To Capture Her Heart Read online

  Marchpane Candy

  Two pounds almonds

  Two pounds snipped sugar

  Two dozen whipped egg whites

  Rosewater

  But her thoughts drifted to Heather Flower and she didn’t finish. Her obsession with finding a place for Heather Flower in their community went beyond her desire for Winnie’s niece to fit in. She didn’t want Ben to be hurt, so perhaps if she could give them opportunity to see each other, the feelings they’d always had for each other could grow.

  Not all the townspeople would agree with her. Certainly Patience and Lizzie would. But many of her neighbors felt that intermarrying was not right. Indeed, they would just as soon the natives pack up and move westward, deeper into the forest. But she didn’t feel that God had called them here to drive out the people He’d already planted. And surely they were all the same in God’s eyes. Heather Flower’s parents felt much the same way as some of the townspeople, though for perhaps different reasons. They worried about diluting their heritage, losing their identity.

  Both Sarah and Hannah napped, so she wandered to the apple orchard, now dotted with pink and white blossoms, and settled beneath her cornerstone tree.

  If marriage for Ben and Heather Flower was meant to be, they would find the way. She reminded herself “in God’s time.” Not my time nor my will, dear Lord, but Yours. Amen.

  The new grass rustled and she looked up to see Barney standing next to her. He lowered himself to the ground. “Abbey said I’d find you out here. Unloading your troubles to God?” His smile spread and she smiled in return.

  “This little tree has always reminded me to be strong. God’s given me some good answers and some blessings while sitting right here.” The afternoon sunshine felt good on her face and she turned her eyes heavenward. Should she share what was on her mind? Or would he think she was meddling?

  “There are rumors going around.”

  “Oh?”

  “Aye. I’ve heard you favor a wedding for Benjamin and Heather Flower.”

  She giggled and leaned into his shoulder as he wrapped an arm about her. “There’s been no secret in that.”

  “True. But if I know Benjamin, there will be no courting unless he’s certain her feelings for that Dutchman have cooled. He was burned by Anna’s fickle feelings. It’s made him cautious, which is not a bad thing. Mayhap his mission to western Long Island will be the test. He was worried Heather Flower’s concerns would be with Van Buren. We shall see.”

  “I don’t want misunderstandings to keep two people who love each other apart. But then again, I don’t want Ben hurt.”

  “Whether it’s misunderstanding or circumstance, it’s nothing you can change.” He leaned into her and kissed her forehead.

  Abbey came out with Sarah on her hip and Hannah running beside her. Mary opened her arms as her little girl tumbled into them. “Ah, and here’s two of my biggest little blessings. Did you have a good sleep?”

  “Yes, Mama.” She blinked her eyes up and down and giggled.

  Barney chuckled. “She reminds me of the young girl that I used to give ginger cakes to back in Mowsley. She looks just like you, my sweet.”

  Mary hugged her close as Abbey lowered Sarah to Barney’s arms. It didn’t take long for their littlest to start squirming. “Here, Hannah, Mama must get up.” She stood and took Sarah into her arms as Abbey chased Hannah around the orchard. “I’ll take her in. She’s a hungry little girl, but so good.” She walked toward the back kitchen door. Barney was right. There wasn’t anything she could do. But she could pray.

  28

  April 22, 1654

  Heather Flower lay on her mat near the fire waiting for daybreak. She listened to the rhythmic breathing of her parents and brother and wondered how they could sleep. They’d had smoke signals and runners with much news. The Southold horse troop had gone west and trouble was in the air. The reverend’s son might be held captive by the Dutch. It was Momoweta’s wish that the English party be treated with respect, and in the event of a skirmish with the Dutch, the tribes were to support the Hortons and their troop.

  Had Momoweta forgotten the land belonged to no one? They were all caretakers of Mother Earth. How could they forbid one people over another their right to walk the land?

  Tears trickled down her temple to the mat below. She never wept in front of her family and especially not in front of the paleface who showed their emotions so freely. But in the dark, with the earth and those who walked it asleep, she allowed herself to let them flow.

  How could her heart be so torn? She feared for Dirk. But she feared for Joseph and Benjamin, and the other men riding with them too. They had gone into enemy territory with their fire sticks. Did they not know how dangerous that would be, for surely Dirk’s people would not tolerate them if they did have Johnny. He would not hurt anyone, she knew that. But his countrymen could.

  The thought of Dirk brought a wave of emotion and she clenched her eyes shut and tried to squeeze back the tears. Her throat burned like a hot rock lodged in it, and her stomach was sick, though she’d refused to eat food since she heard the news.

  Her mother talked of nothing but the young warriors who attempted to woo her and bring her wampum gifts. They came day after day and would sit for hours in the center of their fort, playing their flutes and hoping she would accept their gifts. But she always spurned them, and her mother left no doubt that she was unhappy with her. But what could she do? Every time she imagined a wedding here on these sacred grounds, she wanted to flee. She wanted to climb in her brother’s canoe and paddle to Southold.

  But to whom would she run? Winnie. It would have to be Winnie because she did not know which of these two blond-haired, blue-eyed men she could give her heart to. But now both were in jeopardy and it frightened her in a way she could not imagine.

  She’d approached her father after the smoke signals were received and reminded him Dirk had found her and brought her back. He acknowledged that, but he told her their allegiance to the English was much stronger. It had been her father’s friend, Lion Gardiner, who had paid the ransom. The Southold horse troop had been willing to travel to Connecticut to get her, but when Ninigret went back on his word, the Dutchman Van Buren had volunteered to find her. Yes, he was grateful to the man, but no, his allegiance was to the English.

  Heather Flower could not lie still any longer. She rose quietly and softly padded out of their wigwam. She walked until she was at the shore, with only the Peconic Bay between her and Southold. The night was warm for April and the clouds had parted, leaving stars that danced like tiny rush lights in the moonless sky.

  She could not stay here while her mind filled with worry over Benjamin and Dirk. She needed to be close when news came so she could learn their fate. When the sun brought the day, she would tell her mother she must go. Wyancombone would take her across. She looked at his canoe, tied to the reeds. How easy it would be to leave in it now, without the words she would have with her mother. Her brother would be angry she took his canoe, but he had friends who would gladly come across the bay to help him retrieve it.

  She released the tether and slid her leg over the side. With both hands she balanced the canoe and swung herself in. She picked up the paddle from the blackened bottom and quietly dipped it into the water. She pulled at the water and began to glide. Pull, glide. Pull, glide. She skimmed across the surface like a water bug. She went around Shelter Island—she could not face Grissell. Her friend would beg her stay, and this she could not do.

  The canoe finally beached on the agate-strewn beach of Hallock’s landing. She took the tether and pulled it as far as she could out of the chilly water, then wound the leather strap around a large piece of log. She started up the road toward the town green. It would be a long walk to the Corchaug fort, but she was determined.

  The sky to the east was a faint gray and she wanted to be through the town before it was light enough to be seen. She picked up her pace. As she neared the Horton house, she saw Barnabas
with a hoe over his shoulder heading to his fields. She ducked behind a large chestnut tree and waited for him to be gone. It was good most of the men had left with Joseph and Benjamin. Fewer out and about, like Barnabas.

  She avoided more homes by taking the trails through Indian Neck. She picked up her pace after Dickerson Creek. She came to the palisade around the fort and rushed through to Winnie’s wigwam. This was more of a home to her now than where she grew up. She whispered at the door, “Winnie.”

  She feared her aunt would be upset with her, but when she came to the door, Winnie’s tears were accompanied with a smile and a hug that swept Heather Flower into the room. The wolf dogs did circles around the two, welcoming her back as well.

  “What are you doing here, my child?”

  “I—I was with my father when the smoke signals were seen. I heard of the troubles with the Dutch. I didn’t know what to do. Have you heard anything more?” She struggled to look calm, serene as befit her station, but her inner voice was crying out.

  “No. I think there are troubles, but I don’t know anything more. Come sit.” She pulled her down by the fire. “Is it Dirk you worry about?”

  “You know me well, my aunt, yes. But I worry for all of the men too. For Benjamin and Joseph, and the troops that go with them.”

  Winnie nodded. “We all worry. But you know, if anything happens to the Southold men, Dirk would be arrested the minute he came near you. You must give up on him. You must not think of him.” She stood. “Let me get you food. You must eat something.”

  Heather Flower got up. “No, I’m not hungry. I cannot think of food. I’m going down to the river.”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  “No, please, Aunt. I must go by myself. I need to think. I need to mourn the loss of another love.”

  Winnie put her arms around her. “You cannot mourn a love you never had.”

  She pushed away for fear Winnie would see the tears. She hurried out the door and through the gate, down the path. As she neared the clearing where she last saw Dirk, she hoped he would be there waiting. Had he ever returned to this spot? Had he ever waited for her and she hadn’t come? He might have and given up.

  She saw the young Corchaug runner who had delivered Dirk’s message the day she and Winnie walked back from Mary’s house, and a thought struck her. She must warn Dirk of the troops. It was the only way she could be sure he’d be safe. “Muckachuck, come here.”

  He grinned and walked over.

  “Do you remember the man who gave you a message to give to me?”

  “Yes, he was nice.”

  “Would you take a message to him for me? To meet once again at the tulip tree? I will give you a wampum bead.”

  “I can do that. I would do that for you without wampum.” He smiled at her.

  “I know, but I can’t ask you to do that without payment.” She removed a deep purple shell bead from her belt and pressed it into his hand. “Go now and tell him I will wait on the morrow by the tulip tree when the sun sets.”

  He took off with the speed of a wildcat.

  Would Dirk meet her? She must warn him—or was she hoping for more?

  Why hadn’t she been strong and let him love her? The thought struck her as funny now and she turned down the path to the river. Yes, all this time she thought by keeping a distance from Benjamin and Dirk she’d been the strong one. But perhaps to love was to be strong. She’d worried that living in the white man’s world she’d lose a part of herself. With love comes sacrifice. But how much could she sacrifice and still be true to herself?

  A young brown eaglet sat on a branch above the water and watched her. She’d seen its parents here many times, and they probably weren’t far. The eagle was protection, seeing all that happened from above and spreading truth and healing with his wings. Wasn’t that like the white man’s God? Did God use nature in that way? Was God watching over her like Winnie said? She hoped so.

  But she would not tell Winnie of her plan to warn Dirk. Her aunt would be upset and fear for Benjamin’s and Joseph’s safety. Tensions were high, but Dirk would not hurt them. She was not quite certain that the English troops would go easy on Dirk, especially if he had anything to do with holding Johnny prisoner. Yes, she was doing the right thing. Nuk?

  29

  April 23, 1654

  The sun dropped low in the west and Heather Flower slipped out the door. She could not lie to her aunt, so she left without a word. It was terrible to do that, she knew. She thought about how glad Winnie was when she’d opened her door and found her standing there. But this could not be helped.

  She would go back to Fort Amsterdam with Dirk if he would still have her and marry him. She would not have to face her father and mother’s consternation or the Hortons. That would make her sad, of course, but it could not be both ways. She was certain of that.

  The forest was thick, but she enjoyed her freedom as she swiftly covered the ground. She made it to the meadow where the tall tulip tree stood on the edge of the opposite forest just as the sun was igniting the treetops with rays of brilliant orange. She studied the base of the tree line as she closed the distance, straining to see if Dirk had arrived first.

  She approached the tulip tree and circled it. A whippoorwill called, and for a moment she thought it was Dirk, but when she called back, no one answered. She settled next to the tree. The young boy had said he found Dirk and gave him the message, but there was no message back. Likely because it would be too dangerous to tell anyone his plan, even the messenger boy.

  But as the sun sank lower, hunger pangs attacked her for the first time since she’d left home. She still had on the same clothes she’d laid down in the day she found out about Benjamin and Joseph entering Dutch territory. She stood and foraged for berries, and when she’d had her fill, she lay down next to the tree in the sodden grass. Even her shivers could not keep her awake. She was exhausted from the past two days, and her last thought as she drifted off was of Dirk’s blue eyes, the color of the bay on a summer day.

  She woke stiff, cold, and wet as the spring rain gently pattered on the tree leaves and over her body. She pushed herself up and looked around, her arms clutched at her sides. Slowly she remembered why she was there. She’d asked Dirk to meet her at the tulip tree. He hadn’t come. She’d waited all night and Dirk had not come. Her breath was shaky as she drew it in, and her eyes stung, but she willed herself not to cry. No, it was her fault. She must face the cruel reality.

  She’d put a wall between her heart and the man Dirk. She could not have expected him to wait when she gave him no hope.

  She began walking back. But she was not the free, happy person who had almost run to get here. Her feet dragged, and she could not bring herself to think of what her aunt would say. She did not want to face the shame, to face the words Winnie would have for her.

  As she came to the Corchaug fort, she kept walking without a plan. Her body was racked with pain and her mouth was as dry as her clothes and hair were wet. She cut through Calves Neck and stood before the Horton house. She swayed as she tried to think of what she might do. Then everything went dark.

  When she awoke, she lay in a bed and someone looked down at her. Slowly Mary’s soft face came into focus, her hazel eyes first, and then the reassuring smile on her lips. The quilts tucked around Heather Flower were warm, and a fire crackled in the fireplace.

  “You gave us a fright. But you shall be all right now. Abbey is going to bring you a nice broth. And James has gone to fetch Winnie.”

  “Oh, no. I wish he wouldn’t.” She raised her head quickly as she said it, then just as quickly her head dropped back to the bolster, black spots blotting her vision.

  “Careful now. Stay down and rest until Abbey brings the broth. You’ve been through quite a shock, to be sure.” Mary ran her hand over her hair to smooth it, then rested it on her forehead. “You don’t have fever, but you are at the least exhausted. That is not good.”

  The fire popped and sputtered and
Mary stood up to add another log and nudged it into place with her boot.

  “Mary, I don’t want to go back to my aunt’s.”

  “Why not, dear? She loves you. What has happened?” Her brow raised and she swiped at the curly lock that always was a problem as she settled on the edge of the bed.

  “I—I left home without telling my parents. She let me stay, but then I left her too. I’m afraid I’ve been terrible. I think Winnie will make me go back to Montauk now and I do not want to do that. Please, Mary, don’t let her send me home.” She tried to sit up again, but Mary put her hands gently on her shoulders and made her lay back down.

  “Hush. You are not in any condition to travel anyway, even if ’tis only across the bay. You shall stay here, of course. Now rest.” Mary patted her shoulder and stood.

  She huddled under the cover and closed her eyes. It did feel good to lie in the bed. She wasn’t used to such softness. And she was tired. She drifted off once more, though this time she did not fight it.

  How long she slept she did not know, but it was dark again when she woke and Mary told her Winnie had come and gone. Abigail had gone home too, but Mary brought her the warm broth she’d promised and Barnabas came in to sit and read his Bible to her. Before he and Mary went to their chamber upstairs, he said a prayer for her and the men on the west end of the island. It gave her a peace she hadn’t known for a long time.

  With the Horton children in bed, and now Mary and Barnabas, Heather Flower lay awake for a long time, reflecting on the last few days. She’d been foolish to think she and Dirk might marry. He had certainly run at the first chance. She thought she knew him, but perhaps she did not.

  She should not think of him anymore. She would let go of her dreams. Let go of Dirk. And if Benjamin came back, she would tell him she was glad and never leave his side. At least he had always been there for her.

  Her thoughts drifted to Barnabas’s prayer. He’d prayed for them all, not just his sons, and not just the English troop. He’d prayed for the Dutch troops too. If he could do that, then she could forgive Dirk for not coming to her when she needed him. But it didn’t have to mean they would be friends. That was over.