Faithfully Yours

by Jo Ann Ferguson

  “Here it is, Sebastian,” announced Molly with a broad smile at Nancy. “I found it in the corner by the hay.”

  Sebastian frowned as he took the glove from Molly. He turned it over and said, “This looks like your knitting, Faith.”

  She took the glove from him. Hoping he could not see her fingers trembling in the dim light, she went to the corner. There, as she had expected, were a half dozen gloves atop a box of salt. These were not what she had brought to the woman, but the supplies she had carried here to Tom Rooke just before he was captured.

  “Is it your knitting?” Sebastian asked to her back.

  She struggled to put anger into her voice as she picked up a soggy glove. “So this is what happened to them!”

  “Happened?”

  Dropping both gloves back onto the others, she sat on the stool where she had so often sat before. She looked out at the storm so she could keep him from discerning the truth. “There have been thieves around here since summer. I had thought they would go away when you and your men arrived, but they have not. They have stolen from loyalist and rebel alike, so I doubt if they are soldiers.”

  “Why would anyone want to steal gloves and socks?”

  “Do you consider my work of such little value? It is clear that others do not.” She crossed her arms in front of her. “You and your men should be protecting us from these thieves.”

  “We are not here to stop petty thieves.”

  “You are here to uphold the law. To protect those like my father who remain loyal to the king when others would gladly turn their backs on the law and use this unrest to their advantage.”

  “But you said these thieves have stolen from your neighbors who support the rebels, as well.”

  “Yes.” She should have thought out her tale better before spouting it.

  “I will take measures to make sure you are not robbed again, Faith.”

  “Will you?”

  She watched the light vanish from his eyes. How she longed to put her arms around him and whisper the truth! She did not want to steal his dreams of glory from him, but she must not let him suspect—even for a moment—that she had met both Tom Rooke and her new contact in this very byre.

  “Yes, I will.” He went to the door and put his elbow on it as he gazed out at the branches that were slowly growing thick with ice. “Why do you doubt that?”

  “Because, at night when I dream that I could be with you,” she said, going to stand beside him and leaning her face against the back of his shoulder, “I know how that dream could be dashed with a single order from your superiors in Philadelphia.”

  “I must go where they send me.”

  “So you can have your chance to satisfy your father’s expectations that you will be a great hero?”

  He faced her and gripped her arms. “I must obey the orders given to me.” He laughed tersely. “Otherwise I would have already had my opportunity to prove to my father that his heir is deserving of his title.”

  “Is that the only way he will believe that? It does not matter to him that you have traveled thousands of miles from your home to fight in a battle you believe is right?”

  “My father knows what he expects from his children.”

  “As mine does.”

  A smile eased across his lips as his fingertip touched hers. “We do have that in common.”

  “And so much more.”

  His finger eased down over her chin and along the front of her bodice. When she pulsed with the longing that was mirrored in his eyes, she whispered his name. She wanted so much more than this. A single night in his arms had not been enough. She wanted … She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.

  Turning away, she went to where her sisters were huddled on the hay. She put her arms around them, drawing them to her. They put their heads on her lap. She stroked their hair. This was her life—her family and her friends and her neighbors, and the gentle turn of seasons from one to the next among these hills.

  “Faith—” Sebastian began. Then he looked back over his shoulder. He shouted, “In here!”

  As Molly and Nancy jumped up and rushed to greet their father, Faith accepted Sebastian’s hand. He brought her to her feet, but said nothing. Whatever he had been about to say in front of her sisters, he did not want to say in her father’s hearing. Curiosity taunted her. She tried to ignore it as they hurried out into the storm to the covered wagon her father had brought from the farm.

  “Mrs. McEachern told me that Faith and the girls had left just before the storm. I knew they would seek shelter somewhere,” her father said as he tossed the little girls into the back and pulled the canvas down to protect them from the storm. “Climb in, Faith.”

  She nodded, although she was amazed at the force of her irritation at her father’s assumption that she would travel in the back—as if she were no older than the little girls. Sebastian lifted her into the back and gave her a smile before going with her father to the seat at the front.

  Huddling under the canvas, Faith again put her arms around her sisters. She paid no attention to their chatter as she listened to the branches cracking all around the wagon. She hoped none of the debris would hit them.

  Her mother met them at the door and herded the little girls up the stairs. “Faith?” she called back, pausing on the steps. “You shall surely be ill if you stay in those wet clothes.”

  Faith reluctantly closed the door behind her. She wanted to be sure that Sebastian did not linger out in the storm any longer than he must. Following her mother up the stairs, she was glad for the crackling fire on the hearth in their room.

  Slowly she undressed, pulling each soaked layer away from the next. She stared at the fire as her sisters rushed about and Mother tried to quiet them. At a knock on the door, she whirled, knowing she was being silly to hope Sebastian was on the far side.

  Her mother spoke to one of the servants, then shooed the two little girls into bed. Crossing the room to where Faith had dressed in dry underclothes, she smiled.

  “I suspect you will be glad to know,” her mother said, “that Major Kendrick is inside and safe.”

  “Yes, I am.” She was so glad to speak the truth.

  “You are quite taken with this English soldier.” Mistress Cromwell laughed as she shoved all the wet clothes into a pile. “I never thought I would say that. You have been less than hospitable to the others who have called here.”

  “The others were different.”

  “He is a well-favored man, I will agree. He has the respect of his men, and he does not shirk his duty.” She smiled as she sat. “However, it is more than his bravery that appeals to you, isn’t it?”

  Faith drew her clean petticoats over her head and tied them in place. That gave her a chance to compose herself before she could blurt out the truth—that she was drawn to Sebastian because of how his kisses had started a fire that had only grown stronger when they became lovers.

  “He is very pleasant company.”

  Mistress Cromwell laughed again. “That sounds as if you are damning him with faint praise when the glow in your eyes tells me that pleasant is a mild word for what you feel in his company.

  “You are always perceptive, Mother.”

  “You must be, too.” Her expression grew serious. “Your father went in search of you and your sisters because he has heard some talk that has unsettled him.”

  “Talk about me?”

  “You and Major Kendrick. Our neighbors have accepted your father’s stance of remaining loyal to the crown, but we have seen that is changing. For you to fall in love with an English officer will be seen as a betrayal to those who declare themselves patriots. Their anger will be far stronger than what has been aimed at this family because they consider you a dear friend.”

  “Are you asking me to choose between Sebastian and my family?”

  “I hope it does not come to that, but you must be prepared if it does.”

  Fourteen

  “This is most unfortuna
te.”

  Faith wanted to reach into the shadows and shake the woman, who was speaking the obvious. All her attempts to become accustomed to the squeaky voice the woman used to conceal her own had been futile. Today, each word pierced Faith’s aching head.

  “I realize that.” Her own tone was testy, but she had not done all she could to sneak away from the house just to be told what she already knew.

  It was more than being irked. She had come to hate this web of lies she had created out of good intentions. She wanted to be honest with her family and her friends … and with Sebastian. Her heart yearned to know if he loved her, but she could not ask him to be honest when this lie was between them.

  What sounded like a muffled laugh added to Faith’s vexation, but she said nothing when the woman replied, “We must make sure no other British soldier discovers the meeting place here. I have heard how Major Kendrick is asking questions about this byre.”

  “Yes.” Although she was curious about how a discussion that had taken place within the walls of her father’s house could so quickly become known, she knew it was senseless to ask.

  “Good.”

  “Good?”

  “We have been looking for a way to create a diversion that would lure the British soldiers’ attention from Tom Rooke.”

  “Sebastian will not remain diverted from his duties simply because of some gloves found in a damp byre.” Faith set her basket on the log where Sebastian had sat and watched the storm. “Even my pretense that the gloves had been stolen from my house will not hold his interest long.”

  “So we need another type of diversion.”

  “What type?” She wished she could see the other woman’s face, to gauge her emotions. This fake voice could hide so much.

  “Anything that would take Major Kendrick’s attention from Tom Rooke and put it on someone else.”

  Faith rubbed her hands together, but could not warm them. The day had turned even colder in the wake of the ice storm. Yet, even if it had been midsummer, she would be cold because of the frigid fear that came from deep within her. “Christmastide remains too far away to plan a gathering that would demand everyone’s attention.”

  “A gathering is a good idea, however.”

  Faith again resisted the yearning to tell the woman to speak with a normal voice. Her head ached … almost as much as her heart.

  “I might be able to devise some event at the church, but the idea would have to be something that Reverend McEachern would accept without too many questions. He has made it clear that he will not choose sides.”

  “The church is another excellent idea.” There was a pause, and then the woman said, “And an excellent place for a wedding.”

  Faith clutched her cloak more tightly over her shoulders. “A wedding? But whose?”

  “The wedding of one of the British soldiers and a local woman would create a diversion that would reach from here to Philadelphia.” The woman’s laugh was as high-pitched as her voice, giving it the sound of a bird scolding her from a tree.

  “True.”

  “You are from a well-known family, Mistress Faith.”

  She swallowed hard. If this was some sort of test to prove her loyalty to General Washington, it was wasted. She wanted to repeat that getting involved in sending supplies to the rebels had been not for any political reason, but because she did not want her friends to suffer the winter’s cold and damp. Too late, she was learning that wavering was impossible. “I doubt if anyone in Philadelphia knows whether I am living or dead.”

  “But they know Major Kendrick. A match between the two of you would create the very diversion that we need to free Tom Rooke before he divulges all he knows.”

  “Me? Marry Sebastian?” As she clasped her shaking hands, her heart threatened to dance right within her chest. She loved Sebastian, but his heart was not here in America. It was in his father’s house in England, where he hoped to obtain his father’s respect.

  “You could be an earl’s wife,” continued the woman.

  Faith looked up from her folded hands. “Do you think I must be offered some great prize in exchange for marriage?”

  “I think you should be aware of every aspect of this match.” Again the woman laughed. “Just as everyone else will be. What gossip this will create! A Pennsylvania colonist’s daughter and an earl’s heir finding each other in the middle of war and deciding to wed … The tale of it will be on every tongue in the county. It is the perfect solution.”

  Faith knew she must have said something to agree, but she could not recall her words as she walked through the woods back toward her house. Ice crackled as she brushed through a stand of evergreens. Her steps faltered when she reached the road leading to the farm.

  The plan for the diversion seemed so logical, but what sort of logical reason could she give Sebastian for marrying her? She could speak of how the ecstasy that had been theirs could be theirs for the rest of their lives. She could mention how they enjoyed their other times together. She could even tell him how she loved him.

  Even so, one question echoed over and over through her mind. Why should an earl’s heir marry her? Her father had always held a position of respect in Goshen, but this was a small settlement far from Philadelphia or Baltimore or New York City. She might flounder among society in those cities. To appear in London on his arm … She shuddered as she imagined the mistakes she might make, mistakes that would bring shame to Sebastian and his family.

  Her half-formed hopes of avoiding him until she had this jumble sorted out in her mind were dashed when Sebastian came out of the remaining barn just as she was walking toward the front door. His dark cloak was tossed back over one shoulder, and above a low mat of ebony beard his face was nearly as red as his uniform. Where had he been riding? How long had he been out in the cold?

  “Just the one I had hoped to speak to,” Sebastian said, putting his arm around her waist. His kiss was light and teasing, but she could not ignore the powerful emotions he held so tightly in check.

  “Upon your return?” She could not restrain her curiosity.

  “You always take note of what is happening around you, so I shall not flatter myself that you missed me when I left here at dawn.”

  Faith smiled. “I suspect you are waiting for me to say something like, ‘But I noticed your absence more than I would any other’s.’”

  Instead of replying, he walked with her into the house. His face had the stern lines she had seen when they first met. She had come to recognize that expression. Something was distressing him, something he wished could be dealt with swiftly.

  After he took her cloak and hung it next to his, he held out his hand to her. She wove her fingers through his and went with him into the parlor. He closed the door behind them, amazing her. She could not recall the last time the door had been closed.

  “Please sit,” he said, motioning to the chair closest to the hearth.

  Sitting, she raised her eyes to Sebastian’s. Softly she asked, “What is it that you want to speak about?”

  “You must have heard the men talking about when we would be leaving here for good.”

  “Leaving for good?” Her voice cracked. Leaving? She had not guessed when Sebastian’s men had been speaking of riding away at the end of the week that they meant anything but another excursion through the Chester County hills. Her throat tightened. If Sebastian left now … She could not imagine never seeing him again.

  “I have completed part of my orders here, but not all of them.”

  “To find the delegates to the Continental Congress?”

  “That is one thing.”

  Faith bit her lower lip. That Sebastian turned away as he said that meant he could not be honest with her about the rest of his orders. Did this have something to do with Tom Rooke? Had Tom revealed to his interrogators something that would be sending Sebastian away from here … away from her? Fear threatened to freeze her heart. Had Tom betrayed her?

  When Sebastian knelt in front of h
er, he put his hand on her cheek. “Faith, I thought you would have more to say. You always have opinions.”

  “If you want to know my opinion, it is that I truly do not wish you to leave.” She turned her face and pressed her mouth against his palm, which was scented with cold and leather and the odor of his horse.

  “Nor do I wish to leave, when I promised that I would protect you and your family from the thieves.”

  She stiffened, afraid he knew the truth and wishing she could speak it. “Your orders must outweigh such a promise.”

  “A promise is not something a Kendrick makes or breaks easily.” He folded her hands between his. “That is why I have given much thought to what I wish to say before I must leave. Marry me, Faith.”

  “You want to marry me?” She faltered. He was asking her to marry? She blurted, “Why?”

  “How can you ask why when we have shared this—and so much more?” He caught her face between his hands and kissed her with slow, deep longing.

  Her breathing was as uneven as her heartbeat when she whispered the thought that haunted her. “But, Sebastian, you are the son of an earl. Why would the son of a British lord wish to marry the daughter of a Pennsylvania farmer?”

  “Because I love you, Faith.”

  Wanting to jump to her feet and dance about the room as he spoke the words she had not dared to heed even in her dreams, she began, “But—”

  He put his finger to her lips as he smiled. “If you will be mine, I will be faithfully yours, Faith. Tell me that you will agree to this match.”

  Slowly, she came to her feet. Why was she hesitating? This was going far better than she had any reason to expect. All her fears about how to persuade Sebastian to ask her to wed had been for naught. He had been planning to ask her to be his wife.

  “Don’t tell me that this proposal is sudden, that you are completely surprised,” he said as she walked to the window to look out at the ice-heavy trees. “You have known my feelings for you since …” He chuckled. “Since before the snowstorm that stranded your family throughout the county.”