“Sergeant, I—I thank you. You’ve been so kind. My ankle is still sore, but not so tender as it was, and my hip feels less stiff.”
“Good.” He looked up then as she hopped out from behind the screen. “You shouldn’t be on that ankle, schoolmarm.” He hurried to her side and picked her up.
She smiled. “This carrying business is not too bad.”
“Glad you like it. Want to go back to your room now, Your Majesty?”
“Yes,” she said in a royal manner.
He carried her to her room and carefully set her down on the bed.
“Are you going to be all right now?”
“I think so.”
Cara couldn’t bear the thought of Chase parting from her yet. She learned a lot about him and been moved by his disclosures. She felt a closeness she wasn’t certain he returned, but he’d been so tender with her tonight . . . “Were you busy—before you heard me fall?” She asked. “I mean, I hope I didn’t take you away from anything important.”
“Nope. I was just looking over some reports I’ll be filing next week. Why’d you ask?”
“Just curious.”
He nodded his understanding. Chase didn’t want to leave, especially after the confidences they’d shared. He found Cara fascinating and didn’t want their time together to end. He wanted to kiss her, very badly, but he’d promised her and himself he’d behave. “How long does choir rehearsal usually last?”
“Sometimes two hours, sometimes three. If the spirit gets going they could be down there until sunup. It’s happened before. If you’re not busy, I’d be pleased if you’d stay and talk a little more with me.”
Those were the sweetest words Chase had heard all day. “I’d like that.”
They talked for hours about army life, politics, and the state of the race. He regaled her with tales of his journeys throughout the West and the places he’d seen and the people he’d met, and listened to her stories of life in the orphanage. Her interests surprised him, though knowing her as he did now, they shouldn’t have. Out of the blue he asked, “You like to fish?”
“Sure,” she replied. “I’m a country girl. We always did our own hunting and fishing.”
He laughed and she enjoyed the sound. “What did you do after you left Oberlin?”
“Tried to find a school board I could work for longer than a month.”
She looked at his confused expression and smiled. “This is my third teaching position.”
“What happened with the other two?”
“My first one lasted almost two weeks. The president of the school board wanted to ‘teach’ me some things I didn’t want to learn . . . at least from him.” Cara couldn’t believe she’d said that! She hastily took up the story again, trying to ignore the amusement Chase made no effort to hide. “The last job was in a place called Blessed, Ohio. Stayed there just long enough to get thrown in jail.”
“What?”
“I went to jail.”
“Why?”
“The school board told me that educating girls was a waste of the town’s money. Girls were banned from the schoolroom. I thought otherwise.”
“So they put you in jail?”
“Actually, I chose jail. They called it a choice: teach only boys or go to jail.”
“And of course, you chose jail. In other words you went to Blessed, Ohio, and caused a ruckus.”
“Not intentionally, no, but I suppose I did.”
“How long were you there?”
“A day and a half.”
Chase’s laughter exploded. Cara, unable to contain herself, joined in. Placing a finger to her lips to caution him to be more quiet lest someone hear, she thought how wondrous it was to make Chase laugh. They both had tears in their eyes when the laughter subsided.
“Less than forty-eight hours. You are gifted, aren’t you?” Chase rose stiffly. His back complained from the prolonged sitting, and he stretched to get the circulation going in his limbs. He looked out the window and saw the first red fingers of dawn on the horizon. Was it really that late? “Sun’s coming up.”
“That’s not possible,” Cara said in surprise.
He walked over and pulled back her curtains so she could get a better view from her spot on the bed. “Good Lord, I have to teach school today.”
At that moment, a knock on the door made them freeze in shock. “Cara?” called Sophie’s voice in a loud whisper. Cara shot Chase a look of panic, then had an idea. She placed her finger to her lips, signaling him to silence, then called back in a sleepy voice, “Sophie, is that you? Is something wrong?”
“No, dear. Sybil canceled school today because of your eye. So go on back to sleep. Dulcie says she’ll bring you some breakfast later on.”
“Thank you . . .” she replied as if in the throes of sleep.
Chase and Cara waited until they heard Sophie’s steps fade away down the hall before releasing their pent-up laughter.
“You are good, schoolmarm, damn good,” Chase said, grinning. “I can’t remember ever having this much fun with a woman sitting down and fully dressed.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Chase was still chuckling, and Cara kept smiling in response.
“Thanks for a memorable night,” he told her.
“Thank you.”
He walked over to his door and Cara remembered something, “I left those wet clothes wrapped in the towel on the side of the tub. Can you bring them, please?”
He nodded, disappeared, and returned with the bundle. She had him set it on the seat of an old chair whose finish wouldn’t be marred by the moisture. “Thank you.” She watched him walk to the door again. “Good night, Sergeant. . . .”
He looked back and said just as softly, “Good morning, Cara Lee. . . .”
He stood there then, unmoving, looking at her, and she could feel his “talents” calling. He walked slowly back to her side. “I can’t leave without this. . . .”
He bent and kissed her slowly, very slowly until her breathing was ragged and her body burned. And then he was gone.
“Sophie, when did you first know you were in love with Asa?” Cara asked.
Sophie and Dulcie both looked up from the peas they were shelling and studied her face.
“Is that so improper a thing to ask?”
“No, you just took me by surprise is all.” Sophie said. “I guess I first knew when I was in love when I couldn’t go a day without wanting to see him. And when I did see him, all I could do was grin. Scariest experience of my life.”
Dulcie piped in, “You should have seen her, Cara. Asa hadn’t been in the house two days before she started throwing herself at him.”
“I did not!” Sophie gasped. “Well, maybe a little. He was so handsome, just looking at him made my teeth ache. Still does.”
Cara noted the satisfied smile on Sophie’s face. “Is that the grin, you meant, Dulcie?”
Dulcie looked at her friend and nodded. “Yep. Finish the peas, Sophie, we’ll never get done if you don’t quit daydreaming about that man of yours.” She winked at Cara. “You’d think she’d act her age, old as she is.”
“Age has nothing to do with it,” Sophie retorted. “The wood may be aged, but it still kindles.”
Dulcie howled gleefully.
“And besides Dulce,” Sophie continued, “you are the last female fit to be discussing age and men. How old is the new apprentice over at the livery I saw you sitting with in church yesterday? He can’t be a year over thirty-five.”
Dulcie grinned but didn’t respond.
“You’re awfully quiet now, Miss Dulcie Fontaine,”
Dulcie chuckled. “Pax, Soph.” She whispered, “He’s thirty-six.”
Cara shook her head at their play.
“So, Cara,” Sophie said, “why the questions about me and Asa? You grinning more than usual lately?”
She dropped her head but couldn’t stifle the grin. “Not really.”
“Liar,” Dulcie chirped. “It’s a
ll over town. The Black Widow’s going to be real ornery when she hears about him dancing with you on her porch, in the dark.”
“That’s another symptom you know, Cara,” Sophie pointed out.
“What?”
“Losing your mind and doing things you wouldn’t have two weeks before.”
“Listen to her, Cara, she’s an expert.”
“Will you stop, Dulcie. I’m trying to be serious here.” But they all saw her smile.
“So you’re telling me this is normal?” Cara asked.
“No, dear. We’re telling you you’re in love.”
As Cara dressed that evening for Virginia’s birthday party she thought about the talk with Dulcie and Sophie. Was she really in love? She found the idea disconcerting because she was sure Jefferson wasn’t. A harmless flirtation was all it was for him, and in just a few days he’d saddle up and ride out of her life. Still, she was afraid Dulcie and Sophie were right. She was in love with Jefferson, and didn’t know what to do with the feelings or how to proceed.
Cara rode over to the party with Asa and Sophie. Cara had chosen to sit on the end of the bench so Sophie could sit next to her love. Cara viewed the relationship between them with fresh eyes. She noticed how content they seemed with each other’s company—the way Sophie’s arm laced with Asa’s as he held the reins; the softness in their gazes as they shared a word or two. They appeared so peaceful, so complete. She was envious, and for the first time wondered if maybe there was more to life than the joy found in being a teacher.
Virginia’s guest list included the cream of the region’s Black society, Cara saw as she, Sophie, and Asa made their entrance. Uniformed members of the Tenth were sprinkled among bankers and hoteliers, elected officials, and land wealthy cattlemen. Tonight’s guest list didn’t at all resemble the one for the affair last week. There wasn’t a dress of muslim or gingham in sight. Cara had worn her “good” blouse and a fairly new black skirt, but she knew she still looked slightly out of place alongside the women in their finery and with her wounded eye. It had healed somewhat in the past three days, the bruises beginning to fade and the puffiness going down considerably. Yet, still, she felt pretty. Pretty and younger than her twenty-six years . . . all because of Chase, of course.
And then Chase appeared next to her—and the evening turned from delicious anticipation to disaster. She’d been speaking with Delbert Johnson, the doctor from Nicodemus. He’d courted her during the first year she’d been in the Valley, but they hadn’t suited and had ended up friends rather than husband and wife. Chase and Delbert just seemed to hate each other on sight and snarled dreadfully at each other.
Cara had no idea why Delbert was being so cold. “You act as if the sergeant has wronged you in some manner, Delbert. Has he?”
“It’s you I’m worried about Cara,” he said. “People are talking about this torrid affair you’re having with him.”
Cara almost laughed. “I’m not having an affair, Delbert.”
Chase did laugh, which made Delbert purse his lips and say angrily, “Sergeant, you may not take this woman’s reputation seriously, but we in the Valley do.”
Chase was tired of people telling him how to treat Cara. “Doc, if I weren’t worried about her reputation, believe me, she wouldn’t have one left by now.” His smile made Cara shyly drop her eyes for a moment. “So, Doc, if you’re really worried about Miss Henson’s reputation, you tell your neighbors that as much as I wish the word ‘torrid’ described our activities, it doesn’t apply.”
Delbert raised his chin but looked uncomfortable with the slight setdown. “I apologize, Sergeant.”
Chase answered coolly, “She’s the one you should be apologizing to. Not me.”
Cara realized Jefferson was angry. She hadn’t seen the hard jaw and brittle eyes since that first night back in Topeka.
Delbert looked damn uncomfortable now, “Cara, I’m sorry. You know I’m not one to spread gossip. I apologize.”
“Apology accepted. And gossip or not, you’re a true friend because you were concerned enough to confront me with what you’d heard.”
He took himself off after that and Chase drawled. “You’ve been here five minutes and already you’re causing a ruckus.”
“Me?!” she whispered, then she realized he was teasing, so she teased back, saying saucily, “You just wait till later. I’ll show you a real ruckus.”
She left him standing there openmouthed as she moved off into the crowd.
Every time Cara glanced up from the many conversations she had while awaiting the call to dinner, she found his eyes waiting. Sometimes he simply smiled, other times his gaze held so much heat, she seriously expected her skirt to go up in flames. It was the most sensual experience of her life, and by the time dinner arrived she was hungry only for him.
Dulcie had been contracted to do tonight’s dinner, and the lavish affair did honor to both hostess and chef. Cara picked at her food. Seated at the table with her were the Three Spinsters: Daisy Miller, the A.M.E. Church secretary; Rachel Eddings, the town’s telegraph clerk; and Lucretia Potter, the town milliner. Usually Cara enjoyed their company. All three women were intelligent and opinionated.
“Cara Lee Henson, what are you moping so about?” Rachel asked.
Daisy offered her own explanation between bites. “It’s that soldier, isn’t it?”
Cara shook her head in wonder at small-town living, then asked. “Is there anyone in town who isn’t talking about me and ‘the soldier’?”
“Everybody I know is,” Lucretia said.
“I loved a soldier once,” Rachel said. “He was a redhead just like me and he looked so handsome in his uniform the day he left with the troops from Louisiana.”
“What happened to him?” Cara asked, because she knew Rachel had never married.
“He was killed at Milliken’s Bend, Virginia, in June of ‘63. I’ll never forget him. . . .”
The table quieted for a moment, then Rachel said, “Cara Lee, if you have even a tiny hope for happiness with Sergeant Jefferson, seize it. Life very rarely gives out second helpings.”
“She’s right Cara,” Daisy said. “If I had it to do over, I would take more chances in life. Now that I’m old and gray, I don’t even have memories, just dreams of what might have been.”
Cara looked at the three and said, “Ladies, I dearly appreciate your advice and your concern, but I can’t have everyone thinking like Delbert Johnson. He thinks I’m having a torrid affair.”
“Delbert Johnson is still sweet on you, Cara, and is just looking to stir the pot,” Daisy pointed out. “Some folks are talking crazy, yes, but most of us are just sitting back enjoying the romantic gossip and hoping Jefferson’s the one.”
“The one for what?” Cara asked.
“The one for you,” Lucretia said in mock testiness. “Haven’t you been listening, dear?”
After dinner, Cara excused herself from the ladies to seek out Sophie. On her way out of the dining room, Miles Sutton called to her.
She turned back.
“Can you and I go someplace and talk? It’s about the night at the church dinner.”
From the humble look on his face Cara gathered that he wanted to apologize. “Where can we go?”
“How about we just step outdoors for a moment?”
Cara took in the fresh air and glanced up at the stars. Miles stood beside her and did the same. “You know,” he began, “I didn’t appreciate you bringing up that incident with the kid to my mother.”
So he hadn’t wanted to beg her pardon. “If you think back, you brought up the subject,” she said tartly. “Is this all you wanted to speak with me about? Because if it is, I’m going back inside.”
“And if it’s not?”
“I’m still going back inside.” She turned to walk away.
He grabbed her arm. “Hey, don’t walk away from me when I’m talking to you.”
“Miles,” she said, “in the last week, I have had my eye blacke
ned and my ankle sprained. I’ve had enough bruises to last a lifetime. I do not need another one on my arm. Let me go.”
“Why don’t you like me? Other women do.”
“It’s because I have terrible taste in men, everyone knows that. Now let me go.”
“I’m not good enough for you.” He shook her. “Is that it?”
“Let go!”
Chase stepped out of the shadow of the house. “You heard the lady. Let her go.”
Miles released her instantly.
“Are you all right?” Chase asked, watching Cara rub her upper arm.
“Yes, Sergeant. Thank you.”
Chase turned his attention back to Miles, and when he spoke his tone was wintry. “Don’t ever put your hands on her again. Do you hear me? Now apologize.”
Miles opened his mouth as if to protest, only to have Chase bark, “Do it!”
Miles mumbled an apology, then looked at Chase with cold eyes. “You’re going to be gone in a few days, soldier, and then the field will be wide open again.”
Before the words had died on the night air, Chase had Miles by his shirtfront and lifted him up on his toes. “I know that wasn’t a threat I heard, was it, boy?”
In the moonlight Miles’s face looked pale with fright. He shook his head.
“That’s what I thought. Because if I had heard a threat I’d have to ask the lady to step back inside so she’d be spared the sight of me whipping your ass.” Chase let him go. “Now you stay away from her after I ride out, and you’ll live a long life. The problems you have with those gamblers will seem like child’s play if you have to tangle with me. Say good night.”
Miles did so quickly and stiffly walked back into the house.
“You sure you’re not hurt?” Chase asked, moving to Cara’s side.
“No, I’m fine. Angry but fine. How’d you know I was out here?”
“I saw you step out with him. You want to go back in?”
“In a minute. Let me calm down first. I actually believed he wanted to apologize to me. He looked so innocent. What a snake.”
“Who rescues you when I’m not around?” Chase asked, brushing back one of the delicate curls framing her face.
Night Song Page 10
