His sister, Abigail on no occasion would be allowed to dabble in any kind of trade. For a woman of nobility to get her hands dirty was considered scandalous. “Your father encouraged this activity?”
There was a catch in her voice, a sadness and he presumed it had something to do with her father. Why would Baron Faulkner allow his daughter to perform inferior tasks with common people? And why would he leave his only child a tumbled down shack to live in for the rest of her life?
Juliet plunked down next to a tree, her arms wrapped around her drawn up knees, the hem of her doeskin dress tugged down to cover her shapely ankles and a picture of misery. “Moira wasn’t just my nanny. She had been trained as a midwife in Ireland and later became my mother’s lady’s maid. Because of her special talents, Moira was called upon in the local villages to assist mothers in labor. No one cared what I did with my time. At thirteen summers, I followed her, and she trained me.”
Joshua stretched the thigh Onontio had sliced open, then grimaced. “Still doesn’t answer my question. How did your father allow you to practice the trade?”
When she seemed disinclined to talk, Mary said, “Her father knew nothing of it.”
“Shush, Mary. Not one more word.”
“You will not shush me. It is nigh time you faced the truth concerning your horrid—
Juliet rose, placed her hand over Mary’s mouth. “Not one more word.”
* * *
Juliet’s body ached and her eyes grew blurred staring at the cold hard ground and then at the soft warm fur. Two Eagles and Joshua lay down on the furs, leaving a place in the middle for the women. She didn’t even ask. She tiptoed to the edge and lay down in the center of the furs.
“There is no way I’m going to sleep next to a savage.” Mary stood with her back plastered against a hickory, interrupting the quiet babble of the river as it beat upon a nearby sandbar. “No doubt the heathen’s skill with a knife is celebrated. I’ll never turn my back on him. He’ll cut my heart out and hold it before my eyes, a second before I die.”
Two Eagles glared at her and turned his back.
Joshua gave an exaggerated sigh. “Be my guest, Mistress Mary. Sleep wherever you like. If a wolf carries you off or Onontio secrets you away, it will not disturb my sleep. However, if you wish to be protected you will sleep in between us. Your virtue will be safe. We are both honorable men. Two Eagles has many Indian maidens who vie for his attention. He does not thirst for an unwilling maid.”
Mary lifted her chin. She ripped off shaggy bark from the tree behind her and flung it to the ground. “Indian maidens! I’ll take my chances.”
Two Eagles spoke quickly in his native tongue.
Mary shot daggers at him. “What did he say?”
Joshua punched a fur into a pillow. “He said to be careful of rattlers. They love to cozy up to a warm body at night.”
“Snakes.” She flew to the blanket and cuddled next to Juliet, distancing herself from Two Eagles.
Juliet heard the deep rumble of Joshua’s chuckle as he rose to check the river, she presumed to guarantee they were not followed. She waited until he was out of earshot and whispered to Mary. “You should be more appreciative of what these brave men are offering.”
“He probably lives in one of those silly wigwams that blows over with the first wind.”
Two Eagles grunted.
“The savage can’t even speak English. He simply grunts. Imagine the King’s language denigrated. Nothing near this world is civilized.” She flounced around to get comfortable. “It’s terribly cold.”
Two Eagles settled a fur over the two girls.
“I thought you said he wasn’t civilized,” Juliet said.
Mary sniffed. “He’s quiet and aloof, observing things around him with a detached curiosity as one might observe ants on an anthill struggling to carry off a crumb of bread.”
“I think he watches you.”
The croaking frogs filled the silence.
Mary ran her hands through her hair. “At the very least, I could offer him a friendship yet he has shown not the slightest interest other than to point and growl and order me around. In fact, rarely does he look my way if he can avoid it. But I’ll admit he is quite comely in his savage way. If I were to compare him to an ancient, it would be Alexander the Great, lithe, muscular, graceful.”
Juliet coughed. “You call Two Eagles graceful?”
“Dear Lord, the man moves like a panther. Sneaks up on me and gives my heart a shake. Maybe it is the forbidden nature of a white woman attracted to a savage. I’ve yet to sort it out. Thank God, he doesn’t understand me. Not ever would I fan his vanity with all those Indian maidens chasing him.”
