Chapter 51: The School

Shadows and voices filled Lilly's awareness as she woke. She felt cold metal around her neck, ankles and wrists. She was laying down on her side. Her eyes fluttered open to see Angelo Bronte staring at her in a chair close by. "Hello, piccolo fiore," he said to her. [little flower]

Lilly looked around. Red walls, red bed sheets, red lamps, a red night stand, a red armoire, and a red lounge chair that Bronte was sitting in. She was in her old room. "Why am I in here?" she asked angrily, slowly sitting up as she talked.

"I thought being somewhere familiar would help you stay calm."

"Why did you team up with Cornwall? He wants me dead."

Bronte sighed. "You really think I would let that horrible man anywhere near you or the bambinos?"

Lilly gaped at him. "But...those bounty hunters had notes on them. They said to take me to you or Uncle Levi."

"I only needed him for the collars."

Lilly rubbed the bridge of her nose. "But doesn't he know where you live?"

"Yes. Which is why we are not at home, Lilly. This is just a replica of your room."

Lilly sighed. "Great," she said sarcastically.

"Yes. I knew Mr. Morgan and Mr. Van der Linde could not protect you. Only I can protect you from Leviticus Cornwall. So now you must stay so I can keep you safe."

Lilly laughed. "That isn't your choice to make. You can't just keep me prisoner here."

"You are not a prisoner, you are an honored guest."

Lilly cocked her head and shook the shackles on her wrists. "Honored guests don't get chained up, Bronte."

Bronte laughed and scooted his chair closer. "Lilly, please, this is for your own safety."

"Why do you care so much about my safety?!"

"Because I am your father," Bronte said innocently.

Lilly glared and lunged at him but was stopped just a few inches from him by the chains. "You are not my father! Dutch van der Linde is my father! Hosea Matthews is my father! Arthur Morgan is my husband, and when they find me, and they will, they're goin' to make you regret the day you were born!"

Angelo chuckled. "Lilly, they will not find us. Only I have the key to get down here and you know it."

Lilly shut her eyes and plopped back down on the bed. "Do you even know why Levi wants me dead?"

Angelo pulled something out of his robe pocket. It was her journal. "I read this, so I somewhat understand. It does not surprise me that you have the soul of a goddess, though. You always were special."

Lilly snarled. "That was not for you to read!"

Angelo set the journal on her night stand. "I apologize, Lilly. Are you hungry?"

Now that he mentioned it, she was starving. How long had she been here? If she wasn't pregnant, she would've starved. However, she had to eat for the babies. "...Yes."

Bronte stood up. "Spaghetti? Or would you prefer a different dish?"

Lilly smirked a little. "I really want carrots, chocolate, pickles, salted beef, and ice cream."

Angelo wheezed out a laugh. "Such strange cravings. But...I think I can arrange all that. Anything else?"

Lilly perked her head up. "Cola?"

Bronte smiled at her. "Of course I have cola. I will be back with all that you wish to eat."

When Bronte left, Lilly struggled with her shackles and collar. She was fully dressed at least. Lilly knew there wasn't a way out...yet. She'd have to bide her time. There was no way Arthur and the gang would find her, so she'd have to get herself out of this mess. So for now, she would play nice.

Arthur sat by the campfire with Brian and James when Dutch, Hosea, Sean, Lenny, John, Charles, and Bill showed up. It was getting dark out. Arthur stood, still grasping his wife's pocketwatch. Dutch and the rest dismounted and walked to Arthur.

"Any idea who might've taken her?" Dutch asked him. Arthur pulled out the bounty note and handed it to Dutch. He read it and raised a brow. "Well shit. Either Leviticus Cornwall or Angelo Bronte."

"Bronte?" Bill asked. "She's got another guy gunnin' for her?"

"No, Bill," Arthur corrected him. "Angelo Bronte is Papa. Lilly's, um...former mentor."

Bill's jaw dropped. "Shit," he said as he kicked dirt around.

"But based on this note, they're workin' together. Does Bronte want her dead too?" Dutch inquired.

Arthur shook his head. "I don't think so. I think we go to Bronte first, see if she's there."

Dutch nodded in agreement. "And if she's not?"

Arthur walked to Tessa. "Then I'll burn his house to the fuckin' ground."

"Fair enough. Hosea, Sean, Charles, you go find out what you can about Cornwall, see if you can root out where he currently is. The rest of you...we're goin' to see Thomas in Lagras. He's gonna get us in a back way to Bronte's mansion."

They all mounted up and Sean and Charles headed to Saint Denis while the rest went east towards Lagras.

"Burn his house to the ground, huh?" Dutch joked. "With him in it?"

Arthur narrowed his eyes but kept them on the road ahead. "Yes."

"Even though Lilly's got the claim on his life?"

"If she ain't there or she's dead," he said, glancing at Dutch, "then Bronte is mine," he spoke with an angry snarl.

Dutch laughed. "I don't think I've seen you like this since the first day we met Lilly. You're on the war path, Arthur."

"Aren't you concerned?"

"Of course I am but this is Lilly, for chrissakes. She's always managed to find her way out of bad situations."

"Well, it's not just her. It's the babies."

"Why are you concerned about the babies?"

That's right. Dutch didn't know. "She was barren before her accident, Dutch."

"Oh, Hosea and I already knew that. We talked to that doctor later on and he told us what's what, though he didn't say how she became infertile. What does this have to do with Bronte?" Arthur explained about the school, the students, the required sterilization, and Lilly's beating for refusing the procedure. This angered Dutch. "So you're tellin' me this asshole could possibly kill my grandchildren?!"

"Yes!"

Dutch snarled. "Then let's hurry the fuck up!"

Lilly stuffed her face with a pickle, then washed it down with cola. "Mmm, could you melt the chocolate for me, please?"

Bronte chuckled but did as she asked. "Why?"

"So I can dip the carrots in it," she replied after taking another bite of a pickle.

"What? Is that any good?" Bronte opened the melted chocolate bar and placed it on the tray in front of Lilly.

"It's bloody fantastic! Try it!" She took a bite of vanilla ice cream and moaned softly. "God, that's so good."

Bronte shrugged, took a carrot and dipped it. When he took a bite, he smiled from ear to ear. "Fantastico! Come ti è venuto?" [Fantastic! How did it come to you?]

Lilly dipped a carrot and ate it in delight. "Arthur. Ha avuto esperienza con donne in gravidanza." [He has had experience with pregnant women.]

Bronte arched a brow with skepticism on his face. "Esperienza?" [Experience?]

"Aveva un figlio," Lilly said sadly. "La madre aveva voglie di carote e cioccolato." She took another bite of ice cream. [He had a son. The mother had cravings for carrots and chocolate.]

"Aveva?" [Had?]

Lilly swallowed, pausing before saying her next words. "Morto. Derubato per dieci dollari." [Dead. Robbed for ten dollars.]

Bronte shut his eyes. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Lilly took a drink of cola. "It was a long time ago. Isaac was such a good kid, too. And his mother was a fine woman. Not a hateful bone in her body."

"Did you ever find out who robbed them?"

"No."

"I see," he said with a frown.

Lilly took a bite of salted beef. "I'm surprised you don't want to kill my children, Bronte."

Bronte scoffed. "Why would I do a thing like that?"

"I was your student. You wanted all students to be sterilized." Another bite of ice cream.

"Well, it seems fate had a different plan for your body. Who am I to take that from you?"

Lilly stopped eating. "You say that, yet you took my brother from me."

"He attacked me and tried to leave with you."

"And you killed him for it, thinking I would just...forget about it?"

"In time, I hoped you'd see why it needed to be done."

Lilly laughed in disbelief and took another bite of salted beef. "That was real dumb of you."

"Lilly...you were a slave. If I had not bought you, who knows what would have happened to you? I had no idea what would happen to you when you left, I had no idea what would happen after you fell in with your gang, I-"

"Well, now you know. I fell in with the right people."

Bronte smirked and crossed his arms. "Yes, and I will forever be grateful to Mr. Van der Linde for taking you in."

Lilly chuckled and dipped a carrot in her chocolate. "Is that why you set him up at the trolley station?"

Bronte laughed. "Just a harmless joke."

"A harmless joke? They got into a fuckin' trolley accident and almost got killed by the police!"

"That wasn't supposed to happen."

Lilly swallowed. "The accident?"

"The police. I did not send them after Mr. Morgan or Mr. Van der Linde."

Lilly's eyebrows raised. "Are you serious? Then who did?!"

Bronte shrugged. "I do not know."

Lilly suddenly remembered her note. "Bronte, who told you about my visions?"

"Leviticus Cornwall. He has a mole in your group, apparently, but he would not say who."

Lilly shut her eyes. "I fuckin' knew it." She suddenly had a thought. She scooped up some ice cream with the salted beef and chewed. "Oh, my sweet Lord."

"Hey Bill, you were a sharpshooter in the cavalry weren't you?" Dutch asked as Thomas rowed the skiff down the river.

"What?" Bill replied.

"When we get there maybe you could help with the suppression fire."

"I never said I was no sharpshooter."

"Oh!" Dutch pointed a finger. "That's right! Wh-what was it? The nation's most loyal latrine digger, wasn't that it?"

Arthur let out a low cackle. "Well I fought, and I fought well," Bill said, defending himself.

"So you always tell us."

"Taught me somethin' you could do with learnin'. Them Indians was savages."

"Watch your mouth there, boy," Dutch said quickly and low. "Watch it," he pointed at Bill, "only type of savage in these parts are moonshine swindlin', pompous, inbred locals."

Bill held up his palm. "Dutch, I saw things out there."

Dutch leaned forward. "I don't doubt you saw things, Bill, but your tiny little mind was too small to comprehend what you saw. What you saw was people who lost everything to savagery. Savagery of peasants, failures come from Europe to reap some awful vengeance on God's last creation."

"Can we focus on gettin' Lilly back, please?" Arthur interrupted.

"I'm sorry I wasted my life tryin' to teach you boys, love you though I do," Dutch said begrudgingly. "How you wanna do this, Arthur?"

"Just kill every one of them sons of bitches," Arthur snarled.

They landed on the shore where Brian and James were waiting. They were covered in mud and Arthur almost cackled. The men jumped out of the boat, save for Thomas.

"Now you pick us up yonder," Dutch said to Thomas.

"I got you," he replied. "Good luck to you."

The men climbed up the hill with the wolves in tow. "How did they know to even be here?" Lenny asked quietly.

"It's a long story," Arthur whispered. "I'll explain later."

"Come on, quick. Stay quiet," Dutch said. Arthur and the rest climbed over the wall, then jumped over and crouched down.

"Lenny, Bill, you're with Dutch. John and I will take the left side. If you guys see a shot, you take it. Just bring hellfire down on all of them," Arthur said, preparing his rifle. "Good luck, gentlemen."

They all got to their positions and then the shooting started. "We're comin' for you, Bronte!" Dutch shouted. "Send out every man you got!"

"I'm comin' for you, Bronte!" John yelled.

Arthur took headshot after headshot as God himself favored his victory. Arthur only had one mission as he killed and shot and killed. To get Lilly back. The men pushed forward and Arthur took the shotgun from Dutch to shoot the lock off the door. He kicked the door open and started shooting away as he walked. His enemies fell as he was much faster with his trigger finger than they were. The front doors burst open to reveal two men but Brian and James were behind them and snatched them up in their jaws. They screamed as they were torn apart.

"Spread out and find my god damn wife!" Arthur shouted to everyone. "Bronte! If you harmed one hair on my woman's head, I will gut you like a god damn fish!" Arthur started upstairs and shot another man and he fell out the window. He reloaded the shotgun as he walked. "Lenny, keep that door covered!"

He power walked through the upper floors, shooting another man in the head. The body fell to the ground. "Bronte! Where are you, you son of a bitch?!"

"We're checkin' the rooms but he ain't here! Neither is Lilly!" Bill shouted.

"Keep lookin'!" Arthur shouted. "They gotta be here!" Arthur busted through all the doors, killing any man he found inside, but there was no sign of Lilly or Bronte. Arthur was really getting pissed. "Lilly! Can you hear me?!"

No response. Nothing but the whistles of the police. "Arthur, we gotta go!" Lenny yelled.

Arthur checked the rooms again. He was in the library when Dutch came up. "She's not here! Let's go!"

"But she's gotta be here!" Arthur snapped. "She's..."

Dutch grabbed him. "If she's not here, she's gotta be with Cornwall."

Arthur sighed. "Alright."

They both raced through the hall and down the steps to the back door. Shooting ensued as they fought their way out.

"Bronte knew we were comin'," Arthur said, pacing back and forth. "That son of a bitch!" Arthur kicked a chair over and put his hands on his scalp. "I'll kill him! And I'll kill Cornwall!"

Dutch got up from the table and put a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "Calm down, son. We are gonna find her. Now if those two got together, at least we know she's not dead."

"You don't know that!" Arthur shouted. "You don't know if she's dead, you don't know if they killed the babies, you don't know shit!" Arthur shoved Dutch's hand off and continued pacing.

"Have faith, Arthur. You really think The Morrigan brought her back and cured her womb just so she could die this time? She came back again after bein' burned at the stake. The Morrigan will protect her, I'm sure of it!" Sean said.

"Yeah but that's not the only thing we got to worry about," Charles said. "Dutch, Hosea, we got a rat in the gang. Only us and people in camp knew about her visions, yet those hunters that ambushed us knew it."

"So you think more bounty hunters took her?" Hosea asked.

"Based on the quick work she made on the last ones, no. Arthur and Sean only saw two sets of foot prints by the camp fire. Whoever got her is good at what they do."

Sean cleared his throat. "Maybe it was another one of Bronte's students."

They all looked at Sean. "Any idea which one?" Arthur asked.

"No. I never met any of 'em. I don't even know where the school was. It was all very secret."

"Did you guys have any luck findin' Cornwall?" Dutch inquired.

"No," Sean said glumly. "He's simply nowhere to be found right now."

Arthur kicked over a small side table. "God dammit!" He picked it up and threw it at the wall, which broke into pieces. "This is such horseshit!"

"Arthur, calm down! Gettin' angry won't help Lilly!" Hosea exclaimed.

"Well what else am I supposed to do?! I can't keep calm about this! I don't know where the fuck my wife is!" Arthur was feeling desperate and useless. He failed to protect her. Again. "She knows better than to go off on her own! When will she fuckin' learn?!"

"There's just some things you can't teach people, Arthur," Charles said.

Arthur looked at Charles. "What did you say?"

"I said there's some things you can't teach people."

"Teach." Arthur suddenly began laughing. "Ah, shit!"

"What's so funny?" Hosea asked.

Arthur rubbed his face. "The school. What if she's at the school?"

"What school?"

Arthur sighed. "I thought I explained this. Bronte had a special school for students, and Lilly was one of them. So...we just need to know where it is. Do you know where it is, Sean?"

"It's somewhere in Saint Denis. I don't know where, exactly, but it's there," Sean explained. "It was all very hush hush, so I doubt askin' around will be much u-" Sean paused then a big smile formed on his face.

"What is it?"

"Brian would know."

Arthur's lips parted. "Sean, you're a genius."

"Of course I am!"

"Excuse me, but isn't Lilly's brother dead?" Hosea inquired with an arched eyebrow.

Arthur smirked. "Not exactly."

Lilly turned the page of the book she was reading when a man brought in her dinner. He left the tray by her, walked out, and locked the door behind him. Lilly sighed and sat. How was she going to get out of here? Lilly started eating when she noticed a small red mouse on her lounge chair.

"Hello, little one. Where did you-" The mouse grew into a woman and Lilly gasped in surprise. "Jesus Christ, Morrigan!"

"Shh!" The Morrigan put a finger to her lips. "I'm only here to tell you that your husband figured out where you are."

Lilly shut her eyes and sighed in relief. "Thank God," she said, feeling so much better. "Wait, where am I?"

"The school."

"Ooooh. But how does he know where to go? He doesn't know the school is under Bronte's house!"

It was the night after their first invasion of Bronte's mansion but Arthur was confused by Brian. Why would he lead them back to the mansion? There were more men posted inside and out and Arthur groaned before ducking back down behind the wall.

"I don't get it. Why would Brian bring us back here?" Dutch asked Arthur.

"Hell if I know. Maybe she's here and we didn't check thoroughly enough," Arthur replied with a snappy tone.

"We checked everywhere. We checked all the rooms on every flo-" Lenny paused, then he started chuckling. "You know what I think?"

"What do you think, Lenny?"

"You ever hear about rich people havin' secret passages in their houses?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Of course. Hell, Darach ar an gCnoc has a few of...ooh. You think Bronte has one of those?"

"It's worth a shot. We kill all these bastards and look again."

Arthur grinned and pulled out his revolvers. He looked at Dutch, Hosea, Charles, Sean, Lenny, Bill, Micah, John, and Javier. "You guys all ready?"

"Yes," they all said simultaneously.

Brian and James groaned as if to say yes. Arthur and the rest jumped over the wall and the shooting began.

Lilly finished her dinner and continued chatting with The Morrigan when Lilly heard footsteps outside.

"Shit, hide," Lilly urged The Morrigan.

Morrigan chuckled in amusement. "I'm a goddess, what are they gonna do to me?"

Lilly pointed to her collar. "This."

The Morrigan stood, brushed off her dress, and walked to the door as it opened. A balding man looked at the woman in shock. "What the he-"

The Morrigan shoved the man into the door, knocking him unconscious. She shook her head. "Tsk tsk tsk, humans are so slow."

The Morrigan bent down and grabbed some keys. She tossed them to Lilly. "Thanks," Lilly said, unshackling the cuffs around her ankles and wrists. She tried for the collar but none of the keys worked. "Shit, must need a different key."

"Bronte has it," The Morrigan said as she looked out the door. "I can't touch the collar, but you will have to find him to get it off. Do you know the way out?"

"I think so. Why?"

"Because your husband and the rest are here already." The Morrigan transformed back into a mouse and walked out.

Arthur looted the last dead body as they all looked around for secret passages. The wolves sniffed about for Lilly's scent and ended up in the library. Lenny started pulling all the books off the shelves. "There's always a book that opens the passage. We just gotta find the right one."

All the men started yanking books off the shelves when a door behind one of them opened. Arthur was the first one to it, pulled out his guns, and started walking down the secret staircase.

Lilly peeked into the dark hallway then started to walk when Bronte came around the corner with a gun and aimed it at her. "Ah ah, not so fast, Lilly."

She rolled her eyes and groaned. "Ugh! Why?!" Bronte motioned her into the room and shut the door behind them. Lilly sat on the bed. "You know you ain't gettin' out of this, right?"

"I just might. Your life for my freedom."

Lilly clicked her tongue a few times. "I don't think you would give me up that easily."

"No, I wouldn't."

Gunshots were heard down the hallway and Lilly grinned. "They found the passage."

"Yes."

"So? What now?"

Bronte walked to her and stood her up, standing behind her, wrapping an arm around her with a knife to her belly and putting the gun to her temple. "Now we wait."

"Sounds like a plan."

Lilly sighed and waited patiently for her husband to emerge. It wasn't long until she heard multiple footsteps down the hall. "Lilly?! Where are you?!" she heard Arthur shout.

Lilly went to open her mouth when Bronte shushed her. "Mr. Morgan! I have your wife! Now open the door slowly so we can negotiate terms!"

Lilly heard the clanking of Arthur' spurs and the sound of his boots nearing the door. There was a pause before the door opened slowly with a creak and in came her husband, eyes narrowed and full of controlled anger and determination. He had his revolver up and he walked in with his side to them. "Let go of my wife," he said calmly, gruffly, with a hint of warning.

Lilly watched him in all his summer gunslinger glory and she felt her cheeks flush. Never had she seen this side to her husband before. It was intoxicatingly seductive and she was sure to fuck him as soon as they got out of this. She bit her lower lip with a smile and twinkles in her eyes. "Mo Fear Álainn, tú faigh mise." [My Beautiful Man, you found me.]

"Tá, rinne mé," Arthur said. "An bhfuil tú ceart go leor, mo ghrá?" [Yes, I did. Are you okay, my love?]

"Sea." [Yes.]

"Mr. Morgan, so nice of you to join us," Bronte said with a devilish smile. "Shall we begin our negotiations?"

"What are your terms?" Arthur asked calmly.

"Her life for my freedom."

Arthur glanced at his wife. "An aontaíonn tú?" [Do you agree?]

"Ar ndóigh ní," she replied. [Of course not.]

"Iontaobhas mé?" Arthur asked. [Trust me?]

"I gcónaí, mo chuisle." [Always, my pulse.]

Arthur aimed the gun and fired.