Antebellum BK 1 (30 page)

“
I could be. Some women have such a dread of becoming pregnant that they can find no pleasure in lovemaking, but I assure you that we innately have the same desires as men. Sometimes I simply burn for a man’s touch. His scent. His flesh against my flesh.” She shivered.

Rucker squirmed. “Out of pure curiosity, if I had agreed, how did you plan to proceed?”

“
I have secured a private bedroom upstairs and two keys. I had planned to go up to that room, disrobe, and wait on the bed for you to join me.”

“
Disrobe?”

“
Yes. I thought that this might be the last time for me. I wanted no games of false modesty. I wanted you to see me. To explore me with your eyes, with your hands, with your lips. And then…” She extracted her hand from his, crossed her arms over her breasts and shivered again. “Forgive me. I am indeed a wanton woman.”

“
Two keys you say?”

“
Yes. One for each of us.” She took a key from her pocketbook and held it by the fob, swinging the key from side to side like a pendulum.

His eyes followed the arch of the key. “I must admit to temptation.”

“
Then give in to it.” She caught his hand again and pressed the key into his palm. “I need ten minutes to undress. But if you want to watch, come with me now.”

He knocked his chair over backwards getting to his feet.

~

“
Well?” Carlotta asked. “How was it?”

“
There’s no doubt that the pro-slavers intend to flood Kansas with immigrants from Missouri in order to influence the vote.”

“
What? I thought…”

“
Two birds with one stone.” Anna laughed.

Carlotta shook her head. “Well then, let me repeat my original question. How was it?”

“
He takes instruction well. A few more sessions and who knows what new heights might be reached?” Anna opened her pocketbook. “I want to lease that room for a year with the option to renew.”

“
I won’t take your money.”

“
You must.”

“
Why must I?”

“
Because we need a proof that this was strictly a business arrangement in case this blows up in my face.”

“
You may not be as much fun as I’d originally expected.”

“
Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe.”

“
If anything happens to you, who’s going to keep me safe from Marina?”

“
I’ll write and tell her what I’m doing. Mother’s big on individuals accepting responsibility for their actions. Too bad she never took her own advice.”

March 18, 1853

Mesilla, New Mexico

M
arina handed Josiah the letter she’d been reading. “Do you know about the Border Ruffians that are pouring into Kansas?”

“
Only what I read in the papers.”

“
Well, to gain intelligence about the Border Ruffians’ planned activities, Anna is sleeping with Senator Rucker
from Missouri who’s organizing the infiltration.”

“
She’s doin’ what?” he asked incredulously.

“
She says he’s very good in bed.”

“
What?” he gasped.

“
Read her letter.” Marina pointed to the pages in his hand.

“
After what you just said I ain’t sure that I should.”

“
Then give it back.”

“
I’m readin’, I’m readin’.” He held the letter at arm’s length and then moved it closer until it was in focus.

“
She says Johnny’s in love with Caitlin Livingston,” Marina said. “He writes to her every day.”

“
I’m readin’, Marina.”

“
He’s at the top of his class.”

Whipple looked at her. “Do you want me t’ read this or not?”

“
Read, read.”

Whipple continued, his eyes following Anna’s tight script; his lips moving to sound out each word; his bushy eyebrows knitted in concentration. At last, he gave Anna’s letter back to Marina. “I don’t understand none of the nonsense about Bleedin’ Kansas.”

“
Horace Greeley coined the phrase ‘Bleeding Kansas’ to sell newspapers.”

“
So what is it?”

“
It’s a border war that’s broken out between pro-slavers and anti-slavers in the new western territory and in some Missouri frontier towns, east of it.”

“
I got that part.”

She shrugged. “That’s all there is to it, Josiah. It’s a proxy war between the North and South over the issue of slavery in the United States.”

“
Slavery ain’t a new thing. What’s set off this proxy war?”

“
The proposed bill to split Nebraska will allow the citizens of each new territory to decide by popular vote if it’ll be a free or a slave state. In an effort to influence the votes, anti-slavery
Free-Staters
and pro-slavery
Border Ruffians
have already been crossing the border into Nebraska and claiming citizenship.”

“
What’s all the talk about her deliverin’ Beecher’s Bibles?”

“
Apparently Anna has befriended Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
. Mrs. Stowe’s brother, a New England minister by the name of Henry Ward Beecher, is shipping Sharps rifles to Kansas in crates marked as bibles. Thus: Beecher’s Bibles. He’s got a big ministry in Brooklyn which gives him access to the factories and railroads.”

“
So, Anna’s deliverin’ guns to Kansas?”

“
Yes. She and Nancy Vreeland apparently take a load once every few months.”

“
That’s plumb loco.”

“
That’s my Anna.”

“
Reckon we oughta go there?”

“
To Kansas?”

He nodded.

“
Wanderlust getting you down, Josiah?”

“
Maybe.”

Marina shrugged. “Why not? Robert’s there too. We can have a family reunion.”

“
We could even stop by and say hello to Tom and Jane on the way.”

“
Maybe on the way back.”

“
Why?”

“
I’d rather travel by riverboat during the hot weather. We can come back over the Chisholm Trail in the fall.”

“
Reckon we could spend a day or two in New Orleans?”

“
What for?”

“
Just to kick up our heels and make fools of ourselves.”

She smiled. “Yes. We could do that. You sweet man. You remembered that I said it was my favorite place.”

“
You never told me that. Must of been one of yer other fellers. When can we leave?”

“
I need to tie up a few loose ends.” Marina thought for a moment. “Is early next month soon enough?”

“
No, but I guess I can wait if you can.”

“
Have you ever seen an opera?” she asked, warming to the idea.

“
No. Have you ever seen the can-can?”

“
Yes. If you want to see ladies’ underwear, I can show you all you want.”

“
It ain’t the undies, Marina, it’s the legs and other parts in ‘em.”

“
I’ll bet I can still kick as high as those Parisian girls.”

“
Big talker.”

“
If I can deliver, can you?”

“
I think I might could.”

“
It’s a bet.”

He grinned. “I’m already winnin’ just thinkin’ about it.”

“
Prove it.” She tossed her head toward the hallway. “In the bedroom.”

April 6, 1853

Kansas River near Johnnycake, Kansas

I
t was a beautiful spring day and unseasonably warm. The river ahead was smooth with only some roiling eddies to break up the glass-like surface. Anna and Nancy were reclining in lounge chairs on the forward sundeck of the paddle wheeler
Kansas Belle
.

“
You should have one of these mint juleps,” Nancy said. “They’re delicious.”

“
I’d rather keep my wits until those crates are delivered, thank you,” Anna replied over the magazine she was reading.

“
We’re out of danger now.”

“
What makes you think so?”

“
Nobody’s going to challenge us when we unload at Lawrence,” Nancy said. “It’s controlled by Free-Staters.”

“
I don’t know if you’re delusional, drunk, or stupid.”

Nancy turned to look at her. “Why are you being such a bitch?”

Anna started to say something but changed her mind and took a letter from inside the back pages of the magazine. “I’m sorry, Nancy. This put me in a foul mood.” She gave the envelope to Nancy.

Nancy read the return address. “Where did you get this?”

“
It arrived as we were leaving. I stuck it inside this magazine and forgot it. I just came across it a few minutes ago. I wish I hadn’t.”

Nancy opened the letter and read the first page. “Why in the name of goodness did you tell your mother about your using
Senator Rucker to get information about the Border Ruffians?”

“
In a weak moment I promised Carla that I’d tell Mother.”

“
Carla?”

“
It’s a long story. I’ll tell you some other time.”

Nancy read a little more. “And you told Robert too? Are you mad?”

“
No, I didn’t tell Robert. Mother must have. She’s just adding his criticism to enhance her own bile.”

Nancy read the letter to the end and then gave it back to Anna. “She’s got no right to say such awful things about you when she’s about to go off to New Orleans with a man that isn’t her husband.”