They were sitting at the White pine waiting for the saw-whet to appear.
“He sounds like the alarm on a truck when it’s backing up,” Jake said.
Every time she played the audio lure the owl responded. Once or twice she spotted him flitting about in the trees, but never into her net.
“This doesn’t make any sense,” Avery scowled. It was becoming a contest: her against this elusive saw-whet. All the others were willing to be captured, tagged and let go, why not this little bugger?
“Maybe he wasn’t meant to be captured,” Jake said, looking up into the trees when he heard the owl call. “If I were you I wouldn’t lose too much sleep over it.” He looked at her slyly.
Avery laughed back.
The two had consummated their relationship weeks before. One Saturday night he showed up on her porch with a bottle of wine, a basket of local cheeses and warm bread from the bakery.
“A peace offering, and thank you for the great dinner the other night,” he said, raising the basket in the air so she could see it from behind the screen door to the cabin.
“Thanks,” she said, opening the door. “You didn’t need to do that though, after all you split the rest of the wood for me.”
“I didn’t mind that,” Jake said as he entered the cabin.
Avery didn’t mind it either. He had split all the wood for her, sweating so much that he had to take his shirt off, revealing his lean torso. Avery couldn’t help herself; she stood on the front porch, staring at his back muscles while he lifted the maul up and down over the pieces of wood, until she finally tore herself away to make dinner. And when they sat down to eat afterward, he acted like he had never eaten so well before, praising her cooking the whole time. He was pleasant company. They talked all evening and then he took her out on his boat so they could gaze up at the stars. Now here he was, back at her cabin, looking as handsome as ever.
“I was just about to shower. Would you like to open the wine for us? The wine glasses are on the top right shelf in the kitchen. I’ll be back in a minute.” She went to the outside solar shower to rinse off the day’s fieldwork, tingling inside that he had surprised her with another visit.
She peeled off her clothes and stepped into the small shower stall. Normally she would take a swim but there had been a storm earlier in the day that had stirred up all the sediment, turning the lake an ugly dark brown.
After washing and brushing her hair she searched for something to wear that wasn’t a sweatshirt or jeans. The first thing she spotted after putting on her underwear was her robe.
“Why not?” she murmured to herself.
She walked out on the porch where Jake was waiting patiently for her, stood in front of him, and reached for a glass of wine. He handed it to her and gulped. The thin, black cotton robe clung to her body. It had several small buttons that started between her cleavage and ended right above her thighs. He saw a glimpse of her black lace bra as she leaned over to take the glass and a flash of thigh where the robe parted as she sat down. She took hold of the hem and wrapped it around her as she propped her legs up in a cross-legged position on the wicker settee across from him.
“Mmmmm, this is good,” she said raising her glass, “what is it?”
“It’s a rosé, French.”
“I like it! Where’d you find this?”
“Old Forge. We do have wine in the Adirondacks you know.”
“I know,” Avery, said, “you forget I grew up coming here in the summers. I told you that at dinner, remember? My grandfather had a place on Schroon Lake.”
“I have to confess I’m not much of a wine drinker so I asked my cousin. She drinks a lot of wine,” Jake said.
“Thoughtful.” Avery smiled over the rim of her glass.
“Would you like me to take this inside and cut up the bread?” Another flash of thigh as she approached him.
Jake took a sip of wine before answering. “If you like.”
She went inside the cabin to cut the bread and could heard the WW Durant tour boat honk its horn as it passed the cabin.
“Here you go.” Avery came out onto the porch and leaned over him again.
Suddenly Avery stood up and locked eyes with his. The carnal energy was apparent. “It was awfully hot and muggy before that storm today wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, steamy,” Jake replied.
“What do you think of my robe?”
Jake cleared his throat, “Umm, it’s very, hot.”
“Yes,” Avery said as she stood in front of him and unbuttoned the top button. The light cotton clung to the curvature of her breasts.
Jake gulped the rest of his wine. “That’s making me even warmer.”
Avery unbuttoned the bottom button, a flash of thigh and black lace. And then the next one, continuing until only the last button remained undone. He could see it straining to pop out of its enclosure. Jake stood up, undid it, and wrapped his arms inside the robe around her waist until they reached the small of her back. The only thing between his hands and her was the black lace. He brushed off the robe and it slid to the floor. He lifted her off her feet and carried her into the bedroom. She opened the door with her free hand on the way in.
That was two weeks ago, and they had been together almost every night since.
They picked themselves up from the forest floor, swished the dirt off their backsides, and headed back to Camp Kirby.
“Hey take a look at this,” he beamed. “A great hiding place for a raccoon.” Jake had found the cavernous hole in the pine where Minnie’s diary was hidden for more than a hundred years.
Avery gave off an awkward laugh. “Oh, yeah, I’ve seen this before. As a matter of fact I found—”
“Hey look at this!” Jake pulled a shelf fungus off the pine.
“The backs of these make a great artist’s palette.” He was a child holding on to a special find from the forest.
She had seen these at Camp Huntington; the students collected the white half-moon fungus that extruded from dead trees and sketched drawings on the back for display in the cabins.
“It’s beautiful.” Avery hesitated, undecided. Should she tell him now? She decided it could wait. She didn’t have to tell him where she found it. When the time was right she would know.
“I’ve got to boat over to the store in Raquette for some supplies. See you later?” Jake said.
She waved good-bye as he pulled away from the dock and headed to the cabin to read more of Minnie’s diary.
June 30, 1893
Nate found an owl’s nest. He came running to the cabin this morning from the woods to tell me. He was out setting traps and thought he heard the sound of a saw-whet. After exploring, he found a nest with the mother sitting quietly on her brood. He pulled me from my reading to show me. The nest was a short walk in the woods behind the cabin in a White pine. The mother owl was just sitting there with her eyes closed, so still.
“They play dead,” Nate said. We watched in wonder for awhile to see if she would flinch. When she didn’t I told Nate we should leave her alone.
The guests are arriving tonight at Pine Knot and William has informed me that he will not be able to see me for a few days. Between construction at Uncas and the company he keeps he has hardly found time for me lately. I know I must be patient until the time comes when he will divorce Janet and take me to live with him at Uncas. But when will it be?
Minnie
“Oh good lord!” Avery said. Poor Minnie was starting to sound like a dimwit.
She checked her watch. Jake would be returning shortly. Some of the things she read about Minnie and William were starting to disturb her. From what she knew about William’s life after selling Pine Knot, it didn’t bode well for Minnie. Her diary read like a soap opera.
July 4, 1893
There is much merriment at Pine Knot. I imagine I hear the tinkling of glass and laughter, but I cannot partake of any of it. William and Janet are entertaining friends from New York City: the Huntingtons and the Forbes. William said this whole affair was costing him a fortune and he would rather be with me or at least working on Uncas. He said he had to order two cases of fine French wine, not to mention cigars, caviar and whiskey.
And Janet has not been much of a help lately. She is having what her Doctor has diagnosed as ‘hysterical fits.’ I guess it is an ailment of high society types because I do not recall my mother ever having those. Dr. Pratt has been attending to her for the past few months and William is furious with her for not being the hostess he feels she should be under the circumstances.
Ella is causing him many troubles as well. William doesn’t talk much about it but I do remember last summer after he came back to Pine Knot from his yacht excursion he was summoned by a lawyer to appear in court regarding her demands for money from their father’s estate. He lamented to me that she has been ‘acting up lately’ and she is back from England ‘harassing’ him to no end.
I wish we could just escape to Uncas and leave Pine Knot behind. I know William doesn’t like to live the lavish lifestyle that his position demands. He would rather be with me alone in the woods. Just the two of us. As each day passes I feel more lonely and desperate for our life together to begin.
Minnie
“Why are you so tired tonight?” Avery said. It was a few nights after their owl-watching and she was lying on her side next to Jake in the bed, sweeping circles on his bare chest with her fingertips. She could feel his heart beating rapidly.
“Long day, I guess,” Jake said. “Bit worn out after that.” He smiled.
Avery turned over on her back and examined the ceiling. She felt glorious. In the meantime though, her work was piling up. Capturing and banding the owls was only part of it. She needed to get over to Camp Huntington for a day and catch up on her research, her emails, and her database. There was no Internet connection at Camp Kirby, no reality really. Time was suspended here. She and Jake were living in a fantasy world that would end in September. Avery shivered and pulled up the covers. Not going to think about it.
When she could hear his soft snoring, she snuck out of bed, threw on yoga pants and t-shirt and went into the parlor to read more of Minnie’s diary. There were few opportunities now that Jake stayed with her almost every night, unless she took it with her in the field, but that was not always wise either. She never knew when a college student searching the grounds for a mushroom or fern would come upon her, wonder what she was up to and notice the diary.
It had happened once already. A student found her sitting under a tree in the South Bay reading the diary, oblivious to anything. An owl could have been flapping helplessly in the mist net and she wouldn’t have known, that’s how engrossed she was. It was almost unhealthy. And the secrecy was only compounded by the fact that she knew she should show this to Sally, or Jake, or somebody at Camp Huntington. The legend of Minnie would finally be uncovered. But she wasn’t ready, yet.
July 10, 1893
Tonight I complained to William that I was unhappy here just whiling away my time with Nate. We have already finished reading Murray’s book. I think I was especially melancholy when I read one of the last stories about a spontaneous dance that he and his fellow travelers had one evening at their hotel. All the merriment and cheer he described, he and his fellow companions whooping and hollerin’ it up with the ladies who were also staying at the hotel, and after a day of hunting in the woods – it all sounded like such fun. It reminded me of the dances at the Grange Hall in Potsdam. We had the best fiddler around, and all the young people knew how to square dance. How I miss my family!
“A dance is what you want, then a dance you shall have!” William said to cheer me up.
He opened up the music box, took hold of my waist and waltzed me around the room as it played Brahms. Nate came in and started to laugh at us.
“Young man, do you even know how to dance?” William asked him.
Nate shook his head no.
“Then let me show you.” And he swung me around and counted in time, 1,2,3; 1,2,3. We danced around the room. I was delirious with happiness. Then William gave me over to Nate. He was awfully shy and awkward about it, but after a bit of instruction and encouragement on my part he found his footing with me.
It was a romantic evening. Afterwards Nate made us a fire by the water and we sat and watched the moon rise in the sky.
Minnie
“What’re you doing?” Jake was suddenly standing in the doorway to the parlor. “Are you all right, Avery?”
“Yes, you startled me that’s all.” Avery shifted in her seat to cover Minnie’s diary that she quickly stashed under her bottom.
“What were you reading?” He came over to her. She shifted again to make sure he couldn’t see it.
“Nothing important, just some journal about the saw-whet owl.” She hoped her voice did not betray her deceit.
Jake gave her an I-don’t-quite-get-you look.
“I forgot to tell you. Must’ve been because I was too preoccupied.” Jake smiled and went into the bedroom to retrieve a book.
“I found this today in the loft, hidden in the wall. It was covered up when they last renovated.” He handed Avery an old book: Adventures in the Wilderness by W.H. Murray.
Avery turned it over in her hand. This was Nate’s book!
“Look, Jake, it’s inscribed.”
There inside the front cover was William West Durant’s handwriting. It said: “To Nate, I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I did when I read them.” It was signed William Durant.
“You can show it to your mother. Proof that your great-great grandfather Nate really did live here in Camp Kirby at one time.”