His Prairie Duchess

by Kit Morgan

  “Ma petite, you come with me.”

  Cozette nearly jumped out of her skin. She hadn’t even heard her father approach.

  “What is wrong? Why do you act so?” He demanded.

  She turned to him and shrugged. I do not know.

  He looked her over carefully, and then glanced to Duncan Cooke who still stood and watched. “Hmmm...” was all her father could say.

  He took her by the arm and began to lead her down the street. Cozette held back slightly and her father turned to her again. “What is wrong with you?”

  She stood still and looked at the dusty ground. Her heart beat rapidly at the thought of going near the man who stared so intently at her. What could be happening? No man had ever made her feel this odd combination of emotions. On the one hand, she’d like to hit him on his backside with a sturdy switch like he said he wanted to do to her during their encounter. On the other hand, she had the oddest need to stand next to him. Nothing more, just be near him. But why?

  Her father let go a frustrated grunt when she didn’t answer and began to pull her along toward the man. She dreaded it, she wanted it. And if her father hadn’t been holding onto her with an iron grip, she’d run from it. But the thought of doing that didn’t set well either. What is wrong with me?

  And suddenly the eldest Cooke stood in front of her, his eyes darting over her as if to take in as much as possible before he looked to her father. “Mr. Duprie, I’d like to speak with you,” he said as his eyes once again roamed over her. “In private.”

  “Hmmm...” her father said again, but with suspicion. “In the saloon then.”

  He let go of her and walked toward Mulligans, the eldest Cooke right behind him. But not before he looked her over one last time. Long enough to send her insides into little flip-flops. Both hands flew to her belly at the odd sensation as her mouth dropped open at the same time. She probably looked like she was about to be sick but didn’t care. Maybe he’d stop staring at her if she were to lose her breakfast in front of him.

  But he turned and followed her father into the saloon. She was soon left alone to wonder what he could possibly want and fight the ever-growing sensation to be near him.

  * * *

  “So you see, Mr. Duprie, the situation will benefit us both. Your daughter would be well taken care of and my family put in a position to ensure the well-being of those involved with the Stantham estate.” Duncan finished then waited for his answer. They stood in the back corner of the saloon. Other than Mr. Mulligan, who wiped glasses behind the bar and ignored their conversation, they were the only two men not eating.

  After a moment Cozette’s father gave Duncan his attention, his face an expressionless mask. Lord help him, but did the man think he was joking? If so he could show him the documents. Duncan didn’t think he’d be talking with the Frenchman so soon, or he would have brought them along.

  “You would take her to England?” Mr. Duprie whispered before he glanced around.

  “Yes, sir,” Duncan began as he too looked at the men scattered here and there eating lunch. “We’ll need to go in order to take care of the legalities involved and see to the estate’s care.”

  “Never to return here?”

  “My family is here. Of course we would return. But I don’t know when. But I promise you, sir. Return we shall.”

  Mr. Duprie sank heavily onto the nearest chair. He began to absently comb his beard with his fingers as he stared at the floor. “I did not hide her well enough. You should never have seen her.”

  “I didn’t. My brother’s wife Belle, she knew. Your daughter saved her from the fire.”

  “Oui. This I know. But Cozette did not tell me the woman found out.”

  “Cozette...” Duncan said, trying out her name for the first time. It rolled off his tongue as a deep lilt.

  The sound brought Mr. Duprie’s head up. “Yes, Cozette. My treasure, my joy.”

  Duncan heard the pain in his voice. “You don’t have to accept my offer. It is after all a bit... sudden.”

  “Indeed, sudden. But perhaps, timing is good. Cozette, she different now.”

  “Different?”

  “She no takes to the wild as before. Looks at things a woman wears. I think maybe she is tired of pretending to be a boy.”

  “I have to ask, why do you keep her disguised?”

  Mr. Duprie stood and looked down the bar at Mr. Mulligan who whistled as he polished glasses. “My wife, Cozette’s mother... she... die at the hands of wicked men,” he told Duncan in a low voice.

  Duncan felt a chill run up his spine at the disclosure. “If we are to agree on this arrangement, I think I should know what happened.”

  “Oui. But you will no like hearing it.”

  “I’ll take my chances.”

  Mr. Duprie took a deep breath. “Marcelle, she was beautiful woman. Cozette looks much like her. These men, they come in the night. We had a cabin up north. The Indians, they no bother us. We friends with them. But other men in the area, they kill fathers and take our wives and daughters. One day they come to my home when I out on the hunt, but did not steal my women. They kill my Marcelle. Kill her in ugly way. But they not find my Cozette. She hide under the house in a hole.”

  “Good Lord, man. How did she escape?”

  “She wait. Wait until men leave. Tried to save her mother. But she too far gone and die in my little Cozette’s arms. She no speak since that night.”

  Now Duncan sat in the nearest chair, his heart heavy at the Frenchman’s story. That poor girl, no wonder her father kept her disguised as a boy.

  “I want no harm to come to her. You promise me you take her to England where they cannot find her?”

  Duncan suddenly looked at him. Had he heard him right? “Find her? Who is looking for her?”

  Duprie’s eyes narrowed to slits. “For years now, men follow us. At first I think nothing of it, but then pay attention. I see them. Men who look like those who take my Marcelle.”

  “How do you know they are the same men?”

  “Because Cozette see them. She hide under house that night, but there hole in floor and I not had time to fix. We cover with box. Cozette small enough to get head through hole and peek by lifting box. She see everything. She see what they did to her mother.”

  Duncan closed his eyes as his chest tightened. An anger began to build. One he did not recognize at first. It wrapped itself around his heart and squeezed until it was almost hard to breath. It was the same sort of anger he’d suffered in prison. Injustice always did set him off something awful. Senseless acts of violence, abuse, oh he could go on and on down the list of all he saw in prison. But such acts had been done to Colin, himself and the other men locked within the prison’s walls. And he had to admit quite a few of the men there deserved it. It’s what made prison someplace a man wanted to avoid and stay out of. But when those injustices were done outside prison walls and to an innocent woman ...

  “No harm shall come to her, I can promise you that.” Duncan’s voice was so hard he hardly recognized it as his own.

  Mr. Duprie re-took his chair and watched him a moment before he said, “My Cozette, she is very special. Marcelle know this and try to tell me so many times. I hunt long time. Gone much. I no realize how special she is until short time ago. You must promise me, you protect her.”

  Duncan sat and thought a moment. “Come with us.”

  “What you mean?”

  “When we go to England, come with us. I know you’ll feel much better if you and I are both there to protect her, and besides, she’ll feel more comfortable if you’re with us.”

  “You have good idea. I think on it. You maybe God’s answer to my prayer. I ask Him for way to take care of and protect my Cozette. Especially after I am gone to Heaven one day.”

  Duncan smiled and nodded. Under the bushy beard and buckskins was a man just trying to take care of his little girl. Only she wasn’t so little, and she might not take to the news she was about to be given away
in marriage to someone who’d turned her over his knee a few weeks ago.

  Duncan grimaced at the thought. “And take care of her I shall. So are we agreed?”

  Mr. Duprie stood, as did Duncan. He held out his hand. Duncan stared at it a brief moment. To shake it would set things in full motion. He could back out. He could refuse and let Thackary Holmes have it all. But could he live with the regret? Could he live with himself?

  Duncan closed his eyes, took Mr. Duprie’s hand, and gave it a healthy shake.

  “You have work cut out for you. Do you speak the French?”

  Duncan opened his eyes. Though he could speak a little French, he shook his head no. He suddenly found he had nothing to say. He’d just committed himself to marrying a woman he hadn’t seen before, in a matter of speaking. And come to think of it, when would he?

  “I do have a question. When you tell Cozette, how do you think she’ll react?”

  “She do as I order. She good girl and obey her father. I know what best for her.”

  Duncan sighed. “Well, that’s good to know. I will of course court her first. It is the proper thing to do. But I do have to be married soon, so it won’t be a lengthy courtship.”

  Mr. Duprie smiled and again shook his hand. “I tell her tonight and we see you tomorrow.”

  Duncan could only give him a half smile in return. He didn’t envy Mr. Duprie when he gave his daughter the news.

  * * *

  On the Third day...

  Nothing. Anton lost his nerve and instead spent the day out on the prairie hunting rabbits with Cozette.

  On the Fourth day...

  They had rabbit stew.

  On the Fifth day...

  Anton found his nerve and told her the news. Well, part of it anyway.

  And on the Sixth day...

  Cozette kicked, she screamed, albeit silently, she even bit him at one point. But Anton Duprie would not be budged. And neither would she at this point. He stood behind her and held onto each of her arms in a grip so tight she thought he might leave bruises. But she didn’t care, she’d fight him until the very end. How could he do such a thing? Why was he exposing her like this? Didn’t he realize what he was doing?

  Belle Dunnigan, no - make that Cooke- and her aunt, Mrs. Dunnigan hauled in two more buckets of water and poured them into the metal tub. They were in the back room of the saloon, and it wasn’t only Belle and her aunt in attendance. Oh no. Her father had called in reinforcements. The other Cooke woman, Sadie was there. Not to mention Mrs. Mulligan. And they were all armed and ready for battle.

  Once again Cozette twisted in her father’s iron clad grip to plead with him not to do this. Once done it would be done. Her secret would be out. She would no longer be the Duprie boy. Only Cozette. And Cozette Duprie was most definitely a girl.

  “You will do this! You must!” Her father grunted as she dealt him a good kick in the shin. “Stop this minute! This for your own good!”

  Belle stepped forward. “Please settle down! We won’t hurt you, we promise!”

  “Maybe we outta!” Mrs. Dunnigan said as she set down her bucket.

  “Auntie, you’re not helping.” Belle said with a sigh.

  Sadie opened a box she’d brought into the room earlier. She pulled out a beautiful dark rose-colored dress and shook it out. Cozette caught the flash of color out the corner of her eye and suddenly stopped her struggles. She turned and stared at it, utterly mesmerized. Was it for her? How long had she wanted to wear such a pretty thing? Months, years? It had white and black ribbons on the sleeves, which lent a delicate look. Cozette couldn’t believe it. Her mouth actually started to water at the sight.

  Sadie went to another box. This one round, and opened it. She pulled out a beautiful hat. The kind Cozette could only dream about. She sucked in her breath, now completely transfixed.

  “You like?” Belle asked.

  Cozette could only stare. Oh yes! It’s so beautiful! But none of this answered her question. She turned to her father as he loosened his grip, her eyes wide. Why?

  “You have been in hiding long enough. It time you grew up and be who you are. My beautiful Cozette, these women will help you. Let them take care of you. Then I have special surprise.”

  She looked at him, then back to the women standing at the ready. Mrs. Mulligan held another bucket of hot water. Belle had soap. Sadie a scrub brush and towel.

  Mrs. Dunnigan, on the other hand, held a ladle. Why, Cozette had no idea. But the woman stood like she would clobber her over the head with it if she didn’t get into that tub. Cozette gulped back her fear, faced her father one last time, then reached up to her animal skinned hat and slowly pulled it off in defeat. Her hair was wrapped up in a bandana she’d tied about her head. She pulled it off as well and let the long, dark locks fall about her shoulders. She dropped the hat and bandana to the floor as everyone but her father and Belle gasped. Surely they knew she was a girl before this moment.

  “Well don’t just stand there gawking at her! Get her in the tub before the water gets cold!” Grandma Waller scolded as she entered the room with a woman who must be Sadie’s mother. Mrs. Van Cleet had told Cozette how much alike they looked. If only Mrs. Van Cleet were there. She would feel so much better if she were.

  “My that dress sure is pretty! Do you think it will fit?” Sadie’s mother asked.

  Sadie touched the dress she laid across a nearby chair. “I’m sure it will. We’re both about the same size. But first things first.”

  “You can thank Sadie’s father for the frock, Mr. Duprie” Belle told him.

  “Yes, it was a gift to me on my last birthday, along with the hat, but I thought it would do well for this.” Sadie added.

  Cozette stared at the fabric a moment before she forced her gaze from the dress, and looked to the tub of steaming water. How long had it been since she’d bathed in hot water? She couldn’t remember. She briefly wondered if it would hurt when her father stepped away from her.

  “I leave now. Thank you for your kindness in this matter.” He told the women.

  Cozette spun around. He was going to leave? But of course he would. She was no longer a child or the little girl he once bounced on his knee. She was a woman. Unfortunately, she had no idea how to be one. She gulped again as her father left and closed the door behind him with a loud, audible click.

  Cozette slowly turned back to the small army surrounding the tub. Mrs. Dunnigan casually slapped the ladle against the palm of her hand as the others left their posts and slowly began to encircle her. Cozette wanted to allow them to help her and knew she should. But unfortunately, she just couldn’t fight her instinct for self-preservation.

  It was certainly a good thing her father left the room.

  Four

  “Gads man! Sit down for Heaven’s sake! You’ll wear out the floor!” Horatio Jones scolded as Duncan continued to pace.

  Horatio, Harrison and Colin accompanied their wives to town in order to not only witness the transformation of the Duprie boy to the woman she really was, but to keep Duncan together. He’d been up all night going over the documents looking for a way out of the mess he’d plunged himself into. But the documents were iron clad. He must marry by the deadline in order to inherit or lose it all.

  “I’m sure she’ll not only be beautiful,” Harrison began. “But a willing and docile wife once she gets used to being, ah... well... a woman.”

  “That is after you’ve properly disarmed her, of course.” Colin quipped.

  Duncan stopped his pacing and glared at his brother. Colin stood to one side and tried his best not to laugh when a loud crash came from the back of the building, followed by a piercing scream.

  “That would be Sadie,” Harrison said and quickly disappeared down the hall to the backroom.

  The other men listened intently. It was still fairly early in the morning, the saloon empty of customers. Only those involved with the morning’s ‘bath time’ were present.

  Another scream rent the
air.

  Colin suddenly stood straight. “That would be Belle!” He too hurried down the hall to the backroom.

  “What the bloody... what’s going on in there?” Duncan demanded.

  Mr. Duprie sat at a corner table. He cringed each time an odd bang or scream was heard from the back of the building. “Cozette never did like to take the bath.”

  Another crash followed by the sound of shattering glass came next.

  “I reckon that would be my mother-in-laws ashes. I told the wife not to keep them back there.” Mr. Mulligan commented dryly as he wiped down the counter of the bar.

  “Why on Earth would you keep her ashes in the back room of the saloon?” Duncan asked to distract himself, anything to keep from running down the hall to see what was going on. Surely the women hadn’t let his brothers in to help!

  “On account neither me or the wife particularly wanted her upstairs with us. Old Flora always was a crotchety thing.” Mr. Mulligan answered.

  “And probably covering the walls and floor of your store room now.” Colin added as he re-entered.

  Harrison followed right behind him. “Sorry old boy, but the women won’t let us know what’s going on. Grandma said to come back here and wait.”

  “It sounds like they’re pulling each others hair out in there!” Horatio huffed. “Maybe a good dunking in a pond would have done just as well!”

  Duncan rolled his eyes before he continued his pacing.

  “Cozette, she might have like that better.” Mr. Duprie said as he again cringed at the sound of more screaming.

  “I dare say, I think there must be more water on the floor than in that tub. The hallway is full of it.” Harrison stated calmly.

  Mr. Mulligan stopped his work and moaned. “Not the hallway floor! I figured I’d only have to clean up the store room!”

  “If I were you, I don’t think I’d want to see the store room!” Colin said then quickly turned to look down the hall.