by Beth Trissel
Shoka turned toward her and extended his hands with both palms facing up. “Why not pray this way?”
“That’s not how I was taught. Besides, this stone is a sign of God’s protection over Kate.”
He shrugged and strode past the prayerful granite.
“It is,” she said, hastening after him to the cave mouth.
He stooped beneath the yawning stone behind Wishekuanwe. She darted at his heels. This cave was much larger than the pocket carved into the rock where she and Shoka had sheltered. Wood smoke’s tang complemented the meaty aroma of the stew simmering in a black iron pot over the campfire just inside the entrance.
The half-dozen or more warriors seated near the blaze looked up as they walked across the uneven floor. One man was repairing his moccasins with a buckskin-wrapped awl. Poising the small tool over the sole, he spoke words of welcome to Shoka. A few men did the same, or nodded, then turned their eyes to her.
Lieutenant Remy, the Frenchman who’d accompanied Capitaine Renault, took off his navy cap to reveal a mop of dark curly hair. He stood and bowed to Rebecca then swept his arm with an elegant flourish. “Madame.”
Despite her apprehension over Kate and the fort assault looming ahead, the Frenchman’s formal greeting amused her, as though they were meeting at a ball and he’d requested the next dance. She smiled, unexpected even to herself, and offered a slight curtsy. “Lieutenant.”
He flashed back a dazzling smile, all white teeth and twinkling brown eyes.
Shoka’s firm hand encircled her arm. “Must you charm all?” he whispered, as he skirted the assembly and walked with her into the shadowed interior.
“I was only being polite,” she breathed back.
Light from the campfire flickered over the rock walls and played over the kneeling figure of Capitaine Renault. Beside him lay a young woman asleep beneath a crimson blanket, but Rebecca couldn’t clearly see her. Renault waved them over, a finger to his lips. Shoka crept forward and knelt beside him.
The earthy scent of crumbling leaves and damp stone filled Rebecca’s senses, so different from the elegant homes she and Kate had known. She sank to her knees and gazed down at her sister’s pale face. How still Kate lay and infinitely vulnerable, like a child. Rebecca wanted to wake her, to reassure herself that her little sister was all right.
“Will you not tell her I’ve come, Capitaine?”
His gold crested ring glinted in the fire’s glow as he tucked the blanket more snugly around Kate. “In time. Let her sleep now. The poor girl is worn out from her ordeal.”
His tenderness surprised Rebecca, but Kate had this effect on people. She, on the other hand, had done everything in her power to infuriate him. “What of her pain?”
“She has respite now.”
Shoka picked up the wooden cup that sat to one side of Kate and sniffed the dark brew within. “You gave her elder?”
Renault nodded. “A small dose.”
Something in Shoka’s manner made Rebecca uneasy. “What do you fear?”
“Bark from this tree must be given with much care.” He bent close to the girl and pressed his fingers against her forehead and her neck. “Her skin feels as it should. Her heart is steady and her breathing. You did well, Capitaine.”
“Merci. I was reluctant to dose her with such a potent medicine. But I’ve never seen a woman in such distress except for childbirth.”
Shoka cast Rebecca a look that said I told you so.
“Never,” she argued. “Kate is an innocent girl.”
“Too innocent, perhaps,” Shoka countered.
A smile creased the strong lines of Renault’s tanned face. “This one could conceive and not know the reason. Yet I am certain she suffers with complaints of a monthly nature.”
His intimate reference to Kate took Rebecca aback. This man was far too full of surprises for her peace of mind. “Thank you for your care,” she said as smoothly as she could. She suddenly, desperately wanted to get Kate away from him.
He smoothed a chestnut curl at Kate’s temple. “Your sister’s a delight. How could I do less?”
Kate shifted restlessly at his touch and reached out her fingers. “Marc?”
Renault took her small hand in his and leaned down. His lips brushed her ear as he spoke. “I am here.”
Her eyes remained closed, her voice a sleepy whisper. “Don’t leave me.”
“Non, ma chérie. Sleep now.”
Kate snuggled under the blanket and her breathing grew deep and even. The very most Rebecca had hoped for was that Renault would treat her sister with consideration. His undisguised affection, obviously reciprocated by Kate, left her stunned.
Shoka quirked an eyebrow at him. “She calls you Marc?”
Renault sat up. “It is my name.”
The surging impulse to protect her sister restored Rebecca’s speech. “A very familiar name for such a short acquaintance, sir.”
“You are in no position to criticize, Madame, sitting here with your warrior lover.”
She could’ve struck him. Shoka put his hands over hers and held them tightly. “I took her to wife, Capitaine.”
Rebecca managed a single word. “When?”
Shoka gave her a silent, self-satisfied smile.
“Your brother will not accept her,” Renault pointed out.
“Wabete has already done so.”
Respect warmed Renault’s tawny eyes. “A victory, indeed. You don’t waste any time, Shoka.”
“Nor do you.”
Renault stroked Kate’s alabaster cheek. “Perhaps. I would wed this sweet Mademoiselle at my first opportunity.”
Rebecca tilted weakly against Shoka. “Did you not only just come upon her?”
“No. Early last evening.”
“How is that possible? What of the storm?”
His look was wry, not angry. “Humiliation, Madame, which you delivered and I richly deserved, drives a man hard. From earliest light I pushed my party, all day long, staying ahead of the storm until we reached this shelter as it descended.”
“Where you found Kate?”
He grinned. “Her belongings, first.”
His amusement mystified Rebecca. “Where was she?”
“Fishing, so engrossed she scarcely noticed the weather.”
“But she knows nothing of fishing.”
“She says she learned from a large white dog. It seems he rescued her and led her here.” Renault shook his head then added, “She named him Gabe, for the archangel Gabriel.”
“Good heavens. Did Gabe also supply her with a net?”
“No need,” he said, and the big grin was back. “She fishes by hand, completely naked. A wondrous sight.”
Rebecca was too shocked for words.
Shoka’s lips twitched. “You found the girl this way?”
Renault smiled. “Wishekuanwe and I did. Though we hid behind cover until she proudly carried her catch to shore and dressed before I alone went forward.”
“Very gentlemanly of you,” Rebecca murmured, muzzy with disbelief and the rapid return of her fatigue.
“Oui. And when I saw Kate standing in the stream trembling but determined, covered only with a wealth of hair, I was enchanted. As if I beheld a fair water sprite.”
He painted a lovely picture, but his easy use of her sister’s name grated on Rebecca’s ears. Only she had ever called her Kate. Their father had referred to her as Katherine, or the girl. “Did she ask you to call her Kate?”
“Insisted. From the instant I saw her, my life was changed.” Renault lifted Kate’s hand to his lips and pressed a light kiss to her fingertips. “She was desperately glad to see me. Understandably, she is terrified of the warriors and fears being left alone for even a moment.”
“She stayed the night by your side?” Shoka asked.
“She did. But before either of you attack me, I give you my word she awoke a virgin.”
Rebecca only just kept her indignation to a scathing whisper. “I should h
ope so. Kate’s never even been kissed.”
“She has now.”
Shoka closed his arms around Rebecca in what was a certain effort to restrain her. “You, sir, are a womanizer,” she whispered furiously.
“Swiftly becoming reformed, Madame. I exerted a great deal of self-control to keep from taking what she would so willingly have given.”
“You mean to say that my little sister, a very young eighteen, wanted you to—” She couldn’t finish.
Renault nodded. “Very much. Though she did not really know what she wanted.”
“Oh, she wouldn’t. I shielded Kate.”
“Too well. Your sister is as trusting as a fawn.”
“I always thought to be there to guard her from men.”
Shoka shook his head. “Not possible.”
“No,” Renault agreed with a low laugh. “She proposed to me last night.”
Rebecca gaped at him. “She what?”
“I explained that, in all good conscience, I could not proceed with my attentions to her unless we were wed. So, Mademoiselle Sprite proposed.”
Such an impulsive gesture would be just like Kate. “Until you marry her?” Rebecca managed to choke out.
“Officially, she is my prisoner, though she does not realize this. My term with the Marines is near an end. Now that I’ve found her, I am thinking of returning to my father’s holding in Quebec. He would be delighted with my assistance.”
“But to take her so far, to live among the French.”
“My mother is English, Madame, and both my parents will adore her. All will. We are not a race of monsters.”
An ache grew in Rebecca. “You’ll be taking her from me.”
He spoke more gently. “Kate told me of your care and the beatings you suffered. No one could love her better. Still, I give you my word I will try. One matter troubles me, though.”
“Fort Warden,” Rebecca surmised.
“Oui. I’ve told her little.”
“She’ll be shocked when she learns you are in charge.”
His shoulders drooped in a sigh. “Not in charge, exactly. Yet near enough. I fear she may hate me.”
Hope reawakened in Rebecca. “Perhaps she will choose to remain with me, after all.”
“Not unless she overcomes her terror of warriors. I tried to explain your regard for Shoka, but she does not understand. Your sister may feel betrayed by us both.”
Chapter Twelve
Shoka watched Renault gaze at Kate, fond and solemn in one. “Sleep, ma chérie,” the Frenchman whispered, brushing his lips against her downy cheek.
Normally Capitaine Renault was carefree where women were concerned, but he truly seemed smitten with the charms of this innocent girl. Shoka couldn’t blame him, though. Hadn’t he lost his heart and very nearly his life as a result of his burning fascination with Rebecca? And didn’t he, even now, want nothing more than to be alone with her?
Renault straightened his back. “Let’s leave Kate for a bit. I grow stiff hovering over her like a mother hen.”
“It’s difficult to picture you as a hen,” Rebecca said.
Renault smiled and stood. “More of a vulture?” he quipped, with that wry humor Shoka had come to appreciate.
“The thought had crossed my mind.”
Shoka shook his head at her. She would fly at the capitaine yet, if he didn’t keep a close watch out.
He rose and bent down, gripping her hand. She let him help her up, but her anxious eyes lingered on Kate. The long shadows cast by the campfire accentuated her paleness.
“She scarcely roused during our conversation. How weakened is she, Capitaine?” Rebecca asked.
“Not as much as you might expect. This Gabe she speaks of kept her safe and supplied with fish until his sudden disappearance. It seems there were hot coals in the cave when she first arrived for her to start a fire, as if he knew to bring her here. Most peculiar.”
Shoka thought the same. “Did you see the creature?”
“None have, except Kate. He is like a ghost.”
“Perhaps he is,” Shoka said.
“You don’t really believe in ghost dogs, do you?”
Shoka shrugged. “Many do. Settlers and Indians alike.”
“Couldn’t Gabe be flesh and blood and still possess amazing qualities?” Rebecca asked.
Shoka considered the strange tales he’d heard. “Animals sometimes aid people in ways we do not understand.”
“I find that far more likely,” Renault agreed.
Rebecca clutched Shoka’s arm, swaying with fatigue. He caught her to him. “So weary you are.”
Renault laid a sympathetic hand on her back. “Forgive my negligence, Madame. I forget you are a lady and not accustomed to this harsh land.”
“And why is that, I wonder?” she tossed at him.
“There is much strength about you,” he said steadily, making no reference to her shocking behavior at their last encounter. He beckoned them to the fire. “Dine with us.”
Shoka sniffed the savory steam rising from the pot balanced on a small black tripod over the fire. He’d paid little attention to the stew when they’d first arrived, but now he realized his stomach had been rumbling for some time. Rebecca must be nearly faint with hunger. He steered her after the capitaine’s tall, straight figure.
Lieutenant Remy rose from his place near the blaze and waved the amiable warriors seated on either side of him farther apart. He swept his hands to gesture Rebecca into the empty space he’d created. “Sit, Madame. S’il vous plait.”
Glaring at the eager Frenchman, Shoka planted himself in the choice spot, tucking the coveted woman closely beside him. Renault stepped into the space next to her and left Remy standing. The sparkle of enthusiasm in his eyes dimmed, while Shoka was supremely satisfied.
Renault smiled at his downcast compatriot. “Il n’importe pas. Never mind, Lieutenant. Show the lady how well you cook.” His amused gaze sought Rebecca. “Remy fancies himself a gifted chef. This stew is his concoction.”
The disgruntled officer rallied and dished her up a steaming bowl heaped to the brim. Even when Remy handed a second bowl to Shoka, his attention was solely on her and he hovered nearby as if hoping to dine on her rose-tinged mouth. It occurred to Shoka, and not for the first time, that he just might have to teach this infuriating Frenchman a lesson.
Seemingly unaware of any ill will, Rebecca savored a mouthful. “Très bon, Lieutenant Remy. Excellente.”
Remy’s black mood lifted like a passing storm. “Merci, Madame. I cherish praise from so fair a lady.”
“I don’t feel fair. Worn and disheveled, more like,” she said between bites.
Shoka nestled her sweet softness against him, thinking again how badly he wanted her. Need burned in his gut and somewhat further down. “You are paca, beautiful.”
A murmur of agreement rose from the men in the assembly. “Très belle,” Remy said, apparently undaunted by Shoka.
Renault nodded. “You could be the wife of a lord.”
She gave him a long look. “Kate told you, didn’t she?”
“Everything. Even the details about Fort Warden you strove so hard to keep secret.”
Rebecca sighed. “It would never occur to her not to.”
“She offers up her life’s story without suspicion. And those wide brown eyes. So adoring.”
“You are her rescuer. She worships you.”
“But for how long?”
Shoka raised a laden spoon. “What will you do with her when we take the fort? Bind her, leave her in the trees?”
“Mon Dieu. She will surely hate me then.”
“Kate could come with me. Are not the pleas of two women better than one?” Rebecca asked.
Shoka envisioned this guileless girl running toward the men calling to them from the catwalk. Cold dread squeezed his heart. “No. She will run to the fort.”
“I won’t let her.”
“I fear your sister will persuade you to go, too
.”
Renault held up his hand in an impatient gesture. “Un moment. I have no notion what either of you are speaking of.”
Rebecca prodded at a large chunk of rabbit with her spoon. “Black Knife suggested it after you’d gone.”
“What, exactly, did he suggest?”
Shoka drew his knife to cut the meat for her. “This morning Wabete and I took a youth captive. He strayed from Fort Warden. His name is Logan, the son of Henry McCutcheon.”
“Ah, oui? The uncle Kate speaks of?”
“The same. He and one daughter remain in the fort.”
“I’ll wager Black Knife has agreed to spare their lives if they surrender, and Madame Elliot is to approach the fort to plead with her uncle,” Renault concluded.
Shoka swallowed the bite of stew before he reluctantly offered the additional critical detail. “Also with Captain Bancroft, for full surrender.”
“A dangerous proposition.”
Remy lunged at Shoka like a mad dog. “Morbleu! C’est dangereux pour Madame, pour la petite Mademoiselle!”
“This is not my wish,” he spat back.
The Frenchman thrust his prominent nose closer to Shoka’s until they were nearly eye to eye. “Tell your chief non.”
Shoka still held the knife and raised it warningly under Remy’s chin. “Do not tell me what to speak, Lieutenant.”
“Remy! Leave this to me,” Renault ordered. “I would like to get through dinner without blood spilt.”
The incensed lieutenant took a step back, raking his fingers through his dark brown curls. With an angry glance at Renault, he conceded to his superior’s authority and sat glowering among his watchful companions. The other warriors in the circle exchanged glances, respect for Shoka in their eyes.
Rebecca bent nearer to Renault. “Please, Capitaine, Black Knife may be a scoundrel, but he is offering us the chance to save our family and perhaps others.”
“He is not a scoundrel, just a successful war chief who seizes his opportunity. You do not realize what you face.”
“We will fare better with your aid. Will we not, sir?”
“Hear me, Madame. If either of you enters the fort, for whatever reason, Black Knife will view this as a betrayal. I may not be able to prevent him from commencing the attack.”
