Chapter 4
Chapter
Four
Night had turned to morning, and still the crew of the Wild West Show partied.
William had long since gone home, but not so Suzette.
She was not leaving without Irena. She didn’t dare.
Since Irena was more than a little inclined to attract trouble, it naturally fell to Suzette to stay with her, if only to see her home.
So she waited.
As chance would have it, Suzette hadn’t been forced to come face-to-face with the young man, Two Bears, again. Except for a few of the Indian spokesmen, none of the Indians were present at the party.
Instead, across the short distance of a small byway, the Indians celebrated in their encampment.
Their dancing was drawing quite a crowd, and their noise was competing with Buffalo Bill Cody’s own party.
Even now, though an orchestra played in the background of Cody’s elegant tent reception, Suzette could hear the beat of those American Indian drums, as well as the voices raised in song.
Would he be singing along with the others? Would he be dancing? Unfortunately for Suzette, she had no trouble conjuring up his image; she could practically see his near-naked body swaying to the primitive beat of those drums. Try though she might, she could not put the mental image away from her.
She shook her head as though to dislodge the concept—she even wandered as far away from the sound of those drums as Buffalo Bill’s tent would allow—but reason seemed to desert her. His handsome countenance was etched prominently within her mind.
He was tall, she recalled, perhaps standing six feet in his moccasins.
He had been scantily clothed, as well. A breechcloth, moccasins, some jewelry and a headdress with eagle feathers had been all that adorned his body.
Those feathers had cascaded down his back, almost to the ground, an interesting sight.
A looping necklace, similar in construction to a breastplate, had hidden the complete view of a tanned, athletic chest. The hint of firm muscles and pure masculinity beneath the jewelry had been enough to cause Suzette speculation.
Indeed, the mere thought of the man now caused her pulse to race. Why?
Suzette had been reared in an environment of art and drama. There, the changing of clothes often necessitated nudity. So commonplace was it, Suzette took the sight of a near-nude body in stride. Or at least she had done so until today.
Today, the sight of a young man’s muscled chest and bare thighs had made her feel more than a little giddy. If she were to be truthful, she would have to admit that when they had first met, she had itched to touch his skin. This made no sense to her.
He was only a man, not unlike any other man. Two eyes, two legs, two arms, a chest, a naked back. Nothing unusual.
Of course, unlike so many opera celebrities, this particular young man was put together rather well, and in all the right places.
True, his face was pleasing to the eye, rugged without being harsh.
Perhaps it was this which kept his image haunting her.
But it seemed to her that there was more to it than this. There had been a quality about him…
Pride. Yes, pride was what it was. If she had to put a word to his demeanor, she would have to call him dignified, although he was perhaps slightly naive as well. At least he had been so about English peculiarities and manners.
Suzette sighed. What wasted thoughts. He was married, and she was betrothed. Betrothed to an earl.
Clearly, the man meant nothing to her, except perhaps as an inconvenience. Where was Irena?
Scanning the crowd for a glimpse of her grandmother, Suzette decided it was time to bring the evening to a close. She and Irena should go to the home which Suzette, her parents and Irena all shared. She yearned for some rest.
Ah, there was her grandmother. Suzette’s gaze alighted on a particular dark coiffure, one with delicate curls tied in back that bounced ever so slightly whenever the woman laughed, which was often.
With her hourglass figure looking stunning in blue taffeta, and a blue silk handkerchief dangling from her gloved hands, she could have been a model for a French fashion plate.
From where Suzette stood, she could see Irena was cuddling up to Buffalo Bill, who was close beside her. Indeed, his face was turned in full toward her, and Suzette could see he bore the look of… What was it? Admiration? Attraction?
Oh dear, this was what it looked like. Worse, was there a sensuality between Irena and the man?
Rumors of Buffalo Bill’s reputation with women, and in particular women of the arts, drifted through Suzette’s recollections. She could only wonder if Irena had admitted her real age to the man. Irena had to be at least ten to fifteen years his senior.
Suzette sighed. Perhaps she should have sought out Irena before now. She only hoped no permanent damage had been done. The last situation she needed was for Irena to believe herself in love.
Gracefully, Suzette made her way through the crowd toward her grandmother.
At the moment, Irena was laughing up at Buffalo Bill, and because there was a flirtatious light in Irena’s eyes, it was all Suzette could do not to pull her grandmother away from the man.
Why did she feel at times as though she were the older of the two of them?
Gently, she touched Irena’s hand. “May I speak with you if you please?”
“Of course, darling.” Irena turned her gaze on Suzette. “What is it, dear?”
Suzette grimaced. Apparently, she was not to have a private audience with her grandmother. “I am tired and would like to go home.”
“Of course, dear, and we shall do so very soon. This is my granddaughter, Mr. Cody.”
“A pleasure.” Suzette nodded toward him but barely spared him a glance.
“The pleasure is all mine.” Cody bowed slightly from the hip.
After a brief nod at Cody, she asked Irena, “Are you ready to return home?”
“Almost, dear. Almost. Mr. Cody, might I ask a favor?”
“Of course, Irena. Anything.”
“Do you have a private location where my granddaughter might retire until you and I are finished with our business?”
“Naturally, I do,” said Cody. “My own quarters are stationed in back of this tent.”
“Perfect,” voiced Irena.
“I have no need for privacy,” murmured Suzette. “We will be going home soon.”
“Yes, yes, dear, of course. But I have a matter of some business with Mr. Cody, and there is no need to bore you with it.”
“I do not believe I would be bored,” uttered Suzette. “Please tell me.”
Yet Irena was not to be coerced into revealing even the slightest detail of her business to Suzette. In fact, with a smooth smile and a quietly spoken, “Would you excuse us, please?” Irena took hold of Suzette’s arm and calmly ushered her away.
“By all means.” Buffalo Bill nodded as they left. “My personal tent is that way, ladies.” He pointed out the direction.
“Thank you, Mr. Cody.” Irena smiled, and the two women took their leave.
“Irena,” asked Suzette as soon as they were out of earshot. “What do you mean business with Mr. Cody? I don’t—”
“A moment, Suzie. Let us attain a more private place. One where we can talk.”
“Very well. But business…? I don’t understand. What possible business could you have with Mr. Cody? And though I did wish to speak to you alone, I did not realize we needed privacy.”
“Yes. We do.”
“Hmm,” said Suzette. “This sounds as though it might not be to my liking.”
“We shall see.”
Buffalo Bill Cody’s quarters, it turned out, were comprised of a rather large tent, which was guarded by a few burly-looking cowboys.
“This way.” Irena shot a smile to each cowhand in turn. One of them opened the tent flap for the women.
“Do you know those men?” asked Suzette.
“Hardly,” said Irena.
They had entered a large area with cozy armchairs and a sofa.
Although the scent of a gaslight perfumed the place, the air seemed fresher in here than outside the tent, where the atmosphere reeked of horseflesh and smoke.
On the floor of the room were lush rugs.
In the room’s corners, scattered here and there, were testaments to the Wild West—a buffalo robe, a quiver full of arrows, a wampum belt.
“Come, Suzie. Let us sit and talk.”
Suzette nodded and took her seat on a large, red and rather comfortable chair. Irena sat across from her.
“I am working over some business with Mr. Cody,” Irena explained.
“Yes, this much I have heard you say. But pray, what kind of business?” Suzette frowned.
“If you must know, I am thinking about joining the show.”
For a moment, Suzette was speechless. “Joining the show? You mean…traveling with them?”
Irena nodded.
“Leaving here?”
“Yes.”
“But why?”
Irena fiddled with a button on her dress. “Because, the show is due to go back to America as soon as their performance here is done. And there is something I need to find…in America.”
Suzette gulped. “In America?”
“Yes.”
“You startle me, Irena. Why is this the first time I am hearing of this? What is it you need to find?”
Irena shrugged but was silent.
“Would you not agree,” said Suzette, “that this is awfully strange…and sudden?”
“Perhaps it does seem this way to you, for I am only now mentioning it. But there is a reason for me going there. You see, something is pulling me there and has been doing so for quite a long time.”
“And what exactly is this which is pulling you there?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Could I not simply be looking for a little adventure?”
“Irena, this is me, your granddaughter. I know you. I am not fooled by your attempts to disconcert me.”
Irena frowned and slanted Suzette a glance. “Oh, very well. If you must know, I am looking for a particular person—someone I met when I was in America many years ago. I have never forgotten him.”
“Him? Are you trying to tell me…? Him? You are speaking as if you might be in love with…this man?”
Silence. Then, “Yes, I think I am.”
“Think? You do realize that if you go with this show, you would be changing your entire life?”
“Yes, I realize it.”
“And you are willing to do this? To change your life?”
“I am. They leave tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? But I am to be married in less than a month’s time. Could you not wait until after my marriage?”
“You have your mother and father to help you, darling. They will see you through the difficult time.”
“A marriage is not a difficult time. It is an enlightening and happy time. One I had hoped to share with you.”
“I know you did, dear. I know. I am sorry to tell it to you like this, but I have to go with the show. There are other reasons why this is so.”
“Other reasons?” Suzette rose to her feet, pacing toward one of the room’s corners. “Other reasons? You must realize I cannot let you go without knowing exactly what these reasons are.”
Irena sighed yet again. “Can a person not have a secret?”
“Not with her granddaughter, she can’t.”
“Oh, very well. But you must give me your promise you will not relate this to a soul, not even to your mother or father.”
“I cannot in all honesty give you a—”
“Suzie…”
Reluctantly, Suzette nodded. After all, it wasn’t terribly difficult to give her word. She had always been closer to Irena than to her own parents. “All right. I promise.”
“Good. If you must know, the man I seek is an American Indian.”
Suzette raised an eyebrow. “An American Indian?”
“I met him in Washington, D.C., at the White House, when I was there to perform for the President. Oh, it was years ago, I admit. I was much younger then. But he was…handsome. He was such an honorable man, placing the welfare of his tribe before his own needs, and we… I didn’t mean to fall in love with him, but it had been so long since there had been a man in my life, your grandfather having died much too early. ”
“I understand. I think.”
“I did not even know I was in love with him until it was too late. By the time I realized it, he was gone. I did try to find him, but no one seemed to remember him, and his name I could not pronounce, nor did I know the translation for it.” She grimaced.
“I tried again to find him a few years ago, when I sailed to the United States. These searches, however, proved useless.”
“What makes you think you will have better luck now?”
“Suzie,” Irena began, her voice breathless, “there is someone here who reminds me of the man I fell in love with. Their likeness is uncanny. As though it could have been my own love as he was as a youth.”
“Huh! This seems to me to be very little to go on.”
“You are right, it is not much. But it is exciting nonetheless, and at my age, I think I can be forgiven for trying once more to recover my love.”
“Oh.” A silence fell between the two women. “Still,” said Suzette at length, “to travel with this show. Isn’t it unnecessary? Why not hire this young man who reminds you so much of the one you seek? Why not ask him to help you?”
“Do you think I have not tried?”
“And what happened?”
“Firstly, he would not be bought, at least not by a woman. Secondly, it appears that he is, himself, on a quest of his own.”
“Then hire someone else to find this man. Would it not be better than chasing after someone who… Pray, forgive me, Irena, but if this man had wanted to be with you, would he not be trying to find you?”
“Would he? He, too, seemed to be involved in a deed of some importance. And besides, if my instincts are right, I think this young man, the one I have only met tonight, will lead me to the one I seek. I feel it, Suzie. I feel it is right.”
“But to give up everything because of a mere instinct…”
Irena smiled. “Perhaps when you reach my age, you will understand why it is necessary.”
A lengthy silence ensued. At last, Suzette said, “All right. If you are determined to do this, then I cannot and will not stand in your way. But I will ask one favor of you.”
“Yes?”
“You must take someone with you. A maid, a bodyguard. You must hire someone to look after you and be as a guard for you.”
Irena hesitated. “I could do this. Yes, I could do this. Perhaps this young man…” She frowned. Clearly, an idea had suddenly occurred to her.
“And you will? You promise?”
“I promise.”
“Very well, then,” said Suzette, with a long look at her grandmother. “But I will miss you.”
“And I will miss you.”