Bittersweet Endeavors (25 page)

Luc
ia lowered her voice.  “But tis
the truth
, at
least
,
that’s what
I
’ve
heard
.”

Curiosity took over her better judgment, and
Myra
couldn’t resist.  “What did he do?”

“Didn’t you just say not to
speak
about it?”

The light, snippy tone sounded, and
Myra
imagined
that an ornery grin played on Lucia's lips
although the darkness shielded her
.  She could easily
envision
her
dimples as they creased into Lucia’s cheeks.  “
J
ust whisper low.”

Lucia lowered herself
on
to the floor and leaned against
Myra
's bed.  “Before Charles the First lost power, Mister Frederickson was a
trusted
general
, as well as friend
, in
his court. 
They even say
that T
he King favo
u
red him
above
all the other men.”

“Then what happened?”

“I'm getting to that,” she said. “Aft
er T
he
K
ing lost power, Z
achary decided to secretly join the
Parliamentarian.
Tis said he was with them all along, supplying information against His King.  Frederickson
went to
many
of the judges and urged to have
T
he
K
ing beheaded
.
  When your cousin Ch
arles the Second heard
about
his betrayal against h
is father, he vowed to avenge The King
, despite the
Indemnity and Oblivion Act
,
as he fe
els
his personal betrayal doesn’t fall under the amnesty protection of the clause
.”

“I never heard anyone ever mention this before,”
Myra
said bewildered.  “My parents were always so cautious
with
protect
ing
me from
such
matters.”

“I
f you’d open your ears instead of drifting off into the clouds, you may have caught wind of this
gossip
yourself,” Lucia finished with a grin.

Myra
sighed and
thought about
Mister Frederickson’s identity
and how he’
d
stayed hidden for so long
.  “If you take in
to
consideration
of
all
the Cavaliers who’ve come to Virginia, wouldn't you think it odd for Mister Frederickson to come here and hide
?
That is,
if th
e rumor is true.
”

“I wondered that, too, but some say
his name isn’t Frederickson as he claims.  May
hap
he thought being out in the open would be his best hiding place.  Who’d expect a traitor of the crown to be in
the middle of a
r
oyal colony
?”

Myra
wrinkled her nose.  “
Tis peculiar, but c
ould
very well be
the
truth
.”

“
Tis
best
you not
repeat this to Seth
,” Lucia cautioned.  “
We
must
keep in mind this is only
servant to servant chatter
.  If the information is
incorrect
, we
could
be responsible for the man's
killing
when he may
hap not committed any crime
.”

“I
f he’s out with Margaret as you suspect, he may
hap be doing
much
wrong.  And
I shall
do all
possible
to prevent Margaret from seeing him ag
ain until we know more
.”

“You
’ve
seen Mister Frederickson often enough,
Myra
.  What’s he like?”

“Truly, I know naught of him,” she said with a shrug.  “When we go off for a picnic or walk, we usually go our separate ways
than them
.  Although . . .”

“What?”

Myra
bit
the
inside her lip and thought for a moment.  “Well, although he never spoke to me directly, he has a way of
, we
ll,
strangely
l
ooking
at me,” she
s
aid with her eyebrows perked
.
“
Deeply looking
,
”
she added.
 
A
chill cre
pt within
her.  “
Tis
t
houg
h he is looking inside
and
study
ing
me
. 
It frightens me in a way.”

“B
e thankful that his affections are aimed at
Miss Margaret
and not you
.”
 
Lucia returned to her bed and
Myra
rolled into a ball and hugged herself against the cold.

“
Sleep well
, Lucia.”

“
And you
,
Myra
,” Lucia returned.  Yet a
few
moment
s
later, she asked, “
Myra
?”

“Hmm?”

“What was it like?”

“What?” she
murmured
,
already half-asleep.

Lucia stammered for a moment and finally said, “You know
…
with Seth.”

Myra
smiled.  Her heart constricted
pleasantly
with the memory. 

“Heaven, Lucia
.
T’was a
bsolute
Heaven.”

*                   *                  *

“I know
tis
sudden,
Myra
, but my return to England is the only way
we
shall
secure our future together
. 
I beseech you to
understand.
If
there
was another
way—”

”But why now?
  W
hy has your father arranged this all so suddenly?
You
shall
be
taking leave
on the morrow?
”  Her voice
quavered
and she took
in
a deep breath. 
The previous night they shared
was
a new beginning for her and Seth’s relationship, but now it appear
ed
the end.  How could he ask for her hand in marriage and then turn around and leave her?

“
Aye.
My father came to my room late last
evening
a
nd said he received a post from
Cambridge
.
I must return posthaste
for admittance
.
We spok
e
before
about my returning,
but I
did
not
know he f
ollowed through.
 
Yet
, this can only help
our cause.
”

“I cannot bear the thought of you
r leaving
.”
Myra
turned away and
hid
her ensuing tears.  “It shall
be years
before you return, Seth.  Much
can happen in that time.”

Seth held her by the shoulders and forced her to
face him
, but she turned
her head from him
and looked
down. 
She couldn’t face him. 
She knew that
Seth
’s
departure
w
ould prove beneficial for their future
,
but it broke her heart. 
She
even
entertained the fleeting thought of
asking
Seth
to find her sister
while there
.  But she
couldn’t
risk Seth’s life. 
Although she love
d
her sister dearly,
she
couldn’t
risk them both if Seth’s attempt prove
d
un
successful. 
She needed
to believe that Mary
remained safe from harm
. 
Her uncle
, although ruthless,
wouldn’t be reckless in his actions
.  He’d keep her
unharmed
to be assured of Myra’s silence.  It also meant that he’d secure her silence by keeping Mary well hidden and out of her reach to be easily taken. It’d
involve
inquiries
for Seth to find her
, and that made it too high of a risk that he’d be harmed, as well as her sister.
 

“
Myra
,
naught
shall
change, I swear it.  Once I am done with my education, we can marry and I can support y
ou without the aid of my father.
”

Myra knew she
was being
selfish
by
wanting him
in Jamestown
, but she
couldn’t
lose him
, not when their relationship has grown so much
.  He’
d
become her strength
, and she wondered h
ow
she’d survive o
nce he left
.
 

“I
wish I could
tak
e you with me,” he said softly
.
“But i
f I do, my father
shan’t
pay my tuition.
”

“You’re right, Seth.  God knows you’re right.  Leaving is what you must do
, but
I onl
y wish
that circumstances were different
.”

“I know you do,
Myra
, and
one day it
shall
be
better
.  One day, soon, we’ll be together.
”

“
Shall
you return
and
visit?” she asked, sniffing away more tears.

“
I’
ll visit every chance I get.”  Seth pulled her close,
and his lips softly brushed
hers.  “I’ll miss you terribly
,
”
he said, wiping her tears.

“A
s I will you
.”

“We
shall
have a life together,
Myra
.  Once all this is over, we
shall
return to England and
you’ll
have no more reminders of this life
as a maid
.”

“England?”
Myra
asked
excitedly.  “Truly Seth, we can live there, together?”

“
Aye
,” he laughed. “
As long as we’re together, I
shan’t
care where we live.”

Wrapping her arms around him, she cried.  He gave her something
she could
look forward to, and that
was
what she needed—hope. 
Hope
that all would work out for
them
,
and
faith that
she’d
make her way back to England
,
avenge her
parents’ death
and reunite with her sister.