Page 52 of Earl of Excess
They were about to leave the dock when Dandie jumped up and began barking uncontrollably. She bared her teeth at a small pirogue as it rounded the clump of trees just beyond the edge of their dock. Tobias Smith waved, and Dandie snarled at his approach.
“She really does not approve of him,” observed Matthew under his breath to Bethany.
“No, she hates him. I have no reason,” replied Bethany with a slight laugh.
The canoe floated up alongside her own boat, which was still covered, and Tobias grabbed a wooden cleat and secured it with rope. “Hello Colonel Romney, Bethany. May I visit?” he asked. He looked upset.
“Certainly,” Matthew replied, casting a quick glance at Bethany at the same time he stretched his hand to their visitor. “Is everything all right?” he asked the man.
Either Tobias was uncomfortable with his sudden intrusion, or he had just swallowed something as foul as cod liver oil. Matthew could not decide. But he recognized the look of jealousy. He had sensed it from the man’s voice when they were at Bethany’s cabin, but standing here, now, he could see it.
The announcement of their impending nuptials would have to wait. Something was wrong.
“I’ll get right to it,” Smith said. “Jackson is looking for Caleb Smoot. Somehow, he found out the man deserted on the battlefield. And worse... his Ma says he has gone to get him a British soldier to trade and clear his name. Says he’s sure General Jackson would forget that he ran from the battle, if he turns in a redcoat.”
“He plans to capture me and turn me in to General Jackson?” Matthew sounded incredulous. “The war is over!”
“That’s madness,” exclaimed Bethany. “I cannot fathom that his family can be happy with his behavior of late.”
“They aren’t happy, at all. Caleb and I have been friends most of our lives. His ma came to me out of desperation. They could not reason with him. He left a day or so ago and took one of my pirogues.” He took a resigned breath. “I could only think to come here. Poor woman doesn’t know what to do.” He looked at Matthew and then at Bethany. “Jackson hangs traitors. Perhaps he should leave—go west until the furor of the battle dies down.” He took a deep breath and let out a sigh. “I came to warn you both. We have tried to reason with Caleb, but he is difficult.” He looked at Matthew. “I know you secured him once, but that only made him madder. He could be dangerous.”
“I believe you. There’s no telling what is going on in his head,” added Matthew. “He sounds desperate—more desperate than he was when he tried to steal the boat.” Matthew was confident that he could fend off Caleb, if challenged—unless he ambushed him, of course. He was not sure, however, how his hosts would feel if Smoot attacked and ended up being badly injured. He had no desire to suffer anymore hurt or illness, himself. An involuntary shudder shook him.
“Why don’t you come up and see Grandmère?” Bethany offered, reaching down and shushing Dandie. The dog had continued to growl and looked mutinous at being told to stop growling.
“We should let Grandmère know about this.” Bethany turned to Tobias. “Come inside, Tobias, and have some lemonade. Grandmère would be most upset if she missed seeing you.”
“I would like to greet your aunt and grandmother. Thank you.” He looked at the large, covered basket. “Let me help you get the crabs in the house. It looks like your grandmother may have cleaned out the canal,” he joked, picking up one side. Matthew picked up the other.
“No, at least two leaped to safety,” Bethany laughed as she spoke.
Grandmère and Aunt Theo’s reaction to Smoot’s threat surprised Matthew. They were angry the man would dare come after Matthew, hoping to trade one life for another.
“The nerve of Caleb Smoot,” Grandmère exclaimed, clearly agitated. “This is a personal affront to my family.”
He noticed Smith draw up in surprise. Matthew had been astounded himself. Grandmère had referred to him asfamily. But then, the woman had an uncanny ability to see beyond what they presented to her.
“Tobias, please say you will stay for dinner. It’s mid-afternoon. You are welcome to stay the night,” Grandmère offered. “We have plenty of room and we are having a good crab boil for dinner, with greens and cornbread.”
“Thank you, Grandmère,” Smith said, looking overwhelmed.
His discomfort was obvious to Matthew. Yet, he did not know how to put the man at ease. It appeared they both wanted Bethany. The real problem was the discomfort that Bethany obviously was feeling.
“Grandmère, if you would excuse me, I would like to take a quick walk and let Dandie do her business,” Bethany announced.
Matthew started to go with her but wanted to hear the rest of what Smith had to tell them. When she looked at him, he winked at her to assure her he understood her discomfiture.
Wearing a smile, she put on her straw hat, and they left the house.
*
Bethany needed freshair. The day had started off so wonderfully until Tobias had arrived with the news of Smoot. She shivered despite the warm temperature of the day. The man disgusted her with his greasy hair and nasty attitude. If given the chance, she was sure he would hurt her dog for biting off part of his ear. Try as she might, she felt no empathy for him. It wasn’t like he was an upstanding member of their community. It was rumored he could regularly be found drunk propped against the outside wall of the local bar. There had to be more to his connection to Tobias, who seemed more upset over Smoot’s disappearance than she had ever seen him. She could not imagine what it could be, thinking her friend the complete opposite of Smoot.
Bethany felt sorry for his ma, though. She was a kind woman who did her best to raise his sister.
Retracing her steps from this morning, she opened the gate and wandered onto the plantation grounds next door. Seeing no one outside tending the gardens, she let Dandie run around, enjoying the sight of her dog chasing a rogue butterfly in the patch of red and yellow tulips. The star magnolia and the flowering cherry trees had bloomed and made a beautiful backdrop for the lovely gardens Mr. Duplantis had recreated. She observed a bench sitting in front of a tall grouping of pink flowering camelias and sat down. Bethany had not noticed it before, but it met her needs for the moment. She needed time to reflect.
She saw Dandie look over at her, a look of alarm on her face, before finally going back to chasing the butterfly. Unconcerned, Bethany relaxed and leaned her head back and closed her eyes. With her eyes closed and lost in her thoughts, she never saw the gag that was shoved into her mouth. A burlap bag was thrown over her head and was secured with a single pull before she could react.
