A Question of Class (19 page)

“That’s kind of you.”

She thought he’d be relieved, but for some reason he seemed upset by her statement. As usual, the look on his face was impenetrable.

“And what will you do?” he asked.

“I’ve already thought of that,” she answered. “I’ll leave Sophie with Theodosia while I search for the Yquem, and then we’ll escape to France.”

What makes you so sure you’ll be able to find the Yquem? You’ve come up empty-handed so far.”

“I have to find it, it’s the only way.”

She hated to think about the precariousness of her situation, and now she’d drawn her sister into an uncertain future. It was overwhelming. “Maybe I’ve made a terrible mistake.”

“What kind of mistake?” he asked.

“I’m not sure I’ll be able to take care of Sophie properly. Maybe she would’ve been better off with the preacher. Maybe it wouldn’t have been like Mr. Delcour, what they did to me.”

“There’s no way she’d be better off,” he said gently. “She would’ve been miserable with that man. Didn’t you hear a word of his sermon?”

She laughed. “You’re right, of course. I’m worried, that’s all.” His face had softened. “When I said I’d made a mistake earlier, did you think...?” She trailed off, at a loss for the right words.

“I don’t know what I think,” he answered, too quickly.

She couldn’t forget what it was like to have him inside her, and feel the roughness of his hands and the smoothness of his hips and stomach under her fingertips. She had never been so stimulated by another person. But perhaps Benjamin, with his worldly travels, had done all that and more with the ladies he’d met. Catherine pressed her hands to her eyes. She needed to manage her thoughts better, and not get sidetracked.

“I don’t need the ledgers anymore,” he said.

She regarded him, confused. “Why not?”

He didn’t answer for a moment. “You don’t have to go back to New York. It’s too dangerous.”

“But what about your plans? What about doing Mr. Delcour in?”

“I’m not interested in that anymore.”

Her throat burned and she swallowed hard. He couldn’t wait to be done with her. She’d been too vulnerable at the inn in Bridgeport, and had shown a side of herself a man like Benjamin disdained. He’d seen her at her most raw. Not only in bed, but also in terms of her history, her upbringing. He’d seen the shack she’d been raised in, and the truth had hit him hard. Like Morris, Benjamin believed she was unworthy and low, and now he wanted to get rid of her and Sophie as fast as possible.

Her eyes prickled with tears. The rejection was too painful. “No, we had a deal, Benjamin. Here’s what we’ll do. We’ll drop Sophie off at the Mount. No one will be there, as Mr. Delcour prohibited any work being done until he returned. It’ll be locked up, but I know a way in and Sophie will be fine there for a few hours. We can head into town and I’ll get your ledgers, and then you can return me to the Mount and you’ll be done. You have to promise me one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“You must wait to expose Mr. Delcour until I’m out of town.

“And how will you get out of town?”

“I’ll be able to take care of myself. You don’t have to worry about that.”

He shifted uneasily. “If Delcour or Carpenter find you, you’ll be at their mercy.”

Catherine considered her answer. She wanted Benjamin out of her life, as soon as possible. Having Morris treat her with disdain was one thing, but for Benjamin to do so was agonizing. She’d have to lie. As most of the town believed she’d had multiple lovers, Catherine would invent a paramour. It would confirm Benjamin’s low opinion of her and she could be done with him forever.

“I have a friend, one I haven’t told you about,” she said. “He’ll take care of me and Sophie.”

“Who?” The sharp tone of his voice startled her.

“A friend. We’ll be fine, but you’ll need to give us some time.”

“You have a friend,” repeated Benjamin. “I see. Is that what you truly want?”

She wanted to kiss him, tell him she wanted nothing more than to leave with him and Sophie and go anywhere, as long as they were together. But he didn’t want that at all. It broke her heart. If only he’d look at her, he’d see it in her eyes. But he didn’t turn his gaze from the road.

“Yes, I’ll be fine,” she said.

“But why didn’t you tell me about this fellow before? Why did you say you had no other recourse?”

“I didn’t want you to know my true nature, I guess.”

His fingers tightened around the reins, the only outward sign of his reaction to her words. He was angry. “I see.”

Benjamin finally looked at her. She hardened her features as best she could against his questioning glance, and he didn’t say another word, instead turned and focused ahead.

Exhaustion threatened to overwhelm her. She’d figure out a plan for her and Sophie after she’d had a good night’s rest and secured the ledgers for Benjamin. At the least, she’d have the satisfaction of knowing Morris would be held accountable for his shady business practices. And Benjamin would be free to go off to wherever he liked.

Catherine gazed over at her sleeping sister and vowed she would take care of her, no matter what it took.

15

“I thought you said you’d be able to get into the Mount,” said Benjamin in exasperation. He’d tried almost every window and door since they’d arrived, exhausted and cranky, at the grand house long after the sun had gone down, but it was as impenetrable as any jail.

“They must be stuck from the humidity, that’s all,” said Catherine.

“Hold the lamp closer so I can see what I’m doing.”

Even with the lamplight, it was no use. Benjamin stepped back from the window he’d been attempting to pry open and glanced up at the house. The journey back had taken much longer than he’d expected, including an interminable wait for the ferry across the river. After they’d made it to the Mount, he’d put the horses in the barn to rest, and Catherine had told Sophie to wait at the front door while she and Benjamin stomped around the house looking for a way in.

“What made you think you’d be able to get inside?” he asked.

“We never locked the windows, only the doors. I didn’t think Mrs. Daggett would be so thorough.”

The idyllic afternoon outside the tavern was long forgotten, as they were both hungry, unwashed and in need of sleep. Catherine had been quiet after her strange declaration in the carriage, but at this point Benjamin had no desire to analyze the situation any further. He wanted to get some rest. And he didn’t want to think about the next man Catherine would be calling upon, as it made him jealous and angry.

“Let’s try the cellar doors. If this doesn’t work, we’ll all end up sleeping in the hayloft.” The idea made Benjamin itch all over.

He pulled on the handles of the cellar doors. They gave a little, but something prevented him from pulling any further.

“Wait here, I’ll be right back,” he said.

Benjamin headed to the barn to find a hacksaw. He wondered about Catherine’s friend, whether he was married, what he did for a living. Maybe she was going to take up Bonneville’s offer. This time Benjamin wouldn’t be in her way.

He located the saw and returned to the cellar doors. “Hold the doors open as far as you can, and I’ll saw through the piece of wood that’s jammed through the handles on the other side.”

Catherine did as he commanded and he reached beneath her. They were pressed together, Catherine holding the doors while Benjamin sawed, and it took every ounce of concentration on his part to not get distracted by their proximity. Finally, the barricade clattered to the ground. He opened the doors and stepped inside.

The house stilled smelled of smoke, particularly down in the kitchen. They found their way upstairs and let Sophie in the front door. The girl handed Catherine a folded piece of paper.

“I found this outside the door,” she said.

Catherine recognized Theodosia’s neat handwriting. Benjamin held the lantern so she could read it.

“How strange,” she said. “It goes on and on about the most mundane things, yet she mentions she wrote both here and at the townhouse to make sure I received her note.” Catherine read out loud. “
I was visiting Mr. Carpenter at his business office the other day and was happy to see he keeps the same sweets my brother and I enjoyed as small children in his office. It brought back so many memories.
”

Catherine clutched the letter to her chest. “It’s the Yquem.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Benjamin.

“Theodosia’s found the Yquem. When we were at the ball, she told me to look for the bottle in her father’s old desk, in the drawer where he used to keep candy. She’s telling me the Yquem is in Carpenter’s office.”

“You think the bottle is at Delcour & Carpenter?”

“I do. I definitely do.” She smiled.

“It smells funny in here,” declared Sophie.

Catherine reached down and gave her sister a hug. “Yes, there was a fire. But I’m afraid it’ll have to do. We can’t afford anything fancier than this right now.”

Benjamin held up the lantern and gazed around. The smoke damage wasn’t as bad as he’d feared. “If we open some of the windows, particularly in the bedchambers, the fresh air will help.”

Halfway up the stairs to the second floor, he froze. “Did you hear that?”

The three of them listened intently. A floorboard groaned somewhere in the upstairs hallway.

“Yes,” whispered Sophie. “I heard that.”

“It’s only the usual creaks and groans,” said Catherine. “It’s an old house.”

“I don’t think so.” Benjamin gestured for the sisters to stay where they were. He crept his way up to the top of the stairway and peeked around the corner.

“Be careful,” whispered Catherine.

He walked down the hallway, staying in the middle of the runner in order to remain as soundless as possible. He stopped in front of a door about midway down. A familiar smell hit his nostrils, stronger than the odor already permeating the house. Benjamin put his hand on the doorknob, counted to three and pushed the door open.

He vaulted into the center of the room, ready to fight. He was in a bedroom, grander than any other in the house, most likely Delcour’s room. Moonlight streamed through the window, and Benjamin’s gaze was first drawn to a bureau, where the moon’s bright reflection shone off the surface of a small hand-held mirror.

He twirled around and saw the tip of a cigarette glowing in the dark.

“Ow! I burned myself,” said a high-pitched voice.

Benjamin moved closer and noticed a shock of straw-colored hair.

“Freddie. What the hell are you doing in here?”

Freddie cowered on the bed, pale with fright. The bedclothes were rumpled and he’d obviously made himself quite at home.

“Mr. Thomas,” stuttered Freddie. “Sir, I mean. I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I figured I’d wait here until everyone came back.”

“And you thought it’d be a good idea to wait in Mr. Delcour’s bed?”

Freddie leapt off the bed and stood at attention.

“I was only trying to get some sleep.”

“How did you get in?”

“All of the windows were unlocked. Once I got in I locked them all up, in case anyone tried to break in.”

“You mean anyone
else
tried to break in.”

Freddie nodded sheepishly.

“Your cigarette.” Benjamin pointed toward the glowing remnant burning its way through the quilt.

“Sorry, sorry.”

“What is going on, are you all right?” Catherine rushed through the doorway, holding the lantern. “Freddie.”

“Yes, ma’am, at your service.”

“What on earth?”

“Apparently Freddie has been making himself comfortable while the house has been empty,” said Benjamin.

“So sorry, ma’am, I am.” The boy shook with fear. “I’ve been cleaning every day, you know, scrubbing off the smokiness from the walls. I’ve not been lolling about, you know.”