Concealing Grace (The Grace Series Book 1) (9 page)

“I’ll see to Midnight. You get Martha to patch you up. Be prepared. She’s gonna yell at you for ripping another shirt.”

“Be quiet, you two. You’ll wake up Willy. And yes, Major, I am going to yell at you.” Martha stepped out into the darkness to join them. She went straight for the man in black and took his arm in hand. “Hold that lantern up here, Herlin, so I can see.”

“It’s just a scratch,” the man in black said.

Clucking her tongue, Martha said, “Looks to me like I need to sew more than just another torn shirt. This is a knife wound, Major.”

Just then the cabin door swung open again and the little girl, Lilly, came running out. She was barefoot, dressed in the white nightgown Martha had given her mother. Her face had been washed clean of dirt and grime, and her hair fixed with little red ribbons at the tails of each braid.

“Mista! Mista! Wait, mista!” she hollered.

The child went straight to the man in black and launched herself at him. She was so abrupt he had no choice but to catch her and lift her up. “What is it, little one?” he asked softly.

Her thin, tiny arms wound around his neck and she said, “I was scaart, but you wernt scaart. Ya saved me an’ bode ma bruddas from da far. I loves ya, Mista.”

* * *

Captain Jonathan Kinsley had spoken truly when he said he wanted to see Jessica as often as possible. Over the next several weeks, he came calling every day.

In the mornings, before the heat of the day became too stifling, they took rides—he on Webster and she on Jasmine. In the afternoons he returned with a gift in hand. His gifts included everything from flowers and chocolates to ribbons and combs for her hair. Once he showed up with a basket of fresh peaches from his orchard. The day after their first riding excursion he gave her an exquisite pair of gold riding gloves.

Jessica’s favorite of his presents, however, was a little French dictionary. This was precipitated by her telling him she wanted to learn to speak the language. Because his mother was French, Jon was fluent. So he played a game with her, saying something in French and telling her to guess what he said. Once she caught on, figuring him out became easy. Every comment he made was a compliment of some sort to her. He said she was beautiful, she was sweet, her eyes were very pretty, he enjoyed her company. On and on went the flattery, and not just during the French game. While in his company, Jessica found herself blushing entirely too much, but it felt wonderful being praised so highly and so often.

In addition to their early morning riding ventures and his afternoon visits, Jon asked if he could join her family for Sunday church services. Jessica’s faith was very important to her so this pleased her immensely. Jon didn’t seem to harbor the resentment some of the other men did toward Reverend Nash either. Every interchange she witnessed between him and the reverend seemed friendly. Only once did she hear him make what could have been a disparaging remark. To her father he said, “Nash sure has a lot to say for a Yankee.” When he said it, he chuckled, so Jessica didn’t think he meant it negatively. It was merely an observation, and quite frankly it was true. Reverend Nash did have a lot to say.

By then, Jessica was well used to the reverend’s powerful sermons. Something else was happening to her on Sunday mornings though she couldn’t define it. While he was speaking, Reverend Nash looked directly from person to person. Whenever his eyes connected with hers, Jessica felt as though he was speaking to her alone. On one hand it was slightly disconcerting, but it was also very moving. In those finite moments she felt as if she and the reverend were of one mind, as if they were spiritually united. Realistically she knew this was nonsense. The bond she felt wasn’t genuine, but it left her inspired just the same.

This, of course, was not something she could share with Jon. She didn’t share this with anyone. What she did tell Jon about was Stephanie’s infatuation, and this was only because Jon commented on it.

At the end of every service, Reverend Nash walked up the aisle and stood in the small chancel area at the front of the church. There, he shook hands with and said a few words to each person from the congregation as they departed. Stephanie was always hovering by the chancel, lingering for as long as she could, and Jon noticed. Everyone did. It was impossible not to. After Jessica told Jon about Stephanie’s affection for the reverend, Jon said, “I understand how she feels, because I feel the same way about you. I want to be near you always.”

Trent, of course, wasn’t happy having Jon attending church with her family. Her boorish brother made it a point to sit as far away in their pew from Jon as possible. And the church wasn’t the only place Trent acted discourteously. Her father began inviting Jon to join him for a drink and a game at the tavern in town. This was a typical evening escapade for Luther, and most of the time Trent went with him. Jessica thought it was good of her father to include Jon, but every time Jon accepted, Trent chose not to go. She was terribly worried Jon would be offended by Trent’s rudeness. Even so, he didn’t appear to be. In fact, he didn’t seem to notice at all.

As each day passed, Jessica became more comfortable around him. Her anxious anticipation of his arrival was transforming into giddy excitement. And, to her utmost relief, the periods of prolonged silence that plagued them for so long were lessening.

When he wasn’t with her, she often caught herself smiling for no reason. Daily she relived their rides and their conversations. In her mind she pictured him constantly, his handsome face, his beautiful eyes, his gentleman’s hands, the way he looked so gallant atop his horse. She even wondered what it would be like to be kissed by him.

But then, sometimes at night, while she lay staring at the ceiling in her room, Jessica’s fears would overwhelm her. Jon was too kind, too generous, and too much of a gentleman. He would be a dream come true for any woman. Combined with his wealth, he would provide her with a life greater than she could ever deserve. He was such a fine man, and she was just a simple farmer’s daughter with nothing to offer in return, except a bad reputation. She worried she wasn’t good enough for him, and that someday soon he would realize it.

Her self-doubt, however, was the last thing on her mind the day of the annual Mount Joy summer fair. Jon had asked her to go with him, and his invitation extended to Trent as well. Persuading Trent to agree hadn’t been easy. Jessica tried to win him over by inviting Emily, too, but rather than encourage him, the idea of having her friend along only seemed to perturb Trent more.

Luther was the one who eventually convinced Trent to go. He did it by threatening, “I don’t know why you are so jealous of Captain Kinsley, Trent, but soon enough he is going to be your brother-in-law, so you’d best be done with it. And if you can’t figure out how to be amiable on your own, I will help you figure it out by selling your precious guns at auction. We could use the money.”

Trent had an extensive collection of revolvers and rifles. Every spare dollar he had, he spent on his guns. This pursuit of his never made sense to Jessica. He never shot any of his weapons. The only time he took them out of the fancy case he’d bought was to polish them.

In response to his father’s threat, Trent spouted, “Fine. I’ll go to the damn fair.” Then, as he trudged off, he muttered, “I am
not
jealous of Captain High and Mighty…”

The day of the fair the sky was overcast. This didn’t bode well for an outside endeavor, but it relieved some of the oppressive summer heat. Jessica wasn’t surprised to find Trent in a bear of a mood. He’d skipped breakfast entirely and while they waited in the foyer for Jon to arrive, he grumbled to himself. Jessica, of course, watched diligently through the window. The second she saw Jon’s coach turn into their drive, she pointed a disciplinary finger at Trent and told him sternly, “Be nice.”

Trent clomped over to the window. “Oh, isn’t this grand,” he said. “
Captain Perfect
has a coach complete with driver. Aren’t we lucky?”

“Stop it, Trent!”

At least Trent was moderately polite while he and Jon greeted each other. Jessica didn’t expel the breath she was holding until the exchange was over.

The shiny black coach Jon brought to convey them to the fair looked expensive and brand new. Jessica recognized the driver as the man with the red cap who had taken care of their buggy when they’d gone to Bent Oak Manor for dinner. She smiled at him, but she didn’t have time to do more than that. Jon was handing her up, and once she was inside, she was overtaken by the plush green velvet interior. It was the most incredible coach she’d ever ridden in.

Trent climbed in next, taking the seat across from her. As Jon stepped up, he called out to the driver, “Let’s go, Herlin.”

Seated next to Jessica, Jon took her hand and folded their fingers together. “I know I said this already today, but I have to say it again. You look lovely, Sweetheart.” He’d been calling her by the endearment more and more of late. Peripherally, Jessica saw Trent roll his eyes.

While they traveled toward Emily’s home, Jon attempted to engage Trent by asking about his gun collection—Jessica had mentioned Trent’s guns to Jon for this very reason—but Trent’s replies were clipped one-word answers. Eventually, they lapsed into silence. Trent was brooding, staring out the window and Jessica felt awkward. She hoped Emily’s bubbly nature would relieve some of the tension. From her own experience in befriending Emily, she knew Emily was very good at putting people at ease.

At Emily’s home, Jon started to get up and Trent growled, “Just wait. I’ll get her.”

Alone in the plush coach with Jon, Jessica said to him, “I don’t know what’s wrong with Trent today. I’m sorry he’s being so rude.”

“There’s no need to apologize for him. It’s not your fault,” Jon said. “Perhaps he’s nervous about having an outing with Emily?”

“Yes, he probably is,” Jessica agreed, but it was a lie. She didn’t like lying, and she especially didn’t want to lie to Jon of all people. “Hopefully Emily will be ready. She is usually very prompt.”

Emily was prompt. Soon enough, Trent assisted her into the coach. Emily wore a sky blue dress that matched her eyes perfectly. It was quite becoming and Jessica thought her friend looked very pretty. Her normal chattiness didn’t disappoint either. At least, it didn’t at first. After greeting each of them profusely, Emily talked about all of the things she hoped they would see at the fair, and then she began to share a handful of entertaining stories from prior years.

Emily was so charismatic, so opposite from Jessica and the shyness she couldn’t control. Jon, she noticed, grinned amusedly at Emily. Jessica had never been able to provoke his humor, not that way. A fierce stab of jealousy struck. To combat it, she fisted her hands and stared out the window, but she couldn’t make the resentment go away.

Emily had been a good friend for many years. Begrudging Emily only made Jessica’s guilt worse. Tears of failure smarted at the backs of her eyes. Despite Jon’s constant praise and all his wonderful gifts, she knew eventually he would tire of her and her boring self. He would want to end their relationship. They hadn’t set a date for the wedding. They hadn’t even discussed it.

This, however, was not the time to wallow. The last thing she wanted to do was cry in front of Jon. She didn’t want to ruin the day for Emily or Trent either. Soon they would be at the fair. Trying to refocus, she looked at Trent and saw he was listening as attentively to Emily as Jon. And, for once, Trent wasn’t scowling. It was a blessed miracle!

As expected, the livery in town was overflowing, so Jon instructed his driver to drop them off and go to a nearby field to park. While they stood outside the carriage, Jon gave his driver—Herlin was his name, Jessica remembered—explicit instructions for the care of the horses and told him to return to this same spot to check in, in exactly two hours. Turning to the rest of them, he smiled and said, “Where would you like to go first?”

Emily decided for them all. She took hold of Trent’s arm and led him onward. Jon and Jessica had no choice but to follow. They had to walk several blocks to reach the center of town. There, the streets were roped off to prevent horses and buggies from entering. The pedestrian traffic, however, was overwhelming. Most of the people were white men, women and children, but Jessica saw colored people, too. A few, she noticed, were there as companions to whites. A large group was huddled on a street corner, but she didn’t have time to consider why. Emily was moving too quickly.

On Main Street, along the sidewalks, in front of the stores and shops, booths had been set up. These vendors were selling everything from crafts to truffles. Emily finally slowed her pace, taking time to peruse the wares. Jessica could hear her friend chattering away, and she wondered bemusedly how Trent was handling it. She knew very well how much he disliked shopping.

At one of the booths, Jessica stopped to admire the scarves. At another Jon looked at knives. There were peppermint candy sticks being sold, too. By the time Jon had a bag of them purchased and tucked into his coat pocket, Emily and Trent had disappeared from Jessica’s view. Jon, who was much taller, told her they weren’t too far away, and he added, “We can catch up to them later. There is something I want to take care of first.”

Jessica didn’t protest when he took her hand and started across the street. She knew the downtown area fairly well, but with all the people to get through, and all the booths in the way, she really wasn’t paying attention to which block they were on. At least, she wasn’t paying attention until Jon stopped in front of a store Jessica hadn’t stepped foot in for years. He said, “Shall we go in here?”