The Gentle Rebel (36 page)

“And you think ordering him here will do that?”

“It can’t be any worse than it is,” he said grimly. “You see how hurt Julie is by the way he’s acting.”

Molly was disturbed by what Adam had done, but she said nothing to Julie, and when Nathan walked in that evening, she saw the girl’s face turn pale as paper. But she had risen at once, and going to stand in front of him, she had said quietly, “Nathan, I’ve been wanting to tell you how sorry I am—for what I did to you.”

Nathan stared down at her, searching her eyes to find something, and there was a combination of hurt and bitterness in his face. He said briefly, “I suppose it was something you had to do.”

The coldness of his reply and the harsh light in his face
struck her like a blow, and she bit her lip and said, “I’ll never forget what you did for me, Nathan. I—I hope you’ll be able to think of me a little more gently—after a while.”

She had left the room, and Molly saw that Adam was as angry as she had ever seen him. Before he could speak, she said quickly, “Nathan, try to see it from her side—she was so alone, and you helped her as nobody else could. I’ve never seen a human being as grateful as she is to you.”

“You knew about her, didn’t you?”

“Well, yes—”

“And I found out that Daniel Greene and his mother knew. Why was
I
left out?”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Nathan!” Adam exclaimed. “You sound like a spoiled brat, crying because you got left out! I’ve been so confounded proud of you—but now, I’m ashamed to see you filled with hate for a girl who’s been through a terrible time!”

His words struck Nathan hard, for he treasured the approval of his father as much as anything in the world. But stubbornness pressed his lips together, and he said tightly, “I don’t hate—her.” Both of them saw how difficult it was for him to even mention the thing, and Molly knew the sensitive spirit that was in him. He was, to Adam, a man come to full strength, but she was aware that beneath the militant air, Nathan had a childlike quality.

The atmosphere was tense, and Nathan soon left, his head high and with a pallor under his tan. “Well, that wasn’t exactly the best idea I ever had, was it, Molly?” Adam sighed, staring after him.

“I think you did the right thing,” she said promptly, and came to put her arm around him. “He’s so confused, Adam. But he’s good at heart, so we’ll just have to be patient until God gets him through this thing.”

“There’s not much time, though. Sampson could be back with those blasted legal papers any time.” He sighed and
turned to go look out into the darkness through the window. “I wish the Lord would do something quick.”

“You know, I have an idea,” Molly said slowly. “Maybe there’s a way we can hurry things up.” There was, he saw, a far-off light in her gray eyes; he had learned long ago that when his wife got such a look, things usually happened.

“Oh, Molly, I can’t do it!” Julie wailed. She was standing in the middle of the floor staring at herself in the mirror. “Everybody will stare at me!”

“That’s the idea, Julie—or part of it.” Molly was on her knees working on the hem of the beautiful white dress that she and Julie had bought that afternoon. She stood up, stepped back, and gave the girl a critical look, then nodded. “You’ll be the best-looking girl at the ball. But when—” A knock at the door interrupted her, and she said, “There’s Friend Daniel. Now you mind what I told you.”

“It’ll never work!” Julie moaned, and she thought back to the day when Molly had come to her with the idea.
Nathan can’t think of you as anything but a man, Julie—so we’ll have to let him see you as a woman! There’s a ball in three days, and Nathan will be there. We’ll buy you the prettiest dress in Boston, pretty you up, and when Nathan sees you as a young woman, he’ll just have to think differently!

Julie, reluctant, had finally agreed, but now that the time had come, she stood there filled with apprehension as Molly admitted Daniel. “Why, Julie . . . !” Daniel came into the room, and stopped dead still as he caught sight of her, his eyes widening.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” Molly beamed.

“Very.” Daniel came closer, and Julie’s color rose as he stared at her as if he’d never seen her before. Then he shook his head and smiled. “Well, I told thee, Mrs. Winslow, I feel pretty strange, a Friend going to a worldly ball.” His eyes crinkled with humor and his smile broadened as he added,
“But I reckon this young lady is going to need some protection—looking like that!”

“I don’t want to go!”

“You have to,” Molly said firmly, and began herding them toward the door. “I’d love to see Nathan when he gets his first glimpse of you in that dress! You’ll have to tell me all about it when you get home.”

Daniel had a carriage, and he helped her into it, then climbed in and took the lines. “We’re going to be late.”

“Dan, let’s don’t go to the ball!” she pleaded. “We can just drive around and talk.”

He didn’t answer for a time, waiting until they had passed along the wide streets lined with elms. Finally he glanced at her, huddled up and looking completely miserable. “To tell the truth, Julie, that’s what I was going to try to talk thee into doing. Thee knows how I feel about thee, and it’s a mark of grace that I’m willing to let Nathan see thee.”

“He won’t care, Daniel.”

“Well, if he doesn’t, you’ll have faithful Friend Daniel Greene waiting for thee, Julie.”

She didn’t answer, and all too soon they pulled up in front of a huge mansion brightening the sky with a myriad of lights. Dan handed the lines to a servant, then helped her down. They passed up a walk as wide as a city street, then through a set of massive doors into a spacious foyer. Through a set of double doors on their right, they could see a large crowd, with music echoing around the two as they entered the room.

“Well, this is a little different from our Sabbath meeting, isn’t it, Julie?” Dan said quietly, looking over the room with interest.

The brilliantly colored dresses of the women—red, green, blue—were highlighted by thousands of small candles set in the massive chandeliers overhead. Everyone seemed to be moving, some of them dancing and others going around the edges of the room, visiting the refreshment tables or engaging in conversation, and the hum of talk and laughter almost
drowned out the small orchestra that played at the far end of the room. Many of the revelers were officers, and their buff-and-blue uniforms set them off from the civilians, who wore darker colors.

“Let’s go over to the tables,” Dan said. “Friends aren’t much on dancing.”

As Julie followed him through the crowd, she became aware that she was the target for many eyes. A woman dressed in a scarlet dress stared at her, then asked, loudly enough for her to hear, “Who is that?” Her escort, a tall major in the uniform of the 19th Maryland, leaned down and whispered in her ear, and the woman’s eyes gleamed. “So—
that’s
the one!” Then she had said something to a woman on her left, and the two of them had laughed.

By the time they reached the table, Dan had noted the sensation they were creating, and said, “Don’t let it bother you. Some people aren’t kind.”

Julie stood there enduring the stares and the comments that were aimed at her, longing more than anything to run out of the room. Then suddenly someone stood before her, and she looked up to see Colonel Knox. He smiled down at her, then said, “My wife is a very jealous woman, Miss Sampson, so I’ll probably pay for this—but I must have a dance with the loveliest woman in the room!”

Julie found herself dancing around the room before she had time to think. Knox, though large, was very light on his feet, and by the time the dance was over, Julie realized that he had asked her to dance in order to put his stamp of approval on her. “You’ve been so kind to me, Colonel,” she whispered as he took her back to Daniel.

He gave her arm a squeeze and whispered, “You and that bunch of Christians will pray this thing out!” Then he was gone, but three officers jostled each other for her next dance, the winner being a smiling Virginian from Adam’s company. He was followed by a tall captain from Glover’s Marblehead fishermen, and then by a series of others.

Nathan and Abigail arrived late, but Daniel had been watching for them. He went across the room before they had a chance to speak to anyone else, saying, “Nathan, I haven’t had the honor of meeting thy fiancee.” He bowed as Nathan made the introductions, saying, “My congratulations to both of thee.”

“Are you alone, Mr. Greene?” Abigail asked.

“No—but my partner has proved to be so popular that I’m quite left out.” At that moment, Julie passed by not twenty feet away, floating on the arm of a youthful brigadier. “I believe thee knows her?”

Abigail straightened suddenly, her eyes narrowing, but it was Nathan that Dan was watching. His lips parted and his bright blue eyes recorded his incredulity. “That’s
Laddie?
” he whispered, not conscious that he had used the familiar name.

“Not Laddie,” Daniel corrected. “Miss Julie Sampson. Lovely, isn’t she?”

The dress that Julie wore was pure white, with a voluminous skirt and a tight bodice that revealed her slim figure. Her hair was short but Molly had arranged it into a halo that framed her face with glossy black ringlets. She wore only one piece of jewelry, a gold locket with a green stone that glittered on her neck. Her skin was flawless, and Nathan, in shock, stared at the fully curved lips, the almond-shaped eyes, and the beautifully arched brows.

“I’m claiming your first dance, Miss Howland,” Daniel said, and with a gleam in his brown eyes added innocently, “Nathan, I’m sure thee can get a dance with Miss Sampson if thee hurry.” He moved so quickly that neither of them had time to react. “Now, Miss Howland . . .” he was saying as he took her hand and led her to the floor, “I’m just a poor parson, so you’ll have to excuse my dancing . . . !”

Nathan stood there, tempted to follow Daniel and reclaim Abigail. The anger and bitterness he’d nourished for days over Julie’s deception, however, had faded to some extent, and a sudden wave of curiosity ran through him. He quickly
walked across the floor, stepped in front of a dandified young man who was pushing forward to claim the next dance, and said, “Will you dance with me, Miss Sampson?”

The sight of him towering above her touched Julie’s nerves so sharply she could only nod and murmur, “Of course.” The touch of his hand seemed to tingle, and as he guided her across the floor, there was a dreamlike quality about it.

He looked down at her, and thought suddenly,
Why, she’s so small!
She was tall, but slim and fine-boned. Her head was down, and he stared at the classic lines of her face, the delicate features, marveling at her grace and beauty. Finally, she lifted her head and smiled at him with tremulous lips, whispering, “Do you hate me so much, Nathan?”

Her gentleness went straight through him like a knife, and he felt a rush of affection as the early times he’d had with her came flooding back. He started to speak, then noticed that they were the center of attention for many. “I have to talk to you,” he said abruptly, and as they passed close to a pair of French doors, he led her off the floor. The doors opened to a low balcony that overlooked a large garden. The moon was bright overhead, and the muted sound of the music was almost ghostly on the air.

He paused, and looking down on her said, “I—I can’t believe how terribly I’ve treated you—Julie.” It was the first time he’d used her first name and it warmed her, as did his whole attitude.

“It wasn’t your fault, Nathan. I know the things they’ve been saying—all the horrible jokes . . . !”

He shook his head and began to pace back and forth, his face twisted with shame. For several minutes he poured out on himself a litany of guilt, and she made no move to stop him. Finally he paused and she said, “Nathan—will you do me a favor?”

“Of course!”

She came to stand before him, putting out her hands. “Let’s remember the good times, not these last few days!”

He took her hands, marveling that he’d never noticed how slender her fingers were. Her face was turned up to him, and he said, “That’s good of you, Julie. I’d like that a lot. There were some good times, weren’t there?”

Her lips parted and she said, “Oh, yes! You’re the kindest man I’ve ever known! And—and I’ll always love you!”

It was Nathan’s turn to be shocked, and he thought he had misunderstood her. Bending down to put his face close to hers, he said, “I didn’t hear you.”

Julie knew that she was terribly wrong, but his gentleness had weakened her, and she slowly raised her hands and put them behind his neck, and pulling his head down, she whispered, “I said
I love you!
” And then she closed her eyes and kissed him full on the lips.

Nathan had never felt such a shock, and the touch of her soft lips was sweeter than anything he had dreamed existed. He held her, his arms going around her without thought, and the music that floated on the air seemed to brush against his mind.

“Well, Nathan? I see you and
Laddie
are getting along well!”

Nathan straightened up, whirled, and was appalled to see Abigail with Friend Daniel Greene standing at her side. She was furious, and he could not have uttered one word to save his soul.

Daniel had seen the kiss, and he knew something in his own soul of the bitter jealousy flashing out of Abigail’s eyes. But years of developing Quaker-style patience came to his rescue, and as he looked at the three of them—he made himself smile. Putting a hand on Abigail’s arm, he said, “Well, thee mustn’t be too upset, Miss Howland. Nathan’s mother tells me he was always an affectionate young fellow.”

But Abigail did not smile. She grabbed Nathan’s arm, snatched him away from Julie and practically dragged him off the balcony.

“Looks like Friend Nathan’s in for a trip to the woodshed,”
Dan observed wryly. Then he said, “I’ve had about all the fun I can stand for one night. Is thee about ready to leave?”

“Yes!”

She followed him as he left the balcony, and when they pulled out of the driveway in the carriage, Daniel looked back at the house and shook his head, remarking, “Guess worldly pleasure’s not all it’s rumored to be. Always wondered about that.”