Page 48 of The Condemned (Echoes from the Past #6)

THIRTY-EIGHT

Virginia Colony

A brutally hot August finally gave way to a slightly cooler September. The days were still unbearably warm, but once the sun went down, a hint of a breeze moved through the trees and the smell of hay was fragrant on the air.

“How are things with John?” Nell asked as the two women sat in the shade of an old maple tree, enjoying a cup of ale.

“Much the same,” Mary replied with a shrug. She hadn’t told Nell the whole truth, but had been honest about her dissatisfaction with the marriage. “He’s a cold fish, if I ever saw one.”

“Some men just don’t know how to talk to women. At least he doesn’t treat you cruelly.”

Mary leaned against the tree trunk and gazed up at the sky through the canopy of leaves.

Cruelty wasn’t always obvious, identified by a bruise or a harsh word.

John’s form of cruelty was much subtler.

He’d robbed her of companionship and hope for the future.

He’d denied her affection and understanding. “No, he doesn’t,” Mary said at last.

“Do you wish you’d remained in England?” Nell asked.

“I don’t know, Nelly. Perhaps I do. This place is so wild, so remote. At times, I feel as if we’re the only people in the world, toiling on this tiny bit of land, trying to avoid extinction. We could vanish off the face of the earth, just like that other colony.”

“What colony?” Nell asked .

Mary instantly regretted her slip of the tongue. She hadn’t meant to mention the colony Walker had told her about. And in any case, she didn’t know what had happened to them, only that the settlers were there one day, gone the next.

“What about you, Nelly? Do you ever regret coming here?” she asked, hoping to distract Nell from her question.

“Never,” Nell cried. “Mary, I have a home of my own, land, a man who treats me kindly, and soon, I will have a baby,” she said, smiling happily. She placed a hand on her belly, caressing it as if the baby could feel her love.

“Oh, Nell, that’s wonderful news,” Mary gushed. “When?”

“Mid-April, I think. What about you, Mary? Any signs?”

Mary shook her head. “John has not been as diligent in his husbandly duties as your Thomas.”

Nell laughed, the peals like silver bells.

“Oh, Mary, you don’t need diligence. Why, Tom comes in from the fields so tired, he can barely keep his eyes open long enough to have supper.

I can count on one hand the number of times he roused himself long enough to finish what he started.

But it took, and I’m so glad. Just think, a baby of my own.

And now we have the handsome Dr. Paulson to look after us.

He’s quite something, don’t you think? They say he has a wife in England. I wonder what brought him out here.”

Mary shrugged. “I suppose he has a pleasant countenance, but there’s something about the man that puts me off.”

“You’re too fanciful, you are,” Nell chided.

“Of course, he doesn’t hold a candle to Simon.

I don’t know how you get anything done with that handsome scoundrel about.

If the devil is temptation, then the rest of us have nothing to fear since he clearly lives at your house.

” Nell giggled happily. “And he’s not indifferent to you, Mary.

I’ve seen the way he looks at you in church. ”

Mary shrugged. Let Nell think Simon was sweet on her. It was certainly better than the truth.

“Don’t despair, Mary,” Nell said, laying her hand over Mary’s.

“This place is odd, make no mistake about that. What with the Indians, the wilderness pressing in on us, and not a child in sight to gladden the heart. But more ships are coming, bringing more women for the colonists. In a few years, this place will be unrecognizable. Jamestown will ring with the sound of children’s laughter, and the wilderness will be pushed back as more homesteads are built and more fields are plowed.

Someday, this part of the world will be as populated as England.

There’ll be towns and villages, and large, loud families to fill them. ”

“I like your vision, Nell. I’m just not sure I’ve the patience to wait for it to happen.

I feel the isolation pressing in on me, chipping away at my resolve not to despair.

I’m glad autumn is finally on the way, but what will winter be like in this desolate place?

I think I shall go mad with loneliness.”

“Winter always gives way to spring, Mary,” Nell said. “And who knows, maybe soon, you’ll have your very own baby to look forward to. Nothing fills a woman’s heart like a child, and nothing keeps her as tethered. You’ll have no time to feel lonely, or sad. You’ll be too busy suckling a newborn.”

“I hope you’re right, Nell.”

“Just you wait and see.”

“I have to go back. There’s too much to be done at the plantation.”

Mary got to her feet and shook out her skirts.

She wished she could stay a while longer, but Nell had supper to see to and Mary had her own chores to finish.

Nell waved her off and Mary set off in the direction of home.

Visiting Nell usually lifted her spirits, but today, she barely held back tears as she walked down the narrow path.

She didn’t begrudge Nell her happiness, but for some reason it made her own existence seem that much more barren.

The golden afternoon only served to emphasize her loneliness as she trudged along.

An unexpected sound startled Mary out of her reverie.

It was the unmistakable pop of a twig breaking beneath a man’s foot.

Mary stopped and looked around, suddenly frightened.

She’d come this way many times and never encountered anyone on the path, but there were natives in the woods, and not all of them were as friendly as Walker.

Mary stood still for a few moments, listening, her mouth dry with fear. Everything seemed quiet and still, so she continued, but her sense of security had been shattered. She kept looking over her shoulder, expecting someone to step out of the woods at any moment.

Mary was relieved when she finally got home, so thirsty her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. She opened the lid of the barrel outside the door and filled a cup with water, draining it in one gulp. She was just refilling the cup when she heard Travesty’s voice through the window.

“You’ve got to be more careful, Simon.”

“I know what I’m doing.”

“Do you?” Travesty challenged him. “If John finds out?—”

“He won’t.”

“The consequences could be dire.”

“There will be no consequences, Travesty. I’ve made sure of that.”

“I hate that you’re doing this,” Travesty said with a deep sigh.

“It’s a small price to pay,” Simon replied. “I love it that you worry about me.” Simon’s voice had grown soft and silky, and Mary heard Travesty’s sharp intake of breath .

“Go on with you,” she said, her voice gruff. “One of them will be back any minute.”

“John won’t be back from Jamestown for at least another hour, and Mistress Mary’s having too good a time with her friend.”

“Still.”

“I was only trying to please you, Travesty.”

“If you want to please me, do the evening milking. I’ve supper to prepare.”

“Won’t you give me something by way of an incentive?” Simon purred.

Mary didn’t hear Travesty’s answer, but whatever it was, it made Simon laugh.

She heard his heavy steps on the wooden floor and then the door was thrown open.

Mary had just enough time to step out of sight, behind the corner of the cabin.

She waited till Simon passed, then left her hiding place and approached the cabin, making sure to pass in front of the window.

“You’re back early,” Travesty observed when Mary came inside.

“Nell had chores to be getting on with.” Mary tied her apron behind her back and turned to Travesty. “What needs doing?”

“Here. Shell these peas for supper.”

“I thought I saw Simon when I came back,” Mary said casually.

“He’s doing the milking. He returned from the fields early.”

“Where’s John?” Mary asked.

“Had an errand in Jamestown. He’ll be back in time for supper.” Travesty turned her back to Mary and stirred the contents of the pot hanging over the flames. They worked in silence until they heard the hoofbeats of John’s horse.