Bright Morning Star

by J. R. Biery

  “Oh Bonnie, every one swam nude together.”

  “Just the women and little children would swim together. The men bathed in the river. The women had a little man-made pool like this under a bank of willows for cover. Wouldn’t doubt this was made by Indians. They move camp often, but always set up by rivers. The men were forbidden to look at the bathers. It’s a big taboo. But of course, at least one of the skunks did, I know.”

  “One of the braves, looked at you?”

  “I never saw him doing it, but from what he told Calum and the others, he was a sneaky skunk and peeked plenty.” Bonnie stood up and whispered the details into the short girl’s ear, just in case Calum was still close enough to hear.

  Claire splashed the water as soon as Bonnie finished. “They should have punished him, put out his eyes or some other Indian atrocity,” Claire said.

  Bonnie snorted. “No such luck. But Calum did give him a good tussle because of it.” A wispy cloud trailed over the full moon and Bonnie looked around. “Let’s just get all this dust off and our hair washed before the moon comes out to see us.”

  Claire took the soap Bonnie handed her and began to lather her arms and legs. Scrunching under the water to move the soap under her chemise and bloomers, just in case the men could see. She relaxed for a minute, enjoying the motion of the water, which now seemed pleasantly warm compared to the night air. When something brushed against her bare leg, she yelped and stood up, jumping. “Oh lordie, lordie, there’s something in the water. What if it’s a poisonous snake or one of those pinching crawdads?”

  Bonnie caught her and held her still, mischievously giving her a little pinch. “Turn around, I’ll wash your hair. There are no crawdads in here, the boys caught theirs in the little creek that feeds into the river. There’s too much activity. What with all the wagons stopping at this spot all the time, no snake is going to make a home here. If it was anything, it might be a fish that got in over the wall between here and the river. Now stand still and be quiet.” Bonnie whispered.

  In minutes she had the wet soap worked into a lather between her hands. “It would work better if your hair were wet, dunk under.”

  Claire looked confused and then yelled, “Oh no.” Bonnie laughed as she pushed the smaller girl under water. Claire came up, shaking her head and gasping for breath. “I think I swallowed some of this water, and maybe that fish.”

  Bonnie laughed and Claire tried to get close enough to pinch her too, but almost slipped and went under again. A minute later, Bonnie was busy shampooing Claire’s hair.

  <><><>

  Two men on the shore strained, listening to all the noise. Calum heard a branch snap and whirled to face an angry Henry Lambton.

  “What are you doing out here,” Henry hissed.

  Calum whispered, “I’m standing guard so the ladies can bathe.”

  “Guard against what, and do you have to look at them to stand guard, I thought you told Bonnie you wouldn’t look,” Henry said.

  “You can’t see anything,” Calum said. But suddenly the clouds swept past and in the pale moonlight the two men were transfixed as they saw the girl’s revealed. Each saw only one woman, although Bonnie was standing behind Claire and shampooing the giggling girl’s hair. Calum studied every line of the heavy, bouncing breasts as Bonnie worked diligently to clean the blonde’s oily hair. Henry felt faint from staring at the thin, wet chemise that was all that stood between his eyes and the little beauty’s perfect body.

  “Quiet, did you hear that,” Bonnie said. All four strained to listen. In the distance they heard the second pop of a rifle, waited but heard no more shots and relaxed. When the men looked back, dark clouds had hidden the moon and the women again.

  “Go on, hurry up,” Calum called from the bank.

  Both girls crouched a little lower in the water. “Don’t look,” Claire yelled in a high pitched squeak. It was again so dark, Bonnie could barely see the gleam from Claire’s eyes, nothing of the man on the bank. Placing a hand on the back of Claire’s neck, she whispered, “Lean back, I’ve got you.” In the quiet night, the only sound was the gentle lap of the water as she rinsed the dirty suds from the blonde hair. A minute later, Bonnie released her and Claire barely righted herself as they both heard the sound of galloping horses.

  “What was that?” Henry said. Henry raised his rifle and Calum moved the end of the barrel so it was aimed away from the girls. Calum shouted, “Hurry girls, get out of there.”

  Claire sputtered and shook her finger at the men now visible on the bank. “You said you wouldn’t… and is that Henry watching too.”

  There were other shouts as the moon shown brightly above them, from men galloping toward them.

  “Fan out and keep low to the ground, you go right,” Calum ordered then hissed to the women. “Stay down girls, hold her down Bonnie”

  <><><>

  Monroe and Tiller, the escaped gun runners, sped along the river between the two camps leaning close to their stolen mounts as shots rang out behind them. So far, nothing they had tried had brought them luck. As they ran parallel to the river looking for a more sheltered spot to cross, they blinked in amazement. In front of them were two barely dressed females and as Monroe recognized the taller one he yelled to his partner. “Now’s our time to get even. You grab the little one, I’ve got special plans for that tall, bossy woman.”

  Claire screamed in terror and tried to run. Bonnie heard the voice and recognized the man she had first encountered in St. Louis. He had been trying to buy their oxen after she had chased him off the night before when he tried to steal them. Now he was planning to catch and rape them.

  As the galloping horses splashed into the river behind them, she saw a gun on the bank flash. Impatiently she grabbed Claire and gave the hysterical girl a heave toward the bank, relieved to see her sputtering and finally struggling toward shore. Diving, she swam quickly over and drug Claire through the weeds and mud onto the bank beside her.

  On the muddy shore, Bonnie turned and picked up the gun. She pumped the heavy shotgun as she turned. But before she could fire, one of the riders fired at one of the men on shore and she heard him gasp. Bonnie raised the shotgun and fired and the second rider disappeared.

  Seconds later, when she was sure both men were down, Bonnie waded farther up the bank, dragging the semi-conscious Claire to drop beside their discarded clothes.

  Standing, she heard a voice call. “Are you all right?”

  “Henry, is that you?” Bonnie set the shotgun down and then struggled into her slip, fighting it down over her wet body, then she repeated the struggle with the ugly black dress. All the time, she was stuffing her feet into her shoes as she stumbled forward.

  “Calum, I’m fine now. Was that Tiller and the oxen thief?” Bonnie yelled.

  Instead of an answer, she heard a groan to the left and rushed forward. “Calum, Calum, are you hurt?”

  As she dropped beside him, she felt the sticky, wet patch on his chest and screamed for help. In the dark, men were coming. She looked past where she knelt beside the man she loved to where another voice moaned. “Who’s there?” she demanded.

  “I killed a man.”

  “Henry, thank God. Run and cover Claire before the others arrive. Hurry.”

  “Claire, my beautiful Claire,” he whispered, then ran toward the girl.

  Awkwardly Henry picked up her gown and wrapper. At least in the bright moonlight he could see it and the girl. As he tried to raise Claire up to slide it over her, Claire pushed his hands away.

  “Darling, let me do this, hurry, the others are coming and you’re practically nude.”

  “No, Henry, don’t look at me. I wanted to get clean for you, but now I’m all muddy again.”

  Despite her protest, Henry was forcing the gown over her head.

  For the first time Henry laughed and crushed her to him. “You goose, you beautiful goose, thank God you are all right.” With more energy, he covered her with the gown, then reached over her
for the wrapper. Half-lifting, half-holding her pressed against him, he helped her stand and slid one arm through as he heard Robert Wimberley shouting. “Claire, Henry, what’s going on here?’

  Henry held the sobbing girl, holding and rocking her as an angry Robert Wimberley stepped forward to take possession of his daughter.

  “She’s fine sir,” Henry said.

  “The devil you say, she’s barely dressed and all wet and muddy. If you’ve done anything to harm my girl, I’ll…”

  Claire pushed from Henry’s arms into her fathers. “I’m fine Father, Henry saved me. Bonnie and I were bathing while the others were asleep. Henry and Calum Douglas stood sentry to keep the others away.”

  Father didn’t look convinced, but started to sweep his daughter up to carry back to the wagons. Henry reached out for her at the same time. “Let me, sir, I’ve got her.”

  “Nonsense,” Father said and swept the girl up to stomp back to their wagon with Henry in pursuit. When he started breathing hard and almost stumbled. Henry said softer, “Please sir, you carry the rifle for a while.”

  Glaring at each other, Robert Wimberley surrendered his daughter as she turned to wrap an arm around the younger man’s neck. Silently the transfer was made and they hurried back to camp.

  <><><>

  As soon as they reached the wagon, Henry lifted Claire over the tailgate to where Mother and Mary Anne waited. “I think she’s alright, just still a little frightened. It was awful,” Henry said as he almost collapsed against the end of the wagon.

  Grumbling, standing the gun against the wagon wheel, Father answered the two boys. Tom and Jim were running about, jumping and asking questions, the dogs barking beside them. “We’ve got Claire, I think Calum has been shot. You’d better go see about Bonnie.”

  <><><>

  Claire looked up at her Mother and the little girl. “Don’t just look at me, don’t let me get this mud all over the bed.”

  Mary Anne disappeared to fetch water and towels while Elizabeth Wimberley touched the clump of mud and weeds that were stuck to her daughter’s hair. “This should be an interesting story. Stand up, let’s get you out of all this, then we’ll see what we can do about your hands and hair.”

  As she threw a clump of mud out of the back of the wagon, she heard Robert’s stern voice asking Henry to repeat his explanation.

  <><><>

  Bonnie pressed against the wound, heard Calum moan again. The bullet had struck high on his shoulder near the top left button. In horror, she realized how lucky he was to have the two rows of brass buttons. She spread her fingers across to touch the one beside his heart and closed her eyes in prayer.

  The men were there, urging her back to examine the fallen soldier. As they pulled him from her, one man ordered the others. “Bring a light, I’m a doctor.”

  Bonnie pushed her heavy wet hair back from her face and moved forward to lift the shotgun and stare where the renegades had been pulled and plopped onto the bank.

  “Are they dead?” she hollered.

  “This one is, he pointed to the one in blue. Think the other is still alive.”

  Finally, Bonnie stared down at Tiller, the one who had threatened and insulted her so many times. His body looked unmarked, until one man held a lantern down and she saw the hole through his neck.

  The other man was still unconscious, but Bonnie noted the ragged rise and fall of his chest. His shirt was splattered with small holes and both arms were bleeding. “Best tie his hands and feet. If he doesn’t die, the army plans to take him home to execute,” she said.

  One of the men laughed. “Are you kidding?”

  Suddenly two soldiers were standing beside her. “No, do as she says. Then we’ll take him.”

  Bonnie reached out a hand to either side of her and clutched her brother’s hands. “Calum was shot.”

  “Is he going to be all right?” Shawn asked.

  With a deep, indrawn breath she whispered, “He has to be.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Claire told her mother how she and Bonnie was talking long after everyone went to bed.

  “I know how it is, trying to catch us with old friends,” Mother said.

  “Then she told me how the Indians bathe every day and how she couldn’t believe how lax I had become about my appearance. At any rate, we decided while all the men were asleep, we would go down to the little pool they have marked off for bathing beside the river.”

  “What little pool?” Mother sounded curious and Claire would have gone into more detail, but the little pitcher with big ears was sitting there listening.

  “Calum Douglas knew where it was, and offered to escort us there since he’s in pursuit of a couple of real scoundrels and he said we ladies would need protection from any peeping Toms.”

  “Tom wouldn’t do anything like that,” Mary Anne said, but then she looked a little unsure.

  “It’s an expression, dear. For the man who watched when Lady Godiva made her ride nude through the streets to argue against some law.”

  “I don’t know that story, can I read it somewhere?” Mary Anne asked, but Mother had turned her attention fully back to her daughter. Claire was using the soap and vigorously washing her hands, arms, knees, and feet. She couldn’t help but wonder how anyone could bathe in a mud hole and come out clean. She would have to ask Bonnie for the secret.

  “Claire,” Mother snapped. “I thought you said you and Bonnie were alone. How did the Lieutenant know you were going to bathe?”

  Claire looked up, wrinkling her brow with suspicion. “He did show up rather quickly.” She shook her head decisively. “No, he was on patrol and saw us getting ready to leave the campsite. When Bonnie told him where we were going he insisted on going along to keep us safe.”

  Mother seemed to accept her explanation and after Claire rinsed, she ordered. “Lean over, we’ll do what we can with that hair. Then I want you two,” she looked over her shoulder at a sleepy Mary Anne and smiled. “I want you three girls to get some sleep. You know how your Father feels about getting an early start.”

  Claire leaned forward so her hair hung over her face into the bowl and very patiently sat still while her mother poured cup after cup of water over it. Finally the water was too dirty to do any good. She emptied the pan out and handed the bowl to the sleepy child. “Careful, don’t drop or chip my basin. Fetch another and then you can go to bed while we finish up.”

  Mother straightened and stretched, twisting from side to side. Claire sat with the towel over her shoulders and brown water dripping onto it.

  <><><>

  Later, as Claire tried to fall asleep with Mary Anne beside her, she heard her father and mother talking in whispers. The stacked boxes between them was no sound barrier.

  “Well, what did he have to say for himself? You saw how she looked when he carried her back to us,” Mother said.

  “It was plausible. The Lieutenant is wounded and in Henry’s wagon now. I’ll try to talk to him tomorrow, get his confirmation. But Henry says they were never alone together, that it was a dark night and the escapees the army were hunting were in the area, not to mention a lot of men from the two wagon trains. Well, he’s right, the girls needed someone on guard to protect them.”

  “I can’t understand wanting to take a bath in the middle of the night. It’s nearly ten o’clock, now.”

  “That part made sense too. They were up anyway and it was a moonless night. Well, even you were wishing Claire would pay more attention to her grooming.”

  There was a pause and Claire swallowed. Even Mother had been embarrassed by how she looked.

  “She doesn’t know, has no idea of how cruel the world can be to a girl without a good reputation. You and I may believe him, but what are other people going to say?” Mother said.

  “I didn’t want to corner him on that just yet. He looked upset, and they were getting the Lieutenant settled and moving the boys out. Bonnie will be with the twins sleeping in the tent again.”
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  Claire twisted in the bed, so that her back was to the whispering voices. She had heard enough. Mother was wrong if she thought Claire didn’t know about losing one’s reputation. She had seen it happen to girls in the factory before. Hadn’t it almost happened to Bonnie? That was why she married Tarn Michaels. Other girls weren’t so lucky. They lost their jobs and often ended up on the streets when their names were compromised.

  She had done nothing wrong. Nothing intimate had happened between them. Well, he had come to her rescue, covered her nearly naked body from the eyes of all the other men who arrived minutes later. Claire could still feel Henry’s arms around her, hear the softly whispered words, “Little goose.” Ordinarily it would have made her angry, but from him, in those moments, it had made her feel cherished.

  Smiling, relaxing, Claire slipped into blissful sleep.

  <><><>

  It was stuffy and warm as Claire woke to the voices of men outside the Lambton wagon talking to Bonnie. When her mother started to say something, she whispered, “Shh.” Together, they sat, shamelessly listening.

  The corporal told Bonnie. “I don’t think we should be moving him just yet. The Doctor removed the bullet and a partially embedded brass button from his shoulder, said he lost a lot of blood.”

  Claire had heard two men speak, but for some reason Bonnie wasn’t answering. She could tell from the way the men were talking that they knew she was distracted.

  “Figure he would want me to get the men back to headquarters, now we’ve captured that gun runner and done for Tiller. That was our mission, you know?”

  Bonnie must have nodded, because an older voice said. “Monroe wasn’t as bad hurt as we thought. He’s the one you filled with buckshot. Know the General wants to personally see him shot by firing squad. He could take a turn for the worst or maybe even escape again, lest we head on back.”