Bright Morning Star (22 page)

James spoke. “Never watched a woman do up her hair before. That’s quite a chore, ain’t it?”

Claire finished the third section and lifted the fourth to wind and pin. “Not really. Good morning, James.”

“Morning,” Henry said.

“Yeah, reckon it’s going to be another scorcher. At least them Army fellows caught those felons, heard they killed one of them,” James said.

Claire waited, she had heard Henry tell Bonnie last night that he had killed a man. Henry remained silent.

“See the army left a couple of the young ones behind. Don’t see what kind of help they will be for us, if we’re attacked by Indians again,” James said.

Claire looked past Henry to see Ian looking coldly at their visitor. Claire coughed as she closed the case and handed it to Henry to return to its hiding place. As he turned around, he brushed against her. Claire felt more annoyed than before, but she used Bonnie’s trick of acting charming to conceal it. Smiling, she introduced Ian to James and vice-a-versa. “Ian and Shawn are Bonnie’s brothers.

“Yeah, well, I rode up to make sure you were safe. We heard a lot of rumors and, well those were desperate men.”

“I’m fine, Bonnie is fine, the Lieutenant is unconscious from his gunshot wound. We were lucky that the Lieutenant was standing guard.” She shivered. “It was a terrifying experience.”

“Kind of odd, that’s all. You and your friend out skinny dipping late at night, with two men just keeping watch, don’t you see. Now I told Leray, Mrs. Raglon and the other ladies…,”

Claire’s cheeks flamed red. Henry noticed even her neck was pink. He also noticed there were soft little blonde curls forming at the edges of her hair already. Henry tried not to smile, just felt grateful to not be James Temple.

Claire stood and Henry reached up to pull her back down, but she gave him such a look that he merely held his breath and hoped that the gentle motion of the oxen would continue. Without touching her, he sat ready to catch her if necessary.

“James Temple, you and all the nasty minded gossips can stop spreading rumors. First, we were not bathing nude but in our undergarments. Second, during a cloudy night when all the ne’er do wells are asleep is the only safe time for a woman to bathe on the trail. Third, if it were not for these gentlemen running to rescue us, there is no telling what horrors would have befallen us.”

“Well, never heard of anyone doing it before, and we’ve been on the trail for three months with you.”

Claire hesitated, unsure how to counter his argument without lying. As the wagon hit a rut she swayed and quickly sat back down so that she was eye level again with her accuser. “It was the first opportunity I had, where there was a private pool, a cloudless night, and my good friend back to chaperone me. Also, we knew with the soldiers on guard near the wagons, we would not have to worry about the Indians, but could focus on just getting clean.”

“Just seems hard to believe that those two men just happened to be standing nearby, that’s all. And Leray Raglon told me he saw Henry Lambton carrying you in his arms, and what you were wearing barely covered anything.”

“Leray Raglon has been telling tales ever since he and his mother joined the train. None of it has been true and these lies about last night are the same. I had on my gown and wrapper. My father and Henry took turns carrying me back while Bonnie walked along with the doctor and soldiers carrying Lieutenant Douglas.”

“Well, folks want to know what kind of people would let their daughter carry on like this with a widowed man.”

Claire let out a squeal and stood upright again. Suddenly three riders approached and surrounded James. Henry rose, trying to balance as well as Claire had and pushed her gently down onto the bench beside him.

“If they want to know that, they’d better ask me,” Father said.

Tom and Jim ran back toward the argument and all the following wagons began to slow to a stop as their drivers strained to listen to the shouting match.

“There has been nothing improper between myself and Miss Wimberley,” Henry said.

“Neither will there be,” said Father Wimberley.

Both men ignored the wagon master, too busy glaring at each other to pay attention to anything else.

“Well, I know you’ve been sparking every eligible woman on this train, already looking for a replacement for your wife. People heard you and your wife fighting plenty of times, so don’t make out that you’re spending all your time grieving,” James said.

The angry men who were mounted pushed even closer. “What are you all crowding me for?” James yelled.

“We don’t like our friend’s name bandied about by low-life’s and scoundrels. Smells like you might need to take a bath more than once a year, yourself.” Ian said as he let his horse bump against the gray of James.

“Stop crowding me. I’ve got friends too, you know.”

Bonnie stood behind Claire and put a hand on her other shoulder. She could not remember ever seeing her friend look angrier. “I doubt it,” Bonnie muttered. “You won’t have many if you go spreading lies about an innocent girl.

James backed his horse into the clear and started back toward his wagon when he stopped and gave one last yell. “Well, it still seems funny, those two being on hand like that.”

Henry jumped down from the wagon and ran down his side of the wagon to catch the bridle of the gray horse. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I heard a shot fired. I haven’t slept well since my wife died and the noise woke me. I climbed out of bed to answer a call of nature when I heard horses running, it sounded like toward the river. I heard a woman scream and thought it sounded like Claire so I ran down to the noise. You’ll have to wait until he’s well enough to answer your impertinent questions, but I’m sure since he was on patrol, Lieutenant Douglas responded to the sounds the same way I did.”

“You just happened to have a gun with you?”

“Since the Indian raid when my wife was killed, yes, I always have a gun with me.”

James snorted with contempt and stared at Henry.

Henry turned bright pink. “And another thing, I am not pursuing all of the women on this wagon train. Several have called on me, letting me know they would welcome my attentions. They came with baked goods and inquired as to my health and invited me to call on them. I think I’ve visited two, but merely to be polite.”

All of Claire’s defenders had followed Henry and now Bonnie spoke. “Maybe if you understood the difference between a decent woman and a trollop, you might interest them yourself. Maybe, some of those women would make you a pie. Maybe, if you pleased them, they might offer you more.”

Kaye Raglon scowled at Bonnie and Claire, who was now standing beside her. “Not going to beard the she-dog if she’s got her whole pack about her.”

“I always have my family and friends with me. They were there last night too.” Claire answered, advancing toward the instigator of the rumors. “I know they are always prepared to defend me and my honor. If you had paid attention, you would have noticed they were there last night as well.”

The woman had the decency to back down and Claire walked back toward the wagon, still flushed. She stood trembling between Bonnie and Mother while the men and boys who had rushed to her defense stood watching. For a moment, there was silence as her lips mirrored the war of her emotions. Finally, she raised her chin, eyes sparkling with unshed tears. She clutched the hands of the women beside her, accepted a hug from Mary Anne, and then smiling, stepped back.

“I’m good. I just need to walk for a minute. Thank you all. It is overwhelming to have your love and support. These ignorant people, they don’t really matter. But your respect is very important to me.”

“Good.” Father stepped behind her and Mother, and extended his arms to hug both women. “But we’ve got to get this wagon train in motion. Everybody ready?”

The Magee brothers rode back into position, Mary Anne was lifted back up beside Mother Wimberley and Father rode up to the front of the wagon train. Bonnie gave her a last hug and returned to her duty watching over Calum.

Henry called Ian over. In minutes he rode off on his bay, Sue, and Ian’s horse ran behind the wagon beside Calum’s stallion.

Henry rode after Father Wimberley, leaving the young soldier riding in the front of the wagon. The last thing Claire needed was to share a seat with a Don Juan widower. Although the idea of being seen as a Casanova of any kind made him laugh. He knew it would have amused Bella. She had finally given up on the shy man and asked him out to dinner. The thought of her, her constant jealousy made him slow his horse.

He paced beside the wagon of Faye Brewer, receiving glowers from her Father as well. Was it because he was seen as some sort of a lecher, or was it because he had publicly revealed it was the women who were the pursuers? After tipping his hat to the girl, he finally posted on ahead past two more wagons.

At least Father Wimberley had the wagon train once again moving at a good pace. He tried not to, but as they approached a bend in the road, Henry looked back toward the girl who was on his mind. Claire strode along, not as easily as Bonnie had always walked, but rapidly enough with her short little strides to keep up with the oxen.

Ian must have said something, because the girl turned in surprise to see him riding on the bench. As Henry watched, she dipped her head and accepted the soldiers help in mounting the moving wagon. Relieved, Henry tried to put her out of his mind. The young man was no threat to her, the Magee brothers had been raised to consider Claire as another sister. But the Irish lad would soon have her mood lifted with his silly stories and maybe a song

Grimly, Henry faced forward, saw Claire’s father check his horse on the trail to wait for him. This was a conversation he didn’t look forward to having.

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“You did great, even Lynne couldn’t have faced down that bounder and that old harridan better. What happened to my timid little princess?” Bonnie asked.

Claire laughed as she helped turn the meat in the skillet. Ahead she watched the Wimberleys sharing the seat with Mary Anne wedged between them, busily working on making lace. Of all the members in the party, including Henry, the little girl seemed to miss Bella and Barney the most. Did she work so hard at her tatting to remember or to forget?

“Princess, I don’t think I was ever…,” Claire protested. But Bonnie shrugged, then nodded. Claire laughed, then grew quiet again. “I think I finally had to grow up when you were kidnapped and then we lost Bella and Barney. One can’t be precious and spoiled when other people are depending on you to help with the work.”

“I like the change in you. But don’t let the old Claire disappear, I loved my cheerful little goose, too.” Bonnie said as she ladled a cup of broth off the boiling mutton. “I’m going to see if the smell of this might wake that lazy soldier. I’m getting tired of hearing his stomach growl.”

“Aren’t you going to stay and eat? You know how rare it is to have fresh meat.” Claire lifted a piece of the meat she was trying to fry. They, like three other wagons, had bought sheep from the strange Indian boy who had walked up near their camp. Father had shot their small sheep and butchered it quickly. Tonight they would eat the meat they could slice off that she was cooking in the skillet. Tomorrow, they would eat the boiled mutton from the leg bones. In this weather, she had no choice but to cook it all at once. Luckily, most was buried in a pit they had dug under the fire. It was like the one Bonnie had watched the cavalry soldiers use to cook an ox.

Bonnie’s stomach growled in answer.

“Go on,” Claire said, “I’ll bring you a plate as soon as I get a chance.”

As the tall woman left her, her Mother came forward to keep her company at the fire. In minutes, Mother had spoon bread mixed and baking in the firebox oven. Claire left her to tend the awful meat and the usual pot of beans as she went to get water and grind beans to make coffee. She had the pot filled and ready, looking at the somber men at the fire. At least the boys seemed happy. The Magee lads were showing Tom and Jim some trick to use with a forked stick and part of the sheep’s intestine.

Claire shuddered at the thought of handling the disgusting innards. The sheep’s wool had been so packed with dirt and burrs, she still couldn’t believe Father bought it. Instead of looking like the wooly pillow with little black legs that had been in her nursery rhyme book, this animal had looked thin and nasty. She raised the lid and turned the braising meat before setting the coffee pot on top of the flat lid. Claire turned her head and held her breath until the air moved the stench away. She had never liked mutton.

She was aware that the angry pair of men, Father and Henry, were both watching her. She knew Henry had ridden off to talk with Father. The question of what they had talked about was clear from their faces every time they looked at each other, then at her.

Claire couldn’t think about that now. She tried to focus on the sheep again. Tonight’s meal would be a treat compared to what she was supposed to cook for breakfast. Father had saved the organ meat for the morning and it, the brain, and the spongy lungs were soaking in a deep bowl of salted water. The dogs, Tip and Tyler, had shared the thrill of gnawing on the unshorn head with its bulging yellow eyes after Father had split it in half to remove the brain. At least someone enjoyed mutton. Before he had dripped the blood of the butchered animal onto a rock and had laughed as the excited dogs eagerly lapped up the blood. Claire shuddered again.

Claire looked at Henry Lambton where he sat all alone. Other than the angry looks Father kept giving him, no one seemed to be interested in talking to him. She felt the same strange flutter she had felt when she first saw him inside the shop in Boston. Then Bella had appeared.