Beyond the Cliffs of Kerry (24 page)

Darcy's eyes widened, she swallowed hard and said, "I have come to speak with you for two reasons, Mrs. McDermott.” She took a breath and said, “My resentment and bitterness was wrong, and I must apologize for my behavior earlier. I am sorry to have judged you."

The woman studied Darcy’s eyes, and then offered, "Please come in, Miss McBride."

Darcy stepped into the quarters. It was a large room shared by several women and children. Adrianna showed her around and explained, "These are the laundress quarters, and that door leads to the surgery. The women work in these areas of the fort."

As they walked, Darcy took a good look at Mrs. McDermott for the first time. She was a woman of medium height with blonde hair and freckles, sprinkled lightly across the bridge of her nose. She reminded Darcy of Teila, but she was taller and more robust.

Darcy’s palms began to sweat, and she stuttered, “Um, Mrs. McDermott. Thank you for the tour, but Colonel Lawrence has sent me here with news."

"News of what, my husband?" she asked, her eyes growing large.

"They have found your husband, Mrs. McDermott. In fact,
I
found your husband," she said in a shaky voice, "I am sorry. He is dead, an Indian attack."

The woman let out a cry of despair, and as if she were a rag doll, she slumped to her knees, sobbing into her apron. Adrianna was inconsolable. Women rushed over enveloping her as Darcy stepped back, covering her face with her hands.

Darcy hated herself. She walked outside, filled with shame for bringing misery to the life of this woman. She leaned on a timber support and stared into space.

As distraught as she was, Darcy did not cry.
How long had it been since she had cried?
She thought back
. Had she ever shed a tear for Father Etienne or for Dominique? No, never.
Darcy realized that in her quest for survival she had become callous and hard. She bit her lip, squared her shoulders and headed back to her quarters to wait for Nathan.

Chapter 19

Spring turned to summer at
Fort
Lawrence
. For the first month, Darcy stayed within the confines of the fort. Initially life at the fort held her interest, but as time went on she found herself longing to walk in the woods or bathe in a stream. Most of the women were content, if not afraid, to venture beyond the timber walls, but Darcy was restless and needed diversion and new surroundings.

Frequently, she thought of Moses Tinker and wondered if he was building his new cabin. One evening she asked Nathan what had happened to the guide, and he replied, "I believe someone said that he is building a cabin not too far down the river."

"Has anyone checked on him lately?"

"Why?" he laughed. "That old man can take care of himself better than anyone I know."

"I want to go out and see him tomorrow," said Darcy as she popped a piece of maple candy into her mouth.

"Don't be foolish, Darcy. It’s dangerous out there."

"Oh pooh, women have been living on the frontier for years, Nathan," she said sitting down in his lap. "I will go mad if I have to stay behind these four walls any longer."

"Now, Darcy, you are outside every day working in the garden and helping with the crops."

"That's right next to the fort. I want to see the countryside and walk the river," she argued.

 
Nathan put his arms around her, shaking his head. "I haven't the strength to argue with you, Darcy. You would try the patience of Job so I'll agree to it, on one condition, that you venture no more than one mile from the fort
and
that you have a dog."

"A dog!" she said, with delight.

"The settlers have been using them for years to warn of Indians. Let's see," Nathan said, stroking his clean-shaven chin. "I think Cavenaugh's bitch had a litter. He may have a dog for you. I'll check into it tomorrow."

"Oh, thank you, Nathan! I can't wait!" she said hugging him.

The following day, Darcy was presented with a tall retriever named Shenanigan. She hoped that he didn't live up to his name, but after several days of training, the dog appeared to be intelligent and loyal. They became inseparable friends.

She felt confident that the dog was ready to accompany her outside the walls of the fort, and after spending most of the day dipping candles with one of the women, Darcy needed to clear her head and walk along the river. She grabbed some cheese and a large portion of Sally Lunn cake and set out with Shenanigan for Moses Tinker's cabin. The dog seemed happy to be out of the confines of the fort as well, and they stepped out of the gate feeling exhilarated.

They passed the hills of the three sisters--corn, beans and squash--and headed south towards Tinker's cabin. They left the sunshine and entered the dark silence of the woods as Shenanigan dashed in and out of the brush, flushing birds and rabbits.

Darcy followed the deer path, which ran parallel to the
Windsor
River
, and when she crossed a small stream, she spotted another trail leading to the west. She was tempted to follow it, but decided to stick to her original plan.

As she drew close to Tinker's homestead, she heard an ax hitting a tree. She smiled knowing he was nearby. She stepped out into the clearing, and there he stood saddle notching a log for his new home.

"Good day to you, Mr. Tinker!" shouted Darcy.

He looked up from his work, surprised. He wiped his brow, put down his ax and walked over to her.

"Good day to you, Ma'am," he said somewhat suspiciously.

"I see you are almost done. It's going to be a fine home."

Moses relaxed. He was proud of his cabin and happy to show it off.

"How are you going to get those logs up on the top part of your walls?" asked Darcy.

"There are ways," he replied.

She walked around the cabin admiring his workmanship and stopped at last at a stump and took the cloth off the basket she carried. "I brought you something to eat," she said cheerfully.

Moses stared at Darcy as she unpacked the food, looking confused. No one had ever taken an interest in him, especially such a lovely young woman, and he was taken aback. They sat on some stumps, and Darcy watched as Moses gobbled the food ravenously. She guessed that most days he was too tired at the end of the day to cook for himself, so he ate poorly.

"That dog's a good idea,” he said gesturing toward Shenanigan. You should get a musket too. You can't be too careful out here," he warned.

Darcy saw his new flintlock rifle. It was considered superior to the cumbersome musket, and she wondered if he might be willing to sell his previous firearm. She took a sip of cider and asked, "Moses, would you happen to have a gun for sale?"

"Might."

"I have something to propose. If you give me a gun and teach me how to shoot, I'll help you finish your cabin and do some cooking for you."

He looked at her and took a bite of cheese. "Maybe."

"I make a very good steak-and-kidney pie," she urged.

"Not a bad Sally Lunn either," he agreed, taking another bite. He tilted his head back, looked at her out of his good eye and said, "Consider it done."

"Good! I'll be back tomorrow at the same time," and she hopped up, shaking his hand. "Good day, Mr. Tinker."

"Call me Moses, Ma'am," he shouted after her, as she waved good-bye.

Over the next several months, Darcy would complete her chores at the fort as quickly as possible and race down to help Moses with the cabin and barn every day. He would spend the morning getting the logs notched, and when she arrived in the afternoon, they would work on the upper half of the cabin.

Darcy would climb to the top of the cabin and steady the log while Moses would pull up the other end, resting it in the notch of the log underneath it. This process would be repeated until the cabin was the desired height after that, they would start the roof.

Their routine was basically the same every day. They would work on the cabin all afternoon and well into the evening, break for an evening meal, and then Moses would work with Darcy on her target practice until dusk.

Darcy was becoming a fair shot, and Moses was impressed with her keen eye. The biggest challenge was keeping the musket steady. It was a heavy firearm, and after lifting logs all afternoon, it was hard to hold the gun upright, but once her strength improved so did her prowess. Darcy liked target practice, and it gave her peace of mind knowing that she could defend herself if necessary.

"I'm done washing up the bowls. I'll be going back now," Darcy called to Moses.

He was busy mortaring a row of glass bottles into the cabin wall, substituting them for windows. They would let much-needed light into the cabin and were a less-expensive alternative to glass, which was unheard of on the frontier.

He did not look up from his work and simply raised his hand as good-bye. The two had grown comfortable with one another, and Darcy began to look upon Moses as a sort of father. The old man's lifestyle had never been conducive to a home and children, so the friendship with Darcy provided him with a chance to have a daughter; an opportunity which he thought was lost forever.

Darcy whistled for Shenanigan, picked up her musket and began loading it. It was a time-consuming activity, and Darcy knew that she would not have time to load before an attack, so she completed the task now.

She measured a charge from her powder horn, funneling it with her hands into the muzzle of the gun. Next, she placed a patch with a bullet on it over the muzzle and shoved them both down into the bore with a ramrod. She primed the lock, closed the pan and was ready to go.

This procedure she had practiced repeatedly until it took her less than one minute to load, and even then Darcy was not satisfied. She did not want the stress of an attack to ever confuse her memory.

The sun was sinking low as Darcy and Shenanigan made their way back to the fort. As they passed the stream, Shenanigan suddenly stopped in his tracks, growing stiff-legged listening to something. Every fiber of Darcy's being went on alert, and her heart raced.

 
She looked into the silent woods and listened too. Her ears picked up a low moaning sound as if someone was hurt.
Was this a trick or was someone in need?
She could not live with herself if she left someone alone to die in the forest, so she started down the path which ran along the banks of the stream.

Like lightning, Shenanigan shot past her to be the first to encounter danger. Her musket slung over her shoulder, Darcy ran behind the dog. As she came around a huge oak, she found Shenanigan standing cautiously in front of a little girl.

The child was sitting on the ground oblivious to both of them. She rocked back and forth, shaking her hands and moaning. Darcy looked around for a parent, but the girl seemed to be alone. She was a white child who looked to be about six or seven years of age, and Darcy asked gently, "Are you hurt?"

She reached out and put her hand on the girl's shoulder, and the child recoiled from her.

"Are you all right? Where is your Mother?"

She never looked at Darcy and there was still no response. Darcy recalled several of the residents of Kilkerry who had emerged from the famine with feeble minds due to poor nutrition or difficult births, and she wondered if this little girl was afflicted with a similar problem. Judging by her clean dress and well-combed hair, someone cared for her. Shenanigan concluded that the little girl was not a threat, so he began to sniff her hair and face. Instantly the child giggled and reached out to touch him. Shenanigan jumped back, and the child stood up, laughing and reaching out to stroke his coat. He looked at Darcy, confused.