Remember Me - Regency Brides 03 (18 page)

"That was wonderful!" she whispered to him afterward, when almost everyone had gone.

"Yes, you're like a real preacher now," Josie commented, having heard what Helen had said. She had her bonnet in her hand, holding it by the ties and twirling it around.

"Josie! I do wish you would learn to hold that tongue of yours!" Imogene scolded with exasperation. ' And would you put your bonnet back on?"

Josie scowled, stil swinging it. "But it's too hot!"

Imogene gave her a narrowed look of warning, which made the little girl quickly plop it back on her head.

"You wil dine with us today, wil you not?" Imogene queried North. "I would love to discuss some of the points of your sermon I felt were particularly inspiring."

With her comments, as wel as most of the congregation's, North felt a little overwhelmed by al of the sincere praise, whereas before it had been halfhearted, at best. "I was hoping for an invitation. There is also something I would like to discuss with Mr. Baumgartner."

"Excel ent!" Imogene crowed, clasping her hands together at her chest.

"You can ride in the carriage with Josie, and I wil ride in the barouche with Robert."

North was able to steal a few moments alone with Helen before Josie joined them. "Helen." He cal ed her name softly as he reached across and held both her hands. "I am going to speak with Mr. Baumgartner today about my intentions toward you and that I've ask you to marry me. I know you have not given me a definitive answer, but I feel we should make him aware of our feelings for one another."

North watched the warring emotions play across her lovely features, and he felt a little guilty himself for not tel ing her he knew the truth.

"But shouldn't we wait until your memory returns?" she fretted.

"What if it never returns? Could you be happy living here with me even though I can barely remember ever knowing you before?"

"Oh, North, I could be happy with you in any place or any circumstance," she declared so passionately that he couldn't help but feel she was sincere.

' And I, you," he responded softly, wishing he was able to kiss her once again.

They heard a sound outside the carriage and quickly sprang apart, sitting back in their seats. Josie stuck her head in the doorway, laughing. "You were holding hands!" she charged merrily as she hopped aboard the vehicle, stumbling over their knees to her seat beside Helen.

Helen lowered her head to shield a blush as she busily straightened her blue dress. "Whatever do you mean?" she hedged.

Josie looked back and forth between them. "I mean I was peeking at you through the window and saw you holding hands." She then turned al her attention to North, her head bent in a quizzical stance. "And whatever did you mean about remembering something or other? Did you ever remember that you once knew Helen before, when you were in England?"

North sent an alarmed glance Helen's way as he searched his mind for a feasible answer.

“A lady does not skulk about listening at doors and spying on her elders!" Helen scolded in the meantime, obviously trying to change the subject from what Josie had heard. "And I see you've removed your bonnet once again! Whatever did you do with it?"

Josie blushed this time. "I. ..uh...tied it on Boudreau's head," she confessed, speaking of Miss Ol ie's mule that pul ed her tiny wagon. The old mule was famous for getting loose from his fence and trampling the neighborhood gardens.

Although North was relieved to find the younger girl had completely forgotten their previous conversation, he looked forward to the day when there were no more secrets to conceal.

~

"What's he saying now?" Imogene whispered as the three females squeezed together in a smal closet that connected the library and dining room. The dividing panels were easily removed so they could move forward to peer through the cracks of the closet door. Helen was bent, trying to peek through the keyhole, Josie managed to kneel down below her, trying to get a better view, and Imogene kept pushing against Helen's back, nearly toppling her over as the older woman tried to peer over her shoulder.

The thing they were al agog to witness was the meeting between Mr.

Baumgartner and North. "I don't know. I can barely hear them," Josie complained, as she wiggled around trying to get comfortable and leaned on her mother's foot in the process.

"Oww!" Imogene hissed. "Do take care, Josie!" They al moved around a bit to try to get more comfortable. "How did you know the boards were removable, anyway?"

"I just discovered it one day," Josie answered easily, and Helen could only guess who she was trying to spy on when she made that discovery.

"He just declared he loves Helen and has asked her to marry him," Josie whispered a little louder than she should.

"Shh!" Helen warned. "They wil hear you!" She peered again through the crack.

"Uh-oh! Mr. Baumgartner is frowning."

"What?" Imogene questioned as she tried to take a look for herself "What's wrong with him? Has he forgotten what it's like to be young and in love?"

"Oh, wait!" Josie cried, this time in a softer voice. "He just asked him if he is able to afford a wife. They're quite expensive, Father says."

"How dare he say that!" Imogene gasped, and Helen was thinking it might not have been the best idea to invite her employer along.

"Hmm... This is interesting. North just told him he has recently found out that he has an inheritance coming to him," Helen told them as she wondered where this news had come from. She'd only read part of the letter Hamish's sister had written. Perhaps he'd learned of it from there.

But why didn't he tel her about it?

"Oh, look. Papa is smiling!"

Helen squinted to see the men shaking hands. "It appears they've reached some sort of an agreement."

"Oh, I wish I could see!" Imogene complained, pushing even more against Helen.

To balance herself, she tried to brace her arms on the frame of the door.

"If you truly love her, then you have my blessing, Reverend. I would imagine that, as you are a man of God, you are being guided by Him, so I can do nothing less than to approve of the match, also," Helen heard Mr. Baumgartner say to North.

"Thank you, sir!" North replied, a wide smile on his face. "God has indeed brought us together. In Helen He has given me more than I could ever have hoped for in a mate."

"Oh, that's so romantic!" Josie expressed with a dreamy sigh.

Helen brushed at the tears on her cheeks. "He is so sweet, isn't he?"

"That is wonderful, and I'm sure Helen appreciates hearing the sentiment, as wel ."

Helen watched with trepidation as Mr. Baumgartner looked straight at the closet they were hiding in. "Don't you, Helen dear?"

Imogene, stil trying to see a little better, chose that moment to lean forward and, in the process, caused Helen to lose her grip on the doorframe and fal directly into the door.

All three of them tumbled out of the closet and landed in an embarrassing heap at the men's feet.

Since she was on top of the pile, Imogene was the first to pul herself to her feet.

"Wel , I must say this is very embarrassing!" she murmured as she smoothed back the curls that had come loose from her hairpins.

Helen and Josie managed to scramble to their feet, both ignoring the men's offer to help them up. "We were just ...uh... ," Josie began, trying to excuse her behavior, as usual.

"Eavesdropping, dear. I believe that's what they cal it," her father supplied for her in a drol voice.

"Why don't I cal for a pot of tea?" Imogene mentioned brightly, obviously hoping to defuse the awkwardness of the situation. "Better yet-I'l go make some myself!"

She began to walk quickly from the room, and Josie hurriedly fol owed her.

"I'l go, too!"

Helen watched helplessly as they left her to face them al alone.

"You know, I real y should take my leave," North said as he looked at Helen.

"Would you like to walk me out to the stables?"

Helen looked over at her employer, who smiled at her and nodded. "Have a good night, Reverend," he directed toward North. "I am so embarrassed," Helen groaned, as soon as they walked outdoors. "It
seemed
like a good idea when Josie mentioned the closet."

North laughed. "Wel , at least you know we have Mr. Baumgartner's approval.

We only need to try to send a letter to inform your parents now."

"Speaking of letters," Helen began as she was reminded about something he'd told Mr. Baumgartner. "You mentioned an inheritance in the meeting."

"Yes, so you don't have to worry about my being able to support you," he said confidently. He didn't, however, explain
how
he knew it.

"Oh, I know you wil , but... umm...did your ...uh...sister write in her letter about it?"

she persisted.

"No, I actual y remembered something about it."

Helen's heart started beating faster. "Oh? You've had more memories?"

He looked down at her, the ful moon reflecting a soft glow on his face. "A few,"

he said, as if it were nothing of great concern.

She tried to read his expression to get some idea of what he knew exactly, but it was just too dark to tel . "Wel , that's good," she commented lamely, unable to think of anything else to say.

"Oh, I also wanted to tel you that I may be going to the Kent plantation soon."

His words caused Helen to stumble, so horrified was she by what he'd just said. "Why?" she asked, her voice noticeably shaky.

"I heard they are the relatives of the other fel ow who was thrown from the ship. I thought I would go there to convey my sympathies and offer them any comfort I can."

This is bad. Terribly, terribly bad.

She turned her head away from him to take a few breaths, trying to calm herself.

"When wil you go?" "Tomorrow."

All Helen could think of was running away and finding a good place to cry her eyes out. It wouldn't solve anything, but it ruight.he1p her feel a little better. Then she thought of another solution that could very wel help. She needed to pray!

Only God could help her find a solution to the dilemma she'd caused for herself and North-not to mention the entire area of Golden Bay.

Complaining of a sudden headache, Helen left him standing at the stable door.

When she reached the porch, she realized that she hadn't even told him good-bye.

Helen spent a restless night tossing and turning as she grappled with what she should do. She had tried to pray, but the guilt she felt was so great. How could God forgive her when she would never be able to forgive herself?

The more Helen weighed her options, the more she realized there was only one course of action she could take. It was the cowardly solution, but she just couldn't witness the hurt and betrayal in North's eyes when he realized what she had done.

Darkness stil fil ed the early morning as Helen quietly pul ed a smal bag from under her bed and stuffed as many of her clothes and belongings as she could manage into it. Then, opening the drawer to her night table, she untied a handkerchief that contained al the money she'd earned since coming to Golden Bay. It wasn't a large sum, by any means, but she prayed it would be enough to purchase a passage back to England.

Helen then tiptoed into Josie's room and gently shook the girl awake. "What...?"

she mumbled sleepily, as she tried to open her eyes and adjust to the lamp that Helen had lit beside her bed.

"Shh!" she sounded as she put her fingers over Josie's mouth. "It's me. I need to talk to you."

Josie sat up, rubbing her eyes. She seemed so young in her ruffled sleeping cap and high-necked cotton gown. "What's wrong?" she asked with a yawn.

Helen patted her on the shoulder and regretted she might not see her little friend again. "I have to leave, and I need you to explain to your parents for me."

Quickly she told her the truth of what she'd done and about North not knowing that he was real y Trevor Kent. "Everyone wil hate me once they find out, so I have to leave," she explained.

"Please don't leave, Helen. Everyone wil understand. I won't even complain about my lessons anymore if you'l please stay!" Josie pleaded, tightly grabbing hold of Helen's hand.

Helen shook her head as tears fil ed her eyes. "I just can't, Josie. I'm so sorry, but I can't," she sobbed as she got up and pul ed her hand away.

Josie began to cry, too. "Wil you come back?"

"I hope so," Helen whispered as she quickly bent down and pressed a kiss to the little girl's cheek. "Good-bye."

"But Helen ... !" Helen heard her cal out as she ran out of the room and closed the door behind her. Helen managed to get out of the house without being noticed, but once she'd run a few steps, she realized she had no idea where to go. Then she thought of the only person who would help her.

Sam!

Although she'd never been there, Helen knew Sam lived down the bayou, so she quickly began to make the trek down to the pier, hoping that she'd be far enough from the house before it became too light.

It was already getting easier to sec, as the dark sky began to show streaks of dark pink and orange on the horizon. Helen scurried as fast as she could along the embankment. As she went deeper into the area where the Cyprus trees were thick along the border of the property, she could only pray that she wouldn't meet up with an al igator or even a water moccasin. Frankly there were just too many creepy-crawly things to worry about, so if they were around her, she tried not to notice them.

Her running slowed to a breathless stride as the minutes seem to drag by and her bag grew heavier with each step. She felt as though she-was now a ways from the house, but there was no sign of any dwel ing or camp where Sam might live.

She honestly didn't know what kind of place the Indian would live in.

Would it be like the teepees she'd read about? Sam seemed so primitive at times, yet he spoke very wel , and Helen always had the impression he was probably more educated and informed on the customs of the white race than he let on.