Bright Morning Star (24 page)

The air was cool after the smothering heat of the day. Claire pulled on her lace shawl, secured her gloves and bonnet, and stepped down into the waiting company. Bonnie wore the same as every day, her brown Lindsey-woolsey dress, although she had added a lace shawl as well. Of course the Lieutenant wore his blue and gold uniform, the children wore hats and the twins had added the dark coats they had nearly outgrown.

Calum Douglas had asked the Wimberley’s, who were her guardians on the trail, for permission to walk out with Bonnie. Courting permission had been granted, with the understanding that until she became a widow or the bonds were severed by the Bishop in Boston, the couple were to remain strictly chaperoned.

“It’s like the first day of communion,” Claire whispered to Bonnie. Bonnie gave her a hug, then Bonnie looped her arm in Calum’s and with the parents leading the way, the giggling younger children ran behind. As the parents passed each campfire, they spoke to the campers, introduced both couples as walking out and accepted the customary congratulations and teasing. For the first time, Claire realized that she and Henry were not along merely as chaperones.

Ignoring everyone else, she stared at the handsome man beside her, noted the fine tailored suit, the way his hair and mustache had both been washed, trimmed and brushed. As her eyes dropped to the ground, she saw he wore his highly polished black leather shoes. They were only ankle high and had tied laces. Shoes so stylish had to be Italian.

When she looked up this time, he held out his arm, giving her a knowing smile. “Shall we begin our walk together, Miss Wimberley?”

Her stomach fluttered like she had swallowed a swarm of butterflies. Shaking, she took the arm that was so gallantly offered and straightened her back. Head held high so that the lace on the tiny bonnet barely fluttered, she began the most exciting evening of her life.

After the first promenade around the campground, her parents and the children left the silent couples to meander around on their own. All were aware of the curious campers glancing their way, probably looking for any improprieties.

Claire laughed nervously. “My goodness, no wonder Mother fussed over my preparations. And even loaned me her hat. That was something. They never did that for any of my other suitors.”

“Perhaps,” Henry whispered, “none of your other callers had announced their intentions.”

Intentions, was he proposing? Had he made up his mind without even a word to her about his feelings, without a single kiss? Didn’t she have anything to say about things?

Suddenly Claire was having trouble breathing. She had insisted Mother help her lace her corset. After all the walking and activity of the last few weeks, she had lost weight and the corset was almost too big. Mother had protested that she didn’t need it, she was tiny enough, but Claire had insisted. Until she felt the bone of the corset pressed into her skin, she didn’t think it was working. The reward had been her perfect hourglass shape in the dark purple wool dress. She knew she looked glamorous, but her spring dress, bonnet was wrong. Hence Mother’s dark one with its lace trim provided by Mary Anne.

As she gasped and looked pale, Henry called to the others that they were stopping. He helped Claire to the outer edge of the circle, held her gloved hand as she sank onto a low rock. The raised arm worked. Claire gulped in a deep breath and then another.

Now she was so low she realized she had noticed these shoes before. He was dancing at the Grand Hotel in St. Louis, with Bella. The thought made her dizzy. Had everyone known, but her?

Henry squatted down in front of her. His face in shadows, but only his kind blue eyes were locked on hers. “I thought you would be happy.”

“Tell me,” she gulped for air. “Tell me what you told them your intentions are.” Claire was surprised that her breathless voice carried enough force to be heard.

“I told them I’d decided to remarry. That I would like to court you, to find out if you might be the one.”

“And Father said yes,” Claire demanded.

“They both gave me their blessing, on the one condition that I do nothing to hurt you. That if I decided you were not the right girl, that I make it clear and not do anything to encourage your feelings. I promised I would be respectful of you, always.”

Claire took another ragged gulp of breath. “Good enough, as long as you haven’t presumed too much.”

She stood up quickly, leaving a confused Henry below her.

When he rose and took her arm, he tried to be as nonchalant. “We’ll need to catch up to the others.”

Claire shook her head and he saw the curls bounce against her shoulder. “No need, they are there.”

Henry looked ahead and saw the tall couple, wrapped in each other’s arms as they shared a passionate kiss. Henry shook his head and blushed. When he turned to look at Claire he was shocked by the wistful look in her blue eyes. Suddenly he wasn’t so sure he had agreed to the right thing.

All week, as Calum lay recovering, he talked most nights about how he needed help to woo Bonnie. The man had been amazingly forthright with his feelings, his desperate need for the tall athletic girl. Finally, Henry had agreed to his plan to each court one of the friends. He stared from Claire’s rapturous face to the couple still kissing. The soldier had moved one of his hands to press the woman tightly against his groin.

Henry was shocked when he heard Bonnie groan. Red-faced and confused, he wrapped Claire’s hand around his arm and coughed loudly. “Lieutenant, the Wimberley’s will be waiting for us to pass.”

Before he could say more, Calum released the girl. Henry was not surprised when the Lieutenant’s knees sagged a little. He rushed forward to support his other side as Bonnie kept Calum’s arm wrapped around her shoulder to support it. Claire rushed along beside her friend, taking out a fan from her drawstring bag to flutter at the soldier.

When they reached the Wimberley’s, Ian and Shawn rushed forward to collect the Lieutenant and help carry him back to Henry’s wagon. “Sorry sir, apparently, a third walk around was too much for Lieutenant Douglas. We stopped to let him rest,” Henry said. Bonnie excused herself and followed the boys to check on her ‘patient.’

Claire looked breathless herself and made her excuses and disappeared to her parents’ wagon. With the children already in bed, the campsite appeared deserted. One of the black and white dogs stood in the opening of the boy’s tent and gave a condemning bark to Henry before disappearing.

“And so the whirlwind courtship begins,” Henry muttered as he tugged at the tight knot of his tie on the way to the wagon. He coughed loudly and the Magee girl had the good grace to come flying out of the wagon.

<><><>

Henry stood, still fuming. He carefully removed the tie and folded it. He brushed his jacket and pants and hung them between the pressing boards inside his trunk. He removed the shirt, sniffed it, and then carefully hung it inside before closing the trunk.

Calum rolled over on the full-size bed and grinned at him. “Thanks, fast thinking.”

Henry glared at him as he sat on the narrow cot and unhappily surveyed the arrangement. “I think, sir, if you are well enough to make love, you are well enough to let me have my bed back.”

Calum smiled, clearly amused at the angry young man. “I did all this for you, and besides, I barely fit in this bed.”

Henry stood, clearly furious. He shook his finger at the soldier who tried very hard to keep a straight face. “Claire had no idea I had spoken to her parents. She nearly fainted when I told her. But then she looked angry about it. I’m not sure she even likes me. All evening, she barely kept hold of my arm.”

Calum did laugh. “Man, do you have a lot to learn about women. Come over here and sit down so Bonnie’s brothers or those McKinney twins don’t hear.”

“Have you been married?” Henry fired back. Calum shook his head, raised his hands. “Well, I was married for over two years. Perhaps I should explain what I know about women.”

Calum tried to keep a straight face as he nodded, “Perhaps you should. But come over closer, again, we don’t want the lads to eavesdrop.”

Henry looked distrustful of the larger man, especially since he was now shirtless and probably pantless. Henry had been shocked the first time he saw the soldier without the blue uniform. He did wear the customary knitted underwear issued by the army, but only the bottom, not the top. He claimed it was too hot in the summer for them, so he left them at home.

Had Bonnie, had that young woman, helped him to remove them?

Henry realized he’d said the question out loud when Calum gave up the battle and laughed, “Hell no, she skedaddled out of here when I started unbuttoning my blouse.”

The truth was he had been able to maneuver her close enough to steal another kiss after her brother’s left by pretending to be in pain. Then Henry had coughed and she had fled, without the kiss.

“Well, I know she is a married woman, unlike Claire, but I was shocked at the liberties she permitted you to take.”

This time it was Calum’s turn to look outraged. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and started to stand up. Henry stepped back onto his side of the wagon.

“I’m sorry, I was just shocked when you kissed her with me and Claire present to witness it. You must have forgotten that Claire has been a sheltered girl, and…”

Calum did rise and now loomed over him. “I took no liberties that weren’t permitted. I love Bonnie and intend to marry her, even if I have to track down this brute Tarn Michaels and make her a widow.”

“Well, excuse me, I didn’t know murder was part of your courtship plan,” Henry said, without backing down this time.

“Hey, quieten down in there. We’re trying to get some sleep.” Both men froze, realizing for the first time that they had been yelling

“Trust me, Henry, she more than likes you. Bonnie told me she,” he sank down, lowering his voice even more. If it had been Robert Wimberley yelling at them, he didn’t want him to hear this. “She has been tortured with guilt ever since she met you. Since you were married, she knew she had no right, but she still had feelings for you,” Calum whispered.

Henry sank onto the cot behind him. “Don’t, don’t tell me things to dupe me, just so I continue helping you seduce Bonnie. She’s too good a woman for that kind of game. And Claire, Claire…” his voice faded away as he stretched out on the cot.

“That’s right, get some sleep, Henry. Whatever you think, you’re wrong. I would never do anything to harm Bonnie. What I said about Claire is true, she has deep feelings for you. That’s why she nearly swooned when she learned you had talked to her father.” As he talked, he spread the thin blanket over the shocked young man.

Calum stepped back and sat on his own bed, then swung his legs up again. Neither man had used a light to undress so there was none to blow out. In the distance, Calum heard two men exchange words as they passed in the night. For a minute, he thought he heard a sob or cough from Henry’s bunk. The man turned away and Calum spread his own blanket, wincing as he used his stiff shoulder.

Somehow, he had made Henry cry. The possible reasons raced through his mind. But the last made the most sense. The fool loved the girl too, but had never had the courage to admit it to himself. For an old married man, Henry seemed to know very little about love.

All week Henry had been lectured and coached by Calum Douglas. Now that the Lieutenant was back in good health, he seemed to have adopted the approach that Henry was another of his raw recruits, and his mission was to prepare him for battle.

It was partly his own fault, in a moment of despair, Henry had confessed that he had never made Bella happy. He had performed his husbandly duty every Saturday night after his bath. But if it was any more satisfactory for his wife than for him, she never showed it. “We quarreled all the time. One reason I have hesitated to pursue any of the other women on the train, but especially Claire, is that I found marriage to be the most miserable state of life.”

For a single man, Calum Douglas seemed to have an encyclopedic knowledge of women, their anatomy, and what it took to please them. Although their conversations took place at night, after the promenade with the ladies, it was full of such detail that Henry found his ears burning in shame just to hear it.

“I’m not sure whether to believe you or not. I’ve never heard that a woman’s passion is as great as or greater than a man’s. Quite the opposite. My father explained that women didn’t care for the business at all. They wanted children, so they tolerated a man’s attention. When I pointed out that the upstairs maid seemed quite enthusiastic, he laughed at me. ‘Of course, common, vulgar girls like that pretend pleasure, but merely to trap a young fool like yourself.’ He told me to avoid trollops and I always have.”

Calum had stared at the man as though he had two heads. “Have you taken any of my advice at all?”

Henry blushed again. Claire left her gloves and hat behind at Bonnie’s advice. We’ve been holding hands. She has the softest, smallest little hand. It gives me a remarkable feeling when…”

Calum grinned at him, and Henry grew irritated, “Well, if you’re only going to make fun of me.”

“No, not at all, go on. And you’ve kissed?”

“Certainly. Not on the first night, but each night since. Last night she kissed me hello and goodbye. Then we talked, she really is a lively and charming girl. I’ve always admired her beauty and grace, her cheerfulness and her ability to talk to anyone about anything. She is a phenomenal salesgirl.”

“You should get along fine then, but you’re going to have to be bolder tonight. I’m leaving tomorrow back to the post. Tonight I’m going to propose one last time to Bonnie. If you ask Claire, then we can have a double wedding. I’m sure the girls will want to make plans and if Bonnie says yes, I’ll stay another two days, ride into Ogden with you.”

“Ogden?”

“The official name of Junction City, the town where the road forks, one branch to California, the other toward Indian Territory.” In the distance they heard Bonnie’s clarion yell to come eat. “Henry, your only hope is to kiss her with passion, use your tongue if you can, make her excited by your proposal.”

“Easy for you to say. Bonnie kisses you like she’s about to eat a big piece of layer cake. Claire kisses me like I’m family already.”

Calum slapped his back so hard that Henry almost fell out of the wagon. “How did you ever get a woman like Bella to begin with?”

“I had just arrived in New York from Liverpool. I had the money I inherited from my Father’s estate and I planned to start a business. But the property was more expensive than I had expected and I needed to raise more. I took a job as a teller at the bank where I deposited my funds.”

“Bella’s Father’s bank?”

“Yes, well we got along, he saw me as an up and coming young man with excellent prospects. So he invited me home to dinner,”

“And introduced you to his daughter? How old were you?”

They had stopped at the edge of the wagon, watching the other’s fill plates and settle in their usual places. Henry finished the story in whispers. “Twenty, but my father was a haberdasher on Seville Row, so I had a great deal of skill and experience in the business already.”

“I suppose there was a lot of hand-holding and kissing preceding the proposal.”

Henry realized the man was teasing him and smiled. “Her father told me he would be happy for his daughter to settle down with such a dependable young man and offered me a sizeable dowry. He also had a friend who had a wonderful property for sale in Boston and he helped to arrange a favorable price.”

“You were quickly married by a priest,” Calum said.

“By a rabbi. Then our honeymoon was on the boat ride to Boston.”

“Paid for by your father-in-law?” Calum whispered, tilting his head to whisper into the ear of the young man.

“A gift from my mother-in-law, using her personal funds. They both were keen for us to wed,” Henry whispered over his shoulder.

The men moved up to receive their plate of beans and cornbread. The girls serving them giggled and then filled their own plates. It was not until they returned to the wagon without their excited sweethearts, that Calum put a hand on Henry’s back. “When did you figure out you had been bamboozled?”

Henry’s mouth twisted in disgust. “I knew a little, had read about it and heard men talking in the shop. When we finished the act she looked at my face and could tell I knew. Then she told me she had been married, had a son who was in hospital, and that she was now divorced.

The men lifted up to sit on the tailgate. “It’s not as though it were a love match.” Henry added. “We barely knew each other. If I were honest, I had been bought for her by her parents. They set me up in business and I served to repair her reputation and standing. But there is something distasteful about that sort of arrangement, which we suddenly had to face.”

“Marriages have taken place for far worse reasons. Many of them are happy.”

“Ours wasn’t. I mean I continued to fulfill my part of the obligation. I treated her with courtesy and kindness. We made love once a week.” Henry stared at Calum, trying to read condemnation in his eyes. “She would fly at me, like a harpy, nagging about this and that, always belittling me. Then when Claire and Bonnie came to work for us, she would have jealous fits.

Henry swung his legs back and forth underneath the gate, so that they tapped rhythmically against the wagon. “Then her father went broke and started nagging us to repay the loan. It wasn’t a loan. I mean, he gave me the amount as her dowry. Then he sent her Barney. They couldn’t afford to pay the hospital for his continued care. You met the boy?”

“When I brought Bonnie back from the training garrison.”

“I miss him. He really brought out a different side of Bella. She was a new person, kinder, more human. I thought maybe our marriage would last. Then when we visited her parents, she gave them half the money from the sale of the business in Boston. To be honest, most of the time, I hated her.” Henry rolled his eyes and Calum nodded.

“I didn’t want her to die. That was horrible. Then the boy died. He placed his hands over his eyes, then rubbed his hand across his face. “I probably never thanked you for taking him back to bury with her. That meant so much to me, knowing they are always together.”

Calum cleared his throat. “Enough of the past. The Wimberley’s have given us their blessing. Are you ready for tonight? Do you remember all I’ve told you to do?”

Henry swung down and stood to look up at him. “You weren’t kidding about all that?”

Calum dropped down and grinned at him. “You sir, are about to get your first education about love. You may know about marriage, and the mechanics, but holding, kissing, touching someone you love who loves you, it’s a whole new experience. Are you ready?”

Henry ran his fingers through his hair as he pushed it back from his face. He rubbed his clean-shaven face and brushed his mustache smooth, making blowing noises through his lips to blow the hairs back into place. “No, but let’s go.”

<><><>

It had taken forever for the other suitors to leave. There was something about two women who were looking their best and bubbling with excitement. They were lucky every man in the wagon trains didn’t show up.

The men’s excuse was that they had been practicing and wanted to play a tune for Claire. Annoyed, Calum and Henry had left to finish their talk while the others listened to James and George tuning a fiddle and blowing a wet harmonica. As they played, both dogs set up a howl.

Mother Wimberley raised her hands over her ears and Bonnie laughed. Ian and Shawn stood up and challenged the pair to play
Barbara Allen
. Vexed, the displaced suitors had to listen while the soldiers sang the sweetest song in their lilting tenors. Even the cattle mooed in satisfaction and the travelers in the circled wagons stopped their children playing so all could listen.

Bonnie smiled as she heard Claire loudly protest to Mary Anne. “I’ve never worn hand-me-down clothes or shoes. I certainly don’t want to begin my life in the west with a hand-me-down husband.”

Claire looked over to the wagon to watch Henry puffing angrily on his pipe as he turned to complain some more to Calum. She watched the handsome soldier lean forward and lift his hat for a moment to shield his face as he rolled his eyes in horror.

Bonnie covered her mouth and laughed as she stared at them too. Calum put his hat back into place and grinned at her. Suddenly she blushed and looked at the Wimberleys to see if they had noticed.

Claire was just as excited. She left the little girl with her brothers and crossed over to sit beside Bonnie. “Tell me again about tonight,” she whispered. She knew Calum had talked to her parents and they had given the tall Lieutenant special permission to meet with Bonnie, while she and Henry sat out in the dark with them. Anticipation and dread were making her tremble.

“Calum said it was the way his people courted in the old country. They had a special couch where the man and woman faced in opposite directions with a barrier between them. They would be left alone in the room with the understanding that both pairs of feet had to remain flat on the floor at all times. The chaperone remained outside, listening and peeking beneath the door at the pair of feet.”

“Oh Bonnie, do you think we dare. What if they change their minds about marriage? Won’t we be compromised?”

Bonnie stared at her, made sure where the children were, before whispering. “I’ve been married, trust me, there is no way.”