Savage Splendor (Savage Lagonda 2) (15 page)

"What good is money, if we can't use it to make you happy, princess," Jake said.

"Can I open them now?" Mara smiled expectantly.

"Sure. Open the big one first," Jake told her as he handed her a parcel.

Mara tore the paper apart with enthusiasm. She gasped when she saw several lengths of material. One was blue calico, another was green print, and the last was soft white flannel.

"Oh, Jake, Zeke, these are beautiful," she said running her hand over the flannel, loving the way it felt against her skin.

"I got you needles and thread so you can make you some mighty fine garments."

Mara turned to the two brothers and smiled sweetly. "I do not know what to say. You are both so good to me. How will I ever repay your kindness to me?"

"See what else we got you," Zeke said hurriedly, not knowing how to deal with her gratitude.

Opening the second package, Mara found ribbons and lace, a hairbrush and a comb. She ran the brush through her hair, loving the way it made her golden curls crackle with electricity.

"Mrs. White told me there was enough flannel to make lots of things for the baby. She said that's what all the women use to make baby garments with," Jake said, clearly pleased with himself.

Laughter bubbled from Mara's lips. "I would say there is enough flannel here to make gowns, blankets—and everything two babies would ever need. Thank you both, my dearest friends."

Jake looked pleased, but Zeke shifted his feet uncomfortably. "I got you another present. I been working on it out in the lean-to, so it would be a surprise for you."

"What is it, Zeke?" Mara asked.

"You wait right here while I go and fetch it," he told her as he rushed out the door of the cabin.

When he had gone, Jake picked up the white flannel and ran his rough hands over it. "It has not escaped my notice that you never refer to the baby, princess. Don't you think it's time you began to make plans for it?"

Mara sank down on the bed and looked up at him. "I suppose so, Jake. Not thinking about the baby will not make it go away, will it?"

He knelt down beside her and tilted her chin up. "Some facts need to be faced, princess, and this here baby is a fact. Me and Zeke will love your baby no matter what color its skin is, and I'm betting you will too."

"You are right. The past is hidden from me and there does not seem to be anything I can do about it. I will no longer hide from the future. Starting tomorrow, I will make plans for the baby's birth."

Zeke returned just then. He kicked on the door and Jake walked over to let him in. Mara's eyes widened as she saw the beautiful wooden cradle he carried. Setting it down in front of her, he straightened up to his full height, proudly waiting for her to examine his handiwork.

Going down on her knees, Mara saw that the cradle was constructed of heavy oak, which had been polished to a bright sheen. Running her hand over it, she admired the tiny rosebuds that had been skillfully carved on both sides.

"Zeke, this is truly beautiful. I had no idea you were such a fine craftsman," Mara told him.

"I always did like to work with my hands. Jake here always liked to poke fun at me, for wanting to make pretty things. I guess you won't laugh now, Jake," he said proudly.

Jake dropped down on his knees to get a better look at his brother's handiwork. "I'd say this is a mighty fine piece of work. I didn't know you could do this kind of thing."

Zeke winked at Mara. "Just 'cause you live with someone most of your life don't mean you know everything about them."

"Well, I think you are both wonderful," Mara said giving each of them a kiss and a hug.

"All we want is for you to be happy, princess. Ain't that right, Zeke?"

Zeke agreed with a nod of his head, while he lifted the cradle. "I'll just put this up in the loft for the time being."

That night as Mara lay on her soft bed, she allowed herself to think about the child she carried within her body. Jake was right, she could no longer ignore it, for soon it would be born and she needed to start thinking of it as a person. Somehow seeing the cradle tonight had made the baby seem more real to her. Her hand moved down to her swollen stomach, and she wondered about the baby's father. Was he a man she had loved and been married to, or was he an Indian savage, perhaps one of the men Jake and Zeke had killed?

Once more she tried to force herself to remember the past, and once more she was met with a blank wall. Perhaps it was best if she never remembered, especially if she had been ravished by savages. She felt the baby move within her body, but felt no love for it. To her the baby was an unwelcome guest, using her body like a parasite, needing her body to nourish itself and grow. She pushed all thoughts of the baby out of her mind. She would live one day at a time, and when it was time to give birth to the baby, she would then deal with her feelings for it.

Suddenly she thought of the golden medallion. She had not allowed herself to take it from the chest since the night she had seen the strange visions of the Indian. She sat up and reached for the chest, wondering if she dared hold the medallion in her hand once more. Opening the lid, she slowly lifted the shiny object out of the chest. As usual it was warm in her hand. "If you have some strange magical powers, help me remember who I am," she whispered. "I am frightened of your powers."

"Do not be frightened," a raspy voice spoke up from somewhere behind her.

Mara turned quickly, hoping either Jake or Zeke had come into the loft without her being aware of it, but she saw she was alone. Her eyes stared into the darkness, and suddenly she thought she could make out a shadowy mist.

"Who are you? Am I dreaming?" she said in a shaky voice.

For a moment there seemed to be a green glow coming from the dark, shapeless figure. She was on the verge of throwing the medallion across the room as she had done before, when she heard the voice again.

"Have no fear. I will bring you comfort," the voice said.

The mist seemed to clear, and Mara caught a glimpse of the old Indian man. Closing her eyes tightly, she tried to imagine she was dreaming. Either that or the medallion really did have magical powers. Perhaps it was evil. Gathering it in her hand, she sent it flying across the room.

She lay down and turned her back on it. One thing for sure. She was wide-awake, and the strange golden medallion did have some strange power, a power that she did not want to know about. Tomorrow she would walk deep into the woods and lose this thing that must be evil.

That night she dreamed of the beautiful Indian man.

When she awoke the next morning, she hurriedly dressed and slipped into her moccasins, then picked up the medallion. She silently descended the ladder, grateful that Jake and Zeke seemed to be sleeping. She walked deep into the woods. Her footsteps seemed to lag and she had the strangest sensation that she must not part with the golden neckpiece. Fearing she would change her mind, she started running, and when she felt she was far enough away from the cabin, she drew back her arm and sent the medallion flying into the air. She did not watch to see where it landed, but hurried back to the safety of the cabin.

It began to snow heavily, and soon the medallion was covered with a thick layer of white.

11

He with the dark brooding eyes.

Dark as the midnight skies.

Tajarez looked toward the rising sun, as soft snowflakes fell to earth, covering the dismal landscape. His heart was heavy, for there had been no word about Mara. They had questioned several different Indian tribes, but none of them had been of help. Fear gripped his insides as he gave in to total despair. It did not appear they would ever find his beloved. He would not allow his mind to dwell on the fact that she might have been mistreated by the two white men who had taken her. He knew if he thought in that vein he would lose his mind.

The day had begun, and it was time to mount his horse to start another fruitless day of searching. Perhaps Jeffery had found something that would lead them to Mara, he thought, not really daring to hope.

His dark eyes were sad as he called on his warriors to mount their horses. As the snow fell on his ebony-colored hair, his horse moved forward, and the rising sun was soon lost behind the dark snow clouds shrouding the land like a dark omen.

A cheerful fire was burning in the fireplace and Zeke leaned back in his chair, lit his pipe, and studied Mara's face. She wore the dress she had made out of the green print material. Since she found she did not know the first thing about sewing, the gown was made like a smock that gathered at the shoulders and fell in generous folds, hiding her swollen stomach.

Mara's face was creased into a frown as she tried to take small neat stitches on the gown she was making for the baby out of the white flannel. She had no notion of how beautiful she looked to Zeke, as the firelight reflected off her golden hair, giving the illusion of soft spun gold. Her face was so delicate and lovely, Zeke could only stare in wonder.

Feeling Zeke's eyes on her, Mara held up the tiny garment for his inspection. He nodded approvingly.

"Zeke, do you ever have visitors?" she said, frowning as she pricked her finger with the sharp needle.

He took a draw on his pipe, and exhaled slowly. "Yeah, me and Jake knows this trapper go's by the name of Du Lac. If he has any other name no one knows about it. Some years he comes to spend a few weeks with us, if the winter is hard."

"Tell me about him," Mara said, wanting to hear about anyone. To her the only people who existed in the whole world were Jake and Zeke.

"Well, Jake don't like him much, says there's something shifty about him, but I like him well enough. He is a right handsome man, and if he is to be believed, quite a man with the ladies. He is kind of a gentleman, talks all fancy. He told me once he had to leave France, got into some kind of trouble with the law. He don't talk much about himself, but most men you meet out here are closemouthed about their past."

“Will I meet him?"

"Like as not you will. I spect he will show up one day soon."

Mara bit her lip, trying to make a neat row of stitches. "If he is from France, I wonder what he is doing out here trapping?"

"Me and Jake wondered the same thing. But out here you learn to take a man for what he is. You either like a man or you don't. Me, I like Du Lac."

Mara broke off the thread, tied a knot in it, and turned the baby gown over to make a seam on the other side. "Zeke, do you ever wonder if the Indians you rescued me from are searching for me?" she asked thinking of her dream about the old Indian man and the tall handsome one who haunted her dreams.

"Nope. Leastwise not the two we took you from. If they ain't dead they ought to be."

Mara felt a pain in her heart as she thought of the beautiful Indian with the liquid brown eyes. She was not sure if he was real or just a figment of her imagination, but she could not bear to think of him as being one of the Indians Jake and Zeke had killed. She felt deep sadness in her heart, thinking of his beautiful eyes closed in death. It was almost as if she could feel his caressing hands on her body, and she shivered.

"Zeke, tell me what the two Indians looked like that you shot," she said through trembling lips.

He closed his eyes, as if trying to remember, then he smiled at her. "They were different somehow from any other Injuns I have ever seen. They was tall. One of them fell into the river, so I didn't get a good look at him, and the other one was nice-looking, if you could call an Injun good-looking."

Mara felt a tightening in her chest. Oh no, please god, do not let it be the man in my dreams who is dead. She felt such a sadness she was having trouble trying not to cry.

"If you fear some members of the tribe that took you will come looking for you, be at rest. I don't think they could track us here," he said with more confidence than he really felt. He and Jake had discussed the possibility of the Indians' trying to find the princess. It was not likely that they would want to give up one with her beauty so easily. They had decided that the Indians might think she had drowned in the floodwaters, and given up the search.

"I do not think I will ever remember who I am, Zeke. I have about decided that I may spend the rest of my life as someone with no past and no name."

"Me and Jake have been studying on that. We thought once the little one is born, we will take you to see the doctor at the trading post and let him look at you. It might be he can help you."

"What is a doctor doing living at a trading post, Zeke?"

"Doc White is a real doctor, all right. He once treated people in Virginia, till he came out here and found he could make more money selling goods and trading with the Injuns and trappers. He still treats folks when the need arises."

"Do you suppose he can help me?"

"We won't know less we try. He's a good man, and if anyone can help you, he can."

"How far is it to this trading post?"

"No more than three or four days. But don't you fret none, we will bundle the baby up real good, and take a tent for you to sleep in. Me and Jake will take it real slow, so as not to tire you out."

Mara gathered up the tiny garment she had been sewing on and folded it neatly. "I try not to think about the baby," she said softly.

Zeke took her hand in his. "Princess, it won't make no never mind to me and Jake if your baby is . . ."he was red-faced and could not meet her eyes. "Me and Jake will like having a little one around."

"I wish I could feel as you do. I know it is not right to resent this baby, but I cannot help myself."

"You just give yourself time. As my pa used to say, 'don't go borrowing trouble, it will find you on its own.' "

Mara stood up and walked over to the door and opened it a crack to peer out. There was a thick layer of snow covering the ground, and the wind was blowing it into high snowdrifts. Closing the door, she returned to the warmth of the fire.

"I wish Jake were here. I have had the strangest feeling we are being watched. I do not know why, it is just a feeling."

Zeke removed his rifle from the pegs where it hung over the fireplace. "I'll just go out and have a look around if it will make you feel any better," he told her.

Matio looked skyward, and the snow fell on his face like icy fingers. The deerskin wrap he was using for warmth barely reached his knees and did little to keep out the cold winds. He shivered, wondering why he continued to search for his queen, since there had been no sign of encouragement. There was nothing for him to follow, but still some force drove him on, refusing to allow him to turn back. If he could only find something that would tell him he was going in the right direction. Anything to give him hope.

The cold winds intensified, and his body was numb. He knew he would have to find some kind of shelter, or he would freeze to death. He soon found a hollowed-out log. Turning one end of it so it was blocked by the trunk of a tree, he crawled inside hoping to find some protection from the cold. The wind could not reach him now, but he wondered if he would ever feel warm again. Crawling out, he decided he needed to find something to block the other end of the log. He took a step and then cried out in pain. Something sharp had penetrated his moccasin. Feeling around in the snow, he searched for the offending object. When he found it he held it up so he could see what it was. Matio stared at the golden medallion in total disbelief. It was the same neckpiece the queen had worn. There could be no doubt, for he had seen it many times.

Joy leaped into his heart. The Great Father must have been guiding his footsteps, he thought. For the first time in many weeks, there was hope in his heart. The queen must be nearby. He did not question how the medallion came to be in the woods. Some things were not meant for mortals to know. One must merely accept them on faith.

It was beginning to grow dark, and he knew he would have to wait until the morning to renew his search. But now he knew the queen was near, and he would find her. Crawling back into the hollow log he pulled the scant deerskin tightly about him and fell asleep clutching the golden medallion that belonged to his queen.

It was not full light when Matio awoke. Crawling out of the log, he started off at a run, ignoring the hunger pangs, as well as the cold. He felt confident in his heart that he would find some sign of the queen today.

He had hardly gone any distance, when his keen hearing picked up an unfamiliar sound. He dropped quickly to his stomach and peered through the branches of a bush. There was a large clearing just ahead with some crude kind of structure built on it.

Slowly and silently he crept closer until he had a better view of the cabin. There was a man chopping wood with a strange-looking object. The man's hair was red, and to Matio's surprise he saw the man had the same red hair growing on his chin. His eyes moved from the man to the cabin. He watched as the smoke curled from the chimney, rising into the sky to mix with the snow.

He was wondering if the queen could be in the cabin, when the door opened and a woman came out. She was bundled up in warm furs, but there was no mistaking her, even from a distance.

He had found his queen!

Matio resisted the urge to call out to her. Not that he feared the man with the flaming hair, but there might be others inside the cabin, and he could not risk the queen's safety.

His heart was drumming inside his chest, and he felt great happiness wash over him. He had to find a way to communicate with her, to let her know he was near, ready to help her escape. Reaching into his leather pouch, he withdrew the medallion. That was what he could use to send her his message that her rescue was at hand.

All day Matio stayed at his vantage point. The queen did not reappear, but the man with the flaming hair came out of the cabin several times.

As night began to creep over the land the snowfall intensified. Matio crept out of his hiding place and moved cautiously toward the cabin. The windows were boarded up so he could see nothing that was going on inside the small structure. Looking about he tried to find someplace to put the medallion so she might find it. Seeing the strange handle on the door, he hung the chain over it, and then faded into the darkness, knowing the heavy snowfall would soon cover his tracks. The queen did not appear to be in any danger, so he would wait and watch, hoping to find her alone.

Mara was tired, and her back had been bothering her all day, so she had decided she would go to bed early. She and Zeke had been expecting Jake home, but he had not appeared before dinner. Mara and Zeke had eaten together and she had left Jake's dinner warming in case he did return.

She was halfway up the ladder when the front door opened and Jake entered. She watched as he shook the snow from his hooded jacket.

"You are late. We began to think you would not return tonight," she told him.

Jake looked up to her and grinned broadly. "Did you misplace something, princess?" he asked removing his glove and holding something out to her.

Mara gasped as she saw the medallion. "Where did you find it, Jake?" she said in a weak voice.

"It was hanging on the doorknob. You ought to be more careful with it. Unless I miss my guess, it is very valuable."

Mara climbed down the ladder on shaky legs. When she reached the floor, she stood as if paralyzed. Finally, she reached for the medallion and it felt warm in her hand, as she knew it would.

"Jake, did the medallion feel warm to you?" she asked.

He looked taken aback for a moment, not understanding her question. "No, of course not, it's cold as ice. It's been hanging outside in the snow. Why do you ask?"

Mara merely shook her head, knowing she could never tell Jake about the strange effect the medallion had on her. Nor would she tell him she had thrown it away in the woods. Climbing up the ladder, she lay down on the soft furs. Clutching the golden chain, she closed her eyes. How was it possible that the medallion had been found, and by whom? She no longer doubted that it had some strange power, nor would she resist it any longer. She was frightened, but she would try to find out tonight what the medallion was trying to show her.

Inside the cave, high among the mountains of the hidden valley, Sagas the wise watched as the flames from the fire he had built, leapt higher and higher, as it gave off a silver-blue glow.