Broken Pledge

by Marti Talbott

  “Gifted in the bosom? So she is, my good man, so she is. And if I’m not mistaken, my son has taken a fancy to her. See how he watches her every move?”

  “He watches to see she does not break things.”

  “Break ...why Eleanor hasn’t broken anything in weeks. She’s become charming and quite well mannered. A complete transformation, one might say.”

  “And your son prefers her?”

  Uriah struggled to get to his feet and just in time, put a hand on the railing to steady himself. “He does. If I am correct, Eleanor will soon begin filling the whole territory with British Carsons.”

  La Rue narrowed his eyes. He waited for Uriah to go in the house before he turned a more careful eye on John and Eleanor.

  VIRGINIA

  The usual time for dinner had come and gone. But still the Carsons patiently waited in Mahala’s assembly room, while Rose helped Polly into a borrowed dress. Finally, the two of them came out of John’s bedchamber.

  “Allow me,” Adam said, rushing up the stairs to escort them down.

  “She does look like Mary,” Elizabeth whispered, watching her descend the stairs.

  “Mama, Papa, allow me to present the Quaker, Polly Lewis, of Maryland,” Adam said.

  Elizabeth hugged Polly. “My dear, you are lovely. And if John adores you, you’ll hear no objections from us. You must be starving,” she went on, looping her arm through Polly’s and guiding her into the dining room.

  “And we simply cannot wait to hear about the Indians,” Effie said, following.

  “Effie,” Rose scolded.

  Abby quickly took the chair next to her twin at the table. “Well, we’ve only seen one in our entire lives.”

  While Adam held her chair, Rose threw the babies a hostile look and sat down. “Effie and Abby captured Laughing Rain in our barn.”

  Polly grinned. “Did they?”

  Effie rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air. “Don’t the lot of you ever tire of telling that old story?”

  “No,” all the Carsons said at once.

  KENTUCKY

  The first three times La Rue checked the time, he struggled to get his gold pocket watch out of his pocket. Then he struggled to put it back in. By the fourth time, he couldn’t find his pocket, so he simply watched the sunset and marveled as a dozen lanterns were lit to take its place. The people ate, the dance began, someone lit a fire and John kept a close eye on Eleanor. Then Uriah took Eleanor on a stroll around the yard, pausing just below the verandah where La Rue sat...so Eleanor’s “gifts” would be in full view. Just as La Rue was about to speak, Uriah whisked her away.

  VIRGINIA

  “But, Rose, I’m not sure I would have stayed in Kentucky, even if John had been there when Tecumseh brought me home. The only arms I wanted to hold were those of a mother I’d never see again,” Polly said, fluffing the pillows and then slipping beneath the covers on John’s bed.

  “I cannot imagine losing Mama,” Rose said, sitting down on the bed beside her. Both women were wearing dressing gowns and white lace sleeping bonnets.

  “I am heartbroken still. The last time we were together, I was short with her, and I have not yet forgiven myself.”

  “How dreadful. Can I bring you anything, tea perhaps?”

  “No, but I thank thee. I thank thee also for keeping thy family from asking about the Indians. I don’t want them to think unkindly of me,” Polly said.

  Rose tucked a strand of hair beneath her bonnet and made herself more comfortable on the bed. “I assure you, they could never have an unkind thought about someone John loves.”

  “Thou canst know that. Thou canst know...what I have done.”

  “I doubt you’ve done anything that unspeakable. Besides, we are not so proper as we seem. Once, at the age of fourteen, Maralee and I stole Papa’s smoking jacket, his pipe, his finest Virginia tobacco, and set about learning how to smoke in our room.”

  Polly giggled.

  “And when we heard him coming, we nearly set the house ablaze trying to put it out. But after, Papa loved us just the same. Rachel and Suzanne are wiser, but Effie and Abby are... Well, left in a room with them for very long, you’ll not have a secret to your name.” Rose paused to catch her breath. “Are you tired, or shall I stay for a while?”

  “Please stay, I’m much too excited to sleep. Is this truly John’s room?”

  “Aye,” Rose answered. “His is the biggest bed, or so it appeared when we were small. He was the only one without a twin taking up all the room. On stormy nights, Maralee and I would climb in beside him for protection. When the other two sets of twins arrived, they did the same. Poor John would wait patiently until we slept and then creep away to find comfort in one of our beds.

  One morning, when Mama could find none of us, she let out a bloodcurdling scream, convinced we’d been kidnapped. There we were, all six of us in John’s bed and frightened out of our wits, and Mister John Samuel Carson was nowhere to be found.”

  “Thou art the best storyteller I have ever met,” Polly said.

  “Yes, well, three sets of twins tend to lend themselves to stories. Wait until you hear the ones John has to tell.”

  “I can hardly wait. I have not seen him for so long, is he...has he changed?”

  “Not much. Come to think of it, I saved his letters from Kentucky,” she said, leaping to her feet and scurrying from the room. In seconds she was back, handing Polly three letters bound with string. “I’d best look in on Christopher and settle my husband a little. Adam is nearly as excited as you, and we must decide how to break the news of our departure to the family.” Then she was gone again, this time closing the door behind her.

  Polly slowly untied the string, unfolded the first letter and gently touched John’s handwriting. At first, she read it word for word. But soon she began skimming until she found her name:

  “Oh, Rose,” the letter read, “dare I dream of finding Polly? Dare I think God would allow it, knowing how I’ve hurt her? I tell you even war was not so wretched as this endless ache I have to hold her in my arms.”

  Polly closed the letter and tears began to stream down her cheeks.

  KENTUCKY

  When he entered the kitchen, La Rue had his hat in his hand. His eyes were half closed and his whole body swayed. “Madame Puddifoot, we speak of Eleanor, no?” Blurred faces quickly passed by on both sides, as the other women politely excused themselves and left the room.

  “Over here, Mister La Rue,” Emiline said, waving a towel at him from the far corner. “On the other hand, I’d best come to you and you best sit down.”

  “Oui, Madame,” La Rue said, allowing her to help him to a chair at the table.

  Emiline hung her wet towel on a wall hook and seated herself. “What about Eleanor?”

  “She is old enough to marry, no?”

  “Well, yes,” Emiline answered, noticing Uriah’s face through the window. Pretending to fan herself with her hand, she tried to shoo him away.

  “Why do you ask? Mister La Rue, do you wish to marry her?”

  “Oui, Madame. I make a good husband.”

  “A wealthy one at least. Do you promise not to harm her?”

  “Madame Puddifoot, I love her with such passion, I...”

  “Yes, well, the problem is, several other men have asked for her hand and Eleanor has refused them all. She says she doesn’t want a husband.”

  “But, Madame, I can live no more without her.”

  “I see,” Emiline said, again trying to unsuccessfully shoo Uriah away from the window. “I’ll speak to her then.”

  VIRGINIA

  Rose quietly opened the door, peeked in and found Polly weeping. “My dear, what’s wrong?”

  “He still loves me,” she sobbed.

  She rushed to the bed and wrapped her arms around Polly. “Of course he does.”

  “Yes, but he will not. My sins are so very grievous.”

  Rose dug a kerchief out of her pocket and handed it to
Polly. “My dear, it simply cannot be as bad as all that. Do tell me. If you don’t, I doubt either of us will be able to sleep.”

  “I’ve had a husband...an Indian husband.”

  “Just as we feared, they forced you,” Rose said, biting her lower lip.

  “No, I went willingly.”

  “I see.”

  Polly took a deep breath, shoved the covers aside and scooted until she sat on the edge of the bed next to Rose. “When I was first taken, I was terrified. The Choctaw smelled of bear grease, did not speak English and I nearly drowned crossing the River Ohio. They sold me to the Shawnee. Tecumseh spoke some English, enough to ease my fear, but then the Illinois attacked us. An Illinois Indian bent down from his horse, put an arm around my waist and carried me away. I screamed and saw the look on Tecumseh’s face, but he couldn’t help. Women were screaming, muskets were firing, and all I could think was, Please God, let me die quickly.

  The man held me too tightly as he rode swiftly. My ribs began to hurt and my breath was nearly gone before he noticed. He halted, eased me to the ground and said words I could not understand. I wanted to hate him, but his face was filled with regret. When the others came, he put me astride his horse, climbed on behind and took me north. He held me gently and tried to comfort me with his words, but the next day, my pain grew greater still.”

  “He’d broken your ribs?” Rose asked.

  “Yes. That night as we camped near a stream, he took me away from the others. He motioned that I should remove my dress. I would not. So he showed me a wide strap of leather and wrapped it around his own ribs. Then I understood, so I turned my back, let down my bodice and he bound me. It greatly eased my pain. We rode for days and each night I let down my bodice so he could adjust my binding. I feared him each time, but he did not take advantage.”

  Rose wrinkled her brow. “They are not so savage as I thought.”

  “When we reached the village, he set a tent, gathered wood, and made me a warm bed of bear fur, yet, he went to another tent. The others were shy at first, but soon the children came to touch my white skin and gaze into my blue eyes, and I easily came to love them. Then winter came.” Polly stopped to take another deep breath. “The wind was bitter cold and howled night and day. I could not keep the fire lit, and...”

  “You went in to him?”

  Polly hung her head. “I could think of no other way to survive.”

  “And you think John would blame you for that?”

  “I was not married, it was a sin.”

  “True, but neither God nor John would have wanted you to freeze to death.”

  “Thou art very kind, but John...”

  Rose folded her arms. “It is clearly John’s own fault. If he had not married a woman he did not love, he would have rescued you long before winter. Better still, he should have married you before he left Kentucky.”

  Polly thought for a moment and then lifted her chin. “Thou art right.”

  “Indeed I am.”

  “Thou makest me hopeful he will not reject me.”

  “If he does, I will shoot him.”

  “But Rose, there is more.”

  KENTUCKY

  They stood in a row with their backs to the bonfire, two couples on one side of Uriah and two couples on the other. Uriah leaned around, handed Eleanor a small bouquet of half-wilted flowers and tightened his grip on a swaying Jacque La Rue’s arm. In front of them stood Parson Goodall with his Bible open and his reading glasses slid all the way to the end of his nose.

  As the parson searched his Bible for the proper place, John made his way through the crowd until he stood next to Emiline. “Shall we enjoy ourselves a little?” he whispered.

  “How so?”

  “Go stand next to Papa.”

  “You’re more like your father than I thought,” she snapped, darting away.

  “Gentlemen, do you take these lovely, most becoming ladies—” Parson Goodall began.

  VIRGINIA

  “When he’d learned enough English,” Polly was saying, “My...husband told of fine land further west. There are enormous mountains, but before the mountains, there is a wide plain where few trees grow.”

  “Do you mean a desert?”

  “No, the rains are plentiful and the grass is tall. Thousands of Indians live there, as do great herds of bison, and there are many rivers.”

  “Has he seen all this, do you think?” Rose asked, curling her legs up under her on the bed.

  “I cannot be sure. But we moved so often, I feared they wouldst take me there.”

  “Why did they move often?”

  “To hide from other tribes and to find food, but as winter continued, food became more scarce. We went three days without before a warrior trapped a rabbit. I thought they would give it to the children. Instead, they offered it to me.”

  “To you, why?”

  “I did not know. I attempted to give it back, but the women would not take it. So I smelled the sweet aroma, tasted a bit and then gave it to the children. The next day, two deer came into the village and just stood there waiting to be killed.”

  “Sent from God?”

  “I believed it and greatly praised Him for it, but the people thought me responsible. Again they offered the first to me. Again, I smelled, tasted and gave it back. And the hunt became still more plentiful.”

  “They believed you blessed them?”

  “Rose, I have no power to bless.” Polly stopped and closed her eyes for a moment. “In spring, I had a child...a little girl. She did not draw breath.”

  “Oh, Polly, how awful.”

  “Then came a horrible raid on the village. Twenty-six died, including the man I called husband.”

  “Dear God in heaven,” Rose muttered.

  “The Illinois saw it as a sign that the Great Father was angry. So as soon as the snow melted, they took me back to Tecumseh.”

  “I don’t think I could survive such a thing. Now I have second thoughts about going to Kentucky.”

  “So have I,” Polly said.

  KENTUCKY

  It was nearly the evening of the next day before their neighbors loaded wagons and headed home. Exhausted, Emiline sat down on the front steps, heaved a sigh of relief and rested her head against the railing.

  “Are you unwell?” John asked, sitting down beside her.

  “Good heavens, no. I’m merely relieved it’s over.”

  “As am I,” Uriah said, sitting down in a straight-back chair on the verandah.

  “Indeed?” John said. “I thought the two of you were enjoying yourselves immensely. While I, on the other hand, have never been so busy. Our company shot holes in the new slave quarters. Countless times I had to save a woman from being carried off, and there isn’t an inch of land, inside or out, that does not hold an empty whiskey jug. And ... the sheriff was the worst of the lot. He put a full jug in the fire, hoping it would explode.”

  “I’d have liked seeing that myself,” Uriah grinned. “He certainly has a most becoming wife.”

  “She, I had to rescue five times, while the sheriff was off rolling La Rue down the hill in a barrel.”

  Uriah laughed and clapped his hands. “Did you see that, Emiline? The speed at which it rolled down the hill was positively splendid. Had it not hit the tree—”

  “Papa, La Rue might have been killed.”

  “Nonsense, men like La Rue do not die in a barrel. If they did, we’d see far more barrels aimed at trees. Besides, La Rue deserved it. He drank the last jug of whiskey.”

  John took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. “Did he? Then how is it you had another to toast his bride?”

  “I’d forgotten about that one. And speaking of brides, my dear Emiline, you outdid yourself with Eleanor’s dress.”

  “Why, thank you, Uriah. Was she hard to convince?”

  “Not nearly as hard as he. I merely explained the lifetime advantages of having a wealthy husband,” Uriah answered.

  “Well done
,” said Emiline. “I never in my life imagined La Rue would actually marry her.”

  “Neither did La Rue.”

  John turned to glare at his father. “Papa, what have you done?”

  “I simply made La Rue a happy man.”

  “But the man was drunk.”

  “Aye, drunk with love.”

  “No, drunk with whiskey,” John shot back.

  “Was he? I had not guessed that,” Uriah said.

  Abruptly, John got to his feet, climbed the steps and disappeared inside the house.

  “The boy seems somewhat annoyed,” Emiline said.

  “Yes, but he will not be as soon as he realizes Eleanor is gone.”

  “LISTEN,” URIAH SAID, rising up in his saddle to see over a tall bush.

  “What?” John asked, following his father’s gaze to a gathering of settlers wading into the Kentucky River.

  “The parson does not yell. He does not shout condemnation and people come to be baptized anyway. Do you see how very peaceful they look...and the parson actually smiles. He is not at all like the parsons in Virginia.”

  “I see what you mean.”

  Uriah dismounted and began tying his horse to a bush. “It is time then. This day, I will see to my baptism.”

  “You’ve not been baptized, not even as a boy?” John asked, getting off his horse.

  “Not that I recall. Have you?”

  “Aye, Mama saw to it years ago.”

  “Then you need not come along,” Uriah said, boldly walking toward the river. But when he neared, he hesitated, and at length, he took a seat on a log.

  An hour later he was still sitting there with John right beside him. The last in line baptized, Parson Adlee Sax waded out of the water, gathered his things, sat down on the other side of Uriah, and began to roll down his pant leg.

  “I have come to be baptized,” Uriah said.

  “So I have noticed,” the parson said. His dark hair was wavy and his eyes were a soft brown.