Charlotte Louise Dolan by Three Lords for Lady Anne Read Free Book Online Page B

Miss Hemsworth. His imagination proved equal to the task, and he was thankful to be able to satisfy the widow as to his continued devotion.
    * * * *
    The mist was beginning to rise from the moor, although it was as yet too wispy to present a serious problem. Anne turned slowly around, scanning the horizon in all directions. There was no sign of any man-made object, whether path or shed or building. Stones jutted out of the ground at awkward angles, waiting patiently as they had done for centuries.
    The twins had completely vanished. Anne sat down on the nearest stone, which had been shaped by the wind into a convenient seat. “Well, well, well, here I am, alone on the moor. Whatever shall I do?” Her voice was a bit louder than usual. “I could, of course, have the vapors and sit here all night, crying my eyes out, but that would be a bit uncomfortable, not to mention cold. On the other hand, I suppose I could retrace our steps.”
    There was the merest sound of scuffling, not enough to tell the direction it was coming from or determine whether it was made by a small animal or a ten-year-old boy.
    “But since we have been walking in circles for the last hour, and since it is now nearly teatime, I think I might as well return directly to Wylington Manor.” So saying, she rose to her feet and set off.
    Walking south for about a hundred yards she topped a small rise and saw the chimneys of the manor house. Proceeding another fifty yards in that direction, she was joined by two boys, one on either side of her. She said nothing to indicate she was aware of their presence.
    Finally, the one on her right spoke. “How did you know which way to go?”
    “Skanadajiwah, who has lived for several years with my great-aunt Sidonia, is a Mohawk Indian. He taught me how to avoid getting lost. It would have been more difficult today, of course, if the sky had been overcast, but even so there are signs to watch for.”
    “Would you ...”
    “Could you teach us how you did it?”
    “Well, I suppose, considering that I am your governess, I am actually expected to teach you any number of useful things.”
    There was a sigh from the boy on her right, echoed by the boy on her left.
    “Did Skanadawija—”
    “Skanadaziwah,” she corrected.
    “Yes, did he teach you any other things? Useful things.”
    “What kind of things are you interested in? Things like how to build a snare and catch rabbits? How to dry meat into jerky so that you can carry a week’s worth of food in a small pouch? How to make a bow and arrows? How to tell whether bad weather is coming? How to ride a horse bareback? How to throw a tomahawk? How to catch fish without a fishhook or net? Do you mean those kinds of things?”
    One boy slid his hand into her left one, then the other boy took her right hand. “How did your aunt come to have an Indian living with her?”
    “Oh, she wintered over with his tribe many years ago, and when she returned to England, she invited them to come and visit her. I do not suppose she ever expected any of them to cross the ocean, since they are superstitious about such things, but one day she opened her door and there he stood. Apparently he likes England, because he has never mentioned returning home.”
    “But why was she living with a tribe of Indians?”
    “Her husband was a government agent, sent out to Canada for some purpose. Shortly after they arrived, the settlement he was assigned to was attacked by Indians—not Mohawks, of course, since they are our allies, but a band of Hurons, who are the mortal enemies of all the Iroquois tribes.”
    “Why did her husband not protect her?”
    “He was too busy saving his own skin. When the soldiers arrived a few hours later, they found him hiding in a barrel. I would imagine he looked a bit ridiculous covered with cornmeal, but he was uninjured.”
    “I do not understand. A man’s duty is to protect his women. I think he should have been whipped for acting in such a cowardly