Stone Dreaming Woman (16 page)

“Yes, I do. You’ll let me know the outcome, won’t you?”

“As soon as I know.”

“You’re in my prayers, you know that.”

“Thank you. That’s reassuring. And if…well, just say I’ll always be grateful to you for helping Jimmy Richardson.”

“That was no more than my Hippocratic Oath.”

“Be that as it may, I’m still grateful. Well, I need to get ready. Good night, then.”

“Good night, Shane. Godspeed.” She hung up the telephone after he rang off. The house was quiet except for Mavis’s sewing machine—she had finally decided what to do with the lovely striped cotton—and the rippling crackle of the fire in the fireplace. If Richard had heard the telephone ring, he’d ignored it.

Jenny’s heart was no longer in her letter. Instead, she picked up
The Iliad,
went to the rocking chair, and sat staring into the fire with thoughts of Shane.
The Board of Inquiry can’t find against him just because Paul couldn’t locate a hunting knife in three feet of snow after it was all trampled to death. They have to clear him. Don’t they?
She had no idea whom she asked; whoever it was did not answer.

The next morning she tried to sleep in as long as she could because she knew she would chew her nails to the elbows before afternoon. She managed to finish her letter to Elizabeth, explaining where the scribble had come from, and volunteered to do the handwork on Mavis’s blouse so she could put the skirt together. Mavis had admired her handworked buttonholes in a way that made it seem a supreme compliment. Afternoon came and lengthened, and she began to feel like a cheap pocket watch wound much too tightly. Richard came down for tea precisely at four o’clock, as was his habit. Dinner was nearly ready, and it was time for a break. As they sat together at the round table, she could hear the Newhaven on the mantelpiece. It seemed to be ticking slower and slower the longer she listened to it.

“…so I believe I’ll have the final chapter proofed and corrected by the end of the week!” Richard concluded triumphantly. She hauled herself to the present.

“That’s grand, Uncle Richard. You’ve worked on this for three years that I know of.”

“Then it’s time to finish
Through a Glass
…” The telephone interrupted him, and she swallowed hard, lest her heart leap out of her throat. Since she always sat closest to the telephone, it was her job to answer it. She took the earpiece from its cradle.

“Weston Residence. Jenny Weston speaking.”

“Doctor Weston?” She recognized Millie Tillman’s voice.

“Yes, this is she.”

“I have a person-to-person call for you from River Bend. Go ahead, River Bend. Your party is on the line.” Jenny heard static and a few indefinite clicks as connections were made and dropped.

“Jenny?” The voice was unmistakable.

“Yes?” Mindful of two pairs of eyes on her, she did not say, “Shane.”

“Well, it’s over, and I can stop getting gray hairs. So can you, for that matter.”
Damn you, Shane Adair, for keeping me on pins and needles!

“Is everything all right, then, I hope?” There was a maddening pause at the other end of the line. Finally he answered.

“Yes. Everything worked out well. In fact, It’s even better than I’d dared dream. I’ll tell you about it when we can talk more freely. Since I missed the one o’clock train, I’m staying with the Shepherds, and they’re taking me to dinner. A sort of celebration, if you will. I wish you were here with us. We’d paint the town red. I’ll be on the train tomorrow. I’ll tell you then, if you can see your way clear to meet me at the station.”

“I have to go to town tomorrow anyway. I have a letter to post.”

“Good. I’ll see you then?”

“Of course. Where are you calling from, if I may ask?”

“Headquarters. I have to leave. Bob is ready to go home. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I’ll be there. Good night, and enjoy your evening.”

“I will. But I’d enjoy it more if you were with me. Good night, Jenny.” She replaced the earpiece and rang off, and turned to find Richard’s and Mavis’s eyes on her.

“What was that all about, Jen?” Richard asked.

“Sergeant Adair. Without his permission I’m not really at liberty to give you the details, but he had a larger problem than you realized, Uncle Richard. He’ll probably tell you about it in his own good time. He called me to tell me that it was resolved satisfactorily. He also said he had more news. The telephone being what it is, he couldn’t tell me exactly, just that it’s cause for celebration. I’ll find out tomorrow. I’m meeting his train, since I have to post Elizabeth’s letter in town.”

“I won’t say Millie Tillman listens in on telephone conversations, but she always did have a nose for gossip.” Mavis sniffed.

“Well, then, when you see him tomorrow, tell him if it’s really cause for celebration, he’s invited to dinner to celebrate. We’ll do something special, won’t we, Mavis?” Richard said with a broad smile on his face.

“Of course, Mr. Weston.”

Jenny turned her face aside to hide a sudden blush.

The next day she felt uncharacteristically restless. She saddled Fleur and took a long and gentle, if cold, walk down to the river, arriving in Elk Gap a full hour ahead of the train. It took a little badgering to convince Josh Barnes to saddle Midnight for her, but as she led the gelding down the street amid a sulky, chill snowfall, her pendant watch read 2:45. Elk Gap was deserted. The wet, cold snow had driven everyone else inside, but she could not have cared less. She was dressed for the weather, and she found the privacy of the storm welcome. She tethered both horses to the rail reserved for draft wagons, then tossed rain ponchos over the saddles and ducked into the shelter of the train terminal. She gazed through the snow, listening rather than watching. Finally the train whistled for the Elk River crossing, and she felt her heart hit her chin. It did not quite resume its proper position until the train pulled up.

Shane was the only passenger to debark. He stood on the platform for a moment, looking around for her.

“I’m here, Shane,” she said softly, stepping from the shelter of a doorway. She took three small steps and ran into his arms. It was the first time he had encountered the fact that her mother’s Southern roots had made her an impulsive hugger. He returned her embrace.

“I’m so glad the Board of Inquiry cleared you,” she said.

“That’s only the lesser half of it. Look.” He slid his parka down and turned his right arm toward her. The four chevrons of a Staff Sergeant were gone and in their place was a crown.

“Oh, my! You’ve been promoted! You’re an officer now! Inspector, isn’t it? I’m so happy for you! You’ve worked so hard. I know this is well deserved.”

“The promotion came way early, too, just like my last one did. But it’s partly that I’m a barrister, and I’m probably going to go into administration eventually. You see, the Northwest Mounted will someday have jurisdiction over all of Canada, and I hope I can rise in the ranks as it does.” She looked up at his face, noticing that his cheeks were pink with excitement.

“You’ll do it if you want to. I know you’ll be successful. You’re intelligent and educated, and you’re too good a police officer not to.”

He squeezed her shoulder. “Now it’s my turn to say thank you for your faith in me.”

“It’s not mere blind faith. I know you well enough by now.”

“Within the year they’ll assign two more officers to Elk Gap. I’ll be glad to have them here. I won’t have so many reports to do, so I’ll have more time to spend with you.”

“As I said before, one of your ancestors must have kissed the Blarney Stone,” she teased.

“Does it work on you?”

She reddened furiously, but she was determined not to let him have the last word. “That remains to be seen. Keep trying.”

“You’re such a flirt,” he accused softly, releasing her shoulders. He led her down from the station platform and untied the horses’ reins. “I’m surprised you brought Midnight.”

“I had trouble getting Josh to let me have him. I’m beginning to understand why you’re not fond of that man.”

“Well, there’s more to it than the fact that he can be unpleasant. He’s dishonest. Don’t ever buy anything from him. That’s why Richard asked me to go to Thomas to get you a saddle horse.” Jenny mounted, and Shane followed her a fraction of a second later.

“Shane, Uncle Richard has invited you to dinner. He wanted to have a quiet celebration to congratulate you on your good news.”

“I’d be honored,” he replied, pressing Midnight’s reins. It was beginning to seem natural to ride toward home next to him.

“Tonight’s not much of a party, just a special dinner, but we’re so happy for you. And it was such a surprise to hear from you yesterday. Whatever possessed you to telephone me?”

“I promised to let you know about the Board of Inquiry as soon as I knew anything. I certainly took some teasing from Bob about it, too. And of course he had to tell Marie, and then I was in for a real interrogation. She thinks it’s terribly sad that I’m still single, especially since I get on so well with their girls.”

“How many children do they have, then?”

“Elise is eleven, Frances is eight, and Jacqueline is just five now, I think. I try to keep track of birthdays, but it’s difficult. I’ve known them since I started here, when Elise was quite young and Frances hardly more than a baby.”

“You’re fond of them, aren’t you?”

Shane smiled quietly. “Truth be known, any of the three can wind me around her little finger. Elise is quite the little lady, Jacqueline is the born sympathizer, and Frances is the tomboy of the bunch. I don’t know how many times I’ve climbed trees after her, and this morning she was on the roof of the porte cochère. She’s a redhead, too.”

“Oh, dear! Redhead temperament! My, they sound absolutely precious. I’d love to meet them sometime.”

“You will. I’ll take you to River Bend, perhaps the next time there’s something good at the Opera House.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” she replied, smiling. “I’m not certain I’d know how to act in the big city, though.”

“You? You grew up in the upper crust of New York society! I’m the one who’s strictly a hick. To me, River Bend is the big time!”

Chapter Ten

The days drifted easily into one another. Jenny saw patients, delivered two babies, including Edith Mattson’s strong, hungry daughter, whom they named Laura Anne, and basked in the heaven of an actual medical practice. She worked with Toby, who had proven surprisingly easy to teach, since he still had the rudiments of reading from his early schooling. They were both delighted when the door to the rest of the world suddenly opened for him.

Another delight was that Jimmy Richardson had adjusted beautifully to his prosthesis, and on Saturdays, when she accompanied Shane to North Village, he was walking and running with only a trace of a limp. He was terribly proud of the caulk boots she had managed to find in his size. While most of the young people of North Village went about in old-fashioned moccasins, he wore logging boots, the mark of a man.

Those idyllic days were to be short-lived, however. One windy morning when she was turning out of Richard’s lane on her way to town, a slight figure on a scrubby bay horse galloped full tilt down the road and pulled to a stop next to her. She turned around and recognized Jimmy.

“Stone Dreaming Woman!” he began excitedly. Jenny held up her hand.

“Slowly, Jimmy. In English.
Ou en Français
. I speak no Iroquois,” she said. He took a breath and bit his lower lip, groping for words.

“My brother, much fever. You come?” It was plain that Jimmy had not applied himself to the English lessons he received in the mission school.

“I will come.
Mais, venez-vous avec moi un moment, s’il vous plaît
,” she said in very slow French, hoping he would have less trouble with that. She beckoned to him, then turned and cantered back down the lane. She led them up to the back porch and dismounted. Jimmy followed, clearly terrified.

“
Un moment
,” she repeated, gesturing to him to sit on the steps. Suspicious of Indians, Toby put down his hoe and came across the yard, his hands outspread, questioning. She took the notepaper and pencil he carried in the breast pocket of his shirt.

“His brother is ill. I am going to North Village,” she printed. Ball-and-stick letters were still easier for Toby than her idiosyncratic handwriting, though he had no trouble with Richard’s clearer copperplate script. Toby nodded and touched his temple to show he understood. Then she went into the house, where she ran up the stairs two at a time and grabbed her medical bag from beneath her bed. The contents received a cursory inspection before she crossed the small landing and tapped on her uncle’s door.

“Yes?” he called from within. She poked her head inside.

“Jimmy Richardson came from North Village. He says his brother is ill with a fever. I’m going up there. Can you do me a favor and telephone Angus and tell him where I’ve gone? I don’t really feel I can take the time.”

“All right. Be sure and tell Mavis.”

“Mavis went out to the garden, and I’m really in a hurry. But you can tell Shane where I am if he comes out here or calls. I really don’t want him up there, though, until I figure out if there’s something serious going around.”

“All right. Be careful.”

“I will, Uncle Richard, but don’t wait up for me. I could be a while.” She pulled the door closed, careful to make no noise. Richard had a great aversion to slamming doors.

Her arms loaded, she skipped down the stairs. She tied her medical bag and her jacket behind the cantle of the saddle. Jimmy was already mounted, and as soon as she had tucked her toes into the stirrups, he lashed the poor bay into a gallop. She had no choice but to follow.

Their breakneck pace did not slacken until the horses began to climb. Clearly he was anxious, because he kept glancing back at her to make certain she followed.