Donners Bend (20 page)

All she knew was that she felt close enough to him to lie down beside him and that she didn’t see what was so wrong and improper about it
. 
How could it be wrong when she felt so comfortable and safe under the protection of his arm
? 

Jamie began to fall back into his deep slumber as though in a trance, but
Ellie
couldn’t sleep just yet.

She turned herself around so that she could face him, but the small gesture woke him again
. 
Despite what one would think
,
even though Jamie was so incredibly sleepy, sluggish, drowsy, and dozy, he didn’t seem to mind
. 
It didn’t matter to him because
it was
Ellie
. 
His fingers slowly reached up and ran through
Ellie
’s
soft locks
. 
The world had been so completely quiet since
Ellie
had risen from her own bed, without talking or any other disturbing noise but the clock, but now
Ellie
wanted to break that tranquility
. 
Just for a moment
. 

Her lips opened and she was about to speak when Jamie stopped her as if he’d known her intentions before her mouth had
even
moved
in the slightest
. 
His finger gingerly touched the center of her lips and
Ellie
knew that all he wanted was to bask in this wonderful early-morning tranquility, not to talk of it
, and no words to disturb its calm
. 
She obeyed his silent expression and uttered not a sound
. 
Jamie’s hand, the one around her waist, reached down and picked up the emerald Peter
Pan
hat.

“Sweet dreams, love,” he whispered
. 
After he’d given her a simple kiss on the cheek, he placed the hat on top of both their faces so as to guard them from the light
. 

If she’d been in love with him
,
she’d have swooned at the thought of him cal
li
n
g her love and kissing her all in one moment, but it wasn’t really meant to be a romantic moment
, a
nd it wasn’t one
after all
. 

They slept there together till mid
-
morning with no thoughts, no words, and no apprehensions
. 
It was as innocent as it comes, and luckily no one saw
. 
For if anyone but the two involved looked in on the present situation, they may have gotten a false impression
,
though
Ellie
and Jamie were as guiltless as they come
. 

When
Ellie
finally awoke
,
she was alone on the couch, but the Peter Pan hat was still on her head.

“Jamie?” she asked sleepily in a confused voice, “Jamie?”

From inside the tent out popped Gracie’s little blond curly head, “She’s awake!”

Another head, this one dark and curly, followed
. 
“Come on,
Ellie
,” Wesley urged.

She slowly stood up, yawned, and let Wesley run over, grab her hand, and lead her to the tent
. 
Inside, the children munched on lemon poppy-seed muffins and sipped orange juice while Jamie, wearing his glasses again, read the rest of the story from the night before since they’d fallen asleep during the ending the previous time it was read
. 
His dark locks fell into his eyes as he read and he had to continually push them
out
of his view.

He smiled upon seeing
Ellie
, “Good-morning,
Miss
Henderson
.”

“Good morning,
Ellie
,” the children repeated.

“Would you like a muffin?” asked Demi.

“Yes please,”
Ellie
answered as she sat down.

Wesley immediately sat down upon her lap and Leah held out a glass, “Orange juice?”

“Thanks.”

“Sleep well?” Jamie asked.

“Wonderfully
. 
Thank you.”

“It’s still pouring outside and the thunder ‘n light
n
ing haven’t stopped at
‘
t’all since they began,” Gracie informed.

“Is that so?”

Jamie nodded, “It
‘tis
. 
I just wonder when my parents will be able to get home.”

Demi smiled, “Well if they can’t come home
,
then
Ellie
won’t be able to leave either
. 
You could stay with us a whole ‘nother night,
Ellie
!”

“You could stay with us for the rest of time if it rained that long,” Gracie agreed.

Ellie
smiled, but she was too tired to really appreciate the statement, “Thank you,
girls
. 
I’m honored.” 

“
Ellie
could stay with us forever, right Jamie?” asked Demi.

Jamie smiled, “If she wanted to.”

Just as Jamie had predicted, it continued raining for three days straight
. 
After the first night full of thunderstorms, Jamie took
Ellie
home in the carriage
. 
Robert
and
Louise
returned home that afternoon, and they sent Matthew over to tell her she might as well not come to work the next few days or at least until the rain stopped
. 
It would be useless, they said, since they wouldn’t be going to work either
. 
Ellie
first thought she’d just have to sit at home all day by her lonesome self, but
Jon
braved his way through the pouring rain every morning and stayed at
Ellie
’s until late into the evening
. 

Finally, the weather returned to normal and it began to rain every other day, like it always had before
. 
It had been a few weeks since
Ellie
had seen
Sarah
Walsh, and she’d forgotten all about Miss Walsh’s fixation with Jamie
, but
then one day she was reminded
...
 

After a few hours of schoo
li
n
g with the children one afternoon,
Ellie
left Gracie in charge of her sib
ling
s while she went down to grab a drink and a little snack
. 
She’d just sat down at the kitchen
table when she heard the maid, Juliet, open the front door and give a small sigh.

“Another,” she said as she picked up whatever it was she spoke of, “Why this must be the third letter this week.”

Juliet walked into the kitchen not realizing
Ellie
was present
. 
She held a letter and she said, “Poor Master Jamie
. 
I feel sorry for the man.”

“Why do you feel sorry for him?”
Ellie
asked, surprising the unaware Juliet.

Juliet’s eyes widened, “Oh, I’m sorry
;
I didn’t mean to disturb you
,
Miss
Henderson
. 
I should probably get going and
...
”

“Nonsense
,
w
hat were you talking about
? 
Who’s that letter from?”

“Well, I shouldn’t be tel
li
n
g you this, since
it
’
s
Master Jamie’s private information, but you seem like you’re wil
li
n
g to keep a secret.”

Ellie
nodded, “I am.”

Juliet leaned in a
nd
whispered, “The letter’s from Miss
Sarah
Walsh
. 
She sends at least one or two each week, but this is the third in six days
. 
She has them dropped on the front porch only on sunny days, so that the rain won’t ruin them
. 
I feel sorry for poor Master Jamie
. 
He obviously has no
feelings
for the lady, but she just doesn’t understand.”

“And what does he do with the letters?”

“I believe he tries to reply to at least one a week, and
al
though he rejects her invitations and sentiments
,
he’s always very kind about it, being the gentleman he was raised as
. 
He doesn’t want to hurt the girl, but I suppose if he ever wants her to stop
,
he’ll
have to do something to change her
feelings
. 
If he doesn’t, I bet she’ll
love him till the day she dies.

That afternoon, after
Ellie
’s teaching hours were through, the children pleaded for her to read them a story.

“Snow White,” said Leah.

“The Three Little Bears,” argued Demi.

“No,” Gracie added, “Cinderella.”

Wesley
quickly
ended all conflict when he suggested the children’s favorite, “Peter Pan.”

All the children happily agreed and they all began searching for the book
. 
It was nowhere to be found
. 
Before
Ellie
could stop him, Wesley ran out the door shouting, “Let’s go f
in
d Jamie
! 
Jamie will know where it
’
tis
!”

Ellie
ran after him and soon entered
Robert
Rhodes
’
office directly after little Wesley
. 
It was fairly large for an office, and eerily dim
. 
High, fully
-
filled bookshelves covered almost all of the round room’s walls
,
and the only lighting was a gaslight sitting on some books atop the desk
. 
Behind the large oak desk sat Jamie in a high-backed black chair
. 
He wore a white collared shirt, suit vest, pants, and a tie, but his jacket was hanging on one of the coat hangers
’
pegs
.

When Wesley and
Ellie
had entered, he had been leaning over a mess of papers spread upon the desk with his thick black glasses on and a distressed look upon his face
. 
His hair, looking black in such little light, fell carelessly into his eyes, but he didn’t bother to brush it out
. 
A long stream of smoke occasionally flowed out of his mouth as he smoked a brown cigar
. 
The hazy, dark room began to make
Ellie
feel dizzy
. 

“Jamie!” Wesley exclaimed, “Jamie
! 
Do you know where Peter is?”