Page 44 of The Orphan of Cemetery Hill
“Tabby said that she could speak to the dead, and that she had spoken to both my father and my fiancée on my behalf. But I rather thought she was, er, mad. Or at the very least, having a laugh at my expense.”
Alice looked taken aback. “She told you all of that?”
He nodded.
“The Tabby that I knew would never, ever tell someone about her special abilities, not after what happened to her. If she did indeed tell you, then she must hold you in the highest of esteem.”
Caleb sat in stunned silence. Regardless of whether Tabby did indeed hold some special power, she had confided in him about something that was deeply personal to her and he had been scornful and derisive, accusing her of lying.
Alice continued. “In any case, there was no love in that household, no nurturing or protection. Instead, my aunt and uncle saw us as a means to make money, and held séances and parties where we were forced to try to contact the dead for their friends and strangers alike. They envisioned a traveling act, with the two of us performing séances for audiences around the country. Tabby was more sensitive than me, and I knew that if we didn’t get out of that house, that she would be permanently scarred. So I started stealing bits of money here and there from our aunt and uncle, and made plans to escape to Boston.
“The night that Tabby and I arrived in the city, I had gone to look for lodgings, for somewhere safe just to spend the night. Tabby was afraid that our aunt and uncle had followed us, and said that she felt like we were being watched. If I had been a better sister, I would have paid more attention to what she was saying. But as it was, I was tired and hungry and I thought I knew better. So I left her alone on some church steps while I went off to look for a place to sleep.”
Alice paused in her story as the bartender came and refilled her cup. Caleb absorbed this incredible story; why had Tabby never mentioned her sister before? Or anything about her life before Boston, for that matter?
When the bartender had gone, she continued. “Tabby was right, of course. We were being followed, just not by our aunt and uncle. There was a ring of grave robbers, and they had heard of two sisters from Amherst that had clairvoyant powers. They thought that if they had these sisters that they could find more bodies, fresher bodies, faster. They must have been following us for some time, and when we ran away from our aunt and uncle, they saw their chance and took it. It wasn’t until after I’d left Tabby on the steps that I realized I was being followed, and by then it was too late. I had to make sure that they didn’t get Tabby. I had to lead them away from her and...”
She trailed off, and then drained her cup as Caleb sat, stunned. She’d sacrificed herself for her sister.
“I’ll spare you the details,” she continued, “but in the end, the men realized I wasn’t the useful sister, that I didn’t possess the kind of powers that Tabby did. It was only a matter of time before they killed me and put my body to use. I escaped with my skin and found passage on a ship to London. Eventually I found my way here.”
“What do you mean, the ‘useful sister’?”
Glancing around at the crush of men in plaid trousers and cinched frock coats drinking their ales and whiskeys, Alice lowered her voice and leaned forward. “What I am about to tell you is the gospel truth, and I don’t care one whit if you believe me or not.” She took a deep breath. “Where Tabby has a channel through which she can communicate with the other side, my channel connects me to the future, to things that have not yet happened.” She paused and, when he didn’t react, continued. “They didn’t know this, of course. They only knew that I could not speak with the dead and, once they established that, decided that I was useless.” She gave a shrug, as if it were the most inconsequential thing on earth.
Caleb opened his mouth, trying to find words. It was almost too extraordinary to believe, but if he believed Tabby, then he must believe her sister, as well.
“So you never spoke to her again?”
Alice shook her head, studying the contents of her cup.
“But surely you could have written her, sent her some kind of message at the very least to let her know that you were all right?”
She gave him a withering look. “I haven’t dared try to contact her or do anything that would draw attention to her. With all this renewed activity by resurrection men, I don’t for a moment trust that they wouldn’t have some sort of nefarious design on her. Her only protection is that no one knows about her gift. In Boston she can be anonymous.”
But she wasn’t anonymous, not anymore. He had told Officer Hodsdon about her, had let her fend for herself after she had run afoul of Mr. Whitby. Caleb thought about Tabby, about his mother, about Buttermilk, and how much he missed them. It must be torture for Alice and Tabby to be separated from each other.
They sat in silence, each nursing their own thoughts and regrets as laughter rose and fell around them and lamps were lit. It was Alice who spoke at last.
“How is she, really? Is she happy? Married? My only consolation is that she has gone on to live a full life. I cannot tell you how often I picture her with a baby and someone to love and protect her.”
Caleb had never thought of Tabby as a mother, but the image he conjured of her dandling a baby on her knee made something inside of him hot with longing.
“No, she’s not married. As for her happiness, I couldn’t say. She has managed to make a life for herself in Boston, and she charms everyone she meets. My mother is exceedingly fond of her, and that is no small feat. For her part, Tabby likes everyone. Everyone except me,” he couldn’t help adding.
Alice raised a brow, but thankfully didn’t probe any further. “Why haven’t you gone back to find her?” he finally managed to ask. “Surely you could be careful, not draw attention to yourself or to her?”
Alice didn’t answer, just stared into her cup. When she finally met his gaze, there was unspeakable fear in her clear eyes. “I don’t know. I suppose that after all this time I assumed that even if Tabby were still alive that she would resent me for leaving her.”
“I think she would want to see you.” Caleb fiddled with his cuffs, saying the words that he hoped were true of him, as well. “She needs you.”
“I don’t know about that. Tabby is resourceful.” Alice gave him a thoughtful look. “I don’t know anything about your relationship, so you’ll excuse me saying so, but it seems to me that you certainly need her.”
Caleb swiftly shifted his gaze. “I doubt it. I was...that is, I acted the cad when last I saw her, and I wasn’t exactly a gentleman in our dealings prior to that.”
“But she obviously holds you in some regard if she confided in you about her ability.”
Caleb wasn’t so sure, and even if she did, he didn’t deserve it. Like Tabby, talking to Alice was easy, and before he knew it, he was telling her about his father, about the other body snatchings around Boston. He told her about Whitby and Rose’s murder. He told her everything. Perhaps the more she knew, the more she would somehow be able to help. He already knew the answer, knew it because of the hot ball of guilt he felt deep in his gut, but he asked anyway. “You don’t think that Tabby could be in danger, do you?”
