There's an air of tension as the couple rides away from Shady Belle. Despite the fact that Emmeline still doesn't know exactly what happened between Arthur and Dutch, she isn't eager to bring it up just yet. Arthur has never been that great with opening up emotionally, and it's obvious by the look on his face that he's very upset. It's quite possible that forcing him into the conversation before he's ready could make matters worse, which Emmeline certainly doesn't want to do.
Before too long, they ride up to a small stone cabin nestled in amongst some trees. It's a little run down, but not at all in horrible shape. It's actually quite quaint, if Emmeline were forced to put a word to it.
"You know who lives here?" she asks as Arthur helps her dismount from Miss Susie.
"Some family did," he answers while the two approach the front of the house. "But they ain't coming back." He opens the door to allow Emmeline to go inside, but makes no move to close it behind them.
She walks into the stuffy cabin and looks around. It's only one room, counters and stove along the back wall with a small living area directly in front of the door they've just gone through. There are two lofts on each side accessible by ladders, which she supposes could be where the family slept as there are no other rooms. "How do you know they're not coming back?"
After he opens the side door to let more fresh air in, he turns back to her. "I found 'em all dead a while ago. Suffocated from that." He points to the noticeable crack in the stovepipe off to his right. "Smoked 'em out, I guess."
"That's awful," Emmeline whispers. "Those poor people."
"I buried them out back after I found 'em. It looked like they was dead several days. And no one came around, so I assume they ain't got no other family. We should be alright to stay here for a while." He walks over to the stove and begins to study it. "I gotta fix this up so we can eat, though. Don't wanna smoke ourselves out, too."
Emmeline just nods, allowing Arthur to get to work in silence. While he does that, she finds a broom in the corner and starts to sweep out the dust lingering on the floor. As she tidies up, she finds a children's book on a little end table beside a rocking chair. The sight brings tears to her eyes. Arthur had said it was a family that had died here. That apparently meant children, too. The only solace she can find in the situation is that at least Arthur buried them properly and they're at peace now together.
As the sun sets and with the cabin as clean and fixed up as it can be at the moment, they settle in. Arthur's repair job on the stovepipe does the trick and they make their dinner without any incident. While they eat, that pervasive awkward silence of the day still surrounds them. Emmeline knows that Arthur is hurting and it's obvious he's trying to avoid the topic of his exile as he continues to stare down at his plate.
Finally, he decides to say something. "The ride wasn't too much for you, was it?"
She shakes her head. "No."
"I just... I heard women with child shouldn't be on horses much."
"I feel just fine," she answers with a little chuckle, then decides this might be a proper segue into the conversation they've been avoiding. "Are you alright, Arthur?"
He looks up at her concerned face and lets out a heavy breath. "No. I don't reckon I am," he answers honestly.
She reaches over the table to place her hand on his, hoping to portray that it's okay to talk with her. "What is it? What happened?"
With a heavy sigh, he decides to answer, figuring he's put it off long enough. "You heard Dutch. He don't wanna see me anymore." The emotion he tries to hide bleeds through regardless, making the last words choked.
"I don't understand. Why would he say that?"
Arthur hesitates, but pushes forward. "He wanted me to go with him on some job and I told him no." He shakes his head. "Maybe I shoulda just went," he mutters into his chest as regret starts to build.
"Why'd you say no?"
He looks up at her, his eyes glassy of their own accord. "It seemed too dangerous. And-" he clears his throat. "And I told him I didn't wanna get myself killed cuz you was pregnant. That's... when he got really angry. Literally threw me outta the room."
Emmeline is shocked at the revelation because she thought she has been building a real relationship with Dutch. He had seemed so proud to have her as a daughter and she was actually looking forward to telling him of his upcoming grandchild. The fact that he reacted so poorly has her dumbstruck. She truly thought he'd be happy about it.
"That's- He got angry because of the baby?"
Arthur nods, trying to steel himself. "Nearest I can figure." He shakes his head. "He never really did want me with you. He punched me in the face when he first found out. Guess he never thought I was good enough. And apparently I ain't his family," he seethes, Dutch's final words to him repeating in his head.
Emmeline, when you come to your senses and leave him, you'll be welcomed back. You always will. You're family.
Dutch chose his words carefully; Arthur is sure of that. Stressing that Emmeline is his family also stressed that Arthur isn't.
Emmeline shakes her head in disagreement. "I don't know why he said that. Of course you're good enough. And just because you ain't his blood don't mean you ain't his family. He should consider you his family, more so than anyone else. Especially me. I haven't even known him that long."
He shrugs and looks away, not trusting his own voice to refute her claim.
"Look at me, Arthur."
Reluctantly, he does. And as he lifts his head, a tear escapes, tracking down his cheek to disappear into his beard. With that first tear, his resolve to keep everything held back crumbles into a million pieces.
"All them years," he chokes out softly, but soon grows in intensity. "Twenty years of doing everything he's ever asked of me. You know how many beatings I took? How many bullets? How many nights in jail after getting caught doing what he told me to do." He stands from his chair to start pacing, feeling as if his bones want to jump out of his skin. "Since I met him, all I ever wanted to be was him. What now?!" He turns to her. "He threw me away! Like I was nuthin'! All them times he called me son..." He shakes his head as more tears fall. "I love him like a father. How can he put a gun to my head and tell me he never wants to see me again?!"
The weight of those words finally becomes unbearable and he crumbles to his knees in a fit of tears. It's as if every bad emotion he's ever bottled away rises to the surface and he's powerless to do anything but cry openly. All those doubts and fears that he'd get the people he cares about killed. The insecurities he's felt as a man that could never keep a woman. The guilt of all the people he's hurt. All of it weighs down on him like a pile of bricks.
Emmeline is quick to go to him to offer what comfort she can. "Please, Arthur. I hate seeing you like this," she says as she rubs his back. "I don't know why Dutch would do what he's done... But I bet he'll see that he was wrong. Because he is wrong, Arthur. You are a good man. Good enough for me and everybody else." She takes ahold of his face and tilts it to look at her. "Maybe it don't mean much, but I love you, Arthur. I love you and our baby and whatever life we have together. We have our whole future ahead of us. So please don't be sad. I just want you to be happy."
It's not that easy, of course. He knows he can't just shut off the betrayal that he feels deep within his soul over Dutch's actions. Or the loss of being away from all the people that he considered his family. But hearing that Emmeline, such an innocent, good person actually loves him, makes him feel a little better. And her genuine effort to comfort him in this state adds to that. He's never been one to show others when he's felt emotional, hating how vulnerable he's felt, so no one has ever been there for him in this way.
One other time in his life when he was young, soon after he joined Dutch and Hosea, did he breakdown like this. He had tried to wander off, so the two older men wouldn't see him. But Hosea followed. And Arthur spilled his guts. About missing his mother, hating his father. About how he was beaten and stolen from while living on the streets. How he was afraid that Hosea and Dutch would leave him alone again once they see that he wasn't worth the time. Hosea, of course, patted his back and said all the right things, calming him down and showing that he did care for him. And he insisted that Dutch cared for him, too. And Arthur believed that, truly. Had Dutch changed so much over time? Or had he just used him and his loyalty, never really caring for him?
Overcome with it all, Arthur wraps his arms around Emmeline tightly and holds her to him, trying to accept the comfort she provides. And for most of the night, they stay wrapped in each other's arms.
Over the next few days, they have many more discussions, trying their best to make sense of everything. Every one of the talks is painful for Arthur, but it's necessary for him. He begins to realize just how much he's lived for Dutch during his life. And just how much he hasn't lived for himself. When Arthur flippantly suggests that Dutch always hated to be out of control, Emmeline realizes that Dutch had been very subtly trying change her opinion of Arthur. She hadn't given it much thought at the time, but the older man had always made sure to add little criticisms of Arthur when they talked. He never framed them as such, acting like they were innocuous little details, but they really weren't. When she asks is Dutch could really be that manipulative, Arthur tells her that he certainly could be.
"Do you think that's why he did it?" she asks as they lay on their bedrolls one night. "He just hated the thought of you having something outside of the gang? Outside of himself?"
Arthur shrugs a shoulder and turns to face her. "I think it's possible," he admits the painful truth. "He always loved bein' the one everyone relied on, the one everyone looked up to. Maybe he was afraid I'd leave with you and he'd see that as going against him."
But maybe not. Arthur will never know until he can talk with Dutch again. And he's not sure if that's ever going to happen.
During these days, the couple lives mostly like they had back at Emmeline's house. Arthur spends time cutting firewood and hunting, which helps keep his mind off of things. Emmeline does her part by tending the house, as well as taking care of the chickens that they managed to wrangle and keep in the pen beside the house.
Away from the prying eyes of the gang, Emmeline doesn't have to try so hard to hide her swollen belly. It's still barely noticeable under her clothes, but she rather likes being free to rest her hands on her bump knowing that no one will notice. Even Arthur takes the opportunity to talk to the baby every once in a while, which Emmeline enjoys. Their isolation also means they're more open to be affectionate with one another. It's surprising to Emmeline just how much Arthur seeks her out for physical comfort now. She's unsure if it's because he is still somewhat emotional about everything, or if this is simply how he is when he doesn't have to worry about others. Regardless, she has no complaints about the extra hugs and kisses.
It's a bright and clear day when Arthur spies a wagon headed their way. He's just about ready to tell Emmeline to go inside, fearful of who would seek them out, when he recognizes the riders and the two horses trailing behind.
Emmeline recognizes them, too. "Is that Hosea?" she asks with her eyes squinted, though before she gets the phrase completely out, she's sure it's him. She sends off a hopeful smile to Arthur, assuming Hosea has been true to his word about convincing Dutch to change his mind.
Once the wagon is close enough, Arthur calls out with a wave. "You found us."
Hosea casts his eyes to the man sitting next to him in the driver's seat atop the wagon. "Thank Charles. Somehow he tracked you lot. Must be the Indian in him."
"I just remembered Arthur talking about this place." Charles dismounts and rounds the wagon to help Hosea out of his seat. "Not too much tracking in it."
Emmeline is first to notice how slow the older man is moving. "Are you hurt, Hosea?"
Arthur narrows his eyes at him and rushes to help him off the wagon as well. "What happened?" he's quick to ask, alarm bells sounding in his head.
"Let's go inside," Hosea starts as soon as his feet are on the ground. He gestures to a cane up in the footwell of the seat and Charles hands it to him readily. "I'll explain everything."
Once Hosea starts to hobble into the small building (having refused any more help), it becomes obvious to Arthur that it's Hosea's right leg that has been injured, though he's unsure exactly how. Instead of outright asking about it, though, he waits for Hosea to explain on his own. Once everyone is sat around the kitchen table, Hosea starts his tale.
"Dutch went ahead with that heist," he starts plainly.
"Jesus Christ," Arthur mutters as he scrubs his hand down his too long beard. Of course Dutch did. And Arthur assumes it didn't go according to plan since Hosea is hurt.
The older man continues. "Micah, Bill, and Javier volunteered readily. Sean, too, the fool." Hosea shakes his head as he casts his gaze to the table.
Charles jumps in. "I was there... I just wanted to make sure no one died." He adds, looking to Arthur, almost pleadingly. "I don't agree with what Dutch did and I thought the job was a bad idea, same as you. The only reason I went was to try to get everyone back safe."
Arthur nods to the man. He wouldn't fault him for being loyal to Dutch, but he trusts what he's saying. Charles was always a good friend to him.
"John outright refused to be a part of it," Hosea blurts out.
That surprises Arthur. "Really?"
"Yeah. Dutch went to him right after..." Hosea takes in a heavy breath in lieu of finishing that statement. "John may not be the best at showing it, but he's always looked up to you as his brother. What Dutch did... Most everyone was put off by it, John most of all. No one really said it, but I could tell. People made themselves scarce when it came time to assign jobs in that heist. Lenny went along with his role, thinking since it was his tip, he needed to follow through. But I convinced Dutch to let the boy help me out with the diversion instead of going to the bank itself." After that, he pauses to order his thoughts.
Emmeline leans in, her curiosity and impatience getting the better of her. "So what happened?"
Hosea takes another moment before answering. "The police were ready for us, just like you thought," he says to Arthur with a heavy breath. "I had a wagon full of fireworks sitting across town to try to draw them away from the bank. Once me and Lenny set them off, the cops were on us quick. Too quick. They must've had even more than we thought stationed all over the city, waiting for something to happen. I took a bullet to the leg trying to get away from them. Lenny had to carry me most of the way. He got shot, too. Grazed, really, but it left a nasty gash. By some grace of god we got out with our lives. I didn't find out until later what happened at the bank." He turns to Charles, who takes over with his side of the story.
"It started off the way we planned. Got into the vaults and found the money real quick. But we were surrounded fast trying to get away. We shot our way out of the bank then regrouped in an abandoned apartment. How none of us died, I don't know. Sean got an ear shot off, but at least it wasn't his head."
Emmeline lets out a soft gasp. "So everyone's alright then? More or less."
Charles just stares at her a moment before continuing. "We waited until nightfall to try to make it out of the city, hoping the dark would help cover us so we could get back to camp. But there was just too many officers patrolling the streets. We knew we'd never make it to Shady Belle. Not without bring the law back with us. Dutch decided the only way to escape was to get to the docks and try to get on a ship. Lose the police and get back to camp later. There were cops there, too, of course. But not many and we figured they could led away pretty easily. So me and Sean stayed behind, drew the men away from Dutch. The last I saw, he was getting on a boat called Antenor with Bill, Javier, and Micah. Me and Sean split up, lost the police and got back to camp."
Arthur looks between the men before finally asking, "So where's Dutch now."
"Best guess," Hosea starts, "on his way to Cuba."
"Cuba?" Emmeline repeats. "How long will it take him to get back?"
"Weeks, probably." Hosea looks from Emmeline to Arthur, waiting for him to say something, to realize what this really means.
Arthur looks at the man, but he misinterprets his look. "We can come back to camp. Without Dutch there... I can help out with everything. Get us back on track."
Hosea just slowly shakes his head. "No, Arthur."
"What?"
"It's over," Hosea answers simply. "The others... They're leaving or are gone already. There ain't no camp to go back to."
Arthur shakes his head, not believing him. "What do you mean? Everyone left?"
"Kieran, Mary Beth, and Tilly went off to Saint Denis already. Karen, Sean and the Reverend are planning on going up north to New York City. Pearson and Strauss are staying in Rhodes with Susan. And we," he gestures to Charles, "are going up to Canada with the Marstons and Lenny." He lets out a sigh. "I told you... what Dutch did, it broke everyone apart. Even though it was Dutch they've been following, you were the glue that held us all together, Arthur. And this failed heist was the straw that broke the camel's back. Dutch..." Hosea lets out another heavy breath. "He's not the same man he used to be. The man I used to know would have never left you behind, but now... Without Dutch here... it's better if it's just done." He give's Arthur a soft smile, though there is a sadness to it. "You stay here with Emmeline. Raise your children. Make a life, Arthur."
"Hosea-" the younger man starts, but Hosea's not hearing it.
"You never had the bounty we did from that Blackwater job. The law will leave you alone. You have a real chance here."
Arthur shakes his head. "You know they ain't never gonna leave me alone. They ain't left me alone my whole life."
"They will," Hosea throws back. "They will if you go straight, stay away. If the gang is done. The law will move on." He lets out a heavy breath. "But if you come back, the others will, too. If you come back, the police will treat you the same as they did with Dutch. And they won't stop. You'll never be free. You'll be running forever. And you'll be dragging Emmeline and that kid with you," he states as he points to Emmeline's belly.
She can see the battle raging behind Arthur's eyes. This is difficult for him, making this huge change in his life, to finally leave the gang lifestyle, once and for all. But she agrees with Hosea, all the same and hopes that Arthur will come to the same conclusion. Without knowing how to put that in words, she just places her hand atop his on the table.
He looks over to her, still unsure. Could he really let them all go? The gang that he's seen as his family for all these years? Shouldn't he fight for them? Shouldn't they all be together through this?
Hosea breaks his thoughts, seemingly reading his mind in the process. "You don't owe anyone anything, Arthur. We'll be fine. All you have to do now is start this family of yours." He looks to Emmeline with a soft smile. "That's your job now."
Arthur looks around the room at the people he cares about. When he lands on Emmeline and her big blue eyes, it's like everything clicks in place. Hosea is right; he can't be a father and a gunslinger. He tried living two different lives before with Mary, and it didn't work. He couldn't be properly invested in either life and that's not what he wants to do with Emmeline and his child. He wants to be there for them fully.
Making his choice, he finally gives Hosea a nod. "You all keep in touch."
Hosea lets out a sigh of relief at Arthur's words. "We will. You staying here?"
"For the time being," Arthur answers, though a thought crosses his mind. "What's gonna happen when Dutch comes back?"
"I don't know," Hosea says with a shrug. "Hopefully he'll see the error of his ways. But... We'll see." He starts to stand from the table. "Best not to dwell."
Charles stands as well and helps the older man to his feet. "All your things from Shady Belle are in the wagon," he directs at Arthur and Emmeline. "You can keep the wagon, too. We got another one back at camp waiting for us with the Marstons."
Emmeline smiles at him. "Thank you, Charles."
Once they're all outside, Arthur insists on being the one to help Hosea onto his horse. "You take care of yourself, now. And make sure John takes care of that family of his."
"I will," the older man answers with a chuckle. "Even if I have to take him over my knee like I did when he was young."
Arthur laughs at the memory. "He prolly needs it." He sends a nod to Charles, hoping the man understands how grateful he is for everything he's done.
Charles sends one in return before turning his horse to the road.
"Goodbye," Emmeline calls out to the retreating men. "Write soon!" After a moment, she looks over to Arthur as he stares out at the road. "What are you thinking?"
He flicks his gaze to her. "I ain't so sure, I guess," he answers honestly.
She takes ahold of his hand and looks up to him. "We'll be okay," she declares with full confidence.
For the first time in a very long time, Arthur is in a completely new situation in his life. He doesn't have a whole group of people to hunt for. Or have to keep his ears open in town to find a mark. Or go after a stagecoach and hope they're carrying what they're supposed to. And it's different from the first time he lived with Emmeline. This isn't temporary. This is how the rest of his life will be.
Honestly, it's all a little daunting to have the freedom he has now. But it's also exciting in a way. Before, he was the muscle, the hired hand and that's it. Now, he's going to be a father to his child, a provider to his woman. Things he never really was before.
Time goes on for the couple. After about a week, Arthur decides to ride out to nearby Emerald Ranch to inquire about a proper job. If they are going to live on their own and raise a child, money will become an issue. And it'll have to be made legitimately from now on if he wants to keep his family truly safe.
Arthur rides up to the familiar barn on the edge of the small town and meets the owner beside it.
"Ain't seen you in a while," Seamus greets as he wipes his hands on his dirty leather apron. "You got anythin' for me?" the fence asks, figuring Arthur is here to offload some gold or jewelry that managed to find themselves in his possession.
Arthur shakes his head. "Nah. I actually came here to ask ya something. You know of any jobs around here?"
Seamus leans forward a little and shifts his eyes around the immediate area for any prying ears. "I know of a stagecoach-" he whispers, but is cut off by the man in front of him.
"I didn't mean like that," Arthur explains. "I meant like farm work and the like."
Seamus raises his eyebrows in surprise. "Farm work? You?"
"Yeah," he bites back, his temper rising.
"Alight, alright." Seamus raises his arms to placate Arthur, not wanting to get on his bad side. "Go around to the stable and talk to Gary. He always seems to yammer on about needing extra help. He might have something for you."
Arthur nods and starts to walk away. "Thank you," he throws over his shoulder.
"If you find anything you ain't got a use for," Seamus hollers back, "you know where I am."
Arthur walks down the street and to the stables in question, finding several people hard at work. "You know where I could find Gary?" he says to closest man he sees.
"That's me," the man responds. His clothes are filthy, showing that even at this early hour, he's put in a lot of work already. "What can I do for you?" he asks as he wipes his brow with the back of his hand.
"Was wonderin' if you got a job you're hirin' for."
"That depends. What kinda job you lookin' for?"
"Anything, really. I gotta pregnant woman at home and lookin' for anything that'll pay."
Gary nods. He's seen some rough people come through his small town (maybe even the man before him pulling into Seamus's barn once or twice) that he wouldn't be too keen with taking on. But he was raised Christian and can't rightly turn a family man away, especially if a little one is due to come.
"I recon we could use another set of hands. And you look strong. You ever put up fencing?"
"No, sir. But if you show me, I can do it."
"It's hard work here," he comments, figuring this man hasn't done this kind of work before in his life. "You sure you want it?"
"Yes, sir, I am."
Two months pass, with Arthur working six days a week doing whatever is asked of him. Mending fences, cleaning stables, hauling hay, filling troughs. Even fixed the roof on the barn that sprung a leak. The money he takes home certainly isn't as easily gotten as what he's used to, but it fills him with a sense of pride. Even in this short amount of time, he's been able to save up some of that money to put toward a proper house of their own. One with land and enough room for children, hopefully. And maybe he'll even have enough money left over to give Emmeline a ring one day.
When he gets back to the cabin every night, Emmeline has his dinner ready for him. As they eat, he tells her about his day and she listens intently, happy to have him back home. He can't help himself from smiling at her sometimes, wondering just why a woman like her would look at him the way she does. Even if he feels like he doesn't deserve it, having her here with him fills him with a warmth he hasn't ever really felt before.
Emmeline tries her best to make their little cabin a home. Even with her belly noticeably expanded now, she finds herself having a bit more energy than she did before and this leads to her being more active during the day. After she's done all the cleaning and with no one else there to entertain her, she usually sits down to write her stories. Maybe no one else will ever care about them, but she loves reading Arthur her finished tales. And he always seems to like them, which makes her happy. She can't help but be excited for the time that she will read them to her children.
One hot day as Arthur is hauling a bale of hay off to the stables at Emerald Ranch, he sees a most unwelcome man approaching him.
"Mr. Morgan," Agent Milton calls out as he takes slow, confident steps toward him.
Arthur sets the hay down in front of the horses and turns back to the fence where Milton is now standing on the other side.
"What do you want?" he spits out as he approaches.
"Can't a gentleman have a friendly conversation?" he throws back easily as he casually leans on the fence, one foot propped up on the bottom wrung.
"Sure. A gentleman can. But that ain't you. So what do you want?" he repeats.
Milton lets that slide for the moment and produces a newspaper from his jacket. "You read the paper, Mr. Morgan?" he asks as he holds it up.
Arthur shakes his head in annoyance, not knowing where he's going with this. "Not really."
"You really should." Milton unfolds the paper with a flourish and points to an article towards the bottom of the second page, prompting Arthur to read it. Begrudging, he takes the paper and scans the words quickly.
CARGO SHIP LOST AT SEA was the headline. Further on, Arthur reads The ship Antenor, bound for Cuba with cargo, is feared to be lost at sea. Remnants of a ship began washing ashore weeks ago, though it was unknown what vessel they came from. With news that the Antenor never made port in Havana and none of its crew having been heard from since, it's assumed to be the vessel in question. There were reports of storms during the time of its passage, which it most likely encountered. Everyone aboard is considered lost.
Arthur's eyes go wide. He recognizes the name. That's the boat Charles had said Dutch, Bill, and Javier escaped on. Before Arthur can process it further, Milton speaks.
"You see, we knew it was Dutch that hit that bank in Saint Denis. We were ready for him. But somehow, he escaped the bank alive. When we finally picked up his trail, it led us to the docks. Nearest we could figure, he stowed away on on of those ships and set sail." He points his finger down at the paper. "That was the only ship he could've left on. And judging by the expression on your face, you already knew that."
Arthur looks up at the man, realizing what he's trying to do. "I weren't there," he asserts.
"I know. But you still knew Dutch was. And that makes you very interesting to me."
Arthur throws the paper back to the man, though Milton makes no move to stop it hitting his chest. "What the hell do you want with me if Dutch is dead and gone? I ain't doing nothing that's any of your business here. You see me workin'?" he throws his arms out to say. "That's all I been doin'! Ask around! You gonna arrest me for feeding horses?!"
For a moment, Milton seems unfazed by the outburst. But then he leans toward Arthur and puts a scowl on his face, all pretense lost. "You may be law abiding at the moment, but I know men like you. You never change. And you certainly ain't no family man, no matter how many children you put in that Van Der Linde bastard woman of yours back home. You'll be back to thieving and killing soon enough." He pulls back. "And I'll be watching, waiting for that moment so I can bring you in and charge you with all the things Dutch missed out on."
Without another word, Milton turns and walks away, leaving the paper strewn on the ground. Standing there, Arthur takes a moment before reaching through the fence and picking the paper up. He doesn't even look it over again before he refolds it as best he can and shoves it in his satchel.
"Arthur!" one of the other farmhands calls out. "Could you help me over here?"
He turns to the man and nods. "Yup," he answers and heads his way, thankful for something to occupy his thoughts. Working to keep from thinking about what just happened sounds like a great idea right now.
After the work day is done, he gets on Sparrow and starts to ride away from the ranch. He doesn't head straight home, though. Rather, he finds a secluded wooded area and dismounts, heading through the tall trees until he finds a felled stump to sit on. Pulling out the newspaper from his satchel, he reads it over again, allowing himself to fully take in the words on the page this time.
Dutch was on that ship. And it was lost with no survivors. Javier... Bill... Dutch... all gone. Dead. He'll never see them again. Never...
It had taken Arthur a while to fully settle into his life outside of the gang. But he had always thought there'd be time to fix things with Dutch. To at least have some sort of relationship, even if it wasn't the same as it was. But that will never happen now. All Arthur can think about is that Dutch went to his watery grave hating him. The man that was more of a father to him than his own father hated him in the end. And he can never make it right now.
As Arthur rereads the article for the umpteenth time, he feels tears prickle beneath his eyelids. No matter how hard he tries to hold them back, the emotion finally breaks through, like floodwaters overwhelming a dam. He openly sobs thinking about how he's going to tell Emmeline about this. And what he'll say to Hosea, too. Even if they were both mad at Dutch, he knows they never would have wanted him dead. Despite the man Dutch had become, he would always be, in part, the man that raised him, the decades long partner in crime to Hosea, the man that helped bring Emmeline into this world. He was important to them all and his loss will surely hurt for years to come.
"Damnit, Dutch," he chokes out as he wipes the tears from his eyes. "Why the hell didn't you listen..."
He stays there for nearly an hour purging his emotions before steeling himself to head home. As he rides up to the cabin, he scrubs his handkerchief over his face to make sure he looks as normal as possible. Once he gets Sparrow all situated on the makeshift hitch he made for the horses beside the house, he opens the door to his home and sees Emmeline stand from her seat at the table to greet him.
"You're late," she says, but the look on his face tells her it's for a reason. "What happened?"
He takes a heavy breath and wills his voice to be strong. "It's..." He looks away from her and unfolds the newspaper from his satchel, handing it over. "It says that ship Dutch was on-"
She starts to read over the article, but doesn't have to get much further than the headline to realize why Arthur is upset. "This is the ship-?"
He nods. "He's... They're-"
He can't finish the statement, but she understands all the same what Dutch's fate was. Even with what happened, Emmeline had similar hopes as Arthur regarding her father. She wanted him to come to his senses and reconcile with them. Not just for Arthur's sake, but to be in his grandchild's life, too. She had hoped they could have a real extended family with all the aunts and uncles and cousins that could go along with it. But that's not meant to be, it seems.
Instantly, she begins to cry. And once she looks up to Arthur with tears in her eyes, he's quick to bring her into a hug, choosing to focus on her rather than wallowing in his own hurt at the moment.
"I'm so sorry, Arthur," she sobs into his chest then pulls back to look up at him. "Are they really sure?"
He swallows hard to get rid of the lump in his throat. "They put it in the paper," he replies weakly.
"I just can't believe it. I can't believe he's... they're gone." She steps back to look up at Arthur and sees the hurt behind his eyes. "This is just so awful."
He nods slightly, unable to think of what else to say.
Blinking rapidly, she tries to wrap her head around all of this. "At least we know, I suppose. If you hadn't read the paper, we would always be wondering where they were."
"Actually," Arthur starts, a little relieved to switch this conversation into a different direction before his emotions would get the best of him again, "I didn't just read it. Agent Milton showed it to me."
Her eyes go wide with shock. "What? The Pinkertons found us?"
"Yeah," he answers lowly. "At least Milton did, anyways. And he told me in no uncertain terms that he'll be ready to lock me up at the drop of a hat."
"You ain't been doing nothing bad, though."
"I know. But with men like him... that don't matter much. I think he's just out for revenge now."
"So what do we do?"
"I'm thinkin' we should leave. Go someplace they won't think we would."
"We could go up to Canada. Meet up with Hosea and John and all them."
"Nah. It's too late in the year. We head that far north, we'll get stuck in the snow. It wouldn't be too good for you and the baby."
"So where then?"
He thinks a moment. "South. Blackwater."
"Blackwater? Really?"
"I reckon they'd think I wouldn't set foot there again. So it might be our best bet."
She nods after a moment. "Okay. We should do that."
"There's a lot of land around there. Enough for us to raise some animals, prolly."
"I'd like that," she replies with a small smile. "Enough room for a family, too."
He smiles back and says, "Sure. I suppose we're gonna need that sooner than later." He steps to her and lays his hand on her baby bump. "This cabin was always too small for us. Add another one and we'll be walkin' on top of each other. And you ain't gonna be able to get up the latter to bed pretty soon."
She laughs then gives him a sweet kiss on the cheek. "I like the thought of our own farm. And you could raise horses. You always loved working with them."
He lets himself daydream about all that for a moment. And despite the stressful events of the day and the sadness they brought, it brings a smile to his face. Owning his own farm or ranch- owning his own land- will be a completely new experience for him, but he's realizing that it's one he wants desperately.
"That sounds perfect," he replies as he brings her in for a hug. "Just perfect."