Henry gazed at me, his expression so tender that I nearly melted on the spot. “Oh, you would have done just fine,” he said. “But I’m glad to be here all the same.”
We stayed at the Appletons’ for most of the night so I could keep a close watch on Megan. About every half hour I went into the bedroom and placed my hand on her chest to confirm that her heart was working properly. Near dawn, I decided we could leave.
Bidding Matthew and Susanna goodbye, Henry went out first to collect the shay that had been left around the corner next to the dry goods store. I intended to wait in the house, but finding myself in need of some fresh air, I stepped outside instead. It was still dark, and I leaned back against the door to draw in a slow, deep breath.
Movement flickered close beside me. Turning my head to the side, I watched Nathan emerge from the shadows. “Have you finished the Devil’s work?” he asked. The darkness blurred his face, but I knew he was smirking.
“The baby lives,” I said quietly, not wishing to wake any of the neighbors and risk another public spectacle. “By your own words my innocence has been proven. No one will believe you now.”
“Impossible!” Nathan hissed. “He told me it would surely die!”
A shiver passed up my spine. “Who told you that?” I demanded.
Taking no heed of my question, he stepped so near I could feel his coat buttons through my bodice. “And she shall stand before you, a servant of the Devil,” he said, his voice ragged with rage.
Neatly pinned between Nathan and the door, there was nowhere to go. “Henry just went for the carriage,” I warned him. “You’re good as dead if he finds you here.”
My warning went ignored. He raised a hand and pressed two fingers over my right eye. “And if thy right eye offend you, pluck it out, and cast it from thee. For it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.”
I jerked my head to the side. “You’ll not quote scriptures to me! Pluck out your own eye if you’re so inclined, but leave me alone.”
Nathan moved closer, pushing me against the door. Then lowering his hand, he took hold of my right arm. “And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee. For it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body be cast into hell!”
I yanked my arm from his grip. “You do not speak for God! Go away or I’ll scream!”
Nathan placed his cheek against mine, putting his mouth right up to my ear. “It is better that one should perish than a whole town be cast into hell,” he whispered menacingly.
Blood pounded in my veins. “I’m not afraid of you!”
The sound of carriage wheels came through the darkness. “Your time is nigh,” Nathan said. He stepped away and faded back into the shadows.
Chapter Sixteen
The Price of Silence
Henry came into my room, rousing me from sleep. “Good morning,” he said cheerfully. Going first to the windows, he opened the drapes, and then took a seat on my bed. “I’ve good and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?”
I yawned and sat up. “What time is it?” It had been near sunrise when I crawled into bed after spending most of the night at the Appletons’.
“Half past three. You’ve missed both breakfast and noon meal so I’ve asked Mary to bring up a tea tray.”
“That sounds wonderful.” As my eyes adjusted to the sunlight, I noticed Henry was cleanly shaven and in fresh clothes. Feeling a bit self-conscious, I ran a hand through my tangled hair. “Didn’t you sleep?” I asked him.
“For an hour this morning. Since then I’ve been in town to speak with George McKee and to get a better sense of what people are thinking today.”
“And what have you learned?” I eyed my hairbrush on the dressing table. It was one thing if we both looked in a state, but he was his usual perfectly groomed self. I surreptitiously ran a finger around my mouth to check for any drool marks.
“Would you like the good or bad news first?” he asked again.
“Oh, start with the good.”
“Well, from what I can gather most people have decided you’re not a witch. William and Nora made sure everyone knew how that scar was made, and word has already spread about your saving Megan Appleton.”
This was good news indeed, good enough to make me temporarily forget my disheveled appearance.
“There are some, of course, who believe Nathan, but theirs is by far the minority opinion. We’ll have a better idea where everyone stands this Saturday night, when we see who attends the wedding celebration at the Oswalds’. To show their support, Edgar and Gideon have even decreed that the Quakers may stay for the entire party without being censured so long as they don’t actually participate in the dancing.”