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Chapter Twenty-eight

Alice walked alone, enjoying the setting sun, knowing that she should be at the house with the rest of the family preparing for dinner; but she just wasn't in the mind-set to put up a façade tonight –acting as if everything would work out. So she decided to take a stroll to clear her head, wanting for once to enjoy the evening air without thoughts of her father's trial. Alice continued her walk, quiet and relaxed, contemplating if she should pay Marita a call; she'd love for them to have one of their talks where they'd sit on her porch and gossip about nothing. However, Alice abandoned that thought when she remembered Marita mentioning having a planned outing with John Wesley that night. She'd been having a lot of those lately. Alice smiled to herself; their courtship must be serious. She logically deduced. After all, he had come all the way from Toronto to visit. She noted. What a nice bit of news it would be if he and Marita announced they planned to wed. She happily dreamed. She could help Marita pick out a dress, design the flower arrangements, select a location. It would certainly be a welcomed distraction from her father's trial and the doom and gloom that seemed to be hovering over the ranch. She thought, when her happiness suddenly waned, gone at the thought of what such news would do to her brother...

"Jeremy?" Alice exclaimed, her thoughts of Sean vanishing upon seeing the young man walking towards her, wondering why he was working so late. "What are you still doing here?" She asked as she came to a stop, briefly debating whether to continue giving the young man a hard time due to the unpleasant things he'd said about her pa, before deciding to be nice. He had in the end apologized repeatedly for his misstep, which she'd secretly accepted.

"Isaac had me and some of the other ranch hands working to clear the east pasture." He explained as he walked up to her. "It took longer than we expected." He said. "What's your excuse?" He asked.

"My excuse?" Alice questioned with a frown.

"For taking a walk at this hour." He clarified, even though he knew why she was out, suspecting she was likely trying to get her mind off her father's trial.

"It's not like its midnight." Alice lightly replied. "The sun hasn't even quite set, and this is my family's property."

"Indeed it is." Jeremy smiled. "But shouldn't you be sitting down to supper right about now?"

"What I should or shouldn't be doing is none of your business." Alice retorted, then quickly commenced her walk.

"I'm sorry." Jeremy exclaimed quickly catching up to her.

"You seem to be saying that a lot lately." Alice stated, giving him a sharp glance. "More than I care to hear."

"Hey I don't care to hear it either." He confessed. "But I have to say it when I've said the wrong thing. Right? Otherwise that wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me." He said.

"I suppose." Alice reluctantly agreed, now slowing her stroll as she glanced at the young man again who gave her a crooked smile. "So what is it you want?" She then nervously asked, wondering if enchantment was the reason for his lingering presence.

"What do you mean?" Jeremy replied with perplexity; yet thinking about his true task; how he was there to do Jeb's bidding, but in the end just wanted it to end. He'd done everything the man had asked him to do. He'd helped take down Ned Logan. In fact, the plan had gone better than expected. No thanks in part to MaryLynn getting herself killed. He sadly thought. Ned Logan's political career was in shambles; his ranch was on the verge of collapse, and he'd likely hang for MaryLynn's murder, something Jeremy still found himself wondering if the man was really guilty. There was nothing more that could be done to "execute" Jeb's plan. Everything was going "beautifully." Thus there was no reason for him to still be here. There was no reason for Jeb's presence at the ranch either. Jeremy thought, wondering why the man continued to hang around; Nevertheless Jeb wanted him to remain there, to leverage his "in" with Alice to ensure the plan continued to go off without a hitch; but Jeremy didn't like it. He never liked the plan for it was too risky and could easily lead to another death...

"Why are you following me around apologizing instead of heading home?" Alice asked with more confidence, breaking his thoughts to make clear her question. "It's been a long work day."

"I'm just being friendly." He casually answered, unbeknownst to Alice, catching her look of skepticism. "What? Do you think I'm sweet on you?" He then inappropriately asked, flattered by the thought, causing Alice to blush with embarrassment.

"Absolutely not!" She firmly denied, slightly disappointing Jeremy, even as she admitted within that she found him attractive, but quickly pushed the improper thought from her mind.

"I apologize for offending you." Jeremy seriously stated, kicking himself for being so forward.

"Thank you." Alice appropriately replied, even though she found his forward query refreshing and strangely endearing. A moment passed with Alice and Jeremy walking in an uncomfortable silence, not knowing how to follow up the embarrassing exchange; both feeling if they spoke or suddenly ended the walk it would make things more awkward, when finally one mustered the courage to speak...

"You know, I didn't answer your question." Jeremy said, crashing the silence, again remembering why he was there in the first place. "I'm here because I know you're going through a lot with your family, and I just want to make sure you're okay" He declared in an earnest tone.

"Why do you care how I'm doing? You don't even know me." Alice curiously asked, thinking of the young man's initial reaction to her pa's arrest, then remembering how she'd opened up to him during one of their first encounters, now realizing that was probably why he seemed to care.

"I know what you're going through." He answered as he looked her way, feeling that was the best answer he could give.

"Really?" Alice replied with surprise, returning his gaze. "You've had similar problems with your family?" She asked, catching Jeremy off guard, alarmed when his pleasant mood was instantly eclipsed by darkness. "I'm sorry." She quickly apologized. "If you don't want to talk about it..."

"Now look whose apologizing." Jeremy loosely remarked, attempting to recover, forcing a smile, while thinking about the violence that had destroyed his family. "Look I should go." He abruptly said, coming to a stop, figuring he should quit this encounter while he was ahead; for he knew by the inquisitive look on Alice's face she would push to know more, despite her implying that he didn't have to elaborate on his life if he didn't want to.

'You don't have to go." Alice declared as she too stopped, feeling her question was scaring him off. "Again I'm sorry if I upset you." She sincerely expressed.

"You didn't upset me." The young man assured, his sad eyes seeming to say different. "As you said, it's been a long day, and I'm due back here first thing in the morning. So I should go home, get some rest."

"Alright." Alice sighed. "Thanks, for the walk." She somberly added.

"If you ever want company on a walk, or you need to talk." He offered without completing the thought, trying to reclaim his failed attempt to get inside information on her father's case, ensuring that when he came to her in a few days he'd already planted the seed that would lead to him learning if her pa had any strategies that would undermine Jeb's plans.

"You too." Alice reciprocated his offer, for a moment bringing a genuine smile to his face before he went on his way, leaving her to ponder 'who was Jeremy Bradford,' and why the mere mention of his family unnerved him.


Isaac's words hung in the air, 'This is the man you love! This is the man that nearly destroyed you,' for a second foreign to their moment of remembrance and heat. When gradually his utterance began to weigh down upon them, penetrating the haze of longing and amour, rocking Marita with its implication. He knew the truth. She realized with shock and dismay. He'd known all along of her past with Sean...

"How do you mean he nearly destroyed me?" Marita asked with a serious calm, anger and hurt slowly rising within her as she released Sean's hand. He then watched with grave concern as she walked away from him and up to her father, wanting to stop her, to keep her from the pain that would soon come, but knowing that he couldn't. "Is he the mysterious man who didn't requite my love and instead moved down south?" She continued. "Or maybe he's the man who attacked me and left me for dead on that Chicago street, a mile away from Cousin Jeanine's house."

"What has he told you?" Isaac tightly asked, cutting his eyes at the young man who came to his daughter's side, certain it was him and not some discovery she'd made on her own that was fueling her rude response.

"Nothing. Sean has told me nothing." Marita retorted. "But I still know the truth; I know that you've been lying to me for the past three years." She stiffly declared, alarming her father, inciting fear within him that the worst may have happened, that she remembered all.

"Why would you think that when I've been as hones…"

"Stop! Just stop!" Marita snapped, disgusted by her father's continued attempt to lie. "Pa I remember." She sharply announced, shocking her father, unnerving his strong stance. "Not everything, but I remember enough to know that my love wasn't unrequited, that I didn't go to Chicago because I was heartbroken. I went there to have a life with Sean. " She said, her words further shaking her pa, driving him to briefly drop his gaze; for a moment unable to face the wrath and pain in her eyes while guilt begin to lurk in his heart, wanting to overwhelm him, but he quickly pushed it aside. What was he going to do? How was he going to salvage this situation? He asked himself, panic coursing through him. Ned and Jessie Mae had warned him of this moment, warned him to tell Marita the truth, but he'd refused; sure that she'd never remember her life with Sean...

"How could you do this?" Marita questioned her tone a mixture of anguish and outrage, thrusting her pa back to the moment. "How could you lie to me about the most important thing in my life?"

"Honey you don't under…"

"I asked you repeatedly about my past, about Sean – if there was something I should know about him and you lied. You told me there was nothing to know."

"How was I to tell you that the man you loved, selfishness nearly got you killed." Isaac defensively countered, quickly regaining his self-control, shoving away his panic and shock.

"That is not true." Sean fiercely denied, drawing Isaac's attention to him.

"Is it?" Isaac bitterly scoffed, shutting the young man down before he could say more, stirring him with guilt over his failure to protect Marita. "I begged you to stay away from my daughter, reminded you of the anger, prejudice and violence awaiting you if you pursued a relationship with her." He resentfully resumed. "I told him if he cared anything about you he'd walk away, but he refused. " He said, again turning his attention to his daughter. "And look what happened, you weren't in Chicago three months before you were attacked because of your relationship with him."

"So for that reason you fabricated all these lies?" Marita stated in disbelief, holding her father's stern gaze, questioning who this man was, astounded and sadden that he resembled nothing of the honest man who'd raised her. "You told me that I was visiting cousin Jeanine, that the attack was an accident."

"When you couldn't remember I saw a chance to make things right." Isaac admitted without regret. "To correct your situation before it got worse than it already was."

"By lying? By trying to take away an important part of my life, prevent me from remembering?" Marita countered, her hurt quickly fading, extinguished by her heightened anger due to her pa's impenitent stance. After the attack you brought me back here and when I started to remember you shipped me off to Toronto so I'd never know the truth."

"I sent you to Toronto because of the headaches you had every time you came across something significant to your past." Isaac strongly defended.

"You sent me to Toronto to protect your deceit!" Marita disputed with vexation. "Did you really think I'd stay in Canada forever?" She asked, shaking her head, sickened by her pa's deception. "Did you think I'd never remember?"

"Honestly I hoped you never would - remember." Isaac stated, holding his daughter's stunned and appalled gaze, a hint of vulnerability in his voice. "Cause it would serve no purpose except to hurt you as its doing now. Remind you of what never should've been."

"What you made sure would never be again with your lies." Marita retorted.

"I did lie to you. I did keep you from the truth, but your relationship with this man ended because he chose to walk away."

"That's a lie! You and my father..."

"He wasn't there when you woke up from your injuries!" Isaac alleged, incensed, talking over Sean's livid response. "He wasn't there when..."

"Don't try to turn this on Sean!" Marita angrily cut her father off, stopping the quarrel between him and Sean, even as her heart shattered in her chest, her soul aching with sadness at the reality of her pa's words, at what she hadn't realized until now – Sean wasn't there for her after the attack. "You are my father, my family, and you looked me in the eyes day after day and told me lies disguised as the truth!"

"I did what I needed to do to protect you!" Isaac stiffly contended, with conviction.

"Protect me?" Marita quipped. "Your protection cost me three years of questions and angst, three years of me not quite sure who I was, who I was supposed to be. Your protection made my life a lie!"

"My protection kept you alive, prevented what happened in Chicago from happening again!"

"If that's what you need to tell yourself to clear your conscience then by all means do it!" Marita countered with fury. "But I will NEVER forgive you for this."

"You say that now." Isaac responded with strength, determined to not let his daughter's anger cloud his conviction. "But one day I am certain you will understand why I did what I did." He said. "You will thank me for saving your life."

"The only thing I'll ever thank you for is if you never grace me with your presence again." Marita harshly replied, piercing her pa's stoic armor, leaving him speechless and stunned, before she quickly turned and briskly walked away, unable to look at him anymore, unable to control the storm of emotions that were crowding her, threatening to break her down.

"Marita!" Sean called as he quickly followed behind her, but she ignored his call; for she was not ready to face the pain of why he'd walked away from her, why he hadn't been there during her most difficult hour. "Marita!" Sean asserted, catching up to her, gently grabbing her arm, forcing her to face him, the emotion emanating from her eyes nearly undoing him.

"Sean I can't..." Marita shakily uttered, answering the poignant request in his eyes – begging her not to go, to talk to him, to finish what had begun before her pa's intrusion.

"It's not what you think." He emotionally replied, seeing the hurt and doubt in her eyes, the belief that he'd abandoned her after the attack, but before the words could fully escape his lips a tearful Marita slipped free from his grasp and ran away.

"Marita!" Sean painfully called once more as he quickly moved to go after her when a composed Isaac suddenly stepped into his path, stopping him.

"Let her go." Isaac heatedly demanded as Sean moved to go around him, but the man stepped in his way again.

"Get out of my way." Sean tightly ordered.

"You've done enough damage to my daughter."

"Me?" Sean seethed. "If you hadn't started this mess with your lies we wouldn't be here right now."

"Don't get it confused." Isaac fiercely retorted. "You set this catastrophe in motion when you decided to run off to Chicago with my NEGRO daughter." He pointed out. "Nevertheless she will come around. She may be angry with me right now, but I am her father. My blood runs through her veins, and in time, she will forgive me." He confidently declared, praying within that she would, praying that he hadn't just lost her. "But you, you can try and explain your position until the moon falls from the sky, she will never get past the fact that you weren't there during one of the worst times in her life. She will never come back to you after this." He brutally stated, for a moment holding the young man's severe gaze, before he finally stepped out of his way, heading back towards his house, telling himself that Marita would be home as soon as she calmed down, while an upset Sean briefly eyed the man's stroll, standing silent and scared, shaken by his prediction, before he forced himself to pull it together and race ahead, determined to find Marita.


Marita ran at a speed she didn't know she had, driven by the lies, the anger and the hurt. For so long she knew, deep down that her pa was keeping something from her and that there was more than friendship between her and Sean, but never did she imagine the truth would be of this magnitude; never did she think it would come crashing down upon her in a euphoric surge of excitement, hope and love, then crush her with fury and despair. How could her father do this? How could he lie to her repeatedly and not show an ounce of penitence for what he'd done? She questioned with tears and ire, replaying all he'd said; how he'd went so far as to try and blame his actions on Sean. Sean, she sighed within, her heart aching with memories of him – his kisses, his tenderness, his love – ripping with pain at the choices he'd made. Her pa had been truthful about one thing, the man she loved had walked away from her. He'd been no where to be seen after the attack, no where in Chicago or Lexington. He hadn't even responded to her letters when she'd written him from Toronto. He'd walked away from her, washed his hands of everything they'd felt for one another. He'd given up on her. Marita painfully sobbed, tears pouring from her eyes, blurring her view, halting her run...

"Marita?" A tender voice uttered, prompting her to lift her face from her hand where she'd buried it in an attempt to slow her tears, to comfort herself somehow.

"John Wesley what are you doing here?" She asked, her voice broken with emotions.

"We were to go to dinner." He cautiously answered, disquieted by her distress, reminding her of the plans she'd forgotten until now due to all that had gone on that day. "Marita what's wrong?" He then worriedly asked.

"Can we please just go?" She shakily requested, wiping the tears from her cheeks, ignoring his question that she couldn't answer right now.

"I don't think that's a good idea considering how upset..."

"Please." She interjected as she held the young man's troubled stare. "I need to get out of here." She begged, desperately wanting to escape her pa and Sean, desperate to not be consumed by the chaos within her.

John Wesley hesitated to grant Marita's request, feeling that the best thing for her was to go home and lie down while he fetched her father, if he wasn't there. However as he stood there looking in her eyes, experiencing the pain and tears within them, he found that he had to deny his better judgment. He had to help her the way she'd asked. John Wesley tentatively took her hand and walked her a few steps away, back to the front of the main house where he'd parked his wagon, expecting to pick her up there for their outing... Moments later Sean ran upon the scene, just in time to see the wagon trotting away at a strong pace with John Wesley at the helm and an upset Marita by his side, her head on his shoulder, her hand to her mouth. Pain ripped through Sean's heart, flooding him with angst and loss, stinging his eyes with pain, halting his pursuit.

"Son you alright?' Sean then heard from his side, but he didn't say a word. For his eyes were fixed forward, watching with agony as the wagon moved further and further away, desperately wanting to follow, but fear stopped him. Fear of Isaac's words, of Marita hearing his story and still turning away from him as she'd done moments before: fear that she'd still want a life with him and that he wouldn't be able to protect her. Sean closed his eyes, his soul aching with love at the memory of touching her, at the deep tenderness in her eyes when she remembered they loved each other and wanted a life together, yet afflicted with doubt that he could give her complete happiness. "Whoever she is she'll be back." The man spoke again, driving Sean to open his eyes to look towards the strange man, a ranch hand, who had no any idea who "she" was, that "she" was a Negro, but knowing by the look on the Sean's face that he was pining for a woman. "If she truly loves you she won't be able to stay away." Jeb confidently added, his attempt at comforting words sounding weird and out of place coming from his lips. The man waited a moment, watching as Sean returned his eyes forward, trying to think of something else to say, wanting to prolong this conversation even if it was one-sided. "You need anything?" He then awkwardly asked as he admired the young man that stood at his side, in awe that he was within reach of the most important thing Ned had stole from him.

"No." Sean quietly replied, his gaze still focused ahead. Taking the hint, seeing that the conversation wouldn't go further this day, Jeb reluctantly left Sean's side, who failed to spare the man another glance and in turned neglected to see the Phoenix tattoo that was prominent on Jeb's upper left arm.