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Earl turned slowly to face her, then ran a finger down the perfect outline of her face. “I’m sure you are,” he said, his voice shaking. “And I am sure many have asked you to give up that sort of life, to become their wife. Did you tell them that you already had a husband? Or did I not exist for you anymore?”
“I have never forgotten you,” Marilyn said, tears falling from her eyes. “It’s just that I wanted what you did not give me. But I have never considered marrying anyone else. In my heart, I had . . . I had hoped that somehow you and I could eventually work things out. It’s just that when I got involved in my business, making a success of it, the years seemed to slip by so quickly. And here we are now, much older, and hopefully wiser. I still love you, Earl. Truly I do.”
She turned her weeping eyes to Elizabeth. “And look at our daughter,” she said, a sob lodging in her throat. “She’s all grown up and so, so beautiful.” She turned to Earl again. “Thank you, darling, for taking such good care of her.”
Earl and Elizabeth exchanged quick glances, both recalling their conversations around the campfire. Then Earl turned his eyes back to Marilyn. “I did the best that I could under the circumstances,” he said, drawing Marilyn into his arms. “It’s so good to hold you again, Marilyn. There’s been no other woman for me since you left.”
Elizabeth could not hold back a sob of joy when her mother and father suddenly kissed. Her whole world had suddenly turned right side up again!
Yet she was afraid to hope, to truly hope that just one kiss and a few words of apology could truly right things all that quickly.
She looked over at Maysie, and took her hands in hers. “Tell me all about things,” she murmured. “Tell me how you met my mother, and then began working for her.”
Maysie explained about having contemplated suicide again, and how Marilyn had stopped her. She described Marilyn’s house to Elizabeth, and how she happened to become a prostitute again.
“But I’m trying to change,” Maysie quickly defended herself. “Honest, I am, Elizabeth. In fact, I’ve fallen in love. Like you, I love an Indian. His name is Four Winds. He came one night with some white men for our services. Four Winds chose me. There has been only one time since then that I’ve slept with another man, and that was the night the prison burned. There was this fellow that I had been with before, who was down on his luck. I felt sorry for him. I went with him only to cheer him up. Since then, there has only been Four Winds. He sneaks into town as often as he can to be with me.”
“Four Winds?” Elizabeth gasped. She doubted his worth, yet knowing how special the love of an Indian could be, did not share her doubts with Maysie. “How nice, Maysie. I hope you’ll be happy.”
“I hope to marry him one day,” Maysie said, her eyes shining. Marilyn suddenly came over to them.
“Maysie and I really must go,” Marilyn said softly. She bent over Elizabeth and placed a hand to her cheek. “I’ll be back, if you wish me to.”
Elizabeth nodded as she looked wistfully up at her mother. “Please do,” she murmured.
Maysie gave Elizabeth a hug. “I’ll come also,” she whispered. “That is, if you aren’t too upset with me now that you know that I . . . that I have returned to prostituting.”
Elizabeth returned the hug. “I’m just glad that you are all right,” she assured her, stroking Maysie’s long, black hair. She leaned back, her eyes stern on Maysie’s. “But be sure about Four Winds before marrying him. He seems to be a complicated man.”
“I think I know him better than anyone,” Maysie said, smiling sweetly as they rose from the sofa.
Earl walked Marilyn to the door and stepped out into the shadows on the porch. He drew Marilyn into his embrace again. “I should hate you for whoring around,” he said, gazing down at her with watery eyes. “But somehow that doesn’t seem to matter. Come back soon, do you hear? Let’s talk some more.”
“I’d love to,” Marilyn said, her green eyes flashing up at him.
Earl lowered his lips to her mouth. She circled her arms around his neck and returned the kiss. Then she broke quickly away from him and descended the steps as Elizabeth stepped outside on the porch.
Soon Marilyn and Maysie were in the carriage riding away, both waving out the windows.
Tears flooded Elizabeth’s eyes, happiness warming her heart. She had seen her parents kissing. She saw the possibility of her childhood dream coming true—that her parents could be together again. They did seem to still be in love, no matter that her mother had lived the life of a whore.
Elizabeth knew that she was going to have to accept that, the same as her father. Perhaps her mother might not need to have a business much longer, if her mother decided to return to her father.
Dusk had fallen and the moon replaced the sun in the sky, casting long shadows in the forest beyond. Just as Elizabeth started to tum, to go inside the house, she stopped in surprise.
“Strong Heart’s grandfather!” she said, in hardly more than a whisper. She had seen a fleeting movement within the forest. It was the old man with his staff. “My Lord, that has to be Strong Heart’s grandfather.”
Earl stepped to her side, following her gaze. “What is that you said about Strong Heart’s grandfather?” he asked, glancing at Elizabeth.
“I know that I saw him,” Elizabeth said, rushing down the steps toward the forest. “The old man with the staff? That’s Strong Heart’s grandfather.”
“Elizabeth’” Earl shouted, racing after her, stunned to hear that she thought some old man she had seen lurking in the forest was related to Strong Heart.
Then he was taken by a quick thought. If this elderly Indian was Strong Heart’s grandfather, and if he could help find him for Strong Heart, couldn’t that work to his advantage? He could return Strong Heart’s grandfather to the village and surely Chief Moon Elk would offer a reward.
The reward that Earl would ask for was what he had already asked for—cooperation with the salmon run, and his fishery!
“Stop, Elizabeth!” he shouted. “Wait up. . ..”
