BooksBarbecue
Back The Ninth Daughter
Chapters (37)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Dedication
  4. One
  5. Two
  6. Three
  7. Four
  8. Five
  9. Six
  10. Seven
  11. Eight
  12. Nine
  13. Ten
  14. Eleven
  15. Twelve
  16. Thirteen
  17. Fourteen
  18. Fifteen
  19. Sixteen
  20. Seventeen
  21. Eighteen
  22. Nineteen
  23. Twenty
  24. Twenty-one
  25. Twenty-two
  26. Twenty-three
  27. Twenty-four
  28. Twenty-five
  29. Twenty-six
  30. Twenty-seven
  31. Twenty-eight
  32. Twenty-nine
  33. Thirty
  34. Thirty-one
  35. Thirty-two
  36. Thirty-three
  37. Thirty-four

“Everything that he always did.” Rebecca’s smile turned a little wry. “I knew his promise not to speak of politics wouldn’t hold—I think he’d go off in an apoplexy if he tried to keep it. But at least so far he does remember, that we have ‘agreed to disagree.’ Having Tamar gone helps,” she added. “She went on a great deal about prisons and convents, when her father broke it to her she was being sent to her aunt’s. But I think the prospect of living in New York cheered her, before she even got on the boat. I still keep to my own room, and Mr. Malvern to his.” She turned on her wrist the little bracelet of pearls, that Abigail did not remember among her things before. “And we will see, how it all answers, in time.”

Silence lay between them, and Abigail drank her tisane. Pattie and the children went out into the scullery—Pattie had promised to make a syllabub for after dinner—and the kitchen was quiet. Oddly so, it seemed, without the church bells that had rung over Boston for two weeks. Indeed, the silence seemed a little ominous.

“I must say I’m a little surprised, that the Indians unloaded all three ships,” remarked Abigail after a moment. “What came of the rumor that someone was going to unload the Beaver secretly—?”

Rebecca laughed, and flung up one hand in exasperation: “Do you know who was behind that? Richard Pentyre. Sam told me only yesterday: ’tis what Pentyre was trying to arrange on the Wednesday night, that his wife—” Her voice faltered, and she put her hand quickly to her lips.

To call her thoughts back, Abigail said, “He guessed there’d be trouble, and sneaked off after seeing his mistress, to hire smugglers to circumvent it?”

Rebecca nodded, and made herself smile. Abigail saw the tears flood to her eyes.

“And of course he guessed there’d be trouble because that wretch Bargest had sent him a note, threatening his life.”

Rebecca drew breath, to steady herself, and let it out again. “ ’Tis lucky he had the note, or he’d have been a suspect himself.”

“Don’t think I didn’t suspect him.” Abigail refilled her cup. The silence returned.

At length Rebecca said, “I dreamed about it last night. Again. In daytime I barely remember it, but at night—”

“ ’Twill pass.”