4

THE GENTLEMEN SUITORS

LILLY COULDN’T DECIDE WHOM KATELYN favored the most. Major Lance Bennington was one of two handsome suitors calling upon Lady Katelyn whenever the seaman was in port. In her opinion, it seemed as though Mr. Andrew Dempsey took more interest in Katelyn than the major, but one could never tell when it came to the passions of young men. Katelyn seemed to favor the major, but when he was gone to sea, it was Mr. Dempsey who she spoke of most often.

Lance was tall, with wavy black hair. He had startling good looks—the eldest son of a prosperous Savannah plantation owner who owned over 1,200 slaves to work the expansive cotton fields that also produced corn and tobacco. Abe Bennington, Lance’s father, was known in those parts as a shrewd businessman who treated his slave families with slightly more consideration than most slave owners in those parts of the south. However, it was Abe’s notorious passion for swigging rum, chasing after beautiful women, breeding racehorses and slaves, and betting and losing large sums of money at the Savannah racetrack which caused his petite wife, Isabel, great consternation. Most likely it would be gambling as his ultimate demise, not the yellow fever epidemic that stole more lives than one could count.

Fair-haired and honest, Andrew Dempsey was the eldest son of an Irish immigrant who came to Savannah during the potato famine in Ireland. His father, James Elliot Dempsey, heard about a city in America where debtors could gain economic freedom. His mother, Irene, was the driving force to come to America, even though she lost a six-year-old son to fever during the long voyage over. Andrew was a teenager when they left Ireland, leaving behind a girl he loved and planned to marry someday. James and his surviving son found indentured work with the Central of Georgia Railway. The Dempsey family recovered a substantial amount of the wealth they lost in Ireland as potato farmers. Andrew became an attorney after working on the railroad and studying law in his spare time before attending college in Philadelphia. He became active in the Whig Party and made frequent trips to the nation’s capital.

Without knocking, Lilly entered Lady Katelyn’s room as she always did. “Oh, you’re dressing.” She couldn’t hide the disappointment in her voice. “What time is Major Lance calling tonight?” The annual Bennington big gala summer-end party was that evening. All of Savannah’s high society would be there wearing their finest apparel. It was all Katelyn had talked about for weeks.

“Oh, don’t look so dismayed, dear,” she said in a soothing voice. “Help me find a fresh taffeta ribbon for this neck brooch.” Lady Katelyn continued sorting through delicate trinkets from the velvet-lined box, holding each one against the contrast of the soft rose-colored silk taffeta dress selected for her evening out. “This one will do.” She placed the jeweled brooch on her dressing table. “Let me see the ribbons you’ve found so far.”

Lilly placed the two satin ribbons and a single velvet tie next to the brooch and wandered over to the window. In a few hours, the sun would set over Savannah’s glorious riverfront. It was a lovely night for a stroll before the party. With a full moon shimmering over the vast waterway, she imagined Lady Katelyn and the handsome major walking together, arm in arm, along River Street as the carriage carrying Moxie, her chaperone, lagged far enough behind as not to intrude on their privacy. Lilly suddenly became antsy about an evening without Katelyn for a companion. In fact, she dreaded being alone in the house with the baroness.

“Cheer up.” Katelyn stood observing Lilly from across the room. “Perhaps the major brought you another bright seashell from the West Indies just as he did on his last trip. His note indicated he’s just arrived home. I’m looking forward to hearing about his adventures on the sea. I’ll tell you all about them during tea tomorrow, okay?” Katelyn’s eyes were nurturing, and Lilly felt obligated to smile even though she wanted to spit.

“Go tell Moxie that she needs to be ready to leave in one hour. The major is calling at seven o’clock.”

Lilly had more questions, but Lady Katelyn was in a tizzy about getting ready on time, so she’d have to wait when her mood was less tempered.

“I’ll help you dress when I come back,” she said, sounding chipper. “You will surely be the most beautiful gal at the party wearing that new dress.” Lilly left the room and quickly descended, using the back stairway into the basement kitchen galley. Moxie was not in her usual place preparing food in the coolest part of the house. Instead, she encountered the baroness weighing and measuring the wheat flour from the wooden bin. Lilly stopped abruptly, wishing she had not made so much noise coming down the steps. It was too late to retreat because the baroness heard her enter the kitchen galley.

“Is that you, Lilly?” She spoke without looking up. “Sneaking around like a feline, disappearing and reappearing without notice?” Her voice was seething. “What are you doing in here? Looking for food to feed those good-for-nothings who hang around the back door all day long?”

“No, ma’am, I’m looking for Moxie. I’m delivering her a message from Lady Katelyn.”

“What’s she up to now? Another night out on the town? What will people think of us?” The baroness threw the tin measuring cup down in a fit of anger and rushed from the room, leaving a trail of flour in her wake.

A moment later, Moxie entered the kitchen and viewed the mess on the table. She peered back toward the door to make sure they were alone.

“So she’s a-countin’ and a-measurin’ every last scoop again. She must think we feed my biscuits to every sailor in port. You’d think we’re still a starvin’ in Dublin.”

Lilly sighed. “Lady Katelyn needs you pretty soon. The major is calling within the hour, and you’ll be needed to chaperon for the evening.”

“Well, don’t you be a actin’ so high and mighty now,” she snapped. “Clean up this mess, I need to change into my party dress.” She dashed from the room while pulling off her apron on her way down the long hallway to the servants’ quarters.

Before she departed, Lilly had already begun dusting the tabletop with a dry linen dishcloth. She didn’t mind helping in the kitchen. It was Moxie’s condescending and belittling remarks that made her kitchen service insufferable.

As Lilly continued dusting the flour up into small mounds, she heard a faint clink hit the stone floor. She peeked down to see what had been brushed off the table. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of the bloodstone ring lying at her feet. Her heart nearly pounded out of her chest when she picked up the infamous ring. It was the first time she’d ever held the mystery stone. Without another thought, she quickly stuffed it her dress pocket. A wave of fear engulfed her for a split second, but if the ring truly possessed supernatural powers, it was her chance to find out.

Lilly used the edge of a silver pie server to scoop up mounds of flour to put back into the storage bin and swept the floor clean. She brushed flour off her hands onto a tea towel and surveyed the kitchen. Satisfied the galley was back in order, she slipped out of harm’s way. Wondering how long it would take before the baroness discovered the ring was gone from her finger; she quickly left the kitchen to secure a hiding place to store it.

Lilly entered the library moments later. The baroness had retreated to her room because she glanced up in time to see Moxie scurrying up the grand staircase. She carried the tray filled with the baroness’s potent sleeping concoction to drink before retiring for the night. Moxie was still dressed in her drab service uniform. Why wasn’t the baroness attending the party?

Moments later, Moxie dashed past the library doorway. “That kitchen better be clean, Dearie,” she snorted. “There’s plenty of other work to do around here, so don’t think you’re going to lounge around the library reading books.”

Lilly shrugged and continued looking for an appropriate book that would never be pulled out by the hands of the baroness. The large King James Bible stood out. Hearing Scripture seemed to bore her whenever Sir Richardson attempted to read aloud passages to his wife, Katelyn, and Lilly on a Sunday afternoon during tea. She quickly yanked it out and placed the ring in the slot before placing the Bible back in its slot on the shelf.

Suddenly a high-pitched scream was heard from the top of the banister. Lilly rushed out of the library as the baroness shouted, “My ring! I’ve lost my ring!” The hysterical screams continued in blasting shrieks like a fire alarm.

Lilly froze. Fearful that her guilty face would give her away, she darted into the parlor across the hallway. Her heart pounded, causing her mind to go blank. She needed a place to think. Passing by the base of the grand stairway, she heard Moxie attempting to appease her. “My lady, my lady. Please calm down, we will find your ring, I promise!’ Lilly imagined Moxie was already groping around on the floor, frantically tearing her third-floor bedroom apart inch by inch, trying to locate it.

Lilly decided to slip up the back stairway to her room. As she passed back through the kitchen, she considered placing it on the floor to be discovered later, but revenge got the best of her. She crept up the back stairway to her bedroom. She entered her room without being noticed by Lady Katelyn. Most likely she was purposely ignoring her aunt’s hysteria. Since the baroness was often screaming about something, no one paid much attention to her frequent temper tantrums except Moxie, who remained at her beck and call no matter the hour.

While all the third-floor commotion went on, Lilly had heard the horses clumping at the gate and realized the major had arrived thirty minutes early. Without a word Lilly rushed down the grand staircase to greet Lady Katelyn’s gallant suitor.

Before he had a chance to ring the bell, Lilly opened the front door with a huge smile, revealing white, perfect teeth. The tall, handsome man wore a proper coat with tails instead of his officer’s uniform. He held his top hat and gloves in one hand, and the other hand held a bouquet of tropical white gardenias from his mother’s greenhouse. Lilly beckoned him through the doorway, thankful that the baroness had finally stopped screaming.

“Hello, Miss Lilly,” he said with a smile while bowing briefly. “I’m much too early, but I had hoped to spend the time garnering a book from Sir Richardson’s grand library, if I might be allowed. I’ve been at sea a long time.”

“Yes, of course you may visit the library. Follow me.” She took his hat and gloves and placed them on the vestibule marble-top table, along with the beautiful gardenia flower bouquet tied with a white ribbon. As she turned to lead him through the foyer, another agonizing scream pierced the silence like a canon shot from the battery wall.

He instinctively drew his pistol from his holster and extended his free arm to protect Lilly, nearly knocking her down. He quickly crouched down and anxiously looked up the staircase for a possible intruder.

“Please don’t bother, sir. We aren’t in harm’s way. The baroness misplaced her ring, and she’s in quandary over it. I expect she’ll remain a screaming fool until she finds it.”

“Oh,” he said, looking disappointed. He reluctantly replaced his pistol. “Well, I hope she finds it soon. It must have been very valuable because Lady Genevieve sounds quite alarmed.”

“Yes, like a fire station, sir.” Her retort was not intended to invoke his chuckle as they entered the library. She noted his mischievous smile as she left him admiring the hundreds of magnificent leather-bound books lining the back bookcase wall.

“I’ll let Lady Katelyn know that you’ve arrived.” Lilly curtsied before leaving the room.

Once again, Lilly took the back stairway to avoid the frenzy at the top of the front staircase. When Lady Katelyn and Moxie left for the night, she dreaded being alone in the house with the baroness. She hadn’t seen Jasper any time that day and figured he had gone fishing. He might be gone until midnight if the river catfish were jumping. She felt truly frightened.