Prudence and the Professor

by Sibelle Stone

  Damn her logical mind, it was much better when she imagined herself as an indomitable explorer.

  She took a deep breath and focused on moving her aching body. She’d need to find a place to build some sort of shelter for the night. She needed to move farther into the safety of the woods, which could provide a place to hide if Heisman, or the man he’d arranged to sell her to, should discover this small stretch of beach.

  Bugs started to buzz around her and she located a small pool of water with a loamy bottom. She slapped mud on her face and arms and the rest of her body. She made sure there was a thick coating that would help her blend into the landscape and protect her from mosquitoes too. Bless her upbringing on a farm. A good education was never wasted but practical knowledge could save your life.

  After walking what she thought was north for a long time, she spied some fallen logs crossing each other at an angle and decided if she covered them with pine boughs, she’d be able to make a simple shelter. When she discovered some salmon berries growing nearby, she was delighted. A big leaf made a plate and she gorged herself, realizing she hadn’t eaten since breakfast at Mrs. McCauley’s the previous day. Her mouth watered at the thought of a buttery scone and a cup of Alma Faraday’s coffee.

  She used more pine boughs to line the floor of the improvised lean-to shelter. After wringing out her coat and nightgown as dry as possible, she laid them out to dry in the late afternoon sunlight.

  Prudence was as naked as Eve in the Garden of Eden, but she didn’t care. Life was now a short measurement of how she’d manage to survive. Dry clothing for the night, when the temperature would drop, was far more important than any shame she felt.

  She’d become more comfortable with her body, even proud of it when Gerritt whispered compliments, stroked her skin, and admired a beauty she’d never felt she’d possessed until she met him. Gerritt had made her feel beautiful and gracious and desired.

  She wished she could build a fire to dry out her clothing, but to do so would be dangerous. She waited for a long time with her head on her knees, listening to the sounds of the forest. The birdsong calmed her and even the scuffling of chipmunks and other small creatures lent some comfort.

  She’d escaped from Heisman for the time being, but she knew he’d begin searching for her the instant he hit shore. He’d been vehement about making sure she never bothered him again. And she sensed he wanted revenge against Gerritt, for some perceived wrong. Whether he’d actually been wronged or not didn’t seem to matter to Alfred Heisman. He was an angry man who appeared to have decided he had very little to lose. She’d learned that anger and a desire for revenge could make a person extremely dangerous.

  She shivered, more from the malice she felt from the accountant than the cold. Her tiny shelter was providing some warmth and a little comfort. But, she hoped her clothing would dry enough in the sunshine to protect her some from the night chill.

  She gathered more berries, listening for the sound of any human moving through the brush. Throughout the day she followed the movement of the sun across the sky, rearranging her sparse clothing in order to get it as dry as possible.

  Even though she didn’t relish the idea of sitting in the cold dark of this wilderness all alone, she realized she could manage to survive for a night, perhaps even more. Staying warm and having fresh water to drink was key. Eli had taught her a person could survive for days if they managed to avoid getting chill blains and found clean water to drink.

  Before the dew fell, she put on her nightgown and then spread her coat on the pine boughs. It was rough lodging, but her flannel gown had dried in the sunlight. While the wool of the coat was still a bit damp, Prudence hoped her body heat might warm it enough to dry a bit more as she wrapped it around her.

  Her eyes filled with tears and her lower lip trembled as the thought of never again seeing the man she loved. Her throat tightened when she thought of never feeling his arms around her, never again sharing the intimate moments of lovemaking or the quiet moments of companionship

  It was so unfair that she should find the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with and then be torn away from him. She cursed Alfred Heisman and his nefarious plans.

  She succumbed to the sadness and despair and cried, the tears slipping down her cheeks to drip onto the pine boughs spread beneath her. She indulged in great wet sobs, until her throat hurt and her chest ached with the pain of loss.

  She watched the sun slide into the west, the colors of red, orange, yellow and a shade of turquoise that delighted her, lighting up the edge of the horizon. The colors of the Montana sunsets were astonishing. Then the shadows melted into a stygian darkness.

  She crossed her legs to settle at the opening to her tiny shelter and watch stars appear in the dark sky. Chirping birds, scuffling insects and sounds of creatures of the night awakening serenaded her. She put several pine boughs in front of her door, aware it wouldn’t keep a curious animal out. Still, it provided a small dose of security. In the morning, she’d start walking along the river, using it as a guide to take her back to Gerritt. She wouldn’t give up, she couldn’t give up. She knew somehow that Gerritt was searching for her too. That he needed her.

  Despite her exhaustion, she didn’t think she’d be able to sleep for even a few hours. The night noises terrified her, her body ached where she’d been flung against granite rocks, her wrist was swollen and her limbs felt too heavy to move.

  Her thoughts churned and roiled like the raging river she’d barely survived earlier. What would Heisman do to her if he discovered her hiding place? Who was the stranger who bought her?

  Tears leaked from her eyes again as she repeated one litany over and over again. Whatever happened to her, she prayed that Gerritt had survived the attack.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The Arc of Triumph

  Ice cold water hit Gerritt like a wave from the spring melt. He coughed up the water he’d swallowed and swore.

  “Godammit, what the hell are you doing?”

  He sat up suddenly, then fell back again despite the wetness of his clothing. He couldn’t seem to focus on the wavy image of several faces looking down at him.

  “Waking you up, and we’re right happy to see you ain’t dead.” Alma Faraday said.

  Gerritt closed his eyes again, took a deep breath and then opened them. He recognized Alma and Sheriff Gardner still looking down at him.

  His head felt as if it had been cracked open like an egg. He reached up to touch the huge bump above his right ear and winched at the pain.

  “Somebody whacked you a good one when you came into the bathhouse,” Alma said, her hands tightened into fists. Real concern painted her features. “Like as not to have killed ya.”

  “Do you remember who was in here when you came down to take a bath?” The Sheriff wore an expression as grim as Alma’s.

  Gerritt finally felt like he could sit up, but the world still made him dizzy as it spun around him. “Didn’t see anyone, just opened the door, then...”

  “Well, we got more problems than that. I just come from the ranch and Brandon sent me with a message. Them rascals you been watchin’ is on the move. They’re headed toward town and Brandon says it appears they’re up to no good.”

  Gerritt pulled up his knees up to rest his elbows and provide support to hold his aching head in his hands. He was missing something, but the spinning room, his throbbing headache and now Alma’s words, were scrambling his brain.

  But, there was something important, or someone important he needed to think about, despite the pain.

  It hit him like a steam locomotive barreling down the tracks.

  “Where’s Prudence?” He stared at Alma and the Sheriff. The blank faces above him chilled his blood.

  “I reckon she’s down at Mrs. McCauley’s like she always is this time of day,” Alma said.

  Gerritt shook his head, then regretted the movement an instant later. He swallowed the nausea that threatened to embarrass him by spilling h
is last meal all over the floor.

  “She moved back into the house. She should be in there.”

  Alma’s eyes filled with tears, which shocked Gerritt. He didn’t believe he’d ever seen Alma Faraday cry before.

  “She ain’t in there. I looked in all the rooms searchin’ for you. That’s how we ended up here.” She blinked at him. “She’s gone.”

  “Where?” It was all Gerritt could get out, because the headache and nausea had given way to cold, hard-edged anger that flooded his vision with red hot fury.

  “Mebbe she went to town to visit someone. She got any friends in Jubilee she might have dropped in to see?” The Sheriff hitched up his britches. “We can find her when we go down to call out all the men. We gotta get organized. By mornin’ there’s gonna be a whole lot of trouble. Those men Brandon seen are heavily armed, and most likely trained soldiers. All we got is a bunch of miners and shopkeepers to defend the town.”

  Gerritt held out a hand and let the Sheriff pull him to his feet. “We might not have the manpower, but I’ve got the machine power. If these men are intent on attacking Jubilee, I’ve got an arsenal like nothing they’ve ever seen before.”

  The Sheriff dropped his hand and his lips turned down into a stern expression. “You better be pullin’ off some kinda magic, ‘cause whatever them men are after, they ain’t the kind to give up easy.”

  Gerritt shook his head. He had to deal with this threat before he could search for Prudence. He had no reason to believe she wasn’t safe down in Jubilee...except, she’d been planning to come out to the bathhouse to join him earlier, and while he couldn’t tell Alma or the Sheriff how they’d spent the afternoon celebrating his homecoming.

  If she wasn’t in Jubilee, he had a suspicion someone might try to use her to guarantee his cooperation. He tried to focus on the threat to his town, but he couldn’t shake the fear that something bad was happening to Prudence.

  Where in hell was she?

  ***

  Brandon Faraday leaned over Gerritt’s shoulder, trying to line up the sights on the odd looking cannon sitting in front of them. “Once it’s fired, the shot can go a bit crazy. Just be careful not to hit any of our men.”

  “How the hell do I manage that?” Brandon barked.

  “Aim carefully, keep firing in a small half circle right in front of you. Point wide enough to take the center of the group down.” Gerritt stepped back and allowed Brandon to take his place.

  “This is the widest place on the trail into town. I expect they’ll stop here and reconnoiter. Probably decide to send a couple of scouts into town. At least, that’s what I’d do.” Gerritt said.

  “Me too,” Simon said. “It makes sense they’d want to make sure the town was settled down for the night. I’d want the element of surprise on my side.”

  “We’re counting on that to work in our favor.” Gerritt grinned at his two friends. “If they think they’re sneaking up on a sleeping town, they’ll have no idea we’re waiting for them here. Just let the scouts ride out, because then the rest of them will likely settle down here for a little rest.”

  “And won’t we hate to disturb that rest,” Simon said. The military man had discarded his guise of school teacher and helped organize the raid on the men who were planning to attack Jubilee early that morning.

  But even Simon didn’t know about the eyes and ears Gerritt had watching throughout the forest. Every move the raiding party made had been reported to him. His spies could swoop through the air, land on a branch, watch every move and then fly away, all unnoticed by those below. Crow Woman and White Eagle were the best spies he’d ever seen.

  “I have the arc cannons stationed around this clearing. Every gunner has his area to concentrate on. Just try not to let the electrical currents cross unless necessary.” Gerritt said.

  Brandon turned to him. “What happens if they do?”

  Gerritt tried not to show his concern. “I’m not sure, because I’ve never used so many of these weapons at the same time. But, it might result in a huge explosion. So, just focus on your area.”

  “And hope for the best,” Simon added, a sly grin turning his mouth up at the corners.

  Gerritt silently agreed. The cannons that shot an electrical charge had never been tested more than one at a time. Several of his miners who had professed some shooting ability held arc guns. Wires crossed the ground behind them, and all Gerritt could hope is that something worked. It might be their only chance against well-trained rebel soldiers.

  Which was what Gerritt had determined they were facing. The southern accents his spies had described, along with several insignias on clothing told him this company of soldiers were planning to attack his town.

  Well, he’d be damned to hell if they succeeded. Beyond the trees where his guns were stationed, he’d placed several of his Mechos with huge sledge hammers While they wouldn’t do much damage, their appearance should terrify a few of the raiders and get them on the run.

  Farther beyond the trail, in the direction he expected the raiders to take, Gerritt had set up a second line of defense with some of the men from town and Alma. They all held his repeating rifles and they’d be a formidable obstacle to escape.

  Gerritt didn’t intend for any of the men attacking them to escape. Any who survived would be taken as prisoners of war. He meant to find out who the spy was within his town, search him out and hang him. After a military trial of course. He still held the rank of Captain in the U.S. Army and he would respect the rules of war.

  Gerritt marched to stand with the sheriff who held a Sharps rifle in one hand. He’d refused to take on one of the arc guns or cannons, insisting electricity was too scary for his old bones. He preferred lead.

  “You think this plan of yours is gonna work?” the old man asked.

  “Hell if I know,” Gerritt replied. “But against trained soldiers, it’s the best bet we’ve got. These weapons might misfire, there might be an explosion. Hell, they might not even work at all.”

  “Stop bein’ so reassurin’, Professor. I don’t want you to get my hopes up.”

  Gerritt grinned, despite the cold, sour churning of his stomach. He had no idea if they’d survive this attack. They faced better organized, well armed and probably well trained soldiers. The confederacy wanted the plans for his weapons and it was likely do anything to get them. And him. Because plans were worthless if you didn’t have the expertise to build the prototype. Gerritt knew he was the prize the rebels intended to take.

  That thought chilled him to the bone. He had to survive, because Prudence had not been in town. Whether she’d been taken or wandered off herself, she needed help.

  A rustling in the trees made him turn. A raccoon skittered along the brush and the way it stopped to look at Gerritt with amber-colored eyes, he understood it was a Spirit Walker, come with an important message.

  “I’m going to go do a final check on the Mechos. Everyone knows their job, so it’s just a matter of staying cool in the midst of battle.”

  The sheriff spat. “I’ll do what I can, and that schoolteacher of yours, he seems capable.”

  “Simon’s a good man and a seasoned soldier. He’s in charge of the front line and I’m leaving you to keep this back group organized.”

  “I’ll do the best I can, but if these men get spooked, who the hell knows what will happen.”

  That was Gerritt’s biggest fear. He’d asked his miners to stand with him to protect the town and every able-bodied man was there. They’d sent the women and children down into the mine with food and water. Gerritt had disconnected the power supply so if the raiders did get into town, they couldn’t operate the lift to get down to them. One of his older miners was with them and he knew how to hook up the power from below.

  It was the best he could do, and the only regret he had was that Prudence wasn’t with them. But, the instant he held off the raiders, he’d go in search of her.

  When he arrived at the edge of the woods a young Spirit Walker st
ood before him.

  “We have found your woman, Bug Eyes.” The young man said. “She is down the river and has built a shelter for the night.”

  Gerritt’s breath came out at once, then he filled his lungs with air. He’d hope the Spirit Walker was bringing some word about Prudence. At least she was safe for the night, because Gerritt was sure the Spirit Walkers would watch over her.

  “Thank you for coming here to tell me. But, it’s dangerous for you so please return to your camp.

  The young man grinned. “It is my first battle. I will do what I can to help.”

  Gerritt wouldn’t insult him by demanding that he leave. And he respected the skills of the Tim’néepe people. The young man’s observations could be critical to the fight.

  “Stay in the trees, Raccoon, and try to let me know if you see something I should know about.”

  “I am at home in the trees Bug Eyes,” the boy responded before disappearing into the underbrush.

  Gerritt headed back to the small force he’d organized to defend his town. His thoughts were filled with Prudence, but he had to believe she’d be fine for the night. Raccoon hadn’t mentioned anyone else, so he hoped somehow she’d managed to get free from her captor.

  He’d get to her as soon as he could.

  He just hoped it wouldn’t be too late to save the woman he loved.

  ***

  The riders clamored into the clearing with no regard to being quiet or stealthy. They were obviously sure of their mission and unaware of the ambush they faced.

  Gripping one of the arc guns, Gerritt glanced to each side of him. He’d told his men to wait until the scouts were out of sight before firing. But his finger itched to pull the trigger. These men threatened everything he’d worked a lifetime to build.