by Karen Kay
Dedication
To the two Gennys in my life: my mother, Genevieve Wilson, who brought music to my life; and Genevieve Johnson, my neighbor, who gave me a sense of drama and her own unique view of life.
And to Paul, my husband. Your presence, my love for you, fills this book. I love you.
Acknowledgment
Special acknowledgment to L. Ron Hubbard: in his book Buckskin Brigades, he has documented the Blackfoot viewpoint of the Lewis and Clark incident, the only place where I have found it, and he first brought home to me the dignity and wisdom of the Native Americans, especially the Blackfeet.
It only goes to show that in all things, there are always two sides to a story.
Note to the Reader
At the time when my story takes place, there were three different tribes of Indians that, together, comprised the Blackfeet or Blackfoot Nation: the Piegan, or Pikuni—their name in the Blackfoot language; the Blood, or Kainah; and the Blackfoot proper, or Siksika.
The Piegan, which is pronounced Pay-gan, were also divided into the Northern and Southern bands.
All three of these tribes were independent and were known to the early trappers by their own individual tribal names. But because the three shared the same language, intermarried and went to war with the same enemies, it became more common, as time went on, to call these people under one name: the Blackfoot, or Siksikauw.
At this time, the time of my story, the names “Blackfoot” and “Blackfeet” were used interchangeably, meaning one and the same group of people.
However, during reservation days (the story goes, as I was told it), the US government utilized a misnomer, calling the tribe of the Southern Piegan, or Pikuni, the “Blackfeet.” This designation stuck, and to this day, this tribe resides in Northern Montana on the Blackfeet reservation and is referred to by the government as the “Blackfeet” (although they are really the Southern Piegan or Pikuni).
Consequently, when we speak today of the Blackfoot tribes, or the Siksika Nation as a whole, we talk of four different tribes: the Blackfoot, Blood and Piegan bands in Canada and the Blackfeet in Montana. Thus, when referring to the “Blackfeet,” one is speaking of the band of Indians in Montana, whereas the name “Blackfoot” refers to the band of Indians in Alberta, Canada.
If this seems confusing to you, I can assure you, it baffled me.
Thus, in my story, because the Blackfeet and Blackfoot names were interchangeable at this moment in history, I have used “Blackfeet” as a noun (I went to visit the Blackfeet) and “Blackfoot” as an adjective (I went to Blackfoot country). I did this for no other reason than consistency.
I am also including some definitions of common Indian words that might be unfamiliar to the reader, which I hope will help toward further understanding.
Algonquin—“member of a group of Indian tribes formerly of the Ottawa River valley in SE Canada. Also, Algonquia—Widespread American-Indian language family spoken from Labrador westward to the Rockies and southward to Illinois and North Carolina.” The Scribner-Bantam English Dictionary, 1977. Some of the tribes that spoke this language were the Cheyenne, Blackfoot, Arapaho, Shawnee and Ottawa.
The Backbone of the World—term used by the Blackfeet to indicate the Rocky Mountains.
Coup—a term in widespread use by the Indians to mean a deed of valor.
Crow—a tribe of Indians that inhabited that part of the northern United States around the upper Yellowstone River. They were at war with the Blackfeet.
Gros Ventre—a tribe of Indians that neighbored the Blackfeet.
Kit Fox Society—all Indian tribes had different societies for men and for women. They denoted different social strata and were graded by age.
Medicine—described by George Catlin in his book Letters and Notes on the Manners, Customs, and Conditions of North American Indians, “‘Medicine’ is a great word in this country;… The word medicine, in its common acceptation here, means mystery, and nothing else; and in that sense I shall use it very frequently in my Notes and Indian Manners and Customs. The Fur Traders in this country, are nearly all French; and in their language, a doctor or physician, is called ‘Medecin.’ The Indian country is full of doctors; and as they are all magicians, and skilled, or profess to be skilled, in many mysteries, the word ‘medecin’ has become habitually applied to every thing mysterious or unaccountable…”
More-than-friend—in most Indian tribes, a more-than-friend refers to friends of the same gender who have made a pact to fight together and hunt together, etc., in an effort to increase both persons’ survival. Such was a friend, but more. It was expected that if one of them had troubles, so too did the other take on those troubles as his own, helping to find solutions.
Parfleche—a bag fashioned out of buffalo hide and used by the Indians to store clothing, food and other articles. An Indian used parfleches much as the white man uses a chest of drawers. They were often highly decorated, and some were sewn in patterns “owned” by a particular family, thus easily recognized.
Sits-beside-him-woman or -wife—in Indian tribes which practiced polygamy, this referred to the favorite wife, usually the first wife. She directed all the other wives and had the right to sit next to her husband at important meetings.
Snakes—this refers to the Shoshoni or Snake Indians. They bordered the Blackfeet on the south and west and were traditional enemies of the Blackfeet.
Prologue
St. Louis
January 1832
Lady Genevieve Rohan’s laugh reverberated throughout the parlor, filling the atmosphere with a gaiety that might have been dispelled at once had anyone taken a good look at the young English heiress. While it was true that Genevieve’s brown eyes sparkled, one had only to observe the circles beneath them, the paleness of her skin and the pinched-in quality of her cheeks to know that the lady was distraught.
The facade she presented this cold morning in January, however, could have fooled Satan himself.
Suddenly she grinned. “Why, Mr. Toddman,” she said after a short deliberation, flicking her ever-present fan open and bringing it to her face to hide all but her expressive eyes. “Our manservant informs me that you are here to see me this morning, not my father. I am flattered by your attention, but I am most curious to learn what you have come here to tell me.”
The young man flushed, his gaze not quite able to meet that of the young lady. He cleared his throat and, looking away, brought up a hand to pull at his collar. Finally, he said, “Please excuse me, Lady Genevieve, if it seems improper to you. It is only that I must see you urgently. There are some matters that have come to my attention, and I feel it only right to ask you about these things now. After all, there is no need for me to carry tales to your father—nor to mine.”
Genevieve smiled, while impishly she peeped out over her fan. “You are thinking of carrying tales? And what matters are these that have you in such a dither this fine morning?” she inquired.
The young man hesitated. He pulled at his collar yet again, making a face this time as he made to stretch his neck. At last, though, he said, “I have been to the bank this morning, and I have discovered that the management there is under the misapprehension that you are now in charge of your father’s finances.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Do you? Jolly good, then. Well, you would certainly understand that I would appreciate your every expediency in clearing up this matter with the bank. Why, I came away from that institution this morning with nothing more to show for my efforts than empty pockets, and this after I have done so much for your father’s project.”
“Yes,” she said, “I can understand your confusion. It is yo
ur project, too, is it not?”
“Well, certainly.” He cleared his throat. “Yes, by Jove, of course it is. It is only—”
“Then you were able to procure that which we need?”
“That which we—” Noncomprehension turned to quick understanding as the young man’s coloring went from pale to a deep crimson. He looked away. “Oh,” he said. “You mean the Indian.”
Genevieve nodded.
The young man shrugged his shoulders and smiled. “All in good time, Lady Genevieve, all in good time. You should not be worrying about such things. I have the matter well in hand.”
Genevieve scrutinized the young man sitting before her, her gaze direct, forthright. She sighed. At length, she drew her silky fan closed, and setting it in her lap, she said, “Mr. Toddman, you do realize that my father’s work is due in no more than a year’s time?”
Again the young man shrugged. “Yes?”
“Then you must also realize that my father needs a considerable amount of leisure in which to outline all of his facts so that he can consolidate and categorize all that we have learned here.”
“I fail to see—”
“There is only one tribe of Indians that we have not yet studied, and only that one tribe remains before my father can assimilate his notes and begin work on his thesis of the Native American culture. It is this singular fact alone that keeps us from realizing my father’s accomplishments. And, sir, it is my understanding that it has been your duty to procure this Indian. I believe you have had access to my father’s account in order to finance such an expedition.”
The young assistant shrugged.
“Mr. Toddman, my father still has no Indian from this infamous tribe to complete his studies.”
“It is not so easy as it would appear.”
“Yes, I do realize that. So my father has told me. It is why he has allowed you such a free hand with our account. But it also came to my attention the other day that our money in that account has been dwindling at an incredible rate. And while this might be expected on such an expedition as ours, there is nothing here at the moment to show for such expenditures of funds.”
“Nothing to show for it?”
She nodded. “The project remains unfinished.”
The young assistant came to his feet, and, presenting his back to Genevieve, he paced toward the fireplace, which stood at the opposite end of the room. At last, he turned to stare back at the lady. He shook his head. “How can you say such a thing? There is more than enough here to account for all the exchange of funds.”
“Mr. Toddman, the work is not—”
“And after all I’ve done for you. Did I not produce all the Indians you desired? Wasn’t it I who introduced you to William Clark, who is now Superintendent of Indian Affairs? Wasn’t it I who brought you delegates from the Sioux Nation, from the Omaha, the Cheyenne? How about the girl who was sent here from the Arapaho? Why, I even managed to bring you someone from the Crow and Pawnee tribes, and all this despite the fact that we were supposed to go and visit these tribes, not have them sent to us. And now you—”
“My father needs a representative from this last tribe to complete his studies. That’s all. You know this—probably better than I do. And, Mr. Toddman, we had all three of us agreed to study Indian tribal languages this way. We had all decided this would be more efficient. It wasn’t just me and my father. You know this. Why are you arguing about this with me?”
“I am not debating the point with you, Lady Genevieve. But don’t you see? Your father doesn’t need this tribe of Indians. He could complete his work without procuring one more tribe. He has more than enough material to finish it now.”
Genevieve sighed. She closed her eyes for a moment, looking as though she wished she were somewhere else, or failing this, that there might, at least, be someone else she could trust to handle this particular subject…and this man.
But realizing, perhaps, that there was no one else, she breathed out deeply and, opening her eyes, carefully studied the man before her. “Mr. Toddman,” she began, “if you feel my father has enough material for his studies now, why have you spent over twenty thousand American dollars these past few months trying to obtain a representative from this last remaining tribe?”
“Your father wanted this—” the young man uttered quickly before he halted, his gaze coming up to catch the lady’s glance. Quickly, though, he looked away as he croaked, “You know…?”
She cleared her throat. “Yes, I know all about it, Mr. Toddman. But what I do not understand is, if you felt so deeply about the manner in which we were going about this, why did you not just talk to my father and let him be done with it?”
The assistant paused. He opened his lips to speak, but when no words came, he closed his mouth. Several minutes ticked by before he tried again. At last he said, “I have had other matters that required my attention.”
Genevieve looked away. “Yes,” she said. “I know. Solicitors have brought me notice that there are many gambling debts that you owe. I had to pay one just last week.” She sighed. “Please understand, Mr. Toddman, that while I know my father has condoned such behavior from you, I cannot. Not when our funds are so low.”
The young man twisted around to confront the lady. It took him a moment before he could utter, “What are you saying?”
Genevieve looked up toward the ceiling. “It is not the bank that has made the error, Mr. Toddman.” She drew a deep breath. “It is I who put a stop to your drawing funds from the account. I know it will be an inconvenience to you, but until we complete our studies here, we can no longer afford the luxury of the gaming tables. I would have told you earlier; it’s only that—”
“How dare you!” The assistant started forward, stopped; then, in a flurry of agitated pacing, he threw up his hands. “You have no right!” he snarled. “Why, my father is helping to finance this project, too.”
“Yes, I know, but—”
“He did not give you leave to stop my financing, I am certain.”
“Mr. Toddman, I—”
“The money is not yours.”
“Yes, I know, Mr. Toddman, but my father—”
“This has nothing to do with your father, and you know it. This is your decision, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” she said. “It is. And until my father recovers and is able to deal with these matters himself, you will have to settle them with me.”
“Oh, you think so?” he asked, his words almost a sneer. All at once he stopped his striding and, almost too quietly, said, “I will send word to my own father in England about this, and then we will see with whom I will deal.”
Genevieve lifted her chin. “That will make little difference to our situation.”
“We shall see.”
“Mr. Toddman, both your father and mine are enamored with this project, and you know it. Neither of them wants this study sabotaged, and that is exactly what you are doing by continuing to visit the gaming tables. At the rate you are losing money, there would soon be no further funds available to finish this project.”
It was here that Mr. Toddman, sixth son of the Earl of Tygate, drew himself to his full height. One would have thought that the man had been physically injured, so great was the air of his distress. At length, however, he deigned to look down his nose at the lady before him, and in a haughty voice he said, “You dare to criticize me, Lady Genevieve, and yet look at you. You, who must always look the height of fashion. You, who must always appear the proper English lady.”
“Mr. Toddman, I fail to see what—”
“Expense, Lady Genevieve. Expense. You take me to task, yet you reserve for yourself only the best that this godforsaken town has to offer.”
“Mr. Toddman, you are talking about clothes, a necessary expenditure. I am speaking of gambling, a habit in which only the very rich or the extremely lucky can indulge. I fail to see—”
“Only for yourself or your father.” The assistant carried on as though she hadn’t spoke
n. “Nary a thing for me.”
“Mr. Toddman, you go too far. We are speaking of twenty thousand American dollars, spent by you, for you and nothing to show—”
“That is not true. Why, only yesterday I found another couple of trappers who are not only willing, but who are able to go and capture for us your precious Blackfoot Indian.”
Lady Genevieve paused. There was no denying the lady’s quick look of relief. But it was short-lived. There was something else easily espied in her glance: some emotion, a distrustfulness, perhaps. Or mayhap she was only wary.
Letting out a sigh, she said, “I am so glad to hear this. Did you say you did this only yesterday?”
“Yes.”
“And what were the names of these men, that I might go and tell my father?”
The young man hesitated, his face drawn in and his cheeks filling with color. “What difference does that make, Lady Genevieve? Isn’t it enough that I have done it? We will find out more about the two men when they return with your Indian.”
Genevieve hesitated. Clearly, she wanted to believe the man, but still she delayed in speaking for several moments. “Mr. Toddman,” she said, her voice unable to disguise her apprehension. “How much did you have to pay these trappers this time?”
The man shrugged, his hand again coming up to reach for his collar. “Now, Lady Genevieve,” he said, “is that something you should be worrying about?”
“I believe so. As I have already said, since my father has become ill and I have of necessity taken control of the financial matters of the family, I think I should be apprised of exactly how much you paid these men, if only so I can make an adjustment to the account.”
Toddman hesitated, but at her continued regard of him, he uttered, “Five thousand American dollars.”
“Five thousand—” Genevieve stopped, unable to restrain a show of emotion, which revealed itself as a quick flush upon her cheeks. She cleared her throat. “Five thousand American dollars, Mr. Toddman? Such is an exorbitant fee, of which I’m sure you are aware. Were the men you paid surprised that you were willing to part with such a price?”