Savage Splendor (Savage Lagonda 2) (19 page)

"I think you are only frightened of me. I have not been known for my patience in the past, but with you I am prepared to be very patient. I want you to be my wife."

"No! You must not say this to me. I do not even know who I am. I do not want to hurt you, but I do not like you well enough to marry you, even if I did remember who I am," she told him, hoping he would not say anything more about marriage.

"What about Andrew? He will need a father, and I am prepared to take on that role for him."

"I am cold," Mara said, not wanting to talk to the Frenchman any longer. How could he expect she would marry him? She did not even know him. "I am going in now."

Du Lac's eyes burned with anger. How dare she—a little nobody who did not even know who she was, who had given birth to an Indian brat—reject him. She would find out that he was not a man to say no to. He could do nothing for now, but the time would come when he would have her. He had offered her marriage, something he had offered no other woman. Now he would take her without benefit of a wedding.

Matio stood up as he watched the door close. His heart was heavy. He felt his king had been betrayed, and, in some way, that he too had been betrayed. He was not yet ready to give up. He would watch until he found her alone, then he would go to her and see if she would return to the Seven Cities with him.

14

A glimmer of hope, from a bright golden sky.

Will I find my love with the dark, brooding eyes?

For the next week the weather remained clear. Jake had told Mara it was only temporary. It was the end of January and the winter had not yet released its hold on the land.

Since the night Du Lac had asked Mara to marry him and she had refused, he had not attempted to approach her. She hoped he had forgotten all about the incident, but sometimes she would catch him watching her and would feel fear.

Zeke and Du Lac had ridden out early that morning to check on their traps. Jake was at the back of the cabin chopping wood, and Andrew was asleep in his cradle.

Mara folded a white flannel blanket and added it to the stack of clean clothes she had taken from the makeshift clothesline Jake had strung across the cabin.

She heard Andrew stirring and bent over the cradle to smile down at him. "So, at last you are awake. You must be hungry." She lifted him in her arms, and unfastened her gown to nurse him. Andrew nursed hungrily, while Mara smiled down at him. Her heart overflowed with love for her dark-skinned son.

"You are such ..." The door opened, and her heart stopped. She could still hear Jake chopping wood at the back, and she knew Zeke and Du Lac would not return until dark. Her hand went to her throat as she saw the Indian. He was not much older than herself, and he was tall and handsome, but he was not the one she had dreamed of so often. She tried to show a brave face. Zeke had told her that Indians respected bravery. She felt at that moment she must be the worst coward that had ever drawn a breath, because her legs were shaking and she felt like she might choke on her fear.

"W . . . what do you want?" she said clutching Andrew tightly in her arms.

"I do not understand when you speak in the white man's tongue," the Indian said, advancing toward her.

He had spoken to her in another language and she had understood him clearly. Mara took a step backwards and came up against the cradle, unable to retreat any further.

"What do you want?" she asked him, in the language he had spoken to her in.

"I have come for you."

She saw his dark eyes move to Andrew and she drew the blanket over his face, not wanting the man to see that her son was Indian. Her heart was drumming so loudly she was sure he could hear it. "Go away! I will not go with you. If you try to force me, I will scream, and I warn you, Jake will drive you away."

Slowly, he stepped closer. She could not guess his intentions, but she could see he was not worried about her threat. There was something in his eyes, though. Was it sadness or disbelief?

"Who does the baby belong to?" he asked. "I saw you with the white man."

Mara frowned. Why should he want to know about the baby unless . . . unless he thought it might be his. She searched her mind to think of something to say to him that would make him go away. "My son is . . . the son of the white man," she said, fearing that if he discovered Andrew was of Indian blood he would force both of them to go away with him.

He stepped in front of her and looked into her eyes. "Leave the child, then, come with me. We must hasten before the man with the flaming hair returns."

"No, I will not leave my baby, and I will not come with you."

The young Indian's eyes narrowed. "Do they hold you here by force?" Matio asked, not understanding why she was not happy to see him.

"No, I stay of my own free will. I wish you would go."

"Is it your command that I leave?"

"Yes, if it will make you go away, I command it."

"What do I say to the k . . ."

Just then the front door burst open and Jake stood with his rifle aimed at the Indian's chest. "Back away from her, Injun,” he said in an ominous voice.

"Wait, Jake, he does not speak English, do not hurt him. He is just leaving," Mara cried.

"I can overcome the man, and get you safely away," Matio said, giving her one more chance. "Do you come with me?"

"Please go away, and do not come near me again," she said in a pleading voice.

Matio did not understand what had happened to his queen. Why would she not return home with him? Did she no longer love the king? He backed away from her, keeping his eyes on Jake and the rifle that was still aimed at him. When Matio reached the door, he looked at Mara. "I go because you command it. I will not trouble you again."

"I do not wish to ever see you again," she told him.

His eyes became sad, and he disappeared out the door. Jake followed, his rifle still poised. Fearing he might shoot, Mara flew across the room and grabbed his arm.

"Do not shoot. He will not trouble us again."

Jake lowered the gun and looked at her strangely. "You were speaking to him in his tongue?"

She stood on her tiptoes and peered over his shoulder, trying to see the Indian, but he had already disappeared. "I did not know I could speak in the language of the Indian. Oh Jake, what does it mean?"

Jake closed the door, and shot the bolt. He then took Andrew from her and laid him in the cradle. Mara watched him as if she were in a daze. Taking her hand, Jake sat her down beside the fire.

"We got some talking to do. I haven't understood half of what happened here today."

"Jake, I myself do not know what happened."

"Tell me what the Injun said to you?"

"He wanted to take me with him. He seemed to think I was being held here against my will. When I told him to go away, he said he would if I commanded him to."

"Sounds mighty strange to me. Did you see his headband?"

"No, I was too frightened to notice much about him."

"It was like the armband we found. I ain't sure, but I think he was one of the Injuns me and Zeke shot."

"But you said you killed those two."

"Well, I guess I was wrong."

"Jake, I would have been with the Indians a long time to learn to speak with them."

"I heard me lots of Injun talk, but I ain't heard nothing like the two of you were saying."

"Jake, there was something else. He asked me who Andrew belonged to. I told him his father was a white man. I was afraid he might be the father, and if he knew about Andrew he would force us to go with him."

"I sure wish you could remember who you are, princess. I got me a powerful curiosity, about the kind of tribe we are dealing with here."

Andrew began to fuss, so Mara picked him up. As she rocked him, her mind was troubled. Who was the Indian? Why had he left when she said she would not go with him? She knew he was not afraid of Jake.

Thinking back, she began to remember other things about him. His eyes had been sad at times, and she knew he would not have harmed her or Andrew.

Palomas was the first to hear the rider. He motioned for Jeffery to follow him into the woods, where they hid behind some bushes.

Jeffery tried to check his horse, but the high-spirited animal pranced around, turning sideways. Dismounting, he grabbed the reins and tried to soothe his horse by running his hand over its long, sleek neck.

They did not have to wait long for the rider to draw even with them. Palomas immediately recognized Matio and called out to him, but the thunder of Matio's horse's hoofs drowned out his voice, so he urged his horse forward into a gallop, hoping to catch the young warrior before he had gone too far.

Matio, hearing his name being called, reined in his horse and looked back over his shoulder. When he saw Palomas, he vaulted to the ground, and ran back down the trail. His face showed his happiness, as Palomas dismounted and grabbed him, and they greeted each other in Lagonda fashion, by clasping wrists. By now Jeffery had joined them, and he too greeted Matio.

"I thought you were among the spirits," Palomas said.

"I also thought that you walked with the dead," Matio replied.

"Where have you been all this time?" Jeffery asked.

"I have been searching for the queen, my captain."

"As we all have, Matio, without any success, I fear," Jeffery said, and his voice showed how weary he was.

Matio looked into the green eyes of his captain, hating to be the one to tell him about his sister. "I have just been with the queen," he said, lowering his head.

Jeffery grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him in his excitement. "You have seen Mara! Is she well?"

Palomas read disillusionment in the young warrior's eyes, and he waited for Matio to speak.

"I do not know how to tell you this, but the queen is with three white men and she ordered me to leave her. She did not want to come away with me."

Jeffery looked astounded. "Was she being held against her will?"

"No, my captain. I made sure that was not the case. She stays with the white men because she desires to." Matio could not bring himself to tell the queen's brother about the baby.

"Tell me how I can find my sister," Jeffery said.

Matio bent down and picked up a stick and began drawing directions to the cabin in the snow.

Palomas stood silently as Jeffery stood up and put his hand on Matio's shoulder. "Have you searched for the queen all this time, Matio?"

"Yes, my captain."

"You have done well. I am sure the king will reward you for your loyalty."

"It was no more than any other would have done in my place," Matio said, trying not to show how proud he was to receive praise from his captain. "Do I return to the cabin with you?" he said, changing the subject.

"No. I want you to ride as quickly as you can to the king. Tell him that you have found my sister and for him to wait by the river where she was abducted, and I shall bring her to him."

"Where do I find the king?"

Jeffery picked up the stick and drew three marks in the snow. "Follow the trail of the three marks, and you will find your king."

"My captain, suppose the queen will not come with you?"

Jeffery frowned. "There is something wrong here, Matio, but rest easy. When we meet at the river, my sister will be with me. I will bid you farewell, for now. Make haste and find your king. He has been very worried about the queen."

Matio nodded. He thought the king would not be well pleased when he heard all he must tell him about the queen. "I will find the king and tell him to wait for you," Matio said.

Matio mounted his horse and looked at Palomas, wishing he could ask his advice on telling the king about the baby.

Palomas ran his hand over the sleek neck of the horse Matio was riding. "This is a fine-looking animal. How did you come by him? The last time I saw you, you had no horse."

"I found this one, Palomas. Apparently someone had lost him." Matio said with a straight face.

"Where did you find him?" Palomas wanted to know.

Matio grinned. "I found him in a white man's barn."

Palomas drew back his hand and slapped the horse on the rump. The animal charged forward, and Palomas had to yell to be heard. "I charge you with the task of telling the king one of his warriors has turned thief."

Jeffery stood silently watching the young warrior disappear down the trail. "He has done well, Palomas."

"Yes, he found Mara where others failed. He has done more to protect her than I, who am her protector."

"You are still stinging from Tajarez's anger," Jeffery observed.

"I will never forget that my king was displeased with me, and with good reason."

"Let us not dwell on that just now. I believe I shall change clothes, since I am to go calling." Jeffery removed his trousers, shirt, and boots from his saddlebag and began changing from his fringed buckskins into the clothing of a well-dressed gentleman.

Palomas pushed the undergrowth aside to get a better view of the cabin. Smoke was drifting skyward from the chimney, and he could smell the aroma of roasting deer meat.

"Shall we invite ourselves to dinner, Palomas?" "I think it would be better if you would go alone, Jeffery. I will wait here and watch for any sign of trouble."

"I suppose that would be best. I am not sure how I will be received."

"If you should need me, I will come to you at once," Palomas said.

“Pray that I find Mara well."

"That is my desire."

Palomas watched Jeffery approach the cabin. He then led the horses a short distance into the woods, secured their reins to a tree, and returned to his vantage point just as Jeffery rapped on the door.

Mara had gone to bed early and had fallen asleep almost instantly. Du Lac was running his trap line and was not expected back until later. Jake and Zeke were sitting at the table eating a late supper when they heard the knock on the door.

Jake looked at his brother questioningly. "Must be Du Lac."

The knock came again. "Is anyone here?" a muffled voice called out.

"It's a stranger," Zeke said, grabbing up his rifle and aiming it at the door, while Jake crossed the room and jerked the door open. His mouth gaped open when he saw Jeffery.