Cora's Deception (9781476398280) (18 page)

“Cora, if you’re going to stay with me,
you’ll have to slow down.” Vickie caught Cora’s hand and laughed.
Her other hand rested on her bulging stomach. “We’re having trouble
keeping up with you.”

Cora stopped and stared at her sister. This
was the first reference she’d heard to the coming baby from anyone
other than Eliza.

Again Vickie laughed. “Oh, don’t bug your
eyes at me. You’ll soon be a married woman yourself. I’ve been
wondering why you want to marry someone almost twice your age,
though. You know if you’d wait, there will probably be other people
move in here.”

Cora snorted. “I agreed to marry only
because Mother gave me little choice.” She looked ahead where
Mother, Eliza, Lenny, and Nicholas had almost reached the
wagons.

Vickie sighed. “I see. Mother can be
forceful at times, but Father is usually reasonable. Why didn’t you
stand up for yourself? Father surely wouldn’t force you into
marriage of all things.”

“Mother said Father has already accepted Mr.
Reid’s proposal for me. I didn’t even know about this until he was
gone.” Cora’s eyes burned. “He didn’t ask what I want. How could
they be so cruel?”

Vickie frowned. “That doesn’t sound like
Father. He must’ve had a good reason. Why hasn’t Mr. Reid come
courting?”

Cora’s laugh was harsh. “Courting? Thank
heavens he hasn’t.”

Vickie shrugged. “He may have thought it
would be improper with Father gone. He seems like a nice man.
Father wouldn’t do anything like this without reason. You should
talk to him soon.”

“I intend to.” Cora closed her sister off.
She’d get no sympathy there and hadn’t really expected any. She
nodded to the right. “Here comes John. If you don’t mind, I’ll let
you walk with him.”

“Sure, go ahead.” Vickie waved her on.

Cora quickened her step, following the
narrow trail made by her family. By the time she got there, they
were all talking at once while Nicholas jumped from one returned
traveler to the other. Lenny had Ben around the waist and wouldn’t
let go.

Father stood with one arm around Mother and
the other around Eliza. Cora turned her back to them. “Lenny, let
me have a turn at Ben.” Cora peeled the little boy from his idol.
“Go give Father a hug.”

As soon as Lenny left, Cora threw her arms
around her big brother. “You don’t know how I’ve missed you. I’m so
glad you’re finally home.”

“Me too.” Ben’s wide grin left as he
searched Cora’s face. “I have a lot to tell you, but this isn’t the
best time.”

“About George?” Cora shivered from Ben’s
serious expression. “Please, Ben, is he all right?”

“He’s fine.” Ben gently squeezed Cora’s
shoulders. “Let me get this wagon the rest of the way home and tend
to the horses, then I’ll tell you all about it.”

“Did you give him my letter?” Cora had
waited too long for answers.

“He wasn’t there, Cora. He’s back east. In
law school. I mailed your letter to him.”

“When is he coming?” What was Ben saying?
Nothing made sense.

Ben sighed and looked away. “I may as well
tell you. His mother mentioned another girl.”

Another girl? What did that mean? She and
George had been inseparable as long as she could remember. Numbness
crept through her limbs. Had George forsaken her for someone else?
She’d poured her heart out in that letter for no reason. George
wouldn’t be coming. He’d laugh and the girl would laugh with
him.

Humiliation. Rejection. Fear. Pain. Emotions
raged within as the roar of a whirlwind filled Cora’s heart and
mind. She turned from Ben and met Mother’s smiling face. She’d
gotten her way. Cora lost all hope. Her life was over. She stumbled
away. She walked, then she ran, stumbling in her grief. As in a
dream, she heard Father call her name, but she didn’t stop.

Vickie and John called to her when she ran
past them. Sharp pain ripped through her heart. Ben’s words had cut
out the part of her that belonged to George. The man she loved no
longer loved her. He didn’t want to marry her. She’d have to marry
a man twice her age. Unless—

New purpose possessed her, lending wings to
her feet. There was only one way out and she must take it. Hurry,
before the others returned to the house. Everything would be over
by then.

She fell through the door of the house. The
quiet, empty house. Stumbling across the floor, she found her
parents’ room. In the corner, she groped on the top shelf and
grasped the bottle hidden away out of the small children’s reach.
Laudanum. Her hands trembled until she could scarcely open it.

Only a small amount remained in the bottom.
How much would it take? What had she heard? One ounce? A half
ounce? Was there enough? If she didn’t succeed, she’d be forced to
live the rest of her life in servitude to a man she’d hate. Death
was good. There, she would cease to exist. Slowly, as in a trance,
she lifted the bottle and took a mouthful.

Fear mixed with the bitter, brown liquid,
and she spewed it from her mouth, choking and gagging. She didn’t
want to die. Had she swallowed any? Oh, surely she had. She’d
changed her mind too late.

Her pulse raced, and she pressed against her
temples. Now Father would be sorry he’d driven her to this. Mother
would grieve for another child lost. At least her death would keep
them from doing the same thing to Eliza. The empty bottle clattered
to the floor.

Cora turned from the room and staggered to
the ladder leading upstairs. She slipped on the rung and fell to
the floor, her face slamming against Father’s stuffed chair. Dazed
and hurting, she lay still for a moment before sitting up. With her
fingers probing the side of her face she felt the tenderness, but
could find no blood.

After a while, she pulled herself up the
ladder, holding on until she reached her room and collapsed across
her bed. A fog entered the room, her best dress floated from its
hook on the wall and danced in front of her, taunting her. “No.”
She closed her eyes against the spectacle and sank into a black
abyss where no one could ever find her again.

~*~

“Cora.” Father stood on the bank and called
her. “Cora, wake up, honey.”

He was so far away. It was so dark. He
couldn’t see her, so she didn’t answer. He’d never find her
here.

Other voices joined his. Jumbled together as
if they floated on the wind, first Ben’s, then Mother’s. Vickie and
Eliza. Father’s deeper voice. And John. Nicolas and Lenny. Someone
sobbed. Or was that laughter? Their words became the buzz of bees.
Something was wrong. Why was she hiding? She tried to ask, but
someone moaned instead.

The touch on her shoulder seemed real. She
pulled away. Death. She wanted to die. No, she didn’t want to die.
Had she? Why wasn’t she alone? She shouldn’t exist in death. She
shouldn’t be able to feel. See. Hear. This was not what she
expected.

“Cora, can you hear me?” Father’s voice
intruded. His hands shook her, lifted her. Gently draped her over
his shoulder. “Ben, go ahead of me. Help me get her down the
ladder.”

“What’s wrong with her, Orval?” Mother’s
voice pulled her toward the light.

Cora kept her eyes closed. They were
bringing her back, and she didn’t want to leave. She didn’t want to
stay. Confusion clouded her mind.

“I would assume she’s fainted. We’ll get to
the bottom of this later. Get the smelling salts.” Father turned.
Cora whirled and dropped. Father’s shoulder dug into her stomach.
Why were they bringing her back to life?

“Her head should be down so the blood will
rush to it.” Ben sounded so close. Had he come into her dark
place?

“Is Cora dead, Father?” Lenny sniffled.

“No, she isn’t dead.” Eliza sounded angry.
“She just fainted.”

“Dear God, no!” Mother cried out.

“What is it, Opal?” Father jerked away.
Cora’s eyes opened. She squeezed them against the sudden light.

“This. She hasn’t fainted. It’s the
laudanum. She took it all. I found it on the floor.”

“Laudanum?” Father’s voice vibrated in
Cora’s head. “She knows better than that. Why would she do such a
thing?”

“I have no idea.” Mother began crying.

“She talked to you last, Ben. What did you
say to her?” Eliza still sounded angry.

“Nothing. Just that George wasn’t coming. I
didn’t tell her anything that’d make her do this.”

“Oh, yes, you did.” Eliza’s voice rose.
“Father, she tried to kill herself. She didn’t want to marry Mr.
Reid. She thought George would rescue her.”

“You mean she did this on purpose?” Father
shouted.

Cora winced from the anger. She tried to
snuggled back into the dark. She didn’t like the noise. Father
leaned over her. “Let’s get her up.”

Hands pushed and pulled until Cora sat up
like a rag doll. Someone tugged her feet to the floor and pulled
her to stand. They draped her arms over their shoulders and walked
with her, dragging her at first. Why wouldn’t they leave her
alone?

Scraping sounds, voices, hands pulling her
this way and that invaded her cocoon. A burst of cold air hit her
warm body and she jerked. Someone wiped a cold, wet cloth over her
face. She struggled to get away from them.

“That’s it, Cora. Come on back to us,
honey.” Father pushed into her darkness. “Let’s take her outside.
The cool air seems to be reviving her.”

Someone pried her mouth open and thrust
something in, filling her mouth, pushing against her throat. She
gagged.

“What are you doing?” Mother’s scent of
lilacs reached for her.

Father spoke close. “She’s got to vomit and
get that stuff up. It’s our only hope.”

Again, he stuck his finger down her throat
and reflex took over. Her stomach contracted and she spewed vomit.
“That’s good, Cora. Get it all up.” His voice held so much love and
kindness.

“Walk, honey, walk.” Father held her up,
forcing her to move.

If only he’d leave her alone. “G’way.” Her
words slurred.

Laughter and shouts of joy surrounded her.
“Come on, Cora. Keep walking.”

“No! Leab me lone.”

“Mother, she’s going to be all right.”
Eliza’s happy, tear-filled voice sounded loud to Cora.

Did Mother even care? Cora forced her eyes
open. Mother stood close with tears streaming down her face. Maybe
she cared on some level, but not enough. Anger filled Cora. She’d
been treated unjustly by Mother and Father. She wanted to tell
them. Strength crept into her muscles, and she began to walk on her
own. With Father on one side and Ben on the other, she kept pace
through the dusk of evening. Back and forth they walked until
Father stopped her.

“Let’s go inside where we can sit down. I
think you’ve had enough.” He hugged her close and kissed her
forehead. “I don’t understand, but I’m awfully glad to have my
little girl back.”

Cora sat on the sofa between Father and
Mother. Father put his arm around Cora. She leaned forward to get
away from his touch and hissed between her teeth. “I’ll do it
again.”

Father leaned forward and peered into her
face. “Why, Cora? Please tell me what’s wrong. Let me fix it for
you.”

“Fix it!” Cora swung to face her father, and
her head spun. She clamped a hand to her forehead, holding it
steady. “Don’t you think you’ve fixed enough?”

She burst into tears and buried her face
against her knees.

“I don’t understand. Will someone tell me
what I’ve done? Cora, what’s so terrible you’d try to kill yourself
as soon as I came home?” Bewilderment colored Father’s voice.

Eliza spoke then. “Father, she’d rather die
than marry Mr. Reid.”

“Marry Mr. Reid? She doesn’t have to marry
anyone.” Father almost shouted the words. “Where would she get a
fool notion like that?”

Silence descended, and then in a quiet,
accusing voice, he again spoke. “Opal, you had no right. We agreed
to wait until I returned before we even mentioned that to
Cora.”

Frozen by the steely anger in Father’s
voice, Cora’s sobs quieted, and she lifted her head to look first
at him and then at her mother. She’d never seen Father so angry or
Mother so frightened.

Mother dabbed at her red-rimmed eyes with a
hanky. She looked past Cora. “You don’t understand, Orval. She was
going to run away. I had to do something to stop her.”

“Run away?” An expletive burst from Father’s
lips. “What more is there? Have I been gone so long for this family
to fall apart?”

“Father?” Eliza, sitting on the floor,
leaned closer. “May I tell you everything?”

“I would be most grateful if someone would.”
Father let out a breath of air. “Please do.”

Eliza started her story with Mother finding
Cora’s sack of possessions behind her best dress. While her sister
talked, Cora tried to make sense of everything. Father said she
didn’t have to marry anyone. He seemed confused that she thought
she had to marry Mr. Reid. Maybe Mother had made the decision
without his permission. Hope sprang anew within Cora. Mother had no
say unless Father backed her. She didn’t have to marry that
man.

With the realization, Cora concentrated on
Eliza’s voice.

“And so Cora’s last hope was gone when Ben
said George wasn’t coming. Of course, I don’t think she should’ve
tried to kill herself even if she didn’t want to marry an old man.”
Eliza always sounded so self-righteous.

Cora met her father’s tender gaze. He didn’t
appear angry now. His obvious love brought shame to her heart.
She’d misjudged him. He would never be cruel to her. Cora moved
into his strong, loving embrace.

“I’m sorry, Father.” Tears flowed down her
face. “I’m so sorry.”

“You’re forgiven, Cora. The ending’s what
we’ll consider.” Father spoke close to her ear. “Never forget how
much I love you. If you have a problem, come to me first before you
try to take matters into your own hands.”