Into the Wilderness
Page 144
This evening there wasn't much company. Moses Southern had been turned out of his home while his wife churned out a third or fourth child—Julian couldn't remember how many he had; didn't care enough to ask. Perched on a stool in the corner, Galileo sat whittling by the light of a pine knot. On occasion he answered a question when Axel thought of something to ask him, but mostly he kept to himself. Julian was glad to see Galileo there; he could drink what he wanted and still be sure of getting home to his bed. He thought of offering the man ale, but he looked at Moses and discarded the idea; he wasn't in the mood to argue. He had had his fill of arguments for years to come—Richard Todd had seen to that. Richard, who had never been much fun as a sporting man, was turning out to be even less amusing these days, now that he fancied himself wronged. Here or there, Tory or Yank, high or low, men you owed money to were all the same, Julian noted.
Bonner had paid off the family debts in good, hard cash, but Todd wasn't satisfied, wouldn't be satisfied until he had a pound or two of flesh. There was more of the savage in him than he cared to admit. Not that he didn't have cause to be angry; Lizzie had publicly embarrassed him and he wasn't the kind to take that lightly.
There was no denying that his clever sister had saved the family from bankruptcy, but she had set the village on its ear to do it. Who would have thought it, virtuous, bookish Lizzie marrying a wild backwoodsman with a half—breed daughter and a reputation for violence. It hadn't escaped Julian that she had had an eye on Nathaniel, but he had put that down to a surprising bit of fun; he hadn't really thought she would go as far as she had, or he might have done something to stop it. The trouble was, he forgot that Lizzie was a woman, and that she was prone to womanly weakness. If she hadn't handed the land over to a bunch of Indians, he might be thankful to her for finally relieving him of the family's scrutiny: her eloping had put the minor matter of his gambling debts into perspective.
Trust a woman to fall in love and get carried away with it. The fact was, virtuous Lizzie had turned out to be nothing more than a cheat and a thief. She had stolen lands from their father, and sooner or later she would have to pay the price. She had stolen the mountain, but worse, she had left them as if she had the right to just walk away. The thought of it was enough to make his gut clench. He would remind her where she belonged, as soon as the opportunity presented itself. She would come back, and bring with her what she had taken from him.
His glass was empty. He was just contemplating how to cope with this fact when the door opened. Julian peered over his boots, half raised up on one elbow. He had been hoping for some decent company, anybody with more brain in his head than Moses Southern, but there was a slight figure outlined in the shadows at the door. A woman, breathing hard. Julian knew that sound, and he stilled, trying to make himself invisible.
Kitty Witherspoon stepped into the light, and Moses jumped to his feet.
"Curiosity sent me," she started, and then pressed her fist against her cheek, pulling her face into half a mask. "We need help. The child is turned and she can't shift it."
Moses just stared.
"I'll fetch Anna," Axel said, turning for the inner door which led to the living quarters.
"Wait," Kitty said. Then she caught sight of Julian before the hearth, and her color flared. Julian met her cold look with a nod of his own, and the quick flash of a single dimple. It didn't move her; he hadn't thought it would, but what else was there to do but try?
She turned her face away. "Curiosity said to send for Falling—Day."
"No!" said Moses, the word exploding from him in a mist of ale. He cleared his throat. "Anna will do fine."
Kitty's head snapped around, and she looked him straight in the eye. "But Curiosity said—”
“I won't have that red bitch touching my wife!" Moses thundered.
Kitty stepped back from him as if he had raised a hand to her, just as Axel stepped forward for the same reason. But it was Julian she was looking at.
"You watch your language, now," Axel said.
Kitty cast a sidelong look Julian's way, her mouth curved down. He knew that look, what she meant to say with it. He looked away.
Kitty said, "Martha is in a bad way."
"Julian ain't got nothing better to do," said Axel. "He can go along and fetch Falling—Day."
The evening was a loss anyway, and it unnerved him to have Kitty standing there, her arms crossed over her middle. He nodded, and his boots hit the floor with a thump. He hadn't had a conversation with her in— How long was it? A week? Not since Todd had told him to back off. Just as well, really. She was a sweet enough girl, but she had a way about her that reminded him of old Merriweather: she would eat him whole, if it suited her, and never blink. That was the problem with Englishwomen, and with most American ones, as well. If Todd was willing to step in and take credit for that swelling under her apron, so much the better.
He thought of a jaunt up to Lake in the Clouds and found it didn't displease him. That buck of Many-Doves ' was still out in the bush, after all. And since Nathaniel and Elizabeth had run off, all the Mohawk had been staying out of the village.
But Moses had other ideas. "Ain't no way in this world I'm letting that redskin into my cabin."
Axel combed his beard thoughtfully with the fingers of one hand while he looked Moses over, from head to foot. "Ja, what kind of fool are you, then? Curiosity knows what she's doin', after all. If she's calling for Falling—Day, she must need her. It's yer wife and child, man."
Bonner had paid off the family debts in good, hard cash, but Todd wasn't satisfied, wouldn't be satisfied until he had a pound or two of flesh. There was more of the savage in him than he cared to admit. Not that he didn't have cause to be angry; Lizzie had publicly embarrassed him and he wasn't the kind to take that lightly.
There was no denying that his clever sister had saved the family from bankruptcy, but she had set the village on its ear to do it. Who would have thought it, virtuous, bookish Lizzie marrying a wild backwoodsman with a half—breed daughter and a reputation for violence. It hadn't escaped Julian that she had had an eye on Nathaniel, but he had put that down to a surprising bit of fun; he hadn't really thought she would go as far as she had, or he might have done something to stop it. The trouble was, he forgot that Lizzie was a woman, and that she was prone to womanly weakness. If she hadn't handed the land over to a bunch of Indians, he might be thankful to her for finally relieving him of the family's scrutiny: her eloping had put the minor matter of his gambling debts into perspective.
Trust a woman to fall in love and get carried away with it. The fact was, virtuous Lizzie had turned out to be nothing more than a cheat and a thief. She had stolen lands from their father, and sooner or later she would have to pay the price. She had stolen the mountain, but worse, she had left them as if she had the right to just walk away. The thought of it was enough to make his gut clench. He would remind her where she belonged, as soon as the opportunity presented itself. She would come back, and bring with her what she had taken from him.
His glass was empty. He was just contemplating how to cope with this fact when the door opened. Julian peered over his boots, half raised up on one elbow. He had been hoping for some decent company, anybody with more brain in his head than Moses Southern, but there was a slight figure outlined in the shadows at the door. A woman, breathing hard. Julian knew that sound, and he stilled, trying to make himself invisible.
Kitty Witherspoon stepped into the light, and Moses jumped to his feet.
"Curiosity sent me," she started, and then pressed her fist against her cheek, pulling her face into half a mask. "We need help. The child is turned and she can't shift it."
Moses just stared.
"I'll fetch Anna," Axel said, turning for the inner door which led to the living quarters.
"Wait," Kitty said. Then she caught sight of Julian before the hearth, and her color flared. Julian met her cold look with a nod of his own, and the quick flash of a single dimple. It didn't move her; he hadn't thought it would, but what else was there to do but try?
She turned her face away. "Curiosity said to send for Falling—Day."
"No!" said Moses, the word exploding from him in a mist of ale. He cleared his throat. "Anna will do fine."
Kitty's head snapped around, and she looked him straight in the eye. "But Curiosity said—”
“I won't have that red bitch touching my wife!" Moses thundered.
Kitty stepped back from him as if he had raised a hand to her, just as Axel stepped forward for the same reason. But it was Julian she was looking at.
"You watch your language, now," Axel said.
Kitty cast a sidelong look Julian's way, her mouth curved down. He knew that look, what she meant to say with it. He looked away.
Kitty said, "Martha is in a bad way."
"Julian ain't got nothing better to do," said Axel. "He can go along and fetch Falling—Day."
The evening was a loss anyway, and it unnerved him to have Kitty standing there, her arms crossed over her middle. He nodded, and his boots hit the floor with a thump. He hadn't had a conversation with her in— How long was it? A week? Not since Todd had told him to back off. Just as well, really. She was a sweet enough girl, but she had a way about her that reminded him of old Merriweather: she would eat him whole, if it suited her, and never blink. That was the problem with Englishwomen, and with most American ones, as well. If Todd was willing to step in and take credit for that swelling under her apron, so much the better.
He thought of a jaunt up to Lake in the Clouds and found it didn't displease him. That buck of Many-Doves ' was still out in the bush, after all. And since Nathaniel and Elizabeth had run off, all the Mohawk had been staying out of the village.
But Moses had other ideas. "Ain't no way in this world I'm letting that redskin into my cabin."
Axel combed his beard thoughtfully with the fingers of one hand while he looked Moses over, from head to foot. "Ja, what kind of fool are you, then? Curiosity knows what she's doin', after all. If she's calling for Falling—Day, she must need her. It's yer wife and child, man."
