EIGHTEEN

Adam and Percy rode in silence. Percy held onto the side of the seat and the wooden back as Adam drove the wagon roughly and at some points, the buckboard was close to turning over and dumping the two men onto the ground.

"Why don't you just shoot me and end my suffering," Percy yelled out over the clattering noise of the buckboard.

"Don't tempt me but that would be subverting my intent," Adam called back. "I want you to be miserable. My only regret is that you're not suffering as much as my brother is."

"I am your brother," Percy loudly reiterated. "And you might as well accept it. I'll be around for a long time."

"What would it take to make you leave? How much?" Adam wanted Percy gone and the sooner the better. Adam knew that Percy was cold and calculating and really had no desire for family; Percy wanted money, a never-ending flow of money so that he could spend his life gambling and eating well and sleeping in fine hotels. Percy also wanted, Adam surmised, money to satisfy his sexual tastes, whatever they may be. But Adam wanted him gone.

"Are you trying to bribe me?" Percy yelled as he was being bounced about of the wooden seat. Percy considered that things may be looking up; perhaps Adam could convince Ben to cut Percy his share of the Ponderosa and its holdings now. Percy's plan was, if he had the time, to find who was Ben's ranching or business rival and sell his shares to them. And if not that, Percy thought that he could sell his shares back to Ben at twice the cost. Either way, he would be a wealthy man.

"Yes." Adam answered.

"Let me think," Percy said. "I'll let you know-that is if I have a price."

"You have a price," Adam said, slowing down the buckboard as the doctor's office was just on the outskirts of Virginia City. He pulled up the horse in front of Dr. Martin's home which also held his surgery. Then Adam leaned menacingly toward Percy who shrunk back. "I'll offer terms and you can either take them or not-your choice. But I assure you, any offer I make will be preferable to the alternative." Then Adam jumped down and rushed into the Doctor's surgery door.

Percy sat and thought, trying to compose himself. Adam never reacted as he expected and that frustrated him. Joe had reacted with quick anger and Hoss had been frustrated and helpless under Percy's barrage of insults, but Adam-he seemed to thwart Percy's intentions. Percy felt his plan wasn't working-Joe wasn't dead, at least not yet. He was certain that Joe wouldn't have survived a fall from the roof but when Percy slid out his foot and Joe tripped over it, he had fallen on the slanted roof and rolled over once before he rolled off the roof completely. Therefore, he hadn't fallen head-first and broken his neck or slammed to the ground flatly on his back, shocking all his organs. No, his side had taken the brunt of the impact, obviously thrusting his shoulder against his collarbone which snapped. But Percy knew there had to be more serious complications in store. There had to be and he could only hope that Joe would die-and maybe he could ensure that result. But Percy felt that Adam would make certain that Percy was never alone with Joe so Percy started devising another plan. Hop Sing had unintentionally given him the idea.

Linda Lawrence had told her son that Ben adored his youngest boy, Joseph, who should have been Percy. That remark alone made Percy hate Joe. Joe, according to his mother, had robbed him of his birthright. Therefore, Joe deserved to die and have the situation righted. And, she had told Percy, if Joe died, Ben would be a broken man; he loved all his sons but Joe was his heart. Therefore, stab at his heart with her blessings. "Remember," she said in her failing voice, "Ben Cartwright ruined my life and also yours. Never forget. Remember it."

Adam came out of the office and took up the reins from the seat of the buckboard.

"What did the doctor say? Don't tell me he can't come?" Percy made a face of shocked disappointment. "How very awful that would be!"

"He'll be there as soon as he finishes up with his patient in the office but I have to go to the pharmacy to pick up some concoction he wrote down. I have to wait until it's compounded." Adam snapped the reins and headed the buckboard to the pharmacy. When he pulled up, he looped the reins over the hitching rail and went inside.

Percy watched Adam through the window and slyly smiled. The pharmacist was with a slightly plump, middle-aged woman, and they were discussing whatever was written on the paper she held. Adam impatiently waited but finally intruded and talked with barely suppressed annoyance to the woman and the pharmacist, he slammed the doctor's note on the counter. The woman backed off a way and nodded to the pharmacist, saying something before Adam tipped his hat to her and she rushed out.

"Excuse me," Percy said to the woman. He wore no hat or he would have chivalrously tipped it to her but he did leap down from the buckboard and give her a small bow. "I don't mean to seem forward but I'm so worried about Joseph Cartwright. Is the pharmacist able to fill the script?"

The woman looked him up and down. He didn't look like anyone from Virginia City and then he had that accent-obviously an outsider. "Who are you to be so concerned?"

"Forgive me, madam," Percy said in his cultured British voice, one that bespoke an education at a prestigious private school that would have been recognized by anyone in the whole of England and immediately have certified his class in society, "but I am Lord Percival Chadwick-I mean Cartwright, Ben Cartwright's son."

"Ben's son?" The woman's eyes opened wide. This was a juicy piece of gossip.

Percy looked down as if with shame. "Yes. I afraid that I am…a bastard, but a son nonetheless. I was with Joseph when he fell off the roof and injured himself. I am waiting for Adam so that we may fly as swift as the wind to the Ponderosa to hopefully save young Joseph's life." Percy arranged his face in a piteous expression.

"Oh," the woman said. "Forgive my rudeness; I didn't know."

"That's quite all right, madam," Percy said. "A lady of your obvious fine breeding shouldn't talk to ruffians such as myself without being first properly introduced. After all, with these clothes…" He looked down at his shirt and jeans with sadness. "But we were working and I…forgive my apparel."

"Quite all right, …Lord Percival did you say?"

"You, madam, may call me Percy, if you so choose. I do feel a certain kinship with you-you are yourself so refined."

She smiled and blushed; she was actually talking to a member of royalty or at least as close to it as she ever would and she also had been privy to a delicious piece of Cartwright gossip. She was already planning who she would first tell. "I am Mrs. Robert Bowen. It is a pleasure to meet you and I do hope that we will see you around Virginia City under more pleasant circumstances. I have a daughter, Margaret. Just lovely and I so do not want her to keep the company of cowboys. Perhaps you would care to come for dinner some night, Lord Chadwick-I mean Lord Cartwright."

"Please, just Percy and if your daughter is as lovely as you," Percy said, taking her hand and placing a soft kiss on it, "I shall be delighted."

Adam came out of the pharmacist to see the two talking. He stood next to them, his arms crossed high on his chest.

"You of course," Percy said with a gesture toward Adam, "know my brother…oh, I suppose I wasn't to let that out yet, Adam."

"Isn't it nice to finally find your long-lost brother?" Mrs. Bowen asked.

"That's yet to be seen," Adam said, tipping his hat to indicate the end of the conversation but Percy took Mrs. Bowen's plump hand and held it in both of his.

"Please, Mrs. Bowen," Percy said in a sincere way, "don't pass along that piece of knowledge-about my birth being less than respectable and who my father really is...but I don't even know why I should ask; a woman of your fine taste and culture certainly wouldn't gossip, especially about such an unimportant person as myself."

"Of course," Mrs. Bowen said. "Good to see you, Adam. Give my husband's and my regards to your father and I hope that young Joseph recovers from his accident."

"Thank you," Adam said with a lowering of his head. Adam turned to look at Percy. "Well, you just ensured that everyone in town-probably in the whole territory-will know about you and also about Joe."

"Have I?" Percy said. "My, my. Family secrets are so hard to keep. Did you get the medicine?"

"It'll take about a half hour," he said. Adam pulled out his pocket watch. "In the meantime, we need to have a little talk.'

"About what?" Percy had calmed down after talking to the woman; his confidence had returned.

"I have a little over ten thousand in my personal account. It's all yours right now if you'll sign a paper in front of the bank notary saying that you release all claim, now and in the future, to the Ponderosa and all our business holdings."

"Ten thousand? That's it? Oh, Adam, I did my research before I even showed at the door to the Cartwright family home and I know what my share-divided by five-maybe four if Joe dies…" and that was as far as Percy went because Adam grabbed him by his shirt front again.

"You better pray that Joe doesn't. Get on your knees and pray." Percy grabbed Adam's wrist with both his hands; Adam had the shirt twisted so tightly that the back tail of the shirt pulled out of his trousers. Adam began to push Percy down and Percy's knees buckled under him. Finally Percy was on his knees and Adam loomed above him, gripping him and through clenched teeth, Adam said, "Pray. Not just for him but for your own deliverance."

People in the street had stopped to stare and then Adam heard his name called and he turned his head.

"Piper," Adam said quietly under his breath and released Percy who grabbed his neck and coughed. He knew his face was red; not just due to Adam twisting the shirt so tightly but because he was embarrassed to be down on his knees in the dusty street. Percy grabbed the side of the buckboard to help himself stand and pulled in deep breaths to calm himself.

Piper stood on the sidewalk and Adam's heart rose and he forgot about Joe, Percy and anything else. In this whole awful situation, she was the only spot of joy he had. He rushed over to her while Percy watched, grinning. He now knew what Mrs. Jeffers looked like and seeing Adam with her, seeing his face soften and seeing him smile at her made Percy even surer that she was the way to destroy Adam. And after this, Percy was more determined and he hated Mrs. Jeffers for no other reason except that Adam loved her.

"Adam, I saw you and I wondered what's wrong." Piper glanced at the slender young man who joined Adam and who stood a step or two behind him with a sly smile. The same young man whom Adam had kneeling in the dust just moments before.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to this beautiful woman with the most charming accent?" Percy asked. "And may I say, you are lovely, just lovely. A vision in rose pink and such a delightful bonnet." Percy looked Piper up and down, a lascivious expression in his eyes.

Piper tightened her manteau at her throat; she didn't care for this young man or the way he looked at her.

"No, I'm not going to introduce you," Adam said and then turned his back again on Percy. "I'm sorry, Piper. I was going to come to see you and Nash today but my brother, Joe, he had an accident and I needed to get the doctor. I'm waiting for the medicine now."

"I'm so sorry, Adam. Is there anything that I can do? Just ask."

"No, there's nothing."

"Nothing?" Percy said with a tone of outrage. "Why he fell off of her roof! Don't you hold her the least bit responsible?"

"What?" Piper looked at Adam. "My roof? What does he mean?"

"He doesn't mean anything but to cause trouble. Don't be concerned, Piper. I'm sure my brother will be fine as soon as the doctor gets there and Joe starts the medicine. I'm waiting for it now. I'll come out to see you and your husband in a day or two and you can move into the house once we fix it up."

"No, Adam." Piper gathered herself for a moment before she looked back at Adam. "Nash and I were discussing it and we're going to go on to Sacramento as we had originally planned. I hope your family won't be offended. I was going to hire someone to deliver this letter." Piper opened her reticule and pulled out a folded piece of paper that had been sealed with wax. "But I can hand it to you now."

"No, Piper, please. Just wait before you do anything, before you leave. Things are just so…" Adam grabbed her hands that still held the note and pulled them to his chest, his large hands swallowing hers. "Just wait one more day, one more."

"Adam, I…," Piper lowered her voice so that only he could hear her. "If I stay any longer…I can't keep this secret from him. It's not right." Piper stopped herself. The young man was avidly trying to listen, was far too interested in her and Adam's conversation. "All right, Adam." Piper said with resignation, "we'll wait until Monday, the day after tomorrow."

The pharmacist stepped outside his store and called for Adam. "I have the compound ready. Didn't take as long as I thought."

Adam nodded to the pharmacist. "Until Monday, Piper. I'll come to see the two of you, Monday."

"If that's what you'd like, Adam. But I meant what I said about helping. If I can in any way, let me know. And that means the house as well. If we stay here, well, fixing it up would make me feel that it's really my home-at least for the time we're there."

"All right," he said and then, with regret, Adam released her hands and left Piper in order to pay for the mixture that he hoped would help with any possible infection as the doctor said.

Piper looked after Adam wistfully. Her longing and yearning for him was obvious, especially to Percy who prided himself on reading people.

"He's so sad," Percy said with false gravity. "So sad."

Piper turned to him. "I would imagine that he is, with his brother so injured."

"My brother too," Percy said as if offended.

"Your brother? I didn't know there was another brother. Who are you?" Piper looked at him warily. She didn't care for this man who seemed like the "subtile" serpent in Genesis.

"Allow me to introduce myself. Lord Percy Chadwick and I am honored, nay, delighted and honored to make the acquaintance of such a beautiful and gracious lady as yourself."

"I thought you said that you were a Cartwright, a brother of Adam?"

"My name is different, at least for now. You see, it appears that Benjamin Cartwright had a little peccadillo when younger and it involved my mother…" Percy saw Adam come out of the pharmacy holding a packet and knew he had to hurry. "If you would like to help the Cartwrights, well, they-I should say, we-need someone to sit with Joe during the day so that we may continue with ranching-the hands still being gone and such. And then we have the rental property to fix up to make it inhabitable for someone as gracious as yourself…"

Adam walked up and looked suspiciously at Percy, wondering what he had been saying, but turned to Piper. "I have to head back now but please, stay until Monday as you said you would."

"I promise, Adam," Piper said and began to walk away, then turned to face him. "And, Adam, I wouldn't mind sitting with Joe during the day. If you need someone, please let me be the one you ask. I owe you so much." And then she turned and walked in the direction of the Palace Hotel while both men watched her walk away.