Chapter 11

Back at the Ponderosa, life was stirring as the two brothers ventured forth to the barn to saddle up their mounts, while Ben attacked the business of the day at his desk, where he found an envelope marked for himself and Hoss and Joe. He hastened to the door and called for his sons to come back to the house before they left.

"I found this envelope on my desk," he told them, "it's addressed to all of us, that is, we three. I suspect Adam may have had one of his own, which makes me understand his actions last night. However, I wanted us together to read this letter." Ben opened the envelope and read the contents to Joe and Hoss.

"Dear Ben, Hoss and Joe,
I hope that you are able to forgive me for leaving you without warning, but I was afraid you would try to stop me from leaving. So it had to be done this way. Please forgive me. I want to thank you for all that you have done for me and for treating me as one of the family. I will always be grateful to you and will remember you all always.
With my love and thanks from Julie."

"So she has left us," Hoss sighed. "I was hoping she'd stay around, it was nice having a woman around the house. And I'm sure Adam appreciated it too."

"You're right there, Hoss. I could tell he was smitten, though, of course, he would never say," Joe said, with a smile.

"It is a shame," Ben agreed, but we couldn't keep her here, and she was right, we would have tried to have stopped her from leaving. I think she's been on her own and cleverly managing, wisely, for a long time. I think she's a very capable woman, especially now that she is recovered from her previous ordeal."

"Do you think Adam knows where she is, Pa?" Joe asked.

"Well, I suppose it's possible. He went to his room to think." "Yeah, but he weren't up there fer long," Hoss pointed out.

"Well, there's nothing we can do at the moment. We have to leave it in Adam's hands, Ben advised.

"Or his right hand, if I know Adam," Joe added.

"Let's hope not, "Hoss said. "So, we'd best be getting on, there's jobs awaitin'."

"Hoss is right. You'd best be getting on with today's work," Ben agreed.

"As I said, they were great friends and were thinking ahead and agreed to merge their companies and have a great legacy to hand down to their descendants. So the merger took place together with another merger of sorts. Mr Thompson had a daughter, Charlotte, and Mr Bridgeman had a son, Benjamin, a coincidence, no? Anyway, a marriage was arranged between these two and carried out. It was a loveless marriage and they lived separate lives following the birth of a daughter, Alexandra. The grandparents were a little disappointed she not being a he, but hoped that in time a male heir would be produced, but unfortunately that never happened. By the time Alex, as she liked to be called, was three, both grandfathers had died and the company was left in the hands of Benjamin Bridgeman."

"Then Alex's father died when she was eight, and she lived a solitary life, mainly in her room, anywhere away from her mother, who resented having had her. This was a mutual agreement as neither had any love for the other. They lived in the large family home, so avoiding each other was easy. As Alex grew older, her mother fell in love with Simon Attwell, who had worked for her father, before his death. They would go out together and leave Alex alone in the house until one day a man called to see her. His name was Alfred Manson, a lawyer who had been employed by her father before his death. He had been watching the house for some time and had had to wait for an opportunity until he saw Mrs Bridgeman, Alex's mother, leave with Simon Attwell, for one of their outings together."

"I should mention here that Alex had two friends within the household, a Mr Bernard Harper, the Butler, and Mrs Alice McDonald, Housekeeper. They were well trusted friends of Benjamin Bridgeman and looked after and raised Alex with love, just as her father would have wanted. Benjamin and Alex had loved each other from the beginning and they shared everything and he taught her many things and Bernard took over from him following his death."

Adam could see where this story was going but kept silent. This was for Julie, that is, Alex, to tell.

"Mr Manson was allowed in and shown into the room that was once her father's study. He explained to Alex who he was, that he was her father's Lawyer and the Executor of his Will and a guardian over her financial affairs. Alex was ten and didn't understand what was being told her. Mr Manson gave her three envelopes, each with Alex's name on and the number one, two and three. The order in which they were to be read. Mr Manson counselled Alex to read the first one soon, when she was alone, and carry out its instruction to the letter. He also gave her some money from her father's estate to keep well hidden for use when the time came. She thanked him and as he left he told her that he hoped to be able to see her again in the future when all would be revealed.

The following day after her mother and 'friend' left for the day, Alex opened letter numbered one. It read,
Mr dearest Alex and love of my life, forgive me but I must leave you. Read this letter quickly and then reduce it to ashes. You understand? You are a little young to understand what is happening, so please listen to me carefully. I need you to hide away envelopes two and three for when you are older when you will understand their contents. Your father's estate is in a locked box in a bank in Denver where Mr Manson is now working. Mr Manson will explain everything to you when you come of age and will be guided by your decision regarding my estate. But for now, know that I love you with all of my heart and will see you again in the very far distant future when you come to join me. Your ever loving Daddy. Benjamin Bridgeman."

Julie recited the letter as she had memorised it.

"It looks like your father must have known he was dying," Adam sadly said. "To lose a parent is a horrible experience to have to live with, I know. But I think we should stop for now and have a little something to eat as we haven't had any breakfast, only coffee. What say you, Julie?"

"You should call me Alex, since I'm sure you realise that the Alex I've been talking about is me."

"Well, yes, I guessed that much, but I think I should continue to call you Julie as questions will be asked if I suddenly started calling you Alex."

"Yes, of course. Why didn't I think of that."

"Too caught up in what you're telling me. Although I must say Alexandra does suit you. Your father appears to have been a very clever man from what you told me so far."

"Yes, I believe so."

"And I think you take after him," Adam told her, as he placed his hand gently on her left cheek. Now let's eat something."

Their light meal consisted of beans and biscuits and a tin of peaches, followed by more coffee. Then they were ready, or Julie, I should say, was ready to continue.

"I did as I was told and burned that first letter and envelope and hid the other two and the money under a loose floorboard under my bed, where I had a few personal things already hid. And life went on, if you can call it that. A few months after that, Mr Attwell married my mother and when I was fourteen, she died. Suddenly, after a short illness, just like my daddy. I now wondered if Attwell had anything to do with her death, and maybe even my father's. But of course I had no proof. I then began to think that my father's Will may have only granted my mother a monthly allowance and when Attwell found that out, she became superfluous to his needs and she died. Mr Attwell had made a legal claim, being my stepfather, to become my legal guardian. When I was sixteen, he made tentative steps in telling me that we could marry when I was a little older, but when I refused, he beat her and continued to beat me each time I refused his proposal. Then came the day when I decided to disappear from his life, taking with me the other two envelopes and my few small possessions, all together in a small hand-all old bag that I had."

"That you were afraid of this Manson, I can see?" Adam surmised. "I'm sorry I was not around to help you then."

"Don't be sorry, Adam. That was all years ago. I left when I knew he was going to be away for a couple of days. I've been working my way up, down and across the country, in the hope I could disappear. I went through South and North Dakota, then Montana, Wyoming. I stayed in Salt Lake City for the longest time, people were kind to me there and then onto, or I should say, into Nevada. It has taken years to get here. I left when I was seventeen and I'm now twenty-four. That's a lot of years. First, spending the money Mr Manson gave me, for travel fare and food and then at each town I visited after that, I worked at whatever I could to keep some money flowing, to feed myself. I never stayed at hotels, where I thought I might be recognised, in case Attwell found me or had men all across the country looking for me and of course I changed my name. I always fear he'll catch up to me one day. I feel his proposal to me meant that he wanted my father's money, hence my mother's demise and then once married, I assumed my own demise would come. So I ran."

"Oh, Julie. What a strong-willed lady you are, surviving all this time."

"Well by the time I was in Nevada and my money all ran out and my clothes looked like rags and no one would give me work, I was begging for food. And that night you found me I had given up and was waiting to die."

"And I came along and saved you."

"Yes, you did, and my heartfelt thanks for that, but it hasn't solved my problems, to have died would have, and I must therefore, carry on with my plan and get to the coast and leave the country."

"You can stop right now with talk about dying and you cannot carry on with your plan, if I have any say in it."

"I can't involve you, Adam. Please just let me go."

"I can't do that. You're a part of my life now, a friend, perhaps even a close friend and I will do all in my power to help you solve this 'problem' of yours."

"No, Adam. I won't allow you to do that. I won't put your life in danger for me. As much as I…" Julie hesitated.

"As much as what, Julie?" Adam pressed for an answer.
"Nothing."

'I wonder what she is thinking', Adam thought. 'Maybe she has similar feelings to my own.'