Dawn on a Distant Shore
Page 59
Moncrieff and Pickering hesitated, until Curiosity fixed them with her hardest stare.
"Don' you two got talkin' to do somewhere else?"
Moncrieff colored slightly, but the captain only bowed politely.
"Yes, of course. We'll be down one deck, Mrs. Bonner, if anyone should need us."
"There's some news that will be o' interest to your menfolk," Moncrieff added.
Suddenly Curiosity and Elizabeth were alone with the sleeping babies. With a small sigh of relief Elizabeth said, "You think it cannot be so bad?"
Curiosity raised both hands, palms up. "She young, and strong. It ain't exactly good luck, though. Be so kind as to move them things off the bed, Elizabeth, I hear them now."
There were more hurried steps and then Nathaniel and Hawkeye and Runs-from-Bears were filling the cabin. Hannah was in Nathaniel's arms, looking woeful. Her wet hair left a trail of water on the polished floor.
"She's chilled through." He put her down on the bed where she looked suddenly small and very young.
"I'm sorry ..." Hannah began, but before Elizabeth could say a word Curiosity had sat on the edge of the bed to put a hand on her forehead.
"Now what you got to be sorry about, child? Did you leap out of that canoe on purpose?"
Hannah shook her head and a single tear rolled down her cheek. "It was clumsy of me."
Elizabeth crouched down beside the cot. "Hannah," she said softly. "If you are clumsy then there is no hope for the rest of us. A more graceful child has never been put on this earth." But the dark brown gaze that met her own was so sorrowful Elizabeth wondered if the girl even heard what she had said.
"I'm tired," said Hannah. "And cold."
"We'll get you warm, child. Never fear." Curiosity's voice had the crooning tone she used with any hurt thing.
Hannah's face began to crumple in relief or embarrassment and she turned away to the wall.
Hawkeye raised an eyebrow at Curiosity, as if to ask what he could do, and she fluttered her hands at them all. "Go," she said softly. "Leave her to us."
"Yes, do go," said Elizabeth. "Moncrieff is here."
All three men's heads came up as if she had announced the outbreak of a war. Robbie was grinning broadly. "Wee Angus, aye. Now things will happen."
Nathaniel hesitated after Hawkeye and Robbie had gone. "You'll come find me right away if she asks for me?"
"Of course we will." And then, a hand on his arm to stay him: "What news from the Kahnyen'kehâka?"
He shook his head. "We can't travel with them, Boots. It's too dangerous."
She glanced over her shoulder at Curiosity and Hannah, and then followed Nathaniel out into the narrow passageway. In a low voice that gave away more of her fear than she would have liked, Elizabeth said, "It is just as dangerous to spend another night in this port."
"Not according to Spotted-Fox. Things are quieter here than they are upriver."
She forced herself to meet his gaze. "Nathaniel, I had thought ... perhaps you and Hawkeye should travel south with the Kahnyen'kehâka, and Curiosity and I should take the children home by way of--"
"No."
"But--"
"No. I will not leave you."
She put a hand on his arm, pressed hard. "Nathaniel, they could show up here any moment and take you away!"
"Listen to me, Elizabeth. It won't do us any good to rush into more trouble. Tomorrow we'll be gone one way or the other--Moncrieff's got something up his sleeve or he wouldn't be here."
"I do not like this delay, Nathaniel. It makes me uneasy."
He ran a hand over her hair. "It makes us all uneasy. Can you trust me a little longer?"
Her tension deflated suddenly, and she leaned forward to put her forehead against his shoulder, still damp with river water. "I'll trust you until my dying day, Nathaniel. But I cannot help but feel that this is all my fault."
"Stop," he said firmly, his mouth against her ear. "Stop it now, I won't hear it. You just hold tight for a little longer, and let us see to business."
She nodded against his shoulder, suddenly very sleepy. "I miss home."
His arms tightened around her. "I'll get you there as soon as I can, Boots. Let me go talk to Moncrieff, eh? And later I'll come see if I can figure some way to distract you from your homesickness."
"You are incorrigible." She turned to the door but Nathaniel swung her back to him.
"Nathaniel. Let me go to Hannah."
"First tell me what that means, incorrigible."
That look of his would be the undoing of her, his eyes half-hooded and his wanting so clear; with all the trouble and worry he could still manage to make her blood rush. Elizabeth said, "It means you are the most stubborn man ever put on the face of the earth."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"And the dearest," Elizabeth amended.
"Tell the truth and shame the devil," said Nathaniel, and he let her go with a kiss.
The insides of the Nancy were a maze that Nathaniel had only just started to figure out after a day, but after a few tries he managed to find his way down the right hatch and to the long room where the crew took their meals. There his father and Robbie sat across from Moncrieff, who was hunched over a plate of beef.
"How is the lassie?" asked Robbie.
"Don' you two got talkin' to do somewhere else?"
Moncrieff colored slightly, but the captain only bowed politely.
"Yes, of course. We'll be down one deck, Mrs. Bonner, if anyone should need us."
"There's some news that will be o' interest to your menfolk," Moncrieff added.
Suddenly Curiosity and Elizabeth were alone with the sleeping babies. With a small sigh of relief Elizabeth said, "You think it cannot be so bad?"
Curiosity raised both hands, palms up. "She young, and strong. It ain't exactly good luck, though. Be so kind as to move them things off the bed, Elizabeth, I hear them now."
There were more hurried steps and then Nathaniel and Hawkeye and Runs-from-Bears were filling the cabin. Hannah was in Nathaniel's arms, looking woeful. Her wet hair left a trail of water on the polished floor.
"She's chilled through." He put her down on the bed where she looked suddenly small and very young.
"I'm sorry ..." Hannah began, but before Elizabeth could say a word Curiosity had sat on the edge of the bed to put a hand on her forehead.
"Now what you got to be sorry about, child? Did you leap out of that canoe on purpose?"
Hannah shook her head and a single tear rolled down her cheek. "It was clumsy of me."
Elizabeth crouched down beside the cot. "Hannah," she said softly. "If you are clumsy then there is no hope for the rest of us. A more graceful child has never been put on this earth." But the dark brown gaze that met her own was so sorrowful Elizabeth wondered if the girl even heard what she had said.
"I'm tired," said Hannah. "And cold."
"We'll get you warm, child. Never fear." Curiosity's voice had the crooning tone she used with any hurt thing.
Hannah's face began to crumple in relief or embarrassment and she turned away to the wall.
Hawkeye raised an eyebrow at Curiosity, as if to ask what he could do, and she fluttered her hands at them all. "Go," she said softly. "Leave her to us."
"Yes, do go," said Elizabeth. "Moncrieff is here."
All three men's heads came up as if she had announced the outbreak of a war. Robbie was grinning broadly. "Wee Angus, aye. Now things will happen."
Nathaniel hesitated after Hawkeye and Robbie had gone. "You'll come find me right away if she asks for me?"
"Of course we will." And then, a hand on his arm to stay him: "What news from the Kahnyen'kehâka?"
He shook his head. "We can't travel with them, Boots. It's too dangerous."
She glanced over her shoulder at Curiosity and Hannah, and then followed Nathaniel out into the narrow passageway. In a low voice that gave away more of her fear than she would have liked, Elizabeth said, "It is just as dangerous to spend another night in this port."
"Not according to Spotted-Fox. Things are quieter here than they are upriver."
She forced herself to meet his gaze. "Nathaniel, I had thought ... perhaps you and Hawkeye should travel south with the Kahnyen'kehâka, and Curiosity and I should take the children home by way of--"
"No."
"But--"
"No. I will not leave you."
She put a hand on his arm, pressed hard. "Nathaniel, they could show up here any moment and take you away!"
"Listen to me, Elizabeth. It won't do us any good to rush into more trouble. Tomorrow we'll be gone one way or the other--Moncrieff's got something up his sleeve or he wouldn't be here."
"I do not like this delay, Nathaniel. It makes me uneasy."
He ran a hand over her hair. "It makes us all uneasy. Can you trust me a little longer?"
Her tension deflated suddenly, and she leaned forward to put her forehead against his shoulder, still damp with river water. "I'll trust you until my dying day, Nathaniel. But I cannot help but feel that this is all my fault."
"Stop," he said firmly, his mouth against her ear. "Stop it now, I won't hear it. You just hold tight for a little longer, and let us see to business."
She nodded against his shoulder, suddenly very sleepy. "I miss home."
His arms tightened around her. "I'll get you there as soon as I can, Boots. Let me go talk to Moncrieff, eh? And later I'll come see if I can figure some way to distract you from your homesickness."
"You are incorrigible." She turned to the door but Nathaniel swung her back to him.
"Nathaniel. Let me go to Hannah."
"First tell me what that means, incorrigible."
That look of his would be the undoing of her, his eyes half-hooded and his wanting so clear; with all the trouble and worry he could still manage to make her blood rush. Elizabeth said, "It means you are the most stubborn man ever put on the face of the earth."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"And the dearest," Elizabeth amended.
"Tell the truth and shame the devil," said Nathaniel, and he let her go with a kiss.
The insides of the Nancy were a maze that Nathaniel had only just started to figure out after a day, but after a few tries he managed to find his way down the right hatch and to the long room where the crew took their meals. There his father and Robbie sat across from Moncrieff, who was hunched over a plate of beef.
"How is the lassie?" asked Robbie.
