Year of Jubilee (10 page)

Rafe took a deep breath and looked to the
river where a small boat passed. “I don’t reckon we’ll really
know.”

“Guess we’ll just trust the Lord.”

Rafe’s head snapped down to look at her, but
she’d turned back to the landscape. The woman never ceased to amaze
him. He’d searched to formulate some comforting words to ease her
mind, and out she came with such faith. Her statement shamed him
that he hadn’t mentioned it first.
God’s plan.

The red-faced man nudged Jubilee, and Rafe
gripped the rail as a barrier. “Yep, the Lord’s got it well in
hand.”

People soon lost interest in the river
plodding by, and Rafe and Jubilee found an empty bench. A few hours
later, in the huge gingerbread Salon, they dined on boiled fish in
gold-rimmed plates set on white tablecloths. Dark gentlemen served,
and Rafe noted Jubilee taking it all in with great interest. They
explored the hurricane deck later in the afternoon, but the sun was
so strong they returned to their bench below.

Dinner came and went and soon dusk
approached. Rafe kept an eye on the crowd, realizing riff-raff made
their rounds on folks’ money pouches. They sat on the front side of
the promenade deck, and he glanced at his partner. She was like a
kid in a candy shop with wide eyes, taking in the activity. She
never seemed to tire of the surroundings.

“So,” Rafe stretched out his legs. “Are you
enjoying the ride?

It was a safe question.

She turned shining eyes on him. “Oh, yes.
Thank you.”

He smiled, and she dropped hers gaze. “I
don’t suppose you’ve done much traveling?”

“No.”

“Me either.” He crossed his arms. “But I did
ride a packet up to Wheeling, Ohio back in ’48. My brother, Loyal,
was married there, and now that’s where he and Elizabeth live.”

“Is that your oldest brother?”

Rafe laughed. “Definitely not. I have four
brothers and three sisters.”

She remained silent for a time. “What are
their names again?”

Rafe chuckled. “You sure you’re ready for
that?”

Her large, dark eyes blinked at him. “I
suppose.”

He cocked his head. “All right. But
remember, you asked for it. The oldest is my brother Everett. He’s
married to Addie, and they have six kids, Rachel, Rebecca, Joshua,
Calvin, Orie, and Liza. Forrest and his wife, Mollie, have Elijah,
Cora, Hiram, and baby Zekiel. My oldest sister, Anna, is married to
Amos, and their children are Hugh, James, Samuel and Levi. All
boys. Phoebe is married to Isaac, and they have two girls, Lucy and
Emma. I already told you about Loyal and Elizabeth. He’s a doctor,
and they have two kids, Lizzie and Garvin.”

He gave her a crooked grin. “I’m almost
finished. Benjamin is married to Caroline, and they have Evangeline
and new baby Nellie. That just leaves Sarah and me. ’Course,
there’s Ma and Pa, my grandpa and grandma, Henry and Blanche
Tanner, and ma’s ma, Grandma Louisa Priddle, as well.”

“That’s a large family.”

“Yep, and all but Loyal live within a few
acres of each other.” He straightened and gentled his tone. “What
about you? How did you end up at the orphan’s home?”

* * *

Anxiety welled in Jubilee’s chest
.
Could it be safe to tell him such things? For all she knew, he was
fishing for information. She pulled her gaze from him, wishing she
understood his intentions. He seemed kind, and she was having a
grand time on this steamer, but…

A distant horn sounded ahead of them. People
moved to the front of the boat and the hubbub distracted Jubilee
and Rafe from their conversation. A few men broke away, yelling,
and jogged back to the stairway.

Jubilee stood. “What did he say?”

Rafe shook his head as he craned his neck to
see over the crowd. “Something about a boat that’s hit a snag. Come
on, let’s find out.”

He gripped her arm and escorted her to the
starboard rail, near the front. Sure enough, as they rounded the
bend on the right, a small side-wheeler leaned precariously, some
thirty feet from the south bank. On the stranded boat’s main deck,
a group of people waved and shouted toward the
Lil Bluebell
.
The steam engines growled as the big paddle stopped and
reversed.

“Looks like we’re going to pick them up.”
Rafe glanced back at the stern.

“How will they do that?”

“Not sure. But they’re in for a swim if we
don’t.”

The captain was as skilled as Rafe claimed,
and they butted against the smaller craft, a day excursion steamer
with twin side wheels fully covered from view. The name, ‘Rosemary
Marie,’ was emblazoned across the small pilot’s house. Next to her,
Rafe groaned.

Jubilee searched his pale face. “Are you
sick?”

His Adam’s apple bobbed. “No.”

Jubilee pulled her eyes from him and watched
the group cross over the makeshift gangplank to the main deck of
the
Lil Bluebell
. Seven people in all boarded. An older
pair, dressed in sleek, impeccable clothing, a captain with a crew
of two, and a younger couple. The woman caught Jubilee’s eye.

The flounces on the woman’s sky blue dress
glittered in the sunlight. The circumference of the bottom of the
skirt made it difficult for the elegant young man to escort her
across the beam to safety. The woman’s erect carriage had the
boisterous group on the main deck parting in awe. As she stepped
over the chasm, Jubilee was struck by her beauty. The dirty brutes
down below stumbled toward her to assist her aboard.

She swept the boat with a haughty gaze,
settling on Rafe with a slight lift of her chin. The smile she gave
the grungy mule skinner close by was dazzling, and she leaned
forward to speak to the man. He pointed off to the stairway that
led to the promenade deck where Jubilee and Rafe stood.

The crowd gasped and Jubilee’s eyes followed
the crowds to the handsome, white-sided wheeler as the entire boat
slipped below the surface. Only part of the pilothouse remained
above water. Her glance returned to the newest passengers below but
found they’d all disappeared.

* * *

“Rafe? Rafe Tanner? Rafe Uriah Tanner, I
knew you’d be back.”

Her husband stiffened beside her as he
turned toward the woman’s silky voice. Jubilee shifted as well. The
beautiful woman from the sinking day steamer strode straight toward
them. Behind her, a man skipped along to catch up, calling her name
softly. The man’s face became bland and his walk slowed when he
caught sight of Rafe.

The stranger cut quite a figure in his black
suit and topper. There was no denying he was handsome. He was
dark-haired and olive-skinned with a dimple in his chin, but he
lacked Rafe’s height and had to tip his head back to look him eye
to eye.

“Yes,” the woman stepped up to Rafe, her
gaze coy, and ran her fingers under his lapels, “people said you
were gone for good, Rafe Tanner. But
I
knew better. You
can’t stay away for long.”

Rafe cleared his throat before removing her
hands from his suit coat. “Hello, Rosemary.”

A giggle tinkled through the air. “Now,
Rafe, dear. Are you pretending you don’t know an old friend? Here
I’ve just been rescued from the cold waters of the Ohio, and you’ve
no comfort for me?”

The handsome stranger next to Rosemary
stepped up and held out his hand. Rafe hesitated only a moment
before clasping it in his own. “Dale.”

The man nodded, but the skin around his lips
whitened.

“Oh, Rafe. Who knew our day excursion would
join us up with you? What luck.” She linked her arm with his and
tugged at him. “Let’s sit and chat, shall we? We’ll catch up on old
times.”

Rafe pulled from her grasp.

“Actually, I’m here with my spouse.” Rafe
sidestepped her and reached back for Jubilee. “This is Jubilee, my
wife.”

The woman’s beautiful porcelain face became
ice. Her head turned stiffly on her starched neck, and Jubilee
worked hard not to cringe.

“Married?” The ice princess’s answer spun to
a higher pitch.

Rafe nodded and firmly affixed Jubilee’s
fingers around his forearm. “That’s right.”

At the hard note in his voice, Jubilee
glanced toward him. His jaw was clenched and his face seemed a bit
flushed.

Rosemary sniffed. “I see.”

The stranger next to Rosemary smiled and
slapped Rafe on the shoulder. “You old fox, you.”

Rafe’s body swelled as he took a deep
breath. “Yep, there’s an old fox here, that’s for sure.”

Jubilee’s eyes went from one man’s face to
the other. The stranger dropped his gaze to the river, and Rafe’s
nose flared.

“Forgive me, Jubilee,” Rafe said. “This is
Dale Harper. He and I went through the schoolhouse together.” He
gave a broad exaggerated sweep of his hand. “And this is Rosemary
Harper. His wife.”

The man locked glances with Jubilee. “Nice
to meet you.”

“Mr. Harper.” She nodded. She glanced at
Rosemary, who perused her with a frosty gaze. “Mrs. Harper.”

“We had a lot of good times.” Rafe’s tones
indicated otherwise.

Dale lifted his head with a dash of regret
in his eyes. “Yes, we did.”

Rosemary snapped her face toward Rafe’s, her
gaze melting to pleasure. “We simply must dine together. Father
will be here shortly. Getting rid of a ship’s captain is such nasty
business.”

“I’m not sure I follow you.” Rafe’s voice
was cool.

She gestured back in the direction of the
small craft, now beyond the wake of the huge steamer. “Father won’t
continue to employ such an incompetent man as Captain Gains. We
just christened the new ‘Rosemary Marie’ two weeks ago. And I’m
sure his crew is finished as well.” She clapped her hands
gracefully and gave a sly smile. “Perhaps he’ll listen to me now
and commission a full-size steamer. After all, he does own the
company.”

Jubilee’s gaze flicked to Rafe’s. His face
grew stiffer and his eyes narrowed.

“I’m afraid we’ve already eaten and it’s
rather late. Terribly nice to meet you both again, but we’re ready
to retire to our cabins.” And, with that, Rafe bid them farewell
over Rosemary’s complaints and escorted Jubilee toward the women’s
section.

* * *

Jubilee said goodnight to Rafe as he made a
hasty exit to the gentlemen’s quarters. She should be exhausted
from all the excitement, yet restlessness filled her. Her cabin was
small, almost claustrophobic. The bed lay against the wall, which
provided more walking room. Once she pulled it down, there’d be
little space. A tiny built-in dresser with a small mirror hung near
the door. Her satchel rested on the floor next to the wall under a
petite round window. No other chair or other amenities graced the
area.

But she wasn’t ready for bed. Instead, she
paced. Her stomach churned from the awkward meeting with the
Harpers. The encounter reminded her of when the Orphan board
reprimanded one of the children. Everyone would be called to the
large downstairs foyer where the offense was plainly outlined for
all viewers, and the offender caned severely. Jubilee hugged
herself and shuddered.

More puzzling still was the transformation
of Rafe. On the farm he appeared so informal and at ease. Even his
speech had a tint of a lazy southern drawl. Tonight his words had
been clipped and formal, nothing like the man she’d come to know in
the last few weeks.

Rafe. She stopped pacing and looked around
the small wooden space. A few short weeks back she’d possessed only
a complete and utter fear of the man. Now, bereft of his presence,
she missed the man’s bulk and comfort.

Sighing loudly to herself, she realized the
idiocy of her thoughts.
Do I trust him or not?
Maybe it was
just pity. Yes, that was surely what she was feeling. And perhaps a
dash of resentment toward the Harpers for ruining the evening.

She pulled the bed down with a bit more
force than necessary. At least the linens appeared clean. The cabin
was now completely ensconced in darkness, and she saw no sense in
searching for a lantern. She undressed quickly and lay on the hard,
narrow bunk. It’d take a long time to fall asleep, she was sure,
with Rafe’s granite face swimming before her eyes.

Tomorrow will be better.
The steamer
would creep along all night, and they’d arrive at New Albany
sometime in the morning. The Harpers would be nothing but a memory
after they stepped upon the dock. Then she and Rafe would only have
to deal with his family. She yawned.
She and Rafe?
Drifting
off to sleep, she pondered the slip in her thoughts.

Rafe opened his eyes and brought his hands
up to rub his face. He groaned.
Rosemary
. On this steamer.
He threw off the covers and swung his legs to the floor but made no
effort to get up. Avoiding the Harpers became the main goal today.
They’d be pulling into the dock at New Albany soon, so it was
possible.

He lifted his head to stare at the wall.
Rosemary’s beauty hadn’t waned a bit. No way around it, she
appeared as gorgeous as he remembered. Blonde hair, blue eyes,
flawless porcelain skin, the slight pout to her full mouth, and an
eyebrow that had a tendency to lift as she twirled her lacy
parasol. She wasn’t a short person, maybe medium build, with a tiny
waist and that haughty way of carrying herself with her chin
elevated.

Clad in the height of fashion, usually
pastels, she displayed the manners of a high society lady. Rafe’s
stomach tightened, as did his jaw. He still craved the sight of
her, still cared for her, and at the same time detested her. He
gritted his teeth. She was now married to Dale.
Someone else’s
wife.

Jubilee. What in the world had she thought
about the Harpers? Particularly Rosemary, with her hands on his
lapels. He ran a hand through his mussed hair. He and Jubilee had
agreed to appear as a normal couple. Rosemary’s presence, however,
would make that a difficult task.