A Lady of Hidden Intent (31 page)

CHAPTER 23

O
h, it’s so good to have Mrs. Shay cooking for us,” Mrs. Samuelson said as they all ate a hearty meal of fish chowder and biscuits.

There were four other men at the table besides Dugan, and they ate with such an appetite that Catherine thought they might well have been locked away without food for some time. When Selma produced an apple crisp and cream for dessert, Catherine heard a collective sigh of approval from around the table.

When all seemed completely sated, the men shuffled off to various parts of the house. Mrs. Samuelson admonished them as they headed out, “Don’t get ashes on my carpet, and if you go out, wipe your muddy boots before coming into my house.”

Catherine nibbled at the bowl of crisp Selma had put in front of her, but she had little appetite. She felt more forlorn than she had in years. Being here again only served to remind her of those early days of despair. Here it was, Christmas again. One more Christmas without her father.

“We’ve managed to get by,” the old woman told the Shays. “It hasn’t always been easy. There were some moments when I worried about whether we’d be able to make it. There was a bad fire not long after you left. It started about two blocks away. We worried it would spread, but a heavy rain came up and put it out. We were all in church the next day, if you know what I mean.”

Selma smiled. “I can well imagine. It looks like you’ve done all right for yourself. Your husband would no doubt be proud.”

Mrs. Samuelson nodded. “He would at that. Despite the trials we’ve suffered over the years since his death, there’s been good along with the bad. Our daughter—you might remember she was a widow?” Selma nodded, and the woman continued. “Well, she remarried and is happier and better off than ever. That husband of hers has a way with money. Seems what little he manages to get hold of he finds a way to double. They’ve done very well for themselves.”

“That must be a comfort.”

The chatter continued about Mrs. Samuelson’s other children, as well as two elderly aunts who now rested in the arms of Jesus, and a bevy of weary travelers who either blessed or frustrated the old woman.

“And of course,” Mrs. Samuelson said, “there were those two gents who came looking for you.”

Catherine had barely registered the words as Selma asked, “What men?”

Mrs. Samuelson laughed. “I don’t recall their names. Goodness, but my mind ain’t what it was.” She tapped the side of her head with a finger. “They was both nice looking and well-behaved. They talked with Captain Marlowe. I can’t be sure what he told them, but you could always ask the captain when he shows up.”

“Where were they from?” Catherine asked. She felt the apple crisp stick in her throat.

“I’m not sure. I’m thinking maybe Philadelphia.” Mrs. Samuelson’s face scrunched up in a wrinkled but concentrated stare.

“I’m almost certain it was Philadelphia.” She relaxed and shook her head. “But it could have been New Jersey.”

“Please try hard to remember,” Catherine said, trying not to sound desperate.

Mrs. Samuelson shook her head and shrugged. “Doesn’t do me any good. Sometimes I remember and sometimes I don’t. Trying hard at it doesn’t seem to change things at all.”

Selma began to gather the dishes, but Mrs. Samuelson waved her off. “You three go on up to rest. I’ll get the dishes. I’m sure you’re tired.” She hoisted her stocky frame up and began the work herself. “I wish I could help you more, but I will say the men were quite kind. They seemed very much familiar with you, Miss Catherine. I think they were good friends of yours. Especially the one. He seemed quite taken with you.”

Carter came to mind, and in that moment Catherine began to understand. Carter had come to New York back in November.

He had seemed to understand she wouldn’t wish to speak of her family at the Arlingtons’ dinner.

“I am very tired,” she said and pushed the bowl away. “I believe I will retire.”

She had barely made it upstairs and closed the door to her room when Selma came knocking and calling to her, “Catherine, we should talk.”

Catherine reopened the door. “It had to be Carter and Leander Arlington,” she said, knowing that Selma would understand. “Let’s not talk here in the hallway. Come to our room.”

Nodding, Catherine followed her out, then turned and locked her door. Mrs. Samuelson had said there were plenty of thieves in the area, and a crafty one was often able to slip into boardinghouses unseen. She admonished them to keep their doors locked at all times.

Selma and Dugan seemed less concerned. They didn’t bother to lock their door after entering, but Catherine supposed it a rather unneeded exercise. The room was quite small, and if more than two people came into it, they might well have to link arms just to move about. She even found it necessary to remain near the door while Selma motioned Dugan to bring the chair to Catherine.

“Catherine believes the men who came here to ask after her were Mr. Danby and Mr. Arlington,” Selma offered as Dugan returned to sit on the edge of the bed beside his wife.

“The thought crossed my mind as well. It seemed quite clear to me that your Mr. Danby had taken a great interest in you,”

Dugan offered.

“He’s told me that he’s in love with me. He wants to court me. At least he wanted me to do so then,” Catherine said. But if he had come to New York in November, then whatever he learned hadn’t changed his heart toward her.

“What do you think he’ll do with the information?” Selma asked.

“I don’t know. I don’t know why he felt compelled to seek it out to begin with or how he found out to start here.” Catherine twisted her hands. “Between the fact that he knows and Felicia knows, I don’t think we can hope to be safe here anymore. We cannot remain in New York City.”

Selma looked to Dugan, and her expression was one of extreme concern. “But where should we go?”

“Perhaps the time has come to return to England,” Catherine said firmly. “Captain Marlowe would surely grant us passage. He might not even charge us. He wouldn’t take Father’s money to bring us here, and maybe he would refuse it to take us back.”

“
If
he would take us back,” Dugan replied. “If he feels ’tis not in your best interest, he might well refuse.”

Catherine hadn’t thought of that. “Well, it’s possible, I suppose, but it is a chance we can take. It cannot hurt to inquire and present our request.”

“True,” Dugan said, nodding. “It’s not as if he doesn’t already know the truth.”

“Don’t you have family in Scotland, Dugan?” Catherine asked, a thought coming to mind. “I doubt anyone would look for you and Selma there after all this time. You could go there and be safe. No one believes you responsible for anything that happened anyway. I know you only came here because of me.”

“And that is where we will stay,” Selma replied. “With you.

Our promise to your father was to guard you as our own. You are truly a daughter to us.”

Catherine gave Selma a hug. “While I do not fear Carter causing me problems, I feel almost certain Felicia will stop at nothing. If she was able to get the information regarding Father and our past, then she most likely will figure out where we have gone.”

Dugan turned to Selma. “She makes a good point. Perhaps we could inquire of Captain Marlowe to take us to England, then maybe catch another ship north.”

“It might work. From the letters we’ve had in all this time, no one has indicated that Catherine is being actively sought by the law. They might want to question her knowledge or prove that she’s not been kidnapped, but it isn’t as if they would harm her.” Selma thought for a moment. “It would definitely put us closer to helping poor Mr. Newbury. Now that Catherine has a good amount of money, the longer she waits to put it to use, the more we’ll end up spending as we sit trying to decide what to do.”

“We must, at any rate, wait for Captain Marlowe,” Catherine admitted. “All we can do is hope that Felicia will not know about this place, and that Carter won’t try to visit me until well after the holidays. If we can just have the time we need until the captain returns, we should be all right. We can make our way home and find a good barrister who will help Father.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Danby, the Shays and Miss Catherine have gone out,” Mrs. Clarkson said with a pleasant smile. “I cannot say when they will return.”

Carter fingered the gift in his pocket, frustrated that he’d still not yet seen Catherine. He tried to force the disappointment from his mind. “Very well. Would you please tell Miss Shay that I called? I find it necessary to go out of town for a few days.”

“Oh,” she replied, sounding suddenly interested. “And where are you bound?”

“Washington. I hope to be back within a week. I’ll come back by at that time.”

“Very well. Merry Christmas to you, Mr. Danby.”

“Merry Christmas to you, Mrs. Clarkson.”

She quickly closed the door after bidding him farewell and a safe journey.

Carter stood for a moment staring at the closed door. Something seemed wrong, but he couldn’t be sure what it was. Mrs. Clarkson acted quite nervous. He wondered for a moment if perhaps Catherine had become ill or if she were upstairs simply refusing his call.

“I’ll send Winifred with a note tomorrow,” he murmured. The words did little to comfort him.

CHAPTER 24

T
his will one day be such a glorious city,” Hollis Fulbright told Carter as they walked in Washington. “It will rival any of the other great seats of government.”

“If Americans can put aside their differences, it might. The slavery issue is dividing this country. I suppose coming here has really opened my eyes to that matter.”

“Yes, it is a sad state of affairs,” Fulbright agreed. “One that cannot be ignored, no matter how we try.”

“I never thought I’d see the day grown men raise their fists to each other over issues of whether a state should come into the union free or slave,” Carter said, remembering a scene he’d witnessed yesterday in a local hotel. “While you were meeting with your friend Mr. Masters, I sat in the hotel lobby to read. Two men, later identified to me as state senators, began arguing over the issue of Kansas coming into the union. One thing led to another and the men were soon pummeling each other.”

Fulbright nodded. “Masters told me the issue of Kansas and slavery has consumed the city. It seems that poor territory is suffering a civil war all its own—not to mention whether the rest of the country will fall into that disrepair.”

“Yes, but to see gentlemen coming to blows over issues that will need calmer heads to prevail and resolve is worrisome indeed.” Carter wondered if the country could survive a war between the states. The South had been threatening secession for years, and no doubt sooner or later they would make good on their threats.

“This year’s presidential campaign will tell us a great deal.

Should the wrong candidate be elected, we will no doubt see trouble,” Fulbright agreed.

“Yet the city builds on, pretending nothing is amiss,” Carter said, shaking his head.

“Perhaps that is a bit harsh. I don’t think they build on in pretense but rather in hope. The hope that if we invest enough in our country, our government, then we will stand fast to stave off war.”