Against All Odds

by Marian L. Jasper

  He said that he would only need one other and that would be Zelma’s brother. The scout would take Mark to join Cole’s wagon train once it had left Benson and then make sure it was safe for him to join another train that was travelling towards New York, as he neared New York the scouts responsibility would be finished.

  Zelma’s brother was going to take a white man’s shod horse and take the lieutenant’s uniform and ride a route towards Mexico. On the way he would partially bury the clothes giving the impression that he was still heading in that direction.

  For a short while, Mark would be dressed in Indian clothes until he reached Cole’s wagons where there would be civilian clothes for him, letters of instruction from Liza, which he would have to destroy once read and also he would have enough money to survive for quite a while.

  How Liza was going to get Mark out of the fort had yet to be thought out, but once the opportunity arose, the scout would travel with Mark until they reached Cole’s wagon which would have already left the town and was well on its way to join the next one. Once in New York, he was to go to Walter Anderson who would train him to take over security duties and then take him to Liverpool to head the new security group there. When he had settled in Liverpool it would be up to him whether he stayed with the company or went on his own way and found his own employment, although Liza hoped that he would stay with the company.

  The scout left and said that he would fetch Zelma’s brother and they would wait near the town until Liza could release Mark.

  It was fortunate that the soldier guarding the prison liked whisky and one of Zelma’s potions would make doubly sure that he was unconscious. The sergeant in charge always left Liza on her own with Mark, but it would be better to visit at dusk and the drunken soldier would then be on duty alone.

  Liza was going to write to Walter Anderson asking him to organise false papers for Mark and when he arrived, pretend to interview him for the security job, never mentioning that she knew him. Mark would have to change his name and Liza thought that Michael would be right as the shortened version could be Mike which sounded like Mark and if he made a mistake, he could cover it that way. So Michael Decker was born that afternoon. Liza preferred the name Mark but that was probably only because she knew him that way.

  “You’re going to be in serious trouble if you get caught, Liza,” said Zelma.

  “My biggest problem is Patrick. I don’t know how I’m going to keep this from him and I know he’d be able to tell if I’m lying. He’ll probably eventually find out and he’ll be so upset with me that I don’t know if he’ll ever forgive me,” said Liza.

  “This is something that you must do, Liza,” said Zelma.

  “I’ve got to go and see Kathy and Joe as well as Greg Long and call on the blacksmith to find out if his brother would be interested in working at the general store when Greg transfers to working the printing press. When I get back, I’ve got to write several letters. Ada and the colonel have asked me to write to Edward about Felicity, so I’ve got a very busy afternoon and evening,” said Liza.

  She fed and changed Meg who went back to sleep and naturally Zelma would look after her until Liza returned to write her letters, which would probably be well after the boys were home from school.

  Kathy and Joe were disappointed that Liza hadn’t brought Meg with her to visit, but understood that she had calls to make. Liza suggested to them that she ask the blacksmith’s brother if he would be interested in taking over Greg’s duties at the store. With their agreement, Liza went to see the blacksmith, Archie Trower. She told him that she understood that his brother was looking for employment. She was tactful enough not to mention that he was not interested in following in his brother’s footsteps. Archie called to his brother who appeared with a slight scowl on his face. He cheered up when he heard why Liza was there and rushed away to tidy himself before going to the general store to see Kathy and Joe. He walked to the store with Liza and everyone tried not to show their amusement at his overwhelming enthusiasm. Greg was also enthusiastic about the arrival of the printing press and immediately wanted to rush down to the shop where it was going to be housed.

  “We’ll go tomorrow, Greg,” said Liza. “I’ll meet you down there at around eleven, which will give you a chance to show Sam some of what happens here, if that’s all right with you, Kathy and Joe. I presume that you are happy for Sam to work here, after all it’s also your home.”

  “Of course we are, Liza, we’ve known Sam for a while now and I’m sure Greg will still be on call to help where necessary to get Sam into the routine, and as you say the press hasn’t arrived yet so there won’t be much for him to do,” said Joe.

  “There’s just a bit of cleaning and tidying to do at the shop. I’ll have to get Charlie Penn to make a desk and some chairs for us, but we’ve got to learn how it works first, haven’t we, Greg?” laughed Liza and with that she left for home and to start writing replies to all her letters and also those to prepare for Mark’s departure.

  The boys arrived home from school and needed her attention for a while and then Meg was rather fretful, so it was quite some time before Liza could start on her letters and she wanted to finish the one to Walter Anderson before Patrick arrived home, which she finally managed with a few minutes to spare. She addressed it to Walter and placed it in with a short note to Henry asking him to hand it to Walter as it was a private matter to do with the security of her various properties. She felt that it was just a white lie and she would be forgiven for it.

  “When we’ve had supper, Patrick,” said Liza, “I have a very difficult letter to write. Ada and the colonel have asked me to write to Edward to inform him of Felicity’s death and I need to get it on its way by tomorrow.”

  “You don’t get very easy tasks, do you Liza?” said Patrick.

  “No and somehow I feel that everything is going to get more difficult,” said Liza.

  With supper over and Zelma feeding Meg and Patrick making sure the boys were settled, Liza sat down and started her letter to Edward.

  ’My dearest Edward,

  I have been asked by Ada and the colonel to write to you about a very unhappy event. I am so sorry to have to tell you that Felicity is no longer with us. She died just over a week ago and has now been laid to rest.

  The circumstances of her death are extremely sad for all those involved. I’m afraid that one of our lieutenants fell hopelessly in love with her, as you did yourself Edward at one time. The colonel felt that it would be in the best interests of this man to send him away to the fort at Clarkson, but the lieutenant mistakenly thought that Felicity felt the same way about him.

  I do not wish to pass judgement on Felicity, but I have to tell you that this lieutenant returned to find her in flagrante delicto with another lieutenant and I am reminded of your mother’s words that love and hate are very strange bedfellows. The unfortunate outcome of all this is that both Felicity and her gentleman friend died and now a young lieutenant is awaiting trial for double murder.

  The trial will not last long as the lieutenant is not denying the charges and he will be paying the ultimate price for his moment of utter madness.

  I do not feel that it is the right time to go into further detail about these terrible events, but when I next see you and if you wish to know more then I will, of course, tell you whatever you need to know.

  My only advice to you is to try to remember Felicity as she was when you first saw her and put all her subsequent actions down to the fact that she often did not know what she was doing.

  I will be writing to your mother and father but will leave it for a little while to enable you to break the news to them firstly yourself.

  I think of you often, my dearest Edward and remember our times together with great affection.

  My love to you and all your family,

  Liza’

  Liza really wanted to tell him how awful Felicity had been to her, the boys, Mark, her own parents and just about everyone in Benson. She also
wanted to tell him that Mark was a decent man and he should be forgiven for killing two people that the world was better off without, but she wouldn’t do that no matter how much she would have liked to.

  She also wrote to Peter telling him to go ahead with the farms on the Welsh border if he felt that they would be an asset to the company, as long as they didn’t cost too much. She added that she had yet to study all the accounts which he had sent her and would be getting in touch again, although all seemed to be running well and showed that good profits did not seem too far away. She told him that she would be writing to his father separately about other matters, and she wished him well and thanked him for the conscientious way in which he was handling this venture.

  She would write the letter of instruction for Mark when it was quiet the next day. This she would be giving to Cole to hand to Mark when he was with him. Also the next day she must withdraw funds from the bank some of which would pay for the renovations to the printing shop and what she was going to give to Mark could be lost amongst those costs.

  When Cole arrived she would ask him to buy some new clothes, in theory for him and for Jack but they would be for Mark to wear. She had no doubt that Cole and Jack would help with Mark’s escape without question as they would know that she had a very good reason for wanting him free. She really must start thinking of him as Mike now, which would not be easy.

  Liza still had to work out a way to get him from the prison to where the scout would be waiting. The guard would be relatively easy, but then the only solution that Liza could see was to get Mark into her buggy as quickly as possible, somehow hide him and take him to the meeting place next to a rugged outcrop which would not show his foot prints, although the scout would be expert in concealing them. However, the tracks of her buggy would be heavier on the way there than when he left to climb onto the rocks. Any good scout would be able to see that but unless she could think of another solution then she would have to take that chance.

  That night Patrick was more loving than usual and Liza, as always, responded as she loved Patrick so much, but she had an overwhelming feeling of guilt which kept her awake. The thoughts which were crowding in on her were those of how she was jeopardising her marriage, her children and her own freedom. She should stop and just let Mark take his chances with a possible lenient sentence from the court martial, but there would be no lenient outcome and she could not let Mark die, he was needed for the future. Or was he? Were her dreams just dreams? But he’d had the same dream, and neither of them had been asleep when that came to them and James had been very clear. She wished that Patrick could see what she’d seen, but that would complicate it even further.

  Liza looked very tired when she came down to see the boys before they went off to school. “Did you have a bad night Liza?” asked Zelma.

  “Yes, I have a lot on my mind,” said Liza and Zelma nodded. Patrick heard her and wondered why as she had been very responsive last night and he would have thought that she should have slept well after their exertions, he had slept like a baby.

  “What have you got on your mind, Liza? Is it because Mark’s trial will be coming up shortly?” asked Patrick.

  “I suppose that’s one thing that’s on my mind, but so is Meg. She hasn’t looked too well recently. The boys seem happy enough, but I seem to end up everywhere but where they are. I don’t seem to have enough time with you, Patrick, but that’s my fault and now I have a printing press arriving possibly today and although I’m looking forward to that challenge, do I really have the time?” said Liza.

  “Yes, you have the time, Liza; as long as you don’t try to do everything at the same time,” said Patrick. “It will all work out for you, I’m sure. So Benson will soon have its own newspaper then?”

  “I wouldn’t go that far, Patrick. Maybe its own news sheet from time to time to start with. We have yet to find out how to work a printing press, but that will be part of the fun,” said Liza.

  The boys left for school and Patrick rode off to the fort leaving Liza and Zelma to sort out their day.

  “Have you organised a way to get Mark out of the prison?” asked Zelma.

  “All that I can think of is that I’ll have to somehow hide him in my buggy. It’s not an ideal solution, but in the absence of any other suggestions, it’s what will have to happen,” said Liza.

  As she was getting ready for the day, she heard the familiar rumblings of wagons going past the house and towards a parking-up space nearer the fort. She rushed down the stairs to Zelma who was feeding Meg. “Cole’s here, I’ve just heard the wagons. I’m going to get Greg and we’ll see what our printing press looks like.” She was off at break neck speed, stopping at the general store to collect Greg who threw off his overall and was attempting to catch up with Liza who was almost running in her haste to see her latest purchase.

  Greg was surprised to see Cole lift Liza up and swing her around, not many people would take such a liberty, he thought. It took five hours to get the press into place and then another two to unload paper and ink. When it was done, they all stood around looking at it.

  “It’s a little daunting, isn’t it?” said Liza to nobody in particular. The desk and chairs weren’t yet ready so standing was the only option. Several people from town called by to see what a press looked like and all seemed to think that it would be in use by the next day. Amongst the visitors was Corporal Shaw and he pushed Laurie into the premises in front of him.

  “Good afternoon Laurie, Corporal,” said Liza. “It’s nice to see you both, how are you, Laurie?”

  “I’m well, thank you, Liza,” said Laurie. “Bart suggested that I come and see the new printing press. My father used to work for a printer and I used to go with him on occasion.”

  Liza, Greg, Cole and Jack all turned towards her and stood smiling. She looked a little unnerved by their close interest.

  “You used to go with him on occasion,” repeated Liza. “Well, that means that you know a hundred per cent more than we do how to use it. Would you be interested in helping us, Laurie?”

  “This one is much newer than the one I knew, but I suppose the principle would be the same. I have to say that my father wasn’t the one who set the type, he used to clean it and put the characters away when the printing was finished,” said Laurie.

  “Yes, but you know how it should work, which is more than we do. Well, both Greg and I have read up on it, but you’ve seen it in action. Have we put it together correctly?” asked Liza.

  “It seems like it, but I’ll have a closer look,” and she and Greg ended up with their heads together discussing the various parts of the superb piece of equipment.

  “I see a piece of metal has taken my place,” smiled Corporal Shaw. “I need to get back to the fort anyway, so I’ll see you tomorrow Laurie. Goodbye everyone.” He touched his hat and left smiling.

  Greg and Laurie were touching and moving pieces of the press and discussing its merits with Jack telling them how he thought it should work. Gradually Liza and Cole moved to the front of the premises.

  “What is it, Liza, what do you have to tell me? I can see that you are troubled,” said Cole.

  Liza could see that nobody else could hear what she had to say, so she started, “Cole, I need to ask you to hide somebody and get him on his way to New York without anybody knowing.”

  “It isn’t the person who killed the colonel’s daughter, is it?” he asked.

  Liza nodded and Cole carried on, “Why Liza, what is he to you?”

  “To me, he’s a friend and the godfather to my daughter and a close colleague of Patrick’s, but more than that he has a future that needs to be lived for the sake of others and to execute him would, in itself, be a crime against more than himself. I’m asking a great deal of you and I don’t do it lightly,” said Liza.

  “Does Patrick know what you are planning, Liza?” he asked.

  “No, of course he doesn’t. I wish I could tell him, I’ve never had to keep anything from him before and I do
n’t like doing it but I’m afraid it’s necessary,” said Liza.

  “I’ve never known you do anything without a good reason, Liza, but this does make me uneasy. Can you tell me why it’s so important that he gets away with murder, although I understand that what he did was in a moment of madness,” said Cole.

  “You would think I was crazy if I told you,” said Liza.

  “No, Liza, I wouldn’t think you crazy. I just need to understand why I’m getting myself into a dangerous situation,” said Cole.

  “It is necessary to preserve this man’s future. By his execution it would mean denying life to his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, maybe even more, and they are the important ones who are needed, therefore, he is needed. His dying now will change the future and not for the better. It does sound crazy, doesn’t it?” said Liza with a sinking feeling that he wasn’t going to help her.

  “The Cherokees say that you have the power to see the future and do great things for them. Whether they are right or not, I don’t know, but I have seen you summon a higher authority than here on earth and I’ve heard how you take the fear away from the dying and how you have survived against all odds. I’ve seen a look on your face and in your eyes that is almost mystical. Jack has seen it too and I know that it was why the Indians took you. You always denied that you were the one to fulfil their prophecy, but I think they were right and that one day you will return to them. You’re protected by them now,” said Cole.

  “Oh no, I won’t return to them. That was a time in my life that I would prefer to forget. I lived in fear that they would find out that I wasn’t who they thought I was and I would much rather die than be forced back into that life. Yes, I know they protect me and they have agreed to help me now, but I do need your help also. This is the first time that I have had a recurring dream about the future and I’m not the only one who has seen what will take place a long time from now,” said Liza.