Read Riverbreeze: Part 2 for Free Online

thatched-roof cottage beyond that. Elizabeth wondered if Robert and Jamie had lived in that building while this brick house had been built. And then she wondered about Robert’s first wife. Where had they lived? Certainly not in that one-room house! Elizabeth couldn’t imagine that. How horrible! But if they hadn’t lived in that house, then where?
    The rest of the property consisted of a few modest fields and woods, acres and acres of woods. She could see the ugly stumps of the tobacco plants in some of the fields and the rain was turning the red earth into red muck. A small crop of what looked like wheat or barley was growing in another field. There wasn’t as much open land here as there had been on Tyler’s plantation, but there was evidence of more clearing to be done. At the edge of the furthest field, there was a row of dead trees, their skeletal branches looking somehow eerie and sad at the same time.
    The servants took Jamie into the house and Evelyn turned around for a moment to wave to Elizabeth, calling out, “Hurry, Bess, you’ll catch cold.”
    “I shall be there in a minute.” Elizabeth responded, picking up her pace again. “’Tis lovely, is it not?” Evelyn said, smiling widely. She was just as thrilled with the house as Elizabeth was. And then she disappeared through the door, wanting to be with her husband.
    Elizabeth didn’t mind; she understood completely.
    Once at the steps, she stopped again to allow the dogs to sniff around and finish doing their business. She would be horrified if the dogs soiled the floor on their first day home! Already Robert was not happy with the dogs after Papillon had jumped in the river and she didn’t want to give him any reason to be further displeased.
    Suddenly, she caught sight of Owasewas. She let out a little gasp, startled. He was standing at the corner of the house and he was soaking wet, but he acted like it didn’t bother him at all. She wondered why she hadn’t seen him sooner, then realized that he must have been hiding around the side of the house, perhaps even spying on her.
    The rain dripped from his wolf-skin and plastered his hair to his finely-shaped head. He wasn’t bad looking, just strange with his darker complexion and tattoos across his nose and cheeks.
    “Hello.” She said, not afraid at all. She wondered why he hadn’t gone in the house with Robert and again she was amazed that he didn’t appear to be cold.
    He just stared at her with his piercing black eyes, so she continued, “My name is Elizabeth. I’m Robert’s new wife.”
    He raised his eyebrows at that and appeared stunned. Elizabeth wondered if he understood her meaning or if he was just reacting to her speech. “Do you understand me?” She asked, staring at him in fascination. He was the most magnificent creature with all his strange adornments.
    He nodded once, but remained silent. Then one soundless step at a time, he started to come closer. His gaze remained on her as if he would memorize every tiny detail about her. The dogs noticed him moving towards them, however, and suddenly they reacted by lunging at him. He stopped short and even took a step backwards; and even though their leashes prevented the dogs from reaching him, he seemed disturbed by their actions.
    “Papillon! Fleurette!” She scolded them. “ Arret cela! Soyez immobile !” And she yanked them back. Remarkably, they obeyed and sat down on the wet ground. But their noses never stopped working. They were lifted to the air trying to catch the scent of this curious new person.
    When she looked back up at Owasewas, he was staring at her with wide eyes. “I’m sorry.” She immediately apologized, misunderstanding his expression. “The dogs won’t hurt you. They’re very friendly, really. Would you like to pet them?”
    Owasewas tilted his head a little, not understanding precisely. “You speak…” He put his hand up to his mouth and moved it forward a little, then back to his lips and then