“Yes, I noticed how eager he was to impress me with everything he’s learned.”
“We’ll have to be very careful how we treat the boys,” Hannah said.
“Davey’s carved out a niche for himself since Benjamin left, and any hint of favoritism could prove disastrous.”
Reiver, ever Ben’s champion, surprised Hannah by agreeing. Then he said,
“Lizzie is quite the little beauty. I’m surprised she remembered me since she was so young when I left.”
“I talked about you and Ben every day to her so she wouldn’t forget you, and showed her tintypes of her ‘Uncle Reiver’ and ‘Cousin Ben’.”
“That was awfully decent of you.” He hesitated. “Tonight, when you brought her downstairs for a few minutes, I could see that she’s become very attached to you.”
“Why wouldn’t she? I am the only mother she has ever known.”
A wistful expression touched Reiver’s face. “I think Cecelia would be happy to know that her daughter is well taken care of.”
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“Lizzie is everything Abigail couldn’t be,” Hannah said softly.
Reiver stared down at his hands and said nothing. Even after all these years he still couldn’t bring himself to talk about Abigail because he had never loved her.
As they resumed conversing about their family and the mill, Hannah realized that after twenty-one years of marriage, they had finally become comfortable with each other, fitting easily like well-worn shoes. Time had leached out the pain of old wounds.
Finally Hannah rose. “I’ve got to go to bed before I fall asleep on my feet.”
“It’s been an exhausting day.” Reiver stood, his expression inscrutable as he waited for her to join him.
He took a lamp and they walked upstairs together. When they got to Hannah’s room, she stopped at the door. Was he expecting her to invite him to share her bed? Would he insist?
Reiver kissed her good night, turned, and walked to his old room without a backward glance.
Hannah expelled a small sigh of relief and entered her room to sleep alone.
Reiver rose late the following morning, dressed quickly, and went to the mill. Walking down Mulberry Hill, he breathed deeply of the fresh spring air, grateful to feel solid Yankee soil beneath his feet once again and to hear English spoken.
For the past three years, while seeing many startling and wondrous sights on his travels, he had thought of nothing else but regaining control of his company.
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He had made that devil’s bargain with Hannah for Lizzie’s sake because he had no other choice, but now that his daughter was older, there had to be some way he could force Hannah to relinquish the company.
His task would not be easy. He could see that his wife had grown to relish the power that almost none of her sex attained, and she would hate to relinquish it. But there was a way. He had to exploit her weakness.
And that weakness was Samuel.
Georgia and Hannah sat beneath the shade of the tallest oak tree one hot July morning, enjoying a brief visit before Hannah left to call on the mother of a Shaw employee who had answered President Lincoln’s call to enlist in the Union Army and had been killed in the Battle of Bull Run on July 21. He was only seventeen.
Georgia’s eyes filled with tears. “I didn’t know Artemus, but James said he was a hard worker and wanted to help end slavery.”
“He was very idealistic. He took Uncle Tom’s Cabin out of the mill library several times.”
Georgia shuddered. “It makes the war seem close, doesn’t it?”
Hannah looked out over the idyllic landscape of cloudless blue summer sky, lush green trees, and the stagecoach kicking up clouds of dust on Hartford Road and found it difficult to imagine that elsewhere in her own country there were battlefields strewn with wounded and dying young men like Artemus.
She smiled sadly at the waste. “Let’s be thankful that Ben and Davey are home where they belong, and the twins are too young to go to war.”
Georgia blushed. “Speaking of the twins…soon they and Victoria will have a new little brother or sister.”
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Hannah’s eyes widened in surprise. So soon? “Why, that’s wonderful! You’ll be filling the Bickford house with all those babies you and James want.”
Georgia glowed with vitality and anticipation.
“I love the feeling of having a baby growing inside me. I’m going to have a dozen, if I can.”
Hannah thought of the children she could never have and felt a twinge of jealousy, but it passed quickly. “You’re fortunate.”
Yes, Hannah thought as she excused herself and left for her condolence call, wars might rage, but life went on. As long as Confederate soldiers didn’t storm Mulberry Hill and women kept buying thread and ribbons, she and her family would remain untouched by the horror.
When Hannah returned to the house, she found Reiver waiting for her in the study.
“Where have you been?” he asked, his voice edged with impatience.
“I called on Artemus’s mother.”
Reiver shook his head. “Damn fool boy, running off to join the army like that.”
Hannah dabbed her damp brow with her handkerchief. “I felt so sorry for his mother. It’s tragic to lose a child at any age, but more so when they’ve been with you awhile.”
His fingers drummed the desk nervously. “There’s something important I’d like to discuss with you.”
Hannah sat down on the settee and arranged her hoop skirt carefully. “You sound so serious. What is it?”
“I want my mill back.”
She raised her brows in surprise. “Why should I give it to you? We made a bargain, remember?”
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He leaned back against the edge of his desk and crossed his arms. “We struck that devil’s bargain years ago. Circumstances have changed, and I want to renegotiate.”
“I don’t see how anything has changed.”
“The boys are grown, and Lizzie is no longer a baby.”
“I wanted controlling interest in the mill in exchange for caring for your illegitimate child. Are you telling me that you don’t want me to care for Lizzie now?”
“Oh, no. Lizzie is much too attached to her Aunt Hannah to separate the two of you.”
Hannah laughed incredulously. “You still want me to raise her, but you also want the mill back. I’m sorry, but I will not agree to that.”
“If you agree to my terms, I’ll give you your freedom.”
Hannah froze, unable to believe her ears. “My freedom?”
He nodded. “If you return all of my shares, I’ll give you a divorce. You will be free to marry Samuel.”
“Why should I want to marry him? I told you that our feelings for each other died long ago. There’s nothing between us now.”
“You may deny it all you like, but I doubt that you and he have been able to keep your hands off each other for the last three years.”
When Hannah opened her mouth to protest, he held up his hand to silence her. “I honestly don’t care. I just want the mill back. Since my brother is incapacitated, I’ll also give you a ten percent interest in the company to support you both very comfortably for the rest of your lives. You may live in the homestead. All I ask is that you keep Lizzie with you.”
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She stared at him as if he were deranged. “Why the sudden turnabout? You were so adamant that Cecelia’s daughter be raised as a Shaw. You even sacrificed your mill for her. Now you don’t care?”
“At the time, I had no other choice. Now that she’s older, she’ll be fine if you agree to take her.”
Reiver stepped away from the desk, his expression imploring. “This is best for all concerned. You and Samuel would be together without any interference from me, and I’d get Shaw Silks back.”
“What of my involvement in the company? Will you expect me to give it all up?”
Reiver’s gaze slid away. “I suppose you could still do the accounts if you wanted to, and call on the workers when they’re sick, but as I would now have controlling interest, I would make the major decisions.”
Would he reduce the workers’ wages again? she wondered. Would he callously replace anyone dissatisfied with the new lower wages? Would he realize her dream of eventually providing their employees with inexpensive housing? Knowing Reiver as she did, Hannah doubted it.
His expression hardened. “Why are you hesitating, Hannah? I’m offering to give you everything you’ve ever wanted.”
But now Shaw Silks means as much to me as Samuel does, and I don’t know if I can give it up, she thought. “I’ll have to consider your offer,” she said, gathering her skirts to leave.
Reiver’s hand shot out and caught her wrist. “Shaw Silks belongs to me. I built it up from nothing, and I will have it back. Don’t cross me on this, Hannah, or you’ll live to regret it.”
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She shivered at the calculating menace in his voice. “I said, I will consider your offer.” She jerked her arm free and swept out of the study.
Once outside, she headed down Mulberry Hill toward the homestead.
Hannah found Samuel sitting at the dining room table with his shirt sleeves rolled up and papers strewn about him.
He looked up, his pale eyes warming at the sight of her. Then he frowned when he examined, her expression more closely. “What’s wrong?”
Hannah smiled dryly. “What could possibly be wrong? Reiver has just offered to give me everything I’ve ever wanted.” At Samuel’s puzzled look, Hannah proceeded to enlighten him.
When she finished, Samuel said, “What did you tell him?”
“I told him I’d think about it.” The minute the words were out of her mouth, Hannah realized her mistake. She shot Samuel a look of alarm, dreading to see the betrayal on his face.
“If I were a younger man, I’d be furious with you for not jumping at the chance to spend the rest of your life with me.” He sighed dismally and ran his hand through his hair. “But I realize there are more important matters at stake than my own selfish concerns.”
Hannah went to him and touched her hand to his grizzled beard. “You know I’d like nothing better than to do just that. But this doesn’t involve just you and me. There is Lizzie to consider, and the welfare of the workers.”
“Reiver has always treated them like family.”
“Not always. He cut their wages once, and if I hadn’t insisted that he reinstate them, he would’ve just replaced anyone who left. Unlike many factory
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owners, I’ve also refused to hire children. Who knows what Reiver plans to do in that regard?”
Hannah paced once around the dining room and stopped. “This may sound unfeminine of me, but I enjoy controlling Shaw Silks, and I think I’ve done a damn fine job. When nothing else in my life was going right, it provided a great source of comfort and satisfaction.”
Samuel rose and went to her. “Do what you think is best.”
She clenched her fists in frustration. “It’s not that simple. Reiver has threatened that I’ll live to regret it if I don’t do as he wishes.”
He drew her into his arms and held her. “I won’t let him hurt you.”
Hannah pulled away. “I’m not worried for myself. You live here on Reiver’s bounty. What if he decides to cast you out again? I can’t let him do that.”
He looked chagrined. “I’ll have you know I’m not quite the charity case everyone thinks me to be just because I’ve got this.” He held up his wooden hand. “I’ll have you know that several congressmen were quite impressed with me when I went to Washington.”
Hannah smiled. “How could they not be?” Her smile faded. “But there’s Lizzie. What if Reiver remarries and takes her away from me? She may be Cecelia’s daughter, but I love her as if she were my own, and it would break my heart to give her up.” She shook her head in disgust. “I thought Reiver loved his daughter better than his mill, but I was wrong. Shaw Silks will always be first in his heart.”
Samuel stood there in silence. “So what will you do?”
“I’ll ask Reiver to give me until Christmas to decide. Hopefully by that time I’ll know what to do.”
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The second Sunday in November dawned bitter cold and so still, not a bare branch shivered. After church services Benjamin reported that he had heard the Coldwater River was frozen solid and perfect for an ice-skating party.
With predictions of a long war and the North now blockading the South’s ports, both Hannah and Reiver agreed that a skating party would lift the family’s spirits. So Hannah bundled up Lizzie and invited Samuel and James to come along.
When they arrived at the river, they discovered that the cove was already crowded with skaters of all ages and sizes gliding around and around.
Hannah sat on an overturned log and put on her skates, casting a worried look at the river running past the cove. “Benjamin,” she said, “the river isn’t frozen. That’s open water out there.”
He gave her a supercilious look. “The river may not be frozen, Mother, but the cove is. Look at everyone skating. It’s perfectly safe.”
She was not reassured. “Stay away from the edge of the ice. It isn’t safe.”
“Yes, Mother,” he replied in a bored, placating tone before skating off.
Hannah watched him in growing annoyance. Ever since returning from the Orient, Benjamin had been acting like a spoiled brat, disrespectful to his mother and condescending to everyone else. He was turning into a most unpleasant young man.
“Aunt Hannah,” Lizzie said, “will you skate with me?”
“Just let me get your skates on, and we can take a turn around the ice.”
Once Lizzie’s skates were laced tight, Hannah took her hand, and they started off slowly, going around and around. Hannah smiled at people she knew, always keeping her eyes on her sons, who seemed intent on proving who could skate the fastest.
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After several turns around the cove, Lizzie announced that she was tired, so Hannah returned to the log at the edge of the ice to catch her breath and watch the skaters.
“Look!” Lizzie said, pointing to a thick log half-submerged in the water and frozen in the ice. “Davey’s going to jump.”
Hannah held her breath as her younger son skated in long, swinging strides toward the fallen log, gaining momentum with every second. Then he leaned forward, drew up his legs and jumped, sailing over it with inches to spare.
Miraculously he landed without mishap and skated on to loud applause from the onlookers.
Reiver skated over to Hannah. “Enjoying the contest?”
She shook her head. “One of them is bound to fall and crack his head open.”
“Spoken like a true mother hen.” He looked down at her. “Perhaps we’d better take a turn around the ice before people start to talk.”
“But people are talking now,” Lizzie piped up, frankly puzzled.
“Yes, honey, they certainly are.” Hannah looked up at Reiver, surprised that he would even ask her to skate with him. He had not been pleased with having to wait until Christmas to learn of her decision, and relations between them had been as cold as this day in November.
“Someone has to watch Lizzie,” she said.
Reiver hailed
Benjamin skating past. “Son, watch your cousin while your mother and I go skating.”
“Father, I am not a nursemaid.”
Reiver’s wide jaw clenched. “You are while your mother and I are skating.
Now do as you’re told.”
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Benjamin muttered something under his breath, then extended his mittened hand to Lizzie, and off they went. Hannah joined hands with Reiver, and they skated off in tandem.
“At least pretend that you’re enjoying this,” he said through clenched teeth.
“I’m not, so why should I?” she replied.
As they rounded the cove and came back Hannah noticed that Benjamin and Lizzie were too far away, out near the edge of the open water.
“Reiver,” she said in alarm, “Ben has taken Lizzie too near the river. It’s dangerous. Let’s call them back.”
He dismissed her fears with an irritated, “Ben won’t let anything happen to Lizzie. She’s safe with him.”
“I’m worried. I want to call them back.”
Reiver tightened his grip on her hands so she couldn’t pull away. “You’ve always wanted to keep those children wrapped in cotton batting. Now stop worrying.”
As they started to take another turn around the ice, Hannah glanced back around her shoulder to check on Benjamin and Lizzie. Without warning, the ice gave way with a sickening crack.
Ben and Lizzie dropped into the water and disappeared.
Hannah screamed and pulled out of Reiver’s grasp. “Dear God, they’ve fallen in!”
“Stay back!” Reiver cried, and before Hannah could blink, he was skating toward the broken ice and open water.
A collective gasp of shock rippled through the skaters, and everyone stopped. Several men went flying past Hannah, who stood there as if her skates were frozen to the ice. Then a grim-faced Samuel was beside her, gripping her hand.
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