The Locket

"I'm sorry, Lou," Emily spoke up finally. "There were better ways to say that. I didn't mean for it to come out the way it did. But when she and Buck were talkin' at dinner, they just reminded me that I didn't know Ike all that well. I was just jealous, I guess."

"I figured as much," Lou replied, not letting on that it was actually Buck who made that observation. "You were right about one thing though. Ike did love you, despite the short time you knew each other. I'm sure that he did love Lydia too, from what Buck said."

"A long time ago."

"Not all that long for Lydia. Remember that she's been waitin' for him all this time, waitin' to see him again. This is a lot for her to deal with and it can't be easy for her. She just needs more time and understandin'."

"Do you want me to go talk to her?"

"Better let me. She mightn't be ready to face you just yet." Lou squeezed her friend's arm reassuringly.

Lou found Lydia in the barn, curled up on a bale of hay sobbing into her hands. She entered cautiously, not wanting to startle Lydia. Despite their newfound friendship, Lydia was somewhat of an enigma to her. She knew Lydia to be kind, thoughtful, considerate, and yet with a spirit much like her own. She was a survivor. By the same token, Emily was similar to both Lou and Lydia, yet Lydia did not get along with Emily, and vice versa. While jealousy was a main part of it, it seemed, to Lou, that there was something else involved.

Lou waited until Lydia sensed her presence and looked up before speaking. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked gently.

Lydia silently shook her head.

"Are you gonna apologise to her?"

"I'd like to, but I can't."

Lou frowned. "What do you mean, you can't?"

Lydia looked directly into Lou's eyes. "Because Emily knows that you came out after me. If I go in there and apologise now, she'll think that you made me do it. That I'm not really sorry. But I am sorry. I never meant to say that."

"Then why did you say it? 'I hate you' ain't somethin' you can easily mistake." Lydia remained silent, so Lou continued. "Is it because somewhere deep down you did mean it?"

That got a reaction. "No!" Lydia said vehemently, standing, keeping eye contact with Lou even though the latter was a few inches shorter. "Haven't you ever said anything in the heat of the moment that you later regretted? I don't hate Emily. She hasn't done anything for me to hate her for. I can't blame her or Ike for what happened. If anything, I hate myself." Lydia turned away.

"Why?" Again Lydia said nothing, so Lou reached up and gently turned her around. "What is it, Lydia?"

Lydia took a deep breath. "What'd Buck tell you... about how we met and everything?"

Lou shrugged. "Apart from what you've told me? Not much. Just that he and Ike worked for you father, that you and Ike fell for each other pretty hard, your father didn't approve so they left."

Lydia smiled wanly. "That it, huh?"

"Buck didn't want to say anything else without you knowin'."

"Well, that's one way of puttin' it." Lydia took another deep breath. Lydia still found some subjects difficult to talk about. Her past with Ike and Buck was one of them. "I spent a lot of time with Ike and Buck when they worked for my father. I used to help out a lot on the ranch, despite Papa tellin' me that it was not lady-like. Anyway, Papa never liked nor trusted Indians, so he had me learn the Indian sign language so I could understand Ike and translate, instead of Papa havin' to rely on Buck. Eventually I started fallin' in love with Ike. I kept it to myself until Ike told me he felt the same."

Her blue-green eyes filled with tears. "We were only young; I was barely sixteen and Ike was eighteen, but we felt that life was so wonderful. Then Papa found out, and he was fit to be tied."

"How did your father find out?"

"I don't know, not exactly. My stepmother, Wendy found the locket and photograph that Ike gave me, but I think Papa may have already suspected.

"Papa accused me of...of... he basically accused Ike of defiling me. He hadn't, of course; he hadn't even touched me, not like that. But after Papa found out that we loved each other; he was convinced that Ike had taken advantage of me, and Wendy just urged him on in that opinion. Papa told me that I wasn't gonna marry a ranch hand and started hittin' me. I was used to that form of punishment, but he worked me over pretty good."

Lou sucked in her breath. Lydia's father sounded about as cruel as her own. "What happened then?"

"Papa went out and beat Ike up, then started in on Buck 'for good measure' when, at the foreman's suggestion, he took them into Old Bent's Fort and told the lieutenant there that they had defiled me and beaten me so bad that I couldn't get out of bed.

"When Papa came back and went to bed, I went out and got McLeary to tell me where Ike and Buck were. He took great pleasure in tellin' me that they were gonna hang. I forced McLeary to saddle my horse, hit him on the head with Papa's gun, and rode into Old Bent's Fort. I told the lieutenant the truth, showed him the locket as proof, and convinced him to let Ike and Buck go. They left town, but I couldn't go with them.

"Papa went out after them, but Buck knew how to cover their tracks so he never found them. Decidin' that I needed to learn how to act like a lady, Papa sent me to a Ladies College in Baltimore. Where I've been ever since."

"And you never saw Ike or Buck after that?"

Lydia shook her head. "Until now. I wrote to them, but they never got any letters."

"So why'd you say you hate yourself?"

"Because I've held out hope for us, for Ike all this time, and he moved on. I should've done the same when I never heard from him. Emily was right, and what did I do? I told her that I hate her when I don't. Oh I'm jealous, I'll be the first to admit that. She and Ike shared something that I never got a chance to share with him, and now I never will. I feel like such a fool." Lydia started sobbing again.

"Oh Lydia," Lou had no idea what to say. At least she and Emily admitted they were jealous.

Gavin Pierce eyed his prisoner warily. McCaffrey had spent the last few days either smirking at him (which was odd for someone behind bars) or looking like he had something up his sleeve. Gavin knew that McCaffrey was up to something, but he could not prove anything. His henchmen hadn't even been to see their boss while he was locked up, only two girls who were trying to run the saloon on their own. Their conversation was strictly limited to the girls questioning McCaffrey and McCaffrey answering. That could really prove a conspiracy.

Pierce shook his head. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't hold McCaffrey any longer. The law did not permit a lawman to arrest or detain innocent men. While McCaffrey was not exactly innocent, he was shrewd enough not to be proven guilty; and if he were held a minute longer than necessary, trouble would follow—more trouble than Pierce could deal with.

"Okay, McCaffrey," Pierce suddenly unlocked the cell. "You can go now."

"Really? Just like that? No long speeches, no big warnin'..."

"I'm not gonna bother, McCaffrey, you've heard it all before. One thing though. Just stay away from the pXp, and everyone who lives there—including Lydia Mitchell. You got that?"

"But of course, Marshal. You know I would never hurt them."

The look Pierce shot McCaffrey suggested he thought otherwise, but he didn't push it. Instead he just handed McCaffrey his gun and inclined his head to the door. With one last, self-satisfied smirk, McCaffrey sauntered out the door, barely passing the Union Captain coming in.

McCaffrey made his way across to the saloon, and went straight behind the bar. The first customers he served were two strangers who had a very interesting story to tell about a new girl in town. They were Loran and Forge.

"Can I help you, Captain?" Pierce barely looked up when Captain McMullen walked in.

"I hope so, Marshal. Did you receive my telegram a few days ago, regardin' a young lady posin' as a survivor of a stage massacre?"

"You must be Captain McMullen," Pierce shook his out-stretched hand. "I was expectin' you a couple of days ago. Yes I did receive the telegram, but I must say, I found it rather odd."

"Oh, I thought it was self-explanatory. Have you come across any girls fittin' that description?"

Pierce shook his head. "The only new girl here abouts checked out."

McMullen narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Well, she's from back east, a Ladies College in Baltimore, actually; she's friends with one of the ranch owners here."

"No offence, Marshal, but that's not really proof of anything. What is her name?"

"Lydia Mitchell."

"And you didn't think that was suspicious? Did she claim to be a survivor of a stage massacre?"

"Well, yes, but I don't think she's the girl..."

"How many girls do you think matches that description? She's Southern, she claims to have survived a stage massacre, and she even answers to Lydia! What more proof do you need?

"I know what you're thinkin' but this girl is an old friend of Buck Cross. You know him, He's an ex Express rider, he mentioned buyin' horses from you recently."

"That's right."

"Then you know he's a good, honest man. The story Lydia told me sounds about right. I'm waitin' for confirmation from St Joe."

"If you're so sure she's not the girl, why did you send to St Joseph for confirmation?"

"The local saloon owner tried to claim her as one of his girls. I checked her story out so McCaffrey wouldn't cause any more trouble."

"Would you mind repeatin' her story to me, Marshal, in case you missed anything?"

Pierce gritted his teeth against McMullen's condescending tone. "Of course, Captain."

When it became obvious to Lou that Lydia really needed time alone to grieve, she left her in the barn, when she collapsed again on the bale of hay, sobbing. This was how Emily found her that afternoon. "Hey," she said softly.

Startled, Lydia looked up. When she recognised the young women standing before her, inwardly she cringed. "Hey," she replied, just as softly.

An awkward silence ensued, one that neither knew how to abate. Finally Emily realised that it would be up to her. She crouched down beside Lydia. "Look, I just wanted to say that I was sorry."

"What?" Lydia couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was the one who was supposed to be apologising, not Emily. And she didn't have the courage to.

"I never should have said what I did. It was uncalled for. I can only imagine what you're been through over the last couple of years, and to just find out that he died..." Emily broke off, and paused to compose herself before continuing. "I should never have said..." Emily broke off again, this time form discomfort. "Well, you know what I mean."

Lydia nodded, not saying a word. She just fiddled with the locket underneath her blouse in a way that made Emily even more uncomfortable. But Lydia was lost in her thoughts, thinking about the locket. Ike's last gift to het. The only thing she had from Ike McSwain, apart from memories. The locket which had Ike's photograph, which would make such a good keepsake or heirloom.

Could she do it? Could she give the locket to Emily? Ike gave it to her because he loved her, but he had loved Emily also. And he shared a child with Emily. In view of that, of the fact that through little Ike Metcalfe, Emily could pass on the locket to Ike's descendants...

Just as Emily stood to leave Lydia alone again, the latter reached behind her and unhooked the chain that held the locket. "Wait," she called to Emily. "I have somethin' for you."

Emily frowned, puzzled. "What?"