Tangled Betrayals (24 page)

Chapter Fifty-
Six

Edward was happy
and relieved to be back on board,
The Emerald.
He’d stopped by Jane’s grave and left a beautiful bouquet of flowers along with many tears. He was now going home where he could introduce himself to his children. How does one tell two adults that the father they’d grown up and loved, at least at one time, was a liar and worse? After that news registers, then how does one proceed to tell them that he’s their real father? The one who unknowingly left them in the hands of Henry Ball, and deserted not only them, but their mother, too!

Edward
needed to talk to Thomas. Then, he could decide when and how to confront Mary. He first must see if Thomas would be willing to accept him as his father. Then, and only then, would he try to locate his daughter. And when that time came, he knew he’d have to meet face to face with Mary. But where was she? Was James aware that Mary had come to America? He wondered what Mary looked like. He hoped she favored Jane.

The thought that bothered Edward
the most was if Henry was crazy enough to try to kill James in front of witnesses, what would prevent him from causing harm to Thomas or Mary? Certainly his anger would not stop with James. Thomas and Mary had abandoned him also. Edward realized his voyage couldn’t end fast enough. He must talk to Thomas!

But first and foremost, he
decided he must talk to James and Clayton. They’d certainly have some advice on how to approach his children.

Chapter
Fifty-Seven

The Parker Plantation 1834

James had a strange feeling come over him.
A terrible sense that something bad was about to happen. For that reason, he decided to ride the fence line himself. After four trips around the immediate area of his home, James found nothing out of place. Yet, he still felt uneasy.

“James, is everything alright? You seem distracted tonight.”
His mother had asked. James wasn’t fooling her, and neither was Clayton. She’d asked Clayton on numerous occasions what was bothering him, but he always avoided giving her a straight answer.

Now
, Annabelle thought, James acted distant also. Susannah didn’t seem to notice anything out of the ordinary, but she hadn’t been herself for some time now, so Annabelle couldn’t rely on her for information.

“No Mother, I
’m only a little tired. That’s all. I haven’t been sleeping well,” James had answered.

“Annabelle, you need to quit worrying
, James is fine. You just take care of things the way you always do, and let James and I tend to the duties of the plantation.” Clayton stated without warmth.

Annabelle was unhappy at the tone Clayton had used and now she was
positive something was amiss. She knew they must have a good reason for not sharing their secret. That didn’t mean she had to like it!

*****

James arose early the next morning. He
knew Andrew and Matilda were in need of a distraction from their mother’s illness. He’d sent his foreman to purchase a new colt and pony at last week’s auction and they were to arrive sometime this morning.

He planned to have the
animals make their new home in the barn closest to the house. That way, he or Clayton could oversee the care the children would give them. James knew the time had come when they should learn some responsibility. This could be the perfect distraction for Andrew and Matilda.

Susannah was hardly eating now. Her coughing kept her up most night
s and she was getting little rest during the day. James was certain her time was near.

As
James and Clayton stood on the porch discussing the fact they’ve yet to hear any news about Henry Ball, they saw the colt and pony arriving. James couldn’t help but smile when he saw the faces of Andrew and Matilda as they spotted the animals entering the barnyard.

“Papa, who does the pony and colt belong to? Did you purchase them?”
Andrew asked hopefully.

“Yes, I
purchased them at the auction, Andrew. What do you think of them? They appear to come from good stock, don’t you think.”

“Oh, I agree. The colt is a beauty. The pony
’s nice, too.”

“Can I have one of them?” Matilda asked
, as she petted the pony on the nose.

“Let me see, do you think you and Andrew are old enough to take care of them? They
’ll need a lot of attention. That means feeding them, watering them, and brushing them daily. It would also mean you needed to keep their stalls clean. I’m not sure you’d want to give up your play time.”

“We
’d gladly give up our play time, Papa. Are they for us? Are they?” Andrew was so excited he could hardly remain calm.

“What do you think, Grandfather Parker,
is Andrew old enough to handle the colt and Matilda the pony?”

“I think they
’d do a fine job. What do you children say?”

“Yes, Yes!” They cried out in unison.

“I guess the decision’s been made. Andrew and Matilda, you can give some thought to what you would like to name your colt and pony and tell us your decision at dinner? That way, everyone, especially your mother, will be able to hear what you’ve decided.”   

“What
will you call your pony, Matilda? I’ll have to give some hard thought at naming the colt. He’ll need a strong name, one to match his character.”  Andrew said, as he knew he’d already fallen in love with the frisky brown colt with the white patch on his face.

Matilda was petting the cream colored pony
that showed a black stocking on his back left leg. “Gosh, Andrew, I don’t know.

“Don’t
worry; I’m sure we’ll have the names picked out before we eat supper. Let’s take them to the barn so they can get used to their new home. I don’t want them to get scared tonight.”

“Gee, I hope they won’t be scared. They
’ll be next to each other.” Matilda frowned at the thought of her pony being alone, except for the colt. All the other horses were in the stable. But she knew the colt and pony were too little to be among those bigger horses, they might get hurt.

*****

No one noticed Susannah sitting by the window watching the children in their excitement. She and James had talked at length about the need to have the children focused on something other than how much her health had changed in the last couple of weeks.

She
could only imagine what they were telling James and their grandfather. She knew the children were thrilled just by their animations. She remembered how she had felt when she received her first colt. That seemed so long ago. At least she’d have this wonderful memory. In her heart, she knew her time was coming soon.

The effort
needed for Susannah to go down the stairs and then have to climb back up was far more difficult than a month ago. Now, she needed James assistance and could only manage to make the trip for dinner. Breakfast and lunch were brought to her. She feared soon she’d be totally confined to bed.

Tonight, she w
anted to watch the children bring their new pets to the veranda. No matter how difficult it would be for her, Susannah vowed to act as if she was well and strong. And she prayed she wouldn’t have a coughing spell during this special time with the children.

Susannah wiped the tears from her face. She hated
the fact she felt sorry for herself. Tears would not change the situation. She needed to be strong. She had to be. She hadn’t heard James enter the bedroom

“Susannah, are you alright? Here, try to drink some water. Maybe that will help.” James was starting to panic. He could
easily hear the congestion in Susannah’s lungs.

Susannah could only nod she
’d like some water. Once she cleared her mouth of the pinkish blood she had coughed up, she slowly took another sip of water. James laid her on her bed and supported her with a stack of pillows that kept her somewhat upright. That was the only way she seemed to get enough air to her lungs.

“I’m sorry, James. I so wanted to come down for dinner
, especially tonight, but I don’t think I’m up to it.”

James could only nod. He wasn’t able to speak at the moment. He knew if he did, he
’d surely break down. Susannah didn’t need to see him weak. He walked to the window to compose himself.

He
knew her time on earth was ending. He also knew Susannah was aware time was running out. Why tonight? They’d planned this day so carefully. She was supposed to be able to see the children show off their new pets. His gut told him they’d waited one day too long. Life again wasn’t being fair. James turned to see Susannah wiping away her tears

“I
’ll have the children come to you after supper to share the names they’ve chosen. We won’t be long. I’ll send your mother up with a tray to sit with you, until the children have eaten. I think this is the best way, don’t you?”

“Yes, I
’m not very hungry, maybe just a small bowl of soup. Thank you, James. Please don’t be long.”

“I won’t be. I promise.”

*****

When James and the children entered the room after they’d eaten, he was relieved to see Susannah smiling and appearing to feel better. “I’m sorry I’m feeling poorly. Tell me, what have you two decided on names for your colt and pony? I watched you earlier from the window, when you first saw them.”

“Thank you for my colt! I named him
Lightning. He’s beautiful. Tomorrow, I shall show him to you. He’ll like you very much. I know it! He’s smart, too.”

Susannah tried to laugh but instead had a short coughing spell. She could see the look of concern on the children’s faces. “I
’m fine, really. Now, Matilda, what about your pony? Is she smart, too?”

“Oh yes, and I named her Star. Don’t you like her name?”

“I do. That sounds like the perfect name for her.”

“
I can’t wait until tomorrow so you can pet her!”

Susannah could only nod. She looked at James and nodded toward the door. The children needed to leave
. She could feel a coughing spell was about to begin. The last thing she wanted was to go through one of those horrible episodes and have the children see her gasping for her next breath.

“All right, children, time for your bedtime story from Grandma Parker. Scat
, both of you!”

“Goodnight, Mother, was the last thing Susannah heard before James closed the door and she went into her worst coughing spell yet.

James sat next to her and held her as he gently rubbed her arms. “I fear I’m losing you,”

Susannah could only nod the affirmative.
There were no words left to say. She tried to close her eyes and take in James’s scent. She felt his love. The time was close to leave this world that had given her so much. Soon she could rest. No more coughing spells, no more restless nights, no more gasping for air.

*****

The children came in
to see their mother after their bedtime story but she was asleep against James chest. They kissed her lightly on the cheek. James knew he’d have plenty of time in the morning to explain how their mother had left during the night to be with the angels.

His parents stopped
by briefly and only acknowledged they understood the situation at hand. When James saw Constance Webb softly crying and saw John Webb with the tears he shed openly, James allowed his own tears to silently fall.

Susannah was in a deep and heavy labored sleep. After several minutes Constance and John Webb kissed their daughter
farewell. James thought the worst was over until he saw Anna and Thomas stepping into the bedroom.

James was amazed that Anna
appeared fairly calm. He could tell she’d been crying, but he realized Anna had come to terms with Susannah’s passing being eminent.  Anna held her sister’s hand as she kissed her cheek.

“Let go, Susannah. Your time has come to find rest and peace. You shall be missed but never forgotten.
You shall live through Andrew and Matilda and I shall make sure they remember what a wonderful and strong person their mother was. I’ll miss you every day till we meet in the great beyond.” Anna squeezed James’s hand and waited as Thomas, who remained silent, only nodded to James, and said nothing but his tears spoke for him.

James wasn’t sure when he
’d fallen asleep. When he stirred he realized it was close to morning. Susannah had left him sometime while he slept. It was the silence he noticed first. Then he realized how cold her body was. He eased himself from the bed. “Goodbye, my love.” He carefully smoothed her hair and covered her with the bedspread. She looked like an angel.

He
fell to his knees and openly sobbed. Now, he didn’t have to pretend to be strong. He worried how he’d get through this day. Even though everyone knew what this day would bring, it was still going to be difficult to verbally say Susannah had died.

Constance Webb stood in the doorway and watched her son-in-law finally break down. Even though she
’d miss Susannah, she was glad her ordeal was over. No one should have to endure such a painful and tragic death. She was so proud of how Susannah had handled her illness. Never complaining, and hiding her pain from everyone, except James.

Even then, James had told her
Susannah rarely complained. Constance carefully and quietly pulled the door closed so James could have some privacy. She smiled thinking how thoughtful James was to have left the door open, in case someone wanted to stop back and check on Susannah.

But she knew James needed time alone to grieve. Constance decided the best thing she could do now was to start making breakfast. She was
fairly sure she’d have plenty of company very shortly. She didn’t think anyone had gotten much sleep last night except for the children.