“At least Twila doesn’t have to take such abuse,” Dorey said. “Uncle Hiram hasn’t so much as laid a hand on her since she moved into our house. He knows how much you and I love her. And surely he must feel some guilt over how he treated her parents …killing her mother in cold blood. Mama, we should have gone to the authorities and turned him in, but even they have no pity for slaves or how they are abused by their owners. It would have been time wasted.”
“Dorey, I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something very private,” Lavinia suddenly said. She looked intently into her daughter’s smoky-violet eyes. “It seems only right that you should know, especially now, since your Uncle Hiram is causing us both such distress, wanting me to marry him. One day you will meet a man and want to marry him. I want you to know that there is more than one reason to marry a man.”
“What do you mean?” Dorey asked. She looked in wonder into her mother’s eyes. “What other reason can there be besides loving the man you marry?”
“There are such things as arranged marriages,” Lavinia said, her voice tense.
“Arranged…?” Dorey said. She arched an eyebrow. “What do you mean…arranged?”
“Dorey, that is why your father and I were married, not out of love,” Lavinia murmured. “You see, my parents and his were best friends. Both families were wealthy in their own right. They wanted to combine this wealth. They saw a marriage between myself and your father as the best way, because they knew how much we cared for one another already. But what we felt wasn’t true love. We just cared for one another as friends who admired each other.”
“So it was because of money that you and Papa married?” Dorey asked, her eyes widening in surprise. “But you seemed so devoted …so loving. Surely you were in love.”
“There are many ways to love a man,” Lavinia said. She suddenly felt awkward, and somewhat trapped, for she had never discussed anything like this with her daughter before.
Yet she knew this had to be done. One day her daughter would meet a man and fall head over heels in love with him. Lavinia wanted Dorey to feel comfortable with such a love as that.
“And you just didn’t love Papa in a way that made you feel passionate about him?” Dorey asked, causing Lavinia to gasp. She had never dreamed that her daughter even knew the word “passionate.”
“And how do you know about such things as…passion?” Lavinia asked guardedly, taking both of her daughter’s hands.
“Mama, you know how much I love books and that I am an avid reader,” Dorey said, blushing slightly. “I love going through the books in our library. That word ‘passion’ appears often when relationships are written about in books.”
“My word, have you been reading romantic novels?” Lavinia asked, pulling her hands away from Dorey’s and placing them on her daughter’s cheeks. “I wasn’t certain they were called that, but yes, I have read books that describe the love between men and women,” Dorey said, blushing. “But this love never goes beyond kissing in the books I read, Mama, and holding hands.”
“I should go to our library and check the books more carefully,” Lavinia said, laughing absently.
“Mama, I am no longer a child,” Dorey said. She gently took her mother’s hands from her face. “I am going on nine, you know.”
“And that is so old,” Lavinia replied, laughing softly. “But back to what we were discussing: my marriage to your father. I respected him and he was good to me, as I was to him. I still find his death devastating. But I just felt that you needed to know about my reason for marrying your father. Our marriage had worked for both of us until he died. We were content together, and a precious, sweet daughter was born of our comfortable marriage.”
“Oh, Mama, I miss Papa so much,” Dorey said, suddenly flinging herself into her mother’s arms andhugging her fiercely. She sobbed. “Why, oh, why did he have to die?”
“I’m beginning to think we will never know,” Lavinia said, smoothing her fingers through Dorey’s soft, golden hair.
Dorey leaned away from Lavinia and gazed into her eyes. “Thank you for telling me about your feelings for Papa and why you married,” she murmured. “I hope one day to find a man…a true love for myself.”
“Darling, you will,” Lavinia said. “In time, you will. You are too young now, though, to think about it. But you aren’t too young to understand what I’ve told you about marriage and love.”
Dorey suddenly left the bed. She turned and gazed into Lavinia’s eyes. “Mama, I would love to do something today that you might not approve of,” she said, her eyes no longer filled with tears, but instead with a quiet excitement.
“And that is?” Lavinia said, moving off the bed, too.
She went to the window and gazed at the old oak tree again, trying to fight back her curiosity about the handsome Indian.
“I want to go canoeing,” Dorey blurted out, bringing Lavinia’s eyes quickly to her again. “I haven’t gone since before Papa’s …death. I…I…need this, Mama. Canoeing gives me such peace. And I miss my time alone in the canoe, exploring.”
Lavinia tried not to show her uneasiness about her daughter leaving the plantation grounds.
But she understood Dorey’s restlessness.
Lavinia had been the same sort of child; she could never stay in one place for long.
She had always loved exploring.
She…still…did!
And surely always would.
She didn’t want the loss of her husband to take away her love of adventure.
“Alright, go and do your exploring,” Lavinia agreed. “But do not venture farther than where I have instructed you is safe. Stay within shouting distance of the slaves in case you get into trouble. They will alert either me or Hiram if necessary.”
“Oh, thank you, Mama,” Dorey cried, again hugging her.
Then she stepped away from Lavinia and asked, “Do you think Twila can go with me this time? I believe Uncle Hiram has gone to Fort James. Usually when he goes to play poker with his friends at the fort, he is gone for some time. He will never know that I have taken Twila canoeing with me.”
“Dorey, don’t you know…your Uncle Hiram seems to have eyes in the back of his head. Truly, you’d best not invite Twila to go with you,” she said regretfully. “It could cause trouble should Hiram ever find out. It is not wise to tempt fate. It is good that we have Twila staying in the house where we can keep an eye on her. Let’s leave it at that.”
“Can she at least go with me to the river and see me off in the canoe?” Dorey asked, begging with her eyes.
“I see nothing wrong with her doing that,” Lavinia said. “Go. Scat. Have fun.”
“I shall,” Dorey said, hurrying to the closed door. She turned and smiled at Lavinia. “Oh, Mama, I shall! Thank you.”
Lavinia nodded and watched her daughter leave the room, then went to the window again and peered out at the old oak tree.
She knew it was strange that she wasn’t concerned about Dorey going canoeing today. Somehow she sensed that the Indian was close and would keep her safe.
It seemed that the handsome Indian came often now, as though he were keeping an eye on the plantation, making sure Lavinia was safe. He seemed to have appointed himself her protector, even though they had never actually met or spoken.
She just saw him in the tree, watching.
Sometimes she still saw the panther, too, but not as much as she had at first.
Lavinia’s eyes were drawn elsewhere as she watched Dorey and Twila running toward the river, hand in hand, giggling.
Several large canoes rested on the banks of the river, along with one small one, which was Dorey’s. Dorey dragged her canoe into the water as Twila watched.
Twila’s voice wafted up to Lavinia as she asked Dorey to keep an eye out for her pappy. The girl added hopefully that maybe he was not dead at all, but hiding somewhere in the Everglades.
Lavinia was glad when she heard Dorey tell Twila that she was not going to travel
as far as the swamp, but only a little way downriver to smell the tropicalflowers that grew not far from the plantation grounds.
Lavinia saw Twila wipe tears from her eyes as she watched Dorey paddle away. Then she turned and walked with lowered eyes back toward the house.
Lavinia wanted to go outside and comfort Twila, but although she knew that Hiram should be gone for some time, she did not want to take the chance of his suddenly appearing and finding her well enough to have left her bed.
For now, it was best that she still play this game, but she knew that it couldn’t go on much longer.
She must never allow herself to forget that Hiram was not as stupid as he seemed!
Chapter Seven
I love those who yearn for
The impossible.
—Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
The morning sun streamed through the open door of the lodge where Joshua lay on a thick pallet of blankets and furs. He was healing quickly from the wound made by the poisoned arrow.
Chief Wolf Dancer had just brought him some warm soup made from turtle meat and was sitting beside him.
Warmed by the soup, and feeling thankful that he was alive, Joshua gave Chief Wolf Dancer a wide, toothy smile. “Thank you for saving my life,” he said, although he had already thanked the young chief many times. “I wish my wife and daughter were here with me. They are not safe while they are at the plantation with dat evil man. If he would shoot his very own brotha’, who is to say what he might do to mere females who are helpless to protect themselves. With me no longer there to work in the tobacco fields, he might decide that both my wife and daughter are too worthless to keep around. He often gripes about how much foodhe has to feed the slaves. Now he might choose to stop feeding my family altogether.”
“I will find a way to bring them to you,” Wolf Dancer said, pausing when two young braves came to the door and peered inside. He went outside to them. “What is on your minds this morning?” he asked, looking from one to the other.
“Can we go exploring today in our canoe?” Running Bear asked, speaking for himself and his ten-year-old brother, Deer Shadow, who stood beside him. “When we asked our mother, she said to ask you. As our chief, you say who can and who cannot leave our island.”
“I see no harm in your going a short distance,” Wolf Dancer said. He placed a gentle hand on Running Bear’s shoulder, which was already showing muscles even though he had only eleven winters. “But remember not to venture too far from the safety of our island.”
“We promise,” they said in almost the same breath. “We understand the danger.”
Running Bear looked past Wolf Dancer. “How is the black man faring?” he asked, gazing up into Wolf Dancer’s eyes. “We heard he was shot with a poisoned arrow. Is that true?”
“It is true,” Wolf Dancer said, frowning. “And so you see why I warn you not to travel far. Although I know who shot him and do not expect the madman anywhere near our village, I still warn you to be careful. Take your bows and quivers of arrows. Do not hesitate to use them if you find yourself in danger.”
“We can even shoot a white man?” Deer Shadow asked, his eyes wide with wonder.
“Only if he threatens you with a weapon of his own,” Wolf Dancer said solemnly. “But I do not expect such a thing will happen or I would not give you permission to leave our village.”
He patted both boys on the shoulder, one at a time, smiled, then gestured with a hand toward the river, where the young braves’ canoe was moored with the others. “Go,” he said, smiling. “And if you find more turtles, bring them home for your mother’s cook pot.”
Deer Shadow frowned. “I have never enjoyed taking turtles to eat,” he said. “They seem so defenseless.”
“If you want to grow up and be strong like the warriors of our village, you must not think that way, for food is what sustains our people,” Wolf Dancer replied. “Turtle meat is one of our people’s favorites. It is necessary for you to gather turtles for their meat. Do you understand?”
Deer Shadow humbly lowered his eyes. “Yes, I understand,” he said meekly. He looked quickly up at Wolf Dancer again. “I want to be a skilled hunter and to make you, my chief, proud. If that means bringing home turtle meat, I shall do it.”
“That is good,” Wolf Dancer said. He gently patted the boy on his shoulder. “Go. Tell your mother that I have given permission for you to leave the village, but do not stay away from your home long. Your mother will worry.”
“We will be gone only long enough to enjoy ourtime on the river and then return,” Running Bear said, sliding an arm around his younger brother’s shoulders. He gazed into Deer Shadow’s dark eyes. “Come, brother. We must tell our mother, and then we can do as we planned.”
As the young braves looked into each other’s eyes, Wolf Dancer thought he saw some silent communication between them, as though they had a plan that they were not sharing with him.
It was the mischievous, anxious look in their expressions that told him this, yet he did not speak of his feelings and suspicions. He did not want them to think he did not fully trust them.
He watched them turn and run off, go into their mother’s hut, then soon leave again, giggling and running hard toward the thick brush alongside the river.
Wolf Dancer continued to feel uneasy as he saw them disappear into the thicket, their giggles still audible as they spoke anxiously to each other about their adventure.
Wolf Dancer tried to hear the details of the adventure they were discussing, but it was impossible. When he couldn’t hear their voices any longer, he shrugged and told himself the young braves were just happy to be allowed to leave the village for a while. All children their age needed some adventure. Having talked long enough with Joshua, and knowing that the injured man still needed rest in order to regain his full strength, Wolf Dancer walked toward his home.
He only stopped occasionally to stare in thedirection from which he had last seen and heard the young braves.
He wondered again why they had seemed more anxious than usual to go canoeing today. Again he shrugged and went on his own way.
Meanwhile, the young braves had reached the canoe, pushed it out into the water, and climbed aboard.
“Big brother, I have never been so excited as I am now,” Deer Shadow said. He drew his paddle through the water in unison with his brother. “Do you think the plan will work?”
“It should, for we have been careful to make our preparations whenever we were allowed to leave the village,” Running Bear said. He looked over at his brother and smiled broadly. “I am so excited. Today might be the day we see and abduct her.”
Both wore only breechclouts and moccasins, as well as a necklace around each of their necks, with the fangs of a snake hanging from it.
They were proud of their necklaces. Deer Shadow had stood by and watched his brother kill the two snakes from which he had taken the fangs.
Deer Shadow smiled even now as he remembered how his brother had done it.
Running Bear had cut a pine knot from a tree and used it as a club to kill each snake. After cutting off the heads, he’d taken out the fangs and hung them on the necklaces.
Both their father and their chief had applauded their bravery, so they wore their necklaces with much pride every day.
Their long, black hair fluttered in the wind as they paddled down the river away from their village.
“I’m so excited,” Deer Shadow said, his thoughts about their matching necklaces already far from his mind. “We have the tree house ready, but what if she doesn’t come today? She hasn’t for several days now. What if she never goes canoeing again?”
“I have watched her many times, and I can tell that she has the same adventurous nature as we do, little brother,” Running Bear said, smiling. “It is that adventurous nature that attracted us to her. So, if she does not come today, perhaps she will tomorrow, or the day after that. All I know is that we are ready for her. We just have to be patient.”
“I know,” Deer Shadow said, sighing. “But I do not like having to be patient. And I am not certain how many more times our chief will allow us to leave the village. He might already be suspicious of what we are doing.”
“What if our plan brings whites searching for the white girl and causes trouble for our people?” Deer Shadow asked anxiously.
“Stop whining, and stop thinking such things,” Running Bear said, his tone impatient. “We have this planned out carefully. We will not cause trouble for our people.”
“I am not so certain of that,” Deer Shadow said, flinching when his older brother cast him a heavy frown.
“Little brother, we are going to steal away the white girl that we have seen traveling alone in her canoe,” Running Bear said. “We have carefully prepared a place for her to be taken to. In time she will realize that we do not mean to harm her, but only to enjoy being with her for a while, so that she can tell us of her customs. Will that not be exciting, little brother?”
“I do not believe she will be excited, but instead very, very afraid,” Deer Shadow whined. “And then…angry.”
“Little brother, we will show her that there is nothing to be afraid of,” Running Bear said. “And, yes, she will be angry, but surely she will find the experience an adventure. We will tell her that we only want to talk with her for a while and then we will set her free.”
“When we set her free she will go and tell her parents what we did to her. They will want to punish our people,” Deer Shadow still argued.
“You are spoiling this,” Running Bear spat. “Be quiet if all you can do is cast doubt upon our plan. You were just as excited about it as I…until now, when we are so close to succeeding.”
Deer Shadow cast down his eyes, then went quiet and resumed paddling through the marshy water, his eyes now fixed straight ahead, watching for the girl.
He silently prayed to the Great Spirit, the Seminole’s Master of Breath, that she would understand why they were doing this to her!
Savage Flames Page 4