“You can?”
Mara held up her hands in a helpless gesture. “No needle. No thread. No cloth.”
Elizabeth took a spool of thread, slid a needle down into the side of it, and then wrapped it into the dress and handed it to Mara. “Yes. You can sew.”
Mara held the dress to her chest. “Thank you.”
“Now I want to get some food for you to take with you,” Elizabeth told Mara. While Rose followed Flax to his favorite spot by the fireplace, Elizabeth went into the kitchen and began to fill a basket. Uncertain of Mara’s cooking abilities, she put in smoked venison and fish and apples and bread. She also put in two drinking cups and a few other basic household items. Just enough to get them started. She had no idea whether Mara would even accept her offer. But she suspected by their soiled clothes that they’d been camping along the creek. She could imagine how miserable that would be in the rain.
She turned to Mara. “Let’s go now.”
Mara just nodded, still clutching Ruth’s old dress to her chest. She called out to Rose to come—this time in broken English.
Elizabeth went outside with them, and still holding the basket of goods, she nodded in the direction of Brady’s cabin. “I have a house for you to use,” she told Mara.
“House?”
“Yes. You and Rose can stay there until Charles comes back for you.”
“House?” Mara said again.
Elizabeth patted Mara on the back. “A very small house.”
As they walked, Elizabeth tried to explain that her friend Brady was going to live in the small house but that he changed his mind.
“The dark man?” Mara asked.
“Yes. That is Brady. He lives with my mother and father now.” She pointed in their direction.
Mara nodded as if she understood.
“Did Charles teach you English?” Elizabeth asked as they walked through the meadow.
“I learn some from Charles. I learn some at mission.”
“What mission?”
“When I girl, many people die from white man sickness. My father die. Mission take village children. Girls learn to sew. Learn to cook white man food.”
“Oh?”
“I go school. Learn English. Learn read and write.”
“You can read and write?” Elizabeth tried not to sound too shocked.
“Some. Then school no more. Troubles start.”
Although Elizabeth hadn’t actually seen Brady’s cabin, she knew exactly where it was because she was the one who had originally picked the spot as a good place for him to live out his final years. It was near the creek so that water would be handy, but not so low that it would flood. Set in a grove of fir trees, it was somewhat protected from the elements. Most of all, it was private. Walking up to the tiny cabin encased by tall evergreens, she was reminded of a fairy tale—as if she expected gnomes and fairies to emerge from the shelter.
She opened the door, which was barely her height, and peered inside. Like her house, it smelled of recently cut wood. But unlike her house, it had a packed dirt floor and no glass windows or new cookstove. It didn’t even have a fireplace. Indeed, there would be no room for a fire in here. However, she had noticed the campfire area outside where she assumed Brady must have done his cooking during the short time he’d lived here. The cabin’s interior, which was about the size of the bedroom she and Eli shared, was bare except for a shelf, a couple of clothes pegs, and a wooden bed that was attached to the wall.
“This is it,” Elizabeth waved her hand. “If you want, you are welcome to make yourself at home.”
“Home.” Mara’s dark eyes glistened as she looked around the tiny space.
“It is very small,” Elizabeth said apologetically.
“Thank you,” Mara said earnestly. “Thank you, thank you.”
“Thank you,” echoed Rose happily.
Elizabeth smiled in relief. “Do you still have the blankets I gave you?”
“Yes. I hang in sun. Dry.”
“Good.” Elizabeth looked around, wondering what more she could bring to make them more comfortable here. Perhaps another blanket. Maybe a pot to cook in. A bucket for fetching water. And yet she didn’t want to interfere too much or overwhelm them with too many things. She suspected that Mara was accustomed to taking care of herself.
“We had house,” Mara said quietly.
“You and Charles?”
“Yes. White men burned. Big fire.”
“White men burned your house?”
Mara nodded sadly.
“I am so sorry.” Elizabeth put her hand on her bony shoulder. “I think you are safe here. I will not tell anyone about you.” Of course, this reminded her that her children would soon be home. And for the time being she had no intention of telling them either. Not only could it put Mara and Rose in danger, it might endanger her family as well. Hearing that white men had burned Mara’s home was disturbing to say the least.
Elizabeth excused herself, promising to come back and visit in a day or two. Mara thanked her again, and then Elizabeth hurried away. As she walked back to her house, she experienced a mixture of conflicting emotions. On one hand, she was greatly relieved that Mara and Rose had accepted her offer of help and were now safely settled into Brady’s little house. That in itself felt like a godsend. But on the other hand, she was greatly grieved to learn that white men had burned down Mara’s house. How could supposedly civilized people be so thoughtless and selfish and cruel?
However, she wasn’t only torn over Mara’s situation. Now Elizabeth felt somewhat conflicted about returning to her own beloved home. As grateful as she was for her delightful cabin, it was unsettling to think that what she considered her land had probably belonged to Mara’s people first. Suddenly home sweet home felt more like stolen treats.
Chapter Twenty-Four
On Thursday morning, Elizabeth wished she were more excited about Malinda’s visit. Originally she had planned to make this visit into a memorable occasion. She’d planned to get out the tea set and silver spoons and linens and make Malinda feel like Queen Victoria. As it turned out, right after the children left for school, Elizabeth ran around the house gathering up items she felt would be useful to Mara and Rose. Loaded with a water pail, a cooking pan, two tin plates, some utensils, a tin bowl, another blanket, and more food, she was nearly out the door when she remembered Mara and Rose’s bare feet.
Elizabeth knew that even the shoes Ruth had outgrown would be too large for Rose. But she could take her a pair of Ruth’s stockings to keep her warm in the house. But what for Mara? That was when Elizabeth spied her moccasins by the fireplace. As much as she loved those, she knew that Mara needed them more.
Knowing that Malinda could very well arrive before she finished this errand, Elizabeth hurried as quickly as she could over to the little cabin. When she got there, she didn’t see Mara or Rose around, so she knocked on the door. “It’s me,” she called out. “Elizabeth. I have some things for you. I’ll just set them out here.”
The door opened, and Mara smiled. “Come in my house,” she told Elizabeth.
As much as Elizabeth wanted to make her excuses to get back home, she knew she needed to honor Mara by going inside. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she could see the blankets on the bed. She smiled. “I brought you some things.” She set some of the supplies on a corner of the floor and then looked at Rose. She was wearing Ruth’s old dress, and Mara, true to her word, had made some alterations. Certainly, they weren’t the way that Elizabeth would have done it, but the child was clothed. “You look very pretty.”
She pulled out the black stockings and handed them to Rose. “These are to keep you warm in the house.” Rose stared at the stockings as if she didn’t know what to do with them. “For your feet and legs.” Elizabeth pulled up her skirt to show Rose her own stockings.
Now she handed the moccasins to Mara. “These are for you.”
Mara stared down at the moccasins and then back up at Elizabeth. Her
dark eyes grew misty. “Thank you,” she said.
“I need to go back to my house,” Elizabeth told them. “But I will come back again.”
“Thank you,” Mara said once more. “Thank you, friend.”
“You are welcome, dear friend.”
As Elizabeth hurried back to her house, she wondered what Malinda would think if she knew what her best friend and sister-in-law was up to this morning. Not that she had any intention of telling her. In fact, she had made up her mind that no one, besides her and Eli, would be in the know as far as Mara and Rose went. It just wasn’t safe. However, she wouldn’t mind having Will’s legal counsel in this matter—as long as it could be done with confidentiality. She remembered how Will had offered her some advice in regard to Brady’s emigration to Oregon. Of course, she hadn’t appreciated all the answers or the narrowness of the new laws. But she did appreciate his legal knowledge.
To Elizabeth’s relief, she managed to get her morning housekeeping chores finished and to set up what seemed a very respectable tea party before Malinda arrived. The table was covered in her best lace-trimmed tablecloth and set with her new china tea set and the silver teaspoons. A small plate of molasses cookies that Ruth had made yesterday graced the center. A cheerful fire glowed in the fireplace, and Elizabeth had just hung up her apron when she heard a knock at the door.
“Your little cabin is charming,” Malinda said as she came into the house.
“Thank you.” Elizabeth closed the door. “And welcome.”
Malinda untied her bonnet, handing it to Elizabeth. “And I noticed you have quite a large glass window.” She frowned. “But it seems oddly placed, over there by the kitchen.”
“Eli thought we would enjoy it more there. As it turned out, he was right. I love looking out while I’m working in the kitchen. Or when we’re eating.”
“I’m surprised you have wood floors.” Malinda tapped her toe on the solid floor. “Most newcomers must settle for packed dirt the first few years.” She made a funny laugh as she removed her coat. “Perhaps that’s why we call them settlers.”
“Well, I don’t feel that I’ve had to do much settling in that sense.” Elizabeth took her coat, hanging it on a peg. “Eli thought of just about everything.”
Elizabeth showed Malinda about the house, listening as her friend examined and commented on everything. But something about Malinda’s tone made the comments feel more like complaints than compliments. It seemed that everything was either not good enough or too good. Elizabeth could not make heads or tails of her good friend.
“Glass windows in the loft?” Malinda questioned as they stood in Ruth’s bedroom. “That seems awfully extravagant.”
“Eli felt the children needed the light.”
Malinda pointed to the bedside table, where Ruth had set her favorite bedtime storybook. “Lanterns provide good light.”
“Yes, well, Eli thought the children might want fresh air in here too,” Elizabeth explained.
“Do the windows open?”
“Oh, yes. Eli made wooden latches. See?”
“For a wagon train scout, he seems to know a fair amount about carpentry.” Malinda gave Elizabeth a slightly suspicious look. “Did he learn that on the wagon train?”
“My father and Brady have helped him with some of the woodworking. Eli said he learned a lot while building the house.”
“This ladder is a bit steep,” Malinda said as they scaled down.
“Yes, I must agree. But the children don’t mind it at all. They scurry up and down it like little mice. And it takes up so little space down here. I appreciate that.” Now Elizabeth opened the door to their bedroom, and Malinda peered in.
“Another window?” Malinda’s brow creased.
“It is awfully nice to have the sunlight coming into the room.”
“Well, windows are lovely, but they don’t put food on the table, Elizabeth. Don’t forget, this is the frontier. Your priority is to feed your family—not impress people with your house.”
“I’m not concerned for food. Eli is an excellent huntsman. He’s providing us with plenty of venison and fish.” Elizabeth almost reminded Malinda of how many times Eli and other members of her family had shared these sources with Malinda’s household while Elizabeth and the children stayed with her. Instead, she simply smiled at Malinda. “Besides, as you and I know, God is our provider. We trust in him.”
“Yes, yes, I know that as well as anyone. But I do want my best friend to be practical and wise and frugal. When hard times hit us, we need to be prepared to face them.”
Elizabeth nodded as she removed the teakettle from the stove. “Yes, that’s true…” As she poured a bit of hot water in the teapot, swishing it around to warm the china, she wondered why she was being lectured like this. And why was Malinda out of sorts? Surely it didn’t have to do with Elizabeth’s wedding. That was all over and done, wasn’t it?
“When sickness runs through an isolated community such as ours, you realize how vital it is to be prepared for any sort of calamity.”
“I feel that we are fairly well prepared.” Elizabeth poured black tea leaves in the pot and added more hot water.
Malinda was staring at that cookstove now. “Does that little thing really work? It seems much too small to be useful.”
So Elizabeth set the teapot aside and gave Malinda a quick lesson on how the cookstove worked. “The oven is large enough for two big loaves of bread or a large venison roast. And I’m sure it could hold a good-sized goose. Anything larger can always go in a roaster on top. It’s actually quite convenient, and it helps to take the chill off the house. Sometimes we don’t even use the fireplace. Also, the stove doesn’t use very much firewood. Perhaps that’s because it’s smaller.”
“Well, you don’t have a large family to feed. Not like I do,” Malinda smoothed her skirt. “I suppose when I get a cookstove, I will want a larger one.”
“Yes, I can understand that.” As Elizabeth moved to the table, she tried to stifle her irritation. Why was Malinda being so ungracious?
“This is an interesting piece.” Malinda paused to examine the wet sink.
“Yes, it’s very handy.”
“Quite rustic. Did Eli make it too?”
Elizabeth almost mentioned that Brady had made it but stopped herself. She did not want Malinda to launch into a lecture about how Brady didn’t really belong here and how he wouldn’t be allowed to stay. “It was a wedding gift—from my family.”
“Ah, yes. So much for your plans to have no wedding gifts. Honestly, I think you and Eli made off like bandits.”
Elizabeth stared at Malinda. Why was she being so rude? “Would you like to sit now?” she asked in a stiff voice.
“Yes, of course.” Malinda came over and took her seat at the table. “This looks very pretty, Elizabeth. Thank you.” She made what seemed a strained smile.
“Malinda,” Elizabeth began slowly as she filled Malinda’s teacup. “Is something bothering you? Have I done something to offend you in some way?”
“No, no, of course not.” Malinda reached for her teaspoon.
“Because you just seem a bit unhappy to me,” Elizabeth said gently. “As if something is troubling you.”
Other than the ticking clock and an occasional sound from the fire, the room grew very quiet. Elizabeth passed the plate of cookies to Malinda and then filled her own teacup with the hot amber liquid.
“I’m sorry,” Malinda said contritely. “I suppose that I was being rather persnickety, wasn’t I? Please, forgive my bad manners.”
Elizabeth made an uneasy smile. “Certainly. But I’m concerned. You don’t seem yourself today. Are you unwell?”
“No, my health is perfectly fine.” Malinda made a small smile, but her eyes looked sad.
“I know something is troubling you.” Elizabeth leaned forward. “You can tell me, Malinda. I’m your best friend.”
Malinda set down her teacup with a loud clink then shook her head.
/> “Is it something with the children? No one is ill I hope…”
“The children are all fit as fiddles.”
Elizabeth pondered the situation, wondering how hard she should push. “Does this have to do with Will?”
Malinda nodded sadly. “I’m afraid so.”
“Is he ill?”
“No…but it’s all coming apart.”
“What is coming apart?”
“Everything.”
“What do you mean?” Elizabeth peered at her friend with concern. She could see that Malinda was close to tears.
“Will wishes to postpone our wedding.”
“Postpone it? Why?”
“Oh, Elizabeth!” She let out a sob. “I am devastated!”
“You poor dear.” Elizabeth reached across the table and took her hand. “But I don’t understand. Why postpone the wedding? I thought you were both eager to marry before Christmas. And you’ve made so many preparations.”
Malinda retrieved a lace-trimmed hanky from her skirt pocket and dabbed her eyes. “Will is afraid we may have rushed into this without giving it sufficient consideration.”
“Oh, dear.” Elizabeth bit her lip. She had wondered about the same thing after they’d gotten engaged within days of meeting each other. It had seemed overly fast, not to mention that Malinda had not even been widowed for a year. Naturally, these were opinions Elizabeth kept to herself.
“I will admit that we don’t know each other terribly well. But I do love him, Elizabeth. I know that I do. I felt it almost from the start. These are not things one imagines.”
“I’m sure you do love him,” she agreed. “And that’s how I felt about Eli quite early on too. It just took a while for my heart to convince my head.”
“So tell me, are you enjoying married life?”
“Very much so.” Elizabeth smiled happily. Her first few days of marriage had been wonderful—far better than she’d even imagined. “But we are still newlyweds. I expect we’ll have a disagreement before long. But I will not let it trouble me. Two people cannot always agree on everything.”
There was another long silence, and Elizabeth regretted boasting about her marriage. Surely that was not what Malinda needed to hear just now. Elizabeth tried to think of a way to encourage her. “Remember how you encouraged me to consider a spring wedding? Perhaps that’s what you will have. I can hardly wait to see how beautiful it will be here in the spring. I’m sure the wildflowers must be blooming profusely by—”
A Home at Trail's End Page 22