Silken Savage (27 page)

Tanya had missed Julie, and she had thought Julie would have missed her. Jeffrey had led her to believe she had, but now that Tanya was back, Julie surely wasn’t acting as if that were the case. Though they’d fought, Tanya had always loved her younger sister, and she’d felt sure Julie returned the sentiment.

Now her sister was becoming as hateful as Suellen. She went out of her way to avoid contact with Tanya and the children. Julie looked down her upturned nose at Tanya, and when they were thrown together, she constantly sniped at Tanya about her Indian attire. She made nasty comments and asked outrageously personal questions about Tanya’s life with the Indians. Sarah was constantly having to chastise her about her outspoken curiosity and her offensive attitude.

All this Tanya could abide, if not understand, but Julie’s actions around the children were another matter altogether. Julie was always ready to comment on their dark complexions and straight black hair. Though Hunter had Tanya’s golden eyes, Julie was quick to point out that Mark, with his dark eyes, had evidently inherited none of his mother’s features. She made it clear that she was repelled by them. She cringed if Hunter came anywhere near her, as if he would contaminate her if he touched her lily-white skin. Always, Julie was most spiteful when Edward was present, as if to deliberately fuel his resentment toward Tanya’s sons.

Tanya fumed silently, and her own resentment grew as the days went by. Julie’s reasons remained a mystery, but Tanya was getting fed up. A major conflict was in the offing if things went on as they were. For herself, Tanya did not care, but her maternal instincts were being aroused to the point of doing battle for her young.

It seemed she had Aunt Liz, Melissa, and Jeremy in her corner. Uncle George and her mother were trying to sit both sides of the fence at the same time. With Julie, her father, and Jeffrey, Tanya was constantly having to shield her sons from their resentment, animosity, and outright disgust. It was trying, to say the least, especially on top of her constant longing for Panther.

At least Melissa was benefiting from life in the Martin household. She was such a dear, sweet little thing that everyone seemed to want to protect her, even Julie. Her very shyness drew people to her, as well as her natural willingness to help out in any way she could. Even Edward, despite the words they had exchanged, liked the petite blond. He admired her loyalty and her honesty.

As for Aunt Elizabeth, she now had the daughter she had always longed for. For years, she and George had regretted the fact that they could not have children. Their home had seemed so empty until recently. Now they had Jeremy, who had lost his parents in an accident the year before, but much as Elizabeth loved her sister’s boy, she had always yearned for a daughter. Melissa filled the vacancy perfectly.

Of all the people in the Martin home, Elizabeth was the stablizing factor. She had the unique talent of being able to see things and people as they were, without all the frills and wrappings. Rarely did she mince words or dither about in confusion. She always seemed to be able to cut through directly to the heart of the matter. Not that she saw everything as either black or white, right or wrong, but she usually saw all the intermediate shades of grey more clearly than others did. As a rule, her instincts were unfailing, and she followed through with the appropriate course of action.

She did this with Tanya. Almost at once, she sized up the situation and came to terms with it. She alone of Tanya’s relatives sensed Tanya’s real love for her Cheyenne husband. Instinctively, she knew it ran strong and deep, not relying solely on the bond of their children.

Elizabeth wondered about this man who had captured her niece’s heart. Without prejudice, she thought he must be a remarkable person, with strength and character, a man to admire. In her mind, she pictured him as handsome and proud, for she could not imagine Tanya loving a weak-willed man.

As much as Elizabeth liked Jeffrey, she’d had some reservations about Tanya’s marriage to him. Realizing his flaws, she’d wondered if Tanya would be truly happy married to Jeffrey. Though he appeared to be a nice young man, intelligent, good-looking, ambitious, Elizabeth also sensed he could be domineering, egotistical and narrow-minded. She worried that he might even be cruel when crossed. As long as things went his way, he would be easy to live with, but Elizabeth wondered what he would be like if Tanya dared to defy him.

As things stood now, Tanya had Jeffrey over a barrel. He had no recourse, under the circumstances, but to wait for Tanya to recover from her traumatic experiences. Elizabeth wondered how long Jeffrey’s patience would hold, and what would happen when it finally snapped, as she felt sure it would. She was thankful Tanya was not already wed to him, and hoped Tanya would not knuckle under the pressures of her parents to marry him. It was Tanya’s life and her decision, but somehow Elizabeth felt Tanya would resist all attempts to push her into a relationship with Jeffrey again. Tanya had been through too many trials, and she’s evidently grown stronger through them. Her love for Panther and her sons would hold her true, both to them and to herself.

Elizabeth did not press Tanya into reforming. She did not harp at her about her dress, or try to get her to speak English, or demand that she sleep in her bed instead of the floor. Calmly, she took it all in stride, as if it were commonplace to sit across the table from a girl in buckskin and headband. Readily accepting Tanya’s children into her home, she showed none of the prejudices the others did. She helped Tanya and Melissa look after the babies, feeding and dressing and often playing with them.

Kit she had a harder time accepting, but even they had come to an understanding. The cougar stayed out of Elizabeth’s kitchen unless the big cat wanted a wooden spoon bounced off her head. She ate on the back porch, and slept on the floor in Tanya’s room, and in order to avoid having her hide nailed to the stable door, she stayed off of Elizabeth’s prized furniture. The stable was strictly off limits, as it upset George’s horses and milk cows. In return for her good behavior, she was allowed to roam the house and was given choice leftovers, since she rarely left Tanya’s side to hunt for herself.

Elizabeth was very patient with Tanya. Her pity was not so strong that it smothered Tanya, as Sarah’s did. Her quiet acceptance was a balm to Tanya’s tormented spirit, and Tanya found herself seeking out her aunt’s company more and more. Tanya would sit for hours listening to Elizabeth speak of commonplace happenings. She and Melissa helped out in the kitchen, aiding Elizabeth in preparing meals, and while Tanya did not contribute to the conversation herself, she would listen to the other two. Their undemanding companionship eased her discontent, and it pleased her to see the fondness developing between her aunt and Melissa.

Tanya had hoped Melissa would be accepted here, but she’d never dreamed Aunt Liz and Uncle George would be so taken with the girl. Aunt Liz was obviously thrilled with her, and kindly Uncle George was developing a distinctly fatherly attitude toward her. He adored his wife, and anyone who could make her so happy immediately earned his gratitude.

Melissa did more than this. In her shy way, she had endeared herself to both of them. Her big blue eyes melted their hearts like warm butter, and before long she had wormed her way into their lives so securely that they could not imagine their home without Melissa in it. Since Jeremy felt the same way, no one was surprised when they asked Melissa to stay permanently.

Melissa reacted with such ecstatic joy that it brought tears to Tanya’s eyes. Would she herself ever be as happy again?

Day after lonely day, she waited for Panther. On her treks with Kit, she would walk to the edge of town and gaze longingly into the distance, as if sending her thoughts in his direction would bring him back to her.

As the days turned into weeks and he still did not come, Tanya’s worry increased. She did not doubt his love for her and their sons, and she was sure he would come for her if he could. Couldn’t he find her? Was he having problems reorganizing the tribe after the massacre? She knew that as chief he had responsibilities to the tribe that outweighed his personal problems. How long would it take before he could leave and come for her? Was the snow and winter weather holding him back?

In mid January she heard through Jeffrey that the Indian captives had been released to make their way back to their people. George Bent was among them. How Tanya longed to go with them! She consoled herself with the pact she and George Bent had made. He would tell Panther where to find her.

With aching heart, Tanya told herself to be patient a little while longer. Panther would come. Panther would come. Panther
would
come! In the long, dark, loneliness of the night, Tanya repeated this to herself in a litany of hope.

TANYA HAD been separated from Panther for nearly two months. She ate because she had to, to keep her milk flowing for Mark, but she was getting thinner. The bones of her face were more prominent now, and her clothing hung on her. Her golden eyes seemed too large for her face, with violet shadows beneath them, and her expression was continuously solemn. Her shorn hair was longer now, falling halfway to her shoulders in soft curls. It dismayed Tanya that she could not yet make decent braids out of it.

Of all the strange things to happen to her, Tanya developed a craving for oranges. It had been years since she’d eaten one and now she could not get enough of them. Aunt Elizabeth had bought a crate for the holidays, and had since ordered more, seeing how much Tanya desired them. Pears, apples, and plums would serve in a pinch, but oranges were what she wanted. It was as if her body had done without them for too long, and now was making up for lost time.

What her system could
not
abide was Jeffrey’s constant attendance. Tanya avoided him as much as she could, even fleeing to her room to hide if she had advance warning. When he stayed for supper, she requested a tray in her room, or skipped the meal al- together. After this had occurred several times, however, even Aunt Liz put her foot down.

“Tanya, dear, you are much too thin as it is,” she told her. “I have to agree with your parents on this. Either you come to the table to eat, Jeffrey or no Jeffrey, or you don’t eat. Keep it up long enough, and soon your milk will dry up, or you’ll become ill and won’t be able to tend to your sons. You have your choice, but you’ll get no more trays in your room. You can’t hide away up there forever.”

From then on, Tanya ate with the family, but she continued to ignore Jeffrey’s presence.

This did not stop his attentions toward her, however. At every opportunity he turned up on the Martin doorstep. He’d corner her in the parlor and bombard her with questions, trying to win her confidence and get her to talk to him. He’d join her on her walks, pelting her with declarations of undying love. At times like this, Tanya felt like screaming. Beneath his facade of gentle persuasion and patient understanding, she sensed a falseness. He certainly was putting on a good performance, but her intuition told her not to trust him. Compared to Panther, Jeffrey was shallow and petty. He exuded none of Panther’s strength, dignity, or loving gentleness. Jeffrey was petulant, bossy, insanely jealous at times, trigger-tempered, and full of himself: but above all, he was persistent. He followed Tanya like a second shadow, ignoring her silence and the cold shoulder she turned to him.

She endured him with ill-humor. More and more, his attitude sickened her, especially those toward Hunter and Mark. Even while he professed adoration for her, his disgust for her children was plain to see. At first he tried to cover his feelings, but when confronted with the two dark-haired boys so continually, he was unable to mask his contempt.

Finally he stopped trying, telling Tanya, “Surely you understand, darling. If we’d married as we had planned, we’d have boys of our own this age; fair, blond boys that would have been mine to claim proudly.”

Tanya gave him a dark look that should have fried him as crisp as morning bacon.

Disregarding her look, he said, “One day we’ll have those children, Tanya; you and I. Once we’re married, I’ll give you a dozen babies of our own and you’ll forget the last few terrible years. You’ll see the difference then. You’ll love our children more, I know, and they’ll be
legitimate.
You won’t have to be ashamed or embarrassed for them, or feel bound to them merely out of a sense of duty.”

He reached out to take her hand, and Tanya drew back as if he had offered her a rattlesnake.

His face darkened in suppressed anger. “Tanya, be reasonable,” he remarked stiffly. “We’ll be doing things much more intimate than touching hands once we’re married.”

Tanya’s breath released itself in a wordless hiss of anger and disgust. Just the thought of lovemaking with Jeffrey was nauseating. She rose to her feet and started from the parlor.

Angry, and confident that Kit was nowhere around, Jeffrey followed, catching Tanya about the wrist and jerking her back toward him. His face twisted in anger and determination, he said, “I’ve tried to be patient with you, Tanya, but perhaps that is the wrong way to deal with you. Maybe it’s time I showed you who is in charge here and just what you can expect when we get married. That damned cat of yours isn’t here to protect you from me this time.”

Tanya was incensed. She glared at the hand about her wristband, the band Panther had placed there at their wedding. It was as if Jeffrey’s touch was contaminating her marriage to Panther, and her own anger grew. As Jeffrey drew her toward him, intent on pulling her into his embrace, her composure snapped. Her hands flew to his forearm and with a quick twist and accurate leverage, she flipped Jeffrey over her head and onto his back on the floor.

Stunned, he lay blinking in disbelief as she placed one small moccasined foot on his chest. Tanya glared down at him with such an intense look of hatred and superiority that she might as well have spit on him. As she removed her foot and walked sedately from the room, she started to laugh, an evil chuckle that sent chills racing down his spine.