by Jana Petken
Mercy fought back her urge to cry. This was a painful moment. “I can still come with you, all the way to Boston,” she said hopefully.
“We done talk about this. I got to do this alone, else I ain’t free. I’s walking in a white man’s world now, an’ I need to make my own choices, just like you said. You got to get to your man. You tell him he gotta leave that wife of his if he wants a good woman like you.”
“I will, Nelson. Promise me you’ll buy a horse or take a coach to Boston. Keep to main roads. Don’t take any chances and trust no one. It’s over, it’s all over. Our journey together is at an end, and I hope now you’ll be safe and happy.”
“I ain’t never gonna forget you, Miss Mercy. You been my angel sent from the Lord himself. You’re the bravest woman I ever saw. God bless you.”
Nelson turned and walked away. Mercy stood, hoping he would turn to smile at her one last time, but he did not. A part of her wished that she could have convinced him to let her go to Boston, right to Isaac’s door. But Nelson was right. This was his journey now. She had plans of her own, and she could put them off no longer.
She cried and fell into Lina’s arms, saddened by her loss, gladdened by their victory, and now ready to face her own future.
“Let’s go, child. I sold my furs, and we got a steamship to catch,” Lina said.
Mercy was surprised to see the cart driver. She lowered her head in shame, unable to look him in the eyes. “I’m sorry I pointed a gun at you,” she apologised, wiping her tears away. “I would never have shot you.”
“Well, like I said, you Southern women are all kinds of crazy.”
Chapter Sixty-Three
Mercy sat in her room and looked out onto the street. She felt tired and was listless. The last few days had been nerve-wracking, but she had accomplished everything she had set out to do. She felt Nelson’s loss keenly, yet she had never experienced such satisfaction.
Nelson had gone. She would never see him again, and she felt strangely alone, with a grief that she could not contain.
On their return, she wore a dress purchased in Newport News. She had been so surprised when Lina stated that they would be staying in a boarding house owned by Charlie. She was told to dress for dinner, for Charlie would be back in time to eat with them. Yet she had no desire for company, bar Nelson’s.
The knock on the door startled her. Was it dinnertime already?
She opened the door. Her eyes widened and welled up with tears. She fought for breath. Her body swayed, trembling, as she lifted her hand to stroke Jacob’s face.
She stared at him, drinking in the sight of him. He walked into the room and closed the door, and she fell into his arms. She cried. Jacob’s eyes were shining bright with tears that slipped down his cheeks. Neither spoke. Instead, he kissed her so deeply that she thought she might faint with pure ecstasy.
His mouth left hers, and then his lips settled on her forehead. “Don’t ever run from me again, my love,” he murmured. “Please don’t put me through that hell.”
“I’m sorry – I’m so sorry.”
“Charlie found me at Stone Plantation and told me everything. He brought me to you. I thanked God all the way here. Sweet Jesus, Mercy. Have you not been through enough that you had to take yourself off to the backwoods in the depth of winter? I love you, my darling – my Mercy, I love you. I was a fool. I was a damn fool blinded by duty. I’ll never let you down again.”
He kissed her with a passion that took Mercy’s breath away. They began to undress each other. They reached the bed and made love. It was urgent, ardent, and left them spent and crying. Mercy felt the absolute joy that had been missing – the feeling of wholeness, of being so close to another person, it was almost as though she were possessed in soul, heart, mind, and body.
She drew her finger across his eyebrows, down his cheeks, and along his lip line. “Jacob, we have so much to say to each other, yet I don’t know where to begin. Please tell me you love me again. Tell me that no matter what happens, now and in the future, fate will always bring us back together.”
Jacob looked adoringly into her eyes. “I love you. I will always love you. Darling, I have nothing to offer you in Portsmouth, but I’m begging you to return with me. We belong together. No matter what happens, no war, no wife, no duty will ever divide us again. I’m going to annul my marriage. I don’t care what it costs me or what threats Elizabeth makes. I will not lose you a second time.”
“Is Madame du Pont still living in Portsmouth?” She had to know.
“She is. I’m sorry. I wanted to kill her. I almost did. But I believe we might have come to an arrangement. She will never mention your name. She knows that if she does, I will destroy her. She will never get onto my land. Hendry and Belle will see to that. Little by little, we will blacken her reputation, and she will become an outcast. You have my word.”
“Jacob, I want her gone! I can have no future with you with her shadow hanging over us. She is my demon, and I have to rid myself of her. She has to die!”
“Hush, darling. You are not a murderer. We’ll find a way to get her out of our lives. I promise you … Mercy, did Eddie …? Did he …?”
“No. I left that house unscathed. Unfortunately, he wasn’t so lucky.”
Jacob kissed her and then smiled. “My brave and resilient Mercy Carver. You’re quite a woman.”
“Jacob, everyone is talking about war. You’ll take up arms, won’t you?” Mercy said with sadness.
Jacob nodded and sighed. “I am already resigned to doing my duty. When war comes and the first shots are fired, I will fight. I must. It’s my obligation to defend Stone Plantation and my rights.”
“Will you hate me if I tell you that I despise slavery? Will this issue divide us as it has your states?”
Jacob smiled tenderly. “Nothing will change how I feel for you. I admire your courage and honesty. Your convictions are yours to own. Don’t ever let anyone change the way you see the world. I am a slave owner, but you know this and love me all the same. We won’t allow it to come between us. Charlie told me Nelson is a good man, and I believe he’d be a dead man had you not rescued him. Under these particular circumstances, I’m proud of you.”
Mercy nodded, satisfied by his answer. Her eyes brightened. “Tell me about Belle and Hendry?”
“They have a daughter. They have named her Grace.”
“That’s wonderful. I’m so happy for them. I wish I could have been there.”
“Belle does too. She and Hendry miss you. They will remain at Stone Plantation if I go off to fight. My wife is there too but not for long – damn it, I hate saying that word. It should be you; there is nothing between Elizabeth and me. You have to believe me.”
“I do, Jacob. I do, my love,” Mercy said soothingly. “She doesn’t have your heart, for I know it’s mine. I felt you follow my every step and every mile. I know you love me, and I also know our destinies are intertwined.”
“Elizabeth may leave and go back to her family of her own accord,” Jacob told her. “She hates Belle, and she will have no power if Hendry runs the plantation when I’m gone. Mercy, I will be free of her. She has denied me a husband’s rights in her bed. No man will blame me for leaving the marriage. Will you go to Stone Plantation and live with Belle and Hendry? When the time comes, will you marry me? Will you be my true wife?”
He gauged Mercy’s expression. There was joy in her eyes, then worry, anger, and finally a contented smile that seeped into his heart.
“Mercy, tell me. Will you have me?”
She kissed him. “I will go to Stone Plantation when the time is right to do so. I will give Madame du Pont a lesson she will never forget, and I will marry you when you are free,” she said, kissing him again. “But for the moment, we should remain right here in this bed for as long as we can. We should talk about all that has passed and about all that may or may not happen in the future. Fate will show us its hand soon, and I have no doubt that we will prevail in whatever life throw
s at us. That’s enough for me, for now.
“Stay with me, Jacob, until you need to go. But when you do leave me, know this: I am yours. I will be here in this town waiting for you, longing for your return. I will keep myself busy, knowing that you will come back to me. I will never doubt your love, and you must never doubt mine. Eddie, Madame du Pont, and even your marriage did not and cannot defeat us – and, my darling, neither will war.”
About The Author
Author of the critically acclaimed epic, The Guardian of Secrets: And Her Deathly Pact.
Jana Petken is Scottish but resides on the East Coast of Spain. She is ex military and has travelled extensively, studying conflicts and the after effects they had on the population. She is a fulltime writer but says her hobbis include, walking great distances and painting in oils.
Kirkus Review.
Mercy Carver: Dark Shadows
A fast-paced, action-packed historical romance set during the last days of the Old South.
Amazon Review: “A female Dickens”