JASON

Jason stood in the middle of a balcony alcove overlooking an enormous room. Marble pillars, cushioned seats covered in rich, red fabric, glass chandeliers, and the gaslights the manager had lit at the foot of the stage for Jason's enjoyment made this opera house the fanciest he'd ever seen. When the manager tied the red plush curtains back with gold braided ropes Jason caught sight of the luscious props and painted settings meticulously placed along the back wall. Jason hadn't believed it possible, but the inside of Maguire's was more ostentatious than the outside for all its brick, fancy windows, and gas lamps.

"Just imagine it full to flowing with folks aching to hear Miss Laurie's voice ring from the rooftop," said Doreen behind him, her hands clasped together. "When she sings here, that the way it was."

"I wish I could have heard her sing like that."

"Maybe you can bring her back someday. She's not as hated in San Francisco as she thinks."

"Her brother," Jason surmised, his distaste showing in his voice as the realization dawned on him. Of course, Richard would convince her to leave. Of course, it was another manipulated lie.

Doreen diplomatically refrained from commenting.

He continued to enjoy the rich scenery in her silence. He looked past rows of red seats at the rich colored murals painted on the walls framed in shiny gold. Jason recognized two of them: Hamlet holding the jester Yorick's skull in a graveyard, and the beautiful Juliet leaning over her balcony to watch her lover Romeo hold out a rose. No doubt about it, Maguire's was one of the fanciest opera houses he had ever been in. "It is beautiful. Three stories high." He shook his head as if he couldn't believe his own eyes. "That's a lot of building."

"Yes, sir, it sure a sight." She sat and motioned for Jason to do the same.

He took the referred seat. "I don't think I pictured anything quite this nice. I mean, I knew by her voice Laurie was a professional, but this place is something I would expect back East, New York maybe, or Philadelphia."

"Miss Laurie was sure proud to sing here. She stood on that stage and people hushed themselves to listen. Only her favorites be allowed to sit up here during performances. Miss Jenny and I got to come on special occasions. It's a real honor Mr. Tanner be giving you now."

Jason thought of meeting the tall manager, with his starched collar and amiable smile. The moment Doreen mentioned Laurie's name, his eyes had lit up, and after inquiring him about Laurie's well-being, he showed Jason every courtesy imaginable.

"Well, it's a little obvious Mr. Tanner was, uh, taken with her."

Doreen scoffed and in a consoling voice said, "Lawd, many men be sweet on Miss Laurie. She never pays them much mind."

"I just don't understand how her brother could take her from this life. She had everything a woman wants, and she was self-sufficient. That's not someone that belongs in a place for the insane."

"You right about that."

His brow wrinkled, still puzzling things together. "Where is the asylum he sent her to?"

Doreen narrowed her eyes at him, and for a moment, he thought she would refuse to tell him the answer. "You'd have to go to Stockton to visit there."

"Stockton?!"

"Yes, sir. The Insane Asylum of California in Stockton. I know the name 'cause Miss Jenny make me write it enough times for her to send letters to Miss Laurie. She loves to send letters, silly child."

Jason's eyes swept back over his ornate surroundings again. "Doreen, explain it to me. I need to understand."

Doreen's eyes glanced about the room as if she expected someone to be listening. "Miss Laurie, she a good woman," she said, turning her attention back to him.

"Yes, we've both agreed on that."

"And you being her husband now... maybe you don't need to hear other folks say she's bad. Maybe you'll change your mind."

"Doreen, Doreen. I don't think she's bad. I think she's been through some terrible things."

"Sure enough," she said, dabbing her eyes. "Maybe it'll be better if'n you leave it alone. It Miss Laurie's story to tell anyhow."

"I know. And I thought I could wait for her to be ready to tell it. But I have so many questions. There are parts of her life that don't fit together, and now I'm afraid. I'm afraid there's something I'm missing, something dangerous in her past that I still don't know about. I was hoping you might save her the pain of it because she might never be ready. I've thought about it, and I don't want to undo any good that I've done in her life. I'm concerned that if I push her for answers, I might hurt her, or our relationship. Don't you see? I need to know what I'm dealing with. What our children will deal with. Is she really... did she break down? I don't believe she's unstable, but... well, why else would her brother take her from her child?"

"Take her from her child? Mr. Richard did no such thing."

Jason frowned. He thought about the girl he had only briefly met. He still didn't think she looked anything like his wife, but she definitely resembled someone he knew. Laurie's brother perhaps? Did the child look like her uncle? He couldn't recall Richard's features well enough to make that call. He shook his head. "I don't understand. Jenny said she was Laurie's daughter?"

"Oh goodness. That what Mr. Sherman wanted everyone to think. Miss Jenny be his child, only not by Miss Laurie."

Oh. Not her brother... not a family resemblance then.

"Mr. Sherman had no love for Miss Laurie."

"Yes. That much was obvious. Please, Doreen. Help me help my wife."

Doreen looked down to inspect the faded calluses on her hands. "I suppose Miss Laurie expect me to tell you anyhow. She says so in her letter. But you already know'd that."

"No, I didn't know that. Those letters were private."

She scrutinized him for a moment. "I thought you might be a good man, and if you can be honest with Miss Laurie, then you can probably keep her secrets too."

"Yes," he said, ignoring the twinge of guilt he still felt over telling his brothers about Laurie's time in the asylum. He hadn't wanted to, but after a frustrating conversation, he had caved, deciding there was no other way around it. "I want to help her, not hurt her."

"Well," she blurted, with a smack of her lips. "I suppose I'll be telling you what I know, but it ain't going to be easy to tell."

"And I'm sure it won't be easy to hear."

"No, sir, I don't suppose it will." She took a deep breath. "Well sir, Mr. Sherman was the worst kind of man. When Miss Laurie come to Star Hill, it ain't 'cause he wanted a wife. He married her so's his daddy might give him Star Hill, not his brother."

"Laurie didn't mention a brother-in-law."

"That's 'cause he's dead. The war got him."

Jason looked at his hands, thinking of how the war had taken a lot of people. It was the nature of the beast.

Doreen clucked her tongue a few times before continuing. "I don't know how he got Miss Laurie to marry him, but there she was, barely more than a baby herself. I remember the first day she came, all lace and feathers. She a proper lady, and she tried hard to live a proper life. Mr. Sherman don't like it none, and he argued something fierce with Miss Laurie, day in and day out. Then one night Big Sam was working in the barn and them two started hollering. He said it sounded like two wolves tearing at each other." She gave Jason a plaintive look. "We just slaves in those days. Can't be up in no white folk's house listening."

"I know," Jason said softly.

"His daddy came over after he was done tossing her around. Mr. Sherman had Gracie, and I put the herbs on Miss Laurie's cheek, and her eye swelled something terrible. We was still with her when those two start cussing and banging around. When it got quiet, Miss Laurie leave us to go check and tells me and Gracie to stay in her room. That's when we hear Mr. Sherman cussing at her and Miss Laurie screaming at him, but we too scared to go out, 'cause maybe Mr. Sherman beat us if we do."

"I understand," said Jason, gently.

"It got quiet again, and then he hollers for Big Sam to saddle his horse. Lit out of there like the devil hisself be chasing him. We peak outside the room, and there be Miss Laurie, he done knocked her out of her senses and left her on the floor in the hallways, and Lawd help us if Mr. Sherman's daddy wasn't dead in the next room."

Jason felt his heart pound in his chest, visions of what Laurie had walked into plaguing his mind.

"Well sir, we got Miss Laurie back in bed, and Mr. Sherman comes back in the black of night with the law and some of his friends. He told 'em Willis did it. Willie was one slave that work in the field, and Mr. Sherman be hollering at him all the time. Don't nobody believe him, but don't nobody say nothing neither. They hung Willis and bury Mr. Sherman's daddy next to his Mama."

"Few months later he gives Miss Jenny to Miss Laurie. She already know'd he be giving babies to other women. She told him she ain't going to raise that child. Then Mr. Sherman told Miss Laurie the baby's mama had died, and with the war starting and all... he know'd Miss Laurie can't refuse her Christian duty. So, she raised Miss Jenny as her own. That how that child came to call her Mama."

"So, for Laurie to leave her with you and Miss Cowan...?"

"Oh, it hurt Miss Laurie, you can be sure o' that. She loves Miss Jenny, best she could. I suppose it a comfort to her to have Miss Jenny back then, her not having a child of her own. But Miss Laurie got so mixed up, she can't be sure she can take care of her. I know she can, but she just can't be sure. Or maybe she be too scared for Miss Jenny to be around her."

"Because of what happened here, at the opera house. She said something about not coming back because of an incident? You mentioned a fire, is that why she didn't want to come back?"

"Yes, sir. There was a fire here. Folks don't know for sure who started it. They only know'd she got out while them other two women died."

"How was that a scandal?"

"Only 'cause Miss Laurie be saying strange things. Nobody would think nothin' if she stopped saying things ain't nobody going to believe."

Jason frowned, and asked, "What do you mean by strange?" There was a bang from below, and a glance downward showed a group of giggling dancers crossing underneath them.

Doreen continued as if no interruption had occurred, looking at Jason sideways. "She babbles up a storm about seeing Mr. Sherman. Only he was dead, so we know'd she be seeing things. She keeps saying she haunted and he wouldn't let her rest until she dead too. Poor woman was white as Miss Kenna's linens."

Jason leaned forward. "Why would she think he would haunt her?"

Doreen rested in a solemn pause before answering. "Because she was the one that killed him."

The air was as still and as heavy as Jason's breath he held, falling back into his chair as though he'd been shot. Laurie couldn't kill anyone; he was sure of it. He shook his head at Doreen. "Do you mean to tell me she murdered her first husband?"

Doreen's eyebrows lifted. "Lawd! You does have a wicked mind! Did I say murder? No sir, an accident. They's fighting again, and she toppled over a lamp. Started a fire, they did, and Sam, Mr. Sherman hurt him when he runs in for her, but he still dragged Miss Laurie out. Lawd, he barely able to hold on to her. Mr. Sherman knocked her almost senseless, but she heard him, same as we all did. His screams be like the devil has his claws in him... such a terrible death."

Jason thought back to Laurie's nightmares. "Did Grace die with him?"

"No, sir, Gracie died before the war. Mr. Sherman didn't die 'til after... less than a month."

Somehow, Jason had always assumed the nightmares that plagued his wife had to do with her first husband's death. Why he couldn't say, but it bothered him now. He studied Doreen, waiting patiently with her hands folded in her lap for the next question, and he had plenty of them, but her eyes were drooping. As hard as it was for Laurie to talk about such things, he could only imagine what it was like for the person who was forced to stand by and watch it happen. Deciding his questions should be kept at a minimum, he cleared his throat and asked softly, "How many times a week did Campbell beat Laurie?"

"Most times Sunday nights, so's she have time to heal before church, but that was only 'til he stopped letting her go at all. 'Til he left for the war. When he came back to Star Hill, pfft. Most any day, any time. Lawd knows something wrong with that man when he comes back. He does like seeing her in pain. Ain't normal."

Jason looked away, feeling sick to his stomach. He'd seen that pattern several times, and it never ended happily. "Tell me about Grace, and why Laurie has nightmares about her. You said the other day it wasn't her fault. Explain that, please."

Doreen sat up, her mouth turning down into a frown. Jason thought she might refuse, but she took a deep breath and said, "Gracie only with us a short time. Mr. Sherman bought her for Miss Laurie, only she don't like owning slaves, she being from the North and all. But she does as he tells her to like she belongs to him. Like us."

"I see."

"She and Gracie, merciful heavens! You couldn't keep them two apart. Wherever Miss Laurie goes, Gracie going to be right there with her. But that night, Mr. Sherman has one of his parties. His daddy never stood for it, so he does it all secret-like."

"Alright, he had a party. I don't see how that's so bad."

Doreen fidgeted in her chair and again looked around to see if anyone was listening. When she spoke, she leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Those ain't no proper parties, Mr. Bolt."

"Well, what sort of parties were they?"

"The kind ain't no one admits they go to. The kind men not be telling their wives they be attending. The kind that ain't no good gonna come out of it."

Jason pressed his lips together and settled back into his chair. "What are you talking about? Did they invite some fancy ladies over?"

She shook her head. "They a bad lot, all six of them. Most of them die in the war, and that's the good Lawd's justice."

"So he had bad friends. Did they kill the girl?"

"They's supposed to stay downstairs in the basement where Miss Laurie don't hear, but she heard them and she got mad. Goodness, that woman could cause a ruckus you like never heard!" She chuckled sadly. "She tells Mr. Sherman to get rid of them, or she gonna get the sheriff, and Mr. Sherman says he done with her proper ways. He's going to make her go to the party with him. That way she ain't never going to tell nobody nothing."

She stopped, her eyes watering. Jason waited patiently, watching her struggle to contain her emotions, still not sure he understood the complete picture.

"Poor girl, Gracie scared for Miss Laurie. She begs Mr. Sherman to stop when he put that mask on Miss Laurie's face. There's Miss Laurie, screaming and hitting at him, with Gracie trying and pull him off her. He pushed Gracie down the stairs. It broke Miss Laurie's spirit awhile, sure as it broke Gracie for good."

"Her neck?" Jason guessed, using reverent tones.

"Yes, sir."

"I know my wife took it hard. She..." He paused, something she said dawning on him. "Wait. Did you say he put a mask on her?"

"Yes, sir. Mr. Sherman and his friends say they's brothers on account they get their schooling together at the university, and they wear them masks at those parties. That's why Miss Laurie be mad now. She was scared, saying a man in a mask following her everywhere. She could hardly sleep for it. She says that same man be there the night o' the fire, and a lady died here, at Maguire's. They said Miss Laurie be seeing folks that ain't there, and that lady died 'cause of it. Mr. Richard and Miss Kenna told the law it was an accident so's they won't hang her. Her brother talked to everybody that ever know'd Miss Laurie. He was sure she done lost her mind, and him being a lawman too, don't nobody think different."

Jason's heart skipped a beat, sweat appearing on his forehead. "This man she kept seeing. He was wearing a mask? A gold mask?"

"How d'you know that?" asked Doreen, frowning.

Suddenly wishing he had insisted Laurie accompany him to San Francisco, he swallowed the thick ball of saliva that formed in his mouth. "Because he isn't a ghost, and he isn't someone Laurie's imagined. I've seen him myself."

"You! Mr. Bolt, if'n you see any of those men, they's up to no good. Whoever he be, he hates her something terrible."

"Why? Why would someone follow her after all these years, tormenting her? Why not just kill her?"

Doreen shook her head, her eyes reflecting the sadness in her voice. "Only Miss Laurie know."

JASON

Jason walked toward the hotel as though he had boulders in his pockets. After Doreen had told him the shocking news that Laurie had tangled with the man that had been seen around Seattle, little else penetrated his mind. It made sense. When Christopher and Brodie discovered Seattle's peeping Tom, Laurie had already entered his life.

The manager of Maguire's had appeared shortly after Doreen's revelation and had taken him on a more detailed tour, including caressing a few of Laurie's stage dresses still hanging in the back rooms. It had taken all of Jason's self-restraint not to ask Mr. Tanner how long he'd been in love with Laurie.

Doreen had bid him farewell outside, saying something about errands, but Jason had his suspicions she needed to get back before Kenna reprimanded her. That, or she wasn't up to answering any more questions. Still, he had his own errands to run, so he amicably gave her the buggy after inquiring on where he could find the telegrapher and sheriff offices and giving her the information to the whereabouts of the Shamus O'Flynn in case she might remember anything else he needed to know.

At the telegrapher's office, he verified Carrington had wired his wife's funds to his bank in Olympia, and then he sent a wire to his brothers, briefly informing them that the man in the mask was malicious. The sheriff wasn't in his office, so Jason focused on the shopping he had promised himself to do.

The first thing he purchased for Laurie was a wool skirt, along with a green, soft blouse with billowing sleeves and a low neckline. He figured with all the sewing she did for everyone else, it would be Summer before she finished the skirt she had started. He bought her plain wool stockings, being more practical for winter, and on a whim added a pair of silk stockings. It was just the sort of splurge he knew she would enjoy,

In the next shop, a brown cape with fox fur to line the collar caught his eye. Thinking it would be pretty on her and unable to recall any winter clothes appropriate for a Seattle winter in her wardrobe, he purchased a pair of mittens and a muff for her hands, and a pair of boots as well. Jason grabbed a few items he knew he and his brothers could use over the winter. He made arrangements for those purchases to be delivered to Clancey's ship.

He made one last stop to search for a ring. He wanted one a little smaller than the one he had bought her in Tacoma. When Jason saw it, he knew exactly what he'd say when he gave it to her. It was gold, with rubies and a single pearl embedded in the intricate design. It was simply elegant, yet complex, like his wife. Sticking it into his pocket after the purchase, he stepped out of the shop and sighed. He missed her.

Finished with his shopping, he headed back to the hotel. He entered the hallway and stopped short when he spied Kenna leaning against his door. The limp in her hat feathers suggested she had been there for some time.

"Hello," he said, squinting at her.

"Hello," she answered, straightening. "For Laurie?"

Jason shrugged and fished the room key out of his pocket. He leaned against the door to hold the packages and unlocked the door. She followed him inside, and after he put the packages down, he coolly scrutinized the woman.

Her feathers might have been a little wilted, her hat precariously perched on her head like a drunk on a bar stool, but there was nothing wilted about Kenna's attitude. Laurie's friend wore her brown hair swept up in a tight bun, her black dress and white collar starched stiff enough it could have been ironed by Laurie, and the brooch at her neck was so upright Jason couldn't imagine it being any straighter. Her spine was just as starched and upright as her clothes, and her chin jutted in the air.

He wasn't one given to making quick judgments on others, but this woman had rubbed him raw on his last nerve, especially in her disregard toward Laurie. Belittling her in front of her husband, refusing a gift that obviously meant something? This was no genuine friendship. No matter how uncharitable it was, or ungentlemanly, the last thing he wanted was a conversation with Kenna. It seemed he had little choice.

"I suppose you're wondering what I'm doing here," she went on, absently scanning the room.

"The question crossed my mind."

"I thought about our encounter the other day. I know I seemed... off."

Jason raised his eyebrows, forcing himself to keep his opinions to himself.

"Laurie and I have been friends for a long time. We came to the states together."

"Yes. She told me that."

"She did?" The thought seemed to fluster her. "I see."

Her tone suggested she didn't, and Jason couldn't help the look of annoyance that swept across his face. "What can I do for you, Miss Cowan?"

Kenna sat in the one chair that adorned the sparse hotel room, her back erect and her face set in severe, no-nonsense lines. She slowly fanned her face with a black lace fan. Jason leaned against the opposite wall, his arms crossed, and waited for her response.

"I came to apologize. I knew you were coming, but the way Richard described you I expected a different sort of man."

"You knew I was coming?"

"Yes. Richard told me. Laurie sent a wire."

So much for Doreen receiving her own private mail. "What do you mean you thought I was a different sort of man?"

"Richard said you were a logger. I had a rougher picture of you in mind. You fit that picture more today in your day clothes than in your suit."

"And that disappoints you?"

There were a few moments of awkward silence while Jason watched Kenna work out her next response. He shifted, his mouth sporting a frown.

"I suppose you might say I used to be jealous of Laurie."

That was not what he was expecting. The slow pull of her words showed hesitancy, as though she couldn't stand the thought, yet he could see it was the truth. "She's had a hard life. How could you possibly be jealous of her?"

Kenna's pitying look did nothing for his already tarnished view of her. It reminded him too much of Laurie's brother. "Laurie's father took me in, because my mother died, leaving me an orphan. When we were growing up, Laurie was the one with all the admirers. She was the one people crowded around to listen to. She was the one her father doted on. I was grateful, but yes, jealous as well."

Jason crossed his arms, his eyebrow lifted. "Really? Because from what I've seen, her father isn't worth a plug nickel."

It was Kenna's turn to frown. "Why would you say that? He sent us both to finishing school. He took us out of a terrible future and educated us, one that gave us better prospects. He's our hero."

Jason snorted. "What terrible future? Growing up in Scotland?" He shook his head. "Laurie's father is no hero. He was negligent and married his daughter off to a tyrant. He hasn't even attempted to contact her since."

"I see she's told you about Mr. Campbell. Just because Laurie couldn't learn to be a proper wife doesn't mean you should look down on Donovan McConnell, or Richard. They did their best by her."

"I live with her. There's no one more proper. What Campbell did to her had nothing to do with propriety, and everything to do with a weak man needing to control a woman."

"He was a gentleman, his ancestry dictating his actions. It wasn't his fault Laurie was so headstrong. She never could learn how to submit. Heaven knows the nuns tried."

"She has a mind of her own," he said with a shrug. "And that's another thing. I've heard the things that school taught, and I can't see how that was a proper education for any young woman."

"Yes, it was! The three R's: reading, writing, and arithmetic. And the arts."

"What arts?"

"Music, painting, dramatic interests... dancing was frowned upon outside of normal courtship routines. And of course, the art of being a lady."

"That's the one," he said, dropping the hand he had been picking his lip with to point at her. "The art of being a lady. Those women should have been trussed up like—"

"Mr. Bolt! Please!"

"My wife has had some interesting ideas they put in her head. Nasty little thoughts that plague her," said Jason, circling a finger in the air near his ear. "Do you have the same beliefs?"

"I don't know what you mean." She fanned her face, peeking at him through the lace flirtatiously.

"Well, like you just said, they expected her to always agree with her husband, no matter what. And it isn't proper for a woman to take pleasure in the marriage bed."

Kenna continued to fan herself, though no blush tinted her cheeks. "Well, yes, but—"

"Something tells me you don't have a problem with that. Not like she did."

This time Kenna flushed but didn't answer.

"How is it you have the same background, the same upbringing, and yet, different results? Why does she tear at her hands? Why does she feel like if she vocalizes her thoughts, disagrees, or someone gets angry she's going to suffer? I'm sure some of it comes from Campbell, but it seems rooted in that school. Particularly with a nun named Sister Agnes. What did those she-devils do to her to make her think she's a bad person for being a human being?"

Kenna's lips were tucked into her teeth while he spoke, her eyes revealing the conversation wasn't going quite how she had expected. She drew in a little breath before answering. "The nuns did nothing they didn't do to any other willful girl. Laurie spoke out more often than anyone, and that gave her a lot of unwanted attention. Willfulness cannot be tolerated in school. Unfortunately, that meant a lot of switches, and she spent a lot of time in her room, alone. As for wringing her hands... well, let's just say she was familiar with the sting of a ruler for many an insolent answer."

Jason's lips thinned into a straight line.

"It's not like she didn't deserve it! Did you know her father sent us to London first? She had an escape planned for how we were going to get back to Scotland. If we had succeeded, we probably would have been killed, or worse. I understood that when they sent us to America. Laurie did not."

Jason's disbelief was almost tangible. "You're saying Laurie wanted to run away? Back to Scotland?"

"When we were in London, yes."

"How were you caught?"

Kenna looked away and fiddled with the cameo on her collar.

"Oh, I see. You told someone."

"Yes, and if she had just let it go, we would have stayed in England. But no, she was quite vocal, and the school wouldn't tolerate a loud-mouthed Scottish brat tainting the rest of their students."

"Did she try to run away from the nuns?"

"Well, no, there were times she wanted to. You have to understand, she had trouble keeping her standards up. Her bed was always wrinkled, her piano off tempo, the curves in her handwriting not bold enough. She was reprimanded until she learned."

"But you weren't reprimanded until you learned."

Kenna shook her head. "But I wasn't a troublemaker! Isn't it natural to be sterner with a troublemaker?"

Jason snapped to attention, unable to believe his ears. "Stern?!"

"Yes. Her worst offenses were when she would allow herself to slip back into a Scottish brogue with vulgarity. Hazards of growing up in a fishing village, I'm afraid. Sister Agnes was quite clear that a thick accent would not be tolerated in American social circles, let alone cursing. When Laurie was repeatedly corrected, she became defiant."

"Yet she speaks with less of an accent than you."

"A girl grows up, and she overcame some things. It's a shame the nuns were right all along."

"How so?"

"Well, I would say Southern Society didn't agree with Laurie, wouldn't you?" Before he could comment, she cleared her throat. "I was wondering... did Doreen come to see you?"

"She did."

"Oh."

A lot is being said in that word. A warning bell sounded in the back of his mind. He gave her his polite smile. "Yes, she took me to Maguire's. To see where Laurie sang professionally."

"Oh, that makes sense," she said, her shoulders relaxing a little. "I thought perhaps she wanted to talk."

"To talk? About what?" he asked, keeping his voice even.

"Oh, you know. Things that happened. Richard, Jenny. Me. I suppose she might have even talked about Laurie's life in the South."

"Doreen told me some terrible things Campbell did to Laurie. It seems violence was his way of dealing with everyone."

"I couldn't say. I only met him once."

"And?"

"And... and he was charming. Presentable. Wealthy and connected. He was a highly desired gentleman from the South." She took a deep breath. "I was supposed to marry him. But when I met Richard it was... instant."

"That was when he arranged for Laurie to marry him, then. Without checking further into his past."

"It was all arranged by Sister Agnes," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "None of us knew Mr. Campbell cared about who he married. He told us he wanted a wife to help manage his plantation."

"Campbell wasn't happy with the switch."

"No, I don't believe so. That's what Richard told me later."

"Did Laurie know about the switch?"

"Yes... and no. She knew I met him and didn't want to marry him. Sister Agnes told her he was happy with either choice and Richard... he made it sound..."

"He lied to her."

"Only because he was desperate! What else was he supposed to do? Besides, it wasn't like she had men in pursuit of her."

Jason doubted that. "But why Campbell? Why not just tell the man to look elsewhere? And you say it was instant, what? Attraction? Love? It's not like you're married to him yet. I wouldn't call that instant."

Kenna blinked slowly.

"But why betray your friend like that? Just because you were interested in her brother, wouldn't give you a reason to push him on her. Unless..." A thought pierced his mind with clarity and the look on her face when he said it aloud told him all he needed to know. "Unless Laurie didn't approve of you."

With a little sniff, she rose and headed toward the door. "I'm sorry, Mr. Bolt for taking your time—"

Jason sprang in front of her and put his back on the door, blocking her way. "Oh, no you don't," he told her, and almost laughed when her eyes narrowed. "Now you came here for a reason. Out with it."

"No, I only came—"

"You came because you knew I didn't look favorably on you, and somehow you found out Doreen had visited me despite your orders to ignore my request." He could see by her eyes widening that his guess had hit the mark. "A woman has her reputation, is that it? Or maybe you were worried that something that got said would get back to Laurie. Something that would cost you... what? Money? No, you seem to have plenty of it. Her brother? Are you afraid of what Laurie might say to that scoundrel?"

"You're wrong on all accounts!"

"Not quite. You're afraid of something. What could my wife possibly do to you? You and your lover, you've stripped her of her family, her job, her mind, her dignity... and you thought you could convince me you were nicer than you behaved?!"

Kenna had gasped when he said the word lover, but Jason went on as though she hadn't made a sound.

"How did you do it? How could you convince my wife to leave the life she built and get on a boat with her brother, who she couldn't have trusted? Not after what he pulled with that asylum in Stockton. Yes, I know about that too," he added when Kenna's eyes bugged out. "It doesn't add up. She should have felt confident at that point. She should have been proud of herself."

"Proud?!"

"That's right. Most women don't survive the kind of violence she endured from Campbell. You can't deny he hurt her."

"No. No, I don't deny that at all."

"And she survived a war, her home burning to the ground, and the trip to San Francisco. She arrived in rags, and then things get blurry. According to her, you gave her clothes and a place to stay, and now I learn you even helped her find a job. That says friendship, even though for reasons I still don't understand, you and her brother tricked her into that marriage. You say you were in love with her brother, but you had your suspicions about Campbell, didn't you?"

Kenna's eyes were wide, and she was clutching her chest as though she couldn't breathe. When she didn't answer, he continued.

"From how I see things, you didn't want to marry Campbell, and when McConnell showed up to make arrangements for Laurie, you got out of it. Somehow twisted things so Laurie would marry Campbell, not you."

"I twisted nothing!"

"No? Tell me what part I got wrong."

"I don't have to tell you anything, except I'm not lying. The first time I saw Richard in Philadelphia I couldn't believe he was the same Richard I had known as a girl. Just because the timing wasn't right doesn't make it any less true."

"Fine. So you were in love with him but he wasn't in love with you." She blanched, but when she remained silent, he continued. "So the two of you worked together to convince her that marriage was a good idea. Whatever reasons you had, it was guilt that made you take her, Doreen, and Jenny in, not kindness, and not friendship."

Kenna shook her head. "We were sisters!"

"Some sister, seeing the warning signs and selling her out to save yourself! Only that wasn't enough for you, seeing life push her to her knees. Oh, you were kind. She told me how you bought her some fancy dress, and she was attached to it too. But somewhere along the way, you wanted her child. You just had to have Doreen. Shoved Laurie aside and had your lover, her brother, permanently remove her from your lives."

"Laurie was out of her mind! You didn't see her!"

"She was scared! Any woman that's been through the type of things Campbell put her through is going to react if she sees someone that reminds her of the man that's repeatedly hurt her!"

Kenna shook her head, her eyes watering. "Sherman Campbell is dead! He's dead, and she kept babbling about him chasing her. When the judge gave me permanent custody of Jenny, I felt so sorry for her! I turned to say so, and she reached over and plucked the pin right out of my hat!"

"Well, had she given it to you?"

Kenna nodded. "She gave it to me when we crossed the sea. I was seasick, and she gave it to me as a comfort, saying we were sisters, and that it would protect me from evil. She accused me of awful things like you are now. I just wanted her to be well, and I couldn't let her hurt Jenny anymore. Laurie had her convinced her father was alive. She kept saying terrible things like Laurie was right—she saw her father too. It was awful. You were right. She doesn't approve of me. She told me so when she found out and said she hoped she never had to look at me again."

"Then why would she send it to you now?"

"It's her way of saying she's sorry. Well, I'm not sorry. Richard came when I wired him, and he finally saw everything. She'll lose herself to her fantasies, eventually. She can't help it, and I'm sorry it turned out that way, but it was her own fault!"

"Her fault?!" Jason boomed.

"Yes! Instead of fighting with our instructors at St. Vincent's and learning her lessons..."

"Nothing would have stopped him! Do you understand what kind of man does those types of things to a woman?"

"That's what I mean! If only she has just submitted!"

"And yet you knew she wouldn't. You sent her straight into the jaws of hell after it was your fault she had been abused in the first place, all because you wanted what she had. You? Jealous? You must have really hated her. I think you're the greenest eyed monster I've ever had the displeasure of meeting."

Kenna rolled her shoulders back and lifted her chin. "Are you quite finished?"

"No. If I ever hear of that youngster being mistreated, or Miss White, I'll get a lawyer. And lady, you'll only think you don't like me."

He wrenched the door open and watched her and her wilted feathers sail out of his room. He snapped the door shut and leaned against the wall and sighed. It wasn't like him to have such censure spark from his lips. Usually, he was more reasonable, but blaming Campbell's behavior on Laurie was something he couldn't swallow. Still, it was too bad Kenna's words had sparked such censure from his lips. He had probably just ruined his only chance to learn more about his wife's past without risk to Laurie's well being.

Well, at least things were making sense, somewhat. It was no wonder that his wife had warned him about Kenna, and he could see why she didn't want to come back. If that was the type of person who was his friend, he wouldn't have wanted to look back either. He was also beginning to understand why Laurie was always expressing her gratitude for what her brother had done to her. No wonder she'd never learned to trust anyone.

He groaned and eyed the empty bottle from where he left it that morning with disdain. He wanted more answers, not a drink. He checked his pocket watch, and with determination left the room again, locking the door behind him.

He had time for one more visit before it would be too late in the day.

LAURIE

Laurie sat in a stupor, Miss Essie holding her hand and patting it regularly, though whether to comfort Laurie or herself, Laurie couldn't say. Men were filing into the saloon, the fire out, and occasionally muttering condolences to Laurie as they made their way to the bar for much-needed refreshment. She couldn't help but notice their bodies moved sluggishly, covered in soot.

"Why didn't they just let it burn?" she wondered aloud, watching them. "It was over the moment the roof collapsed."

"They can't let the forest burn," said Essie, as though Laurie were a student in school. "Any notion of an out-of-control fire and the entire town puts it out, right away. Besides, I'm sure there's something left for Jason to use for rebuilding."

Rebuild. There it was again. The idea of two cabins for her, and Candy and Jeremy were left without the means to be married threatened Laurie with tears again. Perhaps they could have a cabin raising?

Miss Essie patted her hand again and stood. "I have to go," she explained. "Molly was sweet to sit with my little Paul, but he'll be getting hungry by now."

"I understand," said Laurie. "Thank you. It was very kind of you to come."

"Think nothing of it. You're much braver than I am. I'd be too scared to run into a fire unless Paul was there. I could do anything for him."

Laurie nodded, thinking of Jenny. Had she done everything for her, or had she jumped at Kenna's request of adoption? Perhaps she should have fought Richard on the claim she was mad after all. What did that say about the type of mother she would be? Miss Essie walked toward the door of the saloon, and as Laurie watched her leave a thought grabbed her by the throat.

What if I'm already carrying Jason's child? It's possible.

"Did Essie leave to take care of Paul?" asked Lottie, appearing at Laurie's side with a plate of fried chicken and apple wedges.

"Yes." Laurie sniffed carefully. All she could smell was the smoke still clinging to her clothes. Smoke so thick she couldn't see how to get out...

"Just as well, the water is almost warm enough for a bath. I'll get one of the men to—"

"Oh, no Lottie. I don't want a bath."

Lottie's eyes uncharacteristically narrowed, and Laurie knew if she didn't deflect, she would spill her heart out to the saloon owner, and she didn't want to talk about it. Not yet. But it was possible she might be expecting, and a bath wasn't okay if she was. Dancers at Maguire's took hot baths to rid themselves of unwanted babies.

To Lottie, she smiled weakly. "I just want to wash my face and go to bed. I can't do much more right now."

"I suppose that's understandable," said Lottie, not bothering to hide her concern. "You're bound to be exhausted after what you've been through. Well, eat something, and I'll have the water sent to your room."

"Thank you."

Lottie gripped Laurie's shoulder. Startled, Laurie glanced up at her and noticed her staring at the door. Billy Sawdust had entered the saloon, holding a frantic Franny in his arms, crying. He did a quick sweep of the saloon with his eyes and finding his target, rushed her to a tall, dark-haired logger who wore a thick mustache. Laurie remembered him from her time in the camp because she thought Canada was such a peculiar name.

"Franny!" Canada cried out, taking her into his arms. "Where's our little malysh?"

Franny didn't answer. She was still sobbing and grabbing his shirt in a manner that Laurie eerily recognized. She stood slowly, and Lottie linked arms with her as they watched.

"Boys heard her scream during the fire, out alongside the river," said Corky, pointing to Christopher and Brodie trailing after him.

"My Franny, screaming? What for? What were you doing there?"

"I wasn't...!" Franny waved her hand, unable to control the sobs. "He was going to kill me! My baby!"

"We heard this loud ruckus," Christopher answered. "And by the time we got there whoever it was had let her go and left her there."

"Where was this?" Canada demanded.

"We were trying to catch some trout up on Mr. Bolt's mountain," Brodie answered with a glance in Laurie's direction. Apologetically he added, "Didn't hear nothing 'bout the fire 'til Chris here got some help."

"They had a full satchel," Corky confirmed. "Baby wasn't with her, Canada."

"Where was Franny supposed to be?" Laurie asked, taking a step forward.

Canada held his sobbing wife to his chest, looking stricken. "At home."

"Hurry!" Lottie cried out, and Corky with two of the men ran out of the saloon.

Laurie's heart hammered in her throat, action swirling around her as Billy Sawdust began pulling together a posse. It was all happening so fast, and Laurie felt dizzy enough to sit back down with a whimper.

Lottie put her arm around her and squeezed. "I'll go get you that water."

Laurie thanked her absently, her eyes wide and fixated on Canada desperately trying to console his wife, Franny's sobs continuing to a fevered pitch. It wasn't until the men brought their wailing son to her that Franny calmed down. Hiccuping and holding him close, she slipped into a back room to feed him, her husband trailing behind.

"We need to find this man!" Billy declared as he slammed his fist on the bar just as another round of men entered the saloon along with Jeremy, Candy, Joshua, Aaron, and Biddie.

"Find who?" Joshua asked.

"Well, if you'd been here, you'd know, Joshua."

"Eli's missing," Joshua retorted. "We've been searching everywhere for him. He was supposed to be watching Jason's cabin."

"Oh, he's just passed out somewhere. He'll show up," Corky said, turning back to Billy. "We've got a real problem here."

The saloon erupted with what felt like a thousand voices, and Laurie's head swam. It was all so much. People missing, people getting hurt. Could it be the man that had followed her from San Francisco? Who is he anyway?

"You don't look well," said Candy, slipping into the chair next to her. Laurie noticed she still had some soot on her pink dress from hugging her earlier. "Seattle isn't normally like this, I promise."

"I know. I can't help but feel maybe it really is my fault."

"Oh, Laurie, that's silly!"

"I don't mean to interrupt," Jeremy said in low tones, "But I thought you'd want to know all the things you saved from the fire... they're in our cabin." He stood over Candy, leaning over the table to keep their conversation private. Laurie looked up into his eyes and was struck by how much they reminded her of Jason's. So blue.

"I—I appreciate what you did," he continued, "But you have to know, Jason cares more about you than those journals or tintypes."

"I know," she said softly. "By the way, who pulled me out?"

Jeremy put his hand on her shoulder and shook his head. "Josh. He was scared he'd lost you for good."

Laurie dumbly nodded. Flashes of being pulled out of the fire on Star Hill coming to mind. It felt disconcertingly similar.

"Jeremy! We need another man to check the north side."

He threw an apologetic look at Laurie and Candy before breaking away to plan with the other men. Franny reentered the barroom, still holding her child close.

"I'm so glad they found her baby," Laurie said aloud.

"We heard the commotion outside," said Candy, gesturing to the door. "Joshua and Jeremy didn't know what was going on. Was she really kidnapped?"

Laurie watched the distraught woman croon in her baby's ear, rocking him gently. "It appears so."

"Who would do such a thing? Did she say who her kidnapper was?"

"Not that I know of. She's been too hysterical."

"Well, Molly and Christopher have gone missing twice, and that was terrible enough. I can only imagine how scary that must have been."

Laurie thought back to standing before the judge, the numbness she felt when he declared her mad and gave Jenny to Kenna permanently. She had felt nothing but a dull ache like she had finally given up. It wasn't the same, yet, in a way she felt like it should be. Franny wasn't feeling numb. Surely Laurie would feel more like Franny if it were Jason's baby. Jenny... Laurie felt a twinge there she hadn't felt in a long time and drew in a breath.

"Laurie, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she told Candy, standing up with a hesitant smile. "With everything that's happened, I'm exhausted." She saw Lottie come down the stairs and wave to her. "I have to go."

"I'll come with you."

"There's no need. I'm just going to wash up and go to bed."

"But you hardly ate anything."

Laurie wrinkled her nose at the food left on her plate. "I guess I'm just not hungry enough. My throat's still raw."

"Oh. Well, I'll go see if I can do anything for Franny then. Have a good evening."

"You too. I'll see you tomorrow," Laurie promised, feeling another stab of guilt. "I'm sure Jason, Joshua, and Jeremy will think of some way to still build your cabin this fall."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Laurie. We'll survive."

But Laurie wasn't so sure. It appeared as if a strain had been placed between Candy and Jeremy since she had first met them. Candy no longer talked about being sisters, and she was sure it was all the trouble with the logging business and having to build Jason's cabin first that had caused the silent rift.

"All right, then. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

After giving murmured words of comfort to Franny, Laurie slowly climbed up the stairs to her room. Lottie had left her window open, and thunder rumbled on the horizon. Laurie sniffed the damp sea air. Seattle had been enjoying an unusually dry season, a reprieve she hadn't minded, but it occurred to Laurie that a few days of rain might be good for her. With the rain came time to sit still and think. Her lips formed a rueful smile. Wasn't she just lamenting that afternoon that she had too much time to be still and think?

She entered the bedroom and stripped herself down to nothing. She held the remains of her clothes close to her body and buried her face in her mother's skirt. The men might have been able to douse the fire on her clothes in time to save her from burning, but there was no help for it. It was ruined. Laurie sighed her sadness away and dropped the pile into a corner to be dealt with later. She couldn't allow tears - after all, she should have died. Losing things didn't seem that horrible when she stood those two thoughts side by side. At least she had packed her trunk full of clothes and Jason's mother's things. Not to mention the journals, books, and tintypes she had saved.

Yes, the fire could have taken so much more.

Laurie went about cleaning herself up after pouring water from the pitcher into the washbasin, scrubbing her skin pink. She could be deceiving herself. For some people, babies were easy to come by, but Laurie had no reason to believe it would be that way for her and Jason. After all, nothing except the one time ever came of Sherman's attentions. Except now... except now, she wanted a baby. Jason's baby.

Strange, how life changes your mind, she thought, pulling on fresh underclothes, followed by a nightgown and robe. She wandered back into the receiving area of the room Lottie had given her to stay in. Eyeing a plate with some fruit on it, she picked up an apple. The fruit made a crunching sound when she bit into it, the juice dribbling a little onto her fingers. Still smelling smoke, she decided she would close the window, hoping for a good Seattle rain to clear the air by morning. That could only be a good thing.

Proud of herself for keeping at least one good thought at the front of her mind, she licked the apple juice off her finger. She turned to shut the window when she stopped, a whimper escaping her throat.

He stood right inside the window. He wore his black robes, the gold mask fixed in place. A small chain of smoke trickled out from under the mask, and his chest heaved a little, as though he had been running. He had a knife in his hand.

"No," Laurie whispered, stepping backward. The apple dropped with a thud on the floor and rolled when she hit the table with her backside.

He said nothing—he never did—but there was something more familiar about him than before. The menacing way he stepped toward her, the way he flexed his hands in black gloves as though they were eager to touch her. She edged her way around the table, her eyes darting past the masked intruder to look for a way out. The door? But he could catch her before she got it open. The window was unlikely. The best she could hope for was to lock herself in the bedroom and...

The man lunged at her, efficiently blocking the bedroom. She threw the rest of the food on the table at him and ran for the door. She yanked it open just as his gloved hands closed around her midsection and forcefully pulled her to him. He slammed the door shut. She screamed.

The man used his arm to hold her head in place, his hand over her mouth while she struggled. He reeked of a cigar. The click of the lock to the room sent her into a panic, and just as Laurie wiggled her way loose to scream again, he pushed her face down on the ground and flicked his knife open right beside her head, held in just the right way for her to focus on its glint in the lamplight. She tried to turn over and wiggle her way from him, but he had his knee in her back, keeping her pinned down.

He moved his leg to roll her over, his hand wrenching her the way he wanted her to go despite her kicks, and held her in place by laying his body on top of hers, throttling her throat with one hand. When she whimpered, he squeezed. There was banging on the door, and with a surge of hope, Laurie dug her fingernails into her assailant's hands for all the good it did against the gloves.

"Laurie!"

The man in the mask continued to hold her by the throat and flicked the knife again, this time ripping her nightgown just over her breast. Recognizing the intent of her intruder, Laurie's garbled screams became frantic. She violently twisted her body to no avail. He put the knife back the folds of the robe he wore and silently brought a cigar stub into view from behind the mask.

"Laurie!"

In the scuffle, the man's grip loosened around her neck, and Laurie bit the tip of one of her attacker's fingers. He jerked back, and she screamed, "Joshua!" at the same moment the cigar came in contact with her skin, just below the other smaller burn marks above her breast. She screamed her cry and choked with pain. The banging was incessant at the door, and Laurie's head jerked to the side when the man backhanded her, silencing her mid-scream.

"Laurie, I'm breaking the door down!"

The man was up in an instant, the knife magically back in his hand. He moved to the door.

"Joshua! Look out!" Laurie screamed. "He has a—"

The intruder jerked the door open and Joshua tumbled in. He rolled back to his feet and just as the man in the mask brought the blade down, Joshua moved his arm up in defense, taking the knife in the forearm. The man pulled it out and grabbed Joshua by the collar to drag him outside, Laurie running after them, hoarsely screaming in hopes someone would come.

The man and Joshua struggled. Laurie scanned the ground below and noticed several men pointing at the three of them on the saloon's balcony. She screamed for them to get help, and threw herself into the scuffle between Joshua and the man, grabbing her attacker's leg just as he threw Joshua over the balcony. Joshua held on to the man's arms and the attacker in the mask almost went over with him, a THUD shaking the balcony when Joshua's body crashed into the side of it, and Laurie launched herself forward to grab hold of Joshua's arm.

"I can't hold you!" she cried when he slipped, ignoring the pain from the burn.

"We're coming, Josh!" Corky yelled from below. "Hang on!" She could hear footsteps racing on the stairs.

The man wrenched away from Joshua's grip and kicked Laurie as he ran past. She didn't bother to wonder where he was headed. He would be back.

"Joshua, don't let go!" yelled Aaron below.

"I'm losing you," Laurie whispered. Sweat or blood, she couldn't tell which, had made his hand slick.

"I know," he said and reached to grab the railing with his good arm.

He missed, and with a scream, Laurie watched him fall.