The sheriff didn't believe him. His silence said everything. Jack watched him, waiting for a reaction, any reaction. When Harry finally spoke it was in measured, even tones. "That's a very complicated story," he said. "And it all happened, just like that?"

"That's what happened," Jack said.

"I was there," Fabrizo added.

Harry looked at them closely. "Hmm…."

"You don't believe me, do you?" Jack said.

"It's not a matter of believing," Harry said.

"Of course it is," Jack said. "You either believe us, or you believe him."

"I haven't spoken to him yet."

"Doesn't matter," Jack said. "Tom, I told you. This is why I didn't want to get the law involved. He's not gonna help."

"Hold on a minute. Who said I'm not gonna help?" Harry asked. He flattened his hands on the table and leaned toward Jack. "This is a delicate situation. You got a man tied up out back, and you got two girls that've been attacked, clearly by someone. You say it's him. No-one knows who he is. He could be anybody."

"If he was just anybody, we wouldn't have a problem," Jack said. "Trust me, he's somebody."

"I'm inclined to believe that," Harry said. "Matter of fact, I'm inclined to believe everything you've told me. Problem is, what can I do?"

"What do you mean?" Tom said. "If you see what happened, Harry, arrest him."

"Do you know what would happen if this guy is as important as Jack says, and I take him in?"

"You've got witnesses," Fabrizo said.

Harry ignored him. "Do you really want Lucy subjected to that?" he asked Tom.

"Let's see what has to say," Tom replied.

….

"What?" Lucy looked from Harry to Tom. "Are you saying you won't do anything?"

"I'm saying it's not an easy matter," Harry said. "This could get ugly, especially for you girls, and I don't know how effectively arresting him will be. He'll probably be out in a day or two."

"How can it get any worse?" Lucy asked. "He tried to kill us. He would have. Sheriff, have you seen Rose? It's as bad as it can get for her. Do it," she pleaded. "Arrest him. That's your job."

Harry glanced at Tom. "You heard her," Tom said.

"Alright then," Harry said.

….

Cal's head lifted when Jack stepped outside. His face remained blank, his eyes cold. If he felt any discomfort, he didn't show it. The temperature wavered somewhere around 34 degrees, and yet no-one had said a word about bringing him inside. There was an unspoken consensus that if the happened to freeze, so much the better.

Jack stared at him for what felt like a long time. When he spoke it was a shock to them both. "Why'd you do it?" Cal blinked and said nothing. "I've thought about it so many times," Jack went on. "Trying to understand why you'd do those things to her. How you could do it." He shook his head. "I don't get it." Cal remained silent. "I love her so much," Jack said. "I'd do anything for her, to keep her safe. I couldn't hurt her. Nothing could make me do what you've done." He waited another minute before turning to go. "She'll be fine," he added. "In spite of you."

"You think I don't love her?" Cal said.

Jack looked at him over his shoulder. "Whatever you feel, it's not love," he said.

…..

When Harry left he took Cal with him. Fabrizo breathed a sigh of relief as he watched them go. "I know how things work," he said. "But I'm glad he's trying. The girls deserve that much."

"I hope they aren't making a mistake," Adam said.

"We're too far out for anything much to happen," Tom assured him. "When the story gets out, no-one'll know who we are. There might be some talk around here, but that's nothing."

"Not for girls," Adam pointed out. "Talk can ruin their reputations."

"Well, Rose has Jack," Tom said. "And I doubt he's going anywhere."

"Neither am I," Fabrizo said.

….

Jack held Rose's hand between his. She wasn't quite so hot anymore, or maybe he was just used to it. There was a raggedness to her breathing. He recognized the sound of fluid building. The fever wasn't the only threat she faced. He opened the jar on the bedside table. The thick, medicinal smell hit him instantly. The doctor left it, along with a few other things. There was a syrup for coughing, a tonic for strengthening her blood, and another for fever. She'd had a spoonful of each already, carefully given by Jack. She still hadn't eaten. That worried him.

He unbuttoned her nightgown. It was strange seeing a part of her without bruises. The unblemished skin looked even paler than before. Slowly, Jack rubbed the liniment across her chest, working it down into her skin. He had a flash of his mother doing the same thing for him. How long ago had that been? Over a decade, at least.

Jack kissed her forehead, just the way his mother always did after giving him medicine. He wasn't sure of that wasn't the most important part.

….

The knock was soft. "Come in," Lucy called. She was propped up by pillows; quilts were piled on her, and a fire roared. The room was as warm and cheerful as it could be. She smiled at Jack. "Well, hello," she said.

He lingered in the doorway, his hand on the knob. "Do you feel like talking?" he asked. "I could come back later if you-"

"No, it's fine. Come in. I'm not too sick for company."

"I won't stay long," he said. "I just…I wanted to see how you were. Fabrizo said you were doing alright, but I thought I should come."

"I'm glad you did," Lucy said. "He's right. I'll be over this in no time. It's a flu, really."

"I'm sorry it happened. I can't say that enough. It shouldn't have. This shouldn't even involve you."

"Maybe not," she said. "But it does. We can't change that. I don't think I'll ever be able to forget what happened. I don't know…I don't know how it will stay with me, but I'm sure it will."

"I'm so sorry, Lucy," Jack said. "I never wanted anyone to be hurt. That's why we came here. I thought we'd be safe. I told her she would be."

"Do you know how he found you?"

"No," he said.

"Are you leaving again?"

"I don't know," Jack answered. "We were making all these plans for the spring. We were gonna go to Milwaukee soon and try to get her a divorce. I found money. Did you know that?" He laughed. "I found thousands and thousands of dollars, all in stocks and bonds, put away by my father. I never knew anything about it. We were gonna use it to travel. It was gonna take her back to Europe and marry her there," he said.

"How is Rose?" Lucy asked gently.

"She'll be alright," Jack said. 'It looks bad now, but she'll be fine. In a few days, she'll be past this." He spoke more to convince himself than Lucy. Jack knew Rose's recovery would be long and difficult, and the physical side was only a small piece of it.

"She has you," Lucy said. "That's sure to help."

"A lot of help I've been."

"You have been," she said. "Jack, she loves you. She needs you. When we were hiding last night, she told me what happened, how you two met. It was the last thing I ever expected. When I first saw her, I hated her," she went on. "I snuck over and watched you together a few times, and I wondered how you ended up with her. Why you'd marry a girl like that. I understand now."

"You do?"

"She's not what I thought she was," Lucy said. "I can see why you love her. And you were right. We weren't meant for each other. It was hard to accept, but I've accepted it. Jack, you have a way of…You make an impression on people," she said. "It's not easy to move on from."

"Fabrizo loves you,"

"I know he does," she said. "I love him too. It's odd. I didn't realize it was happening. I didn't want to know. I was so used to being unhappy, to wanting you back. I almost kept him away."

"Don't do that. Please," Jack said.

"I won't. There's no reason to make myself miserable," Lucy said. "Especially now that I've seen what some people have to live with."

"Do you think it was wrong to bring her with me?"

"No," she said. "Leaving her there would have been wrong."

"It's gonna get bad once people find out."

"We can't let him go," she said. "We can't let him get away with everything he's done. Whatever we have to deal with, it'll be worth it."

"I almost forgot what a great person you are," he said. "I'm sorry for that too."

….

Cal sat on the bench, staring through the bars. There was only one cell, and it wasn't used often. The sheriff's office consisted of two rooms and a small closet. The cell was in the back room, out of sight. There was a table and chairs. A checker board was set up. Harry and a deputy, Joe, were in the middle of a game.

"What're we doing with him?" Joe asked.

"Well, I figured we'd take him over to see Judge Samuels on Monday," Harry replied. "I already let him know what's going on. I'm hoping he'll let us keep him without bail." He glanced over his shoulder at Cal. "I don't want him leaving town."

"You really think you can make this stick?" Joe said.

"I'm gonna try," Harry replied. "I figure I owe it to those girls. If you'd see them, you'd understand."

"I heard one of 'em might not live."

"It's touchy right now. Jack's beside himself. I haven't seen him this upset since his folks went, one after the other."

"I forgot you were sheriff then," Joe said. "Me and him, we're about the same age. I felt so bad for him. There wasn't anything anyone could do. I wasn't surprised when he left."

"Well, now we know why he came back," Harry said.

"So, it's all true then? He and that girl ran away together? They pretended to be married?"

"Didn't your mother teach you not to repeat gossip?" Harry said. "Yes, it's true, as far as I can tell. You know, I warned them about pursuing this. That story will be all over town by tomorrow. It'll be all over the next county by tomorrow night. And then the papers'll get involved. It will get bigger every time someone tells it. I don't know if they realize what they're in for."

"They could always leave again," Joe pointed out.

"Lucy won't go anywhere, even if she is keeping company with a foreigner, and they can't leave while the case is still going on."

"Is she really?" Joe said. "Her and that Italian?"

"You didn't know? She's been going with him for a while."

"I'd heard something about it," Joe said. "But I didn't believe it. To think, a girl like her going with a guy like that when there's so many regular fellows around. It just doesn't make sense."

"He's decent enough, I suppose," Harry said. "He was pretty concerned about her."

"But still. It's not exactly right, now is it?"

"I'm sure her brothers aren't thrilled about it. When their father gets back, he'll probably have something to say," Harry replied. "By then it might be too late."

"You think she'd marry him?" Joe said.

Harry shrugged. "Maybe. I never thought Jack would run off and leave her like that, or that he'd come back outta the blue and with someone else's wife."

Joe nodded toward Cal. "He say why he did it?"

"He hasn't said much of anything. He asked for his lawyer, and I told him we'd see about getting him one by Monday."

"I asked for mine," Cal said.

"And I already told you I'd send a telegram out to him," Harry said. "But I can't guarantee he'll make it in time. We're pretty far out compared to where you're from."

Cal's stare was now a scowl. Harry's expression didn't change. If he was going to make any progress with this case, it would take every skill he had, every favor, and some tricks that weren't quite respectable and maybe not quite legal. But he'd done it before. Never on a case like this, but few men remain sheriff for over twenty years, nearly always unopposed, by being strictly honest all the time. There was a moral grey area here, but Harry figured it was in his favor. Whatever he or anyone else might think about Jack and Rose's actions, the violence done to the girls canceled it out.

….

Jack placed a damp cloth against her cheek. It wasn't much, but he hoped it would help bring her temperature down. When it became too warm to be useful, he put it in a bowl of water. He wrung it out and placed it against her neck. He'd been doing that for hours. He watched her sleep, listened to her breathing, alert for signs of distress.

And he talked.

"We could stay in Paris," he said. "I'll try to be an artist again. You can be a dancer. Remember, you said that? Like Isadora Duncan. That would be nice, wouldn't it?"

He moved the cloth to her wrist. "I'd like it," he went on. "I can see you onstage. Your hair would be like fire under all those lights. We could be famous. Or maybe not," he said. "I don't need to be. You don't either, do you? I don't think we can stay here, though. I wish we could. It was nice. I really…I really love it here. I didn't think I could ever be happy here again, but Rose, you changed that." He kissed her hand. "Thank you. For everything."

Jack gazed down at her. She was only sleeping, but he worried it was more than that. Somehow, she wouldn't wake up; she was lost to him already. He touched her face. It was cooler than he expected. He put his wrist to her forehead. Cool. Normal. She wasn't flushed anymore.

"You'll be alright Rose," he said. "Don't worry."

"Jack, are you hungry?" Fabrizo stood over him. "There's food ready downstairs."

"I'm fine," Jack said. He didn't turn away from Rose. "Thanks."

"Are you sure? You haven't eaten today."

"I'm not hungry," Jack said. "Maybe later."

"You mean maybe when Rose wakes up?"

"She'll probably be hungry," Jack said.

"Yeah," Fabrizo agreed. "But you're probably hungry now."

"I'm fine. Really." Jack glanced at him. "I can't eat now."

"Jack, what happened, it wasn't your fault. You had no way of knowing he was here."

"I knew something was wrong when we left," Jack said. "I knew I shouldn't leave her, but I did anyway."

"You can't blame yourself. Rose wouldn't blame you."

"It's not just me," Jack said. "It is now, this time, but it's him too, and everyone else who knew about it and didn't do anything. We all let this happen to Rose and to Lucy, and how many other girls?"

"You can't save everyone," Fabrizo said.

"You're right. I can't. I didn't save Rose. She saved herself. I just helped. But they can't all do that. It can't be up to them to do everything on their own."

"What are you trying to say?" Fabrizo asked.

"I don't know," Jack replied. "I've just been thinking about what happened. What's going to happen. What they'll say about us, about her, and whether it'll all be worth it."

"Lucy think so," Fabrizo said.

"I know. I hope she's right."

…..

"I never made it to Holland." Jack said. "We'll go together." He lay next to Rose, his arm around her. She was curled toward him, as if she knew he was there. Lady pressed against her back. "I hear it's beautiful. Tulips and windmills and canals everywhere. There's plenty to draw. You could learn Dutch. You're so good with languages."

The room was dark, save for the glow of the fire. The wind blew outside, cold and sharp, but inside it was warm and cozy. Under different circumstances, it would have been a romantic scene.

Jack moved closer to Rose, tightening his arm around her. She slept peacefully. If he closed his eyes, he could imagine they were home, and it was a night like any other, but when he opened them and saw the bruises covering her body, he couldn't deny the truth. This was anything but an ordinary night.

….

He said he loved her. That kept coming back to the top of Jack's mind. How could Cal say he loved Rose after all the things he'd done? How could anyone possibly believe that? What justification was there for his behavior?

Jack didn't understand at all. Cal meant what he said. Somewhere in that twisted web of emotions he carried inside him was love for Rose. But it was a violent, jealous love, more like hate than any sort of affection Jack had ever seen. It was as if he hated Rose for what she made him feel. If he could control her, he could control himself.

Rose whimpered in her sleep. She tried to roll away, jerking her head.

"Don't, Rose," Jack said soothingly. "It's alright." He gave her a gentle shake. "Wake up, Flower-Girl. It's just a dream."

"No," she murmured. "Jack."

"It's me," he assured her. "It's Jack. You're safe."

Rose peered at him in the dim light. "Jack?"

"Yeah."

"I couldn't remember where I was," she said. "The dream, it was so real. I was out in the woods again, alone. Cal was behind me."

Jack held her as tightly as he dared. "You're safe, Rose," he said. "Cal's locked up, and he won't ever get near you again."

"We don't know that."

"I promise he won't hurt you again," he said. "Lucy and her brothers are gonna help. And Fabrizo. He won't get outta jail for a while, and when he does, we'll be far away. We'll be married."

"I heard you talking while I was asleep. Those are some grand plans," she said.

"We'll do it," Jack said. "All of it."

"I'd like that." Rose laced her fingers through his. "But what if you're wrong? Men like him don't get punished for what they do. It's the people who speak out that suffer."

"Don't think like that. He wants you to be afraid," he said. "He wants that power over us."

"I can't help it. I don't know if I'll ever feel safe, Jack, not even with you," Rose said.

"You will." But Jack wasn't sure, and in a very realm way, he knew Cal had won.