Summer of the Midnight Sun (15 page)

Leah felt her food become an uncomfortable lump in her stomach. “You are a very kind woman, Mrs. Beecham.” She followed her brother’s example and pushed back her plate. She could see that Jacob was anxious to leave, and frankly, she was feeling more and more driven to check on Jayce—maybe even talk to him and beg his forgiveness for the way she’d acted.

Leah extended her hand. “It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Beecham, but I’m afraid we need to be going. It’s been a long day and we’re both quite tired.” Leah and Jacob stood. Jacob fished out a five-dollar bill and tossed it on the table.

Helaina surprised Leah by getting to her feet. “Are you staying at the hotel?” She opened her small purse and left money by her coffee cup to pay for her meal.

“Yes,” Leah answered. “I think so.” She looked to her brother.

“Yes, we’re staying there. But just tonight. Why?”

Helaina seemed surprised. “Are you heading back so soon? What of Jayce?”

“We aren’t heading back just yet,” Jacob said, heading for the door. “Hotels are for the rich. We’ll camp down by the boats with our friends after tonight. We’re just sticking close for now, in case . . . well, you know.”

Leah cringed at the thought that Jayce might die without her making peace. She longed to tell him that she was sorry for the anger—sorry for the bitter way in which she’d acted. What if Jayce died and the last thing he could remember about her was how poorly she had treated him?

Ayoona thought Leah should just tell Jayce how she felt, but now she wondered if she’d ever get the chance.
I’ve been a fool, acting like a spoiled child. Why didn’t I just let the past go and smooth things over with Jayce? I’m a grown woman, I should have known better
.

“I find that I’m quite exhausted. If you don’t mind, I’d like to walk back to the hotel with you. I realize it’s just a short distance,” Helaina said, smiling, “but one can never be too careful.” She headed for the door without waiting for them.

Leah leaned toward her brother and whispered. “Jacob, why don’t you go ahead and walk Mrs. Beecham to the hotel. I’m going to go check on Jayce.”

“But it’s late,” Jacob said, looking at the clock near the door. “It’s nearly nine.”

“The doctor said they’d be sitting with him throughout the night. I’ll just slip in and check on him. You can come for me after you walk Mrs. Beecham to the hotel. I’ll sleep better once I know things are going well.”

Jacob nodded, his expression softening. “You did a good job, Leah. You can’t berate yourself for lack of skills you’ve never been trained in. If Jayce doesn’t make it, it won’t be your fault.”

Leah nodded very slowly. “I know . . . at least I keep telling myself that very thing.”

Jacob and Leah walked out of the restaurant and joined Helaina. “I won’t be long,” Leah said, and then turned to Helaina. “Jacob will see you to the hotel. I’m going to check on Jayce.”

“Well . . . I could come too,” Helaina said, seeming suddenly quite excited.

“No, that’s all right. You said you were exhausted, and I wouldn’t want to cause Jayce too much excitement—in case he’s awake.”

Helaina opened her mouth to protest, but Jacob took hold of her elbow. “Come along, Mrs. Beecham. I want to get to bed sometime tonight.”

Leah thought Helaina seemed quite upset by this turn of events.
No doubt she has some secret interest in him,
Leah thought.
She probably knows him much better than she’s conveying
. A million unkind thoughts coursed through Leah’s mind.

“She’s young and beautiful,” Leah muttered. “She’s refined and obviously wealthy, given the tip she left Sally just now.”

Leah looked to the sky.
Lord, why does this have to be so hard?
With the sun still lighting her way, Leah couldn’t even shed a few secret tears.
Help me, Father. Help me to give this all to you
.

Mary greeted Leah at the door. “Come in. He does well.”

“Is the fever down?” Leah asked.

“Not so much, but he rest good.”

“Can I see him for just a moment?”

“Sure. He won’t hear you, though. Dr. Cox give him more medicine. He say the sleep good for him.”

Leah nodded. “I know it will be for the best. And I don’t need for him to hear me.”

Mary led her into the small room where Jayce slept. “You stay as long as you like. I be right here.” She pointed back the way they’d come in.

Leah knelt down beside the low bed. She put her hand to Jayce’s brow and smiled. The fever was less—she was sure of it. Reaching for his hand, she held it to her cheek.

“Jayce, you must get well. You must.”

His rough fingers against her face gave Leah a sense of well-being. “I’m sorry for the way I’ve behaved. Just when I think I can let go of the past and control my heart, something happens and I act in a way I regret. I don’t mean to hurt you with my bitter heart, but I’ve suffered so long in silence.”

She looked at his pale face. Dark circles seemed to engulf his eyes.
Such lovely eyes too,
she thought. “I once loved you with all of my heart, Jayce. And I love you still . . . but I know it’s not to be. I’m thirty years old, and I’ll never love anyone as I’ve loved you.” She pressed a kiss against his fingers, then gently placed his hand back at his side.

“I know it’s too late for us. Your heart is somewhere else—with someone else. But I just needed to tell you that I am sorry.” Sadness washed over her, for the moment seemed so final. She was saying good-bye to a dream. A dream she’d held on to for over a decade.

Jacob was waiting outside for her when Leah exited the doctor’s place. He immediately saw tears on her face and asked, “He isn’t . . . he didn’t . . .”

“No, he’s not dead. Actually, he’s better. I was just . . . well . . . letting go of him.”

Jacob looked at her oddly. “Women are strange creatures.”

“You call me strange?” she questioned. “You were nothing but odd this evening. You were downright rude to Mrs. Beecham when she asked for help. What was that all about?”

“I had an encounter with her earlier—at the hotel. She was obnoxious and uppity. Yet at the table tonight she seemed all roses and sunshine. I think she’s up to something. There’s something about her that just doesn’t set well with me.”

“What if you’re wrong? She seemed nice enough, and she’s only trying to get to the job she pledged to do.” Leah tried hard not to accuse Helaina of anything out of line.

“If she cares so much about that job,” Jacob said, shaking his head, “then why was she so eager to volunteer her time to take Jayce to Seattle?”

Chapter Twelve

H
elaina hardly slept a wink that night. After tossing and turning for hours, she gave up on any real sleep and got up to rethink her strategy. Although she’d nearly blown her cover by succumbing to anger, Helaina felt confident her mission was safe. The Barringer man didn’t like her or trust her, and she feared he wouldn’t be persuaded by good works or good looks. She had known men like that, and they were always a difficult thing to factor into any investigation. She would have to be cautious with him.

Leah, on the other hand, obviously cared too much about Jayce Kincaid. In fact, Helaina was certain that Leah was in love with him. The woman went from weepy one moment to dreamy-eyed the next. Helaina had seen that kind of nonsense as well—especially with weak-minded women. Leah probably had no idea who she was dealing with, Helaina surmised. Men like Kincaid were powerful manipulators with the right women. Helaina could probably use Leah’s attraction to her advantage, however. Women in love enjoyed talking about the object of their affections. Perhaps Leah could lend information that might tie Kincaid to other crimes.

But whether Leah cooperated or not, it didn’t matter. Jayce would soon be back in custody and headed to the gallows.
Let her love him, but let her stay out of my way
.

Helaina paced the room and tried to imagine a scenario where she could get Jayce back to Seattle with the least amount of resistance. She wondered if her best choice wasn’t to bribe the good doctor. At least that way she could arrange to have the Pinkerton men ready to arrest him, and then her job would be done.

“Dr. Cox would do anything I ask. I’m sure of it.”

She went to her wrinkled traveling clothes to assess their condition. They were hopeless, but so was the dress she’d worn the night before. She would have to ask Dr. Cox if there was a laundress in town. She considered the storekeeper’s admonition to get a native woman to make new clothes.
If I’d had to go all the way to the Arctic to find Kincaid, I would have done just that. But now that the Barringers have brought him to Nome, I won’t need anything more than a ticket back to Seattle
. She smiled at the thought.

The thought of Jacob Barringer, however, made her uneasy. The man acted as though he knew who she was and what she was about. She also worried that he would go rushing to Jayce Kincaid and warn him of the strange woman from Washington, D.C.

Taking off her robe, Helaina quickly slipped into her blouse and skirt.
Perhaps Jacob Barringer is also a criminal
. The thought came amidst a dozen other suggestions.
If he’s a criminal and suspects that I might be trouble to him, there’s no telling what might happen
. But there was no easy way to find out if Jacob was a criminal. To use any kind of communications with Washington would surely give away her position.

So she turned her thoughts away from the Barringers and considered how she might see to Jayce’s transfer to Seattle.

“I can tell Dr. Cox that I’ve received word from the exploration association,” she murmured. “I can tell him that they want to personally oversee and pay for Jayce Kincaid’s recovery and that I’m to accompany him to Seattle. That’s still my best choice. It’s the most beneficial for all concerned.”

She continued doing up her buttons, wondering just how she might best approach Dr. Cox. It was always possible that he would say no to moving his patient—especially if that man’s injuries were too grave for travel. Perhaps she could suggest he accompany them to Seattle. She could tell him that it was her hope they might get to know each other better, in more favorable surroundings. Maybe she could ask him to give her a couple of weeks in order to get to know him, as she reconsidered his proposal.

Thinking of the funny little doctor, Helaina sighed. He had shown her nothing but kindness. It would be cruel to give pretense to feelings that didn’t exist. Helaina sat down and shook her head. She’d never worried about such things prior to this moment.

“What’s happening to me? I don’t even feel like myself anymore. I used to be competent and capable, but since leaving Washington, D.C., nothing has gone right. I can’t even think clearly. But why?”

Her state of mind reminded Helaina of the days just after she’d lost her parents and Robert. Nothing had made sense. She had been incapable of making decisions and choices, and all because of the shock she’d experienced. She knew at times like this her housekeeper would tell her to turn to God, but Helaina had no time or interest in that. What would God do about it? If He cared so much about goodness and mercy, then why wasn’t Jayce Kincaid swinging from a gallows?

————

Jayce opened his eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling overhead.
Where am I?
He fought against the thick cloud of confusion in his head.
Why do I feel so lousy?

He tried to turn and only then did the red-hot pain in his leg remind him of what had happened. There had been a problem with the dogs. He could barely remember it, as if it had happened in his childhood instead of only . . . when? How long had he been ill?

“I see you’re awake,” a man said, coming to stand beside Jayce’s bed.

“Where am I?”

“Nome. Your friends brought you here, and just in time, I’d say. I believe you’ll recover well, but your wounds were quite deep.”

Jayce tried to sit up, and the doctor quickly reached out to stop him. “I’d rather you lie flat. It will help the circulation of blood. That leg needs ample blood to stay healthy. I’d hate for you to lose it.”

“Lose my leg?” Jayce asked, his eyes widening. “What’s going on?”

“Apparently you were in the middle of a group of ill-tempered dogs. They mangled your right thigh. Had it not been for your friends, especially the woman, you probably would have died.”

“Leah,” Jayce breathed her name. He’d been dreaming about her. She had come to him in the night . . .

“Yes, that’s right. Leah Barringer. She was here to check on you last night and again this morning. She’s been quite worried.”

So she has been here
. Jayce remembered her touch—at least he thought he did. Had he honestly known her presence, or had it all been a dream?

“So how am I doing, Doc?” he finally asked, pushing aside the memories of Leah.

“It’s really too early to tell. The infection needs to clear and healing begin before I can be sure of where we go from here. These things take time.”

“How much time? I was supposed to go north with a team of scientists. We were going to map islands in the Arctic.”

“Yes, I heard all about your quest. I even met another member of your team. A Mrs. Beecham. She’s trying desperately to make her way north—missed her boat, you know.”

“Mrs. Beecham.” Jayce tried the name. He’d been told there was to be a woman to assist the cartographer. This must be her.

“Are you in much pain?” the doctor asked as he pushed back the covers.

“If I move the leg, it feels like it’s on fire,” Jayce admitted.

“That’s to be expected. I can give you something for the pain, but it will make you sleep.”

Jayce shook his head. “I’d rather clear my mind and stay awake. If it gets too bad, I’ll let you know. By the way, where are my friends?”

“They should be here soon. They were already here, but I sent them on to breakfast. I’ll bring them back to see you as soon as they arrive. Meanwhile, are you hungry?”

“I could stand something in my stomach,” Jayce admitted. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten.

“Good. I’ll have Mary make you something.” He walked quickly from the room, not even bothering to examine Jayce more thoroughly. He paused at the door, however. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think you must put aside any thought of going north. You will need the next few months to recover, and travel to such a remote and harsh climate would only irritate your condition. Should you get north and have the leg fail you or the blood poisoning return, you’d be sentencing yourself to death.”