too.”
Elizabeth was surprised, but the look Bears gave her saidshe should wait until Lily had gone from them before she asked questions. Lily did not see this, or did not take heed.
“A letter! Who wrote her a letter?”
“An old friend,” said Runs-from-Bears. “She will be glad to have it, but give her the soup first, or she’ll forget to eat.”
Elizabeth knew no person less prone to exaggeration than Runs-from-Bears, but she could hardly credit the story he had to tell. On his way home he had come across Liam Kirby. The boy had been waiting for him just where the Bonners’ property started on the north side of the lake, and he asked Bears to deliver a letter to Hannah.
When Elizabeth thought of Liam over the years since she had last seen him, it was with a strong sense of regret. He had left Hidden Wolf in the mistaken assumption that they had abandoned him forever; of that much she was sure. What was far more difficult and troubling was the question of why he had stayed away once they had come home again. Now, torn between happiness and bewilderment, relief and confusion, Elizabeth kept repeating questions even after Runs-from-Bears had told everything he knew. Liam was alive, well grown, and a likely young man—he carried an expensive rifle, Bears noted, and he had three good dogs with him.
“You’ll recognize one of them,” he said.
“Recognize his dog?” Elizabeth cocked her head. “Why would I?”
Runs-from-Bears blinked at her in the way that said she was overlooking the obvious, and that he would not carry on the conversation until she had caught up. But there were other, more pressing questions and so Elizabeth put aside the mystery of Liam’s dogs.
“Where has he been for so long? And why have we had no word of him?” This was not the question she wanted to ask, but she could not bring herself to say out loud what they all feared: that Liam had left without a word and never come back because he had taken what did not belong to him. Hannah refused to even consider that he would have done such a thing, but the facts were hard to overlook: when they returned home from Scotland in the fall of 1794, Liam had been gone and along with him their silver and the eight hundred gold guineas that had been all that was left of Hawkeye’sinheritance. Liam had been the only one outside the family who knew where the money was hidden.
“But why did he not come here directly?”
“He is not sure of his welcome.”
“Not welcome at Lake in the Clouds?” Elizabeth’s confusion turned to sudden irritation. Then she remembered the letter Liam had sent along for Hannah, and she half-turned in the direction of the cabin.
“Walks-Ahead brought him back to us,” said Runs-from-Bears, following the line of her thinking.
Elizabeth said, “She was a child when he left, and so was he.”
Liam had run off from Hidden Wolf at thirteen, not quite a man but no longer a child. The attachment he had had to Hannah had been clear to all of them, and part of the reason his disappearance had been so inexplicable. Elizabeth wanted to tell Bears he was wrong: Hannah cared for Liam as if he were a brother, and nothing more. She opened her mouth to say just that, and stopped. She did not want Runs-from-Bears to blink at her again; she was not ready for that yet. Not until she had spoken to Hannah.
Elizabeth said, “I’ll go to her now.”
“Tkayeri,”
said Runs-from-Bears.
It is proper so.
The two families at Lake in the Clouds were in the habit of taking their evening meal apart. In spite of her true attachment to Many-Doves and her family, Elizabeth always looked forward to this time: the children were subdued by weariness and too preoccupied with hunger to concoct any last bit of mischief, while Nathaniel and Hawkeye tended to be most talkative after a day’s work, and in no hurry to get up from the table.
But tonight the normal rhythm had been upset. The appearance of Selah Voyager and Liam Kirby both on
Elizabeth was surprised, but the look Bears gave her saidshe should wait until Lily had gone from them before she asked questions. Lily did not see this, or did not take heed.
“A letter! Who wrote her a letter?”
“An old friend,” said Runs-from-Bears. “She will be glad to have it, but give her the soup first, or she’ll forget to eat.”
Elizabeth knew no person less prone to exaggeration than Runs-from-Bears, but she could hardly credit the story he had to tell. On his way home he had come across Liam Kirby. The boy had been waiting for him just where the Bonners’ property started on the north side of the lake, and he asked Bears to deliver a letter to Hannah.
When Elizabeth thought of Liam over the years since she had last seen him, it was with a strong sense of regret. He had left Hidden Wolf in the mistaken assumption that they had abandoned him forever; of that much she was sure. What was far more difficult and troubling was the question of why he had stayed away once they had come home again. Now, torn between happiness and bewilderment, relief and confusion, Elizabeth kept repeating questions even after Runs-from-Bears had told everything he knew. Liam was alive, well grown, and a likely young man—he carried an expensive rifle, Bears noted, and he had three good dogs with him.
“You’ll recognize one of them,” he said.
“Recognize his dog?” Elizabeth cocked her head. “Why would I?”
Runs-from-Bears blinked at her in the way that said she was overlooking the obvious, and that he would not carry on the conversation until she had caught up. But there were other, more pressing questions and so Elizabeth put aside the mystery of Liam’s dogs.
“Where has he been for so long? And why have we had no word of him?” This was not the question she wanted to ask, but she could not bring herself to say out loud what they all feared: that Liam had left without a word and never come back because he had taken what did not belong to him. Hannah refused to even consider that he would have done such a thing, but the facts were hard to overlook: when they returned home from Scotland in the fall of 1794, Liam had been gone and along with him their silver and the eight hundred gold guineas that had been all that was left of Hawkeye’sinheritance. Liam had been the only one outside the family who knew where the money was hidden.
“But why did he not come here directly?”
“He is not sure of his welcome.”
“Not welcome at Lake in the Clouds?” Elizabeth’s confusion turned to sudden irritation. Then she remembered the letter Liam had sent along for Hannah, and she half-turned in the direction of the cabin.
“Walks-Ahead brought him back to us,” said Runs-from-Bears, following the line of her thinking.
Elizabeth said, “She was a child when he left, and so was he.”
Liam had run off from Hidden Wolf at thirteen, not quite a man but no longer a child. The attachment he had had to Hannah had been clear to all of them, and part of the reason his disappearance had been so inexplicable. Elizabeth wanted to tell Bears he was wrong: Hannah cared for Liam as if he were a brother, and nothing more. She opened her mouth to say just that, and stopped. She did not want Runs-from-Bears to blink at her again; she was not ready for that yet. Not until she had spoken to Hannah.
Elizabeth said, “I’ll go to her now.”
“Tkayeri,”
said Runs-from-Bears.
It is proper so.
The two families at Lake in the Clouds were in the habit of taking their evening meal apart. In spite of her true attachment to Many-Doves and her family, Elizabeth always looked forward to this time: the children were subdued by weariness and too preoccupied with hunger to concoct any last bit of mischief, while Nathaniel and Hawkeye tended to be most talkative after a day’s work, and in no hurry to get up from the table.
But tonight the normal rhythm had been upset. The appearance of Selah Voyager and Liam Kirby both on
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