Adelaide broke the silence. “If either one of you is having apprehensions about doing this, there’s no shame in backing out. You know the penalty.”
“I’m not afraid,” Cory replied.
Tyler didn’t answer. He’d heard ugly rumors about Buck and Clyde. If one of them caught Cory alone, her reputation wouldn’t be the only thing in jeopardy. “Maybe we should leave Cory out of this.” Tyler studied her innocent countenance. He didn’t want it scarred because of him. “This isn’t her fight.”
“Tess is a woman. I’m a woman. This is my fight.”
“I can distract Edward and his men alone.”
“There are three of them. You’ll be lucky to have one of them follow you.”
“I’m wearing Reggie’s vest. That should make Edward mad.”
Cory hadn’t missed the fact he wore the embroidered vest Reggie had made him. Was he still in love with her? Was that why he flirted outrageously with every woman he met? Would no woman measure up to his first love?
Cory was still mortified by her behavior last night. She had been jealous of another woman. Never in all her years of being courted had she fought over a man. In fact, she had stepped aside several times when another girl made it known she was interested in one of her beaus. There had always been another man to take his place. Only, she didn’t want another man. She wanted Tyler.
“Well, you ought to attract at least one man in that dress,” Adelaide remarked.
Cory hadn’t been paying attention. Was there something wrong with her dress? Tyler was studying the gown of red, white, and black plaid. She hoped others noticed the bright colors in the pattern, and the lightweight material floated over her tightly cinched figure. It was practical on a hot day. She smoothed the white lace collar that outlined the square cut neckline and hinted at her curves. “I’ve worn this dress to town before. What’s wrong with it?”
“You look beautiful.”
Cory studied Tyler. Why was he complimenting her? Was he practicing for Beth or some other girl?
“Have you forgotten your manners?” Adelaide asked. “He gave you a compliment.”
“Thank you,” Cory muttered.
Tyler stood. “I’ll take some breakfast to Noah.”
“Take it in the milk bucket in case someone is watching the farm,” Adelaide said.
Cory realized the meaning of their words. “Why is Noah still in the barn?” She fought her hysteria. “Isn’t he supposed to hide in the woods?”
“I need to talk with him.” Adelaide placed some food in the milk bucket.
“But if someone finds him in the barn,” Cory warned.
“You’re not helping a runaway,” Tyler reminded her. “And Edward and his men will be following us.”
“I forgot.” Cory placed her hand over her pounding heart. “I’m guess I’m a little scared.”
Tyler took the bucket but paused by the door.
Cory waited for him to speak. She needed a word of reassurance. He grinned. It was lopsided and marred his perfect features, but it vanquished her anxieties.
“Better hurry,” Adelaide said. “You’ll have to leave soon.”
****
The draft horses were hitched to the wagon, and Tyler was securing Nell to the buggy when Cory and Adelaide came out into the yard. Cory tied her bonnet while Adelaide gave her final instructions.
Adelaide looked at the two vehicles. “It didn’t take you long to ready them.”
“Noah helped.”
Cory looked toward the barn but saw no one.
“He stayed out of sight,” Tyler explained. “He found something that might be useful.” He led her to the back of the wagon. Tyler pointed to an old boot sticking out from the straw.
“That ought to attract a chaser,” Adelaide said.
“How am I going to attract a chaser?” Cory asked.
“You don’t need any help attracting a man.”
Another compliment. He was oozing with charm. What was Tyler up to?
“When you’re done shopping, can you meet me at the law office of Sam Morris?”
Sam was the Akron attorney who had helped Noah. “Where is it?”
“On Main Street next to the Town Hall above the dry goods store. An outdoor staircase leads to his door.”
“I can find it.” Cory opened her purse and checked the contents. She didn’t know what to say to Tyler.
Adelaide headed for the barn. “I need to talk to Noah.”
“Are you still mad at me?” Tyler asked.
Cory closed her purse. “I’m not mad. I’m embarrassed. It seems every time I’m around you, I make a fool of myself.”
Tyler furrowed his brow. “When?”
“Acting like a schoolgirl about Beth. It’s none of my business if you want to talk with her.”
“Too bad. I was hoping to make you jealous.”
Had he been manipulating her or… “Why?”
“I didn’t like Douglas pawing all over you.”
“Douglas pawing all over me?” She stomped her foot. “Who was clinging to your arm because she might trip?” Cory batted her eyes and imitated Beth. “You’re so strong, Tyler.”
“I was being a gentleman. You didn’t expect me to let her fall, did you?”
“She’s as sure footed as a mountain goat,” Cory argued. “She risked no injury.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You have a bit of a temper.”
“It’s one of my faults,” she snapped. “One you won’t have to put up with much longer.”
“That’s reassuring.”
She pouted. “You don’t have to be so happy about it.”
“I thought you’d be glad to be rid of me.”
Cory feared she would cry into her pillow the way she had last night. She squared her shoulders. “Why wouldn’t I be? In fact, I’ll be quite busy being courted by Mr. Raymond with summer term ending next week.”
Tyler snarled. “Won’t that be wonderful!”
Why was Tyler so angry? He had no intention of courting her. “Delightful.”
“So he didn’t propose last night?”
“No.” Cory tried not to think about his kiss, but trembled involuntarily.
“What happened?”
Why did he need to know every intimate detail of her life? Why did he care? And why should she? She stuck out her chin. “He kissed me.”
Tyler kicked the buggy wheel, startling Nell and Cory. He grabbed Nell’s bridle to calm her. “Well, here you are accusing me of kissing Beth, and you’re smooching Douglas.”
He had no right to be angry, but she didn’t want to mislead him. “It wasn’t a very good kiss.” Cory made a face.
Tyler clenched his fist. “I’m sure he’ll improve with a little practice.”
“Time to go,” Adelaide called out.
Cory wondered how much she had overheard. They had nearly been shouting at each other. “I plan to leave the buggy at the livery.” Cory raised her skirt to board, but Tyler lifted her in his arms and swung her up into the seat.
“Tell the blacksmith to put a couple of nails in the mare’s back right shoe. Noah said it’s loose.” He handed Cory the reins. “I’ll see you at noon. Try not to kiss any more men before then.” Tyler smacked Nell’s hindquarters.
Cory glanced back and saw Tyler climbing into the wagon. Who was he to tell her not to kiss anyone? But the more she thought about it, the more she smiled.
Chapter Seventeen
The trip into town was uneventful. Cory passed the butcher, the grocer, the baker, the cobbler, the tailor, and the harness maker before reaching the livery. Lou Smith was the owner. He bragged he was older than the flood, and no one argued. He was wrinkled on every part of his body except the smooth cap of his bald head. Lou took Nell’s bridle as Cory climbed down from the buggy.
“I’m taking the train to Akron and won’t be back until late.” Cory recalled Tyler’s instructions. “Nell needs a couple of nails put in her right rear shoe.”
He sighed. “I’ll try to find time.”
Lou looked tired. “You should hire someone to help you.”
“I’m too old to train someone, and it’s impossible to find a good blacksmith.”
“I know a good blacksmith,” Edward Vandal announced from the shadows of the livery. He stepped into the bright light of the yard. Cory saw Buck and Clyde hovering behind him like rats on rafters ready to leap on unsuspecting prey.
“Do you?” Lou asked. “Is he a hard worker?”
Edward was referring to Noah. If he didn’t have to worry about being dragged back to Virginia and sold into slavery, he could work for Lou. She almost argued her point before remembering Edward was looking for Noah to find Tess. He was baiting her to discover if Noah was at Glen Knolls. “Lou has wanted to retire for years. Perhaps this blacksmith can take over for him.”
Edward stared at Cory. “Do you know where I can find him?”
“How would I know?” Was he suspicious? Maybe her nervousness would work in her favor. She wanted someone to follow her. She jumped when she heard the train whistle blow. “I have to buy my ticket.” She gathered her basket and purse from the buggy. “Good day.” Clyde and Buck stepped out into the light. They didn’t look any less menacing.
The livery stable was opposite Darrow Falls Inn. Cory headed west on River Road toward the train depot built on a rise above town. She focused on the small rectangular building, afraid she might glance toward the church tower and reveal Tess and Adam’s hiding place. She wasn’t good at disguising her true feelings. No wonder Adelaide had hesitated to tell her about Noah. She’d never done anything this dangerous, and although baiting the chasers was part of the plan, her heart was beating at a frantic pace.
She bought her ticket and boarded the train. Her seat was on the opposite side of the depot and gave her an overview of the town. Edward stood in the livery yard, holding the reins to a horse. His chasers were missing.
The sheep that grazed on the square to keep the grass shorn were absent today. Several men were cleaning up the center of town in preparation for tomorrow’s holiday. Businesses would be closed, and shoppers were busy making last minute purchases. Tomorrow a new flag with thirty-three stars would be displayed on the front of the Town Hall to mark the Fourth of July. Cory glanced toward the church. Somewhere inside Tess and Adam were preparing for their final flight to freedom.
She spied Edward and Clyde riding south on Darrow Falls Road. Where was the other one? She turned to show her ticket to the conductor and saw Buck Cassell seated in the rear of the passenger car. She quickly faced front. At least one of the chasers was following her.
The train gave a long blast on its whistle and chugged out of the station. Cory saw Edward and Clyde race down the street to Akron and cross a covered bridge. As the train left them behind, she spied their prey. Tyler drove the draft team at a fast clip on the dusty road to put some distance between him and the chasers. The train would beat all of them by at least an hour, but Cory had some shopping to do while in town. She hoped Buck wouldn’t mind.
****
Akron was built on a steep hillside with Summit, Broadway, High, and Main streets running parallel between the train tracks at the top and the canal below. Exchange, Middlebury, State, and Center streets crossed them in a grid with every corner a coveted spot for businesses. Churches with towering steeples were the centerpieces of neighborhoods scattered on the hillside and beyond. Cory led Buck along Center Street to the downtown area.
She explored several establishments before she reached a general store on Main Street. Buck stayed hidden behind bags of feed while she examined some cotton diapers. Cory bought a dozen along with a baby gown, booties, and a cap. She added pins and a blanket.
“When are you expecting your baby?” the woman behind the counter asked.
Cory was startled by her question. Did she look like she was expecting? “It’s a gift. I’m not even married.”
“What’s wrong with young men today?” She wrapped the items. “You’re too pretty a young lady not to be married.”
Cory wondered. There were plenty of women younger and more attractive, and men weren’t lining up to propose. Tyler had given her plenty of reasons he couldn’t marry her, and what if Douglas didn’t ask? What if he did? Would his kisses improve over time? Maybe life as an old maid wasn’t as bad as it appeared. She enjoyed teaching, and her students could be substitutes for no children of her own. But children weren’t the only reward of being married. It had been different the last few days with a man in her life. Tyler shared the chores and provided lively companionship. But would it be as nice if the man was Douglas?
Cory debated the merits of becoming Mrs. Douglas Raymond as she shopped. She marked off the items on Adelaide’s list: Plain white buttons, white thread, black ink, matches, salt, and sugar. Most of the items could have been purchased in Darrow Falls, but Buck didn’t know that. He kept a watchful eye on her at a discreet distance while she filled her basket.
It was around eleven, and Cory needed to find Grandpa Donovan. She headed for Exchange Street, which crossed the canal to Lock One. Boat captains had to pay the toll at Lock One to travel on the canal. The collector would know whether the Irish Rose had reached the lock.
She was still three blocks away when a stocky white-haired man with sparkling blue eyes hailed her from a group of men in front of the Thirsty Lizard Tavern. “I thought it was you, darlin’!” He picked her up and twirled her around like she was six years old.
“Grandpa!” She hugged Captain Michael Donovan in return.
“Orva Miller said you’d be in town and needed a ride.” He looked inside her basket. “I see you didn’t pack a lunch. Where would you like to eat, darlin’?” he asked in an Irish brogue forty years in the states had failed to erase.
She glanced around. “Where would you suggest?”
“The Thirsty Lizard has a steak three inches thick.”
She inhaled the cornucopia of smells, some pleasant like meat sizzling on a grill behind the restaurant and others putrid like the garbage tossed into the waterway. “It’s awfully close to the canal.”
“I like to keep an eye on the Irish Rose.”
Cory knew the history of the canal and her family’s role in it. Michael Donovan had traveled to Ohio in 1825 to help build the Ohio Canal. He worked from sun-up to sun-down for thirty cents a day, a jigger of whiskey, food, and shelter. Armed with picks and shovels, workers dug a hole twenty-six feet wide at the bottom, four feet deep and forty feet wide at the top. Men cleared trees and brush twenty feet on each side of the canal for towpaths.
Stones were cut and hauled from the quarry near Peninsula for the walls, and white oak was used for the miter gates. A balance beam attached to the top of each gate opened and closed the double doors for a watertight seal.
Michael Donovan was able to buy his own boat a few years later. He moved his family aboard and began his life as captain on the Ohio Canal.
Cory wondered where the Irish Rose was now. “Is she still docked?”
“The pilot is taking her down through the staircase. Charging me fifty cents. I’d do it myself, but the man needs the money. He has nine children.”
Cory looped her arm through his as he led her to the tavern. “You have a generous heart, Grandpa.”
The dining room was filled with canal boat captains and crew members. Whole families lived aboard canal boats, and many of the patrons were women and children. Grandma Donovan had worked along with Grandpa and their children for years, but now Caroline Josephine Donovan ran an inn in Peninsula, half way between Akron and Cleveland. The Irish Rose docked at night to split up the run between the two cities. The inn provided income for off season when the canal was shut down for repairs and dredging.
The Thirsty Lizard was dark but a cool retreat from the heat. Michael greeted several other canal captains as he entered. “You remember my granddaughter, Courtney Rose, don’t you?”
A man with a gray-st
reaked beard tipped his hat. “You’ve grown into a lovely lass.”
“Where’s your grandson Zeke?” he asked.
“He’s working at the butcher shop on Howard Street. He’ll give you a good deal on meat. Tell him I sent you.”
“Butcher, you say?” Grandpa grinned at Cory. “Good catch for a girl. Never go hungry.”
Cory didn’t need to worry about finding a husband as long as Grandpa was around. They sat near a window overlooking the canal. South was Lock Three where a dry dock was located for building and repairing boats. A tannery was located to the north at Lock Four. All along the canal route’s waterway, mills for lumber, flour, and machinery had sprung up like wildflowers. Basins at locks Six and Seven allowed for loading coal and grain.
Fifteen locks stepped down the water route through Akron from Exchange Street to beyond North Street. The closely-placed locks were difficult to maneuver, and special pilots took the boats down the steep incline the city was built upon.
“When will the Irish Rose reach Mustill Store?” Cory asked. The waiter served two steaks layered with sliced onions and green peppers. On separate plates, he served diced potatoes seasoned with fresh herbs and corn on the cob swimming in butter. A loaf of wheat bread on a cutting board was placed between them. He gave each of them a mug of cold beer.
“My granddaughter doesn’t drink beer.” He placed his hand on her mug when the waiter tried to remove it. “I’m thirsty enough to finish both. Serve her some lemonade.”
He looked at Cory. “The pilot guaranteed me two o’clock. Are you going to ride down the canal with me?”
“How long will it take to reach River Road?”
“Be there by suppertime if traffic is light.”
“Then I’ll meet you at Mustill Store after I go to Sam Morris’ office.”
“Who’s Sam Morris? A beau?”
“He’s a lawyer.”
Impending Love and War Page 14