“No, love. It wasn’t me, though I tried. I searched all around the outside of the house, but I couldn’t find you. I went in through the back door thinking you might be in the kitchen. The smoke was so thick I couldn’t see a thing, so I crawled through the kitchen and into the hallway. I’m afraid I did a mighty poor job of rescuing you. Sheriff Webster tells me you had escaped from the house, but you ran back inside.” He squeezed her hand. “That was foolish, my dear.”
She shook her head and touched the music box that lay beside her on the blanket.
“We could get you another music box.” The tenderness in his expression and tone communicated to her he wasn’t really scolding. “I’m just grateful to God, and to Everett, that you’re going to be all right.”
Everett? What was he talking about? If she’d been surprised to learn of Hubert’s presence in the burning house, his last statement completely took her aback. She sent him a quizzical look.
Tears formed in Hubert’s eyes. “It was Everett. He followed me into the house and pulled both of us out.”
She stared at him, wide-eyed, too stunned to respond.
“Sheriff told me Everett came by to see you that morning. I’m glad he came to apologize for his attitude.”
She started to form words but stopped when her raw throat constricted painfully. A coughing spasm gripped her, but she shook her head and picked up the pencil again. “Apologized for insisting I break the engagement. Said he knew he was wrong.”
Pearl’s coughing brought Hannah back into the room. The woman shook her finger at Hubert. “What did I tell you about upsetting her?” Hannah scurried to the bed and fussed over Pearl, giving her a sip of water.
When the spasm eased, Pearl watched as Hubert read the note she’d scrawled. A look of astonishment filled his face.
“He insisted…When was this?”
But Hannah pointed at Hubert like a strict schoolmarm. “You’re going to have to leave now. Pearl needs to rest.”
Pearl grabbed Hannah’s arm and pleaded silently with a slight shake of her head and reached for Hubert’s hand.
Hannah gave them both a stern look but acquiesced. “All right.” She turned to Hubert. “But it’s up to you to see to it that she doesn’t exert. The doctor wants her to stay quiet.”
Hubert patted Pearl’s hand. “I promise.” To underscore his vow, he reached for the music box, turned the key, and lifted the lid. The sweet notes brought a smile to her heart as well as her lips. As soon as Hannah left, she reached for the paper and pencil again.
“Please don’t go.”
Seeing the smile that creased Hubert’s face and crinkled his eyes was worth risking Hannah’s ire.
Chapter 16
Pearl smiled as the doctor’s wife repeated her admonishment not to speak more than necessary. Hannah was worse than a mother hen. Doc had given his permission that morning for Pearl to sit out on the sunny back porch of the doctor’s residence. Hubert sat beside her on the porch swing.
Hannah draped a shawl around Pearl and warned her not to get chilled, then bustled back into the house. Hubert caught Pearl’s eye, and they shared a chuckle. Since it was August, a chill was unlikely, but Hannah meant well.
“I’m so glad you’re feeling better, my dear.” Hubert’s voice was still slightly raspy.
“It feels good to be outside.” Her croaky whisper resembled that of a frog with the croup. “Who is running the store while you’re here?”
Hubert raised a cautionary pointer finger and waggled it at her. “I love hearing your voice, but you’d best follow the doctor’s orders.”
Mercy sakes, she’d be glad when she could be up and about, doing the things she loved, instead of sitting here like a useless, voiceless sluggard. Impatience nipped at her, but then she remembered once again God’s goodness in getting her out of the fire alive. Still in awe over Hubert’s revelation of Everett’s role in rescuing both of them, she sent another silent prayer to the throne room of heaven, asking God to heal Everett.
Hubert stood and crossed the porch where Hannah had left a tray with a pitcher of water and cups. He poured a cupful of water and brought it to Pearl, then reclaimed his seat beside her. “To answer your question, I hired young Phillip O’Dell to come work in the store part-time.” Hubert grinned. “I’m not sure how many O’Dells there are. Phillip is a few years younger than Tillie, but he’s her oldest brother. He’s a bright youngster and a hard worker, and having him there frees me up to come and be with you and Everett.”
The warm sun on her shoulders offered a cheery welcome to her first venture outdoors, and she drew in a cautious breath as deeply as she could. The fresh essence of the morning air was tainted by the stale scent of smoke that still lingered, a sinister reminder of the flames that nearly took Hubert’s life and her own. And Everett’s.
At some point, she knew she’d have to view the destruction and see what she could salvage. Her heart wept for the residents who had called the boardinghouse home for several years. Sheriff Webster hadn’t elaborated on the degree of loss for her or her boarders. He’d only stated he thought the fire may have been purposely set. The very thought sent a sickening shiver through her.
Hubert tugged the shawl a little higher around her neck. “Are you cold?”
She shook her head. “Just thinking of the fire,” she whispered.
He slipped an arm around her and patted her shoulder, as though reading her thoughts. “If you will allow me, I’d like to help you sift through the rubble when you feel up to it. No need to think of that today though.”
“What will my boarders do now?”
Hubert patted her hand. “Praise God none of them were there when the fire started. Mr. Hogan was on one of his sales trips. He said there is a rooming house in Clermont where he can stay. Miss Frick was at her dressmaker shop. Since she and Mrs. Pettigrew are such good friends, she has moved in with her. Mr. Gallimore was at the newspaper office of course. Apparently there is a small room in the back of the office and he plans to stay there for now. Mrs. Russell’s nephew came yesterday and has taken her home to live with his family. When the school opens again next month, Miss Pendergrass will have to find a place to stay when she comes back. I heard the school board was looking into that.”
Pearl nodded as Hubert addressed the situation of each of her former boarders, grieved that they lost whatever possessions they had, but grateful they were unharmed and had a place to stay.
Hubert shifted around, facing her more fully. “There is something else we need to talk about, or rather something I need to tell you.”
She turned her eyes to him and saw his gaze leave her and slide downward, as if studying his boots suddenly became important.
“Hubert?”
He lifted his head back to face her, but the smile that forced the upturn of his lips didn’t reach his eyes. The love she’d seen there for weeks was replaced by misgiving, and unease deepened the lines in his brow.
“Pearl, there are some things in my past that you need to know. I promised God I would be completely honest with you, but I wanted to wait until you were feeling better.” He paused, his steady gaze holding hers. For a moment he inclined his head toward her like he was about to kiss her, but he halted and glanced right and left. Apparently rethinking his action, he leaned back against the swing’s cushions.
“You already know that my first wife left me for another man, but you don’t know why.”
“Hubert—”
He held up his hand. “No, Pearl. Let me say this. The doctor doesn’t want you to talk, so please don’t try. It’s important that I confess everything to you.”
Something akin to fear sent a slight jolt through her, but she nodded and folded her hands in her lap. Whatever was on his heart had carved obvious furrows of heartache through him, and she wasn’t at all sure she wanted to hear it. She’d not yet told him she wished to renew their engagement. What if his disclosure changed the course of their relationship forever?
&
nbsp; Hesitation edged his bearing. He pulled in an unsteady breath. “I went to work for the Pinkerton Detective Agency the same year Everett was born. From the start, I knew it was the career I wanted, and I was determined not to allow anything to interfere with my success.” A scowl marred his features, and Pearl fought to stay her hand from smoothing out the crease between his eyes.
“Normally, the married men handled the investigations close to home and the single fellows were the ones who received the accolades for their daring exploits chasing down criminals.” He shook his head. “I knew the more complicated cases would require me being away from home for long periods of time, but I began to push my superiors to assign those cases to me.”
He closed his eyes and drew in his brows, his face a reflection of the painful memory. She wished she could tell him nothing from his past mattered. Her heart grieved to see his whole demeanor slumped as though he carried a heavy load.
“There were times I was away from home for two or three months at a time. I’d come home long enough to be congratulated for my good work, receive a citation or two in my personnel file, and I’d take another case even more difficult than the last.”
He turned sorrow-filled eyes on her. “Pearl, I knew God was speaking to my heart, telling me I should be home with my family, but I pushed everything aside—my family and my God—and allowed ambition to drive me. Prestige became my god.” He rose from the swing and paced several steps away before turning and plodding back again. “Lucinda, my wife, began demanding that I resign from the Pinkertons. The more she demanded, the more determined I was to be the best agent in the country. About a week before Everett’s eighth birthday, she told me she was planning a party and all Everett had requested was for his father to be there.”
He turned and pressed his hands on the porch railing, his head hung like the demons of remembrance pushed his posture into submission. “The following day my superior received a wire about a notorious bank robber and murderer. Every time this man committed a crime, the story made the headlines. I knew if I was the one to bring him in, it would mean not only the esteem of my peers, but also the promotion in rank I sought.” Derision laced his voice. “I talked my boss into letting me take the case, went home, and packed a bag. Lucinda railed at me and accused me of being married to my job. Everett cried and begged me to stay for his birthday party. I knew God was telling me to go back to the office and tell my boss I’d changed my mind. But I didn’t. I left that afternoon.”
Hubert’s chin almost touched his chest. Pearl longed to reach out and take his hand and tell him not to say any more, but she couldn’t. She sat suspended in time. How could the man she loved and respected be the same one he was describing?
“It took me almost four months, but I captured the man I was after. I turned my prisoner over to the US marshal and stopped at the nearest telegraph office to send a wire to Lucinda, telling her I was coming home. I had no way of knowing it couldn’t be delivered.”
Pearl watched the raw memory batter the man she loved.
He cleared his throat repeatedly and continued. “I stopped on the way home and bought Everett an Orvis fishing rod and a brass reel with silk line. Thought he’d forgive me for missing his birthday if I brought him the best fishing rod money could buy.” Hubert’s voice cracked and he started coughing, whether from speaking too much or from emotion, Pearl couldn’t tell.
He poured a bit of water into a cup and took several sips. His coughing subsided, but he remained several steps away from the swing, as though purposely holding himself apart from her. Didn’t he know she longed to wrap her arms around his neck and whisper to him that he didn’t need to say any more?
“When I discovered Lucinda and Everett were gone, I went directly to her parents. Everett was there, but I was told he didn’t want to see me—that he hated me.” He heaved a sigh. “They wouldn’t tell me where Lucinda was. Her mother said I didn’t deserve her daughter, that I didn’t know how to be a good husband or father. A few days later I learned Lucinda left Baltimore with another man.”
Weariness etched its signature all over Hubert. He turned slowly to face Pearl and raised his eyes to meet hers. “I hurt my family by letting success and my thirst for importance direct me, and I hurt myself by disobeying God. I’ve lived with the regret for more than twenty years.” He held his hands out, away from his sides, palms up. “You had to know, Pearl. I couldn’t ask you to spend the rest of your life with me, not knowing the truth. Now that you are aware of the kind of man I was, if you wish to terminate our relationship, I’ll understand, and I won’t persist in pressing you to change your mind.”
He dropped his hands to his sides and moved toward her, his hesitant step uncharacteristic of his usual confidence. “You need to rest now, Pearl. But there is just one question I must ask you.” A flush filled his cheeks behind his beard. “Did Silas Cain really ask you to marry him?”
She glanced down at her folded hands on her lap and gave a small nod. “Yes.”
Several moments of silence hung between them and Pearl lifted her eyes to light softly on the man standing before her. Dear Hubert—how she loved him.
She reached her hand out to him. “Come sit with me.”
Hubert settled into the swing beside her and enclosed her hand between both of his. The warmth of his nearness gave her the courage to be as honest with him as he’d been with her.
“There is something I must tell you as well,” she whispered. Hubert appeared about to protest, but she shook her head. “I must.”
She took a few sips of water. “I don’t know how much you’ve heard about Silas. He first came to Willow Creek seven years ago. He stayed at the boardinghouse, and it wasn’t long before he began asking if he could court me. I told him I had no desire to be courted, but that didn’t seem to stop him.” She took another sip of water.
“After a few weeks, everyone in town knew Silas wanted to court me. It didn’t seem to matter that I’d said no. Then one evening, Silas asked if he could speak to me out on the porch. He made a big show of getting down on his knee and asking me to marry him.”
She began coughing, and Hubert nudged the cup of water. “Please, my dear, you don’t need to say any more.”
Pearl shook her head again. “Yes, I do.” She sipped more water and set the cup aside. “The following day, everyone in town was congratulating me on my engagement. I tried to tell them there was no engagement because I’d refused Silas’s proposal.” She dipped her head. “Imagine my shock when a woman knocked on my door a few days later and told me she was looking for her husband, Silas Cain. My other boarders weren’t home yet, but Silas was always the first one home in the afternoon, so I asked the woman to wait. When Silas came in, there was a confrontation. Silas and his wife went for a walk, but he came back without her.”
She paused to cool her throat with more water. Hubert seemed to understand her need to tell him about the past chapter of her life, and he didn’t insist she stop. After a minute, she went on, her voice not much more than a croaky whisper.
“Silas left very early the next morning. I don’t know where his wife was; I didn’t see her again. I assumed she went with him.” She bowed her head. “Hubert, I felt so dirty. That poor woman! I know none of the blame was mine, but what if the news of Silas having a wife had gotten out? I could only imagine what that would do to my reputation. Why, it would make me look like a Jezebel. I kept the story to myself and prayed no one would ever find out. I’ve never told this to anyone until now.”
Hubert squeezed her hand. “That’s enough talking now. The sheriff has already told me what you wrote out concerning Cain’s intentions and how he threatened you.” He slid his arm around her shoulders. “It’s behind you now. God has a future for us to look forward to.”
Hubert sat forward in his chair beside Everett’s bed, grateful for the doctor’s permission to sit with his son. But he hadn’t been prepared for the swathe of bandages or the swelling of Everett’s face. Part of th
e burned area on one arm was exposed, and the sight of the angry, red flesh made Hubert’s gut twist. He could only imagine what lay beneath the bandages.
“He’s so still. I can barely see him breathing.” Hubert sent a worried glance to the doctor on the other side of the bed.
Doc Vogel stuck the ends of his stethoscope into his ears and pressed the apparatus to Everett’s chest. “He’s breathing just fine.”
“There’s a rather pungent odor in here.”
The doctor nodded and hung his stethoscope around his neck. “Part of the smell is the carbolic acid salve we’re using on the burns. We’re making a liniment with linseed oil and limewater to blot on the less serious burned area. But there is also some dead flesh that we’re still cleaning off.”
An involuntary shudder shook Hubert. “There’s no more risk of infection?”
“I didn’t say that.” Doc gingerly pulled back part of the bandage on Everett’s neck and the lower part of his face. “We’re keeping the wounds clean and removing bits of burned skin and flesh as we are able. Until new skin grows to cover the burned areas, the risk of infection will exist, but he’s showing some encouraging signs of healing.”
Hubert peered at the grisly red, purple, and blackened wounds along Everett’s jawline. An ache of commiseration surged through him, and he clenched his teeth to hold back a groan of sympathy.
Doc replaced the bandages and straightened. “I’m afraid he’s going to have some rather ugly scars.”
Hubert fixed his gaze on the part of Everett’s face not covered by the clean, white bindings. The thought of the once-handsome features being disfigured by lasting effects of the fire spurred grief, and condemnation strangled him. If only Everett hadn’t followed him into the burning house. Had circumstances taken a different turn, however, he and Pearl would both rest in the town cemetery now. He longed to hold Everett’s hand but was fearful that any touch could bring pain. He wished he could take some of that pain and bear it for his son.
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