Sweet Deception Regency 07 - The Divided Hearts (26 page)

The Sweeney’s ball passed in a blur of
partners. For Judith, except for dancing which she loved, the
evening was sadly flat. She did not understand what was the matter
with her, until she caught herself staring at the entrance to the
ballroom. Guessing the reason, she scolded herself. She had had her
one night of happiness; she must not tempt fate by asking for more.
Still she could not keep herself from watching the doorway in hopes
that Nate would arrive. She only wanted a glimpse of him, nothing
more. It was almost midnight before she discovered that he would
not be putting in an appearance.

“I told Nathanael that I could scarce
forgive him for deserting me on the night of our ball,” Susan
Sweeney said.

“He’s much in demand,” Judith admitted. “I
suppose he can’t attend every function.”

“Oh, no. He’s off to Boston on business.”
The girl pouted into the retiring room mirror. “At least that’s
what he said in his note. He’s not one to cry off without ample
excuse. I’m just piqued that he couldn’t be here.”

Judith was too, but refrained from admitting
it. Instead she said, “How curious. I wonder why Father never
mentioned it. He too is in Boston on business. He said he might be
gone a week. Priscilla was kind enough to offer herself as
chaperone so I wouldn’t miss your ball.”

“I’m so glad that you could be here,
Judith,” Susan said. “I admire you greatly.”

The petite blonde twirled in front of the
mirror, fluffing the lacy ruffles around the neckline of her blue
muslin gown. Her green eyes shifted to the sophisticated beauty
beside her and suddenly she turned to Judith.

“Will I look a perfect dowd in London?” she
asked in despair.

“How could you even think it, Susan?” Judith
was genuinely surprised at the girl’s uncertainty. “My dear, you’re
quite lovely and your coloring is all the rage.”

“Truly?”

Behind the hopeful question, Judith sensed a
real fear in the young girl. Taking pity on Susan, she suggested
they slip away for a comfortable coze. Without returning to the
ballroom, they slipped out a side door and found a stone bench in a
secluded corner of the terrace.

“How soon do you leave for London?” Judith
asked.

“In three weeks.” Susan tried to answer
brightly but there was a sparkle of tears in her eyes.

“I remember when I left England for America,
I was just a little frightened.”

“Were you really?” Susan asked in amazement.
“You always seem so calm and sure of yourself. If only I had more
poise. I feel gauche, afraid I will make some stupid mistake and
give my
fiancé
a disgust of me.”

Judith was aware that a marriage had been
arranged for Susan by her parents. Lord Charles Martin Zei was the
son of a family friend. Judith had never met the man but she knew
that he had both name and money and was considered an eligible
parti.

“From what I have heard of the man,” Judith
commented, “I can not believe Charles Martin would be less than
kind. Have you met him, Susan?”

“No, but Poppa says would should suit. It’s
like a fairy tale. We’ll have a house in the country but, we’ll
move to London for the Season. I’ll have beautiful gowns and
jewels. We’ll attend Almack’s and the theatre.” Although the girl
sounded thrilled at her coming marriage, a touch of hesitancy
returned to her voice. “I suppose I shouldn’t worry, Judith. My
parents assure me that any other girl would be over the moon at
such good fortune. Charles Martin is not even old. Just two years
older than I am. But what if he should take me in dislike. I have
not been in such sophisticated society before. And he will have
such polish!” Susan wailed.

“Not necessarily,” Judith said. “Men at that
age do not have much confidence. He is probably terrified that you
will dislike him.”

“That’s exactly what Nathanael said,” Susan
cried, mopping at her tears with a scrap of an handkerchief.

“And he’s right,” Judith said bracingly.
“Perhaps at first everything will be a little strange. But soon
you’ll be so caught up in buying clothes and going to parties that
you will wonder why you ever worried. You’ll have bosom bows to
confide in and then you will feel quite at home.”

“And Nate will be there to stand as friend,”
Susan announced.

Judith’s pulse quickened and her stomach
fluttered at this confidence. She had suspected that, like her,
Nate had made his decision but the actual confirmation hit her like
a blow. A frown crossed her face and she leaned closer to
Susan.

“When is he leaving?” she asked
casually.

“He didn’t say. I asked him if he might be
returning soon so that we could travel together. Unfortunately, he
has affairs to attend to. But he promised to visit me the moment he
arrives in London.”

Susan bombarded her with questions about the
delights awaiting her in London, but Judith could hardly
concentrate on her answers. She must have replied correctly enough
because the young girl was quite restored to cheerfulness when her
partner came to claim her for a dance. Judith waved her off, moving
further into the shadows, unwilling to return to the ball until she
was able to control her emotions. Tears threatened and she blinked
her eyes rapidly, refusing to give in to the weakness.

She was glad now that Nate was not at the
festivities. She knew that she would not be able to look at him
without giving in to the heart-wrenching sobs that threatened to
engulf her. Why did she have to fall in love with the man? she
fumed. And why did she keep hoping for a miracle? Anger touched her
and she welcomed it as less debilitating than self-pity. But even
so, she huddled in the darkness, wondering how soon she could go
home.

“The meeting is set for midnight.”

The whispered voice, disembodied in the
dark, floated up to Judith on the balcony. Embarrassed that she
might be thought to be eavesdropping, she started to move when the
next words froze her in place.

“This time Palatine has met his match!”

Leaning forward, Judith peered over the edge
of the stone balustrade. In the light of the torches in the garden
she recognized Zeke Waters and Dennis Burgess huddled in
conversation. Although their voices were low, they carried clearly
up to her.

“My informant told me that Palatine will
meet him in the slave section of the common burial ground,” Dennis
said. “Perfect place, eh?”

“Agreed,” Zeke gloated. “But instead, I
shall be waiting for the mystery man. I knew if we kept an ear
open, we’d stumble onto enough information to capture the
blackguard. I’ve had a belly full of those bloody broadsheets.
Local hero, be damned!”

“It’ll be a nine days wonder.” Dennis’ deep
voice rumbled with excitement. “Once we capture him, we’ll turn him
over to the magistrate’s. Have we enough evidence to frame him for
the coach robbery?”

“I saved a particularly distinctive pocket
watch from the loot for just such an opportunity. We’ll slip it in
his pocket.” Zeke sounded inordinately pleased at his own
cleverness. “But to be on the safe side, I suggest we plan a little
more mischief this week. That should stir things up a bit. Then
when we make our capture, we’ll have an outlaw in charge, not a
hero.”

“We’ll have to move swiftly,” Dennis said.
“The meeting’s set for Friday. That only gives us a week.”

“Spread the word quietly,” Zeke commanded.
“We’ll meet tomorrow at the usual place. Warn them to keep their
mouths shut. The only way we’ll capture Palatine is if we catch him
off guard. Remember what happened when we raided the meeting at the
logger’s cabin. We missed him entirely. All we gained from that was
the satisfaction of bashing a few heads. This time I want
Palatine.”

“The thought of that bounder in the dock,
gives me the greatest of pleasure.”

“That’s only if he’s fit to stand
trial.”

Zeke’s voice was so menacing that the
listening Judith was forced to smother an outcry with her hand. She
shrank deeper in the shadows, her foot dislodging a pebble in her
haste. In the silence that followed the ominous words, the stone
skittered across the balcony. She held her breath for fear of
discovery but apparently the figures below were so involved they
heard nothing.

“What do you mean, Zeke?” Dennis’ voice was
low but intense.

“It would be a tragic occurrence if our
friend were to meet with an accident.” Judith heard the odious
man’s macabre chuckle.

“That’s not what we planned.”

“Think on it, Dennis. Palatine’s been a
thorn in our side for months. His sympathies are for the patriots,
never England. The man is just using those broadsheets as
propaganda for a further separation. No matter what those idiots in
the capital say, war is bound to be declared. And when it comes, we
want no rallying point here in Newport.”

“I know you’re right, but…”

“Devil take it, man!” Zeke exploded, his
anger all the more intense since it was contained in a harsh
whisper. “We held up that coach months ago in order to label
Palatine as an outlaw. Lot of good that did except provide us with
enough gold to pay our shot at the tavern. I tell you, Dennis,
we’re better off rid of the man for good. Let’s talk to the others.
You’ll see they’re in agreement.”

The voices below faded away but still Judith
remained in the shadows. She pressed her back against the stones of
the house, feeling the rough edges digging through the soft silk of
her gown. The conversation she had overheard terrified her.
Palatine was in danger.

The memory of firm lips flashed in her mind.
She touched her mouth with the tips of her fingers and her pulse
quickened at the shaft of pleasure that shot through her. No matter
her love for Nate, she still recalled the tenderness of the
stranger’s kiss. She also remembered her anger and the hard slap
she had delivered out of her own confusion.

She must warn Palatine. She did not question
the decision; she knew it was necessary. She was an American now.
If for no other reason than that, she must protect the pamphleteer
from the heinous plottings of Zeke and his cohorts. Besides, she
owed him an apology for her melodramatic behavior. But how?

The rest of the evening Judith was
distracted, her thoughts concentrated on all she had heard. Zeke
Waters and his friends had been involved in a campaign whose sole
purpose was to discredit Palatine. She remembered Simon had
mentioned a coach robbery and other incidents that some blamed on
Palatine. Those activities were frightening enough. But now they
were planning to go to extremes. Unless she could prevent it, on
Friday midnight in the slave section of the common burial ground,
the local hero would be attacked. And Judith had little doubt that
Zeke intended to kill Palatine.

“Patrick, I need to talk to you,” Judith
said, waylaying the boy as he cut through the garden.

“Can it wait? Roger Finney promised to show
me his new snake.”

“Good Lord!” Despite her worry, Judith
smiled. But before the grinning cub could contemplate any repulsive
schemes, she eyed him with a steely glance. “Don’t even think it,
young sir. This house has enough beasts in it, and to spare.”

“Aww, Judith,” Patrick groaned. “I could
make a box.”

“No! Absolutely not! No box. No snake.” Her
gaze was firm and he shrugged his shoulders as though he had
expected such unreasonable objections when dealing with a girl.
Judith sighed bringing her thoughts back to her current problem.
“Do you know anyone who could get a message to Palatine?” she asked
abruptly.

Patrick swung his head around, searching the
garden to be sure they were alone. He sat down on the bench and
moved close to her before he answered. “Is it important?”

“Very.”

Patrick’s eyes scrutinized her face. He took
in the shadows beneath her eyes and the general air of tension
about her. It never crossed his mind to question why she wanted the
information. He trusted her completely.

“I only met him one time,” Patrick said.
“There’s lots of us that work for him but none know who he is.”

“Someone must know, Patrick,” Judith said
urgently. “I must get a message to him.”

“Neddy, Roger’s brother, might know. You
remember I told you that once Roger followed him to a secret
meeting.”

Judith was silent, wondering what to do. If
only her father were home. She had no idea when he would return
from Boston and even so he might not know how to get in touch with
Palatine. By then it might be too late. She stared down at Patrick,
debating how much information she could afford to divulge. If they
knew of the trap, he and Roger might take it into their heads to be
heroes. She could not risk that. Out of desperation, she decided
she had no alternative but to give Patrick the message.

“Tell Neddy to get a message to Palatine,”
she said. “Tell him not to go to the slave’s cemetery.”

“That’s all?” asked the disappointed boy. He
had obviously hoped for something far more exciting.

“That’s enough. Listen carefully, Patrick.
This is really important even though it may not seem so. Neddy must
be very careful to whom he passes this information.”

Hearing a tremor of fear in Judith’s voice,
Patrick’s face took on a solemnity far beyond his years. “Don’t
worry, Judith. I’ll take care of it. I promise.”

On Friday, Judith was near frantic. Patrick
had told her that he had given Neddy Finney the message for
Palatine. But in the same breath he had reported that the boy was
not over confident that he would be able to deliver it to the
proper source. Palatine’s organization was built on a pyramid
system, the lower levels knowing only a member of the next higher
level. All Judith could do now was pray.

It seemed as though she had done nothing
else. She had hoped that her father would return from Boston so
that she could dump the entire problem into his lap. For a time she
was so desperate that she debated discussing the matter with Nate.
His loyalty might be for England but he would never countenance a
sneak attack on an innocent man. Let alone murder. But Nate also
continued to be unavailable.