“Why didn’t she tell me?”

“You are a man. You are her brother. She does not believe you will understand.”

“I understand, all right. It was that Sly Shipman. I don’t know what she could’ve been thinkin’ of.”

“She was thinking of love. When there is love enough, you do not think of other things.”

“Hell of a fix, a war tryin’ to break out around us, and she gets herself in this shape.”

“Do not be angry with her. She is your sister. Right now she needs you to love her and be kind to her. It is not a time to blame, to make her more unhappy.”

“Does Andrew know?”

She shook her head. “Just Marie and Hope and me. And now you. Andrew will know soon enough. One brother at a time. Now go, take her the medicine. I will come in a while and see what I can do.”

James nodded and turned, his feelings still running in all directions. He stopped at the door. “Petra, you’re a good woman. I’ve got to tell you somethin’.” He almost wished he had not started, but she was waiting now to hear him out. “When I first met you, I didn’t know what to think, you bein’ Mexican and all. You weren’t like the womenfolk I knew, like my mother and sisters, or my brother Joseph’s wife back home. I wondered if Andrew hadn’t maybe made a mistake. But I know now that the smartest thing he ever done was to marry you, like the best thing Michael ever done was to marry Marie. I doubt I’ll ever be lucky enough to find anybody half as good as either one of you.”

She kissed him on the cheek, and he saw a tear run down the side of her face. “Go now, and take care of your sister.”

ANNIE HAD gone to the hearth and was starting dinner when James walked into the kitchen. He held out the bottle. “It looks pretty bad, but Petra says it’ll help.”

“Thank you. I feel better now, but it’ll be good to have it the next time.”

He could not take his eyes from her, and she seemed to flinch under his long study. He asked, “You want to talk about it?”

“No.” Regret was in her eyes. “Petra told you, didn’t she?”

“I ought to’ve seen it for myself.”

“I’m sorry if you’re ashamed of me.”

“You’re my sister. We’ve fought a lot over the years, but I’ve never been ashamed of you for a minute. I’m not ashamed of you now.”

“You’d have a right to be, I guess.”

“You want me to go and find him? I’ll drag him back here by the hair of the head if that’s what it takes.”

Some of the old determination came back to her eyes, pushing regret aside. “No. I wouldn’t want a man who had to be forced.”

“Does he know?”

She shook her head. “I didn’t know it myself till after he’d left with Baptiste.”