Comanche Rose by Anita Mills

Author:Anita Mills [Mills, Anita]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Western, Historical, General
ISBN: 9781626812185
Google: IEVPAgAAQBAJ
Amazon: B00H7GAQWM
Publisher: Diversion Books
Published: 2013-12-07T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 13

The muddy road had made for hard traveling, and several times they'd had to unload the wagon, push it through the mire, then reload it. Once, when even that failed, they'd stood calf-deep in mud and dug it out. When they finally rolled into Fort Richardson two days late, they were filthy and exhausted. While Annie waited in the wagon, Hap met with the commanding officer to arrange for her stay there. Coming back, he told her he'd found a place with people the colonel characterized as "a nice young couple, a lieutenant and his wife, both of whom come from Arkansas."

But as soon as Annie met them, it was immediately apparent that Lulene Davis was no Cora Sprenger. Despite Frank Davis's assurances otherwise, his wife was obviously less than enthusiastic about welcoming a fallen woman into her home. Upon introduction she smiled thinly, looked her guest up and down with raised eyebrows, murmured something about "your unfortunate experience," and quickly turned her back, leaving the lieutenant to show her undesirable guest to her room.

Having nowhere else to go and not wanting to burden Hap, Annie spent most of the next two days there while he continued living in the wagon, affording her only an occasional glimpse of him from the window. She felt somewhat abandoned, but as Mrs. Davis failed to invite him to call or dine with them, there wasn't much she could do about it.

As nearly as she could tell, he was spending most of his waking time either at the post store or off the fort at what Mrs. Davis characterized as "an extremely unsavory can-tina." When the lieutenant attempted to defend the place, his wife wouldn't hear of it. "Everyone knows what those painted hussies are, and everyone knows exactly why the men go there," she retorted. "I'm quite certain it isn't for drink, which can be bought from the sutler."

Lulene rarely spoke to Annie, preferring to direct her conversation to her husband, saying such things as "Pray ask Mrs. Bryce to pass the potatoes, will you?" or "I'm sure Mrs. Bryce would prefer to retire when dinner is over." Trying to make up for his wife's ill manners, he took it upon himself to be a gracious host, which only increased the woman's dislike. It was so uncomfortable there that Annie desperately wanted to leave.

No one came to call, not even the colonel's wife, and while that wasn't entirely unexpected, it was hard to deny the anger Annie felt. As unjust as it was, she knew she was considered no better than those cantina girls Lulene Davis condemned. That it had been against her will didn't seem to matter. She'd been with an Indian, and that made her unfit for white society. She'd heard it in Sarabeth Hughes' voice, and she was seeing it in the Davis woman's manner.

Wednesday evening, supper was early, and Lulene came to the table dressed in a pretty braid-trimmed basque jacket, striped silk weskit, frilled lawn waist, and demi-bustled skirt.

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