Rivers of Gold (30 page)

Peter and Grace lay entwined in each other’s arms that night. Sharing his bed with Grace for the first time in over a year, Peter marveled at how very right it felt. With her brown-black hair spread out upon the pillow, her chocolatecolored eyes wide, looking at him with evident adoration, Peter had never been happier.

“I thought I’d lost you forever,” he whispered.

“I felt the same when you didn’t come for me,” Grace murmured.

“I was such a fool.” He reached out and touched her cheek, then trailed his fingers down her neck. “I can’t believe I risked letting you get away.”

“We were both wrong—immature and inconsiderate.”

“No. You were perfect,” he said, shaking his head. “You only stood up for what you believed.”

“Yes, but I belittled you at the same time,” she admitted. “Not only that, I went behind your back to accomplish my will.”

“Well, it’s behind us now. We have each other and we have a son.” Peter smiled at Grace’s contented expression. “I can scarcely believe it.”

“I know. I felt the same way for so long. When I was carrying Andy, it was like something out of a fairy tale. I couldn’t believe I would really bear a child—hold him and see him as flesh and blood.”

“The doctor sounded very confident of his recovery,” Peter whispered, pressing his lips against the hollow of her neck.

“Yes,” she half whispered, half moaned.

Peter didn’t know if she was replying to his comment or his kiss. He decided not to question it and instead turned out the light.

—[CHAPTER TWENTY SIX]—

SEPTEMBER CAME UPON Dawson with a threat of colder days to come. Miranda knew that her brother and sister-in-law were securing passage to return to California before the rivers froze and made travel a much greater risk. With Andy to think about, she knew they would take no chances.

Her heart ached at the thought of their leaving. She so enjoyed their company. Andy had regained his health, and they had taken up rooms on the floor above hers and Teddy’s. It was wonderful having family so close after so many months of not knowing where they were or even if they were still alive.

Peter had seen to it that a letter was taken out in the first available mail packet. He’d included a note from Miranda to assure their parents that all was well. Miranda told her mother about Teddy and how very much in love she was with her Englishman. Still, she longed to see her mother and father—to know they were well and that her father had recovered from his heart attack.

Peter had told her about the recovery of the shipping firm. Miranda was certain that had to have been a boost to her father’s health. He loved his ships and the sea, but most of all, he needed to know that his family was cared for.

Miranda looked at her reflection in the mirror. Brushing through her long brown hair, she couldn’t help but think how the trip and all that had happened to her had changed her. She didn’t even look like the same youthful girl she had once been. A married woman stood in her place now.

Turning to examine her figure, Miranda studied the flow of her quilted skirt. She had lost some weight, there was no denying that, but it was a pleasant sort of thing. Her waist appeared quite small, and her hips were pleasingly curved beneath the muted green-and-black print skirt. The pintucked white shirtwaist with its voluminous sleeves was another recent gift from Teddy. He loved to see her dressed up in pretty things and often spoke of the day when they would go to Europe together and he would buy her a wardrobe in Paris.

As if thinking of him had brought him to her, Teddy opened the door to their suite, wrestling a box marked FRAGILE.

“What’s that?” Miranda questioned. She put down her brush, leaving her hair down, and turned to see what the contents might be.

“It’s the shipment of herbs I ordered from England. I hope they were able to send everything.” He acted giddy, like a child at Christmas.

Miranda crossed the room and pushed back the heavy green drapes in order to let in more light for better viewing. Teddy put the box on the table and pried off the top. He reached into the straw-packed box and began pulling jars and brown paper packages from within.

“Ah,” he said, holding up a jar. “
Malva moschata
—musk mallow. This is a wonderful herb. It is used to reduce inflammation.” He set the jar aside and unwrapped one of the packages. “This is
Pterocarpus santalinus
or red sandalwood—for treating fevers, inflammation, even scorpion stings. It comes to us all the way from India.”

“How fascinating,” Miranda said, catching Teddy’s excitement. “What else is in there?”

Teddy pulled out another bottle. Miranda could read the label for herself.
“Mandragora officinarum.”

Teddy nodded. “Mandrake. Very deadly if not used in the correct proportions. But very effective as an anesthetic for surgery if used properly. You can put a person to sleep quite effectively with this, but it must be handled correctly.”

“How wonderful that God gave us so many needful things in the form of wild flowers and other vegetation. These herbs will be so very beneficial to the doctors up here.”

“That is the idea. One doctor told me how hard it was to get shipments on a regular basis. I offered to see what I could do, and here we are. I say, not a bad catch.”

Miranda laughed. “I should say not.”

Teddy finished arranging the bottles and packages on the table, then set the crate aside. “I’ll package up some of these and have you take them over to the hospital.”

Miranda smiled. He was such a generous man. He had so much to offer and plenty of material wealth to share. Teddy Davenport was, in her estimation, a rare and wonderful find in a world of selfishness, greed, and ambition.

“What are you smiling at?” Teddy questioned as he looked up and caught her expression.

“I was just thinking nice thoughts about you, that’s all.”

He cocked his head to one side and raised a brow. “Oh, and what might those thoughts include?”

“I was thinking of how generous you are—what a wonderful giving man you are, and how so many people have benefited from your kindness.”

“I’m doing no less than most would if they had the means.”

“You and I both know that isn’t true,” Miranda replied. “This place is full of people who have gold dust a plenty, so much that it dusts their hair and sticks under their nails. They don’t care about anyone but themselves. They think only of the gold.”

Teddy pulled on his glasses and shrugged. “I suppose you are correct. There is a sickness among many of the souls here. Gambling and drinking thrive as the men seek to lose themselves and their past. Greed causes a man to do things he might never consider otherwise.”

“I know that well enough.” Miranda took a seat at the table and adjusted her quilted skirt. She was grateful for the warmth as September had turned cold and rainy. Today the sun had dawned bright and the skies were clear, but there was a taste of rain in the air, and Miranda knew that by evening they very well might be forced to endure yet another damp night.

“Oh, I nearly forgot. We’re having dinner with your brother and sister-in-law this evening. Karen has agreed to keep the baby, so it will be just the four of us.”

“I thought Adrik had said they had to return to the claim. He is upset they’ve already stayed so long in Dawson. If it weren’t for those two sick sled dogs, I know they would have headed back to the claim the moment Andy recovered.”

“Yes, Karen said he was quite upset at the delay of time. Apparently Mr. Lindquist desires to leave the Yukon and will need to pack out his things and reach Dawson in time to catch a steamer south.” He continued looking over his herbs as he spoke. “I believe they plan to leave in the morning. They hope to reach the claim in a couple of days.”

“Have they decided what they’re going to do? I mean, are they staying through the winter?” Miranda asked hopefully.

“I don’t believe so. When I spoke to Adrik he implied that they might be on the same steamer Mr. Lindquist would take south. Apparently there is some thought of their returning to Dyea. It seems Adrik has some distant relationship to the Tlingit Indians.”

“Well, I shall be sorry to see them go,” Miranda admitted. She tried to keep the worry from her voice, but in truth, she couldn’t help but wonder how life would be once her friends returned to their various homes.

She lifted her face and found Teddy studying her. “Do you regret marrying me?” he asked.

The question completely stunned her. “Not at all. Why would you ever ask such a thing?”

He put down the bottle he’d been toying with and came to where she was sitting. Kneeling beside her, Teddy took hold of her hand. “I’m quite capable of dealing with the truth. If you are having regrets, I believe we should discuss it.”

“My regrets have nothing to do with you,” Miranda said, reaching out with her free hand. She gently touched Teddy’s cheek. “I love you. I’m very happy to be your wife.”

His worried expression seemed to relax just a bit. “But I hear a kind of longing in your voice.”

Miranda smiled. “Oh, Teddy. You truly have learned to listen and to care. It blesses my heart in a way that I can never quite explain. No, the longing I have is simply one to see my mother and father. I know my brother will journey home and they will all be reunited. I suppose I miss them more than I realized. Seeing Peter and Grace, and knowing they will be a part of that life—well, I can’t help but be reminded of my past.”

“It’s probably good we’re having this discussion,” Teddy said. “I had wondered what you would like to do with our future.”

“Whatever you want is fine with me. My life is with you, and I’m not sorry for that. I want to help you with your book, if you desire to continue working with it. I want to see your homeland and to know the things that were precious to you as a child. As long as you are by my side, I don’t care where we go or what we do. I only desire that we serve God as we do it.”

“I am in complete agreement with that. The book, while important to me, is no longer my first priority. You are.”

Miranda shook her head. “No, don’t put me there. Put God there. If God is your priority, then I know I will be cared for.”

“Of course, He is above all,” Teddy agreed. “I just wanted you to know that I desire to make you happy.

“Oh, but you have, Teddy. You have.” Miranda slid from the chair and knelt beside her husband. Embracing him tenderly, she kissed him gently upon the lips. “Since we’re here,” she murmured, “perhaps it would be most fitting if we were to pray together for guidance.”

“I suppose,” Peter Colton began, “it shall be a long time before we see you again.” He had shared a luxurious dinner of baked chicken and wild rice with his wife and sister and brother-in-law. Although a cold rain pelted the glass of the hotel dining room in a steady pulsating beat, he felt warmer and more content than he had in months. Maybe even years.

Teddy spoke up before Miranda could answer. “It might well be sooner than you think. Miranda and I have agreed that a trip to spend time with your mother and father would be good for both of us. I have work to complete here, but it’s nothing that can’t wait.”

“Truly?” Grace questioned, leaning forward. “Will you travel with us?”

“No,” Miranda said, looking with an endearing expression toward her husband. “We need a bit more time. Most likely we’d go to California in the spring.”

“Oh, how exciting,” Grace said, reaching over to squeeze Peter’s hand. “Isn’t that wonderful!”

“It is good news,” Peter agreed. He watched his sister, seeing in her a confidence and strength that he had not recognized before.

“That’s not all,” Miranda said, her voice charged with energy. “After California, we’re going to travel across America and then on to England. Teddy wants to show me all the wonderful things about his homeland.”

“It’s amazing what God has done in just a short while,” Peter declared. “I look at the man I was just two short years ago—even a year ago—and I’m overwhelmed. God’s hand was on me even then, but I couldn’t see the need for His guidance. I was certain I knew where I was headed and how to get there. It took Grace to show me where I was in error.”