by Nathan Adams
Lily entered the room as Doss was holstering his gun,
“Doss.” She didn’t know what to say. After all, what was there to be said?
“It’s all right, Lily.” He turned to her and caressed her cheek. “I know what you want to say, and lemme stop you there. It’s fine. We’re fine.” He smiled.
“You don’t have to do this for me,” she said.
“Of course I don’t. I want to.” He kept smiling. “Maybe you don’t see this yet, but I love you, Lily. I’ve loved you from the moment I laid my eyes on you. And whatever happened to you before I met you isn’t important to me.” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “What I want is you right here and right now. The you that is the result of all those positive and negative things that happened to you. They are what made you, well, you.” He suddenly laughed. “It all sounds a bit confusing, but ya know what I mean, right?” He kept his warm hand on her cheek.
“I do.” She closed her eyes and released one little tear. It would be the last one.
“Now, you also don’t know,” he tapped his gun, “that I’m a mean gunslinger, and Jarvil doesn’t stand a chance. I think he knows that himself.”
“But, you won’t hurt him, right?” She knew how shootouts ended. One person had to die. But maybe they could change it. No one had to die, if an important lesson was learned.
“Oh, gosh no!” Doss seemed shocked at her question. “I have no plans on killing a good friend of mine. That’d be … ” He couldn’t even say the words. “I’ll try to reason with him again. And again. And we’ll see what happens. If worse comes to worst, I’ll just scrape him a little. Nothin’ big or scary. I promise.” He winked at her, and she felt at ease. She knew that Jarvil wasn’t a bad guy. He surely didn’t deserve to die by the hand of one of his best friends. It’s just that he let his ego get the best of him. She was hoping that he would learn his lesson before there was any need to draw their guns.
As noon drew near, more and more people gathered at the square. On one side, Doss was already waiting, ready for anything. However, he meant every word that he said to Lily. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Jarvil. After all, the two had been friends for 20 years, and now, to squabble about a girl seemed crazy. But this was what Jarvil chose, and Doss decided to play along. He did have an ace up his sleeve, so he was eager to start the show.
When the church tower sounded noon, Jarvil exited from one of the opposing houses. His hat was cocked, shielding his eyes from the sun. He approached Doss slowly and confidently. The crowd was completely silent.
Doss decided this was the moment to try to talk some sense into Jarvil. He approached him.
“Jarvil.”
“Doss.”
The two men faced each other, but anyone watching from up close could see that the hatred from the previous day had already dissipated. Now all that was left was the promise of something horrible that had to be upheld. Neither of the two men wanted to back down. That would mean a shameful defeat.
“You can still put an end to this, Jarvil,” Doss said, only for Jarvil to hear.
“Doss,” Jarvil’s voice was weak.
“We can end this, right here, right now. Don’t be a fool, Jarvil.”
That was the wrong choice of words, Doss thought to himself. I’ll just get him going again. But Jarvil didn’t seem to be offended.
“Words were said, Doss. Ugly words.” Doss had known Jarvil long enough to realize that this was an apology. Jarvil finally came back to his senses and was thinking like his old self again.
“I know, old friend.” Doss felt the urge to place his hand on Jarvil’s shoulder, but that’d break the shootout code. No, there had to be another way of avoiding any bloodshed.
“Just aim for the heart, Doss. Please.” Jarvil’s voice was barely audible.
“I’ll have none of that, ya hear,” Doss hissed through his teeth. “No one’s dyin’ here today. I’ll make sure of that.”
Jarvil looked at him in surprise. “How’ll we pull it off?”
“Lemme think.” Doss closed his eyes. “All right. Just shoot to miss, ya hear? We’ll both miss. And that’ll be that. But I don’t mean shoot the windows behind me. Shoot at my feet, next to me, somewhere close, but shoot to miss. Got it?”
Jarvil nodded.
This was a plausible option. The last shootout ended the same way. Both shooters missed, and they decided not to repeat the trial. That’s how they’re going to do it now.
Seeing both men were ready, the sheriff organized the crowd and gave the two actors some space.
“Whenever ya’ll are ready, gentlemen!” the sheriff exclaimed.
Lily looked on from the crowd, enshrouded in Gertie’s loving embrace. The two women were praying that no one would get hurt.
Doss and Jarvil steadied themselves and stretched their fingers. The tension was growing, but not a sound was heard from the crowd. Their eyes were fixed on the two men who appeared to be ready to kill each other with one pull of the trigger.
Suddenly, two shots were fired, one shortly following the other. A huge amount of dust was raised, and after rubbing their eyes, the two men both stood victoriously. The crowd started clapping and cheering. This was enough of a show for them. But the sheriff needed to make it proper.
“Gentlemen!” he said. “It seems there’s a draw. Are we repeating the trial?”
The two men simultaneously answered: “No!”
Their replies were welcomed with even more cheers from the crowd, which meant that the shootout was over, and no one was hurt.
Lily rushed to meet Doss and fell into his arms.
“Doss!” She buried her face in his shoulders. “I’m so happy you’re all right!”
“It’s fine, Lily. We’re all fine.” He kissed her hair, which smelled like cherries.
All of a sudden, Jarvil approached them. Lily shuddered but then realized that he was back to his reasonable self and meant her no more harm.
“Lily.” Jarvil took off his hat and looked at the ground. She knew what he wanted to say, and she wasn’t going to allow him to undergo anymore torture than the one he already went through. She gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
“It’s all right, Jarvil. I understand. We,” she looked at Doss, “inderstand.” She smiled and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.
Jarvil returned the smile and felt relieved. He remembered all the Christian values and morals he was taught by his dear mother, and he felt ashamed of having let her down like that. He hoped that at least she was looking down upon him from the heavens and that she was proud he admitted his mistake and accepted responsibility.
When Doss and Lily were left alone, she couldn’t stop hugging him.
“Very affectionate, aren’t we?” He laughed, even though he had absolutely no problem being hugged and kissed by this wonderful woman.
“I’m so lucky to have met you, Doss McKelvey.” She smiled.
“Are ya now?” He hugged her back and placed his palm on her belly. “What would you say to me and you and this little person becoming a real family?”
Her eyes sparkled. “Do you mean it?” She could barely believe what she was hearing from this man.
“Lily.” He put his hand in his pocket and got out a little blue, plush box. “Will you marry me?”
He opened the box, and inside was the most beautiful engagement ring. She jumped into his arms.
“Now is that a yes or … ”
“Yes, yes, yes!” she shouted into his ear as he placed the ring gently on her ring finger. It was a perfect fit.
“It belonged to my mother,” he said. “I’m sure she would have loved to see you wear it.” Lily felt like she could cry with happiness, but this was no time for crying. Crying time was finally over. From now on, she would be smiling all the time.
The End
Return to the TOC
Regency Romance
Fallen Duchess
Victorian Regency Mystery
&nbs
p; By: Tracey D Morgan
chapter One
London 1890
Lady Sarah Hughes still couldn’t believe she was walking to the solemn, quiet house of her Great-Aunt Lady Clara Ainsworth. With each booted step she took on the cold, cobblestone pathway, the lovely, curly-haired blonde dwelt over the past fortnight of events that had pulled her to a place she wished she could be set free from. It was there at Great-Aunt Clara’s that she had once shared the joys of life with her cousin Lady Elizabeth Watson.
The two young women had grown up together. At the age of 3, they moved in with their great-aunt after each of them lost their parents to the ague epidemic that ran rampant along the British coast. Their mothers were twins, so it wasn’t a surprise that Sarah and Lizzy were as close as sisters, too. The two girls led quiet, routine lives. After the shocking murder of Lady Elizabeth, nothing was to be taken for granted ever again.
After the young ladies had been presented to society, the calling cards and courting quickly followed, more for Elizabeth than for Sarah. Lady Ainsworth was pleased that her dedication to making sure her two wards were educated and reared properly was producing results. With so much attention given to Elizabeth, a rare, auburn beauty, Lady Sarah began to fade into the background.
“Don’t give up hope, Sarah dear,” Aunt Clara said reassuringly. “You are just as beautiful as Elizabeth.”
“It’s no use trying to convince me, Aunt Clara,” Sarah retorted. “If what you say is true, I’d be turning them down left and right, just as Lizzy does everyday.”
“Now, I will not have you sulking, my dear. It is far too beneath you. The right gentleman is out there waiting.”
“I wish I could believe you, Aunt Clara. But the evidence is clearly etched in stone: Lizzy is smarter, prettier and much more sought after than I ever will be. Why she hasn’t accepted anyone of them, I still don’t understand. But, nonetheless, Lady Elizabeth is who they want and is who I will never be able to match.”
After this conversation, Sarah began to slowly sink into the background. She would attend the balls and accept dinner invitations, but deep in her heart, Sarah knew no gentleman was interested in her. They were just being polite. Sarah was ready to give up on the future of courtship and marriage, children and the sharing of old age. But most of all, Sarah was giving up on the one emotion she had yet to experience, the one that she was hungry for the most. Lady Sarah Hughes was giving up on love.
It only made matters worse when Elizabeth received a proposal she had no intention of passing over for another. Ross Hamilton, a wealthy heir to an American family’s fortune, had met Elizabeth at one of the seasonal balls. It was love at first sight for Elizabeth and Ross, as evidenced by the quick acceptance to Ross’ invitation of courtship just two evenings after their initial spin on the floor. Three months later, the two were engaged and making plans for Elizabeth’s future as an English noble in American society.
Ross and Elizabeth’s intentions were to marry in England and stay just long enough for Ross to finish his father’s business with the London office before they set sail for their life in Boston. Elizabeth was thrilled to have the opportunity to start a fresh life that didn’t require her to be pranced and ponied in front of desperate and dire bachelors hungry for a beautiful, eligible and wealthy deb.
“Lizzy, are you sure you want to leave London and spend the rest of your life in a country that you’ve never been to living a married life with a man whom you barely know?” Sarah prodded. “At least if you stay, you will have family and friends that you can depend on when things don’t go as planned.”
“I love him, Sarah,” Elizabeth said. “And, yes, I want to leave this place and be able to go somewhere that I don’t get stared at for what happened to my parents almost 20 years ago.”
“But you hardly know Mr. Hamilton.”
“I know enough, Sarah. I know that he loves me and wants me to be his wife. I’m sorry that you’ve turned cold because of your experiences with men, but that doesn’t mean that I have to become an old spinster living with you and our great-aunt.”
“Lizzy, I’m not trying to do that to you.”
“I’m sorry, Sarah. I didn’t mean to speak so harshly. I just want you to understand that this is the life I want to live. I want to marry Ross. I want to move to America. And I want a life free from London.”
Sarah tried to understand her cousin’s reasoning, but deep down, she continually feared that Elizabeth’s life would end up restricted to what her American husband demanded. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Mr. Hamilton. In fact, she was quite taken by Ross’ handsome physique and intelligent mind. She just wished that someone would want her in his life the way that Ross desired Lady Elizabeth.
It was still unknown who had killed the beautiful, 19-year old debutante from London. Folks were still talking about it in every pub, café and hotel restaurant weeks after the incident occurred. No one could understand the reasoning behind the gruesome and violent murder of such a young, prominent aristocrat. The stories of slaughtered prostitutes in London’s East End caused questions of a possible copycat targeting the upper-class society.
Of course, now as she sauntered gloomily through the foggy streets of London, Sarah couldn’t help but to feel guilty for the way she had felt toward her dearest cousin. Sarah would give her inheritance to have Elizabeth alive and prancing about again. If Sarah could have one wish from a genie in a bottle, it would be to see the promenading eye-catcher spinning and laughing and carrying about on the ballroom dance floor one more time.
chapter two
A few weeks later as Sarah was returning from luncheon at a friend’s manor, a strange sight caught her attention. Hanging from Great-Aunt Clara’s doorknob was a yellow and green striped ribbon that matched perfectly to the one that always ornamented Lizzy’s auburn hair. It was a ribbon that had gone missing just days before she was murdered. Cautiously, Sarah approached the stoop, her hands shaking and her heart pounding quicker with each step. Untying the ribbon, Sarah noticed words written across the backside.
Her lower lip began to tremble while reading what had been printed. This always happened when she began to feel vulnerable and weak, whether it was because of her constant position in Elizabeth’s shadow or because a man was trying to make advances on her. Now she found herself standing on her townhouse steps unable to move or breathe.
“Pardon me, miss.”
Sarah’s heart dropped all the way to her toes.
“Miss? Are you feeling all right?”
Sarah shut her eyes and prepared herself for the worse.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to bother you, but I was looking for Lady Ainsworth. This is her house, is it not?”
Sarah spun around, ready for this stranger to leave her in peace. “Will you please … Oh, Mr. Hamilton, I’m so sorry. I did not realize it was you.” She recognized confusion in his chocolate eyes. “I’m Sarah, Sarah Hughes, Elizabeth’s cousin.”
Ross quickly removed his hat. “Oh, yes, of course. My apologies for not recognizing you.”
“No need to apologize, Mr. Hamilton. Compared to Elizabeth, I’m easily lost in the background. So I take it you received my letter?”
“Yes, I did. Thank you for sending it. I would have been here much sooner, but business at father’s office would not let me get away until now.”
“How was your journey?”
“Long. Emotional.”
“Of course it was.” Sarah stood on the stoop with her eyes staring at the hem of her skirt. She had almost forgotten that this was the man Lizzy was going to marry. “Would you like to come inside, Mr. Hamilton?” As she looked up, Sarah noticed a look from Mr. Hamilton that she had never received from a man before. It was a look that caused a skip in her heart and a question of doubt in her mind. Sarah adjusted the tie on her bonnet, her fingers still gripping the tainted ribbon.
“Yes, thank you, Lady Sarah.” He watched her turn around to face the door. The way her hands were s
haking as she reached for the knob caught Ross’ attention. He climbed the steps, moving himself closer to her. “Are you sure you are all right?”
Sarah answered without looking his way. “Of course, Mr. Hamilton. Why do you ask?”
“It’s just that I notice your lip is trembling and that your hands haven’t stopped shaking since I approached you. You seemed to have been taken aback by something very terrible.”
“Oh, heavens! I didn’t even realize they were.” She quickly clasped them in front of her stomach and shook her head. “It’s nothing to worry you about. I’ll be fine, Mr. Hamilton, truly.”
“Lady Sarah, I know that you miss Elizabeth and wish she were still alive. As do I. When you wrote telling me that she was murdered and that there was still no news of who had done it, I made up my mind to come here and find the killer myself. I want that monster brought to justice for doing the gruesome things that he did to our Lizzy.”
“Do you really think you’ll be able to find him?”
“I’m not going to stop until Lizzy’s murderer is brought to justice.”
Sarah’s heart was immediately touched by the way his voice carried true sorrow for her late cousin. Perhaps she hadn’t been the only one who had truly known and loved Lizzy.
“Mr. Hamilton, I’m truly sorry for your loss. I can tell that you loved my cousin and miss her dearly.” Sarah wrestled with her romantic crush and the way he spoke of her departed cousin, whom he evidently had true feelings for. Quickly, she changed the subject as to not reveal her true emotions.
“Do you think the police aren’t doing their jobs?”
“I have no doubt that the law is capable. I just know that after a while someone else gets murdered and takes the place of those who were being investigated before. I just don’t want that to happen to Elizabeth.”