Brave Beginnings Page 23

  Well, there was only one way to find out. Julia took a step forward.

  “Julia?”

  Pausing, she turned her attention to Woape and Onawa. Woape held Penelope, and as soon as Julia’s gaze met Penelope’s, she decided she wouldn’t deal with Sarita. The situation was aggravating enough without dragging an innocent little girl into it. Taking a deep breath to ease her irritation, Julia smiled and walked toward them.

  “How’s my darling niece?” Julia asked, tapping Penelope’s nose.

  Penelope giggled and Julia relaxed.

  “Is Sarita still bothering you?” Woape asked.

  “She’s getting worse, if you can believe it.” Julia looked back and saw Sarita dart off in another direction. “I don’t know why she can’t find someone other than Chogan to dig her claws into.”

  “I’ll talk to her,” Woape said. “Will you hold Penelope for me?”

  “Sure.” Julia took the girl in her arms and hugged her. “You are such a pretty thing, aren’t you?”

  As Woape followed Sarita, Onawa smiled at Julia.

  Julia smiled back and tried to think of some Mandan words she could use to communicate with Onawa. “It is…cold.”

  “Yes,” Onawa replied and added a few more words which Julia recognized as winter and spring.

  “Spring soon.”

  Onawa nodded. Then she turned to the snow and said the word for it.

  Julia asked her to say it again and then slowly repeated it, knowing it didn’t sound exactly right but figuring it was a good approximation of it.

  Onawa grinned in encouragement and then pointed to the sun to continue her lesson.

  Even as Julia followed Onawa’s instructions, she glanced over her shoulder. Woape had caught up to Sarita, and Julia wondered what Woape was telling her.

  Woape stood before Sarita and asked, “Why do you keep bothering Julia?”

  “Julia doesn’t belong here. Just look at her.”

  “What’s your point?” Woape asked.

  “She does not wear our clothes.”

  “So?”

  Sarita sighed as if it should be self-evident. “She has not embraced our ways. She will not teach her children our ways. She will divide us. Her children will try to change things in this tribe.”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  She crossed her arms and glared at her. “I’m not surprised. You married a white man instead of Citlali. Of course, you don’t care for the ways of our people.”

  “That’s not true, and you know it. We grew up together.”

  “And you should have done the right thing and married Citlali. He could have married you and Onawa, but now he will only marry Onawa. Because you ran off to be with a white man, you’ve limited the number of children he can have.”

  Woape’s face flushed with anger, but she resisted the urge to defend herself. What was the point? Some people in the tribe would think what they wanted, and not everyone approved of her marriage to Gary, just as they didn’t agree with Chogan’s decision to marry Julia.

  “Chogan had a right to marry whoever he wanted,” Woape finally said when she could trust herself not to say something rude. “You should find another man to have babies with.”

  “Citlali promised Chogan to me!”

  “But Chogan didn’t make that promise. Citlali has no right to promise Chogan to anyone. Chogan is a grown man. He makes his own decisions.”

  “Citlali is the second chief. He has authority.”

  “Citlali has no authority over the heart.”

  “You only oppose my being with Chogan because Gary’s your husband, and Julia is his sister. You aren’t looking at this from the perspective of what’s right for the tribe.”

  Realizing this angle wasn’t working, Woape decided on another tactic. “Chogan is married to Julia, and he won’t take another wife. Why not let things go?”

  “She may not always be his wife.”

  She narrowed her eyes at Sarita. “What do you mean by that?”

  Sarita shrugged, though there was a hint of sinful pleasure in the slight smile she offered. “Julia may not always be here. We might wake up one day and find her gone. Maybe she won’t want to stay here.”

  “Is that your plan? To make her so miserable she’ll leave?”

  Her face darkened. “I’m saying she ran off before when she saw the Okipe Ceremony. Our ways are not hers. She left Chogan before. She could very well do it again.”

  “But she wasn’t married to him last time.”

  “If she leaves his lodge, the marriage will be over. That’s according to our customs.”

  “I don’t like the fact that you’re eager to dissolve a marriage,” Woape said, glaring at the woman who stood within a foot of her. It’d be easy to slap her for suggesting a divorce. But she managed to keep her hands at her sides. “You think if Julia leaves, Chogan will marry you. You’re wrong. I’ve seen the way he and Julia are together. She won’t ever leave him, and he’ll die before he takes another wife. I suggest you find better things to do with your time than pine for a man you’ll never have.”

  Sarita crossed her arms, her gaze unwavering despite Woape’s best effort to stare her down. “We’ll see about that, won’t we?”

  Woape’s jaw clenched. So talking to Sarita was a lost cause. The woman was incapable of reason. “Perhaps you should marry Citlali. You two would be well-matched.”

  “And have you bothering me about how he’s promised to Onawa? I think this conversation is enough.”

  With a shake of her head, Woape gave up and stomped off. So getting rid of Sarita wasn’t going to be that easy. She hoped Julia would be strong enough to withstand whatever was to come.

  ***

  Ernest poured himself a glass of red wine and turned to the fire crackling in his fireplace. He took a sip as he stared at the flames dancing in front of him. Images flashed through his mind. Blond hair. A woman’s smile. Laughter.

  I could have given her so much…if only she’d done as I said.

  The knocking at the front door caught his attention, and once again, he was in the present. He took another sip of the wine before he turned to walk to the door. When he opened it, he took in the sight of Noah as he brushed the snow off his shoulders.

  “Don’t get any snow in my house,” Ernest ordered, motioning to the man’s boots.

  Noah stomped his feet and then entered the house. He loosened the scarf which covered a good portion of his face, revealing cheeks and nose red from being out in the cold air for most of the day.

  Ernest shut the door and returned to the parlor. Noah removed his boots and set them neatly on the rug by the door. Ernest caught the slight tremble in Noah’s hands and knew it wasn’t from the cold. Good. As long as Noah understood who was in charge, it’d all go according to plan.

  Noah stepped forward, his movements hesitant.

  Ernest turned his attention back to the fire and asked, “Did you learn anything of interest?”’

  “Julia’s at the Mandan tribe, Mr. Freeman.”

  Ernest gritted his teeth. She’d been there since the beginning of January, and it was already the end of March. He thought for sure living like an animal would offend her delicate sensibilities. But no. She was still married to the savage. He forced another sip of wine, not wishing Noah to pick up on his aggravation.

  “There’s something else,” Noah continued, his voice wavering.

  Keeping his eyes on the flames, he lowered the wine glass, aware his grip was too tight. Once again, he caught snippets of the blond woman and cursed her stupidity. After a long uneasy moment passed, Ernest asked, “What else did you learn?”

  “Well…ah…”

  “Get on with it!”

  “Yes. Um, it seems that Julia has found herself to…well…to be in the family way.”

  Ernest’s hand clenched and the wine glass broke. Shards of glass fell to the floor and wine stained his suit. She was with child? She had a savage little beast growing in
her womb? He closed his eyes and focused on taking deep breaths. It wouldn’t be good for Noah to see how much this news affected him.

  “That is all,” Noah softly added as he inched toward his boots by the door.

  Motherhood would tie Julia to that animal for the rest of her life. Any hopes Ernest had that she would come running back to Bismarck dissipated.

  As Noah hastily slipped into his boots, he added, “The person I talked to wants to see Julia leave the tribe as much as you do. Perhaps all hope is not lost?”

  Still clenching his hand around the broken glass, Ernest took a strange comfort in the pain that dug into the palm of his hand. The cuts provided a much needed release for his well-controlled anger.

  “You’re right. All is not lost,” Ernest calmly stated, opening his eyes and staring, once again, into the fire. “We just have to modify our plans. There’s more than one way to accomplish any given task.” Sure, some ways were easier than others, but this was not a lost cause.

  Noah turned to the door and opened it.

  “You will find your payment in an unmarked envelope tomorrow morning taped inside the post box by the post office. Be discreet and go before the post office opens.”

  “Yes, Mr. Freeman.” Noah quickly left and shut the door behind him.

  Ernest took a deep breath and opened his hand. Blood trickled from his palm and down to the floor, mixing quite nicely with the wine. It wasn’t the first time he spilled blood, and thanks to this unpleasant turn of events, it wouldn’t be the last.

  ~~********~~

  Chapter 27

  Julia pulled the coyote fur tighter around her shoulders as she and Chogan walked down the street in Bismarck in early May. He carried the carpet bag which held enough of their things for the weekend visit with Erin. Julia couldn’t wait to see her aunt. Though Chogan’s family had welcomed her and made her feel at home in their lodge, she missed her aunt. There was a connection she and her aunt shared that no one else could ever replace.

  As the train station slipped from view, Julia glanced up at Chogan and saw him look over his shoulder. Though he didn’t say anything, she sensed his unease.

  “Chogan, is something wrong?” she asked.

  He directed his attention back to her. “Ernest doesn’t live along this way, does he?”

  “No. He’s further down that way.” She motioned to the road up ahead. “We won’t go near his house.”

  “Good.”

  She slipped her hand around the crook of his arm and smiled. “Thank you for taking me to see my aunt. I can’t wait to tell her about the baby!”

  “You didn’t tell her in a letter?”

  “I wanted to tell her in person.”

  “It’s been a long time since you’ve seen her.”

  “Yes. It almost seems like a lifetime.”

  He returned her smile and said, “Then it’s good we’re here.”

  They turned onto the corner of the street where her aunt lived. When they had lived here, she’d been oblivious to most of the looks people gave them. Now she couldn’t help but be aware of the uneasy glances they threw her and Chogan’s way. As a couple of women passed by, one whispered to her friend who looked at them and giggled. Julia glared at them. They quickly looked away and hurried off down the street.

  Chogan chuckled. “I think you scare people more than I do.”

  Turning her attention back to him, she laughed. “Oh, I do not!”

  “You terrified those poor women.”

  “Poor women?” She shook her head. “There was nothing poor about them. They were laughing at us.”

  “I bet they’ll think twice before doing that next time they cross our path.”

  She sighed. “I suppose I can’t help what others think when they see us together.”

  “As long as I’m with you, I don’t care.”

  Sometimes she envied his ability to ignore other people when they stared at him. If she could only manage that trick when Sarita insisted on watching her. For the past month, it seemed wherever she went in the tribe, Sarita wasn’t too far off—just watching her. It was positively spooky, and Julia had no idea what she should do about it. When she tried to confront Sarita, the woman ran off like a scared little rabbit.

  She focused on walking forward. This was a weekend where she and Chogan could relax and enjoy their time with her aunt. She wouldn’t let Sarita, or anyone else, ruin it for her.

  “I see your aunt has her house for sale,” Chogan said.

  She spotted the sign in her aunt’s small yard. “I hope it sells soon.”

  “Me too.”

  They strolled up the walkway and up the porch steps. He set the carpet bag down and knocked on the door. Leaning down, he whispered, “Remember the morning we married?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “I couldn’t wait to be alone with you.”

  “You were alone with me. Everyone was asleep.”

  “I meant in bed.”

  His meaning dawned on her and she blushed.

  The front door opened and her aunt ran to hug her. “Julia! It’s so good to see you.”

  Julia embraced her. “I missed you.”

  After a long moment, Erin released her and turned to Chogan. “It’s good to see you too.” She hugged him as well. “Thank you for coming.”

  “Why wouldn’t we?” Julia asked as Erin stepped back.

  “No reason, I suppose,” her aunt replied with a wry grin. “It’s lonely here, in this big place all by myself. I’ll be glad when I can go to the tribe.”

  “Have you had anyone inquire about this house yet?” Julia asked as she followed her aunt into the house.

  “One person, but I don’t think it’ll suit him.”

  “Why not?”

  Erin shrugged. “A feeling.”

  “But you’ve had no others come by?” Julia pressed as Chogan entered the house and closed the door behind him.

  “I’ve only had it up for sale for a month,” her aunt replied. “You need to be patient.” She glanced at Chogan. “Is she like this with you?”

  He grinned at Julia. “She is full of fire. The fire is nice.”

  Erin sighed but her lips were turned up in amusement. “Gary didn’t care much for that fire.”

  “Gary is weak,” Chogan said. “Woape is good for him.”

  “Now, Chogan,” Julia began in a teasing tone, “Woape is a lovely person. I’m sure she sees something in Gary we don’t.”

  Erin laughed. “I never thought I’d hear the day you paid Woape such a high compliment.”

  “They are good friends,” Chogan said. “They see each other all the time. I have to take Julia hunting to get time alone with her.”

  “It’s not that bad,” Julia replied.

  He playfully rolled his eyes. “If you say so.”

  “You two make a good couple,” Erin said. Clapping her hands, she motioned to the parlor. “Come on in and sit. I made cake and coffee. We’ll have supper soon.”

  Julia took off the coyote fur, and Erin stopped her before she draped it on the coat tree by the door.

  “What is this?” Erin asked.

  “It’s lovely, isn’t it?” Julia handed it to her so she could look at it. “Chogan hunted a coyote and gave me the fur for a shawl. It’s my first authentic Mandan item of clothing.”

  Erin ran her hand over the design. “You painted symbols and sewed beads into it?”

  “Well, his grandmother helped, but I told her what I wanted and handed her the beads and paints.”

  Her aunt laughed. “You never were artistically inclined.”

  Julia shot Chogan a wry grin. “I told you that’s what she’d say.”

  “Now, you came up with the ideas.” Erin frowned and asked, “What do these symbols mean?”

  “The beaded diamond is Chogan, the bow and arrows are the summer we fell in love, and the young wolf is our first child. I’ll add more wolves when we have more children.”

  “A child?”
Her eyes lit up as she clutched the fur to her chest. “Julia, does this mean you’re in the family way?”

  “Yes. The baby will be born in November!”

  Erin shrieked and hugged her. “This is wonderful news! Why didn’t you tell me in your letter?”

  “Because I wanted to see your face.”

  “Well, wait until we tell Millicent! She’s engaged, you know.” Erin looked at Chogan. “I hope she told you more than she told me.”

  Julia shook her head and smiled. “Now, that’s not fair. I intended to surprise you.”

  She patted Julia’s hand. “And it’s the best surprise I could ask for.” She waved them to the parlor. “You’ve had a long journey, and I’d be a rude hostess if I didn’t see to your needs.”

  Nodding, Julia set the fur on the coat tree and joined Chogan in the parlor where they sat on the sofa. She scooted closer to him so that their thighs touched.

  While her aunt poured the coffee, Chogan whispered, “Do you wish for your aunt to sit on this sofa too?”

  By his tone, she recognized his teasing. “I like being close to my husband. Is that a crime?” she softly asked, batting her eyelashes at him.

  Before he could respond, Erin handed them their cups and smiled at them. “You two make a gorgeous couple.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” Julia said, winking at Chogan who chuckled and brought the cup to his lips. “Aunt Erin, will we get to meet Millicent’s beau while we’re here?”

  “Yes. They’ll come for supper tomorrow.”

  “It’ll be good to see her again. Sometimes I miss her.”

  “She won’t be living in Bismarck after they marry. His job is in Fargo, so she will go there with him.”

  “Really?” Julia took a sip of the warm coffee. “What kind of job does he have?”

  “I don’t know. She said she wasn’t at liberty to say at the moment.” Erin picked up her cup and sat in the chair across from them. “I’m curious to find out, but it’s not my place to interfere.”