Page 24 of The Lady of Red River Valley (Ladies of the Wilderness #2)

Chapter Ten

T he last of the snow had melted and the path to Fort Douglas was dry and solid once again.

Arran sat upon Tiberius as the settlers floated in their canoes down the swollen Red River toward Assiniboia.

A spring flood had kept them from returning earlier and he was anxious to get back to their homes to plant their late crops.

His nerves were taut, and he was on constant alert.

He scanned the prairie continually, looking for signs of the Bois-Br?lés.

Bright sunshine and a warm, southwesterly breeze should have made his heart light with hope, but he knew exactly what he would face when they returned to the settlement.

More alarming news had reached Arran days before they left Pembina.

Several of the company men from Fort Douglas, acting on Governor Semple’s orders, had traveled three hundred miles to the Hudson’s Bay Company fort at Qu’Appelle, by way of the Assiniboia River, to retrieve six hundred bags of pemmican to feed the settlers.

On their way back, they were attacked by an armed force of forty-nine Nor’westers, under the leadership of Cuthbert Grant.

After five days, the Hudson’s Bay Company men were released and returned to Fort Douglas, without the much-needed pemmican, and with the dire news that a great number of mixed-race people had gathered at the North West Company post in Qu’Appelle, some coming from great distances.

Even worse, Brandon House, one of the Hudson’s Bay Company forts, positioned between Qu’Appelle and Assiniboia, had been overtaken by Cuthbert Grant and twenty-five of his men. They had stripped the post of its provisions and taken the company men captive.

The news was a couple weeks old. Arran could only imagine what had taken place in the days and weeks since then. He hated to think what they might have to deal with when they returned to Assiniboia. They had no choice but to go back and keep fighting for their colony.

Paired with the discouraging news was the impending pain of sending Eleanor and Miriam away. He wanted to put off the inevitable and keep them here for as long as possible yet, at the same time, he wished they were gone already. They must be out of the territory before the fighting began.

Eleanor sat in one of the lead canoes, Reverend West beside her. She held Miriam, who was now ten months old and was much harder to keep occupied on the return trip to the colony. Thankfully, the journey took less than half the time since they were going downriver.

Ever since the night of the buffalo feast, Arran and Eleanor had been quiet and distant from one another.

He had been cordial, but cold, knowing he had to protect his heart if he was going to survive losing her again.

If he continued to find ways to be near her, or to touch her, he would drive himself mad with longing.

Instead, he had turned his attention to his work and had given it every ounce of energy he possessed.

With a sigh, Arran focused on the horizon, trying to get a glimpse of Assiniboia.

They would have to pass Fort Gibraltar before reaching home, but he didn’t fear any trouble from there.

Duncan Cameron had been apprehended in April and would not be a threat.

Colin Robertson had taken Duncan to York Factory, by way of Lake Winnipeg, and would long be gone from the colony.

As they wound around one of the many bends in the river, Arran reined in Tiberius, his heart thudding at the sight before him.

Duncan’s Fort Gibraltar no longer stood on the banks of the Red River. Everything from the stockade to the warehouse, to the jaunty red trim on the trading post’s porch, was gone. It was as if the fort had never existed.

“No.” Arran shook his head, dread mounting in his gut.

He touched Tiberius’s side with his heels and galloped toward the fort’s site, but the closer he came, the more upset he grew.

There was no telling how far the Nor’westers would go until they felt they had been repaid for the loss of Fort Gibraltar.

Arran pushed his heels into Tiberius again and pressed on to Fort Douglas, leaving the colonists under the protection of the voyageurs who were paddling. What if the Nor’westers had already overtaken Fort Douglas? It would have been an ideal time to attack while the colonists were gone.

As Point Douglas came within sight, Arran’s anxiety began to fade. Not only was the fort still standing, but it had been enlarged. The stockade now extended twice as far into the prairie—and several new buildings stood within it—including one with bright red trim.

Arran clenched his hands into fists around Tiberius’s reins and pushed the horse hard until they reached the gates of the fort. Guards stood at several lookouts, and they waved to Arran as he rode into the stockade.

“MacLean!” James McIntosh stepped out of the company trading post and waved, a grin on his face after months of being separated.

Pulling Tiberius to a halt, Arran jumped off the horse and took the reins, leading him toward James. He could not return his friend’s smile as he walked. “What happened to Fort Gibraltar?”

Exhaustion creased the lines around James’s eyes.

“The moment Robertson left with Duncan, Semple ordered thirty men to dismantle Fort Gibraltar. It took them a week. They made a raft of the stockade and floated the rest of the material downriver to Fort Douglas. When it arrived here, they spent several more weeks adding on to the stockade and constructing new buildings.”

“Why?” Arran shook his head. “What was Semple thinking?”

James’s jaw tightened and he nodded toward the governor’s house, which had a new addition protruding to the west. “He’s in his new office.”

Commotion in the fort told Arran the colonists had started to arrive at Point Douglas. A few dozen men went out to meet the returning citizens of Assiniboia. But Arran had other plans.

“I’ll see that Tiberius is taken care of,” James said, taking the horse’s reins.

Arran nodded his thanks and then marched toward Semple’s new office. He knocked lightly before the governor called for him to enter.

“Ah, MacLean, you’ve arrived.” Semple smiled, as if all was well in his little world. “I hope the trip downriver was without incident.”

“Why did you dismantle Fort Gibraltar? You ken the Nor’westers will bring retribution.”

Semple’s smile faded and he took a letter off a pile on his desk. He held it out for Arran. “Read for yourself.”

Arran wasn’t prepared for more bad news, but it wouldn’t do to be ignorant. He took the letter and lowered himself to a chair.

“There’s a report that the North West Company is sending an army of voyageurs to Assiniboia from Fort William.” Governor Semple leaned back in his chair. “They intended to use Fort Gibraltar as a base to attack our colony, so I was forced to dismantle their fort.”

“Do you ken how angry they’ll be when they arrive? Fort Gibraltar was one of their wealthiest posts.”

“Without a fort, how will they attack us, I ask?” Semple smiled, clearly pleased with himself. “It was a preemptive strike, and I have won the battle.”

Arran rubbed his temples, a headache forming at an alarming speed. “What is being done to guard Fort Douglas?”

“As you can see, I have men keeping watch around the clock. Everyone is on full alert. Should our enemy approach, we have our six fieldpieces poised and ready to defend.” He waved his hand as if to push the topic away. “But I do not believe it will come to that.”

The man was ignorant, which gave him false courage. Arran had witnessed the same in Macdonell.

“It will come to a fight.” Arran was convinced there was no way to avoid a conflict.

“With men approaching from the west and the east, we will be completely outnumbered, not to mention, there will be women and children within the fort to protect.” How would he get Eleanor and Miriam out of the colony now? There might not be enough time.

“This fort is the property of the Hudson’s Bay Company, which is protected under the Royal Charter of 1670. I am the governor in charge of all their holdings. They will not dare to attack His Majesty’s loyal servants, nor come against my authority.”

“They will do anything and everything they can. They do not consider themselves under any law.”

“Then we will show them differently.”

“How?”

“We are all men, are we not? Rational discourse will be my tactic, if necessary.”

Arran stared in disbelief. It was clear he would not convince Semple. The man would have to meet his enemy before he fully understood. And then it would be too late.

“The colonists are arriving.” Arran stood. “Several had planned to return to their homes in Colony Gardens, but it will not be safe to leave the fort. I will try to convince them to settle within the stockade.”

“I don’t think that will be necessary.” Semple took the letter Arran had been reading, as if the whole matter were settled. “By the way, I plan to take leave of the fort within the next four or five days and you will be in charge once again.”

Arran stared at the governor. “You’re leaving?”

“I have business at York Factory in Hudson Bay. I will try to return by winter.”

Shock was not a strong enough word for how Arran felt at hearing the news. “You plan to leave the colony now?”

“Not now, but soon. I would like to be gone by mid-June.” He rearranged several papers on his desk, seemingly unaware of how preposterous his plans were. He looked up at Arran, expectation on his face. “Was there something else you needed, Mr. MacLean?”

Arran could only shake his head. How could the governor leave now, when they needed him more than ever before?

James stood outside the governor’s office waiting for Arran.

“It isna good?” James asked as soon as Arran stepped out.

“No.” Arran shook his head. “Cuthbert Grant is approaching with an unknown number of men from the west and there’s an army of at least a hundred approaching from Fort William in the east.”