Today's Embrace (54 page)

L
ORD
 … in wrath remember mercy.
H
ABAKKUK
3:2

Bulawayo lay in the grip of silence and death. In Government House a trail of bodies led to the upper rooms, where Marjit was found with five women and children. Sir Julien Bley's bedroom was overturned, everything in disorder. The dead marked the trail to the bungalows, to the police station, to the farms.

The hot wind scuffed up drought-stricken dust into little eddies. The thorn trees rustled with dead leaves, insects buzzed, vultures sat hunched on the bare branches of trees, too full of food to fly.

Rogan rode into Bulawayo Mission at a full gallop, reined his foaming horse to a halt, and was down from the saddle in an instant, his boots kicking up a cloud of dust. All was still except for the wind moaning through the stripped acacia tree branches.

Derwent and Captain Retford dismounted, rifles in hand. Rogan gestured, and they spread out toward the bungalows and the medical ward.

Rogan circled his and Evy's bungalow. All was silent. He came up the stoep and opened the door. Empty—the bedding was gone and the garments were tossed about. His gaze fell on Evy's dressing gown. He snatched it up. It was saturated with dried blood. Devastated, he stood
there staring. In a moment she passed sweetly before him from their youth in Grimston Way to his last cruel words to her when he'd ridden out to chase after Henry's gold. He groaned and leaned against the wall still holding the garment, his head bent, heart throbbing with the pain of loss and regret.

Fool. You had what you wanted. Yet you gambled it away on folly, on pride, on the stubborn refusal to forgive
.

There were footsteps outside. He gripped his gun. Blinking hard against the tears, he straightened from the wall and threw the door open. It crashed into the wall and then swung a moment on a broken hinge.

Derwent stood there. He looked up at Rogan with the question of why in his eyes.

“Dead,” Derwent choked. “All of 'em. And I'm afraid to look in my bungalow …”

Rogan went to him and threw his strong arms around him.

Captain Retford walked up. His soul was desolate. He had found the patients in the ward, all dead.

Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls—Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills
.

Derwent looked up suddenly at Retford. Rogan noted the spark that showed in his eyes. “Deer's feet,” Derwent breathed, turning. “Deer can run fast,” he said. “Deer can climb steep places to get away from wolves. God will make our feet like deer's feet.” And he walked quickly from the bungalow to the front of the mission.

Rogan thought Derwent had lost his senses, but he followed him.
They were in the front of the mission. It was then that Rogan saw a new cross near the church, miraculously left untouched by the impis. He ran there and knelt. The grave was very
small
. On a piece of wood was freshly carved:
Rogan Anthony Chantry
.

He stared, and scooping up a fistful of soil, he let it seep through his strong, tanned fingers.

“Evy—Evy—I wasn't here—I failed you.”

He was still kneeling there after an indeterminate amount of time when he heard muffled voices behind him. The impis. He felt nothing but grief. He had no desire to pick up his rifle. Without Evy there was nothing left. The Lord had given her to him, and the Lord had taken her away. The Lord had taken their baby in a miscarriage. He had no desire except to be alone, to go away, far away. He stood and turned.

It was Dr. Jakob running toward him, and with him came Arcilla and Peter! Alice and Derwent with their children. Derwent was smiling again. Then he saw Parnell behind them, Parnell and—Evy.

Evy, thin, pale and drawn, but it was his
beloved
, smiling at him as tears coursed down her cheeks. This was his beloved.

Rogan ran to her, and she took weak steps to meet him, her arms open.

They met in an embrace and held to each other tightly. He wept into her hair, and her voice kept repeating, “I love you, Rogan, I'm sorry, so sorry …”

“I'm at fault,” he whispered into her hair. “This is my fault. Can you forgive me? Can we start over?”

“Oh, Rogan, yes, yes. We can start over, we
will
start over.”

Later, Dr. Jakob told him what had happened.

“Induna Shaka trusted me because he knew the God we served had an interest in helping him regain his cattle. He came to warn me late in
the night before the attack. Evy was very ill, but Peter arrived, and so did Parnell—thank God! We were able to make a stretcher and carry her into the higher hills, where the induna led us. He hid us there during the attack.”

Peter then told them his story. “When I couldn't locate Julien, or you, Rogan, at Zimbabwe, I went on to Fort Victoria. I wired Salisbury, and Rhodes himself led a relief column to rescue Bulawayo. The fighting even now is continuing, and the Ndebele under Dumaka are being pushed back into the hills.”

Arcilla held Baby Charles in her arms while Peter held her, as though afraid she might disappear. Peter had already told her that when feasible, he would tell Rogan it was time to take his family back to England.

Derwent and Alice were thanking God for sparing them and their three children. Alice, too, told Arcilla that she wanted to go home to Grimston Way to visit her parents, Dr. and Mrs. Tisdale.

Dr. Jakob, Rogan, and the other men buried the dead, taking time for Scripture reading and prayer. Evy was mourning the loss of their baby with sorrow, but she took comfort in knowing he was with the Lord.

“Heaven is a little more precious to us now,” Rogan told her gently. “We have our firstborn there waiting for us. Someday we'll join him.”

Evy smiled through her tears and hugged Rogan.

“We sorrow not as those who have no hope,” Mrs. Croft said, dabbing at her eyes.

It was two days later when Darinda arrived with Jendaya. Darinda was pale and grief stricken. Retford went to her, and she ran to meet him, weeping in his arms.

Parnell sighed and looked at Rogan. “Looks like I lost out.”

“Cheer up. Grimston Way still has enough pretty girls to ease the ache of a young man's heart,” Rogan told him and smiled as he put an arm around his brother's shoulders.

“I'm taking Evy back to Rookswood for a time. Why don't you come with us? You haven't seen Father in a few years.”

Parnell looked pleased that Rogan had suggested he come with them. “I will,” he said simply.

Evy at last met Jendaya and gave her the heart-shaped necklace that had been Katie's. “Thank you, Jendaya, for all you've done to help me. You saved my life at Rorke's Drift. Can I do anything for you?”

Jendaya looked at her long and solemnly. “Yes, there is something. I want to stay here with Dr. Jakob. I want to help look after the sick. You ask him for me?”

Evy laughed and took both her hands. “He will be delighted, I know.”

The news of what had happened on the Matopos was delivered through Captain Retford. Darinda had told him all she had seen. Later, the remains of the corpses were discovered on the rocks of Matopos, devoured by animals.

“Guess we'd never know who killed Mr. Anthony,” Derwent said to Rogan, “if it hadn't been for Detlev.”

The troopers had found Detlev hiding in the Matopos, frightened out of his wits. When Rogan was able to meet with him, Detlev admitted everything, including firing the rifle out near the ruins. The news about Julien came as a surprise. Detlev confessed that it was Julien who killed both Heyden and Anthony.

“After all this, Mr. Rogan, Grimston Way is going to look fair indeed.”

Rogan touched him on the shoulder. “One of the first things we're going to do, friend Derwent, is go riding in Grimston Woods again. Then, I'm going to make sure you and Alice and the children have a big farm.”

Derwent laughed. “Sounds good to me. Alice will be happy about that. And who knows? Maybe someday we'll all come back to Rhodesia. This land kinda grows on you.”

“It does, Derwent. Once you have Africa in your blood, it's nearly impossible to say good-bye forever. Besides, Henry's gold belongs to us now. You, Parnell, and myself. One day we'll reopen that ancient mine.”

Rogan walked with Evy in the late afternoon when the sun colored
the Rhodesian sky a burnt crimson and gold. They stood there looking out at the veld, hearing the distant roar of a lion.

He looked down at her and ran his fingers through her tawny hair. “I confess I still love this land.”

She put her arms around him. “So do I, darling. More so because of those buried here. Maybe someday when the harsh memories have healed, we'll come back?”

“Someday. But first you and I will learn to forgive each other and begin anew, building our marriage on the one solid foundation of truth and trust.”

She sighed. “Rogan, that's what I've been asking of our heavenly Father, our forgiveness and a new beginning.”

He kissed her fervently and held her tightly against him. “The baby, Evy—I'm sorry—”

She placed her fingers against his lips, and her eyes told him she loved him. “God has forgiven us. We have forgiven each other.”

“Love is forever, Evy, my beloved. There will be new babies too,” he said. “If God wills.”

She nestled her head against his chest, content and at peace at last.
Yes … God is good
. She knew that. He had delivered them and brought them back together. Their love, their marriage, was stronger now than ever. Surely He had plans for them in the future. He would answer their prayer for a child of their own in His time.

Together they stood looking out in the bush, holding each other, watching a lioness leading her two cubs across the barren fields touched with the crimson glow of the setting sun.

Then you will lay your gold in the dust,
And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks.
Yes, the Almighty will be your gold
And your precious silver;
For then you will have your delight in the Almighty,
And lift up your face to God.
You will make your prayer to Him,
He will hear you,
And you will pay your vows.

J
OB
22:24-27