Last Promise (23 page)

It wasn't long before Henry arrived with Clive, but Hardwicke blocked the bedroom door and questioned the elderly man before allowing him to enter. “Have you removed bullets before?”

“Dozens of times,” Clive assured him.

“What has been the survival rate of your patients?” Stafford asked.

“About fifty-fifty.” Clive had lived too long not to see his fair share of trouble. He saw no reason to lie to the man. “The way I see it, I'm the only chance she has unless you want to dig that bullet out.”

Hardwicke allowed the man to go to his daughter's side, but not without warning. “Nothing dire better happen to her or you will answer to me.”

Clive stared harshly at Hardwicke for a brief moment. He didn't like being threatened, but he wouldn't let the man keep him from doing what he could for his daughter. “Lillian, hold that lantern for me, please.” Lillian grabbed the lantern and held it close while Clive inspected the wound in Mary Ann's back. “You did a good job of cleaning this, Lillian.”

“What do you think?” Lillian asked.

“I think she is a lucky young woman.” Clive turned to address Hardwicke and Stafford. “If you two are squeamish, I suggest you leave the room now.” Once they'd left the room, Clive pulled his black bag open and pulled out what he needed. “Lillian, are you ready with that whiskey?”

“I'll be ready. You just be careful with her, she's a special gal,” Lillian warned.

“Yes, ma'am. Now hold that lantern close.” Clive bent over and went to work. It didn't take him long to dig the bullet out and when he was done he expelled a loud breath. He held it up for Lillian to see. “That did it and nothing vital was hit.”

“Thank God.” Lillian breathed a sigh of relief. “This little gal probably saved my life.”

Clive smiled at her. “Henry told me. Don't you worry, she will be fine.”

Lillian set the lantern down and handed him the bandages. “She awoke once, but she quickly passed out again. Do you think she will be out for long?”

“Hard to say, her body has had quite a shock.” Clive finished with the bandage and he put his hand on Mary Ann's forehead. “She feels feverish.”

“That's not good,” Lillian said.

“No. We'll keep a close eye on her. I'll stay for a while to see how she does.” He tucked some quilts around Mary Ann so she couldn't turn over if she awoke.

“Have you eaten?”

“No, I was getting ready to eat when Henry arrived.”

Lillian stood and started toward the door. “I'll tell her father how she's doing and warm some stew for you.”

“Tell the stagecoach driver to come on back and I'll tend his hand. And if you don't mind, bring back a cup so I can have some of that whiskey.”

After Clive ate his meal Lillian told him to get some sleep and she stayed with Mary Ann. She had almost fallen asleep in the chair when she heard a moan coming from Mary Ann. She immediately came alert and grabbed a cup and poured some whiskey in case she needed to give it to her for pain. Mary Ann moaned again and it sounded like she was mumbling something. Lillian leaned over her, trying to hear what she was saying.

“Luke.”

Mary Ann mumbled the word, but Lillian understood. “Honey, it's me, Lillian.” Just a few hours ago Mary Ann had told her about the handsome man she'd fallen in love with in Wyoming. Lillian figured she was dreaming of him. “Honey, you are with us in Missouri. You're going to be fine. Now just get some rest.” Lillian felt her forehead again and thought her fever was even higher, so she ran to get Clive.

“Let's continue to wash her down and hope it breaks soon.” Clive heard Mary Ann trying to say something. “Can you make out what she is saying?”

Lillian closed the door and then told Clive the story Mary Ann had told her about her time in Wyoming, and how her father came back to take her home to England. “She's being forced to marry that man, Stafford.”

“That's a shame,” Clive said. “I don't understand a man like that.”

“I guess it's easy enough to see what man she really loves.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Lillian and Clive worked all night to keep Mary Ann's fever down. The next afternoon her fever finally broke and Mary Ann awoke.

“How are you feeling, honey?” Lillian asked.

Mary Ann glanced around the room, her brow furrowed in confusion. “What happened?”

“Honey, you kept me from getting shot,” Lillian explained. “Don't you remember? You shielded me from that bullet and it went in your back instead of mine.” Lillian pointed to Clive. “Clive got the bullet out and no organs were hit, but you had a fever all night.”

Mary Ann turned her attention on the older man. “Thank you.”

“Think nothing of it. Do you think you could eat something?”

“I'm not very hungry, but I would like some water.”

Lillian held her head while she drank some water. “Honey, why on earth did you jump in front of that gun?”

“That man . . . I knew he was going to shoot you.” She remembered how she felt when that miscreant shot the stagecoach driver and then aimed his gun at Lillian. It was the same terror she felt that day when Luke was nearly shot in the back. She couldn't explain what she did, she'd just reacted. “Is the stagecoach driver all right?”

“He's fine, the bullet just grazed his hand.”

Mary Ann glanced at the door. “Where's my father?”

“He's in the front room. Do you want me to get him?”

“No.”

It was just a one-word response, but Lillian heard the immense sorrow it carried. “He has been very worried about you, and that young man as well.” She was stretching the truth, but she only wanted the best for Mary Ann. After what she had gone through, the least she could do was tell a little white lie. God would surely forgive her for that.

Mary Ann didn't respond to Lillian's comment. “Can I sit up?”

“Let me have a look at your wound first.” Clive was pleased with the condition of the wound so he and Lillian helped her into a sitting position. “Gently now.”

“I'm sure Father is displeased that we were unable to leave today.”

Lillian didn't confirm her statement even though she knew that Hardwicke was very unhappy that they weren't on their way this morning. “The stagecoach driver wasn't up to leaving either, and it would take a long time for another driver to arrive. So there is no need for you to fret. Everyone will have to be patient.”

“You don't need to be traveling right now.” Clive left the room to tell her father that very thing. He wouldn't allow Mary Ann's father to jeopardize her health with his impatience to get to England.

Lillian sat on the bed beside Mary Ann. “Do you want me to get your brush from your valise so I can brush your hair?”

Mary Ann's hand automatically went to her hair and she winced in pain from the movement. “That would be lovely.”

While they were alone Lillian decided to ask some questions about Mary Ann's father. “Do you think he would change his mind and allow you to stay here?”

Mary Ann explained to Lillian the reason she thought her father was adamant about the marriage. “Edmund wants to marry me and he's very wealthy.”

“There's no chance this fellow, Luke, would come for you?” She didn't want to tell Mary Ann that she'd said his name while she was delirious.

“No. I'm afraid he was angry with me for not telling him about Edmund. He thought I was playing him for a fool and he refused to forgive me. I didn't even get to say good-bye to him.”

The man had to be a fool if he didn't know how much Mary Ann cared for him. “Then he doesn't deserve you, either. Would you like me to speak to your father? Maybe I could convince him forcing you into a marriage will bring no happiness to anyone. I know I lead a simple life and I'm not a sophisticated person, but there is one thing I do know: Nothing is more important to a parent than the happiness and well-being of their children.”

“Thank you for offering, but it is pointless. Father would disagree and tell you that he knows what is best for me.” She appreciated Lillian's willingness to intercede on her behalf, though she knew her words would fall on deaf ears. She didn't want to chance her father being rude to Lillian, which he was apt to do. And if he thought she still cared for Luke he might send his watchdogs to hurt him.

Lillian felt sorry for Mary Ann. She couldn't imagine being in a loveless marriage. She'd been married to Henry for forty years and she loved him more today than the day they got married. “Maybe Henry could persuade him.”

Mary Ann shook her head. “I will go back with him.”

“I'm glad you've come to your senses.” Hardwicke stood at the doorway. “That man says you will be able to travel in a few days, so I guess we are forced to stay here until then.”

“I'm sorry, Father, but it can't be helped.”

Lillian wanted to throw the hairbrush at him for his insensitivity. Instead she stood and walked to the door basically blocking him from entering. “Why don't we allow your daughter time to rest? I'll make some dinner.”

Edmund came into Mary Ann's room to see her before dinner. “How are you feeling?”

“I'm fine.” Edmund's face held the same impatience as her father's.

“That was a foolhardy thing for you to do.” He couldn't believe Mary Ann had put herself in harm's way for a stranger. “How could you risk your own life like that?”

She didn't expect Edmund to understand. “I just reacted.”

“You shouldn't be so careless,” he admonished.

Mary Ann really didn't want to talk with him. “If you don't mind, Edmund, I would like to rest now.”

Edmund left and Mary Ann closed her eyes and thought of Luke. She remembered dreaming of him. He seemed so far away, and it had been so long since she'd seen him, yet she could recall every detail of his face and his unforgettable blue eyes.

Later that night Lillian and Mary Ann were alone in the room and Mary Ann asked Lillian how she met Henry. “I guess the story really begins when I was six years old. My mother made me a doll and I named him Henry. My mother told me it was a girl doll and I should give it a girl's name, but I wouldn't listen. Everyone laughed at me, but I didn't care. Several years later when I was twelve years old, Henry's family moved to a farm near us. I met him at church on a Sunday morning, and when I looked into his eyes I think I fell in love.”

“At that young an age?” Mary Ann was surprised by her revelation.

“Yes, but we didn't marry until I was seventeen. My mother told me I would meet many boys before I found the right one. But I knew all along Henry was the one.”

It was such a lovely story that Mary Ann started to cry. “I can't believe you named your doll Henry and then married a man with that name. It's almost like you knew he was coming.”

“Honey, I didn't mean to make you cry. I do believe the Good Lord told me Henry would be the one.”

Mary Ann thought about the first time she looked into Luke's blue eyes the day she arrived in Wyoming. While she thought he was very handsome, she was certain he was a gunfighter wearing that deadly looking pistol on his hip. When he came to her room he seemed friendly enough, but still he was intimidating. “It's such a wonderful story. I don't think I ever believed in love at first sight.”

“Henry said he felt the same way. He told his best friend the day he met me that he was going to marry me one day. From the day we wed, we've never been apart.”

“Do you ever have disagreements or get angry at one another?”

“Oh, we have our little spats now and again. But the Good Book says never let the sun go down on your anger. We try to live by that. Henry tells me every night that he loves me and I do the same. Life hasn't always been easy, but together we get through the worst of times. We both know we are better together than apart.”

What Mary Ann wouldn't give for a love like Lillian and Henry shared. “You have been so blessed to have such a love.” She thought of the McBride brothers and their wives. She was certain they shared a love that would last a lifetime.

* * *

Three days later the stagecoach pulled away from the station. Lillian was upset that Mary Ann was leaving so soon, but Hardwicke refused to stay another day. She didn't think Mary Ann had recovered enough for the long journey still ahead of her. In just a few short days Mary Ann had lost weight, and Lillian couldn't get her to eat more than a bite or two. She'd mentioned this fact to Hardwicke, but he told her when Mary Ann was hungry she would eat. Lillian had a difficult time understanding a man who was so indifferent to his daughter's welfare. It wasn't only Mary Ann's physical condition that troubled Lillian. She knew the young woman was emotionally spent. The first time she'd seen Mary Ann she was such a vibrant young woman excited about her adventure to the West. She was totally different now, almost as if the light in her eyes had been extinguished.

Mary Ann didn't feel up to leaving, but her father was making their lives miserable with his restlessness and his rude behavior. They were confined in such small quarters that they were getting on one another's nerves. Both Hardwicke and Stafford could have helped Henry with some of the work to keep themselves occupied, but they didn't offer. They seemed content to harp about everything they found inconvenient. And the list was long.

When it came time for Mary Ann to leave, Lillian cried and promised to write. Henry thanked Mary Ann for saving his wife and gently hugged her. They told her they hoped they would see her again. Mary Ann was very emotional saying her good-byes to Lillian and Henry for the last time, but she was so spent she couldn't even cry. Lillian handed a small bundle to Mary Ann. “Here's some biscuits and jam. I expect you to eat them.”

Clive instructed Mary Ann to try to keep from jostling around too much, but that would prove difficult riding in a stagecoach. At this point she couldn't wait to get on a ship where she could stay in bed during the entire crossing if she wanted and wouldn't be forced to look at her father or Stafford.

* * *

“That man is an insufferable fool,” Clive said when the stagecoach was out of sight.

Henry laughed. “And that Stafford character isn't much better.”

Lillian wiped her tears on her apron. “I feel like writing a letter to that cowboy in Wyoming and asking why he has his head up his tail. Most men wouldn't be so hardheaded to let such a wonderful gal get away.”

Henry and Clive looked at her and laughed. It was out of character for Lillian to say something so harsh. “Why do you say that?” Henry asked.

She told them about Luke McBride and how angry he'd been with Mary Ann over Stafford. “She tried to apologize to him, but he wouldn't listen.”

“I agree with you, that cowboy needs his brains examined. But if that English fop bothered him that much, I'd say that cowboy was jealous. I can understand a man being jealous, she's about the prettiest little thing I ever saw,” Clive said.

“And she's as lovely on the inside as she is on the outside,” Lillian said.

“I don't know why, but I have a feeling we will see her again,” Henry said.

Lillian had learned over the years to never underestimate her husband's intuition. She thought he was much more perceptive than most people, and she prayed he would be right this time. It saddened her to think of such a lovely young woman being forced into a loveless marriage. She didn't know how a woman could survive such a union.

* * *

It seemed to take forever, and Mary Ann could barely recall the final days of their journey, but at last, she was on the ship. As much as she detested the thought of going back to England, she was thankful for the privacy of her small cabin. She'd been in bed for days and she'd slept and slept, but she remained lethargic. Her wound had healed and it was no longer painful, but her heart hadn't healed. She was eating very little and losing more weight. Occasionally her father or Stafford would come to her cabin to see how she was doing. Their visits were never long and she was relieved when they left. She only wanted to be alone with her dreams.