, or the way it had warmed her flesh. Having never been kissed, she found her reaction to the simple gesture frightening. Yet exciting. If she wasn’t careful, she might lose her head and do something foolish. They were working together. She had to try to remember and not fantasize like a schoolgirl. Neither of them could afford for the mission to go awry. It would put everyone in jeopardy.

  “Rebecca?” Josephine called to her from the end of the pew. “Aren’t you coming, dear?”

  Startled, she stood, following the parishioners outside.