Goddess Born (24 page)

A pistol discharged right outside the meetinghouse. “Make way,” a man bellowed. The crowd pushed to the sides, allowing just enough room for Constable George McKee to come in. Ben and William followed, each fully armed with a sword in one hand and a pistol in the other.

“Nathan Crowley!” George called over the cowering crowd. “You’ve done your work tonight. Now move aside and let me do mine.”

Chapter Fifteen

A Testament of Truth

The crowd pushed back together, closing the pathway behind William and Ben. Seeing the men, Henry stopped our progress toward the back door, but kept the dagger and pistol at the ready.

“This meeting is over,” George McKee yelled, coming into the middle of the room. “Return to your homes.”

Unsure whether to obey the constable or demand immediate retribution for my alleged crimes, the people stayed where they were.

“What of Selah?” Mark Reed asked. “Will you allow her to go free?”

“That’s not your concern,” George said. “If any laws have been broken, I assure you, justice will be served.”

“But she’s the witch,” Mark said. “She even admitted so herself.”

“I did no such thing, Mark Reed!” I cried.

“Here’s the situation,” George said, taking out a pocket watch with his free hand. “This room is to be cleared in five minutes. Anyone still here other than Selah Kilbrid and Nathan Crowley will be arrested. Take heed, you’ll find more comfort at your own hearths than in jail tonight.”

Nathan stepped forward to face the constable. “This is an outrage! By what authority are you breaking up our meeting?”

“By the governor of Pennsylvania and the King of England,” George retorted. “As their agent I’m obliged to uphold the law, and hanging without a trial is strictly forbidden.”

“The witch can be judged here tonight!”

“Nathan, considering all the trouble you’ve already stirred up, you have ten seconds to take a seat, or be the first to receive a warrant. Think carefully, man,” George said, narrowing his eyes. “My patience has already been sufficiently tried by this public spectacle. One more word and I’ll drag you to jail myself.”

The two men stared at each other, the tension pounding between them. George began to slowly tap out the seconds with his foot to let Nathan know he was serious. At ten, Nathan glared violently, and without saying anything more, turned abruptly to take a seat on one of the raised benches.

“Now the rest of you go home,” George said impatiently. “I’ve an inquiry to conduct.”

Having no wish to be arrested, the crowd began to disperse. When the five minutes had passed, only a handful of people remained.

“With all due respect, I must insist that everyone leave,” George said, looking at my small group of supporters. “You’re welcome to wait on the front porch until I’m done questioning Selah and Nathan.”

“I’ll not leave without my wife,” Henry said. His voice was calm although he still held onto the dagger and pistol, not yet ready to put them away.

George looked at him warily. “You can stay, but put those weapons away. This is a house of God.” With the threat of the crowd gone, George tucked his own pistol into his breeches. William and Ben quickly followed suit, tucking their pistols away and stashing the swords beneath the nearest bench.

“Gideon, I’ll be needing a scribe, if you’re willing,” George said once the party was sufficiently disarmed. “Everyone else can wait on the porch.”

No one moved. For a minute it appeared that Anne, Nora, William, Ben and Edgar would have to be arrested before leaving me.

“Oh, very well,” George said. “The rest of you can serve as witnesses. But be warned, I’m in no mood for trouble.” He glanced around the room, his eyes stopping at a small table and chair used for recording minutes during the weekly meetings of business. “Make yourself of use, William, and bring that table and chair over here. Gideon, we’ll need parchment and ink if you have some handy. I want both Selah’s and Nathan’s testimony recorded verbatim.”

Once everything was assembled, George directed me to take a seat on one side of the room with the witnesses on the other. Gideon sat at the table, the quill in his hand, ready to write. Nathan returned to the same place where he’d been during the start of meeting, his eyes closed and his head slightly bowed.

Folding his hands behind his back, George began to slowly pace. After a minute, he stopped directly in front of me. “Selah Kilbrid, you’ve been charged with witchcraft. How do you plead?”

I looked him straight in the eye, unflinching. “Innocent of all charges.”

George took off his hat and scratched his head thoughtfully. His wavy copper hair was beginning to thin, but he looked about the same as he had since my childhood. Standing a hand shorter than Henry, he was still taller than most other men, and despite a thickening midsection, he looked plenty capable of holding his own in a fight. “Nathan, I’ve already heard the particulars of your vision,” he said. “Do you have any evidence or witnesses to back up these charges against Selah?”

Nathan opened his eyes and stared at me. “By the spirit you shall know the truth.”

“I understand that,” George said. “But have you actually seen Selah do any of the things from your vision? Did you see her command the weather?”

“By the spirit her guilt is known.”

“Well, by me she’s going to be set free unless you can come up with something more tangible,” George said impatiently.

In silence, Nathan continued to stare at me.

“Fine, we’ll go about this another way,” George said. “Selah, can you command the weather?”

“No.”

“Have you had any hand in causing the rain this summer?”

“No.”

“Did you kill Mark Flanders’s heifer?”

“It died of acorn poisoning,” William said before I could answer.

“I know that,” George snapped. “But I’ve got to ask. Selah, did you kill Mark Flanders’s heifer?”

“No,” I said.

“Do you have any intention of killing children?”

I almost laughed from the absurdity of the question. Instead, I lifted my chin and said, “I have no intention of killing anyone.”

Gideon passed his quill quickly over the parchment, trying to keep up.

“Did you give your soul to the Devil?”

“No!”

“What of this mark then?”

“I was burned by a piece of coal when a bed warmer accidentally fell open. It happened some years ago at the Goodwins’ house. Nora saw me get burned and her mother treated the wound. William and his father were also there and had to put out the fire that started in the mattress. They can all testify exactly how and when it happened.”

“Is this true?” George asked, turning to look at the witnesses.

“Yes,” both Nora and William answered at once.

“How did Nathan know about this scar?” George asked no one in particular.

“I watched the Devil make it,” Nathan said, holding doggedly onto his story. “Selah purposefully caused the bed warmer to fall open in order to conceal her guilt.”

“That’s a lie!” I glared back at him, meeting the hatred in his eyes ounce for ounce. “One of my lady servants must have told him. Someone at Brighmor has been spreading my personal affairs all over Hopewell this summer. I can only guess it’s the same person.”

George took a few more paces and then looked over at the witnesses again. “Henry, you’ve been married to Selah just over a month now. What do you think of this scar?”

Fortunately, Henry was a good liar. “It is rather nondescript. About the size of a halfpenny, and high up on the left side.”

“Hmm,” George said. “Does it look like something that was made by the Devil?”

Now it was Henry’s turn to laugh. “It looks like a small scar caused by a piece of hot coal.”

“And have you observed any behavior that might lead you to believe your wife is a witch?”

“No,” Henry said smoothly, undaunted by the lie. “Selah’s a good woman. She’s a gifted healer and does what she can to help those in need.”

Nathan huffed from his end of the room. “Have you ever wondered where she gets this power to heal? You call her
gifted
, I call her
unnatural
.”

Henry was to his feet and across the room before anyone could stop him. “You have insulted my wife one too many times tonight,” he said, grabbing Nathan by the throat and pulling him to his feet, the dagger back out in his other hand. “Hold your tongue or I’ll cut it out.”

Nathan kicked out at first, but ceased all resistance when he saw the blade.

Gideon dropped his quill. “You will not spill blood in the meetinghouse!” he cried.

“Shall we take our dispute outside?” Henry growled. “It’s high time you learned some manners.”

“Release him,” the constable said, though with a surprising lack of urgency. “It will only make matters worse for Selah if Nathan is harmed.”

“I will let him go once he promises to stop insulting my wife,” Henry countered. “He’s said enough tonight to be charged with slander.”

George sighed and scratched his head again. “Nathan, you have not produced one scrap of evidence other than this so-called vision. If I were expected to arrest folks based on dreams alone, the jail would be full every morning. Unless you have something more to offer, then Selah will be free to go. And be warned, I’ll have to act on Henry’s request to have you arrested if you persist on slandering his wife. Do you understand?”

Nathan glowered darkly, but nodded his head. With this reassurance, Henry released his grip.

I started to relax, pleased with how well the inquiry was going. I turned back to George for the next question when hurried steps sounded from the front porch. The door flew open and Matthew Appleton burst into the room.

“Begging your pardon, George, but I need Selah.”

“I’m not done questioning her yet,” George said.

Only one thing would have put Matthew in such a panic. “How is Susanna?” I asked.

“Not so good. The pains have started.”

“It’s too soon,” I said, coming to my feet. “I have to go to her.”

“This is an official investigation,” George sputtered. “Can’t you summon another midwife?”

Matthew shook his head. “Susanna will have no one but Selah.”

“Nonsense!” Edgar said. “The way folks are stirred up, Selah should stay well away from the Appletons’ tonight. Let another woman go instead.”

The sound of soft laughter came from the far end of the room. Glancing over, I saw Nathan’s eyes burning with a manic excitement. In front of the entire town, he had already linked me with killing the Appletons’ baby. It was a daring bet, but from Susanna’s history of stillbirths, he knew the chances were high that this child would also die. Now that the seeds of my guilt were sown it didn’t really matter who attended the birth. If this baby died, I would be tried for murder. If it lived, I would be redeemed.

“Susanna needs me. I’ll not stay here and hide from my obligations.”

“It’s too dangerous,” Edgar persisted. “I won’t allow it.”

Anne placed a hand on Edgar’s shoulder. “Selah’s a grown woman. She can decide for herself.”

I looked pleadingly at George. “Please let me go. I’m the only chance this baby has.”

“Oh, very well,” he said. “This inquiry is closed for lack of material evidence. You are free to go. Ben and William, please escort Selah to the Appletons’. I don’t want any more trouble from the crowd tonight.” He didn’t have to say anything to Henry. He was at my side before I even got to the door.

With three armed escorts, I rushed from the meetinghouse, giving no time for my victory. Soon as we came down the steps, people pushed forward, eager to know my fate. It was full dark by now, and several torches burned throughout the crowd. The faces I could see looked severe, but at least no one called for me to be hanged.

Ben was the first to speak. “The constable has cleared Selah of all charges. Now move aside. We have serious business to attend to.”

The crowd stood its ground, not yet satisfied. “Please, let us pass,” Matthew urged. “Susanna needs a midwife and has asked for Selah.”

“What if she kills the baby?” someone called out beyond the light of the torches.

“Did you not hear Ben?” Matthew asked, his agitation increasing from the delay. “Selah was falsely accused. There is no witch. Now, I’ve told you my wife’s in danger and needs a midwife. If you don’t let us pass, whatever happens will be on your heads.”

This was more responsibility than most people wanted to shoulder. Grudgingly, they began to slowly move away. We stepped into the road, Henry alert at my side with the dagger firmly in his hand.

Matthew had to slow his gait not to lose me in the dark. “I’m sorry about tonight,” he said. “It was disgraceful what Nathan tried to do.”

I sighed in relief. “Thank you, Matthew. I just wish more people thought the same way.”

“Nathan has a talent for riling folks up. Give them the night to calm down and think things over. Come morning, I’m sure you’ll have more supporters.”

His sentiments made me smile. “And by then you’ll be a father. Tell me what’s going on.”

“Susanna couldn’t believe it when I returned from the meeting and told her it was you that Nathan had accused. Seeing how upset she was, I should have just left it at that, but I made the mistake of saying how some people had called for a hanging. She nearly fainted from the shock. Soon as her senses came back, she worked herself into a temper, saying how Nathan was having his revenge for you not marrying him. I’d never seen her so mad before, and tried to get her to calm down. She wouldn’t listen and then the pains started. Once I realized what was happening, I ran back to get you.”

We arrived at the house as Matthew finished his story. He reached for the door handle, but made no movement to open the latch. “I know Susanna and I haven’t had much luck bringing babies into the world, and it doesn’t look good with this one trying to come a month early. For the most part, I’ve accepted the Lord’s will, but please, Selah, I can’t lose Susanna. She’s all I’ve got in this world worth keeping.”

I placed my hand on his arm. “Susanna is going to be just fine,” I reassured him. “And I’ll do everything I can for the baby.”

Matthew gave me a thin smile and opened the door. We didn’t have to go far to find Susanna. She was in the front room, leaning against a table by the window. By the sound of her breathing, labor had undoubtedly started.

“Thank you for coming,” she said when the pain had passed. “Matthew told me you’ve had a busy evening.” Despite the seriousness of her situation, she was still the same Susanna—kind to a fault and ready to put my problems above her own.