Against All Odds

by Marian L. Jasper

  “You are a fool, Laurie. You stood around and did nothing when Liza Kelly lashed out at her. Did you try to stop her making those nasty comments about the children? No, you didn’t. Don’t you tell her to try to act decently? I thought you were her friend,” said Corporal Shaw.

  “No, I don’t think I’m her friend any longer. She treats me like dirt now on occasion and at other times, she’s as sweet as pie,” said Laurie.

  “You’ve got to get rid of her, Laurie and soon. Is it only Lieutenant Crown who visits her?” asked Corporal Shaw.

  “It is now. She did have one or two others when she was with the other lieutenant, but this one seems to be more demanding on her time. I don’t know how he would react to my telling her to leave, he seems a bit scary. I’m a little nervous of him,” she said.

  “I’ll tell her then if you like,” said the corporal, “It’s going to make my life difficult at the fort, but if it helps you, I’ll have to put up with any hassle. Have you tried acknowledging Liza Kelly as I advised you to?”

  “No, I feel embarrassed about doing that,” said Laurie.

  “You’ve got nothing to lose. I bet she noticed that you backed away from the fight,” said the corporal.

  “I will when I don’t have Felicity around anymore,” said Laurie.

  Chapter 12

  It was now the beginning of October and although a large function had been talked about, nobody seemed to have the enthusiasm to do anything about it. Ada was looking so ill and unhappy and the colonel was quite often preoccupied.

  Both Liza and Bea spent as much time as possible with Ada and they involved her in many of their everyday family events, which seemed to help her.

  Felicity was still living with Laurie and Lieutenant Crown was well in attendance.

  Liza had been to visit both Bea and Ada one day and when she returned home, Zelma went to the general stores for supplies and to enjoy a gossip with Kathy. Liza got Meg to sleep and put her safely in her cradle. She was doing quite well for such a little one with a heart condition and still every effort had to be made to keep her calm as any strenuous crying almost stopped her breathing.

  Liza moved into the washroom and came face to face with Mark Kendal. When she got over the initial shock of finding someone in her house, she asked him what he was doing there.

  “I’ve come to visit my goddaughter,” he said.

  “Well, we’re always pleased to see you, Mark, but I don’t think that you really should be here. Do they know at Clarkson that you are here?” asked Liza.

  “Of course they do, Liza,” he said.

  “You’re not a very good liar, Mark. You’re absent without leave, aren’t you? You are going to be in so much trouble. You know that Patrick is going to have to report this when he finds out,” said Liza.

  “I had to come to see Felicity. I’ve written to her so many times, but I know they’ve stopped her getting my letters. She must think that I don’t love her anymore and I just had to come and tell her that I still feel the same way and ask her to come to Clarkson with me and wait for her divorce there,” said Mark.

  “I know you probably don’t want my advice, but I have to say that your best option is to turn around and go straight back to Clarkson and try to talk yourself out of too much trouble,” said Liza.

  “Yes, as always, you’re right, but I’m not going until I’ve seen her. I need your help, Liza. I know you and Felicity aren’t great friends and I understand that because of your closeness to her husband, but I can’t go to where she lives at the fort, so please will you go and tell her that I’m here and longing to see her,” said Mark with such passion in his face.

  “She no longer lives with her parents, Mark but I wouldn’t recommend that you go looking for her. She does now have several other friends that occupy her time,” said Liza really not knowing how to tell him that he was no longer on her mind.

  “She can have as many friends as she likes, Liza, but I know that her feelings for me are the same as your feelings are for Patrick. I presume that she is now in our rooms at Laurie Cuzins’, which means that I can go through the back of the houses and nobody will see me,” said Mark happily.

  “Please Mark, don’t go. Please go back to Clarkson and get yourself out of trouble. I can’t see any good coming out of this. In fact, I’m begging you to turn around and head out of here now,” said Liza.

  “That’s strange for you, Liza. I’ve always thought of you as a romantic. Never mind, I’ll be back for my horse in no time at all, having seen my Felicity and got agreement from her to join me. Then I’ll take what’s coming to me. When will Patrick be back so that I know how long I have before he has to report me?” said Mark.

  “Not ’till around six tonight. I have a very bad feeling about this, Mark but I can’t stop you and I won’t go running to report you myself. I’ll see you later. Good luck,” said Liza as Mark smiled and left through the back of the house to go and find the person he termed as the love of his life.

  Liza went and sat in her rocking chair trying to dispel the terrible feeling of doom which was sweeping over her. Within a few minutes Zelma returned and took one look at Liza and asked her what was wrong.

  “Mark’s here and he’s absent without leave,” said Liza.

  “Isn’t that going to put him in a great deal of trouble?” said Zelma.

  “It certainly is. He’s now on his way to visit Felicity. I tried to stop him but he still thinks that she is in love with him,”

  “That’s not going to be good,” said Zelma. “I saw her and her lieutenant going into Laurie Cuzins’ house a while ago. They were laughing and I can only say that he was touching her in places that he shouldn’t be, especially for everyone to see.”

  “Oh Lord, if Mark finds him there, he’ll do something stupid. How can I stop him? I can’t really do anything to stop him. Oh Zelma, I have such as bad feeling about this,” and as Liza said this they heard a gunshot.

  “Oh dear God no, please don’t let it be what I think it is. I’ve got to go, Zelma, Meg’s fed and asleep,” and Liza was off running out of her gate and down towards Laurie Cuzins’ house. There were several people coming out of their doors and looking around not knowing where the sound had come from and Jake was also looking, but Liza was the only one running down the sidewalk and Jake watched where she was heading to when another gunshot rang out. Liza stopped momentarily and this time Jake knew exactly where it had come from and both he and Liza ran through the gate of Laurie’s house and in through the front door and down to an open door at the end of a corridor. There they found Mark standing staring at Felicity’s body on the bed. Liza retched as Felicity’s face had been blown away. On the floor was Lieutenant Crown with a wound above his heart, Jake bent down and found that he was still alive, but only just and shouted for somebody to fetch the doctor. Both the lieutenant and Felicity were naked and Mark was still standing immobile staring at the bed.

  Jake drew his gun and aimed it towards Mark, but Liza shook her head and just put her hand on Mark which seemed to bring him out of his daydream.

  He looked at her and said, “You were right, Liza, I shouldn’t have come here. She really thought nothing of me.”

  “You’ll have to go with Jake now, Mark, I’ll be along to see you later,” said Liza and she nodded towards Jake who, as he led Mark away and over to his office said to Liza, “Can you go and break the news to the colonel and his wife please Liza. You’ll be the best one to do that. When I’ve taken the lieutenant over to the cells I’ll organise the undertaker. I see that the doctor is dealing with Lieutenant Crown.”

  Laurie drove up in her buggy having just dropped Corporal Shaw off at the fort and wondered what everyone was doing outside her house. Liza went over to her and said, “Don’t go in there for the moment Laurie, and also I need you to take me to the fort, I’m afraid I have some very bad news for the colonel and his wife. Is your Corporal Shaw there at the moment because I think you are going to need him?”

>   Without a single question Laurie Cuzins drove Liza to the fort and it was with surprise that Patrick caught sight of her rushing into the colonel’s office having arrived in Laurie Cuzins’ buggy.

  Ben was also surprised to see her but his smile soon turned to concern as Liza walked straight into the colonel’s office without being announced and closed the door behind her. A few seconds later the colonel came rushing out and ran over to his quarters and shortly a scream could be heard from Ada.

  Liza was standing in Ben’s office when Patrick came rushing in. She was pale and saying nothing, although Ben was trying to get information from her. Then she said to Ben, “Can you find Corporal Shaw please, Ben and get him to go to Laurie, she’s going to need him.”

  “Liza, what’s happened,” asked Patrick and Ben stopped to hear what she had to say.

  “Mark came back and I’m afraid he’s killed Felicity and injured Lieutenant Crown,” said Liza and it was obvious that she too was now going into shock.

  Laurie was also in shock sitting bolt upright in her buggy. Ben called to a private to go and get Corporal Shaw, and when he arrived, he climbed into Laurie’s buggy and put his arm around her shoulder, but still she didn’t speak. He took the reins and drove her out to the town, what was going to happen to her when she got there was something that he was going to have to deal with.

  “I’ll have to go to Ada,” said Liza suddenly. “The colonel will have to go into town. Can you get Bea please Patrick?”

  Patrick took her over to Ada’s who was naturally distraught. Captain Graves was off duty and was put in charge of Judith but Ben had gone to Brigeta and she was on her way to take charge for the captain as he would now be needed to take the place of the colonel. Bea rushed over to join Liza as she was going into Ada’s and the colonel’s quarters.

  Ada looked up at Liza and said, “I must go to her, I must see her.”

  Liza looked at the colonel and shook her head. “Colonel, I think you are needed in town, Bea and I will stay with Ada while you deal with whatever it is that has to be done.”

  Bea had her arm around Ada and Liza went quietly to the colonel and said, “There’s no easy way to say this but I’m afraid she was shot in the face, I don’t think Ada should see her. I’m so terribly sorry Colonel; I don’t know what else to say.”

  “I’ll ride with you, Colonel,” said Patrick. He turned to Liza and said, “I’ll be back later for you with the buggy.”

  The colonel nodded and he and Patrick left for the stables, with Ben organising what he could to help get them to town quickly.

  ***

  When Mark left Liza, he felt quite excited at the prospect of seeing Felicity again and he made his way quickly behind the houses until he came to Laurie’s but her back door was locked so he stealthily made his way to the front door for which he still had a key. He let himself in and heard what he thought was a cry from somebody who was in the room that was his and Felicity’s. He drew his gun and made ready to defend whoever was being hurt.

  She’s in trouble, he thought as he burst into the room only to find two people naked and making very robust love on the bed that had been his and Felicity’s. He was stunned and when the man turned and moved off the women, he found that it was his Felicity. She screamed at him to leave and the man looked at him and laughed. “Sorry,” he said, “but she is anybody’s and it is my turn now.” He laughed again and said, “I’ve finished anyway,” and moved off the bed towards him and towards his clothes and the gun that he had carefully placed on the dressing table.

  Mark blinked and once again thought that his Felicity had been attacked by this man and he raised his pistol and shot him. He fell to the floor and Felicity screamed.

  “He was hurting you, Felicity and you’re safe now. Come on and get dressed and I’ll take you away with me so that we can have a life together. Come on, please Felicity, I’ve come to take you with me.”

  “Go with you? Don’t be stupid. You’ve just shot my Stephen, what am I going to do without him? You idiot! You’ll hang for this. Do you honestly think that I really wanted you? You were just the best of a bad bunch at the time. And all those stupid letters of yours; all rubbish, total rubbish. I threw most of them away without reading them. I hate you.”

  She kept screaming that she hated him and the look on her face was of pure evil, he wanted to shut her up and he looked around and saw the gun on the dressing table. He picked it up and aimed it at her, there was a sudden look of fear in her eyes but he didn’t care, in that second he hated her and he pulled the trigger and blew away the face that he had once loved but had now become so ugly to him. He dropped the gun and just stood there, which was how Liza and Jake found him a very short while later.

  ***

  Ada was in a state of despair, neither Liza nor Bea could console her. “I know she was difficult and especially to you, Liza, but she was my daughter and I loved her. There were many times when I didn’t like her, but I always loved her. Eugene was a good father to her. You know he wasn’t her father, don’t you?”

  “I didn’t know that,” said Bea.

  “You did though, didn’t you, Liza? I know that Eugene confided many things to you and you always kept quiet about them and never judged,” said Ada between sobs.

  “He was as much a father to her as Patrick is to Matthew. Just because they hadn’t actually fathered them doesn’t mean that they didn’t love them just as much as if they were their real fathers, more so possibly,” said Liza.

  Liza could see that Bea was a little hurt that she didn’t know this secret having known Ada for so many years, but she was brushing that to one side as her friend needed her support not criticism.

  “What was Mark doing here?” asked Bea.

  “I’m afraid he came to see Felicity to ask her to go back to Clarkson with him and wait for her divorce to come through there. I pleaded with him not to go and to turn around and go back to Clarkson and try to talk himself out of trouble, but he was so in love he would do anything to be with her. He thought you were stopping her getting his letters so he needed to see her to reassure her that he still loved her. He asked for my help to get a message to her as he thought she was still here. It’s my fault, I told him that she was no longer at the fort and he therefore assumed that she was at Laurie Cuzins’ and off he went and he was so excited,” said Liza and then it all became too much for her and the tears flowed down her cheeks and she and Ada then sobbed together.

  Liza was crying for Mark and how he must have felt when he realised that Felicity didn’t love him. She also couldn’t get what was left of Felicity’s face out of her mind.

  “She was with that Lieutenant Crown, wasn’t she?” said Ada. “I didn’t like him. There was something creepy about him. He reminded me of Frank Wyley.”

  Liza just nodded. Ada didn’t need the details of how they were found.

  “Who found her Liza?” asked Ada.

  “Jake Smith and I did, Ada. I heard the first shot and had a feeling that I knew where it had come from, so I ran to Laurie’s but before I got there I heard the second shot and Jake and I got there at the same time,” said Liza.

  “Two shots?” said Ada. “Did he shoot the lieutenant as well?”

  “I’m sorry, I thought the colonel would have told you. Yes, he shot the lieutenant as well. I don’t know how he is, it was a serious injury,” said Liza.

  “So he survived and my Felicity died, somehow it doesn’t seem fair,” said Ada.

  Liza and Bea said nothing, but both were thinking that there was nothing fair in this situation.

  The colonel arrived back from town and slowly came into his quarters; he went straight over to Ada and put his arms around her. Liza and Bea moved into the kitchen area to give them time to be alone.

  After a short while the colonel came to find them and asked Bea to go into Ada and he said to Liza, “Patrick’s on his way to get you, Liza. I’ve seen what has been done to Felicity and I’m sorry that you had to be the
one to find her like that. You go home to your family now, Bea and I will look after Ada. Thank you for all your concern, my dear Liza. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Patrick was waiting outside for her in the buggy. He had thought of bringing her cloak as it was getting colder now. He got down and helped her up into the seat and put her cloak around her. “I was with the colonel when he saw his daughter Liza. That must have been a shock for you. Are you really all right?”

  “No I’m not all right; it’s going to take a long time to forget what I’ve seen. How’s Lieutenant Crown?” asked Liza.

  “Both Dr Steele and Tom have been working on him, but they’re not very hopeful,” said Patrick.

  “Have you seen Mark yet?” asked Liza.

  “No, I haven’t had the time. Did you see him before he went to see Felicity?”

  “Yes,” said Liza and she told him about how Mark had appeared in their house and all that happened which made him end up at Laurie’s house. “I feel as though I am to blame. I should never have said that Felicity was no longer living at the fort. Oh Patrick, I had such a terrible feeling that something awful was going to happen before it did and when I heard that Lieutenant Crown was with her, I wondered if I should try to stop him from going to her, but really it was too late by then. I promised him that I would see him later, which was how I got him to go with Jake to his office, so I’ll have to go when I’ve made sure the boys and Meg are all right.”

  The boys were home from school and Kathy was there organising their supper. Zelma was walking up and down with Meg and cooing to her softly as she had been very fretful all afternoon. Ellen was also there with the twins because Hannah was helping Tom and Dr Steele with Lieutenant Crown and of course they could not have any noise around them whilst they were working.

  “I had to send Ellen over to get Kathy when everybody turned up on the doorstep. Meg needed so much attention this afternoon that I knew that I wouldn’t be able to cope even with Ellen’s help,” said Zelma.