We Hear the Dead (23 page)

“Do you want my gratitude or my servitude?” I asked peevishly. “You say you've given all this to me, but what kind of gift is it when I've provided the labor for it all along? Don't tell me it's for my benefit when you won't let me go now that I want to be married!”

“He'll never marry you.”

“What?” I gasped, shocked by the statement, resentful of the implication.

Leah stepped toward me and leaned forward to stare me down. “Do you know what he sees in you? You are one of a kind, Maggie. You are not of his class, but you associate with people who are. You are keenly intelligent, witty, lively, attractive—and shrouded with mystery. You have a connection to a world other than our own; you provide answers for people from a place no one thought reachable. You touch lives with your gentleness and your practical sensibility and change them forever. You are as wild and mysterious to him as his precious North Pole.”

I opened my mouth, trying to stammer some interruption, but Leah continued, inexorable and unstoppable. “Being a man, he desires to tame you, just as he seeks to chart his Arctic Sea. And if he succeeds in conforming you to the standard of his class, if he sends you to school for music and poise and polite conversation, what will he have?” Leah's eyes burned with antipathy and hatred. “A pale, common counterfeit. A blacksmith's daughter masquerading as a lady. All that makes you unique will be gone, and so will be the compelling attraction.”

I had thought that I could hold my own against Leah, but the depth of her viciousness proved too much for me. Gathering my skirt, I darted around her and headed for the parlor door. She had shredded my feelings with the ease of a cat clawing through fine Italian lace, and I wanted nothing more than to beat a hasty retreat.

Just before I slammed the door closed, I heard her shout after me, “Mark my words, Maggie! He will never marry you!”

Maggie

In the telegram I sent to Elisha from Washington, informing him of our return to New York, I had included a brief statement agreeing to his wishes. I soon received a telegram in return, expressing his delight and directing me to await further instructions in a forthcoming letter.

In the meantime, I lived uncomfortably in my sister's house. Relations between us were cool, and Leah did not speak to me any more than was necessary for daily living. I declined to participate in any spirit circles, instead withdrawing to my room or sitting by Calvin's bedside while the clients were in the house. By silent agreement, not one of us mentioned to Calvin the sudden rift between Leah and me. We would not have wanted to burden him with this unpleasantness, and in any case, he was far too absorbed in a struggle for his life to have wondered why I was no longer needed for the spirit sittings. I knew that Elisha was caught up in the frenzy of preparations for his journey, but still I chafed at the delay in his letter. Having made my decision, I was eager to get away from Leah's house. Even Kate had chilled in her demeanor toward me.

When the promised letter finally arrived, I discovered that Elisha understood the need to remove me from Leah's home as soon as possible:

I can imagine the awkwardness you feel, my darling. In order to expedite matters, I have consulted my aunt Eliza Leiper for advice, presenting you as a young woman of slight acquaintance whom I wish to assist in the matter of education. To further this notion, I have created a fund for your schooling and boarding that will be administered by my associate, Mr. Henry Grinnell, as a sponsorship. As far as my aunt is to know, I have only a scholarly interest in you, desiring to help you better your prospects with a fine education. Thus is your virtuous and maidenly character protected!

My aunt has written to inform me that she knows a perfect arrangement, and provisional to meeting you, she will secure this place and act as your advisor. She does insist upon an interview, but I have every confidence that my aunt will find you as irresistible as I do, darling little spirit! In fact, I suspect you will find each other exceedingly compatible company, as Aunt Eliza is known for her strong opinions on women's issues. My father detests her, but she is quite my favorite aunt, and she will undoubtedly find you up to her standards of intelligence and character.

I have employed a woman of respectable family to travel as your companion on the journey. You can expect the details to arrive by telegraph once the train tickets to Philadelphia are purchased. A carriage will meet you and your chaperone at the station to transport you to my aunt's residence. I will meet you there to smooth over introductions and, of course, to reward myself for weeks of intensive labor with the pleasure of your company.

I shared the plans with my mother, and although she seemed confused and bewildered by Elisha's complicated arrangement, she agreed that all proprieties had been met. With Mother's consent, I telegraphed my readiness for travel back to Philadelphia and awaited further instructions. Leah feigned indifference to my plans, and Kate was still offended by my defection, so my departure within two weeks' time seemed like deliverance from a house of unfriendly strangers.

My companion, a distant relation of the Grinnells named Miss Walters, was a dour woman of about thirty years with a lazy eye and a gloomy disposition. She had clearly not been hired for her conversational skills, and so the journey passed in awkward silence. In spite of Elisha's reassurances, I was anxious about meeting his aunt. I did not know what to make of his concurrent statements that we would find each other exceedingly compatible and that his father detested the woman. It did not bode well for the chances of Judge Kane liking me!

The efficient Mr. Morton met our train in Philadelphia and ushered us to the waiting carriage. Another long, dull passage ensued, with neither my chaperone nor Elisha's secretary feeling the need to fill the intervening time with discourse.

The Leiper house proved to be a pleasant country residence on partially wooded property. Its most wonderful and welcoming attribute was the sight of Elisha waiting for us on the veranda, his feet upon the railing while he wrote in his ever-present daybook. As the carriage turned into the grounds, he sprang from his seat and hurried down the front steps to meet us. I had to remind myself sternly not to cast myself from the carriage and into his arms, for here we would be mentor and prodigy, two persons connected only by charitable kindness.

As it was, he handed me down from the carriage with a scarcely concealed impudent grin. “Good day, Miss Fox. I trust your journey was pleasant?”

“More so in the ending than in the living of it, but I am here now and well, thank you, Doctor.” I withdrew my hand and walked beside him.

“It is so very good to see you,” he went on, and then added in a whisper, “I only wish that there was a crypt on the grounds, so that we might take a tour.”

“Hush, you,” I murmured back. “I must meet your aunt. Do not distract me!”

“Do you wish to retire to your room, to freshen yourself after your trip?”

“No,” I said breathlessly, “I would like to meet her at once. Or…do you think I need to change?” I looked down over my attire, searching for rumples and stains.

“No, no,” he assured me. “You are the loveliest thing I have seen in days. She is waiting for you in the upstairs sitting room.”

I had formed a definite image of Miss Eliza Leiper in my mind, based on Elisha's description. Thus, I was surprised to find myself introduced to a tiny and delicate lady who scarcely reached my shoulder in height. She was dressed in a modest and subdued gown of dark green, which complemented her hair, still golden although streaked with gray. I searched for a resemblance to Elisha but could not find one, save, perhaps, in the keen intensity of her gaze.

Our conversation progressed haltingly at first. After the usual pleasantries about the weather and my trip, Miss Leiper inquired about my previous education, which was unimpressive and rather embarrassing in its brevity. I did mention that my sister Kate had attended a prestigious school in New York under the sponsorship of Mr. Horace Greeley, which Miss Leiper found interesting.

When this subject had been wrung of all potential substance, I groped for an appropriate topic and finally asked whether Miss Leiper was acquainted with Amy Post. Miss Leiper was surprised to discover my close relationship with Mrs. Post and was equally impressed by my acquaintance with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. Before long, I had turned the interview on its head and was asking Miss Leiper questions about her work in the cause of women's suffrage. Miss Leiper was an outspoken conversationalist, and Elisha beamed to see us getting on so well. He made several attempts to join in the discourse, but he was so misinformed about the movement and its goals that we all three ended up laughing at his woeful ignorance.

A pleasant hour passed in this manner, and I was entirely at my ease when Miss Leiper finally turned to her nephew and said, “Elisha, I am going to ask you to leave us now. I would like a few words with Miss Fox on her own.”

“As you wish, Aunt Eliza,” he replied, smiling broadly. “I shall go downstairs and bother the cook about tea. I imagine the end result of all this feminist talk will be just this—that the ladies remain to discuss political agendas while the men fetch refreshments!” He rose and favored each of us with a graceful bow, although I got a wink with mine, and he departed, gently closing the door behind him.

I broke off gazing fondly after him and turned back to my hostess, only to find her shrewd gaze fixed upon me.

“Let us dispense with the pretense, shall we?” she said in a pleasant but businesslike tone. “Elisha has never been a skillful liar, not even when he was a child. And besides, I have a letter from my nephew Robert Patterson and his wife informing me of his relationship with you.”

I dropped my eyes in surprise but then raised them and faced her steadily. “It was not our purpose to deceive you, Miss Leiper. Dr. Kane only wished to safeguard my reputation. Everything besides the extent of our acquaintance is true. I wish to renounce my ties with spiritualism and acquire an education that will improve my life. Dr. Kane wishes this also.”

“What are his intentions for you?” she asked.

“If I give up spirit rapping and dedicate myself to a proper education, he has pledged that on his return from the Arctic he will announce our engagement and we shall be wed.”

“And the ring you wear on your hand?” She indicated it with a wave.

“It is his promise to me.”

“I am glad to hear it,” she said. “I was afraid after reading the Pattersons' letter that I was being asked to condone an unsuitable situation.”

I admit that I was hurt, for I had liked the congenial Mr. Patterson and his cultured wife and thought they returned the affection. “They do not approve of me?” I asked dolefully.

“On the contrary, they were charmed by you, surprisingly so. Now that I have met you, I can better understand. You are a remarkably appealing young woman, and I can see why the Pattersons were concerned for your well-being. It was Elisha's actions that worried them, not your suitability. They did not wish to see you injured by his rather overzealous pursuit of you.”

“I cannot imagine that Dr. Kane would ever knowingly injure me,” I protested.

“Perhaps not,” she said. “But I am accustomed to speaking in a direct manner, and I hope that you are a steady enough girl to hear the truth.”

I smiled. “I am quite used to frankness, Miss Leiper, and would not have it any other way.”

“Then indulge me while I divert momentarily from the topic. My nephew was quite ill as a young man, expected to die even, although he confounded all the experts by surviving. You know this?” I nodded and she went on. “Since that time, he has reached out for everything he wanted in life with both hands and refused to let go. He finished his education, joined the navy, and traveled the world. Over the years, I have seen Elisha driven by ambition, obsessed by his goals, and exultant in his achievements.”

Miss Leiper leaned forward in her chair, her hands folded in her lap, and impaled me with her keen gaze. “But I have never seen him as happy as he is today. I have never seen him laugh so readily, especially not at himself. For these things alone I would approve of you, Miss Fox, even if you were a one-legged dipsomaniac with a glass eye! But, in fact, you are lovely and vivacious, intelligent and witty. I cannot think of a single thing to which I would object if I were Elisha's mother. But therein lies the trouble that prompted the Pattersons to write me.”

I sighed. “I suppose they believe his parents will not approve of the match.”

Miss Leiper shook her head. “You do not understand. Elisha would rather not tell you this, but I believe it would be a cruel disservice to mislead you. He has already asked his parents for permission to introduce you at their home. They refused. In fact, they have forbidden him from bringing you to Rensselaer.”

I felt suddenly sick. Trembling a little, I bent my head in shame and distress. My hands were twisting the fabric of my skirt, and I forced myself to release the grip and lay them flat. “I did not know I was so unacceptable,” I whispered. “I am sorry.”

“There is no need to apologize to me,” she said sharply. “It is I who should apologize for my sister, but I take no responsibility for her behavior. And I cannot regret telling you the truth, for it is essential that you know the entire situation before you commit yourself to any action. Elisha has rejected numerous young ladies from fine Philadelphia families who have been thrown at him over the years and has taken up with a spirit rapper. His parents view this behavior as a deliberate slight against them and hope that you are a temporary infatuation that will pass in time. For myself, I withheld judgment, wishing to meet you, see you together, and determine your suitability for my nephew on your own merits.”

“And what have you decided?” I asked, blinking back my tears and marveling at how unexpected it was that my sister Leah and Elisha's parents should be so closely aligned in their opinions.

Unexpectedly, Miss Leiper rose from her chair and crossed the room to sit beside me. She took my hand in a gentle manner and patted it kindly. “My dear, you appear to be a wonderful remedy for my nephew's intensity. Perhaps you will do what no one else has managed to do and provide him a reason to cease his endless wanderings. But I wonder, is he good for you? Tell me, Miss Fox, if you knew there was a chance that Judge Kane and his wife would not accept you even after Elisha put you through this schooling, would you still go through with it?”

“That would be deeply distressing,” I admitted, “but I have already given my heart to your nephew, and it is far too late to ask for it back. If Dr. Kane is resolved on this course of action, and if he wishes me to attend this school, then I shall do so, whatever the outcome.”

She nodded approvingly. “It seems that my talent at judging character is as astute as ever. So, Elisha, you can come in now.”

This last was said without the slightest change of tone in her voice. I looked at the closed door and then back at my hostess in uncertainty. “Miss Leiper, he went downstairs,” I told her gently.

“Nonsense. He's listening behind the door. Come in now, and bring the tea.”

For about three seconds more the door remained resolutely closed. Then, hesitantly, with some embarrassment, it opened and a sheepish Elisha appeared around the edge of it. “Can't you leave a man his dignity, Aunt?” he asked. When he saw me blotting my eyes with my handkerchief, he swiftly crossed the room and plunked the tea tray on a side table. “Aunt Eliza!” he protested.

“Now, Elisha, your young lady is completely unharmed,” his aunt assured him. “Pour out the tea for us and we shall discuss her future.”