quite place it. Her act helped to relax the heavy mood and Eliza let a small humming laugh escape her throat.
“Eliza’s afraid of water, heights, spiders, bees, and as you witnessed this morning, she is deathly afraid of squirrels.”
Kitty’s gaze followed Eliza, as if to explore how far she could take her story. Eliza pinched her mouth, raised her eyebrows, and shook her head, but the reprimand went unheeded.
“Oh, you must continue. You have me baited now.” Thomas’s winsome grin widened.
Without losing a second, Kitty cleared her throat and started into the story that Eliza secretly prayed she would never share. “One day, Eliza and I were enjoying a marvelous autumn afternoon in front of the house under the maples. The sky was a lovely blue if I remember right, dotted with the puffiest clouds.”
She stopped, as if waiting for Eliza to concur.
Eliza glared, willing her sister to stop, but she did the opposite. “We decided to make beds out of the crunchy leaves, and we reclined on our backs, finding shapes in the clouds for hours on end. Eventually, the musky smell of the leaves and the warm autumn sun lulled us to sleep.”
Kitty’s giggle grew until she couldn’t even continue.
Thomas slipped a questioning glimpse toward Eliza, and she smiled in return but her face burned.
Kitty went on between titters. “The next thing I remember is a hair-raising scream. I sat straight up and heard Eliza repeating, ‘Help! Get it out! Get it out!’ Father rushed out of the house . . .” Kitty had to stop again to release another fit of giggles, and wiped her eyes. “Apparently, while she’d been sleeping, a squirrel climbed up her skirts and somehow had gotten lost. What a sight! Her legs were flailing, her skirts were flying, and all the while the screeching of the little creature could be heard from under her clothes!” Kitty burst out laughing again and used her arms to imitate the scene.
Thomas could no longer suppress his obvious amusement and his robust laugh bounced on the air between them. Reliving the memory Eliza too burst into the laughter she’d been attempting to repress, basking in the joy of the moment as they temporarily forgot their weighty pressures.
Kitty calmed, wiped the happy tears from her eyes, and sighed. “Oh, it was wonderful.” She gazed at her sister, her head cocked with a joyful swoop on her mouth. “I’ll never forget it as long as I live.”
“When did this memorable incident occur?” Thomas asked.
Eliza stopped laughing and froze, her features dropping. She shook her head at Kitty and narrowed her fiery gaze. Kitty had better not . . .
Kitty’s smile expanded and occupied her entire face. A thud of dread socked Eliza in the gut and she closed her eyes.
“Last year,” Kitty said. “Just about this same time, I do believe.”
Thomas snapped his head toward Eliza, his eyes wide. A grin expanded his lips as he spoke. “Really? Just one year ago you were romping in the leaves and finding shapes in the clouds?”
Eliza’s face heated until she knew her cheeks were as red as the leaves at her feet. No use in hiding it now. Her embarrassment had tripled, and there was nothing she could do about it. Better to accept it than try and hide it.
“Yes, it’s true,” she said, walking to try and keep her embarrassment at bay. “I know it seems childish. And, I suppose I shouldn’t allow myself to be frightened by a woodland creature, but so it is.”
She pinched her mouth into a thin smile and marched ahead, exhaling plumes of chagrin through her lips. What must Thomas think of her now? The sooner she got back to Boston and away from this handsome stranger, the better.
Chapter Eight
“This is madness!” Samuel barked, leaving the damp, smelly prison yard. He slammed the door behind him and yanked at his cloak. The cloudy skies above matched his mood.
Donaldson marched to keep up with his feverish pace.
Samuel kicked a bulbous rock that blocked his path. “All I know is Eliza stopped by his press that morning. To what end?” he yelled, raising his arms. “The man has no other information to offer? I don’t believe it!”
Donaldson only nodded, but said nothing. That was fine. Samuel wouldn’t have wanted to hear anything anyway.
Walking down the crowded street to his meager office, Samuel pushed through the door, still talking. “Watson lured Eliza there for some reason, and that George fellow knows why but isn’t saying.”
“I’m sure you’re right, sir.”
“Of course I’m right!”
Samuel removed his hat and cloak and whacked them on the peg by the door. Donaldson followed his lead, like the loyal puppy he was.
“Eliza is an innocent pawn in Watson’s wicked game.” Samuel paced the room. He removed his sword and pistol from his side and dropped them on his littered desk. The papers and maps reminded him of the duty he owed his superiors, but he pushed the twinge of his conscience aside. Eliza waited for him to rescue her from capture. What could be more urgent?