Morning Song looked at Sarah sadly. “I did not know Miss Sarah does not like our people.” She turned and walked stiffly back toward the Indian encampment.
Sarah’s heart sank as she followed the girl’s erect figure. What had she done? And how was she going to fix it?
SEVEN
Smiling officers were decked out in their dress uniforms, their brass buttons and black boots shining. When Sarah arrived to the dance, she and Amelia were claimed for dances immediately. As an awkward lieutenant whirled her around the dance floor, Sarah found her gaze straying to Rand’s dark head in the throng. He was so tall, he was easy to spot. His chin rested on Jessica’s gleaming red head, and she was snuggled close to him. Sarah dragged her eyes away and forced herself to make polite conversation with poor Lieutenant Richards.
The evening became a blur as one officer after another claimed her for a dance. Would Rand ask her to dance? Such a foolish hope. Jessica wouldn’t allow him out of her sight, she was sure. She danced twice with Isaac, Rand’s bunky, then whirled on to the next soldier.
When there were only two more dances left, Jessica’s father insisted on a dance with his daughter. Rand glanced Sarah’s way, then made his way determinedly through the throng.
“Are you promised for this dance?” His voice was too polite.
“Not really. I don’t think Joel will mind if he doesn’t have to dance. I told him he had to dance with me so he could begin to learn. But his lesson will wait.” She slid into his arms, and he guided her onto the floor.
She eyed his tense face. “You were right.”
“About what?”
“Ah-ho-appa wants to marry a soldier and live in a home like mine. When I objected, she and Morning Song both thought I didn’t think they were good enough to marry a white.”
He nodded. “I’d heard Ah-ho-appa refused her father’s choice for her. But don’t beat yourself up over it. It may have happened anyway. There are a lot of Indian women who jump at the chance to take a soldier. And their families are well paid for them.”
“That’s awful!”
“I know, but it’s the way things are out here. A woman doesn’t have much value. Although as pretty as your friends are, they’ll probably fetch a high price.” His mouth twisted with distaste. “That will be a strong incentive to their fathers.”
“Isn’t there anything we can do?” Sarah couldn’t stand the thought of her young friends sinking into that kind of life.
“Not really. Just be a friend to them. It’s probably too late to do anything else.”
The dance ended, and Rand escorted her to her chair. He stared down at her with a curious look on his face. It seemed almost tender. He opened his mouth but was interrupted by Jessica’s arrival.
“There you are, darling,” she cooed. “Be a dear and fetch me some punch.”
“Of course. Would you care for some, Sarah?”
“No, thank you.” She tensed as he walked away.
As soon as he was out of earshot, Jessica turned to her furiously. “Just what do you think you’re going to accomplish by staying here? Why don’t you just go home?”
Sarah forced a smile. “Jessica, we’re just friends. And I’d like to be your friend too.”
Confusion spread over Jessica’s face, and she shook her head. “I have all the friends I need.”
What more was there to say? “Very well.”
Isaac Liddle approached the two women. “There’s only one dance left.” He extended his arm to Sarah. “May I?”
Rand was heading back, and the last thing she wanted was to be a hanger-on. She put her hand on his arm. “I’d be delighted.”
He grinned down at her. “I know this might sound abrupt, Miss Sarah, but I figured I might as well throw my hat in the ring. With your permission, I’d really like to call on you.”
Sarah hid her surprise. She’d seen Isaac hovering close over the past few weeks, but she had thought he was just being kind because he knew how hurt she’d been. “I don’t know, Isaac. You’re a good friend, and I’d hate to ruin our friendship.”
“How could we ruin it? We could become even better friends.”
Sarah was tempted. Isaac was a good Christian man and she had a lot of respect for him. “All right. But I can’t make any promises.”
He nodded. “I understand. Let’s just get to know each other better and take it from there.”
The next morning, Ah-ho-appa was absent from school, and Morning Song refused to even look at Sarah. Sarah’s heart ached as she saw the stiffness in her friend’s demeanor. Everything seemed such a hopeless tangle.
“Don’t go, Morning Song,” she said as the Indian girl stood to go home. “I want to talk to you.”
The girl almost seemed like her old self as she nodded and motioned her brother to go on without her.
“You seem to be avoiding me. I can’t stand for you to be upset with me. Won’t you please forgive me if I hurt you when we talked last? I really didn’t mean I didn’t think you were good enough for a soldier. Any man would be very lucky to marry you or Ah-ho-appa.”
“I was very angry, but no more. I know you not wish to hurt me. And I have new friend.”
Sarah’s heart sank at the glow on the girl’s lovely face. “A man?”
The girl nodded. “He is very handsome. Very light hair with eyes like a stormy sky.”
Sarah tried to think of a soldier who fit that description, but she couldn’t think of who it might be. “What’s his name?”
“He is the new fur trader. Ben Croftner.” Morning Song smiled a secret smile as she said his name.
Sarah stepped back as from a blow. “Oh, Morning Song. Not Ben. He’s a very wicked, evil man.” She caught the girl’s arm. “Please, please stay away from him!”
Morning Song shook her hand off. “He told me you will say this. But he loves me. He is a good man. He offered my father five horses for me. We will marry tomorrow.”
“Please, Morning Song. I beg you. Don’t do this. It isn’t a legal marriage. Ben won’t stay with you.”
The girl just gave her an angry stare and stalked off. “I thought my friend be happy for me, but I was wrong,” she called back over her shoulder. “You are my friend no more.”
Sarah clasped her hands and paced the floor. What could she do? She couldn’t just stand back and let Morning Song make a mistake like that. She caught up her cloak and hurried to the door. There just might be one hope.
She had borrowed a horse from the stables and found the trail leading to the trading post across the river. Isaac was crossing the parade ground, so she had asked him to escort her. He commandeered a private, and the two soldiers rode with her across the river.
The trading post was almost deserted when she arrived. A few Sioux hunkered around a fire in the front and looked up as they rode into the yard.
She slid off her horse and handed her reins to Isaac. “Wait for me here if you would.”
He frowned. “I’m not sure you should go in alone.”
“I’ll be fine. He knows you’re out here.”
Labe was just coming out the door as she approached the building. “Sarah! What are you doing here?”
“I’d hoped you hadn’t followed Ben out here, Labe. I need to see him. Is he here?”
He nodded. “He’s in his office. I’ll show you.” He opened the door and led her across the dirt floor to a battered door. He rapped on it once, then swung it open for her.
Ben looked up when he heard the door open. “Sarah?” He rose to his feet eagerly, but his smile faded. His expres
sion masked, he motioned for her to sit on the crate across from his crude table. “To what do I owe the honor of this call?”
“I want you to leave Morning Song alone.” She didn’t have time for any pleasantries, even if she was inclined to offer them, which she wasn’t. “We both know you don’t really care about her. She’s too sweet for you to ruin.”
He stroked his chin. “She’ll be a lovely addition to my home, don’t you think? And Indian women really know how to treat a man. I just don’t see how I can agree with your request.”
“Please, Ben. Don’t do this.” She leaned forward. “I can’t bear to see her hurt.”
“You’re begging now, are you? Well, I might agree under one condition.” He smiled gently. “You could take her place.”
Sarah flushed. She should have known he’d suggest something like this. “You know how I feel about you.”
He stood and thrust his hands into his pockets. “You’re just angry, and I’m not saying you don’t have a right to be. But anything I did was only because I loved you. And you haven’t had any luck with Rand, now have you?”
“Maybe not, but I couldn’t marry a man I couldn’t trust.” Sarah stood. There was no more to say. She loved Morning Song, but it was out of her hands.
“Then the wedding proceeds tomorrow as planned.”
“You know it’s not a real wedding! You’ll just send her back to her family when you’re tired of her.”
Ben sneered. “She’s just a savage, Sarah. That’s all Indian women are good for.”
“She’s sweet and good. You’ll take that and destroy it!”
“My, my, you do have an exalted opinion of me, don’t you? Well, you just run on back to your precious Rand and let me take care of my own affairs. But don’t think this is the last of our discussion.” He caught her by the wrist and pulled her into a tight embrace. She fought to get away, but he pulled her closer and tipped her chin up. “I mean to have you, Sarah. One way or the other. Things will never be over between us.”
When he released her, she dashed for the door. Isaac had dismounted. His gaze searched hers, and his lips tightened. “Did he hurt you?”
Her eyes burned, but she shook her head. “Let’s go home.”
The next day Sarah watched the parade ground from the window as Ben arrived with five horses to take possession of his bride. In a beautifully beaded dress bleached to a pale yellow, Morning Song was seated on a horse almost the color of her dress. Her unbound hair, rippling past her waist, gleamed in the weak sunshine as she followed her new husband out of the fort. Sarah wept as she saw her friend’s glowing face look back one last time.
The next day the weather made one of its drastic changes. The temperature plummeted, and the wind picked up. Then the blizzard Rooster had predicted struck in all its fury. The wind howled and blew snow through cracks around the windows. They all had to fight to keep the fires going in the fireplace. Jacob finally gave up the fight in the bedroom and dragged the bed and their belongings out into the kitchen.
They hung blankets over the doorway into the hall to try to block the flow of cold air. By the time the storm had vented its full fury, there were drifts of snow over the windows. Jacob opened the door only to be met with a column of snow completely covering the opening. They were effectively buried until the enlisted men dug them out. Sarah spent the day making loaves of bread while Amelia worked on a quilt. It was evening before they heard the scraping of shovels and friendly hellos from outside the door.
Sarah stood beside Jacob as he opened the door and two half-frozen men stumbled inside, their faces, beards, hair, and clothing all packed with snow.
“Glad to see you all are all right,” the youngest private sputtered as he complied with Sarah’s urging and took off his coat before staggering toward the fire. “The colonel said to tell you to stay inside tonight. We got a path dug out pert near all around the post so we can get from building to building. And the wood detail will be here with a load soon.”
Amelia poured them all a cup of hot coffee and offered them bread and jam, which they accepted with alacrity. “Much obliged, ma’am.” The young private got to his feet when the last crumb of bread was devoured. “We best be heading back to check with the colonel.”
They saw their deliverers to the door and peered out the narrow path left by their busy shovels. “It looks like a maze,” Sarah said, unable to believe what she saw. The snow towered over twelve feet in many places. The narrow path trailed down the steps and around the corner toward Old Bedlam.
Jacob saw her shivering and shut the door. “You girls had better stay in until the weather breaks. Feels like it’s at least twenty below. Exposed skin freezes in seconds in this kind of temperature.”
The weather didn’t break for days. There would be a couple of days of bright sunshine, but the temperatures were way below zero, and the wind howled and blew the snow into ever-changing drifts. Those days would be followed by more snow and yet more snow. Sarah and Amelia took to pacing around the tiny quarters when Jacob and Rand were gone on duty. Jacob was sent out on telegraph duty several times, he was officer of the day three times, and he took his turn guarding the cattle and horse herds. They all tried to keep busy. Sarah played endless games of checkers with Joel and Amelia while Jacob and Rand saw to their duties.
Mail hadn’t been able to get through either. Sarah longed for news from home. Surely Rachel had delivered the baby by now.
Jacob kept them informed of the goings-on at the post. Big Ribs had returned with the Corn band of Brulé ready to make peace. Then Man-Afraid-of-His-Horses trudged in with his band of Oglala. The winter had been hard on all of them.
Sarah was forced to discontinue the lessons with the Indian children. The weather was too cold for the little ones to be out, but she intended to start again in the spring. Her thoughts turned often to Morning Song. How was Ben treating her? She continued her lessons with Joel, in spite of his protests. But no amount of activity could distract her long from her worry about her friend.
EIGHT
The weather finally broke and with its usual capriciousness turned unseasonably balmy. Sarah slid a plate of eggs in front of Jacob. “I heard you tell Amelia you were going to the trading post today. Could I come along? I want to visit Morning Song.”
He hesitated, then nodded. “I’ll have to take a couple more men along for protection. Make sure you dress warm.”
She hurried to do his bidding. About an hour later, she hurried across the open parade ground toward the stable. Jacob and Isaac, along with five other soldiers, were waiting with a mount for her, and they set off for the Indian encampment around the trading post.
The little settlement was full of Indians and trappers when they arrived. Sioux women stood around smoky fires patiently, but Sarah didn’t see her friend. Isaac pointed out Ben’s cabin, set off in a grove of trees by itself.
“I’ll keep Ben busy,” he promised.
Sarah dismounted and hurried toward the cabin. No one answered her first knock, so she rapped harder. Finally the door opened, and Morning Song peered around the door.
“Sarah,” she gasped. She started to shut the door, but Sarah saw the marks on her face and pushed her way in.
“Oh, Morning Song,” was all she could say for a moment. The young woman’s face was marred by ugly purple and yellow bruises. One eye was swollen almost shut, and her lips were split and puffy. Morning Song cried softly as Sarah took her in her arms.
Morning Song pulled away and wiped at her eyes gingerly with the hem of her apron. “Do not look at me.”
Sarah brushed the hair out of her friend’s face. “Why have you stayed? Didn’t you know I would take you in?”
Morning Song lifted her hands, palms upward. “Ben is always watching me. He says if I leave, he will make me sorry. He says he will hurt you.”
Sarah gathered the young woman back into her arms. “Don’t you worry about Ben. He can’t hurt me. The blue coats won’t let him.” She released her. “Get your buffalo robe and any possessions you want. You’re coming with me.”
When Morning Song was ready, Sarah opened the door cautiously and looked around. No one seemed to be paying any attention to the little cabin. “You stay in the trees. We’ll meet you just over the knoll.”
Morning Song nodded and slipped away soundlessly. Sarah hurried along the path and quickly mounted her horse. She told one of the soldiers to wait for Jacob while she took the others and started for home. Her heart pounded. If Ben looked out and saw her, he’d know for sure that something was up. She looked back as she rounded the bend. There was no hue and cry, so she began to breathe easier.
When she crested the knoll, she heard a scuffle and a cry to her right. “Morning Song,” she called.
She urged her horse through the frozen brush with the soldiers following her. As she crashed through the thicket, she saw Morning Song struggling with a man. “Let go of her, Labe.”
He looked up, his eyes startled. “Ben will have my hide,” he whined. “I’m s’posed to see she doesn’t get away. It’s nothing to you, Sarah.”
“Look at her, Labe. Go on. Look at her. Do you honestly think Ben has a right to beat her like that?”
Labe glanced at the Indian girl’s battered face and dropped his eyes. “You know how Ben can be.”
“I know. Now let go of her.”
Labe’s hand fell away, and Morning Song picked up her bundle and scurried toward Sarah. Sarah reached out a hand and helped her swing up on the back of her horse.