Page 37 of The Lady of Red River Valley (Ladies of the Wilderness #2)
Chapter Sixteen
A storm had gathered over the prairie as Arran, James, Archie, and Pritchard walked back to Fort Douglas.
It had taken almost two hours in the mud and darkness, but they had finally passed through the main gate.
Arran wanted to go to Eleanor immediately, but his men needed to know what had happened.
He was now the acting governor, once again, and he had to be the strength for the colony.
As he passed the governor’s house, his heart beat with longing for Eleanor, but he forced himself to continue to the great hall where all the men would be gathered.
Archie opened the door, and the men entered. Those inside had tapped a keg of ale and were sitting at the tables, growing louder and angrier by the minute. A fire crackled in the hearth, making the room warmer than necessary.
“The governor’s back!” someone called from the front of the room.
A round of cheers passed over the space, though Arran wondered if they would applaud him when they heard what he intended to do.
“Quiet,” Old John said, going to the keg to get a cup for himself. “Let MacLean speak.”
The room simmered to a low hum and Arran took a deep breath. He had been their governor before, though he didn’t crave the job. It was not an easy position to fill. Victory or defeat would lie upon his shoulders.
“Today, we have lost more lives than in any other day during the history of Rupert’s Land.
” Those who had come upon the massacre had counted twenty-three dead.
They had wanted to bury them, but the Bois-Br?lés guarding the fallen men had forced them to return to the fort.
The bodies remained exposed on the prairie.
God only knew what would happen to them.
Sorrow and remorse weighed heavy upon everyone’s countenance, relieved only by the anger.
“I have spoken to Cuthbert Grant,” Arran continued, “and he told me it was not their intention to attack us today—”
“’Tis a lie!” someone shouted from the back.
“We canna trust anything Grant says,” came another.
Arran held up his hands. “He told me there is a regiment coming from Fort William within the week. It was their intention to join forces and attack the fort in the dead of night. They were not planning to leave any survivors.”
The hum grew louder in the room as the men discussed this revelation among themselves.
“Even now, they are watching the fort,” Arran continued. “Grant says they will fire upon anyone who tries to leave.”
“They canna lay siege to Fort Douglas,” one of the older settlers said.
“They can.” Arran nodded. “And they have.”
“What will we do?” Old John asked. “I canna let my wife suffer one more day than she already has.”
Arran took another steady breath and then laid down the news. “Grant has agreed to accept a full surrender.”
A great uproar was unleashed in the room. From every corner, the men protested. “We canna allow it!”
Holding up his hands again, Arran was able to get the men to quiet once more. “We have no choice. Soon, they will outnumber us. I dinna want to see another man die a senseless death. It isna worth the sacrifice.”
“How can ye even speak such vile things?” One of the men stood and stared at Arran. “Ye have poured yer blood and sweat upon this land longer than the rest of us. And ye’ll just give up?”
Arran was tired and weary. He’d never known such exhaustion in his life.
All he wanted was for it to end. “I willna ever forget watching my friends and neighbors be slaughtered in front of my eyes at Seven Oaks.” He swallowed the emotions clogging his throat.
He could not give in to them, especially here, in front of these men.
“As governor of Assiniboia, I canna allow anyone else to die for this settlement. We will surrender to Grant in the morning and remove to Jack River House. From there, each man and woman will have the liberty to go where they please.”
“Where will we go?” asked an Orkney man. “I have no homeland to return to.”
“There are some who have gone southeast into America,” Arran said. “Others have gone to lower Canada.”
“Lord Selkirk promised us land,” said another. “I will not leave Rupert’s Land until I hear from Selkirk.”
Several sounded their agreement.
Arran nodded. “Then you may wait at Jack River House until Lord Selkirk makes his wishes known.”
“We will be back,” said a Highlander who put his arm around his teenage son. “This is our home now. We may remove to Jack River House, but we’ll be back.”
There were nods all around. Arran admired their dedication—had felt it himself time after time—but today had changed everything. Eleanor and Miriam were now his priority.
“In the morning, I will return to Frog Plain and surrender the fort to Cuthbert Grant.”
There were still those in disagreement, but they were fewer and less intense.
Arran hated what he would have to say next, because he knew it would break the spirit of many of them. “Grant’s other stipulation is that we leave with only the clothing on our backs, and whatever personal items we can carry.”
“We must forfeit our animals?” the Orkney man asked.
“And our weapons?” said the Irishman.
“Aye.” Arran’s voice was grave. “Everything must stay.”
Another outcry filled the room, this one louder and more passionate than before. For several minutes, Arran let them scream and yell at him, but he could do nothing. It was Grant’s stipulation—not his own.
“If we want to leave with our lives, and the lives of our wives and children, we have no choice,” Arran said.
“I ken you’re angry—I’m angry, too—but nothing is as important as the lives of those we love.
I canna watch anyone else die.” His friends’ deaths would haunt his dreams for the rest of his life.
He had been unable to save them—he couldn’t let that happen again.
The men railed against him.
James finally stood, lifting his hands to quiet the room.
“Finally, a voice of reason,” one of the voyageurs said.
Arran’s back tightened and he prepared himself from an onslaught by his friend. He had watched James’s response to Arran’s surrender in front of Grant. James would be ashamed of Arran’s fear and willingness to give up the fort.
“I have been at Fort Douglas longer than Arran or the rest of you.” James crossed his arms, his graying beard resting on his sleeves.
“MacLean may be the governor of Assiniboia, with authority over the settlement, but I’m the chief factor for the Hudson’s Bay Company post, and I have authority over this fort. ”
A hush fell over the room and Arran clenched his jaw. In all these years, he had never thought that he and his friend would come down on two different sides. They had always been a team—of the same mind. Losing James’s friendship would be just as detrimental as losing everyone else.
James turned and met Arran’s hard gaze. “I have always respected you, Arran. I stood by your side time after time, defending this fort with my very life. But today—” James stopped and worked his jaw back and forth for a second before he continued.
“I saw what it truly meant to defend this place with a life—twenty-three to be exact—and I can say I never want to see it again.”
Arran’s pulse picked up speed as James walked to his side and then turned to face the others.
“I will surrender this fort,” James said, “and everything within, if it means we all live.”
No one said a word as they stared at Arran and James, disgust and betrayal in some of their eyes.
“What do we need to do?” Old John asked.
“We must each make an inventory of our belongings,” Arran said, relief coursing through him.
He gave James a brief nod of thanks and then continued addressing the others.
“Grant will come to the fort tomorrow, but he has given us until the day after to finish our inventories. Both he and I—and James—will sign the terms of surrender. Then we will leave for Jack River House.” He hoped to get away before the men arrived from Fort William.
They were coming with plans to annihilate the fort.
Who knew if they would let the settlers leave as easily as Grant?
“That could take us days,” said the Irishman.
“We only have one day,” Arran said. “Those of us who can read and write will need to help those who canna.”
More grumbling followed, but Arran didn’t have the time or patience to listen. More than anything, he wanted to go to Eleanor. At sunrise, he would have to ride out to surrender to Grant, but before that, he needed to tell her he was sorry. For everything.
“Everyone should rest,” he said to them. “Tomorrow will be another trying day and we must keep our strength.”
He turned away from the group and they began to talk among themselves.
“Go home to Eleanor,” James said. “She needs you.”
“Thank you.” Arran put his hand on James’s shoulder. “You are a true friend.”
The night would hasten to morning and Arran would have to face his enemy again, but for now, he wanted to be with Eleanor.
Darkness had fallen, and with it, a fierce storm.
It blew in with a cold wind from the northwest, arriving with a powerful vengeance upon the prairie.
Rain slashed against the windows of the governor’s house and pounded on the roof.
Eleanor sat near the fireplace, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
Though she sipped the hot tea Nicolette had made for her, and the fire was burning bright, she could not shake the chills that had come over her soon after Old John had returned to the house with news of the massacre.
The storm matched the oppressive mood hovering over the fort.
Grief, so intense and overwhelming, had taken root in the hearts of those within the stockade walls.
Eleanor had stayed at the house on Old John’s orders, and to attend to Miriam’s needs.
The baby was still running a fever and had cried for most of the evening until Eleanor could get her to sleep again.