Quest of Honor

by Ellie St. Clair

  “Yes, I believe you. While I’ve seen you daydream, I ken you're not stupid or fanciful. If you want to dry your clothes, come through the trees, there’s an outcropping of rocks that face the sun and is hidden from the road.”

  She followed him through the trees to the clearing, where they tied their horses to a tree branch. It was a beautiful place, with the sun streaming through the tall branches of the elms and evergreens onto a couple of large boulders which rested on a grassy clearing.

  “This is beautiful,” she said. “How did you find it? Is it natural?”

  “I found it exploring when I first arrived. It’s somewhere to get away alone, where I can sit and think,” he replied. “It may have been cleared some time ago, but no one ventures here now. Come here and let me help you with your dress. I have a horse blanket you can cover with.”

  “I do not need help, thank you,” she said. “You may go.”

  “I’ll stay close but will keep my back turned.”

  He walked to the edge of the learning and turned to face outward as Victoria worked at freeing herself from the dress. The water had stiffened the fabric, and it caught at her sleeves and along the neckline. She cursed as she tried to wrench her arms free.

  “Having troubles?” asked Callum.

  “No,” she replied, but after a few more moments of struggle she gave in. “Yes,” she sighed.

  “Want some help?”

  “I suppose. But do not let this put any ideas in your head.”

  Callum turned and tried not to laugh as he saw the state she was in. One arm was in, one out, and her wet hair was like a bird’s nest on her head.

  “Do not laugh.”

  “I won’t. And no need to blush — do you think I’ve never undressed a woman before?”

  “I wouldn’t know,” she said, thinking she didn’t want to know as she turned around.

  She stood still as he gently freed one arm and then the other before pulling the dress down from her shoulders. His fingertips brushed her back, sending shivers through her body. He was gentle, and Victoria knew he probably had done this a few times before.

  “Thank you,” she said, stepping away quickly. “Now turn your back.”

  He turned around as she finished stripping out of her dress and top petticoat, leaving on her undergarments. She lay her clothing on the rock and covered herself in the blanket.

  “I am decent.”

  Callum turned around, and gazed at her, not moving.

  He had never seen a woman look so beautiful. The sun glinted off her dark, chestnut hair which now lay in thick tangles around her bare shoulders above the blanket that covered her down to her toes. The image of her in a blanket took his mind to another place. He could picture her lying in a bed, blankets rustled around her, her body covered with his.

  He stopped thinking and closed the gap between them in seconds, pulling her to him. His mouth fell on hers hungrily, taking in as much of her as he could. His arms held her close to him, and as she lifted her hands to run her fingers through his hair, the blanket fell between them. His hands slid over her ribs and down to her hips, and he could feel the smooth skin through her thin undergarment.

  Victoria clutched Callum, holding on as her emotions and senses whirled around her. It was a feeling she had never experienced before, but one of which she certainly wanted more. Her surroundings fell away with the blanket, as she lost herself in Callum, his lips over hers and his hands seemingly all over her body.

  As Victoria’s knees gave way, Callum pushed her backwards on the blanket, covering her nakedness with his body, the hard muscle stretched over Victoria. His hands roamed upwards, teasing her nipples, while she felt his hardness against her. She gave a whimper of need and it was enough to pull Callum back to reality.

  Abruptly he lifted from her, propping himself up on his arms, hovering over Victoria.

  She simply gazed up at him. Her cheeks were flushed, her hair spilled out around her, and her eyes glistened as she stayed enraptured in the moment.

  “I am sorry,” Callum said, breaking the silence. “I should not have done that. Please accept my apologies.”

  “You must stop apologizing for these moments,” she said. “That was… magnificent.”

  He gave a short laugh.

  “Aye, but I cannot give you more, lass..”

  “Why not? I’m a grown woman. I can do what I wish. If I did not want you with me, here, then you wouldn’t be.”

  “Ah Victoria. You’re too good for me, love.”

  “Is that it? You think I’m too good for you?” She looked into his unreadable face as he covered her with the blanket.

  “That’s not all. Your life is here now. Mine is back in Scotland.”

  “I could — I could come with you,” she said hesitatingly as she moved to her knees.

  “No, lass, life back in the Highlands is not for a woman like you. People are hungry, with nowhere to work, nowhere to live, losing their culture, and an Englishwoman in their midst would not be kindly treated.”

  “What do you mean, ‘a woman like me.’ You mean a woman who moved halfway around the world? Who can perfectly take care of herself? Who —”

  “I said no,” he cut her off.

  She glowered at him.

  “You say no? I told you Callum, I’m finished having a man tell me what I can and cannot do. Thank you for the fun. I’m happy to have provided you some amusement.”

  Victoria stalked over to the rock to her clothes. Feeling them only slightly damp, she began to put them on under the blanket, saving whatever modesty she had left. Her fingers shook with anger. She threw off the blanket and adjusted her dress, untying Star and leading her away without a backward glance toward Callum.

  “Victoria,” Callum started, walking after her.

  “No,” she said, turning and putting a hand out to stop him. “Stay here. I’m going back to the road and it would not be seemly for us to be seen walking out of here together.”

  She turned and took off briskly for the road. Callum started after her, but remembered his own dishevelled state. By the time he tucked his clothing back in where it was supposed to go, she was gone.

  Victoria ran into the house, eager to get to her bedroom before Aunt Sarah could guess that anything was wrong. She slipped past Sarah’s back, up the stairs to her room.

  “Victoria, is that you?” Sarah called up the stairs. “Is everything quite all right?”

  “Yes, Aunt Sarah, I simply... I’m not feeling well,” said Victoria, poking her head out the door. “I’ll be a bit late to the clinic today.”

  “Let me come in and have a look at you.”

  “No, no, that’s fine. I just need to lie down. I’m a touch tired, is all.”

  “All right then. I shall be at the clinic if you need anything. Stay and get some rest if you need. I’ve left bread out for you, make sure you eat.”

  “Thank you!”

  Victoria firmly shut the door and fell down face first on the bed. She tried to keep her tears in, but they started to fall, stemming from all of her pent-up emotions. She was angry, she was frustrated, and more than anything just plain sad that she had finally found a man who she could actually stand to be around for more than five minutes, and he was either not interested, or the very least made excuses for not letting her get close due to ridiculous reasons that certainly were not as insurmountable as he made them out to be.

  Pull yourself together Victoria, she told herself. She hated letting her emotions get the best of her. While she would stay away from Callum, she could still help his cousin. She was certainly an advocate for justice and would do what she could. Additionally as much as Callum might push her away, her feelings for him pushed her to do all she could to help him in his plight. A distraction would also be of use to her at the moment.

  She figured a good start may be Charlie. As owner of the General Store, he knew everyone in town, and everything about them. She gathered herself, splashed water on her face, an
d headed out the door.

  Victoria pushed open the door of the General Store and saw the burly man behind the counter, tidying up.

  “Charlie?”

  “Victoria! What a nice surprise,” he said. “Your aunt stopped in before heading to the clinic and said you weren’t well. How are you finding the adjustment? I remember the first months here. It’s a shock to the system at first, but eventually it feels like home.”

  “Oh I… Yes it is quite different. I do hope Aunt Sarah does not think I’m ungrateful. I really, truly am thankful for all she’s done. I’m not sure what you know about my journey here and the reasons why but —”

  “Ah, lass, no need to discuss that here. But you’re in good hands and in a good place.”

  Victoria smiled at him. “You care for her, do you not?”

  “Of course I do. She knows, I know, you know — I’m sure the whole town does.” He sighed. “But it must flow both ways, Victoria, in order to move forward.”

  That was a concept Victoria had recently become more than familiar with. In this case, however, her romantic heart saw no barriers.

  “I believe, Charlie, that she feels the same,” said Victoria carefully. “She just needs time. She truly did love Uncle Albert, and she must realize that he would want her to be happy again with someone else.”

  “You’re wise for your age, lass.”

  Victoria blushed.

  “No, I just know Aunt Sarah. Anyway Charlie, I was just wondering, what could you tell me about the three Hudson’s Bay men who live at the Johnson Inn?”

  Charlie’s usual uplifted face turned into a frown. “The Scots and the Englishman? Why would you be wantin’ to know about them? I would suggest you stay away from men around the town when you’re on your own.”

  “Well the one — the good-looking one, Chester, I think his name is — he called and asked me to go walking with him, and I wanted to know more about him first.”

  “Smart of you to ask. Chester’s not a bad sort. Friendly. Comes in from time to time to talk about home and buy chocolate. His problem is the amount of time he spends with the other one, Brandon. The two of them together, well, I’d steer clear.”

  “You do not like Brandon?”

  “He’s never wronged me, mind you. I get this feeling that something’s not quite right. Those two and the old man, Alistair, they were better off trappin’ and tradin’. They’re the type that belong in the forest, on their own, away from others, you know what I mean?”

  “I think so.”

  “And the way they sneak around at night — I just hope they’re leaving the town girls alone. There’s a lot of good folk here who don’t deserve the likes of them messing around with their daughters.”

  “How do you know they sneak around?”

  “I have trouble sleeping. I’ve seen them through my window, after midnight, heading out to the stables in the back. Not much good to be doing out at that time of night.”

  “Interesting. Well thank you for the talk, Charlie. I’ll see what I can do about my aunt, I promise.”

  “Just talk care of yourself lass. Remember, your only time with men should be in the daylight, and never alone. Here, have some sweets to go.”

  Victoria caught the bag he tossed at her, and as she opened the door she nearly collided with a harried mother who was tugging her child along behind her. “Archie, come, we are almost done.”

  “Maisie!” Victoria exclaimed.

  “Oh Victoria!” Maisie let go of Archie’s hand and enveloped her friend in a hug on the steps of the shop. They moved out of the way of passersby and into the sun. “How wonderful to see you. We were going to stop in but Archie is not being a good boy today.”

  Victoria took in her friend’s dishevelled appearance, including her flushed cheeks, askew bonnet and mismatched shoes. Archie, similarly, had on a frightening combination of pants, vest, and jacket, all in different hues.

  “How have you been?” she asked.

  “Oh fine,” said Maisie. “It’s just… not quite what I thought. The farmhouse is half done, so we have one room to live in, and we only have one cow and one chicken, so all we have is milk and eggs. We could really use a bull and a rooster, but we just don’t have the means right now.”

  “And how is being reunited with Gilbert?”

  “It’s nice, it’s just, with the one room, we do not really have… alone time, do you know I mean?”

  “I do,” said Victoria.

  “But it’s fine. It is wonderful to be back together as a family and for Archie to have his father with him again.”

  “How about this,” said Victoria, “Leave Archie with me tonight? Archie and I are friends and I’m sure Aunt Sarah will love him. You can come back tomorrow to pick him up after a night of just you and your husband. It will be fun, for all of us.”

  “Well I think that would work just fine!” said Maisie. “I shall bring him by in an hour!”

  Victoria laughed at Maisie’s quick acceptance and consigned herself to a day away from her search. If there was ever a distraction required, Archie was the answer.

  Maisie rushed into the store, forgetting all about her child, who stood on the step and looked up at Victoria with the seemingly innocent expression he always seemed to wear. He smiled when Victoria slipped him a sweet and gave him a wink. “She’ll be back.” Sure enough, ten seconds later the door slammed open. “Archie, there you are! I shall see you soon Victoria!”

  Victoria smiled to herself as she walked down the steps. She was really starting to like this town.

  14

  Callum made it back to the boardinghouse in good time. It seemed the only one around was Mrs. Johnson. The rest were out working, and Mr. Johnson had gone down to the diner. He said he could only eat so much of his wife’s cooking. Callum figured it was more the whiskey behind the bar that drew Mr. Johnson down the street, but he certainly wasn’t sharing those ideas with Mrs. Johnson.

  “Would you like anything, dear?” she asked.

  “No thank you,” he replied. “But when the others come back, would you call me? I would join them for dinner.”

  And her approach up the stairs would be a warning sign.

  “Of course,” she replied.

  Callum stopped in his own room first to cool himself down, from the ride and his adventure in the trees with Victoria. She was certainly something. He was getting too close to her. He already wasn’t sure how he was going to be able to leave her.

  He searched through his bag for his small toolkit before heading down the hall to the first bedroom — Chester’s. It didn’t take him long to turn the lock. The room was as bare as Callum’s own. There was the bed and the nightstand. Clothes were hung neatly, or folded in the dresser in the corner. Callum quickly searched through the dresser, but it was nearly empty. He took a quick look under the bed and through the hung clothes, but finding nothing, he made sure there was no trace of his search, locked the door and moved on.

  Alistair’s room looked quite different. It was an organized clutter, with boots in various corners of the room and clothing hanging on the bedposts and wash basin. The room was accented by the tartan draped over the bedding, and overall there was the air of someone who had lived here for some time. But it similarly gave up no secrets.

  Brandon’s room was an altogether different story. There were boots and clothing everywhere. Pieces of paper littered the floor, and soiled sheets lined the unmade bed. Callum grimaced, then meticulously looked through clothing, boots, and dresser drawers.

  He finally came upon a piece of paper, upon which was scrawled, G.C. 15:00 Lebret.

  G.C. — Gregor Campbell? He hoped so. And Lebret wasn’t far. Was there something there?

  “Mr. McDougall!” Mrs. Johnson’s voice came up the stairs. “Dinner is ready!”

  Callum quickly slipped out the door, closing it softly behind him.

  “Coming!”

  Dinner was fairly silent. It was still the six of them staying at t
he boardinghouse. There were two more rooms available, but they remained unoccupied at present. Brandon was his usual self, sullenly shoving food into his mouth. Alistair and Chester seemed more downcast than usual, but were still polite to Callum. Daniel and Nathan were pleased to make small talk, as always.

  “Have you found any land yet?” Daniel asked.

  “No, not quite yet. Still looking,” he responded.

  “We can help ye,” said Alistair. “Hudson’s Bay has some beautiful lots.”

  “Perhaps one of these days I will take you up on your offer,” he said. “You know, I learned something interesting today, about the man who used to live in my room.”

  “Oh?” said Alistair as Chester’s eye twitched and Brandon’s fingers began drumming the table.

  “Apparently he went missing. He also worked for Hudson’s Bay. One day he just up and disappeared. Did ye know him?”

  “We met him a few times of course,” said Chester with a forced smile. “Nice guy. Eager. Too bad about him.”

  “Too bad?”

  “Oh, I just mean, too bad it didn't work out for him here. They liked him at the Company. He could have gone far. He must have found something better.”

  Frustrated, Callum could not think of a plausible explanation to continue his line of questioning. He had to find out more without arousing their suspicions. What was it they were saying the other night? Damn, he should have paid more attention to Victoria earlier. To her words, that is.

  “It was a strange thing,” Nathan chimed in. “He was here with us on an evening like this, talking about how much he loved the place and he was looking for land, like you are, McDougall, and we were ourselves. Then the next day he was gone. Never said goodbye, never cleaned his room out. We have not seen or heard a trace of him since.”

  “Well, we had best head back out,” said Alistair, cutting the conversation off. “Have a nice afternoon, Mr. McDougall.”

  They put on their hats and walked out the door in a hurry.

  Interesting, thought Callum.

  “Archie, no!”