She crested the rise and wove through the trees.
Andrew stood at the back of the clearing, chopping a tree.
Her steps slowed.
Daniel was nowhere in sight.
She stopped. Then she forced herself to take another step and another until she reached the far side of the cabin and could see the rope enclosure for the horses. The crackling of a tree crashing to the ground destroyed the quiet of the morning.
A single horse remained.
Alice let the book fall from her hands to the carpet in the upstairs drawing room. She’d always despised reading, but there was little else to do while their hosts were out and Richard was off in search of long-term accommodations.
Below, the front door squeaked opened and thudded closed. Had Richard returned? She retrieved the book and tossed it onto the table before scurrying from the room.
Had he found them accommodations? Her steps slowed. The Davidsons’ home was lovely, and she’d slept quite well last night. Waking to a maid preparing a fire to warm her room before she had to emerge from the cozy bed was a luxury she had missed. And they hadn’t even needed to ask. Mrs. Davidson had generously invited them to stay.
Still, they couldn’t impose on the Davidsons forever. Their invitation to stay had officially been for a single night. But Mrs. Davidson had promised to discuss extending their stay at some point today. Alice wrinkled her nose as she descended the stairs. That had been several hours ago and their hostess had yet to raise the issue. Should Alice bring it up herself? No. That would be indelicate.
She reached the bottom stair and was about to head toward the foyer when tense voices caught her attention. She crept toward the back of the house instead.
A door hung ajar near the end of the hall. As Alice neared it, the voices became discernible.
“It ain’t right.” The voice sounded like that of the servant who showed them inside the evening before. “That’s his letter, not yours.”
“Of course it’s right. I’m looking out for Henry’s best interests. And I’ll thank you to keep your nose out of affairs that are of no concern to you.”
Alice almost didn’t recognize Mrs. Davidson’s voice. Its warmth had been replaced by an icy tone that sent shivers down Alice’s spine. She shouldn’t be listening to this. She pivoted to creep away, but the servant’s next words stopped her in her tracks.
“I care about Mr. Henry, and he done worn himself ragged looking for that girl.”
“He’ll give up soon enough, and I suggest you do the same before you find yourself without employment.”
“You go on and fire me, then. I kept quiet the last two times, but I can’t do it no more. Mr. Henry’s got a right to know.”
She couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her lips. Every muscle in her body tensed. What was happening in the room beyond the open door? Had they heard her? Were they even now coming out to see who was foolish enough to eavesdrop on their conversation? Was that a floorboard creaking?
Mrs. Davidson’s quiet words did nothing to ease Alice’s tension. “Now, you listen to me, Frank. I know exactly where Mr. Davidson keeps your freedom papers, and I’ve got a case full of matches. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Frank’s voice had lost its bluster.
“Good. You’re dismissed.”
Before Alice could move, the door flew open and Frank came storming out of what appeared to be a study. His gaze flickered to her, then past her, as he stomped right on by and out the front door. The bang of the door slamming shut rattled the hall mirror.
Wow. Patting her curls, Alice pivoted and froze.
Mrs. Davidson stood in the doorway examining her through narrowed eyes. “Alice. Do come in, won’t you?”
The thwack of Andrew’s lone axe reverberated as blows to Eliza’s heart. Daniel was gone, and he hadn’t said good-bye. She ran from the yard into the wild chaparral, where she wandered until she could no longer hear Andrew’s strikes.
Plopping onto a small boulder, she wrenched the pins from her hair, undoing the beautiful twists she’d created.
She swiped the tears from her cheeks. Stop crying! You’re being foolish. He told you he was leaving. Why would he change his mind? Still, the tears did not stop. Pressing her face into her palms, she gave in to the ache inside and sobbed.
When her tears finally subsided, she straightened. Tangled strands clung to the dampness of her cheeks and she brushed them back. Her fingers threaded through her long hair. The familiar motion soothed her. She continued to finger-comb her hair as her mind tortured her with memories of Daniel, from that humiliating supper in her uncle’s home, to the moment he’d almost kissed her, to the low rumble of his voice through the door, telling her he was leaving.
From habit, she divided her hair into sections and plaited it into various styles. She retrieved her hair pins from the ground and blew them clean. Then she pressed them into her hair. Eventually, her arms grew tired and she left her hair styled in a large braided bun as she stood and plodded back to the cabins.
With no mirror, she had no way of judging the results of her efforts—and little care—but when she entered Pa’s cabin a few minutes later, Ysabel cooed over her. She pointed back and forth from Eliza’s hair to her own until Eliza understood. Ysabel wanted Eliza to fix her hair the same way. Eliza forced a smile and nodded.
Several minutes later, she finished braiding the center section of hair at the back of Ysabel’s head. She wound it into a low bun that she pinned in place. Moving to the smaller section of hair on the right, she began braiding again. Ysabel’s hair was thicker and more slippery than Eliza’s, which made braiding it more difficult, but Eliza didn’t mind. She had a task to focus on, and that kept her mind from wandering to other things. As she worked, the scrape and rumble of a shovel moving earth came through the walls of Ysabel’s cabin.
She asked Ysabel about the sound.
“Andrew make fence. Horses stay. He…” She moved her hand in a plucking motion, then mimicked tossing something away. “Make room.”
“I see.” Eliza wrapped the smaller braid around the bun. She tucked the ends in with her extra hair pins. Taking the left section of hair into her hands, she split it into three parts and began braiding them together. When she reached the end of the strands, she wrapped the left braid around the bun and pinned it to hide the end.
Andrew’s shoveling stopped. “You’re back!” His voice was muffled by distance and walls, but seemed happy.
She caught her breath as Ysabel tilted her ear toward the voices. Daniel had returned? Why? Why would he come back unless…
She jumped up, charged toward the door, and flung it open. Her feet fluttered across the ground as she crested the rise and wove through the trees and shrubs until the Coopers’ cabin came into sight.
She skidded to a halt.
Andrew stood at the opposite end of the yard giving someone a hardy hug and slap on the back, but it wasn’t Daniel. This man was too tall, too broad.
“Pa?” Her voice came out as a whisper. Was it truly him?
Andrew stepped back, giving her a clear view.
She sucked in a breath. It is him. He was weary and dirty, but grinning at the man before him.
Andrew chuckled. “Have I got a surprise for you!”
“Do tell!” Pa rotated as if he’d sensed her gaze on him. His jaw fell. “Eliza?”
“You’re alive!” Her feet ate up the distance separating her from him. “You’re safe!” She crashed into his open arms and his embrace squeezed the air from her. Tears spilled down her face.
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. His breath stirred her hair. “Is it really you, Angel?” He held her out, scanning her head to toe. “Are you all right? What’re you doing here?”
She laughed. “Am I all right? I’ve been worried sick about you!” She examined him. His eyes were clear, not red-rimmed or glassy with illness. His skin bore a healthy glow, no sheen of fever, nor pallor of starvation. His
posture was strong, not slack, and his muscles had filled out almost to the size they’d been back in Oregon. He appeared healthy and well fed. “Why haven’t you written me?”
“Well, I—” His gaze flashed to something behind her. “Whoa! What’re you doing out of bed?” He released Eliza and rushed to Ysabel, who had followed Eliza to the Coopers’ yard.
Ysabel said something in her native language and Pa responded in kind. His words were slower and more wooden, but it was clear he was speaking Ysabel’s language and she understood him. When had Pa learned to speak another language?
Eliza stilled. The love in Pa’s eyes as he gazed at his wife… It was the way he’d looked at her mother.
Pa put his arm around Ysabel and they crossed the clearing to stand before her.
He cocked his head, his forehead puckered. “Then, you’ve met my new wife?”
Eliza beamed. “She’s been kind enough to share her cabin with me while you’ve been away.”
Maria stepped out of the cabin. “Welcome back, Señior Jim.” She scanned the clearing.
Oh, right. Where were Ysabel’s brothers?
Andrew gestured toward the open door. “Let’s go inside.”
Chili spices filled the air inside the cabin. A pan of venison simmered over the fire, an enormous metal dish warming beside it. Maria must be preparing to cook that thin corn bread she called tortillas.
Pa helped Ysabel into a seat, then wrapped his arms around Eliza before she could sit.
When he pulled back, tears shimmered in his eyes. “It’s so good to see you.”
She tugged him in for another squeeze. “I’ve missed you, too.” She wiped the tears from her cheeks.
“Look at you!” He laughed as they all took a seat at the table, except for Maria who served them coffee from the pot she kept warming at the back of the fire. “So grown up and still with dirt beneath your nails.”
She inspected her fingers. He was right. She tucked her hands beneath her legs.
Andrew’s eyes sparkled with mischief, though his expression was sober. “Are you certain this young woman is your daughter, Jim?”
Pa glared, but his lips twitched. “Of course. You think I don’t know my own child?”
“Sure. Sure. I just don’t see how any child of yours could turn out to be so beautiful.”
Pa barked a laugh. “I told you she took after her mama.”
“Thank you, Andrew.” Eliza’s face warmed.
Pa sobered. “Where’s Henry?”
She swallowed. Where was Daniel? He should be here to help explain. She pictured him riding back the way they’d come. No, he’s gone a different way. Andrew told him about a quicker route back to San Diego. The easier terrain and well-traveled trail meant he’d be there in under three days instead of the almost six it took them to reach the cabins.
“Eliza?”
She refocused on Pa. “Uncle Henry is in San Francisco.”
Pa’s fists landed on his hips. “Don’t tell me you come all the way from San Francisco by yourself.”
She lifted her chin. “You know I’m perfectly capable—”
“That’s not the point and you know it.” Pa scowled at her. “I thought you had better sense than to do something as foolish as coming here on your own.”
Andrew cleared his throat. “She wasn’t entirely alone, Jim.”
“What do you mean, she wasn’t alone?” Before Andrew could answer, Pa whirled on her. “What’s he mean you wasn’t alone? If you’re uncle isn’t with you, who is?” He glanced around as if expecting another person to magically appear in the tiny cabin.
She squeezed her hands in her lap as her throat constricted. She wasn’t ready to speak about Daniel.
Maria’s rhythmic slapping on the corn dough filled the awkward silence.
Andrew opened his mouth to speak, but Eliza cast Ysabel a beseeching glance.
Ysabel laid a hand on Pa’s arm. “Where my brothers?”
Pa took his wife’s hands in his. “I’m sorry.” His words switched to her native language for several minutes before she nodded, and he faced Andrew. “I couldn’t find them. When I finally found the wastrels who’d captured them, they told me her brothers got loose the night before.”
Pa blew out a breath. “Not hard to figure. I came on them kidnappers just past dawn and they was still pickled. Seems like her brothers hightailed it out of the area. Asked the few folks I felt were trustworthy. But if anyone knew the brothers’ whereabouts, they wasn’t saying. I kept looking for a couple days more, but there weren’t any sign of them, and I was worried about Ysabel. So I came home.”
Ysabel closed her eyes and her lips trembled for a moment. When she opened her eyes a moment later, they shimmered with tears that overflowed and traced shiny paths down her tan cheeks. She cupped Pa’s chin. “Thank you.”
Sincere gratitude and love shown in Ysabel’s gaze. She truly cared for Pa.
He said something in Ysabel’s language and Ysabel responded.
“How do you know what she’s saying, Pa?”
“I didn’t at first.” He glanced at Andrew. “How much have you told her?”
“Only about Ysabel being arrested with her brothers for no good reason and how you bought her freedom but couldn’t afford to free her brothers.”
“That’s right. I’d been heading up to see you when I saw them. Took a while before we understood each other enough for me to know those men who’d been with her were her brothers. Not to mention her only living relatives. I tried to find them soon as I knew, but they’d disappeared. Vanished like dust in the stream. Sickness took the rest of her family years ago.”
Ysabel patted Pa’s cheek. “You told me go.”
He wrapped an arm around his wife and squeezed her shoulders. “But you, stubborn woman, wouldn’t go.” His grin faded and he glanced at Eliza. “I didn’t realize at the time she had nowhere to go.”
“So you got married?” Ysabel was so tiny and delicate, her bump seemed to pull her around the more than she carried it. Yet there must be a hidden strength in her, to have endured the life she’d lived. If Eliza could speak Ysabel’s language, she’d ask her how she endured losing so many loved ones.
“First, I took her ‘round some of the rancherias I knew of, but she didn’t want to stay at any of them. So we headed up here to see Andrew and Maria. I thought maybe the two women might hit it off and she’d want to stay with them.” He smoothed his hand over Ysabel’s cheek, wiping away her tears. “By then, though, my heart was hooked. So I stayed on—”
Andrew pointed at Pa. “You put on that you were just visiting me, but I wasn’t fooled.”
“That’s the truth of it, I admit.” Pa’s face was flushed as he turned back to Eliza. “After a bit, I worked up my nerve and she was kind enough to accept my proposal. Andrew, here, married us, and God has blessed us.” Pa placed a gentle hand on Ysabel’s belly. “You know there hasn’t been anyone since your mama. I know this may be hard for you, but I love Ysabel. I hope…”
Eliza raised a hand to silence him. “Pa”—her voice caught—“Ysabel is lovely. I’m so happy for you.”
Pa leaned back in his chair. “Thank you.”
Eliza cleared her throat. “But I still don’t understand. Why didn’t you write? I was worried sick.”
“Didn’t you get my letter? How’d you know where to find me?”
“What letter? The last letter I received said you were going to look into work on that dike.”
“But I wrote you that I’d be staying in the mountains a while. Told you not to worry if you didn’t hear from me.” Pa glared at Andrew. “You said you mailed it.”
Andrew held his palms up. “I did.”
“I knew your letters must have gotten lost.” She gritted her teeth. She had a few choice words for that postmaster if she ever saw him again.
“I’m sorry, Angel. I should have written you again. But Ysabel wasn’t keeping a thing down and she kept getting skinnier. Her skin w
as so pale I thought…” His words trailed off and he swallowed hard. “Been all I could do to keep her on this earth.” He squeezed Ysabel’s hand. “Andrew offered to post another letter for me, but truth be told, I couldn’t hold my mind to the task long enough to put words to paper. The one time I tried, didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t sure what you’d think of my remarrying, ‘specially with her being Ipai and all. I wanted to word it just right, so you’d understand how special she is, and that I wasn’t replacing your ma. But the words wouldn’t come. So I guess I gave up. I meant to try again, but with Ysabel so sick, months passed in a blink. I’m sorry I worried you.”
His eyes met hers in shared understanding.
Andrew swiveled to say something in Spanish to Maria, who was busy cooking tortillas on the hot plate over the fire. She answered him as she pulled the last tortilla from the plate and added it to a cloth-lined basket, folding the corners of the cloth over the top to keep them warm.
Andrew turned back to them. “Maria says dinner is nearly ready.”
Maria pulled the pan of sizzling meat from the fire.
Eliza stood. “Can I help?”
Maria used her free hand to wave away Eliza’s offer. “Gracias, no.”
A continuous scraping noise caught her attention. It was coming through the cabin walls and growing louder. Snapping and rustling joined the ruckus. What in the world?
Andrew stood. “That must be Daniel.”
Chapter 35
Alice tried to swallow as she stepped into the study, but her throat was dry.
Mrs. Davidson motioned to the small chair facing the desk. “Please, have a seat.”
Alice forced herself to lower to the edge of the cushion instead of bolting for her chamber, where she could pretend none of this had ever happened.
Mrs. Davidson took the large, leather chair behind her husband’s desk. “I apologize for keeping you waiting, but I had several matters to attend to this morning that could not be put off.”
Waltz in the Wilderness Page 25