The Old Cape House (23 page)

Maria remained silent throughout.

The Reverend requested a small recess so that someone could find him a pint of ale. His throat was dry due to a cold that had been with him for more than a week. Everyone stayed in their seats for fear of missing a single sordid detail when the trial resumed.

Suddenly the door blew in, and with a gust of wind came
Thomas Hallett, Maria’s father. All turned to see what the commotion was as he entered. Another hush wafted over the crowd, which turned into mumblings, then quiet chatter.

Reverend Treat banged his cup down on the table. “QUIET!” He wiped away his sniffles and ordered, “Let us continue.”

Hallett took up his position in the back of the room, opposite
Minda. Folding his arms in front of his chest he leaned his back
against the wall. He had not set foot under the roof of the meetinghouse for many years and felt uneasy. He did not enjoy being here, but his curiosity and not wanting second-hand information had coaxed him to show his face.

Another cup of ale was found, and Reverend Treat regained his usual demeanor. He turned his head towards Maria. “Maria Hallett, have you anything to say for yourself in regards to these charges?”

She sat silent, her hands folded on her skirts, eyes downcast.

“In that case, I am left with no other recourse but to charge you with the sin of fornication and association with powerful sources of evil. Throughout this trial I have listened to many witnesses and ascertained that you exhibit tendencies common to the devil and all
of its evil. Therefore, with the burden of mixed testimony and
scarcity of evidence against you, this court will bring punishment upon you, but it will be dealt with mercy.”

Maria’s head dropped low, her chin almost touching the top of her chest.

“For the protection of our community,” he continued, “you will be shunned and banished forthwith. You are to have no contact with the people of Eastham and the surrounding villages. If, in the future, there is brought forth any further evidence of sorcery or misdeeds, you will be sentenced to death at that time.”

Some of the ladies from church, including Hestor, smiled at the court’s ruling. Others wiped tears from their eyes. Minda solemnly stared at Maria while Thomas Hallett left before anyone noticed his absence.

Abigail felt faint but sat as straight as she could to show Maria she was strong.

Mrs. Ellis reached for Matthew’s hand and held it tight as he
tried to cover his tears.

The Reverend avoided eye contact with the convicted girl.
Distressed in his heart by the whole situation, he consoled himself by reasoning
that it was the right decision, and it would satisfy all parties
concerned.

Maria felt numb and didn’t understand the verdict that was
brought upon her. She was returned to her prison, where she
awaited the details of her future.

***

On the Sunday Sabbath following the trial, Maria sat alone in her
cell while the elders and members of the church held a social
meeting
after service. Reverend Treat was still not feeling well, but his
presence
was necessary, along with his input, as the elders finalized the
details of Maria’s sentence. He sat by the hearth inhaling a mixture of herbs that he held in a cloth on his nose, hoping to ease his stuffiness.

Elder Macon began the conversation. “Let us finish this business as soon as possible. What say you, Reverend?”

Reverend Treat waved his hand in agreement as he coughed.

The elder Macon continued, “The Hallett girl must have some
punishment in order to set an example for the rest of our
community.
Her trial proved to be merely circumstantial, so I have some suggestions.” He stood with one hand in his vest and stated his
thoughts. “We are all compassionate men here,” sweeping his hand in a semicircle. “Her age and lack of a decent family should be considered.”

The elders nodded their heads in agreement with a few ‘ayes’ spoken aloud.

“Most of you are aware of the abandoned McKeon house on the bluff, near the outskirts of Eastham. The church has taken over its title. I believe that it would be an appropriate place to send the girl.”

Reverend Treat looked up and listened.

Macon added more details. “Give her minimal supplies for the rest of the winter and let our Lord and nature take its course. She shall have no contact with anyone, nor be able to attend meetings or
honor the Sabbath. People may shun her in whatever way they
wish.”

The reverend asked, “Are we all agreed then with Elder Macon’s proposal?”

Elder Kitridge remarked, “I, for one, will be happy to have the strange girl gone from my view. The way the housekeeper spoke of her and what she discovered that morning frightened my wife and, I am not ashamed to admit…even me.”

The reverend stood and held onto the top board of the hearth for
support as he asked, “A hand vote please. All in favor of Elder
Macon’s proposal?”

All raised their hands.

“It is done. May God have mercy on her soul.”

***

Just after the sun began its rise on the Monday morning
following the verdict, Maria awoke to find a letter lying on the prison floor. It was from Abigail.

December 9, 1715

My Dearest friend,

I was informed of the council’s decision late last night. It grieves me not to be with you as you learn of your fate, but I must leave for home today. Do not be afraid as you venture into solitude. I was given permission to gather the things that you left at my house and deliver them to you as soon as possible. I pray that you find pleasure in the beauties of nature and fill your heart with warm memories of Minda, Matthew and myself.

God Bless you,

Your faithful friend,

Abigail Doane

***

Maria read the letter twice, then folded it into the pocket beneath her skirt. She paced the floor of the bleak cell, stopping every other
turn to reread Abigail’s letter. She listened for any movement
outside her window.

At noon, the sound of a wagon broke the quiet of the winter day as it approached the jail.

Constable Bayer opened the door. “Maria Hallett, gather your things and come with me. By order of the elders and Reverend Treat, I will escort you to your place of banishment.”

The constable was quiet while he watched her take the soiled clothes from the bench and roll them into a ball. “Hurry girl. There’s a storm comin’.”

When she was ready, Maria climbed into the waiting wagon that contained one blanket, a bag of flour, lard, beef strips, salt, ale, some candles and one jar of apple butter, in addition to a small amount of wood and kinder. Maria took her place on the back of the open wagon’s floor and held herself steady by holding onto its sides. The surrounding landscape slowly turned familiar to her as the rumbling wagon rounded a side path and then traveled up onto a bluff. She could see the McKeon house. Is this where she would be going? It looked worse than when she had last seen it with Sam.

Constable Bayer’s face softened with concern for the young girl as he pulled the wagon to a stop in front of the abandoned house. It didn’t look safe to him. He said, “Take your things. Here is a letter from the elders explaining their terms.” He then offered her a piece of advice, “You need to do as they say, Maria Hallett.”

“Yes,” she responded, her face downcast, as she began to drag her supplies from the wagon’s bed.

Constable Bayer helped her with the sack of flour, then returned to his wagon and flicked the reins to leave. He thought there would be no harm done if he went to check on the girl every so often. After all, he was the Constable of Eastham, and he needed to make sure she was obeying orders. Yes, that’s what he would do; he would make sure she remained safe and thought his wife might have an extra jar of summer fruit in the cellar that he could bring to her.

Maria stood amongst her meager supplies and read the decree of loneliness from the elders. Now she understood Abigail’s letter. The gravity of her circumstances frightened her to trembling. She sat down on the outside bench that had given pleasure to her and Sam
so many months ago. As snow began to fall, covering the ground
white, Maria reread the words before her once more. ‘Shun’ ‘No contact’, what nasty words she thought. But their meaning became easier to
accept as she recalled other punishments that could have been
brought upon her. She mulled them over in her thoughts: the embarrassment of being whipped at the post, or listening to people taunt her if she
was tethered to the stocks; both would have been unbearable. Then
she
remembered, as a little girl, seeing a man with his ear nailed to the
pillory. Maria squeezed her earlobe tight to see how painful it could be. She shivered as she tried to free her mind of this terrible image and busied herself with picking up supplies from the ground. Under
her breath she mumbled, “I will make do. I’ll show them that I’m
strong.”

Determined in her steps, she slipped only once on the wet snow as she carried several items into the house. She saw the worn table and the dusty cloth that Sam had brought to their first meeting. After placing some provisions on the dirt floor, she sat by the table and remembered the sweet times of being with Sam.

Gently running her fingers across the faded cloth she touched
the jar containing the dried black sticks that were once beautiful flowers.
Tears blurred her eyes. Confused, she tried to sort through her
feelings. I know he’s coming back for me. When he discovers what happened,
he’ll hold me and keep me safe. Then she recalled Matthew’s
accusations
of Sam being a pirate. Could it be true? What if he never returns to
me?

No matter what she thought or did, Maria found no satisfaction. She looked around at the wretched condition of the old house and reality began to show its horrors. She became angry and smacked the little jar off the table. It flew to the corner of the room and shattered. She hit her fist on the table and screamed, “He promised he would be back. I can’t believe that he would desert me. Not Sam!” She crumpled the cloth with her hands. Her head fell to the table as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Maria cried until dusk had cast its shadow on the frigid daylight. When she at last wiped her eyes, she noticed the door was open, and snow had blown onto the floor. How stupid of me, she thought.

She struggled in the chilly air to bring in the other supplies. She pushed the snow out with her boot so the door could close. Not able to find the kinder box to light a candle or start a fire, Maria grabbed the lone clean blanket that had been given to her and a beef strip to nibble on. She lay down on the old bedcovers for the night and wrapped herself as if in a cocoon.

Sleep was stingy to her until the realization that she could
survive with or without Sam settled into her head. Then, and only then, did she fall asleep.

Present Day – July 18

HYANNIS – CAPE COD

A SHRILL SCREAM WOKE ME,
and my body shot straight up in the driver’s seat. Dazed, I looked around to find the tide was much higher on the beach than before. The wind felt cooler, and the sky
was gray. A little girl was screaming at the top of her lungs and
rolling around in the sand in front of my car. A woman stood watching her. How long had I been here? My cell phone started ringing. I quickly answered, “Hello?”

“Nancy! Are you all right?” Paul sounded irritated. “I’ve been trying to reach you for over an hour.”

“I’m fine. I’m at the beach. I must have dozed off.”

“You had me worried sick.”

“Sorry, I’ll be home soon. I can’t believe I fell asleep.”

“Drive carefully, please.”

I glanced over to the little girl, who was in a full-blown tantrum. I said a prayer for both of them, started the car and hoped that my new baby never does that to me. As I drove away, Maria Hallett drifted once more into my thoughts. Dear God, how could she have faced being pregnant alone? I love Paul so much.

BREWSTER – CAPE COD

Everyone was home for dinner that evening. Paul had already heated the leftovers from the previous night. We were going to announce the news as soon as we finished eating.

Just as Brian was about to leave the table, Paul spoke up, “Your mother and I would like to tell you something important.”

“But I have to meet Tom on the bike trail by 6 pm,” Brian
insisted.

“It won’t take long,” I said, “trust me.” I smiled at everyone. “You’re going to be surprised!”

All four kids were quiet while they waited.

Paul held my hand as he told the news. “We’re going to have a new addition to our family.”

I felt nervous and a little embarrassed, thinking again of my age. I quietly said, “I’m pregnant.”

“What’s that mean, Mommy?” Molly asked.

Jim leaned over into Molly’s face. “It means that you’re going to have a new brother or sister.”

Casey sat wide-eyed, like a deer in headlights.

Brian looked at me. “What do you mean, a baby?”

Jim smiled and said, “That’s great news, Mom.”

Molly got up from the table without saying a word and started dancing as if she were in Riverdance on Broadway. “I’m gonna have someone to play with. I’m gonna have someone to play with.” Then she sat down and finished her potatoes, pleased that she got her opinion across.

Questions flew through the air: Where is it going to sleep? Will I lose my room? When is it coming? What will the name be?

Paul laughed. “In good time. We just found out today and
haven’t even answered those questions ourselves yet.”