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Eliza reached for her sister, but she backed away, shredding the remaining fortitude in Eliza’s chest. She tried to keep her voice from catching. “Kitty, please. We must trust God—”
“I trust God,” Kitty shot back, tears tumbling over her cheeks. “God wants us to submit to Him and be peacemakers, not willfully stir contention and malice. It’s you who must trust God. You are going against his will, Eliza, and you must stop it!”
The daggers of her words made Eliza drop again into the chair behind her, this time placing her head in her hands. Was Kitty right? Was she going against God’s will? She thought of her father’s confession and the vision she’d beheld during those difficult weeks of recovery. Nathaniel’s rousing speech played again in her mind, and how his words had moved within her, awakening a sleeping belief. She needed to be alone, to drop on her knees and pour out to God the confusion that weaved within her spirit.
Eliza wiped her hands down her face before clenching her knees. “Kitty, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for what’s happened and that you’re hurt and confused—”
Kitty’s voice spat arrows. “I’m not confused, Liza. You are. You cannot possibly appreciate the gravity of what you are doing. You must quit this foolish quest and stop your political involvement. You must repent and follow God’s will.”
Thomas stepped forward and raised his voice. “That’s enough, Kitty. It’s not your place to call your sister to repentance. You speak of things you do not understand.”
“I understand more than you think,” she said, raising her chin and staring at Thomas. Kitty squared her shoulders. “I’ve sat quietly and listened to the two of you long enough. You speak of righteous indignation, the proper role of government and laws, but our lives are good, even though it may be difficult for some. It will only be more difficult for everyone if we push against the one man who keeps us truly safe.”
“And who is that, Kitty? Who is the one man that truly keep us safe?” Thomas baited.
“King George, of course.”
“You’re wrong.” Thomas’s rich voice rang clear and strong. “He who keeps us safe is God alone.”
Kitty’s face reddened. She pursed her lips and turned away. “You mistook my meaning, Thomas. Of course I know it’s God. Don’t play with my words!”
Without another glance, Kitty tromped up the stairs and slammed the door.
Eliza rested her head in her hands as the sound of Kitty’s muffled cries tiptoed back down and pranced around her. The tides of her emotions ebbed higher until they breeched her carefully laid barriers of courage. She wept into her palms.
Thomas knelt in front of her, stroking her hair, helping to abate the sudden storm of pain.
“Thomas, I’ve done it again,” she said between tears. “I made a decision, and it was the wrong one. I’ve pushed Kitty away from me. I’ve made her miserable. She’s never raised her voice at me. I never knew she felt any of this.”
Her weeping increased and she crumpled into his shoulder.
“You didn’t cause her reaction. It would have happened at one time or another. Don’t blame yourself. Kitty was wrong to keep it clamped inside. She should have told us her feelings long ago. Don’t place blame where it isn’t due.”
Eliza knew his words were intended to be encouraging, but so far nothing could assuage the remorse that clawed through her. She kept her head down, self-conscious of her mussed looks and runny nose. Thomas handed her a handkerchief and she buried her face in it again, inhaling the masculine fragrance of him the fabric carried.
Looking up, Eliza folded and unfolded the soft fabric again and again in her hands as she gathered her thoughts. Thomas crouched in front of her, his thumb making little circles on her knee.
“Thomas, I know she’s wrong. I can’t put my feelings into words, but I know it.” She stopped, remembering the revelation that had come to her at the rally. “Even though it was foolish to go, I did learn a great deal. I am beginning to see what Father meant for me to know and why he believed what he did. Why he risked his life for such a cause. He always said to love and honor our King. And now I know he meant God the King. He never lied to us. How can I help Kitty see that?”
Thomas met her weak gaze with a powerful one, a contemplating stare in his ever-blue eyes. “There is not much you can do for Kitty but continue to love her and continue to follow the path God is showing you.”
“Do you really think God is leading me?”
“I don’t just think it, I know it.” Thomas took her hands in his and helped her to rise with him as he stood. “And I also know God led you to me, of that I have no doubt. I believe he meant for us to be together. For you to be my wife and love me forever the way I love you.”
A flood of warmth filled the once cold cavern in Eliza’s heart. She opened her mouth to answer him, then immediately closed it. The pain of moments ago renewed itself at her words.
“What shall we do about Samuel? What if he finds us? I’m afraid of what he might do, Thomas. Whatever shall I say to him?”
Thomas held her close, cupping her head against his hard chest. “Don’t worry about that now, my love. We must stay vigilant a while longer, ‘tis true, but I don’t believe that Samuel will ever find us now.”
Chapter Twenty-three
Why can I not formulate a decent plan?
Samuel growled at the ceiling. He had to stay focused, but the memory of Thomas holding Eliza—kissing her—infiltrated his thoughts, making it difficult to breathe.
He couldn’t sleep. He ate nothing and drank only a few sips of ale after returning to his quarters at Newcomb Tavern.
