by Rosie Harper
The coach finally pulled to a halt, and the door was opened. Nell was faced by seven men, all with dark handkerchiefs across their faces, hats pulled down over their brows. Even if she had known every one of them from childhood, she would never have been able to recognise them. “Mrs Fitzpatrick, oh dear. We weren’t expecting to find you in here,” the man holding the door said in an exaggerated drawl, presumably to disguise his own voice.
“Well, who were you expecting? The Pope himself?” she demanded angrily. She had always had more than her fair share of Gallic temper, and being the subject of what was clearly a bungled kidnap attempt had moved her past fear and into pure anger. The fact that they knew who she was, that she knew boys foolish enough to do such things made her blood boil.
“Well, I can’t rightly say,” the man she could only presume was their leader said. “But, suffice it say we mean you no harm.”
“Then you can take me home right this minute.” Nell had lived in America for most of her life, but her Irish accent was still broad. At times like this, when angry and impatient, she could hear her own Mammy back in Dublin spewing from her lips.
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible right now. We need to go and find the right coach. But I assure you, Mrs Fitzpatrick, we will return you to your family in no time at all. Be patient, we aren’t bad people, we won’t harm a hair on your head.”
“Pah,” she spat. “If you won’t be harming me, then why bother to go to all this trouble to fetch someone else? Even if you don’t mean harm, harm usually comes from things like this young man. Don’t make me a promise you may not be able to keep.” She couldn’t even see his eyes, to see if her words had any impact on him, but he certainly didn’t say a word to betray if he was having second thoughts about his actions.
“If you could please come out of the carriage now, I’m afraid I will need to tie you up – just for a little while and keep you here. Then I assure you I will personally return you to your home.”
Reluctantly Nell did as she was told. There was no point in being difficult. She was outnumbered, and every one of these men was twice her size. She followed her captor to a small shack. It smelt of damp and was filthy dirty. She wrinkled her nose unhappily. He pointed her to a chair, and she sat knowing there would be no point in kicking up a fuss. Moments later she was alone, her hands and feet tied. She wondered who they had meant to abduct, what their purpose was – because their leader seemed to be far too polite to be some kind of bandit or highway man. None of this night was making any sense to her, but she knew somewhere deep within that she had no need to be scared. He meant every word he said, she was sure of it.
The dawn light streamed through the tiny, dirt-encrusted window and woke her gently from her slumber. She tried to stretch out a little as she took note of all the aches and pains. Her neck was stiff, her legs and arms too. The skin was raw where the ropes had rubbed as she had moved in her sleep. She tried to wriggle as many bits of her as she could, to restore movement but the bindings restricted her too much. She was thirsty too, her mouth drier than the dust in the air all around her.
“Hal, think we just may have us a lead,” a loud voice called outside. “Look, the stagecoach is here, buried in the bushes.”
“God damn you man, will you never learn to keep your mouth shut. Now if they are here they know full well that we are too, will come out all guns blazing,” a grumpy retort hissed.
“Don’t think they can be, look two sets of tracks, one in and one out. If they brought the carriage in and buried it here, only goes to figure they didn’t stick around.”
“Maybe, but what if they had been here, left and gone and got the carriage then come back?” Hal said exasperatedly.
“Well then the tracks going out would be under the ones coming in, not the other way around!” the other voice said triumphantly, obviously glad to have proved his tracking skills. If things had been any different, Nell might even have laughed at this comical duo.
The door opened cautiously and a young lad’s face appeared slowly around the door. He had freckles everywhere and his ears stuck out underneath a mop of ginger hair as bright as copper. “Ma’am,” he nodded at her. “Is anybody here with you?”
“No, they left me here last night. I don’t know if they killed the driver, or just knocked him out, but they realised they had the wrong coach, and disappeared.”
The lad had entered the shack and had straightened up. You could only ever describe him as gangly, he clearly hadn’t yet grown into his height. Nell could see the shining deputy badge on his lapel. An older, stockier man followed him. “Well untie her then you fool,” he said, frustration in his tone, and clearly written in every bit of his face.
“Yes Hal, sorry.” He stumbled towards her, and began to pick at the knots.
“Jed, here,” the Sheriff threw him a knife. Jed went to catch it, but it slipped through his fingers and clattered to the floor. “You okay Ma’am?” he asked her gently.
“I’ll be fine,” she said as Jed released her. She rubbed at her wrists to try and restore some feeling, but everything felt a little numb.
“We’ll get you home right away,” the Sheriff said.
“Did anybody else go missing last night?” she asked curiously.
“Yes, the Governor was expected last night in Deadwood. He never made it. It’s why we are out tracking each diversion from the road. Don’t you worry, your driver was found in the early hours, dazed and confused but essentially well,” he said pre-empting her next question. She sighed with relief. “Can you ride?”
“Normally I would say yes, but I have to admit I am feeling more than a little wobbly,” she admitted as she tried to stand. The Sheriff quickly put an arm around her waist to support her.
“Not to worry, I’ll take you up in front of me. You’ll be right as rain.”
They headed out. The day was bright and warm, and Nell knew that she would never again take her safety for granted. They meandered through the woods and began the steep descent back down the mountain, and Nell realised she had been lucky that she hadn’t seen the jagged rocks on either side of the tiny trail last night. She would have probably died of fright. But the Sheriff held her tightly, and she ducked her head into his chest. A shot rang out in the canyon, echoing around over and over again. She looked up to see the men in black from the night before riding towards them, their huge black mounts sweating hard. One had a gun in his hand, and it took her a while to realise that the shot had already found its mark. Young Jed had fallen from his horse, and was sprawled in the dust. They came ever nearer, and Nell could see a couple of them had lowered their masks, one of the faces was familiar, too familiar and she gasped. “David, what on earth are you doing here with these men, how could you do such things?” The man with the pistol shot two more bullets from his gun. Both found their mark.
Chapter One
Kate looked stunning. Annie couldn’t help but beam with pride as her youngest sibling walked down the aisle towards the man she adored. Brandon was a good man and would take good care of her. He owned a smart stud farm in nearby Deadwood and she had met him whilst visiting with Aunty Kitty. They had fallen in love at first sight at a dinner and dance up at the local fort. Annie had been stunned when she brought him home, had fully been expecting her sister to come home with a smartly attired soldier on her arm. A slightly tattered horse farmer was not at all what she had been expecting.
It was a happy day, but Annie couldn’t help but feel sad. She had felt much the same when Matthew had married Clara, the butcher’s daughter; when Joseph had gone off to join the army and had returned home with Daisy on his arm; and even when Margaret had chosen to become a nun and had made her vows to God. Through the smiles, Annie couldn’t help but think how proud their mother would have been of them, and how much she would have loved to have been there to see her children grown and settled so happily. Except her of course, she was just trapped. But not for long. She had done her duty, had done everything she coul
d for her family. She wasn’t prepared to sacrifice anymore of her life.
Her Father squeezed her hand tightly as he sat beside her in the pew. “Your Mammy would be so proud,” he whispered, echoing her own thoughts, but the wheeze that followed his words made her suffer a brief moment of shame. She could smell the whiskey on his breath and found herself angry that he couldn’t even stay sober just for a few hours to see his daughter wed. She edged away from him, and tried not to look disgusted. She so wanted Katie’s day to be perfect, and here he was making fools of all of them. But she would not ruin it by getting angry at this pathetic husk of the man she had once been so proud of. Michael Fitzpatrick would be on his own from here on in.
Her Father’s health was failing fast. He wheezed louder than the whistle on a steam locomotive, and his face was bloated and blotched with red. He had taken Mammy’s death hard, and had never managed to find himself again since. Once abstemious, he had quickly become a regular in the Saloons of Silver City. He couldn’t bear being in the home he had built for Nell and had left the raising of her brothers and sisters to Annie. Annie had been determined to ensure her siblings got a good education, and enjoyed their childhoods –even though that had meant giving up her own dreams and youth to do so. She hadn’t minded, at least not often. But occasionally she thought of what might have been had things been different.
The farm had gradually gotten more and more run down, and though they had tried their best, it needed a firm hand that knew what it was doing. Annie had been forced to take on a farm manager. Billy Givens had been a Godsend in every way, despite her Father’s endless attempts to run him off his farm. He had become Annie’s rock, and his presence had meant that she could focus just on taking care of her family. She loved her Father with all her heart and always would, but she despised him in equal measure for his weakness, and inability to face up reality or to help her keep their family together. He was the adult, he should be the one taking responsibility for them all. After all, they had all lost their Mammy too, and she had lost the love of her life the very same day.
“Father, I’m not going to be staying in Silver City,” she said quietly. “I have done what I could for everyone here, and now I want to spread my own wings and find a life for myself. You’ll have to learn how to take care of yourself from now on.” He turned to face her, aghast at her revelation. Annie wanted to laugh. Yes, good old steady Annie was doing something for herself for a change. She had given up everything to take care of her family and now they were all grown and all settled it was time for her to find a life, before it was too late. “I have a job in Texas, as a schoolteacher. I leave on tonight’s train.”
“But, what about me, the farm, your sisters, your brothers?”
“What about them? The only part of that list that can’t take care of themselves is you, Father.” She hadn’t meant to sound so harsh, but it was true. Billy Givens was an excellent farmer, had been taking care of everything for years now, though her Father insisted he was a no good thief, always taking what wasn’t his. The sad truth was that the missing money from the farm accounts always seemed to end up in the till at the Saloon, and her Father would arrive home drunk yet again and denying his involvement, blaming anyone he could but himself for his misfortunes. Annie had given up trying to convince him not to kill himself in such a shameful way, but he didn’t seem to want to listen.
He didn’t respond to her, just sat there shaking his head as the pastor finished his sermon. Annie stood primly as her sister and her new husband walked down the aisle and helped her Father to his feet. They walked behind them as if everything was perfect, a smile pinned to her face as if she hadn’t a care in the world. And for once she didn’t. Tonight she would be on the train, heading towards Texas to a new life working for her own money, her own future in the town of Stephenville. She was excited and nervous and had no idea what to expect. She just knew that anything at all had to be better than the last seven years of her young life.
As the train crossed the border of South Dakota, she felt a sense of huge relief flood through her. The muscles in her constantly tight and uncomfortable shoulders seemed to relax, to release. All the anxiety and fear she had lived with, trying to do her best by her family was gone. Finally, she could put down the burdens life had given her, could decide what to do with her life without having to think about everyone else’s needs first. She wasn’t foolish enough to think of romance, had no desire to raise another family. But she couldn’t help but dream of adventure, new friends and a place in a community where she would be respected at last, would not be looked at with pity for what her life had become.
She had to make a number of changes on the journey through Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma before reaching her final destination, but rather than grumbling about this like so many of her fellow passengers she took it in her stride, looking at it as all part of the big adventure she had set out on. She found the porters at each stop to be very friendly, helping her with her bags and making sure she found exactly the right trains for the next part of her journey. The more changes she made, the more she became convinced that she got good service because she herself was polite and kind to the young lads who scurried around at top speed trying to take care of everyone. Everything about her journey was a pleasure to her: the gentle rock of the trains, the billowing smoke, and the smart uniforms of the guards all enthralled her.
She jumped from the train in Fort Worth, excited beyond belief, though more than a little tired. It had been a long journey through some of the most spectacular scenery she had ever seen. Mountains even higher than the Black Hills back home, blue rivers that snaked across the landscape, vast plains and prairies that looked almost barren, but when you looked closer held all manner of wildlife and vegetation. It had all been magical and wonderful and she couldn’t wait to teach her students about the glories of the natural world.
She wondered if she would ever travel so far again. She wasn’t sure if she ever wanted to return home, to the scene of all those memories. But she knew she would. She would want to see her nieces and nephews as they joined the family, would want to be a real part of all their lives and not just a distant memory. She would be bound to do the long journey at some point in the future - she prayed that her first visit would not be for her Father’s funeral.
A young, freckle-faced porter brought her trunk on his little trolley, and took her to where a coach was waiting. “This will take you to Stephenville Miss. Good luck,” he said warmly. She tipped him handsomely. He had been very kind. He was about to pass her trunk up to the driver when a hearty voice called out to them.
“Miss Fitzpatrick?” Annie turned to see a tall and smartly dressed woman surging towards her. “I’m Mariette Williams, you must be Annie? The town council asked if I could come and meet you. I have a carriage, it will be so much more comfortable.” She held out her hand, and Annie took it. She found her arm being pumped enthusiastically. “It is a pleasure to meet you, we’re so looking forward to getting our little school up and running.” The young porter looked at her, silently questioning where she wanted her trunk. She nodded him towards Mariette’s carriage.
“I just hope I won’t let you all down,” Annie said feeling nervous. It had finally hit her what a reckless, and possibly foolhardy, thing she had just done. She had no experience of teaching school children, except in Sunday school of course - and no clue how to find herself a home or anything. She had been a schoolgirl, and a mother. She prayed fervently that her experiences as both would see her through.
“You’ll be exceptional, I can tell,” Mariette said definitely. Annie found herself believing her, her faith was so staunch even though she had never met her. “The School House is charming. I managed to talk them into making sure it was a little way from the school itself. I don’t know about you, but I find it is rather lovely to be able to close the door on your place of work and have a gentle stroll home. Clears the head I always find.” The porter was scurrying behind them, his short legs
struggling to keep up with the long stride of this incredibly confident woman. Annie herself was almost running, found herself too out of breath to respond, not that she had anything to add. Mariette was clearly not worried by her silence in the slightest, and was more than happy to carry on regardless.
Mariette swung herself up into the driver’s seat, and beckoned to the porter to pass her the trunk. He dithered a little, unsure whether to comply but soon realised she was getting impatient. Something about the look in her eyes told him not to upset this woman. She swung the trunk up and onto the roof, as if it weighed less than her elegantly feathered hat. Annie couldn’t help but be impressed. “Do you wish to travel inside, or up here on the dashboard with me?” she asked. “The view is infinitely nicer out here.”
“I’ll join you, it would be lovely to see where I will be living.” Annie ignored the proffered hand the porter gave to help her up and like Mariette heaved herself up. Mariette chuckled as if she had found a partner in crime.
“Well, that is good to see, another woman in town not scared to do things her own way. You’ll fit in nicely.”
Chapter Two
Edward Cole was exhausted. He had been up all night getting the weekly print of the paper completed. Mariette had demanded another last minute change of front page as they had heard the news that the new school teacher would be arriving today. The news didn’t bother him one bit, he couldn’t understand why it was so important, but he knew that many of the families in town would want to know. He missed living in a big city, being able to report on and expose powerful people, who were abusing their privilege. He had come here hoping that it would make him feel somehow more connected to something, but it hadn’t really worked the way he had hoped. Being so close to such broad expanses of stunning meadows and mountains had been too much of a reminder of his past. He locked up the newspaper office doors behind him and set off for home.
