They walked around the garden, and Hoss pointed out the different herbs he grew. He told Mariette about each one – how he'd heard about it, how he'd started some from seeds and others he'd transplanted from the woods. "The thing about these herbs," he explained to her, "is that you have to be careful. All of them can help you but some can help you only at the right time and prepared in the right way. The Indians knew that. I learned a lot from Little Wolf's mother – do you remember him? He was Adam's friend. I was little and I used to try to tag along after them, and when I couldn't keep up, she'd take me aside and we'd go look for food and medicine in the woods. She was real good to me," Hoss remembered.
Mariette saw the expression on his face, and wondered why he didn't have a girl. He was shy, she knew that, but he was such a good man, kind and generous. "Your garden is beautiful, Hoss. I can tell you spend a lot of time here, a lot of time planning it."
"I've always liked growing things, Mari." He smiled down at her, and she took his arm. As they turned to go back in the yard, Hop Sing appeared in the kitchen door. "You need to bring Miss Mari back inside now. It is time for her tea and nap. She did not sleep well last night, and she must rest now. You should help Joe with his chores and then take him fishing."
Hoss led her to the door, matching his quick pace to her slower one. "I'm sorry, Mari. I got to talking about my garden, and I forgot about you being sick."
"I enjoyed it, Hoss. Dr. Martin is coming tomorrow, and I'm hoping he won't be so strict about my staying in bed."
Don't count on it, Hoss thought. If there was anything Paul Martin enjoyed, it was keeping active people in bed and at home. He'd been on the receiving end of Paul's strict instructions a few times, and he'd always felt well long before Paul and his father would let him get up from bed or ride out to work.
Lien-Hua was waiting for Mariette just inside the kitchen and followed her to her room. Mariette undressed and put on her nightgown and robe. She sat down in a chair, hoping she'd be allowed to sit up for awhile. When Hop Sing brought her tea, he was very firm. "Get into bed, Miss Mari."
Mariette stood up slowly and walked to her bed with her head down. She glanced back at Hop Sing with tears in her eyes, and he shook his head. "That did not work when you were eight, and it will not work now that you are twenty. Get into bed."
She gave up and climbed into bed. She was more tired than she knew because after she drank her tea, she fell asleep and slept through the rest of the day.
…
"Miss Mari, you must wake up. Miss Mari, Miss Mari." Mariette woke up to see Lien-Hua bending over her.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, Miss Mari, you must wake up and eat supper. I let you sleep through dinner, but I cannot let you miss two meals."
Mari let Lien-Hua help her into her robe, and stood with her assistance. "Thank you, Lien-Hua, but I'm sure I can walk alone. Hoss and I walked all around the yard and his garden this morning."
"My cousin says you have done too much today, and you must accept my help." Lien-Hua looked anxiously at Mariette who sighed and took the young woman's arm. They moved slowly into the great room to find Hoss and Joe seated around the low table. "Mari, we enjoyed eating here so much this morning we decided to eat here again." Hoss and Joe stood up and waited until Mariette was settled on the settee.
"We had a real good afternoon fishing, didn't we, Joe?" Hoss said.
"Sure did, but I caught the biggest ones. We're having fish for supper, and Hop Sing says you can have some. He didn't fry them – he said that wouldn't be good for you, and you have to eat yours plain. Hoss and I told him to fix ours the same way he fixes yours, but we get to have some of his special sauce with ours." Joe smiled up at her from his space on the floor next to her.
Mariette looked around. "Where are your Papa and Adam?" she asked.
Hoss said, "Oh, they're at some kind of meeting in town." He looked at her anxiously. "Are you all right? I can send for them if you need me to – they didn't want to go much, but it's something to do with politics, and Pa thought they'd better be there."
Mariette shook her head. "I'm fine, Hoss." She smiled. "I'm just nosy."
Hoss and Joe laughed, and Hoss thought what a pretty nose she had. Hop Sing brought in platters of grilled fish, potatoes, and greens for Hoss and Joe. Lien-Hua brought Mariette plate with a piece of grilled fish and a spoonful of greens. Joe looked at it. "Is that all she gets?"
"She may have more if she wants it," Lien-Hua said, "but she does not eat as much as you do, Joe."
Hoss agreed as he speared a piece of fish and put it on his plate. "That's right, Joe. Mari's always been a puny eater – girls just are." He piled on Hop Sing's sauce and passed the dish to Joe.
Joe thought about it. "Does that make it cheap to take them out to supper? Maybe that's why Pa and Adam take ladies out for supper." He looked at Hoss who blushed and at Mari who smiled.
"I'll bet you're right, Joe," she said. She took a bite of fish. "Mmm, this is delicious. Did you catch these fish in Lake Tahoe?"
"Yes, we did," said Joe. "I used worms as bait, and Hoss tried out something new with a feather on it, and the worms worked best. The next time we go out, you come with us, and I'll bait your hook for you."
"Thank you, Joe," Mari said.
Hoss looked at his little brother and smiled. "Joe, Mari can bait her own hooks. Did you know that when we were growing up, she was a champion fisherman?"
"No! Really?" Joe looked at her with new respect.
She nodded and laughed. "Yes, I was. The summer I was nine I was living here, and Papa and Adam and Hoss and you and your Mama and I all went out to Lake Tahoe every Sunday afternoon. Adam taught me how to fish and swim that summer. You were only three, but you wanted to do everything your brothers did, so Adam taught you to swim a little bit, and Hoss helped you hold your pole so you could fish, too." She and Hoss laughed at the memory, and Joe looked envious.
"I wish I could remember," he said. "It sounds like we had a wonderful time back then when Mama was alive."
"That we did, Joe," Hoss said. "Your mama lit this house up every day like it was spring."
They were quiet for a minute, remembering the past. Joe looked up at Mariette. "I'm sorry you're sick, Mari, but I'm glad you're back here with us. You make things better."
If Joe had tried, he couldn't have said anything sweeter to her. "Why, thank you, Joe," Mariette told him. She smiled at Hoss and they talked of general things.
After supper Hoss picked up one of the books that he and Mariette had brought back from San Francisco. It was a collection of stories by Edgar Allan Poe, and Hoss began to read "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." His deep voice suited the detective story, and Mariette and Joe enjoyed listening to him.
When it was over, Joe yawned and looked up at Hoss. "Read another one," he suggested.
"No, Joe, you look like you're ready for bed," Hoss told him.
"I'm not tired." He was going to say more, but he yawned instead.
"Well, I am and Mari is, so you tell her good night, and head on upstairs."
Joe started to argue, but decided it was too much trouble. He stood up and, bending over, kissed Mariette good night.
Hoss stood up and came over to the settee. He lifted Mariette easily, and she said laughingly, "You know, if you all keep carrying me around like this, I'll lose the use of my legs."
"Well," said Hoss, "that's one way to keep you from running away from us." He carried her into her room and set her down gently on her bed. He didn't know what made him do it, but he kissed her lightly. "Good night, Mari."