Wild Embrace

Breathless, Elizabeth stopped. When her father caught up with her, she continued running with him until she was through the wide gate and into the outer fringes of the forest.

She and her father searched for a while. When the moon was covered by dark clouds, and lightning began flashing overhead, they returned to the house, and went to their separate rooms.

Elizabeth was glad to find Frannie preparing a warm bath. As she undressed, she had to listen to Frannie’s scolding about not letting Frannie know that she was all right.

Elizabeth sank into the bath, enjoying its warmth. Frannie quit her fuming and tenderly washed Elizabeth’s hair. After Elizabeth ate supper she went to bed.

* * *

In the night, she was awakened by a frightful dream. Sweat pearling her brow, Elizabeth bolted to a sitting position. Her eyes wild, she remembered.

She had dreamed the house was on fire. She had dreamed that she had been trapped. She could even now feel the smoke stinging her throat and eyes, and her fingers felt raw from clawing at the door, trying to get it open.

“I’m afraid to go back to sleep,” she whispered. She stepped from the bed into her soft slippers.

She pulled a robe around her shoulders and went to the window, peering through the sheets of rain that splashed against the pane.

She hugged herself, her mind whirling with many thoughts. She missed Strong Heart so much that her insides ached from longing for him.

Then the dream returned to her.

The fire! It had seemed so real.

Even Strong Heart could not have saved her, had he even been there.

Shivering, she turned and stared at the bed, then reluctantly went back and lay down. She willed her eyes to close, then found herself in another sort of dream—one which warmed her through and through, as Strong Heart held her close, telling her over and over again how much he loved her.

And then Strong Heart’s face turned into the

face of the older Indian, causing her to awaken again with a start, her eyes staring.

Chapter 27

My face in thine eye, thine in mine appear.

—DONNE

Last night’s nightmares were still haunting Elizabeth, even though it was midmorning of a bright and clear day, and the house was warmed by the sunlight streaming through the windows. Delightful odors were wafting from the kitchen, tempting her, but Elizabeth grabbed a shawl from a peg on the foyer wall and went outside and stood on the porch, to breathe the fresh air.

As she peered into the forest, she tried to think about her times with Strong Heart. Then the memory of the elderly Indian with the staff intruded, bringing back the nightmares again. The fire in her dream had surely been set by the elderly Indian. She recalled with a shudder how Strong Heart’s face had turned into the old man’s.

Needing to find something that would get her mind off her unpleasant and puzzling thoughts, Elizabeth lifted the skirt of her cotton dress and descended the steps. She gazed down the steep hill to the beach, where there was not much activity, with the fishery having been completed and ready for the salmon run.

“The salmon run,” she whispered to herself, wondering if her father or Morris Murdoch would be visiting Indian villages, seeking their assistance in catching the salmon.

She heaved a deep sigh. At least Strong Heart’s village was no longer the target for salmon discussions. After their talk, her father had promised he would keep his hands off.

She went through the wide gate and followed the steep path that led to the beach. Another unpleasant thought chased away the clinging memories of her nightmares: Morris Murdoch.

If her father had to explain to Morris why they were not going to pester Strong Heart’s people again, it would lead to further conversation in which Earl might state exactly why he had chosen to leave them alone. Then Morris Murdoch might elicit more answers out of her father which could not only place her in danger, but also Strong Heart and his people.

She had to hope that her father’s word was solid, and that his feelings for her would keep all conversations with Morris directed away from Strong Heart and her.

When she reached the beach, she walked past the pier. It was difficult to walk across the rocks on this stretch of beach. She slipped and slid, and was glad when she found more solid footing as she hurried on toward the huge fishery that loomed up from the land. Built of wood, with a shake roof, it was not an unsightly building, but she saw it as something ugly. Because of it and what it represented, many Suquamish had died.

She needed to see her father today, to ensure that things were still wonderful between them, so that she could make her plans to return to Strong Heart. Elizabeth quickened her pace. When she walked past an open window she heard her father and Morris Murdoch in a conversation that made her heart turn quickly cold. She stopped and moved closer to the window, hugging the wall with her back so that her presence would not be discovered. She leaned her ear closer to the window and discovered to her chagrin that her father did have a devious side.

Inside, she saw nets being woven. Earl and Morris discussed spreading these large nets across the shallow parts of the river to catch the salmon before they had a chance to get upriver to the canyon, where the Suquamish were known to fish.