Chapter 5

Clive was furious for the deception that was played on him. The cousin from Massachusetts had wired them to say that Nana had arrived safely but Elizabeth was nowhere to be found. Clive went back over the itinerary of the ship the two women had taken and found that it had made one stop only, on the coast of Ireland. He arrived at the Walker estate and stormed into the parlour where Elizabeth's parents were having their afternoon tea.

"She skipped ship!" he yelled.

Terrence Walker looked up from taking a sip of tea. "What?"

"Elizabeth never made it to America. She got off at the one stop they made, in Ireland!"

"How could she? She was supposed to stay on the ship until they reached America," he said perplexed.

"I don't know if you've noticed or not, Terrence, but your daughter doesn't always do what she's told to."

Terrence couldn't ignore the dryness of Clive's tone. "She is a headstrong girl, but she's always done what she's supposed to before," frowned Terrence.

Clive stopped his pacing and became thoughtful. "Terrence, whom could she possibly know in Ireland that would help her?"

"I don't know," said Terrence simply.

"Wait a moment, I know," piped up Elizabeth's mother. "Dear, don't you remember her little school friend? They had a summer home in Ireland, why Elizabeth used to stay there with her during some holidays."

Terrence looked at Clive. "Of course! I don't know why we didn't think of that before. She must be there at....oh, what was that little blonde girl's name?...Rachel,...Rachel.....Fitzpatrick!" he exclaimed in triumph.

"Then I'm off to get her," growled Clive as he stormed out of the room.

Elizabeth was unaware of Clive's search for her as the next few months were a whirlwind of activities. Lina took her all over Spain and Italy, showing her all of the historical sites and museums, the restaurants and shops. Once a week, they would go to the opera house and mingle with the wealthy people afterwards, and as much as Elizabeth enjoyed those evenings, she was much happier being with Lina and going off on their own little tours around the countryside.

Elizabeth's baby was growing rapidly within her, and she was thankful for Lina's foresight in helping her to pick out her maternity clothes, picking out the right styles that allowed her belly to expand and still look feminine. Lina insisted on lace and silks when Elizabeth would have been just as happy with cottons, but since Lina was paying for it, Elizabeth let her choose her wardrobe. The amazing thing was men would stop to look at her in admiration, even though she was showing signs of her pregnancy, and Elizabeth knew it was because of Lina's excellent taste in clothing.

Elizabeth kept her word to Rachel and wrote to her once a week, telling her of her grand adventures as companion to a wealthy widow. She was careful, though, to always sign her letters under her assumed name, in case Clive was still trying to find her. Rachel responded to her letters, telling her that Nana had found employment, not with Elizabeth's cousin in Massachusetts, but with another wealthy family in Delaware. She was content for now, but missed Elie terribly, and wondered how she was doing. Elizabeth went to Lina for advice on whether or not she should write to Nana.

"Of course you should, dear, there's no possible way Clive could track Nana down, or you, through your letters to each other," Lina said with a smile. So Elizabeth dashed off a letter to Nana, telling her of her new life and of the child growing within her. Sometimes, when Lina was busy with some project or errand, Elizabeth would sit on the veranda of their rented house, a hand on her expanding belly, and a wistful smile on her face as she thought about the Medjai chief. She wondered if he had married Anara by now, and if they were busy having children of their own. A stab of jealousy rose up within her as she thought of Ardeth holding another woman in his arms, but then she decided that if anyone had to marry Ardeth, she would rather it be the young beauty from his village that had befriended her that day.

Elizabeth was well into her seventh month of pregnancy when Lina decided it was time to go home. It was getting harder for Elizabeth to walk and she had to take frequent naps, so Lina had the servants pack up their belongings and they headed back to Vincennes. They had barely walked into the grand hallway when Nanette came to them, with a bundle of mail in her hands.

"Here is the mail that has been waiting for you to come home, Madame 'Lina."

"Oh Nanette, can't it wait until we get unpacked?" said Lina in exhaustion.

"Not all of it."

Both Elizabeth and Lina froze at the tension in Nanette's voice.

"What is it, Nanette?" demanded Lina.

Nanette handed an envelope to Elizabeth. "This one, is marked urgent, from Rachel. I opened it, in case it was of a tragic nature..." she faded as she looked at Elizabeth with concern in her eyes.

Elizabeth unfolded the letter and quickly read through it, gasping as she reached the end of it.

"Elie, what is it?" asked Lina anxiously.

"It's Clive! He's searching for me! He's been to Rachel's house, threatening her if she doesn't tell him my location."

"Is she all right?"

"Yes, she's fine. She says she told him that I had stopped by and asked for money, and that she gave it to me, but didn't know where I had gone off to."

Lina sighed in relief. "Then you're safe! She didn't reveal your location, and there's no one else who knows where you are. You have nothing to worry about." Lina stopped as she saw the worried look on Elizabeth's face. "What is it, my dear?"

"You don't know Clive like I know him. He will never stop looking for me. Someday, somehow, he will figure out where I've gone. I can't stay here and put you in any danger. I must leave."

"Absolutely not! You will be safe here, I promise. Besides, where would you go, seven months pregnant? No, you will stay here with me. We will see this through together. You are my family now."

Elizabeth couldn't stop the tears that overflowed and ran down her cheeks. "You are so good to me! Thank you Lina, for everything you have done for me!" She hugged the older woman, while Nanette had the servants take all the luggage up to their respective rooms.

"You are welcome my dear. We'll take this one day at a time, all right? Good. Now, let's see if we can get this house back in order, shall we?" Lina took Elizabeth's hand in hers and they walked off down the hallway together.

Elizabeth was glad to be home, and both she and Lina settled themselves into days full of pleasurable routines. They would have breakfast together in the mornings, walk around the town and visit various shopkeepers as they ran their small errands, then a light lunch, followed by afternoons of tea, during which, Elizabeth would read or sing to Lina while the older woman did her needlepoint. Afterwards, Elizabeth would take a short nap, awaking in time to freshen up for dinner, and then some evenings, they would go to the local theatre or just sit in the parlour and chat for hours on end. Lina had a wealth of experiences to relate and Elizabeth listened to them all in great detail, filing away the bits of wisdom for future reference in her own life.

One evening while they were sitting in the parlour, listening to the phonograph, Elizabeth unconsciously gave a wistful sigh. Lina looked at her sharply.

"Elie, are you all right? Is it the baby?"

"What? Oh, no, I was just thinking about Nana and wondering how she is fairing."

Lina looked thoughtful for a moment. "I've been thinking about things Elie and I think we should have Nana here with us."

Elizabeth couldn't keep the hopeful look from her face. "What?"

"You need a nurse here to help you with the baby when I can't do it, so why not have it be someone you trust? Besides, you have told me so much about this woman, I feel like I know her already."

"You mean, you want her to come live in this house with us?" asked Elizabeth breathily.

"Yes! Why not?" inquired Lina. Elizabeth had no answer for her, so she proceeded. "Write to her and tell her to come straight away. Your baby will be here momentarily!"

Elizabeth laughed at that but rang for Nanette to bring her writing papers to her. Nanette brought them and Elizabeth wrote a quick note to Nana, while Lina informed Nanette of the new living arrangements that would soon take place.

The letter was posted the next day, and it was barely three weeks later when the front door was opened and there stood Nana, with Pierre carrying her cases behind her.


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