{"id":13161,"date":"2004-04-13T17:48:49","date_gmt":"2004-04-13T21:48:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13161"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:08:28","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:08:28","slug":"the-pleasure-of-their-company-by-randys-karenf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13161","title":{"rendered":"The Pleasure of Their Company (by RandyS & KarenF)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>Thanks especially to Vickie who supplied Scott Lancer\u2019s voice of reason which was of so much help to poor Griff especially.\u00a0 This is a later seasons Bonanza\/Lancer cross-over.\u00a0 Main characters are Joe, Candy, Griff, Jamie and Scott Lancer with brief appearances by Ben, Murdoch and Johnny.\u00a0 We don’t own them, but if we did, this is pretty much what we’d do with them.\u00a0 Thanks to Stephen King from whom we borrowed a little incident from his childhood.<\/p>\n

Caution<\/u><\/strong>:\u00a0 mostly PG<\/u><\/strong> for sexually suggestive situations, but it does cross-over into R<\/u><\/strong> in several places toward the middle where the suggestions are carried out.\u00a0 (47,365 words)<\/p>\n

The Pleasure of their Company<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thursday, February 8th<\/sup><\/u><\/p>\n

Candy<\/u><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t feel bad about stealing his invitation.\u00a0 I guess you\u2019d say he\u2019s my best friend, but there are times when friendship just has to stand aside.\u00a0 Love and war.\u00a0 Isn\u2019t that what they say \u2013 love and war?\u00a0 Joe Cartwright is just too damn full of himself when it comes to women.\u00a0 It was my eyes she was lookin\u2019 into, not his.\u00a0 His eyes are the color of the scum on Miller\u2019s pond.\u00a0 Mine are like looking into Lake Tahoe on a bright spring day.\u00a0\u00a0 That\u2019s what she was seeing.<\/p>\n

We\u2019d come to San Francisco with Mr. Cartwright.\u00a0 He had some kinda big meetin\u2019 with some high finance types.\u00a0 He wanted Joe to join in, much to Joe\u2019s dismay.\u00a0 They\u2019re full partners now but Joe\u2019s more for keeping the ranch goin\u2019 smooth, makin\u2019 sure the mines and the timber interests are movin\u2019 along.\u00a0 I could see his eyes glaze over as his father was tellin\u2019 him about this meeting.\u00a0 Contracts, conglomerates, corporations.\u00a0\u00a0 Three or four days of sitting in some smoke-filled room with a bunch of rich folks and no poker bein\u2019 played?<\/p>\n

No, Joe wasn\u2019t lookin\u2019 forward to San Francisco near as much as me and Griff and ‘specially Jamie.\u00a0 We\u2019d come along because Mr. Cartwright was going to pick up some horses and needed some help bringin\u2019 them back to the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Leastways that\u2019s what he said.\u00a0\u00a0 I think maybe we\u2019d been working so hard he\u2019d decided the three of us deserved a little holiday.\u00a0\u00a0 I figured I could see the sights befitting a mature man while Griff kept Jamie out of trouble.<\/p>\n

Joe got himself a reprieve though.\u00a0 Seems the arrangements were for one representative per family.\u00a0\u00a0 Joe tried to look sad at missin\u2019 the opportunity to learn more about the world of high finance but didn\u2019t succeed too well.\u00a0\u00a0 And when the man running the meeting was lookin\u2019 for someone to deliver some important papers to a bank in Sacramento, Joe jumped at the chance.\u00a0 I could tell he was worried they might just find an extra chair at that meeting.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t taking any chances.\u00a0 Sacramento wasn\u2019t quite San Francisco but he\u2019d be some place with poker palaces, pretty girls and a long train ride from that meeting.<\/p>\n

Now I expect he figured it’d be him and me in Sacramento, leaving Jamie for Griff to watch over.\u00a0 But that damn Griff just plain disappeared.\u00a0 Apparently he\u2019d told Mr. Cartwright he was off for some sightseeing without a word to Joe and me.\u00a0 So now we had no choice but to take Jamie along.\u00a0 Don\u2019t get me wrong, Jamie\u2019s a great kid.\u00a0 Just too young to go to the places Joe and I planned to go –but at that awkward age when a boy thinks he is old enough.<\/p>\n

We saw her in the hotel dining room at dinner Wednesday night.\u00a0\u00a0 But I saw her first.\u00a0 Or rather, she saw me first.<\/p>\n

I looked up from my pork chops and there she was, two tables over, staring at me.\u00a0 She smiled as our eyes met and I smiled back.\u00a0\u00a0 She was sitting with a tall, slim, silver-haired man.\u00a0\u00a0 Her eyes were an incredible blue \u2013 something between the color of cornflowers and violets.\u00a0 She\u2019d had her back to me when we entered so I hadn\u2019t seen her until she turned around ready to leave.<\/p>\n

She walked by our table on the way out and smiled at me like a woman who wanted to get better acquainted.<\/p>\n

It was only after she walked out the door and I heard Joe sigh that I realized he\u2019d seen her too.\u00a0 I almost expected him to run after her and try to make a date.\u00a0 But maybe she looked too sophisticated for that ploy.\u00a0 Or maybe Joe was slowing down in his old age.\u00a0 Or maybe he\u2019d seen the way she was looking at me and figured he\u2019d better save his move until I wasn\u2019t around.<\/p>\n

So we went on with our meal, though the food had lost its flavor.\u00a0\u00a0 At first Jamie\u2019s excited chatter filled the silence, but when we didn\u2019t respond, he fell silent.\u00a0 And in that silence we heard everything we needed to know.<\/p>\n

There were three men at the next table talking about her.\u00a0\u00a0 Sounded like they worked for her grandfather.\u00a0 And they were saying things trusted employees shouldn\u2019t be saying.\u00a0 But that didn\u2019t stop us from listening.<\/p>\n

The youngest of the men called her Miss Dupre but the other two called her Savannah.\u00a0 They were wondering if the big party Mr. Dupre was planning would really bring him a solution to the Savannah problem or just cause him more headaches.\u00a0 A full house of eligible young men spending four days playing poker, pheasant hunting and courting his granddaughter.\u00a0\u00a0 A granddaughter who loved men just a little too much.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd too often,\u201d the largest of the men said laughing.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, he\u2019ll be lucky if she doesn\u2019t go back to Charleston with a bastard child instead of a husband,\u201d another added.\u00a0 \u201cAnd likely she won\u2019t even know whose bastard child.\u00a0 She isn\u2019t one to settle for one man when there\u2019s a house full of \u2018em.”<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll be lucky if half the men don\u2019t kill the other half fighting over her,\u201d the big man responded.<\/p>\n

The youngest man seemed to take offense at these remarks.\u00a0 \u201cMiss Dupre is our employer\u2019s granddaughter and a lady.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t her fault those two men got killed.\u00a0 If all those men were foolish enough to fight duels over her . . .\u201d\u00a0 He shrugged without finishing the thought.<\/p>\n

Shortly after that, the three men paid their bill and left.\u00a0 But I had a name.\u00a0 It gave me a place to start.\u00a0 Unfortunately, it meant Joe had one too.<\/p>\n

But luck was with me.\u00a0 By two the next afternoon I was on my way to The Manor for a little poker, some fine food, wine and brandy and just maybe something a lot more interesting.<\/p>\n

I fingered the gilt-edged parchment of the invitation; glad I\u2019d stopped at the desk to ask if there were any messages.<\/p>\n

Mr. Joseph Cartwright:<\/em>
\nMr. Armand Dupre requests the pleasure of your company at The Manor outside Sacramento on Thursday, February 8 through Sunday, February 11 to introduce his granddaughter Savannah Lisette Dupre to California society.\u00a0 A carriage will await you next to the Sacramento train station on Thursday at 2 pm should you accept this invitation.\u00a0 Please be prepared to spend the weekend.<\/em><\/p>\n

And all I had to do is answer to the name of Joe Cartwright for a few days.\u00a0 The beauty of it was, when a man not looking for a wife goes courting a girl looking for a husband, using someone else\u2019s name can come in real handy.<\/p>\n

Joe<\/u><\/p>\n

\u201cDid the other gentleman give you the invitation, sir?\u201d<\/p>\n

I stopped mid-stride, having already turned away from the hotel desk after picking up my room key.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat invitation?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt arrived for you this morning, while you were out.\u00a0 The other gentleman staying in your suite picked it up and said he\u2019d see that you got it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The clerk dabbed at his brow with a handkerchief, his face flushed with concern.\u00a0 He ran a finger under his collar, and I saw his Adam\u2019s apple bob up and down.\u00a0 He obviously knew he\u2019d made a mistake and was afraid of the trouble I could cause him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs Candy up in the suite now?\u00a0 I haven\u2019t seen him since lunch, but I\u2019m sure he\u2019s got the invitation with him.\u00a0 He\u2019ll give it to me as soon as I get to the room.\u201d\u00a0 I hurried to reassure the nervous little man because I was afraid he was going to keel over from fright.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s gone.\u201d\u00a0 The words were little more than a high squeak, and I leaned forward to make sure I heard right.<\/p>\n

\u201cGone?\u00a0 Where\u2019d he go?\u00a0 He was supposed to meet me at two o\u2019clock.\u00a0 How could he be gone?\u201d<\/p>\n

The clerk held out a folded piece of paper.\u00a0 \u201cHe left this for you.\u00a0 Said to make sure I gave it to you first thing.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure it explains everything, sir.\u201d\u00a0 He cleared his throat and dabbed at his forehead again.<\/p>\n

I snatched the paper from the trembling fingers, maybe a little too violently.\u00a0 The clerk turned an interesting shade of green, so I must have looked a bit angry.\u00a0 Ignoring him, I read Candy\u2019s scrawl.<\/p>\n

Joe:\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019ve accepted an invitation to a weekend party.\u00a0 I know you can\u2019t leave Jamie so I\u2019m going alone.\u00a0 If I don\u2019t get back before you return to Frisco, I\u2019ll meet you there or back home.\u00a0\u00a0 Candy<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2026that bastard stole my invitation!\u201d\u00a0 I pounded my fist on the desk, and the clerk jumped back with a squeal of alarm.\u00a0 \u201cWhat did it look like, anyway?\u00a0 Did you read it?\u00a0 Maybe I can head him off.\u201d<\/p>\n

The clerk puffed himself up, and I could see his righteous indignation had overcome his fear.\u00a0 \u201cI would never read a guest\u2019s mail, sir.\u00a0 That would be an invasion of privacy.\u00a0 Why, I could lose my job.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked ready to go on, but I stopped him with my best menacing glare.\u00a0 \u201cLook, I don\u2019t want to cause trouble, but you\u2019re the one who gave my invitation to someone else.\u00a0 You know I could have your job for this.\u00a0 I need to know what that invitation looked like, who it was from and what it was for.\u00a0 And I need to know now.\u201d<\/p>\n

He deflated so fast I had to bite my cheek to keep from laughing.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, sir, he said he\u2019d give it to you.\u00a0 You were traveling together.\u00a0 How would I know he\u2019d take it?\u00a0 It was a mistake.\u201d\u00a0 He fluttered his hands in the air, and then stilled suddenly.\u00a0 \u201cWait.\u00a0 There\u2019s another gentleman who received the same invitation.\u00a0 I have it right here.\u201d<\/p>\n

He turned quickly and snatched an imposing parchment envelope from a mail slot behind him.\u00a0 He held it out to me triumphantly.\u00a0 \u201cPerhaps this will help you.\u00a0 They arrived at the same time, and are definitely from the same person.\u201d<\/p>\n

I took the envelope and examined it.\u00a0 This one was addressed to Francis Cartier, Suite 202.\u00a0 I began to rip it open, when the clerk shrieked in fear.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u00a0 That doesn\u2019t belong to you.\u00a0 You can\u2019t open someone else\u2019s mail.\u00a0 Oh, I\u2019m going to lose my job for sure.\u201d\u00a0 He was almost weeping his fear was so great.<\/p>\n

I took pity on the man.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll take this along to Suite 202 and deliver it to Mr. Cartier.\u00a0 He might let me read his invitation so that I know where my friend has gone.\u00a0 Will that satisfy you?\u00a0 I don\u2019t want you to lose your job.\u00a0 Not really.\u201d<\/p>\n

His head bobbing up and down frantically, the clerk sighed in relief.\u00a0 \u201cThank you, sir.\u00a0 Thank you.\u00a0 I believe that would do admirably.\u00a0 Mr. Cartier hasn\u2019t been down to the desk in two days.\u00a0 I believe the doctor has been in attendance in the suite several times.\u00a0 I was going to deliver it to him myself as soon as my shift was over.\u00a0 It would be most helpful if you would take it to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

I did my best to look angelic.\u00a0 \u201cI do like to be helpful.\u201d\u00a0 I hoped my grin didn\u2019t give away my real intentions.<\/p>\n

I strolled away from the desk, making a show of tucking the envelope into my jacket pocket for the clerk\u2019s benefit.\u00a0 But as soon as I rounded a corner and headed up the stairs I had it back out and carefully slit it open.<\/p>\n

Mr. Francis Cartier:<\/em>
\nMr. Armand Dupre requests the pleasure of your company at The Manor outside Sacramento on Thursday, February 8 through Sunday, February 11 to introduce his granddaughter Savannah Lisette Dupre to California society.\u00a0 A carriage will await you next to the Sacramento train station on Thursday at 3 pm should you accept this invitation.\u00a0 Please be prepared to spend the weekend.<\/em><\/p>\n

I swore under my breath as I continued up the second flight of stairs.\u00a0 So Candy thought he\u2019d take my place at the social event of the season, hmmm.\u00a0 Well, he\u2019d better think again.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t going to let him get away with stealing my name and my place at this party.\u00a0 That little gal didn\u2019t want him; it was me she\u2019d been eyeing.<\/p>\n

I stopped before the door of Suite 202, and composed my face into a persuasive smile.\u00a0 I needed to work a little of the Joe Cartwright magic on Mr. Francis Cartier.\u00a0 I was going to that party one way or another.<\/p>\n

A sweet little nurse in a perky white cap opened the door.\u00a0 I gave her my best grin and let my eyes do a little talking.\u00a0 My charms didn\u2019t fail me and she dimpled prettily at me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to see Mr. Cartier, please.\u00a0 I have a message for him.\u201d\u00a0 I swept my hat off and bowed as if she were royalty.<\/p>\n

The nurse giggled and a bright blush stained her cheekbones.\u00a0 It made me wish I\u2019d seen her a little sooner.\u00a0 The trip to Sacramento could have been a bit more entertaining right from the start if I had.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Cartier is too indisposed to receive visitors,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cBut if it\u2019s an urgent message, I can take it to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

I shook my head feigning regret.\u00a0 \u201cI wish I could let you do that.\u00a0 But this message is something only I\u2019m allowed to give to him.\u00a0 It\u2019s a shame.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be quite upset to miss this opportunity.\u201d\u00a0 I turned as if to go.<\/p>\n

My strategy worked.\u00a0 I felt a soft hand on my arm.\u00a0 \u201cWait here,\u201d the nurse said.\u00a0 \u201cIf it\u2019s that important I know Mr. Cartier will want to make an exception for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

I nodded and indulged myself by watching her trim waist and swaying backside as she walked away from me.\u00a0\u00a0 They do grow \u2018em pretty in Sacramento.<\/p>\n

She was back quickly and beckoned me to follow her into the hotel bedroom.\u00a0 I was ushered into a dark chamber, curtains drawn against the hot California sunlight.\u00a0 I let my eyes adjust to the gloom, lit only by the light of a single candle burning by the massive bed.\u00a0 A basin of water stood on the bedside table, along with a heap of white linen.\u00a0 After a moment I could see a naked man, about my age and size, lying on a white cotton sheet.\u00a0 He had a single towel draped discreetly over his genitals, and he twisted and turned on the bed, threatening to displace the damp cloth.\u00a0 An ugly red rash stained his torso and erupted in blotches on his arms and face.\u00a0 I saw that his hands were wrapped in cloth, tied in such a way that he couldn\u2019t remove the fabric himself.\u00a0 I drew near the bed, curiosity nagging at me.\u00a0 What was wrong with this guy?<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Cartier? I\u2019m Joe Cartwright from Virginia City, Nevada.\u00a0 I\u2019m a guest at this hotel and heard you were ill.\u00a0 I thought I\u2019d stop in to see if there was anything I could do for you.\u201d\u00a0 I eyed him, trying to avoid looking at the unsightly rash.<\/p>\n

\u201cCartwright?\u00a0 Ben Cartwright\u2019s son?\u201d he asked.\u00a0 In response to my nod, he continued.\u00a0 \u201cHow nice of you to stop in, Mr. Cartwright.\u00a0 I\u2019m Francis Cartier, from New Orleans.\u00a0 I\u2019ve heard of your father, of course.\u00a0 Why, I believe even now my father is in attendance at a meeting in San Francisco with your father, among others.\u00a0 My father has many business interests in this part of the country.\u00a0 I accompanied him on this trip to become acquainted with them.\u00a0 I\u2019m afraid I\u2019m not good company at the moment, however.\u201d\u00a0 He gestured with one fabric-covered hand.<\/p>\n

Obviously the man\u2019s illness hadn\u2019t affected his vocal cords.\u00a0 He went on for several minutes about his activities, his father\u2019s business interests and his own boredom with the meeting in San Francisco.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t help myself.\u00a0 \u201cWould you mind telling me what exactly is wrong with you, Mr. Cartier?\u201d\u00a0 I hoped he wouldn\u2019t find my question rude.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrancis.\u00a0 Please, call me Francis.\u201d\u00a0 I nodded and waited for him to continue.\u00a0 He waved his bound hand again.\u00a0 \u201cAs you can see, I\u2019m in quite some distress.\u00a0 I was determined to get a feel for the real west.\u00a0 Not the type of thing you see in New Orleans, you know.\u00a0 So I signed on for a trek to the wilderness.\u00a0 And wilderness it was.\u00a0 Not a privy in sight.\u00a0 I asked my guide what cowboys did under those circumstances and he explained about the leaves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe leaves?\u201d\u00a0 I could tell my eyebrows were at my hairline, and I fought to smooth out my expression.\u00a0 \u201cWhat leaves are you talking about, Francis?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy, for wiping, of course.\u00a0 The guide explained that cowboys use leaves, so I did.\u00a0 We were in a marvelous stand of towering oaks.\u00a0 I\u2019d never seen such oak trees.\u00a0 There were leaves aplenty in those oaks.\u00a0 Lots of vines and shiny green bushes full of them.\u00a0 Beautiful leaves.\u00a0 And this is the result.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been in agony ever since.\u00a0 The rash is most painful, and I can\u2019t keep from scratching.\u00a0 They\u2019ve tied my hands so that I can\u2019t damage myself any further.\u201d\u00a0 He sighed.\u00a0 \u201cThe doctor says it\u2019ll be days before I can do more than lie here.\u00a0 The ointments in the towel and constant application of cool water are the only things that soothe the itch.\u00a0 The dressing needs to be changed quite frequently.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know how you cowboys stand it.\u201d<\/p>\n

I bit my lip. Now was not the time for a fit of laughter.\u00a0 Obviously, Francis Cartier wouldn\u2019t be attending any poker games, let alone a pheasant hunt or any of the other activities planned.\u00a0 An idea flashed through my mind, and I almost gasped out loud.\u00a0 I\u2019d be doing him a favor if I took his place.\u00a0 If Candy could attend as Joe Cartwright, why couldn\u2019t I go as Francis Cartier? Savannah Lisette\u2019s grandfather was trying to find her a husband, an entanglement I\u2019d prefer to avoid.\u00a0 But this way I could still go to the party.\u00a0 Using an assumed name would keep me from an engagement I didn\u2019t want.<\/p>\n

I expressed my sympathies to Mr. Cartier, and showed myself out of the suite.\u00a0 My mind raced as I considered the plan.\u00a0 Cartier\u2019s invitation stated that he needed to be ready for the private carriage at 3:00.\u00a0 I checked my pocket watch.\u00a0 It was 2:30 already.\u00a0 I could toss my dress clothes into a bag and be at the meeting point in that time.<\/p>\n

When I got to the suite, Jamie bounced to meet me and I groaned.\u00a0 Jamie.\u00a0 How could I have forgotten Jamie?\u00a0 Pa would skin me alive if I left Jamie on his own in Sacramento.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019sa matter, Joe?\u201d Jamie asked, his face showing his concern.\u00a0 \u201cYou ain\u2019t sick are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

I smiled.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I\u2019m fine.\u00a0 But I\u2019ve been invited to a weekend party, Jamie. I need you to head back to San Francisco to Pa.\u00a0 Candy\u2019s already gone on ahead to this thing and I can\u2019t leave you here alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jamie\u2019s face fell and then his eyes flashed with that quick redheaded anger.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t want to go back to San Francisco, Joe.\u00a0 Pa\u2019s going to be in those stupid meetings all day.\u00a0 Why can\u2019t I just stay here \u2018til you get back?\u00a0 I\u2019m old enough to take care of myself.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know why you all keep treating me like a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked like he could go on for days with his complaining, so I brushed past him, holding my hand up to stop the flow of words.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t have time for this, Jamie.\u00a0 So get your bag together while I pack mine.\u00a0\u00a0 We\u2019ll head over to the depot together.\u201d<\/p>\n

I left him fuming and headed for my bedroom.\u00a0 I started tossing my dress clothes into my carpetbag, then stopped.\u00a0 The bag was decorated with a handsome set of brass initials.\u00a0 Pa had given it to me one Christmas.\u00a0 JFC.<\/p>\n

Wait.<\/p>\n

Francis Cartier.\u00a0 Joseph Francis Cartwright.\u00a0 Francis.<\/p>\n

It was meant to be.\u00a0 I pulled out my pocketknife and pried at the gleaming letter \u2018J\u2019.\u00a0 Two twists of the knife and the \u2018J\u2019 popped off into my hand.\u00a0 I tucked it into my pocket and headed for the door, collecting a protesting Jamie as I went.<\/p>\n

***************<\/p>\n

The town square was bustling.\u00a0 This was Sacramento, after all.\u00a0 A far cry from Virginia City, much as we pride ourselves on our little boomtown.\u00a0 I herded Jamie across the square toward the depot.\u00a0 He could catch the 3:00 train to San Francisco, while I caught Francis Cartier\u2019s ride to the party.<\/p>\n

Across the square some young men caught my eye.\u00a0 All dressed in the height of fashion.\u00a0 And damn if Griff wasn\u2019t in the middle of the group, laughing and talking his fool head off.\u00a0 Griff who usually kept his thoughts to himself, acting like he fit right in with a bunch of bantering dandies.\u00a0 That was a surprise all right.<\/p>\n

Jamie spied him too.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Joe.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t that Griff over there?\u00a0 With all those guys in swanky clothes?\u00a0 He must be heading for our hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n

I peered across the square and a thought occurred to me.\u00a0 Griff and Jamie weren\u2019t too far apart in age, and for a guy who\u2019d spent a whole year in prison, Griff could be awfully naive.\u00a0 They were probably trying to entice him into a poker game or something.\u00a0 He had a whole month\u2019s wages in his pockets, too.\u00a0 I figured those swells were looking to fleece him one way or another.\u00a0 It would be doing him a favor if I sent Jamie over to him.\u00a0 Jamie could rescue him from the clutches of the gentleman and Griff could keep an eye on Jamie until Candy and I got back.\u00a0 It was the perfect solution.\u00a0 Pa would never have to know what I was up to if Jamie stayed in Sacramento with Griff.<\/p>\n

I filled Jamie in on the new plan, and he jumped all over himself agreeing with it.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t wanted to go back to Pa, and this was his way out.\u00a0 I clapped him on the back and gave him a few parting words of advice.\u00a0 I saw an elegant carriage approaching and knew this was my ride.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Cartier?\u00a0 Mr. Francis Cartier?\u201d\u00a0 The coachman called out as he pulled up the finely matched pair of horses.<\/p>\n

I gave Jamie a final wave and a gentle push in Griff\u2019s direction.\u00a0 Presenting my invitation to the coachman with a flourish, I tossed my carpetbag onto the seat and climbed aboard.\u00a0 I was more than ready for a grand adventure.<\/p>\n

Jamie<\/u><\/p>\n

I went from being steamed to jumpin\u2019 for joy in about two shakes of a lamb\u2019s tail.\u00a0 Joe was about to put me on the train back to San Francisco \u2018cause he wanted to go to a party.\u00a0 I knew I was old enough to stay in Sacramento by myself, but he wouldn\u2019 listen to a word I said.\u00a0 Just dragged me off to the station.<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019 believe my luck when we spotted Griff.\u00a0 He was with a bunch of swells and didn\u2019t see us, but Joe decided I could stay with him.\u00a0 He tucked some money in my pocket, waved once and was gone.\u00a0 I waited \u2018til the carriage disappeared from sight, then turned back to find Griff.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d disappeared.\u00a0 The crowd was really thick, \u2018cause a train had just discharged its passengers, and I couldn\u2019t see hide nor hair of him.\u00a0 No matter.\u00a0 I was sure he\u2019d head for the hotel.\u00a0 He knew where we were staying.\u00a0 It was the best hotel in Sacramento, the one Pa always stayed in when he was in town.\u00a0 He\u2019d of told Griff where to find us.<\/p>\n

Suddenly I was free as a bird.\u00a0 I had money in my pocket and a city to explore.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t have\u2019ta be in a hurry to catch up with Griff, now did I?\u00a0 I strolled up the street, stopping to stare in the shop windows, looking at all the people hurrying by.\u00a0 Just like a grown man.<\/p>\n

And then I saw her.\u00a0 She was the prettiest little gal on the face of this Earth.\u00a0 A pert little nose, green eyes and full, inviting lips.\u00a0 And those lips were smiling at me.\u00a0 Me, of all people.\u00a0 I smiled back and she tucked her head down and raised her parasol.\u00a0 I might\u2019ve taken it for a sign she didn\u2019t want to talk to me, \u2018cept for the fact those green eyes were peeking out from under the parasol, \u2018n I swear she winked.\u00a0 Then she sat down on a park bench and took out a lace handkerchief, which she dabbed on her forehead.<\/p>\n

I tucked my hands in my pockets and strolled across the street, stopping just beside the bench.\u00a0 \u201cHowdy, ma\u2019am.\u201d\u00a0 I tried to make my voice a little deeper than it really was.\u00a0 Then I flashed my teeth at her. I\u2019d seen Joe do it a million times and it always seemed to turn the ladies\u2019 heads.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s trademark smile seemed to work its usual magic even on my face.\u00a0 She smiled back and I got a little sweaty when I saw the dimples in her creamy cheeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy, hello.\u201d\u00a0 Her voice was soft, demure, like a bell chiming.\u00a0 I gulped.<\/p>\n

\u201cJamie Cartwright, at your service.\u201d\u00a0 I\u2019d always wanted to say that.\u00a0 It sounded so grown up.\u00a0 \u201cNice day, isn\u2019t it?\u201d\u00a0 I winced.\u00a0 What a stupid thing to say.\u00a0 It was overcast, the clouds low and threatening rain.\u00a0 There had to be something I could talk about besides the weather.<\/p>\n

To my surprise, she giggled.\u00a0 \u201cYes, it is.\u00a0 I\u2019m Priscilla Kane.\u00a0 And I\u2019m finding it just a bit changeable here in Sacramento.\u00a0 Seems you never know whether the sun\u2019s going to shine, or if you\u2019re going to get soaked.\u00a0 Is it always like this?\u201d<\/p>\n

I plopped down beside her, my nervousness forgotten.\u00a0 \u201cAre you visiting too?\u00a0 This is my first time here.\u201d\u00a0 The words came out in a rush, and I stopped deliberately.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t want her to think I was some hick kid out on the town for the first time.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t take long to find out she was visiting her aunt, and that the aunt was indisposed with some unmentionable illness.\u00a0 Priscilla had taken it into her head to see the city.\u00a0 She hadn\u2019t realized how far she\u2019d walked and now was feeling wilted by her journey.<\/p>\n

When I saw her fluttering her long eyelashes at me, I knew she was trying to tell me something. But what?\u00a0 Then it hit me.\u00a0 \u201cOh, you\u2019re tired.\u00a0 Are you thirsty?\u00a0 Would you like me to buy you a drink?\u00a0 I believe they have some nice hot tea and pastries at that shop on the corner.\u201d<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t believe it when she said yes.<\/p>\n

She put her dainty hand on my arm and we strolled down the street.\u00a0 I felt like I\u2019d grown six inches taller.\u00a0 She said she was nineteen, so I told her I was eighteen.\u00a0 Well, I wasn\u2019t stretching the truth much.\u00a0 I\u2019d be eighteen in a few months.\u00a0 Ten months, but that\u2019s not so many when you think about it.\u00a0 Why, when Joe was seventeen he was doing a man\u2019s work on the Ponderosa, and a man\u2019s playing in Virginia City.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t said so, but I\u2019d heard the stories in town.\u00a0 Everyone knew about Little Joe Cartwright\u2019s exploits.\u00a0 Well, it was my turn for an exploit.<\/p>\n

Priscilla and I sipped at the tea, nibbled on the cakes and talked for an hour.\u00a0 The time flew by so fast, it seemed like only minutes.\u00a0 Then she had to go and look at a little timepiece she had pinned on her blouse.\u00a0 She jumped up with a squeak and turned an interesting shade of gray.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Jamie.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got to go.\u00a0 My aunt will be waking up and I should be there when she does.\u201d\u00a0 Priscilla was all aflutter, which only made her look more beautiful to me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want this day to end,\u201d I told her.\u00a0 \u201cPromise me we can meet at the hotel dining room.\u00a0 I want to buy you dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n

She flushed, rosy color making her eyes seem even greener.\u00a0 She smiled and reached up to give me a kiss on the cheek.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d like that, Jamie.\u00a0 When?\u201d<\/p>\n

I named a time and she nodded.\u00a0 Then she turned and hustled away, her skirts swaying around her.\u00a0 I watched, admiring the way she looked from behind until she disappeared from view.\u00a0 Then I figured I\u2019d better check in with Griff, so I headed back for the hotel.<\/p>\n

Griff wasn\u2019t there when I got back to the room.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t too worried.\u00a0 He\u2019d probably stopped in some of the saloons along the way.\u00a0 He\u2019d turn up sooner or later.\u00a0 In the meantime, I had other things to worry about.\u00a0 What did a gentleman wear to entertain a lady in a fancy restaurant?\u00a0 It was certain I needed a bath.\u00a0 Joe always started his special evenings with a bath.<\/p>\n

Three hours later, I made my way into the hotel dining room.\u00a0 Priscilla would be arriving at any minute and I wanted to get a good table.\u00a0 I wanted everyone to see me entertaining my date.\u00a0 Strange that Griff hadn\u2019t come back yet, but I knew he\u2019d show up eventually.\u00a0 But then, all thoughts of Griff disappeared as I caught sight of Priscilla.<\/p>\n

She made her way over to me, picking her way through the small crowd milling at the entrance of the hotel dining room.\u00a0 I waved and patted down a stray hair.\u00a0 I hoped I\u2019d used enough of Joe\u2019s bay rum for Priscilla to notice.\u00a0 I wanted this evening to be special.<\/p>\n

Priscilla arrived at my side just as the maitre d\u2019 announced that my table for two was ready.\u00a0 I offered my arm to her, but she hung back, her cheeks scarlet with what looked like embarrassment.<\/p>\n

\u201cJamie.\u00a0 I\u2019d like you to meet my aunt Agatha.\u00a0 She\u2019s feeling much better and was thrilled by your offer of dinner.\u201d\u00a0 She gestured at a stout woman I\u2019d assumed was waiting for her own party to arrive.<\/p>\n

My heart sank into my boots and my stomach lurched.\u00a0 \u201cMiss Agatha?\u00a0 I\u2019m\u2026I\u2019m delighted to meet you.\u201d\u00a0 I extended my hand, belatedly remembering my manners.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you\u2019re the young man who has graciously invited my sixteen-year-old niece to dinner.\u00a0 Charmed, I\u2019m sure,\u201d she replied crunching my hand in a firm grip.<\/p>\n

\u201cS-s-sixteen?\u201d I stammered.\u00a0 \u201cBut, I thought\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSixteen,\u201d Agatha replied firmly.\u00a0 \u201cAnd how old are you, young man?\u00a0 You seem young to be staying at the hotel alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m seventeen, ma\u2019am.\u00a0 And I\u2019m staying with my brother, and two of our ranch hands.\u00a0 They\u2019re busy elsewhere this evening.\u201d I\u2019d decided that I wasn\u2019t going to let this old battleaxe cow me.\u00a0 I motioned for the maitre d\u2019.\u00a0 \u201cMake that a table for three, please.\u201d<\/p>\n

He bowed from the waist and motioned for us to follow him.\u00a0 I allowed Priscilla and her aunt to precede me, making sure they couldn\u2019t see the disappointment on my face.\u00a0 Some things just don\u2019t turn out like you plan.<\/p>\n

Griff<\/u><\/p>\n

I\u2019d only been to San Francisco once before.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019d had a grand time and was looking forward to seeing it again.\u00a0 But then I heard Joe and Candy figuring how they could leave Jamie with me while they toured the poker palaces and the gentlemen\u2019s clubs.\u00a0\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t havin\u2019 none of that.\u00a0 I enjoyed spending time with Jamie out on the ranch.\u00a0 He\u2019s a good kid, smart about people and likes a good joke.\u00a0 But damned if I\u2019d come all this way to be spending my time in ice cream parlors and bowling alleys, the kinds of places Ben Cartwright would allow Jamie to visit.<\/p>\n

Before Joe could tell his father their plans, I took off.\u00a0 I told Mr. Cartwright I was leaving and he just nodded absently, probably not thinking it was his business how I spent my time.\u00a0 I\u2019d figured to likely go through my month\u2019s wages before the four days was up.\u00a0 The cash was burning a hole in my pocket, but I\u2019d make it last as long as I could.\u00a0 I was going to see everything I\u2019d missed on my first trip.\u00a0 But I\u2019d never expected that would include Sacramento.<\/p>\n

I started out touring the gaming halls.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t planning to get in on any gambling for a while.\u00a0 Truth be told I ain\u2019t much of a poker player and didn\u2019t even know how to play any of the fancier games.\u00a0 But watching was cheap fun.\u00a0 I\u2019d only hit the second place when I struck more luck than I would have had with a queen high straight<\/p>\n

There were four men about my age at one of the tables, laughing and drinking.\u00a0 I was watching the roulette wheel, trying to figure how the game was played when two of them walked over and invited me to join them.\u00a0 Naturally I was suspicious.\u00a0 Couldn\u2019t figure what they wanted with me.<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t any less suspicious when they introduced themselves.\u00a0\u00a0 I could believe they were rich Brits because that\u2019s the way they sounded and they were throwing money around on the best brandy in the house, but a Count?\u00a0 Didn\u2019t seem likely.<\/p>\n

The one they\u2019d introduced with that title must have seen I was skeptical.\u00a0 He stood up and extended his hand.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not really a Count.\u00a0 Doesn\u2019t work that way.\u00a0 My father\u2019s a Count.\u00a0 I\u2019m just a Count\u2019s son.\u00a0 This lot,\u201d he swept his hand around to include his three friends, \u201cthinks it impresses the locals to claim a title, so they keep doing it on my behalf.\u00a0 Please join us. I have a little proposition for you, if you\u2019re willing.\u201d<\/p>\n

His proposition was a little far-fetched but after a couple of glasses \u2013 they called them snifters \u2013 of brandy, it started to make sense.<\/p>\n

So that\u2019s how I ended up on a train to Sacramento with three English gentlemen and the son of a Count learning to pass for a respected member of the British upper crust.<\/p>\n

Scott<\/u><\/p>\n

When I reached out for my bed partner, I found empty space.\u00a0 Somehow I wasn\u2019t surprised to discover she\u2019d slipped out of the bed while I tried to replenish my energy.\u00a0 Pulling the pillows behind me, I sat up against the headboard and tried to get some perspective on events of the past few days.<\/p>\n

Murdoch had been scheduled to attend a high finance conference in San Francisco and I had been determined to be invited along for the trip, both me and Johnny.\u00a0 It had been simple to ask a few questions about the city, which I had never visited, and to appear wistful when Murdoch mentioned the theatres and museums.\u00a0 Johnny and I had been at Lancer less than a year and we were still feeling out the family bond, neither of us knowing we had a brother until our father sent for us.\u00a0\u00a0 I wanted to spend some time with him away from the ranch, work, and the ever-present threat of his gunfighter past.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t really miss Boston and civilization that much.\u00a0 Still, if Murdoch thought I was longing for the niceties I left behind and allowed Johnny and me to go to the big city, far be it from me to correct his impressions.\u00a0 Guess I worked pretty hard to make it seem real important that I get away from the ranch for a few days.<\/p>\n

The plan worked.\u00a0 Murdoch invited me to accompany him and I had maintained it would be unfair to go when Johnny couldn\u2019t.\u00a0 In the end, Murdoch insisted we both go with him, even though he knew he would be the only representative allowed at the bargaining table.\u00a0 Johnny had been reluctant in the beginning, making sounds about not knowing \u201cnothin\u2019 about art and music and such.\u201d\u00a0 I talked him around by assuring him that we would find lots of ways to spend our time (nod and wink) and that I really didn\u2019t want to go alone.\u00a0 In the end, Johnny must have figured he needed to agree, if the trip mattered that much to me.<\/p>\n

However, the best laid plans and all that.\u00a0 The day before we were to be leaving, I was driving a wagon loaded with fencing materials around a steep path when the wheel struck a buried rock the wrong way.\u00a0 In a matter of seconds, the wheel had snapped and the wagon and its load had tipped.\u00a0 No harm would have been done except that Johnny was sleeping beside me at the time and tumbled off the seat before I could grab him.\u00a0 Johnny hadn\u2019t appeared hurt too badly, but did confess to his ribs \u201csmartin\u2019 a right bit,\u201d which told me he\u2019d probably badly bruised a couple, if not broken them.<\/p>\n

Hoping against hope that plans wouldn\u2019t have to be changed, I waited for Johnny the next morning; the morning we were leaving.\u00a0 Johnny\u2019s slow descent of the stairs gave me my answer.\u00a0 He was way too sore to take a horseback ride, or even a buggy ride to San Francisco.\u00a0 Murdoch had insisted on sending for the doctor to have Johnny checked before we left.\u00a0 All the time we waited, I kept saying I would remain home with Johnny.\u00a0 But neither my father nor Johnny was willing to believe I wasn\u2019t longing for the bright lights of a city.\u00a0 I\u2019d overplayed that hand enough that I got stuck with going without Johnny when what I wanted was Johnny\u2019s company and no chores, no potential gunslingers, just freedom to move around a city.<\/p>\n

We\u2019d planned to get to the hotel in time for a bath and a leisurely dinner in the famous dining room Tuesday night. Instead, due to the late start, it was after midnight when we finally arrived, trail-worn and beat, to claim our rooms and beds.\u00a0 The marathon meeting didn\u2019t begin until Thursday morning, but Murdoch was taking this opportunity to meet with some other business interests on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

I was surprised when the clerk handed me two envelopes that had been waiting for Johnny and me with the key to our room.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cA gentleman left these letters for you and your brother.\u201d\u00a0 I didn\u2019t open mine until I took them up to the room Johnny and I had been supposed to share.<\/p>\n

Mr. Scott Lancer:<\/em>
\nMr. Armand Dupre requests the pleasure of your company at The Manor outside Sacramento on Thursday, February 8 through Sunday, February 11 to introduce his granddaughter Savannah Lisette Dupre to California society.\u00a0 A carriage will await you next to the Sacramento train station on Thursday at 7 am should you accept this invitation.\u00a0 Please be prepared to spend the weekend.<\/em><\/p>\n

I opened Johnny\u2019s and found the same invitation, with a different departure time.\u00a0 I might have been interested, but I\u2019d been to Sacramento frequently.\u00a0 This party wasn\u2019t reason enough to leave the sights of San Francisco to go there now.<\/p>\n

Wednesday morning, I dragged my bones out of bed and joined my father for breakfast.\u00a0 As we ate, Murdoch warned me that he might not see me for several days as the meetings would go on to all hours and food would probably be brought in.\u00a0 What a miserable picture, days stuck in a smoke-filled room with a bunch of men all determined to take the others for as much as they could.\u00a0 Since coming to Lancer, I had learned to appreciate the value of outdoor work and the freedom of movement denied those sitting at desks. I was glad it was him and not me.\u00a0 Even without Johnny, San Francisco streets had to be better than that.<\/p>\n

As we left the dining room, I almost bumped into the most beautiful creature I had seen in a very long time.\u00a0 She had golden hair, piled high on her head and blue eyes guaranteed to catch any man\u2019s attention.\u00a0 Tall for a woman, she looked me straight in the eye and gave a \u201ccome hither\u201d smile the likes of which I hadn\u2019t seen for several years, since\u2026 well, in quite a while.<\/p>\n

Murdoch noticed the direction of my gaze and warned, \u201cScott, she looks a tad rich for your blood and more than a little dangerous.\u201d Now those were words guaranteed to make me plan to pursue the acquaintance, if possible.\u00a0 Nothing like a little unsolicited advice to get my dander up.<\/p>\n

After Murdoch left, I asked the desk clerk if he knew the lady\u2019s name.\u00a0 \u201cShe is the granddaughter of Mr. Armand Dupre, who resides in Sacramento.\u00a0 She recently arrived from her home in Georgia to live with her grandfather.\u201c<\/p>\n

Suddenly that invitation held more interest.\u00a0 Perhaps I should save San Francisco for a time when I could share it with Johnny.\u00a0 I now had a reason to go to Sacramento — a sight I didn\u2019t particularly want to share with him or anyone else.<\/p>\n

I was glad I hadn\u2019t bothered to unpack.\u00a0 Also glad I had the foresight to pack dress clothes even though I hadn\u2019t been able to convince Johnny to do the same.\u00a0 My father would probably never miss me, but I left a scrawled note that I had accepted an invitation to a weekend party.\u00a0\u00a0 I caught a late afternoon train to Sacramento after making a futile attempt to find Miss Dupre in the hopes of sharing a coach with her on her return to Sacramento.\u00a0 I had time for a leisurely dinner before retiring early.<\/p>\n

At five minutes to seven, I approached the train station and found a carriage waiting.\u00a0 \u201cMr. Lancer?\u201d\u00a0 The liveried coachman opened the door of a fine coach with a matched team of horses and allowed me to enter.\u00a0 I was surprised to be the only passenger in the coach and wondered how many people would be at the party<\/p>\n

When we arrived at The Manor, I forgot to look at my surroundings, as Savannah herself came out to greet me on the verandah.\u00a0 She was wearing a plain but elegant day dress that seemed cut just a tad low for a proper young lady.\u00a0\u00a0 I certainly did not object to the view. She greeted me with both hands out and reached up to kiss my cheek.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I wished you were one of my grandfather\u2019s guests when I saw you in the dining room.\u00a0 I was so afraid that he had invited only the stuffed shirt types considered \u201celigible\u201d instead of some real men.\u201d As she spoke, her hands wandered up and down my shirtfront and came to rest on my hips.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo gunbelt,\u201d she noted.\u00a0 \u201cI thought that you were a rancher\u2019s son. I assumed you carried a gun.\u201d<\/p>\n

I squirmed a little under the teasing motion of her hands.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m originally from Boston and I am not quite used to wearing a gun everywhere I go.\u00a0 Besides, I assumed it wouldn\u2019t be appropriate wear for this event.\u00a0 I do have my gun and holster in my bag.\u201d I replied as I gestured to the article in my hand.<\/p>\n

She had already motioned the carriage driver away and asked permission to open my bag herself.\u00a0 She removed my gun and showed me the locked chest near the front entrance.\u00a0 \u201cMy grandfather has requested that all weapons be left here,\u201d she informed me as she put the gun and belt inside. \u201cHe is afraid there might be some trouble otherwise.\u201d\u00a0 Looking at the beautiful woman in front of me, I could see why he was concerned.<\/p>\n

My next thought was of Johnny.\u00a0 He would never have stood for his gun being taken and locked away, so it was a good thing he was not there to have to deal with the indignity.\u00a0 It has taken us months to convince him to come to dinner without a gun on his hip.\u00a0 That thought led me to remember to give Johnny\u2019s regrets.\u00a0 And this in turn led to a query as to why his invitation had indicated he was to be picked up an hour later than I when there was plenty of room in the carriage that had brought me here.<\/p>\n

Miss Savannah simply smiled and suggested that all her guests deserved individual attention.\u00a0 She then took my free hand and pulled me along up the stairs.\u00a0 She opened one of the doors along the hall and gestured me in.\u00a0 \u201cMy room is downstairs, in case you get lost or have a question,\u201d she informed me archly.\u00a0 She came in and shut the door behind her.\u00a0 I put my bag on the floor and turned to find she was practically on top of me.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy grandfather insists that our guests be searched for hidden weapons too, but I thought you might not like a servant to do that,\u201d was her comment as her lovely hands began to slide down the front of my shirt, pausing to give each of my nipples a gentle twist.\u00a0 She then slid her hands down my sides and spread her fingers wide as she slipped past my waist and across the crotch of my pants, highlighting my expanding manhood and making it enlarge even more.<\/p>\n

I caught her hands, lifted them to my lips and warned, \u201cNot a good idea unless you\u2019re going to improve our acquaintance rapidly, and right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her smile was knowing and very teasing.\u00a0 \u201cWell,\u201d she drawled in her soft southern accent, \u201cyou are the first guest to arrive and since your brother isn\u2019t coming, we have two hours before the next is expected.\u00a0 Is that enough time to improve our acquaintance?\u201d<\/p>\n

The way I was feeling, it was only going to take a few minutes to \u2026 well, you get the picture.\u00a0 So, I let go of her hands and let her choose the direction of future events.\u00a0 Quick fingers began to unbutton the shirt I wore; I had already taken off my jacket.\u00a0 She eased the shirt off my chest and arms, making sure she touched every part of my upper body.\u00a0 My shirt fell unnoticed to the floor.<\/p>\n

As her nimble fingers began on my belt and trousers, I decided to take a hand.\u00a0 There is nothing more awkward than dropping your drawers while you have your boots on.\u00a0 Talk about a rude interruption to building passion.\u00a0 So, I used the bench to remove my boots while her hands continued to wreak havoc on my self-control.<\/p>\n

Then it was my turn to unwrap the merchandise.\u00a0 I unlaced the bodice strings holding the top of her dress and, to my amazement, found nothing under the garment except creamy, white flesh and breasts to make a man drool.\u00a0 Our hands stayed on each other as we stumbled to the canopied bed in the center of the room.\u00a0 Somehow, I wound up on the bottom with Savannah leaning over me, her blond hair tumbling from its intricate knot and framing her heart-shaped face.\u00a0 Her eyes seemed to feast on me and the pleasure on her face made me grow impossibly harder.\u00a0 As I started to reach out and take control, I remembered some long ago advice from another lovely lady.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Darling, sometimes the best way to have control is to let the woman take the lead.\u00a0 Nothing is more exciting than a man who allows himself to be loved.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m all yours.\u201d\u00a0 And with those words, I reached back and gripped the rails of the brass headboard and let her have her way.\u00a0 Now that was a rapid way to have a massive heart attack.\u00a0 With sheer elation shining in her eyes, she began to nibble her way down my body.\u00a0 I felt her mouth and teeth on my ear, on my neck; then she began to suck my nipples and I thought I would go through the ceiling.\u00a0 It was all I could do to stay still and not grab.\u00a0 She continued down my stomach, nipping and licking, then blowing across the damp flesh.<\/p>\n

She stroked my thighs, being very careful to avoid the one spot I craved her touch.\u00a0 Blowing her cool breath across my heated private area, she was driving me crazy.\u00a0 I could barely refrain from gripping her and I could feel my head tossing to and fro and my back arching as I tried to get closer, to feel more.<\/p>\n

She trailed her hair up across my barrel, over my stomach and nipples and finally reached close enough for me to touch my lips to hers.<\/p>\n

“Let me touch you,” I tried to order but it came out a weak plea.<\/p>\n

“Please.”\u00a0 Savannah nodded and smiled with exultation.\u00a0 I managed to let go of my death grip on the railings and cupped one full breast to guide it to my mouth.\u00a0 As I sucked gently, I moved my other hand beneath to find the warm moist center of her womanhood.\u00a0 I eased two fingers into the hidden area and watched her jolt, as she tried to both lean back into my fingers and keep my mouth working her luscious flesh.\u00a0\u00a0 I was ready to explode and could see that she was approaching the same state.<\/p>\n

It was one of the hardest things I have ever done, to lower myself back on that bed and reach my arms over my head again, but the effort was rewarded when I saw the disbelieving pleasure in her eyes.\u00a0 “At your command, my lady,” I managed to gasp.<\/p>\n

She slid back on me, kneeling on those gorgeous long legs of hers and taking my full length into her passion zone.\u00a0 I thought I would expire at that moment, but she began to work her body over mine, demanding I move with her.\u00a0 I heard the words, “Ride ’em, cowboy,” and fell off the top of the highest cliff I have ever experienced.\u00a0\u00a0 She leaned over and took my mouth as I opened it to shout, taking the sound into herself and giving back the deep groan that accompanied her completion.<\/p>\n

I must have fallen into the “little death” that accompanies exquisite sex because that is all I remember until I turned over to find her gone.\u00a0\u00a0 Looking at the clock on the bureau, I saw an hour and a half had passed.\u00a0 It was probably nearly time for the next arrival and I wanted to be present at the introduction.<\/p>\n

So, up I got, dressed and descended the stairs to find Savannah in the drawing room.\u00a0 She was wearing a different dress, one cut even a bit lower than the one in which she had greeted me.<\/p>\n

She smiled broadly, whispered, “Thanks for the acquaintance,” and ushered me into the billiard room where a gray-haired, dignified man stood waiting.\u00a0 “Grandfather, I would like for you to meet Scott Lancer.\u00a0 Scott, Armand Dupre.”\u00a0 I bowed, offered my hand and had it heartily shaken.<\/p>\n

“Welcome, Mr. Lancer.\u00a0 I wanted to invite several people who could introduce Savannah into California society and I have heard much about your Lancer.\u00a0 I am so glad that you could come.”<\/p>\n

I wondered what game was being played here.\u00a0 Surely Mr. Dupre was not planning on his granddaughter being viewed as an eligible young lady, not with what I had already seen.\u00a0 Still, it looked like enjoyable entertainment for a few days, to watch the beautiful tigress devour her escorts.\u00a0 I found that I wouldn’t really mind a repeat exercise myself, but I was glad that Johnny wasn’t there.\u00a0 My tough, hard-nosed brother is actually rather innocent in the matter of “good” women and is more than a little romantic.\u00a0 I couldn’t have trusted him not to fall in love with Savannah and create no end of problems.\u00a0 Me, I was just suffering a good case of lust and figured I could deal with it.<\/p>\n

Candy<\/u><\/p>\n

I\u2019d been surprised to be the only passenger in the fancy buggy.\u00a0 If this was a big party, where were all the other guests?\u00a0 But about an hour into the ride we passed a carriage headed back to town without a passenger.\u00a0 Could be the others were arriving on a late train.\u00a0 Or maybe rich folks in Atlanta didn\u2019t believe in sharing conveyances with strangers.<\/p>\n

When we pulled up to The Manor, my curiosity about other guests vanished.\u00a0 She came out to the veranda to greet me wearing a blue dress that couldn\u2019t begin to match those incredible eyes.\u00a0 But it did accentuate her tiny waist and show just a little more of her bosom than seemed quite proper for a lady.\u00a0\u00a0 The way she greeted me didn\u2019t seem quite ladylike either although I couldn\u2019t quite pin down why.<\/p>\n

She took both my hands in hers and kissed me on the cheek.\u00a0 Although there was no one else in sight, she spoke in a throaty whisper close to my ear.\u00a0 \u201cMr. Cartwright, I\u2019m so glad you got your invitation in time.\u00a0 We tried to deliver it in San Francisco but you\u2019d already left.\u00a0 When I saw you at the hotel of course I didn\u2019t know who you were or I\u2019d have extended the invitation personally.\u201d<\/p>\n

I started to tell her to call me Joe, but the way her finger traced my cheek and then moved down my chest, distracted me.\u00a0 She was wearing an exotic scent that drove the words from my mouth.\u00a0 No matter, she anticipated my request.<\/p>\n

\u201cMay I call you Joseph?\u201d\u00a0 I nodded and she went on.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, when I saw you in the hotel dining room I so wished you were a man of the status my grandfather would find suitable for this party.\u00a0 But you looked too rugged, too manly.\u00a0 My grandfather insists that I meet only men of the most impeccable background.\u00a0 I\u2019m thrilled such a virile man is also so well connected.\u201d<\/p>\n

So was I.<\/p>\n

My gunbelt caught her attention.\u00a0 I got a little nervous when she ran her right index finger around the buckle.\u00a0 When her left hand took hold of the holster, I was more nervous still.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t worried she\u2019d shoot me.\u00a0 It was the way she used her hold on the holster to pull me against her.\u00a0 It tested my self-control just a little more than I was comfortable with out here in the open where someone might decide to come out for a breath of air at any time.<\/p>\n

By the time she started to unbuckle the gunbelt my breathing had become a little irregular.\u00a0 I restrained her hand gently with my own.\u00a0 \u201cIsn\u2019t there a more private place we could go to\u00a0 . . . talk?\u201d<\/p>\n

She laughed softly.\u00a0 \u201cOf course, Joseph.\u00a0 But first my grandfather has a request.\u00a0 He\u2019d like everyone to leave their firearms outside.\u201d<\/p>\n

She gestured toward an ornately carved wooden trunk tucked up against the wall near the door.\u00a0\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t too happy about leaving my gun, but on close examination I found the padlock holding the trunk closed was none too sturdy.\u00a0 If I had a reason to be armed later, I could get through it easily enough.\u00a0\u00a0 Still, I saw no reason to be hasty in my cooperation.\u00a0 She sensed the need to act in response to my hesitation and finished unbuckling the belt herself.\u00a0 She coiled it and slid it into a green velvet bag before nestling it carefully next to some similar bags already in the trunk.<\/p>\n

But she hadn\u2019t finished her safety precautions.\u00a0 \u201cMr. Cartwright, I mean no insult, but you do look much more dangerous than the guests who preceded you.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure my grandfather wouldn\u2019t rest easy unless you were thoroughly searched.\u201d<\/p>\n

At first I was mildly alarmed, expecting some burly manservant to be summoned to conduct this search.\u00a0 But I\u2019d underestimated her commitment to the personal comfort of her guests.\u00a0 With her hands running down my chest and then my thighs, she slowly convinced herself I carried no additional firepower \u2013 although had she kept up her exploration much longer, she\u2019d have had to contend with another type of weapon.<\/p>\n

Finally, she took my hand and led me inside.<\/p>\n

A quarter hour later I was naked and relaxing with the scent of lavender dominating my senses. The only thing missing was a beautiful woman to scrub my back.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d gone to attend to her other guests.\u00a0 But she had left behind an unspoken promise.\u00a0\u00a0 And I intended to collect on it before the weekend was over.\u00a0\u00a0 In the meantime, this was by far the fanciest bath I\u2019d ever indulged in and I might as well enjoy it.\u00a0 Servants must have brought the hot water just as I was dropped off because the tub was still steaming when she closed the bedroom door.<\/p>\n

Joe<\/u><\/p>\n

I watched Jamie until I could no longer see his red head in the crowd and then settled back into the plush seats of the carriage.\u00a0 It was a mighty fine vehicle, maybe the finest I\u2019d ever ridden in.\u00a0 This Savannah Lisette must come from a pretty rich family.\u00a0 I could see why her grandfather was seeking out the finest families for a potential husband.<\/p>\n

The ride seemed interminable even though the coachman kept the horses at a fast pace.\u00a0 I was anxious to flaunt my presence in Candy\u2019s face and take him down a peg or two.\u00a0 And I was just as anxious to have a chance to work my charm on Miss Savannah Lisette.\u00a0 She wouldn\u2019t look twice at Candy when I was through with her.\u00a0 He had some nerve, a man supposed to be my best friend, stealing my invitation and trying to pass himself off as Joe Cartwright.\u00a0 I\u2019d show him.<\/p>\n

The carriage drew up in front of a mansion.\u00a0 I sucked in a deep breath.\u00a0 It was imposing.\u00a0 Tall.\u00a0 Three stories tall.\u00a0 And waiting on the porch a most beautiful sight, Miss Savannah Lisette Dupre.\u00a0 Her golden hair shone in the sunlight, but my eye was drawn to those curves.\u00a0 The luscious swell of her bosom beneath the bodice of her gown distracted me from seeing anything else.\u00a0 She was perfectly proportioned, with a tiny waist leading to the gentle curve of her hips.\u00a0 The way her low cut bodice dipped and exposed the swell of her petal soft flesh took my breath away. I felt my body\u2019s instinctive response and hastily used my hat to cover that portion of my anatomy.\u00a0 No sense in offending the girl before we\u2019d been formally introduced.<\/p>\n

I almost fell from the carriage in my haste to greet this picture of feminine perfection.\u00a0 Putting my best manners on display, I gathered her tiny hand in mine and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of it.\u00a0 I will confess I let my lips linger a little longer than was considered acceptable, but she didn\u2019t pull back, or scream, or slap me.\u00a0 I\u2019d had all of those things happen before, and she did none of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Cartier?\u00a0 How lovely to meet you, sir,\u201d she was saying.\u00a0 I struggled to lift my eyes from her breasts to her face, and at last succeeded.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy pleasure, ma\u2019am.\u00a0 Francis Cartier, at your service.\u201d<\/p>\n

She smiled prettily and made a show of reluctantly pulling her hand from my grasp.\u00a0 \u201cHow lovely that you\u2019ve been able to accept my little invitation,\u201d she purred.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve been looking forward to making your acquaintance.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure we\u2019ll have the most entertaining weekend.\u00a0 One of our other guests is a friend of yours.\u00a0 At least I saw you together in the hotel dining room \u2013 Joseph Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

My jaw tightened a little at the mention of that imposter.\u00a0 But I hastened to agree with her, passing \u201cMr. Cartwright\u201d off as a casual acquaintance.\u00a0 The weekend promised to be most entertaining, all right.\u00a0\u00a0 And watching Candy squirm would be part if it.\u00a0 I made a move toward the house, but she put her hand on my chest.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m so sorry, Mr. Cartier.\u00a0 May I call you Francis?\u201d<\/p>\n

I nodded, waiting for her to continue. \u201cMy grandfather is most worried about the possibility of duels, or gunplay of some sort in our home.\u201d\u00a0 She batted her eyelashes and looked down demurely.\u00a0 \u201cFor some reason, young men have a tendency toward such things when I\u2019m around.\u00a0 Grandfather has insisted that all weapons be left outside.\u201d\u00a0 She gestured toward a small chest on the porch.\u00a0 \u201cI promise we\u2019ll take the best possible care of your gun.\u201d<\/p>\n

I fingered my gunbelt for a moment.\u00a0 I don\u2019t like walking into a strange situation without my weapon.\u00a0 But it was a genteel house party, after all, not a rowdy saloon.\u00a0 What harm could there be in surrendering my gun?\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t like I was actually planning to shoot Candy.\u00a0 I made a move to unfasten the gunbelt, but her eager fingers stopped me.<\/p>\n

\u201cAllow me, Francis,\u201d she murmured.<\/p>\n

Her fingers tickled my waistband, and I flushed uncomfortably.\u00a0 Evidence of my ever-growing desire was next to impossible to hide, given the tight fit of my pants.\u00a0 Especially now I was forced to move my hat aside.\u00a0 Her eyes let me know she\u2019d seen what I was trying to cover and was finding it rather amusing.\u00a0 If anything, her fingers lingered a bit longer than necessary as she worked to unbuckle the supple leather of the gunbelt.\u00a0 In fact, I swear she deliberately let those fingers drift across the fabric that clung so tightly.\u00a0 Of course, this only increased my level of discomfort and made the cloth even tighter.<\/p>\n

When she insisted on searching me for concealed weapons, I groaned aloud.\u00a0 \u201cMa\u2019am, I\u2019m afraid I can\u2019t let you do that,\u201d I tried to insist.\u00a0 In truth, I didn\u2019t like to think what might happen if I let her run her hands over my body.<\/p>\n

She brushed away my protests and I shut my eyes tightly, biting the inside of my cheek as her fingers caressed first my chest, then my waist, dipping lower to the inside of my thighs, and down to my boots.\u00a0 It was surprising I didn\u2019t open a gaping wound in my mouth, because by the time she was done, I was in dire straits.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll done, Francis,\u201d she cooed, and I opened my eyes to find her laughing up at me.\u00a0 She gestured toward the door, and I swear she deliberately grazed my pants again with that motion.\u00a0 \u201cLet me show you to your room.\u201d<\/p>\n

We traveled through a luxurious foyer, and up a sweeping staircase to the second floor.\u00a0 A long hallway gave evidence that the house could handle quite a few guests.\u00a0 She stopped in front of a door, and threw it open, preceding me inside the room.<\/p>\n

It was enormous.\u00a0 A huge four-poster bed seemed lost among the carpets that swirled to the windows.\u00a0 I whistled appreciatively, but stopped as Savannah pressed her hand into mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you need anything at all, Mr. Cartier, please let me know.\u00a0 We\u2019re at your complete disposal this weekend.\u201d\u00a0 She stood closer than was socially acceptable, and I took advantage of the situation, I\u2019ll admit.<\/p>\n

I swept her into a gentle embrace and captured those full lips with mine.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t struggle or protest and so I let the kiss linger and bloom.\u00a0 A surging tide of passion engulfed me and I couldn\u2019t have lifted my head if I\u2019d tried.\u00a0 Savannah finally put both hands on my chest and gently pushed me away.\u00a0 She sighed dreamily.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d love to stay and \u2018chat\u2019 a little longer, Francis, but I do have other guests.\u00a0 The servants have provided hot water for your bath.\u00a0 You\u2019ll find everything you need behind that screen.\u00a0 Join us downstairs as soon as you\u2019re ready.\u201d\u00a0 She drifted to the door, her skirts swaying gently as she walked.<\/p>\n

At the door, she stopped and blew me a kiss, and then she slipped through, closing the door softly behind her.\u00a0 I let out a loud groan and collapsed onto the giant bed.\u00a0 Visions of the fun I could have with Savannah Lisette on that vast expanse swam through my mind, and I groaned again.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t wait to see what developed this weekend.\u00a0 Candy didn\u2019t stand a chance.<\/p>\n

Griff<\/u><\/p>\n

It was turning dark when the carriage picked me up at the train station at five.\u00a0\u00a0 An hour into the trip it was dead black.\u00a0 But the combination of carriage lamps, a fairly decent road and a somewhat reckless driver had us moving at a good clip.\u00a0 I used the two-hour trip to go over the facts Nigel had drilled into me and to recite a few of the phrases he\u2019d taught me.\u00a0 Anti-clockwise not counter-clockwise \u2013 how would I slip that into a conversation?\u00a0 And 14 stones made a pound.\u00a0 Or was it the other way?\u00a0 Damn, I guess I\u2019d better avoid talking about how much stuff weighed.\u00a0 Cookies were biscuits.\u00a0 So if they had biscuits and gravy for breakfast did I call them cookies?\u00a0 So many things I\u2019d forgotten to ask.<\/p>\n

We\u2019d only been a half hour into the train ride from Frisco to Sacramento when Nigel and his friends concluded there was no way I was going to be able to carry off a believable British accent.\u00a0 By that time I\u2019d been looking forward to a few days of luxury as a Count\u2019s son.\u00a0 My disappointment at their verdict must have been obvious.\u00a0 It was Cedric, the son of a vicar – whatever that was – who came up with another plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cNigel, you tried to convince the guys in that poker game in Denver you were from Texas.\u00a0 Now you weren\u2019t any better at it than Griff is at speaking the Queen\u2019s English, but Ned here mimicked those drovers so well he might have passed for one of them if he\u2019d been a sight filthier — and if your father hadn\u2019t found out where we were and hauled us off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nigel didn\u2019t see his point.\u00a0 \u201cBut Griff doesn\u2019t have Ned\u2019s gift any more than do I.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what if he did?\u00a0 Him being you I mean.\u00a0 What if he tells them he\u2019s trying to master the language of the cowboys and to please correct him if he lapses into real English?\u00a0 Griff can speak in his primitive way, use what more civilized words and phrases he can master and everyone will think he\u2019s trying to fit in.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other three looked a bit skeptical and I figured I should be insulted – I thought my English was pretty damn good.\u00a0 But it\u2019s the plan we went with.\u00a0 Nigel\u2019s daddy expected him to be safely tucked away at a fancy party while the big meeting was going on.\u00a0 Nigel wanted to punch some cows and shoot some mountain lions away from his daddy\u2019s watchful eyes.\u00a0 I might have been out of luck had some other young, tall, dark-haired, blue-eyed guy come along who could fit into Nigel\u2019s fancy clothes.\u00a0 But no better candidates appeared.\u00a0 I\u2019m just glad Hop Sing hadn\u2019t managed to fatten me up like he kept threatening.\u00a0 Nigel\u2019s fancy duds were tailored to fit his aristocratic frame.\u00a0 My shoulders barely fit into them as it was.<\/p>\n

I could see The Manor long before we pulled up next to the front veranda.\u00a0 Two of the three floors were ablaze with lights.\u00a0 It was more than twice as big as the Ponderosa ranch house, which was the only rich man\u2019s home I\u2019d ever been in.<\/p>\n

As the driver set Nigel\u2019s fancy leather bag on the porch, one of the ornate double doors opened and a young woman stepped out.\u00a0\u00a0 I hoped the shadows by the buggy hid the fact that my jaw dropped and wouldn\u2019t close for what seemed like a very long time.\u00a0\u00a0 This had to be the hostess, Savannah Lisette Dupre.\u00a0\u00a0 She couldn\u2019t be a guest.\u00a0 No society girl looking to meet eligible men would invite a girl who looked like her to a party.\u00a0 Every man\u2019s eyes would drift to this golden-haired beauty and stay there.\u00a0\u00a0 It was the gold that held my eye.\u00a0 Although her hair was piled on top of her head, held with jeweled clips, I just knew it was soft and silky.\u00a0 I imagined myself slowly removing those clips; letting those curls tumble onto her bare shoulders.<\/p>\n

I was jarred back to reality by the sound of my name — or rather Nigel\u2019s name – spoken in the warm, honeyed drawl of a Southern belle.\u00a0 Of course, I\u2019d never actually talked to a real Southern belle.\u00a0 But her voice was everything I\u2019d imagined.\u00a0 A man in prison has a lot of time to imagine\u00a0 – especially about women.<\/p>\n

I took a deep breath and walked up the few steps to join her.\u00a0 I\u2019d been rehearsing in my head all the possible ways I could greet my host and hostess, but I hadn\u2019t expected to be alone with such a woman so soon.\u00a0 On a rash impulse, I took her extended right hand, swept off my hat and gave a dramatic bow as I bent to kiss it.\u00a0\u00a0 When I straightened up to face her squarely, I grinned and said in the most exaggerated Texas drawl I could manage, \u201cHowdy, Ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked startled and then confused.\u00a0 \u201cAre you Nigel Wingate, of \u2013 of London?<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy, yes Ma\u2019am, I most surely am.\u00a0 Most pleased to make your acquaintance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you don\u2019t sound like a Londoner.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJolly good.\u201d\u00a0 I stopped, trying to look chagrined at my lapse, \u201cI mean, thank you kindly ma\u2019am.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been practicing since my ship docked in Boston.\u00a0 I reckon I don\u2019t want to stand out \u2018round these here parts.\u201d<\/p>\n

She smiled at me with amusement, no hint of suspicion.\u00a0\u00a0 My spirits rose.\u00a0 I could do this.\u00a0\u00a0 It was going to be fun.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t even doing anything illegal.\u00a0 Nigel had given me permission to impersonate him.\u00a0 Wasn\u2019t like I was going to rob a bank or nothing.\u00a0 Couldn\u2019t be any law against attending a party under false pretenses.\u00a0\u00a0 And wasn\u2019t like she\u2019d have been any better off with the real Nigel.\u00a0 He\u2019d heard in Frisco that her grandfather was trying to find her a husband.\u00a0 He\u2019d made it clear he had no interest in an American wife.\u00a0 She was no worse off not getting a proposal from me than she woulda been not getting a proposal from him.<\/p>\n

I thought she\u2019d simply escort me into the house, but she had other business.\u00a0 \u201cNigel, I\u2019m afraid a couple of boys back home were silly enough get themselves killed in duels over me.\u00a0\u00a0 My grandpapa has heard how the men out here get into gunfights over women, poker, horses or most anything.\u00a0 And they do it right in the middle of a crowd.\u00a0 Innocent people get hurt.\u00a0 He asks that all the guests leave their firearms out here.\u201d\u00a0 She pointed to a fancy lock box by the door.<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t real happy about turning over the grand revolver Nigel had loaned me.\u00a0\u00a0 The thing was more for show than practical use I suppose — I guessed it was worth a year\u2019s ranch hand wages.\u00a0\u00a0 Not that I was planning to shoot anyone but I\u2019d been looking forward to showing it off.\u00a0\u00a0 Reclining nudes were carved into the ivory insets on the grip and the barrel was splendid with fancy inlays.\u00a0 Even the tooled holster and cartridge belt cost more than I\u2019d pay for a saddle with a good horse under it.\u00a0\u00a0 I supposed the lock box was safe enough way out here, hours from town, but I\u2019d gotten used to the feel of a rich man\u2019s rig and hated to give it up.<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t give me much choice though.\u00a0 She got up close to me and put her left hand on my shoulder like we was going to waltz.\u00a0 Her right hand drifted down my chest and belly until she got to the gunbelt.\u00a0 Gently, she loosened the buckle until the belt fell from my waist and dangled in her hand.\u00a0\u00a0 She took her left hand from my shoulder and stroked the intricate, raised-carved floral pattern, running her fingers around the engraved silver conchos.\u00a0 I took a moment to breathe.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is lovely.\u201d\u00a0 She looked up at me and smiled.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m so sorry you won\u2019t be able to wear it.\u00a0 It did look so fine around your hips.\u00a0\u00a0 Makes you look like a real high-class cowboy.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 She leaned against me for a moment, her arm reaching around my waist as though to replace my confiscated gunbelt with her arm.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Then she stood on her toes and placed a soft kiss on my cheek.<\/p>\n

And Nigel thought shooting at mountain lions would be more fun than this.<\/p>\n

After she\u2019d put my rig in the lock box, she had another condition to my entrance into the party.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m afraid my grandpapa insists that all the guests be searched for hidden firearms before they come in.\u00a0 I can call Jasper to conduct a quick search . . . \u201c<\/p>\n

She might as well have thrown a bucket of cold water on me.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019d been searched about every week for a year in prison.\u00a0\u00a0 I was a free man now and wasn\u2019t about to let this Jasper touch me.\u00a0 If that was the price of admission, I was gone.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s not what she had in mind.<\/p>\n

\u201c. . . or perhaps you\u2019d let me do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course I would.\u00a0 I did in fact, have Nigel\u2019s pocket pistol secured in an inside jacket pocket.\u00a0 I could have surrendered it but a search sounded like a fine idea \u2013 a reasonable safety precaution.<\/p>\n

She started by running both hands down my back while she stood facing me \u2013 as if in an embrace.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t exactly rush through the job either.\u00a0 Her hands moved slowly, massaging the muscles in my back in places where no firearm could have been found.\u00a0\u00a0 But she felt the pistol right away when as her hands came under my arms to my chest.\u00a0 She opened the jacket and reached into the pocket.\u00a0 Removing the pistol, she held it out and shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cVery naughty, Mr. Wingate.\u201d\u00a0 She spoke in the tone of a schoolmarm who\u2019s caught a boy putting a frog down a schoolmate\u2019s dress.\u00a0 \u201cDo you have any more of these?\u201d<\/p>\n

I flashed Nigel\u2019s most engaging smile and continued in my exaggerated cowboy speech.\u00a0 \u201cMy memory ain\u2019t been too good of late ma\u2019am.\u00a0 I reckon you\u2019d just best continue your search.\u201d<\/p>\n

She slid the pocket pistol into a little velvet bag before adding it to the firepower already stashed in the lock box.\u00a0 Then she continued to search me most thoroughly and most enjoyably.\u00a0 She started with my boots this time \u2013 the ones with the fancy stitching and colorful leather inlays that had been custom-made for Nigel\u2019s feet but gave me just a little too much room to wiggle my toes.\u00a0 She ran her hands up both my legs one at a time.\u00a0 I thought she might avoid being too thorough around my thighs and hips out of womanly delicacy.\u00a0 But while Savannah Lisette looked to be the most delicate of women, she was either quite afraid I had hidden firepower or she was curious to know just what other equipment I was carrying.<\/p>\n

In either case, the way she touched me left me with no secrets.<\/p>\n

By the time she took my hand and led me into the house, I was having a little trouble with my breathing and walking wasn\u2019t all that easy.\u00a0 But one thing surprised me.\u00a0 I hadn\u2019t been embarrassed or gone all shy or anything.\u00a0\u00a0 There was a freedom about being somebody else in a place where no one knew me.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t like women made me all tongue-tied when I was on familiar ground.\u00a0\u00a0 I had some experience with girls.\u00a0\u00a0 I could talk to them pretty good mostly.\u00a0\u00a0 But it was hard with people watching.\u00a0 Like when I go to a saloon on a Saturday night with some of the hands from the ranch.\u00a0\u00a0 The working girls are mostly real nice with me.\u00a0 I know they\u2019re just looking for customers but I think they figure I ain\u2019t one of those boys would be rough with them.\u00a0\u00a0 I have mixed feelings toward such women.\u00a0 Mostly it seems sad that any woman has to sell her body to make a living.\u00a0 But since she does, would I be in the wrong being a customer who would treat her nice?<\/p>\n

I hadn\u2019t given in to it so far.\u00a0 I ain\u2019t no saint though.\u00a0 There were times when the need for a woman got real bad and maybe when a girl started teasing with me, I would\u2019ve spent my money upstairs.\u00a0 But if I\u2019d gone off with one of them, the boys would have started whoopin\u2019 and hollerin\u2019, making fun.\u00a0 They were pretty sure I hadn\u2019t been with a woman in that way before I went to prison.\u00a0 And they\u2019d been egging me on to give it a try since I\u2019d started going to town with them.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t about to tell them about any private time I\u2019d had with a woman so to them anytime would be my first time.\u00a0 They\u2019d make such a big to-do; I probably wouldn\u2019t be able to get done what I\u2019d paid for anyways.<\/p>\n

And of course there were girls at the parties the Cartwrights gave.\u00a0\u00a0 Girls to dance with and kiss though not the sort to do with what a working girl would do.\u00a0 But even so, it was tough to get close to a girl with Candy and Joe watching.\u00a0\u00a0 The two of them were so smooth with the ladies; I\u2019d start tripping over my words under their watchful eyes.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t mean no harm but they liked to tease.\u00a0 And their advice just made me worry I was doing things wrong.<\/p>\n

Jamie, he felt the same way.\u00a0\u00a0 A few times we\u2019d sat out watching the folks dance, pointing out the girls we\u2019d maybe like to talk to if Joe and Candy weren\u2019t watching to see how we did.\u00a0 He had it worse than me because if he tried to hold a girl\u2019s hand or maybe take her for a walk, he had his Pa beaming at him with that, \u201cIsn\u2019t that nice, Jamie has a girl\u201d look.\u00a0 He might even walk over and give them a hearty Ben Cartwright greeting that would have Jamie turning ten shades of red.<\/p>\n

But here I was.\u00a0 No rowdy ranch hands.\u00a0 No Joe and Candy watching from the sidelines.\u00a0 And how could I get self-conscious when I wasn\u2019t even myself?\u00a0 I was introduced to one of the other guests who was on his way upstairs.\u00a0 He seemed a pleasant enough type.\u00a0 He looked and sounded like an educated gentleman but she introduced him as a rancher from the San Joaquin Valley.\u00a0 I was pleased with myself that my act seemed to pass muster with him as well as Savannah.\u00a0 I could do this.<\/p>\n

She led me up to a bedroom off a wide hallway on the second floor.\u00a0 I used the walk up the staircase to drop a comment using what Nigel and Cedric told me about the Brits using the term ground floor for first floor and first floor for second and so on.\u00a0 I\u2019m pretty sure I got it right \u2013asking her what was on the second floor and then having to correct it to third floor.\u00a0 I figured I\u2019d better throw things in here and there to establish my British background to cover for mistakes I was sure to make later.<\/p>\n

After our introduction on the veranda, I didn\u2019t think it was totally out of the question that things might become more intimate once we got to the privacy of my room.\u00a0 I even closed the door behind us.\u00a0 Just in case.<\/p>\n

But it wasn\u2019t to be.<\/p>\n

\u201cNigel you\u2019re the last guest to arrive. We\u2019ll be serving dinner promptly at eight.\u201d\u00a0 She glanced at the clock sitting on the walnut dresser.\u00a0 \u201cYou have 45 minutes to get ready if you wish to freshen up after that dusty trip.\u201d\u00a0 She folded back a Chinese screen to reveal a copper tub steaming with hot water.\u00a0 \u201cI had the servants bring bath water as you drove up.\u00a0 When you\u2019ve dressed, you may join us in the drawing room and we\u2019ll proceed to dinner.\u00a0 The drawing room is behind the double doors to the right of the staircase.\u201d<\/p>\n

As I tossed my bag onto the bed, she turned to leave.\u00a0 With boldness drawn from anonymity, I put an arm around her shoulder to hold her back.\u00a0 A few golden curls had escaped the upsweep, which took her hair off her neck.\u00a0 I twisted one around my index finger.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cMa\u2019am, I reckon I\u2019ll be undressing for my bath now.\u00a0 Perhaps you want to make sure I haven\u2019t managed to hide any additional armament.\u201d<\/p>\n

She laughed, a musical sound that said she was not offended.\u00a0 As though to mirror my action, she reached up and pushed a bit of my hair off my forehead.\u00a0\u00a0 But then she patted my cheek lightly in dismissal.\u00a0\u00a0 Opening the door to leave, she gave me what I took to be an encouraging smile.\u00a0 \u201cI have nine other guests to entertain.\u00a0 It would be rude to devote too much time to ensuring that you\u2019re harmless.\u00a0\u00a0 Perhaps I\u2019ll see to that later.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scott<\/u><\/p>\n

When I came downstairs after my morning liaison with Savannah, Mr. Dupre offered to show me the billiard room and challenged me to a game.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s been awhile since I played, Sir, but I will be happy to test my skills again,\u201d I told the aristocratic old man.<\/p>\n

The room was paneled in polished cherry and the play table was intricately carved and covered with a rich red cover, rather than the green I was accustomed to on the tables in Boston.\u00a0\u00a0 There was a small bar in one corner, with a generous variety of liquors displayed for almost any taste ranging from straight bourbon to aged Scotch and brandy.\u00a0\u00a0 An ornate fireplace filled the south wall of the room and all the space not devoted to windows on the east and north walls were lined with bookcases containing a variety of leather-bound volumes, many of which bore the appearance of being well-read.\u00a0 It had been a long time since I\u2019d visited such an inviting place.\u00a0 An expansive archway in the west wall opened into the drawing room where I could see a large table suitable for cards.\u00a0 There were a few smaller tables along the sides of the drawing room set up for chess, backgammon and cribbage.\u00a0 Sideboards holding silver trays and chafing dishes promised there\u2019d be no lack of food as the day wore on.\u00a0 I\u2019d been promised an informal luncheon would be served after the next two guests arrived.<\/p>\n

As we broke the rack and put the balls into play, Mr. Dupre asked me about my home at Lancer.\u00a0 At my confession that I had been there less than a year, he requested details about my former life in Boston.\u00a0 He disclosed he had never been north of Washington, D.C. and was intrigued with my stories about living on a northern ocean with its storms, seafood, and the harsh winters.\u00a0 I suspect I embellished life with my grandfather a bit, but I soon got him to talking about his home in New Orleans, which he had left some 15 years ago to seek his fortune in California.\u00a0 I was not sure how he acquired his finances, as his explanation was more than a little vague, but I had learned from Johnny about the danger of asking too many questions.\u00a0 As we danced the social whirls of two men meeting for the first time, I kept one ear and eye open for Savannah.<\/p>\n

According to the clock on the mantel, it was a little after eleven o\u2019clock when I heard a carriage arrive.\u00a0 As I paused in my game, I saw Savannah float across the hallway and open the front door.\u00a0 She disappeared from my view as she stepped out on the veranda to greet the arriving guest.\u00a0 The billiard room had a north-facing window, which looked out on the verandah, but I would have had to leave the game to get sight of Savannah and her guest.\u00a0 I admit to being curious but not so much as to let Mr. Dupre see it.\u00a0 But no mind, because shortly thereafter she returned to the hallway with a stocky, balding man who smiled shyly as Savannah engaged in mild flirtation.\u00a0 The man was wearing no gun so either he hadn\u2019t had one, or she had relieved him of his as she had me of mine.\u00a0 Well, not exactly, as she had not spent enough time with him on the verandah to have searched him with the thoroughness she\u2019d reserved for me.\u00a0 Perhaps I looked more dangerous \u2013 or more interesting.\u00a0 Turning her perfectly coiffured head, she motioned to one of the elderly female servants to approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaria, please escort Mr. Vanderlaan to his room.\u00a0 The French room has been prepared for him.\u201d\u00a0 With a gracious smile, she said, \u201cMr. Vanderlaan, please make yourself at home.\u00a0 You are welcome to come to the drawing room at your leisure where other guests and my grandfather will be received.\u00a0 I am delighted that you have come.\u201d\u00a0 Her smile was welcoming and full of promise and her d\u00e9colletage certainly drew the eye and any man\u2019s interest.<\/p>\n

As she turned away, I caught her eye and we acknowledged our mutual interest, but I was restricted by her grandfather\u2019s presence from any conversation of a personal nature.\u00a0 She opened the double doors connecting the drawing room to the hallway and walked toward the dining room and the kitchen further back in the house.\u00a0 I returned my full attention to Mr. Dupre and his tales.\u00a0 Absently, I wondered why she had not escorted this visitor to his room as she had me.<\/p>\n

Over the next few hours, I kept track of the arrivals.\u00a0 Four new guests arrived, each greeted out on the verandah by Savannah Lisette.\u00a0 All were escorted into the wide hallway without any visible weaponry. I did notice that she personally escorted none of the arrivals to their rooms, as she had done for me.\u00a0 As we all meandered through the public rooms downstairs, the lovely lady was always available for a light flirtation, for a few minutes of private conversation, but she didn\u2019t once stray away from the eyes of her guests or her grandfather.<\/p>\n

Mr. Dupre also greeted each of his guests as they returned downstairs from their rooms, inviting them to enjoy the billiards, books, or to partake of the excellent buffet luncheon laid out on the sideboards.\u00a0 The food was abundant, and meant to be portable.\u00a0 It was obvious there was no set luncheon time for that day, though Mr. Dupre referred to the dinner being planned for the evening, as though to subtly caution us not to partake of too much of the splendid variety of food set out before us.<\/p>\n

I eyed each of the other guests, trying to figure out reasons for inviting each of us.\u00a0 We were well dressed, some less formally than others, like me, but all wearing good quality clothing and all being well-set up men.\u00a0 Our ages varied some but we were all young enough to be considered \u201celigible\u201d by a doting grandfather. One of the men was very surly whenever Savannah\u2019s attention left him and one had a nervous habit of clicking his nails together throughout a conversation.\u00a0 All evidently had both money and education.\u00a0 Still, I was the only one who had received any personal \u201cupstairs\u201d attention, and I was feeling rather special.\u00a0 I knew my intentions were not pure, but I figured hers weren\u2019t either.\u00a0 Nothing wrong with mutual pleasure, as far as I knew.<\/p>\n

Promptly at four o\u2019clock in the afternoon, a buggy arrived.\u00a0 Another of the guests was at the billiard table with Mr. Dupre so I had the opportunity to stand near the window on the pretext of looking through a book I had selected at random.\u00a0\u00a0 I noticed the man who jumped down and strode toward the waiting Savannah was dressed in slightly more workmanlike clothing, but bore himself like a man with a mission. I watched him introduce himself to his hostess, kiss her hand in a highly flirtatious manner, then stand perfectly still as she removed his gunbelt personally.\u00a0 Having had some of that attention myself, I could understand he was trying to keep his awareness of her attraction from being blatantly obvious to her.\u00a0 With noticeable reluctance, he watched his gun get locked away, but apparently forgot about it as she searched his person with the same thoroughness she had accorded me earlier.\u00a0\u00a0 She took his arm and after they entered the hallway, drew him up the stairs, I supposed to his room.\u00a0 Humm!!\u00a0 I wondered why he got the personal treatment.<\/p>\n

After a short time, Savannah returned downstairs.\u00a0 I was prideful enough to be gratified that she hadn\u2019t spent enough time to accord him all the attention she had lavished on me.\u00a0 At five, a carriage arrived and a slightly smaller, but elegantly dressed man with curly hair descended with a curious look and a wide smile.\u00a0 This gentleman too received Savannah\u2019s very personal attention in removing his weapon, and I heard his pleasant high-pitched laugh as she took him to his room.\u00a0 That made three.\u00a0 Apparently something was attracting her to particular men.\u00a0 I wondered, but turned back to continue reading the new novel I had found on the bookcase.\u00a0 The other guests were all involved in a serious game of billiards, as each of them seemed to want to show off for our charming hostess.<\/p>\n

She kept an ear cocked for the sound of the carriage or buggy, which alternated in bringing the guests because no one either used the doorknocker or was escorted in by the driver.\u00a0 Although the guests were arriving close to the hour, it wasn\u2019t so perfectly timed as to allow her to respond to the door simply by watching the clock.<\/p>\n

I figured the six o\u2019clock guest would surely get personal attention.\u00a0 He stood at least 6\u20194, towering several inches over me, slim and graceful, and endowed with all the attributes that appeal to a female.\u00a0 He had wavy black hair, sparkling blue eyes (bluer than Johnny\u2019s which is going some) and a smile to light up a room.\u00a0\u00a0 But my surreptitious glance out the billiard room window indicated that she merely asked for his gun, which he surrendered without question \u2013 and without the intimate search she had shared with me and those other two characters.\u00a0 After they entered the house, I waited for the ascent of the stairs, but I had guessed wrong.\u00a0 Oh, she flirted with him, laughed at a humorous remark and touched his arm in a flirtatious way.\u00a0 But then she called a servant to escort Mr. Delacourt to his room.<\/p>\n

I knew we were dining at eight, so I decided to go to my room around seven to take a short nap before changing clothes.\u00a0 At least here, none of the gentlemen had brought personal servants, so I assumed that formal meant less so than I had often encountered in Boston.\u00a0 I started up the stairs, but turned at the sound of an approaching carriage.\u00a0 Savannah went to the front door and despite the cold of nightfall stepped outside to welcome the guest.\u00a0 I could tell from the amount of time the greeting took that she was being \u201cthorough\u201d again.\u00a0 I watched as an elegantly clad young man, and I do mean young, walked through the door with his hostess, his face and eyes obviously completely dazzled by the loveliness of the woman at his side.<\/p>\n

I am not quite sure what caught my eye, as Savannah made introductions.<\/p>\n

\u201cCount Nigel Wingate, I would like to introduce Mr. Scott Lancer, late of Boston, Massachusetts and now one of the owners of the Lancer ranch here in California.\u00a0 Count Nigel is from England, on a visit to us provincials.\u00a0 Correct?\u201d she asked archly.<\/p>\n

This Nigel blushed and stammered something that sounded like \u201cSmashing, jolly good,\u201d in what was supposed to be an English toff\u2019s accent.\u00a0 Having attended school with a couple of upper-class students from England, the words and the accent stuck me as just a bit \u201coff\u201d, and I wondered what kind of game the man was playing.\u00a0 Either he was not of the class he pretended to be or he wasn\u2019t from England at all.\u00a0 Still, he had a look in his eyes that reminded me of Johnny, smitten in a way that signaled danger to his heart.\u00a0 Savannah was fun, but her kind of fun could break a man\u2019s heart if he didn\u2019t understand the game.\u00a0 I doubted very seriously this English pretender understood the rules she played under.<\/p>\n

I watched the attentions paid here with more concern than with the others.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t want to think about this boy being as romantic and susceptible as Johnny to a woman\u2019s attention.\u00a0 The others could take care of themselves, but I suspected this one needed a keeper.<\/p>\n

Griff<\/u><\/p>\n

Even as the door closed behind her I was stripping for my bath.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t exactly need one.\u00a0 Nigel had taken us all to a public bath house just after he and his friends checked into the hotel in Sacramento.\u00a0\u00a0 The hotel could have provided baths, but Nigel wanted to go where the cowboys went to spruce up before prowling the saloons and bawdy houses.\u00a0\u00a0 Bathing with rough soap and lukewarm water in a damp room full of trail hands singing off-key might have appealed to Nigel\u2019s sense of adventure, but I wasn\u2019t going to turn down rose-scented, hot water and fancy soap in a bottle even if it was my second bath today.<\/p>\n

Thirty minutes later I was walking down the staircase dressed in Nigel\u2019s second best suit \u2013 I was saving the best one just in case.\u00a0 I\u2019d slicked my hair back with some rose water, thinking how lucky I was to have most of it intact.\u00a0 Nigel had supervised a haircut, telling the barber to make me look like him.\u00a0 I was lucky Nigel, unlike his friend Basil, didn\u2019t suffer from early baldness.<\/p>\n

I stood before the drawing room doors savoring the moment.\u00a0\u00a0 There was an adventure behind those doors.\u00a0\u00a0 I was the son of a Count entering a room full of strangers in competition for a beautiful woman.\u00a0\u00a0 Now maybe that woman had been just teasing me and I\u2019d never end up with more than I\u2019d had from her.\u00a0 Or maybe she really liked me.\u00a0 Either way it was exciting.\u00a0\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t Griff King, lowly cowhand, late of Nevada state prison.\u00a0 I was Nigel Wingate, wealthy son of a Count, on equal footing with everyone behind that door.\u00a0 I might lose, but I\u2019d have the thrill of the chase.\u00a0\u00a0 I could be as bold as I wanted because no one within 200 miles of here would recognize me.\u00a0 Nigel would be heading back to Boston and then England before the month was out.\u00a0 He wouldn\u2019t care if some stranger in the colonies told tales about a Count\u2019s son who\u2019d made a fool of himself in Sacramento.<\/p>\n

I had my hand on the knob when I heard a sound that turned my blood to ice.\u00a0\u00a0 The first few times I\u2019d heard that sound, I\u2019d wanted to put my fist through the source.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Eventually that same sound had come to make me feel light-hearted and right with the world.\u00a0 But it didn\u2019t belong here.\u00a0 It would ruin everything.<\/p>\n

There it was again.\u00a0 That high-pitched cross between a jaybird cackle and girlish giggle that characterized Joe Cartwright when he was amused.<\/p>\n

I would have fled back upstairs and given up the whole venture as ill-fated, but somehow Savannah knew I was there.\u00a0 She opened the door and drew me inside.<\/p>\n

\u201cGentlemen, I\u2019d like you to meet Count Nigel Wingate.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She introduced the nine men standing and sitting around the room but I didn\u2019t hear any of it.\u00a0 As my eyes searched for Joe, they found someone else.\u00a0 It was just getting worse.\u00a0 What was Candy doing here?<\/p>\n

I was too flustered to enter the competition to escort Savannah to dinner.\u00a0 I hung back, still thinking of fleeing back to my room.\u00a0\u00a0 Candy came toward me with his hand outstretched.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello, Mr. Wingate.\u00a0 In case you didn\u2019t get my name, it\u2019s Joseph Cartwright from Virginia City.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was too dazed by that information to think straight or even extend my hand in response.\u00a0\u00a0 Candy didn\u2019t let that stop him.\u00a0 He grabbed my right hand and shook it vigorously.\u00a0\u00a0 Then he came close and whispered in my ear.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll explain later.\u00a0 Don\u2019t ruin this for me.\u201d\u00a0 Then he turned and joined the men crowded around Savannah .<\/p>\n

We were trooping into the dining room before Joe acknowledged my presence.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t as friendly as Candy by a long shot.\u00a0 He blocked my progress until everyone else had entered the next room.\u00a0 Then he came close and hissed in my ear.\u00a0 \u201cWhat the hell are you doing here?\u00a0 You\u2019re supposed to be watching Jamie in Sacramento.\u201d<\/p>\n

My blank look must have convinced him I had no idea what he was talking about.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou never saw him did you?\u201d<\/p>\n

I shook my head.<\/p>\n

Joe pounded a fist into his palm.\u00a0 \u201cDamn, Pa is gonna kill me.\u00a0 Who knows what kind of trouble he\u2019s gotten into?\u201d<\/p>\n

I thought Jamie was actually a pretty sensible kid and told Joe so.<\/p>\n

He seemed to take some comfort from that.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I\u2019d been in lots of towns worse than Sacramento by the time I was Jamie\u2019s age.\u00a0 He\u2019s got money.\u00a0 He\u2019ll just stay in the hotel, enjoy the sights and be happy to see you when you get back tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now I\u2019d just been thinking of leaving but I wasn\u2019t going to let Joe make that decision for me.\u00a0 \u201cMe, you\u2019re the one your Pa made responsible for him.\u00a0 You go back.\u201d<\/p>\n

He got his back up at that.\u00a0 \u201cHell no.\u00a0 That girl is sweet on me and there\u2019s a big poker game tonight.\u00a0 You\u2019ll have to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if I say no, what then?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll tell the Dupres you\u2019re no more a Count than I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd just who are you?\u00a0 I guess you ain\u2019t Joe Cartwright.\u00a0 I met him not a minute ago and he don\u2019t look a thing like you.\u201d\u00a0 I had him there.\u00a0 Whatever game he and Candy were running, they probably didn\u2019t want me to expose it.<\/p>\n

Joe clearly had more to say but the rest of the guests would be waiting.\u00a0\u00a0 He glared at me.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll settle this later.\u201d\u00a0 With that he turned and entered the dining room with me in his wake.\u00a0 I was starting to think maybe I\u2019d stay in the game for awhile.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

Eight of the men had joined Savannah at the poker table around ten.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019d been watching the game off and on for a couple of hours but it showed no signs of slowing down.\u00a0 Nigel had advanced me some money to play cards.\u00a0 He said something about splitting the winnings, but I\u2019d warned him I wasn\u2019t much of a player.\u00a0 I guess I saw no point in bringing that particular shortcoming to Savannah\u2019s attention if I didn\u2019t have to.<\/p>\n

So I alternated watching the game and playing pool with Martin Vanderlaan, the only other guest who\u2019d bowed out of the card game.\u00a0 He was a shy, stocky little man who was realistic enough to know he had no chance at the big prize for this weekend.\u00a0 I hadn\u2019t gotten that realistic yet.<\/p>\n

Even with my limited mastery of poker strategy, I could see that most of the men were playing foolish — even Joe, who prided himself on his expertise.\u00a0 Candy had tried to show me about \u201ctells\u201d \u2013 those little things that give away a player when he\u2019s bluffing or has an exceptional hand.\u00a0\u00a0 I could read hers.\u00a0 And if I could, surely Joe and Candy could.\u00a0 Probably some of the other players too.\u00a0 But Savannah was like an excited little girl on her birthday when she won a pot.\u00a0 Well, maybe not a little girl.\u00a0 When she bent over the table to sweep the chips into her pile, the view was something no little girl would offer.\u00a0 Her despair when she lost was tragic to behold.\u00a0 So those fools weren\u2019t calling her bluffs and might be throwing in good hands just to see her win.\u00a0 In fact, the only man at the table whose stack of chips were actually growing was that aristocratic looking guy \u2013 Lancer, Scott Lancer.\u00a0 But then I suppose Candy and I were the only ones here without money to burn.\u00a0 I would have advanced Candy some from the stash Nigel gave me — he was a pretty good player — but not the way he was playing tonight.\u00a0 That would be throwing my good money after his bad.<\/p>\n

Around 12:30, Savannah called for a break.\u00a0 She told them to please start the game again at 12:45.\u00a0 She had some things to attend to, but she would be back.\u00a0 Some of the men scattered to answer the call of nature but they were all back by 12:45.\u00a0 A servant was present to refill glasses and keep the trays of food circulating.\u00a0 Still, I thought maybe the men wouldn\u2019t continue to play without Savannah.\u00a0 But it looked like some of them wanted to recoup their losses so the game continued full steam.\u00a0\u00a0 Even Vanderlaan joined the game.\u00a0 Perhaps he wasn\u2019t worried about making a fool of himself if Savannah wasn\u2019t there.
\nI was leaning against the archway that separated the drawing room from the billiard room when I caught a glimpse of Savannah in the doorway that led to the dining room.\u00a0\u00a0 She beckoned at me silently and I tripped all over myself to respond.<\/p>\n

She led me into the kitchen.\u00a0 I figured she wanted me to help carry something for her but she had other ideas.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNigel, the cigar smoke is getting a little thick in there.\u00a0 I\u2019d love to take a little walk outside.\u00a0 Would you join me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Would I.<\/p>\n

It was chilly outside with the feel of impending rain.\u00a0 I helped her on with her heavy wool cloak, but had nothing for myself.\u00a0 Nigel\u2019s suit jacket was fairly light, insufficient for the temperature.\u00a0 But I didn\u2019t care a lick.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t going to take a chance on her changing her mind by running somewhere to get a coat.<\/p>\n

We walked around the garden and chatted about trivial things.\u00a0 I congratulated her on her skill at poker.<\/p>\n

She chided me for not getting into the game.\u00a0\u00a0 I told her I would sit in the next night.\u00a0 At that she stopped and turned to confront me.\u00a0 \u201cWhy Nigel, you\u2019ve been watching us, learning our tells.\u00a0 I suspect you might just be a card sharp.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was a little surprised she knew about tells since she was so obvious about hers.\u00a0 I reckoned as how I might have picked up a few things I could use in tomorrow\u2019s game.\u00a0\u00a0 Even in the diffused light of the cloud-obscured moon, I could see a sly smile cross her face.\u00a0 She started to say something, but stopped.\u00a0 Somehow I got the impression that perhaps her tells had served a purpose in tonight\u2019s game.\u00a0\u00a0 They might be gone tomorrow.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you like to see the stable?\u00a0\u00a0 We have a few horses that are quite nice.\u201d\u00a0 She took my hand and moved purposefully toward the stable and carriage house that stood well back from the manor.<\/p>\n

Inside she handed me a lantern and a box of matches.\u00a0 After I lit the lamp, she closed the stable door and hung the light on a hook where it dimly illuminated a large area with two rows of stalls.\u00a0 I was grateful to get inside where the body heat of twelve horses kept the space fairly warm.\u00a0 I\u2019d been close to shivering in the night air.<\/p>\n

She led me down the row of stalls.\u00a0 \u201cI want to show you my favorite.\u201d\u00a0 We stopped at a stall which housed an Appaloosa.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll wager you never see these where you come from.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nigel had coached me a little about his horses back home.\u00a0 But mostly only about how much taller his hunters and jumpers were than the little mustang cow ponies he saw out here.\u00a0 But I guessed Appaloosas probably weren\u2019t common there and if they were, Savannah wouldn\u2019t know it.\u00a0 And the fact was, this was a fine gelding.\u00a0 And little as I knew about woman, I did know about horses.\u00a0 I had no trouble putting genuine admiration in my voice.<\/p>\n

I went into the stall and ran my hands over him, admiring his muscle tone and his structure — marveling over his interesting blanket markings.\u00a0 And as I praised him, I noticed she got less enthusiastic.\u00a0 In some odd way she was jealous.\u00a0 She wanted to impress me, but didn\u2019t want me to concentrate too much attention in that direction.<\/p>\n

As I moved around the Appy and got to his head again, she tugged at my sleeve.\u00a0 I followed the tug out of the stall, closed the bottom portion of the dutch-door and turned to rub the horse between the ears.\u00a0\u00a0 She slid her body between the stall door and me.\u00a0 She put her arms around my neck and whispered before putting her lips to mine, \u201cI didn\u2019t come out here to have you charm the horses.\u201d<\/p>\n

My friend Joe Riley told me if I could learn to sweet talk girls like I did horses I\u2019d do okay.\u00a0 Maybe he was right.\u00a0 But now it didn\u2019t seem necessary.\u00a0 Sweet-talking the horse had been enough.\u00a0 When she put her lips to mine, she didn\u2019t waste time with teasing little kisses.\u00a0 My lips had barely gotten familiar with the warmth of hers when they parted.\u00a0 Her tongue demanded I surrender my mouth to her.\u00a0 She was frantic in her demands.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t anticipate her.\u00a0 Hell, I couldn\u2019t keep up with her.<\/p>\n

I tried to respond with my tongue, suddenly desperate to delve into a mouth which spoke in such honeyed tones.\u00a0 But I had barely made the first tentative exploration, when her focus changed.\u00a0 She twisted around until she had me pinned with my back against the stall door.\u00a0 She tore at the buttons on my jacket and then the dress shirt under it.\u00a0 Her mouth made frenzied tracks on my exposed chest.\u00a0 I tried to slow her down, using both hands to lift her face toward mine again.\u00a0 But as I claimed her lips, her hands were at my belt, making short work of the buckle and then the buttons.\u00a0\u00a0 And then she had me in her hand.\u00a0 Lord did she think I could respond so fast?\u00a0 Was she planning to make love in one of the empty stalls?\u00a0 I needed time, teasing, anticipation.<\/p>\n

But she knew better.\u00a0 Her clever hands had me fully aroused in seconds and then I was panicked that I couldn\u2019t hold out long enough to give her the pleasure she must be seeking.<\/p>\n

I clasped my hand over the one she had encircling me, stopping the motions that would send me over the brink long before I could reciprocate.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cPlease, I can\u2019t hold out if you do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

She laughed.\u00a0 A soft musical laugh that contrasted with the wildness of her actions.\u00a0 \u201cWe have time.\u00a0 We have lots of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

My breath was coming in such ragged bursts that I almost couldn\u2019t answer.\u00a0 \u201cBut time won\u2019t matter if you make me come too soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

She did stop for a moment then.\u00a0 She moved both her hands up my chest under the open shirt, but the way she pressed her body against me kept me as aroused as the stroking she had momentarily abandoned.\u00a0 She kissed me lightly on the lips before she spoke.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re so young, my sweet boy.\u00a0 Young men can never hold out the first time.\u00a0 They have so little control.\u00a0 But the second time.\u00a0 And the third.\u00a0 That is where I will get my pleasure.\u00a0 The sooner you come now, the sooner we can move to the one that will last for as long as I want it.\u00a0 Don\u2019t quarrel with me.\u00a0 Trust me.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was too excited to argue, but scared too.\u00a0 What if this first time was all I could muster?\u00a0 What if I disappointed her?\u00a0 But she gave me no choice.\u00a0 She held my shirt and jacket apart as she again trailed kisses down my chest to my belly.\u00a0 And then I was in her mouth.\u00a0 My body jerked with a combination of surprise and the intensity of the feeling.\u00a0 Then, for all her seeming hurry, she slowed momentarily, letting me savor the feel of her mouth and tongue as she gradually made me so hard I knew I must explode.\u00a0 And then I was there. I warned her.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cPlease I can\u2019t stop.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 She released me from her mouth and continued the stroking with her hand.\u00a0 \u201cI really don\u2019t mind if . . .\u201c was all she got out.\u00a0 I felt like a volcano erupting.\u00a0 I had to grab the stall door to prevent my knees from buckling.\u00a0\u00a0 She held me until I had nothing left and the spasms had stopped.\u00a0 I was so sensitive that her touch was almost painful, yet I didn\u2019t want her to let go.\u00a0\u00a0 When she finally did, she retraced her kisses up my belly and chest to my mouth.\u00a0\u00a0 I felt weak; sure I had nothing left with which to pleasure her.<\/p>\n

I held her tight to me, her head resting on my shoulder as I struggled to get my breathing under control.\u00a0 Once I had, I started to explore her body with my hands.\u00a0 But I had gotten only as far as stroking her hair when she stopped me.\u00a0 \u201cNot here.\u00a0\u00a0 Get yourself together.\u201d<\/p>\n

As we reached the stable door, the promised rain started, lightly at first.\u00a0 But by the time we reached the house, it was coming down hard.\u00a0\u00a0 She led me to some French doors near the back of the house.\u00a0\u00a0 There was a fire blazing in a small stone fireplace opposite a large four-poster bed.\u00a0 I was soaked and shivering in earnest by the time we got inside.\u00a0 I stood by the fire, trying to get warm.<\/p>\n

Her heavy cloak had protected her from the worst of the rain so her clothes were dry.\u00a0 She picked up a quilt that was draped over a chair by the door and put it around my shoulders.\u00a0 I hugged it to me, grateful for the warmth.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t seem to be in a hurry now.\u00a0 She unbuttoned the clothes I\u2019d haphazardly buttoned in the stable.\u00a0 She made me sit down while she pulled off my boots.\u00a0 If my clothes hadn\u2019t been so wet I would have insisted on keeping them on until I\u2019d had a chance to remove some of hers but I didn\u2019t resist.\u00a0 Finally everything I\u2019d had on was laid over the chair.\u00a0 I kept the quilt wrapped around me, feeling conspicuous standing there naked while she\u2019d removed only her cloak.<\/p>\n

I finally decided it was time for me to take charge of this little adventure but my attempts to do so were foiled by the mystery of women\u2019s clothes.\u00a0\u00a0 Her boots required the help of some little device to undo the buttons.\u00a0 And then the dress had all manner of little hooks and fastenings.\u00a0 When I tried to help, she laughed and pushed me away.\u00a0 All I could do was watch.\u00a0 But watch I did and she played up to it, teasing me, tossing the clothing at me to lay over the trunk at the base of the bed.\u00a0 I\u2019m not experienced enough to know the names of all those garments a woman puts on under her dress, but I knew when she\u2019d gotten down to something I could handle.<\/p>\n

As she started to remove those final garments, I put my arms around her, pinning her arms to her sides.\u00a0 She laughed and lifted her face to mine.\u00a0 I kept one hand to the back of her neck as we kissed.\u00a0 I slowly pulled the pins and clips from that magnificent golden hair.\u00a0 It was just as I imagined with the curls tumbling down her back.\u00a0\u00a0 The quilt slid from my shoulders as I knelt before her.\u00a0 She\u2019d removed her corset and all that was left was the loose chemise, or maybe that was a camisole, she\u2019d worn over it.\u00a0 I raised the garment and exposed her breasts, first to my eyes, then to my mouth and hands.\u00a0 She stood still with her hands on my shoulders as I explored that new territory.\u00a0\u00a0 Her hands fisted in my hair when I gently rubbed my thumb around one nipple then applied my tongue to the other.\u00a0 I tried to hold back, to be patient and slow, but suddenly I was as frenzied as she had been out in the stable.\u00a0 I needed to see everything, to touch everything.<\/p>\n

I pulled the garment over her head and tossed it aside.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 My hands and tongue moved everywhere, tasting everything.\u00a0 And when I felt restricted by the position, I stood, picked her up and took her to the bed.\u00a0 I threw back the bedcovers and then we were in the bed stretched out next to each other.<\/p>\n

I propped my head up on my left arm, watching her face as I stroked her, cupped her breasts and then moved my hand down between her legs.\u00a0\u00a0 I rested it there for a moment.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t going to let my inexperience spoil things for her.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t let manly pride get in the way of her pleasure.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cShow me,\u201d I said softly.\u00a0 \u201cShow me where to touch you, how to touch you.\u201d<\/p>\n

She did and didn\u2019t seem to think less of me for having to ask.\u00a0 She guided my hand with her own until I was at just the right place.\u00a0 And then she seemed satisfied to let me find my own rhythm.\u00a0\u00a0 I was gratified with her reaction.\u00a0 Her breath started to come faster and her body writhed under my touch.\u00a0\u00a0 I could feel my own heat just beginning to rise.\u00a0 I was pleased to know she\u2019d been right.\u00a0 What she had done earlier had just given me the control to move slowly, it hadn\u2019t used me up.<\/p>\n

I slowed my hand and then stopped.\u00a0 She protested until I moved to replace my hand with my mouth.\u00a0 My tongue found that sweet spot and stroked it, swirled around it.\u00a0 Her body moved under my touch, faster and more insistent.\u00a0 She moaned as her hands in my hair forced me to stay in place until finally she pushed me away and then pulled me up to lay my head on her breasts.\u00a0 I could feel the rapid beating of her heart.\u00a0 She stroked my hair as we lay silent for long moments.\u00a0 Finally she spoke.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not old enough to know how to do that so well.\u00a0 Men must learn the art of love very young in your country.\u201d<\/p>\n

That brought me back abruptly to the game we were playing.\u00a0 I\u2019d forgotten my part.\u00a0 And now I rejected it.\u00a0\u00a0 I didn\u2019t want to be someone else.\u00a0 I wanted to be the one to give her pleasure, not some Count\u2019s son.\u00a0 I wanted to see her again, to be with her again, to share her bed again.\u00a0 I almost told her but something kept me silent.\u00a0 I\u2019d wait until the weekend was over, until she had time to know me better.\u00a0 Then maybe she\u2019d want me in her bed again, not Nigel Wingate — Griff King.<\/p>\n

She moved under me, lifting my face to hers to give me a slow, sweet kiss.\u00a0 Then she reminded me that even this small part of the game wasn\u2019t over.\u00a0 Her hand moved down to where my heat had been rising while I gave her pleasure.\u00a0 Just the gentlest of touches completed the process and made me hard in her hand.\u00a0 She giggled a little.\u00a0 \u201cI told you Nigel.\u00a0 Now I\u2019ll be able to take my pleasure with you at my leisure.\u201d<\/p>\n

She was in control again but I didn\u2019t mind.\u00a0 She rolled me over on my back and straddled me.\u00a0\u00a0 I was a little surprised.\u00a0 \u201cSo soon?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s easier for a woman.\u00a0 But we won\u2019t rush.\u00a0 I won\u2019t let you even if you try.\u00a0 You won\u2019t come until I tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n

I smiled at this.\u00a0 I had tried to slow things down from the start.\u00a0 She\u2019d been the one in a frenzy.\u00a0 But I also knew I didn\u2019t have enough practice at this to prevent myself from coming just because she ordered it.<\/p>\n

She put her hands on my shoulders and braced herself as she rubbed against me.\u00a0\u00a0 Finally, she used her hand to guide me inside her.\u00a0\u00a0 For a few moments, she made only the slightest of motions, just enough to keep me hard.\u00a0 Her position gave me full access to her breasts and I took advantage of it.\u00a0 Then she started moving more rapidly until I was afraid I wasn\u2019t going to be able to keep control.\u00a0 She must have seen it in my face, because she stopped for a moment.\u00a0 She stretched out completely flat on top of me, her forearms under my head.\u00a0 She whispered as she kissed me.\u00a0 \u201cHoney, this is so nice.\u00a0 Don\u2019t spoil it for yourself worrying about how long you can last.\u00a0 You\u2019ve already showed me you have other ways to please me.<\/p>\n

She started up again.\u00a0 She was using my body as a plaything and I loved it.\u00a0 I had no sense of time.\u00a0 It was just pleasure.\u00a0 It went on and on.\u00a0\u00a0 I closed my eyes to keep time at bay.\u00a0\u00a0 Suddenly she gasped.\u00a0 \u201cNow, now, oh Lord, now.\u00a0 She collapsed on top of me.\u00a0 But I didn\u2019t have the control to come on command any more that I would have had the control to stop on her orders.\u00a0\u00a0 My body did what it did.<\/p>\n

She was glistening with sweat and breathing hard.\u00a0 But I was still hard inside her.\u00a0\u00a0 She whispered in my ear, \u201cIt won\u2019t hurt me if you keep going, I just don\u2019t have the strength.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was at a loss for a moment.\u00a0 Then I wrapped my legs around her and rolled until she was under me.\u00a0 I thrust myself inside her, watching her face, not wanting to hurt her, willing her to tell me it was all right.\u00a0 I guess, she knew I was uncertain.\u00a0 She put her hands on my buttocks and pulled me into her.\u00a0 She did it over and over, forcing me to thrust deep into her until I came.\u00a0 It was so good it took everything I had to stop myself from crying.<\/p>\n

Scott<\/u><\/p>\n

I have played some strange hands of cards in my time, with friends in college, sitting around a campfire in the middle of a war, with mismatched and missing cards in a prison camp, but this time took the cake.\u00a0 There I was, in the middle of a pleasurable weekend at an elegant manor, with a truly beautiful woman as hostess and I was watching a bunch of men make fools of themselves.<\/p>\n

We had an elaborate dinner, served with seven courses, four wines and time afterwards for brandy and cigars for those who indulged.\u00a0 I was more than a little amused at the group interaction around the table.\u00a0 The man named Joseph Cartwright deliberately ignored the guest named Frances Cartier, and Count Nigel \u2026 he kept his head turned from both of them.<\/p>\n

The three tried desperately not to know each other and every response one gave revealed his awareness of the other two.\u00a0 I was puzzled; what were the three men up to?\u00a0 Several of the other guests knew each other casually too, but made no effort to hide that knowledge.\u00a0 Were the three in cahoots to cause the Dupres a problem?\u00a0 I formed the notion it might be an idea to keep an eye on them, just in case.<\/p>\n

I almost laughed at the Count; the look he gave the intricately set table reminded me of Johnny\u2019s the first time we attended a formal dinner at one of Murdoch\u2019s \u201cfancy\u201d friends, as Johnny calls them. Like, what on earth are all these forks for?\u00a0 But Nigel must have been coached because he took a deep breath, watched the rest of us and acquitted himself fairly well.\u00a0 And what seemed to me a comical effort to cover his lack of an upper class accent with a supposed attempt to speak like a cowboy didn\u2019t seem to rouse suspicion with the host and hostess or anyone else.<\/p>\n

Then the poker.\u00a0 I had planned to rub it in to Johnny about being involved in a high-stakes poker game, but that wasn\u2019t what it turned out to be.\u00a0 Instead, the other players were so interested in pleasing Miss Dupre they either kept forgetting to pay attention or they threw the pots to her.\u00a0 I was winning almost everything she didn\u2019t.\u00a0 Between us, we were cleaning them out and nobody cared. I watched Cartwright and Cartier occasionally put their heads together for an argument \u2013 they seemed to be almost as distracted by each other as by the woman who was our exquisite prize for the weekend.<\/p>\n

Savannah was a decent player, but not great.\u00a0 Yet even after the novelty of her delight at winning should have worn thin, no one was able to maintain a winning hand against her.\u00a0 Guess they wanted to impress her by letting her win.\u00a0 Me, I always figure it\u2019s demeaning to allow anyone to win, unless there\u2019s a really good reason. Competing with nine others for the lady\u2019s pleasure wasn\u2019t enough reason for me to throw away good money.\u00a0 So, I played to win and she knew it.\u00a0 I saw the sparkle in her eyes as we fought the last hand, which I finally took.\u00a0 As she threw down her cards in disgust, several of the men tried to commiserate with her, but she ignored them.\u00a0 Instead, she gave me a genuine smile and patted my cheek.\u00a0 I suspected she played cards better than that, and I figured I\u2019d best be on my toes next time we played.\u00a0 No better way to set up a sucker than to let them win in the beginning.\u00a0 Her problem tonight was, none of the other men would allow her to lose.<\/p>\n

Savannah excused herself after she lost that hand to me, saying she needed to see to her grandfather and then check on arrangements for Friday before the housekeeper retired.\u00a0 I pitied the housekeeper because it was well after one o\u2019clock in the morning when she left the table.\u00a0 We all continued with the game for a couple of hours.\u00a0 With Savannah gone, even the painfully shy Vanderlaan joined us.\u00a0 Once they lost Savannah as a distraction, I found a few of them were actually good players, especially Cartwright and Cartier – although they seemed more intent on beating each other than winning back the money I\u2019d taken off them earlier.<\/p>\n

Finally, three of the other men, Masterson, Crowell and Fenwick, announced they were heading for bed.\u00a0 I\u2019d noticed earlier that Nigel, who\u2019d been playing pool with Vanderlaan, had slipped away.\u00a0\u00a0 But it was only when the table thinned out that Cartwright and Cartier seemed to notice his absence.\u00a0 Cartier looked a little perturbed but Cartwright made some remark about the kid not being able to take the late hours, which seemed to mollify him.\u00a0\u00a0 We remaining six played a dilatory game of stud poker that soon dwindled into idle conversation and long silences as we hoped for the return of our hostess.\u00a0 I needed to stretch my legs, so I moved through the house as if seeking refreshment.<\/p>\n

I opened the door to the kitchen and halted.\u00a0 Savannah stood there with her hands wrapped in young Nigel\u2019s lapels, kissing him gently.\u00a0 His clothes were damp and disheveled and not evenly buttoned.\u00a0 As I watched, he opened his dazed eyes and she turned him toward the backstairs and pushed him along.\u00a0 She must have finished her responsibilities for the evening quite early, as she had apparently had time to show the youngster the pleasures of her bed.\u00a0 Nigel\u2019s face was so revealing; he was a man on his way to being smitten with love.\u00a0 I knew full well that he was also a man on a path to heartbreak.<\/p>\n

Lord, what a mess!\u00a0 It was none of my business to take up with some young fool passing himself off as an English aristocrat.\u00a0 That kid wasn\u2019t Johnny and I wasn\u2019t his big brother.<\/p>\n

Go to bed, Scott and mind your own business.<\/em><\/p>\n

I made my way to the front staircase to follow my own advice.\u00a0 As I was going up the stairs, I heard Savannah bidding good night to the remaining guests.<\/p>\n

Candy<\/u><\/p>\n

I managed to win back a little of my money after Savannah left.\u00a0 Can\u2019t believe I let myself get so close to going bust.\u00a0 Not likely Joe would lend me any money and I wanted to be in the game tomorrow.\u00a0\u00a0 And I\u2019d be a lot more careful. Lancer seemed to be the only one who\u2019d had the heart to take a pot away from Savannah instead of throwing in his hand when it got down to the two of them.\u00a0\u00a0 After Savannah, he was the big winner tonight.\u00a0 Not because he was so good, but because he didn\u2019t mind beating her.\u00a0 I\u2019d managed to win a few big hands against him after she left so I was set for tomorrow\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

It was my bad luck that Savannah\u2019s grandfather had taken ill.\u00a0 I might have had some time alone with her but for that.\u00a0 She was very careful not to let the others know that she\u2019d had her eyes on me since my arrival.\u00a0 She flirted with all the men, like a true Southern belle.\u00a0 Her attentions to me were less obvious.\u00a0 A touch on the arm, a little squeeze of the shoulder, a whisper in my ear.<\/p>\n

The final five of us went up to bed about the same time after Savannah retired for the night.\u00a0 Joe grabbed me before I could get into my room.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got to help me persuade Griff he should go back to Sacramento and watch out for Jamie.\u201d<\/p>\n

I shook my head at him.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t feel any need to do that.\u00a0 If Joe left, I\u2019d have a clear field with Savannah.\u00a0 He and Lancer were my only real competition.\u00a0\u00a0 Joe had to be worried about what his pa would do to him if he left Jamie alone in Sacramento.\u00a0 It might be strong enough to send him packing if Griff got stubborn.\u00a0 But he wasn\u2019t going to let it rest.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook Candy, I\u2019m the only one of the three of us at this shindig who was really invited.\u00a0 If I go, I\u2019m taking both of you with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

So I barged into Griff\u2019s room with him.\u00a0 We had to barge into a couple of empty rooms first, but we found him at the end of the hallway.\u00a0 He was in bed already, but that didn\u2019t stop Joe.\u00a0\u00a0 He lit the little lamp on the nightstand and stood over Griff, arms crossed.\u00a0 \u201cNiiiiiigel, oh Niiiiiiigel.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Joe\u2019s mocking high-pitched voice, although not loud, would have waked the dead in the immediate vicinity.<\/p>\n

Griff didn\u2019t look worried.\u00a0 He turned over and then just lay there, his arms behind his head and a grin on his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cGriff look, you have to go back to Sacramento.\u00a0 I\u2019ll give you enough expense money to have a grand time.\u00a0 Like you said, Jamie\u2019s a good kid.\u00a0 He won\u2019t be a pest.\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s not like you have anything going here.\u00a0\u00a0 You can\u2019t play poker.\u00a0 You don\u2019t have any idea how to talk to an experienced woman like Savannah.\u00a0 This phony Count thing is bound to get found out and you\u2019ll get sent packing anyway.\u00a0 So why not help me out and leave in the morning?\u201d<\/p>\n

Griff held his ground.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t even bother to sit up.\u00a0 \u201cGuess it\u2019s about time I learned to talk to an experienced woman.\u00a0 Might as well start here.\u00a0 I think she likes me.\u201d<\/p>\n

I thought Joe was going to explode at that.\u00a0 \u201cSure she likes you.\u00a0 You\u2019re a likable kid.\u00a0 She probably likes puppies and kittens too.\u00a0 But I\u2019ve got a chance for something a little more, well, interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe kissed me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe was caught up in his tirade and almost missed that.\u00a0 It took him a few words to realize what Griff said.\u00a0 Then he looked just the slightest bit disconcerted.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean, she kissed you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was showing me this special horse of hers in the stable.\u00a0 I was admiring it and she all of a sudden kissed me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the lips or on the cheek?\u201d<\/p>\n

Griff shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not giving you any details.\u00a0\u00a0 And I\u2019m not leaving.\u00a0 You and Candy work out which one of you is Joe Cartwright and that one go back and keep an eye on Jamie.\u00a0\u00a0 I need some sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

With that, Griff turned away from us, pulled the blanket over his head and pretended to go to sleep.\u00a0\u00a0 Joe sputtered for a moment, blew out the lamp and stalked out.<\/p>\n

I caught up with him at his door.\u00a0 \u201cSo what are you going to do?\u201d\u00a0 I was worried that he\u2019d carry out his threat to take us both down with him if he was forced to leave.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t you just send Jamie a note with whoever goes into town.\u00a0\u00a0 With all that fancy food they\u2019re serving here, they probably have someone going in to get supplies.\u00a0\u00a0 Offer him something he won\u2019t turn down if he\u2019ll agree to go back to Frisco.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe considered.\u00a0 \u201cLike what?\u00a0 Pa gave him a new rifle for Christmas.\u00a0 Only thing that kid wants now is a revolver and no way Pa would ever let me give him one of those.”<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could offer to be on his side next time he argues with your Pa about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe brightened at that.\u00a0 \u201cGood idea.\u00a0 Okay, Mr. Cartwright, you write the note and give it to Savannah in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was willing to do that if it would stop Joe from ruining this for me.\u00a0 Miss Savannah Lisette might just be impressed by a man with so much concern for his little brother.<\/p>\n

Friday, February 7th<\/sup><\/u><\/p>\n

Ben<\/u><\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re holding your sons captive at a secure location. . .”<\/p>\n

The stranger’s voice rose to override the babble that erupted.\u00a0 In the sudden silence, he ended with the acknowledgement that the ten men present would need proof of his words.\u00a0 He hefted a canvas sack onto the table with a flourish.<\/p>\n

When the stranger followed his sinister speech by dumping the contents of the bag onto the meeting room table, the first reaction was noisy confusion.\u00a0 But then silence, as the other men saw what I did.\u00a0\u00a0 Familiar guns.\u00a0 Handguns last seen in their sons\u2019 possession.\u00a0\u00a0 My breathing stopped when I saw that ivory handled Colt slide across the table, dislodged from the left-sided holster by the force with which it was dropped.<\/p>\n

As each stunned man reached out and claimed his son\u2019s weapon, I saw something else.\u00a0 An unclaimed gun that looked very much like Candy\u2019s.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t as familiar with his revolver as with Joe\u2019s and it was less distinctive, but it certainly looked to be his.\u00a0 Then I noticed the man next to me, Cartier, hadn\u2019t claimed a weapon.\u00a0 His face fluctuated between confusion and hope.\u00a0 Hope that his son might have escaped the kidnappers.\u00a0\u00a0 I nudged him and indicated he should claim the last gun.\u00a0 When he brought it closer, I was sure it was Candy\u2019s.\u00a0 I whispered, \u201cWe\u2019ll sort this out later, your son could still be in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n

The stranger set out the terms for the return of our sons and then left.<\/p>\n

As the door shut behind him, the room erupted with the clamor of ten panicked men figuring ways to get their hands on a million dollars in 24 hours.\u00a0 Even divided by ten, the sum was formidable and time was short.<\/p>\n

I urged Cartier to give the appearance of going along even if there was no proof his son was being held.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know what it meant if Candy was with Joe but I wasn\u2019t going to see his life endangered by having the men who held them prisoner figure he wasn\u2019t as valuable as the others.\u00a0 If it came to it, I\u2019d pay his ransom as well.\u00a0 Because he was just as valuable as the others.<\/p>\n

I had something else to worry about \u2013 my youngest son.\u00a0 He must still be in Sacramento.\u00a0\u00a0 He\u2019d be frantic with worry about Joe\u2019s disappearance.\u00a0 My best hope was that he\u2019d manage to link up with Griff.\u00a0 Griff\u2019s note had said he was going to Sacramento with some new friends.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019d rest easy if he were with Griff.<\/p>\n

At the telegraph office I worried over what to say.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t want to worry Jamie more than I had to, but I had to impress upon him the need to stay at the hotel until it was safe for Griff to bring him back to San Francisco.\u00a0 I finally settled on:<\/p>\n

Jamie:\u00a0\u00a0 Have ransom demand for Joe.\u00a0 Candy may be with him.\u00a0\u00a0 Imperative you stay hotel.\u00a0 Will send Griff.\u00a0 Raising money.\u00a0 Joe will be fine.\u00a0 Notify when Griff arrives.<\/p>\n

I also sent telegrams to Griff at every hotel in Sacramento telling him to get to the Regency and stay with Jamie until the ransom situation was resolved.<\/p>\n

I had to believe Jamie would be all right.\u00a0 I needed the rest of the day and all of my concentration to raise $200,000.<\/p>\n

Jamie<\/u><\/p>\n

Priscilla Kane.\u00a0 I said it over and over again.\u00a0 Priscilla.\u00a0 Priscilla Kane.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t stop grinning because the words sounded so beautiful.\u00a0 I floated to the hotel dining room in a cloud; Priscilla\u2019s face the only thing I could see.\u00a0 I don\u2019t even remember what I ordered when the waitress arrived at the table because I couldn\u2019t concentrate on anything but when I could see Priscilla again.<\/p>\n

And then a pair of hands went over my eyes, and her voice whispered in my ear.\u00a0 \u201cSurprise!\u201d<\/p>\n

I jumped up, almost knocking over my chair, and let out a whoop that turned the heads of everyone in the room.\u00a0 I knew my red face matched my hair and I made sure I whispered this time.\u00a0 \u201cPriscilla?\u00a0 What are you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAunt Agatha\u2019s resting, and I decided I needed a little fresh air.\u00a0 So here I am.\u201d\u00a0 She dimpled up at me, and my head swam dizzily.<\/p>\n

Suddenly I remembered I had manners, even if I\u2019d temporarily misplaced them.\u00a0 \u201cHave you eaten?\u00a0 Want some breakfast?\u201d\u00a0 I held a chair for her, all the while working to be as smooth as Joe always seemed to be around women.\u00a0 He\u2019d have remembered to ask a lady to take a seat first thing.<\/p>\n

Thoughts of Joe disappeared when Priscilla smiled again.\u00a0 \u201cOf course I\u2019ve eaten, silly.\u00a0 It\u2019s late.\u00a0 It\u2019s almost ten o\u2019clock, Jamie.\u00a0 Why haven\u2019t you eaten already?\u201d<\/p>\n

I felt that awful heat creeping up my face and neck again, and I gulped from my glass of milk in hopes of cooling off.\u00a0 \u201cCouldn\u2019t sleep,\u201d I mumbled as soon as I\u2019d swallowed, hoping she wouldn\u2019t ask why.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Trapped now, I decided to confess.\u00a0 \u201cI kept thinkin\u2019 about you.\u00a0 It made sleeping the last thing I wanted to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now it was her turn to blush, and she did it prettily.\u00a0 \u201cYou say the sweetest things, Jamie Cartwright.\u201d\u00a0 Those cute little dimples flashed at me again.<\/p>\n

I was saved from finding the perfect thing to say by the arrival of my breakfast.\u00a0 We spent a few minutes deciding that Priscilla would have a cup of hot chocolate while I ate, and then we were alone again.\u00a0 A man could get to like the kind of service a first-rate hotel provided.\u00a0 Lots of attention when you needed it, nobody to bother you when you wanted privacy. If I weren\u2019t careful, it\u2019d go right to my head.<\/p>\n

Priscilla\u2019n me were chatting happily when I heard a man\u2019s voice calling out my name.\u00a0 I looked up in surprise.\u00a0 As far as I knew, no one besides Pa and Joe and the other fellas knew I was here.<\/p>\n

But sure enough.\u00a0 \u201cJamie Cartwright!\u00a0 Telegram for Mr. Jamie Cartwright!\u201d\u00a0 The man called again.\u00a0 And he followed it up with, \u201cTelegram for Mr. Griff King.\u00a0 Mr. Griff King.\u201d<\/p>\n

I waved my arm to flag him down, figuring I\u2019d take both telegrams, even though I still hadn\u2019t seen Griff.\u00a0 But boy, was I surprised when a bunch a\u2019swells got to him first.\u00a0 One of them flashed some money and took one of the telegrams.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t figure why he\u2019d want my telegram, but I couldn\u2019t let that happen.\u00a0 So I told Priscilla I\u2019d be right back, and went to grab the telegram man.\u00a0 It was then I saw the fella who\u2019d taken the telegram was one of the fancy-dressed men I\u2019d seen Griff with at the train station.\u00a0 This was getting stranger every minute.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m Jamie Cartwright,\u201d I announced in my most grown-up voice.\u00a0 I fished in my pocket for a coin.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m traveling with Griff King.\u00a0 I\u2019ll take both telegrams.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man handed over a telegram and scooted out of there, clearly not wanting to get involved in any kind of fight.\u00a0 I guess he figured he\u2019d done his job by delivering them.\u00a0 So I squared my shoulders and faced down the swell.\u00a0 He had three other men sitting at the table with him.\u00a0 The same men I\u2019d seen with Griff, still looking just as fancy, even at this hour of the morning.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat telegram is for the man I\u2019m traveling with,\u201d I announced, holding out my hand.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll take it, if you don\u2019t mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was more\u2019n a little surprised when he didn\u2019t put up a fight.\u00a0 He handed over the cable without even stopping to think about it.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know Griff?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe works for my father,\u201d I said with a nod, pleased I wasn\u2019t going to have to fight for the message.\u00a0 \u201cI haven\u2019t seen him since yesterday at the train station, though.\u00a0 You fellas wouldn\u2019t happen to know where is he, do you?\u00a0 He\u2019s supposed to be here with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

They kind of squirmed in their seats a little, and I saw \u2018em look at each other when they thought I wasn\u2019t looking at them.\u00a0 But the one man seemed to be the ringleader and he spoke up readily enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cGriff is doing a small favor for me.\u00a0 He\u2019s attending a house party in the country.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be back several days from now.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure he\u2019ll get in touch with you then.\u201d<\/p>\n

This was getting even stranger.\u00a0 Was everyone at a party?\u00a0 How come I couldn\u2019t go, I wondered grumpily.\u00a0 But then I caught a glimpse of Priscilla and knew that I\u2019d rather be right where I was, fancy house party or not.<\/p>\n

I slit open the telegram and couldn\u2019t help but suck in a gasp of surprise.<\/p>\n

Jamie:\u00a0\u00a0 Have ransom demand for Joe.\u00a0 Candy may be with him.\u00a0\u00a0 Imperative you stay hotel.\u00a0 Will send Griff.\u00a0 Raising money.\u00a0 Joe will be fine.\u00a0 Notify me when Griff arrives.<\/p>\n

Joe was in trouble, and if he was, then so was Candy.\u00a0 I stared at the second telegram, the one addressed to Mr. Griff King.\u00a0 Griff was with them.\u00a0 They were all together, all being held for ransom.\u00a0 And I was alone in Sacramento with no way to get help to them.<\/p>\n

I read Griff\u2019s telegram.\u00a0 Pa had asked him to find me at the hotel and stay with me, repeating that he was going to get together a ransom for Joe and Candy and that we were to stay put.\u00a0 But Griff was gone, most likely to the same place as Joe.\u00a0 I was on my own.<\/p>\n

I looked up to find the swells standing silent, staring at me.\u00a0 \u201cIs there something wrong?\u201d the leader asked.\u00a0 He seemed genuinely concerned.<\/p>\n

I silently handed over the telegrams and he read them quickly, his eyes widening as he did so.\u00a0 \u201cYour father was attending a meeting in San Francisco?\u201d he asked.\u00a0 He named the hotel where Pa was staying.\u00a0 \u201cAttending a financial meeting where only one representative from each family was allowed in the room?\u201d<\/p>\n

I nodded in response to each of his questions, my head still swimming in confusion.\u00a0 And then I received yet another shock.\u00a0 \u201cMy father is there also.\u00a0 It must be part of the same plot.\u201d\u00a0 He stuck out his hand.\u00a0 \u201cAllow me to introduce myself.\u00a0 Nigel Wingate, at your service.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under other circumstances I would have grinned at his posh accent, but now I was too concerned for Joe, Candy and Griff to feel like laughing.\u00a0 Nigel was still talking.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel responsible for your friend getting caught up in this wicked scheme.\u00a0 It\u2019s all due to me that he\u2019s in attendance at this party.\u00a0 I\u2019m at your complete disposal, sir.\u00a0 I\u2019ll do whatever you\u2019d like in order to rescue your brother and your friends.\u201d\u00a0 He gestured at the window, where sheets of rain poured down.<\/p>\n

Sometime during the course of the morning the clouds had opened up and were drenching Sacramento.\u00a0 \u201cOur hunting trip was canceled due to the inclement weather.\u00a0 What would you like us to do?\u201d<\/p>\n

I stared at them in shock.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know what inclement weather was, but I figured it had something to do with rain.\u00a0 But that was the least of my problems.\u00a0 I was the kid brother, the tag-along, the one who got ordered around and told what to do.\u00a0 I was the one who couldn\u2019t even wear a gun yet, even though I\u2019d been begging Pa for two years to let me.\u00a0 And now these swells were looking to me to lead a rescue party.<\/p>\n

And then it happened.\u00a0 I felt myself grow about two inches taller, and I puffed out my chest and squared my shoulders like a man.\u00a0 I would rescue them.\u00a0 No way would I sit in the hotel and wait for Pa to come find his little boy.\u00a0 I was the one on the spot.\u00a0 I\u2019d go get Joe, Candy and Griff out of trouble.\u00a0 It sounded simple when I thought of it like that.\u00a0 Me.\u00a0 Jamie Cartwright.\u00a0 I was man enough to carry it off.\u00a0 I just knew it.<\/p>\n

I said goodbye to Priscilla, simply explaining that my brother was in trouble.\u00a0 I hated to see her go but I felt more than a little proud that she left with disappointment written all over her face.<\/p>\n

A beautiful girl was disappointed over not being able to spend time with me.<\/p>\n

But I couldn’t dwell on that.\u00a0 I had important things to do. I sighed once and then turned back to Nigel and his friends.\u00a0 We decided to head up to my room to make plans, and I dropped some money on the table to cover my half-eaten breakfast.<\/p>\n

Nigel knew where the party was being held.\u00a0 He\u2019d been invited after all.\u00a0 Some fancy house called \u201cthe Manor\u201d.\u00a0 Sounded pretty la-di-da.\u00a0 He and his friends seemed to be pretty excited about riding with a posse, as they kept calling it.\u00a0 A posse.\u00a0 I almost laughed, and would have, if I hadn\u2019t been so worried about the guys.\u00a0 Me, leading a posse.\u00a0 Joe would have busted a gut laughing, and Pa would have just snorted and forbidden me to leave my room.<\/p>\n

Once we\u2019d figured out where the men were being held prisoner, we needed to come up with a plan to free them.\u00a0 We decided we needed to ride out there and spy out the lay of the land a bit.<\/p>\n

And then the talk turned to weapons. I flushed a bit when they started asking how many guns to bring and what kind.\u00a0 I came up with some story about leaving my gun behind in San Francisco. I told them that I\u2019d been visiting a girl in Sacramento and her family didn\u2019t approve of guns, being city folks and all.\u00a0 Boy, those guys sure were gullible, because they believed every word I was saying.<\/p>\n

I told them I\u2019d have to buy a gun for the rescue mission and they all wanted to come buy guns too.\u00a0 They had their hunting rifles apparently, but no handguns. Nigel had handed over his personal weapon to Griff, and the others hadn\u2019t bought guns \u2018cause they were here on a pleasure trip.\u00a0 They asked my advice on the best kind to get.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t help a secret laugh over that too.\u00a0 Grown men asking my advice on the best kind of gun to buy.\u00a0 Of course, I had my opinions on that, having dreamed for years about the kind of gun I wanted to buy, but still. . . .<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why we ended up at the gunsmith\u2019s shop an hour or so later.\u00a0 And that\u2019s how I got my first handgun.\u00a0 I bought it myself, with Nigel, Cedric, Ned and Basil, yes, I said Basil, hanging over my shoulder and asking my advice on their own selections.\u00a0 I chose a Colt just like the one Joe had given Griff.\u00a0 It was the only model I\u2019d had any practice with.\u00a0 My pa had been generous about teaching me to shoot a rifle but Griff was the only one who\u2019d thought I was old enough to be thinking about a sidearm.\u00a0 I\u2019d watched Candy teaching Griff and then practiced with him on the sly.\u00a0\u00a0 Nigel and the gang quickly followed suit.\u00a0 I wanted a rifle too, but I\u2019d used up all my money on the revolver.\u00a0 My new friend Nigel bought a second rifle and offered to loan it to me.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t believe my luck.<\/p>\n

On the way back to the hotel, I stopped to wire Pa. I didn\u2019t want him worrying about me, and I certainly didn\u2019t want him aware that I was planning on a rescue mission.<\/p>\n

Pa:\u00a0 Safe at hotel. Griff\u2019s friends here too. Don\u2019t worry. Save Joe Candy.\u00a0\u00a0 Jamie<\/p>\n

I figured I wasn\u2019t lying.\u00a0 I was safe at the hotel, and Griff\u2019s friends were with me.\u00a0 I did say \u2018Save Joe Candy\u2019, but that could have meant I hoped he would save them.\u00a0 I just didn\u2019t want Pa worried about me too.\u00a0 He had enough on his mind, I was sure.<\/p>\n

After buying some supplies, the next step was to find some horses.\u00a0 We needed enough for all of us, plus a few extra to bring the boys home.\u00a0 They\u2019d gone off in carriages, and it would be too far to walk.\u00a0 I took a quick tour of the livery stable with my posse at my heels.\u00a0 I found some good horses for us, and added three for Candy, Griff and Joe.\u00a0 Nigel paid the rental fee.\u00a0 At the last minute I asked the stableman for at least a couple of those to be wagon-broke horses.\u00a0 If there were other men to be rescued, we might need to use a wagon or carriage.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s how I found myself on the road to the Manor, with a posse of Brits at my back and the rain pouring down drenching my face, blinding my eyes.\u00a0 But I was going to rescue my brother and my friends if it was the last thing I ever did.<\/p>\n

Joe<\/u><\/p>\n

I wandered through the first floor of the Manor.\u00a0 It seemed to me there were men everywhere.\u00a0 Lounging in chairs, hunched around the poker table, handling pool cues.\u00a0 But no sign of the one person I wanted to see.\u00a0 Savannah Lisette was apparently still sleeping.\u00a0 Since we\u2019d been up \u2018til four in the morning, it didn\u2019t surprise me.\u00a0 A woman needed her beauty sleep after all.\u00a0 Of course, I\u2019d only rolled out of bed a little bit or so ago myself, but that was different.<\/p>\n

Thunder rolled and lightning split the sky as a torrent of rain spilled from the darkness above.\u00a0 It was obvious we weren\u2019t going to be doing any pheasant hunting today.\u00a0 Not that I\u2019d ever cared about shooting at the birds anyway, but I\u2019d been looking forward to demonstrating my skill with a gun for our hostess.<\/p>\n

My stomach growled and I remembered that I\u2019d missed both breakfast and lunch, assuming those meals had been served with most of the guests tucked in their beds.\u00a0 I strolled in the direction of the enormous dining room, remembering the sumptuous buffet set up the evening before.\u00a0 Maybe I\u2019d get lucky and find something left over from lunch.<\/p>\n

I was more than lucky.\u00a0 Savannah Lisette and her grandfather were the best of hosts.\u00a0 Another buffet was set up, the table practically groaning under the weight of all the food.\u00a0 I guess the servants kept busy refilling the platters as soon as someone took a spoonful.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t take me long to fill up a heaping plate.<\/p>\n

I glanced around in search of coffee.\u00a0 I hadn\u2019t had any yet, and still felt bleary-eyed, even though the ornate clock on the dining room mantelpiece told me it was afternoon.\u00a0 I found a pot on the sideboard, but it was empty.\u00a0 Coffee had obviously been the beverage of choice today, and knowing the amount of alcohol consumed the night before, I wasn\u2019t surprised.\u00a0 Some of my fellow guests must have quite a headache today.\u00a0 Strange the servants hadn\u2019t refilled the pot.<\/p>\n

I figured there must be more in the kitchen.\u00a0 I was sure Savannah wouldn\u2019t mind if I helped myself.\u00a0 I pushed my way through a swing-hinged door and found myself in a large kitchen.\u00a0 No sign of any of the household staff, though.\u00a0 Where were they all?\u00a0 Maybe they\u2019d been allowed to take a break for a couple of hours before dinner.<\/p>\n

I prowled around for a minute, skirting a large table, which must have been where the help ate their meals.\u00a0 I finally found what I was looking for.\u00a0 A large pot of coffee stood on the stove top, the aroma setting my mouth to watering.\u00a0 I set my plate down on the table and opened cabinets and cupboards until I found a cup.\u00a0 I\u2019d just finished pouring the coffee when I heard a soft voice behind me.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy, Francis, what are you doing in the kitchen?\u201d<\/p>\n

I swung around to see Savannah Lisette, wearing only a silk nightgown and matching robe tightly belted at the waist, with her hair lying loose around her shoulders.\u00a0 She smiled at me, but my eyes were riveted to the opening of her robe, where far too much of her beautiful skin was revealed to my starving eyes.<\/p>\n

I gestured with the cup. \u201cBreakfast.\u00a0 Or should I say lunch.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry if I\u2019m intruding.\u201d\u00a0 I would have said more, but a sudden spear of lightning lit the sky, followed by a concussive roar of thunder that shook the room.<\/p>\n

Savannah paled and quivered a little, her robe gaping open as she stared wild-eyed out the window.\u00a0 \u201cI do so hate lightning,\u201d she murmured, raking her fingers through her hair.\u00a0 Her figure was silhouetted in the light, the thin fabric leaving nothing to my imagination.<\/p>\n

The coffee cup hung from my fingers, and I\u2019m afraid my mouth gaped open.\u00a0 Before I could say anything a stream of hot coffee poured from the cup, down the front of my pants and onto my boots.\u00a0 I yelped and was forced to remove my eyes from the banquet they\u2019d been devouring.<\/p>\n

Savannah\u2019s laugh echoed in the kitchen, and before I knew what was happening she was dabbing at the stain with a large towel.\u00a0\u00a0 When I tried to take it from her and finish up the job, she just shook her head and continued her work, only now the towel was moving slow.\u00a0 Too slow.<\/p>\n

Where my pants were at first only wet, they were now too tight and the swelling was something I couldn\u2019t hide from a woman whose hands were performing such an intimate task.\u00a0 I swear her fingers lingered longest on that particular patch of wet cloth, pressing, patting, gently swirling in delicious slow strokes over my steadily growing shaft.\u00a0 I groaned.<\/p>\n

\u201cSavannah.\u00a0 You\u2019ve got to stop, or I won\u2019t be able to control myself much longer,\u201d I gasped out trying to force the towel from her hands, trying to stop her fingers from touching me so intimately.<\/p>\n

She laughed again, a mere whisper of sound, and I stared in fascination as her robe parted even more when she leaned toward me.\u00a0 \u201cWho says I want you to control yourself,\u201d she said, her lips brushing against my ear, her words a mere breath of air against the sensitive skin.\u00a0 I groaned again.<\/p>\n

I had seen the men clustering around her last night.\u00a0 I\u2019d seen how she responded to each and every one of them.\u00a0 The smiles, the glances, the casual comments she\u2019d made.\u00a0 But it seemed to me that every time she\u2019d looked at me, or talked to me, it had been with special emphasis.\u00a0 It was me she\u2019d wanted all along, and now she was practically begging me to act on her own desires.<\/p>\n

I reached for her, parting her silken robe, and brushing gentle fingers on the skin beneath.\u00a0 She moaned, her lips parted, her eyes dark with passion.\u00a0 She leaned into my touch, and I freed her beautiful breasts from the cloth that imprisoned them.\u00a0 With one swift motion I cupped them in my hands and let my thumbs play with her nipples, delighting as they rapidly hardened.\u00a0 I captured one in my mouth and allowed my tongue free rein.<\/p>\n

Savannah moaned again, and her fingers worked at the fastening of my pants.\u00a0 I pulled her to the table, leaning her back against the wood, exposing the slender column of her throat to the ravages of my lips.\u00a0 She threw her head back, never caring that her robe lost its hold on her body and slipped back, leaving her with only one thin layer of silk to protect her from me.\u00a0 I bent to pull even that barrier aside, but she stopped me with a quick touch.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot here.\u201d\u00a0 She glanced around, and I thought I caught a flicker of motion from the doorway as a servant scuttled from the room.\u00a0 She beckoned with a teasing finger.\u00a0 \u201cFollow me.\u201d<\/p>\n

I let her lead me from the kitchen, through a door that led to a covered veranda.\u00a0 Another streak of lightning lit the sky, and Savannah jumped a little, still nervous.\u00a0 I tightened my hold on her fingers and she smiled warmly at me, setting my heart beating a rapid tattoo in my chest.<\/p>\n

And then we were standing in front of a pair of French doors, one of which she swung wide.\u00a0 \u201cMy room,\u201d she said.\u00a0 She danced through the door, twirling in delight as I followed at her heels.\u00a0 My eyes fastened on a huge four-poster bed, and Savannah giggled when she saw what I was looking at.<\/p>\n

She headed straight for the bed, and propped herself against a mound of pillows, looking up at me with those laughing eyes, her robe still trailing half off her shoulders and both breasts free from the nightdress underneath.\u00a0 She patted the bed in invitation, and I needed no more urging to join her.<\/p>\n

I stopped only long enough to get my boots off and then I pushed her gently back against the pillows, straddling her while my hands roamed free.\u00a0 The fragile barrier of silk didn\u2019t last long under my onslaught, but she gave as good as she got, because my pants soon followed.<\/p>\n

Now a gentleman doesn\u2019t talk about a lady when the deed is done, but I\u2019ll say this for Savannah Lisette Dupre.\u00a0 The time in her bed was the most pleasurable I\u2019ve ever spent.\u00a0 And I\u2019ve spent time in a lot of beds.\u00a0 Not that I\u2019m bragging.<\/p>\n

She made my body sing in a way it\u2019s never done before.\u00a0 And when our passion was depleted, and she was lying, gasping in my arms, she told me she\u2019d never experienced anything like me before either.\u00a0 We lay cuddled together in a heap of satin sheets and fell asleep to the pounding of the rain.<\/p>\n

As I drifted off to gentle oblivion one thought streaked through my mind.\u00a0 Candy didn\u2019t stand a chance.\u00a0 And as for poor Griff, he wasn\u2019t even in the running.<\/p>\n

Jamie<\/u><\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t think I\u2019d ever be warm and dry again.\u00a0 I kept the campfire low, even though Nigel and his buddies were shaking like leaves in a high wind.\u00a0 Despite the fancy sheepskin coats and oilskin slickers they\u2019d bought, they kept demanding that I build a bonfire.\u00a0 But we couldn\u2019t take the chance that someone from the house might be riding by and see it.\u00a0\u00a0 Besides we didn\u2019t have shelter enough to protect a big fire.\u00a0 I pretended the cold and the rain didn\u2019t bother me, to shame them other fellas and make them stop their whining.<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t believe that the Brits were letting me boss them around.\u00a0 I\u2019d picked the campsite, built the fire, and cooked up a mess of beans and bacon we\u2019d brought with us.\u00a0 And then Nigel pulled out a package of tea and these fancy little cake things.\u00a0 Can you believe that?\u00a0 Tea and cake in front of a campfire.\u00a0 I will say they were mighty good though.\u00a0 Really made the beans and bacon taste better.<\/p>\n

And they kept looking to me for the plan too.\u00a0 At first I was a little scared, because I\u2019d always had Joe or Pa to tell me what to do and when to do it.\u00a0 But knowing that it was up to me to save my brother and my friends made all the difference.\u00a0 A man\u2019s gotta do what he has to, and this was something I had to do.<\/p>\n

The rain finally died down and I figured we\u2019d better sneak closer to the house.\u00a0 We had to find out where the prisoners were being held if we wanted to have any hope of rescuing them.\u00a0 With a bit of food in their bellies, and their clothes a little dryer, Nigel and his friends were ready to go.\u00a0 They trailed along behind me making more noise than a freight train.\u00a0 It was on the tip of my tongue to send them back to the camp, I was so afraid we\u2019d be discovered.\u00a0 But then we were almost on top of the house.\u00a0 The thought of those dandies stumbling around in the dark made my hair stand on end, and I decided to let well enough alone.<\/p>\n

I made sure they were tucked behind some bushes, and we all peeked out at the house.\u00a0 Every window blazed with light and the soft sounds of some music trickled out to us.\u00a0 I felt a tingle of doubt quivering at the base of my spine.\u00a0 It all looked so peaceful, so normal.\u00a0 Where would they hold prisoners in a place like this?\u00a0 Maybe Nigel had the wrong house.\u00a0 I checked with him to make sure, but he acted like I\u2019d offended him and insisted that this was the place described by a couple of shopkeepers and the hotel desk clerk.<\/p>\n

And then I saw them.\u00a0 Two men paced the length of the long veranda that stretched across the front of the house, both carrying rifles held at the ready.\u00a0 We ducked back behind the bushes when they got closer to us, and I know I was holding my breath.\u00a0 It seemed to take forever, but finally the guards headed away from us and rounded the corner of the veranda.\u00a0 We crouched in the dark for a long time.\u00a0 The guards made the circuit around the veranda many more times until finally the music stopped and the lights went out in the downstairs room.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t have a way to tell, since the heavy clouds hid the moon, but I figured it was around three in the morning.<\/p>\n

Through a combination of hand signals and whispers I told Nigel and his friends to stay put.\u00a0 I reluctantly unbuckled my new gunbelt and handed it to Nigel.\u00a0 I sure wanted to keep wearing it, but if I got caught, I\u2019d better look like Joe\u2019s harmless kid brother, not someone out to ruin their ransom plans.\u00a0\u00a0 Then I tiptoed across the wet grass to the shadows of the veranda.\u00a0 I wanted to peek in some of the windows to see if I could get a clue where the kidnappers would hold their prisoners.\u00a0 But there was no way I\u2019d be able to look in those windows close to the ground. Once on the veranda I\u2019d have no cover and I\u2019d never make it back across the lawn in time if a guard showed up.\u00a0 I stepped back to consider my options and saw a trellis laced with winter-dead vines.<\/p>\n

I just knew luck was with me, because if I climbed that trellis I could get to the verandah roof and look in the windows up there.\u00a0 I figured the guards would only patrol the lower level, expecting any threat to come from the ground.\u00a0 The upper story should be safer.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t take me long to shinny up the trellis.\u00a0 Heck, I\u2019d climbed things a lot scarier\u2019n that back home.\u00a0 The roof was slippery after the cold rain, and I had to pick my way pretty carefully.\u00a0 If I slipped I\u2019d crash down hard and the guards would come running.<\/p>\n

I headed for the closest window, crouching down on my knees to peek in.\u00a0 And almost lost my footing, I was so scared by what I saw.\u00a0 It was Candy, lying face down on a huge bed.\u00a0 He was naked from what I could see and a pretty lady was rubbing some kind of oil on his back.<\/p>\n

I wanted to rush in and save him.\u00a0 The kidnappers had hurt him.\u00a0 Hurt him so bad he needed doctoring.\u00a0 They must want their captives alive, though, because they\u2019d allowed him a nurse to tend his wounds.\u00a0 If Candy was hurt, how bad off were Griff and Joe?\u00a0 I swallowed hard.\u00a0 I had to think like a man.\u00a0 One friend wounded, two still missing.\u00a0 How was I ever going to get them out of there?<\/p>\n

I pushed the desperate thoughts away and crept to the next window.\u00a0 I had to find Joe.\u00a0 Once I found him, he\u2019d help me get Candy out.\u00a0 My luck held.\u00a0 When I peeked in the next window, there was Joe.\u00a0 He was getting undressed, already stripped down to his underwear.\u00a0 I\u2019ll admit I was a little confused.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t seem upset, and why wasn\u2019t he trying to escape?\u00a0 Maybe he was working on a plan to get Candy out, or maybe Candy was hurt so bad he couldn\u2019t be moved.\u00a0 Joe wouldn\u2019t leave without him, that\u2019s for sure.<\/p>\n

My fingers were shaking with cold as I rapped on Joe\u2019s window.\u00a0 The look on his face was almost funny, and any other time I might have laughed.\u00a0 He seemed so shocked to have a visitor trying to get in through his second floor bedroom window.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me in Joe,\u201d I whispered as loudly as I dared, when I saw his face peer out at me.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s me.\u00a0 Jamie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJamie?\u201d\u00a0 I cringed he said it so loudly.<\/p>\n

\u201cShh!\u201d I held my finger to my lips, frantically trying to convey the idea he needed to be quiet.\u00a0 \u201cJust let me in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe quickly unlatched the window and slid it upward, reaching to haul me in.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t all that gentle and I banged against the windowsill.<\/p>\n

\u201cJamie!\u00a0 What the hell are you doing here?\u201d\u00a0 His face was white with fury.\u00a0 \u201cAnd why are you climbing in a window instead of coming in the front door?\u201d<\/p>\n

I ignored his tirade and raced to the door, putting my ear up against the wood to see if anyone was listening to Joe\u2019s ranting.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t hear anything, so I figured no one had heard him, so I crossed back to him.\u00a0 \u201cShut up, Joe.\u201d\u00a0 I\u2019m not usually so blunt with my big brother, but I had to shut his fool mouth.<\/p>\n

Well, he didn\u2019t shut it, but he did stop talking.\u00a0 In fact, his mouth was kinda hangin\u2019 open when I told him to shut up.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s okay, Joe.\u00a0 We\u2019re here to rescue you.\u201d<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know what it is about Joe, but when he\u2019s at a loss for words, I swear he looks like a fish out of water gasping for air.\u00a0 He opened and shut his mouth a couple of times, but no words came out.\u00a0 Instead, it seemed like he was choking or something.\u00a0 I thumped him on the back a couple of times, thinking that might help him.\u00a0 But he just brushed me off like I was a fly.<\/p>\n

\u201cRescue me?\u201d The words were almost a squeak when he finally got them out.\u00a0 \u201cRescue me from what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe kidnappers of course.\u201d\u00a0 I said it slow, because he didn\u2019t seem to understand me.\u00a0 I thought maybe he\u2019d been hit on the head, because he was acting pretty dazed.\u00a0 I grabbed his arm and shoved him toward a chair.\u00a0 \u201cSit down, Joe.\u00a0 You must have been hurt too.\u00a0 Let me help you.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook me off, the confusion turning to anger in a flash.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s temper was like lightning.\u00a0 It rattled up out of nowhere sometimes.\u00a0 \u201cKidnappers?\u00a0 That\u2019s a pretty story to cover up you sneaking in here to crash this party, Jamie.\u201d<\/p>\n

I tugged at his arm.\u00a0 \u201cC\u2019mon, Joe. They\u2019ll hear you.\u00a0 Keep it down.\u201d\u00a0 I didn\u2019t understand why he was talking so loud.\u00a0 He\u2019d have the guards in on us in seconds.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not trying to crash any party.\u00a0 I\u2019m here to save you from those kidnappers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe looked torn, and I knew he didn\u2019t know whether to laugh or yell some more.\u00a0\u00a0 He settled on laughter.\u00a0 Long and loud.\u00a0 \u201cIt sounds good, Jamie.\u00a0 But I just don\u2019t believe you.\u00a0 You\u2019re playing some kid trick because you\u2019re angry that I abandoned you at the hotel and Griff never showed up.\u00a0 So you got bored or scared.\u00a0 Well, I\u2019m sorry Griff didn\u2019t stay with you, but I can\u2019t believe you\u2019d go to these lengths to interfere with my plans.\u00a0 Now you just skedaddle back to Sacramento and leave us grownups to our party.\u00a0 I\u2019ll send Griff back with you, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

He grabbed my arm and steered me toward the window.\u00a0 I think he would have put me out then and there, but I shook him off.\u00a0 Now I was the one getting angry.\u00a0 \u201cThis isn\u2019t a trick, Joe.\u00a0 And I\u2019m not some kid you can just shoo away.\u00a0 Candy\u2019s hurt, and you\u2019ve obviously been hit on the head \u2018cause you\u2019re not making any sense.\u00a0 You\u2019ve got to help me come up with a plan to get Candy and Griff out of here too.\u00a0 Pa sent a telegram telling me all about the kidnapping.\u00a0 He\u2019s working to get together the ransom.\u201d\u00a0 I folded my arms across my chest and almost dared him to touch me again.<\/p>\n

He was going to yell again, I could tell.\u00a0 \u201cPa\u2019s getting a ransom together?\u00a0 I can\u2019t believe this. It\u2019s obviously some kind of joke.\u00a0 Someone\u2019s playing a game and you\u2019re getting suckered.\u201d\u00a0 And then my words musta sunk in because he stopped.\u00a0 \u201cCandy\u2019s hurt?\u00a0 What makes you think Candy\u2019s hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n

I told him about the nurse and how she was tending to Candy\u2019s back.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s face clouded up and he didn\u2019t even stop to ask questions.\u00a0 I figured he was pretty worried about Candy, because he threw open the window and practically dove through it head first.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t even stop to get dressed, and it was freezing out there.\u00a0 At the time it sure seemed that Joe was so worried about Candy that he didn\u2019t even care if he got hurt himself.\u00a0 I soon found out differently.<\/p>\n

I followed him out the window.<\/p>\n

Joe<\/u><\/p>\n

I threw myself out that window so fast I almost slid down the wet roof.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t believe it.\u00a0 Candy alone with Savannah.\u00a0 In his room.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t interested in Candy.\u00a0 She was happy with me.\u00a0 Me, Joe Cartwright.\u00a0 No, make that Francis Cartier.\u00a0 There had to be some other explanation.\u00a0 Maybe Candy really was sick.\u00a0 Damn.\u00a0 He\u2019d better be.<\/p>\n

Jamie followed me so I put out an arm to hold him back from Candy\u2019s window. I had an idea what Candy was up to and wanted to see for myself.\u00a0 But Jamie was too young for what I suspected was going on in that room.<\/p>\n

When I looked into Candy\u2019s window my fears were confirmed.\u00a0 A nurse putting medicine on poor Candy\u2019s hurt back?\u00a0 Yeah right.\u00a0 Candy was lying naked on the bed, a bottle of some kind of oil on the bedside table.\u00a0 Savannah was sitting astride him, her head thrown back in abandon, Candy\u2019s hands roaming her body as she rode him like a wild mustang.\u00a0 I bit back the cry of anger, but I couldn\u2019t tear my eyes from the scene.<\/p>\n

Savannah.\u00a0 Her beautiful breasts cupped in another man\u2019s hands — Candy\u2019s hands.\u00a0\u00a0 His long fingers, dark against her pale skin, toyed with her nipples.\u00a0 Her eyes were closed as she moaned with pleasure.\u00a0\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t actually hear her through the heavy glass but the sounds had been etched in my mind that afternoon.\u00a0 They were the sounds she\u2019d made when we were together, when she told me no one had ever given her such pleasure.\u00a0\u00a0 As Candy pulled her close and fastened his mouth on one of those silken mounds it was all I could do to keep from slamming my fist through the window.<\/p>\n

Jamie\u2019s anxious questions stopped me.\u00a0 \u201cIs he okay, Joe?\u00a0 Or is he worse?\u00a0 Why won\u2019t you let me see?\u00a0 He\u2019s not dying, is he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, he\u2019s a dead man, all right,\u201d I snarled.\u00a0 \u201cJust give me a couple of seconds alone with him, and there won\u2019t be any mistaking it.\u201d<\/p>\n

My teeth were chattering and a shudder ran through me, but I desperately needed to see what was happening.\u00a0 Some part of me wanted the pain and anger of the sight so that I could better plot revenge against my so-called friend.\u00a0 But my body betrayed me.\u00a0\u00a0 I was shaking so violently with the cold I had no choice but to allow Jamie to tug me back inside my room.\u00a0 I felt him wrap a blanket around my bare shoulders, but I couldn\u2019t comprehend his anxious questions.\u00a0 His mouth was moving but my brain didn\u2019t register the sounds he was making.<\/p>\n

I was too enraged at Candy to listen\u2026how could he seduce a woman who so clearly had chosen me.<\/p>\n

And Savannah . . . Savannah who had writhed in my arms earlier was now in the embrace of another man.\u00a0 How could she seduce my best friend?<\/p>\n

I tried to make excuses.\u00a0 I hadn\u2019t told Candy about my afternoon with Savannah.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t know Candy and I were friends.\u00a0 But it didn\u2019t help.\u00a0 I was consumed with rage, and all the sane, logical explanations flew out the window with the sight of the couple entwined on the bed still fresh in my mind.<\/p>\n

Jamie was still going on with his cockamamie story about a kidnapping.\u00a0 He\u2019d claimed Pa was gathering a ransom and it was somehow mixed up with some telegram he\u2019d gotten. I\u2019d tried to send him on his way.\u00a0 Back out the window he came in.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t want the kid strolling through the rooms downstairs because he\u2019d never keep all our names straight and would give us away for sure.\u00a0 There was no way I believed his ridiculous yarn, yet it bothered me all the same.<\/p>\n

My first thought had been he was trying to get back at me for abandoning him in Sacramento.\u00a0 But that didn\u2019t make sense; he\u2019d wanted to stay there, begged to stay in fact.\u00a0 So then I figured something had frightened him and he\u2019d come up with this elaborate story as a way to save face while convincing me to go back with him.\u00a0 But if he\u2019d gotten scared it would have been a lot easier for him to hop a train back to Frisco than to ride through a torrential downpour on a bitterly cold night, climb on a slippery porch roof and find me in a strange house.\u00a0\u00a0 And he\u2019d seemed so convinced his story was true.\u00a0 Jamie had been known to lie sometimes when backed in a corner, but he\u2019d never been good at it.\u00a0 Pa and I both could both see through him easy enough.<\/p>\n

So if Jamie was convinced what he was telling me was true, then there was another explanation.\u00a0 Someone was playing a joke on him.\u00a0 A nasty, mean-spirited joke.\u00a0 Someone who knew about the house party and figured it would be a perfect way of scaring the hell out of my little brother.<\/p>\n

It took my mind torturous minutes to come up with that explanation because I kept seeing Candy and Savannah tangled in passion in the next room.\u00a0 I convinced myself I could hear the sounds of their lovemaking in spite of the thick walls.\u00a0 The squeak of the bed frame, the rustle of the sheets, the moans and small cries.\u00a0 I rubbed my head frantically to drive out the image.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u00a0 Joe!\u201d\u00a0 Jamie\u2019s voice was strident.\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019s Griff, Joe?\u00a0 Is he hurt too?\u00a0 Is Griff okay?\u201d\u00a0 He was tugging on my arm, demanding my attention.\u00a0 Blearily I focused on his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cGriff\u2019s fine, Jamie. In fact, I think I\u2019ll take you along to see him.\u00a0 He\u2019ll tell you this is no kidnapping.\u201d<\/p>\n

I shrugged out of the blanket and stalked to the door, Jamie trailing at my heels.\u00a0 As we headed down the hallway, I heard his shocked murmur.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe door wasn\u2019t locked?\u00a0 I figured you\u2019d be locked in your rooms.\u00a0 Did you pick the lock, Joe?\u00a0 That\u2019s amazing.\u00a0 You\u2019ve been plotting to escape all along, haven\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

I put up with his muttering because it didn\u2019t seem to need an answer from me.\u00a0 Which was good because all I could focus on was the pair in the next room.\u00a0 Of course the door wasn\u2019t locked.\u00a0 This was a house party not a prison.<\/p>\n

Griff\u2019s room was at the far end of the hall and by the time we got there, I\u2019d schooled my face and my thoughts into some kind of order.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t about to let Griff see I\u2019d been rattled by Candy and Savannah\u2019s little dalliance.
\nGriff<\/u>
\nIt had been a disappointing day \u2018til almost the end.\u00a0 Savannah\u2019s grandfather must have taken a turn for the worse because I didn\u2019t see her until just before dinner.\u00a0\u00a0 Of course, I\u2019d only been up for a few hours before we were called into the dining room \u2013 those late hours and soft beds could really spoil a working man.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t get a chance to see her alone after dinner either.\u00a0 She spent a few hours at the poker table, then moved to the piano.\u00a0 Soon the game was abandoned as everyone gathered around her there.<\/p>\n

Some of the men tried to sing along but I just stood back watching, wishing we could sneak off together like we had the night before.\u00a0 I\u2019d tried to approach her a few times, hoping she\u2019d make that suggestion.\u00a0 She hadn\u2019t, but she\u2019d touched me in a way that said maybe later.\u00a0 So I\u2019d wait.\u00a0 After a few songs, Benson slid next to her on the bench.\u00a0 They played a couple of duets, then she asked if he could play a waltz.\u00a0 He could and did.\u00a0 She got up, held up her arms and before I could even react, Joe was waltzing her around the room.<\/p>\n

I had my turn.\u00a0 I was far from the most polished dancer there, but I could waltz.\u00a0 My mother taught me when I was ten.\u00a0 A couple of years before he died, my father gave my mother a music box that played a waltz.\u00a0 He often waltzed her around the house — sitting room to kitchen and on pleasant evenings, out onto the porch.\u00a0\u00a0 Those were the happiest times I remember, listening to my parents laugh together. She told me she wanted me to be able to make another woman as happy as my father made her.\u00a0 So she\u2019d taught me to waltz.<\/p>\n

Of course, waltzing with Savannah wasn\u2019t much like waltzing with my mother.\u00a0\u00a0 But in a different way, it made me just as happy.\u00a0 And what she whispered in my ear made me happier still.\u00a0\u00a0 Perhaps I\u2019d like to take a walk with her tomorrow morning if I\u2019d get up a little early.<\/p>\n

With those words in my ear, I found myself heading off for bed before any of the others.\u00a0 So I was none to happy to have Joe barging into my room for the second night in a row.<\/p>\n

But I woke up fast enough when I saw he had Jamie with him.\u00a0\u00a0 The first thing I thought was something was wrong with Mr. Cartwright.\u00a0 It had to be something bad to bring Jamie way out here.\u00a0 Then Jamie was spilling out some kind of story about kidnapping, ransom, armed guards, a British posse and rescuing us.\u00a0 He was treating Joe like he was soft in the head, making him sit down and shushing him every time he tried to interrupt.\u00a0 Finally Joe shrugged and let Jamie tell his story.<\/p>\n

I made him go back to the moment he last saw Joe at the train station and go step by step from there.\u00a0 I had to urge him through a few slow spots when he was dwelling too much on the virtues of a Miss Priscilla Kane.<\/p>\n

The gist of it was he\u2019d gotten a telegram from San Francisco that he said was from his father, but which Joe insisted must have been a nasty joke.\u00a0 But he\u2019d sent a telegram back to Mr. Cartwright and just before he\u2019d left to come to the Manor, he\u2019d gotten one back in answer.\u00a0 If the first telegram had been from anyone but Mr. Cartwright, surely he would have sent something that showed confusion, not appreciation that Jamie was safe.\u00a0 And if Nigel and his friends had come along they\u2019d apparently believed in the reality of the whole thing.\u00a0 Of course, Joe and I knew we hadn\u2019t been kidnapped and we hadn\u2019t been lured here to be held prisoner, so there had to be another explanation.<\/p>\n

In the end, I was the one who had to figure it out.\u00a0 Joe seemed too distracted to think logically.\u00a0 Someone had found out Joe was at this party out in the country.\u00a0 Knowing Mr. Cartwright wouldn\u2019t be able to reach him, a ransom demand was sent.\u00a0 Simple as that.\u00a0 I assured Jamie the reason Joe and I didn\u2019t have our guns was that genteel people didn\u2019t wear guns to a party.\u00a0 They were within easy reach in a lockbox on the verandah if we needed them.\u00a0 I also assured him I\u2019d seen plenty of horses in the stable in the event we had to leave for some reason.\u00a0 And the armed guards he\u2019d seen \u2013 well there were probably some lowlifes in town who knew about the party through the merchants and such.\u00a0 Rich people often hired a little protection.<\/p>\n

So all we had to do was send Jamie back with Nigel to Sacramento with instructions to send a telegram to Mr. Cartwright letting him know Joe was safe and not to send the ransom.\u00a0\u00a0 Then I could get back to sleep so I\u2019d be strong and rested for my meeting with Savannah the next morning.\u00a0 Joe\u2019d probably have hell to pay when we got back, but that was his look-out.\u00a0 I could have told him he was the one wasting his time here, that he might as well cut his losses by going back with Jamie, but he was too cocksure of his charm to listen.\u00a0 Let him find out for himself when she kept turning him down.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d actually climbed back into bed to signal them they should leave when Jamie dropped his bombshell.<\/p>\n

There was one last thing that troubled him.\u00a0 If we weren\u2019t being held prisoner, how had Candy gotten hurt?<\/p>\n

Joe<\/u><\/p>\n

Up.\u00a0 Back.\u00a0 First one wall, then another.\u00a0 I paced every inch of that bedroom over and over again, until I could have drawn a map of every crack and crevice in the walls and floor.\u00a0 Jamie\u2019s arrival had started a chain of events I was finding hard to deal with.<\/p>\n

The image of Candy enjoying Savannah\u2019s favors had driven all hope of sleep from my mind and body.\u00a0 Up\u2026back, stop at the picture of several placid horses feeding on an impossibly green meadow, then back to the window.\u00a0 Candy\u2026Savannah\u2026Candy again.\u00a0 Jamie\u2019s na\u00efve assumption that Candy was ill and being nursed forced a bitter laugh.\u00a0 My so-called friend was going to need nursing before I got through with him.<\/p>\n

The faint glimmer of dawn, and the first stirrings of birds and small woodland creatures outside the window decided me.\u00a0 I had to see him.\u00a0 I had to know.\u00a0 How could my friend betray me?\u00a0 What had he been thinking?<\/p>\n

I reached his door, my fingers actually grasping the knob, all set to barge in and yank the man from his bed, when I stopped.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t Candy I needed to see.\u00a0 It was Savannah.\u00a0 I needed–no–wanted to talk to Savannah.\u00a0 Candy could wait.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t even remember moving through the house.\u00a0 Suddenly I was in front of the French door, tapping softly, hoping for a response, but not sure I\u2019d get one.\u00a0 After all, she might still be in Candy\u2019s room.\u00a0 My fist clenched involuntarily and I forced my fingers to relax.<\/p>\n

The door swung open at my touch, and I peered into the chamber, surprised to see it looked like a hurricane had swept through leaving chaos in its wake.\u00a0 Clothes were strewn about the bed and floor, drawers hung half open, and the closet door yawned wide.\u00a0 Everywhere were signs a beautiful woman with a passion for elegance occupied the room.\u00a0 One who was well-used to others cleaning up after her.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t see her at first, but the subtle gleam of lamplight emanating from behind a screen, coupled with the drip and splash of water drew me like a magnet.\u00a0 As I got closer, I could see the edge of a claw-footed bathtub and caught a glimpse of her hair spreading on the enamel surface.<\/p>\n

\u201cSukey?\u00a0 Bring the water here, please.\u00a0 I\u2019m growing chilled.\u201d\u00a0 Her voice sent ripples up and down my spine, and I moved closer, unable to leave the room as I knew I should.<\/p>\n

Before I could stop myself, I pushed aside the screen, removing the barrier between us with a single sweep of my hand.\u00a0 I stood and gazed at her, struggling to keep the emotion from my face and eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello, Francis.\u201d\u00a0 Savannah\u2019s voice was cool, her eyes like flint as she gazed up at me impassively.<\/p>\n

\u201cA bit early for your bath?\u201d\u00a0 Her eyes were as cold as mine, the frost meeting, mingling as my eyes locked on hers.\u00a0 I gestured impatiently at the frenzy in the room, then back to the water.\u00a0 \u201cOr should I say late?\u201d<\/p>\n

She had the grace to flush, then her head came up, her eyes grew soft and she beckoned with one dripping hand.\u00a0 It was a calculated move, the girl going from ice to heat in the blink of an eye.\u00a0 I knew the ploy for what it was, but I couldn\u2019t resist the urge to play along.\u00a0 I took a step forward, followed by another, drinking in the invitation radiating from every line of her body.<\/p>\n

She stood, rising until her breasts, glistening and flushed from the warm water, were a mere hair\u2019s-width from my chest.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d love to say good morning properly, Francis.\u201d\u00a0 Her words were a whisper of sound, and she lifted a hand to the line of my cheek, tracing the tip of a finger over my lips, leaving a moist trail in its wake.\u00a0 \u201cWould you like that?\u201d<\/p>\n

I grinned, pushing the picture of Candy\u2019s hands on her white flesh to the furthest corner of my mind.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d like that.\u201d\u00a0 I captured her hand in mine, and ran my fingers the length of her arm, idly twirling them in a feathery spiral, so that her breath caught in her throat.\u00a0 I drew her out of the tub and into my arms, easily lifting her, and carried her to the silk-strewn bed.\u00a0 I swept aside the mound of dresses, heedless of the spill of expensive fabric as it cascaded to the floor.<\/p>\n

I sank down onto the broad expanse of the satin coverlet, pulling her into my lap as I did so.\u00a0 She giggled as I brushed my lips across her cheek, etching a warm path on her cooling skin.<\/p>\n

She reached for me, but I caught both of her hands, raising them above her head as I pressed her back against the coverlet.\u00a0 She squirmed beneath my touch, her eyes alight with a passion that matched my own.\u00a0 \u201cLet me,\u201d she begged.\u00a0 But I laughed and shifted until I could imprison both her hands in one of mine.\u00a0 With my free hand I toyed with her breasts, touching lightly, teasing first one nipple, then the other into hard peaks, reveling in her body\u2019s response to mine.\u00a0 She moaned her impatience, and I silenced her with my lips.<\/p>\n

My kiss was long and deep, as I tasted the very essence of her.\u00a0 She responded eagerly, letting her tongue dance with mine.\u00a0 I finally broke the contact, sucking in a lungful of air before I began to taste her, touch her, press my lips to every part of her.<\/p>\n

I let go of her hands, finding I needed mine to gently cup her breast, as I captured her nipple in my mouth.\u00a0 She arched her back, pressing against me in a frenzy, begging for more, even as her hands fumbled to unfasten my shirt.<\/p>\n

And then my hands were consuming every inch of her, while she responded by pulling my clothing away.\u00a0 We were both naked in a moment, my shirt and pants tossed aside to join the tumble of silk on the floor.\u00a0 I pressed her flat against the bed, feasting my eyes on the beauty displayed before me.\u00a0 I gave my passion free rein, kissing, suckling, licking until she cried out in the heat of her desire.<\/p>\n

Our joining was a curious mixture of passion, lust and an underlying edge of repressed anger.\u00a0 We both knew there was no future in our relationship, and yet, at that moment we didn\u2019t care.\u00a0 I found myself spiraling to ever increasing heights of pleasure, as I maneuvered between her thighs, delighting in the perfection of our fit.\u00a0 She took me beyond ecstasy, and I cried out when I could go no higher.\u00a0 Her own cry met and mingled with mine, and then we lay panting and spent in each other\u2019s arms, her head cradled against my chest.<\/p>\n

When I could speak again, I whispered against her blond hair, \u201cI never really had a chance, did I?\u00a0 You\u2019re not the kind to settle for any one man, are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

She smiled serenely, but there was a shadow lurking in the depths of her blue eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t think so, Francis.\u00a0 But if I\u2019d been forced to choose\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Her smile widened, became more mischievous, and her eyes took on a wicked glint.\u00a0 \u201cIt has been fun, hasn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

I grinned back.\u00a0 \u201cIt sure has.\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t have missed it for the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

A discreet tap at the door startled me, and I pulled away from her, casting around frantically for my clothes.<\/p>\n

She giggled, searching through the mound of silk and satin on the floor, finally extracting a robe from the pile.\u00a0 She slipped into it as she went to the doorway, carefully belting the tie at her waist.\u00a0 \u201cYes?\u00a0 What is it?\u201d\u00a0 She called.<\/p>\n

I was hastily shoving my legs into my pants as I listened to the soft murmur at the door.<\/p>\n

She looked back just once.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got to go.\u00a0 There\u2019s a crisis in the kitchen.\u201d\u00a0 Her eyes held mine.\u00a0 \u201cGoodbye, Francis.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stood, barefoot, my shirt hanging from one hand.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re quite a woman, Savannah DuPre.\u00a0 You take care of yourself, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI always do.\u201d\u00a0 And then she was gone, slipping out the door with a whisper of silk leaving me to finish dressing alone.<\/p>\n

I sighed.\u00a0 It had been a stupid thing to do.\u00a0 I knew what Savannah was.\u00a0 I\u2019d met her kind before.\u00a0 But there was something about her I couldn\u2019t resist.\u00a0 It had been worth it.<\/p>\n

I was all the way back to my room when it hit me.\u00a0 I hadn\u2019t even asked about Candy.\u00a0 My best friend.\u00a0 What kind of game had Savannah been playing with him?\u00a0 I wanted to go back to her; to get to the bottom of her betrayal with Candy.<\/p>\n

Had she felt sorry for him for some reason?\u00a0 Maybe her grandfather felt a Cartwright was a better catch than a Cartier.\u00a0 If that were the reason, I\u2019d soon set her straight.\u00a0 She would have some plausible explanation, I was sure.\u00a0 At the back of my mind, I guess I figured she was just trying to make me jealous by fooling around with him.\u00a0 It was really the only thing that made sense.<\/p>\n

I realized that I couldn\u2019t go back to her now.\u00a0 Already the servants were bustling in the kitchen and through the receiving rooms downstairs.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t be long before the discreet taps on the bedroom doors would alert the guests that breakfast was being served.<\/p>\n

I entered my room, body lulled into quiet by our passion, but my mind racing yet again.\u00a0 I\u2019d talk to Savannah later.\u00a0 I\u2019d get things straightened out as soon as I saw her again.\u00a0 She\u2019d come close to admitting that given a choice of men, she\u2019d choose me.\u00a0 I was sure I could make her see that she didn\u2019t need to play her games with Candy again.<\/p>\n

At peace at last, I went to bed, hoping to snatch a few moments of rest before the day began.\u00a0 My last thought was of a pair of blue eyes gazing into my own, and then I knew nothing.<\/p>\n

Jamie<\/u><\/p>\n

It was raining again.\u00a0 Boy, I was tired of rain.\u00a0 It made climbing down the trellis kinda tricky, but I managed.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t understand why Joe and Griff thought it best I go out the way I got in.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t want the guards to think I was one of those lowlifes trying to rob the rich party guests.\u00a0 But they seemed to think I\u2019d cause trouble if their host found out how I\u2019d gotten in.<\/p>\n

My mind was racing frantically.\u00a0 I had to get back to Nigel and his friends and we ought to get to Sacramento as fast as we could.\u00a0 Pa had to know Joe was safe and not to send the ransom.\u00a0 I tried to concentrate on climbing down the trellis, but my thoughts were back with Griff and Joe.<\/p>\n

Griff sure had been upset when he found out Candy was with the nurse.\u00a0 He looked like all the fun had been sucked outta him.\u00a0 He\u2019d seemed pretty happy right up until then.\u00a0 He\u2019d even figured out what we needed to do to stop Pa from sending the ransom.\u00a0 But once he heard about Candy, a light went out in his face and he got all quiet-like.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d been wondering why Joe had been angry with Candy when he saw the nurse in with him.\u00a0 Joe was Candy\u2019s best friend, and he should have been concerned, not hopping mad.\u00a0 Then I heard him tell Griff that Candy had been exaggerating his injuries in order to get the nurse\u2019s undivided attention.\u00a0 That was just a fancy way of saying that Candy was faking it so the nurse would spend some time with him.<\/p>\n

I figured the nurse was a guest at the party, and Joe had been trying to charm her too.\u00a0 Candy had found a way to get her to look at him and Joe was madder\u2019n a wet hen.\u00a0 Those two.\u00a0 Always competing over some pretty girl.\u00a0 I wondered if they\u2019d ever get past doing that.<\/p>\n

I started across the lawn still thinking on how the guys had reacted.\u00a0 Griff hadn\u2019t been too relieved by Joe\u2019s explanation about Candy.\u00a0 I spent a moment wondering why he still looked so upset, but then maybe he didn\u2019t believe Joe.\u00a0 Maybe he figured Candy was really hurt more than Joe let on.<\/p>\n

Griff would be able to check on Candy soon enough.\u00a0 Joe was most likely right about Candy\u2019s little plot.\u00a0 In spite of all their fussing, those two were close. Real close.\u00a0 If Joe thought Candy needed a doctor, nothing would stand in his way.\u00a0 He\u2019d have been on a horse faster\u2019n I could spit.<\/p>\n

A hand snaked out of the bushes and grabbed me and it was all I could do to keep from screaming at the top of my lungs.\u00a0 I spotted Nigel\u2019s pale face peering at me, and I clapped both hands over my mouth in case some sound squeaked out.\u00a0 When I was under control, I hissed at him.\u00a0 \u201cWhy\u2019d you do that?\u00a0 I almost died of fright.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, old chap.\u201d\u00a0 Nigel\u2019s voice sounded more English than ever.\u00a0 But something was wrong.\u00a0 I could see it on his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d I kept my voice to a bare whisper, and he leaned in to speak in my ear.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not good, chum.\u00a0 Let\u2019s move back to where we can talk.\u00a0 We\u2019re all in a pickle if we stay here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The churning was back in my belly.\u00a0 It\u2019d stopped once I\u2019d seen Joe and Griff and been reassured about Candy.\u00a0 Now my stomach burned as if it were on fire.\u00a0 We snuck back to where I felt the guards wouldn\u2019t see or hear us, the rest of my posse joining us to crouch in the shadows.\u00a0 I grabbed my gunbelt from where it was slung on Nigel\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 It looked like I wouldn\u2019t need it now, but that didn\u2019t stop me from liking the grown-up feeling of wearing it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d I began.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve seen Joe.\u00a0 There\u2019s been a mistake.\u201d\u00a0 I hurried to fill them in on everything, right down to the joker who was trying to extort money from Pa on false pretenses.\u00a0 I swiped the rain from my face, but it was useless.\u00a0 The water just poured from the sky.<\/p>\n

I expected them to look relieved or to laugh — something.\u00a0 But they didn\u2019t.\u00a0 In fact, Nigel exchanged a worried glance with Basil as he grabbed my arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m afraid Joe\u2019s wrong,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cWe overheard something you should know about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now it was my turn to listen, my heart sinking as I heard what Nigel had to say.\u00a0 They\u2019d hidden in the stable to keep warm when the rain started up again and overheard two of the guards talking.\u00a0 They\u2019d been laughing and making fun of the party guests.\u00a0 How stupid the dupes were, not even knowing they were being held for ransom because they were so busy panting after the beautiful Savannah Lisette.<\/p>\n

The guards had been busy removing all the horses while they talked, taking them to a third man down the road.\u00a0 One had asked the other, \u201cWhat if one of them fools tries to leave before the ransom\u2019s been paid?\u201d<\/p>\n

The first guard had glanced around to see if anyone was listening, and then apparently feeling safe, had said, \u201cWe\u2019re here to make sure that he don\u2019t get far.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t no one gonna leave if the money doesn\u2019t get paid.\u00a0 Why d\u2019ya think we\u2019re getting gunmen\u2019s wages, ya fool?\u201d<\/p>\n

I swallowed and started back toward the house.\u00a0 I had to warn Joe, Griff and Candy.\u00a0 I needed to get them out of there.<\/p>\n

And the rain took that moment to slow up.<\/p>\n

Before I could cross the lawn, it stopped completely.\u00a0 The sun was barely poking its way to the horizon but the clouds had cleared enough to make it too light for my purposes.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t cross the lawn without being seen.\u00a0 And I couldn\u2019t head back to Sacramento to warn Pa not to send the ransom because now it looked like it would be needed.\u00a0 There was nothing for me to do but keep watch.<\/p>\n

Candy<\/u><\/p>\n

I never figured that little favor I did for Joe would give Savannah an excuse come knocking on my door in the small hours of the morning.\u00a0\u00a0 He\u2019d be mad as hell if he found out, though I saw no need to tell him.\u00a0 It\u2019s one thing to brag if a woman decides to go to a dance with me instead of him, but it wouldn\u2019t be right to talk about more intimate conquests.<\/p>\n

When Griff refused to be bullied into going back to Sacramento to watch Jamie, Joe decided to send a note telling him to go back to Frisco by way of whoever from the household went to town to pick up supplies.\u00a0 Of course, since everyone thought I was Joe Cartwright, I had to write the note.\u00a0 So it was me she brought the response to.\u00a0 I was just stripping for bed when she knocked.\u00a0 I figured it was Joe again.\u00a0 I was getting ready to tell him he shouldn\u2019t have come to this party if he was going to spend all his time worrying about Jamie.\u00a0 So I just flung the door open without asking who it was.\u00a0 There was Savannah, wrapped in a lovely silk robe that covered her entire body to her ankles but still left little to the imagination.\u00a0\u00a0 And there was me in my long johns, which covered less than half my body.\u00a0 They left little to the imagination after she started kissing me.<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t start the kissing right away of course.\u00a0 She sort of eased into it.\u00a0 First she told me that when her manservant inquired at the Regency to give Jamie my message, the clerk told him Jamie had left that morning on the train.\u00a0 So Joe\u2019s worries were over.\u00a0 At least on that score.\u00a0 I could only hope her appearance at my door would give him a whole new set.<\/p>\n

While she was talking, I tried to find something to put on.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t have a robe so I had to settle on my trousers.\u00a0 That\u2019s when she started the kissing part.<\/p>\n

She put a restraining hand on my forearm.\u00a0 \u201cNo need for formality here, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n

I dropped the trousers as she used her grip on my forearm to pull me to her.\u00a0\u00a0 That first kiss was long and sweet and as I said, left my long johns hiding nothing.\u00a0 But she wasn\u2019t in any hurry.\u00a0 She said how she\u2019d noticed me rubbing my neck at the poker game and wondered if she could massage it for me.\u00a0 She had a bottle of perfumed oil in the pocket of her robe for just that purpose.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure when she left.\u00a0 I\u2019d fallen asleep around first light with Savannah in my arms and waked to find her gone.\u00a0\u00a0 So I\u2019d gone back to sleep, savoring the feel of her in my dreams.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019m not one to sleep late but it was close to noon when I whistled my way downstairs.<\/p>\n

Saturday, February 8th<\/sup><\/u><\/p>\n

Griff<\/u><\/p>\n

I can\u2019t believe I was so gullible — thinking she had some special interest in me.\u00a0\u00a0 At first I wanted to think maybe Candy had taken ill and Savannah was tending to him.\u00a0 Not that I wished anything bad to happen to Candy, I just didn\u2019t want it to be what Jamie\u2019s words and Joe\u2019s surly expression suggested.\u00a0 But Joe made it clear she was with Candy for the same reason she\u2019d been with me the night before.\u00a0 At least he made it as clear as he could without saying it straight out in front of Jamie.\u00a0 And he\u2019d made some mention of the time he\u2019d spent with her that afternoon and how he was sure she liked him better.\u00a0\u00a0 I remembered she hadn\u2019t appeared until after the lightning storm.\u00a0 And I thought she\u2019d been tending to her grandfather.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t see any purpose telling Joe I\u2019d been with her.\u00a0\u00a0 Why let him know she\u2019d made a fool of me too.\u00a0 She was just looking for a rich husband.\u00a0 They\u2019d invited ten men who all fit that bill \u2013 or so they thought.\u00a0 Candy and I were wild cards they hadn\u2019t anticipated.\u00a0 Joe probably thought it was all between him and Candy.\u00a0 But I knew better.\u00a0 If she\u2019d bothered with an inexperienced kid like me, she was probably working her way through them all.<\/p>\n

So I didn\u2019t bother to get up early to meet her for that walk.\u00a0\u00a0 I wish now I\u2019d gone back with Jamie.\u00a0 If he hadn\u2019t been with Nigel, I probably would have.\u00a0 But I didn\u2019t want Nigel and his friends knowing I was too unsophisticated to avoid being played for a fool by a woman.\u00a0 Besides, it seemed someone was taking advantage of this party to extort money from Mr. Cartwright and maybe from the families of the other guests.\u00a0 It was likely that person had a connection here \u2013 one of the employees or maybe a tradesman.\u00a0 Now that my mind would be off Savannah, maybe I could spot them.\u00a0 Looked like Joe and Candy would still be too distracted to be of any use.<\/p>\n

Scott<\/u><\/p>\n

Somehow I\u2019d lost the knack of sleeping away the day. The war\u2019s starting time cured part of that, and Murdoch\u2019s morning banging coupled with Teresa\u2019s impromptu entrances remedied any tendency for lying abed or lingering over dressing.\u00a0 The first time I woke, I heard the rain and knew all outdoor plans for the day would be postponed if not canceled. I dozed for awhile, fantasizing about Savannah returning to my room for a repeat performance.\u00a0 I thought we had been that good together. I decided it was futile to continue that dream, not to mention uncomfortable.\u00a0 So, I got up, pulled the servants’ cord for warm water and waited.<\/p>\n

An elderly, shuffling man brought my water, wished me a soft ‘good mornin’ and told me breakfast was available in the dining room.\u00a0 To my inquiry about my host and hostess, he mumbled something about a stomach upset for Mr. Dupre and that Miss Savannah would be available downstairs shortly.\u00a0 His slight emphasis on downstairs made my lips twitch.<\/p>\n

I forswore riding clothes as my window observations told me I wasn’t going outdoors for pleasure.\u00a0 I might have to get wet when there’s work to be done, but I don’t do it by choice.\u00a0 Today would be an indoor day.<\/p>\n

Downstairs, a buffet was laid out in the dining room, with bacon, ham, sausages, fried chicken plus kippers, for the English Count I assumed.\u00a0 There was an over-abundance of food along with piping hot coffee and the makings for hot tea, another continental habit.\u00a0 Another elderly servant moved around the public rooms.<\/p>\n

Helping myself to breakfast, I decided to get a book to read, as I was the only one around at the moment.\u00a0 Returning to my food with my book, I saw Count Nigel was picking his way down the food display, showing no interest in the kippers.\u00a0 He barely glanced at me when I bade him “Good morning”.\u00a0 He looked most unhappy, but experience with Johnny and others had taught me some people couldn\u2019t be civil before the third cup of coffee, so I ignored him to eat and read.<\/p>\n

Before I finished my repast, others began drifting in for breakfast, some in boisterous good spirits and others quiet or sullen depending on their natures.\u00a0 Vanderlaan was noticeable by the fact that he still couldn’t string two words together without blushing and stammering.\u00a0 Young Nigel had eaten very little and had bolted when he heard others arriving.\u00a0 Obviously a little perturbed about something.<\/p>\n

I reported my information about our host’s being under the weather and we all seemed to be waiting for our “mistress of ceremonies” for further direction. Neither Cartwright nor Cartier had made an appearance yet and I was willing to bet one or both were sleeping off an “overdose” of Miss Dupre.\u00a0 I confess to more than a tinge of envy.<\/p>\n

Wandering into the game room I discovered Nigel sitting at the chessboard, fingering the ivory pieces.\u00a0 It was an exquisite set with the alternating pieces of black and white carved into intricate horses, castles and pawns. But I was willing to bet he wasn’t aware of the beauty of the work at all.\u00a0 Whatever he was seeing made his mouth turn down and his eyes look so unhappy I just couldn’t ignore such blatant misery.<\/p>\n

I took the seat opposite and asked, “Would you like a game?”<\/p>\n

He jerked, startled, then tried his ‘proper accent\u2019, “No thanks, old chap.\u00a0 Not right now.”<\/p>\n

I looked at him in some disgust. “Lay off the phony accent, if you please.\u00a0 You’re no more an English aristocrat than I’m an Indian.\u00a0 I’m not sure what your game is, but you don\u2019t have to pretend with me.\u00a0 Unless you’re planning some real trouble, that is, COUNT<\/em> Nigel.”<\/p>\n

He gave me a measuring look and I saw his shoulders relax a trifle.\u00a0 \u201cI’m here as a favor to the real Nigel.\u00a0 Wish I’d never got caught up in all this.”\u00a0 His voice was filled with gloom.<\/p>\n

I briefly debated being off-hand and casual, but opted to treat him like I would Johnny.\u00a0 Straightforward.\u00a0 “If you’re eating your heart out over your encounter with the lady . . . .”<\/p>\n

He interrupted me in a tone that bordered on panic.\u00a0 \u201cShe told you?\u00a0 She complained\u00a0 . . . \u201c His voice trailed off.<\/p>\n

I hastened to reassure him.\u00a0 \u201cI happened to walk into the kitchen when she was kissing you on the back stairs.\u00a0 She surely didn\u2019t look like woman with a complaint.\u00a0 But it was clear to me what you\u2019d been about.\u00a0 I thought perhaps you might welcome a little advice.\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyes bore into mine and his lips tightened.\u00a0 He thought it was none of my business – that was for sure.\u00a0 He was most likely right too, but being the fool I am, I continued.<\/p>\n

“If you’re like most folks, you’ve got some bad memories you hide somewhere.\u00a0 You’ve got a lot of good ones too.\u00a0 A woman like Savannah, she can fit into either place or maybe both.\u00a0 Depends on you, not her.”<\/p>\n

He glared at me but at least he hadn’t punched me out yet or left the table.\u00a0 “I read in a diary book once about this king telling some fancy governess why he had lots of wives.\u00a0 He said a man is like a bee that goes from flower to flower to flower gathering nectar.\u00a0 He claimed a woman is like a flower, but the flower doesn’t go from bee to bee to bee.\u00a0 Well, a woman like Savannah does go from bee to bee to bee.\u00a0 She’s not planning on marrying any of them or even falling in love.\u00a0 She’s looking to give and receive pleasure. She doesn’t want to hurt a man, just to enjoy him.\u00a0 We men think we’re allowed to sample lots of women, but a woman is only supposed to have one man.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow you can waste your energy being mad ’cause she doesn’t act like you think a ‘nice woman’ ought to act, or you can remember the pleasure you had and not forget the lesson that goes with it.\u00a0 I’m willing to bet she made no promises to you; she sure didn’t to me Thursday morning.”<\/p>\n

He looked at me in surprise — I could have been offended at his poor opinion of me — then said wonderingly, \u201cI guess I was right, she\u2019s just going through all of us.\u00a0 Joe saw Candy with her last night and he pretty much said straight out that he was with her yesterday afternoon.\u00a0 At least as straight out as he could be with his kid brother in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n

His head dropped to his hands, as I demanded “Who\u2019s Candy?” And then realizing what else he\u2019d said, \u201cAre you Cartwright\u2019s kid brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

For a minute he covered his eyes, then he peered between his fingers, a sheepish grin on his face.\u00a0 “Damn, guess I better start at the beginning.”\u00a0 He filled me in on how he came to be there and about the two men whom he worked with, one pretending to be Joseph Cartwright and really the ranch foreman and the other actually Joe Cartwright, but pretending to be Frances Cartier.\u00a0 His name was Griff King.\u00a0 He also worked for the Cartwrights but he\u2019d met Nigel in San Francisco.\u00a0 Nigel wanted to hunt mountain lions and punch cows.\u00a0 By the time he finished that part of his story I had a headache.<\/p>\n

But he wasn\u2019t done.\u00a0 He filled me in on the tale brought to them by Joe\u2019s young brother.\u00a0 He thought we should watch for someone in the household who was in cahoots with the extortionists.<\/p>\n

At the end of the convoluted tale, I asked, “What meeting is Cartwright Sr. attending?”\u00a0 He told me it was some fancy financier thing in San Francisco, then confirmed that his ‘supposed” English father was apparently at the same meeting.\u00a0 I knew Murdoch was there, so that made three sons with fathers at the same meeting.\u00a0 I wondered about the Cartier father, but Griff wasn’t sure about that.<\/p>\n

Now I was curious. Hell, I was more than curious.\u00a0 Two from the same group was coincidence; three was more than coincidence.\u00a0 If the total went up to four or more, I was going to be downright suspicious.\u00a0 The tale brought by Cartwright\u2019s young brother was taking on substance.<\/p>\n

I suggested Griff find his friend Joe to see if he knew whether the father of the man he\u2019d replaced was at the same meeting.\u00a0 Griff seemed a little reluctant and I realized he wasn\u2019t ready to talk to his friend again just yet.\u00a0 He offered to check with Vanderlaan while I talked to Joe\/Francis.\u00a0 We were just pushing back our chairs to go on our separate missions when we saw Savannah sauntering toward us.\u00a0 As rising in the presence of a lady was de rigueur we were standing when she reached us.<\/p>\n

She put her hand on Griff\u2019s arm in a possessive gesture.\u00a0 \u201cI missed you this morning.\u201d\u00a0 Her voice was silky with a touch of petulance as though to show Griff how disappointed she was to miss their assignation.\u00a0 Griff looked at me as though for help.\u00a0 When I had none to offer, he stammered out some excuse about the rain making it too unpleasant for a walk outside, retreating to the cover of his exaggerated Texas accent as he did so.\u00a0 She looked over at me as though in wonderment that a young man could be so na\u00efve as to believe she\u2019d really been interested in walking.\u00a0 She turned to the window and swept her left hand in a gesture indicating the sun breaking through the clouds.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt appears the two of you have become great friends.\u00a0 Perhaps you would both join me for a walk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her right hand retained its possessive grip on Griff\u2019s forearm.\u00a0 She reached out her left and captured my elbow.\u00a0\u00a0 Looking at Griff, she said sweetly, \u201cMr. Lancer has been out here long enough to educate you concerning some of the more interesting customs of the Wild West tempered by the skills of a sophisticated man from Boston.\u201d\u00a0 She turned to me.\u00a0 \u201cThere are always things to be learned from a healthy visitor with a continental education.\u201d<\/p>\n

I could see young Griff had not the slightest idea of the implication of her words.\u00a0 He was undoubtedly taking them at face value.\u00a0 I took the lady\u2019s hand and pressed the palm to my lips.\u00a0 \u201cIf you would allow us to finish our breakfast,\u201d I nodded toward Griff\u2019s untouched plate and my unfinished coffee, \u201cperhaps I could convince Count Wingate of the pleasures of the excursion you suggest.\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded in understanding, then leaned over to plant a delicate kiss on my left cheek.\u00a0\u00a0 Perhaps believing he needed more encouragement, her parting from Griff was marked with a soft kiss on the lips.\u00a0 And then she was gone, making her way to the kitchen, stopping briefly to greet each man in the drawing room with some gesture of affection, a slight squeeze of the shoulder, a pat on the arm, a seductive smile.<\/p>\n

Griff sat down, momentarily diverted from his intention to speak to Vanderlaan.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t worry about me.\u00a0 I\u2019ll talk to Joe and Vanderlaan.\u00a0 You go walk with her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you really think walking was what she had in mind?\u201d<\/p>\n

He smiled a little sourly.\u00a0 \u201cI was trying to be discreet.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure the walk would have ended in her bedroom for one of us.\u00a0\u00a0 I think knowing she was with my two closest friends only yesterday has taken the edge off my appetite.\u00a0 You go ahead.\u00a0 I don\u2019t mind, honest.\u201d<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t in fact believe he was being honest.\u00a0 He might not be ready to respond to an invitation himself, but he was equally unready to see me walk off with the prize.\u00a0\u00a0 Suspecting he might be immune to shock at this point, I decided to enlighten him.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe wasn\u2019t inviting me for a walk, Griff, at least not me alone.\u00a0 And she had no intention of having just one of us end up in her bedroom.\u00a0 She was extending a special invitation to both of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite my plain words, it took a moment for their meaning to register.\u00a0 He looked at me blankly until his mind finally accepted there was only one possible interpretation.\u00a0 \u201cBoth of us?\u201d\u00a0 He was quiet for another moment.\u00a0 \u201cTogether?\u201d\u00a0 Another pause, as though he expected me to contradict him.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAt the same time?\u201d<\/p>\n

I nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that how they do things in Boston?\u00a0 Have you . . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

I laughed and shook my head.\u00a0 \u201cBut haven\u2019t you ever imagined how it would be with two women?\u2019<\/p>\n

He leaned back and closed his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cThere was times in my life I did nothin\u2019 but imagine all the way things might be with women.\u00a0 But I don\u2019t figure I\u2019m too sure as to how to handle even one in real life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you can see as how an experienced man might take his fantasies about the pleasures of being with two women and seek to carry them out.\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyes snapped open at that.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve\u00a0 . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHad the fantasy.\u00a0 Sure.\u00a0 There was a set of beautiful raven-haired twins in Boston . . . \u201c Griff was hanging on my every word.\u00a0 \u201cBut actually looking to follow through. . . .\u201d\u00a0 I paused, reflecting back on those lovely twins.\u00a0 \u201cThere are some things best left to the imagination.\u00a0 When a man makes love to a woman, she should be the center of his universe for that time, however brief.\u201d<\/p>\n

Griff sighed.\u00a0 I think he was disappointed not to hear a story of fantasies fulfilled.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll I\u2019m trying to say is Savannah\u2019s an experienced woman who has her own flights of fancy.\u00a0 Maybe being in the company of two incredibly handsome and robust men like ourselves enticed her to try to lure one of those flights down to earth, right here, right now.\u201d\u00a0 I laughed and punched him lightly on the arm.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cLook, we\u2019ve got some accusations to look into.\u00a0 If you get a chance to slip off with her later \u2013 alone \u2013 then don\u2019t let any concerns for me stand in your way.\u201d<\/p>\n

We parted company at that point.\u00a0 I saw him challenge Vanderlaan to a game of pool as I attempted to search out the man previously known to me as Cartier.<\/p>\n

Joe<\/u><\/p>\n

Where was she?\u00a0 I wandered through the drawing room, but didn\u2019t see Savannah.\u00a0 I even took a peek in the kitchen and then strolled casually along the verandah, but still no luck.\u00a0 I\u2019d heard her grandfather had taken ill, so I guessed she must be occupied with him.<\/p>\n

I saw most of the other men appeared to be making good use of their time.\u00a0 An intense poker game was in progress, an impressive amount of money changing hands with each round of play.\u00a0 I saw Vanderlaan and Crowell playing billiards, obviously wagering on each shot.<\/p>\n

I could have joined either group, but all I wanted was Savannah.\u00a0 My body burned in remembrance of the passion we\u2019d shared.\u00a0 I had to see her, had to stop the games with Candy.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d seen Griff huddled with the Lancer fella.\u00a0 Candy was mooning around somewhere, probably gloating over his conquest of the fair Savannah.\u00a0 My fingers closed into a fist and I itched to smash in those white teeth of his.\u00a0 But I sure would have been happier if I could see him.\u00a0 He\u2019d better not be with Savannah again.<\/p>\n

And then I saw him.\u00a0 Griff and Lancer were towing him along.\u00a0 They approached me with a pretty obvious attempt at being casual.\u00a0 Griff seemed a little dejected, while Lancer was quietly nonchalant.\u00a0 But Candy.\u00a0 Candy was walking a little taller, his teeth gleaming in a huge smile.\u00a0 I guess he figured he\u2019d won in the Savannah sweepstakes.<\/p>\n

I reached for him, but Lancer stepped between us.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s play bridge gentlemen,\u201d he said a shade too loudly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know how.\u201d\u00a0 I\u2019m sure I sounded a bit sulky, but that couldn\u2019t be helped.\u00a0 The last thing I wanted to do was sit down at a table with Candy and play some high-falutin\u2019 card game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll teach you.\u201d\u00a0 Lancer snagged my arm and pulled, and I saw he\u2019d grabbed Candy with his other hand.\u00a0 He literally yanked us into Armand\u2019s private den, and pushed us into some chairs around a nice little card table.\u00a0 He then shut the door, leaving us in total privacy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said I don\u2019t know how to play, and I don\u2019t want to learn.\u201d\u00a0 I stood up and prepared to stalk out of the room without so much as a glance at Candy.<\/p>\n

\u201cSit down, Joe.\u00a0 We need to talk,\u201d Griff said so low I almost didn\u2019t hear him.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSomething\u2019s going on you need to hear about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Candy didn\u2019t look any happier about the idea than I did.\u00a0 He kept glancing at the door like he needed to keep a date with someone.\u00a0 A date with Savannah most likely.\u00a0 My fingers itched again and I sat down hard.\u00a0 \u201cSpit it out then.\u00a0 What\u2019s up?\u201d<\/p>\n

I guess I was pretty blunt because Lancer shot me a speculative look.\u00a0 He seemed like the kind of guy who read people fairly easily.\u00a0 I flushed a little.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t need him looking into my soul for any reason.<\/p>\n

And then it hit me.\u00a0 Griff had just called me Joe.\u00a0 I risked a peek at Lancer, but he just nodded to show he knew and didn\u2019t care.\u00a0 I flashed Griff a glance that I hoped told him I was mighty upset he\u2019d been spilling our secrets to a stranger.\u00a0 Griff pointedly turned his head and looked out the window.\u00a0 Yet another set of teeth I wanted to smash.<\/p>\n

Lancer started talking then.\u00a0 Griff nodding occasionally as his only contribution.\u00a0 They\u2019d hatched some far-fetched plot about kidnappers and ransoms, all based on Jamie\u2019s frantic visit the night before.\u00a0 I had to laugh.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, you fellas aren\u2019t taking this whole thing seriously are you?\u00a0 I sent Jamie back to town to let my Pa know that this whole thing is some sort of set up.\u00a0 We\u2019re obviously not prisoners, but someone is making our fathers think we are.\u00a0 It\u2019s a scam.\u00a0 Once our fathers realize that, it\u2019ll all blow over.\u00a0 There\u2019s no way Savannah or her grandfather even know what\u2019s happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

They kept talking, or at least Lancer did.\u00a0 He\u2019d seen Savannah deep in conversation with some man, dressed pretty rough but treating her like an equal.\u00a0\u00a0 They\u2019d been talking about drugging someone, but Scott hadn\u2019t heard who.\u00a0\u00a0 When I challenged him, he admitted it was possible they just needed something for the old man\u2019s pain.<\/p>\n

But the idea that Savannah and Armand were involved in something was starting to make sense.\u00a0 There were too many little things that could very well add up to one big plot to fleece some wealthy fathers out of a lot of money.<\/p>\n

I could tell Candy wasn\u2019t buying any of it.\u00a0 Of course, he mostly just sat there with that stupid grin on his face, gloating because he figured he\u2019d won Savannah right out from under my nose.\u00a0 Obviously he\u2019d been completely taken in by her charms because he wouldn\u2019t hear one word said against her.<\/p>\n

Griff, Lancer and I decided we should at least check some things out.\u00a0 I\u2019d stroll out onto the verandah and see about getting our guns back, Griff would go back to the stables to see how many horses were there.\u00a0 Scott was going to snoop around Armand a bit since he\u2019d had the most time to get to know the old man.\u00a0 If there were sleeping powders lying around, Scott should be able to find them.<\/p>\n

Candy refused to do anything at all. Savannah was a princess, a lady of sterling reputation, and she could do no wrong.\u00a0 Boy, did he have it bad.\u00a0 I had to do it.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t let him sit there thinking he was the one she\u2019d fallen for. I let him know in so many words that she\u2019d been with me too, and it had been something special for both of us.<\/p>\n

His grin disappeared so fast it almost fell off his face.\u00a0 Candy\u2019s got a tough jaw and it was jutting out toward me like some cliff face, and I think if Lancer and Griff hadn\u2019t been there he would have hit me.\u00a0 He headed for the door, flinging it open with a crash.\u00a0 Every eye in the room turned toward us, and that\u2019s when he came back to his senses.\u00a0 If there was a plot the last thing we needed was to have everyone in an uproar.\u00a0 Candy kinda grinned a little.\u00a0 He looked like a sheep to me, but he gave a little wave to the other men and came back to sit at the card table with us.\u00a0 I noticed he wouldn\u2019t look me in the eye though, and he seemed ready to blow at any minute.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d left the door open, so we started dealing the cards, even though we had no idea what we were doing with them. I guess from a distance we looked fairly natural, because the other men soon lost interest in our little group.<\/p>\n

We discussed what we should do for another minute or so, but then, just when I figured we\u2019d convinced everyone that we were playing a friendly game of cards, Griff stood up and walked out.\u00a0 Walked away from us, across the room, straight to the old man\u2019s liquor cabinet.\u00a0 He poured himself a huge slug of brandy in one of those massive balloon glasses that seem so popular with rich men and started to drink.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I knew my jaw had dropped a little, but I didn\u2019t want Lancer to think badly of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t mind him, Lancer,\u201d I said.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s just upset because all he got from Savannah was one kiss and it turned his head completely.\u00a0 He\u2019s a little na\u00efve.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lancer snorted.\u00a0 \u201cHe got more than a kiss from the lady,\u201d he said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cHe was with her before you were.\u00a0 And so was I.\u00a0 He made the mistake of thinking it was for real.\u00a0 Like you said, he\u2019s a little na\u00efve.\u00a0 Poor fellow.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when I started to believe Jamie\u2019s story might be true.\u00a0\u00a0 It was one thing for Savannah to be playing games with Candy and me.\u00a0 But if she\u2019d been with Lancer, and Griff too. . .\u00a0 Griff!\u00a0 That kid with no experience.\u00a0 I felt like I was the one who had been na\u00efve.\u00a0 Yes, we were definitely going to have to get to the bottom of this and soon.<\/p>\n

We went our separate ways, agreeing to head up to our rooms early.\u00a0 As soon as the rest of the men were occupied and paying no attention to us, we would each check out a different lead, the guns, the drugs, the horses.\u00a0 I sighed.\u00a0 It had been fun while it lasted.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

He\u2019d been right.\u00a0 Jamie\u2019s cockamamie story was right.\u00a0 We were being held for ransom.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t believe it.\u00a0 I knew Pa would be tearing San Francisco apart to raise the money.<\/p>\n

We\u2019d separated to see what we could find out.\u00a0 I headed casually for the verandah.\u00a0 If anyone asked I was going for a stroll, feeling the need for fresh air.\u00a0 As I passed through the house, I could see the other men lounging around, still innocent of the plot swirling around them.\u00a0 I shook my head in disgust.\u00a0 How could we all be so stupid?<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t stopped as I left the house and stood on the porch, but I did notice a couple of men walking between the house and the barn.\u00a0 They tried to act casual, but I could see they were a little too interested in what I was doing.\u00a0 I made a show of settling myself on the railing, propping my foot up next to me and stretching, making sure my yawn could be seen about a mile away.<\/p>\n

It seemed to convince them, because they merely passed by, nodding pleasantly when they were at their closest.\u00a0 I nodded back, then leaned back against a post and closing my eyes.\u00a0 I waited a minute or two, opened my eyes a slit, so that I could get a peek at the area without rousing suspicion.\u00a0 They weren\u2019t in sight.<\/p>\n

Moving slowly, trying to look like I was just moseying around the porch, I found the chest where Savannah had stored the guns easy enough.\u00a0 It was still locked just the way she\u2019d left it.\u00a0 I wanted to drag Lancer out and rub his nose in it.\u00a0\u00a0 But then I bent to examine the lock.\u00a0 Like Candy\u2019d said, the lock was easy enough to get through if a man was determined.<\/p>\n

So I opened it.<\/p>\n

The guns were gone.\u00a0 Every last one of \u2018em was gone.\u00a0 I sucked in some air but my lungs didn\u2019t seem to be working right \u2018cause I had to keep struggling to drag in another breath, and even so my head swam dizzily.\u00a0 Savannah had lied.\u00a0 It\u2019d all been a lie from the start.<\/p>\n

After a few minutes I put the lock together as best I could and staggered into the house.\u00a0 I headed straight for the whiskey and poured a large glass, swallowing most of it in one gulp.\u00a0\u00a0 Then I headed up to my room to wait for the others.\u00a0 We\u2019d agreed to meet in an hour, and now I was more than ready to hear what they had to say.<\/p>\n

Candy slouched in first, hands jammed into his pockets, a glare his only greeting.\u00a0 Then Griff slipped in looking like he\u2019d lost his best friend, followed by Lancer.\u00a0 I did a double take when I saw him.\u00a0 He was cool as a cucumber, not a hair out of place, his usual calm expression on his face.\u00a0 Seeing him was like putting a match to a powder keg.<\/p>\n

I exploded.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow can you take this so calmly?\u00a0 Our fathers think we\u2019ve been kidnapped and are most likely fearing for our lives.\u00a0 We\u2019ve been tricked.\u00a0 Duped by a little girl and her grandfather.\u00a0 And yet you sit here like you\u2019re on a Sunday picnic.\u201d<\/p>\n

I paced the room, and couldn\u2019t seem to stop the stream of words that poured out of me.\u00a0 Lancer just dropped into a chair, his arms crossed and he never said a word.\u00a0 Just watched me until I finally ran out of steam.<\/p>\n

When I\u2019d finally stopped, he spoke, his voice never rising, no anger in his tone.\u00a0 \u201cMy father\u2019s a strong man.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be all right as soon as I get back to explain the situation to him.\u00a0 Right now I\u2019m more concerned with getting out of this mess before things turn ugly, so I can get back to him.\u00a0 Are you gentlemen now convinced we\u2019re in serious trouble?\u201d<\/p>\n

All the fire drained out of me and I sank onto the bed, defeated.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u201d\u00a0 Boy it hurt to say those words.\u00a0 I\u2019ve never been too fond of admitting I was wrong.\u00a0 \u201cThe guns are gone.\u00a0 The chest on the verandah is empty.\u00a0 What\u2019d you find out, Griff?\u201d<\/p>\n

The boy was miserable.\u00a0 He looked like a hound dog who\u2019d run into a skunk, he was so dejected.\u00a0 \u201cThe horses are gone too.\u00a0 Nothing left at all in the stable but one buggy horse, probably the one they plan to use for their escape.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know where they\u2019ve got the rest of \u2018em hid, but they\u2019re not where we can get to \u2018em easy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Candy sat silent, no longer smiling that fool grin.\u00a0 In fact, now he looked like he wanted to hit someone.\u00a0 We all swung around to face Lancer.\u00a0 \u201cWell?\u201d I demanded.\u00a0 \u201cWhat about you?\u00a0 What did you find out?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI found a large amount of sleeping powder in Armand\u2019s room.\u00a0 He\u2019d gone to the kitchen to settle a domestic problem and I took the opportunity to slip in there.\u00a0 There\u2019s more than enough powder to put all of us under.\u00a0 I\u2019d guess they plan to drug the wine, as it would be the easiest way to gain control of so many men.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes you think they won\u2019t kill us?\u201d\u00a0 Candy\u2019s words were quiet, but the tone was ugly.\u00a0 He scowled at Lancer, like it was all his fault.<\/p>\n

Scott smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI think they want money, not our lives.\u00a0 If they kill us they\u2019d live in fear for the rest of their lives.\u00a0 My father and brother wouldn\u2019t rest until they\u2019d found my killers, and I\u2019m sure you gentlemen could say the same.\u00a0 If they drug us, they stand a good chance of getting away without too much in the way of pursuit.\u201d\u00a0 He stared Candy down.\u00a0 \u201cMake sense to you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Candy\u2019s eyes dropped and he had the grace to look sheepish.\u00a0 \u201cYes,\u201d he mumbled so that we could barely hear him.\u00a0 My opinion of Lancer rose considerably when he chose to ignore Candy\u2019s mood.<\/p>\n

Scott continued.\u00a0 \u201cOn my way out of Armand\u2019s room, I heard someone coming.\u00a0 So I ducked into one of the spare rooms where I could see what was happening.\u00a0 Turns out a messenger had arrived with news about a package arriving in Sacramento for the Dupres.\u00a0 Most likely something to do with the ransom, don\u2019t you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

We put our heads together over what we\u2019d found out.\u00a0 We figured they\u2019d probably try to drug us tonight, and agreed we\u2019d pretend to eat and drink, and then hole up somewhere so that we could make our move together.\u00a0 We wanted the plotters to think we were still ignorant of the scheme.\u00a0 My spirits rose a bit.<\/p>\n

\u201cLooks like the Dupres have met their match.\u201d\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t help the crow of pride in my voice.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019ve underestimated us.\u00a0\u00a0 Now we\u2019ve got surprise on our side.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lancer cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cI wouldn\u2019t get too confident.\u201d\u00a0 He rose, preparing to leave.\u00a0 We all stared at him in surprise.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d I demanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey haven\u2019t gone wrong underestimating us yet,\u201d he replied, and then calmly left the room, leaving us staring after him with our mouths gaping open.<\/p>\n

Jamie<\/u><\/p>\n

It was all I could do to stay hidden throughout that long day.\u00a0 I knew my brother and my friends were in danger, but I couldn\u2019t warn them.\u00a0 I wanted to storm the house and drag them outta there, but knew that I\u2019d only end up getting us all in trouble.\u00a0 No, I just had to outsmart the kidnappers.<\/p>\n

We\u2019d spotted the messenger followed by two armed guards riding in first thing.\u00a0 I made sure we were waiting when he came back out of the house having left the guards inside somewhere.\u00a0 Neddie followed him back down the trail at a distance with instructions not to get close enough to get caught, but to make sure he knew where the man went and what he was up to.\u00a0 Once he was gone, it was just a waiting game.\u00a0 And I don\u2019t wait all that well.\u00a0 I was getting\u2019 more\u2019n a little antsy as each hour rolled by.<\/p>\n

So, I spent the day talkin\u2019 with my British posse.\u00a0 We all took turns spying on the house, trying to get as close as we could.\u00a0 We wanted to hear what the guards were saying to each other without getting caught ourselves.<\/p>\n

Between their scraps of conversation and my talk with Joe and Griff, we were able to figure out that the ransom had been paid.\u00a0 The kidnappers were probably planning on a big move sometime during the coming night.\u00a0 I felt the clutch of fear in my stomach again, but I forced myself not to think of it.\u00a0 Nigel, Basil, and Cedric were still looking at me like I knew all the answers.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t let them down either.<\/p>\n

It was six hours before Neddie came back and unloaded an earful on us.\u00a0 He\u2019d followed the messenger to Sacramento and then ridden back hell for leather.\u00a0 As I listened, I got more\u2019n more afraid.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t think I could handle this.\u00a0 The plot was too big, the people involved too dangerous.\u00a0 And I was just a kid.\u00a0 I glanced around at the gathering darkness and I shook my head.\u00a0 No.\u00a0 Not a kid.\u00a0 I was a grown man carrying a gun.\u00a0\u00a0 No time to contact Pa.\u00a0 It was up to me to save the day.\u00a0 Time to put together the pieces of the puzzle.<\/p>\n

Neddie told us that Savannah and her grandfather were planning their escape for that night.\u00a0\u00a0 A couple of the men had been gloating over the amount they were being paid to see them safely on the train for Boston where they\u2019d booked passage for Europe.\u00a0 They didn’t say whether they’d be boarding in Sacramento or were fleeing to meet the train at another stop.\u00a0 The others were laughing about how easy they\u2019d be earning their money what with the guests being so distracted by Savannah they\u2019d never notice the drugged liquor.\u00a0\u00a0 As soon as it was dark, I had to get inside to warn Joe or one of the others about the drugs. I decided I\u2019d climb back up the trellis to Joe\u2019s room.\u00a0 I was betting he hadn\u2019t locked his window.\u00a0\u00a0 Nigel\u2019d heard the guards talking about having the buggy ready around midnight so it was likely they\u2019d be drugged before that, but not too much before.<\/p>\n

I figured we had to send Neddie after the buggy.\u00a0 Tired as he was, he was the only one who could manage to hide his British accent if he was seen or needed to talk with someone.\u00a0 That\u2019s why I\u2019d sent him after the messenger.\u00a0 So I showed him how to mark a trail and ordered him to stick with that buggy no matter where it went.\u00a0 It sure did something to my confidence to have Neddie follow my orders without a question.\u00a0 Maybe we\u2019d get through this after all.<\/p>\n

With any luck we\u2019d be able to follow Neddie\u2019s trail to catch up with them before the leaders escaped too far with the ransom money.\u00a0 If for some reason we missed them, I told him to wait for us at the hotel and we\u2019d figure a way to intercept the train after they boarded.<\/p>\n

The buggy and the Dupres planned for, I turned my attention to the house.\u00a0 In all likelihood the gunmen, not the Dupres, would be in charge of making sure the guests didn\u2019t take out after them.<\/p>\n

I knew we had to be prepared for anything.\u00a0 I had Cedric check out the barn.\u00a0 You never know when you\u2019re gonna need a carriage.\u00a0 What if someone got hurt?\u00a0 We\u2019d need a carriage ta haul \u2018em out of there.\u00a0 A couple of those carriage-broke horses would come in handy then.<\/p>\n

Cedric came back to tell me there was a big carriage and a smaller buggy in the barn.\u00a0 The buggy must be the one the Dupres were planning on taking to the station later that night.\u00a0 I was sure they wouldn\u2019t bother with the big carriage, especially as they seemed to have only one horse.<\/p>\n

I pulled out my new revolver and checked it for the twelfth time.\u00a0 Okay, maybe it was more than that.\u00a0 It just felt so good having that holster on my hip with that sweet little gun nestled inside it.\u00a0 Thanks to Griff I felt more\u2019n ready to use it if I had to, but something kept making me check it.\u00a0 I don\u2019 know.\u00a0 Maybe I was afraid it\u2019d disappear or be snatched away if I didn\u2019t keep my eye on it.<\/p>\n

Now I sighted down the barrel and allowed my fingers to get a feel for the trigger, my hand for the weight and my arm for the best position.\u00a0 When the time came, I\u2019d be ready.\u00a0 And so would my new friends.<\/p>\n

I was going to save Joe and my friends whether they wanted me to or not.\u00a0 I knew there was trouble afoot, and that was good enough for me.<\/p>\n

And then it was time.\u00a0 I was snaking across the lawn, Nigel, Cedric and Basil at my heels.\u00a0 They split off to cover the other entrances of the house and I shinnied up the trellis as fast as I could go.\u00a0 I made it into Joe\u2019s room without a hitch and was feeling pretty cocky.\u00a0 All I had to do was wait until Joe, Candy or Griff came upstairs and we could make our escape.\u00a0 Nigel and his buddies would cover us as we got out of the house.<\/p>\n

It took me a while to realize that my plan had fallen apart.\u00a0 I paced Joe\u2019s room as quietly as I could, hoping all the time to hear his footstep in the hall.\u00a0 But I never did.<\/p>\n

He never came upstairs at all.\u00a0 None of them did.<\/p>\n

Candy<\/u><\/p>\n

Our plan looked good.\u00a0 When the drugged liquor started affecting the others, the four of us collapsed in a part of the billiards room where we thought we\u2019d be the least vulnerable.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t figure they\u2019d drug everyone just to make it easier to kill us. The heavy lock Lancer had spotted on the reinforced door to the cellar suggested they\u2019d just leave us, figuring the drugged sleep, the heavy door and the absence of horses would give them plenty of time to get away.\u00a0\u00a0 When they started dragging men off to the cellar, we wanted to be taken last.\u00a0 If there was gunplay, we didn\u2019t want the unconscious guests to be inadvertent targets.<\/p>\n

There were only two of them.\u00a0 They\u2019d dragged five of the men down the cellar stairs before they got to us.\u00a0 As one of them grabbed Joe under the arms and the other one headed for Scott, the four of us took them by surprise.\u00a0 Their guns were holstered; they were outnumbered; it was easy.\u00a0\u00a0 Or it would have been.<\/p>\n

They were still struggling when rifle fire shattered a lamp and a bottle of whiskey.\u00a0 The four of us looked up from the brawl to see two more thugs pointing rifles in our direction.<\/p>\n

We were about to raise our hands in defeat when a familiar voice shouted for us to get down.\u00a0 Suddenly there were four revolvers pointed at the riflemen.\u00a0\u00a0 Griff and I grabbed the handguns from the two men we\u2019d overcome and immediately the two riflemen saw the wisdom in dropping their weapons.<\/p>\n

Griff, Scott and I had finished immobilizing the four men with drapery cords before Joe recovered from his shock over the identity of our rescuers.<\/p>\n

Jamie hadn\u2019t followed Joe\u2019s orders.\u00a0 He was standing there with a handgun still pointed at the men we were binding to chairs.\u00a0 With him were three well-dressed men I took to be the real Nigel and his friends.<\/p>\n

When Joe didn\u2019t react, I walked over and clapped Jamie on the back.\u00a0 \u201cGood work.\u00a0 You couldn\u2019t have picked a better time to start being your own man and ignoring your big brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

My action seemed to wake Joe from his trance.\u00a0 I could see he was angry, but he had the good grace to control himself for a moment to thank his brother.\u00a0 I knew the underlying anger was based in fear and Jamie probably knew it too.\u00a0 Even though we all seemed to be safe, the sight of Jamie with a gun facing down armed men was not something Joe could accept without trepidation.<\/p>\n

He hugged Jamie, but then he tried to turn him back into his kid brother.\u00a0 It was like trying to push water back over a dam.<\/p>\n

Joe attempted to take charge.\u00a0 \u201cWe have to go after the ransom.\u00a0 We should be able to track the buggy.\u00a0 I\u2019m betting that Savannah and Armand are heading to collect it if they don\u2019t already have it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He turned to Nigel.\u00a0 \u201cThanks for taking care of my brother.\u00a0 If you could get one of your comrades to loan his sidearm to Scott over there, I\u2019ll take Jamie\u2019s and we\u2019ll be on our way.\u00a0 We\u2019ll send someone back to collect you if you don\u2019t mind watching this lot for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

I watched as Nigel and his two friends closed ranks around Jamie. Jamie holstered his revolver and turned slightly to put it out of Joe\u2019s reach.<\/p>\n

\u201cExcuse me, Mr. Cartwright, but we don\u2019t take orders from you.\u00a0 Jamie\u2019s got us this far and we\u2019ll be taking our direction from him.\u00a0 He had the foresight to send Neddie after the buggy and instructed him as to how to mark the path so we could follow.\u00a0\u00a0 He also told Neddie where to leave word if they should make it back to Sacramento.\u00a0\u00a0 If Jamie wants Basil and Cedric to surrender their sidearms to you and your friend, they will, but he should keep his.\u201d<\/p>\n

That statement drew a murmur of protest from the two I took to be Basil and Cedric.\u00a0 Nigel turned and quelled this mini-rebellion.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not like you lot know how to use them anyway.\u201d\u00a0 Nigel\u2019s stern look apparently had an effect.\u00a0 The two men looked at Jamie.\u00a0 When he nodded, the two men extended their revolvers to Joe with no more grumbling.<\/p>\n

Of course, Joe wasn\u2019t about to accept the notion Jamie was going to remain in the action, much less that he\u2019d be running the show.\u00a0 I reckoned he mostly wanted to protect Jamie, but a bit of it was protecting his own pride.\u00a0 Grateful as he was, he couldn\u2019t be happy that he\u2019d been conned by a beautiful woman, ignored Jamie\u2019s warning, then had to be bailed out of trouble by his kid brother.<\/p>\n

He put his arm on Jamie\u2019s shoulder, studiously ignoring the three Brits.\u00a0 \u201cJamie, you could be the most help to us if you and your friends would stay here, guard the prisoners and take care of the men who\u2019ve been drugged.<\/p>\n

I could see Jamie stiffen into resistance.\u00a0\u00a0 He stood up straight and looked Joe straight in the eye \u2013 something he hadn\u2019t been able to do until he\u2019d gotten his growth spurt this past year.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe have to get Pa\u2019s money back.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019m going with you.\u00a0 One of the others can stay here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nigel positioned himself immediately behind Jamie, forcing Joe to look up at him.\u00a0\u00a0 He didn\u2019t actually speak, but his support for Jamie was clear.\u00a0 Joe looked around as if expecting us to give him the same support.\u00a0\u00a0 When no one moved, he turned back to Nigel.\u00a0 \u201cIf you don\u2019t mind I don\u2019t need you encouraging my little brother to get involved in gunplay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nigel smiled in what I knew Joe would think was a condescending way \u2013 actually I kind of thought so myself.\u00a0 \u201cLittle brother?\u00a0 Why it appears Mr. Cartwright, that your little brother is an inch taller than you are, possesses just as much courage and is much more careful of the company he keeps.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now that whole speech was something intended to put Joe in his place, but it was that height thing I knew would get Joe\u2019s dander up.\u00a0\u00a0 In truth Jamie wasn\u2019t an inch taller \u2013 they were pretty much of a height.\u00a0 Joe wouldn\u2019t like Nigel giving Jamie that extra inch.\u00a0 But even so, he didn\u2019t address himself to the Brit.\u00a0 And instead of talking to Jamie with that overbearing older brother authority, he started using those Joe Cartwright powers of persuasion.<\/p>\n

\u201cJamie, you\u2019ve done a great job here.\u00a0\u00a0 But Pa\u2019s gonna have my hide for leaving you in Sacramento and letting you get involved in all this. I can see you were adult enough to handle it \u2013 convincing Pa\u2019s going to be the tough thing.\u00a0\u00a0 And he\u2019s not going to be too happy he had to pay out all that money because I had to come to this party.\u00a0\u00a0 It would really help me out if you\u2019d let me handle it from here.\u00a0 Please.\u201d<\/p>\n

I could see Jamie was beginning to cave.\u00a0 But Nigel wasn\u2019t ready to let Joe take over.\u00a0 \u201cMr. Cartwright, my father is going to be no happier about the money he put up, especially if he finds out I tricked him and sent Griff here in my place.\u00a0 It would be most helpful if he knew I had a hand in the recovery of the sums extended.\u00a0 I trust Jamie to help me with that recovery.\u00a0 I suggest we get along.\u00a0 I\u2019d be happy to leave my chums here to keep the brigands safe until the law collects them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe was about to respond when the drawing room doors opened from the hallway.\u00a0 Immediately, there were seven guns pointed in that direction.\u00a0 It was Vanderlaan.\u00a0 He held up his hands to forestall anyone mistaking him for brigand.<\/p>\n

\u201cGentlemen, Gentlemen.\u00a0 I assure you I\u2019m on your side.\u00a0 I thought perhaps I could persuade you to abandon your bickering and take out after your quarry before they disappear with your fathers\u2019 money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lancer caught the reference a split second before the rest of us and voiced the question first.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t you mean \u2018our\u2019 fathers money?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Mr. Lancer.\u00a0 The man attending that meeting as George Vanderlaan is a Pinkerton agent, as I am myself.\u00a0 The real George and Martin Vanderlaan are quite safe.\u00a0 Some families in New York who were the victims of a similar scheme two years ago advanced the money paid out on my behalf.\u00a0 They are depending on my partner and me to see that it is returned to them safely.\u00a0 They\u2019re depending on a conviction this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis time?\u201d\u00a0 Lancer was again first with the question on all our minds.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the previous occasion, only the underlings were convicted.\u00a0 The Dupres remained free to repeat their scheme here in California.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo why didn\u2019t you just arrest them and haul them back to New York?\u201d\u00a0 This time I got my question in first.\u00a0 \u201cWhy put us all in danger by letting them repeat their crime?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDouble jeopardy.\u00a0 The lovely Ms. Savannah persuaded the good men of the jury that she and her poor grandfather were innocent victims of evildoers who took advantage of their party.\u00a0 You can\u2019t imagine how gullible well-intentioned men can be when faced with a beautiful woman.\u201d\u00a0 He said this in the manner of someone knowing he was conversing with a few men who had been just that gullible.\u00a0\u00a0 Now Mr.– uh I gather your name isn\u2019t Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCanaday,\u201d I supplied.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s Griff King,\u201d I said, nodding toward the former Nigel Wingate who\u2019d finished securing the final \u2018brigand\u2019 to a sturdy chair.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you two were hired by another wronged family?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot exactly.\u201d\u00a0 At that point I was wishing I could claim something better than being not just a dupe, but a dupe here under false pretenses.\u00a0 \u201cGriff and I came to protect our friend Joe here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe gave me a disgusted look, \u201cYeah, right.\u00a0 You did a great job too.\u201d\u00a0 Then he addressed the man posing as Vanderlaan.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you are \u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVincent Reingold, Pinkerton agent.\u201d\u00a0 He looked around the room.\u00a0 \u201cI suggest we dispense with the rest of the introductions and get on our way after the Dupres.\u00a0 I believe the younger Mr. Cartwright could be helpful in interpreting the trail signs of the man he sent after the buggy.\u201d\u00a0 All of a sudden, this guy who couldn\u2019t get out three words in Savannah\u2019s presence without stammering was taking over.<\/p>\n

Joe made one last stab at taking charge of his brother.\u00a0 \u201cMr. Reingold, I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll be able to read any trail markers my brother showed his friend.\u00a0 We both learned them from our older brother.\u00a0\u00a0 But I can\u2019t let Jamie put himself in harm\u2019s way, armed with a firearm he doesn\u2019t know how to handle and . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut he does.\u201d<\/p>\n

All eyes turned to Griff as he entered the conversation for the first time.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s pretty good too.\u201d\u00a0 He grinned at Jamie who smiled back, probably glad to have an ally who wouldn\u2019t be dismissed as a fish- out-of-water Brit.<\/p>\n

In the end, we left Basil and Cedric to guard the fort so to speak.\u00a0 Rather than try to haul the drugged men out of the cellar, we just unlocked the door and instructed the two Brits to take them some blankets and pillows to keep them comfortable until they could manage the stairs on their own.<\/p>\n

Griff<\/u><\/p>\n

Joe wasn\u2019t happy with me — I\u2019d supported Jamie against him.\u00a0 I took him aside as we got the horses ready.\u00a0 \u201cI know you\u2019re worried about Jamie, but this is his big moment.\u00a0 Let him have it.\u00a0 I\u2019ll stick to him like glue.\u00a0 Nothing will happen to him, I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe seemed mollified by that, but I\u2019m not sure if it was only because he was relieved I\u2019d keep his brother safe.\u00a0 Maybe he liked the idea that someone else recognized Jamie wasn\u2019t all grown up yet and needed protecting.\u00a0 I figured Joe\u2019s brothers had protected him when he was that age \u2013 sometimes without him knowing about it.<\/p>\n

Neddie had done a good job leaving his markers but they were unnecessary.\u00a0 The trail went straight to Sacramento.\u00a0 We found them at the train station getting ready to leave for Boston.\u00a0 Half an hour later we\u2019d have had to telegraph the law to intercept the train.\u00a0 That was something we hadn\u2019t wanted to do.\u00a0 Leastways Joe, Candy, Scott and Nigel didn\u2019t.\u00a0\u00a0 Candy especially was anxious to make things up a little to Mr. Cartwright.<\/p>\n

Nigel just wanted his father to take him seriously \u2013 like Jamie did.\u00a0 He\u2019d made all the others promise not to tell his father about the switch he\u2019d made with me.\u00a0 He figured his father might feel a little guilty about insisting he go to that party instead of doing the things he wanted to do.\u00a0 Maybe he\u2019d loosen up on him now, especially if he could claim a part in recovering the money.\u00a0\u00a0 I think he and Jamie both were a little disappointed that the Dupres and their two remaining henchmen gave up without a fight.<\/p>\n

Joe<\/u><\/p>\n

I kept my eye on Jamie throughout the ride.\u00a0 And I wasn\u2019t the only one.\u00a0 True to his word, Griff never strayed from Jamie\u2019s side though he did it in the guise of camaraderie not safekeeping.\u00a0 What really surprised me was the way the Brit, the real Count Nigel, followed him.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t hover protectively.\u00a0 He looked to Jamie to lead him.\u00a0 It was quite an eye-opener.<\/p>\n

We\u2019d parceled out the horses.\u00a0 Jamie\u2019s foresight in bringing extras for Candy, Griff and me had paid off.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t believe he\u2019d thought of it.\u00a0 Using Nigel\u2019s horses, we had enough to go around, and thundered down the trail as fast as we dared.<\/p>\n

We met up with Savannah and Armand just before they were to board a train to Boston.\u00a0 I\u2019d taken one look at Savannah\u2019s pale face, two bright spots of color burning on her cheeks, and then I hadn\u2019t been able to look again.\u00a0 My stomach clenched when I thought of how I\u2019d let myself believe she\u2019d felt something for me.\u00a0 I busied myself with securing Armand and hustling him toward the buggy the Dupre\u2019s had just deserted.<\/p>\n

Or at least I told myself that\u2019s what I was doing.\u00a0 But all the while, I watched Savannah from the corner of my eye.\u00a0 I noticed Griff keeping his distance from her.\u00a0 He seemed more interested in checking the horses over and over again.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think he looked up at her once.\u00a0 And Candy.\u00a0 He acted like he\u2019d stepped in something foul because he kept his eyes on his boots.\u00a0 Lancer stood back, letting the Pinkerton agent run the show.\u00a0 His face was carefully bland as he watched the proceedings, his arms folded across his chest.<\/p>\n

Vanderlaan\/Reingold took charge of the whole thing, and I spared a thought for Jamie.\u00a0 This had been his rescue up \u2018til now.\u00a0 I hoped my little brother\u2019s nose wasn\u2019t out of joint.\u00a0 Jamie was staring awestruck at Savannah.\u00a0 I remembered that he\u2019d only seen her once in the restaurant before this whole thing began, and then again through Candy\u2019s window.\u00a0 Now he was exposed to the full range of Savannah\u2019s more than ample charms.\u00a0 He was standing with his mouth wide open.<\/p>\n

Reingold was busy settling Armand when Savannah made her move.\u00a0 I saw her plain as day, but I couldn\u2019t bring myself to stop her.\u00a0 Lancer looked at me, shrugged his shoulders and deliberately turned his back.\u00a0 Savannah edged toward the horses, one step at a time, drifting casually, obviously hoping no one would notice.\u00a0 She ran right into Griff, who hadn\u2019t left those horses since we\u2019d arrived.\u00a0 Griff recoiled as if he\u2019d been burned, stumbling away from her as quickly as he could.<\/p>\n

I wondered if he\u2019d stop her.\u00a0 He had her within arm\u2019s reach and could have grabbed her easily.\u00a0 But he didn\u2019t.\u00a0 She smiled at him, and he turned six shades of red, but he kept his arms at his sides.\u00a0 He was going to let her go, and I can\u2019t say that I blamed him.\u00a0 She\u2019d actually gotten her foot in the stirrup when Jamie moved.<\/p>\n

He passed me so fast he appeared to be no more than a red blur.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think he shouted, I don\u2019t remember hearing a sound.\u00a0 One minute he was at my side gaping at Savannah\u2019s beauty, the next he was pulling her away from the horse.\u00a0 And then he shouted.\u00a0 Reingold rushed to his side, gripping Savannah\u2019s other arm as she struggled to free herself.<\/p>\n

And what did I do?\u00a0 I stood there.\u00a0 Stood there and felt a pang of regret that her attempt had failed.\u00a0 I\u2019d wanted her to go free.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know why, but I did.\u00a0 From the look of blatant misery on Griff\u2019s face, he felt the same way I did.\u00a0 Candy had stopped eyeing his boots long enough to slam a fist into the side of the buggy.\u00a0 I guess he didn\u2019t want her in prison either.\u00a0 Lancer let his mask slip for one moment.\u00a0 But it was enough for me to see a look of resignation, then it was gone.<\/p>\n

But Jamie didn\u2019t know–couldn\u2019t know–how we were feeling.\u00a0 He grinned triumphantly as Reingold tied Savannah\u2019s hands together.\u00a0 I had to return his smile, and moved to clap him on the back.\u00a0 The kid shouldn\u2019t know how badly I\u2019d wanted her to get away. None of this was his fault.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t really know what happened after that.\u00a0 I remember Reingold telling us he was going to escort the Dupres to the jailhouse in the buggy.\u00a0 He wanted to escort Savannah personally.\u00a0 He implied that we\u2019d tried to let her escape, but I couldn\u2019t help but notice his eyes when he looked at her.<\/p>\n

Monday, February 10th<\/sup><\/u><\/p>\n

Joe<\/u><\/p>\n

How did it happen?\u00a0 How?\u00a0 I want someone to tell me what went wrong?\u00a0 All I wanted to do was have a little fun and show Candy he couldn\u2019t just steal my name and get away with it.<\/p>\n

And what happened?\u00a0 I ended up sitting in a hotel dining room with a stout maiden aunt hanging on my arm for dear life.\u00a0 Almost like she thought I\u2019d bolt if she let go.\u00a0 Who knows?\u00a0 Maybe I would have.<\/p>\n

I shot my best glare at Candy who sat smugly on the other side of the table, sipping from his glass of champagne.\u00a0 He\u2019d ordered it, knowing I was going to pay for this dinner, even though it was all his idea.\u00a0 His and Griff\u2019s.\u00a0 Hell, even those Brits and Scott Lancer were in on this dinner party.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet Jamie take his friend to dinner.\u00a0 Let him celebrate.\u00a0 He deserves it.\u201d\u00a0 They hadn\u2019t shut up until I\u2019d agreed.\u00a0 And in truth, they were right.\u00a0 Jamie had gotten us out of a jam and he\u2019d made me proud the way he\u2019d done it.\u00a0 But how had that simple celebration dinner turned into a train ride to San Francisco, with dinner at the finest hotel the city had to offer?<\/p>\n

The train ride had been a real eye opener too.\u00a0 I kept looking at Jamie, wondering where my little brother had gone.\u00a0 Instead I saw a poised, confident young man, sitting with a pretty girl at his side.\u00a0 She was clearly smitten with him too.\u00a0 Kept looking up at him, making sheep\u2019s eyes, hanging on his every word like he was some kind of hero.\u00a0 And those Brits, they\u2019d acted like Jamie was some kind of leader.\u00a0 But the truth was the kid had done a good job.\u00a0 He had been a leader and a damn good one.\u00a0 So why couldn\u2019t I get used to seeing my new grown up brother?\u00a0 Part of me missed that little kid he\u2019d been something fierce.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t help but shake my head as I wondered if my father and brothers had felt the same way when they\u2019d realized I was an adult.\u00a0 I snorted in disgust.\u00a0 Seemed to me they\u2019d taken much longer to admit it than I had about Jamie.<\/p>\n

Of course, I couldn\u2019t begrudge the kid his night of triumph.\u00a0 But Aunt Agatha?\u00a0 How\u2019d she get thrown into the deal?\u00a0 I hit Candy with another one of my glares, but he ignored me.\u00a0 This was his fault.\u00a0 He\u2019d put his head together with Griff and the two of them had invited the old biddy to dinner, to give Jamie a free evening with his girl.\u00a0 They\u2019d even chosen a table at the far side of the room, to give Jamie the maximum amount of privacy.<\/p>\n

But then she attached herself to me, starting from the moment we all stepped onto the train together.\u00a0 Me!\u00a0 Hanging on my arm, tittering at every word I managed to say when she stopped chattering briefly, and cooing up at me like a lovesick calf.\u00a0 It was enough to put a man off his feed.\u00a0 I signaled the waiter for another drink, and spared a murderous thought for Griff.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t even at the table.\u00a0 There he was halfway across the room, laughing at some joke from one of the Brits.\u00a0 Oh, he\u2019d rushed in pretty quick with that sad story about how it was Nigel\u2019s last night in town.\u00a0 How\u2019d they wanted to take him to dinner to thank him for all he\u2019d done.\u00a0 Seemed like everyone was getting thanked but me.\u00a0 Lancer had skedaddled with some bogus story about being needed back at his ranch.\u00a0 Candy\u2019d tried to make some excuse to leave too, but I snagged him hard and slammed him back in his chair. Just my luck Savannah couldn\u2019t decide between us, but Aunt Agatha could.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy, Mr. Cartwright, such strong arms you have.\u201d\u00a0 Agatha\u2019s voice grated in my ears.\u00a0 She simpered up at me.\u00a0 \u201cNow you just be certain you behave like a gentleman tonight, young man.\u00a0 I\u2019ve seen the way you\u2019ve been looking at me, and I\u2019ll have you know I\u2019m a proper lady.\u00a0 I\u2019ll have to rap your knuckles if you get too fresh.\u201d\u00a0 And she tapped me sharply with her fan, all the while smiling up at me.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, ma\u2019am.\u201d\u00a0 I gulped and ran a finger around the inside of my collar.\u00a0 The hotel laundry must have put too much starch in my shirt, because it sure didn\u2019t fit right tonight.\u00a0 I rolled my eyes a little and then glared at Candy again.\u00a0 This was all his fault.\u00a0 Every bit of it.\u00a0 And I was going to pay him back if it took me the rest of my life.<\/p>\n

Jamie<\/u><\/p>\n

Dinner was better than I\u2019d ever expected it to be. Candy, Griff and Joe had done everything they could to make it special.\u00a0 Griff had even gone out of his way to distract Pa before he had a chance for one of his “hearty greetings” which would have made it clear he was so happy that little Jamie had a girlfriend.\u00a0\u00a0 He and Nigel had swarmed all over Pa, and hustled him off to their table for a drink.\u00a0 I just stared in shock when Pa\u2019d settled for a quick kiss on Priscilla\u2019s cheek and a slap on the back for me.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know how they managed that trick.\u00a0 I truly don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

With Priscilla clinging to my arm, dressed in a shiny blue silk gown, how could it not be the best meal I\u2019d ever eaten?\u00a0 She smiled up at me, her eyes soft in the candlelit restaurant.\u00a0 And the best part?\u00a0 I mean the best part besides me having my pockets full of money from the reward, besides the glorious train ride with my girl at my side, besides sitting in a fancy restaurant with the most beautiful woman in the room?\u00a0 It was the thought of Candy and Joe sitting with Aunt Agatha.\u00a0 I grinned at the memory of Joe\u2019s face, and Priscilla giggled in understanding.<\/p>\n

We lifted our glasses in a toast, and I tried not to mind that it was only sarsaparilla.\u00a0 When I\u2019d placed the order for champagne I was amazed the waiter didn\u2019t even blink an eye.\u00a0 He\u2019d have brought it too.\u00a0 But then Priscilla\u2019d nodded in the direction of her aunt, who was sitting with Joe across the restaurant.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t figure it was a good idea to be drinking with her aunt so close by and said a sarsaparilla might be better for her.\u00a0 I shrugged and cancelled the order for champagne, and asked for two sarsaparillas instead.<\/p>\n

After a bit, Priscilla excused herself with a blush, refusing to say where she was going.\u00a0 But I understood, and let her go without making too big a deal over it.\u00a0 Ladies are shy like that.<\/p>\n

While she was gone I found myself thinking about how I\u2019d ended up here.\u00a0 Fancy restaurant, all the money a man could want and a pretty girl at my side.\u00a0 And I felt my grin grow wider.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t have wiped it off my face if I wanted to.<\/p>\n

After the Pinkerton agent had arrived on the scene, he\u2019d made sure we handed over the satchel of money, then insisted it be counted.\u00a0 After Joe and Candy made sure it was all there, he\u2019d scooped up the whole satchel and stowed it in his buggy.\u00a0 But first he counted a lot of bills from the top of the heap.<\/p>\n

I still can picture Joe\u2019s face when he saw that cash separated out.\u00a0 And I can definitely hear his sputter, as he demanded to know what the hell the man thought he was doing.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure he thought the Pinkerton agent was stealing the money.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been keeping an eye on the expenditures at the Manor,\u201d Reingold said.\u00a0 \u201cThe servants haven\u2019t been paid, and there\u2019s the matter of food and lodging for the time you were there.\u00a0 The owners of the property are due reimbursement.\u00a0 I\u2019ll take care of that myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nobody said anything for a minute, and then I had to hold my hands over my ears because they were all shouting at once.\u00a0 Reingold never turned a hair though.\u00a0\u00a0 Just let \u2018em all babble while he patiently brushed some dust off his jacket.\u00a0 Then he held up a hand, stopped \u2018em all in their tracks and said goodbye.\u00a0 Last I seen of him, he was riding off with Miss Dupre in a carriage, having stowed her grandfather in another vehicle for the ride back to town.\u00a0 I guess he wanted to keep them separated so they couldn\u2019t plot their escape.<\/p>\n

You could\u2019a knocked me down with a feather when I got back to the hotel and found the bank draft waiting for me.\u00a0 Reingold had left it for me.\u00a0 Apparently he\u2019d been ordered by those other families, the first ones to be duped by the Dupres, to offer a reward for their capture.\u00a0 I guess he felt I deserved it.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know about that, but it sure was more money than I\u2019d ever had in my life.<\/p>\n

\u201cJamie?\u201d\u00a0 Priscilla\u2019s giggle jerked me back to the present.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are you thinking about so hard?\u201d\u00a0 I jumped up and held her seat for her, just like I\u2019d seen Joe do a million times.<\/p>\n

I knew it musta been the right thing to do, because I got a little weak at the knees from the look Priscilla gave me when she said thank you.\u00a0 I had to slide back into my own seat pretty fast.\u00a0 Thinking fast, I told her I\u2019d been thinking of her.<\/p>\n

The rest of the evening went by in a blur.\u00a0\u00a0 I remember Nigel and Griff sneaking over to the table with a bottle of champagne and pouring both Priscilla and I a small glass for a toast, carefully moving to block Aunt Agatha\u2019s view of the table.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t like it much, but I didn\u2019t let on that the sarsaparilla was better.\u00a0 I could see they wanted my night to be special.<\/p>\n

But one thing stands out from all the rest.\u00a0 For the first time in my life, I felt like a grown man, able to stand on his own two feet and take his girl on the town to boot.\u00a0 Jamie Cartwright was all grown up and the world had better look out.
\nEpilogue<\/u>
\n\u201cHello mother.\u201d\u00a0 I crossed the room and bent to kiss her cheek.<\/p>\n

My mother, Victoria Barkley, is a beautiful woman, with the marvelous ability to command the eyes of everyone who occupies a room with her.\u00a0 She radiates power, obviously a woman used to issuing commands and having them obeyed.\u00a0 She\u2019s quite a woman.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s lovely to have you home, Jarrod.\u00a0 How was your trip?\u201d\u00a0 She poured a measure of tea into a cup and then added a dollop of whiskey.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s raw outside, and this rain just won\u2019t stop.\u00a0 Here.\u00a0 This\u2019ll warm you up.\u201d\u00a0 She held out the cup, and I took it gratefully.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s just what I needed.\u00a0 Thank you.\u201d I sipped from the cup, feeling the soothing warmth of the tea followed by the more satisfying burn of whiskey as it traced a path down my throat.\u00a0 I felt myself begin to thaw as I settled into a chair at her side.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou look done in.\u201d\u00a0 Her eyebrows drew together in a frown as she eyed me in concern.\u00a0 \u201cRough trip?\u201d<\/p>\n

I sighed as I stretched my boots toward the fire.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t know the half of it.\u00a0 I\u2019ve never had a case like this before.\u201d\u00a0 A ripple of amusement caught me off guard.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho are you representing this time?\u201d\u00a0 Mother settled in for what looked to be a long chat, curling her feet up onto the settee, and sipping from her own whiskey-laced tea.<\/p>\n

\u201cA group of merchants in Sacramento.\u00a0 Apparently a pair of con artists moved into the territory, rented a big mansion, lived a life of luxury while working a scam and then attempted to flee with a large ransom.\u00a0 All without paying their bills in town.\u00a0 The merchants were owed quite a sum of money by the end of it, I must say.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mother held out a plate of small pastries.\u00a0 \u201cEat something, Jarrod.\u00a0 It looks like this is going to be a long story and it\u2019s an hour until dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n

I chuckled, rubbing at my eyes.\u00a0 The whiskey relaxed me and I was finding it hard to keep them open.\u00a0 I\u2019d been riding in the rain for longer than I liked, and I was tired.\u00a0 I hoped I\u2019d make it until dinner.\u00a0 Selecting a pastry, I continued my story.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems this couple, a man and his granddaughter, have worked this scam before.\u00a0 They set up a big business meeting for the local landowners, cattle barons and financiers, while their sons were lured to a party at a luxurious mansion.\u00a0 The fathers were in meetings, thinking they were going to get a lucrative business deal, while the enticement for the sons was the lovely Savannah Lisette Dupre.\u201d\u00a0 I sighed, a vision of Miss Dupre flashing before my eyes.\u00a0 \u201cAnd she was lovely.\u00a0 One of the most beautiful women I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n

I shrugged off the image, lifting my eyes to see my mother stifle an amused grin.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sons were wined and dined in the finest style, and apparently enjoyed more than just the presence of Miss Dupre.\u00a0 Some of them sampled more than the local wines, shall we say?\u00a0 She had them all competing with one another for her attentions, and the lucky few she favored were blushing when questioned about their activities.\u00a0 What these poor young men didn\u2019t realize was that their fathers were told they\u2019d been kidnapped.\u00a0 A ransom note for a million dollars was presented to these men and they promptly scrambled to obtain the money.\u201d<\/p>\n

I filled mother in on the details and she drank in every word, sitting silently, her eyes wide in amazement.\u00a0 The Dupres had thought of every detail and they might have gotten away with the plan except for two things.\u00a0 I told mother about the first.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re saying a seventeen year old boy saved all of those young men from the clutches of the Dupres?\u201d Mother\u2019s voice rose an octave in surprise.\u00a0 \u201cWhat a plucky young man.\u00a0 I\u2019d like to meet him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just might, someday.\u00a0 He\u2019s the youngest son of Ben Cartwright, from Virginia City.\u201d\u00a0 I dropped my bombshell and sat back to wait for the explosion.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen Cartwright\u2019s son was mixed up in this business?\u201d\u00a0 Mother\u2019s eyebrows almost met her hairline.\u00a0 \u201cJoe Cartwright was held hostage by the Dupres?\u201d<\/p>\n

I nodded.\u00a0 \u201cAlong with the sons of several other men you\u2019ve probably heard of as well.\u00a0 But it was Jamie Cartwright who figured out where they were being held and who gathered together a posse and rode out there to save them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was the second thing that foiled the plan?\u201d\u00a0 Mother was sitting on the edge of her seat now, and I smiled at her eagerness.<\/p>\n

\u201cA Pinkerton agent had infiltrated the gathering at the Manor.\u00a0 He\u2019d been hired by the victims of the last Dupre scam.\u00a0 He was just about to make his move when Jamie Cartwright rode in with his posse.\u00a0 I had his help in garnishing some of the ransom to distribute to my clients who\u2019d been bilked out of their money.\u00a0 Funny thing about that.\u00a0 The Pinkerton agent insisted the merchants of Sacramento deserved a share of the money because of their unpaid bills, but there was no legal way to enforce the claims.\u00a0 Come to find out the fathers were all more than happy to contribute to the fund when they realized it would keep them out of court on that issue.<\/p>\n

I guess none of them wanted the embarrassing facts coming to light at a trial.\u00a0 One of them was a British Count who felt particularly bad because his son had wanted to go on a mountain lion hunt, but he\u2019d insisted Nigel seek the safer recreation offered by the weekend party.\u00a0 Ben Cartwright kicked in quite a bit, as he not only had Joe involved, but his ranch foreman as well.\u00a0 From the look on his face, those two will be hearing from him all the way back to Virginia City.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mother let out a long breath and eyed me thoughtfully.\u00a0 \u201cYou have been busy haven\u2019t you?\u00a0 So what happened to the Dupres?\u00a0 Are they awaiting trial in Sacramento?\u201d<\/p>\n

I grinned.\u00a0 \u201cNot exactly.\u00a0 Armand Dupre is sitting in a jail cell waiting for a court date, but his granddaughter is nowhere to be found.\u00a0 No problem trying him, as far as those fathers are concerned.\u00a0 The case will focus on the extortion, not what happened at the Manor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mother set her teacup down, almost as if she were afraid she\u2019d drop it.\u00a0 She stood up and paced to the fireplace, then turned back to me. \u201cI\u2019m almost afraid to ask.\u00a0 What happened to the granddaughter?\u201d<\/p>\n

I relaxed back into my chair and continued.\u00a0 \u201cLast I saw, she was sitting in a jail cell.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I interviewed her there, in fact.\u00a0 But she\u2019s gone.\u00a0 She was last seen being bundled into a carriage by Vincent Reingold, the Pinkerton agent.\u00a0 He was supposedly transferring her into a facility more suitable for a delicate young lady, but they never showed up.\u00a0 The two of them have just disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n

Again that fleeting vision of loveliness crossed my mind and I sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got some ideas about the kind of persuasion Miss Dupre might try on a man.\u00a0 It\u2019s possible the agent just couldn\u2019t resist her charms.\u00a0 It\u2019s possible we\u2019ll never know.\u00a0 It says a lot for his honesty that he didn\u2019t abscond with the ransom money as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJarrod Barkley!\u201d\u00a0 Mother\u2019s voice was strident.\u00a0 \u201cWhy are you grinning at the thought of that girl escaping?<\/p>\n

I laughed outright, this time.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s just the looks on the faces of those men.\u00a0 Mother, you should have seen them.\u00a0 They looked like a string of fish caught and thrown on the bank.\u00a0 Mouths gaping open, gasping for air.\u00a0 Not one of them was willing to testify as to their activities with Miss Dupre either.\u00a0 I suspect the ones who were–shall we say–more successful feel especially duped while the others don\u2019t want to admit they weren\u2019t successful at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

I shook my head.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I\u2019d been looking forward to representing the merchants in that trial, too.\u00a0 Watching those men try to explain their weekend on the witness stand would have been worth the trip.\u201d\u00a0 With a tired sigh, I pushed myself to my feet.\u00a0 \u201cI think I\u2019m going to go upstairs and rest before dinner, if you don\u2019t mind, Mother.\u00a0\u00a0 Otherwise I\u2019m not going to make it through the meal.\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded abstractedly.\u00a0 As I climbed the stairs, I looked back.\u00a0 She was sitting on the settee laughing, tears streaming down her cheeks.\u00a0 I guess she could imagine all too well how I would have taken those poor fools in the witness box.<\/p>\n

I know I could.<\/p>\n

Lancer Epilogue<\/u><\/p>\n

Johnny heard them as they came through the door, Murdoch\u2019s voice raised in complaint and Scott\u2019s in mild protest.<\/p>\n

\u201cJohnny, you feeling better?\u201d\u00a0 His father\u2019s concerned voice warmed Johnny\u2019s heart as did Scott\u2019s keen-eyed gaze and hand on the shoulder to keep him sitting.\u00a0 \u201cTeresa, has he behaved himself?\u201d\u00a0 The older man greeted his attractive ward with a quick hug and kiss on the cheek.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been very good, Murdoch.\u00a0 Much better patient than some I know.\u201d Teresa gave her guardian and the blond man by his side a knowing look.\u00a0 \u201cDid your meeting go well?\u201d\u00a0 Without waiting for an answer she continued, \u201cScott, did you have a high old time in San Francisco?\u201d<\/p>\n

Murdoch\u2019s snort was on the wrong side of rude and Johnny went alert as he saw the tension between his father and older brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could use some coffee,\u201d Murdoch decided as he strode toward the kitchen, followed by Teresa, who was still asking about the trip and any shopping Murdoch might have done.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe your brother will tell YOU about his time,\u201d was his parting shot to Johnny.<\/p>\n

Scott watched his father\u2019s departure with a frown and Johnny scrutinized his brother.\u00a0 \u201cOK, big brother, how\u2019d you rub up against Murdoch that hard?\u201d\u00a0 Johnny\u2019s opening remark went straight to the problem.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m usually the one who ticks him off that bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scott laughed and stalled, \u201cHow about a drink, Johnny.\u00a0 It\u2019s miserable weather out there, not fit for man nor beast.\u00a0 Are you really doing all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes; it\u2019s that time of year, and fine.\u00a0 Quit changing the subject and give.\u201d Johnny\u2019s voice was laughter-filled, but determined.<\/p>\n

Scott brought him a whiskey, eased his tired, damp body into a chair in front of the fireplace and stretched out his long legs.\u00a0 \u201cYou shoulda been there.\u00a0 Well, no, maybe not,\u201d was Scott\u2019s opening ploy.<\/p>\n

\u201cScott.\u201d\u00a0 Johnny\u2019s voice sounded threatening, but the grin on his face spoke of anticipation.\u00a0 \u201cGive, now!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s see.\u00a0 I got kidnapped and Murdoch almost had to pay to get me back.\u00a0 That\u2019s his problem, almost having to spend hard money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnny reached out a quick hand to turn his brother\u2019s face, checking for injuries or pain, but Scott pulled back.\u00a0 \u201cNaw, no rough stuff.\u00a0 Matter of fact, I didn\u2019t know I was kidnapped until I got rescued.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not start at the beginning, brother, so I can make a little sense of this tale?\u201d\u00a0 Johnny suggested.<\/p>\n

Scott told him about the elaborate scheme, the elegant manor and the rich guests, the card games.\u00a0 He explained that while they were being wined and dined, the fathers of the guests were being given a ransom demand for their safe return.\u00a0 Johnny nearly choked when Scott admitted they had been rescued by the 17-year old brother of one of the guests, who had been masquerading as someone else because his foreman had stolen his invitation and was pretending to be him.\u00a0 Then there was the Pinkerton agent with a phony identity, not to mention the fake English aristocrat who was really a ranchhand.\u00a0 \u201cGot to where you couldn\u2019t tell the players without a scorecard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds like young Jamie Cartwright has a better head on his shoulders than the rest of you put together.\u00a0 You said something about a hostess, but not much.\u00a0 What did she look like and what happened to her?\u201d<\/p>\n

Trust Johnny not to miss a thing.\u00a0 Scott dropped his eyes for a minute, then confessed, \u201cShe somehow disappeared, along with the Pinkerton agent guarding her.\u201d\u00a0 Scott tried to hide his relief, but knew he had failed when Johnny pushed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was her part in this plan?\u00a0 Pretty girl?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was the real bait for the trap.\u00a0 She was absolutely beautiful, with deep blue eyes, a perfect\u00a0 face,\u00a0 legs that went from the floor to wherever.\u00a0 A beautiful flirt with the morals of an alley cat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnny\u2019s blue eyes widened.\u00a0 \u201cYou –\u00a0 you mean –\u00a0 like she slept with all the guests?\u201d\u00a0 His shocked voice was matched by the look on his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, no, she wasn\u2019t that loose a woman. She picked and chose who she shared her favors with, but you can bet there wasn\u2019t a one of us who wanted to get up on a stand and tell about our time there.\u00a0 We were all glad she was gone, so there wouldn\u2019t be a case against her.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to change out of these wet boots and shirt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scott turned toward the staircase just as Johnny remembered the remark about the long legs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait a minute.\u00a0 How do you know about her legs?\u00a0 Were you\u2026?\u00a0 Scott, Scott, I want to hear more.\u201d The plaintive cry followed Scott as he rapidly made his escape from the living room.\u00a0 \u201cScottttt!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ponderosa Epilogue<\/u><\/p>\n

Sounds of sawing and chopping filled the night air, and I hid a grin at the sight of Candy and Joe working their way through a mound of logs. For the third day in a row, they\u2019d labored to fill every woodbox around the house, and were now working on the largest pile of stove wood we\u2019d had in years.<\/p>\n

Darkness fell early in February, so Hop Sing had helpfully lit a string of lanterns to give them the necessary light to get the job done.\u00a0 By the muffled string of curses drifting through the night air, I could tell they were none too pleased by the chore.\u00a0 The fact that Joe had meekly accepted the punishment, in spite of the fact we both knew he was too old for me to discipline, told me volumes about the happenings at the Manor.\u00a0 Candy\u2019s presence at his side only confirmed my deep-rooted suspicions about the whole weekend.\u00a0 When those two would rather chop firewood for a week than discuss what happened, it wasn\u2019t good.<\/p>\n

“See ya later, Pa.”\u00a0 Jamie’s voice almost sang with happiness.\u00a0 He waved cheerfully as he rode by with Griff at his side.<\/p>\n

Griff touched a finger to his hat in salute, and I caught him smirking in the direction of the laborers.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll make sure Jamie gets home safely, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d he assured me.<\/p>\n

I forced a smile to my face.\u00a0 \u201cHave a good time, boys.\u00a0 Don\u2019t be too late.\u201d\u00a0 My gut churned at the sight of Jamie riding off, his gunbelt proudly slung around his hips.<\/p>\n

It stuck in my craw that he was wearing it, but what could I do?\u00a0 He\u2019d proven he could use it responsibly when he rescued the men from the Manor.\u00a0 I wanted to tell him he was still too young, but even that argument had me standing on shifting sand; Joe had been younger when he started wearing a gun.<\/p>\n

I sighed and spared a thought for Griff.\u00a0 He\u2019d stick by Jamie\u2019s side, I was sure.\u00a0 No harm would come to the boy while in Griff\u2019s company. The two seemed to have formed a real bond since they\u2019d rescued the men from the extortionists.\u00a0 Except Griff wasn\u2019t taking any credit.\u00a0 He\u2019d followed the lead of Nigel Wingate\u2019s friends and touted Jamie as the leader of what the Brits insisted on calling a posse.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d assumed he was simply helping Jamie look the hero in front of that nice girl he\u2019d met in Sacramento.\u00a0 I was a little annoyed when he kept up the act after we left for home because Jamie was all too willing to accept what I assumed were not fully deserved accolades.\u00a0 But when I\u2019d tried to explain to Griff that he wasn\u2019t doing Jamie any favors by giving him a swelled head, he kept insisting Jamie really had handled everything.\u00a0 Joe and Candy backed him up with Joe adding, \u201cHe\u2019s right Pa, Griff was pretty much no use at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Griff got the same look in his eyes that Joe and Candy did when anyone mentioned the Dupre woman.\u00a0 I was starting to think Savannah Dupre had used her wiles on Griff just as she clearly had on the Pinkerton man she\u2019d disappeared with.\u00a0 Maybe Jamie had forestalled a similar mistake on Griff\u2019s part and he was grateful.<\/p>\n

I poured a measure of whiskey into a glass and dropped into my favorite chair in front of the fire.\u00a0 I needed a drink tonight.\u00a0 Joe and Candy acting like guilty schoolboys, Griff mooching around looking both smug and repentant at the same time, and Jamie wearing a gun as he rode off for a night on the town.<\/p>\n

It was likely I\u2019d never know what had really gone on in that manor.\u00a0 It sure is hell getting old.<\/p>\n

~The End<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0\u00a0 This is a later seasons Bonanza\/Lancer cross-over.\u00a0 Main characters are Joe, Candy, Griff, Jamie and Scott Lancer with brief appearances by Ben, Murdoch and Johnny.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 mostly PG for sexually suggestive situations, but it does cross-over into R in several places toward the middle where the suggestions are carried out.\u00a0 (47,365 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9999,"featured_media":190,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,23,690],"tags":[21,20,16,850],"class_list":["post-13161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crossover","category-drama","category-ma-rated","tag-griff","tag-jhc","tag-joe","tag-lancer","wpcat-24-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-690-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":993,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Bucket-Dog4.png?fit=682%2C446&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13160,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13160","url_meta":{"origin":13161,"position":0},"title":"The Pleasure of Their Company (by Karen & Randy)","author":"Karen","date":"April 13, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0\u00a0 This is a later seasons Bonanza\/Lancer cross-over.\u00a0 Main characters are Joe, Candy, Griff, Jamie and Scott Lancer with brief appearances by Ben, Murdoch and Johnny.\u00a0 Caution:\u00a0 mostly PG for sexually suggestive situations, but it does cross-over into R in several places toward the middle where the suggestions are carried\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Crossover"","block_context":{"text":"Crossover","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=24"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/bonanza7.jpg?fit=720%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/bonanza7.jpg?fit=720%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/bonanza7.jpg?fit=720%2C477&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/bonanza7.jpg?fit=720%2C477&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13159,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13159","url_meta":{"origin":13161,"position":1},"title":"The Murder of Joe Cartwright (by RandyS & KarenF)","author":"RandyS","date":"April 13, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: The Murder of Joe Cartwright Rating T (59,355 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Candy Canaday"","block_context":{"text":"Candy Canaday","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1046"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Moon-Blind.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Moon-Blind.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Moon-Blind.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":739,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=739","url_meta":{"origin":13161,"position":2},"title":"The Murder of Joe Cartwright (by Karen & Randy)","author":"Karen","date":"April 18, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: The murder of Joe Cartwright. 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