The River Palace: A Water Wheel Novel #3 by Gilbert Morris

Author:Gilbert Morris
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Romance, christian historical, Christian Romance
ISBN: 9781433673191
Publisher: B&H Books
Published: 2012-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

DENNY HAD SHOWN UP at the Gypsy Pavilion the next day, all clean and polished and wearing a suit that would have cost Gage a month’s wages before the war. Gage had been astounded to find out that Captain Dennis Wainwright, the bluebelly beggar he’d picked up outside of Natchez, was in fact a rich man. Reflecting on it, Gage thought maybe he shouldn’t have been so surprised; Denny had that certain air of self-sufficiency and confidence that wealthy people usually had. The thing that had thrown Gage was that Denny had suffered the hardships of the last several weeks without complaint. Gage knew that Denny’s experience as a captain in the Union Army had never included a field command, in fact he’d only been in close proximity to one battle, at First Bull Run, so he knew nothing about the difficulties of living a soldier’s life. Denny’s behavior, both to Gage and the Gypsies, had never shown the least hint of snobbery or irritation at his lot. Gage’s respect for Denny had gone up a couple of notches.

“I owe you, Gage,” Denny had said, taking a twenty-dollar bill out of his pocket. “Please accept this as a token of my gratitude.”

Gage had frowned. “I didn’t help you for money. I didn’t even do it for your gratitude, Billy Yank.”

“I know. But I also know that you don’t have any money, and that a lot of what little you had you spent on me. Take it, Gage. If you don’t, you’ll commit the sin of pride, and I’ll tell Baba Simza.”

Gage took it.

Aside from wondering about his friend’s apparent wealthy status, Gage couldn’t stop wondering about Denny’s insistence on giving Nadyha the poem by William Blake and getting her to recite it that night. What in the world was that all about? Denny had been very mysterious about the whole thing. Gage watched Nadyha as she almost danced around, selling her wares and talking eagerly to customers. That was all show for the gajes, he knew. But their song and dance and even Nadyha’s interactions with Anca, was Gypsy, for themselves. He couldn’t believe she had consented to perform as Denny asked.

Sitting unobtrusively on the steps of Nadyha’s wagon, he saw the thin, dirty boy and noticed, as Nadyha did, that he was behaving oddly for a street beggar. The boy’s face was half-hidden by his floppy hat so Gage couldn’t see his face. He wished he could; there was something oddly compelling about the small forlorn figure, and Gage would have liked to have observed him closer. That was when he crumpled to the ground in a dead faint.

In seconds Gage was kneeling at his side. Bending over him, he finally saw the face, and stiffened with shock. Quickly he scooped Cara Cogbill up in his arms and went to whisper in Baba Simza’s ear, “This is a lady, Baba Simza. Can I take her into one of the wagons?”

Simza’s eyebrows shot up, but she recovered quickly. “Not Nadyha’s, she’d be angry.

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