Too Far to Whisper by Arianna Eastland Page A

man.”
    “All of us Corwins are lucky,” Elias added. “Soon we shall gain a lovely new daughter.”
    “And sisters,” Matthew said, nodding at Nellie and Elizabeth.
    Blushing, Elizabeth smiled shyly at the youngest Corwin.
    Rosalind could bear no more. The smiles, the compliments, the endless talk about the wedding, all were proving to be too much for her already fragile nerves. With each passing minute it became increasingly difficult for her to control the urge to scream out her frustration at the irritatingly cheerful group.
    “I need some air,” she suddenly announced, rising. “Please excuse me.” She hastened toward the door, not pausing to look back and turning a deaf ear to the murmurs of concern that circled the table.
    The sun, bathing the land in a pale orange glow, had just begun to dip behind the trees. Rosalind walked to the edge of the woods and leaned forward against a thick oak tree, her head resting on her folded arms. She could not blot out the faces of everyone at the supper table – especially their smiles and laughter as they discussed the wedding. She wondered how quickly their smiles would fade if they knew the truth about the reasons behind the betrothal.
    “Are you all right?”
    She recognized the voice as her brother’s. Sucking in her breath, she silently prayed he had come outside alone. Slowly, hesitantly, she lifted her head and turned to peer over her shoulder. Ben stood alone.
    “Oh, Ben!” she cried, relief flooding through her as she ran to him. Flinging her arms around his neck, she embraced him with such force, she nearly squeezed the breath from him. The tears she had struggled to hold back during supper streamed down her cheeks.
    “Dear sister,” Ben whispered, his voice heavy with concern as he gently patted her back. “Pray tell, what troubles you so?”
    Rosalind pulled away just far enough to allow her gaze to meet his. “Please, Ben. I must speak with you in private. ‘Tis extremely urgent.”
    Ben’s eyes hastily scanned their surroundings. “Come,” he whispered, taking her by the hand, “there is privacy behind that cluster of evergreens.”
    When they were safely concealed behind the wall of trees, Rosalind released a ragged sigh, then knelt on the ground and sat back on her heels. Ben sat cross-legged before her, his eyes fastening on her face.
    “I-I know not where to begin,” she softly said, still sniffling. “But Ben, I am in urgent need of advice, and you are the only person I can trust.”
    “Sister,” he reached out to take her hands into his, “you know I will help you in any way I am able. Now tell me, please, what is troubling you?”
    Rosalind exhaled, her shoulders slumping. “Do you remember back when I was fourteen…when I chased after an injured deer and lost my way in a snowstorm?”
    “How could I possibly forget?  We thought for certain you were lying dead in the snow somewhere. Mother cried buckets of tears, and Father and I searched for you in the woods for hours…until the cold numbed us to the bone and forced us to return home. ‘Twas deemed a miracle when you appeared the next morning, very much alive.”  He paused to give her a puzzled look. “But why are you asking me about an event that occurred over six years ago?”
    Rosalind bowed her head, not wishing to witness her brother’s expression as she struggled with her confession. “ I nearly died that day, Ben. My body was so cold and my pain so severe, I finally curled up in the snow and awaited my death. When I awoke, I was lying beneath a blanket of furs in a shelter made of branches and boughs.” She briefly lifted her gaze to meet her brother’s intense stare. “An Indian had rescued me. I suspect the deer I had been following was one he had also been tracking. Otherwise, our paths never would have crossed…and I would not have survived.”
    Ben’s mouth fell open and his grip tightened on her fingers. “Speak you the truth? You were rescued by