Her Cherokee Groom

“Even if the story is a sad one?”

“Yes. Even then.”

She could tell he was weighing his words carefully. Finally, he spoke. “What if there is Indian blood in your line? How will you feel then?”

“Oh!” Taking a moment to think it over, Annabelle said, “Probably the same way you felt when you were old enough to realize your last name came from a Scot.” She began to smile at him. “We are what we are. God made us in His image. Who are we to complain?”

“Nevertheless, it will change the way you are viewed and accepted. It will make you someone else.”

She disagreed. “No. It will change nothing other than the perceptions of others. I will still be Annabelle Lang. I will still be a foundling without roots or history. If you could choose, which would you prefer, knowing the truth or wondering for the rest of your life?”

Charles stood, approached and offered a hand to help her up. “I would take you to Tennessee tomorrow if not for the damage it would do to your reputation. You would not only be branded a loose woman, everyone would think we were running away because we killed that man.”

“I know. I haven’t worked out any details yet.” She glanced in the direction the boy had gone. “Or decided what we should do about him.” Lowering her voice further she added, “We can’t leave him behind.”

The lack of a definitive reply from her companion bothered her so much she said, “I am far more worried about Johnny than I am about myself.”

Charles bent to help her gather their leftovers and put them back into the basket. “Then you must understand why my concern is more for the both of you than for my personal safety.”

It did not surprise her to hear him add, “That is why I stayed in Washington.”

At that moment she knew she should try to dissuade him, to make him leave for his own sake. Instead, she disappointed herself by remaining silent.

Chapter Six (#u836accec-f7f6-5d09-8f9c-b2b1b49f9dd3)

They refreshed themselves with the clean water from a pump used to refill the horse troughs, then prepared to part. It was not an easy parting. “I think you and the boy should go back to the house and act as normal as possible,” Charles said firmly.

“But...”

He shushed her. “Hear me out. While you’re there you will be in a perfect position to glean information that may help my people. I’ll continue to pose as a gentleman and listen to rumors as I move around town.”