Passion's Series (43 page)

He held out his hand and stared after the retreating gang. "Nasty smelling wharf rats. If I had me way, you'd all be picked up and dumped into the Thames ta be drowned with tha rest oh tha rats." He spat at the ground then moved after them, careful to remain hidden among the shadows.

Chapter Eight

Raven sipped his tea. He had not found the peace he sought in the Montgomery kitchen that morning. The large warm room, with its marvelous mingling of aromas, the bustling about of Cook, and the constant rambling chatter of Lady Gaylord and Montgomery, usually created a place of great comfort and contentment for him. Most days these informal gatherings were a special time of fun and sharing for the Montgomery family. Raven had always felt honored to be included. Today, however, no one would meet his eye. Yes, something was definitely amiss here. He took a slow sip from his cup and contemplated the restless tension that dominated the kitchen.

Mrs. Bean, affectionately called Cook by everyone in the household, fumbled with a large spoon. It dropped to the floor with a loud clank. Raven noted that Cook's happy chatter was awkwardly absent. As she bent down to retrieve her spoon, she stole a hurried glance at Raven, then looked away. Quickly setting the spoon aside, she touched a pot handle and then jerked her hand away from the hot surface. With a mumble that Raven could not quite make out, she snatched a towel and continued her duties of preparing the fresh vegetables and other ingredients to be used in the day's meals.

Lady Montgomery frowned as she touched her napkin to the corner of her lips. "Cook, are you quite all right today?"

"Oh, yes mum. I'm just a little tired, that's all."

"Well, we don't want you to become ill, dear." Lady Gaylord patted the table in front of an empty chair. "Come, sit down for a while."

"Oh, Lady Gaylord, I couldn't..." she glanced again at Raven.

"Nonsense! If we all started our mornings in the dining room like normal people, you would feel comfortable sitting down whenever you felt the need. Come now, I insist." She patted the table again.

Mrs. Bean smiled widely at Lady Gaylord's remark. "This family has always started its day in this room, and I have always enjoyed being a part of that." She wiped her hands on her apron. "It's just that I have a lot to do and I am a bit behind. Please, pay no mind to me, Milady." With that, she returned to her work.

Lady Gaylord turned her troubled eyes to Raven. He raised a shoulder to indicate that he knew nothing.

"How is that little granddaughter of yours? I haven't seen Theresa today." Lady Gaylord's gaze darted about the kitchen as if in search of the child, then turned toward the door leading to the garden. "Is she outside playing? I don't hear her anywhere."

Lady Montgomery's actions were in perfect imitation of Lady Gaylord. "You're right, Victoria. I don't spy her anywhere. I thought something felt out of place this morning."

Cook dropped another spoon.

"Dear me." Lady Montgomery sprang up from her seat. "That's it, isn't it? The dear child is ill. We must call for a physician right away."

Cook hurried forward. "No, she's fine, I promise you. I asked Sara to keep her occupied for me this morning. I hope you don't mind. It's Sara's morning off and she said she didn't mind. I'm just a bit tired and she offered to help," Cook gushed out in one hurried breath.

Both Ladies seemed to consider the cook and her strange behavior. Raven sipped his second cup of tea and considered everyone strange this morning. His mind drifted to Dawn and his skin tingled.

"Raben!" Theresa's shrill, excited voice rang out. The child ran at breakneck speed and didn't stop until she collided with Raven's thigh. She placed both dirty hands on his leg for balance and hopped in place. "Sara told me that you wouldn't come today. I knew she was just teasing me!"

"Good, there she is. I feel much better now." Lady Gaylord resumed her seat.

Cook rushed forward and grabbed the child to pull her away. Theresa thwarted her effort by clinging to Raven's pants leg like a determined kitten while screeching. "No, no, I want Raben!"

"Just look at what you're doing, Theresa," Cook begged. "You've gotten dust all over Mr. Cloud's trousers."

"It's all right, Cook. Let her stay and talk to me." Raven leaned forward and wrapped his arms about the child and lifted her into his lap. He wasn't about to let her go until he knew what was going on here, and he was sure the precocious little girl was about to enlighten him.

Theresa cuddled close to his chest as she gave him what Raven had taught her was called a big bear hug. She growled softly as she squeezed with all her tiny might.

"Isn't that the cutest sight?" Lady Gaylord cooed.

"Yes, it is. Raven will make a wonderful father. I have never seen children take so quickly to a grown man," Lady Montgomery agreed.

"Children, matrons, beautiful women, are there any females safe from your charm?" William teased as he sauntered into the room. "Hi, mutt!" He ruffled Theresa's brown curls as he walked past, eliciting a happy giggle from her.

Lady Gaylord shook a finger in his direction. "Don't call her that, Willie. If Cook weren't so tired, she would chase you from the room."

Cook waved a quick hand over her shoulder, but didn't turn. "Nonsense, Theresa loves Lord Montgomery."

"See!" William pointed at the Cook. "If everyone treated me with such respect, I'd be a happy man."

"Oh poo!" Lady Gaylord helped herself to toast.

William pulled out a chair, sat down and leaned toward his friend. "That is where my odd vocabulary comes from, Raven. If I ever remind you that you are in England again, you have my permission to..." he considered for a moment before adding, "Tell me not to remind you again. There, how's that?" He grinned magnanimously. "Oh, by the way, has anyone seen Dawn this morning?" He reached for a hot bun.

An interesting groan came from Cook. Raven stared at her stiff back as he placed a kiss to the top of Theresa's bobbing head. Just as he had begun to feel better with the return of the usual banter, the mention of Dawn's name sent a ripple through the room.

Theresa placed a tiny hand on his cheek and pulled his face around to look at her. "I have a secret," she whispered and Cook whirled around.

"Oh, there you are," Sara rushed forward from the doorway. "I'll take her, Mr. Cloud. I hope she hasn't been any trouble." Sara reached out, but the child clung to Raven and whined in protest.

Raven held her close. "Everyone keeps trying to take Theresa from me when she is content to sit right here. I want everyone to leave the child be."

He turned his attention to Theresa and spoke quietly. "Tell me your secret, sweetheart."

Theresa's giggle filled the room. She placed a tiny fist under her chin and curled a chubby finger to bring him closer. Raven grinned as he leaned forward, turning his head so she could whisper in his ear.

"You know what?" she said in a wet whisper loud enough for all to hear.

"No, what?" Raven responded with a chuckle as he resisted poking his finger into his tingling ear.

"I saw Miss Dawn take off all her clothes and stand in the garden pond this morning."

The following pandemonium tested Raven's reserve.

The grandmothers screeched in unison. "She did what?"

Cook was all but in tears as she held her ample mid-section with one hand and one scarlet cheek with the other. "Oh, dear! Oh, my! Theresa, you were not supposed to tell."

Above it all William alternated between choking on his kippers and hooting with laughter.

"I see," Raven responded in a calm tone, which surprised even him. Suddenly, he felt separate from all that was around him. He wondered briefly if this household was going to survive Dawn's visit. Would he survive it with his sanity intact?

Turning toward Sara, he saw her lean weakly against the doorjamb. His heart went out to her. Dawn's actions must have been devastating to Sara's gentle nature.

"Why did Miss Dawn take a bath in the garden, Raben?" Theresa demanded impatiently.

"Well, you see, sweetheart..." Raven stalled as he gently pushed a stray curl away from her forehead. How to answer the child truly stumped him. After a few moments, he decided on the truth as the only answer.

"Has anyone told you that Miss Dawn is a Cherokee?"

"Yes." The child tilted her head sideways and peeked at Raven from beneath her lashes. "What is a Charkey?"

Raven glanced at the occupants of the room. The Ladies were now composed and listened with great interest. Poor Cook's cheeks blazed a couple of shades redder than her usual ruddy complexion. William giggled like a mad man while he alternately raised his cup to his lips and then lowered it again.

"You know that your grandmother came from Ireland?"

The little girl bobbed her head up and down.

"Well then, Miss Dawn came from another place as well. This place is very far away. It's across the big water we call the ocean. That place is called America. The people that lived there before others came are called Indians."

Theresa bounced excitedly and tugged at the front of his shirt, "I know about Inbians! They are mean and look really scary and shoot people with bows and arrows!"

William, who had chosen that moment to try a sip, was in near apoplexy. The startled grandmothers were too enraptured to notice his choked gasps.

"I am sure that is how some white people have seen them, and some day I want to tell you a different story, but for now, I want to tell you about Dawn. There are different tribes of Indians."

"Tibes?"

"Yes. That's kind of like families. Dawn's family, or tribe, is Cherokee."

"Miss Dawn is a Inbian?" the child said with wide eyes and a sharp intake of breath.

William sobered, sat up straight in his chair and admonished, "Now you're scaring the poor child...Raben." He then dissolved once again into great guffaws of laughter.

"A very good Indian. Surely you know that Dawn would never hurt you."

Theresa smiled. "I know it. Dawn is my friend. I don't care if she is a Inbian. But why did she take a bath in the garden pond?"

"She was saying her prayers."

Theresa placed both chubby hands over her mouth and giggled through her fingers. With a shrill little girl voice, she corrected, "Nobody says their prayers naked!"

"Why not?" Raven asked her seriously.

The child blinked her eyes a couple of times and looked at her grandmother. Cook said nothing, just stared at Raven with her mouth open.

"When do you say your prayers?"

Theresa turned back to Raven. "When I go to bed, but I have my night clothes on," she answered very seriously.

"You say your prayers when you go to bed, with your night clothes on because that was your grandmother's custom and that is what she taught you."

The child waited patiently for Raven to explain himself.

"It's a Cherokee custom to take a bath early every morning and then stand up just as the sun comes up and raise their arms to the sun and thank the Great Spirit —"

"That's God, right?" Theresa interrupted.

"That's right! You're very smart." Raven grinned and tickled her stomach. Giving her a chance to calm dawn, he finished, "They thank God for giving them another beautiful day."

"That's because they never know when a bad Inbian is going to shoot them with a arrow!" She pulled her arms up to demonstrate just how such an act was done.

Raven gently lowered her arms. "I guess you could say that. When you pray at night you thank God for the wonderful day you had. When Dawn prays in the morning, she is thanking God for the day that has just started."

"And it is her custom to pray naked, like it is my custom to pray with my night clothes on." Theresa nodded her head sharply. "Yes, that is a good custom, but I don't think Grandmother will let me do it."

"Oh, it's not necessary for you to do that, too. God made us all, and he loves us all. He listens to all our prayers. It makes him very happy when we talk to him, and it doesn't have to be just when we go to sleep or wake up."

"I know it. We can pray anytime we want and be naked if we want!" Theresa giggled again and threw her arms around Raven's neck before placing a big wet kiss to his cheek. She then scrambled down from his lap and ran from the room without a backward glance.

"Bravo, Mister Cloud," Cook cheered. "You handled that quite nicely. I say I feel much better about what we witnessed this morning."

"Yes," the other two grandmothers chimed in.

"It sounds like a wonderful custom. Will you tell us about some of the other Cherokee customs?" Lady Montgomery asked with great interest.

Raven pushed himself from the table. To better know what to expect the next time? he mused. "I promise to do that at some later date. If you ladies will excuse me, I'm late for an appointment. I will be back this afternoon. William, are you coming?"

William dried his eyes with his napkin. "I'll be along later. I have a few things to do myself. Maybe a nice dip in the garden pond will be just the thing."

Raven turned on his heel and stomped from the room as William again hooted in laughter. As he stepped out into the fresh air, he heard Lady Montgomery scolding William, who was still laughing.