Jed just nodded and Matthew sighed. They were headed for a battle. He was sure of it. There were not enough men in that camp to launch a full attack but they could start a skirmish that could cost the army and the town dearly. He would find the time to warn Abigail.
James appeared at their side. He looked sweaty and irritated. Matthew then looked at the man’s coat and frowned.
“Did Abbie fix that tear in your coat?”
“Yup.” James straightened his coat and Matthew shook his head when he saw a dragon over the spot where the mending had been done. “I rather like it.”
“I suppose it is better than a snake,” Matthew said, and James laughed.
They started riding toward the town while discussing what they had seen. James had discovered the camp he had been sent to watch was a lot smaller than it had been. Matthew suspected the men had come to the camp he had been watching.
“The fools even dragged their cannon off,” James said.
“I think I can say with some confidence that your camp has now merged with the one I was watching. The question is, what does it mean for us?”
“Trouble. Unless they are marching out to join up with the main army for some major assault,” mused James. “Hell, they could just be huddling together for warmth.” He grinned when Matthew laughed.
“We will have to keep a close watch as they are obviously planning something.”
His companions grunted in agreement as they rode toward the place where they bunked. Matthew went to the major to report all he had seen and left the man puzzling it out. He stood outside the major’s office and contemplated what he would do next. There was still a lot of the afternoon left so he decided he could do something with Abigail. Maybe a walk, he thought as he made his way to the bathhouse. It was cold but there was little wind so a brief stroll would not do her any harm.
* * *
Abigail helped Julia up the stairs and was not terribly surprised when the girl escaped her hold and raced into their room to throw up into a bucket. She did wonder when the bucket had arrived. Julia was hiding things, but Abigail had to let her know that she was not hiding it well. All the other women knew the girl was with child although only two had made any comment on it, and neither of those women had been harsh. The only one who appeared to be oblivious was Mrs. Beaton.
Wrinkling her nose at the scent of sickness, Abigail got a damp cloth and went to bathe the girl’s face after she lay down on the bed. As she gently bathed the sweat from Julia’s face, she noticed that when lying down it was very obvious that Julia was carrying a child. Putting away the cloth, she pulled the blanket up over the girl.
“Thank you,” said Julia quietly. “The sickness will soon pass.”
“I know. Julia, you are not hiding much from the other ladies here, you know.”
“What do you mean?” Julia asked, but revealed she knew well what Abigail meant by blushing deeply.
“Oh, I think you know, but I will make myself clear. About the only one in the house who does not realize you are carrying a child is Mrs. Beaton.”
Julia began to cry and Abigail sighed. She did not like to see her friend upset but knew there was nothing she could do to change the situation the girl was in. It was past time Julia faced some harsh truths and dealt with them as an adult. Women who got pregnant and were not married were treated like pariahs and the country tearing itself apart with this war was not a good enough reason for the judgment to treat Julia differently.
“How did they figure it out?”
“Well, you are beginning to show.”
“This little bump?”
“There is that and then there is your sickness and all those long walks you take with Robert even when winter has set in. It adds up and equals what ails you now. Of course, you could just marry Robert and no one would care. How far along are you?”
Julia sniffed and pulling a handkerchief from her pocket, gently dabbed the tears from her face. “I do not know.”
“When did you start getting sick?”
“Months ago. I feel like I have been sick forever but it has really only been a few months. I think I might be about three months along?”
“I suspect you are more like six months along.” Abigail frowned. “I would have thought you would be, well, bigger and that the sickness would have faded away.”
“From what I recall, most of the women in my family carry small. A lot goes to the hips and all. My mother used to like to say the babes nested sideways in a Hawkins woman.”
Abigail tried not to, but she laughed a little. “One way to look at it. May I feel your stomach?”
“Why?”
