| |
* * *
Dear Diary,
My marriage to the judge is over. My heart is in tatters. He never trusted me. He has lied to me from the very beginning. I shall never speak to him again. This time, there is nothing he can do to convince me to stay with him, nor, I imagine, would he want to. I live now only for Issie.
Harriet wandered through the parks for some time with Issie, too upset to speak to anyone. She wished that Ruth had never come to the judge's home. She wished that she had never come to the judge's home. It had brought her nothing but sorrow.
A few people stopped and stared as she walked about the greenery. She could not blame them. Her tear-stained face must have made for quite a sight. She finally ventured away from the park and into nearby Bethel Forest. There were several secluded paths she could walk where no one might see her reddened eyes or hear the soft sobs that spontaneously escaped her lips.
It bothered her that Theodore could affect her so. She had been through many things in her life—the death of her parents, the death of her husband—yet his act of betrayal upset her more than anything. Perhaps it was because the other things had been accidents or God's will. Theodore's betrayal had been purposeful, planned. It was the sort of thing she would expect from one of the outlaws that he tried every day.
Harriet looked around her. She was almost positive one of these paths led directly to the lawn behind Sarah's house. Sarah had mentioned it to her on more than one occasion. She would follow it there and ask if she might stay the night. She would figure out what to do with herself and Issie tomorrow morning. She simply could not think any more about it tonight. She'd told Theodore that she would send someone for her things, and she only hoped that Sarah might be willing to get them for her, or perhaps she had a housemaid she could send. She never wanted to see Theodore again.
Lush green trees dotted every path that Harriet took, drawing an instant comparison to her home town of Valley Glen. All of Indiana may not have been so disparate as her town had been—she had never been outside of Valley Glen until now, so she would not know—but she was certain that nowhere in all the state was there a forest such as this.
The treetops created a canopy which Sarah could hardly see through at points. She was no expert at foliage but she spotted oaks, pines, and firs. Brightly colored flowers stared back at her as she weaved her way between a tall patch of yellow petals that nearly reached her neck and low-rising cherry red petals that came no higher than her knees.
The Missouri River ran somewhere nearby, though she was not entirely certain where. She listened for the sounds of moving water but could hear nothing. A bird cried overhead somewhere. Issie stirred. She began to feel heavy in Harriet's arms. Harriet started to wonder at the intelligence of taking her daughter into the forest without truly being sure of her whereabouts. The sun was still out but the sky was beginning to go pink.
Harriet turned left down a new path that appeared before her, thinking it to be the one that would lead her to Sarah's. Twenty minutes later, she was still on the same path. She began to mutter to herself as Issie cried.
"Shh, shh, all is well. I know precisely where we are." She did not know whether she was trying to convince Issie or herself. Since Issie could yet understand her, she thought the answer was clear.
"I do know where I am," she yelled to the air. Even if she didn't, certainly someone would find her. These woods couldn't be so big as to hide her forever. Could they? She shivered at the thought. A sudden noise up ahead drew her attention. Harriet stopped walking and listened. The footsteps were steady and she could have sworn she heard a woman humming.
"Hello?" Harriet cried out, walking quickly toward the sound. Perhaps it was Sarah or someone else who might at least show her the way out of the forest, for she had lost sight of her exit some time ago.
"Hello?" Harriet cried again. The sounds stopped. The humming disappeared. "Please, I'm lost," she said, choking on her words. She hated to admit that she'd been so foolish. She had allowed Theodore's actions to muddle her thinking.
Slowly, a face emerged from behind a tree. It was an Indian woman with long, straight, black hair and eyes so dark they looked like coal. Her skin was a light chocolate. She wore a knee-length deerskin dress and was holding a bow. Harriet's breath caught in her chest. The Indian was beautiful but also frightening. Harriet had never come face to face with an Indian before.
"H-hello," Harriet said. Issie's cries made it difficult to speak. She had to talk over her small daughter to make sure she was heard. "I-I'm afraid I've lost my way." She gulped a dry throat. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. The woman stood watching her, saying nothing.
"I was looking for my sister's house. There is a path that leads there through these woods." Issie's hand reached up and grabbed Harriet's nose. Harriet pushed it down and held her daughter tighter to her chest. The woman's face betrayed no sign of understanding. Harriet's eyes dropped to the bow still in her hand. It was pointed at the ground but that did nothing to ease her anxiety.
"I'm sorry if we've disturbed you," Harriet said quickly. "We shall just be going now." She turned and started away from the woman. Perhaps if she followed this path back the way she'd come, she'd be able to find her way out.
"Harriet Ackerman?" the Indian woman called out.
Harriet stopped and turned around. Her jaw dropped open. "Yes," she said, so startled she almost tripped over a rock. "How do you know my name?"
"I am Bíawacheeitchish. Your sisters call me Bia because they cannot pronounce my Crow name. You may call me so as well."
"You know my sisters?" Harriet asked, not completely trusting her.
The Indian moved slowly toward Harriet, drawing something from her side. Harriet cringed away from her, her foot snapping a small twig as she took a step back.
Bia paused and held out a water canteen. "Are you thirsty? Perhaps your child cries because she wishes for a drink."
Harriet took the water gratefully, thirst overcoming her fears. Issie's need for water outweighed anything else just now. "How do you know my sisters?" she asked, gently tilting the water into Issie's mouth before taking some for herself.
"I know Carrie because she and her husband saved my life once. I know Sarah through Carrie."
Hearing their names spoken out loud, Harriet began to relax.
"I knew you were Harriet when I saw you. You look very much like them." Her eyes fell to Issie. Harriet could not help but hug her tighter to her chest. This woman seemed friendly but she was still an Indian and a stranger to Harriet.
"I can show you the way to your sister's if you like."
Harriet handed her back the water canteen. "Biawatch..." she said, trying to sound out the woman's name. "Biawanna..." She gave up. "Bia, then."
The Indian's black hair shook up and down as she nodded. "Would you like to go now? It is getting dark. I know my way here in these woods but you do not." It was not meant as an insult, just a statement of fact.
Harriet could not argue with her on that point. She had few alternatives. She could not spend the night in the forest with Issie. She would just have to trust this Indian who claimed to be friends with her sisters. Given the sort of company Sarah seemed to be keeping of late, perhaps it was not as strange as all that. After all, she was friends not only with a millionaire's secretary but a saloon girl as well.
"I shall lead," Bia said. "Stay close and follow."
She did as instructed. Bia took them off the path they were on and headed what seemed to be deeper into the forest.
"Where are we going?" Harriet asked uncertainly.
"To Sarah Bowman's house. Do not fear. I will not hurt you or your child." She continued on her way.
"You speak very good English," Harriet told her as darkness began to grow around them. She needed to make conversation or fear would take hold.
"Thank you, I learned from my elders. My uncle speaks the language better than I. I have learned much from him." She paused. "He is chief of our tribe and skilled in many things, not just the ways of the warrior."
"He sounds remarkable," Harriet said.
"He is. He has been ill these last few weeks. I am here seeking alternative medicines for him since our healers have not been able to cure him as of yet."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Harriet licked her lips, thinking, as her eyes caught sight of an opening in the trees about a hundred yards ahead of them. "You said you know my sister Carrie. Is it possible to get a message to her?"
She had wanted to ask Sarah about this before but had been afraid of getting all three of them into trouble with Theodore.
"It is."
Harriet's heart was beating fast. "Last we heard from her, Fred Connor was said to be tracking the true murderer of Judge Foster's wife. Do you know if this is true?"
"It is," Bia said. "My own brother, Bodhi, the eldest of my brothers, learned of the man's name himself. He told it to Fred, who went in search of him."
"Did he find him?"
"Yes, but he could not get close. Then Carrie became ill, and he returned at once to her side."
"Ill?" Harriet shrieked. "When was Carrie ill? Is she all right?"
"She is in good health. The child she carries is a fighter. He wishes to greet the world early but your sister is also a fighter, and she will not let him."
"Do you know the man's name? The murderer who Fred sought?"
"I do but it is not for me to say. You must ask Carrie."
Harriet bit back her agitated sigh. "Can you tell me where he lives, at least?"
Bia hesitated. "He is here in Helena."
Harriet's heart froze. "I must get a message to Carrie at once. I must make her tell me the name of the man. If she does, perhaps my husband can get him and hold him here, and this can finally be over."
Bia pushed aside a branch and indicated to Harriet that she should continue. "The house you seek is just through here." Harriet's wide eyes peeked out and saw the familiar shape of Sarah's house. "I shall leave you now. I am not welcome by many of the local people, other than your sister. I prefer to remain in the woods."
"Are you returning to your people soon? If I bring you a letter, can you deliver it to Carrie for me?"
"Ask your Sarah what to do. She knows the procedure; she will instruct you. Please tell her that I will be in the forest two days only. If she wishes to send me a message, she should do so quickly."
"I will. Thank you for your help." Harriet stepped out from the trees and turned to look back. Bia was already gone.
* * *
