This morning is almost impossible to hold off all the puns the group members are making about last night. Sadie, John, Kieran. They're all mocking me for that goddamn party.

"Yes, yes I got it! Now I'm aristocratic!" I shout at the umpteenth pun.

"Listen, Miss Aristocratic, I remind you that dress won't walk back to the shop by itself" says Miss Grimshaw.

"I go immediately" I reply standing up from the table where I'm sipping my coffee.

This way I don't have to listen to them, I think heading to my tent and then to the horses, loading the packed dress on Isabella

"Good morning, Mrs. Kilgore" says a voice behind me.

"Good morning, Mr. Kilgore. You're going somewhere?" I greet Arthur.

"Mr. Miller asked Dutch a hand for the Indian's question."

I think about last night conversation.

"Yeah, he said something. While you were stealing the documents" I explain when he looks at me.

"So you're going in the city?" I add.

"You too?"

"If you come with me to deliver the dress, I'll come with you to Mr. Miller. I think he'll be happy to see me again."

We ride to Saint Denis while I try to remember the road for the shop. I mistake a few times, but in the end we reach it.

I give the dress back, the tailor checks it and then I follow Arthur towards the city factories.

"Where we have to meet them exactly?" I ask.

"They don't know we're coming" he answers.

"So…we're helping them…but they don't know we are?"

"Uh…something like that, yeah. They are at the Consul's office."

"And, why you have this information?"

He chuckles without answering.

The Consul's office is right in front of the police station. When we walk in front of it, the two police men at the entrance nods to us.

If they only knew who we are…

We get down our horses and head towards the man who's knocking insistently at a door.

"Hello? Hello? Open up, please. Come on…we have an appointment!" he's calling from the glass.

Next to him, the two natives we've seen at the party notice us while we get closer and one touches Miller's shoulder, making him turn.

"Hello. I think I know you" he says narrowing his eyes when we get to him.

"Mr Miller, we presented ourselves as Mr. and Mrs. Kilgore yesterday evening" I say before Arthur can talk.

"And, these are your real names?" he asks with a smile.

"Fred Faraday, it's a pleasure" I say reaching out a hand that he shakes.

"Arthur Morgan, at least sometimes" says Arthur doing the same.

"Can I say something rude?" asks Miller looking at him.

"Sure" Arthur answers.

"The mayor thinks you robbed him."

I exchange a look with Arthur.

"To be clear, he wasn't very upset about it. He rather liked you" adds Miller.

"Okay…"

"Do you…well, I mean to say…can you steal things?"

"Is there a reason you're asking us to incriminate ourselves, Mr. Miller?"

The man moves his eyes from Arthur to me. I frown back at him.

"Well, I'm sorry. Have you met?" he says pointing at the natives by his side.

"This is Rain Fall, a great chief, and his son, Eagle Flies."

"Gentlemen" greets them Arthur.

"Nice to meet you" I add.

"We saw you on the wagon train, crossing the river at Cumberland Falls. And at the party, you were upstairs" says the older of the two, with a deep and calm voice.

He reminds me of Charles.

I immediately push away the thought, focusing on the man.

"Well you have great powers of observation" remarks Arthur.

"Yes, my people, if we are even a people anymore, we fought hard, we've made peace treaties, and those treaties were broken, and we've been moved and punished and punished and moved. And now I am told we are to be moved again."

"Clearly contravening the peace treaty signed three years ago" Miller informs us.

"This will lead to war" says the young man on my right.

He has a sweeter face than his father and long black hair.

More thoughts come to my mind, but I send them away with more decision.

"No, my son, it will not. We cannot fight another war. They have got stronger and we have become far weaker, Mr. Morgan" replies his father.

"Now…Miss. You showed willingness to help yesterday and I was wondering, was that part of the show? Or you really want to help?" asks me Miller.

"Of course."
"No."

Arthur and I speak at the same moment.

"Why not?" I ask him.

"It's to do with oil" says Miller before Arthur can answer me.

"I know it is, but I need proof. I believe there were some prospectors who were on their land a few months ago who have filed reports with Leviticus Cornwall and the State Government, claiming huge reserves of oil under their land" he explains.

"So, you want us to try to steal it?" asks Arthur.

"We can do that" I reply.

Arthur looks at me.

"We're talking about Cornwall" he complains.

"Listen, I realize is a ridiculous request, but we are very desperate" adds Miller.

"You can count on us" I say.

"No, I'm not a do-gooder, Mr. Miller" Arthur replies.

"I want to help" I tell him.

"We already have problems on our own. We're wanted in two states, we have a bounty on our heads and the government hates us almost as much as they hate them" Arthur replies pointing his index to the natives.

"We can pay you" Rain Falls says suddenly.

"There's no need" I reply and then I look at Arthur.

He keeps his eyes on the ground for a little before answering.

"If you pay us…Okay" he says in the end.

Now it's my turn to complain, but I have no chance because Rain Falls takes the floor first.

"You meet my son in a couple of days near Citadel Rock, just West of the oil fields. We are real grateful for your help" says Rain Falls before I can complain with Arthur.


"When will you stop to bring me up in this kind of situations?" Arthur scolds me while we head back to camp.

"Haven't you seen them? They were desperate and no-one will never help them" I reply.

"We are gonna have Cornwall's men on us again" he sighs.

"Maybe. But I can't stand this kind of things. Especially if I can do something."

"You won't do nothing. I'll go to meet Eagle what's his name."

"Forget that! I'll come with you. I want to follow this story until the end of it."

Silence falls and this gives me the opportunity to think about the men we've just met.

Rain Falls seems to be wise and he gave me the idea he suffered a lot during his life, and his people with him. It was the pain I could perceive through his words that convinced me to help them.

His son seems to be a hothead, instead. And apparently he's lost his hope to end things diplomatically. Unlike him, I hope a war won't break out.

When we arrive at the camp we find Miss Grimshaw in hysterics.

"Mr. Morgan, we have a problem, a real problem" she says to Arthur coming close as we get down the horses.

"What kind of problem?" he asks.

"It's Tilly, she's been taken by them Foreman brothers she used to run with. Come along!" she commands.

Tilly? Taken? How's that possible? How did they get into the camp?

"The Foreman brothers? What are they doing here?" asks Arthur following her.

I do the same.

"Well, I don't know what they've been doing here, but I can tell you what they're going to be doing here: dying!"

"You need a hand?" I ask watching them getting on a wagon.

"Me and Arthur will handle this. You take care of the camp while I'm not here" she orders before going away.

Who the hell are the Foreman brothers? I as myself as I look at them going away.

Still not completely calm, I turn around and head to camp.

I know I don't have a great relationship with Tilly and the other girls, but if something should happen to them, I would still feel sorry. After all, we're almost as family now.

Walking past one of the tents, I see Mary Beth and Karen whisper among them. They stop to look at me as I pass by.

I ignore their gaze, go near the boiling pot, take some stew and sit at the table when I hear someone coughing and then Karen sits in front of me. Mary Beth takes the seat on my left.

"Miss Grimshaw told you where Tilly is?" asks the former with half embarrassment, half sullenness.

"Apparently, the Foreman brothers took her" I answer with the same tone.

The two girls look at each other with worry.

"You didn't go with her" she remarks.

"She didn't want to. Arthur is with her."

The girl face relaxes a little when I say this.

"I don't understand why you hate me so much" I say suddenly moving my eyes from one to another.

"It looks like you can't stand me. If I've done something that offended you, I apologize" I end.

They look at each other again. Then, it's Mary Beth who speaks.

"It's not for something you've done, it's for how everybody treats you. You have a lot of attentions, they make you do a lot of things, like that party yesterday. I can only dream to wear a dress like that."

I look at them for a brief moment before I lower my eyes and nod.

"I see…I'm just…sorry that we can't get along well" I add.

"Well, maybe…we can" replies Mary Beth.

I smile to her, glad that I'm making them change their minds. Karen limits to nod, but it's a good start anyway.

Miss Grimshaw and Arthur come back with Tilly a few hours later. Apart from some scratches and the dusty dress she seems to be fine.

Before the sun goes down, I decide to make some little work when I hear someone calling my name. Karen is stretching out a hand. She, Tilly and Mary Beth are all seated together and, when I reach them, they are giggling.

"We should know each other better, what do you think?" says Tilly signing me to sit down next to her.

I accept even if I'm a little unsure.

"What can you tell us about you?" she asks.

"Well I…I don't know."

"Come on, it's between us, between girls, there's no need to be shy. For example: it's true what they say? About you and Charles?" asks Mary Beth.

"W-what?"

I feel my cheeks warming as I look at them all.

"Oh! So it's true!" she exclaims laughing.

"Shhh. Please, be quiet. Just out of curiosity, who says that?" I ask.

"Oh well, everybody. Kieran, Arthur, Micah, John, Bill…" she answers.

I sigh and shake my head. Then, I think about something.

"What about you Mary Beth? How's going with Kieran?" I ask her.

"Well…wait. How do you know…" she stops to look at me with suspicion.

I laugh before answering.

"Kieran told me about you. He likes you. I don't think he'd be happy to know I'm telling you, but…to hell! We're all girls, right? This remains between us."

"He really told you he likes me?" she asks curious but embarrassed at the same time.

"He hasn't actually told me, but he made me understand it. Where is he, by the way?" I say looking around.

"I have no idea, I haven't seen him for the entire day" replies Mary Beth.

Dutch told him not to go around because of the O'Driscolls and, what he does? He disappears for an entire day? That boy really wants to get into trouble.