Tracie Peterson - Dawns Prelude

December 1870

December came in with cold winds and snow, and still no word of who had killed the Tlingit brothers or set fire to Kjcll's shop. The trajedies had been, it seemed, completely forgotten in the wake of holiday festivities. The damage done to the property had been minimal and had caused no harm to the rest of the town. This, coupled with the fact that the dead boys were Tlingit and not white, also served to lessen the interest of the authorities. Kjcll was determined to figure out what had happened, however. He owed it to those boys to see justice done.

He brought a cup of coffee to his desk and checked the time. He had come home to tend his ledgers and get caught up on bookwork while Lydia took a much-needed nap. The growing burden of the child kept her from sleeping well at night.

Kjell was glad that Liddie was content to remain home instead of going into town, as Marston Gray was still present. He had hoped the man would have left by now, and his presence worried Kjcll. What was the man waiting for? The only obvious answer seemed to be the baby's birth.

Would Gray truly try to take the child, as he had threatened? Kjell had talked to one of the town's two lawyers, who assured him Gray could do very little. At least not legally. This caused Kjell even more anxiety. He knew from Lydia 's stories and Marston's own actions that operating within the confines of legality didn't seem to he of a concern to the man.

A knock on the door sent Kjell to answer it before Lydia woke up. He found Joshua on the other side of the door, looking worried.

"What's wrong?"

"I thought I'd better come share something I heard."

"Come on in but keep quiet," Kjell told Joshua. " Lydia 's sleeping."

Joshua nodded and removed his cap. "I was cutting ice today, and a couple of the fellows there were from the Double-Decker."

Kjell went to the stove and held up the pot. "Coffee?"

Joshua nodded. Kjell poured him a cup and handed it over. "Go on."

"Well, it seems they knew about the Sidorovs and the problems they'd had with you. One of them was commenting on how if he'd been hired to burn us out, there wouldn't be a stick of wood left standing."

Kjcll's eyes narrowed. "If he'd been hired… Is he implying the Sidorovs were hired to do the job? That they didn't just do it from their own desire for vengeance?"

"That's the way he talked, Kjell. I don't know who might have paid them to do something like that, but I figured you ought to know that you have an enemy out there somewhere. If it happened once, it could happen again."

"And what of the boys?"

"He didn't say anything about them, but it all fits together. If the Sidorovs were hired to burn us out and the boys were there, they would have had reason to kill them. They were the only ones who could have identified them."

Kjell clenched his jaw and fought to contain the anger welling within him. He felt confident that Gray had been the one to hire the Sidorovs, but how could he ever prove it?

"I'd best go," Joshua said, putting down the cup. "Fin sorry to bring this kind of news."

Kjell nodded. "You were right to come."

Upstairs, the bedroom door opened, and Kjell could hear Lydia making her way downstairs. "Not a word of this to her," he told Joshua.

The young man nodded and headed for the door. Lydia was halfway down when he turned hack to Kjell. "I'll see you at the mill on Monday."

"I'll he there," Kjell replied.

"Afternoon to you, Mrs. Lindquist."

"Afternoon, Joshua." She looked at her husband as the door closed. "What brought him all the way out here in the cold?"

"Nothing all that important," Kjell muttered and turned away. He didn't want Lydia to sense his concern.

"You're upset," she said, coming to touch his shoulder. "Is it had news?"

"No!" he snapped. He pulled away and went to pour himself a cup of coffee. "Just forget about it."

It wasn't until he'd taken a long drink that he turned. He saw the fear in Lydia 's eyes and immediately regretted his actions. He put the cup down and crossed the room to where she stood. To his surprise, she turned away as if to shelter herself and the baby from his blows.

"Liddie, I'm sorry"

Tears came to his eyes as she continued to hunch into the corner. Did she honestly think he would hurt her? He fought against touching her, fearing that she would fight him.

"Liddie, you don't need to be afraid of me. I'm sorry I sounded so angry. Joshua did give me some news I didn't expect, but it shouldn't cause you alarm. Please forgive me."

Lydia turned and Kjell's heart nearly broke at the sight of her tears. "Oh, sweetheart, I'm so sorry." She broke into sobs, and Kjell risked the situation to take her in his arms. She didn't push him away or fight. "I'm sorry, Lydia. I'm so very sorry."

She cried softly as he held her. Kjell felt like six kinds of fool. Trust did not come easily for this woman, and here he'd already caused damage.

After several minutes, he gently lifted her face to his. " Lydia, you never have to be afraid of me. I might not always keep my temper, but I will never hurt you or strike you. You have to believe me. I'm not Floyd. I'm not like him."

She nodded. "I know. It just scared me."

And knowing that breaks my heart." He smoothed back her hair and gently kissed her forehead. "I am devoted to loving you and protecting you. You have my pledge and word. I will never lay a hand to you. Please believe me."

She met his eyes and gave a little nod. "I believe you."

Lydia awoke on December twelfth to a great deal of pain and an unfamiliar wetness making her cold. She sat up carefully, and as her head cleared of sleep, it came to her that the baby was on its way.

KjcII had already gone to work, but Zerelda would he nearbyprobably downstairs working. Lydia stood as soon as the pain passed and made her way slowly to the door.

'Lerelda%

"I'm down here, making a cake. Kjell said it had been ages since he'd had a spice cake. I don't know if you remember or not, but your grandmother prided herself on her spice cake recipe."

"Zcrclda, I think the baby is coming."

There was dead silence for a moment, followed by the sound of rushing feet. Zerelda was up the stairs just as another pain hit Lydia. She took hold of her niece and steadied her while the contraction ripped through Lydia 's midsection.

"How quickly are the pains coming?" Zerelda asked.

"I don't know." She panted and doubled over. Why did this have to hurt so much? She gasped for air. "I woke up… hurting… and the bed… was wet."

"Your water has broken. How long ago was the last pain?"

Lydia said nothing until the contraction finally started to case. She straightened. "Just before I came out here to call for you."

Zerelda frowned. "They're coming awfully close together. Could be you've been in labor most of the night and just didn't know it. Come on, let's get you out of this wet nightgown and then I'll change the bed."

After Zerelda had seen to Lydia 's comfort, she got her seated on a chair before quickly pulling the sheets from the bed and checking the down-filled mattress. "The fluid is clear that's good. I'm glad I put the towels under the sheets," she told Lydia. "The mattress is barely damp. I'll just flip it over."

Again pain gripped her, and Lydia couldn't reply. The pressure she felt was enough to make her cry out, and in doing so she immediately had Zerelda's attention.

"There's no time. Maybe you should come to my bed." Zerelda tried to help Lydia to her feet, but the pain was too much.