The Liberator Series Box Set: Christian Historical Civil War Novels
Page 60
Annabelle shivered. “I don’t know. He took off after Booth in the theatre.”
The muscles in Matthew’s jaw worked, and Annabelle saw the vein in his neck begin to pulse.
Grandmother spoke up, drawing Annabelle’s attention away from the gathering storm on Matthew’s face. “We should get back to the hotel, where it is safe. Surely, he will return there.”
The thunderclouds on his face dissolved as he looked back to Annabelle, replaced with worry and…something more? “Let’s move, then,” he said gruffly. “I will wait for him at the hotel, rather than risk missing him in this press of chaos.”
His giant frame cleared the crowd as Annabelle and Grandmother trailed behind. It took several minutes of walking as fast as they could before the streets finally began to clear. Once they could move about freely, Grandmother took the lead.
The mist gathered on Annabelle’s clothing, making her dress damp. She reached up to brush it away, and noticed the bloodied fingerprints where the injured man in the box had grabbed her. Her stomach churned. She hoped the man had received aid, and his wounds would not prove fatal.
They rushed into the hotel in a flurry of sodden fabric, bits of moisture remaining on the polished floors as they stepped inside.
No sooner had they barged inside than Grandmother began waving her hands like a mad woman. “Oh, heavens. What a tragedy! The repercussions….” She shook her head and her eyes cleared. She looked to Annabelle.
“I’m going up to my room to write up a telegram to send news home to Lilly Rose,” Grandmother said, scurrying away without waiting for them to reply.
Annabelle turned to follow her, but Matthew caught her arm. “Please, wait.”
She looked up at him, warring emotions threatening to pull her apart. “I know you lied to me, Matthew,” she said softly. “There is nothing that can be done to repair what has already been broken.”
His brows gathered, but she did not give him the chance to come up with a response.
“I saw you talking and laughing with O’Malley, coming out of the Surratt house. I wanted so much to believe that you had told me the truth about coming back and telling the law.” Her fists tightened at her side. “What a fool I am! I should have known as soon as you got rid of me and George was safe that you would come back to finish the deed…!” Her voice cracked, bringing tears of frustration stinging into her eyes.
Matthew suddenly snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. Before she could think to draw away, his lips fell on hers. She gasped against his mouth, and her eyes flew wide.
She told herself to pull away, but despite her best intentions, her lids lowered and her body seemed to melt into his. Everything else faded away as his soft lips pressed sweetly into hers, gently exploring. Forgetting all that she had accused him of, she found herself returning the kiss, her lips seeming to know automatically what they had never before experienced.
Sensing her response, he pressed in harder, deepening the kiss and sending an unfamiliar warmth tingling down her spine. She could spend forever here in his embrace….
Memories of all his lies suddenly surged and she thrust her hands up between them, roughly shoving him away. He let her, and stepped back, hanging his head.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
Her fingers trembled. “You…you cannot just…kiss me like that and think it changes what you’ve done!”
Matthew placed his fingers under her chin and tilted her face up. “Oh, Annabelle, I am so sorry that I’ve hurt you. Too many times. I do not expect that you will ever be able to forgive me for all I have put you through, but I beg you, please, at least let me explain.”
She drew her bottom lip through her teeth, the feel of his kiss still lingering. Unable to form words, she gave a simple nod.
“When I went to confront O’Malley,” he said, dropping his hand. “I found that he had gone completely mad. My fears that he’d advanced from abduction to plots of murder were all proven true. I needed to know his plans, if I had any hope of someone believing me. I was afraid if I went to the law too soon, my tale would only render me useless while I sat in detainment. It was a sacrifice I was willing to make, but I’d hoped to trade my freedom for something solid.”
Remembering Mr. Crook and how difficult the same things had been for her, her shoulders relaxed slightly.
Seeming to sense a least a morsel of her understanding, Matthew continued. “So I played along. Pretended I was a lout and begged to be back in his service. In his blinding pride, he agreed. I followed him, trying to learn what they would do. He came for me this morning, wanting me to help him find out if General Grant would be going to tonight’s performance with the Lincolns. When that turned into murdering them instead, I had to find a way to stop him.”
She remembered him saying something about that before. “He wanted to murder the Grants and then come back to the theater to kill the president?”
Matthew nodded. “Yes. I thought since I left him unconscious and locked in a rental room in Philadelphia that I had stopped him on both accounts.” He hung his head. “But when I got to the theatre, they were already taking Lincoln across the road.”
She looked hard at him. “Are you being true, Matthew?”
“Yes, dearest.” He reached out and stroked her cheek. “From now on, I swear I will never again keep secrets from you or lie to you. I give my solemn word that this is the complete and most earnest truth.”
Annabelle studied the sincerity in his eyes, remembering the look Peggy had given her—stung by Annabelle’s own deceptions. “I forgive you,” she said with a tired sigh. “And I, too, ask for the same. Too many falsehoods have sprung from my lips in the past, and I am working hard to ensure that only truth remains whenever I speak.”
Matthew watched her quietly for a moment, emotions playing across his face she did not dare try to decipher. When he finally spoke again, it was with resolve. “Annabelle, there is a truth I must tell you now, and I beg that you will please hear it in its entirety.”
Her brows crinkled and she took a step back from him, already pulling up shields to protect herself from the painful words to come. “Very well,” she said coolly. “Let us see this done. It has gone on for much too long.” And clawed my heart too many times.
Matthew made a low noise in his throat, the sound carrying on the tomb-like silence of the hotel lobby. “All this time, I have lied to you.”
She felt her jaws tightened, despite her resolve to let this pain pass over her without showing him any signs of her true feelings.
“I told you that you would be better off with George, because he would be able to provide better for you.”
“Yes, as you have said….”
He held up a hand. “You promised to let me finish.”
She bit her lip.
“But I was wrong, Annabelle.”
Her heart quickened, pushing against her chest.
“He can provide you with Westerly, a safe home, and the life a lady deserves.” Matthew stepped closer, putting both of his hands on her shoulders and leaning so near that she could smell the piney scent that always accompanied him.
“But there is more to a life than these things alone. I may be a man of many faults, and I might not be able to provide you all the things a lady should enjoy. But on my life, Annabelle, I swear to you, I will provide you with deepest love and boundless devotion.”
She looked into his ocean eyes and finding there all she’d longed to see and yet still feared to believe.
Matthew leaned closer still, so that all she could see was the intensity burning in his gaze. “I know I am not worthy of you. I tried, oh, how I tried, not to let you know I have loved you since before we even found George. I wanted you to be able to make your choice without feeling obligation.”
Annabelle tilted her head in confusion.
Matthew looked pained, then shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. “Forgive me, but the real truth of it is…I wanted to
see that even if I couldn’t provide you wealth, if you would still choose me.”
“Oh, Matthew.” She reached out and rubbed the stubble on his face, her heart pounding wildly. “I would have chosen you from the start.”
His eyes searched hers. “More than one young woman saw only my father’s money. Never has one preferred me for who I am alone.”
In that moment Annabelle understood. She saw why he’d stood back, why he’d waited to see if her love for her home and her need for security would mark her only interest in him. She gave a small cry and pushed up on her toes, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“If we have nothing save the clothes we wear, dearest, I will still always love you and no other,” she said, her voice so tight with emotion she feared it would break.
His breath mingled with hers, and he pulled her closer. “Even if you lose your home, and I am heir to nothing?”
She brushed her lips across his. “Even so. For what is this life without love? What are comforts when your heart is empty? Promise me you will love me for always, and I swear my heart will forever be yours.”
“I promise it, my love,” he said against her lips, and then pressed them firmly.
She deepened the kiss and let her fingers wander over the back of his neck. He made a slight groan, then gently eased her away, resting his forehead on hers. “It is most difficult for me to say, but perhaps it is best we take a moment.”
Her rapidly beating heart agreed, and she dropped down to the flat of her feet, looking up at him. “What happens now?” For all the glory of this moment, unanswered questions still abounded.
Matthew stroked her cheek, and she felt as though she might drift up off the floor.
“I do not know. I fear there will be much uncertainty in the days to come.”
Annabelle nodded, pressing her face into his hand. “Yes, but whatever comes, as long as I have you, we can make it.”
Matthew chuckled. “You do not know how much your words truly mean, my love,” he said, his voice growing husky.
“Whatever happens now, promise you will never again leave me,” she asked, feeling tears begin to well.
Matthew’s brows gathered and sadness pierced the joy in his eyes. “This I cannot do.” He gently brushed his lips across hers once more. “But I do promise that if ever I have no choice but to go, I will think of you every moment of my absence and pledge ever to return with the utmost urgency.”
Annabelle gave an exaggerated sigh, the joy of his promise dampening the fear of his absence. Her lips curved. “I suppose that will have to do.”
He returned her smile gently, his fingers slipping up her neck and tangling in her hair. “Whatever tomorrow brings,” Matthew said.
Annabelle pressed closer and ran her hand along his jaw. “Whatever tomorrow brings,” she repeated.
Then she pushed up on her toes and found his lips once more.
The story concludes in Labeling Lincoln,
The Liberator Series Book Three
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Dear reader,
I hope you are enjoying The Liberator Series. If you would kindly leave a few words of review online and tell your friends about it, I would be so grateful! Word of mouth is the utmost recommendation an author can receive, and it helps me keep putting books in your hands!
Thank you!
Stephenia H. McGee
Historical Note
According to my research, Ward Hill Lamon tells of Lincoln recounting a dream about his death on the day of his assassination (not before, as I have it in the prologue). Some historians cast doubt on this account, since it was not published until twenty years after Lincoln’s death, but it certainly makes an interesting opening.
In the first chapter Matthew and Annabelle go to an observation tower overlooking Elmira prison. Surprising as it may seem, the platform with its refreshments and paid admission is recorded in history. Elmira prison was crowded well beyond its capacity, and the camping prisoners along the banks, as well as George’s job as a coffin maker, are all true to the accounts. There was also a flood at Elmira, which did occur on March 16th, 1865.
According to Mrs. Grant, some men did, indeed, watch her at her luncheon and a man rode past her and General Grant’s carriage twice, peering inside. She states that she was concerned about the men, but when nothing more happened on their train ride to Philadelphia, she dismissed it. History accounts this may have been Booth himself, or perhaps Michael O’Laughlen. I decided to add my characters in instead, and have Matthew be the reason they arrive unharmed.
The quotes at the top of each chapter are all taken from historical accounts. All words spoken by Lincoln are as they are recorded in history. In this story, I gave additional words to John Wilkes Booth. The places he went and the things he said on the day of the assassination are all accurate except for any dialogue with my characters which is, of course, fictional. All of John Surratt’s words (except in the letter to O’Malley) are quoted. All words spoken by Mary Surratt in the story were products of my imagination, as are those spoken by William Crook.
There are different accounts as to if Mr. Crook was supposed to be on duty that night, and if he was, why he wasn’t standing guard at the box.
The timeline of the assassination plot, including Booth’s trip to the theatre to get his mail, returning to the Surratt house, and having someone go after Grant, are all historically accurate. The doctors mentioned were recorded as being present, and except where they speak to Annabelle, all words spoken by additional historical figures are recorded quotes.
To the best of my ability, I tried to insert my characters into this turning point in history, and show what it may have been like through their eyes.
Acknowledgements
Thank you Doc for your meticulous edits. Any remaining mistakes are my own. You always help me make my work shine.
A special thanks to everyone involved in the photo shoot and design of the cover. Melissa Harper for costume work and photography. I’d also like to thank the beautiful Katie Beth for her wonderful work as the cover model and Richard Mark Greenwood, Jr for his skills in portraying Matthew. Both of you were a pleasure to work with. Ravven, you are truly skilled in combining everything I send you and are simply wonderful to work with. Thank you for bringing my cover to life.
A special thanks to Colonel Walt and Miss Jean for allowing me to use their beautiful home as Annabelle’s plantation. As of this writing, Rosswood functions as a bed and breakfast located in Lorman, Mississippi and is an exceptional place to enjoy fine company and a dose of history. And in the morning, you’ll even be treated to an outstanding breakfast, made by Rosswood’s very own Miss Peggy. A sweet lady I simply adored so much I borrowed her name for my story.
Thank you to Rich Stevens, who helped me check facts in association with army movements and the proper details of a soldier’s life. Any historical inaccuracies or misrepresentations are entirely my own. Thanks to Jessica Stevens, Momma, and my other early readers for helping me make this book possible.
To my dear husband, thank you for always being the first eyes on my work and for spending hours discussing my stories and helping me make them better. And a final thank you to my two sweet little boys, who put up with Momma’s strange work hours, wild imagination, and obsession with the old south.
Labeling Lincoln
Copyright © 2016 Stephenia H. McGee. All rights reserved.
Kindle Edition
www.StepheniaMcGee.com
This novel is a work of fiction. Though some locations and certain events may be historically accurate, names, characters, incidents and dialogue are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the author’s intent.
All rights reserved. This book is copyrighted work and no part of it may be reproduced, stored, or
transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photographic, audio recording, or any information storage and retrieval system) without the author’s written permission. The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or any other means without the author’s permission is illegal and punishable by law. Thank you for supporting the author’s rights by purchasing only the authorized editions.
Cover art: By The Vine Press, Photography by Melissa Harper
Cover Models: Katie Beth Simmons and Richard Mark Greenwood, Jr
Cover Design: Ravven
Library Cataloging Data
McGee, Stephenia H. (Stephenia H. McGee) 1983 –
Labeling Lincoln: The Liberator Series Book Three/ Stephenia H. McGee
382 p. 5.5 in. × 8.5 in. (13.97 cm × 21.59 cm)
By The Vine Press digital eBook edition | By The Vine Press Trade paperback edition | Mississippi: By The Vine Press, 2016
Summary: A Southern Belle struggles to keep her plantation and regain the man she loves.
1. Historical Christian 2. Clean romance 3. Presidential assassination 4. Mystery and adventure 5. Redemptive healing 6. Overcoming racism 7. Spies and espionage
Dear Reader,
Thank you for taking this journey with me thorough history. As with the last two books, Labeling Lincoln walks a line between history and fiction. Many of the events in this story are historically accurate and feature historical figures, and there are scenes taken directly out of records on file with the National Archives. At the end of the book, please see the historical notes section to discover exactly how and where I blended fact and fiction. I hope you enjoy this final instalment of Annabelle and Matthew’s story!
Happy reading!
For Katie Beth,
A young lady who is as beautiful on the inside