Carried Home (16 page)

 

Gage's chest puffed out in pride as he strolled through the streets of Charles Town with the beautiful, graceful Ivy on his arm. No matter how disheveled they might have looked from their weeks-long journey, Ivy still held herself as a true English lady.

Now, where had Mr. Poole's house been? He knew he had been told, but his last visit to Charles Town had been many, many years ago. It was easy for him to become disoriented.

After much searching, he stopped at a house that seemed to fit the description and address Addie had given him. Bright yellow paint stained the outer walls. Gage frowned. Addie had hated that color. His hand hovered over the door, but he could not bring himself to knock. What made him suddenly fearful? Addie had told him in her letter only basic details: where to find her, that her husband had died, and she barely had enough money to live on. How had she fared in the time he had not been able to reach her?

Ivy nudged him with her elbow. “What is wrong, Gage?”

He shook his head. “Nothing. I just…I feel something is off.” After a moment, however, he raised his hand and knocked on the door.

The butler, a middle-aged man, opened the door. He studied them with curiosity and inspected them up and down, no doubt considering their somewhat ragged attire. “How may I help you… sir? Ma'am?”

“I am here to see Mrs. Poole, sir.” Saying his sister's married name did not sit well with Gage. He had never approved of the marriage, although he supposed he may never approve of his sister being given off to some other man.

“Mrs. Poole? No Mrs. Poole lives here, sir.” He began to pull the door shut.

Gage spared a glance at Ivy before he spun back to the man and stopped the door from closing. “Perhaps she goes by Miss Thompson nowadays?”

“No, sir. No one by that name here.” The man frowned.

The blood drained from Gage's head slowly, making him feel faint. Where was his sister? Ivy squeezed his arm comfortingly. “Do you happen to know of a Mrs. Poole or Miss Thompson? I am a stranger to this town. Perhaps I have the wrong address.”

“Now that you mention it, sir, this home was newly purchased. Sold along with everything in it, I believe. Someone died in debt, and his widow couldn't keep up with what he owed.”

Gage had known Addie's husband had died and left her with almost nothing. He had not known the man's death had left her in debt. In fact, if the man weren't dead, Gage would find him and make sure he became dead. Slowly and painfully. “Do you know where this man's wife went to live after her house was sold?”

“Not for certain, sir. I heard she was out on the streets. Don't know what happened to her after that. Probably ended up in a brothel, poor thing.”

Anger coursed through Gage's veins. His sister? On the streets?
In a brothel?

That was not good. Gage clenched his fists. “Thank you, sir. I appreciate your help.”

The man nodded and shut the door. Gage walked away from the house to the sidewalk, and then leaned against the fence lining the sidewalk. Ivy stopped before him. She rested a hand on his forearm. Concern lined her face. “Where can we find your sister now, Gage?”

“I-I have no idea, Ivy. I was not aware her fool husband left her in debt. I certainly never knew she had been forced to sell her house and everything in it.” Gage glanced at the front lawn of the impressive home. The huge garden in the front of it appeared to have once flourished but now seemed in desperate need of care.

Addie had adored gardening. She had no doubt been gone a long time, then. Months, perhaps. The dear girl could be anywhere now. Why had she not sent word to him? How had he not heard about this?

Oh no.
Since he had not received any word telling him her current location, she could be lost…living in some gutter….Heaven forbid, living and working in a brothel of some sort. Gage would never forgive himself if the latter was the outcome. Nevertheless, he would search everywhere. Everywhere. No, there was no way he would give up the search for his Addie.

****

Ivy clung to Gage's hand as they shoved their way into the crowded shop. He asked the shop owner the same question he had asked at the five or so shops they had already visited. “Excuse me, mister; may I take a moment of your time? I am searching for my sister, Addie Thompson Poole. She is about this tall,” he gestured with his hand, “and she has dark, curly hair and green eyes. Please tell me you have seen her.”

And they got relatively the same reply. How had no one seen this young woman? Ivy was really feeling concerned for her, and she had never met the lady. As they walked out of the crowded shop, Ivy stopped to face Gage. “Is there somewhere else we can search for her? It does not seem like we are getting anywhere inquiring in these shops.”

Gage sighed. “Aye, but the only other locations I can think of are taverns and other places no lady should ever go. I could never bring myself to take you with me there.”

Ivy let out a noisy sigh. “How are you going to find her, then?”

“I don't know, milady. We simply must continue trying.”

Ivy's mind brightened with an idea. “What if we ask at some of the local churches in this area? Maybe, if she was in trouble, she would have gone to them for help. She could even be staying in one.”

“'Tis possible, milady. Let us attempt that. We have nothing to lose.”

****

Ivy inhaled deeply as they walked into the third church they had tried. So far, no one knew anything about Addie. She was beginning to believe this woman had vanished into thin air. A glance upwards told Ivy it was well past noon already. They had spent most of the day searching for Gage's sister.

As they neared one more church, Gage slowed. His face tightened.

“What is wrong?” Ivy whirled to see him face-to-face and shielded her eyes from the glare of the afternoon sun.

Gage let out a long breath. It hurt Ivy to see him like this. The man had not smiled all day, and smiles were something he distributed regularly. His eyes were lined with dark circles underneath, and they lacked their usual sparkle. “What if I don't find her, Ivy? What then?” His voice emerged from his throat, choked and pitiful. “Or worse? What if someone informs me she died? What do I do then?”

Ivy felt tears pool in her eyes. The poor man was heartbroken. She glanced about the empty street before enclosing him in a hug. He needed every bit of comfort he could get. Gage wrapped his arms around her and leaned his face against the top of her head. Wetness hit her hair, and she realized he was crying. “Gage...it's all right. Addie is safe. Trust God. Pray. Ask him to help us find her. I know I will.” Realization hit Ivy like a blow to the stomach. Even if Addie, or William—she cringed at the thought—was not safe in an earthly sense, they could trust God to care for them in a heavenly sense.

Gage pulled away from her after a pause, sniffed, wiped at his eyes, and grinned. “Aye. You are correct, milady. Now, let's see about this church, shall we? I have a good feeling about this one.”

****

Well, it was not right to describe the feeling he had right now as
good
, but it was the closest thing to
good
he had felt all day. He stared up at the immense door, heavy with wooden carvings. A stained glass window perched high atop the building, directly above the door. He blinked. This church covered an immense stretch of ground. St. Paul's Church, one of the few places of worship in Port Royal, was not nearly this large or ornate.

A feeling of dread washed over him as he strode halfway up the stairs. What was he doing? It was highly unlikely Addie was here. She was never fond of accepting charity from others. There was no way she would be inside this church.

Ivy squeezed his hand. The tingling sensation from her warm fingers was almost enough to ease the sick feeling that had plagued him, but not quite. He shook his head at her and began to turn away, when the church door burst open.

A middle-aged woman offered him a sweet smile. Her graying brown hair was pulled up into a mob cab, and she wore plain clothes but possessed a pleasant disposition. “How may I help ya, sir?” She wiped her hands off on her apron as she noticed Ivy. “Good afternoon, missy.”

Gage stared at the lady, dumbfounded. Ivy nudged him in the ribs with her elbow. He blinked. “Miss, I apologize for interrupting you. I am searching for a young woman, my little sister. Her name is Addie Thompson Poole and…” Gage recited his description of Addie. This church would be no different than the three others they had visited. Or the eight shops. Next, he would try some taverns. He could take Ivy back to the ship, or find a reputable place for her to stay, and then he would spend the night questioning the town's many taverns and...brothels.

“Addie? Addie Thompson? You know her?”

Gage's heart leapt into his throat.
His
Addie?

“Oh, bless the Lord! I've been prayin' she'd find her brother! The poor, sweet child! Do you realize how happy she will be?”

She
knew
Addie? Gage could not believe his ears. Ivy grinned and squeezed his hand. He returned the favor. “Where is Addie, miss? Are you keeping her in here, in the church? Is she safe?”

“Oh, sir, yes, she is safe. And no, she's not stayin' here, she never did, just stopped by for one afternoon and my husband and I did as any Good Samaritans would and helped her get back on her feet.” The woman fussed with her hair, shoving a few wispy strands behind her ear.

“I thank you for that, my good woman, but do you know where she is right now?”

The woman giggled. “Oh, forgive me, sir! Addie took up a job at the milliner's shop down the street in the city square.”

A
milliner's
shop? Addie could never sew. She had tried to pick up the hobby, but she could never concentrate enough or have a hand steady enough. But he did not care. Addie was safe! Gage leaned forward and hugged the woman. She tittered. “Thank you for the help, miss. I truly appreciate it.”

Before the woman had time to respond, Gage grabbed Ivy by the hand and dashed down the stairs towards the town square. Now to find this milliner's shop…

****

Addie grimaced and pulled her thumb into her mouth. How many weeks had she been working at this job? It did not matter how many. She still jabbed herself with the needle more times than she could count in one day. A sigh escaped her lips. A hopeless cause, she was. Ah, well. It was time for her day to end anyway.

Time had managed to pass quickly for once. Addie packed away the pair of trousers she was working on repairing and climbed up the stairs to her small room. She let out an exasperated sigh. Her fingers ached. They were used to different movements than sewing. She loved working in the garden and watching her plants grow. There was no better feeling than sitting out in the sun and tending to plants. Why, Addie could almost taste the sunshine on her lips, see the vivid blue sky. She had never cared if the sun baked her skin to a brown color, despite the glares she often got from other ladies. Green grass surrounded her, and colorful flowers painted the lawn. She could smell the fragrant blooms, the fresh air…

“Miss Thompson!”

Why was Mr. Faulke summoning her? He never did that. Oh no. Had she made an error in a customer's order? Mr. Faulke had warned her what would happen if she made another mistake.
No, no, no. I cannot lose this job. It's all I have.

“Yes, sir?” Addie leaned her head outside her doorframe to be better heard. Maybe he had just forgotten to tell her something before he closed up the shop for the night.
Please let that be it.

“There is a man…and a uh…a lady here to see you, miss. I suggest you come down here at once.”

Addie frowned. A man? Why would there be a man here to see her? She did not know any men...or any lady. Nonetheless, Addie walked to the landing and treaded down the narrow, steep staircase in the back of the shop. Maybe it was the reverend and his wife. She made her way to the front of the store and almost screamed.

Gage. Gage! Addie squealed. She ran to her brother and he collected her in his arms, twirling her in the air. Addie fell against his chest and inhaled her brother's familiar scent. Oh, how she had missed this man. The one man who had not failed her. The one man who actually cared about her. “Oh, Gage.”

He chuckled. “It's good to see you, too, sister.”

A wink creased his chocolate brown eye for a moment. He looked hardly the worse for the wear. Brown waves of hair fell to his chin, and he had the same dashing smile and dimples. His cheeks were scruffy with a beard, and his clothes a little wrinkled, but he was the same Gage she had always known.

Mr. Faulke stepped into the back room, claiming to allow them all a moment of privacy.

A soft cough came from Gage's left. Addie shifted her gaze and noticed a beautiful young woman standing to his side. Her orange hair was pulled back in a simple bun, and she had a sweet disposition. What was Gage doing with her?

Her brother's gaze seemed to follow hers. He grinned. “May I introduce you, Addie Thompson Poole, to my…to Lady Ivy Shaw.”

Lady Shaw offered a kind smile. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Poole.”

Addie shook her head. “Please, call me Addie. I never want to go by that man's name again.”