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WHEN DEPUTY-GOVERNOR Argall decreed that Jamestown’s fife-and-drum corps would resume weekly drill practice, as had formerly been their habit, Catherine and Nancy, along with most colonists, walked into the fort to watch the colorful spectacle. Some corpsmen wore full armor; others wore only breastplates over their linen shirts. Most sported helmets with bright red plumes. Nearly every man carried a fowling piece or musket. To conserve shot, the guns were never fired, but, nonetheless, the sound of the fife and the beat of the drums were thrilling to hear.
Catherine’s eyes scanned the military lines for Noah’s tall form, but not seeing him, she reminded herself that searching out Noah was no longer a concern. That morning she and Nancy had prepared a surprise for the two men they had come especially to see. Nancy carried the cloth bundle filled with crisp apples, fresh rye bread, and the last jug of spiced ale left in the loft.
When the corps was dismissed, the girls approached Jack and Victor as the men were shrugging out of their heavy breastplates and removing their helmets. Delighted to see the ladies, the four set out to walk the short distance to the men’s hut. After they’d deposited their armor, the foursome walked along the river’s edge in search of a shady spot for their picnic.
Settled on the grass, Nancy handed out the meager but tasty offerings. They passed the jug of ale between them till every last drop was gone. By then, they all felt in a good humor.
Making an effort to draw Victor out, Catherine learned he hailed from Shropshire where a few years ago, he’d taken over his father’s mill. When the mill burned to the ground and his father was killed in the fire, Victor joined up with his chum Jack Lancaster, who was headed for the New World to seek his fortune.
“Rumor had it,” said Victor a bit sheepishly, “there was gold and silver here for the taking.”
Jack laughed aloud. “We was foolish to believe such rubbish. But believe it we did, and here we are.”
“Doesn’t matter now,” Victor said, his adoring blue eyes never leaving Catherine’s.
“What do you plan to do now there’s no gold?” she asked him.
“We understand that since we paid our own passage over, we’ll each be allotted a piece of land to do with as we please.”
“Indeed, that is true. Adam has quite a large tract and receives even more when he purchases additional indentures.”
“I won’t require near what your brother has.”
“You have a plan?” Catherine asked, genuinely interested to know what the good-natured young man had in mind.
“To run a mill, of course. There isn’t one hereabouts and with the grain every settler grows, a mill should prove both useful and profitable.”
Catherine smiled. “I’m sure you will be very successful at whatever you do, Victor.” She genuinely meant it and was glad to know he had ambition. She liked that in a man.
The foursome spent a pleasant afternoon talking and laughing. Catherine thoroughly enjoyed the diversion despite the fact that she was still agonizing over the possibility she might be with child. Still, she was determined to marry Victor Covington. That she might have to deceive him in the process, she chose not to examine too closely.
The next morning at Sabbath services, she made no attempt whatever to seek out Noah’s handsome face. Instead, the minute services concluded and churchgoers began streaming onto the green, she and Nancy sought out the two men in whose company they’d spent the previous afternoon. This time it was Catherine who issued the invitation for the gentlemen to join them for supper.
Again, it was a pleasant time the four friends spent together. There was a good deal of ribbing between the men and much laughter before the evening drew to a close.
Catherine did enjoy being with Victor. That night as she lay in bed going over the events of the past two days, she tried to imagine how their life might be as man and wife. Victor and Jack still worked with Adam every day. They said the tobacco cutting was complete, and the leaves hung in the sheds to dry, and that, last week, Adam had his crew begin clearing another acre of land, where they’d plant tobacco come spring. But Victor didn’t expect to be there then. Once he received the wages Adam owed him, he meant to build his own mill on his own land.
Catherine could easily imagine herself and Nancy saying farewell to their husbands each morning as they set off for their day’s labor. For now, Adam had lent the men his dugout, which they rowed to and from the plantation each day, although in inclement weather, both men stayed the night on the plantation.
Once married, Catherine imagined her and Nancy’s days would not be much different from what they were now. She’d continue with her school every morning and afternoons help Nancy with the chores. They got on well together, and neither had voiced any objection to continuing with things as they were. The men would fill the long evening hours with talk about their work and matters of import to men, politics, news from England, the governor’s latest mandates, and whatnot. Then, they’d all bid one another good night and adjourn to their respective bedchambers. With her days and nights full, she’d have no time to miss Noah, or even think about him.
She would always love him, of course, but she could not be with him the way she wanted, as his wife, and she would not be with him the way he seemed to want, as his mistress; so that left no choice but to seek out a husband for herself. Preferably one she loved, or one with whom a union held the promise of love in the years to come.
She could tell from the way Victor looked at her that he was thinking about marriage. Jack, too. The only difference between the two couples was that Nancy and Jack were truly in love, and for now, it was more a one-sided affair between her and Victor. But, if Lady Montcrief had been correct, that ‘regard’ often blossomed after marriage, then Catherine might one day grow to love him. If overall her life with Victor was pleasant and not unhappy, she’d be wise to count her blessings and agree to marry him when he asked.
* * * *
IN THE NEXT WEEKS, she agreed to see Victor whenever he wished. One afternoon they walked a mile beyond the fort to a new glass manufacturing plant where Catherine purchased a dozen glass jars in which to store her dried herbs and powders. Coming back, Victor pointed out the location of his fifty-acre grant where he planned to build his mill. The land conveniently fronted the water’s edge. Perfect, Victor said, for the huge waterwheel needed to operate the mill. Catherine was pleased when he politely asked her what she thought of the location and of his plans. Several afternoons, they took long walks into the forest where Victor expressed his awe over her knowledge of plants and trees. One day they followed bear tracks in order to pick berries, and laughed when they also found a hive full of precious honey!
“Apparently the animals know where to find much that is good to eat,” Catherine marveled.
Another evening when the two couples had set out for a leisurely stroll along the stretch of sandy beach fronting the river, Noah came to the house in their absence. Catherine learned of his visit later that evening from Lad.
“He come by lookin’ for ya’, miss. I tol’ him ye and Nan was out with yer gentl’men friends. He ’ad a bundle ’e said it’d be all right wi’ you ifen ’e left.”
“Did he go into the house, or did you take it in for him?” Catherine did not like Noah poking around in the house when no one but Lad was there.
“He tuk it in hisself, mum.”
Catherine’s lips pursed. “In future, I don’t want anyone going inside the house when neither Nancy nor I are here, do you understand?”
Lad nodded, the forelock of his straw-colored hair falling over his eyes. A grubby hand reached to fling it aside. “Yes, um.”
That Noah had once again left a package here meant she’d be obliged to see him at least one more time. It surprised her that the prospect actually filled her with dread.
The next afternoon, exhausted after working an especially long time in her herb garden, Catherine entered the house with an apron-full of fresh cuttings to be hung and dried. When sufficiently dry, she’d crush the brittle leaves and stems into a fine powder to be used later in a healing tisane or tea. The rafters in every room on the ground floor were thick with cuttings she’d already hung up to dry. She and Nancy loved the aroma indoors and often commented to one another on the fragrance.
“I daresay we have the nicest-smelling house in Jamestown,” Nancy said laughing.
Since there was no more space below to hang anything, Catherine saw nothing for it but to climb the steep steps to the loft. She rarely ventured there as the height made her dizzy. She’d been glad to find Nancy had no qualms about scampering up and down the rickety ladder to retrieve goods they stored there.
Climbing slowly, Catherine at last reached the top rung and stepped onto the relative solidity of the loose wooden planks that comprised the loft floor. The floorboards had been left loose a-purpose, Adam said, so they could be taken up when one needed to hoist heavy barrels of fresh foodstuffs into the loft using a rope and pulley mechanism.
Having not been up here in a spell, Catherine noticed now that a goodly number of barrels were close on empty. Which reminded her of one of the conditions of her purchase agreement with Adam: two winters’ worth of provisions for her and Nancy. Beginning to tie her cuttings to strings already dangling from the rafters, she made a mental note to remind Adam of their agreement the next time she saw him. How nice it would be for her and Nancy to begin their married lives with plenty to eat!
At length she completed her task, but before venturing back down the ladder, she moved to a crate, which she knew contained only bits and pieces of fabric. She and Nancy used the rags to absorb their monthly flow, and since Catherine knew her time was near and was fervently hoping it would indeed come on schedule, she decided to take a handful of rags back down with her now. Reaching into the crate, she was surprised instead to feel something hard and lumpy.
So, she thought, carefully drawing out the bundle, she’d inadvertently discovered Noah’s hiding place. Without meaning to pry, but unable to curb her curiosity, she undid the package to see what it contained. Inside were several scraps of copper, a few knives, four or five ax blades, and a quantity of blue and violet glass beads . . . an odd item, she thought. She knew he meant to trade the goods with the Indians, but why did he feel the need to conceal them?
Rather than put his stash back where she found it, she decided to take the package downstairs. She had every intention of telling Noah when he came to retrieve this bundle that he could no longer hide his things here, and that in future, she no longer wished to see him at all.
Ready to go downstairs, she hesitated a bit before beginning her descent. Confusion always set in at this juncture, as she never knew whether to back down the rungs, or step down frontward as if descending a stairwell. Today, the fact that both her hands were full made it all the more confusing. Finally, she decided to back down, but before beginning, she pulled her apron up and placed Noah’s bundle and the handful of rags into it, which left one hand free to grasp the edge of the rung above her as she descended. Still, it was an awkward maneuver, and although she tackled it slowly, midway down, she lost her footing and with a cry of alarm, toppled backward off the ladder and landed with a thud on the hard-packed earthen floor.
Her cry brought Nancy running into the house. “Catherine!” Nancy knelt beside her. “Are you hurt?”
“I misstepped coming down. I don’t believe I’m injured. It was just a . . . a jolt.”
Nancy helped her up. “Ye’d best lie down.”
“I am uninjured,” Catherine protested. Already she was on her feet, testing to see if her ankle could bear weight. Everything felt all right, so she bent to gather up the items that scattered when she fell.
Nancy reached to help. “What’s this?” She held up a knife, then an ax blade. “What do ye mean to do with these?”
“They belong to Noah. He’s been leaving things here that he trades with the Indians.”
“Oh.”
“I mean to tell him he can no longer use our loft. I don’t want him coming around once Jack and Victor are here.”
Nancy smiled. “It pleases me to know ye’re in earnest where Victor is concerned.”
“I’m pleased to see that Victor does, indeed, seem to care for me.”
“Of course, he does!”
As for Noah, Catherine knew he would be far from pleased once he learned she intended to marry another man and no longer wished to see him.