at her flushed cheeks and huge, frightened eyes told him of her distress.
'Luke,' she whispered, ' I saw Wade!''
Luke froze in his tracks. 'Did he see you?'
'Yes.' Perry took a deep breath and placed a small hand to her pounding heart. 'I don't think he followed me through the crowd.'
'You run on home, Miss Perry. I'll wait here for a few minutes to make sure.' Luke's exhaustion was completely forgotten as he turned a sharp eye back up the street. He was a simple man, and over the years he'd cared little for most people, yet he'd risk his life to stand between Captain Williams and Miss Perry.
She didn't hesitate. Without another word she ran toward home. The memory of the night she'd left Three Oaks pounded in her head, along with her footsteps. He'd given her more than bruises to remember. He'd taught her the meaning of terror. The taste of it was thick in her mouth, like the blood and dirt had been a month ago. She wouldn't allow him to hurt her again. She would die fighting first.
For the remainder of the afternoon Perry went about her work, her nerves as sensitive as burned flesh. Luke kept a constant eye on the street and saw nothing. Still, she couldn't relax. Every little sound made her back stiffen. Even Molly's constant reassurance did little to relieve her nerves. She knew that somewhere in Philadelphia, Wade Williams was looking for her. From the hatred she'd seen in his eyes, he wouldn't stop until she was dead.
As darkness grew, so did Perry's fears. Wade seemed to her a creature of shadows. Even after she locked herself into the small study and people began to fill the restaurant, she couldn't relax. She knew Luke stood at the foot of the stairs and would allow no one to venture up. Yet she kept up her pace. Now that Wade knew she was alive, he wouldn't stop until he found her. She knew his pride would fan his anger into an all-consuming fire. If he found her, he would see her dead this time, as well as all those who tried to help her.
A light tapping on her door interrupted Perry's thoughts. 'It's me,' Molly announced. 'Open up.'
Perry dashed to the door and turned the lock.
'I brought our supper up.' Molly stated the obvious as she labored with the heavy tray through the room and set their dinner on the small table. 'You wouldn't believe the people downstairs. Seems the word's out about a body bein' in our attic. You'd think that would discourage folks, but it seems to fascinate them.' Molly laughed. 'Tonight we not only provide the food but the dinner topic as well. And everybody is so nice to me. They even ask me to sit and talk with 'em. Like I was a lady.'
'You've always been a lady to me,' Perry answered honestly.
'Maybe to you, child, but not to the rest of the world. You know, I think folks treat me nicer just because you're around.'
'I'm not downstairs.'
'Yes, but you started it somehow, I just know you did. I lived my whole life without so many people treating me good as they have this last month with you here.'
Perry pulled a chair away from the window and examined the dishes before her. 'You make me feel safe. Maybe I was overly frightened by Wade this morning.'
Molly patted Perry's hand. 'You're not defenseless now. Luke and me will take care of anyone coming around bothering you.'
Perry lacked Molly's confidence but tried not to show it. She remembered Wade, the way his eyes burned in anger when he'd seen her. Somewhere out there in the night he was still looking for her. She could feel him coming toward her. She bit into a piece of bread and stared out the window into the backyard. She could feel him coming the way a farmer feels a storm.
Molly chattered, unmindful of Perry's lack of response. 'If I thought there be any chance of him findin' you, I'd see you packed away from Philadelphia. Maybe on that boat leaving at dawn tomorrow with Hunter. Though I'm not sure about that Mr. Kirkland. He looks like he would see after your welfare, but you never know how a man's gonna act without land under his feet.''
Hunter's name drew Perry's attention. 'Oh, Molly, Hunter would be a gentleman.'
'Now, Perry,' Molly answered between bites, 'I've known a great many men in my day, and one thing I believe is that underneath every gentleman is a man. Heed my warning: If you push a gentleman too far, you'll see the man.'
'I guess you're right,' Perry whispered, more to her reflection in the window than to Molly. 'I know the gentle, even-tempered Hunter from months ago, but the man beneath frightens me.'
'There's time enough for you to get over your fears.' Molly helped herself to another spoonful of potatoes. 'Fear's a funny thing. I've always been scared to death of lawmen, but today, when they came to pick up the body, they was real polite-like to me.
'They said there's nothin' to worry about with the nephews, but just to make me feel better they put a guard out front to watch for them.'
Staring into the darkness, Perry heard Luke's heavy steps moving up the stairs. His familiar knock shook the walls as always. A second later the knob turned and he entered the office. 'Beg your pardon, ladies, but the sheriff just sent this note over.''
Perry almost ran to Luke, but Molly waited patiently for Perry to read as she sopped the last bit of gravy from her plate. Notes were not so exciting to someone who couldn't read.
A smile spread across Perry's face as she read. 'They've caught the nephews, and both gave detailed confessions.'
She waved the note in a large sweep about the room as Luke let out a hoot and Molly clapped her hands together. 'This calls for a celebration,' Molly ordered. 'Luke, go down to the cellar and get a bottle of the special wine Old Henry had. I'll check and make sure all's well downstairs. We can all meet in Old Henry's room in a few minutes and have a toast to our health.'
Turning to Perry, Molly added, 'You best stay up here. We'll be back in a few minutes.'
The room was suddenly empty. Perry moved to her desk and folded the maps she'd spent the day looking over. She decided that when Hunter returned, shed ask him to take a look at the yellowed maps. Who knows, they might be of use to someone somewhere. They were certainly doing no good here. Molly hated sailing, and Perry had only been out of sight of land a few times in her life.
Placing the maps back in the strongbox, she picked up her lamp and moved into Molly's bedroom to wait for the others. The fire was out in the room that Molly always called 'Old Henry's room.' Perry placed the lamp on a side table and moved back into the darkened study to retrieve her shawl. As she covered her shoulders she looked out the window. Luke moved toward the cellar door in a slow, even pace. She smiled as she watched him, remembering how he'd carried Hunter over his broad shoulders all those months ago.
As Luke bent down to pull the heavy door open, Perry noticed a movement in the shadows behind him. For a moment it looked as though the shadow of the shed extended suddenly toward him. Then a dark form broke from its concealment and the outline of a man moved toward Luke. The creature's cape blew gently in the evening breeze, revealing a thin, wiry form beneath its folds. Gasping for air, she recognized the stride of Wade Williams even without seeing his face. Before she could move, the figure in black stepped behind Luke. The shrill screech of Luke pulling the cellar door open blended with his low moan as Wade struck him from behind. Luke tumbled headlong into the cellar, as lifeless as a bag of potatoes.
Frozen against the window, Perry watched as Wade pushed closed the latch to the cellar and melted back into the shadows. Two other dark figures moved from the cover of trees to join Wade. They were dressed in ragged clothes and looked as though they had just crawled from some gutter.
A tiny shrill cry escaped her lips as the door behind her opened. With trembling fingers she gripped the gun Abram had given her. Slowly she turned to meet her intruder.
'Lord, little lady, what's gotten into you?' Molly stared at her in confusion. 'You look like you just seen a murder.'
'I may have,' Perry whispered. 'Wade is in the backyard with some other men.' She was suddenly afraid that her words might drift down to him and give her hiding place away.
'Are you sure, child?' Molly joined her at the window.
'I just saw him club Luke and lock him in the cellar. I'll get the other guns,' Perry whispered in panic as she ran to her room.
'Now settle down,' Molly ordered as she followed. 'There be a house full of people downstairs. My guess is he's waitin' till later, when the crowd dies down. He may be figuring to get us one at a time.' Molly's bright eyes
