Kezia took one final glowering look at me before striding off down the hall. I watched her leave, a look of anger and hurt upon my countenance. There was still work to be done and I had fallen behind with the afternoon distraction.
Reluctantly, I made my way to the kitchen to begin preparation for the evening meal with Kezia.
The silent tension continued through supper as Kezia and I served the officers. Gen. O'Hara noticed my unease and glanced questioningly at me. Colonel Tavington also looked my way, but his was a look of smug satisfaction.
Averting my gaze, I continued to serve food and took my meal privately when I had finished. Picking at my bread, I looked up at the sound of someone clearing his throat to see the general standing feet from me.
"If I may be frank, you seemed unsettled at supper this evening."
"Everything that could be done has been done. It's not worth getting in a knot about," I replied, looking down at my plate.
"Funny, Kezia said the same thing, in no short order."
"I don't want to talk about it."
"She is upset with you, yes?" O'Hara pressed.
"You're not going to let this go, are you?"
"No, I am not."
I sighed.
"I don't see why not; there is nothing to be done about it. It's stupid and petty."
"I should not have picked her to clean the library."
"Perhaps, but she should have been able to handle things with the colonel!" I snapped brusquely, regretting my remark a moment later.
The general cast me a look of gentle admonition and sat down next to me.
"You don't know the full extent of her situation."
"Do you?" I asked.
"No, I honestly do not. But, you may want to ask her about it when the opportunity presents itself. I thought the two of you to be friends of a sort. It would be a shame to see that go to waste."
"I shouldn't pry."
"Well, she's not just going to tell you freely," O'Hara said. "But it might make things clearer if you got to know a little more about her."
"I will wait. I do not want to go to her when she is angry."
"Then it is settled. Now, please, will you join me for the evening? I believe we were interrupted earlier..."
A chill seeped through the window and snuffed the candle on the general's desk. I shivered and drew closer to O'Hara, who was already asleep, his face turned toward me, eyes peacefully shut. The ground had frozen outside and the cold was making its way into the room. I pulled the covers over my head and buried my face in the general's chest, feeling him wake and groggily wrap an arm around me.
"My dear, what is it," he asked sleepily.
"It's so cold; I should get dressed."
"Mary, a chemise will hardly help," the general chuckled. "Tuck in, here."
O'Hara eased me down just below his chest and began rubbing my shoulders and back.
"I'm not giving you any more tonight just because you are keeping me warm."
"I wasn't going to ask," O'Hara replied, kissing the top of my head. "Sleep; I shall wake you in a few hours."
After being awakened just before sunrise, I went to my room, cleaned up and got dressed before beginning the morning chores.
Kezia arrived in the kitchen shortly after I did, and greeted me with a silent stare. I began my work, and for a few minutes managed in the silence before speaking, "Why have you been so angry?"
"That is my issue…"
"Kezia, you know I have done nothing intentionally to hurt you. Please, what is upsetting you so?"
"I said it is my issue," the woman's eyes narrowed.
"Well, you're angry at me, so it is my issue also. Please, what is so wrong that you must treat me with contempt?"
"I do not need to tell you of my misfortunes."
I restrained myself from rolling my eyes.
"All right. Let me guess then. Being as you were so angry at having to deal with the colonel, I would say you had something with him that went awry."
"Yes, I did," Kezia replied stubbornly. "But it was more than that. We had a son. A boy; an heir."
I remained silent.
"Of course, being the man that he was, William wanted no part in being a parent, so I had to give my little boy up. That man, whom you once thought to be charming is nothing more than a vile snake!"
"Kezia-"
"And now, you're with the general. He may be kind, but will he stay if something happens to you? What if you become pregnant? Have you thought of that?"
"I-" I looked down in shame.
"As honorable a man he may be, what if O'Hara leaves you? All of the men desire to have a woman in their beds, but few of them think of the consequences."
"Well I can't just leave him now," I spoke.
"No, that would be worse than scandal. But you must figure something out. You don't want to live in shame if it comes to that."