The Raging Hearts: The Coltrane Saga, Book 2

by Patricia Hagan

  It was quiet. She stood inside the door for a moment, remembering all the months she had spent here. She did not hear anyone approaching.

  “Kitty? What are you doing here?”

  “Oh, Dr. Sims,” she gasped. “You startled me. I came to visit Mattie Glass. She’s still here, isn’t she?”

  “Unfortunately, yes.” He tugged at his beard, sucked in part of his lower lip as he stared at her thoughtfully. “But why have you come?”

  “She…she was a friend,” Kitty answered.

  “I doubt that she will see you. She doesn’t want to see anyone. I think every woman in the county has been here, and she hasn’t seen a one of them.”

  “Well, will you tell her I’m here and ask if she will see me?”

  He nodded. “Just don’t be surprised when she refuses. I wonder about the woman’s mind. I don’t think she’ll ever be right in the head again.”

  I could tell you exactly why, Kitty said to herself as the doctor walked away. I could tell you what it’s like to be raped—the degradation and humiliation. It could very easily drive a woman insane. But I won’t attempt to tell you, because you could never understand.

  Kitty suddenly felt a wave of strength she had forgotten existed. She had been through hell and endured. Corey McRae was no more formidable a foe than Luke Tate had once been, and she had found a way to escape then. All she had to do was wait, endure, and sooner or later her time would come.

  “Kitty? I’m surprised, but Mattie wants to see you,” Dr. Sims said, returning. “Come with me.”

  He led her to Mattie’s room. Kitty entered and shut the door behind her, then fought the impulse to gasp. Mattie Glass had always been so vibrant. Even when her husband had been killed in the war, her faith in God had kept her going. But the woman in the bed, staring at her with sunken eyes, the flesh gray and drawn, hair tangled—this was not the Mattie Glass Kitty remembered.

  Kitty moved cautiously toward the bed. A smile crept across the woman’s thin, white lips. “Kitty Wright. How good of you to come.”

  Spontaneously, their hands touched. Mattie squeezed Kitty’s fingers. Tears filled her eyes and overflowed to trickle down her sunken cheeks. “It was awful…” she whispered tremulously. “You just don’t know…”

  “Yes, I do know.” Kitty was blinking back the moisture in her own eyes. “That’s why I came, Mattie. First of all, because you were a friend to me when I needed one. And to share your pain and sorrow. It happened to me, too, Mattie, many times.”

  She sat down and told the woman of her own horrors, in graphic detail, sharing secrets she had held in her heart for so long. The words did not come easily, and several times Kitty choked back a sob as she told of the humiliation and pain. “I was used, defiled. Many times it would have been so much easier to seek death. But I didn’t, Mattie. I endured. I’ve found that is the key—endurance.”

  “God bless you,” Mattie said. “Oh, Kitty, God bless you for sharing this with me. You…you went through so much more than I. You didn’t give in and just want to die as I have done since that night.”

  “I didn’t have a child then, either. I had only myself. You have your sons to think about.”

  “Yes, yes that’s true,” she said, her voice filled with shame. “I’ve wallowed in self-pity and haven’t thought about them at all. They’re all I’ve got now. I have to regain my strength and my will and fight my way back, for their sakes.”

  “You certainly do. And if there is any way I can help, you know I will.”

  They exchanged smiles. The whole atmosphere in the room had changed, as though a cloud had been dispelled by sunshine. “Now, let’s talk about the future,” Kitty said brightly. “You still have your home.”

  “Corey McRae bought my tax certificate.” Her eyes stopped shining. “If I lose my home, what am I to do?”

  “Corey and I are married now.”

  Mattie raised her head from the pillow, eyes wide. “No. I don’t believe it. I knew you’d given birth to a son. I was hoping your cavalryman would come back and marry you. Oh, Kitty, Kitty, is your own agony ever to end? How could you marry that man? He…he’s a fiend. He…” Her head fell back. She closed her eyes momentarily, then looked up and said, “Forgive me. I’ve said too much. He’s your husband now, and you obviously had a reason for marrying him. If you love him, then that is your concern, not mine.”

  “No, I don’t love him,” Kitty said hotly. “I hate him. But I had no other choice. He bought my tax lien, too. My baby and I had been starving—truly starving. I was completely vulnerable. There was no one I could go to for help. You have many friends, Mattie. All of them are eager to help you if you’ll let them.”

  “Oh, how I hate to see that man take my land.” There was grit in her voice, and Kitty rejoiced. All was not lost. Mattie was not defeated.

  “Then don’t let him take it.”

  “How can I stop him?”

  “Talk to your friends. Perhaps enough money can be collected among them to pay your lien and keep him from taking your home away. Fight back, Mattie. Stand up and fight. Get out of that bed and get yourself together and make up your mind that you aren’t going to let one nightmare ruin your whole life. Think of your sons. Think of your dead husband and what he would want you to do. Do you think he’d want you to give up?”

  “No,” she nearly shouted.

  “Then fight!”

  The women stared at one another, deepening their bond.

  Mattie nodded firmly. “I’ll do it. I never wanted to impose on my friends before, but I know they’ll help me. I’ll do it, Kitty.”

  The door opened and Dr. Sims stepped in, looking sheepish. Before Kitty had time to worry over his expression, Corey followed, lips smiling but eyes blazing. She knew the look well. He was trying to appear pleasant, but inside he was seething. She knew why. He had told her he would pay a visit to Mattie and offer her a substantial sum for her property, and Kitty knew he wanted the land but did not want people saying he took advantage of a helpless widow.

  “Kitty, darling,” he oozed. “Aren’t you thoughtful to visit Mrs. Glass? You should have told me you were coming. We could have come together.”

  Kitty stood up, winking at Mattie, which neither Corey nor Dr. Sims could see. “Oh, I don’t think you would have wanted me along, dear. I believe your visit is not of a social nature.” Leaning over, she kissed the woman on the forehead and said, “I’ll leave you now as I have some shopping to do. Perhaps I can get back to see you soon. If not, I hope you will be able to come to our party. I’ll see that you receive an invitation.”

  Corey was frowning.

  “Party?” Mattie blinked. “I don’t think—”

  “Of course you can.” Kitty smiled brightly, patting her shoulder. “Remember, you are going to get up out of that bed and go back to living. You’re going to try and put what happened out of your mind. You will come to the party if I have to send a carriage for you.”

  “But even if I were able, I’m still in mourning.”

  “Then wear black. And if you don’t have a black dress, I will see that you get one.” She turned to Corey and gave him a smile. “Won’t we, dear?”

  “Of course, of course,” he said brusquely. “Now, if you have shopping to do, you had better go. I plan to start for home shortly.”

  With one more nod to Mattie, Kitty brushed by Corey and Dr. Sims and hurried from the hospital. Mattie would have her dress, she was thinking furiously as she hurried toward Mrs. Rivenbark’s dress shop, ignoring Rance, who was close behind.

  She was merrily humming “Dixie” as she opened the door to Nina Rivenbark’s dress shop. A bell tinkled as she stepped inside. Within a few seconds, the apple-cheeked woman was swishing her wide hips through a curtained-off partition at the back of the room.

  Clapping her hands in delight, the woman said, “Oh, I’m so glad you stopped by. It will save me a trip out for a fitting, and I have the material your husband wanted. You are going to be del
ighted when you see the way that green silk matches those emeralds. I took a swatch down to Giddens Jewelers, and they took the jewels out of the safe so I could see if they matched. Glory be, it was a sight to behold.”

  “Oh, I’m not here for a fitting, Mrs. Rivenbark. In fact, I can only stay a moment. I would like to see what you have available in black crepe.”

  “Black crepe?” She looked aghast. “Unfortunately, I have a large number of dresses on hand in black crepe. Goodness knows, we have enough womenfolk in mourning. But why are you interested?”

  Kitty explained.

  “I can certainly take care of the poor dear, and I think it will do her a world of good to be out and around people once again. I hear she’s pining away to bones in that hospital. I will go there tomorrow and fit her myself, and then if I don’t have her size on hand, I can surely re-stitch something for her.”

  “Just add the cost on to whatever my bill will be,” Kitty instructed.

  “Of course. Now, before you run, let me show you the green silk. I know you and Mr. McRae are both going to be quite pleased.”

  She stepped behind the curtain, then returned with a large bolt of the most beautiful green silk Kitty had ever seen. It was as brilliant as the leaves of a magnolia tree, and just as shiny and lustrous. “It is pretty,” she murmured, wishing she could muster some excitement.

  The bell tinkled once again, and as Kitty turned, she heard the haughty laughter of Nancy Warren Stoner. “Well, I do declare. It’s Mrs. Corey McRae. Now, isn’t this a surprise? Am I supposed to curtsy in madam’s presence?”

  Kitty thought once again that Nancy could be quite lovely if her nasty disposition did not show. Her head was thrown back, eyes glittering maliciously as her lips twisted sideways in a mocking smirk. She wore a rich blue velvet riding cape with hood, all edged in white fur. She did make a striking picture. Reaching to push back the hood, she gave her head a toss and said, “Well, Kitty. Am I to curtsy or not?”

  Kitty chose to ignore her. Turning back to Mrs. Rivenbark, she said, “Yes, this is lovely, and I am sure the dress will be beautiful. May I expect you tomorrow for a fitting?”

  “Yes, indeed. I will come out in the morning and we will get right to work.”

  “Good day, then.”

  She tried to brush by Nancy, but her path was blocked as her adversary sidestepped quickly. “Aren’t you going to speak to me, Kitty?”

  “Our conversations never begin or end on a polite note. I see no reason to waste our time.”

  “Oh, but I do. You see, I was planning on paying you a visit, but running into you this way has saved me the trouble. And I was not coming to congratulate you on maneuvering Corey McRae into marrying you, either.”

  “I neither expected nor desire your felicitations,” Kitty said. “Now if you will excuse me…”

  Kitty moved to the right, and once again Nancy stepped quickly in her path. “You will hear me out. I won’t waste any time, and then you may be on your way. I suppose congratulations are in order. That was quite an accomplishment, marrying a man of wealth to help you achieve some respectability and give your illegitimate child a name.”

  Kitty was determined not to let Nancy make her angry. “Then I accept your congratulations and ask that you keep your comments to yourself. Now, we have nothing further to say to each other.”

  “Oh, yes, we do. I happen to be married now—”

  “You always were. You never found out for certain that David was dead, did you? The last time I saw him, he was quite well.”

  “David is dead.” Nancy’s voice dripped hatred. “I am now married to Jerome Danton. He is rich, very rich. But thanks to your damned Yankee carpetbagger husband, people look down on him. They blame him for everything that happens around here, things that Corey McRae is actually responsible for, he and those hired hoodlums of his.”

  Kitty was plainly shocked. She had not heard that Nancy and Jerome had married. Nancy rushed on. “Now they blame Jerome for what happened to the widow Glass. Jerome would never do anything like that.”

  “I haven’t said he did,” Kitty pointed out.

  “I think your husband’s men are the ones responsible for what happened to Mattie Glass, and I think they tried to make it look like the night riders did it. Everyone thinks Jerome is their leader.”

  “They are no longer called night riders or vigilantes. They are called the Ku Klux Klan now, and I happen to know your husband is the leader. I was there the night his men shot Gideon. I watched his mother die of a heart attack, and then they burned my home, my barn, destroyed everything I had, and left me lying on the frozen ground, about to give birth. Both of us could have died.”

  “That’s a lie!” Nancy’s face was turning red, and Nina Rivenbark rushed forward to try to quiet her.

  “No, it is not a lie,” Kitty said, quite calmly. “Your husband limps because of a ball I put in his leg. Has he ever told you that? I meant to put it in his heart. So if he gets blamed for things, it’s his own fault. Not mine, nor my husband’s.”

  “Corey McRae’s men raped Mattie.”

  “You can’t prove that, and it’s a very serious accusation.” Kitty was not defending Corey out of affection. She could not bear the thought of his having any connection with such a horrible thing. Surely even Corey was not fiendish enough to have a defenseless woman ravished.

  “It’s true. Jerome told me. Corey wants Mattie’s land. He bought her tax certificate. Jerome knows for a fact that Corey went to see her and asked her to sell out. He didn’t want to mar his image by putting a helpless widow and her children out of her home, and she refused to sell. She told Jerome she’d never sell to him, either, but he went away. He did not take men and go back and rape her and beat up her children.”

  Nancy was livid as she continued. “The night after it happened, some men came to our door and were about to drag Jerome out and lynch him. If he hadn’t been on guard and had some of his friends watching out for him, ready with guns, he’d be dead now. All this is Corey’s fault. He had his men dressed up like the night riders so Jerome would look responsible.”

  Nina Rivenbark tried again. “Please, Nancy, calm yourself. There’s no need for all this.”

  “Shut up,” Nancy screeched at her, deliberately sweeping a display of merchandise to the floor. “Just stay out of it. Maybe you have already forgotten that this trollop caused the death of one of our bravest soldiers?”

  “I don’t hate you. I pity you,” Kitty cut in before Nancy could continue with the story of Nathan. “Oh, Nancy,” she whispered. “Let’s bury the past. God only knows, it hurts too much to remember. We’ve both suffered enough.”

  “Oh!” Both women turned in the direction of Nina Rivenbark, who was looking relieved. She bustled past them toward the front door, where Corey McRae stood.

  “Darling, I thought I might find you here.” Corey’s lips touched her cheek, and she did not turn away. Then he stiffened, aware of the tension in the air. Looking from her to Nancy and then to Nina, a frown creased his forehead. “Is anything wrong?”

  “No, everything is fine,” Kitty said, perhaps too quickly, for his eyebrows shot up suspiciously. “Nancy and I were just saying that the past should be forgotten. I was about to invite her and her new husband to our party.”

  A master at disguising his true reactions, Corey was the perfect gentleman as he smiled and murmured, “I have only this day heard about your marriage to Mr. Danton. I offer you both my congratulations.”

  Kitty waited. Was Nancy going to hurl her accusations at Corey?

  Suddenly Nancy exuded charm. She curtsied slightly and, smiling, said, “Why, thank you, Corey, that’s very kind of you. Jerome and I will have the pleasure of extending our felicitations when we attend your party.” Turning to Kitty, she held out her hand, which Kitty obligingly touched. “Thank you for your kind invitation, Kitty. We wouldn’t miss it for the world, believe me.”

  Her eyes flashed coldly. Her hand felt clammy. Kitty
withdrew from the clasp and murmured that she looked forward to seeing her soon. She knew she had not seen the last of Nancy’s attempt at revenge, but at least she had made a gesture toward a truce.

  Nancy left, and Corey’s eyes swept over the broken glass and scattered fans that covered the floor. Nina Rivenbark opened her mouth to speak, but Kitty silenced her with a look. “I bumped into the counter. Wasn’t that silly of me? Mrs. Rivenbark and I were about to clean up the mess when Nancy happened by. Here, let’s do it now.”

  She started to bend over and pick up some of the fans, but Corey’s hand snaked out and caught her arm, stopping her. “I am sure Mrs. Rivenbark would not like to see one of her most valued customers doing something so laborious, my dear.” His voice was tight, and Kitty realized he was quite upset over something. Then he was turning to Nina, all charm and graciousness once again. “Now that I am here, I would like to see the green silk for my wife’s dress. Did you match the color with the emeralds?”

  “Oh, yes, sir, Mr. McRae. You are going to be so pleased. I took a swatch right over to Giddens Jewelers and had them get those jewels out of the safe, and, oh, my, they are beautiful! Truly fit for a queen.”

  Corey slipped his arm around Kitty’s waist. “Why, she is a queen, Mrs. Rivenbark, my queen, and I want the whole world to know that.”

  Mrs. Rivenbark displayed the material, and Corey gave his approval. Then he bade her good day and led Kitty outside, his fingers wrapped firmly around her elbow. Once outside, he all but yanked her down the sidewalk in the direction of the buggy. “What is wrong with you? You’re hurting me. Let me go.”

  “I’ll let you go when I get you inside the buggy,” he said between gritted teeth. “You and I have something to discuss, my dear.”

  Hugo was hovering nearby to help Kitty up into the carriage. He would sit beside the driver as he had done on the way into town. Kitty settled back against the soft velvet cushioned seats, hating the buggy’s design. Its half-cocoon shape, wrapping about her on both sides and above, isolated her from the world. And the view was obstructed by Hugo and the driver.