“What?” She backed away from him.
He knew he had surprised her. Yet it was the only thing that made sense, the only thing they could do if they were to be in each other’s constant company. Otherwise, how could they keep a firm hold on their integrity?
He tried to explain further. “I want more than a kiss or a hug from you. I am not permitted more than this unless we marry. Please, marry me, spend your life with me.”
She moved even farther away. “I…I…am flabbergasted.”
“I do not know this word.”
“It means that you have taken me off my guard. We have only kissed.”
“So far,” he elaborated. “But I know if I am around you—and I will be in the near future—I will find reasons to be with you, hold you, and before long, I will try to make you mine. I know that I will. You know that I will.”
“Mr. Hawk, I do believe I might have something to say about whether or not I will respond to you.”
“Aa, I am sure you would. But look at us, here, now. You know it would take little on my part to convince you to lay with me.”
“Whoa. You go too far.”
“That is what I fear, and so I think we must do the honorable thing. We must marry.”
“I…I…”
He knew there were many reasons why what he proposed was not wise. Possibly, it was the most impossible thing he had ever considered—for himself, for her. Yet, he would not take it back. He meant it.
“No one else need ever know,” he said, as though to solve a problem as yet unspoken, “unless you wish to tell. For, as I understand it, the white world might frown upon such a union. Even my people would do so. You and I already have many secrets from one another, but let us now share one between us instead.”
She backed away still farther. “You move too fast, Mr. Hawk.”
“But I must. Soon we will be spending a good deal of time with one another. Let us look to that time now, and do what we can to make it honorable. For I believe we will be together, married or not.”
“You don’t understand. I cannot marry you. I have come into this country for one reason alone, and that is to excavate the site of this dig, and I—” All at once, she broke off. Her eyes opened wide, and as he stared at her, there came a tormented look about her.
And he knew: What she had had voiced wasn’t true…not entirely.
He said, as though to ease her situation, “I will help you to accomplish that which you are here to do.”
“No, you can’t. It is something I have to do on my own.”
He nodded gently. “I, too, have a great task set before me, and it is one I cannot share with you. But we should take action now so that we might keep the honor between us. As I have already said, we are soon to be in one another’s company, and if your feelings are similar to mine, there could be a problem.”
She didn’t answer.
“My heart tells me that you might care for me. Do you?”
She remained mute, and her gaze fell to the ground.
He continued speaking as though she had answered him, and in the positive. “Knowing you are not immune to me, I can only foresee that I will press it, even if I try not to.”
“But…marriage?” She glanced up at him, her eyes still wide. “What do we really know of each other?”
His fingers grazed down her cheek, trailing over her neck. “That we share a passion. Many who have married on short acquaintance have married for less.”
“Well, that’s not me.” She looked away from him. “If I do find that which I seek, I will need to return to the East, for I have obligations there. I doubt if you would like to go there.”
He nodded. “Perhaps, then, we could marry, but make it easy for you to leave, if you chose to go.”
“You mean to marry for the moment only?”
“Saa, no. When you would again return to this country, we would still be married.”
“And you think that would work?”
He shrugged.
“What would you do in the time between when I was here and when I returned? It might be several years.”
He didn’t answer.
“Don’t Indian men take more than one wife?”
“Sometimes they do,” he said, “but not always.”
“And are you already married, Mr. Hawk?”
“Saa, I am not.” Although he was fairly certain he knew the answer, he asked, “Are you?”
“No. But what if you were to marry while I was gone? I would not be able to stay with you, for in my culture, a man may take only one wife at a time.”
“That would be difficult, I agree. Would you rather we separate altogether, if you go back East?”
“I will go back East.”
“And I cannot come with you?”
“You could, but I do not think you would like it there. Besides, isn’t it the woman’s place to stay wherever her man is?”
The comment struck him as odd, and he countered, “Why should she?”
“Don’t Indian men demand this?”
“Of course not. A woman is the heart of our Nation. If she is not happy in one place, perhaps another might be better. The Blackfeet have a saying, ‘Mat’-ah-kwi tam-ap-i-ni-o-ke-mi-o-sin.’ Not found is happiness without woman.”
Lips open, she stared at him.
“We could agree,” he advised, “that if you wish it, when you leave, our marriage will dissolve.”
“Then the marriage wouldn’t be real, would it? Since we both know that I will return East?”
“It will be real. I will simply not require you to stay if you wish to leave. That is, so long as you are not with child.”
She swallowed, her throat muscles constricting before she said, “And what if you don’t wish to remain with me?”
“That will not happen.”
“But let’s say that it does. In my world when people marry, they stay married. It is a life sentence, so to speak.”
“I understand. In my village, people usually stay married also, but it is not frowned upon if both people find this hard to do. Sometimes these things happen. So no one will look down on you if you decided to marry me but then leave me.”
She shook her head, and he decided to take another tack. “If you cannot answer me now, consider it, think on it and give me your decision tomorrow night. As you have allowed me time to consider the good and the bad of these things, so too must I grant the same to you.”
She moaned. “I don’t need time. I know what my answer must be. But very well, tomorrow night we will discuss it again. Now I really must go. Already the sky is turning pink in the east. I have other duties.”
She rose, and gazing down on him, she said, “Till tomorrow night,” and departed.
Yawning and rubbing her eyes, Effie sat up and came slowly awake. What was this? Had she actually fallen asleep in the chair where she’d been working?
Where was he?
It was her first thought. Hadn’t Red Hawk agreed to be here tonight?
Her second concern was that she felt…odd, as though she had been drugged. Perhaps it was the wine she had shared with her colleagues before retiring. Certainly, she was unused to strong drink.
Effie glanced around the tiny room to get her bearings. After retiring to her room, she had positioned herself next to the window, intending to work while she awaited Red Hawk’s arrival. Beside her, on a small table, was a candle, the room’s only lighting.
Effie stretched up her arms and ran a hand over her forehead. It must be late, she decided—much too late to be awake and sitting in a chair. Why had she ever agreed to this secret rendezvous with a man she barely knew?
Intending to rise and dress for bed, Effie leaned over and blew out the candle. Immediately, two things happened. Her legs felt strange, as though she couldn’t move them, and on the far side of the room came the unmistakable sound of material scraping across the wooden floor. Looking up, Effie witnessed a dark shadow glide toward her.
“Mr. Hawk?” she called out.
There was no answer. She frowned. Shouldn’t he have said something?
Adrenaline pumped through her body. He would have answered, were it he who had slithered just now into the shadows.
She tried again. “Who is it?”
Silence.
She attempted to come to her feet. She couldn’t. She felt like she had been tied.
Tied?
Then she heard it, the quiet motion of a shadow as it drew closer to where she sat.
With her heart beating so swiftly she could hear it in her ears, she called out again, “Who are you?” though her voice was no more than a whisper.
Silence was her response.
It couldn’t be Red Hawk, for he would make himself known. She was certain of that.
With this knowledge came a barrage of thoughts, each more frightening than the last. If not Red Hawk, then who was it? Her assailant of a few nights past? Was she to be assaulted yet again?
Instinctively, Effie knew she must get to her feet, but she couldn’t. Twisting slightly, silently, she found her answer quickly. She had indeed been tied. Not only were her feet bound, but the lower part of her body was lashed to the chair.
Terror washed through her, and involuntarily she screamed. Straightaway, a hand covered her mouth, replaced momentarily by a hanky, while her hands were jerked in front of her and tied.
A knife was shoved against her ribs. Effie shut her eyes, certain this was truly the end.
A gravelly, low-pitched voice said, “Where are they?” Effie endeavored to say something, but it was a difficult thing to do when gagged. Again that odd voice said, “I will remove this hanky, but you are not to cry out. Just tell me where they are.”
He took the hanky away, and although Effie had not intended it, instinct took over. She screamed, and she screamed and she kept on screaming, her voice high-pitched and deafening. Acting on impulse to avoid being butchered, she forced the chair sideways, away from her aggressor, bracing herself for the fall.
She heard the knife drop.
Effie screamed again, and this time added, “Help!”
Running footsteps sounded in the corridor outside her door.
“We will meet again,” said that horrible voice before her assailant turned and ran toward the window. Moonbeams caught and held his slender image, even as he disappeared into the night.
Someone pushed the door open.
As an assortment of flickering candles met Effie’s vision, she called out, “Over here. I’m on the floor, tied to this chair.”
Carl Bell rushed toward her.
“Are you all right?” Carl asked as he knelt beside her. Righting the chair first, he then reached down to untie her. It took several moments, allowing Effie a chance to gain her composure.
Still, she didn’t know what to say. She was unharmed, but was she all right?
After several moments, Lesley and Henry stepped into the room, and a little later still, came Carl’s wife, Madeline.
“What happened?” asked Lesley.
Effie wasn’t certain she could tell the story. Luckily, she was saved the effort when Madeline rushed to her side and took her in her arms.
She said, “Don’t bother her with questions right now. Can’t you see she’s terrified?”
Lesley retreated to a corner of the room, while Madeline resorted to cooing, as though comforting a baby.
Oddly enough, it worked. Within moments, Effie felt able to speak. “Someone threatened me with a knife. I think he dropped it here in this room, on the floor.”
Immediately everyone’s attention went to the floor.
“Is this it?” Madeline held it up for Effie’s inspection.
Effie nodded. At that same time, Red Hawk entered the room, but no one acknowledged his appearance. He didn’t come forward, but rather took station at the door.
Effie briefly inspected the object Madeline showed her. Nodding, Effie said, “I think that is it. It was dark. I didn’t see the thing—I only felt it.”
“Look at it. What’s this?” Henry Smith strode forward to get a clearer look at the object. Taking hold of it and turning it over and over in his palm, he said, “If I’m correct in my assumption, this looks like the sort of knife that the savages use.”
“Savages?” said Effie.
“The Indians. Do you see its blade?” He pointed it at her, and Effie retreated. “See, its end is sharp, as well as its blade, and on both sides. And look at its black handle—gutta-percha, I believe. It’s a scalping knife, made by J. Russell & Co. of Green River Works. Traders have brought this sort of item into this country by the hundreds to trade with the savages.”
Effie glanced toward the door, the others following her lead. Five pairs of eyes scrutinized the man.
“Is that our new guide?” whispered Madeline.
“Yes,” murmured Effie. Then in a louder voice, “Mr. Hawk, if you will come closer, I will introduce you to my colleagues.”
Red Hawk didn’t move away from the door. He didn’t say a word, either. With arms folded over his chest, he glared back at them.
“You don’t suppose it was he…?” Madeline’s words trailed away.
“It’s mere coincidence, that’s all,” uttered Effie to fill the silence in the room. “Anyone here could have access to the same knives. To think it was an Indian who attacked me makes no sense. Why in the good Lord’s name would an Indian wish to invade my private room and threaten my life? Wouldn’t they simply kill me?”
The two men nodded, but no one spoke a word.
Effie extended her hand toward Henry. “You will leave the knife with me, won’t you?” she asked. “Though I don’t expect the sheriff to do much, I will still have to report the incident to him.”
“Of course you do, and of course he will,” said Madeline. “Do you want one of us to stay with you through the rest of the night, Effie? Both Lesley and myself would be happy to be with you tonight.”
“No, no,” murmured Effie. From out of the corner of her eye, she caught Lesley’s stifled frown. Ignoring it, she continued, “I think I’ll be fine.”
“Are you certain?” asked Madeline.
Effie nodded. “I…I don’t plan to go back to sleep anyway. I don’t believe I would be capable of it right now. So, thank you, but—”
“We will post a watch by your door nonetheless, Miss Rutledge,” said Carl. “Both Henry and I will take turns.”
“That is kind of you.”
“In fact,” continued Henry, stepping forward, “we will stand guard at your door every night we are here in this town. Once we are on our way, the danger may pass. I fear that perhaps it is the town itself that is at fault. Maybe someone here believes you to be on a treasure hunt and so concludes that you would be carrying something of value.”
“Yes, perhaps. Let us hope you are right. Carl,” Effie added, “you and the others haven’t by chance been talking about our project where the townspeople could hear, have you?”
Carl hesitated, and despite his tanned complexion, his face turned a deep shade of red. “I’m sorry, Miss Rutledge. We have been so enthusiastic that we have discussed the project openly.”
“Do you know of anyone who has overheard you?”
Carl grimaced. “To tell you the truth, we have spoken of the project to many people—the shop owners, the men in the livery, several tradesmen. We should have been more discreet, but these people ask so many questions…”
“I see.”
He hung his head. “I’m sorry. We had no idea it would come to this.”
“No need to ask pardon,” Effie offered politely. “However, if that be the case, and several people know what the project entails, then it could be anyone who is doing this.”
No one in the room seemed to have a reply to that, although Carl again muttered, “I’m sorry.”
“That’s all right,” whispered Effie. “It is better to know what one might expect than to continue to speculate.”
“I’m sorry too,” said Madeline, who was still kneeling at Effie’s side. She squeezed Effie’s hand.
“As I am too,” murmured Henry. Only Lesley remained silent.
“Well, the women had best be seeking their beds yet again this night,” Carl suggested, “thus allowing you a chance to recover. I hope you will excuse us. Have no fear, Miss Rutledge. Henry and I will take turns standing guard by your door.”
“Yes,” Effie agreed, “that would be good of you.”
So it was that on this note they all said their good nights, each one of her friends squeezing her hand before leaving. Madeline hugged her as well.
Effie smiled at the other woman, thinking it was indeed a stroke of luck that Carl and Madeline had consented to join her on this excavation. Perhaps by the end of their journey, she and Madeline would be fast friends.
Red Hawk was the last to leave, and his gaze was stern, though strangely, something in his look tugged at her heart. But then, even he turned to leave.
Effie was having none of that. “Where are you going, Mr. Hawk? I believe we have things to discuss.”
He directed a questioning gaze at her.
“And where have you been, I might add?” said Effie. “As memory serves me, didn’t we have an appointment tonight?”
She rose from where she had been seated, and with her arms crossed in front of her chest, she fixed the man with a heated glare. “I waited for you tonight for a time that seemed without end. In truth, so long was it, I fell asleep. Or had you forgotten we had an appointment?”
He remained mute.
“I can’t help feeling that if you had been here, as you were supposed to be, that, well…the whole incident would not have happened.”
Red Hawk stood still, staring at her. After a while, a half smile pulled at the corners of his lips.
“How can you smile?” she complained.
“Perhaps it is not good I find amusement in this, a serious moment. But I am thinking it is well that we have earlier spoken of marriage.”
She frowned. “I do not follow your reasoning.”
“Do you not? Can you not see that already you treat me as a wife might a wayward husband?”
The statement silenced Effie, at least for a moment. In due time, she sighed. “Come in, Mr. Hawk, and please close the door behind you. There are some matters we must discuss.”
This time, with a quick nod, Red Hawk took a step into the room.