East of Orleans (39 page)

Jesse, Thank you for putting me to bed last night. I am much better this morning. However, I awoke to a horrible feeling that something bad has happened to Jacqueline and I must see if she is okay and warn her about Jules and Hoyt. Please do not worry about me. I will be fine.

Love,

Isabella

Jacqueline awoke to a man standing over her; it was Hoyt. Quickly, she rose up and saw another figure in the doorway. She did not recognize the man; he was tall and blond with a bone chilling smirk on his face. Her first thought was to try to get away and then a voice said, “Have you had the pleasure of meeting Jacqueline Rousseau, your uncle’s whore,” said Hoyt.

“No, I’ve heard much about Miss Rousseau, but never had the pleasure. My uncle sure has fine taste in women, wouldn’t you say, Hoyt?” asked Jacob Hartwell.

Jacqueline kept her eyes on Hoyt and then her eyes traveled to Jacob. She knew she had to get away. She wanted to run, scream, but she was frozen in fear and did not move.

Isabella had left her house, walking. She knew that if she took her buggy, she would be missed sooner, so she walked, hard and fast. She looked like a little waif, thin and pale, now in a sweat, scurrying down the street, crossing one sidewalk after another determined to have the endurance to make it to Jacqueline’s house. As Isabella walked she looked back behind her when, she heard a familiar voice. She looked angrily at Jesse, but even though he was fussing at her, she was grateful for a reason to rest.

Jesse jumped out of her carriage, took Isabella by the shoulder and said, “You ain’t going, you ain’t in no shape.”

“I am going, it ain’t none of your business. Now, get out of my way.”

“Priscilla said she had to change the sheets on your bed again this morning. There was too much blood on ‘em. Why you want to do this, don’t you care if you die?” Asked Jesse.

“I been thinking about Jacqueline ever since I opened my eyes this morning. I started this whole mess. Jesse, I heard Jules tell Hoyt that he could throw Jacqueline out of her house. That house is everything to her.” Isabella started to cry. “I know what it’s like to think day after day that you’re gonna be thrown out of your house with no where to go. You do too, that’s how we got here to begin with. And if this kills me, I don’t want to have whatever happens to Jacqueline on my conscience too. I care what happens to her,” said Isabella tears pouring down her cheeks.

Jesse removed a blanket from the back of the carriage and wrapped it around Isabella. He then helped her into the buggy and they headed toward Oglethorpe.

It seemed like hours had passed before Jacqueline was able to speak, but it had only been seconds. She uttered the words, “What do you want?”

“I want you never to forget me,” said Jacob Hartwell. He removed a kerchief from his pocket and proceeded to tie Jacqueline’s hands behind her back.

Jacqueline stared at Jacob. She remembered Priscilla’s words about a banker’s son that liked to tie up the girls. As Jacqueline watched, she thought there something familiar about him that reminded her of Mae Patterson but she didn’t know what it was.

Jacob leaned over, grabbed Jacqueline’s breast and ran both hands down the front of her gown. He ran his tongue along the side of her neck and kissed her hard on the mouth.

Jacqueline tossed her head back in rage, spit on Jacob and screamed, “I’ll kill you!”

“I don’t think she likes our company,” said Hoyt as he walked into the bedroom with a bottle of wine in his hand. “You want some of this wine?” he asked Jacob. “If not, there’s plenty of good Irish whiskey in there,” he said, gesturing toward the ornate liquor cabinet.

“Maybe later, I’ve other things planned for now,” said Jacob. He ran the sharp blade of a knife against Jacqueline’s cheek and said, “You’re gonna like what I’m fixing to do to you.”

“Please, I’ll give you anything you want. Just go and leave me alone,” cried Jacqueline. She managed to get one of her hands free and while Jacob unfastened his pants, Jacqueline reached under her mattress for her gun. She was afraid that Patrick had taken it when he left, but then as she groped, she felt the cold metal against her fingertips.

“You’re gonna get out of my uncle’s house, but not before I fuck you,” said Jacob.

“Allez au Diablo, you bastard,” she said holding the gun to Jacob’s head. “Mary, mother of Jesus, forgive me,” whispered Jacqueline.

Jacqueline looked up to the sounds of a woman screaming. It was Isabella. Jacqueline, with the gun shaking in her unsteady hands, turned to look at Isabella.

“Don’t do it, Jacqueline, please, he’s not worth it,” cried Isabella.

Jacqueline glanced at a steamer trunk across the room. Inside was the rosewood box; the one that contained the opium. She had used it ever since she was twelve. Now, she decided she would kill Jacob and then herself. Soon the pain would be over. The pain of the opium addiction and the pain of her life.

“What’s wrong, you can’t do it? Two worthless cowards. One a whore, the other my whore, and both my uncle’s whores,” laughed Jacob.

“Shut up, before I kill you myself!” screamed Isabella.

“A
McCoy
kill a Hartwell? I doubt that. You’re just like your daddy. He saw what I done to you and then he was going to kill me. But I hog tied him, slit his throat, let him bleed like a pig before I shot him. You didn’t know that, did you?” Jacob sneered.

In shock from what she just heard, Isabella lunged at Jacob. Jesse reached for Isabella, but she was already on top of Jacob before Jesse could stop her. Jacqueline jumped off the bed and ran to a corner. Isabella hit Jacob across the face and then he slapped her hard. Then the sound of a gunshot was heard. The room became still as white silk sheets became soaked with red blood. The last sounds that were heard from Jacob were loud moans and gurgling noises, then he collapsed. Stunned, Jesse jerked Isabella up from the bed, she was covered in blood.

Hoyt made a quick dash for the back door and ran wildly through the woods. It had started to thunder and the room turned dark and gray.

Jesse began to gather up any evidence of Isabella’s presence in the room. He instructed her to step out of her blood-splattered dress, placed it in a brown paper bag and quickly ordered her to change into one of Jacqueline’s dresses. Jesse glanced across the room and saw Jacqueline crouched down in the corner, her head between her legs rocking back and forth. Jesse knew in his gut that both women were losing their wits and he knew that he had to gather them and get out of there. He glanced at Jacob’s body and said, “We got ta get him out of here. Look, I’ll take care of him. While I’m gone, I want the two of you to get yourselves together. Jacqueline, d’ya have somewhere you can go fo’ a few days?”

Jacqueline glanced at Jesse and said, “Did you shoot him?”

“No! No, he didn’t shoot anybody,” Isabella cried. “The gun went off by accident.

“But—I thought, when Jacob slapped you, that was when Jesse went for him and then all I remember was my gun went off,” said Jacqueline.

“Of course, that’s all you remember. You had gone to the other side of the room and you had your back to us,” said Isabella.

Jacqueline looked at Isabella and then dropped her head and looked away. Jesse wrapped Jacob’s body in the blood-soaked sheet and then dragged it out into the back courtyard. Jesse quickly brought the carriage to the side of the house and lifted Jacob’s body in the back.

Annalee Hancock was taking her morning stroll when she saw Jesse hurriedly bring Isabella’s carriage around the side of Jacqueline’s house. She ran up the front steps and then crossed over the flower garden to peer into the courtyard. She saw Jesse lift the blood-soaked sheet wrapped around Jacob’s body into the back of the carriage. Annalee took her hands out of the front pockets of her white morning coat and placed them over her face in horror and disbelief. Then she began running toward Lucy Baker’s house.

Jesse rushed into the house and upstairs to the bedroom. He looked around and said to Isabella and Jacqueline, “I’ve got him in the carriage. I want you both be ready to get out of here when I get back. Anythin’ you need while I’m gone?”

“Kate,” whispered Isabella.

“Oh no,” said Jesse. “Mrs. Kate, she too old for you to drag her into this.”

“You think I’m crazy?” asked Isabella.

“Don’t make me answer dat,” said Jesse. “What you want Mrs. Kate for?”

“She’ll know of a safe place for Jacqueline to stay for a few days,” said Isabella.

Jesse shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t think we ought to drag Mrs. Kate into dis mess, but I’ll go and get her when—when I get finished. What am I supposed to tell Mrs. Kate to get her away from Mr. O’Brien so he won’t be suspicious?”

“Tell her us girls got in some trouble playing cards,” said Isabella.

“We got to get a plan and stick to it. If our story starts falling apart, then we’re in real trouble,” said Jesse.

“Okay, go on, get out of here. While you’re gone, we’ll figure out what we’re gonna say and the three of us will stick to that story,” said Isabella.

Isabella walked Jesse to the back door and then went back into Jacqueline’s bedroom. She got a basin of soap and water and began to wash the blood off the floor. Isabella had failed to notice that Jacqueline had opened the steamer trunk and removed the rosewood box. She glanced over at Jacqueline while ripping up the remaining cotton sheets and saw her crouched down in the corner. Isabella ran over and dabbed a wet cloth across Jacqueline’s face. Jacqueline looked up at her in a blur.

Jacqueline was holding her hand against her stomach. “Please, can you get me some water?” she said.

Isabella noticed the contents were out of the rosewood box and in Jacqueline’s lap. “What’s going on here?” asked Isabella, “What is that in your lap?” Isabella picked up a small cobalt bottle of liquid and a pipe. She put the pipe to her nose and inhaled. Isabella grabbed Jacqueline’s hand, “What is this stuff? Is it some sort of drug?” She looked down at Jacqueline and screamed, “Tell me!”

“It’s opium, it’s my salvation,” smiled Jacqueline.

“Salvation? Opium,” Isabella’s eyes were wide with fear. “You give me that box, give it to me now!” demanded Isabella.

Clutching the box in her fingers Jacqueline said, “I think I’m pregnant and I can’t go through that again.”

“Pregnant?” whispered Isabella. “By who?”