Impending Love and Madness

by Laura Freeman

  “But is your physical desire a result of all the disasters that have happened around us and a desperate attempt to claim a normal life?” She resumed her pacing. “We need to discuss our future in a practical and logical manner.”

  “Now?” His chest shook beneath the covers.

  She put her hands on her hips. “Are you laughing at me?”

  “Sweetheart, you write any rules you want. I’ll comply.”

  Cass sat on the chair by the dresser. Her heartbeat had returned to normal. She adjusted her dress. “No removing my clothes.”

  “Can I rearrange them?”

  She glared. “Let’s talk about something else. Did Lucia and Seymour visit?”

  Zach rolled to his side. “They asked about the titles. I said they were in the safe like before. Then I begged for the opium.”

  “Did Lucia give you some?”

  “A double dose. Wouldn’t that be dangerous if the opium was real?”

  “She only has two more days to guarantee your addiction.”

  “Then she’ll probably return tonight for another dose.” His brow wrinkled in thought. “What happened on your ride?”

  “I found your mares.”

  Zach reached for her and stopped. “Where?”

  “The barn on the north end of the lake. I didn’t see all of them. I met Ned Pike and Vance Edwards at the barn.”

  “Ned Pike,” Zach repeated. “He’s bought horses in the past. He’d visit during the summer to broker a private deal.”

  “He talked about starting a breeding farm of his own.”

  “With my mares, he could.”

  A knock turned their attention to the door. Ethan entered. “Good, you’re awake. Did you tell him about the mares?”

  “Yes.” She turned to Zach “Ned said he was staying for the auction. He was interested in a stallion.”

  “Then I haven’t lost them.”

  “Even if you make an appearance, there’s still the major and his men,” Ethan said. “We need to discover his role in Seymour’s scheme.”

  “How do we do that?” Cass asked.

  “Harry said Vance Edwards is downstairs, dressed for supper,” Ethan said. “He was asking for you.”

  Cass took Ethan’s arm. “I hope I can charm him into revealing his secrets.”

  “If anyone can, you can, Cousin.”

  “Not too much charming,” Zach called.

  Ethan escorted Cass to the dining hall. Harry was talking to Vance. The major had exchanged his work clothes for evening wear. The black frock coat and trousers were expensive but hadn’t been worn for a long time. Creases remained where the fabric had been folded and stored. The suit needed pressing. When he turned, his coat was open to expose a silver embroidered vest. Colorful birds added splashes of color on the silk fabric.

  His smile was eerily familiar. Why?

  “Is that the man you met earlier?” Ethan asked.

  She shook off the feeling of déjà vu. “Yes.”

  He gripped her arm. “You’re shaking.”

  Seymour introduced the major, and they took their seats. Lucia was in her nun habit and remembered to wait until grace was said before buttering her bread.

  Harry looked at Ethan. “I was telling the major about our service in the war. We may have crossed paths after Gettysburg.”

  “We crossed the paths of friend and foe,” Ethan said. “I’m glad my years of war are over. Violence takes a toll on a man.”

  “It can rob him of his soul,” Vance agreed.

  “Greed can do that, too.”

  Cass kept her eyes downcast. Ethan was not being subtle, but his head-on attack might harvest some answers.

  “No one can accuse Southerners of greed. While you were paid handsomely for your service, we were left with worthless paper currency,” Vance said.

  “The newspapers reported the Confederacy hid gold in Canada,” Ethan said. “Did you profit from any of it?”

  “If there was any gold, I never possessed any.” He crumpled his napkin with his fist.

  “I’m sure Zach will pay you fairly for your work at Ravenswood,” Cass said.

  “He promised us jobs,” Harry added.

  “Is that why you’re here?” Seymour asked. “You said you were buying horses?”

  “We are,” Ethan said. “We’ll finalize our choices tomorrow.”

  “I have mine picked out,” Harry said. “Do you have the papers available?”

  Cass wanted to kick Harry, but he was out of reach.

  “I’ll have them for the sale,” Seymour said.

  “What about you, Miss Beecher? Did you decide on a horse?”

  “It’s a difficult choice,” Cass said. “Black Knight is strong, but Peaches has a sweet disposition. It would be easier if I was buying the horse for myself.”

  Seymour leaned close. “Who are you buying the horse for, Miss Beecher?”

  “My father. He’s a doctor and needs a reliable horse. The one we have now is old and frail.”

  “Do you come from a large family, Miss Beecher?”

  “I have five sisters.”

  “Five!” Lucia shrieked. “How many brothers?”

  “None, unless you count my brothers-in-law. Four of my sisters are married.”

  Vance played with the flaky fish on his plate. “Did they survive the war?”

  “My sister Jennifer lost her first husband at Bull Run, but the others who served in the war, returned home.”

  Vance leaned toward her. “And those who didn’t fight in the war?”

  “They served the country in other ways. Logan Pierce worked as a secretary for the Treasury Department.”

  “He no longer works for the government?”

  “No, they moved to Ohio.” Why was Vance interested in her family?

  “Did Tyler find him a job?” Harry asked.

  “Yes, he’s working for the mayor of Akron.”

  “Tyler Montgomery?” Vance asked.

  “Yes,” Cass said. “Do you know him?”

  “Wait!” Seymour interrupted. “Tyler Montgomery is the lawyer who wrote the new will.” Lucia placed her hand on Seymour’s arm. He jerked away, stared at those around him, and regained his composure.

  Vance turned toward Seymour. “You don’t seem to like this lawyer. Sordid fellow?”

  “The worst,” Seymour said. “Robbed me of what was rightfully mine.”

  “Tyler is not a thief,” Cass defended. “And you are not the rightful…” She caught herself.

  Seymour turned on her. “Why are you here?”

  “I’m here to buy a horse for my father.” She hesitated, but Seymour appeared vulnerable and continued. “There is one thing I would like for myself. I took care of the animals on our farm. I’ve raised puppies, kittens, chicks, and piglets. Even a few calves, but I always wanted to raise a foal. Are there any fillies for sale?” She turned to Vance. “One weaned.”

  “I explained earlier all the mares and foals were killed in the fire,” Seymour said.

  “The barn burned, but didn’t any of the animals escape?” Cass waited for his reply.

  “Not a one.”

  She looked at Vance. “But Ned Pike was looking at a mare and foal at the barn near the lake. He was anxious to buy several.”

  Seymour looked like he had swallowed a lemon. He stared daggers at Vance.

  “Those must not have been the same horses that were in the barn Seymour is talking about,” Vance lied.

  “Yes, yes,” Seymour agreed. “Those were set aside for Mr. Pike before the fire. All the other horses perished.”

  “What did you do with the horseshoes?” Harry asked.

  “What horseshoes?”

  “The broodmares were shod, but there were no horseshoes in the ashes.”

  She had tipped her hand, but Harry had laid the cards on the table.

  “I’m sure one of the hands gathered them,” Seymour said.

  “It must have been horrible to watch them die,�
� Harry said. “Even as a vet, I hate to put an animal down. I had to shoot a horse at Gettysburg after a canister blew off his legs.”

  “I’ve seen worse,” Vance said. “Dozens of horses wounded or broken during a battle.”

  “We were at Chancellorsville,” Ethan said. “Wounded men were trapped in the inn when it burned.”

  “Soldiers were burned in the Wilderness,” Cass added. “Or blown apart when the powder in their cartridge boxes exploded.”

  Vance frowned. “You couldn’t have been there.”

  “My sister was. I listened to her nightmares when I stayed with her before she gave birth to her son.”

  “Miss Jenny?”

  The hair on her arms stood on end. “No, my sister, Jessica. She married Major Morgan Mackinnon.”

  “Who did he serve under? Grant?” His voice was filled with hate.

  “No. Morgan served under Jackson and Ewell. He was wounded at the Wilderness but recovered thanks to my sister’s skill. He was with Lee when he surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse.”

  His eyebrows rose, and his eyes widened. “Your sister married a Southerner?”

  “Do you find that strange?”

  “You’re an abolitionist. A Beecher.”

  “Slavery is over. The war is over. Not every soldier fought about slavery. On both sides,” she added. “Some in the Union believed in the inferiority of blacks and wouldn’t let them serve in the army until the final years. Men like Morgan fought to defend Virginia where most of the fighting had occurred. As an officer, he worked to keep his men alive so they could go home after the war. He had barely fifty men left in a regiment that had once been a thousand strong when they surrendered at Appomattox. The war wanted to tear Morgan and Jess apart, but they beat it.”

  “Sometimes the war wins.” Vance wiped his mouth with his napkin.

  He was a cynic, but it was forged from reality. What tragedy had cast its dark shadow over Vance Edwards, and why did she feel sympathy for the stranger determined to ruin Zach?

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  While the men smoked cigars and drank whiskey, Cass was isolated with Lucia in the library. Did the fake nun suspect something? She needed to discover the role of the major and his men in Seymour’s plan.

  Cass served tea and pie Mrs. Graves had left on the table. “This library has a lovely collection of old books.”

  “I don’t read,” Lucia said.

  “Not even the Bible?”

  She paused her fork in mid-air. “That one is required.”

  “What order do you belong to?”

  “The Sisters of Mercy.”

  A bordello in New York City. They had already revealed too much about what they knew, but she needed to show interest. “Is it a strict order?”

  “We believe in penance and the power of prayer.” She put her fork down. “Now it’s my turn. Is your heart set on marrying Zachary Ravenswood?”

  “Of course. Why do you ask?”

  “I couldn’t help but notice that Vance Edwards was interested in you and your family.”

  “I don’t know why he asked questions about them, but I have no feelings for Mr. Edwards. He’s old.”

  “A mature man is often best for someone as young as yourself.”

  “I hardly think a nun is qualified to be a matchmaker.” She stood and made her excuses to retire. Something about Vance nagged at the dark recesses of her memory.

  ****

  Zach stared out the window. His friends and Cass had instilled a determination to stop Seymour in his plans to ruin him. Although the urge for the opium plagued him, he was determined to endure the itching without any medication.

  When Cass entered his room late that night, she updated him on what had transpired during supper. “What are your impressions of Vance Edwards?”

  “He seemed an honorable fellow. I reminded him we were veterans even if we were on opposite sides. Seymour was not.”

  “Lucia believes he’s interested in me, but I’ve done nothing to encourage him.”

  “Sweetheart, all you have to do is smile to inspire a man to action.”

  She placed her hand on his chest. “How do I discourage a man?”

  “You don’t visit him in his bedroom in the middle of the night wearing your night clothes.” The nightgown and robe clung to her natural curves and reminded him of what was beneath. He reached for her.

  She stepped away. “Can you control your lust or should I leave?”

  “I’ll be a gentleman. I need you to rewrap my bandages,” Zach said. “I’ll be glad when I can take them off permanently.”

  “Do you think Seymour and Lucia will pay a visit tonight?”

  “They always do. Lucia nearly emptied the bottle the last time she dosed me with opium.”

  Cass examined the container. “Don’t let her give you anything from a different bottle.”

  Zach sat on the edge of the bed, the covers modestly placed as Cass wrapped his shoulders. Her nearness was a test of his self-control. “You should kiss me before wrapping my face.”

  She covered his mouth with a bandage.

  He tugged on it. “That won’t dissuade me.” He put his arms around her and pulled her tight against his chest. “I’m feeling better each day.”

  “Good. We don’t know Vance’s role in this, but he’s working for Seymour. He came to his defense when we made accusations.”

  How loyal was Vance? “Before you left Darrow Falls, did Tyler mention a letter from me?”

  “No. Why?” She continued to wrap his face.

  “When I arrived at Ravenswood, I was suspicious of Seymour. I have no will, and I wanted to know if Seymour could inherit. I wrote to Tyler asking him several questions. I wanted to know what would happen if I died without a will.”

  “They didn’t succeed in killing you.”

  He touched the back of his head. “Death visited.”

  “Tyler should have sent a reply by now,” Cass said. “He’s efficient.”

  “I’m worried he didn’t receive it. I gave the letter to Vance. He said he was going into town and would post it.” Zach frowned. “When he saw the name, he was angry.”

  “He must know Tyler, and he doesn’t like him.” She chewed on her bottom lip.

  Zach took her hand. “What’s wrong?”

  “I sent a letter to Tyler today.”

  “About what?”

  “Legal advice.”

  He waited.

  “I wanted to know if there was any crime we could prosecute Seymour for?”

  “He tried to kill me.” Zach waved his bandaged arms. “They gave me poison ivy.”

  She raised a pretty eyebrow.

  Realization was like a punch in the gut. “If we prevent Seymour from stealing my money, he’s not guilty of anything?”

  “That’s why I wrote Tyler. There has to be something he can prosecute Seymour for.” Cass finished the final length across his forehead.

  “And I can’t fire him. My grandfather guaranteed him a job at Ravenswood.”

  “Even if we stop him this time, he may try something else. I don’t trust him.”

  “Neither did my mother,” Zach said. “We spent most of our time at the cabin by the lake. She was protecting Pax and me by keeping us away from Seymour.”

  “The cabin is beautiful.”

  He looked around. “You like it better than Ravens Roost?”

  She nodded. “I know you wanted to impress me, but the cabin is warm and inviting. It feels like a home.”

  Zach turned toward the door. “They’re coming.” He climbed into bed.

  Cass gathered her supplies. “How can you tell?”

  “The floorboards in front of Elijah’s room creak.” He fell back against the mattress, arranged his covers, and slipped his bandaged wrists through the ropes. Cass took her position behind the thick draperies in front of the windows.

  The door opened and a candle illuminated the room. Zach closed his eyes and remained motionle
ss on the bed.

  “He’ll talk tonight, or you can dump the entire bottle of opium down his throat and make him gag on his silence,” Seymour said.

  “You’re in a foul mood, my pet.”

  “Why didn’t Vance tell me the girl had seen the mares and foals? I looked like an idiot when I said they were all dead.”

  “He covered for you.”

  “If he had let the boy run into the barn, I wouldn’t have to offer explanations. I hired him to take care of any trouble.”

  “How much are you paying him?”

  Seymour made a noise too dark to be a chuckle. “A lot less than he’s expecting.”

  “He’s a dangerous man. You need to be careful.”

  “I’ve calculated the steps of my plan even with the return of the boy and his pesky friends showing up. The rest of the buyers are arriving today and tomorrow morning. If I don’t have the titles, Kettler won’t authorize the sale even if he’s convinced of Zachary’s incompetence. Some of the men may pay for a horse without papers but not top dollar. It will be a fraction of what they’re worth.”

  “What about forging the papers?”

  “I asked Vance, but he said it would take time to make passable forgeries, and the buyers are reputable horse traders, not back alley thieves. They’ll recognize a sloppy counterfeit.”

  “I don’t trust Vance.”

  “He’s done his part. He arranged the sale, invited the buyers, and he’ll collect the money.”

  “Why can’t you collect the money?”

  “Kettler will be present to record the sales. He’s never liked me. A dozen years ago, he caught me drowning a cat and her litter in the creek below the lake and threatened to report my actions to Elijah.”

  “You drowned a bunch of kittens?”

  “Worthless barn cats, but Pax and Zach had made pets of them.” He chuckled. “They were heartbroken.”

  Zach clenched his fists. He and Pax had searched for the missing kittens and mother for weeks.

  “No wonder their mother wanted them as far away from you as possible.” She meant Allison. What had Seymour revealed to Lucia about his parents?

  “You don’t know half of what I did to keep my half-brother, Clayton, from endearing himself to Elijah. When he died, I was disappointed the game ended. But now Zach is playing for Ravenswood, and I always win.”