Donners Bend (14 page)

Each person took an enemy to fight
. 
Jamie fought Demi, Wesley fought Leah, and
Ellie
was against Gracie
. 
The children were better at fencing than
Ellie
had expected; Jamie must have taught them
. 
Although
Ellie
knew Jamie could have triumphed over Demi in a second, he played down his skills so as to let her win
. 
Ellie
did the same for Gracie so that the children’s confidence was boosted because they thought they’d been the victors of challenges with their elders: Jamie and
Ellie
.

So, Jamie and
Ellie
lay “dead” on the ground
. 
Jamie scooted over to
Ellie
slightly and asked with a small smile, “Having fun, Miss
Henderson
?”

“Oh yes.”

“Have you ever played pirates before?”

“No, this is my first time.”

“Well if you continue working for this family it certainly won’t be your last.”

“We’ve won!” Wesley suddenly shouted, “I beat Leah
! 
We won
! 
The Black Diamond won!”

“But that’s no fair,” Demi pouted, “Can’t we play again, Black-beardless Jame
s
? 
I want to win.”

“Another game?” Jamie asked
Ellie
as he got to his feet and held out a hand for her.

“Love to,”
Ellie
replied as she took his hand.

For the next war, Demi quickly took Wesley as her competitor, Leah took Gracie, and
Ellie
was left to take on Jamie
. 
Demi, maddened at her team’s last loss, won her match instantly
. 
She helped out Leah and Gracie was also taken down
. 
The only two left were Jamie and Gracie
. 

Jamie smiled slyly, “I’m not going to go easy anymore, missy
. 
The battle’s on!”

The children cheered and
Ellie
blushed, knowing she wouldn’t be able to defend herself against Jamie
. 
She did well at first, surprisingly blocking all his attacks easily, but then she began to realize that he hadn’t really stopped going easy
. 
He was letting her win
,
for Demi’s sake.

“Go
Ellie
!” Leah and Demi shouted.
             

Jamie and
Ellie
began walking in a circle, their eyes never parting
. 
Jamie gave a small smile as their swords began to clash again
. 
Finally, after a fierce fight,
Ellie
pushed her sword into Jamie’s chest and he fell to the ground with a dramatic death.

“We’ve won!” Leah and Demi exclaimed, “We’ve won!”

Ellie
laughed; she’d never imagined she’d have so much fun working as a governess.

* * * * *

Later that day,
Louise
Rhodes came
home from work early with her seamstress’s daughter
Sarah
Walsh
. 
Sarah
also lived in
Donners Bend
and worked for her mother by taking measurements and orders from customers
. 
Louise
called
Ellie
and the girls in, while Wesley practiced fencing with Jamie outside.

While
Louise
got fitted for a few new everyday dresses in a sitting room upstairs, the younger girls flipped through fabric strips nearby and
Ellie
suggested a few she might choose if she were to get some new gowns
. 
Gracie, Leah, and Demi took all her suggestions very seriously for they trusted in their nanny’s opinion.

When
Louise
had finished her fitting, Gracie stepped forward, then Leah, and finally Demi
. 
Louise
and Gracie now sat on a settee and decided which fabrics to use for Gracie’s dresses
. 
Ellie
and Leah were out on the balcony, getting a breath of fresh air and letting the wind blow through their hair
. 
They watched as Jamie and Wesley fenced playfully.

“Hello down there!” Leah shouted, leaning over the balcony’s white rai
ling
, “Jamie
! 
Wes!”

Ellie
came to stand beside her, but suddenly
Sarah
called for Leah to come inside for a moment and only
Ellie
was left
. 
Jamie stopped his game and came beneath the balcony to stare up at her
. 
He still hadn’t shaved off his little black mustache and his hair was disheveled from a rough game
. 

Reaching up his hand, he said in a dramatic voice, “But, soft
! 
W
hat light through yonder window breaks
? 
It is the east, and
Ellie
Mae is the sun
. 
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon.”

Ellie
, instantly recognizing the
lines
, skipped a few
o
f the famous play and returned, “Oh Jamie, Jamie
,
w
herefore art thou Jamie
? 
Deny thy father and refuse thy name
, o
r, if though wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I’ll no longer be
a
Henderson
.”

Jamie smiled, “Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?”

“'Tis but thy name that is my enemy; Thou art thyself, though not a
Rhodes
,”
Ellie
replied as she began walking across the
balcony, running her hand across the rai
ling
; Jamie followed her as she moved and she continued, “What's
Rhodes
? 
It is nor hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face, nor any other part belonging to a man
. 
O, be some other name
! 
What's in a name
? 
That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet; So Jamie would, were he not Jamie call'd, retain that dear perfection which he owes without that title
. 
Jamie, doff thy name, And for that name which is no part of thee take all myself.”

“I take thee at thy word: Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized; Henceforth I never will be Jamie.”

Their reciting was interrupted as Wesley banged the door as he ran inside the house for some lemonade.

Jamie looked back up to
Ellie
. 

“Very well done, Miss
Henderson
,” he said, “I don’t believe you missed one word.”

“Nor you.”

“Do you know Shakespeare’s works well?”

“I’m familiar with a few.”

“As am I.”

Sarah
came out onto the balcony then, a small girl’s dress
in her
hand
s
.

“Miss
Henderson
?” said she as she walked toward
Ellie
, “Miss Leah would like to know what you think of this.” 

Before
Ellie
could answer,
Sarah
spotted Jamie standing below her.

“Good afternoon,
Mr.
Rhodes
,” she said in a breathless voice, her eyes suddenly paralyzed.

He scratched his head uncomfortably, “Good afternoon, Miss Walsh.”

“
Umm .
.
.,”
Sarah
stammered, “Mi
...
Might you like to
...
”

But Jamie cut her off in a rather polite voice, “I’m sorry, but I really must be going
. 
Goodbye
Miss Walsh.”

“
Goodbye
,”
Sarah
answered
. 
She blushed and turned her eyes away from
Ellie
as Jamie walked inside the house.

It took a moment before
Sarah
could repeat, “What do you think of this dress?” and
Ellie
knew there was something she didn’t know about the relationship between Jamie
Rhodes and
Sarah
Walsh.

One Friday afternoon, without any warning at all, Ellie came home to find Marcelle sitting on her front porch with two p
ieces of distinctive luggage
on either side.  She announced that she would be able to stay for the weekend and Ellie, though happy by her friend’s arrival, told her of some bad news:

“I’m sorry Marcelle, for I didn’t know you were coming, and I’ve already signed to help work at Donners Bend’s Annual Pie Festival tomorrow.  You can come too if you want, I suppose, though I don’t know what you shall do.”

“’Tis alright,” Marcelle assured her, “I’ll find something.  Maybe I can help work too.”

She did.  The next morning when they arrived a stressed Mrs. Thompson, who was coordinating the event, rushed up to them and asked if Marcelle would be willing to help out and work as a waitress.  Marcelle quickly accepted.

The little festival was set up on a large field, and everyone in town came.  It was a big event and one that everyone looked forward to.  There it sat, under little white canvas booths
; t
here were millions of games the children could play and in a field nearby
,
three-legged races as well as potato sack races would be held.  Ellie worked at the pie booth.  She and Jon had signed up to sell off pies of all kinds baked by the ladies of Donners Bend; there were blackberry, cherry, strawberry, peach, lemon meringue, blueberry, and most importantly, made from the Rhodes
’
orchard, apple pies.  Ellie had a wonderful time.  She and Jon couldn’t stop laughing all day, and they loved to sneak in a few bites of pie for themselves every so often.

In the afternoon though, it was time for lunch, but Ellie and Jon couldn’t leave their booth.  They were both sitting quietly, their heads in their hands, when the Rhodes children ran up, Jamie included.

“Johnny!” Demi exclaimed; she’d gotten to know Jon a little for he came by their house so often to either drop Ellie off or pick her up.

Jon smiled, “Hey Demi.”

He then stood up and reached out a hand to Jamie, “Nice to see you again,
Jamie
.”

Jamie shook it, “You too, Jon.  How are you?”

“Great, great, and you?”

Jamie shrugged, “I’m doing alright.”

“Ellie!  Ellie!” Leah shouted, “We’re going to lunch.  Won’t you come with us?  Please Ellie?”

All the other children joined in too, “Please Ellie?”

She smiled, “I’m sorry, but I can’t.  Johnny and I have to stay here at the booth.”