Savage Spring

by Constance O'Banyon

  Riding through a wide iron gate, he stopped before a two-story stone house that proclaimed its owner’s wealth. He dismounted and tied his horse to the hitching post. Climbing the steps, he reflected on his mission here today. This was the Thatcher mansion. Harland Thatcher, at one time, had been in love with Tag’s sister, Joanna. But it wasn’t Harland he had come to see today—it was his father’s old retainer, Simon, whom he sought. Simon had helped him and Joanna escape from their uncle and aunt when Tag was a twelve-year-old. Simon had taken the job as servant to the Thatchers so he could keep an eye on Tag’s uncle. He had been given Tag’s mother’s jewels for safekeeping, and Tag had now come to collect them and find out if Simon had learned anything that could help him in dealing with his uncle.

  Rapping on the door, Tag waited impatiently for an answer. In no time at all the door was opened, and a middle-aged housekeeper in stiff white apron and mobcap stood staring at him, open-mouthed.

  “Yes?” she said in a stiff manner while looking him over from head-to-toe with obvious disapproval. For the first time, Tag realized he had made a grave mistake. He had forgotten he was dressed in his buckskin shirt and trousers, and he should have gone to the back door since he was here to see Simon. He silently cursed his foolishness. He had been too long away from the niceties of life and had forgotten one very important thing—one never came to the front door when wishing to see one of the servants. Tag realized it was too late to cover tracks this time. He would just have to be more cautious in the future.

  “I am making inquiries about Simon Green, ma’am. I was told he was employed here.”

  The woman’s eye’s widened in surprise. “I…yes, he was. If you will come to the back door, I’ll let you in. Just go around the side of the house there.”

  Tag was puzzled by her strange behavior, but he did as she asked. He could feel something was wrong, but he didn’t yet know what it was.

  When he reached the back of the house, the door swung open, and the same woman was there to greet him.

  “Come into the kitchen where we can talk. I have sent the cook away so we won’t be disturbed.”

  Still puzzled, he entered directly into the kitchen. The woman motioned for him to be seated at the wooden table and poured him a cup of tea before sitting down across from him.

  “Is your name Taggart James?” she inquired, lowering her voice.

  “Why should you think that?” Tag asked suspiciously, looking into the older woman’s periwinkle-blue eyes and seeing tears swimming there.

  “I think I should tell you Simon is dead. He was buried no more than a fortnight ago. His last dying thoughts were of Taggart James and his sister, Joanna. I know you are he and I also know you have to be cautious.”

  “How would you know?” Tag asked, feeling a pain of sadness in his heart for the man who had served his father for so many years. “Simon would never have discussed me and my sister with you or anyone else.”

  The woman reached out and touched Tag’s hand. “You are right…my Simon would never have discussed your troubles with just anyone…but you see, I was his wife. We were married but three short years ago, and my husband knew he could trust me.”

  Tag looked into bright, earnest eyes and knew the woman spoke the truth. “I am grieved about Simon, Mrs. Green. He was almost like family to me and my sister. I hope he didn’t die in pain.”

  Mrs. Green dried her eyes on her snowy white apron. “No, the end came quickly. One day, he was well; the next, he was gone.”

  “Please accept my condolences, Mrs. Green.”

  She dabbed at her eyes once more and nodded. “Simon charged me to give you a packet you left in his keeping, along with some information he had learned. We shouldn’t be talking here. I’m off duty at six. Can we meet and discuss it then?”

  “Yes, where shall I meet you?”

  “My sister lives on Hargrove Road. It’s the last house before you come to the river. Can you be there at seven?”

  “Yes, I’ll be there,” he said, standing up.

  Mrs. Green stood also and walked him to the door. “I would caution you to have a care. You are not safe. Simon’s one wish was that you and your sister get back what was stolen from you.”

  Tag towered over the woman and smiled down at her kindly.

  “I have lost a dear friend in Simon, but it seems I have found an ally in you, Mrs. Green.”

  “I will do whatever I can to help you, Mr. James. Take care and don’t do anything foolish again.”

  He laughed. “Like going to the front door?”

  She smiled. “There was no harm done since I was the one who answered your knock.”

  As Tag rode back to town, he felt a great loss at Simon’s passing. Although he hadn’t seen him in many years, they had often corresponded through the trading post at Fort Union, and Tag had felt close to him.

  Looking down at his buckskins, Tag realized that he would have buy new clothing. His manner of dress set him apart from rest of the population, and he knew he must become just one of the many on the streets of Philadelphia.

  Alexandria had straightened the room and carried the dirty dishes down to the kitchen. When she was on her way back upstairs, Molly called out to her.

  “Hold, lad. I want to talk to you.”

  Alexandria turned to face the pretty serving girl. She didn’t much like Molly and didn’t really want to talk to her.

  “You surely fell into a good thing, didn’t you, boy? It appears that Mr. Knight took you under his wing.”

  “I am working for him,” Alexandria replied through stiff lips.

  “I’d like to work for that handsome man,” Molly said, tossing her tawny hair. “Leastwise, I’d like to work beneath him while he’s on top.” The serving maid’s lewd laughter rang out and Alexandria felt her face redden. Turning her back, she ran up the stairs to escape any further conversation with the woman.

  When she was inside the room, she leaned against the door, while wild thoughts danced through her mind. What would it feel like to have Mr. Knight make love to her? She tried to clear her mind of her daring thoughts. Never before had she wanted a man to touch her. Now all she seemed to think of was the way he smiled when he was amused, or how his blue eyes could turn quickly to swirling blue storm centers when he was angry.

  Scolding herself, Alexandria closed her eyes. Mr. Knight would never look at her as a woman. He thought of her only as a boy whom he no more than tolerated. Walking to the cracked mirror that hung on the wall over the wash basin, she looked at herself critically. Her hair was too short, for one thing; it curled in ringlets all over her head. She looked at her golden-colored eyes, which were fringed by long, silky lashes, wishing they were a different color. Her stepmother had often told her that her eyes were too catlike and that no one could look at her without shivering. Sighing heavily, she looked at the outline of her body. She was much too skinny. Most girls her age were nicely rounded. She wasn’t very tall and reached only to Mr. Knight’s shoulder. Alexandria couldn’t tell if the face that stared back at her was pretty. The only man she had ever been around had been her stepbrother, and he hadn’t been a very good judge, since he liked anything in petticoats. For the first time in her life, she wished with all her heart that she was pretty.

  Alexandria hadn’t heard the door open softly and didn’t know that Mr. Knight had entered until she saw his reflection in the mirror behind her.

  “What do you see reflected there, Alex?” he said in an amused voice.

  Her golden eyes met his blue ones. “I don’t know. What do you see, Mr. Knight?”

  He smiled slightly. “I see a boy who is much too pretty to be a boy.”

  “What…do you mean?” she asked, spinning around to face him, fearing he had learned her secret.

  “I mean,” he said laughing, “that when you grow up, you will always have a string of attractive women trailing after you.” He paused, “That is, if you can learn some niceties and take a bath more often.”

>   Alexandria’s chin jutted out angrily. “You don’t know anything about me! You shouldn’t go around making snap judgments about someone you have only just met.”

  He gave her a lopsided smile. “I think I know you well enough. Some day you want to tell me your story?”

  “I have nothing to tell.”

  He grabbed her by the arm and led her to the bed, where there were numerous parcels lying in a heap. “You will find some new clothing for you among those boxes. See that you put them on and make yourself more presentable.”

  She threw her head back. “I will not accept anything from you. I will not wear anything you bought.”

  He tilted her chin up, and she saw his blue eyes flash. “Must I remind you again that I will toss you out if you don’t do as you are told?”

  “I…will put them on, but later,” she said, quickly reconsidering. The last thing she wanted was to be sent away to fend for herself.

  “How old are you, Alex?”

  She considered telling him the truth. “I’m thirteen,” she answered, knowing he would never believe she was eighteen.

  “You will get over being so shy when you have been with your first girl.”

  “I won’t ever…” She bit her lip and suffered his laughter.

  “Oh, yes, you will, Alex. If I were to turn you loose with Molly downstairs, she would make a man of you soon enough.”

  “It’s sinful…what you are suggesting. No nice gir…boy would do what you suggest out of wedlock. That’s disgusting!”

  Amusement danced in his blue eyes. “I can see you have been properly brought up after all, Alex. I think the time may come, however, when you will change your way of thinking.”

  “Never!”

  Tag reached for one of the parcels and withdrew a blue suit coat and threw it around his shoulders. “What do you think, Alex? Will I look the proper gentleman dressed in this?”

  She looked at the light blue fabric and knew that it was from one of the better shops in Philadelphia. “Yes, I suppose, but why would you want…”

  He held up his hand, cutting her off. “Yours is not to question, but to do as your are told. I bought a pair scissors—do you think you can cut my hair in a reasonably fashionable style?”

  Alex nodded. “But I don’t see…”

  “Here, I’ll sit in this chair, and you can do your worst right now.”

  Alex reached for the scissors and felt a lump in her throat. What a pity it was to cut his beautiful hair, she thought. She somehow felt sad that, with his hair cut and dressed in the suit, he would be just like other men. No, he would never be like any other. He would always stand out as different and unusual. She detected something about him that set him apart. Perhaps it was that he was so handsome, but she didn’t think so. It was more that he was so…male. At times, she got the feeling that he wasn’t of this world.

  Taking a golden strand, she snipped it off. Hoping he wouldn’t notice, she pushed the golden strand into her pocket, not knowing herself why she wanted to keep it. In no time at all, the haircut was completed, and she looked at him with satisfaction, thinking she hadn’t done too bad a job.

  “Has Farley been back?” he asked, brushing the loose hair from his shoulder.

  “No, I’ve been here all day, and I haven’t seen him.”

  “I have to dress and go out for a while. Should Farley return, tell him to wait until I get back—is that clear?”

  “Yes, but can I not go with you?”

  He stripped his shirt off and tossed it on the chair. “No, I have business to attend to. You just go downstairs and see that they give you some food. I think it would be a good idea for you to avoid the tap room. You don’t want a recurrence of last night.”

  She nodded, picking up his discarded shirt and folding it neatly.

  “Tell Farley he will be sleeping in the next room. You will be sharing it with him.”

  Alex opened her mouth to protest, but his look silenced her. “I want you to tell Molly that she is to come to my room tonight after she gets off work. Do you understand?”

  Alexandria spoke before she had time to think. “I understand, all right. How can you…with a woman like her…?”

  Tag pulled on a shirt and chuckled. “For the obvious reasons. You will find you don’t just walk up to a nice girl and ask her to spend the night with you.”

  Alexandria turned away, feeling crushed. For some reason, she couldn’t stand the thought of his holding Molly in his arms. “I don’t see why you need a woman at all,” she said through tight lips.

  “When you are older, you will know that a man has certain urges that must be satisfied.”

  Alexandria turned back to face him, only to discover that he had replaced his buckskin trousers with soft blue tight-legged pants. “You don’t love Molly.” She couldn’t help but state her opinion.

  Tag sighed indulgently. “Love has nothing to do with it, Alex. I don’t have time to go into man-woman relationships with you now. Just see that Molly comes to my room tonight.”

  She watched as his eyes took on a look of sadness. When he spoke, it was more as if he were speaking to himself. “I have only loved once. I doubt I shall ever love again.”

  Alexandria wanted to ask him about the woman he had loved, but she dared not. She watched as he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on a pair of black leather boots. When he stood up, she studied him closely. Gone was the handsome golden man, and in his place was a well-dressed gentleman.

  “What do you think, Alex? Do I come up to scratch?”

  “You look very nice,” she said, still too angry to hand out a compliment. She jumped when he tweaked her nose and walked toward the door.

  “Don’t forget to tell Molly,” he reminded her before sweeping out of the room.

  She wanted to shout at him that if he wanted Molly he could tell her himself, but the door slammed behind him. Sitting down on the bed, Alexandria propped her head on her folded hands. It wasn’t her place to question Mr. Knight’s morals. If she knew what was good for her, she had better do as he asked or be tossed out into the street as he had threatened on several occasions.

  It wasn’t until much later in the evening that Alexandria went to find Molly. She was halfway downstairs when the sound of the servant girl’s laughter reached her. Glancing down into the tap room, she saw the woman perched on a heavyset man’s lap while he fondled and caressed her openly. Setting her jaw stubbornly, Alexandria climbed back up the stairs. If Mr. Knight wanted a woman like Molly, then he would just have to do the asking himself. She had no intention of approaching that woman. Let him throw her out! She would just have to find a job of some kind. She could take care of herself; she didn’t need him!

  Farley came in a short time later, and Alexandria told him Mr. Knight wanted them to share the room next door. The old man went to bed early, so Alexandria tiptoed into the room and saw him sleeping on the floor as he had the night before. She made her way to the bed, and curled up on it, lost in total misery. She didn’t know where she was going from here. Alexandria was afraid that the authorities would be searching for her, and she knew she would have to be very careful not to get caught. With that thought in mind, she drifted into a troubled sleep.

  Tag sat at the kitchen table and unwrapped the parcel that contained his mother’s jewels. Mrs. Green exclaimed over the valuable pieces that had been left in her care.

  “I never knew what the packet contained, but Simon told me to protect it and never tell another living soul about you and your sister.”

  He reached out his hand and squeezed hers. “I cannot thank you enough. If only there was some way to repay you for your kindness.”

  “I need nothing but your thanks. I have come to feel that I know you and your sister, Joanna, from hearing about you from Simon. Is your sister well?”

  “Yes, Joanna is happier than anyone I know. She has a good life.”

  “Simon was always worried about her. He seemed to think she had lost some of her
reasoning.”

  Tag laughed, remembering how upset Simon had been when Joanna chose to stay with Windhawk. “I can assure you my sister has all of her faculties.” Then Tag became serious. “Did Simon leave me any message?”

  “He was afraid to write anything down, so he told me what to relay to you. Your uncle is an invalid and is bedridden. I am told his speech is garbled, and one can hardly understand him.”

  “If that is so, then who sent the two men who tried to kill me?”

  “Humph, likely as not, it would be his wife. I hear tell Claudia Landon is a regular terror. Simon told me to warn you that she is the one to look out for, because she is vicious and cruel. Hers is the hand that runs your shipping company. She had employed a lawyer who is at her beck and call. Simon seemed to think that he must have drawn up papers falsifying your signature. Otherwise, she would never have been allowed to have free reign over the James Import-Export Shipping.”

  “What’s the name of her lawyer?”

  “I’ve written it down on this piece of paper for you, as well as the location of his office. Simon thought it would be best for you to proceed slowly and allow no one to know your true identity for now.”

  “What’s to stop me from going to my father’s old lawyer, Mr. Barker, for help?”

  “You can’t. He’s dead. Simon said he died mysteriously in a fire that destroyed all his important papers. Simon told me your father’s will and all the documents relating to your inheritance were also destroyed. Simon went to the city registrar one day to find out if the will had been admitted for probate and found there was no such document. You can see this Claudia Landon covers herself very well.”

  “Yes, apparently she does. This might be more difficult than I first anticipated.”

  “What are your plans?”

  “I think the best way to proceed will be to assume a false identity. I have been thinking about setting up a household and establishing myself as having just come over from England.”

  “Have you money to do this?”

  “Yes, money will not be a problem.”