Read Bright Morning Star for Free Online Page A

shrinking all around you.”
    Now there was nothing but silence, which was worse than all the yelling. Slowly, Henry continued.
    “We’ve most of our stock in the wagons, and when we get out West, I expect we’ll be able to sell it all for a large profit. Then we can repay you.”
    For a moment, Claire leaned her head against the door frame. Oh lord, it sounded like… she didn’t let herself complete the thought, just turned to where Bonnie was standing in her petticoat, busy washing before bed. She wanted Bonnie to tell her what she thought it meant, but if the tall girl had heard, she didn’t react. Maybe it wasn’t important to her. As the Switzers continued to scream and yell, she tried not to hear all the mean things they were saying about Henry.
    As she heard the Lambtons storming out of the dining room, Claire quietly closed the door. Again, she looked at Bonnie, hoping for reassurance that she had misheard part of the conversation. Bonnie was humming a hymn to herself, in her big, vibrating voice. Claire stood with her hand on the cold glass of the doorknob behind her and prayed.
     
    <><><>
     
    Claire took her time at getting ready for bed, surprised at how good it felt to have the luxury of a big lamp like the blown painted globe one on the washstand. Bonnie had emptied and rinsed the bowl and the pitcher was still half-full of clean water. Such luxuries. There was also a large mirror and she tilted her head, trying not to feel vain at her own image. She was wringing out her washcloth when she heard the door next door slam. She watched the center of her own eyes grow blacker as for a minute there was silence.
     
    <><><>
     
    She had just climbed into bed beside her friend when they heard the angry whispers through the surprisingly thin walls.
    As soon as Bella joined Henry in their bedroom, their argument began in fierce, deadly whispers. “I just learned you didn’t do what you promised. You didn’t send my father part of the money we owe them. I insist we at least pay back half. That will leave each of us with the same amount of money, and our debt will be cut in half.”
    Henry said, “I don’t owe them. It wasn’t a loan, but your dowry that they gave us. We need that money. It’s a long way to Utah, and we’ve no idea what the expenses will be.”
    Bella’s voice wasn’t a whisper. “And if we’re robbed, then we won’t have the money and we’ll still owe all the debt. What will you say then?”
    He didn’t answer. They even heard the whoosh as he snuffed out the lamp. From the corner of the next room, they heard Barney whine. The angry silence was worse than hearing all the angry words.
    Claire trembled and tried to see Bonnie’s eyes in the dark. Bonnie must have sensed her staring for she muttered. “At least he didn’t hit her, Tarn would have split my lip if I’d raised my voice like that to him.”
    They heard a soft knock on the door and Bonnie called. “It’s open.”
    Mary Anne slipped in, running across the floor. She already had on her nightgown, and her shoes without socks. Claire heard the thud of the first shoe, waited for the other. Next door, they heard the boy cry and the sound of his mother getting up to tend to him. Claire raised the covers and let the small girl slip between them.
    Mary Anne took a few minutes to get settled, sighing with pleasure. “Wow, isn’t this heavenly.”
     
    <><><>
     
    Claire tried to relax and fall asleep. The mattress was soft and thick, the support underneath more than a few slats, since it did not sag under all their weight. Even with three in the bed, she didn’t feel crowded.
    There was only a glimmer of moonlight through the long window and its thick velvet drapes. She couldn’t see the furniture, guessed it was dark like the kitchen furniture, large, and heavily carved. Claire focused on a tiny strip of the wall-paper, the trail of vines with morning glories if she remembered right. In the dark, there was only a pattern of