However, the father has come forward and wishes to take the child and bring her up in his household. His wife is apparently agreeable to this, which surprises me. You may remember him; he is from Greece and has amazingly red hair, which just about proves whose child the girl is as she was born with the same red hair and sallow complexion. He is not a poor man so the girl would be well-cared for and educated.
It is the answer to one problem, and it does not seem that Felicity cares what happens to her daughter. We have even had to employ a nurse to look after the girl as Felicity seems incapable of having any feelings for the child. If it didn’t affect our family so much, I would feel quite sorry for the little girl and I hope that she will be treated well within her father’s family.
Wendell and I are adamant that Felicity must leave our household and it is up to Edward to make the appropriate arrangements. The suggestion at the moment is that she is sent back to her parents and I know if that is the case then it is bound to affect you and Patrick, and I am sorry for that as I know that Benson is the place that you have found great happiness after all your sadness of the past.
I have written to Ada and the colonel and I kept nothing back from them. They even know how badly Felicity treated you and how she tried to take what was yours away from you, finally blaming you for all her ills. I’m surprised she hasn’t blamed you for her affair with the Greek. She has at last stopped trying to speak like you and copy your clothes, so I suppose that is a step in the right direction.
I am very concerned for Wendell; he is not a young man and he has taken the total disruption of our family to heart. Even though Peter and Joseph are no longer at home, they see him every day and are so very supportive of us both. Edward just walks around in a daze at present, but I do believe he has nearly come to a decision. I know that he has written to you and I know that you will do your best to help him.
I obviously don’t know if you have been told anything by the colonel or Ada, but I know that many people confide in you so I would think that you have been aware of the situation for a while now. I also know that Peter has written to you about business, but he did say that he would be mentioning Edward’s difficulties.
You are family to us, Liza, so naturally we would confide in you more so than anyone else. I know you are very fond of the colonel and Ada and I am sure that you will be a great comfort to them as they will probably have need of your kindness. None of this was of their making or ours.
I do miss you so much, Liza, I feel that I just want to put my head on your shoulder and cry. I am so sorry that I am burdening you with these problems, but it does help me a great deal and I know that if you were here you would not begrudge me using you to ease my pain.
I really look forward to hearing from you and I would love to hear all your news from Benson, it would make a pleasant change from all the depression that we are going through at present. Wendell also misses you and sends you his love. He is so sorry that you may be landed with Felicity when you thought you had rid yourself of that problem.
Give our love to Patrick, Matthew and John and extra special love to you.
Your dear friend,
Amelia’
It seemed to be getting more and more obvious that Felicity would be coming to Benson and Liza was not happy at the prospect. At least Patrick would be home before she arrived and the colonel and Ada would make sure that she was kept away from her as much as possible. She would write to Amelia and Edward after she had seen Ada the following day.
Liza felt that she had been busy throughout the day and tiredness was catching up with her, she would have an early night and hoped that Edward’s problems would not keep her awake.
Once again Zelma insisted that Liza stay longer in bed the next morning, although she did not try to make her eat anything but the morning sickness still came with a vengeance. When she felt better, she got ready and waited for Ada to call. She felt sure that it was going to be another day of revelations and of course she would do her best to help in whatever way she could.
When Ada arrived Liza told her that she had heard from Edward, Amelia and Peter, she did not tell her that she had already heard the sorry tale from the colonel, but Ada immediately told her that she knew the colonel had spoken to her.
“Liza, I appreciate you not saying anything; I know you did that so that I could enjoy your welcome home party. I needed the distraction. I really don’t know what to do about Felicity. I’m her mother so I have to take some responsibility for her. Edward seems to have washed his hands of her, and I don’t blame him. The letter I had from Amelia set out exactly how you had been treated whilst you were in Belfast. She also told me that Felicity has been mimicking you and claiming that she is you and that is very strange as she seems to dislike you intensely. When she was a child there were times when she was so very loving to both Eugene and me; she would then turn and would not talk to us for weeks on end. She seemed to grow out of this and finishing school in Boston seemed to change her for the better. Then, of course, Edward came along soon after she returned and she seemed so happy and settled,” said Ada.
It was the first time that Liza had heard the colonel’s Christian name. Even Ada normally referred to him as the colonel. “I don’t know what to say to help you, Ada. I can’t say that I would be happy with Felicity living here but it’s not my decision to make and you must do what you feel is right for her, yourself and the colonel. There were times when I was in her company that I seriously worried about her mental abilities and from what you have said, it seems that her previous problems have returned.”
“I think that she just has a very nasty nature and it has nothing to do with mental problems. I will have to bring her back here, I don’t think I have much of a choice and I’m sorry as I know it would be better for you if she stayed where she was. The Fuller family are breaking apart because of her and I know that you kept your distance from them for some time because of what she said to you, although in many ways that was a good thing as it kept you here longer than you originally had in mind,” said Ada.
“Will she be bringing her daughter here with her?” asked Liza.
“From what I can gather from Amelia, Felicity is ignoring the fact that she has given birth and Edward has had to employ a nurse to look after the child. The father wants to bring the child into his household and his wife has agreed to this, which I find very understanding of her. I’m pleased that the father came forward, although I understand that there was no doubt who the father was, as I heard that she was naming just about every man she has ever met as the father, including Patrick and Lord Edgeworth,” said Ada.
“She was naming Patrick before we left Belfast, but she was also claiming to be me at that time, neither of us took much notice of her but I was surprised that Edward didn’t react though; perhaps he hadn’t heard. He was so delighted when he thought he was going to be a father, I feel so sorry for him,” said Liza. “You do realise, Ada, that my first priority is to help the Fuller family in whatever way I can. I’m afraid I have no allegiance towards Felicity, apart from through you and the colonel,” said Liza.
“I know how you must feel and I do hope that it is not going to affect our relationship. That would upset me very much and I know it would hurt the colonel,” said Ada.
“There is nothing that will upset our relationship; you are a great friend and a staunch defender of me and my family, but I will cross the road if necessary to avoid any confrontation and I hope you will not take that as me avoiding you as it will never be the case. I will not tolerate any insult to me or mine, and I know you would be the same. It could all work out well for everyone and perhaps Felicity can start a new life,” said Liza.
“You really mean Edward and the rest of the Fuller family, don’t you?” said Ada.
“I presume Edward is thinking of divorce. It is against what he believes in, but they were married here in Benson and it wasn’t a Catholic service, so I suppose it will be relatively easy for him. It hasn’t b
een mentioned in any of their letters, however it seems a natural course for them to take,” said Liza.
“I wish there was somewhere that we could go where nobody would know what has happened,” said Ada.
“Ada, you have been in Benson for such a long time now and it is your home. Why would anybody know about what has happened unless you tell them? They won’t hear it from me; I can assure you of that. Marriages break up on occasion, so Felicity could get a great deal of sympathy here. The poor child would have to be kept quiet about as that would make Felicity persona non grata. Would you be able to ensure that Felicity keeps quiet about the reasons behind the breakup of her marriage? Also would you be able to stop her blaming Edward for all her ills? Could you ensure that she says absolutely nothing and keeps a dignified silence?”
“I could try but I would never be able to guarantee anything with her. I know the colonel will try to keep all this quiet not only for my sake but also he has his position to think about. He is in charge of everything at the fort and she could undermine his standing so easily,” said Ada.
“Well, we’ll just have to make sure it doesn’t happen. We’ll have to laugh at whatever silly thing she says and make everything she says appear unbelievable, which is what it will be. People will eventually realise that she is not quite right in the head. I’m sorry to talk like this about your daughter, but we have to look after the colonel, don’t we, Ada,” smiled Liza. “Does Bea know?”
“Yes, she knows everything. She’s seen Amelia’s letter also, and I know the colonel has confided in Captain Graves. They know everything including the fact that there is a child involved,” said Ada.
“That’s good, everyone needs somebody to confide in and Bea and the captain are souls of discretion,” said Liza.
They then went on to more pleasant subjects and ended up discussing Liza’s forthcoming child and how pleased and surprised Patrick would be when he came home. Ada was concerned about Liza’s health saying that she didn’t look too well.
“It’s just morning sickness. It’s not something that I suffered with Matthew. I presume it will pass shortly and then I’ll be able to start enjoying myself again,” said Liza.
***
The next few weeks were passing quickly for everyone except Liza. Her morning sickness had passed and her waist was expanding rapidly, or so she thought, whereas others would say that although she was obviously pregnant, she was not as large as many women at nearly four months. Dr Steele was a little concerned, but realised that not all women carried the same way. She spent a great deal of time with Kathy and Joe; she enjoyed their company and loved seeing all the customers who came into the store. Greg Long had really worked out well for them, which was why they could take time off to entertain her.
She also went to the fort on a regular basis, seeing the doctor every week, and Brigeta and Ben had a daughter in November and Liza visited them also at least every week. Sometimes she called on Ada and Bea before she went to Brigeta’s or the doctors.
Ada had written to Amelia saying that she understood that, because of the circumstances, Felicity had no option but to return to Benson. Perhaps they could arrange for her passage at the safest of times which Ada believed would be in early spring. She enquired about the child and hoped that the solution was a happy one.
Liza wrote to Patrick every day, although she only sent them to him once a week, whether he received them, she did not know. She had received a couple of letters from him where he told her of some of what he had done, but she knew that he was keeping all the dangers from her.
***
Whilst Liza was trying to keep herself occupied, Patrick and Sean had travelled many hundreds of miles and had managed to find several captives. They were mostly recent captives, although Patrick never stopped looking for Kate amongst them. He had sought out Ambrose to help them and Ambrose was always a willing helper for Patrick. Whether it was because he liked Patrick or the fact that he was Liza’s husband, nobody knew, but either way, he smoothed many a path to an Indian’s tepee.
Sean knew that Liza had history with some of the Cherokees, but Patrick had never imparted exactly what connection she’d had, originally because Patrick didn’t know the full extent of Liza’s time with them but latterly because it was Liza’s business and she didn’t want too many people to know that Matthew was considered the chief’s grandson. The few who did know had respected Liza’s need for confidentiality.
Word had reached them that a women captive had been taken to Running Bear’s camp and the time had come for them to attempt a rescue. Patrick made this the last visit of the tour of duty, Sean wondered why he kept putting off going to the camp and why Ambrose agreed each time it was deferred. He questioned Patrick and all he could get from him was ‘there are reasons’. Sean knew that this was where Liza had been for a while but did not know the extent of her captivity.
Sean was amazed by the greeting that Patrick and Ambrose received from those around the chief’s tepee. He was also surprised and a little concerned that they did not take the troops with them but he trusted Patrick and in turn, Ambrose.
Running Bear and the medicine man appeared and greeted Ambrose and then Patrick; it was obvious to Sean that they knew Patrick quite well and he wondered when they had met before to such an extent that they could almost be called friends. Sean was becoming even more confused when he realised that Patrick was being greeted by many with the words ga-no-du. He wished that Patrick had told him what to expect from this meeting and he would have serious words with him later. Also the words i-tse di-ka-ta were used on many occasions in a questioning way. Ambrose was translating quietly to Patrick but before Sean could draw closer to hear what was going on, the half-breed scout that he knew suddenly appeared next to him which startled him.
“You did not know the connection. He did not tell you,” he said. “He is honoured because he is i-tse di-ka-ta’s protector.” And suddenly it all fell into place for Sean and he had a vague memory from many years ago of searching for a captive woman whose description included noticeable green eyes. So, Liza had been held by these Indians and God knows what she had been through during that time. He was annoyed at Patrick because he had kept such knowledge to himself; in fact he was hurt that he had not been trusted by him.
The scout was sensitive of Sean’s feelings and said, “Do not blame ga-n-du for not telling you. It was not his secret to tell, it was i-tse di-ka-ta’s to keep or tell and there are other things that will become obvious to you this day.” He left Sean’s side as quickly and quietly as he had come.
Patrick was moving towards a tepee and he beckoned Sean to join him; Ambrose stayed talking to Running Bear. In the tepee could be seen a white woman tied, gagged and strung with a rope around her neck. She was dressed in Indian clothes and was in obvious pain. They cut her free and she started screaming until Patrick shook her and told her to keep quiet so that they could free her without drawing too much attention to her.
Sean lifted her onto his horse as Patrick went back to the chief and medicine man. Sean looked towards them and saw another man join them and although dressed as an Indian, he was white and Sean gasped with surprise. The scout came up to him again and told him that it would be wise to keep his surprise to himself. Sean found it difficult to believe but he was looking at an older version of young Matthew. He had the same nearly white hair, the same shaped face; in fact, he was identical in so many ways apart from the colour of his eyes. There was no doubt that this was Matthew’s father. As the man turned, Sean could see the horrendous dent to the side of his head and the vacant look in his eyes, the man was seriously damaged.
Sean slowly walked out of the camp with the woman on his horse whilst Patrick and Ambrose said farewell to the chief and medicine man. The woman was scared and shaking, and kept peeping at Matthew’s father. Patrick and Ambrose joined them and they left the camp without a backward glance, unlike the woman who kept turning to make sure nobody was following them. Patrick quite sternly
told her to stop looking around and this also surprised Sean, he would have thought that Patrick would have been kinder to her.
They joined up with the troops and other captives and continued on their way to Fort Butler camping by a river for the night. Patrick was very quiet, only commanding the troops to put guards on duty and make sure the released captives had all that they were able to give them. Sean knew better than to question Patrick at that moment, one look at him told him that. Inwardly Sean was beginning to seethe with annoyance at Patrick; this was the first time that he could remember that he had felt such anger.
Ambrose, Sean and Patrick were sitting silently when one of the females came up to them telling them that the woman from the Cherokee camp was in a great deal of difficulty, she had welts across her back and was in some pain. Sean was shocked by Patrick’s reaction when he said, “She’ll get over it.”
Even Ambrose showed some surprise at Patrick’s comment. Sean had come to the end of his tether and turned on Patrick. “We’ve never had a serious difference before, Patrick, but this is just about as much as I can take. You led me into a camp today knowing that there were things which would come to light but you never told me or warned me what to expect. We’ve worked together well over the years because we have been able to trust one another, and on many occasions that has saved both our lives. I think the time has come for you to explain to me exactly what your problem is. You are treating that woman like an enemy, and don’t think I didn’t notice the white Indian and who his son so obviously is.”
Patrick’s stony face softened a little and he said, “You are right, Sean. I’m sorry; I should have told you long ago. Liza was held captive by those Cherokees for over two years. What the woman with us now has experienced at their hands in the three months that she has been with them is nothing compared to what Liza went through during her time in captivity. During those two years she tried to escape six, seven or eight times and each time she was brought back and savagely beaten. She lived in fear of her life from the chief’s other son who hated her beyond belief. In many ways it was lucky that she was married off to the chief’s adopted son as otherwise she would have been given to Brave Eagle, the chief’s real son and she would not have survived that.”
Against All Odds Page 23
