"Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it." - Terry Pratchett, Reaper Man
She was perfect. He couldn't stop looking at her. She was sleeping peacefully in the center of the big bed of the room Livvy had insisted on renting. Kid had wanted her and Gabbie to share a room with him, but she refused. Kid sat on the edge of the bed watching his daughter, her little bow shaped mouth making sucking motions as she slept. His love for her had been instant but had only grown stronger and deeper the longer he was around her. He thought he would never care about anyone as much as he cared about Heyes. But he was wrong. He would give his last breath so that this little girl could live. And not just live, live safely and happily. He understood now how Heyes felt about Evie. An instinct to protect and provide now dominated his very being. And not just his child, but her mother as well.
"Well, let's have it. Get it all over with," Livvy said from across the room. "I know you want to give me a piece of your mind and I know I deserve it, so let's get on with it."
He stood and crossed the room to where the mother of his child stood. She expected him to lay into her with a hateful and scathing rebuff. She gasped slightly when he grasped her tiny waist and pulled her to him and lowered his mouth to hers. He parted her lips with his own in a tender, lingering kiss. He lifted his head and stared into her eyes and said simply, "Thank you."
She was stunned by his response. "Thank you? For what?"
"For giving me the most precious gift a woman can give a man....a daughter. And thank you for taking care of her and keeping her safe."
"That wasn't the response I was expecting."
"What did you think I was going to do? Sprout horns and fly around the room with a pitchfork?"
"No, I thought you might pull that six shooter and demand to know why I didn't tell you."
"Now that you mention it....why didn't you tell me? You should have told me the minute you knew you were with child. I hate the thought of you going through that alone. Weren't you scared?"
"I was terrified. But I wasn't alone. Evangeline was with me every moment. And I couldn't get word to you. You couldn't receive letters or visitors remember. Only from immediate family, which I'm not. I suppose if I had tried hard enough and paid off the right people I could have gotten a letter to you. But I didn't want to do that to you. Being in that place was horrible enough. I can't imagine being in there and knowing I had a child I would never see on the outside. I would think it would have made life in there even more unbearable than it already was. I was afraid you would try to escape and get killed in the process."
"But I've been out of prison more than a month. Why didn't you tell me the minute I was out?"
"For the same reason. Governor Ramsey knew I would do anything to keep you safe. He told me privately that should I try to see you and tell you about Gabbie that he would make sure that you had a date with the gallows as soon as he could arrange it. I couldn't bear the thought of you hanging. And I knew he would make good on his promise if I told you. So I kept it to myself. Evangeline didn't know about my conversation with the governor. Otherwise you still wouldn't know the truth."
A very subtle change came over Kid Curry's face. It would have gone undetected to anyone else, except Hannibal Heyes and Olivia. He was angry. Years of living as a gunfighter and protector had conditioned him to hide anger and fear. But Livvy saw it and it made her shiver. "Please don't think what I think you're thinking."
"What do you think I'm thinking?" he said with a false calm.
"That you want to lay in wait for the governor to return and blow him to kingdom come, that's what. But don't you dare do that. I am this close to riding out of this town with everyone I love in tact. And I'm not about to let you go and do something stupid and ruin it all."
Kid hung his head for a moment and sighed. "Alright. I'll leave him alone. Unless, he makes anymore threats. Livvy, that's our child. We made a child together. From this point on, you are my number one obligation. You're protection and your happiness are what's most important to me."
"Me? Why me and not her?" she asked as she looked up into his blue eyes.
"Because my father taught me something that I'll always remember. And he not only told me but he showed me everyday of his life. He told me when I grew up and had kids, if I wanted them to be happy, the best thing I could do was love their mother and make her happy. And that's what he did everyday of his life. He loved my mother and made her happy. And that's what I intend to show her everyday of my life."
Her mouth fell open. Had he just told her in a round about way that he loved her? There was so much she wanted to say, but she was so afraid that if she spoke he would tell her she had heard him wrong or she had misunderstood. Once again this man had made her feel delicate and feminine. She had never feared speaking her mind. No man had ever rendered her speechless. But this man was coming very close. But she wasn't completely speechless yet. "So the best thing for our daughter is for you to make me happy?"
He cradled her cheek in his big hand and softly caressed her bottom lip. "And love you. I love you, Olivia Vanderbilt. I love you and our daughter. And if you think I'm going anywhere, you'd better think again. I'm afraid you're stuck with me. Life's too short to tiptoe around and not say what you feel. If I learned anything from being in that hell hole of a prison it's that. I don't want to take another day for granted and I don't want to waste any more time getting started doing it."
Now she was speechless. She didn't want to cry. She tried so hard not to let the tears come. But they came. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words would come out. She just stood there gaping at him as tears slid down her cheeks to drip from her chin.
He wiped the tears from her quivering chin with his fingers. "What? Whatever it is, Livvy, just say it. Don't waste any more time."
"I love you. I think I loved you the day I saw you strutting towards me at the train depot. I've never met a man that could not only make me feel so weak but make me like that feeling as well."
"Weak is the last word I'd use to describe you. But even if you were weak, that's alright. I'll be strong enough for the three of us. I plan to spend the rest of my life taking care of you and our baby."
"But I'm the one with all the money," she said between sniffles.
"Taking care of someone doesn't always mean providing them with money or material things, Livvy. Boy, I've got a lot to teach you. It's a good thing we've got the rest of our lives."
"What are you saying, Jedediah Curry?"
"I'm saying that as soon as we can make the arrangements, we're getting married. No daughter of mine is going to be without my name. And no mother of my child either."
Her dainty brows drew together, her full lips pursed and she put her hands on her hips, "You call that a proposal?"
"As a matter of fact I do. I wasn't born with a silver tongue like Hannibal Heyes, so it's the best I can do. What do you say?"
A smile slowly grew on her lips and spread to her eyes. She didn't care if he hadn't proposed with poetry and eloquent words. All that mattered was that he meant it. He loved her and he wanted to marry her. "I say, what are we waiting for? I don't want to make the same mistake that Evangeline and Hannibal made. I want to do this before anything can happen to stop us."
They looked at each other for a moment and then they both started laughing. He lifted her in his arms and twirled her around the room until they were both a little dizzy. They fell together across the foot of the bed, laughing and kissing. They were interrupted by a tiny whimper that grew into an earsplitting cry. Kid scooped his baby up without hesitation and cradled her to his chest. The crying settled and finally ceased as the child cuddled closer to her father. Livvy thought her heart would explode with love at the picture they created. She had dreamed of this moment for so long, but had never dared believe that the dream would come true. All that remained now was to make sure that Evangeline made it safely out of that dungeon everyone called a mansion and then her entire family would be together. She and Evie would both be married to the men of their dreams and all would be right with the world again. Until the party of six boarded a train headed for Nashville, she was going to be a nervous wreck. She felt suddenly exhausted and extremely sleepy. Adrenaline from all the excitement had been keeping her up. But now that all the excitement was calming down, she felt the fatigue down in her bones. She yawned.
"You should get some sleep. I'll take care of her for a while. We have some catching up to do anyway," Kid told her. "I'll wake you if something happens that I can't handle."
Livvy kicked off her shoes and stretched out on the bed. She reached for his hand, "I love you, Jedediah Curry." He didn't bother to answer her because she was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. He stood with their child and leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. They had come up with the plan before leaving Heyes and Evie last night. Evie and Martha would leave the mansion on a shopping trip to Cheyenne as soon as the governor returned. Once they were able to shake the inevitable watchmen that were to follow, they would all take private coaches to Colorado where they would take the first train east. When they reached Nashville, he and Heyes would forever become Thaddeus Jones and Joshua Smith. Livvy's lawyers would make it all appear legal with birth certificates and school records.
Kid carried his baby to the nearby rocking chair. As he rocked her he looked down at the sweet face of his little girl. She was busy trying to figure out how to get the button on his shirt into her mouth. "Do you put everything you touch in your mouth, young lady?"
Her response was a drool filled jumble of unintelligible coos and gurgles. "That's what I thought. I can't wait for you to get to know your uncle Heyes. He's the smartest man I know. And he's going to love you to bits. And as soon as mommy wakes up, I had better go check on him. Because as smart as he is, he still needs me to take care of him. I always have and I always will. Just like I will you and mommy."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was nearly noon. Heyes had been out here keeping watch in the woods behind the governor's mansion for nearly eight hours. He would not leave until he saw Evie leave. Once the governor returned, she and Martha would take a private coach into Cheyenne. He would follow and then they would meet up with Kid and Livvy. Then hopefully this whole mess would be over. And what a mess it was. But if she hadn't gotten into this mess they would still be in prison. He loved her courage and her determination. Nobody else would have given up as much as she had for an outlaw like him. God had certainly given him a jewel when he had let him find her in that valley nearly two years ago.
His love, his admiration and his respect for her had grown even more after learning all that she had been through just to keep him out of prison. And the dark thing inside of him had gone to sleep and didn't appear to be waking up anytime soon. He was glad. That dark thing was not very nice and he didn't like it very much. He knew it was part of himself. The part that came out to deal with the hurt and the disappointment. It had always been a part of him he supposed, but he had never loved another human the way he loved his Evie. And so he had never had and occasion for that part of himself to emerge. He hoped he never would again.
Heyes drew his Smith and Wesson from its holster and cocked back the hammer when he heard a rider approaching from the south. He stood behind a large spruce tree and watched until the rider came into view. He exhaled and put the pistol back in it's holster. He stepped from behind the tree and waved as Kid approached. "About time you came to check up on me."
"You know I can't trust you to take care of yourself," Kid said as he dismounted. "I went by Fannie's and brought you something to eat." He handed Heyes the small basket that Fannie had packed for him. "Here's your bedroll, a couple of canteens of water and your saddlebags. I put everything I thought you might need in there. Hopefully you won't have to be out here for very long. Anything going on down there since last night?"
"Nope, not that I can see. I've got a pretty good view of the west side of the house and part of the front from here. If daddy in law comes home, I'll see him. Unless he comes home after dark."
The boys sat down on the ground and Heyes dug into the basket of hot food. Kid couldn't help but notice that his partner had actually smiled at him when he'd ridden up. He hadn't seen a real smile from him in weeks. And he was eating like a man who was starved. He hadn't seen him really enjoy a meal in weeks either. It was good to see him act like himself again. And he knew that Evie had everything to do with it. Without her in his life, Heyes was like an empty shell of the person he normally was.
"Did you get any sleep last night out here on the ground?"
"Not much. What about you? How are things with Livvy and the baby?"
"We stayed up most of the night talking. Heyes, I still can't believe that little girl is mine. I had to keep looking at her just to make sure she was there and she was real."
"I'm still having trouble wrapping my brain around it myself. When I first found out there was a baby, I thought it was Evie's and mine. I was sort of disappointed when I found out it was yours and Livvy's. But then again, when Evie and I do have kids, I want to be there for the whole thing. I don't want to miss a single bout of morning sickness or swollen feet. I want to be the first one to hold him and I want to be the first one he sees when he opens his eyes. I want to help bring him into the world. So I'm glad that Gabbie is yours and not mine. I would have been upset if I had missed all of those things and the first seven months of her life."
"Yeah, I guess you can look at it that way. But the way I see it, I'm glad I missed all the morning sickness and the swollen feet. This is Livvy we're talking about, not Evie. Can you imagine having to deal with a swollen, cranky very pregnant Olivia Vanderbilt? Especially if your the one who got her that way. Whew."
"Point taken. But I don't think Evie will be that way. She didn't grow up spoiled with a silver spoon in her mouth the way Olivia did. I can't wait until we can get married and start on babies of our own."
"This plan has to go off without a hitch before you can think about getting hitched. And speaking of getting hitched, Livvy and I have decided to get married."
Heyes eyes grew wide with disbelief and then excitement. He couldn't keep from chuckling. "I don't believe it. You're gonna be the one to get married first after all. I always knew you'd get to the alter before I did. If we ever did."
"You won't be far behind me I'm sure. As soon as we get Evie out of that SOB's hands we'll get Livvy's lawyers to work on that annulment. Do you really think this plan is gonna work?"
"All we can do is plan for the worst and hope for the best, Kid. The way I see it, the worst that can happen is the governor will make good on his threat and he'll try to pin some bogus crime on us. But we'll be a thousand miles away on the other side of the Mississippi living as Joshua Smith and Thaddeus Jones before he can pull it all off."
"And thanks to Livvy's money and influence we'll have official papers to confirm our identities."
"I really wanted to share my real name with Evie, but that's a small price to pay if we can all live free and be happy together. It's really small when I think about the price she was willing to pay so that I could get out of prison. I can't imagine how miserable she's been. I wish she would have left with me last night. Now there's just more opportunity for something to go wrong. The sooner the governor gets back the better. Yesterday was too soon to suit me."
"I put a pair of spy glasses in your saddle bags. That will help you keep a better watch out for him." Kid and Heyes silently watched the mansion that sat at the bottom of this tree covered ridge. "You know what that place reminds me of? The home for waywards we were shipped off to when we were kids."
"Yeah, I noticed that too, but I didn't want to bring it up. It's almost like there's a dark fog or mist that hangs over it. Kind of gives me chills when I study on it too much. I hate the thought of Evie being in there."
"Me too. I'll be glad when we can leave Wyoming and never look back. If you think you'll be fine without me I'm going to head on back to town. I'm missing Gabbie already. I can't wait for you to
get to know her. As soon as you see Evie and Martha leave, you head on into town and let me know. Livvy and I will be ready to leave."
"You head on back, Kid. I'll be fine. You need to be with your woman and your baby. As soon as I know they're safely away from this place, I'll ride on in and tell you."
"Be careful, Heyes. If anything changes or goes wrong, you know where to find me."
"Aww, Kid, like I always tell you, have a little faith. What could go wrong?"
"Did you have to say that? I swear every time you say that...."
"Don't worry so much, Kid. Just go and be with your new family. We'll all be on a train to Nashville before you know it."
"I hope your right, Heyes." Kid gave his partner a parting wave as he headed off into the woods towards town on Rusty's sturdy back. He would try not to worry, but he wasn't going to rest too easy until they set foot on the eastern side of the Mississippi River.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The house was as still as the grave. All the servants had retired for the evening. Even Martha had called it a night. The governor was gone. And his son was most likely having his usual night on the town. That meant she had the house all to herself. She felt a freedom of spirit she hadn't felt in a long time now that she knew she would soon be leaving this place. She was comforted by the knowledge that her beloved was nearby. Knowing he was a few moments away and that he knew the truth about everything gave her a bravery she had never had since she had begun living in this mansion.
She hated it here. It would have been a beautiful place, she supposed, had it not seemed so dark and gloomy. It was as if a foreboding presence seemed to hang over it like a shroud. She thought it had been her own guilt and misery that had made her feel that way, but now even after the heavy garment of deceit had been lifted from her back, she still felt a brooding darkness that made her uncomfortable. Even though that darkness seemed to lift slightly when he was gone, she could hardly wait for the main contributor to that darkness to return. Those were words she never thought she would hear herself say. As soon as the governor returned she and Martha would leave this place and never return. And then she, Hannibal, Kid and Livvy would all head for Colorado where they would board a train for Nashville. Once there she and her beloved would figure out together where they would go.
He had said Mexico, but she was thinking that perhaps Europe would be a better place. When one was wealthy, you could live anywhere and be comfortable. She had to admit that since living with Livvy she had begun to like the advantages of wealth. Everything just seemed to come so easily when money was no object. At least material things. But she would trade all the wealth right down to the very last penny if none of this had ever happened and she and Hannibal had been married and he had received his amnesty. Then they could have experienced their happily ever after. But like it always seemed to do, fate had forced them to change their plans. She knew they belonged together. She had never been more sure of anything in her entire life. But forces unseen seemed determined to keep them apart. That just convinced her even more that they truly did belong together. Because why would those forces, whatever they were, try so hard to keep them apart, if they didn't know the joy, the happiness and the good that seemed to emanate from them when they were together.
She took the single candlestick from her bedside and descended the grand staircase of the dark, quiet house. She passed by the offices that the governor used for his state affairs and the library and the sitting room. When she came to the parlor, the same room she had been in the first day she had ever set foot in the mansion, she stepped inside and crossed the room to stand in front of the fireplace. The two large portraits of the late Mrs. Clayton Ramsey, Jr. stood like sentinels over the room. Evie looked up into the face of the woman who had shared a life with the man to whom she had bargained her life. She had a very unassuming beauty and her face carried a distant sadness along with the demure smile. Her eyes seemed haunted, like a caged bird who had once known freedom to fly and to sing, and was now caged, flightless and songless. Until now, the only place in this entire house that did not seem to stifle the very breath from her lungs had been the balcony outside her bedroom. But now she felt the same peace of mind when she stood here beneath these portraits of a woman long since passed. How had she died, she wondered. She would probably never know because her time here was almost over.
She thought of Livvy and Jed. What would their plans be? If things were different, Jed would have been leaving with her and Hannibal to wherever they decided to go. But she knew that he would never leave Livvy and Gabbie and Livvy would never leave Heavenly Hills. But it didn't really matter where they all went as long as they were far from Cheyenne. If they were far away, their whereabouts unknown, no one could blame them for any crime. Evie smiled to herself. The governor's plan had failed. His son had not stopped his nightly romps. The community still witnessed his indiscretions and the governor's attempts to frame Heyes and Curry for a hanging offence would fall on deaf ears, because not only did everyone in Cheyenne love Hannibal and Jed, they would be far and away from here. And the two most wonderful ex outlaws who had ever cracked a safe or held up a train would walk away free men.
Evie had been stuck in her private wing of the house, which was really only four rooms, for over a month now. And when she did leave the privacy of her suite of rooms, someone was always following her and watching her every move. But tonight, she had the entire house to herself. The only other people awake were the men on guard outside. She wrapped her robe more tightly around herself and headed down the hallway towards the big kitchen at the rear of the house. She was hungry. The cook had sent up slices of a decadent spice cake with the meal that she and Martha had shared earlier this evening. She had been lying awake for the past hour thinking about that cake, and desiring a second slice. Such mundane thoughts had not been part of her life since she'd lived in Red Rock on the McCreedy ranch. It felt good to be half way normal again.
She passed by the closed doorway of the bedrooms of the governor and his son. She recalled vividly the day they had mistakenly entered Clay's bedroom and Livvy had begun to nurse Gabbie. When Clay had come in unexpectedly, showing great affection to a very young man, she had quickly stood in front of Livvy to shield her from prying eyes. When Martha had screamed and the two men became aware of their presence, Clay had done his best to shield the young man from prying eyes, not wanting anyone to know his identity. Clay had not even noticed that Livvy was nursing the baby and not Evie. He was too busy trying to get his young lover out of the door. But Clayton had come running in just in time to see Livvy sitting behind Evie, pulling her dress together and handing the baby to Martha. She wished she could go back in time and lock that door. If they had just locked the door, none of this would be happening. But then again, Hannibal and Jed would most likely still be in prison with no chance of getting out. But it didn't matter now. She would be leaving here soon and she was counting the minutes.
Raiding the kitchen in the middle of the night was a simple pleasure she had missed and had taken for granted before her life had become such a tangled mass of lies. And she felt incredibly light and free as she enjoyed this simple pleasure once again. She saw what she was looking for as soon as the candle light entered the massive room. She opened the door to the maple wood pie safe and found the treasure it held. A devilish grin that had more to do with the reappearance of a dimple faced cowboy in her life than with cake crossed her face as she eyed the sumptuous confection with its brown sugar frosting. All she needed now was a knife and a plate. She turned to go in search of a plate and almost screamed when the faint light from the candle she held caught the figure sitting at the big wooden table in the center of the kitchen.
"Good evening, darling,'' Clay Ramsey said from the darkness.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone was still up except me. I'll leave you alone. Good night," she said quickly as she turned to head for the door.
"No, please. By all means stay and have your cake. That is what you were seeking wasn't it? The cake. I think that was the first time I've ever seen you smile. Unless of course you count those forced smiles you offer to my father's foolishly blind constituents. I've had that same cake many times and while it is quite good, I find it hard to believe that it is good enough to put that kind of smile on your face." He smiled and looked her up and down. "He's been here hasn't he? Your outlaw lover has paid you a visit I do believe. Oh, my dear, you must be careful. Father would not like that."
Evie said nothing at first. Had they been seen? Did Clay know or was he fishing? She decided to change the subject and hopefully figure out just how much he knew. "Why aren't you out for the evening like you usually are?"
"I don't go out when my father is away. I prefer to stay home and enjoy the solitude and the peace of his absence. Just as you were doing before you ran into me. We really are more alike than you think. You know, you and your aunt are a perfect fit for this family when I think about it. Your both absolutely gifted when it comes to the game of deception. You're both really very good at it. You think I don't know everything, but you're wrong. I know that baby isn't yours. I know you think I was so startled by your presence in my room that first day we met that I didn't notice that it was aunt's breast and not yours that baby suckled. Although, I must admit that it didn't really dawn on me what I had seen until the day we married. I even goaded you about the child that very day and you kept up the ruse with magnificent aplomb. You even chided me for speaking about your child. Brava, darling. And all those excuses for the baby not coming with us on our outings, again I say, brava. Everyone bought those lies and the child wasn't even here. She was a thousand miles away with her real mother. And I do believe that everyone in town thinks we are a happily married couple, thanks in large part to your exemplary skills as an actress. And what is acting but convincing everyone that you are someone you really are not with lies? Oh, what a tangled web you weave, darling. How ironic that your name would be Webb and now here you are trapped in one, just like a I am."
Evie could only stand there and listen as Clay rattled on. She hated being part of any lie, but what choice had she had. She knew she had to play the part or Hannibal and Jed would pay the price. She supposed she had been born with the gift to deceive. Her father after all was an expert con artist. And she herself had pulled a con when she and the boys had been in a dire situation. That did not put her in the same class with the likes of Clayton Ramsey or his son.
"And speaking of being tangled in a web of lies, it's probably a good thing that your so practiced in the art, because once you get entangled in one of Clayton Ramsey's webs, you never get out. But don't take my word for it. You should ask my mother. Oh, but wait, you can't because she's dead. Or maybe you should ask my sister. Oh, but she can't string together a coherent sentence now thanks to my father."
Evie took a few steps closer so the light hit Clay's face. He held a mug of coffee in his hand and he looked and sounded stone sober. She had begun to think he was drunk, but she knew now that he was not.
"What happened to your mother, Clay?" Evie asked, her curiosity piqued after seeing the woman's portraits only a few moments ago.
"My mother," he said quietly and with a note of sadness. "She fell. She somehow managed to go over the railing of the landing at the top of the stairs at our home in Casper. Dr. Graves said she must have fainted while standing too close to the railing and fell. But my sister heard her scream as she fell to her death. She didn't faint and she didn't fall. She was pushed. And the only other people in the house were my father and my sister."
A cold chill ran down Evie's spine. He was accusing his father of murdering his mother. Hadn't Livvy said as much after only knowing Clayton Ramsey for a few days?
"You must really love that outlaw. And it is the dark one that you love, if I'm correct. The blond one seems to have taken a fancy to your aunt if the child they produced is any indication. Unless you and your aunt are into sharing." His dark eyes narrowed as he inspected her face for a reaction. "No? Then I guess you really do love him, because there's no other explanation for why anyone would be so stupid as to enter into any sort of agreement with my father. So I can only conclude that you are deliriously in love with him. How sweet. Which one is the dark one anyway? It is Heyes or Curry? I can't remember. But I certainly remember what he looks like. Umm umm, no wonder you've gone to such lengths to get him out of prison. Silky dark hair, soulful brown eyes, lean and fit and those dimples, my goodness. If I had a man like that I'd deal with the devil to keep him too. "
If his intent had been to ruffle her feathers, he certainly had succeeded. She grew angry as she listened to him talk about her Hannibal with a smug smirk on his face. She wanted to slap that smirk right off. But she didn't. "His name is Hannibal Heyes. And how dare you mock me. What would you know about love? Have you ever sacrificed anything for the sake of someone else?" she spat at him defensively.
His face changed. The smugness disappeared and was replaced by a look of complete and utter sorrow. He looked at her like a little boy who had just buried his puppy. "This might come as a shock to you, but as a matter of fact I do know very well what it's like to lose someone I love. Just as you know what it's like."
Evie felt suddenly sorry for Clay Ramsey. Yes, she knew all to well what it was like to lose a parent. And though hers were gone, at least she had known they loved her. She doubted if Clay had ever felt loved by his father. And his sister may as well have been dead from what she had heard of her condition. "I'm sorry about your mother and your sister." She took her lamp and headed for the door, the cake now forgotten.
She was just about to walk out of the door and into the hallway when he called out, "It's not true, you know. All those things they say about me. I don't do all those vile things to young boys like they say. I admit I got a little carried away that day you saw me in my room. I rarely bring company to the house. And that young man was seventeen. It was just that he reminded me so of.... I'm not a monster, Evangeline. You think me unfeeling and uncaring, when in fact the opposite is true. I feel so much and hurt so deeply that the only relief I have from the hell that is my life is to drink myself into a blind stupor. And the truth of the matter is I don't like to drink alone. Grown men don't want to be around me. But the young ones....you'd be surprised what the promise of free booze and food will make young men do. They will even put a dress on over their clothes and follow you wherever you go. But they always leave before the morning comes. They drink their fill and spend all my money, all the while pretending to listen while I pour my heart out and then leave me to wallow in my own self pity." He paused for a moment, staring into space with a sad, distant look. "I was in love once, just like you. His name was Nicholas and he was my everything, my soul mate, my destiny. I would have gladly given my life to save his. Do you not feel the same about your outlaw lover? After all you have in a sense given your life in exchange for his, haven't you?"
Evie's first instinct was to simply ignore his question and leave the room. What did she care if or how this man had suffered? But her mind could not let go of the image of his mother's haunting eyes. This man was her son. It wasn't his fault that his mother had died and left him to be fathered by a soulless man. Perhaps all he needed or wanted was someone to listen. "I would have given everything I have, including my life to get him out of that prison," she said.
"And in so doing you put yourself in prison. It really is like a Shakespearean tragedy, isn't it? You can never be happy unless the man you love is free to be with you, but the only way to free him is to bargain yourself into bondage, thus rendering yourself unable to be with him anyway. It's both tragic and beautiful at the same time."
"And what of you and Nicholas? Is that a tragic and beautiful story as well?" Evie asked, her curiosity piqued further.
"There's nothing beautiful about murder, my dear, Evangeline. Nicholas was murdered. Just like my mother. But for different reasons. Because I loved him he died. His only crime was daring to love the son of the almighty Clayton Ramsey, Jr."
Evie was grateful for the dim light. She didn't want Clay to see the look on her face. "Are you saying that your father killed him?"
"Oh, he didn't do the deed himself. That's what he has Bartholomew for. Bartholomew is the brawn and my father is the brains. Good old Bart does all my father's dirty work and dear old dad in return covers his tracks and keeps him out of trouble with the law. They've been taking care of each other that way since they were children."
Evie didn't know what to say. Clay had basically just accused his father of murder, Not once, but twice. And he talked about it as if he were discussing the price of pigs in the market. And Evie had no reason not to believe it. She felt the bile rise in her throat. She groped for the nearest chair and moved on shaky legs to sit down.
"I'm sorry. I've upset you. But I think it's only fair that if your going to be part of our happy family, you really must know what you're getting yourself into. I couldn't have this conversation with you while he and Bartholomew were here. I never intended to seek you out to tell you anything, but I had decided that should the occasion arise when we could be alone to speak freely, that I would share with you all of our wonderful family secrets. So it would appear that something or someone made plans for us to meet here tonight so I could enlighten you."
Evie sat in astonishment, trying to absorb all that he had just said. Clayton Ramsey, Jr., governor of the territory of Wyoming was a murderer. She knew he was a despicable, conceited, self-serving man who made her feel uncomfortable, but a murderer?
"Of course, my mother and Nicholas were just stumbling blocks for my father. When he runs into an obstacle he simply removes it. He did however draw the line with my sister and me. I guess he thought that too much tragedy in one man's life would be suspicious. He didn't kill my sister even though she could have told that he pushed my mother to her death. Instead he just pays Dr. Graves a king's ransom to live with her at our home in Riverton and keep her sedated. There's nothing wrong with her except that she knows too much that could mean the ruin of my father. Laudanum is the drug of choice that the good doctor uses to render my sister practically comatose. And my father looks again like the poor victim. A dead wife, a daughter gone mad from losing her mother. And then there's me of course. The biggest disappointment a man can have, a son who's a fag. When I was a boy I used to enjoy a nice daily beating for playing dress up with my sister. And when I refused to court girls during my teens, Bartholomew convinced me otherwise, with his fists." Clay continued to speak as he rose from the table and moved about the kitchen. Evie was so lost in her own thoughts as she listened to him that she paid on attention to what he was doing until a plate with a huge piece of cake was placed in front of her. He took his chair once more and proceeded to talk. "I fell in love with Nicolas when I was sixteen. He was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. He had wavy brown hair and a pair of green eyes that could read my every thought. But it wasn't just his looks that I loved. He knew me, really knew me, better than anyone ever has or ever will. He made me feel like I was the only man in the world. I felt safe and protected when he was around. But most importantly, I felt loved. I knew if he and I could be together that nothing in this world could ever touch either of us. We just had to get around one tiny mountain named Clayton Ramsey, Jr. My mother played the devil's advocate for us but my father was outraged that his son wanted to spend this life with another man. He was even more outraged that my mother was on my side. That's when he forbade me to ever see Nicholas again. When my mother tried to help me escape the house one night so Nicholas and I could leave town together, he caught us. He placed armed guards around the house and I had to be escorted by one of them everywhere I went. It was only a few days later that my mother died and Nicholas disappeared. His body was found floating in the river a few weeks later." He paused as if in thought. He looked at her untouched cake and asked, "You're not eating your cake?"
She turned an incredulous frown towards his smiling face. "I'm not hungry anymore."
His smile faded. "I've upset you again. I'm sorry. I should have kept all these things to myself, I suppose. I thought that you would want to know everything since you're going to be in this family for the rest of your life. I'm afraid that once you're in it there is no escape. Believe me I've tried. I was hoping to find a friend and an ally in you. Misery does love company you know. We could be miserable together."
"You'll have to excuse me, Clay. I don't feel well. I think I should go to my room and lie down."
She rose on shaky legs, and started for the door, only to be stopped once more by Clay's words. "Oh, just one last thing. Not that it matters much, but that amnesty your outlaw friends were hoping for all that time....he never intended to give it to them. He only started that program to clear Bartholomew of his crimes. They say he's killed over a dozen men, but no one can prove it. Of course no one knows about that. It wasn't until after Bartholomew was granted amnesty that the program was made public. Why not draw in the unsavory element? Who better to have indebted to you than a whole bunch of men who are inclined to mischief? Grant them amnesty and they are willing to do just about anything for you. Who do you think is guarding this place right now? But what was my father to do when a sheriff no less comes seeking amnesty for two criminals who really do want to change their ways? If he granted amnesty to two wanted men as famous as Curry and Heyes, then there might be some investigation into the program. Someone might discover that every petty thief he gave an amnesty to ended up on my father's payroll. Or worse someone might discover that his right hand man was a murderer who had received the very first amnesty. He couldn't have that. So he came up with a creative plan, as always. Make them prove that they can go straight. I think he assumed they would never make it a year. Too bad they got arrested. It would have been very amusing to see how my father would have gotten out of giving them that amnesty had they made it another year."
Evie couldn't listen to anymore. She had heard enough. With the candlestick in one hand and her skirts in the other she ran on bare feet through the dark house and up the stairs. Once she was in her room, she slammed the door shut and locked it tight. Dear, God, what have I gotten myself into. Please help me out of this. She felt like she was trapped in a waking nightmare and the darkness that surrounded this place seemed to swirl about her feet, waiting to consume her. She didn't want to spend another second in this house. But how could she escape with all the guards outside the walls? She wasn't Hannibal Heyes or Kid Curry. She didn't know how to sneak in and out undetected. She would be caught for sure. If only she could let him know somehow that she was ready to leave right now, he would come for her she was sure. He would get her and Martha out of here tonight. But he was waiting for her to leave the first morning after the governor arrived back home. That was the plan. But things had changed now that she knew exactly what kind of monster she was actually dealing with. She was afraid. She had been uncomfortable around Clayton Ramsey that was for sure. But she had never been afraid. But now, she was afraid.
Hannibal, please come and get me, she screamed inside of her head. She looked at the candle she held, the flame dancing. "If you need me, set the gardens on fire or something. I'll be here." That's what he had told her before he had left her last night. She ran towards the open French doors and out onto the balcony where she hurled the flaming candle over the edge with all of her might. She watched as the candle landed in the vining morning glories that grew beneath a weeping cherry tree. But the growth was too green and the recent rains had made the ground too damp. The flame sputtered and went out. Her shoulders drooped and she felt hopeless for a moment. Then she thought of Hannibal, waiting for her outside those walls. He would tell her to be calm and stick with the plan. That was always the secret to a successful operation, Hannibal had told her. Always stick with the plan.
Now she really did hope Clayton Ramsey returned soon. Because the sooner he got back, the sooner she could leave this place and all of it's misery behind. She shivered though it was not cold. And the swirling darkness seemed to laugh.
