Petals on the River (63 page)

came to investigate that I was able to gain my release.

"Then, several nights later when everyone was sleeping, a noise awakened

me, and when I opened my eyes, I saw the turnkey creeping toward the

corner where I lay.
 
He had a short rope in his hands, and the way he

held it made me think he meant to strangle someone, whether me or a

prisoner nearby I cannot say.
 
The only way he could get to us was by

stepping over the convicts sleeping on the floor of the cell. When he

trod on a woman' s hand, her outraged shrieks brought the gaoler at a

run.
 
The turnkey gave him some lame excuse about seeing a rat.
 
It

seemed a feeble story to me.
 
It certainly made !1!

.

I the gaoler laugh.
 
He jeered something about a fool trying to hang a

rodent and told the turnkey to get out.
 
The next day, I was taken to

the ship, and I never saw the turnkey again."

"Could the turnkey have been acquainted with the thieftaker?"

Shemaine lifted her shoulders in an attempt to shrug but immediately

regretted the motion.
 
She walked stiffly to his stool instead and

braced a hand against it for support.

"Perhaps I'd better carry you upstairs so you can rest now," Gage

suggested.
 
"You also might consider wearing a nightgown for the rest of

the day.
 
Twould be more comfortable for you."

" Tis unsuitable to wear nightclothes so early in the afternoon,"

Shemaine argued.
 
"It's barely half past three o'clock, and your men are

still here."

"They'll be leaving soon," Gage countered, "and if anyone else should

come, I'll just have to explain that you've been wounded and need your

rest."

"Likely story, they'll say," Shemaine scoffed, and tossed her head.

"From what I've heard from Annie, I'm sure some of the townspeople would

be expecting to see me in my nightgown, but not because I've been hurt.

Their imagination is far more indecent.
 
I'm sure Mrs.
 
Pettycomb has

done her best to besmirch our reputations, especially after you took me

to the soiree and had the audacity to dance with me while everybody

watched."

"I've heard some of the talk," Gage conceded.
 
"Mary Margaret thought we

should do something to silence it."

Shemaine's soft brows slanted upward, conveying her skepticism.

"And did Mary Margaret perhaps advise you just how we might go about

accomplishing that deed, sir?"

His eyes flicked briefly upward to meet hers.
 
"She said we should

thwart the gossips by getting married."

Shemaine was aghast that such a well-intentioned woman had so little

diplomacy.
 
"Well, that may be suitable for Mary Margaret to suggest,

seeing as how she's always seeking to make a match between couples, but

did she take into consideration that you might not want to take a

condemned convict to wife?
 
I find it most disconcerting that she could

even recommend such a solution to you.
 
The impropriety of the woman!

Truly, sir, I would be mortified to have you imagine that I may have put

her up to suggesting such a thing.
 
Why, the idea is so farfetched, it's

ludicrous."' Gage lifted his shoulders in a casual shrug.
 
"Actually,

Mary Margaret wasn't the first to conceive of the idea."

Shemaine was dumbstruck, unable to imagine another who would be so bold.

"Well, I don't think Roxanne would have made such a suggestion, not when

she's made it apparent that she wants you for herself."

"Nay, twould hardly be Roxanne," he affirmed with a chuckle.

"Calley, then," she stated with conviction.

"Not Calley either."

Shemaine looked at him in growing confusion.
 
"Might I ask who took such

liberty, sir?"

The door of the bedroom opened, and Andrew came out to the parlor

dragging a rocking horse behind him.
 
Gage went immediately to his son's

assistance before any damage could be done to the furniture.
 
He lifted

the boy into the padded buckskin saddle as Shemaine stepped to the door

of the kitchen to watch.

Rocking back and forth, Andrew was soon lost in childish delight as he

mimicked the cries of a teamster he had once heard.
 
"Geeyup yair!
 
Yah!

Yah!
 
Fastah, ya' mules!"

Shemaine and Gage dissolved into laughter as they watched the boy, whose

curls were still wildly tousled from his lengthy nap.
 
For the moment,

Andrew seemed oblivious to either of them.

"Another example of your many talents, Mr.
 
Thornton?" Shemaine queried,

indicating the wooden horse.

Gage dipped his head in a brief affirmation as he came back to her, but

he was frustrated by the noise his son was making.
 
Lifting a hand, he

motioned for Shemaine to follow him into the back room again. As she did

so, he put aside the crock of ointment and lifted her gently onto the

stool.
 
For a brief moment, he searched her face, recognizing her

bewilderment, and sought to put her at ease.

"I told you when you first came here, Shemaine, that I'd be making a

trip upriver to Williamsburg.
 
Thus far, I've been detained from doing

so, but yesterday I received word that my customer's house is complete

and he'd like his furniture now.
 
If you're feeling strong enough two

weeks from tomorrow, I'd very much like to take you and Andrew with me

when my men and I make the delivery."

"I'm sure by then I'll be able to go with you and look after Andrew, Mr.

Thornton."

"While we're there, I'd like to take care of another matter of great

importance to me ...
 
if you're willing...."

"If I'm willing?" Her eyebrows gathered.
 
"What is there that I must

consent to, Mr.
 
Thornton?"

"I need to discuss this matter with you tonight, and I pray you will

give me an answer posthaste, for I'll not rest until I know one way or

the other."

!

I Outwardly Shemaine seemed composed, but inwardly she quaked. She had

noticed that Gage had started pacing restlessly about the narrow

corridor, and she could only imagine that whatever he wanted to discuss,

it was of a serious nature.
 
Perhaps he was having second thoughts about

keeping her.
 
Potts's attempt to kill her might have convinced him of

the danger her presence posed to his small family. Carefully she asked,

"What matter do you wish to speak with me about, Mr.
 
Thornton?"

Gage stepped back in front of her, earnestly desiring to make certain

truths known to her.
 
"I wasn't necessarily teasing when I told you once

that I'd consider taking you to wife.
 
Even before I ventured to the

London Pride, I had given careful consideration to the idea of marrying

again.
 
I needed a nursemaid for Andrew, but I wanted a wife for myself

almost as much.
 
As I've told you before, there's a serious dearth of

young, marriageable women in the area.
 
The ones who are here are eager

to wed, as Roxanne has clearly demonstrated, but none has appealed to

me.
 
When I went to the ship, I never thought I'd be fortunate enough to

find a woman who'd even suffice as a nursemaid .
 
. .
 
much less a wife.

But I was wrong, Shemaine.
 
You are much more than I had hoped to find."

Shemaine stared at him, completely astounded by his revelation. "You

want to marry me?" Her mind raced, trying to understand his reasoning.

Surely he had taken the consequences of marrying one with a tarnished

reputation into consideration.
 
She could believe that he might have

wanted to bed her because she was handy, but marriage had seemed out of

the question despite his wont to tease her.
 
"Why in the world would you

want to do that, Mr.
 
Thornton, when the very sight of me leaves honest

people wondering what grievous crime I committed in England?
 
Surely

they've wondered about my incarceration and have made much of my

indentureship to you.
 
You saw how Samuel Myers behaved when he saw me

at the dance.
 
I was brought to this country in chains, sir, and if you

take me to wife, you'll be a marked man.
 
The husband of a convict,

they'll hiss behind your back.
 
No doubt Mrs.
 
Pettycomb has done her

best to tell everyone in the hamlet that I'm not worthy of being

received by any respectable family, and I seriously suspect it would do

me little good to explain to her or the other gossipmongers that I did

nothing deserving of my arrest.
 
How could you even consider inviting

that kind of criticism upon yourself?"

Gage was just as incredulous.
 
"Do you honestly think I care one whit

about what that woman may say or think?
 
Alma Pettycomb is so pure in

her own eyes, she's unable to see how utterly mean and malicious she

really is.
 
She feeds on the flesh of innocents, and I'm sure that one

day she'll reap dire consequences for wagging that long, serpent tongue

of hers.
 
Believe me, Shemaine, she isn't worth your slightest concern.

Nor should she hinder or influence any decision you might make.
 
It

should be done of your own free will without intimidation.
 
The matter

of our marriage is entirely between you and me, no one else."

Taking her small hand between his, Gage searched her green eyes for some

hint of a denial, but he found none.
 
"Shemaine O'Hearn, I would be

greatly honored if you would accept my proposal of marriage and become

my wife."

"You'd have no qualms about taking a convict to wife?" she inquired in

amazement.
 
It was almost as if she were waking from a long sleep, for

the full realization of what he wanted was just now beginning to hasten