Ella

by Sadie Conall

  The woman on the floor turned to him in rage as she dusted dirt and straw off her plain homespun dress. “No, of course we didn’t come here to steal! Quite the opposite in fact!”

  Marrok stared at her in astonishment, for it was the flame-haired singer he and Ella had helped in the alley. And standing beside her was the colored woman who had been watching him in the saloon. The girl turned back to look at Marrok.

  “Ruby Deagan. Although I can see you recognize me,” she said, before turning to introduce the woman beside her. “This is Clara, my maid.”

  And only then did Marrok notice the bags they were carrying. Simple things, revealing few possessions.

  “But what are you doing here? And at such an ungodly hour?” he asked.

  Ruby took a breath, even as her hands went to her hair, for she had lost a few pins in Marrok’s tackle. Then she glanced around the livery until she saw the wagon, all fitted out, packed and ready to go, standing at the rear of the building. She looked back at Marrok.

  “Your wife told me you’re heading for Independence. Clara and I need to get there. All we ask is to hide away in your wagon, but only until we’re across the Mississippi River and out of sight of St Louis, then we can walk.”

  Marrok said nothing, aware of the hour ticking by towards dawn, when Abe and Wilber would arrive with the six oxen. Ruby saw his hesitation and licked her lips, her mouth dry, although Marrok had already seen the fear in her eyes.

  “Please help us,” she said, a quiet desperation to her voice now. “We have to get out of town under cover of a wagon. I’ve had Clara follow you and your wife for days, after your wife told me in that alley that you’re heading west. All we want is to hide away, nothing more,” she glanced over at Jasper. “I’m sorry for causing you trouble, but we didn’t know you were sleeping here.” She looked back at Marrok. “And Clara thought you were sleeping at the boarding house with your wife and mother.”

  Marrok was aware of Jasper staring openmouthed at the women, yet he felt just as bewildered. And then Ruby glanced back towards the livery door and again, Marrok saw the fear in her eyes, along with bruises on her face and around her throat which were only now beginning to heal.

  “You might ask why we need to hide so I’ll tell you,” she said, once again licking her lips. “Those men that attacked me in the alley are still in town and still looking for me. I’ve had Clara follow them and they’ve been down at the wharves all week, watching every boat that berths and every boat that leaves. So they know I’m still here. But if I can hide away with a family where they wouldn’t think to look, I might just get away.”

  Marrok glanced at the tall, older woman and seeing his hesitation, Ruby took the woman’s hand in her own. “You can trust Clara. She’s been taking care of me for the past week, since you saved me from those men. I’ve been hiding out in her room in the attic of the saloon, for she’s the cook and cleaner there and when she can, she gives me food.”

  “But why would those men want to harm you?” Marrok asked.

  Ruby paused, deciding how much to tell, but knew she had nothing to lose. “They’re two of my father’s pit bulls. They’ve been chasing me now for almost four years, all the way across country from New York. And they won’t stop until they get me home. But I’d rather die than go back there.” She reached for her bag and as she fumbled within its contents, Marrok saw her hands trembling as she brought out a large leather purse. When she opened it, he saw the money inside.

  “Look, I can pay my way. And Clara can pay her way. We’re not poor. And Clara can cook. And I can clean well enough and you know I can sing.”

  Marrok stared in disbelief. There was a fortune in the purse. Enough to buy a whole town, let alone the last of the supplies which Ella so desperately needed, along with warm blankets for the northern winters.

  “Put the money away!” he growled. “It’s a wonder you haven’t had it stolen, showing it around like that,” he paused and stepped towards her. “Yet if you have such funds, why don’t you just outfit a wagon of your own?”

  Ruby shook her head. “I don’t show the money around! You’re the first person I’ve shown it to in all these years, just to prove to you that I can pay my way. And you don’t understand. I can’t be found. I can’t be seen. If I have any hope of escape, I need to hide. And you and your wife are my only hope. When you helped me in that alley, I knew you were the ones with the courage to do it.” She turned to Clara. “She saw your wife and mother pick up a lot of supplies today and heard the store owner wish them good luck. So I knew you must be leaving soon. So we came here to hide in your wagon.”

  Marrok let out a long breath. He didn’t need this added distraction to his already overstretched timeline. Besides, it wasn’t his decision to make. That must come from Ella. It was her wagon and therefore her risk. He turned to Clara.

  “So Ruby’s a runaway, but what about you? Do you have people chasing you?”

  The woman shook her head. “I ain’t no runaway. What I am, is a forgotten slave.”

  Marrok shook his head. “I don’t need to know about your past. All I need to know, is anyone chasing you?”

  “No sir, they ain’t.”

  Ruby put an arm around Clara’s shoulders. “I trust her with my life. And she’s honest and hardworking so I won’t be without her.”

  Marrok thought on the contents of Ruby’s purse and the supplies which Ella so desperately needed but couldn’t afford. And she could do with a cook on that long trail west, to help feed the men. And Ruby would be another pair of hands, or she could even be a paying passenger.

  “That woman who was with me in the alley isn’t my wife, but she does own this wagon. So I can’t make that decision for her, although I can ask if she’ll take you on.” He paused then introduced himself before turning to Jasper. “He’s a free man and has worked for Ella’s family for a long time. He’s part of her team heading west.”

  Marrok walked over to the side door and locked it. “But there’s nothing we can do now until sun-up. And that’s still an hour or so away. So how about we all grab some rest while we can. It’s going to be chaos here within a few hours.”

  10

  Marrok hurried through the quiet town shrouded in shadows, its inhabitants still asleep for it was early yet, the night sky only just beginning to break apart with streaks of light coming from the east.

  There was a sense of urgency about Marrok as he made his way across town, for he barely glanced at the slight mist rising above the Mississippi River in the cool spring morning. Indeed, he was trying not to panic for he knew he was pushing against time now.

  He had woken Jasper and the two women a short while ago, urging them to silence as he helped Ruby and Clara up into the wagon along with their few bags, before pulling the calico curtains closed behind them. He had thought the women looked exhausted but like him, they hadn’t been able to go back to sleep after they entered the livery. Indeed, Marrok had lain awake and planned the best way to get around this.

  He knew the women must be hidden in the wagon before Abe, Wilber and Aramis Stent arrived with the oxen. Nor could Homer and Melvin see Clara and Ruby, for like Stent they both knew a lot of people in St Louis and even if they knew the women were hiding, they still might mention them in casual conversation, without meaning to cause trouble.

  Marrok frowned as he thought on all this secrecy, not liking it one bit and as he reached the boarding house, he paused before climbing the stairs on the side of the building. If Ella didn’t agree to this, the women would have to find another way to get out of St Louis without being seen. Although Marrok didn’t fancy their chances. For who would take them on?

  He moved with stealth up the stairs, hoping no-one woke and looked out their windows. When he reached the balcony running around the second floor, he paused and looked around but the street lay empty, everyone still abed, their curtains drawn against the early morning.

  He reached for the rungs to climb the ladder which led to th
e attic bedrooms and hoped he chose the right window. If not, he would be speaking to Martha first.

  Ella opened the window on his third tap. She pulled the curtain aside, her face puffy with sleep and looked at him in astonishment.

  “What are you doing here?”

  He was taken aback by the sight of her. Her hair was tied back in a plait which hung down her back and although it was obvious he had woken her, she was as desirable to him in that moment as she had been last night when he kissed her. His feelings shocked him, but he pushed them deep, burying them, for he didn’t have time for a flirtation with this young woman.

  “We have a situation,” he whispered. “Can I come in?”

  “No, you can’t come in!” she hissed at him and went to close the window, denying him entry, when she saw the urgency in his face and noticed his hair hanging loose about his face. Marrok always tied his hair back. Something was wrong.

  “What is it, Marrok? What’s happened?”

  “I need to talk to you, Ella,” he said again and before she could stop him, he’d pushed aside the curtain and climbed inside, stepping across her bed, feeling the warmth of the blankets where she’d lain just a few moments ago. “I’ll be five minutes, then I’ll be gone.”

  He spoke rapidly, telling her everything he knew about Ruby and Clara. And Ella let him speak. She didn’t waste his time by arguing with him or interrupting him and Marrok decided he liked that about her.

  “Ella, they could be a good fit for you,” he said. “You’ll have two women to help you carry the load, along with the three men. And Clara can cook, while Ruby can help with the chores. You can pay them a small wage, although Ruby is prepared to be a paying passenger. She has a great deal of money, Ella. You can buy all the supplies you need in Independence with whatever money you decide to charge her.”

  Ella remembered what he’d said before, about life on the trail being hard. And without Martha around to help her, Ella would have to do all the womanly chores herself. She’d be expected to take care of all the supplies as well as the men. She’d have to clean up after them, fetch water and firewood, make the coffee, mend their clothes, tend their cuts and bruises and cook for them.

  But Ella had never been domesticated. She had always preferred to be outside than working indoors. Those duties had always been taken care of by Martha.

  “They’re in the back of your wagon now, hiding. No-one needs to know they’re there, except you, me and Jasper. And they’ll stay hidden until we get across the Mississippi River because they can’t be seen leaving St Louis. So think on it, Ella. They could both solve a whole lot of problems for you. But if you have no care to take them on, and I’ll respect that decision, then at least give them safe passage out of town. They won’t cause you any trouble and they’re both small enough that they won’t create extra weight for your oxen. And once we’re clear of the river and well away from St Louis, they can walk.”

  Marrok did his best to keep his gaze on Ella’s face, yet he was well aware of the rise and fall of her breasts beneath her chemise and the outline of her legs.

  He clenched his fists, even as he remembered their kiss the night before, well aware that the edge of the warm bed touched the back of his knees. And as if aware of his growing lust for her, Ella nodded, eager to get this done and for him to leave, for behind him, beyond the window, she could see the shadows of the early morning grow lighter as the sun began to rise.

  “Very well. Tell them I agree. I’ll take them on. Now please leave before someone finds you here.”

  Marrok nodded but paused for just a moment, as though deep in thought, then without a word he turned, climbed back over her bed, out the window and was gone.

  Ella would never know how close he came to reaching for her, for the desire to feel her mouth on his own had swept over him like a hot thing. But the look in Ella’s eyes had stopped him, even if she were unaware of it, for he knew well enough that Ella was an innocent, inexperienced in the ways of men and their lust. But her eyes had changed as she’d looked at him, they became hard, as though her core were all ice instead of a hot blooded woman. And it was that icy look, as though she saw him as a threat, which cleared the lust that almost claimed him. He felt ashamed as he climbed down the ladder, yet Marrok was stunned by the way this girl made him feel.

  11

  Ella watched him reach the safety of the street then he was gone, disappearing down an alley as he hurried back towards the livery.

  She sat on the bed, her legs trembling. What had just happened? She glanced down at her shift, yet the material was thick enough that he couldn’t possibly have seen through it, although it did hug her body a little.

  Yet the way he had looked at her! Ella had felt powerful under that gaze, before it quickly turned to bewilderment and then alarm. And as if Marrok knew it, he left without a word.

  She glanced out the window, yet everyone was still asleep. But not for long. She could hear roosters crowing from somewhere at the back of town. And somewhere else a dog had begun to bark.

  Ella thought of the two women hiding in her wagon. Although she wouldn’t tell Martha about them yet, not until they were well away from St Louis, because she didn’t want to face an argument so early in the day. She had enough to think on.

  Besides, this wasn’t Martha’s journey. It was her own. Because once they reached Independence Martha would join her son and his family, leaving Ella alone, in charge of her own team. So whatever decisions Ella made now was her business and she wouldn’t seek Martha’s approval for any of them, otherwise Ella knew she might fail in the months ahead. If she couldn’t stand on her own two feet now, she might not survive whatever tough times lay ahead for her on the trail or once she reached California.

  She turned to her basin and the jug of water and quickly washed, then dressed, yet the whole time her mind lingered on Marrok and that look.

  *

  When Ella arrived at the livery with Martha, along with a youth she had paid to carry their bags, she saw there was little chance of meeting the two women stowed away in the back of her wagon for there were people everywhere, with a small crowd gathering to see them off. She welcomed Abe and Wilber who were harnessing the oxen to the wagon with the help of Stent, while Jasper and Marrok organized the horses.

  Homer and Melvin and their families had also pitched in to help, with the women providing a cooked breakfast of oatmeal and fresh bread.

  Then it was time to go and after final, emotional goodbyes, Jasper and Martha climbed up onto the buckboard while Abe and Wilber took their places beside the lead oxen. Then Ella mounted Billy as Marrok grasped Homer and Melvin one last time amid shouts of good luck.

  “Write if you can,” Homer said to Marrok. “Let us know you’re safe.”

  Marrok nodded, feeling a sense of great loss as he stepped away from his friends, knowing he might never see them again. “If you ever decide to follow me, ride for Oregon and seek the Chinook. They’ll know where to find me.”

  Melvin grinned. “If we stop making money, you’ll see us soon enough old friend.”

  Marrok laughed, knowing there was little chance of that while St Louis kept growing at the speed it was. He turned and mounted his horse and rode up beside Ella as Abe and Wilber gently flicked the lead oxen with their switches and Jasper flicked the reins. And as the wagon lurched forward, the oxen bellowing at the load behind them before finding their rhythm and walking on, at last they were on their way.

  Bear followed behind the wagon on a long lead and as they rolled through town, strangers stopped to wave them off and wish them good luck.

  And inside the wagon, as Clara and Ruby huddled beneath blankets, their hands clasped, they felt the wagon rumble on towards the Mississippi River.

  12

  Clara watched Ruby crawl slowly to the back of the wagon and although the younger woman was careful how she moved so she didn’t dislodge anything or rock the wagon and alert anyone that they was there, Clara hardly dared to breat
h as she sat huddled under blankets between all the boxes and crates. She’d tried to make Ruby stay with her, safe and sound and hidden away, but she’d come to understand over the past few months that Ruby wasn’t a girl who did what others told her.

  Ruby reached the back of the wagon and reached up to peer through the gap in the calico curtains. Clara knew what she was looking for. Those two men who had been prowling the streets in the past week looking for her. The same two men who Ruby had sent Clara out to spy on when she had any precious free time, to see if they’d left town.

  Of course they hadn’t.

  “Now they’ve found me, they won’t leave until they get me back to New York. And they won’t care how they do it. In pieces, if necessary.”

  Clara had been shocked by this, until Ruby told her a little of her childhood. And one night, up in her attic bedroom in the saloon, after Ruby fell asleep beside her on the straw mattress after telling Clara some more of her childhood, Clara remembered a conversation she’d overhead many years ago. It had been between Ada, her long dead mistress and Esther, Ada’s only daughter.

  Esther had accepted a proposal of marriage from a young man in New York, and she wanted her parents to go live there with her. Ada had refused to leave New Orleans, having heard only bad things about New York.

  “Everyone knows the gangs are notorious up there and if you haven’t heard of them yet Esther, if your husband hasn’t yet shared that with you, then I’m sure he soon will. You’ve got the Irish and Italian Mafias fighting among themselves, then there’s the English pitted against the Scots and then the Jews. I want no part of it. I refuse to go and live there.”

  Esther went on to marry her New York fiancé and never saw her father again. She saw her mother only once and that was when she returned to New Orleans for her father’s funeral many years later.

  When Clara remembered that conversation she had wondered if Ruby’s father were involved in one of those gangs, for Ruby was clearly used to violence. And taking care of herself.