Chapter 51
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Powder Wells, Texas 1882
Lifting her skirts slightly, Eleanor stepped off the boardwalk and into the dusty street. About her, the wind blew little puffs of dust into miniature whirlwinds. Above her, the hot sun beat down from a cloudless sky. She blinked her eyes, wishing she still wore the smoked lenses she had worn for so long. Even after almost ninety years and a major quickening... bright light still pained her.
"Mary Ellen!"
Eleanor paused at the sound of the name she was currently using and turned with a practiced smile to greet Jessie Clayton. "Jessie... you are a sight for sore eyes. I was just now thinkin' 'bout you." Eleanor grinned at the young mortal girl... a wisp of a thing with brown hair and freckles.
"That dress is positively you! And you said you can't sew!" Jessie ran one hand down Eleanor's arm and looked appreciatively at the fine job her friend had done on the pale green calico dress.
"I can't... and if it looks good... why then it's because you helped. I'd never have finished it without your prodding." Eleanor laughed. For some reason, Jessie had thought it necessary that "Mary Ellen" make her own dress from that bolt of cloth rather than hire someone as she usually did. So she had patiently worked with Jessie... realizing that just perhaps... the mortal girl needed a friend and confidant in this dry and dusty Texas town.
"You must wear it to the church social Saturday night. I just know that young deputy sheriff would ask you to dance."
"Perhaps..." Eleanor teased a bit. "But he is not really my type."
"Of course he is... young... good-looking... honest... and has a job with a future." Jessie teased her friend back, "And he has been known to have his eye on you ever since you and your brother came to town. And speaking of your brother..." Jessie's face reddened beneath her freckles, "will he be coming to the social?"
Eleanor almost laughed aloud, then thought better at it. "Oh... so it's Phillip's presence at the social that mainly interests you? Now the truth is out... you only befriended me to get to him..."
"Oh pshaw!" Jessie giggled. "There's so few of us young folks in this town... I'd of been your friend anyway." She linked arms with Eleanor... "So where's you off to."
"Just the general store... I need to get some things for dinner..." Eleanor's voice trailed off as they passed the bank. She could sense another immortal in there. Noticing the horses being held in readiness outside of the brick building... she quickly led Jessie to the general store.
"Whyever are you rushing?"
Eleanor glanced back at the bank. "Just wanted out of the sun, Jessie. Let's go inside." She wasn't certain who was in the bank... but she did not want to be outside and exposed to view when whoever it was came out. Just as the two women reached the entrance of the store... shots rang out behind them and four men raced out of the bank... guns still blazing... and leaped on the waiting horses.
Pulling Jessie into the doorway, Eleanor watched the immortal turn his horse about in confusion as he evidently felt her. She shrank into the shadows of the store. Eleanor saw the scar down the right side of his face and bit her lip. She didn't know this one... but she had a very bad feeling about him.
He glanced over at the store and grinned. He saluted with his gun and raced out of town... following the others. Eleanor didn't think he'd seen her face... but he'd known she was there. And... she felt he'd be back.
She lifted her skirts and headed back into the street. She stared after him and then turned to run to the school.
"Mary Ellen... where you going?" Jessie called.
"To get Phillip!" Perhaps he knew this immortal. At any rate... he needed to know what had just happened.
Phillip glanced up at Eleanor when she entered the small timber-framed one-room schoolhouse. His sixteen students looked over at her but when he cleared his throat... they returned to their reading assignment. He walked over to her.
Eleanor's fingers flicked in Nin's silent language... the one she'd seemed to learn after that quickening in Paris... "Urgent... need to talk."
Phillip had learned over the years to understand the gist of this silent language. He didn't use it himself... but she had never insisted on his using it... just on his knowing what she was trying to say. He whispered to Eleanor, "What?"
"Bank robbery..." she whispered back.
"What has that to do with us... it's a mortal matter." He started to turn back to his students.
"Not when it's one of us."
Phillip froze and then slowly turned back. "Did he see you?"
"I don't think so... but he knew I was there."
"Anyone we know?"
"No one I'd ever met... but he had a distinctive scar down the right side of his face."
Phillip took in a quick short breath and held it.
"Phillip? Who is it? Someone you know?"
Phillip shook his head, "An old friend once mentioned such an immortal... asked me to keep my eyes peeled for him and then let her know if I found him... Here!" He tossed her the chalk.
"Where are you going?"
"To join the posse."
"But I'm no teacher."
"Trust me... you know far more Greek than they do." Phillip grinned as he left. Eleanor swallowed hard and looked at Phillip's class. She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. Suddenly she felt like those sixteen sets of eyes were filled with amusement at her obvious discomfort.
***
The bank robbery and the death of two town citizens cast a pall over the church social on Saturday night. The posse had returned, having no luck in finding Melvin Koren's gang. They'd likely moved on... in the last few months this gang had racked up quite a list of crimes. The wanted posters attested to that!
Phillip had said little else about Koren to Eleanor... just that it was a good thing she'd had the sense to not be in the street when he'd come out of the bank. If she had... it might not have gone well. As it was... he was already considering if they should vanish and move on. Their quiet little life in this backwater town was likely over. If Koren did come back... he didn't want to be here.
So Eleanor threw herself into the festivities... feeling it might just be the last time she'd see some of these people in her life. She danced with young deputy Cole and sipped lemonade with Jessie and blushed at the compliments from the town matrons on her dress.
She was talking with the pastor's wife when she felt someone approach. Glancing casually around, she sighed to see it was only Edward. Now what had brought him to town? She handed Jessie her lemonade and took John Cole's arm. "Dance with me again." She used her most bewitching smile and threw herself into the reel.
As she came around once and made ready to grasp her partner's hands... she noticed that Edward had inserted himself into the dance and was taking her by the hand.
"What are you doing here?" she managed through clinched teeth.
"At the moment... dancing with my wife."
"I'm not your wife... or had you forgotten" They sashayed down the line and back.
"I haven't forgotten." He said... then bowed as he let her go and stepped back to his side of the dance.
Eleanor exited the dance and walked back over to the refreshment table.
Jessie cooed, "Now who is that?"
"Just some drifter with a fresh mouth!" Eleanor answered archly as she retrieved her cup of lemonade and sipped at it. Edward tipped his hat at her and left the area. She had a feeling she'd see him later.
John Cole walked over, "Sorry about that... I don't quite know what happened. Could we try another dance."
Eleanor smiled. "Absolutely!" But her mood had darkened. If Edward were here... he was probably off to see Phillip and then they'd likely leave. Not for the first time she wondered just how it was that for almost the last fifty years... one or the other of them kept turning up wherever she was. Within her... Kae Dhun laughed. "They don't trust you my dear... you should kill them both... then go back to Paris and get the thief!" She shook her head and ignored him...
For a moment, Jessie thought she'd seen Mary Ellen's eyes flash ever so briefly... as if some lightning had been triggered.
***
Eleanor allowed John Cole to walk her home after the social ended and spoke demurely with him at the door. Then she'd allowed him to kiss her hand just before she left him. Once inside... she glared at both Phillip and Edward who were deep in conversation.
"So just why are you here? Did you send for him?" she belted out to both of them, tossing her shawl on the divan and approaching them both.
"No... I was just passing through... but when I saw you in town... I just thought I'd visit a while." Edward smiled. Somehow she didn't believe him.
"Since he was here I thought I'd tell him about that visitor we had a few days ago. See if he knows him..."
"Can't say as I do... but I have heard of Melvin Koren..." Edward sounded as evasive as ever Eleanor thought. When neither of them offered anything more, she stalked into her room and slammed the door. "To hell with both of them!"
