By the time they got off the train in Boston, Belle was exhausted and feeling a bit sick after two weeks of travel. They looked around for her aunt and Harold Hobbs, who had sworn they would come to collect them. Geordie finally noticed their carriage, with a wagon tied up beside it, and moved over to start filling the wagon.
“Thank you for coming. I wouldn’t have troubled you except we brought a lot of stuff. Hello, Harold.”
“Harold has been a gem,” Mary said, as the man got down and hurried over to help Geordie, James, and Robbie fill the wagon while Belle got into the carriage and sat across from her aunt. “He contacted Iain’s lawyer for little Morgan. Harold has written to him several times since then. So, how is marriage treating you?”
“Very nicely, thank you. It appears marriage is doing you some good as well,” Belle said, staring at the gold band on her aunt’s finger. “I just cannot see the man, nice as he is, sweeping you off your feet.”
“Oh, he didn’t do that. I am far past that sort of nonsense. Had the luck to find that once. This time I was lucky enough to find I had a good man even though the stars in my eyes are dim. As we looked for which papers would be helpful, I guess he rather grew on me.
“So quiet and intelligent. Soft-spoken, yet never condescending to me, even when he was trying to explain something, and I think you know how difficult that can be. But I think the moment of awakening came when he carefully listed every person, alive or to be born, that Bennet would have to be rid of to get even a small piece of your land.
“Yet, I think what really shut Bennet up was that Harold pointed out everything in that will that allows us to help Bennet keep his own farm solvent and healthy, which I think was a load of what makes the grass grow green, but Bennet liked the sound of it. Just hope he doesn’t think on it too much.” She smiled when Belle started to laugh.
“I had never thought to look at that angle of things,” Belle said. “Might have stopped a few of the confrontations.”
“I doubt it would have helped. Bennet is a man who will only heed what another man says. I also think the old fool enjoyed those fights, up until Will got shot.”
“Really? I thought he was getting very serious about them. He did start bringing his gun.”
“Good point. Started to believe his grievances were real, I guess.”
The door to the carriage opened and Geordie lifted Abel in and then Morgan. “We got the baggage loaded. These two want to ride inside with you ladies. Get yourselves tucked in safely and we will head out.”
While her aunt chatted with Abel, Belle quietly touched Morgan’s doll and asked, “How did your father get this money, Morgan?”
“It was from some men who tried to kill him in the war. He got them instead. When he looked through their things, because he told me soldiers always try to take what might help them, he found the chest. He figured they had stolen it from someone or robbed some shipment and now it could be a nice inheritance for me and Mama. I put as much as I could into my doll when the men came and killed my mother and Nana because my father had wanted us to have it.”
Belle decided that was all she really needed to know. It was sad Morgan’s father had not realized that there had obviously been a larger group who had known about the coins, ones who could bring trouble to the family he had thought to help. She would help Morgan find a safe hiding place for it.
“Where is the ocean, Geordie?” asked Morgan.
“Just keep a watch out on your right and ye will see it soon.” He set a basket of food on the seat, then stepped back and shut the door.
“Auntie, I was hoping you would bring Thor. I have missed him,” said Abel, “although Mrs. O’Neal had pups and the Powells had herd dogs for their sheep.”
“That was good of them. They let you play with them?”
“It was nice. They said I might as well play with the herd dogs, because their wives do and they spoil them. That started an argument, so I went and played with the dogs. Could not understand most of what the adults were saying anyway.”
Belle leaned toward her aunt and said, “I suspect the Powells were speaking a lot of Welsh and their wives were using a lot of Native words. It was actually very fascinating to listen to, even if it was confusing.”
Mary laughed and reached out to nudge Abel. “Thor will be pleased to see you, Abel. I do believe the fool dog has been pining for you. I really couldn’t bring him because it wouldn’t leave enough room for all of you and your baggage.”
Abel nodded and then grinned. “He is a bit of a big dog. Loki and Odin are all right, aren’t they?”
“They are fine. Loki does sulk and Odin has only begun to sleep with Harold and me. He sleeps down at the end of the bed and, fortunately, chose Harold to get up and take him out for air early in the morning. I kept waiting for you to ask for them to be sent to you.”
“They never would have mixed with the herd dogs, or the few cats not left to go feral. And Loki would have been left out a lot of the time, I fear. The men treat cats much like they treat the dogs. A select few are cared for and watched over by the wives. Some of the outdoor cats have been lost to the coyotes and wolves. If we had stayed longer I would have collected a few.”
“Ah. Probably for the best that you didn’t take them on. Loki is feeling very protective now that she has kittens to raise.”
“What makes you say that? And why are you calling him ashe?”
“I believe it was when she had the kittens that I started doing that.”
Belle stared at her aunt. “But . . . but . . . she never went into heat. And we looked her over carefully.”
“I know. Young Will was most surprised. Sadly, he said he doubted she would have any more, as it was a very difficult birth. Not something one expects with a cat. But she had four of them, and they are lovely.”
