“Then I ought to go find him and tell him.”

“No. That’d just be another way of forcin’ him. I wouldn’t want him to marry me just because he had to. He’d resent me, and I’d resent him, and we’d just come to hate one another.”

“I’m sorry, Annie. I don’t know what else to do.”

“There’s nothin’ you can do. I ought to’ve known better. But I guess you wouldn’t know how hard it is when you want somethin’ so bad. Or somebody.”

“Maybe I do. I did things in Natchitoches that I wouldn’t want our mother to see.”

He opened his arms, and she came to him, and they hugged one another while the johnnycake burned on the hearth.

THE FAMILIES gathered on Sundays at one of the homes, usually rotating from Michael and Marie’s to Andrew and Petra’s, to Frank and Hope’s, and finally to James and Annie’s. This Sunday was Marie’s turn. James and Annie went in one of the wagons Baptiste and Shipman had left behind. James thought it not a good idea for Annie to try to ride horseback, though she tried to argue that in her early stage it posed no risk.

They found Andrew and Frank already arrived and standing in the dog-run, while several of the children ran and played hide and seek out around and behind the woodpile and the cow pen. James did not like the somber look on Andrew’s face. Carefully he helped Annie down from the wagon, holding her arm firmly until she was safely on the ground.

Frank was surprised, for he was used to seeing James let Annie go it alone, either to make it or fall down, however her luck might run. After Annie had gone into the kitchen to join the other women, Frank said, “You’re bein’ mighty gentle with her this mornin’. Annie have an accident or somethin’?”

James assumed they didn’t know. “I guess you could call it that.” It wasn’t his place to tell them. He gave his attention to Andrew. “Your face looks cloudy enough to rain.”

Andrew seemed to shiver, though the winter sun was fairly warm and he was standing out of the chilly north breeze. “Petra and I got here first. We found Marie in a bad state. Petra and Hope’ve been talkin’ to her. I’m afraid it’s come to a point that we’ve got to do somethin’.”

James’s first thought was that Marie might be in the same condition as Annie. “She sick?”

“In a way. Sick with worry. I guess she’s been feelin’ it a lot worse than she let on. She’s always been a strong woman, Marie has, but it’s come down now to a point that she can’t handle it by herself anymore.” He jerked his head toward the kitchen door. “Come on, let’s go talk to her.”

James knew at a glance that Marie had been crying. Her face, always thin, was drawn more than usual, and her big brown eyes met his for only a moment, then looked down. She gripped a handkerchief. Petra and Hope and Annie were solemn. James asked, “What is it, Marie?”