"Impossible."
That barely audible word spat out with a healthy helping of disgust and suspicion seemed to stand in direct contrast with the almost cozy atmosphere inside what was now Braddock's Headquarters. The cabin where they had spent those few desperate hours the night before had since undergone quite the transformation. No longer a Spartan dwelling filled with the tattered remains of its unknown inhabitants, now it was replete with Braddock's furnishings - a comfortable camp bed, a small table and chairs, a leather backed chair where the man himself was seated behind a desk littered with maps and on the wall were brightly lit lamps hanging on hooks, flooding the entire room in the glow of warm firelight.
For the situation, it seemed the best place to obtain the privacy so desperately requested by the emotionally battered John Fraser, though Wyatt knew, before they even left Gage's tent, the rumors had already started swirling. He could hear the mumblings, he saw the stares, he knew as John most likely did, that whatever protection he was trying to offer himself and Mary in the wake of this revelation, would be short-lived.
For his own part, Wyatt was anxious…not just for Lucy and himself, but for his friend and mentor who was kneeling in front of the fireplace, his head in his hands as Colonel McKee continued to passionately voice his skepticism.
"Jane Fraser died last year in a tragic attack. How you," he said pointing an accusatory finger at Lucy, "can use this man's pain in a desperate attempt to…"
"I'm trying to save her life." Lucy gritted out, "She's out there, right now…if you would just…"
"If that were true," Colonel McKee sneered, "then why in heaven's name would you leave her in the hands of the French?"
"I didn't!" Lucy snapped back as she plopped down on a rickety old chair by the fire, "We got separated somehow…I…I…" gripping her head with her hand, she clenched her eyes shut, as if trying to remember the last time she laid eyes on John Fraser's wife. Nodding as the memory came back to her, Lucy muttered, "She helped me get loose, she untied my wrists…and then…I…I don't know…everything just happened so fast."
"A likely story. Why would you have not mentioned it before now?" Colonel McKee pressed. "Hmm?" he challenged. "Knowing that her husband has mourned her these past…"
"She did mention it." Wyatt snapped, "She told me ."
"And you two conspired together to, what? Use this poor woman as leverage?
"No." Wyatt humphed before he set to pacing the length of the room, pointedly attempting to avoid Lucy's gaze as he admitted gruffly, "I…didn't believe her."
A soft gasp of hurt escaped Lucy at that admittance, and Wyatt hated it…but not as much as he hated Colonel McKee continuing to press the issue.
"So you admit your wife is not trustworthy?"
"I didn't say that," Wyatt growled, "She wasn't exactly lucid when I found her, okay? Hell, she was nearly frozen to death by the time I got her here."
"I can verify that," Daniel Boone announced, "I was there," he motioned towards the sentry post, "when he brought her in…and she was in a right state."
"So it might not be that this woman is Jane Fraser at all? " General Braddock offered with a slight shrug.
"It is her!" Lucy maintained hotly. "I know it was her. I…I know it sounds crazy, but I…I swear to you…"
"Lucy," Wyatt gritted out, lowering his voice, "you don't have to prove anything to these assholes, alright?" You didn't do anything wrong."
"You honestly think that's what this is about?" Lucy gritted out angrily, "That I would make up some…"
"No," Wyatt maintained, "I told you before…it's perfectly normal for someone who was in your condition to have bouts of…"
"Wyatt," Lucy warned, "I…I may not have been myself when you found me, but I did not dream her up, alright? I know she's out there…and she needs our help. You promised me," she reminded him seriously, "you promised me we would do everything we could to help her." She shook her head at him in disappointment, "You lied to me."
"No!" Wyatt insisted, but at General Braddock's disbelieving snort, he amended, "look, I believed that you believed it, okay?" Lucy rolled her eyes and wrenched the hand he was now holding away from him as he continued, "But Lucy, my main concern was you. You almost died."
"All the more reason to save her ," Lucy contended hotly. "I can't leave her…I can't abandon her… don't you see? If it wasn't for her…" Lucy nodded as tears sprang to her eyes, "Wyatt, she saved me…Nicolas might have saved me the first time, but it was Jane Fraser who…who kept that man away from me this time." Wyatt hung his head down as Lucy pressed quietly, "We have to help her, Wyatt…what kind of person would I be if I just left her?"
Of all the things Wyatt both admired and - dare he say it - hated about Lucy Preston was her selfless tenacity. No matter what it cost her, no matter how difficult, Lucy was unwavering in her stubborn determination to help someone in need. When they had first met, it was a nuisance…an annoyance - but he had learned to trust her judgment. Von Braun might have been a damn Nazi, but saving him from Flynn…handing him over to the Allies in those waning days of WWII? It went against every gut instinct he had, but ultimately it had been the right thing to do.
Jane Fraser wasn't a Nazi - she was just an innocent woman trying to get back home to the husband who never stopped loving her. So why the hell did this feel so wrong?
Wyatt stared at Lucy, the conflict he felt within him mounting with every passing second. He could feel every eye in the room on him, even as he turned away from Lucy and muttered, "You don't know what you're asking me to do."
I'm asking you to trust me, Wyatt." Lucy replied softly. He turned back to look at her, his eyes serious as she nodded, "Can you do that?"
Trust.
It seemed so long ago that that word held no association with either Lucy or Rufus for him. Their betrayal, their secrets, now in the face of everything they had suffered these past few months seemed arbitrary…stupid, even. That diary, that damn book Flynn used to torment him with meant nothing compared to the long nights Lucy stayed by his bedside, nursing him back to health or Rufus' commitment to getting them all the hell out of there.
Hell yes, he trusted her. He trusted her with his life…and would do just about anything for her…but this? This felt like a betrayal. Looking at John, he could see the torment,the guilt etched in every strained muscle and dammit… he understood the conflict raging within him. To throw his support in with Lucy, to trust her in this, to commit himself to fulfilling that promise he made when she was finally back at his side would be like ripping out his own heart and tearing it in two.
He was about to respond, but it was John Fraser's quiet voice that drew everyone's attention. "Could it be true?" he said quietly. "After all this time," he stammered "c-could she…could she really be alive?"
Casting a warning glance to Lucy, Wyatt breathed out a curse. This was just part of what he had been trying to avoid - giving John Fraser a cruel sense of false hope. She, however, turned away from him and met John's questioning gaze with a soft smile. Before she could respond, however, Colonel McKee rounded on her angrily.
"Of course she's not really alive! She's been gone for over a year! Do you see what you've done to this man? Making him relive one of the worst moments of his life? Filling him with a sense of false hope that the woman, the wife he loved…"
"She is still alive," Lucy maintained, before catching Wyatt's eye, and amending, "...or at least, she was wh..when I saw her last. Swallowing hard, she tilted her head sympathetically towards John as she knelt on the ground beside him, "I know what a shock this must be for you," she pressed as Wyatt scoffed somewhere behind her, "but I can't stand here and pretend like she isn't out there right now…not after all she did for me…not after everything you've done for…"
"Enough!" Colonel McKee demanded, roughly pulling her away from John Fraser. "Leave this man be…you've deceived him quite enough, don't you think?"
"Stay." John Fraser gently reprimanded his friend, "I do not need your protection…I need answers." For the first time since leaving Colonel Gage's quarters, John Fraser offered Lucy a small, wistful smile, "You talked with her?" He asked with a hopeful nod, "You actually talked with my Jane?"
Regaining her spot on the floor beside him, Lucy answered earnestly, "Yes." Showing him the rope marks on her wrists, she noted, "She helped me…see? I didn't know who she was, at first…I…I thought she was a housemaid for the Gibbs," she explained, before reminiscing quietly, "She was all I had out there."
"Tell me," he pleaded, "what did she say? Did…did she speak of me?"
Casting a wary look towards Wyatt, Lucy nodded before answering softly, "Yes. She told me…she hoped you…you had found comfort."
"And our child?"
"A beautiful baby boy…who…" tears sprang to Lucy's eyes as she slowly shook her head.
Nodding in understanding, John Fraser blinked back tears, "I had a son?" As Lucy silently acknowledged the truth with a nod, he broke down in tears, still clasping her hands, as if she was the only link to the family he should have had. "Did…did he suffer long?" John asked in a voice trembling with emotion.
Shaking her head, Lucy gasped through her own tears, "No."
"I thank God for that." he acknowledged, giving her hand a squeeze.
"She did too." Lucy quietly assured him with a nod. Wiping away her tears, she sighed, "She tried so hard to get back to you."
"Then we must get her back." John nodded in determination, "We must find her," he said more to Colonel McKee than to anyone else in the room, "Please, Alexander…you know how much Jane meant to me, what she meant to so many…"
"John," Colonel McKee sighed in exasperation, "you're really going to take the word of this…this Jezebel ?"
With that accusation, Wyatt absolutely started and if it hadn't been for the quick thinking of Daniel Boone, Colonel McKee would have undoubtedly been made to regret his latest assault on Lucy's character. As it was, General Braddock diffused the situation, even as Boone kept Colonel McKee out of Wyatt's reach.
"It appears to me," the General announced, "we have an interesting opportunity before us." Nodding thoughtfully, he got up from his chair and made his way towards the fire, "In our possession," he continued, nodding towards Lucy, "is a person the French value. In their possession? An Englishwoman who may or may not be Mr. Fraser's long-lost wife. A simple trade would, of course, be the great remedy to this situation," but as Wyatt started, Braddock amended, "if only we could ascertain that the woman in question is Jane Fraser. Obviously," he chuckled, "we don't want to be giving away the farm if the woman they hold is not who she says she is."
"What the hell do you mean by that?" Wyatt snarled.
"Merely that it would not be prudent to show the French our hand until we are certain what they have in theirs." Nodding to Colonel Gage, he asked as he pointed to Lucy, "They do not know for certain that we have her in our possession?"
"No sir, he answered promptly, "the request I received assumed she was in our hands…requesting that we release her with all possible haste."
"Then," he said with an air of satisfaction, "we are on equal footing…though, if this woman is who you say she is, the French can have no idea how important she might be to us…and in that," he argued, "lies our advantage."
Suspicious, Wyatt started, "An advantage for what? You're not seriously thinking of using Lucy as collateral?"
"She offered herself up, young man," General Braddock argued, "Though, I'm with McKee…her motives might not be entirely pure. We don't even know if this woman is Jane Fraser, do we? No," he said, answering his own question, "we need proof…proof to know precisely what we are dealing with and then perhaps we can get more than just this young Englishwoman in exchange for the uh…French hussy."
"You sonofabi…"
"We should take down a letter to…oh what the devil is his name? Couloun?" Braddock asked Gage, ""And see if we can arrange a little tete a tete…I'm interested in seeing just how desperate the French are…perhaps we might even get them to relinquish Duquesne. Wouldn't that be something?" he barked out in a laugh, "Meeting our objective without firing an offensive shot."
Wyatt started towards Braddock, fully prepared to show him how unimpressed he was with his proposal when John Fraser spoke up.
"I think I should have a say in this," he announced quietly, his hand on Lucy's shoulder, "If Jane is really out there, then of course, I'd like nothing more than to have her safely returned to me. But not this way…I could not live with myself knowing that my wife was restored to me, by stripping another man of his own. Especially not one I look upon so highly."
Wyatt flushed with gratitude and shame at John Fraser's continued loyalty, despite all the lies and tribulations he and Lucy had brought to his door, not to mention his own personal reluctance to assist in the restoration of his wife.
Braddock considered John with a frown, and nodded, "Commendable of you, sir…truly commendable…but what would you suggest otherwise?"
"What she said," John offered, "have them come here under a flag of truce with the Englishwoman they've obtained. If it is my Jane…I will know…and then we can work to secure her release." Nodding to Colonel Gage, John Fraser shrugged, "They don't know for certain that Lucy is here…we could offer them any number of goods," he pointed to General Braddock's wine collection, "trade horses, livestock…I could pay…in short, we could negotiate the safe return of my wife without having to resort to their level of trading in flesh."
"I don't like it," Colonel McKee argued, "It leaves us vulnerable…moreso since she is the one who suggested the French come here . I suggest a neutral place for the negotiations…away from the camp."
"And where do you propose we go?" General Braddock laughed, "My good man, we are deep into enemy territory…although," he murmured as he stroked his jaw, "now that I think on it, it may be prudent to find a more defensible position. The French know where we are, after all…and if this is a part of some elaborate scheme, I'd rather we were prepared for the worst." Leaning over, he pored over his maps, "Tell me gentlemen, are there any other hints of civilization in these God-forsaken woods where we might build our defenses?"
John Fraser exchanged a look with Daniel Boone and sighed, "I know a place."
"I don't like it, Lucy" Wyatt gritted out, huffing as he marched back and forth. "I say we just get the hell out of here right now." Motioning roughly towards the forge, he exclaimed, "Rufus has almost got it - one more thing and we can get our asses out of this century and back home where we belong!"
"And what about Jane Fraser?" Lucy argued, "Wyatt, we can't just leave her with the French."
"She won't be with the French for long," he hissed, "You know what's about to happen here…and I don't know about you, but I've had enough run-ins with those French assholes to last a lifetime."
"We've all had enough of this…this place…but I can't…I can't leave here without making sure Jane Fraser is safe."
"And you're willing to risk your life on that?" he asked her incredulously.
"We risk our lives either way…" Lucy began, before she huffed out an impatient breath and added, "We discussed this…"
Yeah, they had discussed it alright…but it didn't mean it made him feel any better. Yes, jumping back to the present in the Lifeboat was risky…hell, practically suicidal…but this? This plan was beyond stupid.
Not trusting their current vulnerable position since it was already known to the French, Braddock proposed to move camp over the next few days, pushing north across the mountains near to where Fort Duquesne lay nestled in the river valley. There was a mill near the mountain stream, one John Fraser knew well, that would provide ample cover for the wounded and shelter from the elements for the sick. The topography too, was ideal, offering them a view, practically on all sides, of any approaching army. While part of the army would travel there, the other part would be pushing west where Lucy…or at least, the promise of Lucy would essentially be used as leverage to negotiate not only the return of Jane Fraser but the removal of the French from the Ohio river valley.
Wyatt absolutely objected but as General Braddock reminded him - she was the one the French wanted and so if they wanted Jane Fraser back, they needed to convince the French that they had Lucy in their possession…and that they would be willing to offer her up…under the right conditions.
"Their complete removal from Duquesne" Braddock had said…and while yes, that was a great option for the British, it wasn't so great for Lucy…or for history for that matter…and so no way in hell could he even begin to support it. Which is why he couldn't understand why Lucy was even willing to go along with it, let alone agree to Colonel McKee's demand that she go with them.
"You do know if the French agree, McKee won't hesitate to send you back with those assholes?"
"They won't," Lucy maintained, "Leave Duquesne?" She scoffed, but Wyatt could tell beneath that brave face she was putting on she was worried.
"When are they supposed to leave?" Wyatt pressed, "1756?"
"1758" Lucy muttered. " If the French leave before then…I..I don't know what it will do for the rest of the war…which is why I have to go, Wyatt. These negotiations…"
"To hell with the negotiations!" Wyatt exclaimed, "I say we do what Gage suggested, hit them in a counter offensive and grab Jane before they even know what hit them."
"No," Lucy insisted, "no, we can't do anything that will mess up the course of the war…"
"It's already messed up!" Wyatt reminded her, "Dammit, Lucy…you said it yourself - this isn't even supposed to be happening right now!"
"Yes, but Wyatt…if the British win…if Braddock survives this battle," Lucy hissed, "George Washington will never gain the notoriety he's supposed to when he rallies the troops and organizes the retreat. That is what springboards him to lead the American forces in the Revolution in twenty years."
"Uh-uh…and if we don't do this Gage's way…if we negotiate terms with the French and they agree to do whatever the hell Braddock wants just to get their hands on you…you're willing to risk that, risk history to save Jane Fraser?" Wyatt asked her seriously.
Lucy looked at him helplessly, "I'm not worth losing Duquesne over….it won't happen."
Wyatt looked as if he were going to argue that point, but thought better of it. Instead, he took to pacing again, his frustration visible with every single step. "Anything could happen, Lucy," he spat out. "There's no guarantee this is going to work. You don't think the French are going to be just as suspicious about this, waiting to ambush you the moment you all get to wherever the hell you're going?"
"Daniel Boone is following along with the Mohawks," Lucy reminded him, "They're the best fighters around…you saw what they're capable of." Wyatt raised his eyebrows, but said nothing, as Lucy continued, "Colonel McKee will be there to identify Jane Fraser."
"And to make sure you are as far away from the rest of the British army as possible." Wyatt gritted out. "I'm serious, Lucy…I don't trust him. Hell, I don't trust the French - what's going to keep them from just taking off with you again, huh?"
"That's…that's not how things are done in this time,: Lucy sighed in exasperation. "A meeting like this, under a flag of truce, carries with it certain expectations for behavior," she explained. "If all goes according to plan, Daniel Boone will be able to get Jane free and sneak her away during the negotiations…"
"And you?" Wyatt challenged, "Who sneaks you out if the McKee signs you over to them, huh? Lucy," he pleaded, "They're not gonna let me know where the hell you're going. They think we're spies."
Lucy bit her lip to keep it from trembling and nodded, "I know...but there's nothing we can do, Wyatt. Anything we say…they're going to do the opposite. At least with me there…the French will think we are t rying to negotiate terms. That will take a while…even if they discover Jane Fraser is missing , I don't think they'll care much about losing her…not if they can still secure me in a trade."
"That's what worries me," Wyatt spat out, "I don't give a damn what Colonel Gage says, McKee would sell you out the first chance he gets." As Lucy hung her head, Wyatt nodded, "You know he will….so why the hell are you agreeing to this?" he asked again.
"You know why," she muttered, unable to look at him. "Wyatt, I…I couldn't live with myself if something happened to Jane Fraser…not when I had the chance to save her."
"And how the hell do you think I feel?" Wyatt shot back, "Dammit, Lucy…I didn't trek all this way just to lose you again."
"You won't lose me…this,,.this is just part of the job."
"My job," Wyatt countered, "is to protect you."
"No,"Lucy corrected, "your job… our job…is to protect history…and since I'm 99% sure the French won't agree to abandon Duquesne…our focus, our mission is to bring Jane Fraser back home to her husband. She belongs at home with John."
"And what if you're wrong?" Wyatt pleaded. "What if the French take you again? They'll kill you, Lucy."
"It won't come to that," Lucy muttered quietly, again, not meeting his eye. "They'd attack Braddock before they'd ever willingly give up that fort…"
"Yeah," Wyatt scoffed. "And Braddock needs to lose this battle," he reminded her as she shook his head incredulously, "What the hell kind of a mess have we got ourselves into?"
"I don't know what else to do, Wyatt." Lucy sighed heavily. "We owe it to John to get his wife back…and if this is the only way…then this is just how it has to be…and we just have to hope for the best."
"What about Mary? Wyatt countered softly, his gaze drifting towards the middle of the camp, where she stood, hovered over a large kettle serving up the evening's meal. Her face was flushed from the warmth of the fire, her auburn hair, pinned back and away from her face, but her green eyes smiled at every passing soldier as they carried away their meager portion of stew. If she had heard rumors in the hours that had passed since Lucy's stunning revelation, she hadn't shown it; not when she swept Lucy away to get washed up for dinner, not when she fretted over Lucy's warming brow. After every deceitful, backhanded thing they had done to her…and were planning to do to her, Mary Fraser was still nothing but thoughtful, gentle and kind. Grimacing, Wyatt turned away, "What the hell do you think this is going to do to her?"
"I…I can't think about Mary right now…," Lucy muttered as she leaned against the tree. She was wrapped up in Wyatt's coat, and the night was relatively mild…but still, she shivered.
Wyatt knelt beside her and pressed his hand to her forehead, "She's right you know," he warned seriously, "you do feel warm. Dammit, Lucy…you're in no condition to…"
"There's nothing we can do, Wyatt." Lucy hissed, swiping his hand away from her face. "It's a mess, right? So we just make it up as we go…isn't that what you always say?"
Wyatt stared back at her, angry, frustrated and yeah, scared as hell…but he knew it was useless to argue with her. She was too damn stubborn and he? He had heard enough. If he couldn't make Lucy listen to reason, maybe Rufus could. He marched past her towards the forge where Rufus was tinkering away at a tiny piece of metal, "You see this?" he said as Wyatt approached. "It's foil. I made foil."
"Not that it will do us any good." Wyatt muttered miserably.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Rufus blanched, "You're not thinking of staying here are you?"
"No, I'd leave right now…but Lucy …all she cares about is getting Jane Fraser home."
Rufus nodded, "Yeah, and you know she has her reasons, right?"
"Yeah, I know." Wyatt sighed. It wasn't that he was ignorant of the fact that for Lucy, this was more than a little personal. Having her sister erased from existence had been so traumatizing, that the idea of eight being lost forever to time was more than she could handle.
He understood, of course he did…and dammit, he wanted to do right by John who he knew would go himself if he could.
Still, Rufus knew what was at stake, what it would mean if they failed and as Wyatt related to him every fear he had, every frustration he felt at Lucy's stubbornness, the pilot nodded patiently and offered, "Well, if you want to protect Lucy…protect her."
"I'm trying ." Wyatt groaned, "But she won't let me!"
"No," Rufus amended, meaningfully, "you're trying to protect her by not saving Jane Fraser…by leaving it all up to chance. You should by now, Lucy isn't one to risk history, man."
"Yeah…but how do I…"
"I think you know." Rufus offered quietly.
Wyatt hung his head down in defeat before sighing heavily, "I…I can't be the one to bring Jane Fraser back."
Rufus nodded in understanding, "Then it has to be Lucy. You either need to accept that and trust that she'll make it back in one piece with the rest of history intact…or come to grips with the fact that Jane Fraser is John's wife…and Mary…is gonna be hurt."
"I don't want to be the one to hurt her…dammit, Rufus…I can't hurt her," Wyatt turned to the pilot helplessly and explained, "This…this is gonna kill her. How the hell can I go out there and do this…after everything she's done for me…for Lucy?"
"You're not doing it for her, man." Rufus reminded him quietly.
Hanging his head down in shame, Wyatt nodded, "I can't…I can't lose Lucy. Not again."
"Then you know what you're gonna have to do," Rufus offered quietly.
"Yeah," Wyatt nodded. "Yeah, I know." With one last look towards Mary Fraser, Wyatt turned on his heel and slowly marched towards Braddock's headquarters, hoping to hell he could appeal to Braddock's logic….and sense of manly pride.
As he approached, he was met by Colonel Gage who was standing just outside the door, nursing a glass of wine. "I thought I'd be seeing you here again, young man," he acknowledged with a slight bow. "I'm sorry we could not work out a better arrangement, but I'm afraid Braddock is quite stubborn when it comes to these matters."
"I want to talk to him," Wyatt said shortly.
"I think he's just having supper," Colonel Gage remarked with a tilt of his glass, "You might catch him in a cheerful mood."
Waving him inside with a nod to the sentries, Wyatt stepped through the door of Braddock's headquarters, finding it looking even more inviting than it had just a few hours before. A small banquet was spread on a table draped in fine cloth, wine, cheeses, ham, and fruits were in abundance with Braddock sitting at the head of it all…with a young sparsely dressed lady sitting close beside him.
"Ah!" he cried upon seeing Wyatt, "you have come to squabble, no doubt," he chuckled, waving him inside, ""come, come…have some port." As Wyatt took the proffered seat near him, Braddock continued, pressing offers his way, "Did you have a good supper? If not, you must try some of this cheese here…and the salted pork..I'm told it's some of the finest in Pennsylvania."
Wyatt tried to wave off every offer, but after Braddock's repeated insistence, he relented. Given the mission he was trying to undertake, he figured he might as well eat, drink and not give a damn now before the hell that was sure to be the next few days. The problem was, though…he did give a damn. He cared too damn much for his own good. A mission like this, should have been nothing. Hell, hadn't he been prepared to take on the whole French army by himself when it was Lucy stuck behind their lines? But now? Now all he could think of is how many things could go wrong.
And not just in saving Jane Fraser.
He knew what was coming - or at least, what was supposed to be coming. Braddock's army would be destroyed…and Braddock right along with it…and Lucy? Well, no matter which way this went, she was going to be smack dab in the middle of it all…unless, of course he was somehow able to convince Braddock to keep her safely hidden, away from the French.
Braddock, however, did not trust him…and he did not trust Braddock.
"So," the General pressed as Wyatt sipped on his glass of port, "what is it you have come here to ask?"
Not wanting to beat around the bush, Wyatt shrugged, "Send me instead."
General Braddock raised his eyes in surprise and laughed, "You? Whatever would the French want with you?"
"They wouldn't be sorry to see me dead, I can promise you that much." Wyatt replied as Braddock took a sip of wine.. "I'm the one the French should want…I burned down the wall of their damn fort, I killed more than just a few of their men…all Lucy did was reject a couple of their handsy officers."
"But this letter," Braddock explained as he pulled it from his coat pocket, "this letter specifically requests her return. 'Un appel a la justice!'" Braddock read off theatrically, chuckling. "They are quite adamant."
"Yeah, well…so am I." Wyatt spat out, ,"And I'll be damned if I'm going to let Lucy anywhere near those French assholes again."
"Spoken like a dutiful husband," Braddock acknowledged, raising a wine glass toward Wyatt in a toast. "I do respect that…though it is unfortunate that there is very little I can do to accommodate that request. Your wife, being the party requested by the French is the one, I'm afraid that must be made available to the French…or we lose our leverage, you see."
"If you send me to get Jane Fraser," Wyatt offered, "You won't lose that leverage…in fact, you'll be the ones left holding all the cards."
"Really?" Braddock offered, intrigued, "How so?"
"Well, I'm expendable to you," Wyatt shrugged. "You just said so...so, what will it matter to you if I go and risk my life to save Jane Fraser and bring her back to John? If I die…you lose nothing. Lucy will still be in your hands…and," he added for extra measure, "you can still negotiate for terms to get Jane or get land or whatever the hell it is you want." Braddock frowned thoughtfully as Wyatt continued, "If I don't die…and I do bring Jane Fraser back…well, they have nothing…and we have everything."
"Everything except Duquesne," Braddock amended, before observing with a chuckle,
"You didn't seem to believe that Jane Fraser was alive a few moments ago…but now… now you're willing to risk your own life…on a gamble?"
Wyatt smirked as he looked down at the ring on his finger, "It's not a gamble. It's just the right thing to do."
Dismissing the young lady, Braddock leaned forward and studied him intently. "You know," he offered quietly, "in all of human history there have been men who, through no fault of their own, have fallen prey to the wiles of femininity. Why…you can go as far back as Adam and see that even he was cast out of Eden because he "did the right thing" and stood by his wife." Nodding at Wyatt meaningfully, he offered, "Do you see what I'm hinting at here, lad?"
Wyatt huffed out a heavy breath and rolled his eyes, "Look, I don't need a lecture…that's not why I came…"
"No…no indeed," Braddock agreed, "you are here because you, like so many fools before you, are blinded by your devotion to a woman who may or may not be as devoted to you as you believe her to be. Tell me, lad…did she put you up to this?"
"She doesn't even know I'm here…and I'd like to keep it that way." Wyatt huffed out in a heavy sigh.
Braddock smiled at him, "So you are a fool…"
Wyatt shrugged indifferently, "I protect her…it's what I do…and I'll be damned before I let you or anyone else try to hurt her."
"You just might very well be damned," Braddock offered as he sipped his port thoughtfully, "you realize what you're going to be up against if I agree to this arrangement of yours?"
"I do."
"Then," Braddock sighed heavily, "I hope, in your case, she's worth it." He nodded at Wyatt thoughtfully, shook his hand and waved him off, "You may go…but expect no assistance from me, you understand? If you do this - it is a decision, a task you enter into on your own accord."
Wyatt frowned and nodded, "I understand."
"Well then, I wish you luck…but mind," Braddock warned, "any hint of a double-cross…any inkling that you or your wife have been conspiring with the French….and I'll personally see to it that she faces His Majesty's justice."
—
"Have you told her?"
Rufus was watching Wyatt intently as they stood on an outcropping of rock overlooking the moonlit valley below. Behind them, Braddock's large force was slowly making its way up the mountain pass through the woods, winding through the Pennsylvania wilderness like a large, bright red snake.
Turning his head, Wyatt's eyes automatically found Lucy's huddled figure, wrapped in his coat sitting in a wagon between Mrs. Poe and Mary Fraser as it inched its way up a freshly cleared switchback. "No," he replied shortly.
"Are you going to tell her?"
Turning to him with an exasperated sigh, Wyatt gritted out, No, Rufus...she'll find out soon enough."
Rufus raised his eyebrows and scoffed, "So, you're just going to…what, sneak away in the middle of the night before she even realizes you're gone, is that it?"
"Dammit, Rufus…it's not like that, okay? I can't tell her…hell, they won't even let us talk."
Not trusting that Wyatt or Lucy weren't in some sort of cahoots, Braddock all but ordered Lucy to stay in Mrs. Poe's watchful care as they packed up camp and set off on their trek while Wyatt was all but being babysat by Colonel McKee. It made for very long nights too, when he caught wind that Lucy was struggling with fever. Turning back again to look at her he could see she looked absolutely miserable. Hell, a young George Washington was on horseback right beside her and she had barely given him a second glance.
"If something happens to you…"
"It won't."
"But if it does," Rufus pressed, "don't you…I don't know…don't you think that you should…"
"Rufus," Wyatt said seriously, "If something does happen to me, I want you to take Lucy and get the hell out of here." As Rufus made to argue with him, Wyatt cut him off, "No, listen to me , I don't trust any of these assholes…they'll sell Lucy out the first chance they'll get and you can't let that happen, you understand? You do whatever the hell you need to for the Lifeboat and you leave."
"And we're just supposed to, what," Rufus argued with a hiss, "leave you behind?"
"If I'm dead," Wyatt shrugged, "what the hell will I care?"
"You don't think Lucy is gonna care?"
"Rufus…"
"Look, I'm not trying to tell you your business," he argued, "but Lucy cares about you, man…and if you just…if you just leave her without so much as a word…what the hell do you think that's going to do to her when she finds out?"
Wyatt sighed heavily as he cast his eyes towards her again. She was being helped down off the wagon now, the company she was traveling with finally reaching the summit of the ridge to where the abandoned mill lay large, looming and dark against the purple sky of dusk. Around him, Braddock's men were quietly digging in, raising up defenses, while others were busily setting up tents, establishing a camp for the army that was still lurching its way languidly up the ridge.
It wasn't like he wanted to just sneak away, but there was very little he could do. Even now, he noted, Colonel McKee was eyeing him suspiciously and while he personally didn't give a damn about what McKee believed about his loyalty, he didn't want to give him any more reason to send Lucy off to the French.
Still, Rufus was right. Leaving her without so much as a word was…wrong. There was no other word for it. Yet, even as he considered how sick with worry she would be over his unannounced departure, he knew how Lucy was. She would argue with him, insist on putting her own neck on the chopping block and yeah, there was no way in hell he was going to do that…especially since she was already down with fever. This…this was the best way. Sick and weak as she was, she didn't need the added stress of worrying about something she didn't need to worry about.
He was going - and that was final….and if all went according to plan, he'd be back before she even realized he was gone.
Wyatt looked back at the mill, his fears mounting over Lucy and Rufus' safety as he considered, once again, that hell could break loose at any moment knowing he wouldn't be around to protect them if the worst were to happen. Still, he took some comfort in the fact that they were protected and more sheltered than what they had been. The mill itself was large and comfortable, its stonework base providing good defensive cover for the sick and wounded, while the two floors above gave ample room for sleeping and eating quarters. The summit itself, was also just as John Fraser had described; fresh running water from the mountain stream and excellent visibility on all sides.
In terms of a strategic position, none could be better.
The thought of leaving her and Rufus alone in these God-forsaken woods again, however, terrified him. He knew well enough by now that anything could happen…and with a battle looming on the horizon, one in which he knew the British would lose and lose badly, he couldn't help but appeal to Rufus again with a hushed voice, "Promise me - the first sign of trouble - you get yourself and Lucy the hell out of here."
Rufus teetered, clearly uncomfortable. Wyatt stared back at him, desperate…silently demanding an answer he didn't want to give. "Look, we'll be fine," Rufus offered meekly, "You just get back here…"
"Don't you know what's supposed to happen, here?" Wyatt hissed, before shaking his head and adding with a huff, "He's gonna get this whole damn army killed and I don't know about you, but I'd rather not be anywhere near Braddock…or his damn army when that happens." Casting a gaze out across the dark valley, Wyatt tried to tell himself that here they were safe…here they could see the French coming from a mile away - but it wasn't just the French Wyatt was worried about. He knew damn well, if given the chance, Colonel McKee would sell them all out if he thought he could. "Promise me," he gritted out again to Rufus.
Before he could answer, however, Daniel Boone silently approached, casting a quick glance over his shoulder before pressing, "If we're doing this we'll need to leave as soon as possible." Pointing to the sky, he offered, "Visibility will be good until those clouds yonder roll in."
Though he hated the idea of dragging Daniel Boone along in this fight, Wyatt hadn't really been given much of a choice. When Colonel Gage caught wind of Wyatt's plan, he straightway told John Fraser and Daniel Boone, who all but insisted to help.
"It should be me," John had said, "I should be risking my own neck…not you."
Wyatt argued, reminding him he was in no condition to go traipsing through the woods, but John would not relent.
"I will not allow you to go out there on your own, to hell with what Braddock has to say on the matter," he insisted. It was the, however, that Daniel Boone offered up his assistance.
"He won't be alone. I said I'd do what I could to help," he reminded John, "and by God, I plan on keeping that pledge." Nodding to his band of Mohawks he promised Wyatt, "We'll be with ye…every step of the way."
That should have offered him some comfort, but it didn't…not really. Wyatt already had enough on his plate trying to keep history intact, to now concern himself over Daniel Boone's survival was another worry he didn't want or need. Then there was the undertaking itself - it was bad enough that he was going to have to set forth on what was, by all reasonable assessments - a suicide mission…but to leave Lucy and Rufus behind when he knew what was coming?
Still, he couldn't and wouldn't begrudge a helping hand…not when so much was at stake, so he had reluctantly agreed.
Now as he looked at Daniel Boone, he was grateful…grateful to have the help of someone who seemed to know these woods like his own backyard. Nodding down the ridge, Boone pointed to a small break in a ridge a few miles away where the slightest hint of a flicker could be seen, "That's where the French camp is…if Jane Fraser is with them, that's where we'll find her."
"Alright then," Wyatt gritted out as he took the musket Daniel Boone held out in offering, "let's go."
As Daniel Boone silently motioned for his team of Mohawk tribesmen to follow as they made their way back down the ridge, Wyatt cast one last desperate look at Rufus, who nodded at him tersely and mouthed back, "I promise."
Notes:
Not much to say here. This chapter, I'll admit - is a bit of a filler chapter - but it's setting the stage for the next one which is action-packed. I tried to put a little more on the end here, but I just think it works better in the next chapter so just trust me on this - it just flows better this way.
We've got one more chapter of fun before we delve into the familiar...and then we're back into a bit of fun again ; ) Only three chapters left - MAYBE 4 (thank heavens) and this epic monster will be finished! Thanks for hanging in there - and for my American friends - Happy Thanksgiving!