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sky was now black and filled with sequined stars and a tiny sliver of moon.
    Lone Wing nodded and watched his uncle prepare his steed, then ride away into the night.
    “Perhaps he needs another night of fasting after all,” he whispered, then shrugged his shoulders and hurried toward his own tepee, where he would show his mother the sweetness of the baby bird.

Chapter Four
    A string quartet played music as people danced on the highly polished oak floor of Reginald’s music room. A crystal chandelier in the center of the ceiling cast sparkling droplets of light onto the crowd.
    Jessie stood back from everyone. She was alone for the moment, taking in the party Reginald had thrown to introduce her to the community.
    Sometimes laughing, sometimes wheezing, he mingled now with the crowd. For the moment he seemed to have forgotten Jessie, which made her feel tremendously relieved.
    She felt so out of place among Reginald’s friends. As yet, only a few had come up to her and introduced themselves.
    Although the party was for her, Reginald was truly the center of attention. Everyone praised his house, his paintings in the other rooms, and his beautiful grand piano, which no one had been asked to play.
    Jessie was dressed in a lovely pale green satin ball gown that Reginald had had waiting in her room for her. Lace fell down the front of the bodice in billows of white, and her tiny waist was accentuated by a green velvet ribbon that wrapped around to the front and was tied in a bow so the ends trailed down the full skirt.
    Jade had fussed endlessly with Jessie’s hair, bringing it up in long curls to her crown, where it was fastened by diamond-encrusted combs. She had left the ends of the curls free to fall loosely down to the nape of her neck.
    As Jade had stood behind Jessie, combing and twining her auburn hair into those huge curls, Jessie had watched her in the mirror. The lovely Chinese woman had hidden the bruises on her face tonight with powder the same color as her skin, and Jessie knew that Reginald was responsible for the beating. No one but Jessie and Reginald had been in the house prior to the arrival of his guests.
    Jessie had wanted so badly to ask Jade about the bruises but knew that the woman would say nothing. No doubt she feared Reginald’s reaction should he discover that she’d confided in anyone that she was physically abused by a man whom everyone saw as pure and holy. Jessie was quickly discovering that he was anything but that.
    She dreaded being a part of his household now and wished that she had somewhere else to go, someone else to help her in her time of trouble. Being with child, she was even more vulnerable now than ever.
    She had to do everything she could to protect this child, for in truth, her baby was all she now had on this earth!
    Jessie watched Jade as she walked around, offering drinks to the guests. Jade walked with humbled, lowered eyes, as she tried not to allow anyone else to see her injuries.
    Jessie once again thought of the lovely Chinese girl she’d seen in the window of the crib this morning. She could still feel the girl’s shame inside her heart.
    Trying to force her thoughts to more pleasant things, since she knew that at any moment someone could come up to speak to her, Jessie straightened her back and squared her shoulders.
    She could tell that Reginald was a man who enjoyed giving grand parties and showing off his magnificent house. He moved from person to person, talking and laughing despite his constant wheezing.
    The music room had been cleared of all furniture but the grand piano and a wide oak table on the opposite side of the room.
    On that table his guests could choose from such delicacies as capers, plover’s eggs, green olives, truffles, mushrooms, and meringues. There were also platters heaped with roasted prairie chicken, broiled antelope steaks, and smoked elk meat.
    The drinks offered were sherry, burgundy, champagne, and Reginald’s favorite wine—Château