Bright Morning Star (16 page)

Henry looked around as Claire pointed to the small boy who lay in his usual place near the bed. Henry freed his hands from both women to reach out to lift Bella’s son.

Each day the child felt lighter, but his small stomach was distended like a little drum full of air. Today, he smelled sweet like Christmas candy. Carefully, he laid the child down on Bella, making sure his small white gown didn’t touch the bloodstained bodice of her dress.

“Re-,” She began and Henry leaned forward to hear her last words. “Remember the promise.”

He shuddered as he breathed in the words with her last breath as much as heard them. Eyes shining with unshed tears he leaned enough to kiss her still warm lips. Groaning, he placed his hand tightly over the mouth and nose of the little boy. At the child’s weak struggle he withdrew his hand and staggered back in horror.

Henry swore at death, Indians, and God as he fumbled his way back from the bed and out into the blazing heat of the sun cursed day. Still, he screamed and swore.

Minutes after he mounted to ride back to the front, Claire sat trembling. What kind of monster was this? He stayed for one last kiss, then calmly began to kill the helpless little boy. As she started to stand, Claire gasped and then fell back against the hard side of the wagon. The canvas billowed over her as the world went mercifully black.

<><><>

Mother and the twins raced toward the wagon as Henry turned his tired horse to run toward the line of defenders.

Inside, they moved Claire to the front on a clean blanket. Mother sat Mary Anne beside Claire and moved Barney to her lap. The little boy stared up at the girl and smiled. While she sang to the child, Mother began the sad labor of preparing the body for burial. In this hot weather, it would need to be soon.

The troop of eighteen men led by Lieutenant Calum Douglas arrived two days later. He had sent six of his best men back to escort the larger wagon train back on to the Fort, and to protect some peaceful reservation Indians from any more attacks by a new Lieutenant. When he heard the lowing oxen of the smaller train, he spurred his animal forward, intent on seeing Bonnie again.

He smiled as he watched the three McKinney children rush toward Ian and Shawn Magee. While Bonnie’s brothers, dismounted and hoisted the children up, Calum welcomed Robert Wimberley riding up to shake his hand. For endless minutes they talked about the other wagon train, he had passed yesterday, how they had both been traveling together, but the oxen moved slower.

Calum tuned the words out as he noted the two Wimberley women. There was something somber about the way they sat that brought his heart into his throat. When he saw an arrow sticking out of the Lambton’s wagon, he raised a hand to hurry Wimberley. With the troops help, they quickly had the caravan circled and ready for the night.

<><><>

Claire stirred the beans, grateful that the last of the mule was in this pot. She had hated the thought of including it, but now she had grown numb to what she ate. It seemed the others were too. She looked up at the man who was going to bring Bonnie back to them.

He was dusty, a dark line across his forehead where his hat had rested. She had watched the tall man, his bright blue and yellow uniform no longer spotless, as he helped and directed the actions of all the others. Bonnie was right, he was more than a toy soldier.

She listened as the children described their encounter with the Indian Chief the morning before Bonnie disappeared, Tom and Jim interrupting each other with different information, all overridden by Father Wimberley’s more precise recall of what the old Indian had told them. Mary Anne quietly moved forward until she had Calum’s attention. She lifted the strange coin that she always wore pinned to her chest these days.

Calum looked from the little girl’s face to the coin and then back again. As soon as she finished explaining about it, Calum pulled her over to sit beside him and continued to interrogate the others. Claire watched, noticing the man’s intensity as he listened, his gaze on each of the speakers, constantly moving over their features before turning to study the next.

She looked past the tall, handsome cavalry officer to Henry Lambton. It was the first time she had looked at him since the Indian attack. Since the time when they watched Bella die. Without meaning to, Claire shuddered again. Henry sat holding the little boy in his arms, the child lifted so his head rested on his shoulder, Henry’s arm under the boy’s bottom. He looked so exhausted. Claire wondered if he had slept since they buried his wife. He had been so distraught. Her Father had walked him back to his wagon, listened to Henry’s cries of despair.

She heard Calum keep asking, “After he attacked, that’s when you noticed Bonnie was gone?”

The boys were explaining, again Father interrupted to describe every minute of their exchange with the old Indian, Chief Washakie. Claire could only remember how frightened she had been at having to serve the strange man their food since Bonnie wasn’t there. He had looked at her as though he could tell everything she had ever felt, thought, or done.

“We realized Bonnie was gone when we stopped to eat,” Claire said from over the fire. He gave her a hard look and she could almost hear him saying ‘because you had to do some work for a change.’ She accepted his judgement of her, because it was true. She had never realized how much Bonnie did for all of them. Claire smiled, held out a plate of food as a peace offering. She asked if the others were hungry and began serving food.

Only her Mother and Mary Anne came forward to take plates, but Claire watched as each served one of the arguing men. She continued to fill plates and pass them, grateful that none refused the food except Henry. For the first time she realized he had not eaten since Bella’s death. Not a bite.

Now, Ian and Shawn, who had been listening, roared to life, demanding in outrage to know why they had abandoned their sister Bonnie.

Claire’s head hurt, she wanted to run and cry, escape all the uproar and the terrible debate. Calum’s loud voice pulled her back in as he groaned the words, “So Bonnie has been gone a week?”

She could see in his eyes and face, the torture he was imagining for wonderful, brave Bonnie. Claire wanted to howl in pain at the images, instead she muttered in a dead voice, “Over twelve days.”

<><><>

It was Mother who began to talk, telling the Lieutenant about Bella. Henry interrupted as he made a barking sound. Claire rose, shivering, wondering if he were laughing or crying. “What, Henry? Do you want me to put Barney to bed?” Mother asked.

Claire watched him shake his head violently. It looked as if he was crushing the small boy in his arms. She stepped closer, ready to pull the boy to safety.

“I couldn’t protect them, I couldn’t protect either of them,” Henry screamed.

When Claire reached out to touch him, he stood and moved away. Calum rose and stood beside the man.

“When?” Calum asked.

“I’m not sure, two days ago. They wouldn’t let me keep her with me. She’s buried on the side of a hill, all alone. There is no marker, no sign for anyone to ever find her.”

Father Wimberley’s voice sounded depressed, “It was over ninety in the shade.” Calum raised a hand. He had been on battlefields during the Civil War. One never forgot the stench of the dead and dying.

“We all are buried alone, Henry,” Father said. But before he could finish offering more words of comfort, Henry was muttering again.

“She made me promise to take care of Barney, to take care of him the way we had agreed if anything happened to her. I couldn’t do it. She wanted him buried with her, but I couldn’t do it.”

Claire sank beside him, leaned to wrap an arm around the sobbing man. “I thought, I heard you promise her to take care of him, then I saw you put your hand over his face.” She leaned against him. “Oh Henry, I thought you wanted to kill him.”

He shot up as though scalded by her touch. “I resented him...”he began and Claire closed her eyes in comprehension. She had misjudged him, thought she no longer loved him, could never love such a man. “I never wanted to hurt him, to …” the words faded into a gasp. “You thought I wanted to kill him?”

Onto the lap of the shocked girl he let Barney’s lifeless body fall. “Now he’s dead and we are days and miles from her grave. They will both be buried alone.” When he said the last words, she heard the horror, heard how lost and alone he sounded. Helplessly she watched him storm off.

Claire touched the lifeless face, held her fingers over the boy’s lips. When there was no movement, she screamed.

Alarmed, Calum whistled to call his Indian scouts, and quickly sent them after the crazed man.

Claire felt emotionally overwhelmed. How could she think Henry wanted to kill this boy? She knew he resented him, remembered all the arguments he and Bella had at the store. Now she had betrayed him again, embarrassed them both by making all of this public. She closed her eyes as though in a faint as her parents rushed forward. Father swept her up and after Mother took the child, he carried Claire to her wagon.

In the dark she heard a thud, tried not to react. As her father gently placed her on her bed, she heard Calum’s orders.

“Tie him up and put him in his wagon.” She knew the Lieutenant was staring at four angry boys when she heard Calum explain. “Guilt and grief have killed many a man.”

As her Father brushed a kiss against her forehead, Claire let her head roll as though already asleep.
You thought I wanted to kill him?
Henry had accused. This time she couldn’t even cry or pray. She would always see his face and remember those words.

<><><>

At dawn, Claire woke to the sound of the troopers bugle. Amazingly, she had slept through the night. Sometimes the soul can feel as exhausted as the body. But this morning she felt renewed. She took the time to change the blood stained dress and to take a quick spit bath with washcloth and bowl of water, rushing to pull on clean clothes and work her hair into order. Satisfied, she hurried out of the wagon to start breakfast.

She almost collided with Jim, who had stumbled out of the Lambton’s wagon, rubbing his eyes. “Hey, those soldiers are nuts. They get up even before your father, and he gets up earlier than anyone from the city.”

“Apparently not,” Claire said with a laugh. Jim stared at her and smiled too, shaking his head as he backed away. “Got to see the Lieutenant about something.” He almost fell as he collided with her father, climbing out of the front of the wagon. Righted, he ran toward the trooper’s tents.

Claire was already striking the flint that she now carried in her pocket, quickly starting the fire. She shook the pot and poured the small amount of coffee into a nearby tin cup, setting it on the fire to warm as well. She grabbed the bucket and headed to the water keg to fill both. She paused to return her father’s stare. “What?”

Father shook his head, smiled at her, “I’ll go fetch some fresh water, give me a minute. You sure you want to cook, Mother and I can do it?”

“I’m fine, guess it will be more porridge and fat back. I wish we had eggs, the shells always brighten the coffee.” Humming, she walked to the food cabinet and began to grind coffee beans. Her mother peered out of the wagon, her hair uncombed and dress still unbuttoned. “I’m hurrying Claire. I can do all that.”

Claire stood on tiptoe to kiss her Mother, dusted her hand before reaching up to cup her face. Her hand smelled of coffee grounds and both women inhaled at the same time. Her mother smiled and nodded before disappearing back inside to dress.

Jim ran past, almost colliding again. She heard him breathlessly shout as he climbed into the wagon. “Yeah, he said to let him loose so he can do it, but we’re both to go along and keep an eye on him.”

She heard Henry swear, “… does he want you to hold it for me too.”

Giggling, Claire could hear the sounds of Henry struggling and the grunt as Tom helped him to stand. Carefully, she looked at the meat as she sliced the side of bacon standing in the skillet. When she had a dozen short slices, she wrapped the pork with the greasy cheesecloth covering and set it aside while she spread out the meat in the skillet and put it on to cook.

Mother appeared and returned the pork and carried the pot of soaked beans with her. “I’m pleased to see you back on your feet. You’ve had us worried you know.”

Claire titled her head to smile and then whispered, “I know, but for some reason, this morning I woke and my heart felt light again. Like some terrible burden had been lifted.” She added the oats to the boiling water, carefully tilted the lid as she covered the pot and moved it back from the flame a little to add the beans. “I know you and Father disapproved of my behavior. That hurt, then Bella died. I’ve felt guilty and unhappy for too long. I just can’t do it. Now Calum has arrived and is going after her, I know we’ll have Bonnie back soon. I have to live as myself Mother, not pretend to be someone else, even for you,” she whispered.

Mother leaned over and gave her a brief hug. “Good, I knew Robert was wrong. You are like your Grandmother Wimberley. You never knew him, but your grandfather used to tease her. He would say she was ‘half-fairy,’ because she was so bright and bubbly. I’m glad to have the real Claire back.”

By the time the three men returned, Claire had the porridge bubbling. She added hot coffee to the mug with yesterday’s cold, and when Henry extended his hand she placed it there. If he noticed she looked better today, he gave no indication.

The troop rode past, Calum pulling his horse up to talk. The Magee brothers dismounted and Claire was surprised to hear them arguing about which would carry the body of Barney Lambton.

“We’ll find the grave, make sure the boy is buried with his mother.” Calum barked “enough” as Ian emerged with the child, but looked surprised as were the others when he handed the body up to Shawn.

Claire handed the washed plate to Mary Anne to dry and exchanged a smile with the little girl as the soldiers paraded by, looking their way. “Lieutenant Douglas won’t come back without her. Bonnie will soon be back,” Claire said.

“Won’t you be glad to never have to wash another dish or cook another meal?”

Claire surprised herself as she shook her head. “I like the idea of not having to do any unpleasant jobs again, but in a way I’ll miss it. Time passes quicker when you’re working.”

“Idle hands are the devil’s workshop,” Mary Anne said.

“Work and your heart grows happy,” Claire say.

“Whistle or sing to work faster,” Mary Anne said.

Father interrupted the cheerful girls. “Get everything on board, we’re moving out.”