The woman looked at Abel and smiled. “Good lad. Protecting her, are you? But, not to worry, I am a nurse.”
“Belle is a nurse, too. She says I can’t saydoctoringabout what she does because it will hurt the feelings of the ones who get the piece of paper.”
“Hush, Abel. Can I do something for you, ma’am?”
Her eyes widened when the woman leaned very close and whispered, “Are you with child?”
“I do not believe so,” she replied equally softly, shaking her head a little.
“Just wondering. Extreme exhaustion can be a sign.”
“Thank you. I will keep that in mind.”
The woman hurried back to her seat and Belle could see no sign that anyone else had overheard their whispered conversation. Geordie was about to get in the seat when Morgan tugged on the sleeve of her dress. Belle turned to face the girl and worried over how pale the child was.
“What is wrong, Morgan?”
“Are you feeling better now?”
“I am. It was just all that smoke from the train, but that is something I can somewhat protect myself from.” She brushed a few strands of hair off the girl’s face. “Now we should get ourselves settled. Geordie might be getting tired of waiting for his seat.”
“And the train is soon to pull out, and I would appreciate being able to be seated for that,” Geordie said.
He slid along the back of the seat in front of them until he reached the window seat. Abel sat next to him and Morgan sat next to Belle. Morgan slipped her arm around Belle’s and kept a hold on her until she fell asleep. What had happened to her mother had obviously scared the child, Belle thought. She would have to take more care with herself. She had thought violence would be what the child was worried about, but it appeared it was any hint of weakness or illness in the woman who took care of her that frightened the child.
It was somewhat dark, and that, along with the regular rhythm of the train, soon put her to sleep. Belle had tried to fight it but then wondered why she bothered. If nothing else, it would make the trip go quickly.
Geordie looked down the row at Belle, who was asleep again. It did not look like the last sleep she had taken, which had definitely appeared wrong, looking more like she had passed out or, at times, was even slipping into a coma. He wondered what Belle and the woman who said she was a nurse had whispered about.
He knew one thing that could make a woman go to sleep fast and hard. He had caught Emily and Abbie in that state several times. Once Emily had been out cold on the floor, with her nephew and baby curled up with her, and he was sure she had not been fully aware that they were there. There was certainly a chance he had gotten Belle pregnant, but the shake of her head when the woman had whispered to her left him with doubts. He gave up worrying about it. When she knew she would let him know. Looking around and seeing how many people had gone to sleep, including Robbie and James, he decided he might as well join them. At the next stop, they would switch to traveling by wagon. They were close enough to his home to drive a wagon there, and he wanted Belle to get a good view of his home and the land around it.
Geordie closed his eyes, and it surprised him to see the beach in front of her house. Maybe, in his heart, he had already made his choice. It was not one his family would be happy with, and he was sad about that. Yet the thought of sitting on the front porch and listening to the music of the waves did make him happy. There was the storm season to consider, but her home was at a distance from the water. And he liked her family. Plus now, with the many trains starting to cross the country, coming home for a visit or having his family come visit him was not such a great concern. He decided that no matter where Belle wanted to stay, he could be content.
* * *
As he stepped down from the train, Geordie squinted against the sun. It was going to be a hot day and he was glad to be off the train. He just hoped Belle did not mind riding in a wagon. With James, he went to rent one. Once James started negotiating the price, he went to get their horses off the train.
While James and he hitched up the horses and spread blankets on the wagon bed, Robbie went and got them what few supplies they would need.
Robbie came to pack the supplies in the wagon and then went to collect Belle and the children. Abel leapt up into the wagon, then helped Morgan get up into it. Geordie went to lift Belle up into the wagon and she immediately set to dividing up the blankets and camp pillows Robbie had found, after giving each one a careful sniff. By the time James got into the driver’s seat, she and the kids were settled comfortably and a spot awaited Robbie for when he decided he had used his leg enough for now. Robbie and Geordie mounted their horses, tied James’s to the back of the wagon and started toward home.
Belle watched the countryside go by as the wagon rolled along the road. There were occasional glimpses of wildlife, such as a deer leaping through trees after being startled from its feeding, or a hawk swooping down and then rising with its prey in its beak. She had the feeling there were a lot more watching them from the woods. There was a wilder feel, more untamed, to the woods they wound through than she was accustomed to.
She liked to look at the wild landscape, but was not sure she could live in it. Belle did not like a crowd of people around every corner, but the emptiness here bothered her. It was like an itch under the skin. The town was a nice distance away, which suited her, but there were no small villages either.
When the people living here needed something they could not grow, mill, or make, they had to travel a long way to get it. A long way through the empty, dark woods. Belle could not see herself dragging her little wagon off for several miles through the dark woods and then heading calmly back. She used to get nervous when she did it at home, where it was much more civilized. There was a lot she needed to learn about this area before she made any decisions.
They turned onto a road that was wider, better tended, and with less impenetrable forest surrounding it. In the distance she could see beautifully green, rolling fields neatly fenced in and dotted with a lot of what she assumed were sheep. Next they started past a house tucked off to the side, surrounded by rocks and gardens. There were a lot of children and two women sitting in big wooden chairs set beneath a large, healthy shade tree.
Robbie and Geordie yelled out greetings to the women. The redhead leapt to her feet and grabbed hold of two boys who had started running toward their wagon, and did it with a speed and skill that deeply impressed Belle. The woman then brought the boys closer to the wagon, and the other woman, largely pregnant, levered herself out of her chair and carefully drew nearer.
“Feeling all right, Abbie?” asked Geordie. “Think I need to smack Matthew around for ye?”
“That might be an idea,” she said and laughed. “He is up at the house. Tell him to come and get me if he plans to stay up there for a while. Me, Red, and the children.”
“So he will need a wagon. Got it.” He pointed at his companions in the back of the wagon. “This is Mehitabel Ampleford, Abel Ampleford, and Morgan Haggert. Brought them from the oceanside to see the fort.”
After Belle exchanged greetings with the women, James started off toward the main house. They rode up a small rise, and at the top she could see the family home they’d called “the fort.” It was a fitting name. The walls were tall, the wooden posts tightly packed and sharply pointed at the top. The gates, which stood wide open, appeared huge and she had to wonder how easily they could be closed, especially if the men were not at hand. Iain was evidently a man deeply driven to keep his family safe, and had learned two vital lessons: Hold fast to your land, and protect your family.
