Magic in Her Eyes

by Donna Dalton

  “You’ll be my wife, but you won’t be coming with me.”

  He wanted to marry her not because he loved her, but out of obligation. Hurt carved thick, rounded slices out of her heart. Not even her father’s rejection had cut so deeply. She closed her eyes, battling tears that threatened to spill out. If his name was all he could give her, then she would accept. It was the least she could do after the pain she had inflicted.

  “Very well. If you want me to stay behind, I won’t fight you. I’ll be the obedient wife you need me to be.”

  His warm breath caressed her lips. “You’re not coming with me, my sweet, talented Miss Talbot, because I’m not going to any new assignment.”

  She opened her eyes and met the warmth of his gaze. “Wh-what do you mean? Are you staying here at Fort Dent?”

  “Not in the manner you think. I haven’t called on you the past few days because I’ve been busy with paperwork and handling the details of my resignation.”

  “Your resignation? From the army?”

  “My period of service is coming to an end, and I decided not to renew.”

  She didn’t know whether to shout for joy or cry for his loss. “But Preston, the army is your life. It’s everything you ever wanted.”

  “You are everything I want, Meredith.”

  She wanted to believe him, but doubt hovered over her like a thundercloud. “What will you do instead? All your training and education has been for the sole purpose of serving this country as your father and grandfather did.”

  “And I will. Major Allen and I had a long discussion. We decided that I should take over Finley’s position as Indian Agent. I can still honor my duty to country, but in a different fashion. The Creeks need a strong advocate to voice their interests in Washington. That has been much lacking lately.”

  Sweet words that could sour with time. “Are you certain this is what you want? I fear you would wake up one day full of regrets.”

  “I’m certain. We will have a lifetime full of love and happiness. There will be no regrets.” He gathered her hand and pressed a tender kiss to her fingers. “Will you marry me, Meredith Talbot? Be my wife, the love of my life?”

  Sunshine burst inside her and scattered the clouds of doubt. “Yes, yes, yes. A thousand times yes. I will marry you, Preston Booth. I couldn’t ask for a more perfect husband and father for our children.”

  “Children? What about your fear of having a daughter? Of passing on your gift?”

  She rested a hand on his chest, treasuring the solid heartbeat thudding beneath her fingertips. “Because of your love and support, I no longer fear passing on my gift. You taught me that I can embrace my ability and be all the stronger for it. We can do that for our daughter too.”

  “Smart as well as beautiful. It’s no wonder I fell under your spell.”

  She smiled at his jest. “I love you, Preston. With all my heart.”

  “And I love you, my beautiful, bewitching nymph.” He scooped her up and carried her into the water. “I’ve envisioned doing this ever since I laid eyes on you.”

  She twisted and wrapped her legs around his waist. “Is this what you envisioned?”

  Epilogue

  The oak trembled beneath her fingertips. Warmth spread from its trunk and pooled in her palm. Energy pulsed through her, inviting her, welcoming her. She smiled. It was good to be back.

  She formed an image in her head of a dark-haired girl dressed in brown muslin and running from a torch-bearing mob. Show me what you see. Let me see her.

  A low hum bathed her ears. Her vision swirled with white fog, cloaking the sunlight. Her body tingled with awareness. A new effect—strange but not unpleasant. It was like plunging into a cool river after a long hot day.

  The fog parted, and a man appeared, his gait angry and purposeful. He toted a rifle in one hand and a flaming torch in the other. Firelight scrubbed over his face and revealed the heated bent to his eyes and mouth. More torch-bearing men emerged. Her skull echoed with the thud of their footsteps. She waited for the recoil in her stomach. It never came.

  Where is the girl? I want to see her.

  The vision shifted to a small, thatched house silhouetted by the light of a full moon. The windows were dark. The door shut tight. Nothing moved in the cabin or in the clearing around it. All was quiet. Graveyard quiet.

  Firelight danced in the surrounding woods, splattering the trees with burnt gold. The faint echo of shouts and crashing brush buzzed in her head. A pale glow stained the window, and then the silhouette of a girl emerged.

  Closer. Move closer so I can see her.

  The image drew in on the window, revealing a young girl of no more than fourteen or fifteen. Dark hair framed a pale, oval face. Despite the courageous tilt to her chin, her almond-shaped eyes flickered with fear.

  The torch-bearing mob broke through the woods and encircled the house. One of the men holding a coiled length of rope and a Bible stepped forward. “Witches of Satan come out and meet your judgment.”

  “We have done nothing wrong,” came the girl’s confident reply.

  “Moira Devlin, what you do is evil. You have bewitched the good folks of Willoughby. Little Jimmy Thacker died at your hands.”

  “We did all we could for Mr. Thacker’s son. The boy could not be saved.”

  The man jabbed his Bible skyward. “Come out. Or we’ll burn you out of that accursed hovel.”

  The girl’s chin rose higher. “If you believe us guilty, then have the sheriff arrest us. Let a judge of this fair state determine our guilt or innocence.”

  “We are the only law in Texas.”

  “Burn them,” someone yelled. “Send them to hell where they belong.”

  The mob began chanting the word “burn.” One after another, they tossed their torches at the house. The thatch caught fire, and flames engulfed the roof. Black smoke billowed skyward. The silhouette at the window disappeared.

  Take me inside. I want to see her.

  The fog swirled and darkened, and then parted, exposing the inside of the hut. The young girl, Moira, knelt beside an elderly woman lying on a cot. Smoke eddied around them. Moira tugged on the older woman’s arm—to no avail. The woman didn’t budge. There was a loud splintering, and the roof gave way. Fire and ash enveloped the room. An agonizing scream made the hairs on the back of Meredith’s neck stand on end. She stiffened. She couldn’t allow such a horrible thing come to pass. She wouldn’t.

  The tree shuddered beneath her touch. It probably recalled its own horror at the hands of fire. A burst of light flashed, and the vision went dark. Her head spun, and her knees wobbled beneath her. She leaned back and anchored herself on the firm body that had been shielding her from curious eyes.

  “Steady now.” Preston wrapped his arms around her. “I have you.”

  She stood in his embrace, drawing on his strength. The spinning subsided. Her legs grew stout as tree trunks. It was a much quicker recovery than ever before.

  “Are you all right, sweetheart?”

  “I’m fine.” She twisted around. “Perfect, in fact.”

  “Were you able to see any more of your aunt’s vision?”

  Earlier that week, Mildred had been scrying for gifted children in need of help. She’d been given a vision of a dark-haired girl being driven out of town amid cries of witchery. Unable to coax any more details from the tree, she’d urged Meredith to try. Said the older she got, the less productive her visions were. Meredith suspected it was a ploy to get her to practice her gift.

  “I saw a house in the woods surrounded by an angry mob. They were going to burn the girl and an elderly woman alive.” She grasped his arm. “We have to find them, Preston. Save them from those evil people.”

  “Don’t worry. We will. Where was this happening, could you tell?”

  “They mentioned Texas and a town called Willoughby.”

  “In east Texas. I’m familiar with it. How much time do we have?”

  “I saw a full moon. Last night’s
moon was more than three quarter full.” Her vision had provided her with more details and pushed much farther into the future than ever before—which was a good thing. It gave her a chance to change the outcome.

  “We’ll have to hurry,” he said. “But we should be able to make it in time. How do you feel about taking a trip? A belated honeymoon so to speak. With the rebuilding of the orphanage and my new position, we haven’t had a chance to properly celebrate our wedding. We can take the train to east Texas. Enjoy the trip in a private railcar.”

  “Will you be able to leave your duties for that long?”

  “Things have settled down at the reservation now that negotiations with the railroad are over. I should be able to leave for a few days. How about you?” His fingers grazed over her rounded belly. “Will you and our little one be up to a trip?”

  “We should be just fine. The episodes of morning sickness have subsided. Our little butterfly should stay nice and comfy in her cocoon another four or five months.”

  His eyes widened. “Her cocoon? Did you see something in your visions that says we’re having a daughter?”

  “No. But Nel spoke with my mother who hinted about seeing her granddaughter soon.”

  “Your deceased mother.” He wagged his head. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to such goings-on.”

  “You’re doing just fine. Let’s go tell Aunt Mildred about our plans.”

  She tucked her hand in his crooked arm and fell into step beside him. Activity around the orphanage had ceased while the workers broke for dinner. Construction was nearly done, thanks to the efforts of volunteers from Mineral and from Fort Dent. The abrupt reversal in attitude toward the orphans was quite astonishing. Mayor Wood had awarded Robbie a medal of honor for his bravery, and Major Allen made him an honorary trooper. The commander had recovered quite nicely in the absence of his wife and was no longer plagued by painful stomach ailments. It was sad that a woman who espoused God’s word had poisoned the man she vowed before Him to love.

  Thankfully Harriet’s fanaticism had no residual hold on the townsfolk. Gifts of money, clothing, and toys had poured in from all over the territory. Even the Indians had contributed, supplying building materials using the gold they mined from the cave Robbie told them about. Seaton House had risen from the ashes like a bird of paradise.

  And not a moment too soon. Earlier that morning, the children had arrived for their first look at their new home. Their exuberant shouts and clattering feet had christened the building with joy and love.

  As she and Preston approached the house, little Anna rose from the porch steps where she’d been playing with her kitten. She didn’t appear to be alarmed by Preston’s presence. Quite the opposite. Her face blossomed with a cheerful smile.

  “Good afternoon, Anna,” Meredith greeted. “Does Daisy like her new home?”

  “Daisy likes her new home very much. We even have our own bed.” Anna peered up at Preston and held out her hand. “Would you like to see it, Mr. Booth?”

  Surprise puckered his brow. “You want me to take your hand?”

  Anna nodded. “So I can show you where my bedroom is.”

  “Very well.” Preston snuggled the child’s hand in his. “Lead on, Miss Anna.”

  Meredith’s heart swelled. She had her children and the love of a man who accepted her for who she was. Her world was complete.

  A word about the author…

  Donna Dalton lives in central Virginia with her husband, two sons, and a grandson. An avid reader of historical romances, Donna uses the rich history of the “Old Dominion” State for many of her story settings. You can visit her at www.donndalton.net or on Facebook at DonnaDaltonbooks.

  Thank you for purchasing

  this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

  If you enjoyed the story, we would appreciate your letting others know by leaving a review.

  For other wonderful stories,

  please visit our on-line bookstore.