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  ‘Toward the Meetinghouse.’

  ‘Could he have been leaving the village?’

  ‘M-maybe.’ Putting her hands over her face, Pearl began weeping wildly. Rees struggled to maintain his patience.

  ‘You weren’t hurt,’ Esther said, her voice taking on an impatient crispness. ‘He didn’t speak to you or even, as far as I believe, notice you in the slightest. I don’t understand these foolish vapors. Cease your crying before I shake some sense into you.’ Rees turned a look of admiration on Esther. He guessed she had realized what he had: Pearl had recovered from her initial terror and was beginning to playact, hungry for the attention. Esther offered him a slight smile.

  Pearl gulped twice more but when Esther offered her a handkerchief the girl took it and wiped her face. ‘But he might have seen me,’ she offered in a trembling voice. ‘And he might have killed me as he did the other Sister—’

  ‘He didn’t,’ Esther said. She shook her head at the girl. ‘Now you are just putting on your own little tragedy.’

  ‘How did you come to be among the Shakers?’ Rees asked. He thought a neutral remark might calm her.

  ‘How did I come to be among Shakers?’ Pearl repeated, her voice rising in surprise. Esther threw Rees a look but she did not speak. Pearl took a deep breath. ‘My father said I would never marry,’ she replied. ‘That I had a face like the ass of a mule and no man would ever want me. I should be grateful I had a home and food on the table.’ As she spoke she straightened up and the quivering that had shook her delicate frame ceased.

  Now it was Rees’s turn to be surprised. He could not imagine anyone saying something so hurtful to this beautiful young girl. ‘That must have been very difficult for you,’ he said. Pearl nodded and wiped her eyes with a flourish of her handkerchief.

  ‘Answer Mr Rees’s questions now,’ Esther said. ‘Was the man leaving?’

  Pearl frowned at the floor. ‘Yes, he was probably leaving the village,’ she said in a distinctly sullen tone.

  Rees stared hard at the girl. ‘How do you know he was the same individual who murdered your Sister?’ he asked.

  ‘He wore buckskin.’

  ‘Did he carry a rifle?’ Rees asked.

  ‘No.’ Pearl’s gaze shifted to the ceiling. ‘I didn’t see one anyway.’

  ‘Was he tall or short?’ Rees asked a little desperately. ‘Young or old?’

  ‘Tall. Very tall,’ Pearl said. Rees thought that that answer was not helpful. Most likely everyone looked tall to the diminutive Pearl. Then the girl continued. ‘He wasn’t old, though. He was young. Probably just a few years older than me.’ Then her lips curved into a smile. ‘He was handsome.’

  ‘Young?’ Esther repeated, directing an astonished gaze at Rees. He shook his head at her, ever so subtly, and she closed her lips over the words she’d intended to say.

  Rees repeated a few more of his questions, using different words, but Pearl’s story did not change and finally he indicated he was finished. Esther told the young girl she could return to her chores.

  ‘Are there two strange men roaming the streets of Zion?’ Esther asked when Pearl had disappeared through the door.

  ‘It seems so,’ Rees replied.

  ‘I’d sooner believe that child was embellishing,’ Esther said, shaking her head. ‘No good can come of strange men running through the streets of our little village.’ She chewed her lip. ‘I am puzzled about one thing.’ Her voice trailed away.

  ‘Yes?’ Rees said.

  ‘As far as I know, she never met her father,’ Esther said. ‘Her mother brought her here about five years ago and dropped her off. Her mother …’ She stopped short but Rees could interpret the silence.

  ‘Was no better than she should be.’ He finished the phrase.

  Esther nodded. ‘I believe Pearl is waiting for her mother to return.’ she sighed. ‘Although if she did it would not be to collect her child but to recover her valuables.’

  ‘So where did Pearl hear that scene that she described so movingly?’ he asked.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Esther said.

  ‘From one of the other girls maybe?’

  ‘Maybe,’ Esther agreed, her forehead wrinkling. ‘Maybe not. Pearl makes up stories. And she likes the boys. Handsome indeed.’ She sniffed disapprovingly. ‘She has to be prevented from hanging out the window and waving at the boys when their caretaker leads them past.’

  Rees wondered if any of the girls had a clearer picture of Pearl. Did he trust any of the young Sisters to tell him the unvarnished truth? Of course he did. Annie, the girl he’d rescued from a bawdy house, still lived here. She believed – falsely Rees thought – that Billy, the young boy she’d loved in Salem would come for her when he finished his time at sea. ‘Do you know where Annie is now?’ he asked.

  ‘In the laundry, I believe,’ Esther said. ‘I’ll come with you.’

  ‘I suspect she will speak more freely to me alone,’ Rees said. Esther paused, looking disappointed Rees thought, and then nodded. ‘Very well. One of the other Sisters will be present.’

  Rees made his way to the stone building at the extreme southern end of the village. He could smell it before he saw it; an odor of wet wool and hot irons. The Sister in charge of the laundry this week seemed disposed to forbid him entrance until he threatened to leave and return with Esther. Then the Sister, reluctance in every still line of her body, allowed him to enter.

  Annie was folding freshly ironed shirts and napkins and other linens but she stopped when she saw him. ‘Father!’ she exclaimed in delight. Rees wondered if Billy would recognize Annie now. She’d grown into a full-fleshed young woman and was already taller than most adult women.

  ‘Annie,’ he said as she threw herself into his arms. The Sister coughed forbiddingly. ‘Walk with me a minute,’ Rees said. Annie fetched her cloak from the hook and followed him outside into the cold and windy day.

  Annie peppered Rees with questions about Sharon and Joseph and the other children until he lost patience. ‘They are all fine,’ he said, cutting through her eager chatter. ‘I will ask Brother Jonathan if he’ll allow you to visit someday. But for now, I need your help.’

  ‘With the murder?’ she asked in excitement.

  ‘In a way,’ Rees agreed and watched her eyes begin to shine. ‘I need to know what you think about Pearl.’

  ‘Pearl?’ All the pleasure disappeared from Annie’s face. ‘She’s a liar, that’s what I think. Why?’

  ‘She claims she saw someone in the village.’

  ‘I wouldn’t believe her if she told me the sky was blue,’ Annie said. ‘Pearl always has to be the focus of every eye.’

  Rees thought back to Pearl. She had seemed genuinely frightened. This time she might be telling the truth. But Annie was correct about one thing; Pearl placed herself at the center of everything.

  ‘There’s something else,’ Annie went on. ‘If she finds out you have a secret – like a letter from your sweetheart that you aren’t supposed to have – why, she’ll make you do half her chores for a week so she won’t tell.’ The color rising into her face told Rees that she was speaking about herself.

  ‘Does she have any special friends?’ Rees asked.

  Annie shook her head. ‘We aren’t supposed to. And anyway nobody likes her.’

  ‘What about Glory?’ Rees asked. ‘Or the other girl that was with them when they found the Sister?’

  ‘You mean Louisa. I don’t know about her. But Glory likes Pearl least of all. I’ve seen her hide—’

  ‘I hope you are not gossiping,’ said the laundry Sister, striding toward them.

  ‘Not at all,’ Rees lied.

  ‘I’d better go,’ Annie said. ‘But don’t forget about the visit.’ With a final look at Rees, she followed the Sister back into the laundry.

  Feeling that he understood less now than he had before, Rees walked down the path and across the bridge into the village. Esther was walking slowly toward him and he had the distinct impressio
n she’d been loitering there, waiting for him to appear so that she might discover what he’d learned.

  ‘Did Annie know anything about Pearl?’ Esther asked.

  ‘Pearl is a teller of tales,’ Rees said. ‘And none of the girls like her.’

  Esther sighed. ‘Oh dear. But I confess I am not surprised. I expect several of our girls – both Louisa and Glory among them – will sign the Covenant as soon as they are old enough. They will make Shakers. But Pearl?’ Esther shook her head.

  ‘But what if this time she’s told the truth?’ Rees said, chewing his lip. ‘Two men have entered Zion. What do they want?’

  ‘Hortense?’ Esther suggested uncertainly.

  ‘But Hortense is gone. And then there’s the murdered Sister. Are there two men working at cross purposes?’ Esther could only shake her head.

  NINETEEN

  ‘Maybe the two men don’t know Hortense has left our community,’ Jonathan suggested reasonably for the third time as he drove Rees home. Rees grunted, unsatisfied. He considered once again the possibility that there were two men searching for the midwife’s daughter. He tried to imagine a situation in which that possibility would make sense. He already knew the two young boys, Jake and Jem, were searching for Hortense. Could their father, Mr Wootten, be hunting for the girl as well?

  Rees felt certain of only one thing: everything, from Hortense’s abduction to the most recent sighting of the boy, centered on Gray Hill. Although Rees had known he must return and ask more questions, the journey into the mountains now seemed more urgent than ever. He wondered if Rouge had returned from Quebec.

  ‘Maybe I should put up a sign,’ Jonathan said, interrupting Rees’s thoughts. ‘To let everyone know Hortense is gone.’ When Rees turned a startled glance upon the Shaker Elder Jonathan smiled faintly.

  ‘A joke, as I live and breathe,’ Rees said in surprise. Jonathan was such a serious fellow.

  ‘I wish something like that would work,’ Jonathan said, his smile fading. ‘But I’d guess neither of those men can read.’

  ‘Surely they – at least the lad anyway – now knows that Hortense is not in Zion,’ Rees said. ‘There will be no further trouble or upset in your community.’

  Jonathan threw a quick look at his companion. ‘I hope that’s true but I won’t count on it. For one thing, you still live ten miles distant and trouble seems to follow you like fleas on a dog.’

  To that Rees, uttering an awkward chuckle, had no reply.

  Once home, he went inside, but only to tell Lydia he planned to drive into town. ‘I want to see if Rouge has returned,’ he said.

  ‘I doubt he has,’ Lydia said. ‘He and his sister have only been gone a few days and Quebec is a great distance.’ When Rees said nothing, she added, ‘Hannibal is tired. As you must be. Don’t you think you should wait at least another day or two?’

  ‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘Although Hortense has been taken to Canada, the danger from the lads hunting her and the old man who strangled the Shaker Sister remains. Maybe greater than ever. Who knows what they will do if they can’t find her.’

  ‘Does this have something to do with the Woottens?’ Lydia asked.

  ‘I believe it might,’ Rees said with a jerk of his head. ‘Father and son. Jake wants Hortense and I suspect his father is trying to prevent that.’

  She sighed, her lips tightening. ‘But Will, Mr Wootten threatened us off his property with a rifle. Even if Rouge joins you, traveling to the top of Gray Hill is dangerous.’ Rees nodded. He knew Lydia was right. ‘And look at the sky,’ she went on. ‘It looks as though it might snow.’ He agreed; he could smell it on the air. When he said nothing, Lydia continued. ‘Promise me you won’t go back to the mountain without the constable.’

  Rees hesitated. He wanted to promise but he couldn’t lie. He thought of Pearl, white and shaking from her sight of the man she thought might be the murderer of her fellow Sister. He thought of the break-in at the midwife’s house and the attack on Jerusha.

  Although he didn’t speak, his silence was enough. Lydia stepped back, pressing her lips together. ‘I know you, husband,’ she said. ‘You are mastered by impatience.’

  ‘That’s not what this is,’ he said, stung. ‘I wish to prevent future crimes. And I want to see justice for those who’ve been murdered or otherwise harmed.’

  She exhaled in exasperation and nodded. ‘May I at least ask you to be careful?’

  ‘I promise I will be careful,’ he said, turning to leave.

  ‘And please, take care of Hannibal,’ Lydia added. ‘Yesterday was hard on him.’

  When Rees reached the inn, he found the yard more crowded than he would have expected on a Tuesday. He left Hannibal and the wagon with the ostler and went quickly into the tavern’s main room. Almost all the tables were full and everyone was eating. He stepped up to the bar where Therese stood. ‘You’re busy today,’ he said.

  ‘Snow is coming,’ she said, adding proudly, ‘and my brother is a good cook.’

  He looked around at the people, all eating with gusto, and nodded. ‘So I see.’ He turned back to the young woman. ‘Any word from Rouge? When is your cousin coming back?’ She shrugged. Rees chewed his lower lip as he ruminated. It was unlikely Therese had received a letter. There wasn’t time – mail service was even slower than riding from place to place – and anyway, he didn’t know if Therese could read. And if she had been taught by the nuns it would probably only be in French. ‘Merci.’

  Rees left the tavern but he paused on the steps outside. From the landing he could see Hannibal, standing on the other side of the yard with his head drooping. Recalling the difficulty of driving the wagon to the upper elevations of the mountains, he went back inside the tavern. ‘Do you know where I can rent a horse?’ he asked Therese.

  She pointed west. ‘Near the fairgrounds,’ she said.

  After handing Rouge’s ostler a few pence for Hannibal’s care, Rees started walking.

  It was already much colder than before and gray clouds covered the sky. He briefly considered postponing his journey up the mountain until tomorrow but the thought of Pearl’s frightened white face spurred him on. What if that had been Jerusha?

  The livery was behind the jail, now empty. Rees spared a thought for the former Shakers’ hired men. Suspected of the murders that had occurred in Zion, the youngest boy had been imprisoned here. Last Rees had heard he had gone south. But he was now reminded that he should question the hired men currently employed by the Shakers.

  The owner of the livery stables, a gentleman who smelled worse than the animals he owned, showed Rees the three horses he had to let. ‘Broken to the saddle,’ said the livery owner, moving the toothpick from one side of his mouth to the other. Rees looked at the aristocratic mounts and shook his head. Why, one of the horses looked like a lady’s ride. That mare would not be able to carry Rees’s bulk for any distance at all.

  ‘You don’t have anything else?’ he asked. The stable owner gestured behind him at a mule tied to one of the posts. He stared at the animal. Although his coat was rough and shaggy the mule appeared strong. He raised his head and with a flick of his ear and turned a belligerent glare upon Rees. ‘Will he allow me to ride him?’ Rees asked uncertainly.

  ‘Certainly,’ the stableman said. ‘And he’ll cost you less too.’

  Rees considered the few coins in his pocket and nodded. ‘I’ll take him.’ He rented a saddle as well and transferred the rifle he’d brought, just in case. Then he mounted and started off.

  Imagining curious and mocking eyes staring at him, he felt uncomfortable riding a mule out of town. Usually horse owners rode mules only when the horses had to be sold during financial reverses. But as Rees began to climb into the hills he was grateful for this mount. The mule proved to be more surefooted on the snow-covered slopes as well as on the rocky terrain lower down. Also, because the mule was slightly smaller than a horse, riding him astride was easier on Rees’s unprepared thigh muscles. He did not ride ofte
n, preferring his wagon.

  He passed the small store in just over an hour. Although it had seemed high up on Gray Hill the first time Rees had accompanied Rouge into these highlands, now the shop seemed almost to sit in the valley below.

  Rees continued up. As he passed the turn off to Granny Rose’s cabin, snowflakes began to fall from the sky, fat lazy flakes from clouds that reclined indolently across the sky. But when he turned and looked to the west he saw a darker gray wall racing toward him. He paused, considered returning to town but he was already so far up that the storm would hit him before he could make it down. Swallowing, and realizing that Lydia had been right – this journey had not been the wisest course – he turned and urged the mule forward.

  The snow thickened quickly. The fat flakes fell faster and faster and the winds began picking up. Despite the thick forest on either side that protected Rees from the worst of the increasing storm, he and his mount were soon quickly wrapped in cold white whirling snow. Rees could feel the mule trembling beneath him and the wind went right through his greatcoat. When he looked down at himself he saw only white. The blown snow pasted itself to him so he resembled a walking snowman.

  Rees could no longer tell how much snow was falling from the sky and how much was whipping up from the ground. With the thick white curtain surrounding him he could no longer see the narrow track ahead. Now he must rely on the mule to find his way.

  The wind began to take down branches; the air was filled with the sounds of snapping and cracking wood. He heard something big go down in the woods to his right but the thick snow prevented him from seeing what it was. It was close enough though that the thud reverberated through the forest. Both the mule and rider jumped and Rees almost fell off.

  Realizing that the snow was deepening around the mule’s legs, Rees slid off and began to walk. The snow was well over his ankles and rapidly approaching his knees. His leather boots were already wet and soon the damp would seep through to his feet. How he missed his wagon now although he knew that the snow would catch at the wheels and make movement difficult.