{"id":22037,"date":"2019-05-23T09:23:37","date_gmt":"2019-05-23T13:23:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=22037"},"modified":"2025-09-25T15:39:41","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T19:39:41","slug":"dangerous-liaison-the-countess-by-bluewindfarm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=22037","title":{"rendered":"Dangerous Liaison: The Countess (by BluewindFarm)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary<\/strong>: The Cartwrights had pulled it off; successfully defended the Ponderosa without firing a single gunshot. Yet, the triumph was overshadowed by a persistent question; was anyone truly a winner or a loser when it came to a bittersweet memory from the past?<\/span><\/p>\n

Rating: G (655 words)<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dangerous Liaison: The Countess<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Without any grace or decorum, Adam collapsed into the chair set to the right of the massive fireplace. Pushing his legs forward, heels sliding across the floor, he inhaled deeply, \u201cThank goodness she’s gone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Having stabbed the blackened and glowing logs in the fireplace, Hoss slipped the poker into its resting place, \u201cAnd we can totally forget about all of it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot quite, Pa still has to payback our friends.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Shaking his head while raising a booted foot onto the stones and placing his hand on his knee, \u201cJust think, she coulda been Little Joe\u2019s momma.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Canting his head to look up to his larger brother, \u201cBut then Little Joe wouldn\u2019t be the Little Joe we know.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Eye\u2019s glinting, \u201cThat coulda beena good thing, right?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt also coulda beena<\/em> bad thing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou shore you want to say that? Shortshanks might be eavesdroppin\u2019 at the top athe stairs like he does.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, if he was, he\u2019d already be spewing fighting words and blustering down the steps.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With the corners of their mouths turning up, brotherly eyes caught each other; knowing their brother was caught somewhere in the land of slumber, both huffed a laugh at the imagined scene.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not questioning, but wanting confirmation, \u201cAdam, there weren\u2019t no title when she knew Pa.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Interlacing his fingers, resting his hands and tucking his thumbs over his belt buckle, \u201cNo, no title.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the Ponderosa was just beginning.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPa had plans for the ranch, involving a lot of hard work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBack then, Pa done a lot of tradin\u2019 and barterin\u2019, and what money there was was tight.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re right, there wasn\u2019t a whole lot of money, at least not for anything that wasn\u2019t absolutely necessary.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat why she chose Lord Chadwick, \u2018cause he had money?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd a title.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think she loved him?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Eyebrows arching, \u201cPa?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, her late husband.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWho knows.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGuess you could say this were a dangerous\u2026 ummmm.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLiaison, a dangerous liaison. You’re right, Hoss; in more ways than one.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Turning his backside to the fire, Hoss slipped his hands into his pockets until his thumbs caught. \u201cIf she loved Pa as she said she once did, how come she tried to ruin him? I mean, she rejected Pa, and to come here and do what she done, that don\u2019t sound like love to me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sitting forward, elbows on knees, fingers still interlocked, \u201cSomewhere along the line, she changed. People change, and not always for the best.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sitting onto the hearthstones, Hoss heaved a heavy sigh, \u201cStill, she came here\u2026 did she have it all planned?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cProbably. I\u2019d say even before Lord Chadwick\u2019s death she was probably a lonely woman. Now with a title and money, she wanted to rekindle the past, only a past as she chose to remember.\u201d Resting into the back of his chair, \u201cTo her, love equated power and vice versa. She used her relationship with Pa and set the stage to destroy the Ponderosa, thus allowing her to \u2018save the day\u2019 \u2013 voila! Power.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut Pa said he\u2019d never put the Ponderosa above the love of a woman.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTrue, now as well as twenty years ago.\u201d Standing and stretching his full height, \u201cI think, deep down, Pa knew that she wasn\u2019t what you or I needed in a mother. And he tested her love.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss gulped, \u201cYa mean when he proposed all those years ago?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam nodded.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam? Ya think Pa\u2019ll get over it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLady Chadwick? Yes. Will Pa get over almost losing the Ponderosa? In time.\u201d Slowly walking to the staircase, \u201cSpeaking of time, it\u2019s time for me to head upstairs, my bed is calling my name.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hands to knees, Hoss pushed himself to stand and follow, \u201cYeah, mornin\u2019s gonna come early.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

~The End<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Author’s note:\u00a0 A shorter version of this story was originally posted in the Brand forums, and has since been expanded to include more visual details that were lacking.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The May 15, 2019 Pinecone Challenge was to include the phrase ‘Dangerous Liaison’ in a story.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bonanza, The Countess (Season 3, Episode 9)<\/span>
\nDirector: Robert Sparr<\/span>
\nWriters: William R. Cox, William Powell<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tags: Adam Cartwright, <\/span>Hoss Cartwright<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: The Cartwrights had pulled it off; successfully defended the Ponderosa without firing a single gunshot. Yet, the triumph was overshadowed by a persistent question; was anyone truly a winner or a loser when it came to a bittersweet memory from the past?<\/p>\n

Rating: G (655 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":3741,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","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":[1009,1008,61,13,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brothers","category-family","category-missing-scene","category-whn","category-challenges","wpcat-1009-id","wpcat-1008-id","wpcat-61-id","wpcat-13-id","wpcat-40-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1341,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Hossb.jpg?fit=444%2C339&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":61272,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=61272","url_meta":{"origin":22037,"position":0},"title":"Not as Originally Designed (by BluewindFarm)","author":"BluewindFarm","date":"December 24, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 The past and present merge to tell the story of the Cartwrights and their first winter after the house was built. Rating:\u00a0 G\u00a0\u00a0 (1,650 words) Written for the 2025 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar","rel":"","context":"In "Alternate Universe"","block_context":{"text":"Alternate Universe","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Christmas-Traditions.jpg?fit=639%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Christmas-Traditions.jpg?fit=639%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Christmas-Traditions.jpg?fit=639%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1357,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=1357","url_meta":{"origin":22037,"position":1},"title":"The Countess aka My Lady’s Revenge (by KateP)","author":"KateP","date":"March 1, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0A What Happened Next for the episode 'The Countess'. What happens when the Countess returns to the Ponderosa? Rated: K+ (8,675 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/coming-soon-5.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/coming-soon-5.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/coming-soon-5.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/coming-soon-5.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18785,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=18785","url_meta":{"origin":22037,"position":2},"title":"Dead Men Tell No Tales (by AC1830)","author":"AC1830","date":"October 26, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary - October challenge - write another worldly story involving one or all the Cartwrights. The unthinkable has happened - all four Cartwrights are dead!\u00a0 Rating - K, Word count - 2045","rel":"","context":"In "Mystery"","block_context":{"text":"Mystery","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=32"},"img":{"alt_text":"ben, hoss, joe, adam","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Promo-adjusted.png?fit=400%2C465&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15473,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=15473","url_meta":{"origin":22037,"position":3},"title":"Blessings of Friendship (by AC1830)","author":"AC1830","date":"November 21, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: After a last minute cattle drive that almost drove Hop Sing away, can the Cartwrights hope to have a calm Thanksgiving? Perhaps with a little help from some friends. Rating - K WC - 1288","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Z-ben-toast.png?fit=506%2C402&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":14355,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=14355","url_meta":{"origin":22037,"position":4},"title":"Cartwrights Forever (by JC)","author":"JC","date":"June 2, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: A tribute in rhyme for everyone who loves the Cartwrights, especially those who love to write about them. Rating: \u00a0G \u00a0(560 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Family"","block_context":{"text":"Family","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1008"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/four.jpg?fit=298%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1570,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=1570","url_meta":{"origin":22037,"position":5},"title":"Musical Chairs (by the Giggly Sisters)","author":"The Giggly Sisters","date":"August 20, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0A visit from Doc Martin causes Joe to question life on the Ponderosa. Rated: K+ \u00a0WC \u00a02000","rel":"","context":"In "Humor"","block_context":{"text":"Humor","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/bonanza31.jpg?fit=573%2C389&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/bonanza31.jpg?fit=573%2C389&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/bonanza31.jpg?fit=573%2C389&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22037"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22037\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}