“People will believe me,” Phillip avowed.
“Perhaps if it were only your word against sweet, little Helen’s. But with Mattie to take an oath and swear the story is gospel—well, I don’t think you have much of a chance. As I said, give it some thought. I’ll come by the hospital tomorrow afternoon, say about four-thirty. Or would you prefer that I come to the church instead, since the object of our affections may be at the hospital?” he asked, a smirk twisting the corners of his mouth.
“I’m not concerned about Teddi seeing you. I’ll be at the hospital at four-thirty, just as I am every weekday. Suit yourself as to whether you come or not,” Phillip replied as he pulled on his gloves and donned his black beaver hat.
Mattie was standing guard at the front door as Phillip entered the small foyer. “I’m sorry, Reverend Hamilton. But Helen’s my friend, and she needs my help,” the girl whispered.
“And do you think that makes what you’re doing right in the eyes of God, Mattie?” Phillip whispered back.
“No,” she replied, shaking her head back and forth, her lower lip trembling. “But perhaps someday God will forgive me my sin. Helen would never forgive me if I betrayed her.”
“Did you listen to my sermon today, Mattie? About how we humans break our relationship with God?” he asked, still keeping his voice low.
The girl nodded her head up and down. “I know, but—”
“What are you two whispering about out there?” Herbert hollered, jumping up from the settee and coming toward them.
“Nothing you’d be interested in, I’m sure,” Phillip replied as he pulled open the door and hastened down the steps toward his sleigh.
❧
A loud rapping on the front door awakened Teddi from a restless sleep. She could hear Ruth Ann’s laughter and then Jonathan’s voice as he opened the front door and shouted a greeting to Phillip. Jumping up from the bed, Teddi rushed to the bureau, grabbed her comb, and began to straighten her disheveled hair with one hand while using the other to straighten the wrinkles from her rumpled dress.
She heard Jonathan racing up the steps, taking them two at a time until he reached the hallway. “You awake, Teddi? Phillip is downstairs wanting to talk to you.”
“Yes. Tell him I’ll be down in a moment,” she replied, glancing in the mirror and pinching each of her cheeks, which she hoped would add a tint to her colorless complexion. Pressing her fingers down the front of her dress one last time, she decided there was nothing more that could be done to straighten the dress without the aid of a flatiron, and made her way downstairs.
Phillip rushed to the bottom of the staircase as soon as she turned at the landing and stepped onto the lower flight of stairs. At least he was anxious to see her. Perhaps that was a good sign.
“We need to talk,” Phillip said in a hushed tone. “Is there somewhere we can speak privately?”
Teddi glanced toward the parlor where her parents, brothers, Ruth Ann, and Margaret were engaged in conversation. “I suppose we could go out to the kitchen. I don’t think Florence will be in there right now.”
He nodded his head and followed behind, seating himself opposite her on a wooden stool. His face was etched with concern, and perhaps a bit of anger. He must have heard the rumors about her agreeing to marry Herbert, Teddi decided.
When he opened his mouth to speak, she immediately interrupted him. “Phillip, let me say my piece; then I’ll listen to whatever it is you want to tell me,” she pleaded. “There is no way I could give my full attention to what you’re about to say unless you’ve heard me out beforehand.”
He seemed confused by her statement but didn’t argue, and for that she was grateful. It would take all the courage she could muster to speak of last night’s events, and if he argued with her, she knew that she would lose her boldness.
“I saw you in the sleigh with Herbert and Helen, and I’m sure that Herbert has already told you what occurred last night,” she began. He visibly winced at her words, but he didn’t speak, so she continued. “It is true that I agreed to marry Herbert,” she said, watching the disbelief that crossed his face at her pronouncement.
“What? You say you agreed to marry that immoral rogue? I don’t believe it!” he exclaimed, leaping up from the stool and causing it to hurl backward to the floor in a riotous crash.
“Didn’t he tell you?” she asked, stunned by his seeming lack of knowledge.
“No, he didn’t give me that bit of information. “If you’ve agreed to marry him, then why is he coercing me?”
“I agreed only because I thought it was you,” she whispered. “He was dressed in costume and used an Irish accent. I truly believed it was you. He took me back into one of the dressing rooms. It was dark, and he kissed me and asked that I pledge my love and promise to marry him. I’m sorry, Phillip. I’ve embarrassed myself and you. After he revealed his identity, I told him I would never consider marriage. But my refusal didn’t stop him from going about the room telling the other guests that I had agreed to marry him. Can you ever forgive me?” she asked, gasping to take a breath.
“There is nothing for me to forgive. You’re blameless. But when I’ve finished my tale, you may feel otherwise,” he said.
She sat with her back straight and a stoic expression on her face as Phillip then recounted how he had taken the woman, whom he soon discovered was actually Helen, out to his sleigh. He related how Helen had used the same trickery as Herbert, luring him to the sleigh by pretending to be Teddi—how she’d worn a costume that padded her figure and had effected a Southern drawl.
Teddi wasn’t sure she cared to hear the details of Helen being required to pad her figure in order to pass herself off as Teddi. But, no matter how hard it might have been to hear, she knew that padding would have been a necessary part of Helen’s clever costume. By the time Phillip had completed the details of his trip into Junction City, Teddi was aghast at the malicious scheme Herbert and Helen had devised.
“Now, I must ask if you can forgive me and believe that what I have told you is true?” Phillip somberly inquired.
She nodded her agreement, and, after a brief conversation with her father, Teddi returned to the kitchen. Moments later she heard Ruth Ann and Margaret bidding her parents fare-well and the sound of sleigh bells jingling as her brothers hitched the team and drove the sleigh around to the front of the house.
fourteen
Phillip spent a restless night and rose the next morning feeling as though he’d never gone to bed. It would be a long day, and the four thirty appointment with Herbert loomed over him like a thundercloud on a spring day. Teddi arrived at her appointed time and appeared well rested, greeting him with a cheery “good morning” as she waved and headed off toward the ward to care for the patients.
He was astounded. She hadn’t even stopped to tell him what had happened after he had left their quarters last night. When Jonathan and George hadn’t returned by nine o’clock, the general had instructed his wife to leave a note for them to waken him when they got home; then he announced that he was off to bed and suggested that Phillip do the same.
Teddi had shrugged her shoulders at his questioning glance and advised him that if her father suggested that he go home and get some rest, he’d best do so. She had bid him good night, seeming assured that their problem was under control. Unfortunately, Phillip didn’t share her optimism. After returning home, he had spent several hours on his knees seeking God’s direction, and, although he hadn’t received an answer, he had experienced a bit of pain in his knees when he attempted to stand up and get into bed.
And now, without any form of explanation, Teddi had just marched into the hospital and had left him totally in the dark. Phillip now found himself in a quandary. What if Clayton, George, and Jonathan had never met to devise a plan to thwart Herbert? What if Herbert showed up at four thirty and Phillip had absolutely no plan of action? If the three Yorke men hadn’t gotten together, perhaps Phillip could meet with them now. He needed answers,
and he needed them soon! Rising from his chair, he purposefully marched off toward the hospital ward.
“We need to talk,” Phillip whispered to Teddi as she stood near a patient’s bed, checking his bandage.
“I’ll be through here in about an hour. I can stop by your office then,” she said, giving him a smile.
“No, you don’t understand. We need to talk now,” he said, his teeth gritted together and his blood pressure steadily increasing as they spoke.
She nodded. “Everything is fine, Phillip. I’ll come to your office shortly,” she said, continuing to wrap the soldier’s bandage.
There was no need to continue the conversation. He could hardly argue with her in front of a ward filled with sick soldiers. Not knowing what else to do, he breathed a deep sigh, turned on his heel, and stalked off to his office.
During the next hour, he pulled his pocket watch out of his trousers at least every fifteen minutes, rose from his desk, paced to the doorway, and peered down the long, narrow hallway. Teddi was never there. After an hour had passed, his concern turned to fear; his fear turned to concern; and his concern finally turned to anger. Why didn’t she come and talk to him? Was this some sort of torture? Just when he had determined to drag her back to his office if she wouldn’t voluntarily return, the front door of the hospital opened. Phillip felt himself relax when Clayton, Jonathan, and George entered the building.
“I’m certainly glad to see the three of you. I can’t get your daughter to talk to me,” he said, looking at Clayton.
“I told her we’d be coming by to explain things. There were a few details we needed to work out. No need to have Teddi give you a plan of action that we might be required to change. Simpler that way,” he said, obviously unconcerned about the fact that Phillip was now at his wit’s end.
“Well, it may have seemed that way, but I was about to go in and demand that Teddi speak with me. It may be difficult for you to imagine, General, but I’m a bit on edge,” Phillip replied while attempting to keep his temper in check.
“Have a little faith, son—in God. . .and in me. I told you that I’d develop a plan. We’re going to go over it, and when Albright arrives, you’ll put it into action,” he said, pulling up a chair. “Sit down, boys,” he ordered as he leaned back, unbuttoned his coat, and began to lay out his strategy.
“So what do you think? Can you carry it off?” the general inquired once he’d finished.
Phillip nodded his head. “Sure, I should be able to do it. Now all we have to do is wait until four-thirty arrives. I’m afraid it’s going to be a long afternoon.”
Teddi entered Phillip’s office a short time later, greeting the general and her brothers with enthusiasm. Although Teddi didn’t win her debate with Clayton wherein she attempted to remain at the hospital, they all agreed that she had waged a laudable argument. Their praise didn’t seem to appease her, but she did as she had been ordered, bidding Phillip good-bye at four o’clock, after he promised to come to their quarters immediately after Herbert left.
Herbert arrived at the appointed time, neither a minute early nor a minute late. He walked into the hospital as if he owned the place, his pompous attitude causing Phillip to bridle. However, he knew he had to control himself. Anger would not serve him well if their plan was to go as intended. Steeling himself, he held out his hand to Herbert, giving him a gratuitous smile, all the while wishing he could ball his hand into a fist and shove it down the deadbeat’s throat.
“Well, here we are,” Herbert said as he pulled off his overcoat and threw it onto one of the chairs. “I assume I’m welcome to have a seat?” he acerbically questioned.
“Sit, stand—it makes no difference to me. You’re the one who arranged this meeting,” Phillip replied tersely.
“Well, at least it should be a short meeting. What’s your answer?”
“Before I give you my answer, I want to be sure that I com-pletely understand the ground rules,” Phillip replied, easing himself back in his chair.
“Oh, I think you understand,” Herbert replied.
“This is a lifelong commitment you’re forcing upon me. I think I’m entitled to be sure I have a thorough understanding of the facts,” Phillip countered.
“What is it you want to review?” Herbert asked, clearly annoyed.
“As I understand it, you and Helen have both decided that rather than Teddi and I exploring the possibility of marriage to each other, you intend to marry Teddi in the hope of achieving higher military rank and possibly gaining a sizable inheritance. Helen, on the other hand, has declared that she will lie under oath in order to have me court-martialed, claiming that I took advantage of her the night of the masquerade ball. Unless, of course, I agree to marry her. In that case, she will suddenly forget all of those alleged facts, and we will enter into wedded bliss,” Phillip recounted.
“That’s about it. Of course, you’ve left out a few minor points, such as the fact that Mattie is willing to corroborate Helen’s testimony. Oh, I think I may have forgotten to mention that Teddi has agreed to marry me. Naturally, I was sure to spread that information last Saturday night—promoting public acceptance in advance, you might say,” Herbert stated smugly.
“And now you expect me to roll over and accept this deceitful contrivance?”
“I think doing so probably outweighs the alternatives,” Herbert chuckled.
“Well, I don’t!” General Yorke announced, walking through an adjacent doorway with Jonathan and George following close behind.
“What are—what are they doing here?” Herbert stammered.
“We’re listening to your lies so that we may act as Phillip’s corroborating witnesses at the court-martial you and your accomplices are proposing. This whole situation is repugnant. If anyone is court-martialed, it won’t be Phillip. It will be you,” the general snarled.
With only a moment to regain his composure, Herbert was once again on the offensive. “Ah, but General, don’t you think that when I bring to the board’s attention the fact that you and your sons are merely seeking to protect your daughter’s interests, the board members may look upon your testimony with a jaundiced eye? The fact that you are the commander of this military reservation may cause the board to scrutinize your testimony very closely. After all, the military and civilians, as well as the press, would be quick to point out the fact that you might unduly influence the members sitting on the court-martial board. In fact, I think your testimony could very well work in our favor.”
“Don’t you count on that,” General Yorke replied, his face turning bright red.
“I’m not concerned that you’ve overheard this conversation, gentlemen—not in the least,” Herbert replied as he picked up his coat. “Since I’ve given you additional food for thought, Phillip, I’ll give you a little longer to come to a final decision. I will expect your answer by Wednesday—right after the church service would be a good time, don’t you think? It will give you that final opportunity to pray for a miracle,” he snickered as he gave the general an irreverent salute and confidently strode out of the room.
“He’s not the least bit concerned. And, unfortunately, he did make a valid point. The court-martial board would weigh your testimony against your connection to Teddi and me,” Phillip remarked.
“We need to think this through. It’s almost time for supper, and crisis or not, my stomach is growling to be fed. Let’s get home and have some dinner. We’ll think better once we’ve eaten. At least I will,” Clayton exclaimed.
“Come along, my friend. I’m sure Teddi is champing at the bit to hear what’s happened,” Jonathan said as he pulled Phillip a few steps ahead of his father and George. “We’ll get the sleigh. The two of you can wait here and keep warm.”
The general nodded his acceptance of the offer, and George was more than willing to wait with his father in the warmth of the hospital while the two other men trudged off to retrieve the sleigh. They had descended the final porch step, when Jonathan threw his arm across Phi
llip’s shoulder.
“Would you like to hear some good news in the midst of all this turmoil that’s swirling about?” Jonathan asked as they rounded the corner of the building.
“Certainly,” Phillip halfheartedly replied.
“That didn’t sound very enthusiastic!”
“Sorry, but it’s a little difficult for me to get excited about much of anything right now,” Phillip said.
“I understand, but keep your faith, Phillip. I agree with my father—this will work out. Now for my news: I’ve asked Margaret to marry me—and she’s accepted!”
“You hardly know Margaret! Don’t you think this is a little sudden, Jonathan? Besides, you’ll be leaving in a couple of weeks, and then what?”
“How long does it take to fall in love when you meet the right woman? Aren’t you the one who was telling me you were going to settle down as soon as you found a good woman?”
“Yes, but what about your family? Do they know? Do you think they’ll be pleased with your choice? Don’t misunderstand what I’m saying, Jonathan; I think Margaret is a lovely, young lady and a good woman. However, it can make for a rocky beginning to your life together if your families aren’t in agreement,” Phillip cautioned.
“I’m well beyond the age of needing my parents’ approval, although I would prefer that all parties be in agreement. Margaret said she was certain her parents wouldn’t have any objection. I think my mother is the only one who may disapprove. Unlike my father, she tends to worry about gossip. However, Teddi tells me that she and Mother have had several conversations lately concerning the topic of genuine forgiveness, and Mother’s attitude has changed a great deal.”
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