Lakota Princess (28 page)

He sat with her while her breathing quieted and her breasts ceased to heave. He still knelt beside her, his fingertips continuing to massage her. And only when he had assured himself that she had recovered, did he sit back, grinning at her.

After several moments he said, his voice teasing, “Tell me again, Waste Ho, that you are not my woman.”

It was the wrong thing to say.

It reminded her of her exact position here.

It restored her anger.

She looked him in the eye. “I am not your woman.”

He laughed.

“Your strength pleases me,” he said. “But remember that I am your man, no matter what you say. And do not forget that I will always ensure that you follow my orders. It is useless to defy me. What I do is for your own good.”

“Untie me,” she said. “Only then will I believe you are my man. What good am I to you if you don’t trust me?”

He laughed again, and Estrela, despite herself, thought how pleasing a sound it was.

“I do trust you, Waste Ho.” He grinned again and shook his head. “I trust you to disobey my orders, to run around all over this country where you make a fine target for someone. Yes, Ho, I trust you to ensure you get killed if I do not do these things to prevent it.”

“Oh!” It was all she could think to say. He had spoken too closely to the truth.

“You will be fine here and I will be back before the sun sets.” He pulled away from her and stood. “Until I return, I wish you only the happiest of dreams.”

He stepped away from her, treading toward the doors in her room. But before he left, he stopped, hesitated, and looked back to her. “I will give you one last chance,” he said. “Promise me you will not leave your room and I will untie you.”

“I…”

“Remember that you are Lakota.”

She hesitated, then, “Untie me, Black Bear,” she said to him. “This is so unnecessary.”

His smile was his only reaction. With a shake of his head he trod through the open doors and just like that he was gone, as swiftly and silently as a phantom.

Chapter Eighteen

Hours later, Black Bear sought out the Duke of Colchester, whom he found pondering over stacks of papers in a room the English called the “study.”

The Duke’s manservant showed the Indian into the room, and Black Bear rushed in amid a flourish of buckskin and hides, feathers and fine linen.

Black Bear had draped a buffalo robe over one shoulder and carried another in his arms, along with his own quarry pipe. Approaching the Duke, who sat behind an enormous oak desk, Black Bear threw the buffalo robe onto the floor.

He gestured toward the robe, then toward the Duke, saying, “This robe was made by my mother. It is finely sewn and carries with it pictures of the fights of my father and his grandfathers against the Pawnee tribe in my country.” He gazed steadily at the Duke. “It is now yours.”

“Mine?”

Black Bear nodded.

“Is there a reason you would so honor me?” The Duke stood up behind his desk.

Black Bear again nodded. But he didn’t speak immediately; instead, he gestured to a chair directly in front of one that he claimed for himself. He lifted his chin. “I seek counsel with you.”

“I see.” The Duke of Colchester came around his desk, seating himself in the chair the Indian had indicated. “Jolly good, then,” he said, and Black Bear followed his lead to sit in the chair just opposite. “What can I do for you, boy?”

Black Bear didn’t answer at once. He drew out his quarry pipe instead and, first offering the stem to the north, the south, the east and west and then to the heavens above, he took a puff. He inhaled the sacred fragrance of tobacco before he handed the pipe to the Duke, indicating that the Duke should do the same.

When at last this had been accomplished and the pipe restored to its owner, Black Bear began. “The sacred pipe is a symbol of wisdom and honesty among my people. In smoking it here with you, I am telling you that whatever you ask, I will answer. Whatever I say will be truth. And I would ask that it be the same with you. I seek knowledge that you have,” he said. “I am a stranger to this land and there is much here that is unknown to me, much here that I must learn, quickly.”

The Duke nodded. “Yes,” he said. “I can understand that, and I appreciate your trust of me.”

Black Bear acknowledged the Duke’s words with a slight dip of his head. He stared intently at the Duke. “I seek to know what knowledge you have concerning Waste Ho, Estrela. It is imperative that I learn this now since I cannot seem to discover the source of these strikes upon her life.”

“What do you mean?”

“There has been another attempt to murder her. It happened this morning while she was riding.” Black Bear handed the Duke the frayed leather of her saddle.

“Whoever this stalker is,” he said, “he follows us.”

The Duke examined the leather straps, the buckle, the jagged edges. At last, he looked up to the Indian.

“I don’t understand. What do you mean, you seek my knowledge?”

Black Bear had known it would not be easy to pry the information he sought from the Duke, whom he could not fault for his discretion. Still; it didn’t keep Black Bear from being impatient.

He took a deep breath before he spoke. “You know something about Waste Ho, Estrela, and the Earl of Langsford that I do not. I believe you know of her father and her mother. I believe this because, if you did not, she would not now be under your protection—”

“That is only because I believe that she—”

Black Bear held up his hand.

“It is not necessary to continue your pretense with me. I admire that you protect her. It is what I would do. But I notice you spend no effort looking for her parentage. You do, however”—here, Black Bear stared directly at the Duke—“seek knowledge of people who used to know her when she lived with the Earl.”

“Why, I never—”

Again Black Bear held up his hand.

“It is customary among my people that when a man has something to say, no matter what it is or how long a talk it is, he is permitted to finish. Perhaps this is not the English custom, but I would ask that you suffer my speech until the end.”

The Duke sputtered and grunted, but he otherwise remained silent.

And Black Bear continued. “The time has come when I must know what you know. The time has come
for
you to seek what skills I have, also. The time has come for us to bind together to find this enemy. You misunderstand me, I seek not only your knowledge, but your wisdom of this country, this culture. I seek your assistance.” Black Bear indicated the room with the sweep of his hand. “I need your help. You see, if I am to stalk this prey, I must learn to think, to act like a white man, like an Englishman.”

The Duke hesitated. “My good man, do you ask me to teach you?”

Black Bear inclined his head.

“Why, how could I possibly? I daresay it takes years to cultivate the exact, correct manners. It takes breeding, education. Why you couldn’t possibly learn it all in a short period of time.”

Black Bear didn’t even smile. “And yet I must.” The Duke arose from his chair and paced toward the windows until he stood before them, looking out onto the immaculate lawns of Shelburne Hall.

“Why do you do this?”

It was a question Black Bear had anticipated. “Waste Ho is my woman. I came to this country after her. I intend to leave this country with her. I cannot leave with this unsolved. The trouble will follow her even into my own country. I must, therefore, solve it here. But I do not understand why someone would want her death. And it is this understanding, these things an Englishman requires, the reasons he might seek to kill another which I must learn. Without it; I cannot find this enemy.”

The Duke of Colchester lowered his head. “You know, young man, that if I tell you these things, you cannot relay them to another soul, not even the lady herself. No one else must know.”

Black Bear nodded. “I realize this. You have my word.”

The Duke sighed. “You have been honest with me and fair, and I must tell you, son, that if I am correct in what I believe, you could stand to lose Lady Estrela.” The Duke hadn’t looked back into the room as he spoke. He just, gazed out at the countryside.

Black Bear frowned. “I stand to lose her now. What is the difference?”

The Duke breathed out a long breath and, turning back into the room, he retraced his steps toward the Indian, coming to stand behind Black Bear.

“I will help you, my good man,” the Duke said. “I will help you because I trust you and because”—he placed a hand on Black Bear’s shoulder—“because I need you. I, too, am bound to discover this plot. But beware, son. I believe you may find that if you solve this mystery you may be left with nothing.”

Black Bear didn’t move. “I do not understand. In all things there is this possibility. Why would this keep me from resolving this problem?”

The Duke hesitated. “Have you ever considered that the Lady Estrela might not be able to return to your tribe with you?”

Black Bear didn’t answer and the Duke continued. “The old Earl of Langsford was a good friend of mine. His estate is not far from mine here in the country and so we often took to visiting.” The Duke paused. “He had living with him at that time a young girl whom he insisted was under his care. Of course I thought nothing of it. His affairs were his own. But one night, here in my home, after having too much wine at dinner, the Earl confessed that the young girl in his household was the King’s own granddaughter, unknown to anyone but a close circle of friends. If,”—the Duke strode around the chair, until he was facing Black Bear—“if Estrela is that child, and I suspect she might be, she is a Royal Princess, heir to the throne of England. My son, she would never be able to marry you.”

Black Bear did nothing at first. It appeared that he met this bold statement with nothing but stoic calm.

Only if one were truly observant would one discern a reaction, yet even then, only in the dilation of the Indian’s eyes.

At length, Black Bear said, “Explain this to me. Do you mean she will change her mind? I have already considered this.”

The Duke sighed. “It is more complex than that.” 

The Indian shrugged. “And I ask you a question. Have you considered that Waste Ho may not wish to remain here? Do you realize that she may decide on her own to leave?”

“She would not be allowed to leave.”

Black Bear inspected the Duke’s face and his manner in detail. At last, he asked, “Who would prevent it?”

“Why,” the Duke answered, “the Royal Guard, the Dukes and Earls, Parliament. The only way she could leave would be to give up all claim to the throne, including all the wealth, the title, the power that comes with the monarchy. ’Tis not something that is done.”

To this Black Bear merely smiled and, changing the subject, he said, “I will require you to teach me these things. And whether she can be my woman or not makes little difference. I am bound to protect Waste Ho, Estrela. Whatever the outcome, whether she comes with me or not, it is still something I must do.”

The Duke seemed to find encouragement in what Black Bear said, for he smiled, and studying Black Bear’s face, he grasped the young man’s hand in his own. “I will explain it to you. I will teach you how an Englishman thinks. We have a pact, son. In the next few weeks, I will try to teach you what I know of our royal monarchy. And I truly hope for your sake, and for hers, that I am incorrect, that Estrela is merely a cousin of mine and has no royal connection at all.”

Black Bear did nothing. He said nothing for a long time, giving nothing away in either his speech or his manner.

At length, he smiled at the Duke, finally saying, “I, too, hope for your sake that Waste Ho is merely cousin. For, my friend, you may find she does not wish to stay. And this…” he paused, “…is all I have to say to you.”

“I say, ladies, are we all ready to go?” It was Prince Frederick who spoke, his dark head bent toward their carriage.

Estrela glanced out the window of the coach, observing that the man’s clean-shaven face was unusually flushed, a result of the cool autumn air. The Prince stood beside their barouche, the man apparently engrossed in the act of putting on his riding gloves.

Apparently.

He kept tossing interested glances into the coach, his gaze seeking out not Estrela, but rather Estrela’s maid, Anna.

And Estrela thought it odd that her maid did not seem to notice. Even now, Anna gazed out the other window to the other side of the coach, her attention caught on—Estrela glanced at Anna’s hands.

So. Estrela smiled. Her friend was not immune to Prince Frederick’s attentions. Anna rubbed her hands together over and over nervously.

Estrela grinned and placing her face partway through the open window said, “How kind you are to inquire about us and yes, indeed, sir, we are ready to leave. Do you ride with us, then?”

She tried to inject just the right amount of disinterest in her voice and she hoped she had succeeded.

She needn’t have worried. Prince Frederick noticed nothing awry. Instead he bowed, making quite a ceremony out of it. He smiled, toppling his hat to his hand as he said, “At your service.”

Estrela grinned while her maid, Anna, groaned, that maiden gazing out the other window, her attention, it would seem, on some other happening.

But appearances could be incorrect, and as Estrela watched her maid and friend, she noted that Anna cast many a furtive glance at the Prince.

Estrela looked back out her window, seeking, herself, a glimpse of Black Bear. She found him. Sitting atop a fine-looking steed, Black Bear appeared to be engrossed in the other activities in the yard. But as if he knew he were being watched, he turned his head toward her.

He saw her and tipped his head in acknowledgment.

Estrela, in response, looked away. But it was too late. Black Bear had already dismounted, was at this moment striding toward them and as Estrela glanced at him, her stomach performed a flip-flop.

She moaned.

How she wished she could deny the effect he had on her. How she longed simply to ignore him. But it was not to be. Every time she saw him, she swooned; every moment she spent in his presence, she treasured. He was like no other. And though she wished it could be different, she couldn’t deny his influence on her, though she certainly tried. Since that horrible morning when he had tied her to the bed, she had gone out of her way to ignore him, to avoid him…and it was no easy task. It took quite a bit of effort to pretend that she noticed him not at all.