“Nay. But ’tis true he had lost his honor. He was a selfish, angry man.”
Her stare drifted down. “How did he die?”
Should he tell? The details of Samuel’s death would be startling to anyone. “He was stabbed.”
“By whom?”
He studied her eyes, the way their crystal depths ached for the answer. But some things were best left in the grave. “’Twas an accident.”
“An accident.” Her whispered echo floated up and she rested her head on his chest once more, her arms tightening around him. “I suppose that is all I am to know.”
“Aye.”
“Hmm.” She breathed against him before breaking the silence. “You defected. Why?”
Again, her unmitigated forgiveness cradled his fears like swaddling bands. He breathed out, unburdening his spirit from the weeks of forced silence. “I believe I have sympathized with the patriot cause for some time.” He allowed his memory to journey through the past, gathering the bright moments, the ones that sparked his allegiance to shine on a more worthy cause. “I lived here for three years before the war began, watching the patriots persevere against stronger and more stringent laws. I heard their impassioned speeches in the streets, and their cry for freedom pricked a cord in my heart. It was not until Stockton’s treatment of Kitty that I knew I was fighting for the wrong side.”
Anna pushed up, a twisted grimace on her face. He rushed to help her, not removing his hand until the peace in her expression was restored.
Once seated straight, she held her gaze against him and cupped her hand against his jaw. “I do not condemn you for choosing not to tell me.”
What manner of woman have you given me, Lord? “I give you my word, it was only to protect you.”
“This I know.” Her eyes shone, wisdom and love shimmering in their crystal depths. “God has given me more joy than I ever could have wished for, answered every prayer, blessed every pain. I sought you and I found you. The love I craved I have been given. The child I have dreamed of is ours. All because of you.”
Gratitude swelled until it forced his eyes to moisten. “How will I ever be worthy of you?”
“You are already. Everything you are, Henry—” She stopped, a smile slanting her mouth. “Henry.”
The sound of his name, the one he had abandoned but never forgotten, hung in the air between them as Anna’s smile widened. “We owe God all we can give,” she said. “We owe our child’s future all we can give.”
The sudden drop in her lilting sound, the somber veil in her features forced his head to tilt. “What do you mean?”
She kept her gaze plaited with his, her voice carrying strength far beyond her feminine tone. “You are a soldier. You must fight.”
He reached for her hand. “You would be alone.”
“Nay.” She shook her head. “Eliza and Kitty and I shall be together. God will provide.”
A flash of warmth spilled over his skin. “I do wish to go.”
“I know.”
“But I do not wish to leave you.”
“I know. My heart aches at the thought.” She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his mouth. “But you must go, and I must let you.”
Henry pulled her against him, willing the love that burned in his chest to carry through his embrace and warm her to the depth of her soul. Finally his mouth could form the words his heart longed to speak—words he believed he would never again have been able to utter, but for her. Now, he whispered their tender sound, savoring the perfect feel of them on his lips. “I love you, Anna.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Warmth from the blaze radiating in the fireplace filled the Watson’s parlor while tension and woe weighted Anna’s body like lead. The morning had not heeded her beseeching, and had come far too soon. She finished preparing Henry’s bag, tucking the letter she’d penned deep in the safety of the pouch. Kitty stood beside her, doing much the same. Peering over her shoulder, Anna spied Eliza and baby Mary, both wrapped in a blanket, standing beside the door while the men finalized the plot of their journey.
She turned back to her task as a spike of regret readied to pierce her gut. Why the men must leave so early, she understood, but struggled to accept. Henry was a soldier and liberty was a cause more valiant than any on earth. She would not dissuade him no matter how her grief threatened to tear her to pieces. She nestled another cake along side the others, deflecting the incoming blow of fear with the shield of courage she’d fashioned since the moment the men had declared with certainty their intention to help Henry Knox at Fort Ticonderoga. That had only been three days past. And now, the dreaded moment was upon them.
Anna glanced at Kitty, whose light freckles had lost a shade of color. She must have sensed Anna’s stare for she looked sideways, her gaze gripping Anna’s.
With a tight smile, Kitty directed her vision to the men before fussing with the knapsack once more. “I want to go with them,” she whispered.