"I hope you slept well, my dear."
"Yes, I did. Thank you very much." She smoothed her dress and smiled. "Thank you for the gown. It fits perfectly."
"It's not new, but I thought the color would suit you nicely. I took it in a bit at the waist and let out the hem. You're taller and slimmer than I am."
"How very kind of you. But how did you guess my size?"
Makinna watched Mrs. Silverhorn's eyes crinkle into a smile. "I used your old gown as a pattern. Are you hungry, Miss Hillyard?"
"Starved. And, please call me Makinna."
"Makinna it is." She ushered Makinna into the kitchen and seated her at the table. "It's cozier here than in the formal dining room," she said, placing the basket of flowers in the center of the table.
Everything was neat and clean, just like the woman Tykota called mother. "It must be lonely for you out here, Mrs. Silverhorn." Makinna said as her hostess scooped scrambled eggs onto a blue china plate.
Mrs. Silverhorn turned to remove biscuits from the oven and placed them on the table before she answered. "There's never enough time to be lonesome on a ranch, Makinna. There's so much to do; the work is never done."
Makinna spread honey on a steaming biscuit and bit into it. "Have you ever thought about going back to England?"
Mrs. Silverhorn poured coffee for herself and Makinna and sat down across from her. "This is my home now. Tykota just got back from England, where he took my husband's body to be buried in his family crypt in Cumberland."
"He didn't want to be buried here?"
"Although George learned to love this land, he only settled here for Tykota's sake. It was his wish that his body be returned to England. I shall be buried beside him when my time comes."
"So that was the reason Tykota was traveling on the stage."
"Yes. He sailed to Galvenstan where he took the stage. My son... Well, I keep hoping that Ty will one day decide to make Biquera his home."
"Do you think he will?"
Mrs. Silverhorn shook her head. "I don't know what will happen in the future. If onlyI wish-" She made a helpless gesture and changed the subject. "My son told me you were on your way to live with your sister in California when Adobe Springs was attacked."
"Have you ever been to California Mrs. Silverhorn?"
"No, I haven't. When my husband bought this ranch and we moved here, we talked about traveling, but we never seemed to have the time." She took a sip of coffee. "Now I don't really care to leave. I only go to El Paso when we need supplies."
"I suppose Tykota was up early this morning."
"That's right. Ty's always been an early riser. He went to the Kincaid ranch to see his old friend, John. They were once very close."
"I recall Tykota's mentioning John Kincaid. They went to school together in England, didn't they?"
"That's right. We were glad Ty could have an American friend with him there. John is a very fine young man, and I know he misses Ty"
"When... when will Tykota return?"
Mrs. Silverhorn laughed. "Oh, he's already back. He's in the office going over the ledgers for me. I'm hopeless when it comes to tallying figures." Hannah gazed at Makinna for a moment. "Do you mind if I ask you what happened to your hair?"
Makinna's hand went to her shorn curls. "It got so tangled, Tykota cut it with his knife."
"Say no more. If you want me to, I'll straighten it out for you later on. I cut my own hair." She patted the neat bun at the back of her head. "And I'm pretty good at it."
"I'd appreciate that."
She patted Makinna's hand. "You have beautiful hair. It just needs a snip here and there."
Makinna took another bite of the mouthwatering biscuit and honey. "Perhaps Tykota will decide to remain on the ranch and help you out now that you are alone."
The little Englishwoman shook her head. "He has too many people depending on him. Always has. I will not add to that burden." She propped her elbows on the table and studied the petal of a delicate primrose thoughtfully. "As the new chief of the Perdenelas tribe, Tykota feels his first obligation is to his people."
Makinna gasped and paled, and Mrs. Silverhorn patted her hand again.
"I see that my son didn't tell you about the Perdenelas. He can be very secretive at times."
"I... I wasn't sure the Perdenelas really existed. One of the men on the stage spoke of them, but even he wasn't sure if they were real or just a legend."
"Oh, they exist all right. But I will trust you to keep their secret."
"I will say nothing about them. But I am amazed that an entire culture can exist in secret."