Chapter 11
She had walked from Elias’s campsite feeling rejuvenated after her horrible day at the village. When she arrived at the farm, the sun was setting across the horizon, casting beautiful gradients of orange and red. She paused by the wooden fence and peered at the sky.
Red sky at night, sailor’s delight.
Isn’t that how the saying went? If she followed that prediction, tomorrow would be a good day. Tomorrow will be a good day, she told herself. It was the beginning of a new chapter. And she was adamant this chapter would not include a particular blue-eyed Englishman or the nightmares that followed when she thought of him.
As much as she wanted to preach positivity, she was not that confident. But didn’t they say ‘fake it until you make it’? She supposed faking some sense of happiness would eventually pay off. Even if her heart ached and her mind was wracked with confusion, she had to trust that those things would eventually mend, like her wounds had. With a sigh, she entered the house. She needed to break the news to Phoebe and her family. That was something she was not looking forward to doing.
On her way to the kitchen, a squealing Ceci tackled her thighs.
Eva’s throat swelled. Oh no. Of all the people at the farm, Ceci was the one she had become most attached to. She brushed back Ceci’s strawberry-coloured curls from her face, wondering how she could ever say goodbye to such a sweet girl.
“Ceci, my sweet bee. Where is your mama?” Eva said.
The little girl peered up with her large brown eyes. “Picking basil.”
“For dinner?”
“We’s eating moo tongue wiv mash.”
Eva grimaced. There were some nineteenth-century English things she would never get used to; odd pieces of meat like tongue being one of them.
“All right, go and wash your hands. Judging by the yummy smell, dinner is almost ready,” Eva said and patted the top of Ceci’s head.
Ceci ran off with a hop and a skip down the corridor.
Eva hurried through the kitchen but halted at the sight of three more chairs around the dining table. She approached, noting the mismatched set of cracked plates upon the tabletop. There would be guests tonight?
The porch door opened and shut.
Eva looked up to see Phoebe with a wicker basket filled with greens on one hip.
“We’re having guests?” Eva asked.
Phoebe smiled. “First time in a while. The children are excited.”
A loud knock came at the front door.
“Ah, that must be them. Will you get the door while I finish supper?” Phoebe said.
Eva went to the door and opened it to find Elias, Arthur and Duncan looking decidedly smarter than when she had last seen them. Arthur held a bouquet of wildflowers and a bottle of red wine; Duncan held a platter of unidentifiable meat.
“You three are the guests?” Eva said with a laugh.
Elias held up a bag of colourful sweets. “I’ve heard tales of two wee beasties roaming about the property. Rumour has it they can be caught with a bag o’ toffee.”
“Three,” Duncan said. “Judging by the look on Eva’s face, ye can catch her too with a bag o’ sweets.”
Eva gave Duncan a look. “I’ll take toffees over that pile of roadkill you’re holding.”
Duncan threw back his head in laughter. As he stepped inside, he patted her shoulder. “Aye, I am very happy to have ye on board with us, lass. About time I have someone to banter with. Elias and Arthur barely have any wits about them.”
Arthur rolled his eyes. “Some of us have a better use of time.”
“Drawing trees and leering at women ye haven’t got the bollocks to talk to isn’t a better pastime, ye wee fool,” Duncan said to Arthur as they walked toward the kitchen.
Elias entered and shut the door behind him.
Eva propped her hands on her hips. “How long has this been planned?”
“I dinnae ken,” he smirked.
“You do.”
“Well, Phoebe did invite us the day we met. She said it was the least she could do after sticking a rifle in my face. A lovely woman, that one. Although, there’s another reason for our dinner tonight.”
“Oh?”
He leaned in and whispered. “I’ve asked Rich for yer hand in marriage.”
Her expression froze.
Elias’s poker face stared down at her for a few seconds before a crooked grin marked it. “Aye, do ye think I’m serious?” he laughed. “It’s a wee joke.”
A brief glint of disappointment entered her chest at a memory. A flash of that night came hot – Elias proposing to her and Henry declaring his love, all in the span of a few hours. She brought a hand to her brow. She had to stop thinking about those things.
“That isn’t funny,” she muttered.
“Terrible joke aside, I told Rich of our plan to travel,” Elias said. “I told him I offered ye a job as my assistant and ye accepted it.”
“What?” she gasped. “When did you do that? I only accepted it two hours ago.”
He smiled.
“Elias…”
He winked. “I told ye I kenned yer answer.”
Elias’s expression had become even more smug. She had a mind to make a snarky comment about his all-knowing powers but decided to let it slide. He was right … again. And she should be relieved he had taken the pressure off her shoulders of informing the Randall family about her departure.
“Thank you,” she said.
He brought a hand to her shoulder.
They were standing close. Eva breathed in his subtle scent of goat’s soap and the wild outdoors. Nearly two heads taller than her, he towered over her like a wall of intimidation and grit, but she drew comfort from his responsible presence. The warmth of his hand roused a strong need in her. It was that of safety.
“Ye’ll fly in no time, lass,” he said quietly.
Her stomach was a snake-pit of nerves.
He removed his hand, parted his lips as if to say more but decided against it. With a barely audible grunt, he turned his attention to the corridor.
“Right,” he said. “I am thoroughly famished after a day of luggin’ ye around the village. How about we claim our spots around the dining table before the wee beasties come to fetch us?”
She found a seat at the table next to Duncan and, within seconds, Ceci had crawled onto her lap, ready to chow down on moo wiv mash.
Love could not begin to describe the sight she witnessed in the kitchen. Ringing with laughter as plates of food were passed along, the room had transformed into a small party with people she had grown to admire. Sprawled in her chair and feeling hot from the wine, she looked at each face in turn and could not help but smile.
Duncan was egging Abe on to try the wine. Arthur was in deep conversation with Phoebe about the intricacies of the local flora and fauna of the southern United States. Upon Eva’s lap, Ceci shovelled boiled carrots into her mouth, and Lewis, cheeks full of toffee, was busy opening yet another sweet from Elias.
Her heart swelled.
She already knew the night would end in music, and when Rich would arrive from the village, the love at the Randall house would grow tenfold. And she would miss it. God, would she miss it all.
***
“Are ye ready for the adventure of a lifetime, Lady Quinn?” Duncan roared from the carriage bench.
With one boot resting on the frame, hands on his hips and the curled tips of his moustache above a thick matt of dark beard, Duncan looked like a Scottish caricature of Captain Morgan.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she said.
And that was the truth.
Etched in the bright blue sky behind Duncan’s figure was the promise of change. The green peaks of the surrounding valleys were reminders of what she had overcome. Out here, standing in the warm glow of the midday sun, she felt strong, powerful and ready to conquer. During the last few days, it was clear something had shifted within her. Like tectonic plates, her heart and soul had begun to move as if trying to mend into one again. It was a wonderful and glorious feeling.
“I still ain’t too keen on this,” Phoebe said, her face drawn tight in a look of motherly concern. “Are you sure you’re well enough to journey the country with a group of men?”
“Yes,” Eva said, and then for good measure, she confirmed it, because to hell with fleeting regrets. For the first time in weeks, it all felt right. “Yes, Phoebe. Yes, with one hundred per cent certainty, I’m sure about this, and you can trust me to care for myself, and you can trust Elias, too.”
Phoebe’s frown deepened.
Eva laid her hands on Phoebe’s shoulders. “I can always hop on a train and return whenever I want.”
“I know, I know, it’s just that … well, it’s just that we will miss you,” Phoebe said. “The children will miss you. Will you promise to write to us?”
A hard ball formed in Eva’s throat. “I promise to write a letter every day chronicling my tales of adventure. It’ll be like you are all with me.”
“Oh, you sweet child. Come here.” Phoebe brought her large arms around Eva in a warm embrace. “I think the post office will soon get sick of us showing up every day for your letters.”
“Are ye ready to get going?” Elias said.
He peered down at Eva with a faint smile. Ruffled hair and dirt was smeared across his cheekbones. It looked like he’d spent a few hours cursing beneath the underbelly of the carriage while fixing the wheel and axle. There was also an odd expression in his eyes. Guilt? Or maybe worry? Whatever it was, he was careful to not give the wrong impression to Phoebe, since he greeted her with a warm embrace and a cheeky grin.
Eva’s heart gave a confused squeeze.
Footsteps pattered behind her. Little pale hands wrapped around Eva’s thighs, and she was pushed forward.
Elias’s hand wrapped around her forearm, holding her upright. “Seems like ye’ve been caught by a couple of wee beasties.”
“M-must you leave?” Lewis said.
“I don’t want you to go,” Ceci said, her arms squeezing Eva’s thighs.
The hard ball in Eva’s throat threatened to choke her. How could she ever find the right words to say goodbye? She placed her palms on the children’s soft heads.
“Children, you must let Eva go,” Phoebe said, tugging at Ceci’s arm.
Ceci let out a heart-wrenching scream.
Eva crouched down. “Ceci, my sweet bee. You need to be the big brave girl I know you are. And Lewis?”—Eva reached for Lewis and pulled him into her arms—“you continue to take care of your sister, okay? Remember what I told you about being lucky for having each other. Together, you can overcome anything.”
Ceci buried her sobbing face into Eva’s chest.
“It’s okay, Ceci. I’m going to write every day with the story of my adventure,” Eva said.
“Do y-you promise?” Lewis said.
“I do.”
“You must say the words,” Lewis said.
“I promise to write to you both every day,” Eva said.
Lewis’s lower lip trembled as he nodded. He put his hand on his sister’s forearm. “Ceci, y-you must let Eva go. It’s all right.”
“No,” Ceci sobbed.
“You must sh-show her how s-strong you are,” Lewis said.
“That’s right. Listen to your brother,” Eva said.
Ceci jerked away and shoved her doll into Eva’s face. “Rosie wants to go with you too,” she murmured between breathless sobs.
Eva was taken aback.
Ceci’s hand cupped Eva’s ear. The girl’s hot breath fell in hushed waves against her skin. “She told me she wants to fly like a dove under the stars too.”
Like a dove.
A shiver crawled down Eva’s back. She took hold of the toy and looked into the soft blue button eyes of Rosie the doll. It was all a coincidence, she told herself for the millionth time. There was no way a four-year-old girl would know that Henry Asheford’s mother was buried beneath a glass domed ceiling of a constellation depicting Columba, the dove.
“Did Rosie tell you that?” Eva said.
Ceci nodded.
“That’s nice of you, Ceci,” Phoebe said.
And creepy. Eva forced a smile. “Thank you. Then it shall be Rosie and I who write you a letter every day.”
That seemed to calm Ceci.
Eva stood. As she said her final goodbyes, Abe came darting out the front door in a half-asleep mess.
“You haven’t left yet,” Abe exclaimed.
Eva went to him. “You thought I would leave without saying goodbye to you, my little fromager?”
“Aye, the lad certainly had his fill of drink last night,” Duncan shouted from the carriage.
Abe’s face had turned a dull shade of greenish grey. “The first and the last,” he muttered.
“Yer a man now.”
“Och, Duncan, stop pestering the poor lad,” Elias interrupted.
“He’s tasted the sweet nectar o’ the gods. It’ll be mighty difficult to go back to the boring old life of a sober fool,” Duncan said.
Eva rolled her eyes. “Don’t listen to him, Abe. The Scots think the world’s problems are solved with a good pint or two, but you can live a perfectly good life sober.”
Abe managed a smile. “Eva and her wise words of wisdom. I will miss you.”
After another round of hugs, Eva went to the roadside and hopped onto Arthur’s carriage. Since she would soon live in close proximity with the three men for several weeks, she had decided to ride with each of them to get to know them better. She settled onto the wooden bench next to Arthur. Once her bag of belongings was nestled between her boots, she peered down at the Randall farm.
It had been her home for nearly two months. As much as she would miss it, she was also excited to fly from the nest.
The carriage jolted forward.
The clop of the horses and the grate of the wheels against the dirt were like music to her ears.
As the carriages made their way down the road, tears clouded Eva’s eyes as Lewis and Ceci ran after the dusty cloud in their wake. She waved and shouted that she’d return soon enough. After all, she had promised Phoebe and Rich payment for their hospitality. Only when their figures became tiny, blurred dots on the horizon did Eva turn to face the unknown.