“You’re welcome. That’s my sister-in-law, Sable, in the wagon.” The woman was now heading towards them, rifle in hand. “I’m Captain Drake LeVeq. And you are?”
“Valinda Lacy.”
“Miss? Missus?”
“Miss.”
“Pleased to meet you, Miss Lacy. Can you tell me what happened?”
Gathering herself, she explained about the school, what she found inside, and the burned books. “Two days ago, it was my classroom. Now it’s a den for fornicators.”
His gaze softened with amusement.
“Something funny, Captain?”
“My apologies. That’s just not a word one expects to hear from a schoolteacher.”
“Sometimes the unexpected is necessary.”
“Like stabbing Appleton in the throat?”
She nodded. “Will you report them to their commanding officer?”
“I will.”
The woman reached them and said to Valinda, “I’m Sable LeVeq. Are you okay?”
Valinda looked into her brilliant green eyes. “I will be, thanks to you and the captain.”
“I’m glad we came along when we did.”
“So am I.”
That she might have been assaulted in the worst way reared its head again. She relived the terror of running, being tackled, and how powerless she felt trying to fight them off. The memory made her stomach roil. “Excuse me, I think...” She took a few steps away and her stomach emptied itself.
Moments later, LeVeq handed her a canteen so she could rinse her mouth. That done, she handed it back, took a seat in the grass, and waited for her world to right itself. The captain and his sister-in-law sat with her. Worry and concern were on their faces, but they remained silent, letting her collect herself as best she could.
“Where do you live, Miss Lacy?” he asked quietly.
“I’m renting a room in the Treme with Madeline and Georgine Dumas.”
“How are you going to get back? Do you have a mount, a wagon?”
“No. I came as far as the streetcar would take me and walked the rest of the way.”
“You’re not walking back alone,” Sable replied firmly. “Drake and I will spend all evening worrying whether you made it back there safely. We’re on our way to the Quarter. We can drop you off on the way.”
“Thank you.”
Sable added, “Drake may have put the fear of God in those men for now, but who’s to say they aren’t stupid enough to target you again if they find you alone?”
Valinda shivered at the thought of another encounter.
He stood and put his hand out to help her rise.
Valinda looked up into the concern he exuded and accepted. His scarred hand over hers was calloused, large, and warm.
He said, “I’d like to take a look in the barn before we go, if you don’t mind.”