Blood Moon (Ella Wood, 2)

by Michelle Isenhoff

  Emily hardly registered the sour fumes or radiating heat. The intensity that had driven her all evening had burned off, leaving her drained and shaken. Blindly, she followed Thad’s lead, rousing only when he paused at the corner near her aunt’s house. “Would you prefer to stay with Mrs. Thornton, or shall I take you all the way home?”

  Lights burned in every one of her aunt’s windows, illuminating a street crowded with grave faces. Long after midnight, drays were still carting rescued belongings to safety. “This is fine.”

  “Then I will leave you here. I may still be of use somewhere.”

  “You’re going back?”

  “Others helped us,” he reminded her. “Don’t worry. I’ll be careful.” And with a kiss on her forehead, he strode up the darkened street.

  Emily sagged against the doorframe and watched his diminishing form flicker through patches of light and shadow. When she turned back, she noticed a woman sitting on the curb beside a heaping wheelbarrow and holding a crying baby on her lap. She approached hesitantly. “Ma’am? Do you have a place to sleep tonight?”

  The woman stared straight ahead, unseeing and unhearing.

  Emily touched her on the shoulder. “Do you have anywhere to go?”

  Her gaze remained fixed, frozen with shock and bewilderment, and Emily began to wonder if she even spoke English. “Come with me.” Emily tugged wearily at her elbow. “I’ll find you a bed and some food.”

  The woman offered no resistance. Emily guided her through her aunt’s front door where the screaming baby roused a dozing footman. He sprang into action and returned with Aunt Margaret almost immediately.

  “Hello, Auntie.” Emily swayed on her feet, but she nudged her companion forward. “I brought you—”

  “Merciful heavens! Emily, you’re all right!” Aunt Margaret clutched her heart with one hand and closed her eyes in relief.

  “Of course I’m all right. But this woman lost her home and needs—”

  Aunt Margaret pulled them both inside. “Jonas!” She signaled to the footman. “Tell Stella to locate some milk for this baby, then go outside and fetch this woman’s belongings.” After he rushed to obey, she called out in a louder voice, “Jovie! I’ve found her!”

  Emily scanned the room. “Jovie’s here?”

  “For the moment. He’s been in and out all night.” She guided the woman toward the dining room. “I think he’s getting something to eat.”

  Emily blinked blearily and watched her go. Suddenly Jovie was there, crushing her against his chest. “Emily,” he breathed into her hair. “Thank God you’re safe.”

  He smelled like smoke, but he seemed well enough. She let herself relax against him and closed her eyes, noticing the tremble in her legs.

  He felt it too. “Are you hurt?” he asked, pushing her out to arm’s length where he could scan her from head to foot. The green of his eyes was muted with concern, and his dark hair stuck up at odd angles. “Emily, what happened? Where have you been?”

  Dimly, she realized how disheveled she must appear. “I went to your boardinghouse. I was trying to warn you.”

  “You did what?” he asked incredulously. Soot marred his face and clothing. He looked as untidy as she felt.

  “I—” She yawned mightily. How could she possibly tell him everything that happened when her thoughts no longer wanted to align themselves properly? “I’m okay.”

  Aunt Margaret returned before Jovie could respond. “I’ve set Trudy to caring for the young woman you found. Poor thing doesn’t know up from down.”

  She stopped in front of Emily and placed her hands on her hips. “Now that I know you’re safe, perhaps you’d like to explain what you’re doing in my parlor before I even had a chance to mail my reply to your mother.”

  Her aunt’s cryptic words surprised Emily. “You didn’t want me to come?”

  “Of course you’re welcome here or I wouldn’t have extended the invitation last summer. But I would like to know what a seventeen-year-old girl is doing in the city alone.” She narrowed her eyes. “Did you run away?”

  “Jovie didn’t tell you?” Emily felt her eyelids drooping to half-mast.

  “He said you had something to discuss with me. Are you pregnant?”

  Her eyes jerked open. “Aunt Margaret, no!”

  “Then what?”

  Emily swayed again. Jovie gripped her arm. “Maybe the two of you should discuss this in the morning,” he suggested, ushering Emily to a sofa.

  Aunt Margaret relented. “Should I have Stella bring you a sandwich or some tea, child?”

  Emily’s eyes were already closing. She shook her head. “No, but there are plenty of people outside your door who might want some.”

  The woman gave a crisp nod. “Jovie, take Jonas with you and bring them in. I’ll find Stella.”

  Before he left, Jovie draped a blanket over Emily and bent down to plant a kiss on her hair. Gratefully, she nestled into the warm security. Despite the world burning down around her, she slid into a dreamless slumber.

  2

  Daylight was pouring through the window when Emily opened her eyes. It took a moment for her to realize she was still on her aunt’s sofa. She shifted to find Jovie sprawled at the other end with her feet across his stomach. She sat up in confusion and rubbed at her stiff neck.

  Jovie stirred, opened his eyes, and smiled. “’Morning.”

  She pulled her feet away, embarrassed, and noticed a dozen others in the room. Strangers. They covered every inch of floor space—men, women, and children all lying under blankets in various states of repose. The air smelled like stale smoke and sour breath. “Who are they?” she whispered.

  “Homeless.” Jovie pushed himself upright. “We brought them in last night.”

  Her eye landed on a chair where Thad lay sleeping with his chin propped on one hand and lanky legs crossed at the ankles. Even with a sooty face and blond hair mussed from sleep, he caused her breath to stumble at the back of her throat. Secretly, she rubbed a thumb across her fingertips, remembering the feel of his skin beneath them.

  “Don’t wake him,” Jovie murmured. “He didn’t come in until daybreak, after the fire burned down.”

  Suppressing a strong desire to smooth the rumpled fabric of Thad’s shirt, she forced her eyes away. “How bad is the city?”

  Jovie stretched his arms above his head. “Things got pretty busy after you fell asleep. I didn’t get farther than the street out front, but Thad said the flames blew all the way across the peninsula and only stopped when there was nothing left to burn.”

  Her mouth parted in disbelief. “I need to see it.” Facing the worst head-on had always been her style.

  “Right now?”

  “You don’t have to come.”

  “Have you considered that your aunt might need some help when her guests awaken?”

  Some of the strangers were beginning to stir at the sound of their whispered conversation, but Emily was already picking her way through them on a path to the front door.

  He sighed and followed. “Are you aware that you have a very strong stubborn streak?” he asked when he caught up to her at the corner of Broad Street.

  She smirked. “Thad says it’s one of my best qualities.”

  “Those were not his exact words after you uninvited us to dinner last night.”

  Emily gnawed at her lip. The standoff between the young men seemed years ago. Had it only been twelve hours? The reminder brought back all the problems pushed aside by the fire. “Bullheadedness is probably my greatest asset at the moment.”

  He knew she wasn’t in the city on holiday. “Have you decided what you’re going to do?” he asked. “Where you’re going to stay?”

  “I haven’t had much time to think about it. I was going to talk to Aunt Margaret today, but it doesn’t look like we’ll have an opportunity.”

  “There’s no rush, you know. Your house was undamaged by the fire, and it will probably be months before your father can get away fro
m Columbia long enough to make use of it.” He paused thoughtfully. “In fact, I’ve been thinking there might be some wisdom in Thad’s suggestion. Maybe you should try to mend the rift with your father before you enroll in school.”

  “Please tell me you didn’t just take his side.” This was the subject of last night’s standoff, one that had not been resolved despite Thad’s midnight kisses. Thad had encouraged an attempt at reconciliation with her father while Jovie had staunchly backed Emily’s decision to attend school. “Because I could really use an ally.”

  Jovie raised his hands. “I’m not taking anyone’s side.”

  “You know how unreasonable my father gets. How old-fashioned and narrow-minded. When he stakes an opinion, nothing in the world can change it.”

  “I know.” Jovie pulled her to a stop. “But I also know what a special bond you shared.”

  The statement pricked at a wound she’d kept closely bound. It hurt less to pretend it wasn’t there. “It’s hopeless, Jovie,” she said miserably.

  “Maybe, but there’s no harm in trying.” When she didn’t respond, he pressed on. “I promised to bring you to Maryland, and I will. I still have a few more days of leave. What if you and I ride up to Baltimore, take a look at the institute, talk to a few people, and locate some boardinghouses in the area? Then you can give yourself until next fall to make a decision.”

  Hope sprouted within her like new shoots on a sawn-off stump. The idea was perfect. She hugged him impulsively. “Have I ever told you how wonderful you are?”

  He grinned and looped an arm around her waist. “Not today.”

  “Absolutely wonderful.”

  “I could fancy waking up to this every morning,” he jested.

  Emily’s smile faded. “Jovie,” she began, pulling away. His romantic notions were an occasional source of conflict between them. Even Thad must come second to her dream of independence until it had a chance to fly or die.

  “I know. I know. You have things to paint.” He dropped his arm and finished soberly, “And I have a war to fight. Shall we go tomorrow on the early train?”

  She nodded and they continued another half-block in silence. “I don’t know how I can ever repay you for this.”

  “Just keep sending me letters when I’m—”

  His abrupt silence brought her head up. One hand rose to cover her mouth, but it could not contain an involuntary sob or stop the tears that spilled over her eyes. The peninsula that once held her beautiful, noble city had been reduced to rubble. Burned-out structures, naked chimneys, brick skeletons of once-proud buildings—they presided over acres of ash.

  Charleston was a city of ruins.

  Jovie stood rooted to the sidewalk, gawping at the wreckage in horrified silence. Emily drifted up Meeting Street like someone half-wakened from a nightmare. Here and there a building stood, saved by the efforts of some diligent team, but there were few. So few. She picked out familiar landmarks. Circular Church was a smoking hulk, its bell smashed to pieces in the road below. Institute Hall and the Charleston Theater where Thad had performed last spring, both gone.

  Jovie followed silently. They were not alone in their misery. A hundred soot-streaked people dotted the landscape, scanning the city with vacant eyes or sifting through the smoking rubbish.

  In the distance, the tall bones of the Cathedral of St. John and St. Finbar stood alone in a field of nothingness where scores of buildings once stood. The sight triggered Emily’s memory. “Abigail!”

  Hoisting her ripped, still-crinoline-free skirts, she began to run.

  “Emily?” Jovie called, trailing behind her. “Where are you going?”

  She didn’t answer but raced past the cathedral and turned onto Friend Street. A few homes still stood, but the elegant residence where her friend Abigail Malone lived with her parents had vanished.

  Abigail’s father stood on the walk, musing into rubble that still glowed orange. Emily approached hesitantly. “I’m so sorry, Dr. Malone. Is Abigail…?”

  She startled the man out of his thoughts. “Emily! No, no, Abigail’s fine and so is her mother. We had plenty of warning and were able to move most of my medical equipment to safety, as well.”

  Emily squeezed her eyes shut in relief, but the emotions she’d been holding in check finally erupted. Her shoulders shuddered, and sobs rolled out between fingers that could no longer contain them. Jovie stepped forward and tucked her head against his shoulder. His shirtfront was soaked when she finally pulled away, sniffling and wiping her face on one sleeve. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be.” The doctor handed her a handkerchief. “Buildings can be replaced. I treated scores of burns overnight, but fortunately, the cost in lives has been remarkably low.”

  Emily dried her face with the cloth, noticing how dirty the fabric became. “Where are you staying?”

  “With neighbors, along with three other families.”

  “You must move in with me,” she said with sudden certainty. “My parents are away and it’s standing empty. There’s room for all of you and your practice as well. Please stay until you can make further arrangements.”

  “I appreciate the offer, Emily. I really do. But I can’t accept your generosity without your parents’ permission.”

  “Then I’ll write to them today, but I already know what they’ll say. At least move in temporarily until we hear back.”

  He hesitated.

  “And if you don’t fill the rest of the rooms with people who need shelter, I will,” she added emphatically. The idea made her feel incrementally better.

  “You might as well give in now,” Jovie suggested. “You won’t win.”

  The doctor answered with half a smile. “Very well, Emily. I accept on a temporary basis.”

  Their return was silent, but when she and Jovie reached her aunt’s house Emily hesitated. “Jovie, I’d really like to walk along the waterfront before I go inside. Just for a few blocks.”

  “Sure. South along the battery?”

  The view of the harbor was unobstructed along the battery promenade. “No, north. Through the clutter of wharves and warehouses that survived the fire.”

  He nodded.

  Their pace was unhurried. The business district was empty of its usual early morning bustle, but Emily soaked in the familiar, unchanged sights. Each company name and advertisement reminded her of the reading lesson she had conducted when she and Lizzie walked this way last summer.

  She led Jovie only as far as the dock where the Hornbill had been moored. It was vacant now, and a tiny bubble of happiness ascended through the heartache in Emily’s soul. She smiled up at Jovie. “I’m ready to go home now.”

  Sometime during the terrible night, Lizzie, Ketch, and the children had steamed away.

  ***

  By the time they returned, most of the strangers had departed to see what remained of their homes and to check on friends and neighbors. A few lingered over an informal breakfast buffet set up in the dining room. The young woman Emily had brought home sat at the table with the baby on her lap. She still looked mildly stunned, but after a night’s sleep she was carrying on a coherent conversation with the woman next to her.

  “Jovie, there you are.” Aunt Margaret approached as he and Emily each filled a plate at the sideboard. “Would you be a darling and find out what kind of relief efforts are being set up downtown?”

  Jovie set his plate aside. “Right away, Mrs. Thornton.”

  “Sit down and eat your breakfast first, for heaven’s sake,” she admonished.

  Jovie picked up an apple and raised it in a toast. Then, taking a large bite, he left the room.

  Emily carried her plate to the empty seat beside Thad. “Good morning.” She smiled. “Did you sleep well?”

  “Do I look like I slept well?”

  His hair stood up on one side where it had pressed against the chair. Dark rings shadowed his eyes, and a sheen of blond stubble fuzzed his chin. He looked…amazing.

  She allowe
d herself to rasp one finger along his jaw. “You look like a hero. Jovie told me what you did last night, how you stayed out until the fire died. You may prove honorable yet.”

  He caught her hand and kissed her fingertips.

  Aunt Margaret interrupted them. “Emily, when you’re finished eating I’ll find you some clean clothes and you can go wash up. Then you and I have some matters to discuss.”

  Emily sighed, her thoughts pulled back to the awful reason she was in the city. “I might as well just tell you now. It’s not a secret.” She put down her fork. “My father banished me from Ella Wood.”

  “He did what?” her aunt shrieked.

  The room fell silent. The last few loiterers exchanged glances and politely left the room. Emily waited until the servants began clearing their dishes before she continued. “We’ve had a few disagreements over the past year, but when he found out I was taking a correspondence course, he sent me away.”

  Aunt Margaret frowned. “I suspect there is a good deal more to this story. You better start at the beginning.”

  Emily quietly filled her in on the events of the past year. Thad listened without expression, already familiar with the conflict, but Aunt Margaret’s face underwent a variety of changes, from surprise to concern to disgust. When Emily finished, it was set in a rigid mask. “My brother’s always been a hardhead.”

  “You don’t think I’m too progressive?” Emily asked in surprise.

  “I think you’re just like him,” her aunt snapped. She laid a hand firmly on the table. “I’m much too old to muster any enthusiasm for changing ways and female ambitions. But I did see some of your portraits last summer. The likenesses were remarkable.” Her eyes narrowed in contemplation. “I will withhold my opinion on the matter and keep myself out of the middle of your argument. In the meantime, you’re welcome to stay here as long as it suits you.”

  Emily smiled and her shoulders relaxed. Though she’d been prepared to do anything necessary, she was glad she didn’t have to yet. “You needn’t worry about me for a few days, at least,” she began and immediately wished she could snatch the words out of the air. Her aunt would never approve of her trip with Jovie.