He nodded and smiled at her. "Áa.Go to them. Here..." Eagle Heart drew off his silver earrings and handed them to Auk-a'pii. "These are a gift to you and to your family. If your family likes them, perhaps I might make more of them for you in the future."
"Iniiyi'taki, Ohkó."
"We will be leaving here today. Please extend my love to the rest of your family. I will return here as soon as I can."
Auk-a'pii nodded, and, turning, she was gone, disappearing as though she had vanished into the air. But, because her coming and going was not unusual to him, he barely noticed.
Instead, he turned his attention to his wife.
Gazing toward the lake, Eagle Heart realized his wife had emerged from the water and was sitting alone on the lake's tiny shoreline; her robe was wrapped tightly around her. Even from where he sat, he could see she was shivering, and, now and again, he watched her shoulders shake from what must be grief, not cold.
Because he knew he needed to try to alleviate her concerns, he was anxious to talk to her; there had been many ideas he could have said to her earlier and hadn't done so. At the time, he had been distracted.
But, because he rarely acted on impulse, he sat for a moment so that he might recite simple words he could say to give her comfort. It shouldn't be difficult to relieve her fears. After all, he loved her more than life, itself. And, he knew she loved him. Therefore, it shouldn't be too difficult a task to bring happiness back into her eyes.
****
SOMETHING TOUCHED HERleft shoulder, and, looking up, Laylah saw thathestood beside her. He came down onto one knee and reached around her robes to pull her into his embrace.
She sighed. Whether for good or for bad, it felt good to be back in his arms. Pulling her in toward his chest, he placed his chin on top of her head.
Several moments passed while they sat thusly, until, at last, he murmured in English, "I love you more...than...ever loved another. Cry, do not. Heart...mine...is...yours. You part of me now, part...of my spirit and...body. Tell me, would you...talk...to me what...happened?"
She sniffled and nodded. But, what could she say?You are a bigamist?No, those words sounded so bare and accusative. She couldn't say them to him.
Perhaps she might simply ask him about the Blackfoot custom of marriage. Yes, this was a good place to start.
Taking a deep breath for courage, she asked, "Please tell me, is it your intention to marry more women?"
"Áa,I understand...your concern, for there...much work...in my...camp. Know...I will do this so I...not...burden you. As medicine man...I not rich in horses, but am...good hunter. So you no cry. Will take...other wives as...can afford...so you not...work too hard."
In response, she sat up out of his arms and, backing away, looked him directly in the eye. What she was hoping to find there within his glance, she didn't know. But, suddenly, his words created a fury of shock waves shooting through her mind, and she began to shake. Taking a moment, she looked inwardly to find solace so she might remain calm. But, it was not to be. The deed was done: she had married a man who believed polygamy was good and a common way of life.
It would seem she had made a big mistake. But, now what?
She couldn't blame him for his beliefs. This was the way he had been raised. Yet, she did not share this custom—could never share it. After all, she was Christian, and her God forbid polygamy.
What was she to do?
She tried to contain herself, but in the end she couldn't help it: she cried again, and her tears caused her to hiccup uncontrollably. Quickly, she jumped up out of his arms and ran toward the wiki-up with all the speed she could muster.
Once inside, she dressed quickly, as though her life depended on it. And, maybe it did, because sitting naked with this man on the beach while he calmly discussed his other—and future—wives, was a little like dying.
With no thought to the beauty of her attire, she threw a dress over no more than a simple chemise, pressing the wrinkles out of her skirt as it fell to the ground. She did even less grooming with her hair, merely running her hands through her long locks. Carefully, she stepped into her boots, then took a deep breath for courage, for she must confront this man, and she didn't know really what to do.
She couldn't remain married to him under these circumstances— indeed, not. Not only was polygamynother custom, her Faithforbidit. Yet, she loved this man with all her heart. His kindness, his care of her during her convalescence, his quiet humor and his spiritual insights caused her to yearn to be as close to him as possible.
But, contrarily, this—his desire to take more than one wife—spurred her on to take some sort of action: she would have to leave him...and quickly. But, first, shouldn't she ensure they were speaking about the same thing? After all, there were language barriers between them.
What if she had been so upset, she’d misunderstood him? Or what if he had misunderstood her?
Perhaps if she talked to him as calmly as possible, she might discover his true intentions. Or perhaps he might decide he didn't really wish to marry another woman. Maybe, just maybe, she might be able to change his mind if he insisted polygamy was in their future.
But, if this were so much a custom with his people, and, if he had his heart set on marrying other wives, maybe she should ask him to take her back to her own people, even though going back to Fort Union was unthinkable.
Might she be able to convince him to escort her to the nearest trading post in this part of the country? Although another fort might not be as comfortable as Fort Union, she could still spend the winter months there. And, in the spring, when the steamboats operated again, she would return to St. Louis.
Yes. She really had no option but to speak to him and determine if her fears were real. She would be as calm as possible when she approached him and she would ask for his help. She was, after all, alone with him and in a location where she could not easily find her way back to Fort Union, nor did she know how to get to the nearest trading post, if this were what she decided was her best course of action.
