Into the Wilderness
Page 212

Nearby, Archie Cunningham was trimming his fingernails with a hunting knife, flicking the parings alternately into the fire and at young Liam Kirby's ears. Curled almost double over the draughts board, Liam took no notice. His brother Billy sat opposite with his back to Elizabeth, talking to a trapper Elizabeth did not recognize while he waited for Liam to make his move.
Liam stuck out a grubby finger to move his game piece, looked up, and jumped at the sight of her. His left hand flew up toward his cap, catching the corner of the board and upending it with a smack. Red and black game pieces went skittering over the floor.
"You goddamn puppy," said Billy in a conversational tone. At that moment he caught sight of Elizabeth, and his mouth snapped shut.
Moses Southern hawked, a long, dragging sound, and then without looking away from her, sent a stream of tobacco into the bucket that served as a spittoon.
"I'll warn you once more, Southern," Anna said, bringing her head out of the cubbyhole. "A drop of that mess on my clean floor and you'll mop it up yourself."
"Hello, Anna," Elizabeth said.
"Well, Elizabeth. About time you showed your face." Anna leaned over the counter to give Charlie LeBlanc a good—natured slap on the crown of his head.
"Take your eyes off my candy jar and say how—do, Charlie. That's Mrs. Bonner come in, the one you made moon eyes at all winter. If you ever thought to come to church you would have had the chance to welcome her home last Sunday."
The young man flushed a deep red and flashed a reluctant grin in Elizabeth's direction, so that the newest gap in his teeth became evident. "Miz Elizabeth." He bobbed his head.
"It's good to see you, Charlie."
As if they had been woken from a trance, many of the other men tipped their caps in Elizabeth's direction and mumbled greetings.
"You come down the mountain alone?" called Moses Southern, his raspy voice carrying through the room.
"And why would I not?" Elizabeth asked him with a small smile.
Moses shrugged. "Just last week Asa Pierce got killed by a bear up on Hidden Wolf. Lots of trouble out there in the bush for folks who don't pay attention."
"Lots of trouble," echoed Claude Dubonnet, rubbing a finger alongside his nose.
If you only knew how much trouble, Elizabeth thought, touching a finger to the chain that disappeared into her bodice.
"Oh, be quiet, you old gasbag." Axel appeared at the rear door, scratching at his beard. "Asa Pierce didn't have the common sense God gave a goat, although he was a good enough blacksmith. Hello there, Miz Elizabeth."
"Are you well, Mr. Metzler?"
"Ja, sure. Fine, fine. My joints are hollerin' loud enough to be waking the dead on rainy days like this one, but you know what they say. Live long and drink deep, and sooner or later you'll get your share of the dregs. Anna, you got time to be helping this woman, or you want me to come behind your counter and see to it?" Axel settled with a deep sigh of satisfaction into the chair nearest the hearth, a position which put him just between Moses Southern and Billy Kirby, both of whom glowered at Axel openly.
"I'll manage fine, I always have," Anna said. "Now, what can I help you with, Elizabeth? I expect you've got a long list. Takes more than four legs in a bed to start a marriage out right, after all."
The purpose of this trip had not been shopping, but as Elizabeth had no idea how long it would be before Hawkeye and Nathaniel would appear with their charges in tow, she set her mind to the many things large and small missing from the new cabin. In short order a small hill of dry goods had been piled on the counter, with a new kettle and a large sack of goose feathers at the center. By the time the women had begun to discuss fabric for aprons and sheets, they had long lost the attention of the room. Slowly the noise level returned to normal, and Elizabeth began to enjoy the process of purchasing things for her new home, although she was always aware of Moses Southern behind her.
Anna had just pulled out a tin washtub for Elizabeth's inspection when the door opened. With a rush of cool air the skin rose on the nape of her neck, and she raised her eyes slowly.
The judge was there, with Julian hovering at his right elbow.
Elizabeth had never before spent much time away from her brother, and to her surprise she found that she had missed him, even as he stood before her with his derisive half grin. Hawkeye had obviously dragged him out of his bed, for his eyes were reddened and he was unshaven; neither had he taken the time to comb his hair, and his hair fell over his right eye. Elizabeth was reminded of him at thirteen, when he had not yet learned to hide his anger or his intelligence behind a mask of equal parts lethargy and mockery.
"Hello, Father, Julian." She pulled her cloak closer around herself, glad of its protection.
"Lizzie," said her brother.
Before her, she saw her father's expectant face, and close behind him, Hawkeye watchful and waiting. Her father hung back as he always did, hoping that someone else would fix this problem he had created. Hawkeye was silent because he knew the trick of waiting until he was needed. But it was Julian who concerned her now, Julian who thought that he could somehow talk her out of her marriage, her new home, her freedoms, to come back to them. She wondered if he missed her, too, or if the lost mountain was all that interested him.
He said, "To have lowered yourself to such tricks, are you not ashamed?"
Elizabeth pulled the rumpled newspaper from inside her cloak, and held it out to him.