“Yes, I heard that. May all the French rot in hell!”
“Only now it is over. The Indians and the French have retreated, so we can live in peace and go on with our lives.”
“Speaking of such, how are you doing? I see Wolf is keeping the place in shape.”
Martin looked out to the field where Wolf was plowing and shook his head.
“Doesn’t he ever wear any clothes? It seems indecent to be out with hardly anything covering his body!”
“His people don’t wear anything but breech-cloths in good weather, as you probably know. Even the women don’t wear a top. I seldom wore much clothing when I was with them,” I admitted, not telling the whole truth.
“Only he is not in his village now. He is in a white man’s territory and we have laws concerning decency. You need to tell him to put some overalls on or something!”
“There is no one out here but me,” I pointed out.
“What if I decided to bring a woman friend to visit with you? She would be mortified to have to look upon a man’s body like that!”
I was taken back a little when he said that, and blinked.
“Do you have a woman friend you plan to bring to visit?” I asked.
Martin shrugged.
“Not at present, but I do have a cousin who plans to visit me in the near future, and I was thinking you and she could become good friends. However, I would feel uneasy letting her visit, if your husband refuses to wear any clothes!”
“I will talk to Wolf about it,” I murmured. “I am pleased you are thinking about expanding my circle of friends, considering you are my only friend,” I half laughed.
She will be coming in a week or two, and that is another reason I came, to let you know I would like to bring her so you could get acquainted.”
“That is very sweet of you, Martin. I would like to have a woman friend to talk to. It has been rather lonely here since my family is no longer alive and we have no close neighbors to speak of.”
“There is a new family moving into the homestead closest to you. I understand they were related to the people who lived there.”
“Really? That is where my aunt and uncle lived. They must be related to my uncle!”
“Then you should make an effort to visit them when they settle in.”
“I didn’t think I had any relatives, even though they would merely be related by marriage.”
“I understand they are newly arrived here and were looking for your uncle. When they learned he was killed, they decided to move onto his homestead.”
“That means Jamie and his sisters have relatives. They don’t have to remain with the Lenape. I could get Wolf to go retrieve Jamie and his sisters and bring them back if his father’s family wants them returned.”
“I suppose that is a possibility. It is only right the Indians return their captives to us since the war is over and they are under British rule now, only I doubt they will give up their prisoners easily.”
“All the children they took were adopted and are part of the tribe now. Once they join the tribe they have the freedom to choose for themselves,” I informed Martin.
“I hear they demand a ransom for the return of their captives.”
“I will ask Wolf about it,” I smiled. “Will you stay for lunch?” I asked, eagerly wanting to show off my cooking skills.
Martin shook his head, giving me a look I couldn’t quite read.
“No. I only came to give you the puppy and ask about bringing my cousin to meet you when she shows up.”
I felt a little disappointed. It was probably because he did not want to sit at a table with Wolf, whom I knew he was not very fond of, but I shrugged and smiled, reaching down and picking up the pup.
“It was very thoughtful of you to bring me a pup,” I said, trying to hide my disappointment.
“Have you thought of a name for him?” Martin asked.
“He seems like a happy little dog, perhaps I will call him Happy.”
“Yes, he looks very happy with your arms around him,” Martin murmured.
“Are you sure you won’t stay?” I urged.
“I have to get back. Tell Wolf hello for me,” he muttered, as he swung up on his horse.
“I will be looking forward to meeting your cousin. What is her name?”
“Rachel,” he said. “I’m sure the two of you will become fast friends. She was very eager to know about your experience with the Indians when I mentioned you had been captured by them.”
“Oh,” I said, feeling a little uneasy.
It was not an experience I wished to share with anyone, even another woman. I suppose I could skim over the worst of it and just give her the highlights of my encounter, I decided.
“I will look forward to talking with her,” I shrugged.
Martin turned and waved as he rode away, and I noticed in the distance that Wolf had stopped plowing and was watching Martin leaving. Then he went back to plowing and I went into the house to feed Ben and start lunch for Wolf.
When Wolf came in, he looked a little disgruntled, and tired as well.
“What did Martin want?” he asked. “He didn’t stay very long.”
“He brought me a puppy,” I smiled happily, pointing to Happy who was lapping up some milk I gave him.
“He seems intent on giving you gifts,” Wolf said, as he sat down at the table.
“Of course. He is my friend. He was giving me gifts before you came here. He feels guilty he could not protect my family from you and your warrior friends. He is trying to make it up to me.”
“I suppose he despises me, considering I was one of the Indians who raided your home.”
When Wolf talked to me, he would mix English words with Indian words when he couldn’t remember the correct word to use. Anyone else probably wouldn’t understand him, but I had gotten used to his mixed language. I knew he was trying hard to learn my language so I would inform him of the English word he was looking for when it happened.
“Of course, he is unhappy that you were part of the raiding party,” I agreed, “but he understands things are different now. He accepts my marriage to you. It is just that he probably feels uncomfortable because he doesn’t have anything in common with you. He did tell me to say hello to you for him, though.”
“Did you invite him to eat with us?” Wolf asked.
It was the custom for the Indians always to offer their gusts food.
“Yes. Only he was in a hurry to return. He came to tell me his cousin is coming to visit him and wishes to bring her out here to meet me. Also, he told me that my uncle’s family are moving into his old homestead. It means we will have a close neighbor who is related to my kin. Jamie has family here now and as soon as planting is done, you should go to your people and insist they release Jamie and his sisters so they can come home. He used to beg me to escape with him when we were first captured.”
Wolf just stared at me as though he couldn’t believe I was asking him to do such a thing.
“Jamie is now a member of my tribe. He is not a captive. I can’t just go and insist they release him. They will expect a ransom paid to them for the lose of a tribe member.”
“Martin mentioned that may be the case, but if there is a ransom involved, I am sure his people will come up with one,” I said stubbornly.
“It would take a long time to travel to where my people settled. I can’t leave you and our son alone that long,” he complained.
“If Jamie’s family is living nearby, I am sure I will be safe, and Martin will check to make sure I am all right.”
“I don’t like the way Martin looks at you. He wants you, even though he knows you belong to me. That is why he is always giving you gifts. He wishes to pull you from me.”
“No one can ever pull me from you, Wolf. You are the one I love, and he believes you are my husband. It would be considered adultery if he tried to sway me away from you, and that is against our religion!”
“Only you and I have no legal ti
e. If he ever learned of it…”
“How would he learn? We can tell him we were married by whoever does that sort of thing in your village. He has no way of knowing any differently, but I am sure my own people would expect us to get married in a church to make it acceptable to God.”
“You being my woman is already acceptable to the Great Spirit. My vision quest brought me to you. It is the way the Great Spirit intends it to be. However, I don’t want to leave you here for Martin to watch over with his greedy eyes. Jamie is happy where he is. He likes being a Lenape!”
“He should be with his own family,” I complained. “He had no other choice but to join your tribe when we were captured. He was only a little boy! He is still a little boy!”
“If you want him back so bad, ask Martin to go find him,” Wolf suggested, drawing his brows together.
I could tell he was starting to feel angry.
“Your own people would listen to you, before they would listen to Martin. They are your part of your tribe. You can convince them to release Jamie to us easier than Martin ever could,” I insisted.
“I do not wish to speak of it. There are too many jobs to do here to get the crop planted if we expect to have food over the winter. You will have to send your kin for their family member if they want him back.”
“You would not help with this?” I asked, feeling astonished.
“I am not the one who wishes Jamie to return to his family. You have not even met your kin. Wait until they request Jamie be returned. You are planning something before you even know if they want him or not.”
“Well, I want him and his sisters, whether they do or not! The only reason I left him behind is because I knew he didn’t have a family to raise him. I didn’t even know if my house was still standing or if I could survive the winter and I certainly couldn’t take care of him.”
“He was very sad when you left. Only he told me he was happy to remain with my people and wouldn’t have gone with you, even if you asked him to.”
“Which is the very reason I left him behind. Only now, things have changed.”
“Nothing has changed!” Wolf bellowed. “He is happy and we are happy. Don’t try to change that!”
I could tell Wolf didn’t want to continue the conversation. Maybe he was right. I suppose I should talk to my uncle’s family and discover what they wanted to do about Jamie. Maybe Jamie was happy with the Lenape, but he was my cousin. I missed him and his sisters. Since his father’s family was moving into his old house, he would probably be glad to return to us. I couldn’t understand why Wolf was being so stubborn about it? I was sure Beth and Nellie would want to return and be raised by their father’s family, and if not, I would take them in. Nellie was only a year younger than I was and she and Beth, who was in between Jamie and Nellie’s age would make good company for me if they didn’t want to go live with their aunt and uncle.
However, I would give it time until after I met my extended family and see how they felt about the whole situation. I had felt guilty leaving Jamie behind. Even if he did like being an Indian, he should be with his own family, I reasoned. By right, his father’s house actually belonged to him now since he was the only son, and he should return to his true roots.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I stood watching Wolf working in the field. Ben was playing with Happy at my feet and I was thinking how contented I felt but my contentment was wavering a little, thinking about what Martin had said concerning Wolf putting more clothes on. In a few days, Martin would be bringing his cousin, Rachel, to visit and I had not approached Wolf about him wearing trousers and a shirt. Ben had clothes he could wear. Wolf had always remained fierce about not losing his Indian culture just because he was living in a white man’s house, though. I remembered how he had insisted I wear his tribe’s choice in clothes when he first captured me. It seemed right that now he should wear my people’s choice in clothes, I reasoned. I certainly did not want to feel responsible for making Martin’s cousin uncomfortable. It was bad enough that Martin didn’t take to Wolf very well.
When Wolf came up to the house, he picked Ben up and placed him on his shoulders. I loved the way Wolf interacted with our son and I knew how much he loved little Ben. In his tribe, the uncle would have taken over raising the sons of his niece, but Wolf had the full responsibility of a father and I think he liked it.
I fed Ben first as Wolf watched on, laughing at how Ben kept grabbing for the spoon and trying to feed himself. Wolf seemed to like the fact that Ben was showing signs of independence. When I finished feeding him, I put him down for his nap and started dishing out food for Wolf and myself.
“How is the planting going?” I asked.
The fields had all been plowed and Wolf had started planting the crops now.
“It is going well,” Wolf told me, as he shoveled food into his mouth.
“I hope we have a big enough crop to support us over the winter,” I mumbled.
Wolf nodded seeming more interested in eating than talking.
“Martin will be bringing his cousin to visit me in a few days,” I said, changing the subject.
Wolf looked up but said nothing as he continued eating.
“Martin had mentioned to me that it might be a good idea if you wore some of Ben’s clothes when she comes, so it does not embarrass her to look upon your half-naked body,” I said, eyeing Wolf to see how he would respond to the suggestion.
He stopped eating and looked at me.
“So now Martin is instructing me on how to dress?” he muttered. “He gives you gifts and wants to have a say in what we do on our own land?”
“It is just to show a little respect for his cousin,” I pointed out.
“How about showing respect for me?” Wolf asked. “I chose to leave my people and live in a white man’s house to be with you. I take care of you and our child. I work the fields and do everything to please you, but now it is not enough! Now I must wear the white man’s clothes as well? You want to turn me into a white man! The clothes your men wear are priggish and look silly. It is like they can’t put enough clothes on their bodies! Shirts and vests, jackets and scarves along with hats and uncomfortable boots. I would never put that much on my body! You want me to forget who I am. You want me to stop being a Lenape and become something else! I was willing to lose face to be with you. Only that is not enough for you. You want more! You want to dress me up like a dunce… I think that is the correct word!”
“You only have to wear the clothes while his cousin is here,” I informed him. “It is not like it is going to kill you to wear Ben’s clothes for one day!”
“Martin is doing this on purpose to make you ashamed of me! He wants you to believe my ways are not good ways.”
“That is not true!” I countered.
“Well, I will not wear your brother’s clothes. I will wear my own clothes!”
“You insisted I take off my clothes and wear a breech-cloth when you first captured me, and then you took all my clothes away! You had no respect for me and my ways! You didn’t care about my need for modesty! Now you want me to show you respect when you won’t do this one thing for me?”
“It is one thing now, but it will be many things in the future if Martin has his way!”
“I don’t know why you balk just because Martin suggested it. You have no reason to be jealous of Martin. However, if you refuse to wear some clothes, you will have to remain in the barn or up in our room while Rachel is here,” I stated, eyeing him angrily.
“You would put me in the barn like an animal, or banish me to our room like a punished child? Do I have no say in this matter?” Wolf bellowed.
“You have plenty of say, but not in this particular matter,” I said stubbornly.
“And what will happen if I refuse to obey you?” Wolf asked.
“If you have any feelings for me at all, you would do this for me,” I insisted. “You expected me to live by the rules of your mother’s house when I was in your village. The least y
ou can do is live by our rules here!”
“It is not for you, it is for Martin! It is not our rules! It is Martin’s rules. He does not like that you have married a Lenape! You are not even married to me, even if you are my woman. How can I become a husband to you if you do not respect my ways?”
“I do respect you and your ways. I did it your way when I was in your village, but you don’t seem to respect me! You have never respected me from the very beginning! I never had a say when I was your captive and lived in your village. I have asked nothing of you, until now! I didn’t even tell you to come here! You chose to come to me, and now you are balking over a stupid thing like wearing more clothes? In the winter you have no problem putting on more clothes. Put your leggings and shirt on, if you do not want to wear Ben’s clothes!”
“The weather is too warm to be hindered by clothes,” Wolf insisted.
“Which means you don’t want to conform to one simple wish. You are just being stubborn because Martin requested it,” I accused.
“He brings his family here to visit and then expects you to bow to his wishes. It is not his place to tell me or anyone else what to wear! He knows I live here and dress as my people have dressed for centuries, yet he uses the excuse that his cousin wouldn’t like it. Tell him not to bring his cousin if that is the case!”
“You don’t want me to have any friends,” I grumbled. “You want me all to yourself and that is why you make it uncomfortable for others to come and become our friends. You are doing it on purpose so you can have your way! You have never liked Martin, and he has been kind to both of us.”
“We don’t need anyone else in our lives. We have each other and our son. Why isn’t that enough?”
“In your village, you had many friends. You spent time with your companions and I had no say about that! Yet you do not wish me to have friends, or are even willing to bring Jamie back so he can be with his true family,” I accused. “Am I to look forward to living separated from my own people, just because you choose to do so? It is bad enough that most would shun me because I wish to be with you, yet the few that would be my friends you don’t even want around!”
Across The River Page 14
