The Enchanted Land Read online

  Morgan swung around to meet his eyes, “Good! Now maybe you’ll not embarrass me in front of your family.”

  After dinner, Seth disappeared to the library, and the rest of the family retired to the large drawing room. William read, smoking a large cigar. The three sisters asked Morgan if she’d like to help embroider Austine’s linens for her trousseau.

  “Eleanor’s wedding dress is a light blue silk and Austine’s is a pink satin,” Jennifer chattered. “They are going to be married together, this summer. I wish you could stay for the wedding.”

  “That would be nice, Morgan. You could be our matron of honor. It would be wonderful if you would stay. Do you think you could?” Austine looked at Morgan expectantly, but Morgan sat quietly, unresponding, absorbed in her stitching.

  “Morgan.” Nora’s voice was clear in the silence.

  Morgan immediately looked up and realized what had happened. “I’m sorry, I guess I was thinking of something else.”

  Nora turned to her husband. “William, do you know where Seth went?”

  “He’s in the library, reading those old journals of his.” Then, as if taking the hint from his wife, he said, “Why don’t you go join him, daughter? I’m sure he’d like to show them to you. When he was a little boy, he used to read those by the hour. And he’d read them to anyone who’d listen, too.”

  “I promised Austine and Eleanor I’d help with the linens.”

  “Don’t be silly, Morgan. This is your honeymoon. Go spend the evening with your husband.” Nora’s eyes were dancing. She knew that Morgan could hardly say no to her suggestion.

  “If I had just been married, I’d spend every minute with my husband.” Jennifer was always the romantic.

  Morgan left the room, went down the hall, and quietly opened the door of the library. Seth was sitting in a large leather chair behind a massive, carved walnut desk. He was smoking a large cigar and seemed totally engrossed in an enormous book. Thinking he hadn’t heard her come in, she moved noiselessly to his side. His voice startled her.

  “Look at this.” He pointed to a yellowed page with angular, faded handwriting.

  We have waited eight days for the flood waters to recede. The sun is merciless. There are no trees for shade. Ahead of us lies nothing but flat grassland. There is much tension among us because of the Indians we have seen.

  “Who wrote it?”

  “I don’t know. When I was very young, my grandfather bought it from a Frenchman he met in Louisville. This is only the center section of the journal. As far as I can guess, and I’ve read it several times, this was one of the earliest American parties to try to make it to Santa Fe.”

  “What happened to them?”

  “I don’t know that either. But as far as I can gather, before Santa Fe gained independence from Spain, all Americans in Santa Fe were either killed or imprisoned.”

  Morgan was quiet.

  “Morgan, what we have ahead of us is not pleasant. The journey takes about three months, and we go through some rugged country. Sit over here, and I’ll read to you.”

  They moved to a small leather couch beneath the shuttered window. A small fire burned in the fireplace to their left. Morgan curled up on one end of the couch and listened as Seth read. His deep voice was calming even as he read of the horrors of traveling on the Santa Fe Trail. He read of their joy at seeing the Cimarron Spring, of the lack of water in places, and of flooded rivers in others. Morgan tried to imagine herself experiencing these things, but could not do so. She lazily watched the fire and listened to Seth’s deep, resonant voice.

  Seth stopped reading to look at his little wife. She was sleeping peacefully, her legs drawn up under the voluminous skirt. She looked about ten years old. Of course, he mused, she really wasn’t so very much older than that. He blew out the lamp and moved closer to her. In sleep, she nuzzled against his warm body. He put his arm around her shoulders and drew her even closer. Her head rested on his chest.

  An hour later, when Nora came in to say goodnight, that was how she found them. She watched the scene for a couple of minutes, feeling slightly guilty about intruding.

  Morgan awoke at the sound of the door closing.

  “Well, little girl, are you ready to go to bed?”

  Morgan was embarrassed by her position and stood up quickly, hurrying toward their room. She undressed rapidly in the dressing room and was soon in bed.

  Seth came up the stairs, after she was in bed, and undressed in the moonlit room. Morgan made herself look away as he removed his clothing. She shivered and then snuggled deeper under the covers. It’s only curiosity, she told herself. At last she fell asleep.

  The sun was high when Morgan awoke the next morning. She stretched lazily. It had been good to sleep late. The last few days had been very wearing. Just six days ago she had been dressing for Cynthia’s ball.

  She looked toward the foot of the bed and saw that Seth had gone. Immediately, she jumped out of bed, dressed, pulled her hair back, and ran downstairs to the kitchen.

  “Good morning, Cook.”

  “Morning! I’ve been up for four hours!”

  “I’m just lazy. Where is everyone?”

  “Who knows? Them gals are out pickin’ flowers, I reckon, and the Missus is in her room. Master and Mr. Seth rode out hours ago. You want some breakfast?”

  “I’ll get it.” She paused. “You say Seth rode out? Do you know where?” She tried to sound nonchalant.

  “I knowed you’d want to know. He’s got every other girl in the countryside after him, why not his own wife?”

  Morgan decided it was best not to talk about Seth anymore, so she finished her breakfast as quickly as possible and left the kitchen.

  She met Nora in the front hallway. “Seth is planning to take some good furniture back with him to Santa Fe. He told me this morning that I was to let you pick out what you wanted.”

  Morgan was very pleased by this, and she and Nora went upstairs to begin their search. The master bedroom was enormous, with oak paneling and oak floors. The bed was even larger than the one in Seth’s room, and the headboard was intricately carved.

  “I couldn’t choose any furniture from these rooms.”

  “Morgan, you may have anything in this house except William’s bed. I want you and Seth to have a good start in New Mexico.”

  “Nora … you know about our arrangement. I will return after one year.”

  As they left the master bedroom and continued down the hall, Nora said lightly, “Who knows? You may like New Mexico.”

  Morgan smiled. “I may like New Mexico, but you don’t know how much I need Kentucky … and Trahern House.”

  “A house and a piece of land are no replacement for love.”

  “How is love involved?”

  “I’ve watched you two, the way you tease and the way you laugh together. Friendship is the very best basis for a good love.”

  Morgan considered this for a few minutes. “Yes, I think you are right. I believe I will love Seth at the end of a year.”

  Nora stopped abruptly to turn to stare in triumph at Morgan.

  “As a sister loves a brother,” Morgan added hastily, feeling she had won the joust.

  Seth and William joined Nora and Morgan for lunch. The sisters had been invited to a neighbor’s, where they would probably stay till dinnertime.

  “Well, did my little wife choose every piece of furniture in the house?”

  Morgan did not like his patronizing tone at all. “The only thing I really wanted was the carved bed in the large bedroom at the head of the stairs.” She watched both Seth and his father as their eyes widened.

  Seth nearly choked as he said, “But it would take an entire wagon just for that bed. And besides, that bed has always been in this house.”

  Nora couldn’t help laughing. “Morgan’s only teasing, Seth.” She saw the two men relax. “And you deserve it, too, when you talk to your wife the way you do to Jennifer.”

  Seth looked sheepish and r