Into the Wilderness
Page 263
To see him weep was almost more than she could bear, but Elizabeth steeled herself. Taking her handkerchief she touched it gently to his tender face. Nathaniel was watching from the other side of the room, his arms crossed on his chest and his chin down low.
Liam's sobbing ebbed, slowly.
"Did men from the village beat you?"
He shook his head slightly.
"Was it your brother?"
A nod, barely perceptible. When she repeated her question, he nodded again, more firmly.
"Liam, we have to find him."
The boy let out a small cry, and Elizabeth touched his shoulder.
"I promise you to do everything in my power to make sure he has a fair trial. But Liam, we have to find him before the villagers do, or there's no telling what might happen."
She wondered for a moment if he had fallen asleep. Then his voice came, stronger than she had expected.
"You won't hang him?"
Elizabeth glanced at Nathaniel. He nodded.
"None of us here would hang him. We will do what we can to see that he comes to trial."
"He's my only kin in the world," Liam said. "I got no place to go."
"You can stay with us," Hannah said from the shadows. She had come up in her bare feet, and Elizabeth had not heard her. "Can't he? He can stay with us."
Liam's right hand rose to wave uncertainly in the air. Elizabeth caught it.
"I tried to stop him," he whispered. His lower lip had begun to bleed again, and she touched her handkerchief to it, but he shook his head in irritation.
"Miz Elizabeth, I didn't know Hannah was in there."
"Of course you didn't," Elizabeth said firmly.
"But Billy didn't know, either. I'm sure he didn't know. He didn't know." And the tears began again in earnest.
Hannah was staring at her father, her chin thrust out belligerently. "Can't he stay with us?"
"Yes," Nathaniel said. "We'll make room for him. But right now we need Billy, and fast."
At the sound of Nathaniel's voice, Liam had stopped weeping. He took some long, shaky breaths and then he let Elizabeth's hand go.
"He's hiding in a cave on the north face," he said. "Above the deadfall. You know where I mean?"
"I do," Nathaniel said, reaching for his rifle. He glanced at Runs-from-Bears, who was lacing up dry moccasins.
"We'll be back as soon as we can, Boots."
From the doorway to the workroom, Falling—Day said in Kahnyen’keháka: "Bring him back here and I will gut him myself." There was an edge in her voice that Elizabeth had never heard before. Her eyes were on Hannah.
"We'll take him someplace safe until tempers ease up a little," Nathaniel said to Elizabeth.
"There ain't no place safe left in the world," Liam said. In the candlelight his eyes were glazed, a watery blue. "Not for Billy, not anymore."
* * *
Nathaniel and Runs-from-Bears were just crossing into the forest when Elizabeth called out behind them. She was running, her shawl flapping in the wind. Nathaniel caught her up and smoothed the loose curls from around her face while she fought for her voice. "Nathaniel," she gasped.
"It's Sunday. I just realized. You were supposed to leave for Albany this morning."
He had been fixed on the idea of Billy, all his energy and anger of the past day pushing him forward, and he could not make sense of what she was trying to tell him. Nathaniel saw Elizabeth's frustration, and he forced himself to breathe in and out, and think it through.
It hit him, then. "God Almighty. The court date."
"Yes," she said. "Tomorrow."
They stared at each other for a moment.
Bears said: "Maybe nobody needs to go. If Richard don't show up, the suit against you gets dropped. That's what van der Poole said, wasn't it?"
"But what if Richard is there?" Elizabeth said. "He could be."
"Then I'll have to go." Nathaniel said. "If I leave now and ride hard I can be there in time."
"You cannot go," Elizabeth cried. "The men here will take justice into their own hands if you are not there to stop them."
There was a small silence, and she pulled herself up and looked him hard in the eye. "I promised Liam."
"Does it matter if Billy Kirby dies tonight or next week in Albany? Is it worth losing the mountain over?" Nathaniel shot back, exasperated.
"Bears can go and explain. If Richard is there, perhaps the judge will postpone again when he hears what has happened."
"They wouldn't let me in the courthouse," Bears said, presenting a simple fact.
Elizabeth threw up her hands and her voice came hoarse, with effort or suppressed tears or anger, Nathaniel could not tell. "Then I will go."
"No," Nathaniel said flatly. "You will not."
"Wait," said Bears, turning to Elizabeth. "You write a letter for the judge, I'll take it to Schuyler, and he can go in your place."
Nathaniel's stomach gave a lurch, a knot of anxiety unraveling. Elizabeth was lifting her skirts and turning toward the cabin already. "I'll write as quickly as I can," she said, and she was off, disappearing quickly in the darkness. Nathaniel watched her go, and then he turned to Bears.
"It may be a hard ride for no reason," he said. "I doubt Richard is anywhere near Albany."
Liam's sobbing ebbed, slowly.
"Did men from the village beat you?"
He shook his head slightly.
"Was it your brother?"
A nod, barely perceptible. When she repeated her question, he nodded again, more firmly.
"Liam, we have to find him."
The boy let out a small cry, and Elizabeth touched his shoulder.
"I promise you to do everything in my power to make sure he has a fair trial. But Liam, we have to find him before the villagers do, or there's no telling what might happen."
She wondered for a moment if he had fallen asleep. Then his voice came, stronger than she had expected.
"You won't hang him?"
Elizabeth glanced at Nathaniel. He nodded.
"None of us here would hang him. We will do what we can to see that he comes to trial."
"He's my only kin in the world," Liam said. "I got no place to go."
"You can stay with us," Hannah said from the shadows. She had come up in her bare feet, and Elizabeth had not heard her. "Can't he? He can stay with us."
Liam's right hand rose to wave uncertainly in the air. Elizabeth caught it.
"I tried to stop him," he whispered. His lower lip had begun to bleed again, and she touched her handkerchief to it, but he shook his head in irritation.
"Miz Elizabeth, I didn't know Hannah was in there."
"Of course you didn't," Elizabeth said firmly.
"But Billy didn't know, either. I'm sure he didn't know. He didn't know." And the tears began again in earnest.
Hannah was staring at her father, her chin thrust out belligerently. "Can't he stay with us?"
"Yes," Nathaniel said. "We'll make room for him. But right now we need Billy, and fast."
At the sound of Nathaniel's voice, Liam had stopped weeping. He took some long, shaky breaths and then he let Elizabeth's hand go.
"He's hiding in a cave on the north face," he said. "Above the deadfall. You know where I mean?"
"I do," Nathaniel said, reaching for his rifle. He glanced at Runs-from-Bears, who was lacing up dry moccasins.
"We'll be back as soon as we can, Boots."
From the doorway to the workroom, Falling—Day said in Kahnyen’keháka: "Bring him back here and I will gut him myself." There was an edge in her voice that Elizabeth had never heard before. Her eyes were on Hannah.
"We'll take him someplace safe until tempers ease up a little," Nathaniel said to Elizabeth.
"There ain't no place safe left in the world," Liam said. In the candlelight his eyes were glazed, a watery blue. "Not for Billy, not anymore."
* * *
Nathaniel and Runs-from-Bears were just crossing into the forest when Elizabeth called out behind them. She was running, her shawl flapping in the wind. Nathaniel caught her up and smoothed the loose curls from around her face while she fought for her voice. "Nathaniel," she gasped.
"It's Sunday. I just realized. You were supposed to leave for Albany this morning."
He had been fixed on the idea of Billy, all his energy and anger of the past day pushing him forward, and he could not make sense of what she was trying to tell him. Nathaniel saw Elizabeth's frustration, and he forced himself to breathe in and out, and think it through.
It hit him, then. "God Almighty. The court date."
"Yes," she said. "Tomorrow."
They stared at each other for a moment.
Bears said: "Maybe nobody needs to go. If Richard don't show up, the suit against you gets dropped. That's what van der Poole said, wasn't it?"
"But what if Richard is there?" Elizabeth said. "He could be."
"Then I'll have to go." Nathaniel said. "If I leave now and ride hard I can be there in time."
"You cannot go," Elizabeth cried. "The men here will take justice into their own hands if you are not there to stop them."
There was a small silence, and she pulled herself up and looked him hard in the eye. "I promised Liam."
"Does it matter if Billy Kirby dies tonight or next week in Albany? Is it worth losing the mountain over?" Nathaniel shot back, exasperated.
"Bears can go and explain. If Richard is there, perhaps the judge will postpone again when he hears what has happened."
"They wouldn't let me in the courthouse," Bears said, presenting a simple fact.
Elizabeth threw up her hands and her voice came hoarse, with effort or suppressed tears or anger, Nathaniel could not tell. "Then I will go."
"No," Nathaniel said flatly. "You will not."
"Wait," said Bears, turning to Elizabeth. "You write a letter for the judge, I'll take it to Schuyler, and he can go in your place."
Nathaniel's stomach gave a lurch, a knot of anxiety unraveling. Elizabeth was lifting her skirts and turning toward the cabin already. "I'll write as quickly as I can," she said, and she was off, disappearing quickly in the darkness. Nathaniel watched her go, and then he turned to Bears.
"It may be a hard ride for no reason," he said. "I doubt Richard is anywhere near Albany."
