The Endless Forest
Page 176

“Unless none of it is true,” Callie said dully. “Unless she was playacting and has no place to go but here, and no money to support herself. Then she’d want whatever she could get her hands on.”
That idea stuck immediately, like a hooked burr that would draw blood.
“Yes,” Martha said softly. “I suppose that is a possibility.”
Callie was still weeping silently, her tears striking the table. Martha put an arm around her shoulders and Callie began to sob in earnest. Out of fear for Levi and herself, out of anger. Martha took it all in, like a beating she had earned and must accept without complaint, as she must admit to herself that Jemima was her mother, and her burden.
When the worst had passed and it seemed that Callie’s breathing came in great shudders, she spoke very softly. Martha said, “There’s something you should know too. It might be a help to you, it’s about Billy Kirby.”
Callie’s eyes were still swimming with tears. “Your uncle.”
“Yes. You remember the stories about Billy, how he beat my father, and the other things he did.” She swallowed. “Do you remember how he died?”
“Not exactly,” Callie said. “Was it something about a hunting accident, on Hidden Wolf?”
Martha said, “That’s the story that most people tell, but the truth is, Nathaniel killed him. This was after Billy almost got Hannah killed. Nathaniel tracked Billy onto Hidden Wolf and ran him down. He could have taken Billy to Johnstown to be tried, but he—he didn’t. He killed him. He killed him because he knew that sooner or later Billy Kirby would kill Liam or one of Nathaniel’s own.”
Certain parts of the story Daniel had told Martha remembered word for word. The law has got no teeth when it comes to a man like that, who might go off like a powder keg at any minute. It occurred to her now in a sudden flash of understanding that Daniel had been talking not just about Billy Kirby, but about Jemima.
To Callie she said, “The reason I know this is that Nathaniel told Daniel about it, and Daniel told me. He thought I should know, that it might change my mind about marrying into the family.”
“But it didn’t.”
Martha was close to tears herself, and it took a moment to make her voice work. “Who am I to judge? My mother let your mother walk into a blizzard to her death. My father blackbirded for years. It was because of him that Selah Voyager died. It doesn’t matter that he repented and tried to make restitution, because her little boy still grew up without his ma. Billy Kirby would have gone on hurting people. How could I hold anything against Nathaniel Bonner? No more could I judge Levi, if he is responsible.”
“It was wrong,” Callie said.
“Yes,” Martha said quietly.
“Before Nicholas came, I think I was on the brink of real madness. I don’t think Ethan could have helped me then, but Nicholas brought me back to myself.” She drew in a long breath. “Martha, I’d die before I let Jemima get hold of that boy. Blood or not, I can’t bear the thought of what she’d try to make out of him.”
“Of course you’re right,” Martha said. “Of course he must stay here with us.”
“She’ll want to take him away. Could we hide him?”
“For a while, but not forever. Callie, we don’t have to figure this out on our own. We have Ethan and Daniel and the whole clan, and you know that they will help.”
“I hope so,” Callie said. “I hope you’re right.”
Just before sunrise Daniel saddled the horses and took Callie down to the village, because she wouldn’t stay even when he offered to take word to Ethan.
“The fresh air will clear my head.”
“You’ll need five, six hours of solid sleep to clear your head,” Daniel said. Callie would usually have had a smart comeback, but she was half asleep in the saddle and wrung out. There hadn’t been time for Martha to tell him what was wrong, but he could see for himself that Callie was in a bad way.
The day was overcast and the wind already fitful. His aunt Many-Doves would have seen an omen in the color of the sky. Daniel wondered, but he didn’t have her gifts. Certainly he was at a loss when it came to saying the right things to a woman in Callie’s state. His mother would know; even his father would know. For the moment the best he could do was not talk at all; not offer any false comfort or hope. Let her be in the world without distraction.
Once they crossed the bridge into the village she said, “Thank you. I can go on from here alone. I’ll make sure the horse gets back to you later today.”
Her tone left no room for argument, and Daniel watched her move away. He could turn around and go straight back to Martha, but she would sleep for a few hours at least, after last night. He headed for his mother’s kitchen where he found nobody but the LeBlanc girls, who were baking. According to Anje, his mother and all the rest of the family had gone over to Curiosity’s not a half hour before, to spend the day. If he had come up by the regular way he would have seen them parading along behind Simon and Ben carrying Lily between them on her divan.
For so much of their childhoods Lily had done her best to gain the upper hand over her brother and cousins, and now she was making the most of it.
“Your da is in the stable,” Joan said in a surly tone. “And you’re in the way.” Martha hadn’t been exaggerating about Joan, he could see that now. He wondered if he should say something to her, if that would make matters better or worse. There was no way to ask her about any of this without sounding cruel, but he would have liked to know exactly what wrong Joan thought Martha had done her.