The Hounds and the Fury

by Rita Mae Brown

  Betty hugged them both, then clicked the hot plate back on.

  'You really came for tea," Shaker kidded her.

  Betty sat on the edge of the desk. "My legs are still shaky."

  "Know what you mean," Sister confessed.

  "Gray asleep?"

  'Yeah. Rory stayed with Sam last night. It will be another three weeks before he can lift his arm up to get a shirt on. Wound stopped draining, though."

  "Absence makes the heart grow fonder. At least that's what they tell us." Betty hopped off the desk to rummage through the teabag box, filled with odds and ends of tea. "What's this?" She held up a gray packet.

  "Pickwick. Strong. Don't sell it in America," Sister informed her.

  "Are you going to miss church?" Shaker asked.

  "I left Bobby a note to go without me." Betty poured hot water into the cup, the Pickwick bag already releasing dark color. "Wasn't Sybil incredible? Cool as a cuke."

  "Two toughest whippers-in in North America," Shaker bragged.

  "I'll remind you of that when you tear me a new one out there."

  "Now, Betty, it's been a long time since I cussed you."

  "I believe when we return you refer to it as a blessing." She smiled. "But it has been a long time."

  "I'm lonesome, "Dragon howled from his sick bay quarters.

  "I'll see to him." Shaker left.

  "I spoke to Sybil last night," said Sister. "She's all right. She said what ran through her mind is that her boys no longer have a father, and she didn't want to leave them motherless. She knew she had to aim true."

  'You know some women give up foxhunting when their children are small. Too dangerous," Betty mentioned.

  "Why would you want your child to grow up seeing you shy off from a little danger now and then? Teaches them to be wimps." Sister had firm opinions about these things.

  "Come on, you big baby." Shaker opened the door to the feeding room, Dragon at his heels.

  'You're healing up nicely," Betty complimented him.

  "I want to hunt. "Dragon sat down.

  "And I hear you ate some of Iffy's bones." Betty gravely pointed a finger at him.

  "Dry as toast."

  Betty didn't know what he'd said, but he made her laugh.

  "I almost forgot. Gray gave me a titanium stock pin!" Sister said, excited. "Garvey had it made."

  "No kidding." Betty was impressed.

  "I'll wear it next hunt."

  "Whose feast day is it? If I'm not going to church I want to know in case anyone asks."

  'You're an Episcopalian," Sister dryly replied. "However, it's the day of St. Vincent of Saragossa, who was roasted on a gridiron, among other tortures, and died in 304 ad." She thought a moment. "Awful way to go."

  "Think of Angel. Although it wasn't awful. Peaceful really— but still, she was murdered."

  "She was, but when it's your time, it's your time. Iffy was the agent of her murder, and were she alive, she could be punished. But still, it was Angel's time." Sister took a deep breath, then handed her cup to Betty for more tea.

  "Wasn't Donny Sweigart a surprise?" Betty returned to yesterday's drama. "When I heard back at the trailers I was surprised. He's not but so smart, and I never took him seriously. I was wrong. He has courage. He helped save Sybil."

  "True enough. He could have stayed hidden. After all, he had two strong incentives." Sister reached for the refilled cup.

  "To save his life, you mean, since Jason didn't know he was there. If he'd known there was a witness he would have shot him."

  "Good reason." Shaker blinked.

  "The other reason being that our dear Donny has been baiting foxes. He hasn't set traps yet. He's been putting out frozen globs of blood," Sister told them.

  "What good does it do frozen?" Shaker snorted.

  "Well, that's just it, but he figured the fabled January thaw has to happen. They enjoy the treat. He'll put out more in the same place, but in a trap. Voila." She paused. "He's even using the discarded blood he picks up from the hospital. To save money buying chickens."

  "Sister, what the hell is he doing trapping foxes?" Shaker sat upright.

  "Crawford," she replied, one eyebrow shooting upwards.

  "But he's supposed to keep an eye out on dens for us!" Betty found this almost as scandalizing as Jason's crimes.

  "After I profusely thanked him, after Ben took a statement, I walked him away from the group and asked him. He said Crawford was paying one hundred dollars a fox."

  "Highway robbery." Shaker's voice rose.

  "So what, now we buy back our own foxes? The ones originally in our coverts?" Betty's face was flushed.

  "Had a little talk with Donny. I said I'd give him a monthly stipend, find more work for him, but he absolutely must never remove one of our foxes."

  "Where will we get the money?" Betty knew the inner workings of the club.

  "I have no idea, but I'll find it somewhere," Sister said with resignation.

  "Dammit, he has a job at Sanifirm," Shaker cursed.

  "Which Crawford is trying to buy," Sister replied.

  "Oh, that's great, just great." Shaker rolled his eyes.

  "But Donny likes us. If we give him regular part-time work, I think all will be well."

  "How regular?" Betty stared at her teacup.

  "Reading the leaves," Sister laughed.

  "I'd have to tear open the bag."

  "One thousand dollars a month," Sister announced.

  "Christ." Shaker, although not bearing the weight of financial need, since he was a club employee, nevertheless cared for Jefferson Hunt and identified with it in every respect.

  "Like I said, I'll find it somewhere. And it won't be this minute. The other thing"—she smiled—"he wants to go to court to change his name."

  "He wants to be called Jude," Betty giggled.

  "Brad," Shaker laconically added with a twinkle in his eye.

  "No. He wants to drop the junior. He said he hated being called Junior as a kid. I said I'd help."

  "Funny what affects people," Betty mused. Then she changed the subject. "Forgot to ask you. I remember, then it slips out of my mind."

  "Old age." Shaker lifted one eyebrow.

  "Balls. We're the same age. Too much going on," Betty fired back. "How many spoons?"

  "Sixty-one," Sister immediately answered.

  "What are you two jabbering about?" Shaker raised his eyebrows as Betty handed Sister another cup of tea.

  "Every New Year's I count all the spoons in the house. Mother used to do it. Now I do."

  "Aren't you supposed to have an even number of spoons?" Betty pretended this was serious.

  'Yes, you nitwit. Haven't you ever lost a spoon?"

  "Never," Betty lied, face angelic.

  "Spare me." Sister laughed.

  "It's someone's time. Sometimes I believe that and sometimes I don't." Betty looked from her master to her huntsman, returning to the deeper subject.

  "Somerset Maugham wrote this in one of his books. I like Maugham," Sister smiled. She was an avid reader. "A master and his servant were riding toward Mecca, and they met Death with a surprised expression on his face. The master turned his horse away from Death and raced to Samarra. The servant said to Death, 'Why were you so startled to see my master?' Death said, 'I was surprised to see him here, as I have an appointment with him tonight in Samarra.' "

  Both Shaker and Betty thought about this.

  Shaker finally said, 'You can't outrun Fate."

  "Or old age," Sister remarked. " 'Course, you can slow old age down, throw marbles under his feet."

  Another set of headlights shone on the wall. The sun now cast long beautiful shadows over the snow. The stable and farm buildings glowed.

  Dragon stood up.

  Two doors slammed, although the second one took longer than the first.

  A knock on the door soon followed.

  "Come in," Sister beckoned.

  Tootie, Val, and Felicity trooped in.


  Betty naturally assumed they were still upset over yesterday's events.

  "Sister, can we talk to you?" Val asked, ever the leader.

  'You can, and you can talk in front of Shaker and Betty. Whatever you say stays here. We're full of secrets." She smiled.

  Tootie looked at Shaker, then Betty, then Sister. "We need your advice."

  "We have a problem," Val jumped in.

  "No, we don't." Felicity showed a new, rebellious streak.

  "Felicity, I can't believe you're saying that." Val was ready for an argument.

  "It's not exactly a problem, it's"—Tootie struggled—"new information."

  "It's a goddamned problem," Val blurted out, forgetting she was in the presence of adults, then quickly realizing it. "Sorry."

  "You owe me one dollar." Felicity's jaw set as she held out her hand.

  "I can't believe you." Val pulled money out of her pocket, peeled off a dollar, and slapped it in Felicity's hand, hard.

  "Girls, it's first light. This must be important." Sister gently pushed them along.

  "Felicity has lied to us." Val seemed stricken.

  "I didn't lie. I didn't know until I went to the doctor." Felicity defended herself.

  "Sure. You said you were allergic to flour!" Val's face turned crimson.

  "Val, put yourself in her shoes," Tootie counseled.

  "I'd rather not." Val crossed her arms across her chest, then noticed that Dragon was observing every move.

  Felicity finally said, in a calm voice, "I'm pregnant."

  Shaker stood up and offered Felicity his chair. That surprised her, for she hadn't thought through all the consequences of her condition.

  Betty, motherly, put her arm around Felicity's shoulders.

  Sister also stood, put her arm around Tootie, and pulled Val to her for a hug. Then she gave Felicity a big hug. "Everything will be fine."

  Sister burst into tears not because of Felicity's news, not because of yesterday's drama, but because deception, truth, death, and life were happening all at the same time. It was exactly as it should be.