Page 160 of Eleanor’s Earrings

Caroline directed the first Whitaker wagon. Rebecca handled the second. Eleanor remained on horseback beside Nathaniel, overseeing the entire line.

She did not take the reins from either sister.

Both wagons crossed perfectly.

“They can manage,” Nathaniel said.

“I see that.”

“Are you disappointed?”

“A little.”

He laughed. “Honest woman.”

“I am proud. I am also wondering what to do with all the thoughts I spent on their safety.”

“Think about me.”

“That sounds dangerous.”

“I hope so.”

Eleanor blushed and rode ahead.

They camped on the far side of the crossing. While Eleanor helped Martha prepare supper, the clasp on her left earring caught in her bonnet string.

She freed it carefully. The unreliable wire had loosened again.

“Do not move,” he said from behind her.

“You should not sneak up on a woman holding a sharp earring.”

“I survived a fall from a horse. I am becoming reckless.”

He took the earring and sat beside the fire with his repair kit. His right arm remained supported close to his body, so Eleanor steadied the small pieces while he worked with his left hand.

“I tightened it before,” he said.

“And it broke again.”

“Your gratitude is touching.”

“Your persistence is astonishing.”

“Tell me about your mother,” he said.

Eleanor sat beside him. “She was quieter than Father, but not obedient in the way people assumed. When they married, her family expected her to give up teaching. She told Father she would marry him only if she retained the freedom to use her own mind and skills.”

“What did he say?”

“He gave her the earrings and told her he was marrying her mind as well as the rest.”

Nathaniel smiled. “I like your father better.”

“He was occasionally sensible.”

“The earrings were a wedding gift?”