Page 55 of Earl of Excess
“I did. Weboth did.” Matthew looked back at Smoot and Smith. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a large, dead snake where Smoot had been. Matthew did not know what type of snake it was but realized Smith must have killed it. They had not been kidding about the dangers here.
They finally got Smoot down the hill and into Smith’s boat, while Bethany rode with him in Smoot’s stolen canoe.
Grandmère met them on the dock and, after hugging Bethany, followed Smith and Smoot into the house. Holding hands, Matthew and Bethany strolled back to the cabin. He had wanted to kiss her, but she refused him. “I smell terrible, even to myself. I need a bath so badly.”
As she walked into the house, Dandie walked slowly over to meet her, and she reached down to pet her. Seeing her dog’s bruised and bloodied face, her temper flared.
“Caleb Smoot,” she called to him.
“Yes,” a whiney male voice returned.
Bethany walked over to Caleb, who stood near the dining room table, waiting for her grandmother to help with his swollen leg and arm. He had been bitten twice. Served him right. “I owe you something!” Looking him in the eye, she hit him in the face as hard as she could. He fell back, knocked over the chair and landed on the floor, staring up in disbelief at her.
No one said a word for a long minute.
“That’s my girl!” Aunt Theo finally quipped, clapping.
“I will help you with a bath, child. I think you need it,” Grandmère finally said.
“I will stay here and direct Caleb’s care. Tobias and the colonel can help me,” Aunt Theo said cheerfully. “There’s a small bottle of ammonia in the cabinet, Tobias. We will need it. Matthew, can you bring me the roll of muslin strips from the linen cabinet in the hall?”
“If you wanted to tangle with a snake, Caleb Smoot, could you not have done it closer to home and left my people alone?” she asked angrily, pouring the ammonia into the snake bites.
The man screamed and writhed in pain. Matthew doubted anyone cared. Even Smith, who seemed to care about Smoot, seemed immune to his whining.
The older woman soon had Caleb’s hand and foot bandaged.
Matthew wondered how Bethany was doing. She had been gone for a while. He thought about the day and how it had spiraled from being the best of days into something he could barely describe. He was engaged—something he had never thought much about before. Suddenly, he realized they had told no one about being engaged.
A knock sounded at the door and Matthew went to answer it—leaving Smith to handle Smoot, ensuring the man could not cause any more trouble. Walking into the parlor, he saw Edward Sinclair standing there.
“I knocked a few times, and finally opened the door, afraid something had happened. Placing his bag near the door, the older man extended his hand. It’s nice to see you up and walking about, Romney,” Sinclair said.
Matthew noticed Sinclair’s somber tone. “I am feeling pretty good. Has something happened?” Matthew asked, studying the man’s eyes.
Male voices drifted from the dining room. “It sounds like you have company. Did I pick a bad time to come?” he said, attempting to be jovial.
Matthew noticed he had not answered his question. “No. Not at all. It’s good to see you,” he replied. “Come on back. Grandmère is with Bethany, but Aunt Theo is in the dining room.”
“To your question. I have news, but perhaps we should wait until later,” Sinclair said, nodding towards the company.
They walked into the room and were met by Tobias. “I believe it would be best for Caleb to leave with me—tonight. I do not want to risk him causing any more of a stir. And I believe the snakebites are under control enough that if he sits quietly, we can make it back before too late.”
“You have already discussed it with the women, I am assuming.” He would be glad to see the men leave. “Let me make introductions.” He turned to Sinclair. “Edward Sinclair, this is Tobias Smith, a friend of the family and the proprietor of the Trading Post near Miss Phillip’s home. And this is Caleb Smoot, a local that lives near Miss Phillips.”
“Caleb is my half-brother on my father’s side,” Smith said quietly, causing everyone to look in his direction. “He is older, so most people don’t realize we are related. I need to think of something to keep him from doing something desperate, again.” He extended his hand to Matthew and to Edward Sinclair. “Good luck, Colonel Romney. I hope you make it back to your homeland soon and safely.”
Understanding shot through Matthew and Tobias Smith rose in his estimation. He had wanted to save his brother. Matthew locked gazes with the man and clasped his hand, shaking it. “Thank you, Smith, for everything.”
“Yes. She is my friend. I care about her, as I realize you do as well,” Smith said, smiling at Matthew.
“Yes. I do.” Matthew said. He turned to Edward Sinclair. “Sinclair is a family friend,” he added. He realized Sinclair was a lifeline to his family.
Smith turned to Grandmère. “May I leave the extra pirogue and pick it up later? I think it’s best I get Caleb home, and I can easily take him in my canoe.”
Grandmère smiled, agreeing. “Of course, Tobias. Anything you need.” She whispered, “I will continue to think on your half-brother’s situation.”
Tobias thanked her with a hug. Then, he and his half-brother said their goodbyes and made their way to his boat.
