Title: Beautiful Dreamer
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Finch falls for a woman with a secret (so what else is new)
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, and therefore could not
derive any funds
from this story.
Beautiful.
She stepped off of the stagecoach, and into the sun. What
awaited her, she didn't expect. Her first reaction, was that it was very dirty and
dusty. The smell of horses and unwashed bodies hit her almost immediately. There were mostly men, as women and children were seldom part of this rough lifestyle. She did see a few women who were usually indistinguishable from the men. She sometimes had to look at the hair, and even that wouldn't give it away completely.
What an oddity she appeared to be, with her frills and ruffles.
The people stared. She couldn't blame them, really. She's just too clean, they
thought.
Almost immediately, heads turned. There was a certain novelty to new
people in town, but what mad this woman extra special was her beauty.
This was her first experience in the West. She was not a snob, but this
place was certainly different from any other place she had been.
Seeing her standing there, the stage master said, "Miss, there's a hotel just down the street a ways." she thanked him, and then she remembered.
"Sir, can I get someone to deliver my valises to the hotel?"
The stage master tipped his hat, and began taking the said
valises down from the stage.
The woman turned and spoke to another woman whom had climbed down
from the coach.
"Isn't this exciting, Frannie?" she asked the woman.
Frannie didn't appear to be happy to be there at all. She
grabbed her own bags and trudged along after the woman.
"I was not at all happy about coming to this God forsaken place,
so please don't expect me to be happy about being here now."
Eileen was used to Frannie's moods. She simply laughed it off.
"Don't worry, as soon as you have a nice hot bath you won't be complaining––much." She laughed.
The two women made their way toward the hotel oblivious to the
stares of the passers-by. One man in particularly stood stock still as he gazed at the beautiful woman. Larimer Finch had just come out of his office. He had been running some experiments all day, and his eyes were feeling the strain. Little did he know that they would be treated to such an exquisite treat.
He could see, clearly, that this woman was out of place, but it
wasn't just that had caught his attention. He would think on this later, and still be able to come up with what it was that made her so intriguing. She looked so lost and vulnerable, and yet, there was a sense of adventure in her eyes.
He wanted to go over and speak to her, but he could see that the Mayor had beat him to it. His Honor was now introducing himself and taking her
slim hand into his. Finch could not help but to feel a slight twinge of
jealously from this gesture. He was annoyed by it. Why should he feel any sort of jealousy where this woman was concerned? Why, he had not even been properly introduced to her.
He felt the twinge grow stronger as others came over to be introduced
to the woman. He turned and headed back into his office just missing the
moment that the woman gazed in his direction.
Once they were settled into their rooms, Frannie could tell that Eileen had something on her mind.
"All right, let's have it. What are you thinking?" Eileen had a
faraway look on her face.
"Did you see that man who was looking at me?" Frannie rolled
her eyes. It wasn't that her mistress was a silly-headed woman. She wasn't like this all of the time. It just seemed to be more nerve wracking because she wasn't like this all of the time.
"There were several men looking at you, Miss Eileen. I didn't
notice anyone in particular."
This seemed to annoy Eileen.
"He wasn't part of that crowd." She seemed to drift off as her
mind wandered back to Finch. She had to stay focused. There was a reason why she was here. She had a job to do. She took the letter from her reticule, and examined it once more. Anger burned in her lovely green eyes. Yes, she had a job to do.
Finch found that he could get nothing done. His mind kept
drifting back to the
woman he saw in town. Who was she? He had to find out.
He stood, grabbed his hat, and marched out of the office. He
went straight to
Kate's. Kate, who was right in the middle of preparing Old Mule
Simmons for
burial, looked up when Finch walked into her office.
"Hey Finch, whatcha know good?" she saw the look of utter
confusion on his
face, and smiled.
"What's going on?" she translated.
He took a breath, and went for it.
"I was hoping you could help me . . ." he started.
Thinking that it concerned a case, Kate dried her hands on an
old rag and came
over to where he stood.
"Did you hear about the woman that arrived in town today?" she
had heard
some commotion in the street that morning.
"I'm trying to find out who she is." He said matter-of-factly.
Kate stifled a
giggle.
"Why don't you just go up and introduce yourself?"
Men!
Finch became nervous.
"I couldn't do that. It wouldn't be proper. After all, she's a
real . . ." He broke
off, his eyes traveling up and down the filthy smock that Kate wore.
Kate knew
exactly what he was thinking, and began to get angry.
"What makes this woman any different from the women here?"
Finch tried desperately to dig himself out of the hole that he
found himself in.
"What I mean to say is that, she is used to finer things . . ."This line of thinking
was not persuading Kate.
"Oh Bloody Hell! She's just different. I don't know why."
Kate paused.
"Would you like for me to find out who she is and introduce you
to her?" He
didn't say; his eyes conveyed everything.
"Frannie, I've got to put my plan into effect." Frannie felt
that this whole plan
was a bad idea.
"I have to find Leonard Milford. The Mayor is having what he
calls a Soiree to
introduce me to prominent people here in Silver City. I'm bound to
be introduced
to Milford."
Frannie rolled her eyes again. She didn't know why this
beautiful, now rich,
young woman was bound and determined to ruin her life.
"And what do you plan on doing once you find Mr. Milford?"
Eileen was ashamed to admit that she didn't know how to proceed
in her plan.
She, again, looked at the agreement between her father and Mr.
Milford. Tears
sprang up in her eyes as she thought about her beloved father who
committed
suicide a few months earlier.
Frannie placed a loving hand on her shoulder. They had
practically been raised
together. Frannie's mother had been the Lawson's family maid until
her death two
years earlier. Frannie had become Eileen's personal maid when Eileen
was fifteen,
but they were more friends than anything else.
That moment, there was a knock on the door. Frannie went to
answer it. Eileen
could hear hushed voices in the doorway. It was probably someoneelse wanting
to meet her. She couldn't for the life of her understand why she was
such an oddity
to these people. Oh well, she thought, as she patted her hair self
consciously. She
was surprised to see a young woman being escorted into the sitting
room by
Frannie.
"Miss Eileen, this is Katie Owen. She's the Mortician here in
town." Eileen's
look of surprise escalated to something akin to shock. Why would the
Mortician
want to see her? She shook hands with Katie, however, and indicated a
chair for
her to sit down.
"Frannie, would you see what can be done about getting us some
tea?" Frannie
nodded and curtsied, something that she only did when Eileen had
guests.
"Please, sit down. How can I help you?" Eileen was reminded of
how much
she sounded like her mother, or her horrible Aunt Elizabeth.
"Several of us . . . um . . . were just curious . . . you
know, about where
you're from, and who you are." God, she couldn't believe that she was
doing this
for Finch.
Sensing her apparent discomfort, Eileen tried to change the
subject.
"I don't know that I'll need the services of a Mortician any
time soon." She
joked. The smile faded from her face as she realized how close to
home her
statement was.
"I just wanted to welcome you to Silver City, Miss . . ."
,
"Lawson. Eileen Lawson." She could hear Frannie cough loudlyin the
background.
"I'm from . . .the East. I'm passing through on my way to San
Francisco."
she lied. Kate took this information in carefully. She wanted to be
able to relate
every detail back to Finch. Lord knows she didn't want to have to
come back and
talk to this woman again.
Noticing the lapse in conversation, Eileen continued.
"I just love your town. We don't have anything like this back
East."
Why did she keep saying that? It was very obvious that this
woman was from
England. She had the same sort of accent that Finch had, although
she was
desperately trying to hide it.
"Well, I'd better head back to the shop. Got a dead body on the
table and all."
Kate saw the look of disgust on the woman's face and was glad
that her words
had hit their mark.
"It was very nice of you to come and call. I find it very
difficult, at times, to
make the acquaintance of females." She smiled sweetly, and Frannie
sounded as if
she had pneumonia.
Kate shook her hand and left as quickly as possible. She was
going to kill
Finch.
"I'm telling you, Finch, she's not what you think she is. She
sounds like a high-
priced whore." she realized that her words were harsh, but after the
incident with
that Miranda woman, she didn't want to see him make a fool out of
himself.Finch remained silent; Kate couldn't tell if he were angry, or
what.
"She said that she's from the East, but she sounds like you."
The soiree, as everyone was calling it, was taking place at the
hotel that evening.
Eileen had bought sturdier clothes for her trip West, but wasn't
ready to put them
on just yet. She had told Frannie to ready her yellow, silk dress
for the festivities.
Frannie did as she was told, but not without some reprimand.
"Miss Eileen, I know you don't want me to say a word, but I
can't just stand
by and watch you do this."
Eileen continued fussing with her hair as if she hadn't heard a
word Frannie had
said.
"Have you decided what you're going to do yet?" she asked Eileen
stopped her
fussing and turned to speak to Frannie.
"This Milford man will, most likely, be at this soiree. I'll
meet him, and work
my wiles." She didn't have a plan after that.
"T'is a dangerous thing you're flirting with, Miss. These men
are different.
They're not gentlemen. You're playing with fire, and likely to get
burnt."
Eileen usually poo-pooed Frannie's old Irish wisdom, but she was
a little
worried, even if she wouldn't admit it to herself.
The drawing room at the hotel was the perfect to hold the
soiree. Everyone in
Silver City seemed to be there. Dressed in their finery, such as it
was, they now sat
or stood around, none of them quite sure what one did at a soiree.
She made her entrance down the staircase with Frannie on herheels. There was
no way Frannie was going to let her do this alone.
Eileen hated such displays, but it would serve her purposes.
She surveyed the
room, and her eyes fell on the man she had seen the day before. His
penetrating
eyes seemed to cut right through the crowd, to her. She felt herself
blush slightly,
which only added to her charm.
Finch literally felt his heart stop as she descended the
staircase. Her dark hair
was wound and piled in some intricate style. Her skin was like
porcelain, and her
green eyes blazed with the reflections of hundreds of candles. Even
though they
had recently received gas lights, candles seemed more intimate and
romantic.
Beautiful was far too inadequate a word to describe her.
As her feet touched the floor of the room, she was bombarded by
people who
came forward to be introduced.
Marshal Stone stood at the bar near Finch, knocking back a
whiskey.
"So, what do you think of all of this, Finch?"
Finch was surprised that he even heard Stone when he spoke.
"She is beautiful." He said finally, trying to sound as
uninterested as possible.
"Yeah, I suppose. Why do you think everybody's getting so worked
up about
her?"
Finch knew why he was getting worked up; he thought that the men
in town
were using the same reason.
"Something new, that's all." He replied as if he didn't care.
Truth be told, he
was dying to rush over there and introduce himself. To the Devil
with propriety!But, he didn't want to look like the others who were drooling
over her.
She was watching him, willing him to come to her and say hello.
No, I have to
stay focused, she thought. She looked around the room.
"I'm looking for a Leonard Milford. Has anyone seen him here
tonight?" she
was saying to someone.
"What do you want Milford for?" a voice said. Eileen looked up
to see Finch
standing there. She was flustered. She had just meant to drop the
name and hope
that someone would remember and steer Milford in her direction.
But now, she was on the spot.
"Nothing in particular. I was told that he was very . . .
generous." She batted
her eyelashes at Finch. She was acting again, he noticed. But why?
They stared at one another. It was a challenge, he realized.
He blinked first.
"Miss Lawson, I hear you've been looking for me." It was
Leonard Milford.
Finch was forgotten, for now.
Eileen extended her hand, and Milford took it and kissed her
fingertips lightly.
Finch couldn't help but be jealous. In fact, he was seething. He
turned on his heel
and walked away. Eileen noticed him leaving. Must stay focused, she
thought,
must stay focused.
"May I ask how you know about me?" Milford asked casually.
"Oh, around. Your name was mentioned as someone who could be
very helpful
if one ever went to Silver City." It sounded plausible. She
wouldn't have to
actually mention anyone that he might know. He accepted this
explanation.
They continued talking as Finch headed to the bar. He ordered abottle of
whiskey and one glass. Stone, who was still there, noticed slightly.
"What are you upset about?" he asked.
Finch was slightly annoyed that his anger was showing. He tried
to rein in his
feelings.
He looked up when he heard her laughter. It sounded like music.
Eileen looked
up and her eyes connected with his. She took a sip of her wine,
peering over the
glass at him. She laughed again. She was performing, for him.
The entire scene was not lost on Frannie. She could see the
exchanged glances
between Miss Eileen and a very handsome man. She was sure that he
must be the
man that Eileen had mentioned the day before.
She wished that her mistress would give up this whole scheme
thing, and just
settle down and get married. She had an offer. That nice Mr.
Westmorland had
wanted to marry her, but she had turned him down flat. Yes, he was a
lot older, but
he would have protected her, especially after what her thieving Aunt
and Uncle had
tried to do. She had been through so much in her young life. She
needed to settle
down with a good man.
Come On Eileen
( Dexys Midnight Runners )
(Come on Eileen!)
(Come on Eileen!)
Poor old Johnny Ray
Sounded sad upon the radio
He moved a million hearts in monoOur mothers cried and sang along and who'd blame them?
Now you're grown, so grown, now I must say more than ever
Go toora loora toora loo rye aye
And we can sing just like our fathers ....
Come on Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)
At this moment, you mean everything
With you in that dress, my thoughts I confess
Verge on dirty ......
Ah, come on Eileen!
(Come on Eileen!)
(Come on Eileen!)
These people round here wear beaten down eyes
Sunk in smoke dried faces
They're so resigned to what their fate is
But not us, no not us
We are far too young and clever
Go toora loora toora loo rye aye
Eileen, I'll sing this tune forever
Come on, Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)
Ah come on, let's take off everything
That pretty red dress .... Eileen (tell him yes)
Ah, come on! Come on Eileen!!!
Come on Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)
At this moment, you mean everything
Come on, Eileen, taloora aye
Come on, Eileen, taloora aye
Come on, Eileen, taloora aye
Come on, Eileen, taloora aye
Come on, Eileen, taloora aye
Come on, Eileen, taloora aye
Go toora loora toora loo rye aye
Come on Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)
At this moment, you mean everything
With you in that dress, my thoughts I confess
Verge on dirty ......
Ah, come on Eileen!
Come on, Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)
Ah come on, let's take off everything
That pretty red dress .... Eileen (tell him yes)
Ah, come on! Come on Eileen!!!
Come on Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)
At this moment, you mean everything
Come on Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)
At this moment, you mean everything
Finch remained silent a moment longer. Then, he said, "I want
to see her for
myself." Kate could see his jaw clench and unclench which was
something that
Kate had noticed when he became very serious.
"Well, I hear that the Mayor is throwing a Shindig for her
tomorrow. That'll be
your chance to meet her."
Finch remained silent as Kate left.
He didn't know what to think. This latest information didn't
jive with what he
had seen earlier. He was convinced that it was an act for Kate, but
why? This
woman was becoming more and more a mystery to him.
Artist: Steven Curtis ChapmanAlbum: All About Love
Title: Holding a Mystery
Lyrics:
I know that look on your face
I know the secrets you tell
You're every mood I can trace
I guess I could say I know you well
But how can I say I know you well
Cause when I look in your eyes
I see a million miles across an endless sea
I wanna sail the waves and make the great discovery
And when I hold you in my arms
The beating of your heart
is calling out to me
I'm holding a mystery
How many songs will be sung?
How many words will be said?
How many stories of love
Lie deep within you
Waiting to be read
And I want your story to be read
Cause when I look in your eyes
I see a million miles across an endless sea
I wanna sail the waves and make the great discovery
And when I hold you in my arms
The beating of your heart
is calling out to me
I'm holding a mystery
The beating of your heart
Is calling out to me
Only a God
of endless wisdom, love and mercy
Could have created such a wonder as you
I hear the beating of your heart
calling out to me
I'm holding a mystery
http:songbook.manueladam.com
The soiree, as everyone was calling it, was taking place at the
hotel that evening.
Eileen had bought sturdier clothes for her trip West, but wasn't
ready to put them
on just yet. She had told Frannie to ready her yellow, silk dress
for the festivities.
Frannie did as she was told, but not without some reprimand.
"Miss Eileen, I know you don't want me to say a word, but I
can't just stand
by and watch you do this."
Eileen continued fussing with her hair as if she hadn't heard a
word Frannie had
said.
"Have you decided what you're going to do yet?" she asked Eileen
stopped her
fussing and turned to speak to Frannie.
"This Milford man will, most likely, be at this soiree. I'll
meet him, and work
my wiles." She didn't have a plan after that.
"T'is a dangerous thing you're flirting with, Miss. These men
are different.
They're not gentlemen. You're playing with fire, and likely to get
burnt."
Eileen usually poo-pooed Frannie's old Irish wisdom, but she was
a little
worried, even if she wouldn't admit it to herself.
The drawing room at the hotel was the perfect to hold the
soiree. Everyone in
Silver City seemed to be there. Dressed in their finery, such as it
was, they now sat
or stood around, none of them quite sure what one did at a soiree.
She made her entrance down the staircase with Frannie on herheels. There was
no way Frannie was going to let her do this alone.
Eileen hated such displays, but it would serve her purposes.
She surveyed the
room, and her eyes fell on the man she had seen the day before. His
penetrating
eyes seemed to cut right through the crowd, to her. She felt herself
blush slightly,
which only added to her charm.
Finch literally felt his heart stop as she descended the
staircase. Her dark hair
was wound and piled in some intricate style. Her skin was like
porcelain, and her
green eyes blazed with the reflections of hundreds of candles. Even
though they
had recently received gas lights, candles seemed more intimate and
romantic.
Beautiful was far too inadequate a word to describe her.
As her feet touched the floor of the room, she was bombarded by
people who
came forward to be introduced.
Marshal Stone stood at the bar near Finch, knocking back a
whiskey.
"So, what do you think of all of this, Finch?"
Finch was surprised that he even heard Stone when he spoke.
"She is beautiful." He said finally, trying to sound as
uninterested as possible.
"Yeah, I suppose. Why do you think everybody's getting so worked
up about
her?"
Finch knew why he was getting worked up; he thought that the men
in town
were using the same reason.
"Something new, that's all." He replied as if he didn't care.
Truth be told, he
was dying to rush over there and introduce himself. To the Devil
with propriety!But, he didn't want to look like the others who were drooling
over her.
She was watching him, willing him to come to her and say hello.
No, I have to
stay focused, she thought. She looked around the room.
"I'm looking for a Leonard Milford. Has anyone seen him here
tonight?" she
was saying to someone.
"What do you want Milford for?" a voice said. Eileen looked up
to see Finch
standing there. She was flustered. She had just meant to drop the
name and hope
that someone would remember and steer Milford in her direction.
But now, she was on the spot.
"Nothing in particular. I was told that he was very . . .
generous." She batted
her eyelashes at Finch. She was acting again, he noticed. But why?
They stared at one another. It was a challenge, he realized.
He blinked first.
"Miss Lawson, I hear you've been looking for me." It was
Leonard Milford.
Finch was forgotten, for now.
Eileen extended her hand, and Milford took it and kissed her
fingertips lightly.
Finch couldn't help but be jealous. In fact, he was seething. He
turned on his heel
and walked away. Eileen noticed him leaving. Must stay focused, she
thought,
must stay focused.
"May I ask how you know about me?" Milford asked casually.
"Oh, around. Your name was mentioned as someone who could be
very helpful
if one ever went to Silver City." It sounded plausible. She
wouldn't have to
actually mention anyone that he might know. He accepted this
explanation.
They continued talking as Finch headed to the bar. He ordered abottle of
whiskey and one glass. Stone, who was still there, noticed slightly.
"What are you upset about?" he asked.
Finch was slightly annoyed that his anger was showing. He tried
to rein in his
feelings.
He looked up when he heard her laughter. It sounded like music.
Eileen looked
up and her eyes connected with his. She took a sip of her wine,
peering over the
glass at him. She laughed again. She was performing, for him.
The entire scene was not lost on Frannie. She could see the
exchanged glances
between Miss Eileen and a very handsome man. She was sure that he
must be the
man that Eileen had mentioned the day before.
She wished that her mistress would give up this whole scheme
thing, and just
settle down and get married. She had an offer. That nice Mr.
Westmorland had
wanted to marry her, but she had turned him down flat. Yes, he was a
lot older, but
he would have protected her, especially after what her thieving Aunt
and Uncle had
tried to do. She had been through so much in her young life. She
needed to settle
down with a good man.
Come On Eileen
( Dexys Midnight Runners )
(Come on Eileen!)
(Come on Eileen!)
Poor old Johnny Ray
Sounded sad upon the radio
He moved a million hearts in monoOur mothers cried and sang along and who'd blame them?
Now you're grown, so grown, now I must say more than ever
Go toora loora toora loo rye aye
And we can sing just like our fathers ....
Come on Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)
At this moment, you mean everything
With you in that dress, my thoughts I confess
Verge on dirty ......
Ah, come on Eileen!
(Come on Eileen!)
(Come on Eileen!)
These people round here wear beaten down eyes
Sunk in smoke dried faces
They're so resigned to what their fate is
But not us, no not us
We are far too young and clever
Go toora loora toora loo rye aye
Eileen, I'll sing this tune forever
Come on, Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)
Ah come on, let's take off everything
That pretty red dress .... Eileen (tell him yes)
Ah, come on! Come on Eileen!!!
Come on Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)
At this moment, you mean everything
Come on, Eileen, taloora aye
Come on, Eileen, taloora aye
Come on, Eileen, taloora aye
Come on, Eileen, taloora aye
Come on, Eileen, taloora aye
Come on, Eileen, taloora aye
Go toora loora toora loo rye aye
Come on Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)
At this moment, you mean everything
With you in that dress, my thoughts I confess
Verge on dirty ......
Ah, come on Eileen!
Come on, Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)
Ah come on, let's take off everything
That pretty red dress .... Eileen (tell him yes)
Ah, come on! Come on Eileen!!!
Come on Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)
At this moment, you mean everything
Come on Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)
At this moment, you mean everything
She had him. She had him right where she wanted him, except she
didn't know
what to do now. She wanted to ruin him for what he had done to her
father.
Even now, she couldn't quite bring herself to do what needed to
be done. She
agonized over it.
"Oh, Father, what am I to do?" She said aloud.
Frannie heard her mistress, and approached. Eileen wiped away
her tears and
continued in business-like fashion.
"Have you found out anything about our Mr. Milford?" She
asked. Because
Frannie was a servant, people felt that they could speak freely in
front of her.
"He is very rich. He owns a stake in a mine." Frannie had
picked up the
vernacular of the region. But, this wasn't anything new to Eileen."They use dynamite to for those mines, do they not?" Eileen
asked as she
thought aloud.
"I suppose so, Miss. What on earth are you getting at?" A slow
smile spread
across Eileen's face.
"What if there were to be an accident with the dynamite?" she
asked
rhetorically. Frannie could not hide the look of horror on her face.
"Oh no Miss, surely you don't plan on killing him." Could it be
that she didn't
know Eileen as well as she thought she did?
"Of course I'm not going to kill him. That would let him off
too easily. I want
him to suffer."
The dark figure scampered through the night. There was no one in
sight. Even
the saloon had cleared out. The clouds covered the moon, so that the
figure was
not easily seen. The figure paused outside of a warehouse. Once
inside, the terrain
was surveyed carefully. The flame flickered into existence. Intense
green eyes
stared into it. Suddenly, she couldn't do it. No matter how much she
hated
Milford, she couldn't go through with it, it wasn't right.
Beautiful Dreamer, wake unto me,
Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee;
Sounds of the rude world heard in the day,
Lulled by the moonlight have all passed away.
Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me!
2. Beautiful dreamer, queen of my song,
List while I woo thee with soft melody;
Gone are the cares of life's busy throng,
Beautiful dreamer awake unto me!Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
3. Beautiful dreamer, out on the sea,
Mermaids are chaunting the wild lorelei;
Over the streamlet vapors are borne,
Waiting to fade at the bright coming morn.
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
4. Beautiful dreamer, beam of my heart,
E'en as the morn on the streamlet and sea;
Then will the clouds of sorrow depart,
Beautiful dreamer awake unto me!
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto
Finch couldn't sleep. He kept picturing her body every time he
closed his eyes.
Damn! Before he could think any more about it, a loud explosion
rocked the town.
The match had burned too closely to her fingers, and she dropped
it. The fire
quickly caught before she could stop it.
"Oh, my!" she tried to put it out, but it was no use. She
hurried out of the
building just before it exploded.
She hurried through the darkened streets which were now
beginning to fill with
sleepy people. She didn't realize that someone saw her as she climbed
the ladder to
the roof and entered the window of the hotel.
"We found the match that, most likely, was used to start the
fire in Milford's
warehouse, but it was too burned to get any prints from it." Finch
was saying to
Stone and Katie. They all figured that they would never find out who
really started
the fire.
"Marshal . . ." it was Chipper.
"I saw something last night you might be interested in."Chipper went on to tell them how he had seen someone run from
Milford's
warehouse after the explosion. This person had climbed into the
hotel, and he was
almost certain that it was that Lawson woman.
They all just looked at him, at first.
"How can you be so sure that it was she that you saw?" Finch
asked.
"I'm sure it was her, sir." They knew that he was sure.
Finch went over to the hotel to question Miss Lawson himself.
He knocked on
the door, and Frannie opened it.
She was very surprised to see the handsome man standing before
her.
"Ahh, it's about time that you came to see her." She said.
"Excuse me?" he asked.
"Never mind. Come on in."
Finch entered Eileen's sitting room and there she was. He was
stunned by her
beauty.
"I need to ask you some questions about the explosion last
night."
He saw a flicker of fear cross her face, and then the facade was
back.
"What would I know about the explosion?" Again she challenged
him with her
eyes.
"Do you mind if I have a look around? It's in the interest of
justice."
She was caught. She had no doubt in this man's abilities, and if
she refused to
let him search, it would make her look guilty anyway." She nodded.
Finch went straight to her closet. It didn't take him long to
find the very dress
that she was wearing the night before.
"This dress has soot on it, and it smells of smoke. Can you
explain that?" Shecould not.
"Frannie, can you leave us alone, please?" Frannie was reluctant
to leave, but
she did.
"I didn't mean to do it. It was an accident." She could tell
that he was having
trouble believing her.
"You have to tell me everything. Don't leave anything out."
He went over and sat down.
"I'm really from England."
Finch had a look on his face that said, tell me something I
don't know.
"My father died a few months ago. They said that he had
committed suicide. I
had to go and live with my Aunt and Uncle who treated me like dirt.
Then, I found
out that my father had been left some money by his friend Sir Henry
Collingswood.
Dad didn't know about it before he died. After I became an heiress,
my Aunt and
Uncle tried to get the money. I only wanted to do one thing with the
money."
Eileen saw that Finch was not following her story. She stood
and began to
pace.
"My father had invested some money in the Milford mine. He
thought that the
mine. He thought that the mine had gone under, and he lost all of
his money, all of
it. Aunt Elizabeth had a party, and there was a man there who had
known Milford.
He said that the mine was very profitable. My father never received
any money
from it."
He sensed her anger, and he couldn't blame her.
"I went over to my father's solicitor, Roger Westmorland, andtold him of my
plans of coming to America and finding Milford. I wanted to ruin
him."
Finch realized that she was actually confessing to the crime.
She could see what
he was thinking.
"I went there to start the fire, but, in the end, I couldn't do
it. But, I dropped the
match. That's what started the fire." Even she didn't believe
herself. She would
hate to know what he was thinking now.
He watched her face. Her story sounded far-fetched, but he could
tell that she
was telling the truth. It had been a horrible accident. Fortunately,
no one had gotten
hurt.
"I am willing to pay for any damage." She said.
"Well, I'm sure that would make Milford happy." He said
sarcastically. He
stood and went over to where she was standing. He was standing too
closely now.
She could feel his breath on her face. She had been looking down.
She knew that
all she had to do was raise her head slightly, and she would be
looking into those
intense eyes.
He could feel it, too. He wanted her to look at him. He wanted
to see those
green eyes. He placed his fingers under her chin, and gently lifted
it so that he
could look into those lovely eyes.
He could feel his heart slamming against his chest, and he
almost thought that
she could hear it, because she placed her hand on his chest.
She had never known that she could have that affect on a man.
The wonder of
it was all over her face.He knew that he was going to do it before he actually did. He
wanted to kiss her
desperately.
His fingers were still cradling her chin, so he lowered his head
and kissed her
lips lightly.
Electricity came into his mind. He thought of the numerous times
that he had
received a small shock from his various experiments. This is what he
felt like at this
moment. He wanted more of this feeling, so he deepened the kiss.
Suddenly, a bullet whizzed through and shattered the window that
they were
standing in front of. Out of instinct, Finch pushed her to the
floor. Eileen saw the
blood on his shoulder and screamed.
Finch sat with his shirt off on Katie's table. He definitely
refused to lie down on
the table; that would just be too creepy.
"It's just a scratch. That bullet barely grazed it." She said
as she cleaned it up.
Finch knew that it wasn't bad, but Eileen had insisted that he have
it looked at.
"So, you went there to question her, and someone took a shot at
you?" Stone
asked. Finch nodded. He grimaced. It might be just a scratch, but
it hurt like the
dickens.
Eileen sat there, and was unusually quiet. Finch looked at her
before he
continued. He told them all of what Eileen had told him.
Frannie was fretting over Eileen, as usual.
"Why would anyone try to shoot her?" Katie whispered to Finch.
Frannie heard her and asked Eileen, "Did you tell them that it
wasn't the firsttime someone tried to kill you?" Eileen shot her a look, and Finch
did the same.
"Someone tried to run me down in a carriage just as we were
leaving London."
The question on everyone's mind was, why?
Eileen and Finch were back in her rooms. She was packing.
"I have a plan to draw out the would-be killer." Finch explained
that they would
go out to a one of the miner's shacks on Milford's property in an
effort to keep her
safe. They would make a big show about leaving. There was no
telling who this
person was. Hopefully, this person would try again.
She was silent as she packed. He wondered what she was thinking.
He
broached another subject.
"I talked to Milford." Her eyes flew to him. The thought of him
consorting with
the enemy, angered her.
"He was surprised to learn that your father was Roger
Wellington, your name
being Eileen Lawson Wellington. He said that he had been sending
residuals to
you father's solicitor for years."
He didn't know how she was going to take this news. All of a
sudden she had
no place for her anger.
"I don't understand." She said finally.
"I think I do." Finch said softly.
She turned from him and began to pace the room. Finch could tell
that she
didn't want to believe that her father's solicitor, Roger
Westmorland, had been
stealing the money.
"Could it have been Westmorland who tried to kill you in London?"
She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. Yes, it waspossible, he read in her
eyes. She changed the subject.
"We were supposed to be married, you know." her voice was
faraway. He
wanted to hold her, but thought that it was not the time. He was
wrong. She
suddenly crouched down and began to cry.
"Everyone is gone. I have no one."
He went to her immediately and took her into his arms.
"I'm here, and I'm not going to leave you. I promise."
She wanted to believe him, but she didn't know who to trust
anymore.
Everyone she had ever loved and thought loved her had betrayed her.
Artist: Steven Curtis Chapman
Album: All About Love
Title: I Will Be Here
Lyrics: Tomorrow morning if you wake up
and the sun does not appear
I will be here
If in the dark, we lose sight of love
Hold my hand, and have no fear
'Cause I will be here
I will be here
When you feel like being quiet
When you need to speak your mind
I will listen And I will be here
When the laughter turns to cryin'
Through the winning, losing and trying
We'll be together I will be here
Tomorrow morning, if you wake up
And the future is unclear
I will be here
Just as sure as seasons were made for change
Our lifetimes were made for these years
So I will be hereI will be here
And you can cry on my shoulder
When the mirror tells us we're older
I will hold you And I will be here
To watch you grow in beauty
And tell you all the things you are to me
I will be here
I will be true to the promise
I have made To you
and to the One who gave you to me
Tomorrow morning, if you wake up
And the sun does not appear
I will be here
Oh, I will be here
http:songbook.manueladam.com
"They're going where?" Katie asked.
"They're going out to Milford's shack. Finch's trying to draw
out the killer."
Stone told her. Katie had never heard anything so foolish before in
her life.
"I think he just wants to be alone with her."
"What?" Tone asked.
"Nothing." Katie stifled a giggle.
Finch had no idea how Eileen would be in Milford's shack. After
all, they would
be roughing it, and she was an heiress. HE smiled as he pictured it.
Eileen carried her pack in. He noticed that she was walking
funny. They had
ridden out to the shack, so he concluded that she was saddle sore.
She brought the pack in and dropped it on the floor. Then, she
began bending
over and stretching the kinks out. Finch tried not to look too
closely at the tight
riding skirt and the outline of her bottom.He turned his back and began building a fire.
"So, how long do you think we'll have to stay out here?" she
asked nervously.
"I don't know. Hopefully the word will spread fairly quickly."
He said as the
fire blazed.
"Why don't you set up the bedrolls, and I'll fix dinner."
Eileen was happy for that arrangement because she knew nothing
about
cooking, let alone cook over an open fire.
She rolled out their bedrolls and then came over to sit in front
of the fire. He
came and sat next to her. The hissing and popping of the fire was
relaxing and
soothing.
He tried to ascertain his feelings for her. He found that he was
falling in love
with her, but she was so vulnerable right now. He didn't want to
take advantage of
her. But, he wanted her desperately.
"What are you thinking?" He was pulled from his reverie, and
could see that she
had been looking at him the entire time. She put her hand on his
cheek.
Finch found himself shaking. She was too close. He had to get
some air.
"I'm going to get some more firewood." Finch rose abruptly, and
left. Eileen
thought that she had done something wrong.
He stepped off of the stagecoach, and looked around the sleepy,
backwater
town. His sources had told him that the girl was here. They had even
tried to
eliminate her, but with no success. She was being protected by some
ex-Pinkerton
man. Leave it the whore to find a man so quickly, he thought withdisgust.
He had discovered where they were, and now he had to meet with
the man he
had hired to kill her.
They sat at the bar, and Westmorland was struck by how unclean
this man was.
He took out his handkerchief which was drenched in scent and shoved
it under his
nose.
"They're holed up at a mining shack about ten miles outside of
town."
Westmorland took this information in.
"I'll take care of this myself. Here is what I owe you."
Westmorland threw the sack of coins in front of the man, and
left.
The man looked around the bar before he also left. As he walked
down the
street, he saw the Widow Hadley, and the bag of coins to her.
"Thank you . . . Marshal?"
Stone held up a finger to his lips and whispered, "Shhhh."
Westmorland had no idea that the real man that he had hired was
in the jail. He
and Westmorland had never met because he was hired through a friend.
When Stone arrived back at the office, Chipper asked, "Marshal,
why didn't
you just arrest that man Westmorland?" Stone began removing the
soiled and
smelly clothes.
"We didn't have enough real proof that Westmorland was connected
at all. We
need to catch him in the act. As far as our friend there is
concerned, we have a
witness that places him firing a rifle from across the street into
Miss Lawson's hotel
room. Right now, we need to get up to that shack to help out Finch."
They gathered their gun belts and headed out the door.
Finch had come back inside with an armload of firewood. They
would need it
tonight.
He found that Eileen hadn't moved from her seat by the fire.
"This should last us the night." He said. Their attention was
drawn to the fact
that they would be spending the night alone in the shack. Eileen had
placed their
bedrolls very far apart on the floor. He began to dish out the food,
and in silence,
they ate.
When they were finished, Finch took their plates and began
scraping them out
with the sand that he found near the fire. Eileen began to make
herself comfortable
on her bedroll, and was soon fast asleep. He watched her sleep for a
while, and
then fell asleep himself.
The next morning, Finch made up the fire and put on a pot of
coffee. HE was
caught up in the sheer mundaneness of the task, and had almost
forgotten that
Eileen was there.
"Do you hate me?" He stopped and wondered why she would ask
such a
question. Then, he remembered how abruptly he had left the day
before to get the
firewood.
"I'm sorry, about yesterday. It wasn't you. It was I." She
looked at him, and
he knew that wasn't an adequate explanation.
"Things were moving too fast. I didn't know if I would be able
to control
myself." He still wasn't sure.
"Eileen, what do you plan on doing once this is over?"
She hadn't thought about what she would do. There really wasn'tanything for
her back in England. There wasn't anything for her anywhere . . .
except here.
"I don't know. I just want to start a new life."
A new life that didn't include him? He wondered.
"That's very noble, Miss Lawson, or should I call you Miss
Wellington."
They whipped around to find Westmorland standing there with a
gun pointed at
them. Finch instinctively stood in front of Eileen.
"This does not concern you, Mr. Ex-Pinkerton. Kindly step
aside." Finch
didn't move.
"Well, no matter. I will just kill you as well."
"I don't think so. Not today." Westmorland thought that Finch
was being
overly cocky for a man who had a gun pointed at him. Finch jerked his
head to
indicate a direction behind Westmorland. Westmorland could feel the
gun pressing
in his back.
"I wouldn't make a move if I were you." Stone's voice was steady
and clear.
Frannie was packing her mistress' things. They were leaving.
Eileen had
decided to move on to San Francisco as she had told everyone that she
would.
Finch didn't want her to go, but how could he ask her to stay?
Katie knew what he was feeling and came to his office to see if
she could cheer
him up.
He was looking out the window.
"What are you doing?" she asked, even though it was obvious.
"So, you're just going to let her go?" No, he wanted to shout.
He didn't want to
just let her go. He loved her.Katie watched the realization of that love play across his face.
"Ask her to stay, Finch."
"I can't ask her to stay. There's nothing for her here."
"You're here."
"Yes, but will that be enough?"
She took one more look on the town that she had come to love.
She needed to
be honest; it was Finch that she had come to love.
"Please don't go."
The tears began to flow before she could stop them.
She turned to see Finch standing there. He also had tears in his
eyes.
"I want you to stay." He clarified.
"What is there here for me?" she asked softly.
"I'm here." He answered.
When I wake up yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who wakes up next to you
When I go out yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who goes along with you
When I'm lonely well I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man whose lonely without you
When I'm dreaming well I know I'm gonna dream
I'm gonna dream about the time when I'm with you
But I would walk 500 miles
And I would walk 500 more
Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles
To fall down at your door
When I'm working yes I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's working hard for you
And when the money comes in for the work I'll do
I'll pass almost every penny on to youWhen I come home yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who comes back home to you
And if I grow old well I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's growing old with you
But I would walk 500 miles
And I would walk 500 more
Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles
To fall down at your door
When I'm dreaming well I know I'm gonna dream
Dream about the time when I'm with you
And when I wake up yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who wakes up next to you
And when I go out well I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who goes along with you
When I come home yes I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who comes back home to you
I'm gonna be the man who comes back home to you
But I would walk 500 miles
And I would walk 500 more
Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles
To fall down at your door
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Finch falls for a woman with a secret (so what else is new)
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, and therefore could not
derive any funds
from this story.
Beautiful.
She stepped off of the stagecoach, and into the sun. What
awaited her, she didn't expect. Her first reaction, was that it was very dirty and
dusty. The smell of horses and unwashed bodies hit her almost immediately. There were mostly men, as women and children were seldom part of this rough lifestyle. She did see a few women who were usually indistinguishable from the men. She sometimes had to look at the hair, and even that wouldn't give it away completely.
What an oddity she appeared to be, with her frills and ruffles.
The people stared. She couldn't blame them, really. She's just too clean, they
thought.
Almost immediately, heads turned. There was a certain novelty to new
people in town, but what mad this woman extra special was her beauty.
This was her first experience in the West. She was not a snob, but this
place was certainly different from any other place she had been.
Seeing her standing there, the stage master said, "Miss, there's a hotel just down the street a ways." she thanked him, and then she remembered.
"Sir, can I get someone to deliver my valises to the hotel?"
The stage master tipped his hat, and began taking the said
valises down from the stage.
The woman turned and spoke to another woman whom had climbed down
from the coach.
"Isn't this exciting, Frannie?" she asked the woman.
Frannie didn't appear to be happy to be there at all. She
grabbed her own bags and trudged along after the woman.
"I was not at all happy about coming to this God forsaken place,
so please don't expect me to be happy about being here now."
Eileen was used to Frannie's moods. She simply laughed it off.
"Don't worry, as soon as you have a nice hot bath you won't be complaining––much." She laughed.
The two women made their way toward the hotel oblivious to the
stares of the passers-by. One man in particularly stood stock still as he gazed at the beautiful woman. Larimer Finch had just come out of his office. He had been running some experiments all day, and his eyes were feeling the strain. Little did he know that they would be treated to such an exquisite treat.
He could see, clearly, that this woman was out of place, but it
wasn't just that had caught his attention. He would think on this later, and still be able to come up with what it was that made her so intriguing. She looked so lost and vulnerable, and yet, there was a sense of adventure in her eyes.
He wanted to go over and speak to her, but he could see that the Mayor had beat him to it. His Honor was now introducing himself and taking her
slim hand into his. Finch could not help but to feel a slight twinge of
jealously from this gesture. He was annoyed by it. Why should he feel any sort of jealousy where this woman was concerned? Why, he had not even been properly introduced to her.
He felt the twinge grow stronger as others came over to be introduced
to the woman. He turned and headed back into his office just missing the
moment that the woman gazed in his direction.
Once they were settled into their rooms, Frannie could tell that Eileen had something on her mind.
"All right, let's have it. What are you thinking?" Eileen had a
faraway look on her face.
"Did you see that man who was looking at me?" Frannie rolled
her eyes. It wasn't that her mistress was a silly-headed woman. She wasn't like this all of the time. It just seemed to be more nerve wracking because she wasn't like this all of the time.
"There were several men looking at you, Miss Eileen. I didn't
notice anyone in particular."
This seemed to annoy Eileen.
"He wasn't part of that crowd." She seemed to drift off as her
mind wandered back to Finch. She had to stay focused. There was a reason why she was here. She had a job to do. She took the letter from her reticule, and examined it once more. Anger burned in her lovely green eyes. Yes, she had a job to do.
Finch found that he could get nothing done. His mind kept
drifting back to the
woman he saw in town. Who was she? He had to find out.
He stood, grabbed his hat, and marched out of the office. He
went straight to
Kate's. Kate, who was right in the middle of preparing Old Mule
Simmons for
burial, looked up when Finch walked into her office.
"Hey Finch, whatcha know good?" she saw the look of utter
confusion on his
face, and smiled.
"What's going on?" she translated.
He took a breath, and went for it.
"I was hoping you could help me . . ." he started.
Thinking that it concerned a case, Kate dried her hands on an
old rag and came
over to where he stood.
"Did you hear about the woman that arrived in town today?" she
had heard
some commotion in the street that morning.
"I'm trying to find out who she is." He said matter-of-factly.
Kate stifled a
giggle.
"Why don't you just go up and introduce yourself?"
Men!
Finch became nervous.
"I couldn't do that. It wouldn't be proper. After all, she's a
real . . ." He broke
off, his eyes traveling up and down the filthy smock that Kate wore.
Kate knew
exactly what he was thinking, and began to get angry.
"What makes this woman any different from the women here?"
Finch tried desperately to dig himself out of the hole that he
found himself in.
"What I mean to say is that, she is used to finer things . . ."This line of thinking
was not persuading Kate.
"Oh Bloody Hell! She's just different. I don't know why."
Kate paused.
"Would you like for me to find out who she is and introduce you
to her?" He
didn't say; his eyes conveyed everything.
"Frannie, I've got to put my plan into effect." Frannie felt
that this whole plan
was a bad idea.
"I have to find Leonard Milford. The Mayor is having what he
calls a Soiree to
introduce me to prominent people here in Silver City. I'm bound to
be introduced
to Milford."
Frannie rolled her eyes again. She didn't know why this
beautiful, now rich,
young woman was bound and determined to ruin her life.
"And what do you plan on doing once you find Mr. Milford?"
Eileen was ashamed to admit that she didn't know how to proceed
in her plan.
She, again, looked at the agreement between her father and Mr.
Milford. Tears
sprang up in her eyes as she thought about her beloved father who
committed
suicide a few months earlier.
Frannie placed a loving hand on her shoulder. They had
practically been raised
together. Frannie's mother had been the Lawson's family maid until
her death two
years earlier. Frannie had become Eileen's personal maid when Eileen
was fifteen,
but they were more friends than anything else.
That moment, there was a knock on the door. Frannie went to
answer it. Eileen
could hear hushed voices in the doorway. It was probably someoneelse wanting
to meet her. She couldn't for the life of her understand why she was
such an oddity
to these people. Oh well, she thought, as she patted her hair self
consciously. She
was surprised to see a young woman being escorted into the sitting
room by
Frannie.
"Miss Eileen, this is Katie Owen. She's the Mortician here in
town." Eileen's
look of surprise escalated to something akin to shock. Why would the
Mortician
want to see her? She shook hands with Katie, however, and indicated a
chair for
her to sit down.
"Frannie, would you see what can be done about getting us some
tea?" Frannie
nodded and curtsied, something that she only did when Eileen had
guests.
"Please, sit down. How can I help you?" Eileen was reminded of
how much
she sounded like her mother, or her horrible Aunt Elizabeth.
"Several of us . . . um . . . were just curious . . . you
know, about where
you're from, and who you are." God, she couldn't believe that she was
doing this
for Finch.
Sensing her apparent discomfort, Eileen tried to change the
subject.
"I don't know that I'll need the services of a Mortician any
time soon." She
joked. The smile faded from her face as she realized how close to
home her
statement was.
"I just wanted to welcome you to Silver City, Miss . . ."
,
"Lawson. Eileen Lawson." She could hear Frannie cough loudlyin the
background.
"I'm from . . .the East. I'm passing through on my way to San
Francisco."
she lied. Kate took this information in carefully. She wanted to be
able to relate
every detail back to Finch. Lord knows she didn't want to have to
come back and
talk to this woman again.
Noticing the lapse in conversation, Eileen continued.
"I just love your town. We don't have anything like this back
East."
Why did she keep saying that? It was very obvious that this
woman was from
England. She had the same sort of accent that Finch had, although
she was
desperately trying to hide it.
"Well, I'd better head back to the shop. Got a dead body on the
table and all."
Kate saw the look of disgust on the woman's face and was glad
that her words
had hit their mark.
"It was very nice of you to come and call. I find it very
difficult, at times, to
make the acquaintance of females." She smiled sweetly, and Frannie
sounded as if
she had pneumonia.
Kate shook her hand and left as quickly as possible. She was
going to kill
Finch.
"I'm telling you, Finch, she's not what you think she is. She
sounds like a high-
priced whore." she realized that her words were harsh, but after the
incident with
that Miranda woman, she didn't want to see him make a fool out of
himself.Finch remained silent; Kate couldn't tell if he were angry, or
what.
"She said that she's from the East, but she sounds like you."
The soiree, as everyone was calling it, was taking place at the
hotel that evening.
Eileen had bought sturdier clothes for her trip West, but wasn't
ready to put them
on just yet. She had told Frannie to ready her yellow, silk dress
for the festivities.
Frannie did as she was told, but not without some reprimand.
"Miss Eileen, I know you don't want me to say a word, but I
can't just stand
by and watch you do this."
Eileen continued fussing with her hair as if she hadn't heard a
word Frannie had
said.
"Have you decided what you're going to do yet?" she asked Eileen
stopped her
fussing and turned to speak to Frannie.
"This Milford man will, most likely, be at this soiree. I'll
meet him, and work
my wiles." She didn't have a plan after that.
"T'is a dangerous thing you're flirting with, Miss. These men
are different.
They're not gentlemen. You're playing with fire, and likely to get
burnt."
Eileen usually poo-pooed Frannie's old Irish wisdom, but she was
a little
worried, even if she wouldn't admit it to herself.
The drawing room at the hotel was the perfect to hold the
soiree. Everyone in
Silver City seemed to be there. Dressed in their finery, such as it
was, they now sat
or stood around, none of them quite sure what one did at a soiree.
She made her entrance down the staircase with Frannie on herheels. There was
no way Frannie was going to let her do this alone.
Eileen hated such displays, but it would serve her purposes.
She surveyed the
room, and her eyes fell on the man she had seen the day before. His
penetrating
eyes seemed to cut right through the crowd, to her. She felt herself
blush slightly,
which only added to her charm.
Finch literally felt his heart stop as she descended the
staircase. Her dark hair
was wound and piled in some intricate style. Her skin was like
porcelain, and her
green eyes blazed with the reflections of hundreds of candles. Even
though they
had recently received gas lights, candles seemed more intimate and
romantic.
Beautiful was far too inadequate a word to describe her.
As her feet touched the floor of the room, she was bombarded by
people who
came forward to be introduced.
Marshal Stone stood at the bar near Finch, knocking back a
whiskey.
"So, what do you think of all of this, Finch?"
Finch was surprised that he even heard Stone when he spoke.
"She is beautiful." He said finally, trying to sound as
uninterested as possible.
"Yeah, I suppose. Why do you think everybody's getting so worked
up about
her?"
Finch knew why he was getting worked up; he thought that the men
in town
were using the same reason.
"Something new, that's all." He replied as if he didn't care.
Truth be told, he
was dying to rush over there and introduce himself. To the Devil
with propriety!But, he didn't want to look like the others who were drooling
over her.
She was watching him, willing him to come to her and say hello.
No, I have to
stay focused, she thought. She looked around the room.
"I'm looking for a Leonard Milford. Has anyone seen him here
tonight?" she
was saying to someone.
"What do you want Milford for?" a voice said. Eileen looked up
to see Finch
standing there. She was flustered. She had just meant to drop the
name and hope
that someone would remember and steer Milford in her direction.
But now, she was on the spot.
"Nothing in particular. I was told that he was very . . .
generous." She batted
her eyelashes at Finch. She was acting again, he noticed. But why?
They stared at one another. It was a challenge, he realized.
He blinked first.
"Miss Lawson, I hear you've been looking for me." It was
Leonard Milford.
Finch was forgotten, for now.
Eileen extended her hand, and Milford took it and kissed her
fingertips lightly.
Finch couldn't help but be jealous. In fact, he was seething. He
turned on his heel
and walked away. Eileen noticed him leaving. Must stay focused, she
thought,
must stay focused.
"May I ask how you know about me?" Milford asked casually.
"Oh, around. Your name was mentioned as someone who could be
very helpful
if one ever went to Silver City." It sounded plausible. She
wouldn't have to
actually mention anyone that he might know. He accepted this
explanation.
They continued talking as Finch headed to the bar. He ordered abottle of
whiskey and one glass. Stone, who was still there, noticed slightly.
"What are you upset about?" he asked.
Finch was slightly annoyed that his anger was showing. He tried
to rein in his
feelings.
He looked up when he heard her laughter. It sounded like music.
Eileen looked
up and her eyes connected with his. She took a sip of her wine,
peering over the
glass at him. She laughed again. She was performing, for him.
The entire scene was not lost on Frannie. She could see the
exchanged glances
between Miss Eileen and a very handsome man. She was sure that he
must be the
man that Eileen had mentioned the day before.
She wished that her mistress would give up this whole scheme
thing, and just
settle down and get married. She had an offer. That nice Mr.
Westmorland had
wanted to marry her, but she had turned him down flat. Yes, he was a
lot older, but
he would have protected her, especially after what her thieving Aunt
and Uncle had
tried to do. She had been through so much in her young life. She
needed to settle
down with a good man.
Come On Eileen
( Dexys Midnight Runners )
(Come on Eileen!)
(Come on Eileen!)
Poor old Johnny Ray
Sounded sad upon the radio
He moved a million hearts in monoOur mothers cried and sang along and who'd blame them?
Now you're grown, so grown, now I must say more than ever
Go toora loora toora loo rye aye
And we can sing just like our fathers ....
Come on Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)
At this moment, you mean everything
With you in that dress, my thoughts I confess
Verge on dirty ......
Ah, come on Eileen!
(Come on Eileen!)
(Come on Eileen!)
These people round here wear beaten down eyes
Sunk in smoke dried faces
They're so resigned to what their fate is
But not us, no not us
We are far too young and clever
Go toora loora toora loo rye aye
Eileen, I'll sing this tune forever
Come on, Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)
Ah come on, let's take off everything
That pretty red dress .... Eileen (tell him yes)
Ah, come on! Come on Eileen!!!
Come on Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)
At this moment, you mean everything
Come on, Eileen, taloora aye
Come on, Eileen, taloora aye
Come on, Eileen, taloora aye
Come on, Eileen, taloora aye
Come on, Eileen, taloora aye
Come on, Eileen, taloora aye
Go toora loora toora loo rye aye
Come on Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)
At this moment, you mean everything
With you in that dress, my thoughts I confess
Verge on dirty ......
Ah, come on Eileen!
Come on, Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)
Ah come on, let's take off everything
That pretty red dress .... Eileen (tell him yes)
Ah, come on! Come on Eileen!!!
Come on Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)
At this moment, you mean everything
Come on Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)
At this moment, you mean everything
Finch remained silent a moment longer. Then, he said, "I want
to see her for
myself." Kate could see his jaw clench and unclench which was
something that
Kate had noticed when he became very serious.
"Well, I hear that the Mayor is throwing a Shindig for her
tomorrow. That'll be
your chance to meet her."
Finch remained silent as Kate left.
He didn't know what to think. This latest information didn't
jive with what he
had seen earlier. He was convinced that it was an act for Kate, but
why? This
woman was becoming more and more a mystery to him.
Artist: Steven Curtis ChapmanAlbum: All About Love
Title: Holding a Mystery
Lyrics:
I know that look on your face
I know the secrets you tell
You're every mood I can trace
I guess I could say I know you well
But how can I say I know you well
Cause when I look in your eyes
I see a million miles across an endless sea
I wanna sail the waves and make the great discovery
And when I hold you in my arms
The beating of your heart
is calling out to me
I'm holding a mystery
How many songs will be sung?
How many words will be said?
How many stories of love
Lie deep within you
Waiting to be read
And I want your story to be read
Cause when I look in your eyes
I see a million miles across an endless sea
I wanna sail the waves and make the great discovery
And when I hold you in my arms
The beating of your heart
is calling out to me
I'm holding a mystery
The beating of your heart
Is calling out to me
Only a God
of endless wisdom, love and mercy
Could have created such a wonder as you
I hear the beating of your heart
calling out to me
I'm holding a mystery
http:songbook.manueladam.com
The soiree, as everyone was calling it, was taking place at the
hotel that evening.
Eileen had bought sturdier clothes for her trip West, but wasn't
ready to put them
on just yet. She had told Frannie to ready her yellow, silk dress
for the festivities.
Frannie did as she was told, but not without some reprimand.
"Miss Eileen, I know you don't want me to say a word, but I
can't just stand
by and watch you do this."
Eileen continued fussing with her hair as if she hadn't heard a
word Frannie had
said.
"Have you decided what you're going to do yet?" she asked Eileen
stopped her
fussing and turned to speak to Frannie.
"This Milford man will, most likely, be at this soiree. I'll
meet him, and work
my wiles." She didn't have a plan after that.
"T'is a dangerous thing you're flirting with, Miss. These men
are different.
They're not gentlemen. You're playing with fire, and likely to get
burnt."
Eileen usually poo-pooed Frannie's old Irish wisdom, but she was
a little
worried, even if she wouldn't admit it to herself.
The drawing room at the hotel was the perfect to hold the
soiree. Everyone in
Silver City seemed to be there. Dressed in their finery, such as it
was, they now sat
or stood around, none of them quite sure what one did at a soiree.
She made her entrance down the staircase with Frannie on herheels. There was
no way Frannie was going to let her do this alone.
Eileen hated such displays, but it would serve her purposes.
She surveyed the
room, and her eyes fell on the man she had seen the day before. His
penetrating
eyes seemed to cut right through the crowd, to her. She felt herself
blush slightly,
which only added to her charm.
Finch literally felt his heart stop as she descended the
staircase. Her dark hair
was wound and piled in some intricate style. Her skin was like
porcelain, and her
green eyes blazed with the reflections of hundreds of candles. Even
though they
had recently received gas lights, candles seemed more intimate and
romantic.
Beautiful was far too inadequate a word to describe her.
As her feet touched the floor of the room, she was bombarded by
people who
came forward to be introduced.
Marshal Stone stood at the bar near Finch, knocking back a
whiskey.
"So, what do you think of all of this, Finch?"
Finch was surprised that he even heard Stone when he spoke.
"She is beautiful." He said finally, trying to sound as
uninterested as possible.
"Yeah, I suppose. Why do you think everybody's getting so worked
up about
her?"
Finch knew why he was getting worked up; he thought that the men
in town
were using the same reason.
"Something new, that's all." He replied as if he didn't care.
Truth be told, he
was dying to rush over there and introduce himself. To the Devil
with propriety!But, he didn't want to look like the others who were drooling
over her.
She was watching him, willing him to come to her and say hello.
No, I have to
stay focused, she thought. She looked around the room.
"I'm looking for a Leonard Milford. Has anyone seen him here
tonight?" she
was saying to someone.
"What do you want Milford for?" a voice said. Eileen looked up
to see Finch
standing there. She was flustered. She had just meant to drop the
name and hope
that someone would remember and steer Milford in her direction.
But now, she was on the spot.
"Nothing in particular. I was told that he was very . . .
generous." She batted
her eyelashes at Finch. She was acting again, he noticed. But why?
They stared at one another. It was a challenge, he realized.
He blinked first.
"Miss Lawson, I hear you've been looking for me." It was
Leonard Milford.
Finch was forgotten, for now.
Eileen extended her hand, and Milford took it and kissed her
fingertips lightly.
Finch couldn't help but be jealous. In fact, he was seething. He
turned on his heel
and walked away. Eileen noticed him leaving. Must stay focused, she
thought,
must stay focused.
"May I ask how you know about me?" Milford asked casually.
"Oh, around. Your name was mentioned as someone who could be
very helpful
if one ever went to Silver City." It sounded plausible. She
wouldn't have to
actually mention anyone that he might know. He accepted this
explanation.
They continued talking as Finch headed to the bar. He ordered abottle of
whiskey and one glass. Stone, who was still there, noticed slightly.
"What are you upset about?" he asked.
Finch was slightly annoyed that his anger was showing. He tried
to rein in his
feelings.
He looked up when he heard her laughter. It sounded like music.
Eileen looked
up and her eyes connected with his. She took a sip of her wine,
peering over the
glass at him. She laughed again. She was performing, for him.
The entire scene was not lost on Frannie. She could see the
exchanged glances
between Miss Eileen and a very handsome man. She was sure that he
must be the
man that Eileen had mentioned the day before.
She wished that her mistress would give up this whole scheme
thing, and just
settle down and get married. She had an offer. That nice Mr.
Westmorland had
wanted to marry her, but she had turned him down flat. Yes, he was a
lot older, but
he would have protected her, especially after what her thieving Aunt
and Uncle had
tried to do. She had been through so much in her young life. She
needed to settle
down with a good man.
Come On Eileen
( Dexys Midnight Runners )
(Come on Eileen!)
(Come on Eileen!)
Poor old Johnny Ray
Sounded sad upon the radio
He moved a million hearts in monoOur mothers cried and sang along and who'd blame them?
Now you're grown, so grown, now I must say more than ever
Go toora loora toora loo rye aye
And we can sing just like our fathers ....
Come on Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)
At this moment, you mean everything
With you in that dress, my thoughts I confess
Verge on dirty ......
Ah, come on Eileen!
(Come on Eileen!)
(Come on Eileen!)
These people round here wear beaten down eyes
Sunk in smoke dried faces
They're so resigned to what their fate is
But not us, no not us
We are far too young and clever
Go toora loora toora loo rye aye
Eileen, I'll sing this tune forever
Come on, Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)
Ah come on, let's take off everything
That pretty red dress .... Eileen (tell him yes)
Ah, come on! Come on Eileen!!!
Come on Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)
At this moment, you mean everything
Come on, Eileen, taloora aye
Come on, Eileen, taloora aye
Come on, Eileen, taloora aye
Come on, Eileen, taloora aye
Come on, Eileen, taloora aye
Come on, Eileen, taloora aye
Go toora loora toora loo rye aye
Come on Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)
At this moment, you mean everything
With you in that dress, my thoughts I confess
Verge on dirty ......
Ah, come on Eileen!
Come on, Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)
Ah come on, let's take off everything
That pretty red dress .... Eileen (tell him yes)
Ah, come on! Come on Eileen!!!
Come on Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)
At this moment, you mean everything
Come on Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)
At this moment, you mean everything
She had him. She had him right where she wanted him, except she
didn't know
what to do now. She wanted to ruin him for what he had done to her
father.
Even now, she couldn't quite bring herself to do what needed to
be done. She
agonized over it.
"Oh, Father, what am I to do?" She said aloud.
Frannie heard her mistress, and approached. Eileen wiped away
her tears and
continued in business-like fashion.
"Have you found out anything about our Mr. Milford?" She
asked. Because
Frannie was a servant, people felt that they could speak freely in
front of her.
"He is very rich. He owns a stake in a mine." Frannie had
picked up the
vernacular of the region. But, this wasn't anything new to Eileen."They use dynamite to for those mines, do they not?" Eileen
asked as she
thought aloud.
"I suppose so, Miss. What on earth are you getting at?" A slow
smile spread
across Eileen's face.
"What if there were to be an accident with the dynamite?" she
asked
rhetorically. Frannie could not hide the look of horror on her face.
"Oh no Miss, surely you don't plan on killing him." Could it be
that she didn't
know Eileen as well as she thought she did?
"Of course I'm not going to kill him. That would let him off
too easily. I want
him to suffer."
The dark figure scampered through the night. There was no one in
sight. Even
the saloon had cleared out. The clouds covered the moon, so that the
figure was
not easily seen. The figure paused outside of a warehouse. Once
inside, the terrain
was surveyed carefully. The flame flickered into existence. Intense
green eyes
stared into it. Suddenly, she couldn't do it. No matter how much she
hated
Milford, she couldn't go through with it, it wasn't right.
Beautiful Dreamer, wake unto me,
Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee;
Sounds of the rude world heard in the day,
Lulled by the moonlight have all passed away.
Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me!
2. Beautiful dreamer, queen of my song,
List while I woo thee with soft melody;
Gone are the cares of life's busy throng,
Beautiful dreamer awake unto me!Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
3. Beautiful dreamer, out on the sea,
Mermaids are chaunting the wild lorelei;
Over the streamlet vapors are borne,
Waiting to fade at the bright coming morn.
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
4. Beautiful dreamer, beam of my heart,
E'en as the morn on the streamlet and sea;
Then will the clouds of sorrow depart,
Beautiful dreamer awake unto me!
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto
Finch couldn't sleep. He kept picturing her body every time he
closed his eyes.
Damn! Before he could think any more about it, a loud explosion
rocked the town.
The match had burned too closely to her fingers, and she dropped
it. The fire
quickly caught before she could stop it.
"Oh, my!" she tried to put it out, but it was no use. She
hurried out of the
building just before it exploded.
She hurried through the darkened streets which were now
beginning to fill with
sleepy people. She didn't realize that someone saw her as she climbed
the ladder to
the roof and entered the window of the hotel.
"We found the match that, most likely, was used to start the
fire in Milford's
warehouse, but it was too burned to get any prints from it." Finch
was saying to
Stone and Katie. They all figured that they would never find out who
really started
the fire.
"Marshal . . ." it was Chipper.
"I saw something last night you might be interested in."Chipper went on to tell them how he had seen someone run from
Milford's
warehouse after the explosion. This person had climbed into the
hotel, and he was
almost certain that it was that Lawson woman.
They all just looked at him, at first.
"How can you be so sure that it was she that you saw?" Finch
asked.
"I'm sure it was her, sir." They knew that he was sure.
Finch went over to the hotel to question Miss Lawson himself.
He knocked on
the door, and Frannie opened it.
She was very surprised to see the handsome man standing before
her.
"Ahh, it's about time that you came to see her." She said.
"Excuse me?" he asked.
"Never mind. Come on in."
Finch entered Eileen's sitting room and there she was. He was
stunned by her
beauty.
"I need to ask you some questions about the explosion last
night."
He saw a flicker of fear cross her face, and then the facade was
back.
"What would I know about the explosion?" Again she challenged
him with her
eyes.
"Do you mind if I have a look around? It's in the interest of
justice."
She was caught. She had no doubt in this man's abilities, and if
she refused to
let him search, it would make her look guilty anyway." She nodded.
Finch went straight to her closet. It didn't take him long to
find the very dress
that she was wearing the night before.
"This dress has soot on it, and it smells of smoke. Can you
explain that?" Shecould not.
"Frannie, can you leave us alone, please?" Frannie was reluctant
to leave, but
she did.
"I didn't mean to do it. It was an accident." She could tell
that he was having
trouble believing her.
"You have to tell me everything. Don't leave anything out."
He went over and sat down.
"I'm really from England."
Finch had a look on his face that said, tell me something I
don't know.
"My father died a few months ago. They said that he had
committed suicide. I
had to go and live with my Aunt and Uncle who treated me like dirt.
Then, I found
out that my father had been left some money by his friend Sir Henry
Collingswood.
Dad didn't know about it before he died. After I became an heiress,
my Aunt and
Uncle tried to get the money. I only wanted to do one thing with the
money."
Eileen saw that Finch was not following her story. She stood
and began to
pace.
"My father had invested some money in the Milford mine. He
thought that the
mine. He thought that the mine had gone under, and he lost all of
his money, all of
it. Aunt Elizabeth had a party, and there was a man there who had
known Milford.
He said that the mine was very profitable. My father never received
any money
from it."
He sensed her anger, and he couldn't blame her.
"I went over to my father's solicitor, Roger Westmorland, andtold him of my
plans of coming to America and finding Milford. I wanted to ruin
him."
Finch realized that she was actually confessing to the crime.
She could see what
he was thinking.
"I went there to start the fire, but, in the end, I couldn't do
it. But, I dropped the
match. That's what started the fire." Even she didn't believe
herself. She would
hate to know what he was thinking now.
He watched her face. Her story sounded far-fetched, but he could
tell that she
was telling the truth. It had been a horrible accident. Fortunately,
no one had gotten
hurt.
"I am willing to pay for any damage." She said.
"Well, I'm sure that would make Milford happy." He said
sarcastically. He
stood and went over to where she was standing. He was standing too
closely now.
She could feel his breath on her face. She had been looking down.
She knew that
all she had to do was raise her head slightly, and she would be
looking into those
intense eyes.
He could feel it, too. He wanted her to look at him. He wanted
to see those
green eyes. He placed his fingers under her chin, and gently lifted
it so that he
could look into those lovely eyes.
He could feel his heart slamming against his chest, and he
almost thought that
she could hear it, because she placed her hand on his chest.
She had never known that she could have that affect on a man.
The wonder of
it was all over her face.He knew that he was going to do it before he actually did. He
wanted to kiss her
desperately.
His fingers were still cradling her chin, so he lowered his head
and kissed her
lips lightly.
Electricity came into his mind. He thought of the numerous times
that he had
received a small shock from his various experiments. This is what he
felt like at this
moment. He wanted more of this feeling, so he deepened the kiss.
Suddenly, a bullet whizzed through and shattered the window that
they were
standing in front of. Out of instinct, Finch pushed her to the
floor. Eileen saw the
blood on his shoulder and screamed.
Finch sat with his shirt off on Katie's table. He definitely
refused to lie down on
the table; that would just be too creepy.
"It's just a scratch. That bullet barely grazed it." She said
as she cleaned it up.
Finch knew that it wasn't bad, but Eileen had insisted that he have
it looked at.
"So, you went there to question her, and someone took a shot at
you?" Stone
asked. Finch nodded. He grimaced. It might be just a scratch, but
it hurt like the
dickens.
Eileen sat there, and was unusually quiet. Finch looked at her
before he
continued. He told them all of what Eileen had told him.
Frannie was fretting over Eileen, as usual.
"Why would anyone try to shoot her?" Katie whispered to Finch.
Frannie heard her and asked Eileen, "Did you tell them that it
wasn't the firsttime someone tried to kill you?" Eileen shot her a look, and Finch
did the same.
"Someone tried to run me down in a carriage just as we were
leaving London."
The question on everyone's mind was, why?
Eileen and Finch were back in her rooms. She was packing.
"I have a plan to draw out the would-be killer." Finch explained
that they would
go out to a one of the miner's shacks on Milford's property in an
effort to keep her
safe. They would make a big show about leaving. There was no
telling who this
person was. Hopefully, this person would try again.
She was silent as she packed. He wondered what she was thinking.
He
broached another subject.
"I talked to Milford." Her eyes flew to him. The thought of him
consorting with
the enemy, angered her.
"He was surprised to learn that your father was Roger
Wellington, your name
being Eileen Lawson Wellington. He said that he had been sending
residuals to
you father's solicitor for years."
He didn't know how she was going to take this news. All of a
sudden she had
no place for her anger.
"I don't understand." She said finally.
"I think I do." Finch said softly.
She turned from him and began to pace the room. Finch could tell
that she
didn't want to believe that her father's solicitor, Roger
Westmorland, had been
stealing the money.
"Could it have been Westmorland who tried to kill you in London?"
She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. Yes, it waspossible, he read in her
eyes. She changed the subject.
"We were supposed to be married, you know." her voice was
faraway. He
wanted to hold her, but thought that it was not the time. He was
wrong. She
suddenly crouched down and began to cry.
"Everyone is gone. I have no one."
He went to her immediately and took her into his arms.
"I'm here, and I'm not going to leave you. I promise."
She wanted to believe him, but she didn't know who to trust
anymore.
Everyone she had ever loved and thought loved her had betrayed her.
Artist: Steven Curtis Chapman
Album: All About Love
Title: I Will Be Here
Lyrics: Tomorrow morning if you wake up
and the sun does not appear
I will be here
If in the dark, we lose sight of love
Hold my hand, and have no fear
'Cause I will be here
I will be here
When you feel like being quiet
When you need to speak your mind
I will listen And I will be here
When the laughter turns to cryin'
Through the winning, losing and trying
We'll be together I will be here
Tomorrow morning, if you wake up
And the future is unclear
I will be here
Just as sure as seasons were made for change
Our lifetimes were made for these years
So I will be hereI will be here
And you can cry on my shoulder
When the mirror tells us we're older
I will hold you And I will be here
To watch you grow in beauty
And tell you all the things you are to me
I will be here
I will be true to the promise
I have made To you
and to the One who gave you to me
Tomorrow morning, if you wake up
And the sun does not appear
I will be here
Oh, I will be here
http:songbook.manueladam.com
"They're going where?" Katie asked.
"They're going out to Milford's shack. Finch's trying to draw
out the killer."
Stone told her. Katie had never heard anything so foolish before in
her life.
"I think he just wants to be alone with her."
"What?" Tone asked.
"Nothing." Katie stifled a giggle.
Finch had no idea how Eileen would be in Milford's shack. After
all, they would
be roughing it, and she was an heiress. HE smiled as he pictured it.
Eileen carried her pack in. He noticed that she was walking
funny. They had
ridden out to the shack, so he concluded that she was saddle sore.
She brought the pack in and dropped it on the floor. Then, she
began bending
over and stretching the kinks out. Finch tried not to look too
closely at the tight
riding skirt and the outline of her bottom.He turned his back and began building a fire.
"So, how long do you think we'll have to stay out here?" she
asked nervously.
"I don't know. Hopefully the word will spread fairly quickly."
He said as the
fire blazed.
"Why don't you set up the bedrolls, and I'll fix dinner."
Eileen was happy for that arrangement because she knew nothing
about
cooking, let alone cook over an open fire.
She rolled out their bedrolls and then came over to sit in front
of the fire. He
came and sat next to her. The hissing and popping of the fire was
relaxing and
soothing.
He tried to ascertain his feelings for her. He found that he was
falling in love
with her, but she was so vulnerable right now. He didn't want to
take advantage of
her. But, he wanted her desperately.
"What are you thinking?" He was pulled from his reverie, and
could see that she
had been looking at him the entire time. She put her hand on his
cheek.
Finch found himself shaking. She was too close. He had to get
some air.
"I'm going to get some more firewood." Finch rose abruptly, and
left. Eileen
thought that she had done something wrong.
He stepped off of the stagecoach, and looked around the sleepy,
backwater
town. His sources had told him that the girl was here. They had even
tried to
eliminate her, but with no success. She was being protected by some
ex-Pinkerton
man. Leave it the whore to find a man so quickly, he thought withdisgust.
He had discovered where they were, and now he had to meet with
the man he
had hired to kill her.
They sat at the bar, and Westmorland was struck by how unclean
this man was.
He took out his handkerchief which was drenched in scent and shoved
it under his
nose.
"They're holed up at a mining shack about ten miles outside of
town."
Westmorland took this information in.
"I'll take care of this myself. Here is what I owe you."
Westmorland threw the sack of coins in front of the man, and
left.
The man looked around the bar before he also left. As he walked
down the
street, he saw the Widow Hadley, and the bag of coins to her.
"Thank you . . . Marshal?"
Stone held up a finger to his lips and whispered, "Shhhh."
Westmorland had no idea that the real man that he had hired was
in the jail. He
and Westmorland had never met because he was hired through a friend.
When Stone arrived back at the office, Chipper asked, "Marshal,
why didn't
you just arrest that man Westmorland?" Stone began removing the
soiled and
smelly clothes.
"We didn't have enough real proof that Westmorland was connected
at all. We
need to catch him in the act. As far as our friend there is
concerned, we have a
witness that places him firing a rifle from across the street into
Miss Lawson's hotel
room. Right now, we need to get up to that shack to help out Finch."
They gathered their gun belts and headed out the door.
Finch had come back inside with an armload of firewood. They
would need it
tonight.
He found that Eileen hadn't moved from her seat by the fire.
"This should last us the night." He said. Their attention was
drawn to the fact
that they would be spending the night alone in the shack. Eileen had
placed their
bedrolls very far apart on the floor. He began to dish out the food,
and in silence,
they ate.
When they were finished, Finch took their plates and began
scraping them out
with the sand that he found near the fire. Eileen began to make
herself comfortable
on her bedroll, and was soon fast asleep. He watched her sleep for a
while, and
then fell asleep himself.
The next morning, Finch made up the fire and put on a pot of
coffee. HE was
caught up in the sheer mundaneness of the task, and had almost
forgotten that
Eileen was there.
"Do you hate me?" He stopped and wondered why she would ask
such a
question. Then, he remembered how abruptly he had left the day
before to get the
firewood.
"I'm sorry, about yesterday. It wasn't you. It was I." She
looked at him, and
he knew that wasn't an adequate explanation.
"Things were moving too fast. I didn't know if I would be able
to control
myself." He still wasn't sure.
"Eileen, what do you plan on doing once this is over?"
She hadn't thought about what she would do. There really wasn'tanything for
her back in England. There wasn't anything for her anywhere . . .
except here.
"I don't know. I just want to start a new life."
A new life that didn't include him? He wondered.
"That's very noble, Miss Lawson, or should I call you Miss
Wellington."
They whipped around to find Westmorland standing there with a
gun pointed at
them. Finch instinctively stood in front of Eileen.
"This does not concern you, Mr. Ex-Pinkerton. Kindly step
aside." Finch
didn't move.
"Well, no matter. I will just kill you as well."
"I don't think so. Not today." Westmorland thought that Finch
was being
overly cocky for a man who had a gun pointed at him. Finch jerked his
head to
indicate a direction behind Westmorland. Westmorland could feel the
gun pressing
in his back.
"I wouldn't make a move if I were you." Stone's voice was steady
and clear.
Frannie was packing her mistress' things. They were leaving.
Eileen had
decided to move on to San Francisco as she had told everyone that she
would.
Finch didn't want her to go, but how could he ask her to stay?
Katie knew what he was feeling and came to his office to see if
she could cheer
him up.
He was looking out the window.
"What are you doing?" she asked, even though it was obvious.
"So, you're just going to let her go?" No, he wanted to shout.
He didn't want to
just let her go. He loved her.Katie watched the realization of that love play across his face.
"Ask her to stay, Finch."
"I can't ask her to stay. There's nothing for her here."
"You're here."
"Yes, but will that be enough?"
She took one more look on the town that she had come to love.
She needed to
be honest; it was Finch that she had come to love.
"Please don't go."
The tears began to flow before she could stop them.
She turned to see Finch standing there. He also had tears in his
eyes.
"I want you to stay." He clarified.
"What is there here for me?" she asked softly.
"I'm here." He answered.
When I wake up yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who wakes up next to you
When I go out yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who goes along with you
When I'm lonely well I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man whose lonely without you
When I'm dreaming well I know I'm gonna dream
I'm gonna dream about the time when I'm with you
But I would walk 500 miles
And I would walk 500 more
Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles
To fall down at your door
When I'm working yes I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's working hard for you
And when the money comes in for the work I'll do
I'll pass almost every penny on to youWhen I come home yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who comes back home to you
And if I grow old well I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's growing old with you
But I would walk 500 miles
And I would walk 500 more
Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles
To fall down at your door
When I'm dreaming well I know I'm gonna dream
Dream about the time when I'm with you
And when I wake up yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who wakes up next to you
And when I go out well I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who goes along with you
When I come home yes I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who comes back home to you
I'm gonna be the man who comes back home to you
But I would walk 500 miles
And I would walk 500 more
Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles
To fall down at your door