Riverbreeze: Part 3 (39 page)

“Well…” Jamie smiled sheepishly.

“Go to bed.” Robert said. “I’ll be up in a while.”

Jamie looked at him for a minute, deciding whether to allow him to be alone.

“I promise I’ll be all right.” Robert said.

“All right.” Jamie finally said, and he gave Robert’s shoulder another squeeze before Robert left the room.

Robert walked through the quiet, dark house with only one candle to light his way. This night felt so strange to him. After living under constant strain for the past month or so it felt strange to not have to worry about what Wesley might do next. He was relieved, of course, but he also felt uneasy or confused or lost. He thought about that terrible moment when Wesley had finally died…under his hand, choking the life out of him. Wesley would have died from the bullet wound soon enough, but Robert had felt such a passionate need to do it personally. He remembered his conversation with Jamie and how he had made the decision to give Wesley to Owasewas to keep the blood off his hands, but the circumstances hadn’t allowed that. And when he saw Wesley holding Elizabeth, pointing that gun to her head, and when he heard that Wesley had tried to rape her, he had just gone mad. Wesley had pushed him over the edge.

But could he have done things differently? Should he have allowed Sheriff Huett to take charge and lead the rescue? Should he have continued the negotiations with the two Pamunkeys and let them rescue Elizabeth? Should he have gagged Pannoowau so he couldn’t yell out and warn Wesley? All these questions kept swirling in his head, stealing the glory of the victory from him.

By this time he was descending the stairs into the root cellar. Even after lighting a candle in a wall sconce at the top of the stairs, it was even darker and colder here than in the rest of the house. But he knew exactly where the pitcher of milk was stored, directly at the foot of the steps off to the right side.

But he never made it. Abruptly he sat down on a tread halfway down the staircase. Going underground reminded him of Wesley’s hasty burial. Burcher showed them where he had buried Burnett and so they decided to bury Wesley along side of him. How appropriate, they had thought, to bury the two bastards side by side in unmarked graves deep in the woods. It had been a laborious chore. And there had been no coffin to put him in. In the end they had wrapped him in an old, stained sheet that had been on the bed when Burnett had died. Now that he thought about it, it had seemed rather cold and wrong to bury a man without any words of respect, to shovel the dirt on him with glee in their hearts and finally to spit on his grave like they had.

What was he thinking? Why was he questioning himself? He had done a good thing! Wesley was the one who was bad. Wesley had tortured him and Jamie when they had been children and he had come back to torture them again, including their wives; and Robert would never forgive him for abducting Elizabeth and causing both girls to miscarry.

Caught by surprise he felt a tear roll down his cheek, then another and another. Soon he was sobbing, and he couldn’t control it and he didn’t know why. From sadness? From relief? From loss? Perhaps all three.

He heard a soft voice call to him from the top of the stairs. Abigail. She always knew when one of them walked around the house at night.

Robert quickly wiped his face with his hand, then on his sleeve. “What is it, Abby?”

“I thought I heard someone. Are you all right?”

He sniffled and cleared his throat a few times before answering. “I’ll be fine.” He stood up and started to climb back up the stairs. “I was going to get some milk to warm up.”

“I’ll do that. Do go sit in the kitchen.”

“Thank you.” He said, and as he passed her at the head of the stairs, he gave her hand an affectionate squeeze.

He had built the fire back up by the time Abigail returned with the pitcher of milk. Robert watched her while she poured half the contents into a small cauldron and set it over the fire. There would be that much less cow’s milk for breakfast, but he could always milk the goat which someone would have to do anyway.

“I know not what we would do without you, Abby.” Robert said, watching her take two pewter tankards from the shelf.

She brought them to the table and set them down. Smiling shyly, she said, “You would manage somehow.”

Robert shook his head. “You took wonderful care of Robin when he was a baby—you still do—you took care of Jamie and me and now you’re taking care of Elizabeth and Evelyn. You’re irreplaceable.”

She blushed. “I am glad to do it. I’m very happy here.” She said softly.

Robert looked at her with understanding. Nevertheless, he said, “But I feel like I’ve brought you a lot of grief lately. Burnett…Wesley.”

“You had no control over that—“

“That day of the party, I told Burnett you were here alone. I’ve never forgiven myself for that.”

She dismissed that with a small wave of her hand. “You didn’t know what he would do…and now he’s dead. He can’t hurt me anymore…and Wesley can’t hurt you or any of us.”

“Elizabeth is still suffering.”

Abigail touched his arm. “But she’ll recover in time. She’s young, and strong, and healthy. I’ve talked to her about my own experience and Evelyn is a great comfort to her. I’m also dosing her and Evelyn with raspberry tea and feverfew. Worry not, Robert. She’ll heal soon and then there will be other babies.”

Robert covered her hand with his. “Thank you.” He said simply.

By that time the milk was warm and they drank in companionable silence. Robert didn’t know if he would sleep at all tonight, but he was feeling better. Tomorrow he was certain he would be able to rejoice in Wesley’s death and put all this torment behind him. That is what he hoped for anyway.

Chapter Fifty: Justice: The Governor visits

The next day Robert had a visitor: the Governor. He and Jamie, along with Nathan and Dolnick, were working out in the seed beds, finishing up the planting of their tobacco seeds when Abigail came to fetch him.

It was around two in the afternoon; the brothers were tired and dirty, their backs ached and they were most definitely hungry, after all, it was almost time for supper. They had been working since ten in the morning when the sun had finally warmed the earth enough to melt all the frost on the ground.

“Did he say why he wants to see me?” Robert asked Abigail.

“No, he just said he wanted to speak to you. He came with two servants and I left them in the kitchen while I had the governor wait in the parlor.”

“Thank you, Abby. We’ll be right there after we wash at the well.”

Abby went ahead, while Robert and Jamie hastened to the well. They left Nathan and Dolnick working in the field. Hopefully the governor wouldn’t stay too long and they could go right back to work after supper. Robert really wanted to finish the sowing today while the weather permitted.

“I wonder why he wants to see me.” He wondered, pulling off his gloves and removing his hat. They had arrived at the well and he dropped the bucket down the deep shaft.

“I know not.” Jamie said, placing his hands on his back and stretching. He had decided to accompany Rob even though Abigail had said the governor only wanted to see Robert, and Robert had agreed. “Do you think he knows anything about what happened yesterday?”

“Only if he’s a seer.” Robert joked, drawing the bucket up. He set it on the wall of the well, dipped his hands in the cold water and splashed his face. Water went everywhere, soaking into his plain, workaday wool jacket.

Jamie let out a nervous laugh. “God, I hope not!” Jamie took his turn, splashing his face and washing his hands.

“Maybe ‘tis just a social call.” Robert said hopefully, although he had a sinking feeling that it wasn’t.

An old rag had been left at the well and both brothers used it to dry their hands and faces before heading for the back door. There they took a minute to knock the mud from their boots; then they stepped in and hung up their coats and hats on pegs. Robert peeked in the kitchen and saw Berkeley’s two servants sitting at the board table, sipping weak ale from pewter tankards. Abigail had also set a freshly baked loaf of wheat bread on the table. Hey, that was for our supper! Robert thought resentfully.

Abigail caught Robert poking his head in and said, “He’s waiting in the parlor.”

“Thank you, Abby.”

They stepped into the parlor, Robert slightly ahead of Jamie.

Sir William Berkeley was standing by the virginal, his back to the open doorway. He appeared to be admiring the splendid instrument, skimming his fingers along the fine-grained wood case. He was smartly dressed in an indigo blue doublet and breeches—a very rare color—with a pristine white linen shirt underneath and a beautiful lace collar. His hat had been left on the gate-leg table and his cape draped over the chair.

“Good afternoon, Sir William.” Robert said formally. At least he could speak respectfully even if he wasn’t dressed properly. He felt like a poor farmer in his dingy, everyday work clothes compared to this elegantly dressed man.

Berkeley spun around, somewhat embarrassed at being caught eyeing someone else’s property. But he composed himself quickly enough. “Robert! Jamie.” He nodded politely when he saw him. “Forgive me for snooping. Where did you get this?”

Robert moved further into the room, closer to the fireplace. He saw that a small fire had been started in the hearth and numerous candles had been lit on the mantelpiece and on the table. With the windows boarded up, it was darker than normal in the room.

“’Twas a gift to my wife.” Robert replied. “Won’t you have a seat, please?” He gestured to one of the chairs closest to the hearth. At the moment he wasn’t inclined to spend a lot of time on small talk even though he was fond of the governor and considered him a friend. He wanted Berkeley to get right to the point of why he was here. He didn’t believe this was a social call and he didn’t sit himself.

At first Berkeley appeared to be disappointed with Robert’s short answer about the virginal, but then he nodded and moved to the chair. “Thank you.” He sat down and crossed his legs, clasping his hands on his knee in a casual way. “Aren’t you going to sit?”

“Of course.” Robert said, sitting stiffly in the other chair. Jamie pulled up a stool and sat on that. “I see that Abigail has already given you some refreshment.” Robert continued, noticing the tankard on the table by his hat.

“Yes, she’s a very lovely woman. And speaking of lovely women, where are your delightful wives?”

“They are unwell and spending the day in bed.” Robert replied succinctly. The governor didn’t need to know about their miscarriages yet.

That took the governor by surprise. “Oh, I am sorry to hear that. I hope it’s nothing serious.”

“No, nothing serious.” Robert said, not elaborating.

The governor, again, seemed disappointed in Robert’s short answer. Nevertheless, he said, “I’m glad to hear that. Women who are with child do tend to be rather vulnerable to numerous maladies. I’ll pray for their quick recovery.”

That remark caught Robert off guard and he felt like he wanted to cry. Of course the governor would still believe the girls were pregnant, but he just wasn’t ready to tell him that they weren’t. He swallowed hard before saying, “Thank you, sir. We appreciate that.” Beside him, Jamie added, “Yes, thank you, sir.”

“’Tis the least I can do.” Said Berkeley, looking strangely at both brothers. It was quite clear that he was disappointed that Robert and Jamie were being so formal today.

Robert didn’t care. This small talk was getting on his nerves. He was fiercely curious to know what the governor wanted with him. He decided to throw caution to the wind and come right out and ask him. “Sir William, may I ask why you have come to visit today?”

Once again the governor seemed disappointed in Robert’s formality. He let out a little laugh. “I see you are in no mood for casual conversation. Very well, Robert, I’ll come right to the point.” He took a deep breath. “I like you; I’ve liked you from the first day we met and you showed me around your father’s silk operation.” Robert and Jamie exchanged a quick look of surprise. “And I enjoyed very much seeing your place here. I had hoped to continue that friendship and to continue to observe your progress with your own silk operation.”

“That is my hope as well, sir.” Robert said with all sincerity.