“I don’t like it one bit.” There were no guarantees. He’d said it himself a dozen times. What if somehow he couldn’t get Morning Fawn away from here? He should’ve insisted Jeremy work with him to get her out before Christmas Eve, but a disruption like that could throw the plan off in ways they couldn’t calculate. “Captain Carson and I decided the best option would be for you to leave after Christmas…when they have a posse out looking for me.”
“I want to leave when you do.” Her voice took on an edge, like the neigh of a wild mare preparing to buck. “You said you’d have a horse ready for me.”
“I’ll still do that. Two horses. One here in the woods beyond the stables, and one near the river close to the castle. I want you to have a way out in case suspicion falls on you, but if we play it right, no one has to know you had any clue of what I was up to. You can tell them I must have seen you spying on me the day behind the depot and made up a story to mislead you.” His throat tightened. What if Morning Fawn didn’t get away? “Moyer will pursue me with a vengeance. I bet your uncle will too. The fewer people around to notice your departure, the safer you’ll be. You can head for Houston, the opposite ofwhere they’d think you’d go, then cut over for the coast. I’ll have a boat waiting for you. I’ll give you directions and wait for you there three days after the attack, and every day after that until you show.”
“Don’t put yourself at risk for me.”
“I’ll be careful, but if for some reason I can’t make it, Captain Carson or one of his men will be at the rendezvous point.”
“What do you mean if you don’t make it?” She latched onto his arms.
His swallow stuck in his throat. “If they’re pursuing me too closely, I’ll have to head directly to Matagorda Bay or the nearest Yankee stronghold, then rendezvous with you later in Brownsville.”
“You’re going to make it. You’re going to escape and be fine.” Was there a tremor in her voice?
He wrapped her in his arms. “I’d wait for you outside of town Christmas night and ride with you if I didn’t think it’d put you in further danger. I hate the idea of not being there to protect you.”
“Don’t you dare wait for anything. I’ll find you on the coast.”
Outside the snug walls of the kitchen, a dog howled.
He’d do whatever he had to do to protect her. Why did it feel as if he were abandoning her? “I’ll get word to Lucy before I go, without giving her any details, to let you out if they lock you in the attic.”
“That’s the second problem.” She withdrew from his hold.
“What?”
She wound the fringe from her shawl around her finger and drifted over to the workbench next to the butter churn. “Lucy.”
“What about her? Is Ned having trouble getting leave of his master for Christmas Eve?” He shoved a couple buckets over to make room on the bench and dropped down beside her.
“Not that.” She puffed out her cheeks and exhaled. Sheclutched a handful of the shawl. “I promised her weeks ago that if…notif,whenI left here, I’d find a way to help her escape too.”
“Why would you do such a thing? You didn’t say anything about the mission, did you?”
“Of course not. I didn’t say a word about it. She has no idea we’re leaving in a few days.”
“Good. It needs to stay that way.” He shoved his fingers through his hair. “But why in the world would you make such a promise to her?”
“She’s been my only friend here. Until you. The only one who has showed me any kindness. I can’t bear the thought of doing nothing to help her.”
“Wearehelping her. We’re arranging a wedding for her and the man she loves.”
“It’s not enough.” She laid her hand on his arm. “I can’t abandon her. And now there’s Ned.”
“What do you mean, now there’s Ned?” He almost shot off the bench. “You’re wanting him to escape too?”
She turned those puppy-dog eyes on him.
“We can’t free them all on our own, Morning Fawn. Why do you think I’m risking my life to destroy the cotton? Slavery is evil, and if the Confederacy wins, that evil will keep on going.”
She blinked at him. “Lucy can’t wait for the Yankees to win. She needs our help now. Especially after what you and she have implied about my uncle’s interest in her.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “She’s likely been dealing with your uncle for weeks or even months. Ned will have to accept that reality.”
“It sounds like you don’t care.”
He glared at her. “I humiliated and shamed myself in front of the entire family by acting like I’d been the man to visit Lucy’s bedroom because I didn’t want to see her whipped or her lover beaten or worse. I’ve found a preacher willing tomarry them, and I’m committed to getting her out of her room Christmas Eve night and to her wedding. I’ve done plenty.”
