He meant it to be funny, but no one laughed. Hal reddened and Becca handed him a tray. Along with the breakfast, a hothouse gardenia floated in a little glass bowl.
Hal bent to sniff the gardenia. “Thanks, Becca. Poor Fanny feels miserable. She’ll love the flower.” As he lifted the tray, he muttered to Daniel. “You did not know she was a girl.”
CHAPTER 24
FIRST DANCE
Hal and Daniel met in the upstairs hall, decked out in their dress uniforms, ready to attend the Christmas Ball. As they started down the stairs, Hal said, “Sorry about the other morning. Fanny was up all night. So was I. Regardless, I shouldn’t have gone on about Summer being a girl. I see her all dressed up and am surprised every time at how ….” He glanced sideways at Daniel and didn’t finish. “I have my own problems, but at least, I don’t have yours. Do you know your mother’s in town?”
Daniel lifted an eyebrow.
“And Mary was married three days ago to Emmett Hathaway. He’s artillery with Hancock. Tall, red-haired, he went to Germantown then West Point, long sideburns. He’s friends with her brothers. Decent chap. Mary bawled all through the wedding.”
Daniel grimaced.
“That’s the good news.” They continued down, side by side on the wide staircase. “I understand Captain and Mrs. Hathaway will be at the ball tonight. Your mother accompanied them on the train along with Mary’s parents the day before yesterday. They all are staying at Willard’s. Your mother thought it would be awkward for Mary if they stayed here.”
Daniel jerked. He understood Mary not staying here, but his own mother had made no effort to meet Summer Rose or let him know she was in Washington?
“Pay no attention to her, Daniel. Flora must be furious about your marriage. She’s just grinding in the knife.” He shrugged and shook his head. “Ray and I will keep our eyes open.”
Ten minutes later, the girls gathered in the large upstairs hall while Amelia assembled the men and the servants at the foot of the stairs. Earlier in the afternoon, Amelia, no debutante herself, had crammed years of training into a few hours. Amelia had whooped and done a little dance when Summer told her, “I love to dance. My father loved to dance. He taught all of us.”
Other important lessons were emphasized: how to sit, how to walk and curtsey, how to enter and exit a carriage while wearing a hoop, how to balance a tea cup.
“It’s best if you just don’t eat or drink anything, and for heaven’s sake, don’t stick out your pinky.”
Now as Daniel stood at the foot of the stairs, all thoughts of his mother’s rudeness evaporated. He hoped heaven existed just so her parents and brothers could look down and see her tonight. He wondered if Jack planned to attend the dance. He hoped so.
Grace, in peacock feathers and blue taffeta, and Fanny in butter-colored silk and tulle, shimmered and rustled. They were beautiful. But he only noticed his wife. Her dress of rich, cocoa-colored velvet draped beautifully over her stunning figure and picked up the creamy color of her skin and the rich brown of her sable hair. Silk petticoats and trimmings, all the way down to the ruffles on her pantaloons, foamed like whipped cream on hot chocolate. She wore her mother’s earrings and pearls. And her hairpins. He smiled. He remembered her hairpins.
When she took his arm, he bent and kissed her, so proud he couldn’t stop smiling. He whispered. “You taste of sugar and spice and look gorgeous. Be warned, I may drag you into a coat closet and ravish you.”
She grinned and leaned into his shoulder. “Oh Daniel, getting past the layers of clothing would cool your ardor. I’m trussed up like a turkey. Two French ladies made this new corset. I wonder if their great grandmothers learned their trade during the Inquisition?”
Becca helped her with her cloak and gloves and handed her a fan from which dangled a little dance card. As they walked to the carriage, Daniel wrote his name diagonally across all the lines.
“Now the most beautiful girl in the world must dance every dance with me,” he said as he handed her the fan and card. He lowered his voice. “Trust me, I’ll find a way beneath the guardian layers.”
Wise Mr. Stone had ordered two large carriages. Two couples to a carriage allowed room for the hoops and crinolines, and Amelia’s practice sessions produced perfectly executed entrances. The girls backed into the carriages, and the men stuffed their skirts in behind them, producing much laughter.
The wait in the line of carriages in front of the hotel, the walk to the entrance, checking their coats, their announcement, everything moved at a crawl. While they waited, Grace, who had attended the Russian Ball in November, went on and on about how grand that affair had been, and Ray entertained them with behind the scene stories of drunken generals and rude heads of state. They all grew impatient, but Grace did so with little elegance.
Finally their turn came, and Summer’s hand slipped into his; and, even through the double layer of their gloves, he felt her warmth. She squeezed tight as they entered the anterooms and faced the antagonistic stares of his mother, Mary, and the McGills. A silence filled any leftover space in the room, as if everyone forgot to breathe. Daniel spotted a healthy-looking Richie and sighed with relief. He wondered how much Mary and her mother knew of their ugly fight. He was disappointed when he couldn’t find any evidence of his father. He nodded hello to the group across the lobby.
No one blinked. Then Emmett nodded and Daniel acknowledged the gesture. He hoped Mary would find happiness. His mother, blonde and regal in black satin and diamonds, turned her back to them. The strains of a mazurka beckoned from the ballroom, and Amelia herded their party to the floor. The four couples made up a quadrille. For most of the evening they dominated a corner of the floor as one set followed another. The orchestra played a waltz, then a polka. Daniel and Hal, who had taken endless dancing lessons, demonstrated the steps, and the group caught on so well that spectators gathered and applauded. They swirled and dipped and stomped, twirling with wild abandon. The music ended to applause and a mad rush for champagne and oysters. Poor Fanny turned green at the sight of a raw oyster.
Just before midnight, Daniel spotted his mother leading a small entourage across the dance floor: Mr. and Mrs. McGill, the newly-wedded Captain and Mrs. Hathaway, and two couples he didn’t know rode in her wake. Very glad he’d consumed a stiff whiskey and with a sense of duty, he embraced his mother and led her toward Summer Rose. He made introductions, exchanged Christmas greetings, congratulated the newlyweds, even kissed Mary’s cheek. He noticed her upper lip twitch. Emmett noticed, too. The strains of another polka reached them, and Emmett asked him to show him the steps. As he demonstrated, he watched Summer speak with Mary and his mother. Graciousness became her. Mary smiled. Summer Rose touched her arm. They laughed. His mother touched her cheek. He gave a silent thanks for his decision to marry her, a lump rose in his throat.
When his mother’s entourage left and Mary and Emmett whisked off to try the polka Daniel whispered, “What on earth did you say to Mary? My Mother?”
Summer smiled smugly. “I just told Mary I thought her lucky, that Emmet seemed both kind and handsome.” She smiled again. “I told her, too I could tell Emmett was besotted with her. She liked that. And I just smiled a lot at your mother and agreed with her.”
He kissed her, dancing her toward the entrance. “Thank you. Leave your hoop with Amelia. It folds up, doesn’t it? We’ll walk home.”
They moved toward the hall leading to the coatroom, her arm tucked in his. “I liked Mary.” She said. “She’s nice and pretty.”
“Would I pick any other kind of girl?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Your taste is impeccable, but does she know the first thing about digging out a bullet or stitching a wound? You definitely made the best choice.”
He couldn’t help but grin at her. “You expect me to need a lot of stitching?”
“Indeed, I do. You are a soldier.”
He stopped and kissed her right there in the entrance. “You are the best thing to ever happe
n to me. Now you just wait here. I’ll find Amelia and ask her to help with that hoop then I’ll fetch our coats.”
CHAPTER 25
BLACKJACK
While Daniel retrieved their coats, Amelia helped Summer Rose remove the hoop and tuck up the excess material of the skirt. Hooks and eyes had been sewn into the back of the waist and seams of the dress for just that purpose.
“Harvey is deep into politics,” Amelia muttered, then kissed them both. “If he wasn’t, I’d go home with you. But he wants me to stay.”
As he stepped outside, Daniel took his wife’s hand. Fog, thick and unmoving, shrouded the streets. From the river near Foggy Bottom, someone set off fireworks, and they stood for a moment watching the bursts of lights over the Executive Mansion. She leaned into his arm as firecrackers sparked across the street.
At Pennsylvania Avenue he turned and headed toward 17th Street. Two soldiers patrolling on horseback trotted by, followed by a loud carriage of partygoers. As they strolled past Lafayette Park, Daniel pointed across the street to the President’s House, barely visible in the mist.
“Hal and I dined there once, when we first came to Washington. We stopped Mrs. Lincoln’s carriage when her horse bolted, so we were rewarded with an invitation. Dinner was okay, but nothing special. The dining room ceiling leaked. Mrs. Lincoln and Edwin Stanton were there as well as John Hay, one of the President’s secretaries. Lincoln entertained us with his stories.”
He relaxed a little as he led her by Blair House and Admiral Lee’s House, then another park where more firecrackers popped and crackled, and acrid smoke blended with the mist. Three men staggered through the ornate iron gates and passed them.
A second too late, Daniel jerked alert, aware of their sobriety as the men swung around and came up from behind. One grabbed Summer Rose and dragged her into the park, as the other two came at him. In the dim gaslight he saw the glint of brass knuckles on one man’s fist, and a lethal blackjack in the hand of the other. He grabbed Brass Knuckles by his shoulders, spun him around, and shoved him into the other boy. Reaching beneath his coat, Daniel pulled out his revolver and fired two shots into the air, but they did nothing to frighten away the attackers. Brass Knuckles swung at him and Blackjack moved to go behind him, but Daniel fired again. The round ripped into Brass Knuckles’ jaw, jerking his head back, taking off a huge chunk. He staggered and wheeled, then fell face down, blood pooling in the snow. Daniel swung sideways with his pistol aimed at Blackjack, who dropped to his knees and held out the blackjack like an offering to the gods. Daniel grabbed it and smashed it across the boy’s face. He had not stayed alive in countless bloody battles by not knowing how to fight.
Halfway up a little hill strewn with boulders and scrawny cedar trees, he made out Summer Rose, struggling with her attacker. He ran toward her, sliding in the snow. When he reached her she stood alone, still as a rock. One hand gripped her black cape tight to her chest, while her other held her knife at her side. Blood dripped from the blade and trailed into the rocks and pines. Daniel grabbed Summer and held her tightly against him. Seconds later, Jack McAllister, gun in hand, jumped from a cab and ran to them.
“Help her into the carriage.” Jack ordered. “Go. Quickly. I’ll take care of this.” He motioned with his gun toward the still bodies of the hooligans and the trail of blood. Daniel did as he asked. “No questions. Get her out of here. I’ll stop by the house later.”
He closed the door behind them and rapped the side of the carriage. The driver’s whip cracked, and the carriage lurched down the street.
Daniel fell to his knees before her, unsure of where to put his hands. “Where are you cut?”
He watched her swallow hard. A wide smear of blood ran across one cheek, widening as her tears reached it. She wiped the blade on one of her gloves, then lifted her skirt and returned her knife to its sheath. Splatters of blood and mud slashed her crinolines. Her breath came fast, her shoulders heaved.
She met his eyes. “I cut him. Daniel, it was so fast. I cut open his cheek, and I got him in the shoulder.” She started to cry. “He had his hand between my legs. It’s h-his blood all over me. I … I wasn’t hurt. I will never-ever forget his face!”
Her cape fell open and his breathing stopped. The front of her gown had been sliced open from neck to pelvis, the skirt and crinolines shredded. She spread her arms and the layers of clothing, fell open. Her pretty corset had been sliced from top to bottom, every stitch of the front seam laid open, and her lace pantaloons hung, ripped half-off. The only thing covering her upper body was a thin, now bloody, chemise. She reached down and yanked off the pantaloons, which she dropped and stomped on. “I can’t stand the smell.”
“Blood gushed from him. I got him from his eye to his jaw.” Her finger mimicked the slash.
Daniel stuffed the gloves and pantaloons in his pocket then he grabbed her hands, holding them for a moment. With his own hands shaking, he pulled her cape together. Her fingers closed over the edges, holding it in place now that the buttons were gone.
She stared into his eyes. “Da trained me, Daniel. I had my knife out, and I sliced him before he … He’ll need someone to sew him up. I didn’t even think. I meant for his throat. You believe me, don’t you?”
Daniel sat up and sank back against th seat, letting out a loud breath. His voice came out a whisper. “Of course I believe you.” His hands wouldn’t quit shaking. He pulled out his handkerchief again and gently wiped her face, clearing away the remnants of the blood. “Thank God Jack arrived when he did. How the hell did he get there so fast?”
Daniel sat up quickly, a frown making deep furrows across his face. He glanced out the window as Jack’s carriage pulled up to the house on 18th Street. He was confused. He hadn’t heard Jack give the address. A tall man in a dark coat, hat, and black leather gloves opened the door and lowered the step. Daniel nodded thanks, stepped out of the carriage, then turned and helped Summer. He held her tight against his left side as the coachman moved ahead of them, up the porch steps. Racing hooves thundered down the street. Daniel’s right hand still held his revolver. He led her to the stairs and inside. The first man, the one who had opened the carriage door, said, “I’ll wait outside and watch the house until Major McAllister arrives.” He bowed slightly. “I work for Allan Pinkerton.”
Daniel nodded as things fell into place. He knew who Pinkerton was. A Scotsman by birth, Pinkerton was a private detective from Chicago who worked closely and secretly with President Lincoln. He’d rocketed to a position of power in wartime Washington.
Daniel walked Summer upstairs and met Becca on the landing. She rushed ahead, opening the door to their rooms. Summer walked silently into the room and sat on the edge of the bed, still clutching her coat.
Daniel holstered his revolver and kept his voice calm. “Becca, have Ned check all the windows and doors on the first floor. Make sure everything is locked up tight. Also, ask him to heat the boiler. And please bring up a few glasses and ice. Summer Rose’s brother, Major McAllister, will be here shortly. You or Mr. Stone, please escort him here. Thanks Becca.”
Becca, wide-eyed, glanced at Summer Rose and ran from the room.
“Would you help me, Daniel?”
He removed her cloak and folded it on the bed beside her. Without it, the enormity of the attack hit them, and he felt sick with both rage and relief. He stood behind her, helping her peel off the ruined dress, the slashed corset, and the bloody chemise. Nausea rose in his throat, and he tossed the mess onto the closet floor. Her ruined slippers, her stockings, and the gloves and pantaloons from his pocket followed. As he removed her pearls, he couldn’t help staring at her thigh, where four claw marks spread across the skin along the outside of her knee.
She unstrapped the knife and sheath, placing them on the dressing table. So sweet, so lethal. He picked up the corset again and eyed the clean cut. The knife had been razor sharp.
“God, Rosie. He could have killed you.”
He pulled a clean robe f
rom its hanger and draped it over his arm, trying not to notice the pink water in the basin. He held the fresh wrapper and, as she found the sleeves, his arms slid around her. She turned around and reached beneath his great coat and jacket, laying her cheek against his shirt. “I still want a bath, but I wanted his blood off me. Hold me, please, for just a moment.”
He held her tight to his chest, kissing the top of her head. After a minute, she backed up. He slipped the blackjack into his trouser pocket and dropped the corset on the closet floor.
Her eyes narrowed. “Daniel, that man had sliced open corsets before. His face … He knew exactly what to do. He just didn’t expect to run into Micah McAllister’s daughter.”
A tap sounded at the door. Daniel pulled the door to the closet closed. When he opened the door to the hall, he took the drink tray from Becca as she barged past him, running to Summer Rose. “What happened? There’s blood on the stairs.”
Summer hugged Becca, backing her away from the closet. She kissed her cheek. “Yes, Becca, but we’re safe. My brother will be here shortly. And now I’m absolutely starved,” she said, hoping to distract her. She maneuvered Becca toward the door. “I’m going to take a quick bath. I can manage myself. Would you make us a little tray of those open-faced bacon, onion, and melted cheese sandwiches you make?”
“Where are the others?”
“Still at the hotel. When they return, Amelia will ask about us.”
Daniel made a motion as if to seal his lips. “Just tell her we’re back. We don’t need everyone running in here asking a million questions. Ask Mr. Stone to do the same. You know how this house is a cauldron of gossip.”
As Daniel fixed two drinks, he said, “You can see we’re both fine, but precautions are necessary. I’m counting on you, Becca. I don’t want the others upset tonight. And I don’t want our names in the headlines of tomorrow’s papers.”
CHAPTER 26
THE BLOODY CORSET
Summer Rose Page 13