For the Roses

Chapter 16

She came armed to her own wedding. Judge Burns didn't cotton to the notion of guns in his courtroom or his marriage parlor, and he therefore insisted she remove the six-shooter from her pocket. He would have frisked her if Adam would have allowed it.

The judge wasn't an altogether unlikable man. He was young by a judge's standards, or so Mary Rose believed, for he wasn't quite fifty years old yet and had been a hanging judge for nearly fifteen years.

He cut a handsome figure. He was tall, only slightly stoop-shouldered from age, and had brilliant green eyes the condemned believed were the very color of Satan's. The judge didn't have horns though. He had a full head of dark auburn hair. He was given to an Irish temper and an English practicality.

He and Harrison got along quite well from the minute the two men met. Burns had distant relatives living outside of Canterbury, and so he felt he had something other than the law in common with Harrison.

The way the intended groom treated Belle softened the judge's heart as well, for Harrison treated the woman with a deference reserved for statesmen. It wasn't an act. Belle had helped in the raising of Mary Rose, and Harrison was therefore as beholden to her as the others were. He didn't care what her occupation was. She had a good heart, and that was all that mattered to him. The older woman's love for Mary Rose was very evident, and when Belle was asked to stand up as a bridesmaid and witness, she burst into tears.

Belle was dressed in blue. Judge Burns told Harrison he'd never seen her in any other color in all the years he'd known her. Why, even her lacy undergarments were blue, he whispered to Harrison while they waited for Mary Rose to join them.

Belle had gone upstairs to help the bride. Her advanced age and her occupation hadn't hardened her features. She was very pretty, with gray-tinged brown hair and warm brown eyes. And when she came back into the parlor with Mary Rose on her arm, the town's pride and joy looked more radiant than the bride.

Mary Rose looked miserable. And beautiful, Harrison thought to himself.

"Eleanor won't be joining us, I'm sorry to say," Adam explained. "She's still burning with fever, though Douglas assures me she's improved somewhat today."

"Belle, can you play at the piano?" the judge asked.

"No, honey, I can't," she answered.

"I'll play," Mary Rose suggested.

"Now, that don't make no sense, child," Belle told her with a laugh. "You've got to say your vows. John, why don't you place us where you want us and get the wedding done. It's warm in here. Boys, you line up behind your sister. Which one of you is giving her away?"

Belle handed Mary Rose a nosegay of wildflowers. Then she took hold of her hand and placed it on Harrison 's arm.

"We're all giving her away," Adam told the judge.

"Well, now, I reckon that's all right."

"Wait. Judge Burns, did you hang anyone this week?"

"Not that I recollect, Mary Rose."

She let out a sigh. "All right then. Harrison, you still haven't proposed. He didn't, Judge. He just told me we were going to get married. He never asked." Her voice sounded downright puny to her. She hoped no one noticed. The flowers were shaking in her hand too. She gripped them tighter and tried to act composed.

"Honey, you ought to ask her nice," Belle insisted.

Harrison turned to his bride. "Will you marry me, Mary Rose?"

"No."

"She means yes," he told the judge.

"She's got to say the word."

Harrison looked at Mary Rose once again. "Do you love me?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to spend the rest of your life with me?"

"Will you try to get over your spells if I say I do?"

"Yes."

"Then, yes, I want to spend the rest of my days with you."

"Sounds like she's agreeing to me, John, honey," Belle said.

The judge cleared his throat, opened his book, and began to read.

Harrison and Mary Rose became husband and wife less than five minutes later.

He looked relieved when it was over. She looked bewildered. Harrison gently drew her into his arms and kissed her. She clutched her flowers to her chest and kissed him back.

"Now you can leave," she whispered. "I'm no longer a disgrace to my brothers."

"That isn't amusing," he whispered against her mouth. He kissed her again, harder, and then draped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side.

Two of the brothers, Douglas and Travis, had tears in their eyes. Cole looked pleased, however, and that surprised Harrison.

"You're happy about this?" he asked.

"If she's pregnant, she's married. She might want to stay here, Harrison. You should think about that on your way to England."

"She'll come to me."

Cole frowned. Harrison sounded damned sure of himself.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in celebration, though Mary Rose wasn't given any time alone with her husband. She went upstairs with a piece of the cake Samuel had prepared, but Eleanor didn't have the stomach for food just yet. She cried for a minute or two because she'd missed the wedding and fell asleep almost immediately. Mary Rose left the cake on the dresser and then went back downstairs to thank Belle and the judge.

Harrison was waiting for her on the steps. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her.

"I promise as soon as possible we'll have a preacher bless the union. Will that make you feel better?"

"Yes, thank you."

"I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you too."

"I realize you'll want to spend the night with your bride, Harrison, but there's a matter I'd like to ask your opinion about, seeing as you're an attorney and all. Could you spare me a few minutes in the library?"

Judge Burns made the request from the bottom of the steps. Harrison couldn't deny the request, of course; though, in all honesty, the last thing he wanted to do now was talk about legal matters. He wanted to get Mary Rose naked again.

She would have to wait, however. He winked at his bride and followed the judge into the library.

The judge was a pipe smoker. He took a long while to get a proper fire lit, then leaned back in Adam's chair and smiled at Harrison. He motioned for him to take the other chair.

"This here is the most peculiar family I ever did encounter. Now that you've married into it, I guess you must be peculiar too. Are you, Harrison?"

"I guess I am," Harrison agreed. "They're all good men, Judge, and they're certainly a family. The brothers have done well for their sister."

"Sweet Belle had a little hand in it too. She sewed up dresses for Mary Rose. I don't remember much about her as a young'n. When I called on Belle, it was usually close to nightfall and of course the child was back at home where she belonged. I recall a mop of curls though. She's still got plenty of those, doesn't she? You love her fierce, like you should?"

"Yes, sir, I do."

"I got to hear a trial day after tomorrow in Hammond," the judge remarked. He shifted his position in his chair, folded one leg over the other, and then continued on. "It's a jury trial, and everyone in town is dead set against the defendant. He won't get a fair hearing. I got the feeling he's being railroaded by the vigilantes. Ever hear of a man named Bickley?"

"I'll never forget the bastard," Harrison said. He explained how he'd met the man and what he'd done to him.

The judge didn't seem surprised by Harrison 's admission. "You wanted to kill him because he hurt your Mary Rose, but you didn't kill him. That's the difference between civil and animal. Are you an ignorant lawyer, or do you really know how the law works?"

"I know how the law works."

"I'd like to see you prove it to me. Will you come to Hammond tomorrow and talk to George Madden? He's the man they plan to condemn."

"What's the charge?"

"Stealing a horse. We don't take kindly to stealing anything out here, but when a man's horse is taken, well, then, folks tend to think the death sentence is the only possible punishment. You won't have long to work up your case, I'm sorry to say, but I've got a strong feeling that after you talk to Madden, you'll know who really took the horse. I won't say anything more to taint your mind, but the man deserves a fair hearing, and unless you come to Hammond with me, he won't get one. You can't bring your bride with you because the town's worked up over this business. The vigilantes have everyone all lathered up and ready for a lynching, and the sheriff has his hands full trying to keep order. I can't put off the trial date, so don't go asking me for any favors. The sheriff would sneak in my room and shoot me in my sleep if I decided to delay things. He's putting in twenty-four-hour days now, and his jail is bursting at the seams with men in need of my attention."

"They call you the hanging judge," Harrison remarked.

"That's nice to hear."

Harrison laughed. "You're a fair man, aren't you?"

"I like to think I am. If a man needs hanging, I'm not squeamish about seeing he gets it. It doesn't always matter what's right though, especially when a man is given a jury trial. His peers are mostly an ignorant breed."

"When do you want to leave?"

The judge smiled with satisfaction. "How about noon? It will take me that long to get up the strength to leave Belle's bed. I'll meet you outside her place tomorrow then, if that's agreeable."

"Yes, sir," Harrison said as he stood up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a bride waiting to be kissed."

The judge stopped him at the doorway. "Mind telling me why she carried a pistol to her wedding? I've been mighty curious about that."

"I'm not completely certain, but I think she was letting me know she wasn't going to be coerced into doing anything she didn't want to do. I guess you could say she was trying to even up the odds. Her brothers and I were stacked up against her. She was also hoping to be married by a preacher. She wanted the union blessed, I suppose."

"Well, hell, son, drag her on in here. I'll be happy to bless her. Will it matter that I'm not a preacher?"

"I'm afraid so, Your Honor."

He left the judge snorting with laughter. Mary Rose was upstairs with Belle. The two women were looking in on Eleanor. His bride didn't come back downstairs until nearly three o'clock. Harrison sat on the porch and drank beer with her brothers. When Mary Rose came out to the porch, Harrison told her about the trial in Hammond.

The judge left with Belle an hour later, and Mary Rose went into the kitchen to help set the table for supper.

All four of her brothers seemed genuinely happy for their sister, and try as he might, Harrison couldn't understand why. Their turnabout confused him. He knew they had a motive for wanting the marriage; he just couldn't figure out what it was.

Cole sat in the chair next to Harrison. He turned to him first.

"How come you went along with the wedding?"

"It's like Douglas said," Cole drawled out. "No use closing the barn door after the horse got out. She loves you and you love her."

"And?"

"You'll bring her back home, where she belongs."

"Do you mean here? To your ranch?"

"The area at least. She belongs in Montana. The land's a part of her. You won't take that away from her."

"Where we live is in her hands," Harrison said. "She might change her mind after she meets Elliott."

Cole and Douglas exchanged a look Harrison couldn't quite interpret.

"And?" he persisted, determined to get to the end of the maze and find out what their true motive was.

"He can't keep her, can he?" Cole asked the question in a whisper-soft voice.

Harrison straightened in his chair. "Meaning what, Cole?"

Douglas answered. "Elliott can't keep her in England or marry her off to some rich old lord and make her stay in England for the rest of her life, can he? She's already married to you. We kind of think of you as our insurance."

"You met her here," Cole reminded him. "Like it or not, you're also a part of her past. You know all about us, but Elliott doesn't. Mary Rose is going to need to rely on your strength and your honor, and we all think you'll probably bring her back home. Yes, sir, that's what we think."

"Elliott isn't your enemy. If you knew him the way I do, you'd realize he would never make Mary Rose stay anywhere she didn't want to stay."

"So you say," Douglas replied. "We still wanted some protection for our sister."

"So you let her marry me. You've used backhanded logic. Haven't you considered the possibility that I might want to keep her in Scotland?"

Cole smiled. "You know what your problem is, Harrison? You're too damned noble for your own good. If she wants to come back to Montana, you'll bring her. You couldn't live with yourself if you made her unhappy. It's a shame, really. Love does have its price. Pleasing Mary Rose is going to be difficult, but you'll try."

"Just keep your eye on her," Douglas ordered. "Don't make us come after you. I know you believe Elliott's a good man, but we don't know him, now, do we?"

Mary Rose interrupted the discussion. Harrison stood up when she walked out onto the porch.

She'd changed her clothes. She'd worn an ivory dress for the wedding ceremony, but now she had on a pale pink dress with white trim. Her hair was pinned up behind her head. She looked very prim and proper to him, and suddenly all he wanted to do was pull the pins out of her hair, take her clothes off her, and make love to her.

She had other ideas in mind. She had a white apron in her hands, and while he stood there watching her, she unfolded the thing and tied it around her waist.

"I guess Harrison 's finally going to see the second floor of the house," Cole remarked.

"No, he isn't," Mary Rose blurted out. "Of course, he could if he wanted to, but I thought it would be nice if he and I stayed in the bunkhouse tonight. Do you mind, Harrison?"

"No," he answered, wondering over the quick blush that covered her cheeks. He couldn't imagine why she was embarrassed, but he decided he would have to wait until later to find out what was bothering her.

"Why are you putting an apron on?" he asked.

"I was going to help with supper."

He noticed her hands were shaking then. Her brothers must have noticed too. Douglas frowned with concern. "Are you feeling all right, Mary Rose? You aren't coming down with Eleanor's ailment, are you?"

"No, I'm fine."

Harrison decided not to wait to find out what was wrong. He took hold of his bride's hand and half dragged her to the other side of the porch.

"What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing," she whispered. "I'm just a little nervous."

"Why?"

"I just got married." She all but wailed out the fact.

Harrison tried to take her into his arms. She glanced over her shoulder to look at her brothers, then backed away from him.

The audience obviously embarrassed her. Harrison held on to his patience.

"I just got married too."

"Yes, of course you did," she agreed. "It happened awfully quick, didn't it?"

"Why don't you want to sleep in your room tonight?" She looked horrified. In a low whisper she said, "They'll hear, Harrison. My brothers hear every little sound."

He nodded. He finally understood. "We need a proper honeymoon."

She gave him an exasperated look. "You have to go to Hammond tomorrow."

He nodded agreement. He hadn't forgotten. "Know what I think we ought to do?"

He leaned down close to her. She edged a little closer to him and tilted her head back. "What do you think we ought to do?"

"Go tell Corrie."

"Tell her what?"

"That you're a married woman," he explained. "Let's spend the night in the cave. Do you think you could find it again?"

"Yes, of course I could find it. Harrison, do you really want to sleep on a rock floor tonight?"

"I want to get you alone, Mary Rose. Got any better ideas?" He could tell from her expression that she was warming to the idea. "I've been thinking a lot about that cave," he whispered. "I want to go back, but this time, when you start to take off your clothes, I won't stop you."

Her blush intensified, and she hastily looked over her shoulder once again to make certain her brothers hadn't heard.

"Go and pack your things," he whispered. "I'll tell Adam where we're going."

"Samuel would be happy to fix a basket of food for us," she said. "Let Adam ask him, please. He'll hide from you."

Harrison still didn't believe they had an actual cook, but he went along with her game.

They left for the ridge an hour later. Mary Rose insisted on taking Corrie another basket of gifts, and Adam let her include a book written by a popular fellow named Mark Twain with the condition that Corrie return the book when she was finished reading it. Only then would he lend her another one of his treasures to enjoy.

His bride spent less than an hour talking to her friend, and they reached the cave a little before dark.

She'd carried along a thick quilt, and they used it for their mattress. They didn't need extra blankets that night, for the heat of their bodies pressed against each other kept them warm.

It was the most romantic night either one of them had ever experienced. It was also quite educational for Mary Rose. There weren't any inhibitions, and because they were isolated from the rest of the world, she felt free to do whatever she wanted to do. Harrison taught her how to pleasure him, and she was eager to learn. She was awkward and timid, but only in the beginning, and when she saw how he reacted to her touch, she became bolder and more sure of herself.

By morning light, husband and wife were too exhausted to move. They slept in each other's arms until nearly eight o'clock, made love once again, and reluctantly returned to the ranch.

Harrison left for Blue Belle to meet the judge a short while later. Mary Rose kissed him good-bye and then went up to her room and slept the rest of the morning away.

She walked around in a haze of bliss for the rest of the day. Eleanor was back to complaining about every little thing, but Mary Rose was too happy to be bothered by her grouchy friend.

Cole carried Eleanor downstairs for supper. Her fever had finally broken, and although she looked pale, she had regained her appetite.

She made Cole carry her back up to her room after she'd eaten, and he stayed inside her bedroom a little longer than was necessary. He had told Douglas he was going to have a talk with her about his lack of intentions.

Eleanor didn't take kindly to the news that Cole wasn't the marrying kind. She didn't much like hearing he'd only been dallying with her because he thought she'd be leaving soon, either, and by the time he left the room, she was shouting every raucous curse she had ever heard. She threw a porcelain vase at him and clipped him on the shoulder on his way out the door.

Mary Rose decided to give Eleanor time to calm down before she went upstairs to try and console her. She helped Douglas with the dishes. She thought it was odd that her other brothers continued to sit at the table, and after she'd finished the kitchen duties, she was invited to sit back down.

Adam explained there was an important matter to talk about.

She sat in Harrison 's chair and faced the eldest brother. Her hands were folded in her lap. She leaned back and smiled, relaxed now, for she believed the matter concerned family finances. The brothers only wore such grim expressions when they were worried about money problems.

Cole began the discussion. " Harrison came here with two motives in mind, Mary Rose. He wanted to learn about ranching because he wants to eventually retire from law and build up a ranch of his own, either in the Highlands or maybe even around here."

"Yes, I knew what he had in mind," she agreed. "But you say he had another motive as well?"

"He was looking for someone," Douglas explained. "That was his other motive… and, I guess you could say, his primary reason for coming to Montana."

She waited a full minute for her brother to continue before she realized he wasn't going to say another word. She turned to Travis.

"Who was he looking for?" she asked.

"You," Travis blurted out.

He couldn't or wouldn't expound further.

The duty of explaining fell on Adam's shoulders. He cleared his throat and then proceeded to tell her all about a baby girl named Victoria.

She never said a word throughout the story Adam told her. She shook her head several times, silently denying the possibility that she was indeed Lady Victoria someone or other from England, of all places, but she listened with an open mind and tried to make sense out of what he was telling her.

It took Adam a good twenty minutes to give her the full story, and when he was finally finished, all the brothers waited for her to show some sort of reaction.

Cole expected her to be angry. He was somewhat surprised when she continued to look only mildly curious.

Douglas was more perceptive. He concluded she wasn't convinced she was Elliott's long-lost daughter.

"Don't you believe us?" he asked.

"Do you believe I'm Victoria?" she countered.

All four brothers nodded. "There is substantial proof," Adam explained. He then outlined the facts for her once again.

"How do you feel about meeting your father?"

"I don't have a father. I have four brothers."

"Don't be stubborn, Mary Rose," Adam said. "Think this through. I know it's a surprise. Of course it is. You have an entire family back in England. You can't pretend they don't exist. Your father has been searching the world over for you."

"Don't you want to go and meet him?" Travis asked.

She lowered her head and stared into her lap. There was so much to think about, she didn't know where to start.

"I feel compassion for the man. I cannot imagine what it must have been like for him and his wife to lose their infant daughter."

"You were their infant daughter," Douglas gently reminded her.

"Yes, so you say," she whispered. She gripped her hands together and tried to remain composed. "But I don't know him, Douglas. I feel sorry for him, but I don't have any love in my heart for him. He isn't my family. You are. It's too late to start over."

"Aren't you curious to know what he's like?" Travis asked.

She lifted her shoulders in a shrug. "Not really," she admitted.

"I don't understand Harrison 's involvement in all of this. He works for Elliott, doesn't he?"

"Yes, he does," Adam said.

The truth was slow to settle in her mind, but once it did, she began to feel sick to her stomach. "And you're telling me that he came to Montana because of the interview I suffered through with the attorney in St. Louis? All of this started because a woman thought I looked like Elliott's wife?"

"Yes."

"Then… Oh, God, then everything Harrison told me was a lie. From the very beginning he had this other motive. He never said a word to me. Not one word. If I am Victoria, as you all seem to believe, why didn't Harrison tell me?"

Cole grimaced over the anguish he heard in his sister's voice. "He didn't trust any of us for a long time," he explained.

"No, he never trusted any of us," she agreed.

She seemed to wilt before their very eyes. The desolation on her face made her brothers ache for her.

"Mary Rose, listen to me," Adam ordered. "You had been kidnapped. Harrison didn't know if we were part of the plan to take you from Elliott. We were just boys, yes, and so he discarded the notion that we had planned the kidnapping, but he had to keep silent until he found out who was the mastermind behind it. He was being cautious."

"He betrayed me, didn't he? I'm his wife now, and yet he kept this from me?"

The younger brothers looked to Adam, hoping he would be able to calm their sister.

"You and Harrison will have to work this out together," Adam advised. "I want to know how you feel about going to England to meet your father. Harrison has to leave soon, but I had thought to give you more time to get used to the notion of having a family over there before sending you off. Eleanor could go with you. Mary Rose, don't shake your head at me. Try to be reasonable about this. You owe it to the man to at least go and meet him. He's had a lifetime of suffering. Let him see you and know in his heart that you're all right."

"I think maybe we ought to give her some time to think about all of this," Travis suggested. "She looks kind of stunned."

She looked furious to Cole. He knew Harrison 's behavior was the reason she was so upset. She knew and loved him. Her father, on the other hand, was still a foreign concept to her, and one that would take time to get used to before she could decide what she wanted to do about him.

"Sleep on it, Mary Rose," Cole said. "You don't have to do anything until you're ready to."

She was suddenly too tired to think about anything. Her stomach felt like it was on fire, and all she wanted to do was go up to her room, get into her bed, and pretend none of what she'd just learned was true. Like the ostrich she'd once read about, she wanted to bury her head in the sand and let the rest of the world scurry on by without her.

Tears streamed down her face. Cole handed her his handkerchief before she could ask for it. Lord only knew how many times her brothers had seen her cry before. She didn't have to hide anything from them or pretend to be someone she wasn't.

She stood up, braced her hands on the tabletop, and asked, "Am I supposed to go to London and become a member of a family full of strangers? What do you expect of me? Tell me what the right thing is that you're so sure I'll do."

"We'll talk more about this tomorrow, after you've had a good night's rest," Adam suggested.

" Harrison is your family now, Mary Rose. You married him, remember? You don't hate him, do you?" Douglas asked.

She had to think about his question a long minute before she answered. "No, I don't hate him. How could I? It appears I don't even know the man. Oh, God, Douglas, I'm married to a stranger. I don't know what's real about him and what isn't. Was everything a pretense?"

"Granted, Harrison did have an ulterior motive," Douglas argued, "but after you've had time to think about the situation, I'm sure you'll realize…"

She cut him off. "I'll realize he never, ever trusted me, and I sure as certain can't trust him. He deceived me. He pretended to be someone he wasn't."

She was suddenly too furious to go on. She grabbed Cole's handkerchief and began to wipe the tears away from her cheeks.

Had he been pretending to love her? Oh, God, had that been a fabrication too?

" Harrison wasn't always pretending," Cole insisted. "He did turn out to be real inept, didn't he?"

"Try not to overreact, Mary Rose," Travis suggested.

"Why are all of you defending him?" she demanded.

"We've had time to think about his reasons for proceeding slowly," Adam explained.

Travis tried to come up with a suitable parable or comparison that would put it all into perspective for his sister. It took him several minutes to think of something that made a little sense to him. He waited until there was a lull in the discussion, and then said, "Do you remember all of the stories we read to you about the knights who lived back in the middle ages? The baron sometimes killed the messengers who carried bad news. Well, Harrison 's sort of like a messenger. None of what happened was his fault. He didn't steal you out of your crib and throw you in the trash. I think you should remember that."

Cole liked Travis's comparison. He latched on to it with the tenacity of a child holding on to a piece of forbidden candy.

"If you had lived back in the middle ages, do you think you would have killed the messenger?"

She glared at her brother. She thought his question was a stupid one at best.

"No, I wouldn't have killed the messenger, but I sure as hell wouldn't have slept with him either."

None of her brothers felt like correcting her unladylike language. They understood how upset she was. If cursing made her feel better, they wouldn't stop her. Their little sister looked stricken, and devastated.

"What about your father?" Adam asked her once again.

"You said we would talk about him tomorrow," she reminded her brother. "If I do decide to go to England, will all of you go with me?"

The younger brothers made Adam answer for them. He leaned back in his chair and shook his head. He suddenly felt as weary as an eighty-year-old.

"We can't go with you. We're part of your past."

"You're my family," she cried out.

"Yes, of course we are," Adam hastened to agree. "That won't ever change."

"We aren't making you go," Cole said. "We love you, Mary Rose. We could never throw you out."

"Then why do I feel as though you are? All of you believe I should go to England, don't you?"

"You've got to give yourself time to get used to the notion of having another family," Travis said.

She nodded agreement. Oh, yes, she needed time. She straightened up, asked to be excused, and ran up to her bedroom. She spent the next hour sitting on the side of her bed, trying to make sense out of her life.

Her thoughts kept returning to Harrison. She was thankful he wasn't there now because she didn't want to have to face him just yet. She didn't know what she would say to him.

He had told her she would hate him. She thought about the warning he had given her, and then became furious all over again.

What in God's name was she going to do?

She finally stood up, put on her robe and her slippers, and went downstairs to the library.

Adam was waiting for her. Even though all of their lives had been turned upside down, some things remained predictable.

Like little sisters needing to be comforted.

It was what family was all about.

She didn't feel better the following morning. She felt worse. Because she was hurting so inside, she went to Douglas. He always took care of her aches and pains, cuts and bruises, even the ones he couldn't see.

Douglas understood her need to get away for a while. He didn't believe she was being a coward because she didn't want to see Harrison, and so he took her to the Cohens' house in Hammond. Eleanor insisted on going with her friend, and since she was fully recovered from her bout of illness, Douglas agreed to let her tag along.

Eleanor surprised Douglas. She seemed to be genuinely concerned about Mary Rose. The young woman had put her own concerns aside, a first in Douglas 's estimation, and really tried to comfort his sister. She held on to her hand and kept promising her that everything was going to turn out all right.

When Harrison returned to the ranch, he demanded to know where his bride was. Adam, Cole, and Travis could honestly tell him they didn't know. Douglas gave him a little more information when he realized how upset and concerned Harrison was. He explained that Mary Rose needed time alone to sort out her feelings, insisted she was safe and being looked after, and then suggested Harrison get on with his plans and leave for England.

He couldn't promise Mary Rose would follow. Harrison had expected just such a reaction from his bride, but he was still shaken by the anguish he'd caused her. He desperately wanted her to understand, and yet knew that right then she didn't understand at all.

She would come to England though. Of that he was certain. He told Douglas to wire him as soon as Mary Rose and Eleanor were on their way. And then he said his farewells, reminded Adam to take good care of MacHugh, and began his long journey back to England.

Walking away from the woman he loved was the most difficult thing he'd ever done, and even though the separation was to be temporary, he was still in agony. He felt as though his heart were being torn out of his chest.

She would come to him. He repeated the belief until it became a chant.

And he never, ever doubted. His belief in her was every bit as strong as his love for her. She would do the right thing. She was noble and good and kindhearted.

And she loved him.

No, he never doubted.

Mary Rose was both relieved and heartbroken that Harrison had left. She knew she wasn't being reasonable, but she was too distraught to think straight.

She refused to discuss her father for a full week. Thoughts of the man kept intruding, however, and once she'd gotten past her own self-pity, she began to feel guilty because she was being coldhearted toward him.

It took her another week to come to the conclusion that she would have to go and meet him. It was the only decent thing to do, and when she informed her brothers of her decision, she qualified it with the announcement that she had no intention of staying in England long. She planned to visit him, meet his relatives, and then return to her ranch, where she belonged.

She wouldn't talk about her plans for a future with Harrison, and her brothers wisely decided not to prod her into making any decision about her husband she might later regret.

Mary Rose insisted on saying good-bye to Corrie. She made Travis go with her and extracted a promise from him that he would take supplies to Corrie once a week until Mary Rose returned. She would introduce her brother to the woman after she'd visited with her, so that Corrie would know what Travis looked like and wouldn't try to shoot him.

Because it was the middle of the week, Corrie was expecting her. Mary Rose called out her greeting from the center of the clearing, and then slowly walked forward. The rocking chair was on the porch, and Mary Rose was pleased to notice that once she started toward the steps, the shotgun was removed from the open window.

She put the basket of gifts on the windowsill and took her seat. Corrie touched her shoulder, then dropped the book she'd been loaned into Mary Rose's lap.

Mary Rose still wasn't certain if Corrie could read or not, but she didn't want to insult the woman by asking her outright.

The basket disappeared from the window. Mary Rose waited a minute, and then said, "There's another book in the basket, Corrie. If you don't want to read it, just hand it back out the window."

Corrie patted her on her shoulder once again. Mary Rose concluded she did know how to read, and wanted to keep the book.

It took her a long while to work up enough courage to tell her friend she was leaving for England.

"Would you like to know how I ended up in Montana Territory?" she began.

She didn't expect an answer, of course, and proceeded to tell her friend all about how her brothers had found her in a basket in New York City. She didn't go into a lot of unnecessary details, and when she started to talk about her father and how she had to go to England to meet him, she began to cry.

While Corrie gently stroked her shoulders, Mary Rose confided all her fears to the woman.

"Why do I feel guilty because I don't feel anything more than compassion for the man? I don't want to go and meet him, but I know I have to, Corrie. I'm being terribly selfish, but I like my life now. I hate having it disrupted. Besides, I already have a family. I don't want a new one. I know it's wrong for me to feel this way, and deep inside, I'm so scared. What if none of them like me? What if I disappoint my father? I don't know how to be a proper English lady. They say my name is really Victoria. I'm not Victoria though, I'm Mary Rose. And how will I ever be able to go on with Harrison? What kind of marriage can we have without trust in one another? Oh, Corrie, I wish I could stay here. I don't want to leave."

Mary Rose continued to weep for several more minutes, and then reached up to wipe the tears away from her face.

Corrie grabbed hold of her hand and held on to it. The comfort the woman was giving her made her weep all the more. She thought about all the terrible pain and anguish Corrie had had to endure and how foolish and inconsequential her own problems were in comparison. Corrie had watched her husband and her son die. And yet she had endured.

"You give me strength, Corrie," she whispered.

It wasn't empty praise, for the longer she thought about the dear woman's suffering, the more her own life was put into perspective. Mary Rose knew she would do what had to be done, and regardless of the outcome, she would also endure.

"I'm very fortunate to have you for a friend, Corrie."

Travis let out a shrill whistle. He was letting Mary Rose know that it was time for them to leave.

"Eleanor and I will go to the Cohens' house in Hammond the day after tomorrow," she told her friend. "They're going to Boston for a family reunion, and we'll travel with them. Mr. Cohen will make certain we get on the right ship to England, and if all my plans go smoothly, I'll be back home before the first winter snow falls.

"Travis is going to bring you supplies while I'm away. I've told you all about my brother, remember? He won't ever come closer than the middle of the clearing," she hurried to add when her friend squeezed her hand tight. "May I call to him now? He'll stand by the trees, so you can get a good look at him. I don't want you to be startled when he comes here, and he promised me he would always call out to you so you can watch him."

Corrie finally relaxed her grip. Mary Rose shouted to her brother. Travis appeared on the far side of the clearing and waved to his sister. The curtain obstructed his view of Corrie, but he noticed Mary Rose was holding her hand.

"Storm's coming, Mary Rose. We ought to leave now," he called out. "Good day to you, Corrie," he added before he turned around and walked away.

Mary Rose finally said her good-bye. She turned and kissed Corrie's hand, and then stood up.

"I'm going to miss you," she whispered. "God and Travis will take good care of you, Corrie. Have faith in both of them."

Mary Rose clutched the book in her arms and slowly walked away. The rush of the rising wind mingled with the call of an impatient cardinal and all but muffled the sound of a woman softly weeping inside the cabin.

January 2, 1870

Dear Mama Rose,

Today I am ten years old. Do you remember Adam wrote to tell you that they found papers in my basket and all my brothers think that because the words written on the top of the page said a baby girl was born on the second day of January, and since I was the only baby girl in the basket, they think it must be me.

I'm very lucky to have such a nice family. Travis is making me a birthday cake for supper, and all my brothers made presents for me. Adam said next year he would make sure they got something store bought for me too. Won't that be nice?

Why do you think my mama and my papa threw me away? I wonder what I did wrong.

Your daughter, Mary Rose