Thorns in Eden and the Everlasting Mountains (43 page)

The
wind hit Rebecah like a fist to keep her down. Fear seized her, and she gasped.
Maddie rushed back, grabbed a branch from the ground and swung it at the beast
as it approached.

“Ha!
Get away! Get away!”

She
smacked the wolf’s jaw. It yelped and raced off.

“It’s
alright, Miss Rebecah. He won’t be back.”

Against
the wind, in each other’s arms, the women headed toward Laurel Hill. Maddie
hummed and sang as they went forward.

“I’m
goin’ through the wilderness. Yes, my Lord and me. Cross the river and the
valley. My sweet Jesus and me.”

Like
a fire kindled in her bones, the words to the old spiritual moved Rebecah. She gazed
down the hill at the house. Mustering the air in her lungs, she called out. Would
he hear her over the din of the wind?

She
stumbled forward. Her cloak caught something buried in the snow. She pulled at
it and it tore. Tears swelled in her eyes, drifted along her cheeks, turning to
ice crystals.

It
could not happen. Not now. A cramp—it surged through her belly. She doubled
over. Shocked, Maddie drew her close.

“Hold on to me,
Miss Rebecah,” Maddie cried. “Don’t you let go!

*
* *

Nash shot up from
his chair. A moaning on the wind, he thought he heard her voice calling to him.
A horse neighed. He rushed to open the door.
Her mare!

Fear shook him,
froze him in place. Rebecah was nowhere to be seen. But there stood her horse
saddled and bridled without a rider, snow encrusted upon its coat and mane, its
eyes wide and weary.

Joab
drew up beside him. “It’s Miss Rebecah’s horse. Where is she?”

“I
don’t know, but I’m going to find her.” Nash grabbed his hat and coat, and plunged
out into the storm. Thrusting his boot into the stirrup, he mounted the horse.
He followed the mare’s tracks. A little ways and he stopped, cupped his hands
over his mouth and called her name. 

Climbing
the hill, the snow drifted behind him. When he reached the top, he saw the
women. Rebecah was on the ground, Maddie trying to lift her.

He
dug his heels into the mare’s ribs and the horse plunged through the mounting
snow. Vaulting from the saddle, he gathered Rebecah into his arms. Snow caked
her lashes. Her lips were blue.

“We
were thrown. A stag came running, and then…there were wolves…,” Maddie said
swallowing hard. “I smacked one of them good, Mr. John. But poor Miss Rebecah.”

“You’re
very brave, Maddie.”

“Miss
Rebecah, she’s not good at all.”

“We
must hurry. You ride. I’ll carry her.”

“I
tried to lift her, Mr. John…”

“It’s
alright, Maddie.”

His
heart trembled, fearing the cold had gone straight through her, fearing he
might lose the love of his life. 

He
held her tight against him, trudged through the blinding sleet toward the house
where the glow of the hearth fire reddened the windows.

Inside
their room, a flood of firelight poured over the walls. The air had an icy
scent, and the fire added the smell of cedar. 

Nash
crawled in beside Rebecah to warm her body, pulling her up against him and
wrapping his arms around her beneath the blankets. It was around seven in the
morning when he rose and changed his clothes. He stood at the window, looked at
the snow-covered land.

“Jack?”
Her quiet voice stirred him and he turned.

“Lay
still, my love,” he said, moving beside her. His fingers caressed her hair, and
he leaned over to kiss her forehead.

“You
found me. Oh, my love, you found me and Maddie.” Easing against him, her eyes
glowed. Part of him was angry for what she had done. The other could not blame
her compassionate impulses.

She
touched his face.  “Are you cross with me?”

He
traced her nose. “I should be.”

“I
would not blame you if you were.”

“I
could have lost you. You could have died out there.” It was his greatest fear—losing
her.

With
a cry, she placed her arms around his neck. “I had to go when word came that
Theresa was sick.”

“I
know, my love.”

“And
when her fever broke, and she was out of danger, Maddie and I had to come home.”
She moaned and drew up her knees. “Something is wrong. Oh, it hurts.”

He
laid her back. “Where?” He ran his hands over her, desperate to understand, to
know what to do.

“Oh,
Jack. Find Maddie.”

He
rushed to the door and opened it. “Maddie! Come quick. Miss Rebecah needs you.”

Maddie’s
footsteps could be heard rushing up the staircase. When she entered the room,
she moved Nash back and he listened to her speak gently to Rebecah.

“What
can I do,” he said, his body stiff with worry.

“Nothing
you can do. Mr. John.”

He
stared at his wife as she curled up in pain.

Maddie
put her hand on his arm. “You don’t know, do you?”

He
shook his head. “Know what?”

“Miss
Rebecah is losing a child.”

A
heavy breath passed through his lips. “I…did not know. Why didn’t you tell me,
my darling?” And he sunk to his knees, picked up her hand, and pressed it to
his lips.

“You’ve
got to let me help her,” Maddie said. “I know what to do. Have Joab boil some
water and bring it up here.”

He
stood, watched Maddie draw back the covers. On Rebecah’s white shift was
blood.  “Rebecah?” He grabbed Maddie’s arm. “She’s dying!”

“You
go on now, Mr. John. Do as I asked.”

“Yes,”
he murmured, turning out the door, his hands flexing in and out, beads of sweat
forming on his brow. It was bad enough knowing they would lose their first
child. But the thought he might lose her too caused his heart to beat like a
hammer.

Please,
God. Let her live.

He
ran down the stairs, found Joab in the kitchen, gave him instructions, and
returned to the staircase. Before he climbed it, he glanced out the frosted
glass by the front door, saw a blur of the mountains beyond his fields white
and blue with snow.

One
retreat into those dark, sweet shadows with her,
he thought.
Just one!
What care did he have for governors or kings, warriors or Redcoats now? All
that mattered was the woman he loved.

* * *

Rebecah’s
eyes fluttered open. She turned her head, and through their window, she watched
the snow tumble off the evergreen boughs on the hill. She ran her hand along
her belly, knowing what had happened. A feeling of emptiness filled her. A part
of her was gone. It was unexpected. She did not want this. It had been too
early to tell him. What had she done wrong? 

“Rest
easy, Miss Rebecah,” Maddie said.

“My
babe?”

“Yes…gone,
Miss Rebecah.”

“Why,
Maddie?”

“Not
your fault. Blame it on that mangy wolf. He scared your horse and you were thrown.
That’s all it took.”

Downstairs
the door opened and shut.  Footsteps tread the stairs. Maddie stood from the
rocking chair at the bedside and opened the door.

Nash
came in and moved aside to allow a man older than he to enter. Rebecah kept her
eyes on Nash. His face was flushed from the cold, his eyes full of sadness. 

“Rebecah,
my love,” he said. “This is Dr. Pierce. He’s come to inquire after you.”

“You
must forgive me,” the doctor smiled, “for not having brought Dr. Cole. He is
indisposed with several of the townspeople.”

 He
drew off his heavy coat and handed it to Joab. “I arrived yesterday. Dr. Cole
sent for me. The epidemic was too much for one man. How are you feeling Mrs.
Nash?”

How could she hide
the grief in her eyes? “I do not know.” She looked at Maddie and held her hand
out to her, clasped it.

Dr. Pierce turned
to Nash. “I need a moment with your wife. Her servant may stay in the room.”

Outside
the door, in the sunlit hallway, she knew he leaned against the wall, waiting,
praying for her. Pierce timed her pulse, felt her forehead, and looked at her
eyes. After gaining her permission, he drew back the bedcovers to examine her.
He spoke kindly and asked her questions. 

“You
will need bed rest for several days to regain your strength. This happens to
the majority of women. It was early in your pregnancy.”

“It
does not take the heartache away, Dr. Pierce.”

“Indeed
not. But you’re able to have more children.”

She
turned into Maddie’s arms. How warm they felt surrounding her like a mother
cradling her child.

“Hush
now.” Maddie stroked her hair. “You cannot undo what has been done. Your little
one is in Heaven, and one day you’ll see him.”

No
words could end the pain squeezing her heart.

“A
boy.” And she turned her face to the wall and wept.

Winter hurried on and soon a golden
spring came. Dogwoods bloomed along with mountain laurel. Corn poked through
the rich soil and grew tall into summer. 

The year 1775 had thus far been a
bittersweet one for John and Rebecah Nash. The loss of a child was one
eternally in their hearts. Both had wondered what color their son’s eyes would
have been. What would it have felt like to have held their own? And then, Gus
and Adele were gone far across the ocean to Germany, the likelihood of ever seeing
them again was slim.

Letters
arrived from England that had taken months to reach them. Lavinia wrote the
family was well and missing them. Samuel Brent was the exception, and little
was said of him. Lady Margaret had grown weak with the passing of her beloved,
yet she kept busy with Mr. Wesley’s ministry. Lavinia birthed a baby boy, named
after his father. Dorene’s child was thriving, a girl, but Dorene lacked
maternal feelings and hired a nurse to care for the babe. Lanley was
disappointed it had not been a son. 

It
was a shining morning, the leaves on the trees a soft green moving in the
breeze. Rebecah and Maddie were washing clothes in the brook that ran at the
bottom of the hill between the mountain and the house. With a sigh, Rebecah
lifted her face to feel the warmth of the sunshine and the sweet caress of the
breeze. Her heart hoped her beloved would come home soon, for she missed him
terribly when he was gone for the woods.

She
looked with longing at the path he had taken up the mountain, at the quivering
leaves on the trees above it, at the shadows. 

As
much as she tried, Rebecah could not waylay her concerns. It pressed upon her,
and the stories that she had heard coming in from the west and from Fort
Frederick were enough to cause a restless mind. Then there was news coming in
from Boston and Philadelphia. A declaration of independence was on the horizon,
and fierce debates raged. In spite of the peace and solitude of the valley, her
mind could not rest.

Maddie
knelt next to Rebecah. They rubbed lye soap into the clothes making a great
lather. 

“You
miss Mr. John?”

“I
do, Maddie,” she answered, wringing the chemise in her hands. “Did you know I’ve
never washed clothes in my life until I came here? I was spoiled.”

Maddie
chuckled. “Your hands are too pretty and fine to do washing.”

Rebecah
smiled and sat on the grassy bank. Done with the wash, she slipped off her
shoes and hiked up her skirts above her calves. She dipped her feet into the
cool water. 

“I’ll
carry the washing up to the house,” said Maddie, lifting the basket. “Now,
don’t you go catchin’ cold.”

Rebecah
shook out her hair until it fell over her shoulders and laughed regardless the
heaviness in her heart. “You sound like Margery.”

“Who
is she?” Maddie swatted a stonefly away from her face.

“My
servant back home. She practically raised me. She watched well over me as you
do.”

Maddie
chuckled and swished her shoulders. “Praise be. Now I’ve work to do, instead of
sittin’ here talkin’ the day away.”

Rebecah
stretched out her hand. “Maddie, I’m glad I am with child again.”

Maddie
smiled. “Oh, I is happy too. Children are a blessing from the Lord, and you are
coming through your time well.”

Rebecah
ran her hand over her belly. “It won’t be too long before he is born.” This
made thoughts of Indians and war fade. Joy filled her.

“How
you know it’s a boy? Could be a little girl.”

Rebecah
swished her feet back and forth in the stream, while Maddie glanced up at the
hills.  

“We
best get back. No telling who might be up there in the forest, and I ain’t
leavin’ you here by yourself.”

Rebecah
gathered up her shoes, and as they neared the house, a carriage pulled by a
gray mare arrived.

“I
felt bored at home,” Theresa said, drawing to a stop. “May I stay a few days?”

Rebecah
kissed her friend’s cheek. “Of course you can. Your visit is a welcomed relief.
Come inside.”

She had no idea at
that moment British soldiers were fleeing across the Potomac after a bloody
confrontation.

* * *

No word had reached Rebecah, but she knew in her heart her
beloved would return soon. At least she hoped and prayed, while feeling panic
rising in her that she refused to show the others. As the sun was settling over
the mountains, she lit a candle and set it in the window casement. If he were
to come home during the night, he would see the light and it would lead him
home to her arms.

They
supped at seven. She moved the roasted sweet potatoes around on her plate and
chatted with Theresa. They cleared the dishes, and Maddie set to work washing.
Joab went out to get more water from the well. Rebecah set to repairing one of her
dresses. A rip ran down the side seam. It should have been cast out long ago,
but such things were kept longer in the frontier.

Theresa
read by candlelight near the hearth.