Acts of Courage (8 page)

“Oh, can’t we stay right here and eat?” Laura blurted out.

She turned around, then stopped abruptly as she gazed into James’s sapphire eyes. “We…we can see the river from the shade of this elm tree.”

“Well, I guess there’s no reason to look farther. This is a superb spot.”

Laura stood while he pulled the weeds and trampled the long grass, then motioned her to sit down. Before they ate, Laura waited until James bowed his head and prayed briefly for their meal. When she opened her eyes shyly, she saw that James still had his head bowed. He was still praying—but silently.

In a moment, he looked up and Laura looked away, embarrassed.

“It always helps to know He hears and cares,” James said as if answering her unasked questions. “Life is not always easy.”

She did not answer.

Then, a bushy-tailed grey squirrel jumped down from a nearby willow tree onto the grass in front of them. James broke the silence. “How does your family like Queenston?”

Laura turned to answer. “Mira is really happy. She makes friends easily, and Josh visits a lot.”

“I’ve heard he’s courting Mira.”

“She’s only fifteen. He’s just a friend. But he’s a good friend to all of us. He came by one day, just last week, after his morning milk delivery and offered to help with chores at the inn. Mira had him baking in the kitchen.

“Josh? In the kitchen? I can’t believe that!” James burst into hearty laughter.

Laura started to giggle. “It was a funny sight! He couldn’t have caused more problems. First, he upset the fresh berry pie that Mira asked him to take out of the oven. It slipped out of his hands and landed face down on the floor.”

James’s laughter filled the air again. “I can see it.”

“Next, he ran into the utensil rack that hung over the table, where all the other fresh pies were spread out, and all the ladling spoons and sharp knives fell down onto the fresh pies. The raspberries splattered all over the wall and floor. That’s when Sally came in and sent them both out.”

“I bet she wasn’t too happy.”

“I assure you she wasn’t, but she didn’t say too much to Josh. He was apologizing and looking so distressed. It’s hard to be angry with Josh. I feel guilty even telling you about it. He’s such a nice young man, but such a—”

“I know Josh,” said James, still chuckling, “and don’t worry. I won’t mention a word to him. I’m surprised, though, that he was free from the farm work in the middle of the day. It’s such a busy time for farmers just now…And how’s Sally? Is she liking it better now at the inn?”

Laura paused, then replied, “Sally’s still not too happy and neither is Elizabeth.”

“It’s hard at first. They’re probably homesick.”

“No, it’s more than that. Sally can’t understand why they haven’t been invited to the teas or quilting bees. She’d love to get acquainted with the women in Queenston.”

James looked away. The squirrel ran to a large willow tree. It scampered up the trunk and disappeared under the low-hanging branches. James turned back to Laura.

“Well, the farm women around Queenston are very busy this time of the year. They only have quilting and sewing bees in the winter. Now they’re working in their gardens and helping with crops and farm work.”

“Is that the only reason?” Laura asked, noticing a certain hesitation in his voice.

“No, there is some resentment toward settlers,” James replied honestly.

“Why? The war is over.”

“It will pass, Laura. They are kind women. They’ll soon forget when they come to know you.”

“I wasn’t even old enough to understand what was going on in the war. I was born just after it began.”

James hesitated a moment. “I was three years old at the beginning of the war, when my mother escaped with us to Niagara. There were five women with thirty-one children. I was the youngest. We made it to a shelter at Fort Niagara in November of ’76. A terrible winter. It was a nightmare. We nearly froze to death and arrived half-starved. Mother says we almost died—the lot of us.”

“Couldn’t your father help?”

“No, he was away fighting the rebels. He was a lieutenant in Butler’s Rangers. My older brothers fought with his troops, too.”

Laura looked out over the Niagara River. “Did you say you arrived in November ’76? That was well into the war. Why didn’t your mother leave sooner?”

“Well, they thought they might not be in danger. My father and brothers had fled for their lives from our home in New Rochelle but, at that time, the Americans didn’t bother women and children. So they stayed with the hope that the whole rebellion would soon be stopped, and their men would be allowed to come home again. That didn’t happen, unfortunately, so they fled across country to Fort Niagara. It was farther than they thought.”

“We lived at Great Barrington, not far from New Rochelle.”

“I don’t really remember New Rochelle, since I was so young when we left. Mother told me it was named after La Rochelle in France. Father’s ancestors came from there in 1681 and founded the town in 1689. It used to be a French settlement.”

“Is your mother French, too?”

“Yes. She was Madelaine Badeau before her marriage. One of her ancestors fled from France to Bristol in England and, from there, he sailed to America. His name was Elias—Elias Badeau. Now my mother lives in St. David’s with my brother, David. Father would be there, too, but he died in ’84 just a year after the war ended.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It was an old war wound. It became infected and that…that’s what killed him. He’s buried in Colonel Butler’s private burying ground.”

“How old were you when he died?”

“I was eleven. He was never home much until that last year, but I was glad I came to know him before he died. He was worn out and disheartened. He had hoped to return to the French settlement at New Rochelle after the war.”

They sat silently for a minute.

“Pardon me for talking about myself so much, Laura. I’m sure both sides suffer during wars.”

“That’s true, but we had more trouble after the war. Scavengers kept raiding and the authorities couldn’t stop it, but when they did catch the guilty ones, they were cruel. People were hanged for stealing, and many who were in debt had all their property taken away. Some were even thrown in jail.” Laura couldn’t help thinking of Joseph Brant’s anger at the white man’s jail.

“It wasn’t that bad here, except for one year, the hungry year of ’88. We nearly starved. Some people did starve to death. And it could have been prevented. For the first three years after the war, the government provided food for the people. Then, just as a bad drought hit the land, the British claimed they had fulfilled their obligations and stopped sending supplies.”

“What did people eat, then?”

“Pigeons, rabbits, squirrels—anything. People even died from eating poisonous roots. Not that many, but some. Most people found out what was poisonous by asking the Indians or watching the animals. Instinctively, cattle rarely eat poisonous plants.”

“Really! It’s good to know that’s all in the past, though.”

“Well, folks are more prosperous now, but they can’t forget the suffering.”

“So that’s why they haven’t welcomed us?”

“Yes. And there were rumblings again, last fall, of war with the States. Simcoe sent his wife and children to Quebec for the winter. They say he was afraid of an outbreak—I’m thankful the crisis is past—and he’s brought his family back again. I suppose folks won’t trust the Americans for a while, but soon they’ll come to know and accept you.”

“I hope so. We can’t go back now.” Laura looked out over the Niagara River to the distant horizon where the deep blue of the water met the light blue of the sky.

“I hope not,” he replied.

Laura felt the emotion in his voice. She looked up then and realized that he was looking at her with a tenderness she had not seen in a man’s eyes before. Suddenly she felt uneasy. “I think we’d best be heading back. The berries may turn to mush.”

“I hope we can see each other again soon,” he said.

“Yes, I’m sure we can. I’d like that.”

James chucked the water jug into the picnic basket and, pushing it along his arm, he managed to carry the berry pail over the same arm. With his free hand, he reached out to Laura and clasped her hand securely in his. They climbed down the steep hillside in silence.

ELEVEN

Laura hurried to the office of her father’s inn. He would have quite a few questions to ask her today, since he had been at La Tranche River for over a month. It was October now, and Laura had been running Ingersoll’s Inn & Tavern at Queenston since he left. Business was good. James was right about one thing. A great deal of traffic did pass through the village.

The evening before he left, Father had told Laura that James had come to him one day to confide that he was having financial problems in his new store at St. David’s. Laura suspected that he was having trouble because he was giving too much credit.

Laura remembered such cases in Great Barrington. Did some people take advantage of James’s attitude to credit and his easygoing ways? He could lose everything if he’s not careful! The words rang through her head.

Business aside, Laura wished James would come by the inn more often. In fact, she was puzzled that he hadn’t called on her since that wonderful hot afternoon on the Heights. Maybe he felt too poor just now to plan for a future with a wife. Was that the reason he hesitated to ask for Father’s permission to call on her regularly? Or perhaps she had only imagined that he cared for her in a special way. She knew that James was kind to many newcomers to Niagara. But why the intense look in those deep blue eyes, and why had he held her hand so tightly, going down the mountain?

Laura had come to the door of her father’s office and saw him sitting at his desk. He looked up from his account book and smiled. His inn was doing well in spite of his hasty decisions to start the business, and the tavern had flourished. There was a lot of money to be made, selling to thirsty men along the business route. Now he would be able to save money to buy tools and seed for his land in the spring. He thought it would not be long before he would be able to take his family to their site.

“How was your trip?” Laura asked, taking a seat in the captain’s chair opposite the desk.

“Very good, Laura.”

“Did you see Captain Brant?”

Father frowned and hesitated before he answered, “Yes.”

“How is he, Father?”

“In mourning, I’m sorry to say, for his son Isaac. It is a very sad case, for the father and son were estranged in spite of Joseph’s many efforts to help him.”

“Poor Captain Brant.”

“Yes, he is heartbroken.”

“I would like to visit the Brants again.”

“You will,” her father assured her. “We’ll be moving to our cabin next spring. Now, Laura, will you add up this week’s receipts while I attend to the tavern?”

Laura took her father’s place and started adding up the columns of figures. Halfway down the second one, she heard a familiar voice.

“Good morning, Laura.” James looked down over the counter.

“James! How nice to see you again!” She put her quill pen down and smiled up at him.

“How have you been, Laura?”

“Busy. But Father’s back now.”

“I see. Would you be too busy to go for a ride today? I have to go pick up supplies from a boat later this morning, but I’ll be free till then.”

“I’ll check with Father and be right back. I’d really like to go.”

Laura found her father serving a drummer in the far corner of the dining room. He raised his grey eyebrows when he turned around and saw her standing behind him.

“Laura! Is something the matter?”

“Uh…n…no,” she stammered. “I just, well—James is here.”

“Yes, yes, well, show him in. I haven’t had a good chat with him for a long time.”

“No, Father, he wants to take me out for a ride. We won’t be long. Can you let me leave for a few hours?”

“A few hours! That’s…I guess you must have a lot to talk about.” Father noticed Laura’s heightened colour and shining eyes. “Go on, then. I’ll get Elizabeth to look after the counter.”

Laura raced out of the dining room, not slowing down until just before she got to the doorway of her father’s office. She stopped a minute, took off her apron, and smoothed her outer petticoat.

“Father says he can manage without me,” Laura smiled, as she entered the office. “Where are we going?” She dropped her apron on a chair and pulled out her white lace shawl from under the counter. She wrapped it loosely around her neck and fastened it at the front with a pretty yellow ribbon.

“Well, I thought we’d just ride to the bottom of the Heights and then walk up where we did before. Come on, let’s go! We don’t want to waste the day.”

James led her out to the wagon and closed his hand over hers as he lifted her up to the seat on front. Laura felt like an important lady, even though she was still wearing the same brown petticoat and beige jacket that she wore almost every day.

James swung up into the seat beside her. He smelled of fresh soft soap and cedar. Laura knew he must have just taken his fall clothes out of cedar shavings, where they’d been kept all summer. James slapped the reins on the horses’ backs and gave Laura his big, blue-eyed smile. “Well, where to, my girl?” he grinned.

“To the Heights, of course!” she commanded. At that, James made the horses move faster and, before long, they had come to the tree where James had tethered the team that day in July.

“I have never seen anything so beautiful,” Laura gasped. “It’s like a different country.” Laura and James had come to the top plateau again and looked out over the Niagara River, but now the landscape was a massive expanse of yellow elm and oak, red maples, with a few evergreens standing brilliant in between. The smell of the woodsmoke drifted through the air, and a blue jay screamed overhead from time to time.

“It is a different country, Laura, and it’s our country now. God has brought you and I through a lot, and that has brought us out into a spacious place.”

Laura knew what she wanted James to say, but was she ready yet to hear it?

James slipped his arm around Laura’s waist, and she felt her cheeks reddening as the warmth of his body sheltered her from the brisk October air. He, too, was conscious of her nearness, but as he looked down, he dropped his arm to his side with a sad smile. As his eyes searched her face, Laura saw concern there and wondered what the reason was.

James broke the stillness. “Let’s find a flat stone to sit on and rest awhile.”

While the thick shrubs around them were still damp from early dew, Laura found a comfortable stone that was warm and dry in the morning sun.

“How is your store coming along, James?” Laura said, once they were seated on their perch.

James hesitated and then replied, “Any new business takes time to prosper.” His mouth settled into a firm line, and Laura wished she hadn’t asked the question. She knew full well he was having problems. Why did she have to pick that topic?

James looked up and continued, “Financing is hard at first, and my sister’s husband, Richard Cartwright, has urged me not to extend credit. He says no young business can survive that way, and that it’s better to have produce on the shelves to be claimed by creditors if cash is not available.”

Laura stopped herself from pointing out that that was what she had been talking about—the day James had taken Father’s part against her.

“I will always extend credit to some. They are hard-working folk who are in need, and someday they will pay me.”

“I hope they do pay you back, James, and your store prospers.”

But as Laura sat there quietly beside James, she knew that she loved this man—no matter what the state of his business. And besides, she could get his business in order in no time—if she were in charge. Yes, it would take her no time at all to have James on the road to prosperity. Life ahead was looking very good.

“Laura,” James interrupted her daydream. “I have to go on a trip to Kingston where my sister and her husband live, and then on to Montreal…and perhaps farther.”

“Farther? Montreal is a long distance.”

“New York, maybe. It’s a business trip. I’m leaving in the morning. And right now, I have to pick up my supplies at the Landing and have things in shape so I can leave very early tomorrow. I’ll be riding up to Newark and catching a boat there.”

“Oh, why…I wasn’t…I was hoping I’d see you again soon.”

He looked at her and smiled. “I’d like that, too, Laura, but I have no choice. I have to make the trip. I’m afraid that my supplies are waiting at the Landing; we have to go now.”

James stood up. He reached out and clasped her hand, which she tightened around his. But she said nothing to James and just held his big hand.

At the bottom of the incline, the horses were switching their tails and snorting as if they were impatient to take James away.

“Laura,” James said softly as they approached Queenston. He was letting the horses travel at a slower pace now.

“Yes, James.”

“I’d like to visit you as soon as I return.”

“I’ll…I’ll look forward to seeing you,” Laura mumbled. She could think of nothing else to say.

“I’m not sure just when that will be.” He appeared anxious and spoke with hesitation, looking straight ahead.

“I’ll be waiting, James,” Laura quietly promised.

He turned toward her with a smile.

Laura smiled back.

James drove the horses with one hand, holding the reins tightly. With the other, he reached out and clasped Laura’s hand. He held it next to him all the way home.