Fairchild's 7 Daughters-The 12: Book One

11. Night of Rain

Dear Cora

I am excited to tell you about my first experience on a train. It's rained every day since we left Old Town and I'm wondering when it's going to let up. My Grandfather passed away and it seems heaven weeps for him. Selene says he was old but I think it was a matter of the heart. We will be further than ever from our home now and I can't help but feel the loneliness stabbing at my heart. We are stopping in Manhattan before we get to Maine. How I am looking forward to seeing you again one day. We'll be switching trains in Virginia and that's when I'll be sending my letter out to you. It's amazing sending a letter without a return address from a strange place.

Your friend, Heloise

Heloise dropped her letter in the sack as a train whistle sounded over the misty station. Holding her rain hat on she ran back over to where Astrid, Alifair and Hannah were waiting. A woman with two yappy dogs was boarding the train ahead of them and Heloise thought she was wearing enough makeup to satisfy a circus.

A finely dressed couple passed them and the woman did a double tale at Heloise. "Why I've never," she said to her husband. "Did you see that negro child? Her skin was as fair as mine."

Her husband briefly glanced back but never broke his gait. "I've seen such things before. A white crow is still a crow I'm afraid."

Heloise starred after them but she didn't let their remarks sink into her flesh. She was elated about stopping in Massachusetts and conspired to find a way to see Cora. How she missed her so much. Cora had never made an issue about her skin color unlike Olive Johnson and Amy Birch. She had never laughed at her or mocked her for being different.

/

Hints of rain tapped on the small window of the room above the coastal boat shed. The gas light burned reluctant for a heart that was already on fire. The door opened and the strong smell of a stormy sea washed in with the new arrival. He brought with him the smell of a muggy trail and a wet horse. He dropped a sack on the table before the angry soul and flipped back the hood of his riding cloak and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Did you find anything more?" he asked releasing two sneezes. He didn't relish coming down with a cold.

The angry soul looked up with blazing blue eyes. "I haven't. We must start over, we must have missed something."

"Missed something!"

"Isn't that what I just said?" Kincaid got up from the table unraveling a sandwich made of cheese and fish from the sack. He glanced at the other man then took a bite. "You are not more upset than I am, Benedict ."

"Oh I believe I am! I put my entire career on the line for this. I put my hopes in a promise you made."

"So it goes with putting faith in your fellow man." Kincaid took another bite of the sandwich then set it and himself on the table.

Benedict let out an aggravated sigh. "How can you be so calm about this? That man you dragged into this killed Monroe." He waited for an answer but didn't get one. "You were there at the fight. You saw the house burn..."

Kincaid smirked. "Exactly," he said and Benedict face became confused.

"One thing that always stood out to me about the legend of Fair Lady was the fire." He got up from the table and crossed the room to the window. "Not long before her disappearance she engaged in combat with a pirated ship in the Gulf of Mexico. When the ship set her ablaze they thought they had won the battle but she refused to burn. Picking up speed and feeding the flames she rammed them, ripping a hole in the bow." Kincaid's face was glowing with incredible excitement like he was a boy hearing an exciting tale from his father. "That ship foundered but Fair Lady remained."