Under the Desert Sky (25 page)

“Well, right now I think we should all come into the dining room,” Katie Prinsen said. “Phoebe, would you mind stepping into the kitchen? I think Gwen wanted you to help her a minute.”

“Of course. Come, Will, let's go see what Miss Gwen needs.”

“I want to stay with Wet.” Will took Christian's hand in his.

“Don't be bothering him now: he has some catching up to do with his friends.”

“You go on. Will and I have manly things to talk about.” Christian winked at Phoebe.

•  •  •

“So what happened?” Gwen asked as soon as Phoebe entered the kitchen. “Was it the most relaxing night you've ever had?”

“
Relaxing
isn't exactly the word I would use.” Phoebe smiled conspiratorially.

“What do you mean, that isn't the word you would use? Phoebe, what happened?”

“Let's just say that the night was very . . . interesting . . . and let it go at that.”

“Phoebe, that isn't fair! You know I've been thinking about you ever since you left yesterday. At least tell me if you enjoyed it.”

“Yes, I enjoyed it. I more than enjoyed it. And I can't thank you enough for pushing me into going.”

“I can't think of anyone who needed that vacation—short as it was—more than you. I'm so glad you decided to do it.”

“Ha! It didn't seem to me like it was my decision to make. If it had been, I wouldn't have gone. I'm glad I did, though.” Phoebe was quiet for a moment, then nodded toward the dining room, a questioning expression on her face.

“Ina Claire?” Gwen asked.

“Yes.”

“She is a delightful person, I'm sure you are going to like her. Even under the circumstances.”

“That's what I want to know. What are the circumstances?”

“Apparently Ina Claire, as well as her mother and father, were trapped in Kimberley for several weeks—months, even—while the city was under siege. I'm sure she and Christian became very good friends during that time. Who wouldn't under such circumstances? But I'm equally sure that friendship is all it was. Come, we'd better get dinner on the table.”

E
veryone else had already found seats when Phoebe and Gwen came in with the food. Will was sitting next to Christian, and Ina Claire had taken the seat on the other side of Christian.

“If you will, put the food on the table,” Katie said. “I want our guests to partake in our bounty as a part of our family. Gwen, you can't believe what these people have had to endure. I had no idea it was that bad.”

“It wasn't all bad,” Ina Claire said, her expression filled with adoration as she looked toward Christian.

Seeing her gaze, Phoebe had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Who was Ina Claire Woodson to Christian?

When the food was on the table, she took one of the two remaining seats, choosing the one closest to Will.

Yhomas Prinsen asked that everyone hold hands, and then he said grace, thanking God for bringing the Woodsons and Christian through their recent ordeal.

After what seemed to Phoebe a meal that went on forever, Yhomas invited Clarence and Christian into his library.

“Shall we let this man know what you've gotten him into?” Yhomas asked as he put his hand on Christian's back. “Are you ready to go out on a bivouac?”

Phoebe heard Yhomas's comment just before he closed the door. Did he mean Christian would be gone for a while? And if so, would the whole Woodson family go, too?

“Come, ladies, shall we retire to the parlor?” Katie Prinsen asked.

“I'd love to, but I must be going,” Phoebe said.

“Nonsense,” Katie said. “Will is with Gwen's girls, so he'll be fine. And besides, you should take advantage of this little tête-à-tête among us women.”

“Maybe Miss . . . I'm sorry, dear, I don't remember your name,” Mrs. Woodson said.

“I'm Phoebe Sloan. Mrs. Phoebe Sloan.” She didn't know why it was important to add the
Mrs
., but she did.

“I didn't know you were married,” Ina Claire said.

“She's a widow,” Gwen said.

“I'm so sorry,” Mrs. Woodson said. “My daughter was acting quite the quidnunc when she made her comment, and I apologize for her.”

“Mama! I didn't mean anything by my question. I hardly think I was gossiping.”

“Of course you weren't, my dear,” Katie said. “It was an honest inquiry, and I'm sure Phoebe wasn't offended.”

“I was not,” Phoebe said. “After all, I have a son.”

“A son who idolizes Christian,” Gwen said. “Tell me, ladies, how did you find South Africa?”

“It was easy to find: we just got into a ship and sailed southeast for a long time,” Ina Claire quipped.

Phoebe laughed. While she and Ina Claire were possibly going to be rivals for Christian's attention, Ina Claire obviously had a sense of humor.

“Ina Claire, there's no need for you to be so flippant,” Mrs. Woodson said.

“I'm sorry, Mrs. Bucknell. Please forgive me for being”—Ina Claire paused and looked at her mother—“flippant.”

“Nonsense, there's nothing to forgive. And I'm not ‘Mrs. Bucknell,' please. I'm ‘Gwen.' ”

“And I'm ‘Phoebe.' But I am interested in Katie's question. What did you think of South Africa?” Phoebe wasn't just being nice. She really did want to hear Ina Claire's opinion of Christian's homeland.

“Cape Town is an absolutely beautiful city,” Ina Claire said. “Most of the people we met were quite wonderful, both the Brits and the Afrikaners. And the indigenous people were friendly and hardworking—at least, those we knew at Kimberley.”

“What took you to Kimberley if Cape Town was so beautiful?” Gwen asked.

“Diamonds,” Mrs. Woodson said. “My husband is an engineer and he worked with George Labram at the De Beers mine. George was a brilliant man. He was killed one week before the siege was lifted.”

“He was an American, too, so we were very close to him,” Ina Claire said.

For nearly an hour, Ina Claire and her mother held the ladies spellbound with tales of the ordeal of living in South Africa in the middle of a war. They told of how everything was controlled by martial law, how they could not take a bath or water a garden, how the food was rationed from the beginning, and how the bombardment went on every day except Sundays.

“Oh, that sounds awful! How did you ever get through all that?” Phoebe asked.

“I'm not sure that I could have gotten through it if Christian hadn't been there.”

“Yes, from what I know of Christian, he'd be just the type of person you would want at a time like that,” Phoebe said.

“We had diversions. We read a lot and played cards when we could, and when the candles had to be put out at nine o'clock, we looked for balloons,” Ina Claire said.

“You looked for balloons at night?” Gwen asked.

“Yes,” Ina Claire laughed. “But they weren't real. Often in the afternoons there were observation balloons aloft, and when we saw them, we'd get our hopes up, thinking that the British column was coming—but it never did. Then at night some joker would come rushing out with his field glasses and yell ‘Balloon!' and like lemmings we would come out and stare at the sky.

“We'd all grab our blankets and go to our usual spots, searching the heavens, trying to find the star that most resembled a balloon. You had to choose a star and fix a steady gaze on it for ten minutes. If it moved, you knew you were looking at a planet. Venus made a nice balloon, but Jupiter and Mercury had a lot of people who thought they were the nicest. Christian liked Mars. He used to tell me he thought it was inhabited, and we decided it had to be the British who got there first. And then there was the Southern Cross, with its five unmistakable stars.

“Sometimes, while we were lying together on the debris heap, Christian would tell me about the places he'd been and the people he'd met and the things he'd done. And for that little piece of time, he made me forget that I was so hungry, I could quite literally eat a horse.” Ina Claire laughed again. “He used to say someday we would laugh about everything we were going through, and he was right.”

“He was wonderful,” Mrs. Woodson said. “We were so disappointed when he couldn't come see us when he was in New York, but now fate has brought us together again. We're so happy to be in Arizona.”

“And we're very happy that you're here,” Katie said.

Phoebe didn't comment. She couldn't. A lump had formed in her throat that was so large, she thought it'd take her breath. In one evening, any hope of a future with Christian had disappeared.

•  •  •

The library door opened and the three men emerged, the smell of cigar smoke emanating from the room.

“Yhomas, were you smoking a cigar?” Katie asked.

“Yes, that's what a library is for—a place for gentlemen to enjoy one another's company, imbibe a good glass of spirits, and smoke some aromatic tobacco. And what has been happening in the parlor? I daresay you ladies have been chatting a bit.”

Yhomas put his finger to his chin and cocked his head. “Do you think the Empire front and princess back looks better, or how about the princess front with the Watteau back? Which is best?”

“Yhomas! I can't believe you.” Katie's cheeks began to color.

Yhomas laughed. “Now, tell me, my dear wife, how many times have you asked me these very questions? Wouldn't you rather have these lovely ladies' opinions instead of from one who doesn't know the difference between a pleat and a tuck?”

Katie shook her head. “You have to get used to it—in fact, all of you do. You have to understand that women talk about weighty things just as much as men do. We just choose not to smoke cigars.”

“If you're going to talk like this now, what'll it be like when these suffragettes get women the right to vote? We will never have any peace,” Yhomas said. “But, speaking of peace, I think you'll get some tomorrow. Christian and I think Clarence should ride up to the Tonto Basin to get the ‘lay of the land,' so to speak, before he meets with the committee. Mrs. Woodson, I do hope you have no objections.”

“Of course not. That's why we came here.”

“Just so you know, we'll be gone at least a week,” Yhomas added.

“Oh, would it be all right if I come as well?” Ina Claire asked. “I'd love to camp out for a few days. Especially if we're not dodging cannon shells,” she added with a smile.

“I don't think it'd be very convenient, my dear,” Yhomas said. “We'll have only one tent, you see.”

“You stay here and help your mother get settled,” Clarence said. “Until I see how long I'll be needed, we need to find temporary lodging.”

“Yes, sir, I understand,” Ina Claire said.

“Nonsense,” Katie said. “There's no need for you to look anywhere else. We have plenty of room, and Gwen and I love to have other women around.”

“I appreciate that,” Clarence said, “but it has to be on a temporary basis.”

“You're free to stay as long as you like.”

“Speaking of which, I'd better get Will back home before he forgets where he lives,” Phoebe said.

“Mama, I won't forget. Come on, Wet, let's go home.”

Christian knelt down beside the boy. “Will, I can't go with you tonight. Mr. Prinsen told me we have to get up before the sun comes up in the morning. Now, would you want me to wake you up so early?”

Will's eyes grew large. “Who's going to put me in bed tonight?”

Christian pulled the boy to him. “You're a big boy and I need you to take care of your mother while I'm gone. You remember how sick she was? Well, she needs you to be strong. Can you do that?”

Will nodded, but he didn't say anything.

Christian hugged him. “Let's go find your things and then you can help me bring the buggy around.”

•  •  •

Phoebe watched Christian interact with Will. Was Christian slipping away from them? Was he just letting Will down easily, and by extension her? It was going to be a long week until he came back. The question was: Would he be coming back to her?

On the drive home, Will kept up a running commentary about everything that had happened during her absence. He recalled Hannah's taking his picture with her new Kodak folding camera, and how he and Adeline had written a story. Then they helped Miss Gwen pick up the pears that had fallen so she could make preserves.

“But, Mama, Hannah and Adeline couldn't play in the daytime. When do I get to go to school?”

“It will be a while,” Phoebe said, not being any more specific.

She was glad that Will had been so talkative because it helped keep her mind off the evening. But after she put Will to bed and crawled into her own, her mind began to wander.

How could one of the happiest days of her life have turned so miserable? When she and Christian had left Hot Springs, she was sure her relationship with him was on solid ground.