Bonny Blue Flag 11.2

Previous    First

[Continuing chapter eleven]

At some point while he dallied with Maria Pena, it had begun to rain again. Travis glared at the iron-gray sky, willing the weather to improve; this is a new waistcoat, he thought angrily. Make the rain stop, God.

“You could always stay until the rain finishes, you know.”

Travis turned to face Maria. “I have work to do,” he said. “You know that.”

“Always there is work. Too much work is not good for you, my William.”

Travis winced involuntarily. I wish she would not call me that, he thought. I am nobody’s William but my own. “My work is important,” he said. That was a poor answer, perhaps, but it was all he had. “I really must go.”


The sad thing was, he reflected as his horse picked its way through Maria’s muddy yard and out to the road, he really did need someone to talk to just now. There was something unsavory developing here, he was sure of it. But not sure enough to act, not without being able to hear some other individual weigh the evidence and come to the same conclusion he had.

Maria would like to be that other individual, he knew. He could see in her eyes each time he left her the longing for something more than just physical intimacy between them. But she was Mexican and Papist besides being a woman. There was no possibility of their communicating in the way he had communicated with Lamar and even with Bowie, back during the glorious days of the revolution. There was nothing of substance they could say to one another; the gulf between them was too great to bridge even had he wanted to, and he was not at all sure that he ever again wanted to build any bridges between himself and a woman.

When he emerged from his reverie he found himself in the centre of Washington. Most buildings were already dark though it was scarcely eight o’clock, but from one building a light shone. Travis recognized the building, and smiled. He would be taking a risk by bringing his concerns here, but if he was making a mistake the consequences wouldn’t be felt for some time yet. He tied up his horse, shook the rain from his hat and tried to brush his shoulders a little drier. Then he knocked on the door.

Next    Chapter One    Chapter Two    Chapter Three    Chapter Four    Chapter Five    Chapter Six
Chapter Seven    Chapter Eight    Chapter Nine    Chapter Ten    Chapter Eleven