Into the Wilderness
Page 202

There was a rustling and then the forest broke, and she was there. Nathaniel opened his arms and gathered up his daughter to him, her smile as bright and broad as the rising moon.
* * *
Julian Middleton sat down on the bench just inside the door to Axel Metzler's tavern as if his energy had extended just so far and not step further.
The place was almost empty. Axel sat on a stool dipping each of his small collection of dented pewter tankards in a barrel of rainwater and handing them to Ephraim, who dried them on a ragged piece of toweling.
"Come set you by the hearth," Axel called.
"Cooler here," Julian protested.
Axel shrugged his shoulders. "Ja, sure. But it's a long walk to the cider jug."
"A man needs a little exercise now and then," Julian replied, stifling a yawn. In the end Axel wiped his hands on his apron and poured a cup of ale, sending it over with the boy, who peered at Julian hopefully from behind a curtain of sleek brown hair.
"Such industry deserves a reward." He reached with two fingers into his vest pocket. Ephraim snatched the ha' penny out of the air with a grin and a nod.
Julian had just settled in comfortably with his legs extended and his ankles crossed when Liam Kirby came flying through the door, tripped on the highly polished toe of Julian's right boot, and went sprawling headfirst toward the hearth. He came to a stop with his chin on the brickwork, but he was up in a snap.
"Good God," Julian said, examining his footgear for scratches. "So much energy after so hot a day really is in very bad form, Kirby."
Normally an excellent foil, Liam seemed not even to hear Julian's comment. Even his freckles stood out in alarm. "They're back," he said, gasping for air. "The teacher's back. I saw 'em headed up Hidden Wolf."
Axel took his pipe from his mouth and thrust it in Julian's direction. "Do you hear that, Middleton? Your sister and her husband are back."
"Yes, I heard." Julian took the last swallow of his ale and held out the cup to Ephraim again, who came forward to take it quite eagerly.
"And Robbie MacLachlan with them," Liam yelped. "In a new canoe."
"Old Rab!" Axel slapped his leg in appreciation. "Now there'll be some fun, you'll see. Rab hasn't been down this way in a long time."
"Any sign of Todd?" Julian asked the boy.
Liam accepted a cup of ale from Axel and drank thirstily, the pale liquid dribbling down his chin to stain his shirt. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he shook his head. "Didn't see any.
"Ja, well," said Axel, stumping to the door to look out into the night. "He won't be far behind, the doctor. Or let's hope so, or Miz Kitty will make life miserable for all of us."
Julian buried his face in his cup, relieving himself of the necessary reply. He wouldn't particularly care whether he ever saw Richard Todd again, if it weren't for Kitty Witherspoon. If Todd didn't marry her, and soon, it was clear to him where she would turn to resolve the problem that was growing underneath her skirt. And not without cause; Julian had not been an eager student, but he could count backward from nine on his fingers as well as any old crone. If pressed, he couldn't deny that he was the responsible party; but then, no one was pressing. And there was no need to step in, not if Todd was willing to take over.
"I'm going to find my brother and Moses Southern," Liam announced. "They'll want to know."
Julian raised one eyebrow. "No doubt," he agreed. "But perhaps you'd be so good as to hold off on that until tomorrow."
The boy pulled up short. "But they'll want to go up there right away, see if they can talk some sense into them."
Axel snorted a laugh. "Ja, now that is something I'd like to see, myself, Moses Southern talking sense to the schoolteacher."
"Somebody needs to do it," Liam said, defensively.
"Nonsense," Axel muttered, returning to his chore. "Have you forgot Nathaniel and Hawkeye? Ja, you're fools, all of you, if you think you can scare them off that mountain. I want no part of any of it."
Liam stood red—faced, twisting his cap in his hands, and threw a questioning look to Julian. "If there's a mine, it's yours, by rights."
Axel said, "And you're going to march up there right now and tell Hawkeye that, are you? You so eager to have another talk with the man, after Albany?"
The boy's high color drained suddenly. "I ain't lied about Miz Elizabeth. I never said a word about her, since then, and I won't, either."
"Amazing, how convincing Hawkeye can be with a hickory stick in his hand." Axel laughed.
Julian clucked his tongue. "You scare the boy, Axel, but you know that he has a point. But you are right, too, of course, at least in part." He paused to take a deep swallow. "It won't do any good to go up the mountain and fling accusations. I know my sister. She'll close ranks with the Bonners and you'll get nothing from her but a lecture. Axel," he finished, "I find ale is not enough to wet my gullet if I am compelled to make such long speeches. Break out the schnapps, will you?"
Liam said, "But we can't just give up the mountain. And there's the wood, and the hunting—”
“Indeed." Julian got up finally in pursuit of his schnapps.
"What do you think we should do, then? Will you come along and talk to my brother?"