Chapter 111 - Like Cats in a Sack:
"Not the side of a conniving little bitch," Harmony snapped.
Cilla drew back, stunned. Linda looked as though she'd been slapped.
"Knowing Beth was watching, you placed his hand on your stomach, to ensure she was left with no doubt who sired the child. You kissed him, led him into your tent, knowing what conclusion she would jump to."
"I did not know she was there," Linda said and Cilla wished she wasn't hiding, she wished she could march out there and confront her. She'd seen it all unfold exactly as Harmony described and she had seen Linda turn to Beth and look straight at her with that horrid little smirk! Luckily, Harmony had already done her research.
"Liar," Harmony laughed. "Miss Cordell and Mrs. Andrews both said you looked straight at her. You smirked at her and shrugged. Then you followed William into the tent. You knew she saw you, you did it because she saw you!"
"So what?" Linda's voice rose but Harmony ploughed on in that soft hiss.
"You knew what she told him - that there wasn't a force on earth that would make her stay with him, if she learned he was having an affair with you. If there was even a whisper of it. So you made certain that that's exactly what she would believe. You wanted to get rid of her, and that's the way you achieved it. And you want me to side with you? You want me to commiserate and sympathise and maybe even tell you you did the right thing? Because, poor Linda was in pain. And never mind the devastation your conniving has wrought two of my dearest friends in all the world!"
The blood drained from Linda's face, she was completely white now. Cilla thought she might faint.
"Am I not your dear friend, also?" Linda asked.
"You were. All three of you were. But iI'll side with the innocents, Linda, and that, you are not. You say you love William? And yet you deliberately sabotage his marriage, knowing the agony it'll cause him, for the sole purpose of lessening your own. Because you wanted your man back - doesn't matter to you if the heartbreak nearly kills him, if there's the remotest chance you getting to fuck him again."
"So that's how you feel, is it?"
"And not to mention my own friendship with Beth - you've destroyed that too, she knows that I kept your presence in camp secret, and she thinks I kept your affair secret too! Only there was no affair, there was no reason for her to go running off, hating me and Richard, Mrs. Andrews and Miss Cordell, denouncing us and denouncing her husband, because none of it was true, was it Linda? All of that happened, because of you. You caused all this pain, because you wanted to be free of yours. You're a fucking selfish little bitch, a doxy in every sense of the word!"
"Oh, and you're so much better than me, aren't you, Harmony?" Linda spat. Cilla had never seen such a look of pure hatred on anyone's face before, until now.
"I don't think I'm better than anybody," Harmony replied.
"How can you turn against me like this, after all I've done for you?" Linda said. Cilla frowned at Harmony, wondering what it was Linda had done for her. "And how could you call her your dearest friend? What am I to you then? Am I nothing?" Linda accused. "How could you? Ever since the beginning... How could you befriend her, when you knew how much I loved William? That'd be like me suddenly befriending Mrs. Bordon." - Cilla tried to contain her spluttering - "How would it have made you feel, if I visited Mrs. Bordon and spent hours at her side, gossiping over tea? That's what you did with that bloody chit."
"I wouldn't have liked that very much," Harmony admitted though still from a position of righteous anger. "Beth and I grew very close, she didn't care about my lower station, she liked me for who I was."
"I liked you for who you were!" Linda's voice was strangled.
"And she did everything she could to protect me from Calvin. She defended me to the other women too, she never let off Mrs. Wilkins or Mrs. Selton when they made their snide remarks -"
"I protected you from Mrs. Wilkins, Harmony," Linda spat, "I beat that woman's back raw for you! And I helped you escape Fresh Water - I protected you from Calvin too! And yet you choose her over me?"
"This isn't a competition, Linda! I can not choose her - she's gone, she despises me, she'll never be my friend again! I am not choosing her over you. I am choosing to no longer have anything to do with a cheating, conniving little bitch who doesn't care one little bit about the pain she's caused everyone!"
"Lord, if you knew how much I wanted to slap you silly right now, you'd be running back to that Turnbull bitch right quick," Linda muttered.
"Slap me silly? You think I'd ever be scared of you? I'm only dressed like one of these rich chits, Linda. Try it and I'll tear the hair from your scalp!" Harmony drew a ragged breath, she seemed to be struggling to maintain some measure of control herself. Linda changed her stance, both women appeared on the brink of violence. Cilla watched, appalled by the scene. "You're an awful person, Linda. This thing you've done, it's horrid. You destroyed William's marriage - he was happy, goddamn it! Beth was happy too! They loved one another and you destroyed everything! I told Richard that as soon as he finds William, he is to tell him what you did. If this letter is any indication, he does not yet know - he is setting you aside for other reasons. As far as I know, he has not yet been told. But that will change soon, I assure you. For the friendship you and I once had, I will give you this final warning. Run, Linda. Get the hell out of here. For when William returns, the baby in your belly will prove no protection from his wrath!"
Except for a horrible greyness around her lips, Linda's face was as white as the petals on a daisy. Her mouth worked but for the longest time, she could make no sound. Presently, she managed to speak, and her voice was soft yet harsh. "After everything I did for you," she ground out. "After I risked my neck getting you out from Fresh Water and away from Calvin, you've betrayed me to William?"
"Oh, you didn't risk bloody anything getting me away from Calvin - you thought it was a great lark! It was no risk to you at all! And yes, after what you did, you left with me with no choice but to arrange for William to be told. I will not have him labour under false belief in your innocence! You wanted to comfort him through his woes, when you're the one who caused them!" Harmony said incredulously and Cilla found herself nodding silent agreement. "You betrayed your own lover, a man I care for, a man I call friend. He needed to be told."
"He didn't need to be told a damned thing!" Linda cried, not caring if the other women heard her now. "You didn't have to tell him anything, and he never would have known! It was only to Miss Cordell I said those things to, I could have asked her to not repeat them to him! I saved you! That was me, Harmony. I was the one who saw the danger, you probably never would have. Your husband goes and has an affair with Mrs. Wilkins, who had become dear friends with Mrs. Bordon, it was only a matter of time before he learned the truth of the baby." - Cilla frowned as she listened, wondering how the devil Linda knew about her and Emily's close friendship. But that was not important, she pushed her curiosity away and tried to focus. - "After what he did to you, beating you almost to death - you can't deny that I saved your damned life when I tricked the sentries into letting us pass from Fresh Water! I was the one who bought you here, to Mrs. Turnbull! I saved your life, and this is how you repay me? By sending Richard to William! He'll kill me! You know what a temper he has!"
"You should have thought about that before you lied to Miss Cordell about bedding Tavington and tricking Beth into believing it!"
"You didn't have to do that! He'll stripe my back bloody, I'll wish I was that chit Mrs. Wilkins before he is through! After all I've done for you, how could you betray me so thoroughly?"
Harmony's lips were pressed tightly together, she looked confused and, Cilla thought, ready to cry. Before she was able to form any sort of reply, Mrs. Turnbull suddenly spoke. Cilla could not see her, but her voice was close and filled with outrage.
"What is this, Mrs. Merry? You've been lying about having an affair with Colonel Tavington? What a despicable thing to do! I never would have thought you capable of such a thing."
Cilla was watching Linda, whose lips were tight and her face as red as a beetroot.
"It's none of your business," Linda snapped. "You should not be eavesdropping, this is a private conversation!"
"Then you should not be having it so loudly!" Mrs. Turnbull shot back. "You dare accuse me of eavesdropping? You do realise how loud you were speaking?"
Linda tightened her lips and folded her arms across her chest.
"And what of you, Mrs. Campbell?" Mrs. Turnbull asked of Harmony. "You told me you were a widow, yet the way Mrs. Merry is speaking, your husband is still very much alive. And what is this truth about your baby?"
Harmony's eyes darted, she was clearly trying to think of what to say, even Cilla could see that.
"Oh yes, let's hear you try to talk your way out of this one, Mrs. Campbell," Linda sneered.
Harmony shot her a glare, but Cilla could see the panic, she was feeling hunted. "Mrs. Turnbull," she began, her voice was softly spoken again, not raised as if was before. "I'm afraid I have not been entirely honest with you. My husband -" here, her voice grew desperate. " - Is a danger to my child and I. We were not lying about me running afoul of rebels - but we did not tell you that my husband is one of them. A traitor. He has beaten me several times, the first was so bad I lost my baby," tears filled her eyes, her voice became pleading. "He beat me again recently, he would kill me and the baby, if he gets a chance. Major Bordon and Colonel Tavington are trying to protect me."
Cilla wished she could see Mrs. Turnbull's face, wished she could discern how the woman had taken Harmony's story.
Harmony turned to Linda, her voice now lashing like a whip. "No matter what I have revealed to Colonel Tavington about you, that is not a fate you need to fear from him. The beating and the killing of the child you carry. I have not consigned you to that."
"You have no idea what you've consigned me to. You have no idea his anger. By the time he's through with me, I might as well be dead," Linda said. She met Harmony's eyes, then shrugged. "You have betrayed me, why shouldn't I betray you?"
"Linda, there is a big difference between 'might as well be' and 'is'! Calvin will kill me, Goddamn you!"
Cilla was frowning at them both, wondering at this interplay between the two. They seemed to be having a discussion that only they understood. Harmony was more worldly, perhaps she was anticipating a move from Linda that Cilla could not see coming? She slid to the edge of her seat and waited with breath held.
"You chose your side," Linda said. She turned to where Cilla knew Mrs. Turnbull to be standing. "Mrs. Campbell… that was the name I gave her. In truth, she is Mrs. Harmony Farshaw, wife to Calvin Farshaw."
Finally Mrs. Turnbull stepped into view, her face was white, her lips bloodless. "Is this true?" She whispered to Harmony, who looked ready to faint. Why? Why should Mrs. Turnbull care who Harmony truly was? And why was she suddenly whispering?
"He did beat her," Linda said. "But why wouldn't he when she's been having an adulteress affair and that child she's carrying is not even his!"
Oh, that was why. Cilla's heart dropped, she was poised and fearful of what Linda might reveal next. Mrs. Turnbull, a good, pious sort of woman, recoiled. There were gasps further back behind the door, everyone in the mercantile was listening now. They likely had been for some time.
Harmony looked as though she wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole and Cilla felt no less distressed, she prayed that Linda would not speak Bordon's name. Providence had been shining its wholly light upon her, but it seemed that light was ready to move on to more worthy causes, for Linda was allowed to continue - uninterrupted.
"Surely you read the Banns? Well, Harmony wasn't just engaged to Major Bordon, she's been bedding him for months! All those times I fetched Harmony from your house? It was to take her to the tavern, where Major Bordon was waiting for her, so they could fuck each other stupid."
Cilla was on her feet before she even understood what she was doing, or where she was going. Driven by the need to save herself, she threw the door open and marched out into the main chamber before she even knew what she would say. All she knew for certain was, her marriage was being denounced to the ears of some very influential women of Pembroke. And Cilla had not gone to vast lengths to create the illusion of a happy, respectful marriage, to allow this damned whore to ruin it all in a fit of vengeance and spite.
"Mrs. Campbell, please summon to me Corporal Carr, he is waiting just outside," Cilla requested with quiet dignity. Mrs. Campbell, the real one, rushed for the door. Harmony's eyes bulged, she barely seemed able to breathe. Cilla found the idea of standing alongside her husband's mistress abhorrent, but she also knew she had no chance of discrediting Linda, without Harmony's support. She went to stand at Harmony's side for a show of solidarity she most certainly did not feel. Mrs. Campbell stepped aside and Corporal Carr entered.
"Is there something you need, Mrs. Bordon?" Corporal Carr bowed.
The other women had never met her, but they knew who she was now. Cilla ignored their astonished gasps.
"Indeed there is," Cilla replied, voice clipped. "Miss Stokes is up to her old tricks again. She has caused an inordinate amount of trouble between my cousin and her husband by claiming an adulterous affair; and now she seeks to do the same for mine and Major Bordon's. I shall suffer no more of it. She has caused great offence to Mrs. Tavington, to me and to Mrs. Farshaw and I request that you remove her from Pembroke immediately."
"You what?" Linda gasped. "You've got no right, you damned little chit! How dare you - " She cut off when Corporal Carr wrapped his hand around her arm. Her eyes went wide and she spluttered, realising that he would do precisely as Mrs. Cilla Bordon commanded.
"Miss Stokes? Her name is Mrs. Merry," Mrs. Turnbull said, looking ready to faint, for the blows had kept coming.
"Mrs. Turnbull, I assume?" Cilla asked and the woman nodded. "Believe me, madam, there is nothing Merry about this woman, least of all her name. She is Linda Stokes, a doxy who decided to straggle along with the British Legion, though she quickly became the bane of its existence. You should all be made aware of the sort of woman she is, and that is the sort who lays with men for their coin." Mrs. Reynolds and her daughters gasped with outrage.
"What?" Mrs. Turnbull exploded, colour rushing to her face - she looked like a furnace about to burst. "Colonel Tavington told me her name was Mrs. Merry! He dared to place a doxy in my household?"
That was the trouble with not thinking things through clearly - Cilla had erred only a few minutes into this confrontation.
"He felt sorry for her, but he wanted her gone," she explained, thinking fast. "He thought that you might be a good example for her, to help her to remedy her ways, but clearly he was wrong. It is obvious to me now, that she is beyond anyone's help. Not only does she bed the soldiers, but she works at every turn to cause trouble with the other camp followers - my good friend Mrs. Farshaw has not escaped her venom, and nor have I, it seems."
"Your good friend," Linda spluttered. "You… you are stark raving mad!" She cried, throwing one arm wide - her other was being held by Corporal Carr. "You've never spoken two words to Harmony, not ever! And now you're playing at being the grandest of friends? What the devil?"
"Never spoken two words to her? I'll have you know that in the city, Mrs. Farshaw and I were just about glued at the hip! You remember the public dance, don't you?" Cilla said to Harmony, who jerked a nod.
"And the Simms ball," Harmony said weakly.
"Oh yes, Caroline Simms - such an amiable creature. We sat to dinner with her that night, you know," Cilla said to the other women, knowing they would have heard of Caroline Simms, the matriarch of one of the most elite Loyalist families in South Carolina. Of course they'd heard of her. It certainly would not hurt Cilla's cause, attaching herself and Harmony to Mrs. Simms now. "She had some grand advice for us both - I almost feel like she's a concerned aunt, looking out for her young nieces. Don't you feel the same, Harm?"
"I do," Harmony whispered.
"Oh, that was a fun night, was it not? Those fireworks!" Cilla said companionably to Harmony.
"Breathtaking," Harmony said.
"You're both fuckin' breathtaking," Linda spat, her face blotched red with fury.
"I'll thank you not to swear, Miss Stokes," Cilla said, voice steady as she deliberately baited Linda into losing her temper. "It's bad enough hearing the men on the docks of Charlestown using such language, it's why I avoid the place as much as I can, I certainly don't expect to hear it in a mercantile! And its most vile hearing such from a woman."
"I'll speak how I fuckin' wish," Linda took a full step closer, her eyes blazing as if on fire. There was a collective gasp around the shop, which Linda ignored. She was too angry, she did not realise she was securing her own doom. "Hell's teeth, another who thinks she's better than me. Yet you married Bordon in an all fire rush, didn't you? You spread your legs for him back in the city, then you found you were pregnant, didn't you?"
"And now she turns her lies to me," Cilla said. "I'd be outraged, if I were not expecting it. You can hurl gossip about all you like but the truth is, you have no idea why I married Major Bordon. None. This once, I shall entertain your unsavoury accusation -"
"Oh, this should be good," Linda replied, greatly amused.
"The last time I saw Major Bordon before marrying him, was in Charlestown. I bid him farewell on the first day of July. If I married him because of some indiscretion that led to pregnancy, I would be three and a half months along by now." Her heart twisted, for indeed, she would have been that far along by now. Still, she spread her arms wide and glanced down at her very flat stomach as if it did not kill her that her baby was gone. "Do I look nearly four months pregnant to you?" She asked in a mocking voice, managing to hide her agony well. Her stomach would not be overly large at three and a half months pregnant, but it most certainly would not be as flat as it was now. There would be that wonderful, joyous swell to her figure, instead of the awful flatness there was to it now. "You're clasping at straws, Miss Stokes, trying one last vain attempt to wreak havoc. I do not know what Colonel Tavington and Major Bordon did to you to earn such enmity -"
"You little bitch -" Linda's voice rose and therefore, so did Cilla's.
"But it is clear to me that you have a vendetta against them both -" Cilla continued even as Linda did, the two trying to over speak the other, voices rising to be heard over the other.
"I see what you are doing -" That from Linda.
"But you have been caught out in your lies - everyone here heard you admit that what you told Miss Cordell about your supposed affair with my cousin's husband to be untrue -"
"You fucking bitch! -"
"You were not having an affair with Colonel Tavington. Do you honestly think these good women will believe anything else you have to say, after your confession -"
"I couldn't care what these stupid bitches think of me!" - More gasps and outraged glances from the other women. - "You're trying to discredit me -"
"By admitting that you lied about you and Colonel Tavington, you have discredited yourself," Cilla said, "and now we all know you for what you are - a doxy and a liar!"
Linda's fist was curled, she seemed ready to launch toward Cilla with a flying punch, but Corporal Carr was keeping her in check. "Yes, oh yes," Linda said, barking a laugh. "I am both of those. But that doesn't mean I can't speak truth, when it needs to be told. And I am telling you -"
"Do you have the slightest idea what trouble you are in, Miss Stokes?" Cilla shouted, taking a full step toward her, her face livid. Linda cut off, suddenly mute. "You said you did, but I honestly don't think you do. Colonel Tavington is going to be livid when he learns of the lies you told Miss Cordell!"
"I'm just relieved that Mrs. Tavington has gone to her sister's sickbed. It's a mercy - she has no idea any of this is happening," Harmony said, speaking up for the first time. Cilla shot her a stunned look, then swiftly became co-conspirator with Harmony, for that line of quick thinking was a very good one. She inclined her head in agreement.
"Just so," Cilla turned back to a white faced Linda and snapped, "you have already incurred Colonel Tavington's wrath, and now you court Major Bordon's! And you tell me I should be in a madhouse!" She stepped back to Harmony's side and deliberately averted her gaze from Linda, nose wrinkled. "I shall not engage in any further discussion with a whore," she announced. "Return her to the Kent's, Corporal Carr. Colonel Tavington will wish to discuss with her the foul rumours she has been spreading about him. And now that she has started on my husband, Major Bordon will wish to do so, also. Thank you, Corporal."
Corporal Carr began pulling Linda's arm. When she made to reach for the letter Harmony was still holding, Cilla plucked the pages from Harmony's fingers and began tearing them to shreds.
"What are you doing?" Linda cried, making another grab for it, only to have Carr jerk her back. "What did you do that for, you fucking bitch!"
"You came here for my advice, Linda," Harmony spoke up again. "And I shall grant it." She took a step forward, towering over the shorter woman. "Leave. Get as much distance between yourself and here as you can, before Colonel Tavington and Major Bordon return. Because if you are still here when they do…" Harmony shook her head. "Well. Even I will pity you, then."
Linda's knees buckled and she seized the side of a table for support, almost pulling it over. Corporal Carr and two other soldiers carried her out of the shop. Cilla followed them, she closed the door after them, then she dusted off her hands.
"Well. That was… unpleasant," Mrs. Campbell said. Cilla crossed the chamber, her arms outstretched.
"Oh, my dear Mrs. Campbell, I am so dreadfully sorry," Cilla clasped the other woman's hands. "Such an atrocious display to unfold in your shop. I can not imagine what you must be thinking of me."
"Of you? I hold you in the highest esteem, Mrs. Bordon, and I always shall. I do not believe a single word that came from that horrid woman's mouth."
"Oh, thank the Lord Above," Cilla closed her eyes, her swoon wasn't entirely unfeigned. She'd worked damned hard just now to maintain her integrity and standing, but she hadn't been entirely certain her efforts had worked.
"I think you did so very well just now, Mrs. Bordon. The way you managed this entire encounter was just… it was exceptional," Mrs. Campbell reassured her. "I don't know I could have maintained such grace if I had been confronted with situation as sordid as this. I'm astounded by your dignity."
"I shouted," Cilla lamented, hanging her head as if regretful. "I was taught never to shout."
"With such provocation! I don't know that I wouldn't have, when pressed to such extremes," Mrs. Reynolds stepped in to reassure Cilla that she hadn't acted below the strict standards of her station. "You did not rise to her, well, except until the very end. You kept your poise all the way throughout. You did magnificently."
"Well, I just hope it's the last we see of her," Cilla said. "Though the things she has said… We're the only ones who know she was lying - us, in this very room, we're the only ones who heard her admit they were lies. But if she persists in saying such awful things, other people might well believe her? How poorly will that reflect on me? And on Mrs. Farshaw," Cilla included Harmony because she had too. "And Mrs. Tavington? My poor cousin doesn't even know any of this is going on! You were right, Mrs. Farshaw," Cilla again included Harmony, if only to be seen being cordial to the woman. If they behaved friendly toward one another and if they together denied Linda's claims, not many people would believe that Harmony was having an affair with Richard. "It's such a mercy that my cousin isn't here at this time of turmoil. Lord, I feel wretched for her - her sister is so very ill, she must be so worried! And then, she'll have to deal with this when she returns!"
"There won't be anything for her to deal with," Mrs. Campbell said. "We all heard what Miss Stokes said, we all heard her admit to lying about having an affair with Colonel Tavington, and we will all speak out should it be necessary to do so. Won't we, ladies?" Mrs. Reynolds was nodding emphatically, as we're her daughters. All four were caught up in the fervour and were ready to agree to anything. Curiously though, Mrs. Turnbull was hanging back, away from the group - and she had put distance between herself and Harmony, also. All of the women turned to Mrs. Turnbull, who gave a sickly smile and a weak nod. A thrill of foreboding shot along Cilla's spine.
"Oh, can you believe her?" Cilla said to Harmony as she beckoned her over. Harmony dragged her heels but at least she appeared to understand that it was necessary to present a united front to dispel any rumours that might come of Linda's accusation. "Suggesting for one moment that marrying so quickly was as a result of… well, I won't even repeat it. What a horrid woman." To the others, she said, "I do understand that marrying without publishing the banns would occasion some talk, but I honestly never thought anyone would think that!" Cilla gasped. She raised this point for a very specific reason - she knew the women might be wonder about it later. And she knew she would need to provide them with an explanation, before they went their separate ways this day. "This is a time of war, and unfortunately, my father chose to side with the rebels, as I'm sure you've likely heard." She was pleased she chose this tack, for several of the women nodded. "Before he died, he was captured by the British and his holdings were seized. Where before I was a wealthy young woman in the city, suddenly my prospects were very small indeed. When the opportunity presented itself, I did what I could to secure my future." The older women were nodding. She was not presenting the most romantic story, but she knew the women understood and respected the idea of marrying for mutual advantage. Marrying for love was something only the lower sort were free to do. "We are at war. If I'd waited three weeks for the Banns to be read, one each Sunday, Major Bordon might have been killed before the end and then where would I be? My cousin and Colonel Tavington did precisely the same as my husband and I, for precisely the same reason. I knew it would raise eyebrows but I had no idea that such a creature as that whore would twist my circumstances so awfully."
"She's gone now, Mrs. Bordon," Mrs. Reynolds laid a hand on Cilla's arm. "All will be well now, you'll see. Don't you worry."
"Thank you," Cilla said, heaving an unfeigned and very relieved sigh.
"Why don't I get on a pot of tea," Mrs. Campbell said and the group began to walk to the back of the shop to sit around the large table there. It did not take her long - Mrs. Campbell always kept a large pot of water simmering over the coals, ready for her to make her fruit and flavoursome tea. She began setting cups and saucers on the table. Cilla continued to speak, after patting the seat beside her for Harmony to take up. United front, at all times.
"Was she trying to suggest that we weren't friends?" Cilla asked Harmony with an incredulous laugh. For a brief moment, a furious glare flared over Harmony's face, but it was quickly stifled.
"I think she was ready to say anything at all to further her cause," Harmony replied woodenly.
"Well, as I said, she's gone now," Mrs. Reynolds said. "And Colonel Tavington and Major Bordon will settle her back on her heels swiftly enough. I can't imagine either will allow her to remain in the camp - they are bound to evict her."
"Certainly they will," Cilla replied. "I'd demand it myself but I do think the gentlemen should chastise her first, so she doesn't spread further lies with her wherever she goes." Cilla drew a deep breath, held it, making a show of trying to bring herself to order. "Oh, enough about her." Mrs. Campbell began ladling her fruit tea into a jug, which she bought to the table. As she sat, Cilla continued. "None of us have been properly introduced! That's the great injustice here. That I have been presented to Pembroke Society in such a manner! It must be rectified immediately."
Mrs. Campbell gave a soft laugh. "I shall do the honours. Mrs. Bordon," she began, and Cilla suddenly realised that she was being addressed first because, as Major Bordon's wife, she was the most senior woman in the room - and never mind she was the youngest. May I present Mrs. Reynolds. Her daughters Miss Claire and Miss Alice."
"How do you do," Cilla curtsied from the waist up. The women smiled and did likewise.
"And this is Mrs. Turnbull."
Cilla inclined her head toward the woman, who also did likewise.
"And lastly, well, she was presented to me as Mrs. Campbell but I now know she is -"
"Mrs. Farshaw," Cilla took it up from Mrs. Campbell. She was trying to lead the women to believe that she and Harmony were friends. Therefore, it was for her to present Harmony. Who gave a weak smile and squirmed in her seat. When Mrs. Campbell filled her glass, Harmony held it to her lips, as if trying to hide behind it. "Do you live in the village, Mrs. Reynolds?" Cilla asked, directing the conversation to safer waters. Mrs. Reynolds began to chat about where she lived, on her husband's small plantation. Talk turned to the girls - Cilla realised she was not the youngest after all - Miss Alice was only eighteen. They continued to chat until their cups were empty and Mrs. Reynolds had secured a promise from Cilla that she and Harmony would visit that afternoon. Mrs. Reynolds and her daughters bid the women farewell, and Mrs. Campbell rose with them, she escorted them back into the shop to assist them with their shopping, which had been interrupted with the unpleasantness of earlier.
When the door closed, Mrs. Turnbull rounded on Cilla and Harmony.
"You," she pointed at Harmony. "Are no longer welcome in my home."
Cilla and Harmony grew very still, frozen to their chairs.
"Out of respect for you and your position, Mrs. Bordon, I will not reveal the facts I know to be absolute truth in front of the other women, for I am well aware that it will reflect poorly on me as well, to have housed not one loose woman in my home, but two! Nor will I continue to be played for a fool by Bordon and Tavington. They have both used myself and my husband quite ill, they have shown a complete lack of respect, dispensing upon us two women of low morals and claiming them to be good and honest. You claim to call her a friend and that I find quite concerning, coming from a woman of your standing. And Mrs. Tavington's. It reflects poorly on you both, sharing your company with this woman."
"Mrs. Turnbull -"
"I will be frank," Mrs. Turnbull cut Cilla off. "My cousin owns the tavern that Mrs. Merry -" Mrs. Turnbull paused, closed her eyes and twisted her lips. "Miss Stokes," she bit out. "Said Mrs. Farshaw frequently visited your husband."
"Mrs. Turnbull, Miss Stokes was lying -"
"She was not," Mrs. Turnbull snapped. "And you either need to be told this here and now, or you know it already. I hope it's the former, Mrs. Bordon. I do hope you have not been colluding with this woman. I am aware that learning your husband is indeed having an affair will cause you great pain, but I would rather that. If it is the latter, then it means you have lied to us every bit as much as Miss Stokes did."
Cilla snapped her mouth shut, her eyes wide.
"My cousin told me that every other day, Major Bordon hires one of the private rooms above the tavern. In that room, Major Bordon has been meeting with Mrs. Farshaw. I never did associat Mrs. Campbell's and Mrs. Merry's walks with Major Bordon's visits, but I think it would be no hardship to prove the correlation. Would you like me to investigate this for you, Mrs. Bordon?"
"No," Cilla breathed. Harmony was as rigid as a statue at her side.
"My cousin keeps a meticulous account of his visitors in his ledgers - the ones he rents rooms to. And I have a meticulous memory. I believe, if I took a look at his log book, then if there are any connections to be made between Mrs. Farshaw's walks and Major Bordon's visits to the tavern, I will be able to identify them with ease. Are you certain you would not like me to investigate this for you? No?"
"No," Cilla repeated.
"I see. So. You are quite aware of your husband's affair with this woman and you are trying your hardest to keep it discreet. I quite understand the need for that. You said you married him out of desperation -"
"I did not say that -"
"You did, Mrs. Bordon," Mrs. Turnbull snapped. "You married him for security - and I do not condemn you at all. I understand that you must not be in love with him, that you might not care overly much if he has a mistress. You likely value discretion over fidelity, especially given that you have no choice in the matter. And as I said, I shall not be your undoing. But nor will I involve myself in any of it. While I would not challenge you before others, I will not stay silent now. Gossip of Mrs. Farshaw and her antics reached my ears well before this woman was introduced to me as Mrs. Campbell. If I had known she was indeed Mrs. Farshaw back then, I would have turned her away. More importantly, my husband would have refused her lodging, despite what Major Bordon or Colonel Tavington desired."
"Mrs. Turnbull, you can not turn Mrs. Farshaw out," Cilla said, there was a pleading quality to her voice. "Her husband truly is a danger to her. She is safe here with you but if you set her out, she will be exposed to him. He murdered a man, Mrs. Turnbull - he stabbed Major Fallows in the neck repeatedly. Mrs. Farshaw has no where else to go. If you set her out and he gets hold of her, that would be as good as signing her death warrant."
"Mr. Farshaw beat Mrs. Farshaw because he discovered she was having an affair with Major Bordon, is that not so?" Mrs. Turnbull asked, eyebrows lifting. "Yes, Mrs. Bordon, I heard all about it. And Miss Stokes," again that twist of her lips, "mentioned the child - that if Farshaw found out the truth about the baby…" Mrs. Turnbull leaned in close, eyes fixed on Cilla's. "It is Major Bordon's, isn't it?"
Cilla released a long, slow breath.
"Even if I was inclined to help a woman of such dubious virtue - and that is a very big if," Mrs. Turnbull said. "My husband most certainly would not. This is Major Bordon's mistress. And Major Bordon's child. They are Major Bordon's responsibility, and none of mine."
"Major Bordon is not here," Cilla bit out.
"Mrs. Farshaw will not be returning to my house, Mrs. Bordon, except to gather her belongings," she held Cilla's eye, letting the younger girl know she was not moved in the slightest "I'm sorry to incur your wrath, child. But frankly, your husband and Colonel Tavington have both incurred mine."
"You are determined on this course of action? You will evict Mrs. Farshaw?" Cilla breathed, it was her worst nightmare. Almost as bad as the women believing that Harmony was having an affair with Bordon.
"I am left with no choice - my husband will demand it, even if I wished for her to stay," by her tone, it was clear that Mrs. Turnbull had no such desire. The woman rose and, without another word, she strode back into the mercantile.
"Oh my God, what am I going to do?" Harmony gasped, her fingers splayed across her stomach. "I can't… I can't leave Pembroke! If I do, I risk putting myself in Calvin's reach and he will kill me!" Harmony pushed back her chair and began to pace. Cilla stared blindly at nothing, her stomach churning. "I know. I'll go to the tavern. I'll pay for a room. I have money, enough to pay for lodgings for weeks. Months. I can work there, if it comes down to it. And Richard will be back soon. Mrs. Turnbull - that damned bitch. Richard paid for my lodgings and she just turns me out? I'm going to get his money back, every penny of it!"
"I'm not certain you'll be allowed to stay in the tavern," Cilla said softly, still staring blindly. Harmony rounded on her, astonished. "He is Mrs. Turnbull's cousin," Cilla said with a shrug.
"Do you think she will… Oh, of course she will," Harmony gripped the back of the chair, as if for support. "She won't allow her cousin to be lumbered with a doxy like me." She was quite a moment, thinking furiously. "I'll… I'll speak with the soldiers here. I never revealed myself but now… I'll tell them I'm Richard's mistress, they will help me -"
"You most certainly will not," Cilla snapped. "Besides, if you present yourself to them with such a story, do you think they'll believe you and Richard have resumed your affair, not five minutes after Linda Stokes was marched from the village for saying precisely that?"
Harmony's face drained of colour. "But it's true!"
"They will not believe you, Mrs. Farshaw," Cilla snapped. "And if I am wrong, if they did believe you, you most certain can not tell them! Lord, can't you see how damaging such a move would be for all of us? After we've gone to all these lengths to convince those women you're not having an affair with my husband, you're going to tell the soldiers otherwise?"
"So what am I to do? Become homeless to protect yours and Richard's reputation?" Harmony asked, aghast.
"Your reputation too," Cilla murmured. "And no. That will not do, either. It would hardly be protecting all of our reputations if I let you be set out on the street when it's within my power to assist you. I've gone and told all of them that we're the dearest of friends, therefore I have no choice but to assist you. There is no hope for it," Cilla met Harmony's eyes. "You'll have to return with me too Fresh Water."
Harmony gaped. Then she laughed derisively.
"Yes, I'm certain you'll allow that."
"I just said I would, didn't I? Besides, think of Richard's reaction, if I did not do this. Knowing that you have no where to go, knowing that the soldiers here won't help you after Miss Stokes eviction from the village, knowing that your husband is a murdering abusive madman who will kill you as soon as look at you. If I did not do my damndest to protect you, what would Richard say of it? I know that Farshaw will hurt the woman Richard loves and his baby if Farshaw gets hold of you, and if you leave the safety of this village, Farshaw could very well get hold of you. That is not something I want on my conscience nor do I want to invite my husband's wrath. When it comes to you, his vengeance can be… formidable," she shuddered. It might even be enough to bring the monster back out, the same as the last time Richard's mistress came under threat. "I can't leave you," she whispered with heavy realisation, fear creeping along her spine, fear of what Richard would do to her, if she abandoned Harmony. "Besides, I know what it feels like, to be chased off with no where to go," she said softly. "Come," she said, rising. "Let's go get your things."
When Harmony baulked, Cilla seized her arm and tugged.
"You're not serious," Harmony said, still shocked even as she let Cilla pull her along. They stepped back into the mercantile - Mrs. Turnbull was gone. Cilla nodded to Mrs. Reynolds and her daughters and Mrs. Campbell, then she and Harmony made for the front door. Several Dragoons fell in behind them as they began to walk along the street.
"Oh Linda blurted it out - how could she do that?" Harmony wailed. "What sort of revenge is that to take on someone? She knows what he's capable of. William might beat her, but Calvin will kill me! He will hear of it now. He will know he's not the father. He really will kill me. He'll kill my baby. He's done it before."
"Not at Fresh Water he won't," Cilla said, voice firm. Harmony stumbled and Cilla had to haul her up, almost losing her own footing at the same time.
"You weren't serious!" Harmony gasped. "I don't know what you're playing at, but I know damned well you'd never let me set foot at Fresh Water."
"See here," Cilla snapped, rounding on her husband's woman. "I have several reasons for doing just that. First off, Lord," she laughed softly, bitterly. "Richard," she shuddered. "He is not at all reasonable, when it comes to you. I do not like to think what he would do to me if I abandoned you, when it was within my power to help you. Secondly, I damned well talked myself into a corner back there, I can not leave you to live on the streets, when I've announced you to be such a fast friend. Thirdly," she lifted her chin, "I am not an evil person, Mrs. Farshaw, no matter how you despise me. You are with child and you have been evicted. Even Linda Stokes still has a roof over her head at the Kent's. And you shall have one at Fresh Water. When Richard returns, perhaps some other arrangement can be made. But for now… you will come with me. We will go to that damned harridans house and fetch your belongings, then we'll go and have luncheon with Mrs. Reynolds and we'll do our best to convince everyone that you could not possibly be my husband's mistress, by showing them all what fast friends we are."
"I couldn't possibly! What in the world would we talk about? They'll know we're not friends within heartbeats of us sitting down."
"If you fear you might say something unpleasant and ruin the charade, then don't say anything at all. It's a golden rule, one your mother must have taught you when you were a little girl. I want for nothing more than for my family to be noted and respected everywhere for our virtue and honour. Those are what are important. Reputation is everything! I need your help now, if that illusion is to overcome Miss Stokes accusations. This is for you too - you won't be welcome any place if people understood you to be carrying your lovers child. No one in their right mind would believe that I would keep company with my husband's mistress, therefore, they will not believe you are his mistress. So keep company we shall - in public anyway. Now. Will you be able to do this?"
"I can if you can," Harmony said, still sounding faint. "I know what that sort of gossip would do to Richard. I'd walk barefoot over shards of glass for him."
"That's good enough for me," Cilla tightened her lips and got Harmony walking again.