by Conn, Phoebe
"No," Gabrielle responded firmly. "I am not going to marry one of those men, Jason. It is as simple as that, and I'll not distract them from the other girls who truly are looking for a husband."
Watching her gaze intently out the window as if she were fascinated by the brilliance of the sunset, Jason regretted he'd
had no opportunity to draw Gabrielle's face in profile. No cameo ever had a more lovely subject carved in relief, but unfortunately she appeared to be as unmovable as such a sculpture. He could think of no way to convince her to come downstairs. She'd refused a request he thought he'd worded very reasonably so he changed the subject momentarily.
"Have you told any of your friends of your decision?"
"No»" Gabrielle admitted hesitantly. "It is not one I can easily explain. They are all very pleased with the men they've met, and I don't want to inflict my pain upon them when they are so happy."
"Yet you were going to go with one of the bachelors to his farm today, weren't you?" Jason suddenly remembered the conversation they'd had before breakfast and he realized her comments had been very contradictory.
"No. You said that, I didn't," Gabrielle explained coolly. "Iris was infuriated by your refusal to let her go with John Randolph, by the way. She wants to see a man's home before she makes up her mind to marry him, and in her opinion, you simply wasted the whole day for her. What made you change your mind about allowing us to leave?" She turned to face him then, her inquisitive glance as unsettling as her query.
"We are talking about you, not Iris," Jason reminded her sternly, adroitly avoiding the necessity of answering her question. He did not wish to lie about his motives, but he knew he could not reveal them. "Now you must attend tonight's party. I meant what I said. I'll toss you over my shoulder Hkea sack of flour if I have to, but I'm taking you downstairs right now." He rose to his feet as he spoke, hoping his sheer size might convince her to come with him quietly.
"No. You mustn't do that!" Gabrielle sprang to her feet, obviously greatly alarmed by his threat. It was too soon for her to be certain she'd become pregnant the last time they were together, but if she had, she desperately wanted his baby. Life had taught her how fleeting happiness could be, and so she
dearly wanted a child as a living reminder of the love they'd shared, no matter how brief or one-sided it had been. "You need not treat me as if I were a bag of produce. I can walk down the stairs on my own." She nearly flew to the door, not waiting for him in her haste to escape a rude embrace that she feared might do her great harm. "Well, aren't you coming to the party too?"
Jason tried to think of what he'd said that had made such a difference. The woman had flatly refused to attend the party, and now she was telling him to hurry! It made no sense at all, but he came forward to walk by her side.
"Tell everyone you couldn't find your shoes or something; don't say you were talking with me."
Gabrielle eyed him coldly, her bright blue gaze icy with hatred. "Heaven forbid that I would admit such a thing, Mr. Royal!" Her head held high she preceded him down the stairs and said good evening so graciously to Michael Jenkins that he thought she was truly pleased to find him waiting for her at the bottom of the steps.
Jason stared after her, still attempting to discern some meaning in her conflicting statements and actions. She was not crazy or stupid. On the contrary, she was exceptionally bright so she must have had valid reasons for each of her decisions, but he was damned if he could understand them. "Women!" he growled unhappily. Then, forcing himself to adopt a pleasant expression, he went into the parlor to make certain none of the girls was alone. Again he had to remind the bachelors who seemed so fond of Iris that they could not neglect the other young women. He found the brunette's continual stream of flattery tiresome, but clearly many of the men were captivated by her rather theatrical type of charm and were displeased when he insisted they focus their attention elsewhere. To his immense relief, now that Gabrielle had consented to attend the gathering, she maintained a warm smile and seemed to be listening attentively to each man with
whom she spoke. Jason was positive none of her comments would be insincere ones.
After supper the brides performed the songs they'd been rehearsing for many months, their voices now blending so harmoniously Jason's applause was as enthusiastic as that of the rest of the men. He waited until Clayton signaled that it was time to encourage the men to leave; then with his usual good-natured charm he ushered the bachelors through the front door. He followed them out into the night without a backward glance, but he could not shut Gabrielle out of his thoughts as easily as he had solved Clayton's problems for the evening. Taking charge of a group of twenty men was a far easier task than influencing one lissome beauty. Unfortunately time was now on her side rather than his, and that realization was doubly disconcerting.
"Gabrielle?" Erica whispered insistently. "Are you asleep?"
"No," Gabrielle admitted softly. It had taken her hours to fall asleep the previous night, and she anticipated another long bout of restlessness. Her mind gave her no peace but kept racing, memories crashing against each other with such violence she could not relax for even an instant, let alone long enough for sleep to overtake her. She could tell from the gentle sounds of deep breathing which surrounded her that only she and Erica still remained awake. "What is it?" she asked sleepily.
"I'm going to sneak out of the house before dawn and meet Lewis. Will you cover for me with Mr. Home? Tell him I'm sleeping late or taking a bath—anything—so he won't become suspicious and demand to see me?"
Since Lewis and Erica had spent most of the evening together, Gabrielle wasn't surprised they had made plans to meet secretly. Her first reaction was to say no. She never told lies of any sort, but her own life was now so far from exemplary
she did not see how she could refuse.
"I doubt he*ll notice. We're very seldom all together and you'll be back by evening, won't you?"
"Yes. At least I think so. Lewis wants to show me around his farm. He seems very proud of it so naturally I'm anxious to see it." Erica was quiet for several minutes and then asked shyly, *'What do you suppose it's like to make love?" Her mother had given her no advice whatsoever, and while she was terribly curious, she was more than a little bit frightened as well.
Gabrielle turned over on her stomach and pounded her pillow in an attempt to make herself more comfortable while they talked. She didn't dare tell Erica the truth, but she hated to appear as innocent as the pretty blonde when she no longer was. "I think it must be very nice, like kissing a man you like only much better."
"Do you really think so? Lewis is very gentle. When he holds me to dance or takes my arm as we move from one room to the next his touch is most pleasant. Some of the men are so clumsy they've crushed my fingers with the force of their grip or nearly broken my toes with their efforts to dance. While their conversation is not crude, I can't help but want to avoid them."
"I know exactly who you mean," Gabrielle agreed sympathetically. "Perhaps they simply lack experience with women and do not realize we are far more fragile than we appear."
"Experience?" Erica asked skeptically. "Would that make such a great difference in a man's behavior?"
"I really don't know. Perhaps." Not wishing to discuss the matter any further, Gabrielle turned away. "Shouldn't you try to sleep if you must be up so early tomorrow?"
"Yes," Erica agreed reluctantly. After yawning noisily, she closed her eyes, hoping to get some rest before the sun rose. However, she was so excited by the prospect of spending the day with Lewis that she doubted she'd be able to sleep a wink.
Gabrielle hugged her pillow more tightly, glad Erica had not
chosen to pursue the subject of making love since it was such a dangerous one. At least Jason had said being with her was far more pleasurable than being with any other woman he'd ever known. That compliment provided scant solace, however, when he'd not thought the enjoyment she gave him so willingly worthy of a marriage proposal. Hot
tears of anger stung her eyes, but she dared not give in to such a weakness for fear Erica would hear her sobs and demand to know why she was so distraught. She felt like leaving the house by herself before dawn also, simply to go for a walk and have a few moments of privacy since that was a luxury she'd not had for almost five months' time and sorely missed. She made a greater effort to relax, to rid herself of the tension which filled her slender body as well as her thoughts, but the memory of Jason's taunting smile was impossible to erase. She lay wide awake while her friends slept peacefully, their dreams filled with romantic visions of the men they liked best and soon hoped to marry.
Despite Gabrielle's desire to have some time alone, she slept so late there was no hope of avoiding her roommates' lively chatter. They were too excited to keep still, and she again hid her own sorrow while she listened to their enthusiastic comments about the bachelors. Barbara had still not made up her mind about whom she liked best, while Marlene and Margaret had both found men whose attentions they had hoped to keep. Johanna had spent the previous evening with a rather shy young man who seemed to share her deep religious convictions, and she was looking forward to seeing him again that day. Iris had left their room early, certain she could influence Clayton to let her visit John Randolph's farm, but to her chagrin, he did not appear to invite her. She did have several callers that morning, but she was terribly disappointed when they were not the men she'd wanted most to see.
After her friends went downstairs to enjoy the fresh air in the garden or to speak with their visitors, Cabrielle remained in their bedroom. She pretended to be busy sorting through her
wardrobe for things which needed mending, but in reality she was hoping to think of some effective way to postpone the inevitable proposal she knew Michael Jenkins was sure to make. He was a very nice man, and had it not b^en for the confusion Jason had created in her life, Jenkins would have been precisely the type of man she would have thought herself fortunate to marry when she'd answered the ad to become a mail-order bride. He was sincere, personable. His appearance and manners were pleasing, and perhaps with skillful tutoring he could even learn to dance well. Now Gabrielle felt guilty that he liked her so much. But when he came to see her that afternoon, she again found herself listening to his polite attempts at conversation, and was unable to tell him how hopeless his attraction to her was. She knew what she was doing was dishonest and she didn't want to hurt him. Obviously the longer she delayed speaking the truth, the more betrayed he would feel. Gathering all her courage, she had just started to tell him her position when the front door of Clayton's impressive home flew open with a tremendous crash and both she and Michael turned to see who had caused such an uproar.
Since Erica had made not the slightest attempt to be discreet, nearly everyone in the house heard her entrance. She was screaming at Lewis Bradley, shrieking at the top of her voice that he was a scoundrel to whom she'd never speak again. Not one to take such a fiery insult quietly, Lewis had followed her through the front door and was about to run straight up the stairs after her when Jason tackled him and wrestled him into Clayton's study.
Alarmed by her good friend's unexpectedly emotional arrival, Gabrielle turned to Michael. "Will you please excuse me? If Erica has come to some harm she may need my assistance."
Michael had been as badly startled as Gabrielle by Erica's hysterical entrance, but he had no desire to lose his attractive
companion. He reached out to take her hand, hoping to make her stay. "She appeared to be in perfect heahh to me. It*s probably no more than a lovers' quarrel and youMl simply be interfering where you're not wanted. Don't go."
Gabrielle pushed his hand away as she rose to her feet. "I must," she stated simply and then with a light running step she left the parlor and hurried up the stairs. She found Erica in a dreadful state, lying across a cot and sobbing pathetically as though her heart were broken. Gabrielle knew immediately she'd been right to come upstairs to be with her. She sat down beside her friend and patted her back gently as she tried to ascertain what was wrong.
"What happened between you and Lewis? It can't possibly be so terrible as this," she offered sympathetically.
"No. It was worse!" Erica insisted in a high-pitched wail, more distraught than ever now that she had someone to heed her outraged cries.
A curious crowd had gathered at the bedroom door and Gabrielle rose quickly to ask them to disperse so she and Erica might have some privacy. She closed the door softly and then returned to her friend's side. "Mr. Home is sure to scold you for leaving the house without permission, and he'll want to know exactly what happened. If you will tell me now what went wrong, I can help you think of some way to explain it to him so you won't be in any greater trouble than you already are."
Erica shook her head vigorously and continued to weep, too despondent to worry over what Clayton Home would think of her behavior. When she heard a soft knock at the door, she sat up suddenly, looking about the room with a frantic glance as though searching for a safe place to hide. "Send whoever it is away, please!"
"Of course," Gabrielle agreed, but when she opened the door she found Jason standing in the hall. "Can't it wait?" she whispered, "Erica is too upset to speak with anyone now."
"No. It can't wait. Lewis didn't rape her, but she's behaving
as if he did her some grievous injury. I won't permit such a tantrum to continue! Now kindly step aside."
Gabrielle knew better than to argue with Jason when he was in so foul a mood, but as soon as she allowed him to enter his manner changed completely. He waited a moment for Erica to compose herself; then, drawing a chair close to her bed, he sat down and began to speak in a low, comforting tone. "I think you should be far more angry with Clayton and me than with Lewis, Erica. Apparently we should have discussed the arrangement a lot of the men have had with Indian women and we failed to do it. It did not occur to us that it would upset any of you as greatly as this." He looked over at Gabrielle as if he expected some help from her, and she came forward.
"I don't understand what Mr. Royal is talking about. Erica. What has an Indian woman to do with you and Lewis?"
Erica dried her eyes on the back of her hand, sniffing loudly as she did so. "We went out to his farm, and it is as pretty a place as he'd told me it was," she began slowly. "His house is rather small, but very neatly kept. When I noticed a small rag doll on the mantel I asked whose it was."
'Then he told you about Raven and the baby?" Jason asked softly.
Erica nodded sadly, but she was unable to continue because a fresh wave of tears flooded her eyes. She threw herself across the bed again, sobbing with loud desperate wails, but she gave no further clue as to what was troubling her so greatly.
Gabrielle sat down beside her best friend. Being far too curious to let the matter drop, she glanced over at Jason. "I'd like to hear about Raven and her baby. Since Erica can't tell me, will you?"
Jason leaned back in his chair. "There's not all that much to tell. Lewis, like many of the men who came here alone, had an Indian mistress. They had a son, but he sent the boy and his mother home to her tribe when you women arrived because he wants a white wife. He'd never married Raven."
"You don't mean it?'* Cabrielle asked with a sharp gasp. "He simply sent this Indian woman away, their child too, as if Indians aren't people who have feelings and worth? I can't believe any man would be so low." Clearly she was as appalled as Erica by what Lewis had done.
Jason shrugged noncommittally. "I'll admit our customs are far different than what you've known. That's why I said Clayton and I probably should have discussed this issue with you all, even though it is a delicate one. Raven and her baby boy were well provided for, sent home with money and gifts. Most likely she will soon marry an Indian man who will raise Lewis' son as his own. The Indian tribes have far more liberal views of such matters than we do. They don't regard any man as a half-breed you see, only as a man. All in all, the child will be far better off with his mother's people than if he h
ad stayed with his white father. Lewis obviously made a great mistake in telling Erica about his mistress and child, but since he's not the only one of our bachelors who had such an arrangement, other young women may soon be as heartbroken as she is and I'd like to avoid that."
Cabrielle reached out to give Erica a soothing pat upon the back before she asked the question which was foremost in her own mind. "Do you have an Indian mistress too?"
Jason opened his mouth to give a flippant response, meaning to state only that he was too seldom home to require such a companion, but Cabrielle's glance was so filled with pain he suddenly wanted her to know the truth. "I'm not the sort of man who could send his children away, Cabrielle, so I've kept no Indian mistress nor do I ever intend to have one. But I don't fault the men who do."
"To have a mistress is one thing, Jason, to father children quite another. How many of the bachelors who have been coming to see us have families they have conveniently disposed of so as not to offend us?"
Jason went through the list in his mind. "About half I'd say,
but they're living alone now."
"Well, I don't want some man who has an Indian child for my husband!" Erica vowed tearfully, her unhappiness undiminished by the amount of tears she'd shed.
Recalling how much she'd liked Lewis, Gabrielle tried to make Erica see his point of view. ''I imagine Lewis has been terribly lonely. That he would want an agreeable companion is not impossible to understand, nor is the fact he would want a wife of his own kind difficult to comprehend. We knew the men wanted wives most desperately when we answered that ad in Kansas City." When Erica didn't respond she hesitated to continue that approach. ''Why don't you just rest for a while and we can talk about this later." She glanced at Jason then, sorry she'd been of so little help. "I don't know what you and Clayton could say to the others. Lewis appears to have been honest in describing the way he's lived, but perhaps having had a mistress and son is not something a man should reveal to his prospective bride."