Evelyn smiled as the duo trotted along, the passing hot air drying the both of them out quickly. She'd felt embarrassed when they had crawled out of the lake for the second time completely unaware of how her wet dress clung to her skin until she'd seen Arthur glance at her then uncomfortably looked away.
Shaking her head, she smiled.
"So, Arthur. What made you think I would be any help with this?" She asked. Arthur looked at her as if the answer was obvious.
"Well, I thought since you have a daughter and all, that you'd have some sort of insight to all this." Evelyn chuckled. How wrong he was, but she didn't mind the assumption. She probably would've assumed the same had she not known herself.
She hoped the situation with Beau and Penelope had a happy ending. She enjoyed the little time that they spent with the young girl, a high society girl with amusing wit and humor. And though she hadn't met Beau yet the way Penelope spoke of him, and the contents of his letter had Evelyn convinced that he was a sweet man.
"We're nearly there, just down this path a bit." Arthur said as they turned onto a well-worn path that stretched to a vast estate with beautiful shrubbery and cobblestone courtyards. They passed the looming manor and halted at a stable where a young man with shaggy brown hair groomed a beautiful paint horse. Arthur stalked up to him, resting his arms on the stalls short wall. Evelyn stood beside him, admiring the horse.
"You got my money?" Arthur asked gruffly to which Evelyn rose her eyebrow at. Beau startled, finally noticing them and he took a double take when he saw Evelyn who just gave him a small wave and a smile. Beau searched through his pockets, handing over a coin purse. Arthur nodded and pocketed the money and offered him the letter that Penelope had written. Beau reached for the letter and before he could grasp it Arthur moved it put of his reach.
"It'll cost you." Arthur said. Beau stared at him dumbstruck before Arthur groaned tiredly and shook his head. "Oh, I can't be bothered." He relented, handing over the letter. Evelyn laughed softly. They watched as Beau poured over the words written to him, the further down he got the more an expression of fear graced his features. Arthur and Evelyn looked at each other, both curious and confused. Beau left the stall and paced anxiously. Arthur shrugged and pet the muzzle of the horse Beau had been grooming.
"This... This'll get her killed for sure!" Beau cried out, startling the pair as they stopped their petting of the horse to look at him in confusion.
"What?" Arthur asked. Surely the girl couldn't have gotten herself in trouble within the short time span that they had last seen her.
"Woman's suffrage." He said simply. "'Round here they don't even like men voting, they'd bring back the monarchy given half the chance." Beau said, Evelyn thought that was a bit of an exaggeration. "How they're not okay with this but they're fine with incest is beyond me." Beau blurted, making Evelyn and Arthur exchange incredulous glances. "I don't wanna marry my cousin, I wanna marry Penelope!" He cried.
Throwing his hands up he turned to Evelyn and Arthur, his hands grasped together in a plea. "They'll kill her at one of those rallies! Please, mister, and ma'am," He gave Evelyn a strained look. "You've gotta help!"
Arthur shook his head. "This ain't exactly my specialty-"
"I'll pay, my family has money. please." He begged. Arthur sighed, and Evelyn put her hand on his arm.
"We'll help you and your lady." Evelyn answered. Beau sighed in relief and ran to mount his horse.
"Thank you! Now come on, we don't have much time." Beau urged. Arthur gave Evelyn a pointed glare to which she smiled at. He rolled his eyes and gestured for her to mount up, helping her up into the saddle.
Beau lead the way at a hurried pace, his horses' hooved flinging dirt in the air.
"Easy boy, calm down." Arthur called out to him.
"I can't be calm, if we don't get there in time my true love might be shot!" He called back. Arthur shot Evelyn an exasperated look, shaking his head.
They followed closely behind until they came upon a large gathering of women. Beau jarred to a stop, jumping off his horse and rushing over to Penelope who asked what he was doing there. The pair bickered back and forth before Beau shot Arthur a hopeless look.
"Do somethin'!" Beau plead.
Arthur shook his head, lost. "Do what? Fight this mob?" He gestured to the women. "They'd eat me alive." He said, and Evelyn felt like he was being honest which made her laugh. When Arthur was no help he looked to Evelyn who still sat atop her horse. Evelyn shook her head with an amused smile.
"She's a strong woman Beau, nothing we say can stop her." Penelope smiled at Evelyn in thanks. As Beau continued to plead with Penelope she sighed.
"I tell you what, your friend here can drive the wagon for us. It'll help us to shout all the louder!" Without waiting for Arthur to consent she turned away to join the group of women who were chanting. Arthur threw his hands out, shaking his head.
"Sure." He handed Evelyn the lead to his horse, which she took and have Arthur a teasing smile.
"A great defender of women, Mr. Morgan." She joked. He rolled his eyes and left to get into position. The leader of the protest was a stoutly older woman, Mrs. Calhoon she'd introduced herself as.
With a cheer the wagon took off towards town. Evelyn followed behind closely, a smile still on her face as the women broke out into song and continued ever stronger as men crowded the street to throw insults and 'boo's out at the women. Arthur made sure to glance back at Evelyn regularly to see if she was okay. She wasn't worried though, Beau rode beside her and though she didn't think he'd be much help in a fight she didn't think he would let any harm come to her. She could see Arthur and Mrs. Calhoon speaking, though she couldn't hear them over the women singing.
The march concluded at the steps of the bank, where the women all gathered the building and Mrs. Calhoon gave an inspiring speech. Beau made his way to Penelope's side, and Arthur stood with him to keep an eye on the girl. Evelyn still sat atop her horse close by, keeping Arthur's mare close by. She watched as a sort of confrontation took place between two men and Beau that Arthur stood between. Arthur gestured for Beau to follow him and they headed back to the horses.
"I know a place close by, and old battlefield. follow me." Beau kicked his horse into a gallop with Evelyn and Arthur following closely. They quickly made their way out of town and Beau let off on the pace.
"You don't wanna head back and hear the speeches?" Arthur asked as he cantered along. "I ain't voted before... But I'm kinda gettin' hot for voting rights."
Beau looked at him strangely. "I don't know whether to take you seriously Mr. Morgan." He shook his head. Evelyn laughed.
"I don't think anyone does, really." She retorted. They'd slowed to any easy walk and Evelyn enjoyed her surroundings. Lemoyne sure was beautiful.
"If everyone knows about Penelope and me-" Arthur cut him off with a snort.
"Everyone knows about Penelope and you. Heck, Me 'n Mrs. Kings have known you for bout ten minutes and we know." Evelyn nodded. She supported the young couple, but she admitted that they weren't the most subtle about their affections.
As they trotted along Evelyn zoned out of the conversation when they'd started talking about secrets and gold. She wasn't really interested since she wasn't likely to ever be involved anyway. She was pleasantly surprised that Arthur had asked her along at all, as wrongfully lead as he was. Soon enough Beau lead them off the path, stopping at a clearing littered with the ruins of an old battlefield.
Beau patted his vest and pockets, procuring some cash that he handed to Arthur. Arthur nodded his thanks and divided it out, handing some to Evelyn who accepted it, though she was surprised.
"You should leave." He said to Beau. Beau nodded grimly.
"I will. As soon as I have enough money." He sighed, pondering with a faraway look in his eyes as he gazed at the sunset. "I really love her. I do. Have you ever been in love, Mr. Morgan?" He asked Arthur seriously. Arthur was taken aback at the question and shifted in his saddle uncomfortably.
"Once upon a time maybe. Men like me don't much deserve love." He said. Beau nodded, and looked to Evelyn.
"What about you, Miss?" He asked.
Evelyn shook her head sadly. "Evelyn, please. And as for your question, no. I never got the chance to find love before my life was decided for me." She said gravely. She looked intently at Beau, who seemed saddened at her answer.
"Oh... Well, I hope you both find something like it-" Evelyn this time cut him off.
"I'm not sure about all that, Beau, but take my advice. You and that darling girl, Penelope. You have something precious. You take that girl far away from here and give her a life full of love and happiness. It seems to me like you both deserve it." She said.
Beau nodded furiously. "I intend to, Miss Evelyn." He mounted his horse with a renewed sense of determination. He looked to the both of them. "Thank you. Thank you both." Arthur nodded to him with a flick of his hand in a goodbye. They watched as the boy rode off back towards town.
Arthur glanced over to Evelyn who rode at his side. She was staring at the sunset that was quickly making its decent and it was getting dark. He'd been thinking about what she had said to Beau, about not having been in love.
"So..." He said hesitantly. "I suppose when I assumed you were experienced in romance I couldn't have been more wrong." He joked, Evelyn startled at the break of silence then found herself laughing. She smiled at him, an eyebrow raised.
"I got the job done though, didn't I? I'd say as someone who's never been in love before that I did pretty well." She gloated.
"You did better than I did, that's for sure." Arthur chuckled. "Would it be rude of me to ask you about what you meant?" He asked. Evelyns smile dropped and she sighed. He immediately felt like he made a mistake.
"Well I don't see why not. You heard what Micah said last night, right?" She asked, to which Arthur nodded. At the time he thought Micah was just being a drunken fool.
"He wasn't lying." She said sadly. "I did kill my husband. Two years ago, maybe a bit more. He was a drunk and violent to boot. His name was Glenn Kings, and my father married me off to him when I was fourteen. Glenn owns some of the largest banks in New Austin, and my father is, or maybe was, now, the head of the biggest churches. A pastor, I mean. He'd gambled his money away and as a last ditch attempt to save his ass he married me off to Glenn, who at the time was around thirty years old." She sighed, at this point she felt tired of telling the story. "The only sort of romance I'd ever experienced was my wedding, and when he would force himself on me." She shrugged. "I'd never had a chance to get a crush or any suitors, having been married off so young."
Arthur nodded grimly. He'd never expected that sort of story from the woman. "Why'd you kill him?" He asked. Evelyn looked off into the distance. He could see the bright shine of tears in her eyes.
"He killed my baby, and nearly killed myself. I..." She choked out. "I couldn't let him kill Annabell too. But it was peaceful, his death. I shot him while he was passed out drunk. I wanted to hate him, but he'd given me the most precious gift in our daughter. I couldn't hate him for that." She shook her head and laughed bitterly. Arthur tugged his horse to be closer to hers and he grasped her arm in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. He couldn't have guessed that the woman had been through all of that. In a way he felt a sort of companionship in her, having lost his own son too.
"I'm sorry Mrs. Kings. He sounds like a sad excuse of a man that the world is better off without." He offered. She smiled, grasping his hand that was on her arm to hold it.
"Thank you Arthur. I never expected to find any companionship in this gang of yours, but I'm happy I did. Truly." She said earnestly, looking him in the eyes and softly rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb before she let go and looked away quickly, clearing her throat. "What about you? You'd told Beau that you'd been in love before. I think it only fair to exchange tragic back stories." She teased. Arthur laughed.
"After hearing yours mine doesn't sound too bad." He said. He realized that they had stopped just outside of camp, but he didn't mind. It felt nice to talk to someone without having to worry about getting shot or the rest of the gang eavesdropping.
"I was engaged, once. A woman named Mary. There ain't much to say besides she was part of a wealthy family and I was a lowly outlaw. Her father despised me, not that I can blame him. I refused to change my ways, and she refused to accept it. She left and married some other rich sob." He explained, shifting in his saddle. The sting of it all still clutched at his heart though it had dulled tremendously. "I saw her again, not too long ago." He scoffed. "She needed my help to save her brother. That's all she wanted, though. My help." Evelyn hummed in acknowledgement.
"I see. Well, if it helps, she was a fool to not see you as anything else other than an outlaw." She said confidently. Arthur looked at her from under his hat. The sun had left the sky, and Evelyn was illuminated by a soft blue light. Her straight black hair fell to her elbows and brushed against her lower back, her blue eyes shined. He noticed Annabell had taken after her mother with her blue eyes and freckles. He supposed Glenn must've had that golden hair like his daughter. His chest warmed as he looked at her, proud atop her horse. He looked away.
"Thank you, Mrs. Kings. Your daughter sure is lucky to have you." He said. Evelyn smiled warmly.
"Come on," She said, nodding her head in the direction of camp. "We should get to bed. I miss Annabell." And with that she left Arthur to trail behind her.