“There is much to tell, but naught that matters more than finding Kitty.” He headed to the door when a tug on his conscious urged him to stop. He turned, and suddenly darted upstairs, unsure why, but praying that he might find the clue he needed to lead him to her. Thomas and Eliza followed close behind.
In Kitty’s bedchamber, he halted at the foot of the bed, scanning the room from left to right, hoping for at least a hint of where she might have gone. “If she left on horseback she could be miles from here by now.” He paused and turned to Eliza who stood in the doorway. “How long do you believe she’s been gone?”
“She was so distressed after you left, she cried for I don’t know how long.” She glanced at Thomas behind her. “Some time later I brought her some warmed cider, and that’s when I discovered her missing.”
Nathaniel slammed his eyes shut. The image of Kitty weeping on account of his cruel actions slashed like a razor and he clenched his fists, praying she could find a way to forgive him, that it wasn’t too late to repair the damage he’d done.
Thomas stepped in, his face drawn. “Do you think Cyprian had something to do with this?”
Nathaniel flicked his fingers against his leg, battling the inclination that wormed within. “Nay. I believe... I believe she acted alone.”
“Alone?” Thomas turned toward the door. “I’m not so certain. I’ll check in the barn again. Perhaps I can determine which way she left.”
“I’ll go with you.” Eliza followed Thomas out and soon Nathaniel stood in painful silence in the empty room.
‘Twas almost as if he could feel her presence; see her smile, hear her joyful laugh, smell the sweetness of her skin. Everything rested just how she’d left it. Peaceful, calm. A paradox to the turmoil that assailed him, like the storm that raged outside. Kitty, my love, where have you gone?
Nathaniel glanced about once more and stepped toward the hall then stopped hard, as if a hand had yanked on the back of his coat. He scowled and spun, scouring the room he had already memorized when his gaze brushed against the open Bible on the table. His breathing slowed. As if an unseen person directed his movements he drew forward. His heart thumped hard against his ribs. There, resting on the open pages was the flower he’d given her. Carefully picking up the open book, he shifted the flower upward on the page. Dear Lord! His throat seized as his mind interpreted the meaning behind the clear message Kitty had left behind.
His heart stopped as he read the verse beside the wilted petals. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
In a flash the rabid events of the day poured into his memory with frightening clarity. His mouth pressed tight and he breathed hard through his nose. He looked up and stared through the darkened window as Kitty’s pain-filled voice pricked his ears. This note was bound for Plymouth. James gave this note to Henry, but he dropped it...
The Bible nearly fell from his hands and he stepped back, his mind swirling as more pieces of the mystery slammed against him. He rubbed his grinding jaw. The courier, who even now lay unconscious in Nathaniel’s home seemed to yell from the pulpit of his memory. My note—my satchel, the British... they took my satchel.
He set the book on the bed and stumbled backward, his hands trembling as the horrid realization rose like a red moon in the sky. The old man’s explanation boomed loudest. He started babbling about a message he had to get to Plymouth...
He lost his breath.
Kitty had named herself courier.
Nathaniel sprinted down the stairs and charged out the back door into the pelting rain, yelling against the storm. “Thomas! Eliza!”
They rushed from the barn and Nathaniel ushered Eliza inside, but kept an arm o
n Thomas.
Thomas frowned, as thunder roared through the skies. “What is it?”
The rain splashed Nathaniel’s face and his breath heaved. “She’s gone to Plymouth.”
Chapter Thirty-four
Kitty’s hands trembled as she gripped her dripping skirts. Rain smacked against the sides of the large officer’s tent as she inhaled the tobacco filled air, trying to find strength to stand erect. She shivered and clenched her teeth to keep them from chattering.
Seated behind the desk, the officer stared back, expression lifeless but for the way the muscles around one eye twitched. The light from the solitary candle skirted around his face leaving haunting shadows beneath his dark eyes.
“You were traveling by night to visit family you say? Alone?” His tone was calm, like that of a father speaking to his daughter, but the tick of his eye spoke as much as his mouth did. “Come now, young lady, do you think me a fool?”
She swallowed and lifted her chin preparing to answer when from behind, another man entered. “Major Stockton. You sent for me?”
With a grunt the major pushed to standing and came around the table. “Yes, Donaldson, come in.”
Kitty spun, her heart thrashing. Henry! She clamped her mouth shut, unsure whether to reveal that she knew him. Thank you, Lord! Surely God had sent him to set her free.
Stockton pointed to Kitty as he spoke to Henry. “This is the prisoner I told you about.”
“Aye, sir, I—” Henry’s face slackened the instant his gaze landed on her. He looked between Kitty and Stockton, blinking as if his mind raced to determine why and how she could be standing beside him.