Page 8 of The Last Warrior

But this was not then, and he was not a young boy to take offense so easily. What was wrong with her? Couldn’t she grant him quarter? After all, he was new to this land. He didn’t know this town, he hadn’t yet learned their rules…

“Oh, my hat,” she complained. “Where’s my hat?”

Looking around, Black Lion noticed an object of similar coloring to the woman’s dress. It was probably the object in question.

Letting go of Ranckles’s reins, he recovered the article, though the action little aided his cause. Mud had worked its damage on the hat. A long blue feather, instead of standing straight up, limped to the side. Carefully, he tried to make it stand upright. The action was useless.

Shrugging, he offered the item to her. He said, “Back in my country, men and women who are not married, or planning to be married, do not speak, let alone touch one another. I have done both with you this day, and I fear that either I must bring our conversation to an end, or I will be forced to marry you.”

Though he smiled a little, she gasped. “Are you trying to insult me?”

“I flatter you. Or I try to. There are many women who would be honored by such a declaration from me.”

“Well, I am not one of them.”

His smile broadened. “Do not worry. If I am forced to add you to my family, my first wife will tame you.”

Her second gasp was even louder than the first. He had known, of course, how his taunt would hit a chord with her, since he had come to understand about how white people married only once. But, the Great Spirit be praised, he couldn’t seem to help but tease her.

As though to add further insult, in the process of handing the hat to her, their fingers accidentally touched. At once, excitement burst through him. He even swayed toward her.

He said, “I will pay for the damage to your dress, or I will buy you a new one. People here call me Two Bears. You have only to ask for me, and others will bring you to me.”

“I do not want your money. I want you to—” She stopped suddenly.

Waiting, Black Lion raised an eyebrow at her.

“I want you to go away and leave me alone,” she finished, although as she spoke, her hat fell from her fingers, the cap landing in the mud. The feather fell over as if it might drink in the substance. Her possession was now beyond repair.

Still, he couldn’t help but grin at her. “If all you require of me is my absence, it will be my pleasure to obey.” His smile widened, and without another word, he turned his back on her.

“Wait. It is not my duty to seek you out. A gentleman should always solicit the lady.”

He sighed. “Please, I do not have time for more talk about manners. I am late.”

“And you expect me to be sympathetic? Perhaps you should arise earlier if you have trouble arriving in a timely manner. Or better yet, maybe you should watch where you are going.”

“I think you are right. I should, and I will,” he said, just as if he might be agreeing with her. “But at least I have only a change in my schedule to consider.”

“A change in…?” She frowned, grasping that she was being insulted. But how? “What’s this supposed to mean?”

“Only this. Where I was raised, young women do not venture out into the day alone, and if they did so…” he let the insinuation dangle between them for a moment before finishing, “…they are what the white man calls fair game.”

“What? Why, this is as barbaric to a modern woman as⁠—”

“And when they speak,” he continued, cutting her off, “only soft words of comfort and pleasure come forth from their lips.”

“Meaning I…? How dare you,” she sputtered. “This is the second time you have spoken offensively to me.”

“I mean it not as ridicule, but as instruction because you…” He shook his head. There seemed little point in explaining it was his duty to protect a young lady’s reputation. Besides, such a declaration would hardly be true. He had meant to be as forward with her as she was being with him. “If you will stay until after the show, I will seek you out then, and I will make good on my obligation to you.”

“Pray, do not bother. I will see to the repair of the dress myself.”

“If you wish it to be so, then it will be so.” He turned to leave.

“Oh!” she exclaimed. “A real gentleman would press his cause.”

Once again, he turned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “Either I will pay you for the damage, or I will not pay. The choice is up to you. Now be clear on this matter. Do I look for you after the show? Or not?”