I reached up as if to touch them, as I had done back along the trail, and felt a calm I had never known before.
“It is a sign of good things to come for us,” Owen said.
We held one another throughout the night and made love while the lights danced overhead. When dawn arrived, Owen took a paddle and began to row. I could see no land and asked him how he knew which way to go and he said that Old Man was telling him.
Gabriella’s Journal
31 DECEMBER 1846
As I look out across the beautiful waters of the Columbia and think of the life that lies ahead of me, I know that it is connected to the power of those gracefully sweeping lights in the ocean sky. Owen has shared his many phantasmic dreams and I do believe they will all come to pass. He has so much confidence in my abilities that he can see only complete success for us.
There is a large English ship docked in the harbor, the Isabella, and we will be celebrating New Year’s Eve on her decks. On the morrow, we will be off across the waters towards Liverpool, where we will begin our efforts to bring my paintings to the masses.
Owen will be doing his part, I am sure. I can’t imagine anyone seated in a court or castle dining hall or gallery who won’t be mesmerized by his stories of the vast American West. The vision of the enormous buffalo herds alone will be enough to make each listener intent.
He intends to have me unveil paintings of the landscapes and the Indian people we have met and known. Once the audience sees the image, he will tell the story behind it.
I cannot imagine that we won’t do very well everywhere we go. I have already written Mother in England to let her know that I have found Lucy James and that everything is wonderful between us. I wanted Mother to know also that I hold nothing against her for the years of secrecy. It must have been very difficult to hold it in for so long.
I will be sorry to leave Lucy, my real mother, with whom I have developed a very close and special bond. But she knows that I’ll be back and with a great many stories for her. I’ve promised to set money aside for good causes and if she so desires, she can help me decide where to donate. She’s so content living with the natives that there is little doubt that she will want to do anything else with her life.
I can understand how she feels. I will miss this paradise. I watch the sea fowl circle in great flocks overhead to alight on the great waters, and I watch the otters at play, and I cannot think of spending my time doing anything but relaxing on the shore.
But Owen will bring me back very soon. He will again take me into the mountains to dig roots and to view the skies above the peaks at dawn and sunset. And we’ll come back here and take our honeymoon canoe into the calm waters at the mouth of the Columbia, and I’ll once again reach up into the night sky and let those beautiful Northern Lights flow over my fingertips.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Earl Murray once worked in botany and natural resource management. He is the author of thirty-five novels and nonfiction books that deal with the American West. His novel, Song of Wovoka, was a finalist for the 1992 Western Writers of America Spur Award for historical fiction. Murray passed away in 2003. You can sign up for email updates here.
BY EARL MURRAY
FROM TOM DOHERTY ASSOCIATES
Flaming Sky
Free Flows the River
Gabriella
Ghosts of the Old West
High Freedom
In the Arms of the Sky
Midnight Sun and Other Stories of the Unexplained
The River at Sundown
Savage Whisper
Song of Wovoka
Spirit of the Moon
Thunder in the Dawn
Whisper on the Water
“Murray, a former botanist and rangeland conservationist, knows his history and is most vibrant when he is recreating the past or having characters investigate the changing landscape.… The narrative moves briskly forward so that readers … will enjoy the flavor of a light Western where, ultimately, all’s well that ends well.”
—Rocky Mountain News on Gabriella
“[Isabella’s] old-time story, which is still somewhat appropriate for this day and age, has it all—an independent woman, a wealthy British sportsman and investor, a self-proclaimed protector of the Estes Park area, and more.”
—Western Horseman on In the Arms of the Sky
“A poignant love story that will linger in the reader’s mind long after the last page is read.”
—Roundup magazine on In the Arms of the Sky
“Based on a real-life story, Murray makes his independent heroine and the man she loves come vividly alive.”
—Booklist on In the Arms of the Sky
“Isabella Bird, an independent English woman of the nineteenth century, is fascinating. Earl Murray’s fictional portrayal of the world traveler is enchanting.… A must-read for anyone interested in the strong women of the Victorian Age … The story doesn’t end the way you would like it to; it simply ends the way that it did in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains in the height of the Victorian Age.”
—The Billings Gazette on In the Arms of the Sky
“Murray incorporates period detail and native lore to create an engaging tale of an uncommon heroine. Bittersweet love and adventure combine in a winning way.”
—Greensboro News & Record (North Carolina) on In the Arms of the Sky
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CONTENTS
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
DEDICATION
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
MAPS
ST. LOUIS
INDEPENDENCE
ROUND GROVE
ROUND GROVE
THE NARROWS
PLEASANT VALLEY
PAWNEE CREEK
THE ARKANSAS
BENT’S FORT
BENT’S FORT
MANITOU SPRINGS
BOILING SPRINGS RIVER
THE BAYOU SALADE
FORT HALL
THE HUMBOLDT
THE BLACK ROCK DESERT
THE SISKIYOU
ROGUE RIVER
OREGON CITY
FORT VANCOUVER
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
BY EARL MURRAY FROM TOM DOHERTY ASSOCIATES
PRAISE
COPYRIGHT
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
GABRIELLA
Copyright © 1999 by Earl Murray
All rights reserved.
Maps by Victoria E. Murray
A Forge Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
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Forge® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
Our e-books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at (800) 221-7945, extension 5442, or by e-mail at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.
ISBN: 0-812-56546-0
First edition: August 1999
First mass market edition: December 2000
eISBN 9780765388391
First eBook edition: September 2015
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