FAMILY
HONOR
Author's Note: Thanks to Sameena for all her help with this story. You're the best!
Disclaimer: The characters of The Young Riders were created for television by Ed Spielman. The series aired on ABC TELEVISION from 1989 - 1992. This story is a sequel to my stories "Acceptance" and "Morning Sun" which took place six years after the Pony Express was disbanded.
Later that evening Jeremiah waited
outside the dress shop while Margaret closed. As she locked the door, she said,
"You can just ride with me. I'd be happy to bring you back to town later."
"Why don't I just tie my horse behind the buggy and then you won't have
to bother," said Jeremiah.
"That sounds like a good idea," agreed Margaret.
Soon they were stopping at Margaret and Amelia's home. "Before we go in,
I need to tell you something," she said. "This morning we let you
believe that when we found Anne-Marie she was dead."
Jeremiah nodded.
"She wasn't. She was badly beaten and very close to death, but she didn't
die. She's spent the last six years here - mostly in her room - worrying about
what Nathan was doing to Isaac. When you see her, you'll understand why she
doesn't go out. She's agreed to meet with you. Please try not to upset her."
"I'll do my best," said Jeremiah. "But some of what I have to
say isn't going to be pleasant."
"That's fine," said Margaret. "Just promise that if you notice
her getting upset, you'll stop, or change the subject, or lie. Something."
"I will," said Jeremiah as he climbed down and assisted Margaret.
They entered the house. Sitting on the sofa near the fireplace was a young lady
around the same age as Amelia and Jeremiah. She was small, about the same size
as Louise. Her long brown hair was pulled up and away from her face and her
dark brown eyes shown brightly despite the pain they had encountered. She would
easily have been the most beautiful person Jeremiah had seen if it wasn't for
the scar that ran down the left side of her face starting near the outer corner
of her eye following her jaw line and continuing down onto her shoulder. She
dropped her head when she noticed Jeremiah studying her.
"My going away present from Nathan," she said and moved to let her
hair down in order to hide her face.
"I'm sorry," Jeremiah said. "My sisters would be so mad at me
for staring, but I've never seen anyone so beautiful."
The lady stopped. "Don't be cruel. It isn't becoming a nice young man such
as yourself," she said sarcastically.
"I'm not being cruel. I mean it," said Jeremiah as he crossed the
room to stand next to her. "My name is Jeremiah McCloud. I've been asked
to deliver this message to you. Hopefully it will make sense to you, and we
can talk." He handed her Buck's note and retreated back to the kitchen
where the other ladies were waiting.
Anne-Marie read the letter. When she finished, she let it fall to the floor
and buried her face in her hands. Jeremiah glanced at the other two ladies and
then returned to her side, took her in his arms and gently rocked her. "He's
really alright," he said. "He's a fine boy - honest, polite, hard-working."
She stopped crying and pulled out of his embrace, "I'm sorry," she
said. "I'm just so relieved that he's alive. Does he know that Buck is
his father?"
Jeremiah shook his head. "Buck wasn't sure. That's why he sent me. He would
have come himself but he can't travel at the present time. It's rather complicated."
Margaret came over, "Why don't you tell us about it while we eat. Anne-Marie
tires easily. We don't want to keep her up too long."
"Yes Ma'am," said Jeremiah standing and offering his arm to Anne-Marie.
"Shall we?"
She nodded and allowed him to escort her to the table. While they ate, he filled
them in on what he knew about Nicholas' life after he and Nathan left town.
As he finished his story, he turned to Anne-Marie, "Amelia said you found
his father; why doesn't Buck know?"
She dropped her head in shame, "I never told him. I didn't try to find
him at first because things were going well. Then Nathan found out Isaac's father
was part Indian. I put up with the treatment he gave me because he was still
good to Isaac. One day he came home and tried to beat Isaac. I left here and
went to Rock Creek to try and find someone who would know where I could find
Isaac's father. The people there told me to talk to the shop keeper. I asked
him about the Pony Express riders from the local station. He told me that the
only ones he knew anything about were running the stockyards in Mole Hill, Kansas."
She stopped speaking for a few seconds.
"I went there and located the stock yards. I was going to introduce myself
and ask them about the half-breed who rode with them when I saw him. He rode
up with another man. I sat off to the side of the road and watched as a beautiful
young lady holding a baby came out of the house." Her hand went to the
scar on her face and stroked it as she continued, "She handed him the child
and he kissed them both. I decided I couldn't ruin his life so I left."
Again she paused. "I went back to the hotel and wrote a letter explaining
why I didn't trouble him, asking his forgiveness and then went home. I came
here, put the letter with the other one I'd written in case he showed up while
I was gone, then I went back to Nathan and received my punishment for daring
to try and leave him." She had to stop because the sobs were beginning
to over take her. "If I'd known he was going to take Isaac I would have
killed him. I figured he'd go get him, bring him home and we'd go on the way
we had before. I also figured I could send the letters if things continued to
get worse. I was such a fool. I should of known he'd want to hurt me more."
Her body shook with the sobs that escaped her.
Jeremiah again took her in his arms. He rocked her gently and whispered comforting
words to her until she calmed down enough for Amelia to take her away and put
her to bed.
"Will she be alright?" he asked as he watched them leave. He understood
why Buck had been drawn to her. He had only known her a few hours, yet he wanted
nothing more than to make the pain in her life go away.