“Don’t you worry, Miss Bella,” said May. “I’ll chase them off. Darn it, I left my gun in the kitchen. Varmints, catching a lady unawares like this.”
“I’ve no intentions of leaving here,” said Bella. She held back May who had decided to put up her fists instead. “What gives you the right to order us off?”
Griffiths paused. “Of course, I’ve been very remiss not to explain my presence here.” He reached into his pocket. “Last night, your brother and I got into a game of cards. He ran out of money and no one else would lend him any. So he wrote this IOU. It gave me permission to take possession of the vineyard, and everything on it.”
Bella pulled her dressing gown tight, not liking the way Griffiths looked her up and down as he said those last few words. May nudged her slightly and pointed to the approach. Vance was riding towards them. Just the sight of him gave Bella more courage.
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible, Mr Griffiths,” said Bella.
“It’s more than possible, Miss Tennyson. I won it fair and square.”
“I’m afraid not,” she said. She spoke slowly, to allow Vance more time to reach them. He appeared to understand and speeded up on seeing Griffiths and his men. Bella hesitated. Andrew would be furious with her, but he should never have put her in this position. “You see, Mister Griffiths, the vineyard does not belong to my brother. Aunt Bella left it to me. The deeds are in my name.”
Griffiths’ face turned pale. “What?”
“The vineyard belongs to me, not to my brother. He didn’t want people to know …” Bella stopped. Her brother’s pride seemed irrelevant, and she did not want to enter into further discussion with Griffiths. “I really am surprised you failed to check.”
“I just assumed…”
“Yes, as most people did, I’m sure,” said Bella. “But my aunt believed in women owning property. Now, Mr Griffiths, I would like you and your men to leave my land.”
Bill and Tom seemed to realise more rapidly than Griffiths that they were in a difficult position, not least because whilst Bella had been talking Shen and the other workers surrounded them.
“This isn’t over,” said Griffiths. “It’s a matter of honour.”
“No,” said Vance, “It’s a matter of law, and you know as well as I do that a man cannot pledge something that does not belong to him.”
“I wouldn’t push your luck if I were you, Marshal. You never know what might happen one night when you’re travelling home.”
Bella felt an icy chill run up her spine. So Griffiths had been behind the attack.
“Like the last two marshals, you mean,” said Vance. “Maybe you’d better hire someone who can shoot a moving target in the dark.” He nodded towards Bill and Tom.
“I had nothing to do with that,” said Griffiths. His voice had become low, dangerous. “I mean with the last two marshals. I heard you were ambushed last night. It just so happens my men were both up country doing some work for me. I got the paperwork to prove it. It took them all night. Not that anyone would cry over your loss.” He glanced up at Bella, with an evil gleam in his eye. “Well, not for long if I had anything to do with it.”
Bella gasped as Vance jumped from his horse and went to stand eye to eye with Griffiths, though it was more a case of Vance’s eye to Griffiths’ forehead. “Like I said, a man cannot pledge what doesn’t belong to him. That includes his sister. Now you run along and leave Miss Tennyson to go about her business, before I take you in for trespassing and have those two men arrested for trying to kill us.”
Griffiths seemed to think about it for a long time, his hand hovering over his gun belt. The air was thick with tension, and Bella could hear May breathing heavily next to her.
“Come on, Griffiths, you won’t get your hands dirty,” said Vance. “At least not with witnesses.” Vance turned to Bella. “Shall I arrest him for trespassing?”
“Yes, lock the varmint up,” said May. “Him and his no good men.” She cast a hateful glance at her brother.
“No,” said Bella. “Just make them leave.” Later she would regret not saying yes, but at the time she had no hint of the heartache to come.
“This isn’t over,” said Griffiths, as he got onto his horse and rode away. The workers stepped aside to let Bill and Tom leave, jostling them as they did so. Griffiths’ men got on their horses and followed him.
Vance called Shen over and had a quiet conversation with him. Shen nodded, before relaying the conversation to one of the younger workers. The young Chinese man got onto his horse and rode off at break neck speed towards Milton.
“Thank you,” Bella said to Vance, when everything fell silent. May had made herself scarce, muttering something about cooking up a mess of beans for everyone. “I’m glad you were here.”
“It’s my job.”
“But that’s not why you came,” said Bella.
“No. Would you walk with me a moment?”
Bella tied her dressing gown tighter, and walked alongside him in the vineyard. It was already starting to show the benefits of Shen’s expertise, with much of the excess growth pruned back. Vance was in a serious mood and said nothing for a while. “What is it?”
“I’m leaving.”
“You’ve only just arrived,” said Bella, trying to sound light hearted.
“No, I’m leaving Milton. Not for good. I need to go and see Gloria. I have to talk to her.”
“Yes, of course.” Bella had dreaded this moment, but she fought hard to regain her composure. “I suppose it’s about last night.”
Vance stopped and turned to her. “Of course it’s about last night. And this morning. Damn it, Bella…”
“I know, but you’ve nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing happened.”
“I still need to see Gloria. To tell her.”
“Is that wise?” asked Bella. She wanted to make it easier for him, to take away the pain in his eyes. “It was just a kiss brought about by too much punch, the moonlight ride home and being stuck together in tense circumstances. That’s all. There’s no need to ruin your whole life because of it.”
“Is that all it was?” asked Vance.
“Yes. Wasn’t it?” She wanted him to say no, to tell her that he wanted her as much as she wanted him. She longed to be in his arms, feeling his mouth on hers and his hands caressing her as they had that morning. But she also wanted him to be happy. He was a good man, and his need to go and see Gloria suggested to Bella that despite what happened between them, he really loved his fiancée.
“I guess it was.” He took a deep breath.
“When do you leave?”
“I was going to wait until next week, but I think the sooner the better. I’ll go tomorrow.” He left her standing alone in the vineyard. She lasted until he got onto his horse and rode out of sight before she ran back to the house and fell sobbing onto her bed.
Things were to get much worse. After lunch the following day, when Bella was working in the vineyard, Vance returned, riding his buggy up the approach. Her heart leapt. He had said he was leaving, but here he was. It took her a few moments to realise he was not alone. One of his deputies sat alongside him. She walked through the vineyard to meet them. Their faces were solemn.
“Vance, what is it?”
He jumped down from the buggy, and his deputy did likewise. They both walked around to the back.
“Bella…” Vance seemed to have shrunk in stature, with his shoulders hunched and his head down, barely able to make eye contact with her. “Bella, I’m sorry, but we didn’t get to him in time.”
“To who? You didn’t get to who?”
“Shen’s boy tried to warn Andrew to get out of town, to lie low for a while. He wouldn’t listen to reason. He couldn’t see the danger. Where’s May. I think she should be here. May!”
“What? For God’s sake, Vance. Tell me.”
“It’s your brother. He’s been shot in the back.”
The deputy threw back a blanket, to reveal Andrew lying d
ead on the back of the buggy. Bella screamed in shock, then clambered up onto the cart. He was pale, but looked as if he might only be sleeping.
“Andrew, Andrew, dearest, please wake up,” said Bella, taking him in her arms. “Please wake up.” She was vaguely aware of shouting from the house, and people running out towards the cart.
“Bella, darling, come away,” said Vance. “Come on.”
“You leave him alone. He’s my brother,” she cried, throwing Vance’s hand from her. “Don’t you touch him.”
Vance stepped back as if he had been slapped. May arrived and quickly took the situation in hand, climbing onto the cart with Bella. “Come on, baby. Come to me,” she said. Bella turned and was about to push May away. Instead she fell sobbing into her arms.
“Take care of her, May,” Vance said. “She won’t let me.”
Bella protested loudly when they tried to pull her off the cart, but collapsed in sobs as soon as they managed to wrench Andrew from her arms.
She came to her senses sitting on the chair in the parlour, with May sat on a stool, tending her. Vance and the deputy stood with their backs to the hearth. They were talking in quiet tones with Shen, who was agreeing to make all the arrangements for Andrew’s burial.
“Have you arrested Griffiths?” Bella asked, when her head had cleared.
“There’s no proof he did it,” said Vance.
“But you know he did!”
“Knowing it and proving it are two different things, Bella. We’re doing all we can. But your brother owed money all over the town. I’m sorry, but Griffiths wasn’t the only one with reason to…”
“No!” Bella stood up. “No, that’s not true. Andrew was a good man. He made mistakes, but … it must have been Griffiths. I want you to arrest him.”
“We can’t unless we have proof. There were no witnesses when your brother was shot, but there are a dozen men can say they saw Griffiths playing poker in the saloon when it happened.”
“We know Griffiths has got a motive,” said the deputy. “He was mightily upset that your brother lied to him about owning the vineyard…”
Bella fell back into the chair as realisation hit her. If she had not told Griffiths the truth, then Andrew would still be alive. It was all her fault. “I should have given it to him,” she whispered, a huge tear splashing from her cheek. “I should have let Griffiths take the vineyard. Then Andrew would still be alive.”
“Would you be included in that deal?” said Vance, savagely.
“If it meant my brother would be standing here alive, yes,” said Bella, before her body became racked with sobs. May held her in her arms.
“There baby, let it all out now. I think you should go for now, Marshal.” May turned to Vance. “I’ll take care of her.”
Vance hesitated, his face a mask of some emotion Bella could not name. “Fine. Come on,” he said to his deputy. “Shen, will you…”
“Yes, Marshal, do not worry. I will take care of everything as you asked.”
“Thank you. If she needs anything, let me know.”
Chapter Seven
Life was such that Bella could not afford to cry for long. There was work to be done. She pulled herself together and got up every morning ready to face another day of work. It helped her, in that concentrating on getting the vineyard back into shape took her mind off Andrew’s death.
A few days after Andrew’s burial, Vance called over. Bella let him come to her this time, afraid to hear anymore bad news.
“I just came to say goodbye,” he said.
“You’re leaving? With Griffiths out there, killing people? You’re leaving?”
“Griffiths has gone up country to take care of his other business interests. The deputies here are good men. They can manage whilst I’ve gone. I’m only sorry you think I’ve let you down somehow.”
“No, it’s not your fault,” she said, exhausted with grief. “It’s my fault.”
“You told Griffiths the truth. It was something your brother should have done.”
“So he deserved to die?”
“That’s not what I said. What I mean is that you can’t spend your life blaming yourself for Andrew’s death. Or me for not arresting Griffiths.”
“Oh don’t worry. I know how it works. He’s a powerful man around here. He can do pretty much what he wants.”
“Is that what you think? That I’ve been bought by Griffiths.”
“What I mean is that you’re an outsider, like me, so you have to be careful. After all, you don’t want to get shot in the back, do you?”
“So now I’m a coward. Okay, I get that you’re angry. I even understand why you are. But don’t do this.”
“Do what?”
“Don’t push away everyone who cares about you. May said you don’t eat, you don’t sleep, and you barely talk. Shen came all the way down to town yesterday just to tell me how worried he is about you. That’s why I came up here today. I could have left without saying anything, but they’re concerned about you.”
“I’m perfectly all right. I told you when we first met that English women are tougher than you think.”
“You’re not that tough, Bella.”
“Well, I might not be able to skin a rabbit before it knows it’s caught but…”
Vance caught her by the shoulders and for a moment she thought – hoped – he would kiss her. To break the miserable spell she was under. “You have to stop this … this anger and bitterness. It’s not you.”
“You don’t know me!” she cried. “I’m not little miss perfect. That’s what Andrew called me. He was so angry with me, when Aunt Bella left me the vineyard, and I promised him, I promised I would never tell. That I would let people think it was his so he could hold his head high amongst the men out here. I didn’t care, but it mattered to him. He hated being dependent on me. That’s why he did the things he did. He had to pretend that he was the one in control. That’s why he lied to Griffiths too, and if I hadn’t opened my big mouth, he might still be alive. And if I’d let you arrest Griffiths when you offered, Andrew would still be alive. So please don’t tell me I can’t be angry and bitter. I damn well can be if I want to.” She pulled away from him, annoyed with herself for how much she wanted him, even now. No. Especially now. She craved the comfort of his arms, and for him to tell her that everything would be all right. That would never happen. He was engaged to someone else. Which made her angrier still, both with herself and with him. “ Go on, go away to the rabbit skinning Gloria if you must!”
To Bella’s surprise that made Vance laugh. “I’ll be back in a week or two. We’ll talk then.”
“I’m sure Gloria will be keeping you far too busy, what with planning your wedding.”
“I’ll speak to you when I return. Maybe you’ll be ready to listen to me then because you sure as hell ain’t listening now.” He turned and walked away.
She dealt with his absence by working even harder, staying out in the vineyard long after dark, and working by the light of the moon and a lantern that she carried with her. Her back ached, but not nearly as much as her heart. She had cried so much over Andrew’s death, that she thought she had become numb. The pain she felt on Vance’s departure caught her by surprise. Several weeks past, but if Bella had been asked to summarise what had happened in that time, she could not say. Life was a blur of working in the vineyard and restless nights where on the few occasions she did sleep, she was plagued by bad dreams.
“Miss Bella.”
“Yes, Shen.” Bella stopped and stood up straight, her back feeling as if it would break under the strain. It was eight o’clock in the evening, and the sun had set an hour before. “What is it?”
“Miss Bella, come on inside now, and rest. You put me and my boys to shame, out here working so hard whilst we eat and sleep.”
“You’ve all worked much harder than me,” said Bella. “You deserve your rest.”
“And so do you, Miss Bella. Miss Tucker sent me out to get you. She is co
ncerned about you. She said you did not eat breakfast this morning, and that you hardly ate any lunch.”
“I’m not very hungry, Shen.”
“Then come and rest. Killing yourself out here is not going to help anyone, and it only puts off the pain for another day.”
“Well, if I can keep putting it off, then it will never catch up with me,” said Bella, with a bitter smile.
“That is what I think, when I remember my wife. But it finds me when I least expect it, and then it is harder to deal with, because I am not prepared.”
“You miss her dreadfully, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Perhaps I could help you bring her over. I could apply for her to come and work for me. Then you’d be together.”
“You would do that.”
“Of course I would. It isn’t right to be apart from the person you love most in the world.”
“Thank you. It would mean the world to me to have her here.”
“That’s settled. We’ll go into Milton tomorrow and speak to the lawyer. I’ll tell the authorities that I’m sponsoring her. I hate to say it but being European I’ll probably have more luck than you. We should use the unfair system to our advantage, shouldn’t we?”
“That is a good idea.”
“She’ll need somewhere to live when she gets here.” The plan energised Bella, giving her something else to focus on. “She can’t possibly sleep in the bunkhouse. I’ll have a word with Mr Peterson. He built nice homes for his workers. I’m sure if I ask him, he’ll build you both a little cottage to live in.” Bella could see it in her minds eye, with roses around the door, and Shen and his wife sitting on the porch, living out their last years together. The image brought a lump to her throat. If she could not be happy, at least she could make someone else happy.
“You are doing so much for me, Miss Bella. Would it be wrong of me to ask for something more?”
“Not at all. What is it?”
“Will you come inside and eat, then get some rest?”
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