“All of us?” Mercy felt certain he would understand the meaning of her question, but then Faith entered the room.
“Is it time for supper?” Faith asked. Then she realized the man seated at the table wasn’t Matthew Beckham. “Who are you?”
Edward chuckled. “I’m Edward Marsh, Mercy’s uncle. Now how about telling me who you are?”
The child smiled. “I’m Faith.”
Adam returned with a bowl and some silverware. “She has a loving heart and a good head on her shoulders. Not only that, she loves Jesus.” He put the dinner things on the table and held out his arms to his niece.
Faith ran to him and squealed with delight as he lifted her in the air and tossed her upward. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as he settled her against his chest.
Edward smiled and gave a nod. “She reminds me of another little girl I once knew.”
Mercy met his gaze and knew he meant Hope. She noticed, however, that her uncle hadn’t answered her question.
Adam gave Faith a kiss, then put her down. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m famished. Let’s say grace and eat.” He plopped down in his chair while Faith hurried to take her seat beside Uncle Edward.
Mercy took her chair and bowed her head. It was hard to focus on even the brief prayer for all the worry flooding her mind. When Adam said amen, she quickly decided to get an answer to her question.
She fixed her gaze on Uncle Edward. “All of us?”
He understood and nodded. “Of course. All of us.”
Mercy felt a wave of relief wash over her and smiled. “Faith, guess what. We’re going on the boat tomorrow.”
“Where?” she asked, looking at Adam and then back to Mercy.
“We’re going to the farm.” Mercy smiled and pushed aside the matter of Faith knowing who her mother really was. “We’re going home.”
Chapter
24
Faith fell asleep early. Her excitement about the next day’s travel had completely worn her out. Mercy was glad for this, as it gave her the opportunity to discuss the situation with her uncle and Adam.
Matthew had returned home nearly an hour earlier, but after a brief exchange with Uncle Edward, he too excused himself and went to his bedroom, saying he felt it important they have time alone to make their plans. Mercy knew he was saddened at the news that they would leave the following day, so she didn’t try to encourage him to remain. Instead, she planned to get up very early and bake him some shortbread as a thank-you for all he’d done for them.
“I’m so glad you’re here, Uncle Edward. I was beginning to fear the worst when I didn’t hear from Grace or Hope.”
“Well, it was difficult news to hear.” He smiled as Adam took a seat beside Mercy. “Not the marriage or your safety, of course. But Eletta and Isaac, and Faith.”
“No, I understand. No one anticipated Faith being with us.” Mercy bit her lower lip and gazed into the fire. “How did Hope take the news?”
“It was hard on her,” Uncle Edward admitted. “Grace said she kept to herself for several days. She needed time to sort through her feelings and thoughts, I suppose. Your Aunt Mina does the same thing when issues weigh heavy on her heart.”
Mercy nodded. The three sisters had always been that way—keeping their thoughts buried deep until they had time to sort through them.
“But she came around?” she finally asked.
“Yes. She had a long talk with Lance and then with Grace. She couldn’t believe it would be right to leave the child in the hands of strangers. She reasoned that Faith didn’t know who she was, so it would be all right to have her at the farm.”
Mercy’s head snapped up at this. She met her uncle’s gaze with an expression she had no doubt betrayed her worry. “That’s not exactly the case.”
Adam and Edward both looked at her in confusion. “What are you saying, Mercy?” Adam asked first.
She drew in a deep breath. “Earlier today, Faith found Eletta’s journal.”
“Oh.” Adam nodded slowly. “That does change things.” He ran his hand through his black hair. “It changes everything.”
“I guess I don’t understand,” Uncle Edward said, looking back and forth between the couple. “How about you explain it to me from the beginning?”
Mercy twisted her hands in her lap. “You see, Eletta kept a journal for Faith. It was something she started when Faith was born, and Eletta wanted her to have it when she was older. Only Faith found it today and read it. She thought it was just another book. When she opened it and saw that her mother had written it for her, Faith figured it was all right to continue reading.”
“But why does that change things?” her uncle asked.
“Because Eletta told Faith about her birth—about Hope and Tomahas.”
Uncle Edward frowned. “She knows all that?”
“She does. We had a long talk afterwards. Faith was worried she was a bad person because her father was bad. I had to explain to her that no one thought her bad and that the Bible said we would each answer for our own sins.”
Edward rubbed his bearded chin. “Well, I’m not sure what we should do.”
Mercy shook her head. “I wish I’d kept that journal hidden. I hate that this has happened. We had planned to keep the information from her until she was older and better able to understand it.”
“But she knows.” Edward leaned back in his chair. “I suppose we could go to Oregon City as planned, and the three of you could stay in my old cabin while we explain to Hope what’s happened. I’d have you just stay at our place, but we’re busting at the seams already.”
Mercy longed for the matter to be resolved quickly. “If I could just talk to her first, I think I could help her understand. It won’t take long to reach Oregon City. Once we do, maybe you could drive me out to the farm, and Adam and Faith could wait in town. That would give me a chance to speak with Hope. She needs to understand that Faith is already set on knowing her. If Hope wants nothing to do with her, Faith will lose yet another person in her life.”
“But Hope isn’t in her life,” Adam interjected. “Faith only knows about Hope from the pages of Eletta’s journal. It isn’t fair to force Hope to see her, nor would it be good to take Faith there and have Hope learn the truth after the fact. I think you’re right. You should go first while we wait in town. It would be best if we give Hope the choice.”
“And if Hope refuses to see her . . . well, I imagine we’ll just have to cross that bridge when we get there.” Mercy couldn’t imagine how much pain that would cause Faith.
“I don’t see how we can do it any other way,” Adam answered. “I’ll talk to Faith about it. We’ve got a longer history than you two, and I think she might better understand if it comes from me.”
Mercy nodded. He was probably right.
The clock on the mantel chimed.
“Goodness, it’s ten.” Mercy got to her feet. “Are you sure you want to stay here, Uncle? I don’t like the idea of you sleeping on the floor.”
“I won’t be sleeping on the floor. You and the reverend saw to that by giving me that nice stack of blankets. Believe me, after some of the places I’ve slept in my day, a pallet by the fire will be just fine.”
“Well, if you need anything, just knock on our door. Faith sleeps deeply, so I doubt you’d rouse her.” She kissed her uncle on the top of the head. “I’m so glad you’ve come. Even if our situation is complicated, it’s good to see family again.”
Later that night, Mercy lay awake. She felt terrible, knowing the burden she was about to put on her sister. Hope had done so much for her during their captivity at the Whitman Mission. It had created a special bond between them, and despite their different opinions of the Indians, she and Hope shared a closeness Mercy didn’t have with Grace.
She sighed and stared out into the darkness. She knew Hope had her regrets and sorrows, and the last thing she wanted to do was add to them. She sighed again.
“Are yo
u going to do that all night?” Adam asked in a whisper.
Mercy startled, not realizing he was awake. “Do what?”
“Sigh. Toss and turn.” He pushed himself up on one elbow. “You make it very hard to ignore that there is a beautiful woman lying in bed next to me.” He ran his hand down her arm.
Mercy shivered at the wonderful way Adam’s touch made her feel. They’d been married for weeks now but might as well not have bothered with vows for all the obstacles that kept them from truly becoming man and wife.
“Sorry. I’m just troubled about all of this.”
Adam pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. “It won’t solve anything to fret all night. Tomorrow we’ll go to Oregon City, and you’ll have plenty of time to worry. Let it go for tonight. You need your sleep, and so do I.”
“I know. I just keep praying and praying. I want so much for things to go well. I don’t want Hope or Faith to be hurt by this.”
“Do you trust God to know what He’s doing?”
“Of course.”
Adam kissed her temple. “Even though it’s not the way you would have done things?”
“You know I do. I know nothing happens that He doesn’t already know about.”
“So just accept that Faith reading that journal was exactly as it was meant to be. God will help you to break the news to Hope, and who knows—in the long run, this could turn out to be the best possible solution to the entire situation.”
Mercy relaxed in his arms. “You’re right, of course.”
“Of course,” he echoed. “I’m nearly always right.”
She giggled. “I wouldn’t go that far, but you do have a good head on your shoulders, and I need to trust your insight and wisdom.”
“Spoken like an obedient wife. Now go to sleep.”
He kissed her again, this time on the lips. It was a brief kiss, but it reminded Mercy of how much she loved this man.
“You’re making it hard to ignore that there’s a handsome man in my bed,” she whispered.
He gave a muffled laugh as he buried his face against her neck, but Mercy didn’t laugh. Now she felt wide awake for an entirely different reason.
“You really used to live here?” Faith asked as she danced around the main room of Uncle Edward’s first cabin in Oregon City.
“I did.” Mercy looked around the room. “But things were very different back then.”
“The flooding and repairs that followed made some changes to the place,” her uncle declared, “but the structure is sound. That’s the benefit of digging it into the ground a bit. You can’t tell from the outside, but the first layer of logs is under the dirt. Learned that trick from an old timer.”
“Well, it served you well,” Adam replied. “Seems quite cozy.”
“It is.” Edward looked toward the door. “Let’s get your things out of the wagon and into the house, and then . . . well, Mercy and I should be going.” He walked outside to fetch a load of their belongings.
“I’ll go help him.” The look on Adam’s face suggested he had misgivings about letting her go to the farm alone.
Mercy put her hand on his arm. “It will be all right. I shouldn’t be gone long. It’ll take no more than half an hour to drive out to the farm, and then another to drive back. I won’t spend too much time there. Just long enough to explain the situation.”
Faith stopped midtwirl. “Will you tell my first mama about me?”
Mercy nodded. “I will. I need to tell her that you know who she is.”
Faith frowned. “I wish I hadn’t read it.”
“There’s no sense making a wish like that now,” Adam said, heading for the door. “It’s done, and we’ll just handle things the best we can.”
Mercy went to Faith and knelt in front of her. She took her niece’s hands. “Faith, I don’t know how this is going to turn out, but I want you to know that no matter what happens, Adam and I love you and always will.”
Faith smiled. “I know that.” She threw her arms around Mercy’s neck. “I love you too.”
The child’s response gave Mercy the courage she needed to face the task at hand.
Once their things were safely in the cabin, Uncle Edward handed her up into the wagon. “Adam, I’ll drop you and Faith off at my house. That way you can have something to eat while you wait. Faith, you can help Mina with my two little girls, Maribelle, who happens to be two, and the new baby, Analiese. The boys will be at school, but when they come home, I’m sure my son John would be happy to show you his puzzles and games. Maybe even take you on a grand adventure.” He smiled.
Mercy looked at her uncle. “I didn’t know you had a new baby. You said nothing about it last night.”
He chuckled. “Well, given all our other topics, it just never came up. Mina had Analiese in January.”
“I didn’t even know she was expecting.”
“Neither did she for a time. In fact, she had figured her childbearing years to be done, and then lo and behold, Analiese was born. It was a pleasant surprise for the both of us.”
It was a short drive to Edward’s home in the heart of town. Adam and Faith were introduced to Aunt Mina and sufficiently fussed over. Faith nearly danced a jig at the sight of the new baby. Her enthusiasm made it easier to leave her behind.
“Can I hold her?” Faith asked Mina.
“Of course. Let’s wait until we’re back inside, though,” Mina replied.
Mercy and Edward bid them good-bye and headed out. They drove in silence for several minutes while Mercy looked at all the changes in town. There were several new buildings and even more businesses along the river.
“It’s hard to believe there’s been so much change in just six months.”
“It’s been busy, to say the least,” Edward replied.
Mercy gazed down at the Willamette River and the falls. Spring was always a beautiful time in Oregon Territory. “It feels so good to be back among the familiar, but at the same time, I miss the Rogue River. Does that sound silly?”
Edward, ever his jolly self, laughed. “Hardly. You’re allowed to love more than one place, you know.”
Mercy smiled and drew in a deep breath. “I do love more than one place. I still love the little farm we had in Missouri. Sometimes I miss it for all the sweet memories I had there of Mama and Da. No doubt there will be more places in my life that provide such memories.”
“I have at least a hundred places like that. All sorts of little nooks in the wilderness I found hunting and trapping. In fact, I hope to take my two oldest boys to some of them this summer. Then there are little towns and settlements where I stayed a short time . . . all with memories sweet and bitter.” He snapped the lines so the horse would pick up speed as the road rose up and away from the river. “I never figured I’d settle down, but I have to say Oregon City agrees with me.”
Mercy nodded, but her mind was elsewhere. She had ridden this way hundreds, if not thousands of times, but never had she done so with such a feeling of trepidation. “I’ve prayed and prayed about this. I hope I say the right things.”
“Stop fretting. Hope loves you, and she’s a strong soul. She’ll figure out the right way to deal with all of this.”
Mercy nodded. “I know you’re right. I guess . . . I just want everything to turn out happily.”
“And what would make you happy?” His expression bore great tenderness.
“I don’t know exactly. A part of me wants to keep Faith and raise her for my own, but at the same time, I feel a strange . . . pull on my heart to bring her and Hope back together. I’ve prayed a lot about this, and I believe Faith belongs with Hope.”
“Would that be so bad?”
“No, of course not. I mean, I’d miss having Faith around every day, but if she were with Hope, she would at least have her blood mother, and then there are the children—her brothers. Faith needs to have a family.”
He smiled and gave a slight nod. “I know you, Mercy. You’ll do the right thing and you�
��ll be happy for it. Some folks go begrudgingly into God’s will, but I’ve never known you to be that way. Trust Him.”
Mercy considered her uncle’s words as they drew closer to the farm. Ahead, a large open field stretched out across the hills. This was one of the pastures where they often took the sheep.
“This fencing is new.” She noted the rail fence that ran the full length of the road.
“It is. Alex and I worked on it all winter. Lance, too, when he wasn’t too busy with his legal practice. With you gone and Hope having just given birth, it was work to keep the sheep well fed and happy. I let Phillip come out and help when time permitted. At seventeen, he needs to be trying things to see where his interests lie. We now know for sure that it isn’t in sheep.”
Mercy laughed. “I always figured Phillip would be too caught up in adoring girls to think much about a job.”
“He’d like it that way, but I won’t have it. I told him he wasn’t allowed to court anyone until he had a job. Thankfully, he sees himself working at the mill once he finishes school. Which won’t be much longer. Before we know it, it’ll be June.”
“It seems like I’ve been gone so much longer than half a year.”
“Maybe it’s not the days so much as the experiences that make it so.” Edward glanced over with a smile. “I always found that to be true.”
“A lot has happened, to be sure.” Mercy thought about it for a moment. “I’ve never packed more experiences into such a small amount of time.” She smiled. “But despite losing Isaac and Eletta and enduring all the trouble with the Indians, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It gave me Adam and Faith.”
They rounded the bend at the top of the hill, and there in the distance was the big house Grace and Alex had built, along with the smaller house where Lance and Hope lived with their children. There were multiple outbuildings, including a large barn and a lambing shed.
“It’s so good to be home.”
Mercy’s eyes welled with tears. How she had missed this . . . missed her sisters. It had always been the three of them, for as long as Mercy could remember. The sight of the sheep grazing across the field made her smile. They wouldn’t be spaced out like that if they didn’t feel safe. And then she spied Hope and knew the reason for the contentment of the sheep.
Cherished Mercy Page 24