Chapter 14: How Many Languages?

Lilly returned to camp around early evening. The wolves still stayed outside the perimeter, of course, but they'd gotten some hunting done today as well. And it was a big kill. Lilly slammed a bison skin down on Pearson's table with a thud. This startled the cook and he gaped at her.

"That should be good money, right?" Lilly asked she piled on multiple deer skins, some rabbit pelts, and even some boar skins. A bunch of meat and some skinned rabbits accompanied it all as she plopped those down too. "And these?"

Pearson guffawed. "You've been busy, haven't you?"

"Yes. Oh, and uh," Lilly reached into her satchel and pulled out some herbs. "Some oregano, mint, and thyme. For seasoning. I love me some oregano flavored stuff."

Pearson laughed again. "As you wish, Hunter Extraordinaire."

Lilly laughed, gave him a lazy salute, and went over to the collections box. She put in Lilly's debt, then Chick's, then...she went and put her own money in for Mr. Wróbel's debt.

Lilly rode up to Painted Sky and sighed. This was going to be difficult. She could tell already. Lilly dismounted, told the wolves to stay, and went and knocked on the door.

The door opened to reveal who she assumed to be the debtee. He smiled. "Cześć. Czy mogę ci pomóc?" [Hi. Can I help you?]

Shit. Polish. Lilly knew she was rusty in that one, so she decided to use short sentences. "Tak, uh..." she cleared her throat. Lilly hated this. "Twój dług musi zostać spłacony. Leopold Strauss?" [Your debt must be paid off.]

"Oh. Um. Przepraszam, panienko. Nie mam tego. Potrzebuję więcej czasu." [I'm sorry, miss. I do not have this. I need more time.]

Great. He didn't have anything. Lilly took a deep breath in. "Alright, um...ile jesteś winien?" Lilly asked. He definitely looked like he had nothing. [How much do you owe?]

"...Um...trzydzieści cztery dolary i dziewięćdziesiąt cztery centy," he replied. [Thirty-four dollars and ninety-four cents.]

Oh. Well, she definitely had that much. Should she pay it for him? Would that be too soft of her? Yes, it would be. "I uh...ahem...może masz przedmioty warte czegoś?" She really hoped he had something of value. [maybe you have items worth something?]

Mr. Wróbel frowned, reached into his pocket, and handed her a pocketwatch. "Um, Warszawa?" [Warsaw?]

Lilly took it from him gently. "Wow. Imponujący. Warszawa. Bardzo trudny do zdobycia. Jak to zdobyłeś?" [Impressive. Warsaw. Very hard to come by. How did you get it?]

"My wife. Present."

"Oh, well...proszę powiedzieć mojej żonie, że przykro mi to brać, proszę pana." Lilly said with a voice full of regret. She knew how important it was to keep things of sentimental value. [Please tell your wife that I'm sorry to take it, sir.]

"...Cannot..." Mr. Wróbel said with his head lowered.

"Why?"

He motioned over to the side of the house. Shit. Lilly went and looked over. There were three gravestones. Her eyes shut. God dammit. She looked at Mr. Wróbel. "Trzy groby?" [Three graves?]

"Twins. Childbirth bad."

Lilly closed her eyes again. "The whole family? Um...cała rodzina?" [the whole family?]

"Yes."

Lilly opened the watch. There was a picture of Mr. Wróbel and his wife. They were in wedding attire. Lilly shook her head. Nope. She was not doing this. Lilly closed the watch, went back to Mr. Wróbel, put it in his shirt pocket, and patted it gently. "Dług zostaje zwolniony, proszę pana. Nie wezmę tego. Miłego dnia." [The debt is released, sir. I won't take it. Have a nice day.]

Lilly turned to leave but he stopped her. "Why?"

Lilly sighed, went into her satchel, and pulled out her pocketwatch. She opened it and showed him the picture. "Moja cała rodzina. Nie żyje." [My whole family. Dead.]

"...I sorry."

Lilly tucked the watch back in. "To było dawno temu. Byłem dzieckiem. Spłacę twój dług wobec Straussa." [It was a long time ago. I was a child. I will pay off your debt to Strauss.]

"You...Dziękuję Ci. Jestem wdzięczny. W twoim długu." [Thank you. I am grateful. In your debt.]

Lilly laughed. "No debt," she said as she held her hand up. "Wdzięczność jest w porządku." [Gratitude is fine.]

Lilly smiled and walked away but he stopped her. "Miss?"

"Yes, Mr. Wróbel?"

"Tęsknię za polskim. Brakuje mi rozmowy. Czy chciałbyś zostać i porozmawiać? Mam późne śniadanie." [I miss Polish. I miss the conversation. Would you like to stay and talk? I have a late breakfast.]

Lilly smiled at him. She had the whole day to collect the other two debts. "Sure. Tak. Byłoby cudownie." Lilly looked at Brian and James. "Stay, boys." [Yes. It would be wonderful.]

She walked back to the house. Mr. Wróbel spotted the wolves and blinked. "Twoi przyjaciele? Czy chcieliby wejść?" [Your friends? Would they like to come in?]

Lilly raised a brow. Did he not know they were wild animals. "Tak? Um, tak. Brian, James, come on!" [Yes. Um, yes.]

They all went into the house but the man explained why he was not scared. "I raise wolves in Poland."

"Huh, no kiddin'."

"Miss...uh...?

"O'Callaghan."

"Yes, please. Um..." he motioned to the table. "I serve. My treat."

The memory was bittersweet. He lost his whole fanily, but he got a good Polish conversation and she got great tips on how to raise wolves. Lilly, however, was surprised to hear that James and Brian were still very young pups. About four months old, to be exact. And they were Mackenzie Valley Timberwolves. He explained they were the biggest wolves in the world and native to Canada. He knew a lot about every wolf types, both alive and extinct. Lilly patted the box with a soft smile and went looking for Strauss. He was sitting by the ledge reading.

"Herr Strauss, all the debts have been collected."

He turned to look at her. "Mr. Downes too?

"I didn't have a Downes on my list," Lilly stated wuth a grunt.

"Oh, my apologies, Miss O'Callaghan. Mr. Morgan has gone on that one. But, uh...I was surprised you offered to collect the others yourself. How did it go?"

"Easy as pie, Mr. Strauss. I may not approve of your preference of clientele, but I managed with very little violence."

He lowered his head and look at her from the top of his glasses. "Really?"

"I threatened...sort of. Mostly just talked with all of them. I...had a very nice time doin' it, if I must be honest." Lilly went and sat down next to him on the grass. "Especially with Mr. Wróbel. Poor man lost his wife and twin daughters from childbirth, but we had a very nice chat."

Herr Strauss cocked his head with a curious smile on his face. "You speak Polish?"

Lilly grinned at him. "And German." Actually, she spoke a lot of different languages but she wasn't about to tell him that. That was something she would not share with anyone...except Arthur, maybe. The closer they got, the more Lilly felt she could trust Arthur about things. With everything, though? Not just yet.

"Du sprichst wirklich meine Muttersprache?" [You really speak my mother tongue?]

Lilly laughed with delight. "Ja. Möchten Sie testen, wie viel ich weiß?" [Yes. Would you like to test how much I know?]

"Well, you are just full of surprises, Miss O'Callaghan. May I ask where you learned these languages?"

"...Well, I uh...

"If you prefer not to say, I will not push the issue." They both looked over at the horizon. "Do you wish to continue in German? I very much miss the conversation in my native tongue."

"Mr. Wróbel said the same thing. Ich verstehe. Ich vermisse Sean. Er spricht irisch. Ich vermisse es, irisch zu sprechen." [I understand. I miss Sean. He speaks Irish. I miss speaking Irish.]

"Du sprichst nicht mit Molly in Gaeilge?" he asked with an inquisitive look. [You don't speak to Molly in Gaeilge?]

"Ich rede manchmal mit Molly. Bei Sean ist das anders. Er ist wie ein Bruder für mich. Er und ich haben eine lange Geschichte." Lilly looked as if she was nostalgic and lost in a memory. [I talk to Molly sometimes. It's different with Sean. He is like a brother to me. He and I have a long history.]

"Do you not have a long history with Arthur?"

"I do. He helped raise me with Da and Athair, but they don't know things about my past. Well, Arthur knows some things, but...um..." Lilly paused and looked back out at the world. "Sean knows more."

"Does Sean know everything?

"Almost." Lilly chuckled. "He uh...he's very easy to talk to. Which...well, you're very easy to talk to as well, I find." She beamed at Strauss. "That is unexpected."

"Das ist unerwartet. Aber ich bin glücklich. Sie mögen mich vielleicht nicht, aber ich schätze Sie sehr. Wir alle respektieren dich." Strauss gave her a genuine smile as Lilly glanced over at him. [That is unexpected. But I am happy. You may not like me, but I appreciate you very much. We all respect you.]

"Ich denke, es war deine Arbeit, die mir nicht gefiel. Aber jetzt, wo ich Schulden gesammelt und mit dir geredet habe, bist du nicht so schlecht." Lilly said the last part jokingly. [I think it was your job that I didn't like. But now that I've accumulated debt and talked to you, you're not that bad.]

Strauss laughed. "Thank you, Miss O'Callaghan."

"You can call me Lilly, you know. My last name is a mouthful. Da ist Deutsch. Hawking loogies ist ein ernstes Geschäft." [There is German. Erm, hawking loogies is serious business.]

Strauss burst into laughter. "I can't imagine Gaeilge being any easier."

"It's not. You can hear the pronunciation but it's very hard to speak some of the words. 'H' is usually silent, but 's' is almost always pronounced with an 'h'. And the language has slender and broad consonants, long and short vowels, and the dipthongs..."

"Dipthongs?"

"When two vowels come together. For example, 'fear' means man. F-E-A-R. Sounds like...F-A-R. Growing up with the language makes it easier to master, but for a lot of people, they feel like their tongues grow two sizes when trying to speak it."

Strauss guffawed loudly. "I can see why Arthur finds it difficult, then. Tell me, though. Are there different dialects?"

"Yes. Mine is Connacht. That's the province in western Ireland. Sean's tongue is Ulster, which is northern but he is from Donegal so his place was more north west. Then there's Munster, which is east. There's the Leinster province, that's the east and south. They have their dialect too, but it's starting to die out. It's a shame, really. Well, all the Irish languages are being replaced by English and that is a shame. If I was able to bear children, I'd teach them Gaeilge"

"...Yes, your accident. That was a bad business, but at least it did not deter you from climbing trees."

"...Do you think it will affect my relationship with Arthur?"

"I shouldn't think so," Strauss frowned. "He loves you very much."

"Yes but how long will that last? I...I know it's early in the relationship, but I have thought about...the long term. The 'til death do us part' kind of long term. I think he'd want children, even after..." Lilly blinked a few times, then coughed and stood up. "I'm...I've been rambling on, I apologize."

"Lilly, it-"

"Excuse me, Herr Strauss. I...must retire for the evenin'. It was nice conversin' in German and I do hope we make it a habit."

"I would be delighted."

Lilly turned halfway but stopped. "...Also, if you have more debts that need be collected, I'll be more than happy to take them on. Just somethin' to consider." Lilly paced quickly over to her tent.

Arthur watched as Lilly raced back to the tent and frowned. He never knew she spoke German. He'd been eavesdropping, yes, but obviously not for the whole conversation. He'd just gotten there during her explanation of dipthongs. It was odd seeing her talk to Strauss as if they were old friends. Lilly was not fond of loan sharks. Still, what she said about her accident and her doubts about their relationship made hom feel awful. She had thought about marriage, so that was a good thing, and her inability to produce offspring did not bother him in the slightest. He'd already had a child. Isaac. But he died, as did Isaac's mother Eliza. He did not like thinking of it. Arthur thought about Lilly's accident, though...and all that blood.

It was late spring at noon and 33-year-old Arthur was enjoying his lunch and coffee with Hosea when Dutch approached them. He looked angry and had a pair of shoes with honey dripping out of them. Arthur almost choked on his stew from cackling. Hosea burst into a wheezy laughing fit.

"Hahaha! Ahem," Arthur coughed and slammed his chest with a fist. "I take it Lilly did that?"

"Yes. To ALL of my shoes."

Arthur looked down and noticed Dutch's bare feet. Hosea and him laughed again, even louder than before. "You want a pair of mine?" Hosea asked amusingly.

"Yes, if you would be so kind. And socks, too."

Arthur gaped at Dutch. "Socks. Why?"

"...She put horse manure in all of 'em."

Arthur bit his lip trying not to laugh. Hosea, however, could not contain himself. "Did you piss her off?"

"No. She's gotten particularly nasty as of late."

"No she hasn't," Arthur chuckled. "She's gettin' bolder with you. This is child's play compared to the shit she pulls on me."

Dutch and Hosea laughed. "Oh yeah. You do get the worst of it."

"Well Dutch, let's go get you some socks and shoes. I got plenty to spare," Hosea commented. The two older gentlemen left Arthur to finish his meal.

He wondered where Lilly ran off to. Probably the woods now that he thought about it. Hmm. Just then he saw a flash of light from a top one of the trees. Arthur took out his binoculars and looked through them. When he spotted the source of the light, a warm smile slowly formed on his face. It was Lilly. He saw her wave flamboyantly and he chuckled. He gave her a discreet wave back. He flipped the lenses to get a closer look and she was unbuttoning her blue plaid shirt which made him blush. Was she doing this now from a tree?! What an audacious little sex kitten she was. They weren't in a relationship. Not a normal one, anyway. They never kissed or engaged in sexual relations, but everything else was there. The heat, the dirty talk, the giggling...god, the way she giggled. Arthur was wrapped around her little finger. He laughed softly as Lilly put her back to him and showed Arthur all bare skin. The pants he wore got a bit tighter when his cock went half mast. Oh boy.

She turned slightly and when Arthur got a glimpse of a breast, his jaw went slack. It was just the side but...her head turned and she arched a brow at him with a seductive smirk. "Lilly, you saucy flirt," he growled lightly but happily.

He wished they could do more than tease, but she was so young even though Lilly flirted like a woman and certainly looked like a woman. Even so, he couldn't get over the age difference. He couldn't get over that he knew her since she was a child and it never occurred to him that he'd fall for her. But now he was in love with Lilly and deep down, Arthur loathed himself for it. And Arthur knew he was a handsome man. A lot of women knew it too. But no matter how many times they threw themselves at him, when he tried to copulate with them, he had to think of Lilly in order to be even remotely successful. Not that he had sex with every woman who gave him attention. Just the ones with blue eyes, rosebud lips, and auburn hair. None of them smelled like her, though. Lilly smelled like apples. And her eyes were the color of sapphires. No one had eyes like her. Sometimes, though, he swore she had purple in them as well.

Lilly buttoned herself up and blew a kiss at Arthur then motioned for him to come see her. Lilly looked at him through her binoculars and just when he was going to signal yes...

"What are you lookin' at, Arthur?"

Arthur froze but remained calm when Dutch addressed him. "Trees," he said immediately before putting the binoculars down and pulling out his journal. Arthur was going to draw trees now, but he kept his head bowed to hide his reddened cheeks.

"Oh. You seemed very immersed in your tree gazin' there, Arthur," Dutch said. Arthur dared a glance at them. Dutch was smiling. Hosea had his arms crossed and looked unconvinced but highly entertained.

Arthur's ears started to heat up and he looked back down. "Yes. Trees are beautiful things."

"Are they?"

"Yes. Apple trees especially."

"...There's apple trees in the forest?" Hosea asked. He sounded amused.

Arthur smiled to himself. "Just one."

"Well, you mind if we take a look?" Dutch inquired while trying not to laugh.

Arthur shrugged. "It's a free country, Dutch." Shit.

Arthur eyed Dutch as he grabbed the binoculars and looked around. "I don't see any apple trees."

"It's hard to spot."

"Huh. You got keener eyes than me, Arthur." Dutch set the object down and sat next to Arthur. "So, Arthur...is there somethin' you need to tell me?"

"Don't know what you mean, Dutch." Internally Arthur was groaning.

He heard Dutch chuckle deeply and Hosea sat on the other side of him. "You know Arthur, we've noticed a change in the last year. Since last summer, in fact."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, ever since Isaac and-"

Arthur slammed his book shut. "Do not mention that, Hosea!" Arthur snapped. The older men gaped at him and Arthur shut his eyes with a huff. Arthur grabbed his binoculars and journal and stashed them. "I need to go for a walk."

"Alright, son," Dutch said. "Just know we're here to talk if you need us."

"And Lilly, too. You know you can talk to her."

"I know." Arthur stood up and began to walk off when he noticed Lilly at the tree line. Perhaps she got impatient waiting for him. He was no longer in the mood for flirting anyway. He looked towards the lake and decided to go hang out there.

"EXCUSE ME!!!" he heard Lilly shout and he looked at her. "ARE YA FUCKERS BLIND? HAVE I TURNED INVIS..." Arthur saw her collapse and he instantly ran to her fearing the worst.

He reached her and knelt down to examine her. Scraped, scratched, and cut up, a gash to the forehead and a wooden stick lodged into her abdomen. There was blood everywhere. "Lillian," he choked when he saw all the blood between her legs. "Lillian, Jesus..."

Dutch and Hosea came running and got to their knees. "My God," Dutch said while touching her head. "Lilly? Can you hear me?"

"...Yeah. Am I dead?" she asked bitterly with her eyes barely open.

"No, you ain't dead, kid," Arthur replied.

"Then why the fuck are ya arses just gawkin' at me?! Ya look like yer at a god damn funeral!"

Arthur cackled with pride, reached under the injured girl and picked her up. Leave it to Lilly O'Callaghan to remain saucy and funny at a time like this. "Stay with me, Lillian. Don't fall asleep..."

"If...if yer askin' me tah...stay awake...then go fuck yerself. I did all the hard work...gettin' here..." she breathed heavily.

"Miss Grimshaw! Swanson! Get the god damn wagon set up now!" Dutch shouted. "Lilly's hurt bad!"

People started gathering around as Arthur walked quickly with Lilly in his arms. "You're gonna be okay, Lilly. This little scratch ain't nothin to you!"

"Ha! A scratch, he says..." Lilly's eyes started fluttering.

"No, you stay with me, O'Callaghan!" Arthur adjusted her body so her face was in front of him. "Don't you go to sleep, I don't care how much hard work you did gettin' here! You need to keep workin' hard!"

"Ugh, as ucht Dé! Cá bhfuil mo dheartháir?" Lilly snapped. "SEAN!" [Where is my brother?]

"Here, deirfiúr!" Sean was walking next to Arthur. "Christ, Lilly, what happened?"

"Take a wild guess, Sean!" Lilly snapped before groaning from the pain. "A tree beat the shite out of me because I wanted tah leave and see why Ar-"

"Lilly, sweetheart, stop yellin'," Arthur interjected as he looked at the wagon. People didn't need to know what was going on between the two of them. "Don't want you overexertin' yourself." Arthur laid her down gently into the back and jumped in himself. He kneeled down and held her hand. "Lillian, we're takin' you to the doctor, and you're gonna be just fine, I promise."

Lilly caressed his face. "Níl mé buartha, mo chaomhnóir. Cosnaíonn tú mé i gcónaí. Fiú amháin ón mBás féin," she smiled weakly.

"Sean, what did she just say?" Arthur asked as Sean, Dutch, and Hosea all got in the wagon. Susan and Pearson went to drive.

"Ha! She said..." Sean paused and put a hand to Arthur's ear. "I'm not worried, my guardian. You always protect me. Even from Death itself," he whispered.

"Sean, why did ya hafta spoil it? Ya know I...talk..." Lilly started fading out again.

Arthur held her face and smacked her cheek a little as they went driving off. "Sweetheart, stay awake! Lillian!" Lilly wasn't awake anymore. Arthur checked for a pulse. It was surprisingly strong. Heh. Arthur lifted his head. "Her pulse is good, at least."

"Good. I think she'll be just fine," Dutch said. "Lilly always manages to cheat death. A lot."

Arthur laughed, but then he ignored everyone else at that point because the Irish girl was all that mattered. Arthur grabbed his bandana and started cleaning the blood off her face. Every once in a while she'd wake up and ask for her Da, her Athair, or her Deartháir, but she would always smile at her Guardian first. Lilly rarely asked for protection, mostly because she didn't need it, but she always went to Arthur when Lilly felt it was necessary. When they got to the small hospital in town, Arthur rushed Lilly in and demanded help right away. However, the staff was not moving fast and it made Arthur become very irate. They got her to a room and a doctor came in. "Alright, folks. You can go wait out in the common area. We got her from here."

Oh hell no. "I ain't leavin'!" Arthur shouted. "She needs me here!"

"Arthur, boyo, ya can't stay in here," Sean said with a voice of reason. "We gotta wait outside."

"I ain't leavin'!"

The doctor huffed. "Sir, I know this is difficult but you need to go. She is going to live, I assure you. No major arteries were hit as far as I can tell. She's lost quite a bit of blood, but that's mostly from her uterus. Seems the painters were going to be in tomorrow or the next day."

Arthur blinked. "The what?"

Sean burst into laughter. "I can't believe you know that phrase!"

"My wife is Irish," the doctor chuckled.

Sean laughed again. "Arthur, he means Lilly was due to have her...you know. The menses."

Arthur scrunched up his face then it dawned on him. "Ooohh. Well then why is she-"

Dutch, Hosea, and Sean had to coax Arthur out of the operating room. "Son, let them do their job. You did just fine gettin' her here, and she is goin' to be just fine gettin' out."

Arthur struggled a little but eventually he calmed down. Arthur looked down at himself, saw blood on his clothes and scowled. "Why does she have to bleed all over me every time I save her!?"

Hosea chuckled and pat Arthur's shoulder. "To be fair, the first time wasn't her blood at all."

Arthur looked at Hosea in shock, then the three men started laughing. Sean was confused, though. "The first time?"

Arthur sighed from the rush of nostalgia. "The first day we met."

"Oooohh, right. Where she...ha! That musta been gorey!"

"There was blood and shit everywhere! Intestines, blood, shoes, clothes...and the smell!"

The boys kept laughing for a good while. Arthur eventually went to go get new clothes and a bath. He was refreshed and in a good mood when he got back. When he walked in, the whole gang was there and it lightened Arthur's heart. After a while, the doctor came out with a smile."Ha! You're all with Miss O'Callaghan, huh?" he asked.

"We're family. All of us," Dutch said. "How is she, Doc?"

"She's resting and she's stable. We need to keep her overnight for observation but she will live." People sighed with relief, especially Arthur. "Now, if I could speak to uh, the ones for the bill? I hate bringing the subject up. It's so crass. But a hospital can't run on happy thoughts."

Dutch laughed and Hosea and him went to talk to the doctor. Arthur sat down next to Sean and smiled. "Man, that was rougher than a bear's arse," Sean giggled.

"Yes it was. But how did someone come up with that phrase about painters?" Arthur asked.

"I think it is because of the leaking. It tends to stain somethin' awful, or so Karen tells me."

A brief cackle came out of Arthur. "That's funny. Blood is hell gettin' outta clothes. I had to throw mine away!" Dutch and Hosea came back looking grim. Arthur frowned. "What happened? Is the bill too much? I got money to-"

"It isn't that, Arthur. I wish it was that." The tone in Hosea's voice sounded like it was going to break.

Arthur stood up. "Is she okay?"

"Yes. The important thing here is that she'll live."

Dutch shut his eyes and kicked a chair over. "God dammit!" he shouted. He turned his back to people and leaned a palm on the wall. He covered his eyes with the other. "Hosea, I can't even say it."

Hosea went and put a hand on Dutch's shoulder, then he looked at everyone sadly. "The doctor said she had...irreparable damage to her...uh..." Hosea wiped a tear from his eye and sniffed. "Lilly...God, Dutch, I can't say it either."

Susan came walking up and whispered something to the both of them, and the men nodded. Susan glanced at everyone. "Lilly's gone barren."

Arthur depressingly sank back down into his seat. "...shit."

Arthur bowed his head. First things first. Arthur strolled over to Strauss. The man heard Arthur and turned to face him. "Ah, how did you get on?" Strauss asked happily. Arthur knew he wasn't actually happy, though.

"Not so good. He's almost dead," Arthur snapped. "And they seem more or less destitute. You were a fool for lendin' them the money."

"Well, people who aren't desperate don't seem so interested in my propositions. But..." Herr Strauss sighed. "I'm thinking perhaps I should reassess my line of work."

Arthur scoffed with astonishment. "You serious?"

"Yes. Desperate people are desperate for a reason. And the way Lilly handled these debts today makes me think brute force isn't necessary. She got the money out of all of them with 'very little violence' is how she put it. Said she had a nice chat with all of them, including the Polish fellow Mr. Wróbel."

Arthur was confused. "The Polish fellow? He speak English?" Arthur asked.

"Very little, I'm afraid. Lilly speaks Polish and German. Fluent German, I might add."

"She speaks German and Polish?" He only overheard the German part, but she knew Polish too? How many languages did this woman know?

"You did not know this?"

"No, I didn't, but I'm guessin' she learned it before I met her. She doesn't talk about her past much."

"Hmm. Troubled, I take it?"

"Very. But anyway, I should go talk to her. She looked upset."

"...Yes, she was."

"Well, I'll talk to you later, then." Arthur walked over to the tent and opened the flap with a genuine smile. "There she is."

Lilly had her back to him as she sat at the vanity table. "Oh. Hi Arthur. I...I'm not feelin' too well."

He knew why, too. So, he decided he had to ask her now. And to tell her about Patrick Nolan. Arthur walked up behind her and rubbed her shoulders. "Everythin' okay?"

Lilly had her head turned away from the mirror. Oh. She'd been crying, he figured. "Yes, I just...oh. Arthur I..." she stammered while fiddling with her nails. "Does my infertility bother you?"

"No. Why would it?"

"...Don't you want children? That's the one thing I can't give you, so...why are doin' this?"

Arthur kissed the top of her head. "What brought this on, mo grá?" [my love?]

"I had a chat with Strauss' clients today. They were nice enough, but Mr. Wróbel...he lost his wife in childbirth. Twins. They died too. And...he didn't have the money and he wanted to give me his watch but he had their wedding picture in it. I couldn't accept it. I...I paid his debt for him. I'm sorry, I know I should've-"

Arthur knelt down on one knee in front of her. "Lillian, ya didn't do anythin' that merits an apology. And sweetheart, I promise that you bein', you know, it doesn't matter to me. And to be honest, I don't think I could have another kid. Not after what happened to..." Arthur put his head in her lap after taking off his hat. "Lilly, I need to tell you somethin', and then I gotta ask you somethin'."

"Okay."

Arthur looked up at her. She had been crying. "I...your intended. He is lookin' for you."

A confused expression came up on her face. "What? How do you know?"

"I met him. Years ago. Said a lot of things about findin' you, about you bein'...the 2nd Countess of Moycullen and havin' you go back and reclaim your title."

Lilly sat back and covered her face. "Oh for the love of Jesus, Mary, and mother fuckin' Joseph! Did he say anythin' else?"

"Somethin' about your father earnin' an Earl title from killin' a goddess."

Lilly laughed sadly. "Yes. That. He killed someone for sure. Some...really bad woman who people thought was a witch or a goddess or whatever. Thought she was causin' all the famines. Apparently her warrior prowess was legendary, but my father was better. Her name was...Adair, I think? But...yes, anyway, I don't remember much else."

Arthur reached into his pocket for a small blue velvet box. "Lillian, if he is still in the States lookin' for you...I will respect it if you go. But if you don't want to go, I am not gonna let him have you."

Lilly smiled down at him. "Of course I don't want to go with him. Ireland is not my home any more." Lilly placed a small kiss on his lips. "You are my home."

With a gentle smirk, Arthur locked eyes with her. "Good. Now I can ask you a question, and please know that I love you and I definitely would be askin' this anyway, even if it was down the...no, I would ask this anyway. We been courtin' only a little while but I feel like we been together for years and-"

Lilly put a finger his lips. "Just shut up and ask me, okay?" Lilly chuckled.

"Ha, sorry. Ahem. Lilly..." Arthur grabbed one of her hands. He was nervous as all hell even though he knew she'd say yes. Or would she? He paused. God, when he proposed to Mary, he was nervous but not this nervous. Maybe it was too fast. This had to be too fast. Were they ready for this? Was she ready for this?

"Arthur, what is it? What's wrong? Is it a bad question?"

"No. I'm only nervous, darlin'."

"Why would you be, wait a minute," Lilly got close to his face. "Did you get into a fight with someone?"

"Oh!" Arthur completely forgot about that. "Yes! The boys and I got into a saloon fight today and there was this big fucker I had to take on. But don't worry, I'm fine."

Lilly scoffed with playful irritation. "Oh, I know yer fine. I ain't worried about that. I'm just sore because ya had a bar fight and didn't invite me."

Arthur smiled at her. No. He was definitely ready to ask her. "Lillian Rose O'Calla-"

"Arthur! Lilly! Get out here please!" Dutch shouted.

Lilly sighed as she watched a very flustered Arthur Morgan leave the tent. He was furious about something. She raised from the chair and went to the flaps.

"What the hell, Dutch! I was in the middle of...askin' Lilly a question?" Arthur said the last part through his teeth.

What question? What the hell was Arthur so nervous about? Dutch looked at Lilly and made a face that was the equivalent of saying 'oops'. Lilly wondered what was going on. Hmm. "Well, sorry. Was it important?" Dutch asked as he glanced back at Arthur with a grin.

Lilly saw Arthur tense up. "No, I guess not," he said in defeat. "You find a buyer for them bonds we stole?

"Not yet, but Hosea's workin' on it," Dutch replied.

"When we headin' west?"

"Soon...I don't know," Dutch said sadly.

Arthur sighed. "Feels like...things have changed. The whole world has changed. They don't want folk like us no more." Arthur started walking with Dutch, as did Lilly. "We're bein' hunted."

"We are smarter than them. Only the feeblest of men take," Dutch sat down by his tent while speaking, "jobs in the government."

Arthur cackled as he grabbed his gun belt. "I hope so."

"Trust Dutch, Mr. Morgan," Molly said while sewing. "Ya hafta."

Lilly frowned, wondering who was more right on the subject. Da was wise, but so was Arthur. Still, Lilly questioned Da's behavior of late. That whole mess in Blackwater. Dutch killing that woman on the ferry. The whole massacre of the town. He'd been reckless and uncharacteristic. Lilly did not want to defy her father, but Arthur did have a point. Being a hunter herself, she knew they were being chased relentlessly. Dutch went too far in Blackwater and the government had enough of his robberies and antics for sure. It was only a matter of time before they'd be a group of prey, and Lilly felt that time had come.

"They got Micah!" Lenny shouted as he ran into camp on his horse. "Dutch! Arthur!"

The four gang members went and met Lenny in the middle of their distance. "What's goin' on?" Dutch asked.

"They got Micah! He's, he's been arrested for murder! He was in Strawberry and-"

"It's okay, son. Breathe."

Lenny bent over, gasping. "They nearly lynched me. They..." Lenny stood back up. "They got Micah at the sheriff's in Strawberry and there's talk of hangin' him."

"Here's hopin'," Arthur said casually. Lilly couldn't agree more and she giggled at Arthur.

"Arthur!" exclaimed Dutch.

"What? That fool brought this on himself. You know my feelin's about him, Dutch."

"You think I can't see past his bluster to the heart inside?" Dutch asked. "He is a fine man."

"No! No he ain't a fine man! Spyin' on Lilly and me, tellin' the whole god damn camp, then talkin' all that bluster about shootin' me and..." Arthur looked at Lilly then back at Arthur. "Need I continue listin' his offenses?" Arthur pointed at Dutch. "I ain't savin' that fool."

"I can't go! My face will be all over West Elizabeth!" explained Dutch. "I am asking! He would do it for you!"

"I don't think he would, but...fine, alright," Arthur groaned.

Lilly sighed. "Well, I'm goin' with you, obviously. I do owe the man a debt, much to my chagrin."

"What debt?"

"When I was lost, remember?"

"Right. Okay. Well, that'll be our chance to rub it in his face," Arthur said with a smug smile. "You okay, Lenny?" Arthur asked as he approached him.

"Yeah, 'course I'm okay," Lenny replied.

"You don't seem okay."

"You take that kid into town. Valentine, not Strawberry," Dutch said as he began to walk away. "Get him drunk! And Arthur? No crazy business."

Lilly snorted. Da was referring to the bar fight, she assumed. "I've given that up!" Arthur shouted with a light undertone.

"And you get Micah outta that jail!"

Arthur sighed in annoyance. Lilly did as well. "Come on, son," Arthur said to Lenny and walked with him to the horses. "I'll get to it Dutch!" he shouted. "Just...can't drop everything."

Lilly raised a brow and followed the two. Lilly stopped when she saw a new horse. A dappled black thoroughbred. "Arthur, is that one yours? When did you get that horse?"

Arthur laughed. "Same day I got Liath for you."

"Liath? Who's Liath?" Lenny asked.

Lilly smiled happily as she walked to her iron gray Ardennes. "My new war horse. Arthur, uh, gifted him to me." Lilly mounted up.

Lenny's jaw dropped. "Wow. Is he an Ardennes?"

"Yep. Just like Bill's horse, but so much prettier."

Arthur cackled. The three rode out of camp and Lilly looked around for her wolves. Nowhere to be seen. Lilly assumed they were out hunting or whatever. "Arthur, what were you gonna ask me?"

"Hmm? Oh. I'll ask you later. It's a very intimate one," Arthur said with a wink.

"Ha! You two still goin' at it, huh?" Lenny asked.

"Yes. In fact, we uh...we live together now."

"...Really? Damn." Lenny sounded disappointed.

"Ah, don't be like that, Lenny. I can still flirt!" Lilly laughed.

Arthur stopped his horse. "Excuse me?"

Lilly giggled at Arthur's reaction. "I'm only yankin' yer chain, mo chuisle. I no longer require, hmm, cleachtadh." [practice.]

"What's that?"

"Look it up."

"Speakin' of different languages," Arthur mentioned as they resumed their gallop. "How many languages do you speak, Lilly?"

Lilly sighed. Great. "I assume you spoke to Strauss?"

"Yes. Had to inform him of the Downes debt not bein' paid." Arthur eyed his woman. "So? How many languages?"

Lilly sighed. "Aside from my main two? German and Polish."

"That's it?"

"Yes," Lilly lied. She spoke over two dozen languages but she was under no obligation to tell them that. Arthur looked at her like he knew she was fibbing. "Hey look, there's Valentine!" Lilly rode up faster than the other two.

Come to think of it, she'd only been her to sell meat and pelts. That and the other thing. It was getting late but perhaps the horologist's shop was still open. As she travelled down the main street, Lilly saw the man still inside. She went down a ways to hitch Liath up by the bar then Lilly quickly ran to the shop. Lilly walked in and waved at the man. He was an old man in his 60's with balding white hair and a cane, but his hands were as steady as a stream. When the horologist saw her, he smiled.

"Ah, Miss O'Callaghan. Nice to see you again," she breathed out then he sneezed into a hanky. "Oh, excuse me, child. I still have that nasty cold but it's getting better."

Lilly smiled back at him as she rested her arms on the counter. "Glad to hear it, Mr. Gowry. You definitely sound better."

"Hmm, thank you. Now, are you here about your sweetheart's pocketwatch?"

"Yes sir. You're probably not finished yet but I was hopin' to see your progress."

"Haha! Actually," the man hobbled over to one of his cabinets. He opened it and started exploring around with his fingers. "I finished it this morning."

Lilly was flabbergasted. "Wow, really? That was really fast!"

Mr. Gowry found the box he was looking for and hobbled back over to the counter. "Thank you, my dear. Now, I must say, the way I had to weld the bullet ends in was a wonderful challenge. I loved the idea." He set the box in front of her. "Open, please."

Lilly smiled and open the box. What she saw inside took her breath away and she beamed down at it. "It's breathtaking! Oh my God!" She shut the box and leaned over the counter. "Thank you very much, Mr. Gowry. Now, I assume you want your payment."

"If you wouldn't mind. And thank you for the compliment."

Lilly grabbed money from her satchel, counted it, and handed it to the man. "Thank you so much, sir. Arthur is gonna love it!" she said with a giggle.

"I am curious, though," the man said as he opened the register. "How did you manage to get it without him knowing?"

Lilly smirked devishly. "Well, you study watches. I study pockets.

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