Another Chance (19 page)

"No …
"

"Then why did you question my trip?" The dust flew out the front door
. He applied a few more strokes to the wooden floor, gave an additional push then returned the broom to the hook. "You are just like all whites."

She threw the cloth on the bench, jammed her fists on her hips and spat, "I am not like
anyone else! My beliefs are my own! They have nothing to do with anyone else."

"Why did you show s
urprise that I had traveled?" He grabbed a rag and started polishing the chairs.

Instead of answering,
she flashed back, "Why doeth thou always become defensive?"

"I have many years of experience to teach me," he said in a flat tone
.

His comment drained the anger from her like a
pulled plug empties a tub. She answered his earlier question in a calm tone, "I would not think thou would be interested in European stories."

"To defeat or even live with one's enemies, a man must understand the tenets and culture of that society
." He looked at her, all indignation gone, picked up one side of a round table, and waited. She grabbed the other. "If your people took the time to learn about mine, our wars or disagreements would be fewer."

She nodded, as they moved the pedestal table toward the center of the room
. "If all people studied others and tried to understand, the arguments would be far shorter and less bloody," she added.

"Have you forgotten greed? Power? Control?" He eyed her, grabbing one end of the next table
.

No answers or solutions to his question came to mind
. She changed the subject and asked, "Where did thee travel in Europe?" She slid a Windsor armchair under the round table.

They worked and discussed the countries they had seen
. Strangely, many areas she had stayed during her six-month study tour of Central Europe, Wolf had visited also.

"It is strange for an unmarried Quaker woman to do as much traveling as you have done," he said, as they placed the last chairs around the tables
. "With whom did you go? Surely not your father."

Her mouth opened and shut
. Thank heavens he mentioned Benjamin. Involved as she had been, she almost said a group of graduate students. Fearing discovery, she said, "Some friends." She hoped that did not sound too strange.

"Oh?"
He eyed her curiously.

Afraid of his next question, she said, "I had best check my father
."

He nodded
. "While you do that, I will see to my horse."

Sarah
arranged a small tray for Benjamin in case he was awake. Wolf's curiosity remained unsatisfied, but she hoped he would not pursue his questions.

When
Sarah walked into Benjamin's room, her father smiled wanly. "How did I get here?" His voice sounded groggy.

"Wolf,
Mr. Keenan, carried thee."

"What time did thee
get home?" Benjamin struggled to sit up.

"Around three
." Sarah would have helped him, but by the time she placed the tray on the end table, her father had settled himself.

"Had the soldiers left?"
Concern colored his tone.

"Yes
." When her answer did not seem to assuage the alarm in his eyes, she asked, "Did they do or say something to make thee believe otherwise?"

Instead of replying, he asked, "What did thee bring?"

She showed him the tray but refused to be put off. "Did they?"

"I will tell thee in a moment
. Right now, I would like a drink from that mug."

For a recently unconscious man, he appeared quite lucid
. She prayed that meant he had not suffered a concussion. While he sipped from the tankard, Sarah straightened his pillows, smoothed the quilt, put order in an already orderly room. She waited impatiently. A sense of disquiet raced through her.

When Benjamin had lifted the cup to his lips for the sixth or seventh time,
Sarah felt sure it had long since been emptied. "What did they say?" she demanded. "Thee must tell me."

He lowered the tankard and focused his eyes on her
. "The corporal informed me he was going to wait until thee returned. His words angered me. I ordered him off my property. He laughed, telling me that he would allow me to watch. He didn't say any more. He didn't need to," Benjamin added in a subdued voice.

Sarah
found a chair and sank into it. Of course, she had known what the corporal wanted, but to hear her father’s words increased and deepened her fear. All her strength drained from her body. When Wolf had mentioned the Lenape woman, Sarah had empathized with her. Rape was a horrible crime, that she might be the victim of such a violation filled her with revulsion.

"I struck him
." Benjamin's face flamed with embarrassment.

"Good!" said Wolf
.

Sarah
spun around and stared at him.

"If I had been here, I would have killed him
." Wolf spoke the words quietly, without rancor, making them sound even more deadly. He saw Sarah shiver at their intensity.

Benjamin twisted on the mattress and grimaced
. "Never before, have I gone against the principles of my religion. I should feel ashamed, yet I do not."

"What did he do after thee hit him?"
Sarah asked.

"He knocked me out
." Benjamin rubbed his jaw, tenderly.

"Does it hurt?" she asked, raising her hand as if to touch the spot
.

He shook his head, but winced
. "Sarah, thee must go to Philadelphia.

Sarah
noticed he had begun using the intimate form 'thee.' when he addressed her. The change pleased her.

Benjamin continued, "Even if Daniel had not left, thee is not safe here
."

"Nor are thee," she pointed out
.

"The British have no further interest in the tavern
. They took everything of value, except my most prized possession," Benjamin said, focusing his attention on her. "Fortunately, thee was not here."

Tears gathered in
Sarah's eyes. With the heel of her hand, she swiped them away.

"Mistress Westcoat arrives tomorrow
. Thee must leave, today," Benjamin ordered. "Thee must leave with me. I must guard my property. And since I will remain, I will purchase a few goods to replenish my stocks.”

"If thee is staying, then so will I!"

"Please, daughter."

Sarah
stood. "I am not going, I tell thee! There is nothing thee can say that will change my mind." She rushed past Wolf, brushing the leather fringe of his shirt as she escaped the room.

The two men listened in silence as her footsteps echoed down the flight of steps
. The front door of the tavern banged closed.

"She will not leave," Wolf stated simply
.

"Then thou must take her," Benjamin said
. "Willing or not.”

"What?"
The shock of what Benjamin had asked him to do felled Wolf like a six hundred pound bear.

"With Daniel gone and me in bed, what other option is there?" He stared at Wolf
. "Thou must take her to Philadelphia."

The calm practicality in Benjamin's tone amazed him
. "You heard her," he said. "She will not go." Wolf had neither the time to take her nor the desire to force this stubborn woman anywhere she did not want to go.

"Then, thou must make her go with thee
." Benjamin's statement brooked no refusal.

He stared at the older man for several long moments
. "Why me?"

"Because," came the quiet, unhurried response, "I am unable to take her
. And thou is."

Whirling sharply on his heel, Wolf marched to the solid partition that separated Benjamin's room from
Sarah's. He pointed to the poplar paneled walls before turning around. "How do I take her if she is not willing? Do I drag her? Throw her on my horse and ride away?" Although white men accused his people of doing such things, he knew of very few cases and then only in time of war. The idea was anathema to Wolf.

"Perhaps," Benjamin said in the same controlled voice
.

"Against her will?"  Wolf stared in dismay
.

"If thou continues to shout the house down,
Sarah will learn of our plans before we firm our intentions," Benjamin said in a rational tone.

Lowering his voice, Wolf questioned, "That will make a difference?" He stared at the older man, knowing his confusion and frustration showed
.

"It will not change the outcome," Benjamin admitted
. "However, having her aware before our actions could make the task more …difficult." His gaze was almost calculating.

"Difficult?
This 'task' is not only unbelievable but impossible!" Wolf had no doubt his expression carried the force of a louder tone.

"At times, a father must act to protect his child, especially when she refuses to listen to reason," Benjamin went on as if Wolf had remained mute
.

Brushing his short scalp lock, Wolf countered, "Even if you could persuade
Sarah to listen to reason and leave, I cannot take her to Philadelphia. My obligations are to my family and my people. I have stayed away too long. I must return."

"Then take her to thy plantation," the Quaker stated
.

"Y
ou cannot be serious" If the imaginary bear had backhanded him with a huge, hairy paw, Wolf would not have been more stunned.

"She has been to Long Meadow with me
. We met thy grandfather. He will act as her chaperon."

Needing to clear his head and una
ble to tramp through the woods a sure remedy for sorting out problems-Wolf strode to the window that overlooked the side of the yard. He drew back the blue-striped curtain. Below him sat Sarah on top of the split-rail fence, clenching her shawl around her shoulders and staring up at him. His hands froze on the wooden frame. He watched as she climbed down and walked to the other side of the large oak tree, cutting off his view of her.

As he stood there, pondering Benjamin's suggestion, his mind reminded him of what an
extraordinary, added complication having Sarah nearby on a daily basis, would add. She attracted him more, much more, than any woman ever had, even his own wife, he admitted reluctantly. Still, he had no plans to become involved with her, and being white made a difficult situation impossible for her sake and his own. Yet while his brain spoke of the danger, his body warmed to the idea.

             
* * * *

Sarah
saw Wolf staring at her from her father's window. What were they discussing? An uneasy feeling swept over her. If she had stayed, she might have heard. After fleeing Benjamin's chamber, she had gathered her cloak and dashed outside, hoping if she were not present they could not plan her future. As she sat looking up, she wished she had delayed her departure. Breaking eye contact, she climbed off her perch and strolled to the far side of the oak. She turned and examined the large tree, remembering her neighbor's son's tale. It did not feel sinister. Nor could she sense any tragedy as she had in her own century. Sarah laughed ruefully. She had about as much psychic ability as a stone. Still, the idea of leaning against this tall giant turned her flesh cold even if she didn’t believe the story. Spinning on her heel, she continued walking.

Although she had not convinced Benjamin to let her stay with him, he had little choice
. Never would he allow her to journey to Philadelphia alone, and until he recovered, they could not depart.
Since I have seen enough of the 18th Century to satisfy my curiosity, I want my time traveling to end.
She glanced toward the inn. Yet, if you return, you will never see Wolf again. The thought stabbed at her heart. She would miss him more than she could ever have believed possible.

An odd thought struck her
. Did a similar man wait for her in her own time?  Could he affect her the way Wolf did? 
No one could,
she decided. During her twenty-seven years, she had dated often and felt deeply enough to have two affairs. Never had she experienced a man who stirred her the way this Lenape did. Sarah drew her cloak tightly around her. The idea of leaving him filled her with sorrow and regret. If she could be with Wolf in this time travel life, would she relinquish her chance to return?
Did her life in the 21st Century matter as much as staying with him?
None of her family was still alive. Did her friendships in her other life mean as much to her as this man?
She searched for an answer. The Bible story of Ruth rushed through her mind,  'Wither thou goest'. Never had Sarah experienced such confusion.