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Anna nodded slowly and knew there was one more thing she had to do. “Wade, I want to go to the village.”
He frowned and she knew he didn’t like the idea, but nodded his head in what she was certain was an effort to understand. “I’ll go with you.”
She offered a small smile then turned back to the mountain. “I’d like that.”
“I’ll go and saddle two horses.”
“Wade.” She stopped him. “I want to take Lucy.”
He paused, and again she saw the look of disapproval cross his face, but once again nodded, then headed for the stables. He had been far too agreeable since the incident at the river over a week ago. She knew he was racked with his own tormented emotions, but wasn’t willing to share them with Anna. Admittedly, she was slightly glad. There was a small fear that he may harbor feelings of disappointment. After all, he had discovered the woman he married turned out to be a murderer. A child murderer.
When she saw him approach with Lucy and another horse from the stables, she felt a heavy sadness in her heart. “I’m sorry about Sty.”
He only gave her a grateful smile than mounted his horse. She followed suit on Lucy, and side by side they headed toward the river and the trail that led up the mountainside. When the path became too narrow for two horses, Wade took the lead until finally they reached the clearing that stood between the woods and the village. Anna drew Lucy to a halt.
Wade noticed and turned his horse around to look back at Anna. “You don’t have to do this.”
Her eyes remained in the area that marked the edge of the village, then swung her leg over Lucy and dismounted. Beneath their feet was a field of wildflowers. She bent down and gathered a handful, then stood back up and walked the remaining small distance.
Wade dismounted his horse and led him by the reins as he reached Anna’s side and walked next to her. On the outside, she looked calm and composed. However, inside Anna felt a wreck. Her nerves were unsteady and she wished that Wade would take her into his arms and protect her from what she was about to see.
They entered the forest’s edge where Anna had stood and watched the massacre of her village. She held her breath as she looked toward the small cluster of sod houses that made up most of the village. Fully expecting to see the scorched and ghostly remains of her former home, she instead looked upon a lush green forest taking over the abandoned little village. Two small squirrels chased each other through the grass and up through the tall trees. The sound of birds echoed down from the towering spruces which were now fully covered with new leaves. No traces of that awful day reflected in the deserted village. Nearly a year had gone by and with the arrival of spring, fresh growth had bloomed. The warm weather of early summer had nourished the dawn of new life.
She walked slowly through the village while Wade tied their horses securely to a tree. Her footsteps led her to a house that sat on the farthest end of the row of sod houses. Stopping outside the door, she swallowed a hard lump that suddenly formed in her throat. It had been a long time since she set foot in the house that had been home to her for twenty-four years. Hesitantly, she pulled the handle and opened the door.
It was dark inside and took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust. Other than new growth seeping in through the neglected walls, it looked remarkably the same. The main room had a fireplace at one side of the room and a small table in the center. It was where her family had shared all their meals. She laid the flowers she picked in the center of the table.
She heard Wade come into the house behind her and she turned to look at him. He looked concerned and she found herself smiling. “All eight of us sat at this table.”
Wade frowned. “Eight?”
Nodding, she walked around the table and allowed her hand to run across its surface. “Mother and Father, Edmund, my sisters and myself.”
“I didn’t realize you had sisters.”
She nodded. “There were five of us girls. I was the oldest. Edmund was the only boy. Until . . .”
He frowned harder and she knew he was watching her closely. “The baby.”
On the mantle was a small bowl which Anna retrieved and held in her hands. “His name was Nathan.”
She stroked the bowl and then put it back gently. Keeping her back to him she felt the onslaught of shame and guilt mixed into one. “He was not my father’s.”
There was only silence behind her.
“My mother shared her bed with another.” Anna frowned hard and tried not to allow her disgrace for her parent mar all her memories. “She never spoke of it, but we knew. Father knew.”
Wade moved and Anna heard him approach. Then she felt his hands tenderly rest on her shoulders. “Anna, your mother did nothing wrong other than not being aware of the criminal law.”
Confused, she turned to look up at him. “I don’t follow.”
He sighed heavily and she could tell he found it hard to tell her what he knew. “Did Edmund make a practice of stealing?”
She immediately became defensive. “He had to. We had no other choice.”
“I’m sure he did,” he told her. “I’m not criticizing your family’s method of survival. We, as your neighbors and your extended community, should have been more helpful. You should never have had to live the way you did.
It was from our own ignorance and prejudice that your family and inner community suffered.”
