Sorcha: Clover Springs Mail Order Brides

by Rachel Wesson

  “Sorcha Matthews, sorry, Petersen. You will never change. You are always such a drama queen. What on earth could happen?”

  “Nandita’s husband doesn’t like whites. “ Sorcha regretted the harshness of her words as her friend paled. “Sorry, Mary, I didn’t mean to frighten you. It’s been an eventful day. We are not going to meet Sleeping Bear, or at least, I hope we don’t. Brian wishes to speak to the Chief.”

  “Be careful. Come home soon. The girls will be here waiting for their Ma and Pa.”

  When they were leaving the ranch, Jenny ran back out after saying goodbye. She came up to Sorcha and threw her arms around her. “Be careful and come back, Ma.”

  Sorcha hugged the girl tightly. “I will, love, I will. Be good now and look after Meggie.”

  Jenny gave her another hug before running back to Mary. Davy and Ben had offered to ride with them some of the way. With one last glance at her girls, she turned to look at her husband. He smiled but his eyes were wary. Disappointed he didn’t comment on Jenny calling her Ma, she turned to face the road ahead. It wasn’t time to dwell on her marriage. She had to help her friend first.

  Chapter 59

  “I was waiting for you to come.” The Chief sat down on crossed legs and invited them to take a seat with him.

  “Waiting?”

  “The medicine man said to expect a visitor. He would settle the ghosts of the past. Is that why you are here, Mr. Petersen.”

  Brian nodded then shook his head. “No, Chief Running Buffalo, well maybe. Ah, I don’t know why I am here really. The girl, Nandita. She saved my little girls. They had the fever real bad. Doc said they were going to die. Nandita looked after them. They lived. I owe her.”

  “No. She repaid her debt. Now you are both free.”

  “Debt. Nandita had no debt to pay. I had never met her before…that first time I threw her off my property.”

  “No, you did not meet Nandita but does she not remind you of anyone?”

  Brian didn’t answer. Something in the chief’s eyes made him stop.

  “It was a time of great sadness for you. Your father…”

  “Please don’t talk about him.” Brian crossed his arms across his chest, his face a stony mask. “I know all about what he did and for that I am sorry. I was only a child.”

  The chief fell silent, staring at Brian. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He had to fight the urge to jump up and run.

  “Your father was a good man. A brave man.”

  Brian spat out the water he had just drunk. “My father. You are joking.”

  “Joking? What is this joking?” The chief looked so puzzled, Brian knew he was genuine.

  “My father was a murderer.”

  “Ah, many white men believe men who kill in wars are guilty of murder. I do not understand this. To kill a man in battle is not the same as killing a woman or a child.”

  Brian didn’t move but the sweat trickled down his back. He glanced at Sorcha and then toward the exit. Could he get her out of the teepee if trouble erupted? Was this Indian trying to tell him something?

  “Listen, Chief. I don’t mean to be rude but I am not here about my father. Nandita needs help.”

  “The actions of your father brings you here, no?”

  “Yes, no, oh heck, I don’t exactly know why I am here. Nandita is my wife’s friend. She seems like a nice girl and a good Ma to those children. She deserves a man who doesn’t beat her. I heard her tell Sorcha this Sleeping Bear will kill her.” The chief didn’t move. “How could you stand back and let a man kill a woman?”

  “Like your father did?”

  Brian’s anger deflated as his shoulders fell to his chest. He couldn’t look up, he didn’t want Sorcha to see his shame. His Pa. Why did it always come back to him?

  “I am not my Pa.” He was mumbling but his voice refused to come out stronger. “I am very sorry for what he did to your people.”

  The Chief moved to touch Brian but he sprang back, not before he saw puzzlement, followed by understanding in the old man’s eyes. He buried his face in his hands.

  “There is much you do not understand, young man. Your father helped my people as much as it is possible for any soldier.”

  Brian took his face out of his hands. “What?”

  “You do not know the full story but only the parts you wanted to believe. Your Pa was a brave man but he could not live with the price he paid for his bravery.” The Chief paused and complete silence descended on the group. It seemed like everyone held their breath. The old man was staring at Brian but not seeing him. Brian risked a glance behind him but was faced with only the hide of the tent.

  “I can still see him there surrounded by the bodies of my people. My wife, my children.”

  Chapter 60

  Sorcha bit her tongue to try to stop the tears falling. The hurt on the old man’s face was too much. Brian put his head back in his hands. Sorcha wanted to go to him, to comfort him, but the touch of Nandita’s hand on her arm stopped her.

  “I am sorry, so very sorry.”

  Sorcha cried as her husband begged for forgiveness. Again she moved but Nandita’s firm touch sent her a message saying don’t.

  “Mr. Petersen. Your Pa was at Sand Creek but he didn’t murder my people. He led some of the women to safety, including Nandita’s mother, my favorite sister. He tried to stop the slaughter but the other men obeyed the Army chief.”

  “But why was he broken”

  “His spirit died that day. We saw things no man should ever see. Your Pa, he had a kind heart. Just like you. He cried as he carried the children to the burial grounds.”

  “But the army discharged him on dishonorable grounds.”

  Sorcha heard her husband’s unspoken questions. After all this time, he couldn’t believe his father had been a hero.

  The Chief stared at Brian for a couple of minutes while he seemed to compose his thoughts. Maybe he was looking for the right words in English. Sorcha wondered where he had learned such good use of their language. Not that it mattered. Noting mattered now but her husband getting his life back.

  “He refused to go back with the other soldiers. He wrote letters to the great father in the white house. He didn’t go back home for some time afterwards.”

  “Where did he go?”

  “He stayed with us at first before he moved up into the mountains. With my sister.”

  The Chief stopped talking and looked Brian squarely in the face. The air was charged. Sorcha suddenly saw what the Chief had been hinting at. She looked from her husband to Nandita and back again. The resemblance was clearer now. How would Brian react? She watched her husband’s face as the truth finally dawned on him. Shock drained all color from his face as he stared at Nandita.

  The Chief spoke again, breaking the silence. “It was not safe for him here. He was a missing solider and his army was looking for him. He was white and our people had reasons to hate the white man. I didn’t know if I could protect them.” The Chief held Brian’s arm now, as if trying to make him understand he hadn’t just let his father leave. “There were many brutal attacks after Sand Creek. The dog soldiers were angry. They did many horrible things. The white men fought back. Many, many people on both sides were killed. Good people as well as bad. Love grew between my sister and your father but even it was not enough to save him.”

  “Why didn’t he tell us?”

  “He couldn’t tell anyone. When he visited us later that year, he had been drinking a lot. He drank to drown out the images of that day. The men who attacked us weren’t just soldiers. Some were people your father had known for years. Hans was supposed to be fighting against slavery.”

  The Chief motioned to Nandita to get him a drink. All his talking had reduced his voice to a whisper. Sorcha edged closer toward Brian but couldn’t move to his side. The chief met her eyes and sent her a plea for space.

  After taking a large drink, he continued. “Hans was a good man. He couldn’t believe that the men h
e called friends would do such things. He was crazed with grief. It changed him.”

  “I’d say. My Pa never raised his hand in anger. He used the cane if we needed a hiding. But when he came home, he was different. He hit Ma.”

  Sorcha saw Brian swallow hard and wipe his arm across his eyes. But he wasn’t ready to give up.

  “The pa who went to war would never have touched the woman he loved. But he didn’t love her anymore, did he? Not if he had taken up with a…another woman. Pa should have died that day. It would’ve been better for everyone.” Brian went to move away from the Chief but the Indian held him in a vice grip.

  “Not everyone.” His voice was no longer a whisper but a growl. “He saved many of our people. Not just after the massacre but by telling people what really happened. What the dog soldiers did to the white settlers was wrong. The army didn’t kill the men who did that. Not then and not when Yellow Hair killed Chief Black Kettle some years later. Your father gave us a voice when nobody else was listening.”

  Chapter 61

  Silence descended once more. Sorcha risked a quick look at Nandita but she was staring at her Chief. Had she known all along or was the news a surprise to her too? Brian was looking at the ground. His sudden anger surprised all of them.

  “So why did you kill him? When we got the body back, anyone could see it was Indians that killed him.”

  “Again, you believe that which you want to. “ The Chief chided Brian with a look. Sorcha saw it hit its mark as her husband’s face flushed. “Your father died by his own hand. He came to our village asking us to kill him. I spoke to him. I tried to thank him for saving my sister but he would not listen to me. He would not listen to my sister either. He never knew about Nandita. He was filled with anger and hate.”

  “See? He hated the Indians.” Brian’s smug reaction showed he wasn’t listening.

  Chief Running Buffalo appeared to run out of patience. “No, he hated himself.” His angry tone brooked no argument. “He hated what his friends did that day. It was wrong and he knew it. They weren’t warriors but old or sick men, women and children.” The Chief settled back on his crossed legs and took a drink of water. His sad voice continued the story.

  “Hans risked all. He stood against his friends. The army didn’t believe him. They took everything. His job, his family and his soul.”

  Brian gulped loudly, sending shivers down Sorcha’s back. Every nerve in her body willed her to go to him. To give him comfort but he had to find out how the story ended. He wouldn’t be free until he knew everything.

  “So how did he die?” Brian asked in a quivering voice.

  “He fell and the knife he was holding went into his chest. He died very quickly. We couldn’t bring him back to your home. The soldiers would have captured us.” The Chief looked at Brian squarely in the eyes. “We did not desert the man who tried to save us. We did the best we could. It was not enough.”

  Sorcha pulled out of Nandita’s restraint and ran to her husband. Putting her arms around him, she drew him back against her body as the sobs wracked his. Tears flowed as he mourned the loss of his pa and the guilt for believing all the cruel rumors that had followed their family.

  Sorcha held Brian close until his body stopped shaking.

  “If my Pa wasn’t evil, why did the Lord take Abby and Ethan in revenge?”

  “I do not understand why the white man believes in a powerful being bent on revenge. Your wife and son died but it was not to pay a debt due by your father.” The old man’s eyes seemed to pierce through Brian. Sorcha prayed her husband was listening.

  “We do not know why the great spirits act the way they do. We just have to accept that they know best. Losing your wife and son was a tragedy but you must let them go now. Their spirits cannot rest in peace.”

  “I don’t know how.”

  “Honor your wife and child. Do something in their memory. Stop living in the past and work on creating the best future you can. God has already given you many gifts.” The Chief took Sorcha’s hand. “Thank you for looking after Nandita and her children. You are young but you have an old heart.”

  Chapter 62

  The Indians withdrew quietly leaving Sorcha and Brian alone. They didn’t speak but held each other close. Nandita came back some time later with food and fuel for the fire.

  “Chief Running Buffalo asks you to stay the night. It is late and you are tired. You can leave tomorrow.”

  “No, we will go home now.” Brian went to stand but Sorcha pulled on his arm.

  “Thank you, Nandita. My sister. I have always wanted a sister. Please tell Chief Running Buffalo we are very grateful for his hospitality. Tomorrow we would ask for more of his time.”

  Nandita’s eyebrows rose but before she could ask anything, Sorcha stole a quick look at Brian. Then she took her friend’s hand. “Nandita, Brian came here to help you. We will not leave until you and your children, his family are safe.”

  Tears filled Nandita’s eyes matched by those in Sorcha’s. They hugged silently before the Indian girl left. Leaving her alone with Brian.

  She sat down beside the fire heating up the food Nandita had brought in. He didn’t say a word the whole time she worked. She handed him a plate and only then did he seem to realize she was present.

  “I’m not hungry but thank you.” He tried to smile but it didn’t reach his eyes.

  “You must eat. Today was hard but you have to help Nandita tomorrow. You gave your word.”

  Brian picked up the plate. There wasn’t any cutlery so he ate using his hands. He didn’t seem to taste anything but cleared the plate very quickly.

  “Thank you for being here today, Sorcha.” He looked at her closely. “Are you happy?”

  “I’m grand.” Sorcha said but she couldn’t look at him.

  “The Chief was right. I am blind to the gifts I have been given. I was wrong to try to ignore my feelings for you.”

  She felt him wipe his hands on his pants before turning to brush the side of her face. He gently forced her to look at him.

  “You, on the other hand, have been caring and loving since the day you stepped off the train. I’ve behaved like a cantankerous old mule. Can you ever forgive me?”

  Sorcha couldn’t answer. She was caught in his gaze. She let him pull her closer until he was close enough to kiss her. She closed her eyes, just as he kissed one eyelid and then the other. Holding her breath as he caressed the sides of her face, his mouth planting feathery kisses where his fingers had been. She moaned as she opened her eyes to find him staring at her mouth. Then he kissed her. He was tender but insistent. He pushed her gently onto her back without breaking the kiss. Flames erupted in her stomach, together with a yearning she didn’t understand. She wanted more. Tentatively, she caressed his arms and shoulders. He groaned before breaking the kiss.

  “Soon I won’t be able to stop.”

  She saw his question and her answer was to move up in his arms to kiss him tenderly but passionately.

  Chapter 63

  Nandita’s giggles woke Sorcha the next morning. Realizing she was naked under the blanket, she couldn’t meet her friend’s eyes. She moved her foot expecting to feel her husband but he wasn’t there. Shocked, she sat up so quickly she had to grab the cover to preserve what little modesty she had left.

  “Where is Brian?”

  “My brother is talking with Chief.” Nandita’s eyes sparkled. “He sent me with breakfast. So now you share a blanket.” Nandita giggled again. This time, Sorcha smiled. “You will go home and make more babies.”

  “Nandita.” Sorcha tried to sound shocked but she couldn’t. She was too happy. A baby. Maybe they had already made one.

  “Your husband is like our father. A good man. He has offered to provide food for me and my children. The Chief says I can stay. He says he will make sure Sleeping Bear knows our divorce is final. It is recognized by our people.”

  Sorcha was puzzled by the sound of regret in Nandita’s voice. “This doesn�
��t make you happy? I thought you wanted to leave Sleeping Bear.”

  “I do but… oh, it is nothing.”

  “Tell me, Nandita. We were friends, now we are sisters.” Sorcha would have put an arm around her friend but being naked, it wasn’t an option.

  “It means I must stay with Chief Running Buffalo. When he moves the tribe to the new home, I must go with them.”

  “I wish you did not have to go to Montana. It isn’t right to make you all live on a reservation.” Sorcha thought quickly. “I could ask Brian to let you make your home with us.”

  Nandita shook her head hard. “No, you need time to grow together as a couple.”

  “He can take us to visit your new home. If we are allowed.” Sorcha wasn’t at all certain the soldiers would let them visit but she was going to try.

  “I would like that.”

  The closed look on Nandita’s face warned Sorcha not to probe any further. Nandita stood. “I will leave you to get dressed. My brother wants to leave shortly. He said it is time to collect your children and go home.”

  Sorcha stretched as her friend left the teepee. She said a quick prayer for Nandita and her family that everything would work out. She knew she should be more concerned for her but for now, she could only think of her own family. She hugged herself with glee. Happiness flooded her. She was going home with her husband. Together they would collect their girls and be a family. A proper family.

  Suddenly, she couldn’t get dressed fast enough.

  Chapter 64

  "Close your eyes. Tight, no peeking." Jenny told her Pa as she led him to the table. Meggie giggled as her Pa put one hand out in front of him. He grunted as he walked into the bench. "Can I look now?"

  "No, Pa, you'll ruin the surprise."

  Jenny pushed Brian into his seat as the rest of the family watched. Sorcha had asked Frank to join them but he'd been called out to a ranch. Nandita had come alone, her children staying with her Indian family.