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She didn’t want to believe that she was on the verge of losing her mind!
She stepped closer to the window.
She grabbed hold of the sill, and her heart pounded as she looked almost desperately from tree to tree, to see if the panther had gone to rest elsewhere.
But no!
It wasn’t anywhere to be seen!
And then she gasped. Down on the Bone River she caught a glimpse of an Indian paddling away.
He turned his head as if he knew that she was there, watching him. As he looked up directly ather, Lavinia grabbed the sill even harder, for her knees had gone strangely rubbery, as though they might not hold her up any longer.
Oh, Lord, had she been wrong not to believe an Indian had killed her husband? Could this very Indian be the one responsible?
But no!
She had seen his face well enough today when he was resting in the tree earlier. This Indian she was now gazing upon at was one and the same.
So, no. He could not be responsible for her husband’s death. She had seen this same Indian only moments before Hiram had appeared, carrying Virgil in his arms.
This Indian could not have been in two places at once!
And he had not carried a quiver of arrows on his back, nor had he been clutching a bow in his hand earlier today as he rested in the tree.
But then again, there had been that white panther in the tree, and she had seen it at almost the same time she had seen this Indian!
Oh, she was so confused.
Or…she might truly be losing her mind.
The sound of Dorey speaking brought Lavinia out of her puzzled state. “Mama, you are behaving so peculiarly,” Dorey said. She stepped up to Lavinia and took one of her hands. “What are you looking for outside the window?”
Lavinia smiled weakly at Dorey.
“Mother, you look as though you have just seen a ghost,” Dorey said, her eyes wide as she saw how paleher mother’s face was. “What on earth is wrong? Please tell me.”
Lavinia saw that she was worrying her daughter. Not wanting to address her questions at this time, since she truly had no answers, she bent over and brushed a soft kiss across Dorey’s brow.
“It’s been a very tiring and troubling day, that’s all,” she murmured. She went to her chifforobe, took a robe from it and slipped into it, then pulled on some slippers.
She went to a soft, upholstered chair that stood beside the bedside table and sat down.
She picked up the bowl of soup and scooped a spoonful from it. She softly blew on it first, then sipped the rich tomato soup into her mouth.
The first taste warmed her stomach, yet she truly wanted nothing to eat. Her stomach was still unsettled by the day’s sadness, and from seeing the Indian again.
She set the bowl aside on the table and forced a smile as she looked at Dorey. “How is Twila doing?” she asked. She knew she must try to calm herself by talking about ordinary things. “Does Twila like her room?”
“She adores it,” Dorey said. She plopped down on the rocking chair that was positioned near the chair upon which her mother sat. She giggled. “But I must confess, she spends more time in my room than her own. I’ve been showing her all my things. She loves my doll collection and my storybooks. Mama, I’m going to teach her so much. And she is so eager to learn.”
“That’s wonderful, Dorey, wonderful,” Lavinia said, though she had not actually heard much of what Dorey had said.
Lavinia kept gazing over at the window, her eyes lingering there as she thought about what she had seen.
First the panther, and then the Indian!
It was all so mysterious; so unbelievable!
