He laughed at the same time she did.
"I now have nothing," he signed. "It is as though I have lost my life, for I must now start my life over if you will have no pity on me and return my possessions to me. I will have to go to all my relatives and beg them to clothe me and feed me."
"Oh, that is true. I forgot. I won all the food, too, did I not?"
"So, you have."
"Well, hand me all of your things."
"You have only to reach out and take it all from me."
"But, you know I will not," she signed, then said aloud in English, "I have come to love you, Mr. Eagle Heart. Gladly, I will give it all back to you."
"What did you say?"
She grinned at him and signed, "I give all this back to you, Mr. Eagle Heart. And now, I believe we are even, are we not? You saved my life and now I have saved yours."
"Áa,it is so. We are, as you say, even. Do you feel joyous in your win?"
"No," she signed. "I still think you should have given me your breechcloth."
"Then, marry me and it shall be yours."
Was he teasing her? She glanced up into his dark, dark eyes. No, he wasn't bantering with her. He looked to be completely serious.
At last she answered, signing, "You know I cannot marry you. I am still engaged to another and you..." She sighed before she continued and signed, "Why should you have to decide between me or your people? Or worse, losing your power because you married me? If this were to happen to you, I do not know if I could ever forgive myself."
"It is possible none of these things will happen. I know I have said this to you, but I have been thinking much about this, and it is now my belief that my people might come to love you, and, also, if we marry, I do not believe I will lose my power, for I will not have used you in a bad way."
"I..." She glanced away from him.
"Think of what you have to win." He paused, and, when she looked back at him, he signed, "My breechcloth would be the beginning of our life together." His eyes twinkled as he smiled yet again. But, she did not return the gesture.
"Mr. Eagle Heart, if I were Blackfeet or even a member of any other Indian tribe, it would be different. I would, indeed, marry you. But, I am not, and so I cannot. I have been raised differently than you. I could not easily leave my society, nor my family. Please try to understand."
He didn't answer, and his attention seemed to shift suddenly inward. At last, he signed, "I do understand. Now, I think the sun is rising in the east. I must investigate if the snowstorm blew itself out in the night and we, who have been playing this game all night, did not notice. You need to sleep. I must determine how many more days of the blizzard are left. There will be signs to tell this. Perhaps, if you wish it, we can talk more after we have both rested. For now, I must ensure all is well with our ponies and with this little shelter. You...sleep."
She nodded and watched him wistfully as he crawled toward the tiny entrance to their shelter. Quickly, he pulled on his leggings and shirt, donned his extra buffalo robe, grabbed hold of his buffalo hat, and, without even looking back at her, he left.
She sat still for several minutes. Was she doing right? It seemed she was. After all, she couldn't live in his world, and he couldn't betray his people by leaving them to live with her at the fort.
Yet, if this were really the way the future must unfold, why did the mere thought of it make her so sad? Shouldn't she be elated to be going home soon? Seeing her family again? Thomas?
Thomas... She had forgotten about Thomas. What was she going to do about him? Could she still marry him?
Perhaps. After all, she had once loved him. Couldn't she do so again?
Yes, she could. Indeed, if she were to fulfill her duty to her family and unite their family fortunes, she must. After all, it wasn't so bad. When looked upon in a logical manner, what had happened between her and Eagle Heart was little more than several days set outside the normal passage of time. They had been enchanting days, and, with the prejudice of the rest of the world at bay, she had fallen in love with him. But, would such a love last for a lifetime? Especially when they shared very little else in common?
No, it would not. She reminded herself that she'd had an astonishing and beautiful experience with Eagle Heart, and she'd been treated to a world she hadn't known existed.
But, it was notherworld. And her world was nothis.Indeed, there was no friendly place where Eagle Heart and she might live. At least there was not one she knew of.
Her people, who considered the Indian people only slightly better than wild animals, would never accept him. And, his people might not like, and might even despise, her.
But, these thoughts were not pleasant, and she did not wish to present a sad countenance to Eagle Heart. Forever, she would remember him and her love for him. And so, naturally, she wished he might have good memories of her, also.
She tried to make herself smile.
