He hesitated to ask about the neighbors but ventured, anyway. “And the people... next door.” He cleared his throat, unsure about how to ask this without insulting his hostess. “I have barely heard of leprosy. How are you able to help them without catching it?”
“I have always fashioned a cloth cover over my nose and mouth, if need be,” she responded. “It has long been my belief the air transports small particles of sickness—bad humors—to our bodies. I have no way to know for sure, of course. However, by wearing my covering, I have never caught the disease.”
“Ahh,” he answered, thinking back to school. There were many examples in history where masks were believed helpful. “That makes sense. I was thinking of what I had learned of the plague. Masks were used if I recall my history. Several whacks on my knuckles in school secured my attention to the lesson,” he laughed.
The four of them laughed. The sound relaxed him.
“You were in trouble a lot?” Aunt Theo asked, curious.
“I was always involved in... activities,” he responded smoothly. “And I have always had a special ability to conjure up a good time. My friends call me the Viscount of Excess; I take trouble to new heights.” His tone was somber as he thought about his friends. They were as close as brothers. He missed them.
“You are a lord?” Grandmère asked.
“It is a title. But yes. My father is an earl,” he said matter-of-factly, wishing he had not mentioned his title.
“Grandmère, if there is more, I should enjoy another small bowl. Some meals are worth repeating,” Bethany laughed.
“My! I am truly flattered. You eat like a bird. It’s rare that you ever get additional helpings of anything,” Grandmère replied with a chuckle. The older woman ladled another healthy serving of the soup.
“I confess, I missed your cooking,” Bethany said. “This is very good!”
“It is, indeed. Meals with the military are bad. The food has been a positive for me,” Matthew quipped jovially. “That, of course, includes Miss Phillips’ meals.”
“I am honored, then. It’s always good for the cook’s food to be so appreciated,” her grandmother replied.
Matthew got up from the table and made his way to his room. He felt more than tired and welcomed the rest.
*
Bethany watched Matthewleave the table. He looked a little like he did when he was recovering from the fevers—washed out. Probably a good night’s rest would restore him to his usual self. She had been famished and thoroughly enjoyed the crab soup. It had been a while since Grandmère had made it. Before she left the table, she wanted to make her aunt and Grandmère aware of the boat and man she had seen earlier. It had plagued her mind the rest of the evening. The whole thing just seemed so unsettling.
“Grandmère, when I was walking the grounds with Matthew this afternoon, I saw a man in a pirogue, parked across the water, hidden beneath the branches of a cypress tree. Is that usual? I do not want to be difficult. It’s just that I have had an unpleasant visitor or so in the past month and I have become guarded.”
“I cannot believe that Mr. Smoot was one of those. That disheartens me, greatly,” Grandmère said. “As to this man you describe, I have never noticed him. I wonder what business he could have here. It is alarming. We are off the beaten path. The old Bellovere Plantation houses the colony, and there is very little traffic here. When there is, it is usually strangers.”
“That is as I thought,” Bethany replied, feeling uneasy. “There was a man that visited me ahead of Mr. Smoot. Of course, he did not steal my boat. But he visited the day after the battle, looking for a soldier. He said they had seen me on the battlefield. I have played it over in my head many times, fearful that I made some sort of mistake.”
“This man,” her aunt interjected. “Who did he say he was searching for? Did he give a name?”
“He did. A Lord Longueville. I did not know a lord,” Bethany answered.
“Matthew is a lord. How well do you know the colonel?” asked her aunt.
“We have gotten to know each other very well,” replied Bethany, feeling the heat rising in her neck.Where was this leading?“I assure you, nothing improper has occurred between us if you are thinking along those lines.”
“Non,cher. Not at all,” Grandmère said. “Aunt Theodosia is only asking questions to parse this into making some sense.” The older woman patted Bethany’s hand. “Was the man looking for an American soldier or an English one?”
“He never told me. However, my thought at the time was he was searching for a British soldier. And certainly, I asked the name. Yet, the name he gave was not who I knew the man in the bed to be.” Bethany noticed her grandmère’s back stiffen a little.
“This man... could he have been the one in the canoe that you saw?”
Bethany felt a chill hit her stomach. It was a feeling that she usually equated with feeling ill. Was she... going to be ill? “I do not know, Grandmère.”
“I can see you growing pale, dear. I am not asking these questions to make you feel bad. Our point in asking them is because Matthew could be who the man may be looking for. It makes sense if you realize that often lords have several titles—a surname, as well as a title. Did you mention who the man was looking for to Matthew?”
Bethany felt that chill spread throughout her body. She had not shared the name with Matthew. She had only heard him say a name she was unfamiliar with, and she responded curtly and sent the man packing. It had been most inhospitable of her, although she was not in the habit of entertaining men, much less housing one in her home, alone. “No, I did not,” she said in a meek tone. “Oh Grandmère, what have I done?” She placed her head in her hands.
She felt her aunt’s warm hand on her shoulder. “Shush, child,mon petit. You could not have known. We have never discussed such a thing. The important thing is to watch to see if the man comes back. If he does, we must ask him more questions.”
