Jake was digging post holes for the new pasture fence. Sweat poured down his face, and his shirt was utterly soaked.
“Why don’t you take your shirt off, my good man? You’ll sweat less.”
Jake never took his shirt off in public. He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t like to burn, so I leave it on. Tender skin.”
Scott looked at Jake’s bronzed arms, neck, and face. “Doesn’t look too tender to me.” But who was he to tell a grown man how to dress. Enough small talk, he thought. Get to the matter at hand.
“I want to talk to you about Cecilia.”
Jake stopped digging and raised an eyebrow.
“I would like your permission to court Cecilia.”
Jake stared at him for a moment, and then burst out laughing.
“It’s not funny! Don’t you think I am good enough for her?” Lonergan clenched his fists; his ire grew wildly at this young whippersnapper laughing at him.
Jake took off a work glove and put his hand on Scott’s shoulder, trying to contain his mirth. “No, man, I am laughing at the fact you are asking my permission! She’s old enough to be my mother, used to be Mara’s nanny and ladies’ maid, is no relation to me, and you want my permission?” He slapped his knee in glee. “Ha, ha, ha!”
Lonergan smiled. “Guess that means yes?”
“Guess so! Have at it, man. She’s yours for the taking!”
“You English aren’t as stuffy as I imagined you to be.”
“I am not exactly what most people imagine me to be.” He gave his best crooked smile. “Good luck, Scott. Hope she’ll have you!” Jake started laughing heartily again. This mirth would see him through at least a half dozen more post holes.
Scott walked away, heartened by Jake’s endorsement. He just hoped Cecilia would have him.
*****
During their evening walk that night, Lonergan stopped and took Cecilia in his arms, planting a tender kiss on her lips. Cecilia not only didn’t pull away, but threw her arms around him and kissed him back with fervent emotion. Scott inwardly smiled as their kiss continued and deepened.
Guess she’ll have me, he thought, his heart bursting with elation.
Chapter 57
Paulus and Edwin had little problem finding Columbia, Kentucky, since the wagon trains frequently passed through Middlesboro. Nor did they have any problem finding the Abbot Horse Breeding Farm.
The shop keeper pointed them straight to it. “Shore ‘nough! They have the biggest patch o’ land this side of the Appalachians. Everybody knows the Abbots. Right nice people. From England, like you gentlemen.” He blathered on. “You gonna buy some horses? They have several new colts and fillies that will be for sale soon.”
“We want to look at those very horses. Thanks for the information.” Edwin was well pleased with his detective skills. His prey was close.
They found the land and spotted the cabin, barn, and tent used for storage. They also spotted the near-complete house and the construction crew. The workers would be a problem—a couple of dozen men Paulus and Edwin hadn’t expected.
They set up camp about a mile away, next to a ridge line, well away from the house and the work crew who were about half a mile from the house in the opposite direction. The two men then created a sentry post closer to the cabin to watch the residents for a while.
Harry and Edwin waited until a day when Luke and Alvin left the cabin. They had hooked up a wagon to two of the draft horses before dawn, and looked as if they would be gone the entire day on a supply run to town, if not overnight.
Perfect.
That left only Abbot and four women to contend with at the cabin. And once Abbot was dead, the women should be too frightened to put up much of a fight.
They needed to wait until the five were in the house together. It would be easier to take them all out at once.
The two men continued to split sentry duty during the day, keeping an eye on both the cabin and on the rut that served as a lane up to the cabin. Paulus watched Mara closely, sordid thoughts running through his mind. Revenge tasted sweet already, and he had a hard time waiting.
It was late evening and nearing dinner when Edwin went back for Harry, finally having counted all five entering the cabin and noting that the entire house crew had gone for the evening.
Paulus checked to make sure both his pistols were loaded and ready to go. Edwin did the same.
They boldly rode through the yard, dismounted, and went straight to the cabin.
The farm residents were getting ready to enjoy a nice dinner, when suddenly the door slammed open, and a man with a raised pistol entered, looked around, and fired straight at Jake who stood at the head of the table, nibbling at some food. Deirdre had just slapped his hand and told him to behave when the door opened and a shot rang out.
The shot threw Jake back against the wall, and he sank to the floor. Deirdre immediately ran over to him, pulling up her apron to staunch the blood flowing from his shoulder. Cecilia screamed. The man advanced, putting the spent pistol in its holster and transferring another loaded one into his right hand.
Mara stood at the opposite end of the table, closest to the door. She had been setting a plate of food on the table, when the men barged into the house.
After shooting Jake, the man pointed the gun at her.
“Well, well. What have we here?” he drawled. “A thief, a kidnapper, Madame Butterfly, a succulent wench, and an Indian. Quite an eclectic collection, wouldn’t you say, Harry?”
Mara stared at the two men in shock. Her beloved Jake had just been shot, and there stood her brother, Edwin, now pointing a deadly pistol at her! Behind him stood Harry Paulus, the man who had brutally stolen kisses from her on the Fleetwood. How…? What…? Her mind almost ceased to function.
Paulus came around Edwin and took Mara roughly by the arm. “Mrs. Abrams, I presume? Or should I say Mrs. Abbot? I think you and I began a little tête-à-tête some time ago that we have yet to finish. Should we do it right here in front of these good people, or should we retire to the boudoir?”
Mara recovered. “Remove your slimy hands from me, you filthy rat!”
“Goodness! A couple of years in America have done wonders for your language and deportment, m’lady,” Paulus sneered. “I think I need to publicly teach you a lesson.” He threw her down on the floor in the middle of the room, straddling her.
Cecilia looked from Jake and Deirdre to Mara and Paulus to the gun barrel now pointed at her chest. She couldn’t believe Edwin was the man behind the gun and that he’d just shot Jake. This was a child she had raised from birth until he went to boarding school. She had to do something.
“Edwin. Edwin Markham! Think about what you are doing. Are you really going to let that man touch your sister? What has happened to you? You are better than this.”
“Shut up, bitch. This is my show now.” He waved the gun at her menacingly. “I only want two things: Abbot dead and the fortune in jewels you all stole. Abbot was the mastermind behind the kidnapping and jewel heist, and he has to die. And by the looks of it, he may already be dead.” He glanced over at the unconscious Jake, with Deirdre still pressing her apron into his wound. “Harry wants Mara. That was our bargain. He can have her.”
Mara fought against Harry with everything she had. Years of exercise and the hard work of building this farm had left her strong and muscular. Harry had a hard time controlling her. He finally backhanded her across the cheek.
Mara saw stars and stopped struggling. “Rot in hell, Paulus,” she managed to spit out, blood trailing out the side of her mouth where her teeth had dug into her cheek when he hit her.
Amidst this pandemonium, no one saw Indy pull her knife from its leg sheath. With it in her hand, hidden behind her back, she edged her way around the table until she had a clear shot at the man attacking her friend, Mara. Then, in one graceful and swift movement, she raised her hand, aimed, and let the knife fly straight toward its mark.
All of a sudden, Paulus arch
ed his back, a silent scream forming on his lips before he fell forward onto Mara. She quickly rolled him off of her and stood up. In the middle of his back was a large hunting knife, buried to the hilt. The handle was made of braided hemp with a few beads hanging off the end. Indy’s knife was accurate and deadly.
Edwin looked at Paulus in disbelief. Where had the knife come from? He didn’t have much time to think, as Mara launched at him, emitting a strange guttural cry. He turned the pistol toward her and fired. The lead round harmlessly whizzed past her head and hit a jar of preserves on the shelf, splattering its deep red contents all over the wall.
Fury consumed Mara. Her brother had killed her darling Jake, and all she saw was blood. She knocked Edwin over, and they hit the floor in a heap. Edwin threw her off, rolled out of the way, and stood up again. He spotted a set of rapiers on the wall near the door, and grabbed one. He had done some fencing in school, and was competent with a blade. He pointed it at his sister and attacked.
Mara easily avoided his initial lunge with the footwork of a beat parry, then leapt over the table, using its broad width as protection. Cecilia immediately went to Jake’s side to help Deirdre keep him safe from the fight she knew was about to ensue. Indy stood rooted to her spot, watching for an opportunity to help Mara.
Edwin had only one way to go around the table, as Jake and the women blocked the other end. He moved slowly, keeping his eyes locked with his sister’s. She backed away from him, throwing chairs down to hinder his passage.
Indy inched toward the door and pulled another sword out of its sheath.
When Mara arrived at the end of the table, she rolled over the top of it, landed neatly on the other side, and caught the sword that Indy threw to her.
Edwin slowly came back the route he had just taken, laughing. “Nice catch. So you think you can best me with a sword, sister. A girl against a man trained in the art of fencing. Ha, ha! I think not.”
He won’t be laughing much longer, thought Cecilia, knowing Mara could handle a blade with ease.
Mara said nothing, but attacked her brother with fevered skill, her hatred of him flowing from her heart, down her arm, and into the blade.
Edwin took her series of lunges, realizing quickly that his sister was no untrained fencer. Silence ensued as the two siblings locked in mortal combat. All in the room knew only one would emerge from this battle alive.
Sweat poured down Edwin’s face. Years of easy living and drinking had made him soft and out of shape. Mara acted like a wild beast, putting years of loathing for her brother into her thrusts. Mara kept up the frantic pace, driven by the demons in her heart. Edwin quickly tired under the torrent of her thrusts and lunges, his parries completely defensive.
She had already moved to two-handed fighting, swinging the sword more like a broadsword than a rapier. Edwin found that he, too, had to use his second hand to guard against blow after blow.
Mara finally saw her opening when Edwin moved to block a high swing, leaving his torso exposed. She went to a one-handed grip again, and thrust her sword toward Edwin with everything she had. She felt it hit his body, then slice into him. She triumphantly buried it as far as she could drive it.
Edwin dropped his weapon. He looked down at the sword sticking out of his stomach, then looked back up at his sister. He grabbed the hilt with both hands, and sank to his knees.
“What have you done?” he whispered, before collapsing to the floor.
Mara stood there, panting and trying to catch her breath. She looked at the carnage around her. Paulus, Edwin, her beloved Jake. Tears streamed down her cheeks. It was all so wrong, so wrong.
*****
Lonergan and his men sat around their campfire eating stew when they heard the sound of a distant gunshot. They listened for a minute to see if they heard another one.
Wallace spoke up. “Do you think they are okay?”
Lonergan stood up, brushing the dirt off his pants. “I don’t know. Luke and Alvin are in Columbia, and Jake isn’t really much of a hunter. Plus, I can’t imagine what he’d be hunting at this time of evening.”
One of the other men spoke up. “Could be trying to scare off an animal or something. I mean, who else is out here? We have never seen anyone just pass by. We aren’t exactly on the beaten path.”
Lonergan sat again and picked up his stew. They ate in silence for a minute or two. When a second shot rang out, Lonergan jumped up.
“Wallace. This isn’t sitting well with me. Grab your rifle. Let’s go.”
“I’m on it, boss.”
He looked at his men. “If you hear another gunshot, run your butts down there pronto. I will fire a shot if we need you.”
They nodded. Then Lonergan and Wallace disappeared into the rapidly darkening woods.
*****
Mara felt Indy come up behind her and put her arms around her shoulders. Indy tugged on her. She followed, spent and dazed. All life was gone from her, as she realized she was alone without Jake.
Cecilia took charge.
“Ladies, we need to move Jake out of this corner. Indy and Mara, roll Paulus out of the way. Here, grab Jake’s arms and legs and pull him to the center of the room.”
“He’s alive!” Mara came out of her trance, overjoyed that Jake wasn’t dead. Her heart began to beat once again.
“He won’t be for long if we don’t remove the bullet and stop this bleeding.”
The women struggled to move the dead men. They finally dragged them out of the way so they could move Jake to an open spot on the floor to begin working on him.
The movement roused him. He opened his eyes.
“Jake.” He heard his beloved wife’s voice, which helped him focus. “Mara,” he croaked.
“You’ll be okay. We have to remove a bullet from your shoulder.”
He looked to his right and saw a man’s body with a knife sticking out of it.
“What happened?”
“Shhhhh. We’ll explain later. This is going to hurt.”
“It already hurts.”
“More or less than the whipping?” Deirdre looked oddly at Mara, thinking, what whipping?
“A devil of a lot less.”
“Good.”
During this exchange, Indy took a butter knife and a sharp knife from the dinner table. Deirdre grabbed the bottle of whiskey off the mantle. Cecilia pulled a sheet off Mara and Jake’s bed and began to cut it into sections with a pair of scissors. She then knelt to put part of the sheet under Jake to protect him from the floor.
Indy pushed Cecilia out of the way, making all kinds of hand gestures. She made cutting movements with her fingers. Cecilia handed her the scissors. Indy cut Jake’s shirt away from his shoulder and neck, pulling it down to his waist. Both she and Deirdre stopped cold as they looked at the scars.
“Oh, sweet Jesus!” yelled Deirdre, recoiling.
Jake answered back through clenched teeth. “Forget the bloody scars, and just do what you have to do!”
Indy used a strip of the sheet to wipe away as much blood as possible, then doused the area with some of the whiskey. Jake cried out in pain.
“Blimey, woman! Let me drink that! It’d probably hurt less.” She handed the whiskey to Mara.
Mara lifted Jake’s head and let him drink a good swig or two.
Indy then put the butter knife crossways in Jake’s mouth, indicating with her teeth to bite down on it. He did.
She poured some whiskey on the other knife, and then dug into the wound.
Jake arched his back and cried out, sounding like a wounded animal in its death throws.
“OKAY! Hurts…more…than…whipping…now!” he said through teeth clenched down on the knife. Deirdre did her best to hold his other shoulder down. Cecilia straddled him and sat down on his stomach to keep him from writhing. Mara knelt at his head, stroking his hair and face gently and talking to him softly.
“We have to remove the bullet, honey. Just a little longer. You’re doing great. I love you so much. S
tay strong.”
Just when Jake thought he couldn’t take the pain any longer, Indy plunked a bloodied chunk of lead down on his chest. He looked at it, and then spit out the knife. “Thank God.” His face was as white as a sheet, and drenched with sweat.
Indy shook her head.
“There’s more?” Jake groaned.
She took the knife and wiped the blood off with one of the sheet strips. She then walked over to the fireplace and held the blade in the flame.
Jake started struggling against the women. “What’s she going to do with that knife now?” he said in a panicked voice.
“I think she’s going to cauterize the wound,” said Cecilia, just as nervous as Jake.
Indy finished heating the knife and walked back over to Jake. She motioned for Mara to sit with Cecilia, on top of Jake’s chest. She stuck the butter knife back in his mouth and poured some more whisky on the wound.
Then she placed the hot blade over the bullet hole. Jake’s guttural cry could be heard across the farm, sounding like a man who was being tortured by the devil himself. This was the sound Lonergan and Wallace heard as they came through the trees in front of the cabin.
“What the…?”
“That sounds like Jake!”
They raced the rest of the way to the cabin, noting two unknown saddled horses in the yard.
Once in the cabin, the two men were shocked at the scene before them.
One man laid in a pool of blood, a sword sticking through his belly. Indy’s knife stuck out of the back of another man. Blood ran everywhere. On the floor near the hearth lay Jake, screaming in pain, with Cecilia and Mara both straddling him, holding him down. Indy was sticking a knife into his shoulder.
Deirdre looked up as Wallace and Lonergan entered the room.
“Don’t just stand there. Help us hold him down!”
Both men did just that. Jake blessedly passed out.
Mara: A Georgian Romance Page 34
