Home of the Brave Page 5
“I just saw your brother and his wife slip into the barn.”
“Good. Maybe I’ll be able to get some sleep tonight.”
Jane gave him a wide-eye stare. “You can hear them?”
“Jack’s room is right next to mine and the bed squeaks.”
Jane covered her mouth and giggled into her hand. “Caroline would be mortified if she knew you were listening.”
He chuckled. “She moans and makes little squeaking noises. It’s very disconcerting.”
Jane blushed. “Oh dear. Don’t tell me any more. I’m getting titillated.”
He nodded. “I agree. We should change the subject.”
“I like your family,” Jane said after a long silence.
“They like you too,” Thomas replied.
“I have to confess that I was terrified. I couldn’t even sleep last night. If Mr. Van Winkler hadn’t forced me to, I wouldn’t have come today.”
“Well you shouldn’t have much more to endure. The fireworks will start shortly and then everyone will go to bed. I’ll take you home early in the morning.”
“You didn’t hear what I said.” She thought a moment. “Or perhaps I didn’t hear what you said.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I said that I liked your family and you responded by telling me that I would have almost no more contact with them. Should I take that to mean that you’re anxious for me to go?”
“No. I just meant that the pressure is off you now.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure that everyone here liked you. My sister may be a different matter.”
“When will she be coming here?”
“Halloween or Harvest Home, I would guess. Perhaps both.”
“Then I’ll avoid her until you’re more certain of your feelings.”
“I’m certain, Jane.”
“Please don’t lie to me, Thomas. I can see the doubt in your face.” She put her fingers to his lips to prevent him from answering. “This is not the kind of decision that should be rushed.”
August 13, 1828
Peconic Bay, Long Island, New York
“I sometimes envy the Indians,” Jane said. She was stretched out on the centerboard with her eyes closed and her face turned up toward the sun.
Thomas was holding the tiller in one hand and the lanyard in the other. “Envy them what?”
“Their freedom.”
“Freedom to do what?”
“To feel the sun on their naked bodies.”
He chuckled. “You’re half Indian. I suppose you could get half naked.”
“Would you like to see me naked?”
“Of course I would.”
She pointed behind them. “That little island’s uninhabited.”
He looked back. “Are you serious?”
“I think so.” She nodded. “Yes, I’m serious. I’d like you to see me naked. It gives me chills just thinking about it.”
“It might make me lose control.”
“I might not care if you lose control.”
He looked back again but didn’t reply nor did he alter his course.
“At least you’d know for sure that I’m a virgin,” she said petulantly.
“And then you wouldn’t be.”
“But I’d have something when you go to Texas.”
“A baby with no father? Like your mother?”
“I was actually thinking of the memory,” she grumbled. “You can be a real bastard some times.”
“I can be bastard most of the time if I really try.” He looked into her eyes for several seconds. “What makes you so sure that I’m going to leave you?”
She shrugged. “If you felt the same way about me that I feel about you, we’d be married.”
He didn’t answer.
“Or at least we’d be making love together,” she grumbled.
He chuckled. “You’ve become preoccupied with that subject lately.”
She closed her eyes. “It isn’t just lately but it’s worse lately. I can’t think of anything else.”
He looked surprised. “I thought only men felt that way.”
“That’s because women lie.”
He laughed.
“It’s true. Remember what you said about hearing Caroline making sounds of passion from the next room?”
He nodded. “Caroline is…” He shook his head. “I don’t know.”
She looked at him. “I’m almost thirty years old, Tom, and in spite of my ribald reputation, I’m still a virgin. I don’t want to dry up and die a virgin. If you don’t want me for a wife, take me as a mistress.”
He thought for a few seconds before he answered. “If I was still in the army, or if I was going to stay here in a civilian job, I’d marry you tomorrow, Jane. But Texas.”
“Oh. So you’ve decided that it’s me or Texas?”
“I haven’t decided anything except that I’m not going to be trapped by sex.”
“I’m not trying to trap you, Tom; I’m just trying to get what I can of you while I can.”
“To quote you, this is not the kind of decision that should be rushed. Why are you rushing?”
“It’s not me, Thomas, it’s my biology,” she replied. “My head says wait but my body says now.”
“If I can wait, you can.”
August 30, 1828
West Point, New York
Cadet Major Robert Van Buskirk was making his bunk when his brother William stopped in the doorway. “Well, well. An upperclassman at last.”
“What do you want, William?”
“Who says that I have to want something?”
“You always want something,” Robert replied. “If it’s money, you can forget it. I gave my inheritance to Thomas.”
“No. I don’t need money.”
Robert pulled the last wrinkle out of the blanket to make it tight as a drumhead then stood up. “What do you want, William?”
“Classes don’t start until tomorrow so I thought you might like to have a beer with me in town.”
“No, thank you.”
William came in and sat down on the bunk, undoing all Robert’s work.
Robert looked disgusted. “I’m not five years old any more, William. And I don’t mind remaking the bunk.”
“When are you going home again?”
“I just got here.”
“I didn’t ask you when you got here,” William said, giving his brother a warning stare. “I asked when you’re going home.”
“Hallowe'en, I suppose,” Robert replied nervously.
“I can’t wait that long. You’ll have to go next weekend or the weekend after. I’ll make sure you have one of them free.”
“I need my weekends to study.”
“One word from me and you’re off the honor roll,” William warned.
“You don’t have that kind of power,” Robert said uncertainly.
“Ah, but you’re wrong there, Brother. I’m not the only cadre member with secrets, and I know them all. That gives me power.”
Robert sighed. “What do you want?”
“Only to know if there are any unusual guests at Van Buskirk Point.”
September 1, 1828
Van Buskirk Point, New Jersey
“Thank you, Abraham,” Marina said. “I’ll take care of her.” She walked into the barn and opened the last stall then knelt in the hay and put her hand on the young woman’s back. “Look at me, Carlotta.”
Carlotta Ramirez Dubois turned her head slowly toward Marina. Both eyes were black and her lip was split. Blood from her nose had stained the front of her torn blouse. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know where else to go.”
“Did William do this to you?” Marina hissed.
The girl shook her head. “My father. I went to Bill but he turned me away.”
“Can you walk?”
“Yes.”
Marina helped her up. “We have a summerhouse that we never use at the back of the property. It’s
reasonably clean, except for a few spiders that may have moved in recently. I’ll take you up there and then I’ll come back down and get you some clothes.”
~
Carlotta was sitting on the edge of the couch with both hands around a teacup. She was wearing a summer dress of Anna’s, and the cuts on her face had been washed. “My husband threw me out and I had nowhere to go,” she said in a monotone. “So I went home. I mean, I went to my father’s home.”
“I gather your husband found out about you and William?”
Carlotta shook her head. “I haven’t been with Bill since that day you sewed me up. It was another man. My husband was supposed to have gone to France to see his ailing sister. But he got off the ship at Boston and came back. He must have been suspicious for some time to have made such elaborate plans.”
Marina sipped her tea.
“I was tied to the bed when he came in,” Carlotta began. “You don’t want to hear this, do you?”
Marina shrugged. “Only if it makes you feel better. But it isn’t possible to shock me.”
Carlotta began to cry again. “What am I going to do?”
Marina put down her cup and crossed the room to sit beside Carlotta on the couch. “You’re going to stay here until you’re feeling better, then we’ll decide what’s next.”
“My father will be looking for me.”
“He won’t find you, unless you want him to. You can cook for yourself here in the kitchen or you can have your meals with us. You can be as private as you like. No one here will mention you to any outsiders. I promise.”
“I don’t have any money for food or clothes.”
“You don’t need any money. I’ll buy you whatever you need.”
“Why are you being so kind?”
Marina shrugged. “I, impetuously, ran away from home once and was in the same sort of situation that you’re in. A friend saved me. I’m paying her back by helping you.”
September 15, 1828
West Point, New York
“Come.” William Van Buskirk put down his pen and sat back as the office door opened. “There you are, at last, Brother.”
Robert came in and closed the door, but remained standing. “I have an examination this morning that I had to study for.”
William put his feet on his desk. “How was the trip?”
“Awful. I spent most of Saturday getting there and most of Sunday getting back.”
“And?”
“And there were no guests.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure. Only Mother and Aunt Nan were there. I had to lie to Mother and tell her that I’d forgotten my pocket watch. I don’t think she believed me.”
William dropped his feet back to the floor and picked up his pen. “You’re dismissed, Cadet.”
September 27, 1828
Van Buskirk Point, New Jersey
Marina held Carlotta’s chin up. “I don’t think it’s going to scar.” She stepped back and once again examined the younger woman’s face. “You’re as pretty as ever.”
“I need to get out of here before your family comes for Hallowe’en,” Carlotta said.
“Yes,” Marina agreed. “William may come and it won’t be as easy to hide you from him as it was to hide you from Robert.” She handed Carlotta a purse. “That’s enough money for you to live well for a year or modestly for five years. Decide wisely.”
“I’ll pay you back.” Carlotta wiped a tear from her cheek.
Marina raised her hand. “If you can, that’s fine. If you can’t, that’s fine too.”
“I have an idea for a business.”
“Where?”
“Washington. But I need a building. Is there enough here to buy one and have it remodeled?”
“What kind of building?”
She shrugged. “Something like a big house, I suppose.”
“We have a hotel in Washington that we wish we didn’t have. You can use it rent free, if it might be helpful. I think the current lease is up in February.”
“A hotel? Really?”
“Don’t get too excited,” Marina chuckled. “It’s only three stories with eight bedrooms and a small dining room. There’s a parlor in the attic that was once two bedrooms that you could convert back easily.”
“That sounds perfect.”
Marina smiled. “I’ll make arrangements for you to stay there until the lease expires. But this will be our secret until then.”
“Are you sure about this?”
“Yes.”
“What will your husband say?”
“He’ll grumble because he and his friends use it as their home-away-from-home when they’re in Washington, but he’ll get over it. Should I ask what kind of business you were thinking of starting?”
“It might be better if you didn’t.”
“That’s what I thought.”
October 31, 1828
Van Buskirk Point, New Jersey
Anna Van Buskirk walked out onto the porch. “Good morning, Father. Happy Halloween.”
Yank was sitting in one of the rocking chairs. “Good morning, Anna. Did you sleep well?”
“You know me, I never sleep well.” She pulled her jacket closed across her chest. “Burr. Aren’t you cold?”
Yank shook his head. “No.”
“What are you doing out here?”
“Just enjoying the autumn leaves.”
She sat down beside him. “Voting begins today in Ohio and Pennsylvania.”
“Does it?”
She sighed. “Let’s get this over with.”
“What’s that?”
“I know that you’re upset with me for working with the National Republican Party.”
“You must mean the Anti-Jacksonian party.”
“If you insist.”
Yank rocked his chair.
“So, are you going to say anything?” she asked after a long silence.
“You’re twenty-one years old which makes you a grown woman, Anna.”
“I’m twenty-two, actually, Father.”
He waved his hand dismissively. “I can’t understand why you’d want to get involved in politics on either side.”
“Since I can’t vote, what other choice do I have to influence the world I live in?”
“Bah.”
“What does bah mean?”
He looked at her. “If the majority of women wanted the right to vote, they’d have it.”
“That’s ridiculous, Father.”
“Is it?” He stopped rocking. “How do you explain the fact that women lost the right to vote in this state?”
“Men decided that.”
“How could men have decided when women outnumber men by a significant margin?”
“Simple. In 1807, when the New Jersey constitution was amended to deny women the right to vote, husbands prevented their wives from voting.”
“Bah.”
She was silent for a time. “Aunt Nan says that if Andrew Jackson’s elected you might accept a position in his cabinet.”
“We’ll see.”
“I can’t believe that you could be a Democrat, Father,” she fumed.
“I’m not a Democrat, Anna. I’m just too old to be a soldier and too young to retire to this rocking chair. Besides, it isn’t worth discussing since we all know that Andy Jackson has no chance of being elected.”
“That’s not what Secretary Clay says.”
Yank chuckled. “That’s only because Henry Clay’s no longer Speaker of the House and can’t be the kingmaker this time. But you can be certain that Clay and President Adams have a plan to keep Jackson out of the White House, even if he gets the most votes again.”
“Why do you always say that?”
“Say what?”
“That Jackson got the most votes in the 1824 election.”
“I say it because Jackson got the most votes in 1824. Forty-one percent of the popular vote and Adams got thirty percent.” He wrinkled his brow. “I f
orget the electoral vote.”
“Ninety-nine to eighty-four, which is completely irrelevant, since neither got the required a hundred and thirty-one votes and the outcome became a decision of the Congress.”
“Irrelevant?” he said too loudly. “Anna, that’s the whole issue. Your hero, Henry Clay, who got only thirteen percent of the votes, traded his influence as Speaker of the House for his position as Secretary of State in the Adams cabinet and got Adams elected President. That’s political corruption at its worst.”
She glared at him for several seconds, then got up and went into the house, slamming the door behind her.
Yank took a cigar from his coat pocket and a small knife from his vest pocket and then began carefully clipping the cigar.
The front door opened and Marina walked out. “Good morning, Darling.”
“I love you for the five thousand and forty-fourth time,” he grumbled.
“What’s Anna so upset about?”
He shrugged.
“Have you been fighting over politics again?”
“No. I talk, she fights.”
Marina sat down beside him. “You really should try to get along with her. She’ll be going back to Washington tomorrow and we won’t see her until Christmas.”
“She’s not coming for Harvest Home?”
“She said that she’d be too busy with the election.”
“Busy doing what? North Carolina votes on November 13th and that’s the last State.”
Marina shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s what she said.”
He lit his cigar. “Why do I think you know more than you’re telling me?”
“You’re suspicious by nature,” Marina replied. “But you changed the subject. Why do you argue with her? What would it hurt to just listen to what she says without making any comment? That’s what I do.”
“I don’t like her being involved in politics. It’s a dirty business controlled by liars and cowards.”
“She’s trying to find herself, John.”
“I hope she looks beyond the gutter of politics.”
Marina pointed out across the Kill toward the brilliant display of red, yellow and gold on the Staten Island shore. “It looks like the trees have recovered from the Gale.”