A Headstrong Woman(18)

“We need to get you to the doctor,” Jonathon prepared to lift his friend.

Elijah grabbed Jonathon’s coat with a bloody hand.

“Listen, Jonathon, I’m not going to make it. Promise me…” Elijah gasped for a breath, “Promise me that you’ll look out for Alexandria. She’s so young and… tell her I’m sorry I hurt her that I did come to love her. Tell her I heard her crying that first night…that…”

“Save your energy, you’re going to make it!” Jonathon insisted.

“Promise me?” Elijah demanded with surprising force.

“I promise,” Jonathon agreed, “come on, we’re wasting time,” Jonathon lifted the man onto his shoulder. The action sent pain through his injured arm; he gritted his teeth and started walking toward town.

He had only made a few feet when a wagon approached. He waved his free arm frantically. The wagon came to a stop beside him. He immediately recognized the man and his son from church.

“What happened?” the man demanded.

“We were robbed,” Jonathon explained as he gently laid Elijah onto the wagon bed. It was too late; Elijah was gone.



***



Alexandria glanced out into the deepening shadows of evening and wondered where her husband was. He should have been home hours ago. When the two team horses had shown up with no wagon she had sent two of the men looking but they hadn’t returned yet either. She heard a wagon coming down the lane and hurried onto the porch. She watched as first one wagon and then another topped the ridge. She couldn’t identify her husband as the driver of either.

A lone rider was coming down the lane fast. She walked out the door and to the edge of the porch and wrapped her arms around herself to fend off the cold. She recognized Jonathon as he drew closer and felt her stomach further knot; where was her husband?

“Where’s Eli?” Alexandria demanded as Jonathon dismounted and climbed the porch steps. Her eyes fell to his blood stained coat and she felt certain she would vomit.

Jonathon grimaced as he watched Alexandria pale and knew he could nothing to dispel her fear. After a moment’s hesitation he decided to be direct and to dispense with formality.

“He was shot, Alexandria, by robbers; I’m afraid he was gone before we ever made it to town. He’s at the undertaker’s now.”

“No!” Alexandria jerked as though she was the one who had been shot. “No! We were just starting…no,” Alexandria argued; a million thoughts were buzzing through her head at once. Her head was swimming, her ears roaring. She couldn’t breathe.

Jonathon watched as Alexandria began to crumple and stepped forward to swing her into his arms. He entered the house and watched Millie come to the door of the kitchen. Her eyes widened as they passed before she quickly followed.

“What’s happened?” the woman demanded.

“She fainted. Elijah’s dead, Millie,” Jonathon laid Alexandria on the settee and turned to see the house keeper easing into a chair. He was glad; his arm was already hurting and he wasn’t sure he could handle her ample frame.

“Poor, Alexandria, she’s so young to be a widow and after all they had gone through,” the woman pulled a handkerchief from her pocket to wipe away her tears.



Alexandria woke to find Jonathon and Millie leaning over her with identical grim expressions. Her eyes fell to Jonathon’s bloody shirt and she shuddered. She was a widow, a widow before she had ever truly become a wife. She sat up and pushed aside any thoughts of pity for herself. The most immediate feeling was one of guilt. Guilt for having turned her husband away and knowing she could never right it now. Alexandria got to her feet and turned to Millie.

“Would you take Lilly to her room and keep an eye on her please? I need to make some arrangements and see to some things. I’ll speak with her later,” Alexandria requested, there was nothing to be done but move forward.

“Of course,” Millie nodded.

“Thank you. Mr. Stewart, would you follow me to the office please?” she requested. Elijah’s parents would need to be notified, Rusty could do that; he had come to know them well in his years with Elijah. She would have him sent to town to make the call. Her parents needed to know and the pastor…Alexandria penned several notes and gave Jonathon directions on who was to deliver which and to where.

A few minutes later, Jonathon returned to the house to find Alexandria standing in the hallway looking lost.