A Thin Line (18 page)

Too soon he transferred her to her mother, who held herself a little more aloof when she hugged her.
 
Her mother loved her, she just never knew what to do with a tomboy for a daughter.
 
Her mother smelled of roses and Kala found herself craving the smell of tobacco once more.

“Didn’t I tell you you would get yourself into trouble one day?
 
Why couldn’t you be more like Elizabeth?”

“Martha,” her father reprimanded her mother.
 
And this is how her entire life had passed.
 
Every time she got into some sort of scrape her mother had compared her to Elizabeth.
 
Elizabeth, the perfect, genteel daughter.
 
Perfect enough to be the wife of a minister.
 
And every time, her father, bless his soul, would come to her defense.
 
How she loved him for that.

“Thank you mother for asking, but I feel fine,” she replied calmly, breaking away from her.

“Well, there’s no need to be cheeky.
 
I still can’t get over how your voice sounds now,” she tisked.

“It’s growing on me,” Kala said.

She heard a rustling of fabric and then, “Hello, Michael,” and she knew Dru hugged her most beloved brother.

“Sis, how are you?”

“Wonderful.”

“She’s working on making you an uncle again,” Kala put in hoping to take some of the focus off her.
 

The front door opened and Kala heard her brother exclaim, “Mama, Papa!”
 
Although she could not see, she clearly saw the scene in her mind.
 
Derek would hug Mama first, then he would hold out his hand to Papa.
 
Papa would take it, then pull him in and pound his back in a bear hug.
 
Seconds later, she heard the pounding.

“Mama, Papa, I would like to introduce you to the newest member of our family.
 
My wife, Tessa.
 
Tessa, my parents, Michael and Martha Simmons.”
 
Exclamations of happiness echoed from both of her parents and Tessa.
 
Kala felt herself fading into the background without ever moving a muscle.

“Kala, you are coming home with us,” her mother commanded some minutes later.

“No, Mama, I’m not.”

“Kala is more than welcome to join us at Blackburn Hall,” Derek announced.

“Or us at Whitestone Manor,” Richard added.

“Thank you everyone, but I am not going with anyone.”

“Why not?” Derek demanded an answer.

“I refuse to put anyone in danger.
 
Let’s admit it, whoever did this is still very likely out there.
 
They also know that I am alive and still have information.
 
I refuse to be responsible for something inadvertently happening to anyone in my family.”

“But what about us?” Her father asked sounding a little desperate.

“The term will be starting up soon and I will not risk the lives of any children for my safety.”
 
Kala reached out her arm in his direction, allowing him to anchor her to him once more.
 
For just a few minutes she would allow herself to be weak, to let someone else be strong for her.

“Then what do you plan to do?”

“I honestly don’t know,” she heard the small quaver in her voice and quickly cleared her throat.

“You could stay here,” Richard offered.

“Not without a companion,” her mother put in.

“Mama, that is an excellent idea!”

“I didn’t really mean you could stay here Kala.”

“But it’s perfect.
 
If Richard and Dru will allow me, I will stay here.
 
Hopefully, I can find a suitable companion before everyone leaves.”

“Kala, are you certain about this?
 
You have always known your mind, but circumstances are different this time,” Mr. Simmons broached the subject cautiously.

“Papa, I’m certain.”
 
Kala gave him a hard squeeze that he returned.
 
“Besides, Gabe is just across the square and I’m sure my sight will be returning quickly,” she said with more confidence than she felt.

“I will send a footman to the agency immediately setting forth what we are looking for.”

“Thank you, Dru.”

“Anything for my favorite niece.”

“Am I still?”

“Of course.
 
You can be irritating sometimes, but yes, you are still my favorite.”
 
Kala could hear the entire group laugh, all except for Martha, who Kala knew would have a slight disapproving look on her face.

***

It took almost a week to find a companion for Kala that everyone could agree on.
 
A widow woman by the name of Mrs. McGafferty won the position.
 
She had a daughter but didn’t want to be a burden to her, so she applied for this position.
 
Her mother had gone blind late in life, and that fact had endeared her to Kala.
 
Her husband had been in the military, and she knew her way around weapons and that had endeared her to everyone else.
 
She was hard of hearing though and Kala found herself shouting excessively to be heard.

The day after Mrs. McGafferty had been hired she exchanged goodbyes with Derek, Tessa, and her parents.
 
She promised to send a messenger if she needed anything, but held her fingers crossed behind her back.
 
She refused to involve them anymore than she already had.
 
Dru and Richard would be leaving with the children the next day for Whitestone Manor.
 
Needless to say, the house was in upheaval.
 

Kala sat in a chair in her room, holding a candleholder with a lit candle.
 
She had made a discovery the other day, but didn’t want to share it with anyone.
 
She could actually make out light and darkness now rather than total, suffocating blackness.
 
She did not hold her breath that this would guarantee her sight, but at least she had hope.
 

She played with the candle, bringing it in and out of her line of vision, if you could call it that.
 
She saw no flame, only a brightness that she imagined could be associated with the flame.
 
A knock sounded on the door and Kala quickly blew out the candle before she placed it on the table next to the chair.
 
The door opened and she could see a dim brightness floating in the air.
 

“I wanted to come say goodbye tonight,” she quickly recognized Dru’s voice.
 
“Richard plans an early start in the morning.”

Kala let out an audible sigh, stood and held out her arms to feel Dru’s surround her in a few seconds.
 
“I will miss you terribly.”

“Kala, I’m sorry for all I said.”

“Don’t apologize.
 
You were right.
 
I just found it more difficult to hear you say it rather than mother and Elizabeth.”
 
She heard Dru sniffle.
 
“Dru, honestly, I’ll be fine and you didn’t say anything that I didn’t need to hear.”

“Ignore me,” she sniffled again.
 
“Lately I’m a veritable watering pot.
 
Richard can look at me funny and I cry.”

“Poor Richard.”

“Quite.
 
You know it’s not too late to change your mind and come with us.”

“No.
 
You all need family time together.
 
I have encroached long enough.”

“Family doesn’t encroach.”

“Yes, they do, but I love you for trying to deny it.”

“I love you, too.”

“Now, go to bed and get some rest.
 
You have a long day ahead of you.
 
I will see you all at Christmas at Blackburn Hall.”

“You will send for us if you need anything won’t you?”

“Of course,” and again her fingers were crossed behind her back.
 
She sat back down in the chair, thinking.
 
Perhaps she really had run everyone off just because she felt the need to be independent regardless of an infirmity.
 
Gabe, Justin, McKenzie, nor Dewhurst had come by in a week or longer.
 
She couldn’t say that she missed Dewhurst, but at least he would have proven a distraction.
 
She thought she could at least count on Justin, but apparently not.
 
McKenzie had not made an appearance since before her accident, which she found odd.

She changed into the nightgown that one of the maids had put across the foot of her bed and crawled under the covers.
 
Her hands rested linked across her stomach.
 
She thought back over a conversation she had held with her brother and Richard before they left.
 
Derek had been unsure at first about her idea.
 
Richard, bless his heart, had seen the merit and trusted Mikala.
 
After much debate and questioning Derek reluctantly agreed in the end.
 

She had saved up her pin money and anything else she had been given over the years and had a nice little nest egg.
 
Since Derek and Gabe’s shipping ventures seemed to be going so well, she wanted to invest.
 
They all agreed that Gabe would not agree to her investing, so she created a false identity, decidedly male, to invest in the shipping business.
 
Somehow Derek would convince Gabe of a third partner.
 
She had trusted him to work his magic, and he did.

“How did you do it?” She had asked him excitedly the day before he left.

“Matthew Stanton is a fellow military man injured in battle.
 
While away at war, a man involved his parents in a money making scheme leaving them destitute before he disappeared.
 
Stanton is desperate to try to recover their losses.
 
His parents conveniently are tenants of mine, which explains how he came to me for help.”

“You are brilliant,” she said with glee.

“Yes, well, I do have my moments.
 
This way you can sign any correspondence with your initials and there is no chance you will forget,” he winced after realizing what he said.
 
“Kala, I’m sorry.”

“Derek, stop.
 
I can dictate, and if told where to place them, I can scrawl my initials.
 
I am just so very excited!”

“I’m glad.
 
I am proud of you, Mikala, for overcoming this situation,” she could hear the smile in his voice and felt the warmth of his hug.
 
So it was with a little manipulation that Kala became a silent partner in Blackhawke Shipping.
 
She hoped that within a few trips, she would be able to make enough money to live comfortably on her own wherever she chose to reside.
 
Maybe she would even go on a grand tour after all this stuff with Napoleon came to an end and the world opened back up to visitors.
 
Or she might even go to Egypt.
 
It was turning in to quite a Mecca, especially as people began finding things thought to be long lost.
 
Or she could even visit all the places supposed to be home to the famous King Arthur.

Tomorrow she would be left to her own devices.
 
Well, she and Mrs. McGafferty, she amended.
 
They made quite a pair, one blind, the other practically deaf.
 

Kala knew that she needed to help find the person who had done this to her if she were to have any peace in her life.
 

Who knew?
 
Perhaps she would make enough money to build her own shipping business and give Blackhawke Shipping a run for their money.
 
Mayhap she could captain her own ship after a while.
 
She felt the excitement course through her at being in charge of her destiny.
 
She fell asleep with a smile on her face and felt at peace for the first time since the accident.

***

Across the square, the taciturn duke looked out his window at the house across the way.
 
He observed the last of the lights put out for the night.
 
Gabe had stayed away from her for almost a week.
 
Five long days, in which the only way he knew of her welfare came through his best friend.
 
He tried to keep himself occupied and went to visit Lady Clarissa on several occasions only to find her feeling under the weather and unable to visit each time he stopped.
 
Her father left town to attend to estate business, but her step-mother found time to flirt outrageously with him.
 
The Duchess of Hamilton could be no more than ten years older than Lady Clarissa Blackerby, and Gabe had found her behavior embarrassing.
 

He brought himself back to the woman who occupied both the house across the square and more of his thoughts than he should allow.
 
He slammed his hand against the window frame.
 
When had she weaseled her way under his skin?
 
More importantly, when had he begun to look at her as a woman and not the child who used to tag along behind him and Derek?
 
His grandmother had not helped by continually bringing her up.
 
He ruthlessly pushed aside all thoughts about Kala other than her injury and the person responsible.