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Chapter 14: The Redemption of James

Ruth was passed out for a few hours before she finally came to. She realized she was back at her home. Abigail and Laura were silently staring out the window to the back of the house, biting their fingers. Ruth turned her head to feel a dull pain in her neck. She lifted her hand weakly to feel what was causing the pain. She winced as she felt the bruises on her neck. She stared up at the ceiling. Her body ached from being thrown about like a doll. For an old man, Mr. Wilkins was still quite strong. Ruth suddenly realized Jean wasn't there and that the house was oddly silent. Abigail and Laura were so transfixed on what was happening outside, they hadn't noticed that Ruth was awake.

Ruth quietly pushed herself out of the bed. She hissed and realized that her side was bruised and that her hands were a bit scuffed from trying to struggle to keep herself from being choked to death. The tree bark had rubbed her hands raw. Her small sound made Abigail and Laura turn around quickly. Laura shut the curtain to try and hide what was happening. Ruth saw fire light bouncing through the window and shining through the curtain. Abigail tried to force Ruth to sit back down but she quickly cantered to the window to pull the curtain and look down.

She saw James Wilkins and his father were standing in the grass, surrounded by several men, Dan, Occum, and Ben being amongst them. Ruth searched to see where Jean was but didn't see him. She cantered out of the room as quickly as she could, biting through the pain. Abigail and Laura rushed after her but couldn't catch up. Ruth was running too fast, practically jumping down the stairs. She pulled the heavy back door open.

"Do you know what the penalty for rape is Mr. Wilkins?" Ben firmly glared at the men. James was absolutely terrified. He felt like these were his last moments on earth and he would die, being dragged into his father's mess. James suddenly looked up to see Ruth standing in the doorway, bruised and disheveled.

Everyone grew silent and looked back at her. Ruth finally found where Jean was. He had been out of her view of sight through the window, with his back to the house while he glared down from his horse at the men they had managed to catch. He looked back when he realized everyone had grown silent and the look in his face softened when he saw her. He dismounted and quickly rushed to her. She flinched when her put his hands up to examine her neck.

"What's happening?" Ruth groggily asked him.

"Ruth," Jean tried to explain but she was putting the pieces together.

"Are these the men who attacked you, Ruth?" Dan lifted his torch up and put his boot on Old Man Wilkins shoulder, kicking him down. Him and his son had their hands tied behind their backs. James was on his knees trying to keep low, not wanting to anger any of the men further but his father had refused to bend, standing tall as if his actions were justified and a mighty wind of angels would come to rescue him.

"Let James go," Ruth pleaded with Jean, "he saved me-"

Jean shook his head, "non-"

"All that happened was this," Ruth pointed at her neck, "that was the most harm that came to me. If it weren't for him, it would have been worse. Don't take his life. What would have happened if I had not woken up as soon as I did?"

Jean's heart lifted when she told him this. If what they had thought had happened to her, he didn't know he would be able to handle seeing the life sapped from Ruth. For several hours, he had worried that she would never recover. It fueled his rage when he looked at how badly beaten she had been when he found her. When Dan suggested that she had been raped, Jean's anger intensified. It wasn't that he felt that a great injustice had been done to him, it was that he was enraged that a man could hurt a woman in such a way. He knew it was meant to harm him, but what would have come from it was not a feeling of being even, as Mr. Wilkins had hoped, but decades of pain and anger. It would have fueled an intense hatred that would take generations to calm. All Jean had done was help to give a young man his freedom. The way Mr. Wilkins lashed back was by taking a woman's sense of safety and by destroying her. There was no fairness in that. However, Jean was relieved when Ruth told him that James had helped her. He found himself throwing his arms around Ruth and hugging her tight. She started coughing and let out a groan when her side began throbbing in pain. He let go of her promptly.

Jean signaled the men to untie the ropes around James' wrists. With his hands free, he began to nurse the black eye that was beginning to swell up. His father, however, was still bound. Jean walked off the porch and the men parted ways for him. Ruth watched her husband kneel down so he could be eye to eye with the man.

"All I did was rough her up a bit," he spit in Jean's face. Ben pulled Jean back when he saw his friend going for the long knife on his belt.

"No!" Ben pulled him back.

Jean stood back up and flicked Ben's hand away from his arm.

"Maybe we should settle this right now, right here," Mr. Wilkins laughed as he stood up. The men weren't unbinding his wrists like they did for the others.

Jean glared at him without flinching. Ben was beginning to worry that it might be possible that he and his men would be witnessing a murder. Jean tried to turn and walk away but the man would not let it go.

"If my son hadn't been such a coward to take her-" Mr. Wilkins chuckled as he watched Jean turn back around.

"Your wife would have loved it," he laughed, "she doesn't have a man for a husband. If she did, the deed would have been done a long time ago."

Ben smacked his hand to his face. Jean just shook his head.

"I respect her," Jean said calmly, "unlike you."

"There's no way to disrespect your own property," he spoke back, "a man does what he pleases with it."

"Untie his hands," Jean hissed. Ruth was holding herself up against the threshold of the door and watched as Jean walked back up the steps. He gently moved her aside and walked into the sitting room. After a few moments he returned with two scabbards in his hands. Ruth shook her head and grabbed his sleeve before he made it out the door.

"You're a mad man," Ruth admonished him, "how do you expect me to be protected from that wolf if I'm a widow."

"I know what I'm doing," Jean assured her. She didn't know his reputation with the sword. She had only heard stories about how he fought but she had no idea that his reputation in the French Lightfoot brigade was the best swordsman. Abigail and Laura joined her on the porch as she watched what her husband was doing.

Jean tossed a sword on the ground at Mr. Wilkins' feet, "you want to settle this?"

Mr. Wilkins bent down and picked up the sword. He was shaking. He knew how to handle guns, but even then, he was a terrible shot. Ben shook his head at Jean but the man was insistent.

"If I win, you leave town, and you give James his inheritance," Jean said bluntly.

"If you win, I'll be dead and that's what would happen anyways," Mr. Wilkins shot back, "If I win, you'll be dead, and then what?" He leeringly glanced over at Ruth.

James watched as Jean looked over at him, "will you take care of her?"

James didn't know how to react but he nodded his head. Jean felt secure that if something were to happen to him, she would be taken care of. She would inherit his fortune and his land and she wouldn't have to remain a widow for long. He looked up at her as she stood on the porch, gripping the bannister in complete fear.

Ruth collected her thoughts and stepped off the porch as Mr. Wilkins was fumbling with his sword while walking further from the group of men, far away from the house where they could have clear ground to fight. Ruth could feel her heart beating out of her chest.

"You're not right in the head, Jean," Ruth said to him.

"I'm doing what I have to," Jean assured her, "to assure that he won't hurt you again."