The Endless Forest

by Sara Donati

  Martha opened her eyes. “Gulliver’s Travels?”

  Daniel could produce a very innocent smile when it served his needs. “Would you prefer something else? I’ve got my mother’s copy of Vindication—”

  “Gulliver will do just fine,” Martha said. “Please, go on.”

  “‘The women,’” Daniel read on, “‘were proposed to be taxed according to their beauty and skill in dressing, wherein they had the same privilege with the men, to be determined by their own judgment. But constancy, chastity, good sense, and good nature, were not rated, because they would not bear the charge of collecting.’”

  It was a good story, Martha reminded herself, and it had been a long time since she had last read any of it. Daniel’s voice was deep and clear, and he had his mother’s talent for accents and voices. After some time Daniel paused to ladle more hot water and then to put a folded towel beneath her neck.

  “That better?”

  She smiled at him sleepily and began to drift in and out, aware of the rise and fall of his voice and the crackle of the fire and little else.

  “‘For my own part,’” Daniel continued reading, “‘I was far from pleased with his excessive regard for feminine modesty and fragility. He believed me to be innocent and so I took it upon myself to demonstrate a truth he, for all his sophistication and worldly experience, had failed to comprehend. And that is, if one wishes to attain full enjoyment of love, restraint must be overcome and modesty banished. My woman’s body was made to give and receive pleasure, and we need fear nothing but artifice. There was no sin in our enjoyment of each other, and nothing to regret as long as the fucking brought pleasure for both.’”

  Martha bolted upright so that water sloshed onto the hearth and the fire hissed in complaint.

  “Daniel Bonner!”

  He cocked his head at her, his expression calm, though a twitch at the corner of his mouth gave him away.

  “What? Gulliver was putting you to sleep so I thought this might interest you more—”

  She made a grab for the book, and he scooted backward out of reach.

  “You—you—” She heard herself spluttering. Then she realized she was kneeling upright in the tub, naked, her skin rose pink from the heat. Martha sat down again and more water sloshed.

  “I’ll put it away,” Daniel said, “if you don’t want to hear any more.” He was smiling broadly. “In fact, I’ll toss it in the fire.” He turned toward the hearth.

  “Daniel!”

  One eyebrow arched. “You object?”

  “Yes. No. Yes!” Martha reached for the towel on the empty stool beside her, but Daniel was there first.

  “Oh, look, it’s wet,” he said with great solemnity. “Let me hang it up to dry. Now what was it you wanted me to do with the French Lady of Leisure?”

  Her choices were extreme. She could climb naked out of the tub and stalk, just as she was, into the bedroom to dress; she could sit back down, close her eyes, and listen to Daniel reading.

  Martha made an effort to examine the book. Plain dark green binding, gold-edged pages, and a lot of them. A long book.

  “Did you want me to keep reading?”

  “You are merciless.”

  “Let me go on a little more, and maybe then you can decide. Where were we? Oh, yes. ‘I am well spoken, it has often been said, for a woman, and in this instance I could see the power of my words working on his—’”

  Martha cleared her throat and Daniel paused, one brow raised.

  She said, “I thought this young lady was French? She sounds very English to me.”

  “She travels a great deal between England and France in pursuit of adventures.”

  “I suppose she’d have to.”

  Daniel turned back to the page.

  “Where was I? … ‘As I shared these thoughts with him he attained a fierce erection with a head as large as a plum—’”

  “Plum?” Martha said. “Plum?”

  “The French Lady of Leisure is prone to exaggeration.”

  “But a plum is—”

  “Large?”

  “Purple.”

  He inclined his head thoughtfully, and began to read again.

  “‘Now I almost regretted my speech, for he wasted no time in placing me in a position to receive his invasion and at once I felt him there at the threshold—’”

  “Invasion,” Martha muttered.

  “The French Lady of Leisure has a wide and imaginative vocabulary. Isn’t that water getting cold?”

  Martha nodded tightly.

  “Well, then,” said Daniel. “Let’s get you out of there and go to bed, what do you think?”

  “I am very tired.”

  “I can see that.”

  In one movement he snagged the towel he had put out of reach and offered it to her.

  Martha said, “Will you read to me some more?”

  “Darlin’,” Daniel said. “I’ll read until you beg me to stop.”

  53

  Official Inquiry into the death of

  Harper Washington, free man of color, conducted by

  James Montgomery Bookman, District Magistrate

  I. Statement Submitted into Evidence

  Signed by Hannah Savard, Physician

  Witnessed by John Mayfair, Attorney-at-Law

  and Ethan Middleton, Esq.

  On the second Sunday in May in this year 1824 I examined the remains of a young man of African origin, about seventeen years of age. In life he stood about five foot eleven inches tall. The remains indicate that this was a healthy, active young man.

  There were no wounds on the body visible to the eye or closer examination. The bones of the head, limbs, and torso were all intact. The examination of the internal organs confirmed the subject’s health.

  Upon opening his chest both his lungs were found to contain water, which indicates that he was alive when he went into the lake and drowned. There is no evidence of foul play.

  Hannah Savard née Bonner, also known as Walks-Ahead

  by the Kahnyen’kehàka of the Wolf Longhouse at Good Pasture

  II. Statement of Lorena Webb,

  free woman of color and servant

  to the Focht household.

  I, Lorena Webb, hereby swear that the earthly remains showed to me this day were those of Harper Washington, free man of color. Harper was employed by the same family as me, Mr. and Mrs. Focht. He was no blood relation of mine. I have known him about six months. I am told that his ma died a few years back of a lung fever.

  I can’t hardly imagine that he’s really gone.

  Pardon? Oh, yes, I’m sorry to let my mind wander. I last saw Harper early this day, about an hour after sunrise when he brought my breakfast to me from the kitchen. Harper and me, we wasn’t to eat in the dining room. His appetite was good and he was talking at a gallop, the way he always talked.

  He did like to swim, that’s true. Liked the lake too. Said it was all kind of cool on a hot afternoon. I guess maybe he got him a cramp.

  No, sir, I can’t imagine any reason Harper might do hisself harm. He was such a lively boy, always interested in everything around him. Uncommon smart too. Mr. Focht saw to it that Harper learned his letters and numbers. Sometimes he would lend Harper the newspaper and then they would talk about what was going on in the world. Mr. Focht put a lot of trust into that boy, and is going to be mighty disappointed to find him passed on.

  I suppose I’ll just set tight right here, looking after young Nicholas though truth be tolt I’d just as soon go back home. What choice do I have?

  III. Statement of Joshua Hench,

  free man of color, village blacksmith

  I did know the boy, he come around here pretty much every day to visit. A friendly boy and curious about the world. Never heard anybody ask so many questions. The boy had a loose jaw.

  He wanted to know about everything. How we make nails and where we got our charcoal from. Wanted to know everything about everybody. Who was courting and who was
increasing, who was getting along and who wan’t. But there didn’t seem to be no harm in him.

  No, I never did talk to him this morning, but I saw him setting off. I don’t know where he was going, but it wan’t the lake, at least not to start with. No, sir, Harper set off that way, downriver. How he ended up all the way on the far end of Half Moon, I fear we’ll never know the answer to that question. May God have mercy on his everlasting soul.

  IV. Statement of Alice LeBlanc

  at the Red Dog

  Yes, Harper come in to get his breakfast as usual and took it up to Lorena. The boy Nicholas who claims to be a Wilde, he had already had his fill and gone out to run with the Bonner children, and good riddance say I.

  No, I don’t like him. I don’t like the way he looks at me. There’s something wrong with him. Like he was blind on one side and can see more than the rest of us on the other.

  I’ll tell you once more. I don’t know a thing about what Harper got up to when he left here. If you say he went swimming, well, then most likely he did. Ain’t no concern of mine one way or the other, though I am sorry to hear he’s dead at such a young age.

  Did you ask Levi Fiddler? I saw them talking more than once. Maybe he can tell you more.

  V. Statement of Levi Fiddler,

  free man of color, farmhand at the orchards

  My name is Levi Fiddler, and I work for Miss Callie. Yes, sir, I mean Mrs. Middleton. Been working in the Wilde’s orchard ever since I got my manumission papers. I do all the heavy work at the orchard, and the pressing, come fall.

  Yes, sir, I knew Harper to talk to. He come by to call almost every day, and he took up whatever work there was to hand. I got the feeling he was lonely ever since the other servants went off with the Fochts.

  That’s all I know to tell you. Can I get back to work now?

  VI. Statement of Callie Middleton

  I knew young Harper Washington through my half brother Nicholas. Harper was supposed to be looking after my brother.

  I can’t deny he was a helpful and friendly young man, but he was far too green and flighty to be looking after a young boy like Nicholas. Now I ask you, Jim Bookman, what if my brother had gone down to the lake with Harper? I hate to think of it. And that Lorena was just as bad. I have been saying it all along that Nicholas should be with us, and he will be by the end of the day, that I promise you.

  54

  The day after Harper Washington was fished out of the lake was Sunday, and on Sundays everybody came home to Uphill House for dinner at midday. There were so many of them that they couldn’t fit around the dining room table, so the men set up trestle tables and benches in the open space between the house and the gardens, and the women spent all morning cooking. It was Birdie’s job to see to it that the little people all kept busy and out of the way, which was a lot better than scraping potatoes or cutting up onions.

  Ever since she got out of bed Birdie had been wondering how she could get to Daniel and Martha before anybody else. She wanted to be the one to tell them about Harper Washington, because she was the only one who would tell them the whole story and not leave anything out. But the little people were everywhere and impossible to shake off, and so she had just about given up the idea when the Hidden Wolf folks showed up early to help.

  Susanna and Annie had baked pies and Birdie’s ma came out to admire them. There was a lot of talk about dried currants and strawberry preserves, and then Birdie couldn’t hold back her question any longer.

  “What about Daniel and Martha?” she asked. “Why didn’t they come down the mountain with you?”

  Gabriel said, “You’ll understand when you’re newly wed yourself.”

  The kind of answer that made Birdie hopping mad. She said, “You and Annie are newlyweds. And so are Callie and Ethan, but all of you are here.”

  “Don’t begrudge them a few hours sleep,” Ma said. “They’ve had a very strenuous week.”

  “That’s right,” Gabriel said, grinning. “They need their sleep.”

  Then Annie had stepped on his foot, hard enough to make Gabriel squawk.

  Blue-Jay said, “Let me at that other foot,” and with that the wrestling started.

  It was the best chance she’d have. Birdie slipped away and headed down to the village at a trot.

  It was a beautiful day, warm but not warm enough to raise a sweat unless you were working in the sun. She found a spot out of sight in the shadows next to the schoolhouse, because it wouldn’t do if some neighbor saw her. There would be questions about what she was doing sitting there on a Sunday, and didn’t she need to get home for dinner? She was better off where she was if she could just stay awake. That would be hard in such fine weather, because she hadn’t got enough sleep in the night.

  Because of the dead boy in the lake, the little people had whispered among themselves. Because she saw that dead boy.

  They were right, and they were wrong too. Birdie had seen more than a few dead people. Her aunt Many-Doves, for one. People as old as her grandfather Hawkeye, and as young as the little boy Friend Verena Henry had brought dead into the world. There was nothing to fear from dead people, but there was something about Harper that didn’t sit right.

  She had begun to drift off despite her best intentions when she heard Daniel’s voice. He was laughing. He laughed a lot these last few weeks, and because he was laughing and happy, it seemed other people were happier. Birdie realized she herself was smiling to hear him.

  She startled Martha, coming out of the shadows the way she did.

  “Is there something wrong?” Daniel could always read her face, even when she least wanted him to.

  And so she told them the whole story while they stood there, dumbfounded.

  Martha said, “That’s terrible. Poor Nicholas, he must be very distraught.”

  “He’s at Uphill House with Ethan and Callie,” Birdie said. “So you’ll be able to see for yourself.”

  Daniel’s brow pulled down low. “So Callie fetched him from the Red Dog, then.”

  “Last night,” Birdie said. “Now Lorena’s there all alone.”

  “Then let’s knock on her door and invite her to Sunday dinner,” Daniel said. Martha’s face lit up at the idea, and Birdie had to wish she had thought of it first.

  “Wait,” Birdie said. “There’s something else that’s bothering me.”

  They waited, watching her face. For a moment Birdie was thankful that her people were the way they were. Mostly grown-ups couldn’t be bothered with children who didn’t know their place.

  Birdie said, “When they pulled Harper out of the lake he was dressed. Shirt and breeches.”

  “Shoes?” Martha asked.

  “I don’t think he owned a pair,” Birdie told them. “I never saw him wearing shoes. But I did see him swimming once—” She broke off, her determination to tell this story suddenly deserting her.

  Martha smiled at her. “Go on, Birdie. No one is going to scold you.”

  “Maybe you won’t,” Birdie said, a little grumpily. “But other people will.”

  “Don’t be a coward,” said Daniel.

  Birdie knew he was baiting her, but she couldn’t help herself; she rose to it.

  “I did see Harper swimming in the lake and more than once. But I never once saw him swimming in shirt and breeks. He shucked his clothes every time.”

  Daniel bent over to look her in the eye. “Have you been swimming this early in the season?”

  “No,” Birdie said on a sigh of relief.

  “All right, then.” Daniel tugged at her earlobe. “I’m glad to hear that your common sense hasn’t deserted you.”

  “You swim in cold water all year,” Birdie said.

  “And so could you, if you cared to come up to Lake in the Clouds. Now, let me think a while about Harper. I need to talk to Hannah.”

  “But not with the boy nearby,” Martha said.

  Daniel nodded, but Birdie had the sense her brother was too far away in his thoughts, and ha
dn’t heard Martha at all.

  When the first round of roughhousing was done, the men carried Lily and her chaise longue outside and set her down in the shade of Elizabeth’s fruit trees. Curiosity was waiting for her there, where they were surrounded on three sides by tables, two long and one short.

  “Like Caesar looking over his troops,” Lily said of her situation. No hint of boredom or irritation in her voice. In fact, she was in a teasing mood. Elizabeth knew there was reason for her good cheer and even a cautious optimism, but worry still had a strong hold on her own heart.

  Curiosity squinted up from the rocker Nathaniel had brought out for her. She reached out and took Elizabeth’s wrist. Her touch was very cool and dry.

  She said, “You set too. All those young women in the kitchen, no need for you to be running around. You will just trip over each other’s feet.”

  “She’s right, Ma,” Lily said. “Sit with us. Dinner’s almost ready anyway. I wonder where Daniel and Martha have got to.”

  Just then Simon came out of the house with another rocker.

  “I see I have been outmaneuvered again.” Elizabeth sighed and sat down. “It’s just as well. My feet are sore.”

  “They must be fallen off your legs for you to admit something like that,” Curiosity said. “Girls! We need a basin of hot water and some Epsom salts for your grandmama.”

  “No, we don’t,” Elizabeth raised her voice. And to Curiosity: “That can wait until after dinner.”

  Curiosity grumbled, but she let it go.

  “It is so good to be out of doors,” Lily said. She stretched a little and yawned too. Then she seemed to remember herself and covered her mouth with one hand.

  “Pardon me,” she said. “Too long out of proper company.”

  “There’s company, and there’s family,” Curiosity said. “Yawn if you’ve got a mind to.”

  Elizabeth watched the little people running back and forth with dishes and bowls, every one of them looking determined. Luke had probably offered some kind of prize for the chld who could cause the least disturbance and provide the most help.