-Discussions of Attack-

With Taitiann back, Selene was now able to focus on Annie's wedding dress. The third sister however was insistent on following Jessop St. Cloud again when he went to meet his contacts in Omaha in the spring. He had said that they were a traveling show and that it was no good to try and chase them down when he knew where they would be in the spring. For now he stayed in his office studying the will and trying to find a way to locate Mr. and Mrs. Fairchild. As the results came back negative he began to doubt they were still alive.

"It's raining," Astrid said as the soft patter fell on the glass windows of the shop's back room. "I've missed the rain."

Jethro listened to the sound of the middle March rain as it dripped down the rooftops. "I had better bring the horse under the cover," he said getting up from his chair.

Alifair was up in the next second. "I'll help you." The two went outside through the back door. It was only a light rain but it made the air turn cold and uncomfortable for the horse. The animal was swishing its tail and stomping the muddy ground when they untied it from the post.

Alifair stroked it side as it pushed its head into Jethro's chest nearly knocking him over. "What is his name?"

"I think my uncle just calls him the surrey horse," Jethro said then smiled at Alifair. "You know you've become a lot warmer toward me since you've been here compared to all the years we've known each other back home."

Alifair continued to run her fingers over the horse's damp body as they led it over to a small pen with an awning. "I've never almost died before," she said. "That made me appreciate people more. Besides the Word says we should love everybody and I want to be a good Christian."

"The biggest mistake we ever made was giving the negro religion." A voice said from beyond the pen.

Jethro felt his way down the horse until he reached Alifair. "Can I help you, Andrew?"

Andrew leaned forward on the fence. "Not likely. Just everyone has been going on about the company at your uncle's house."

Jethro maneuvered himself in front of Alifair. "Do you have to carry on this way; in front of a child?"

"Nothing good can come of it."

"My aunt wouldn't appreciate you coming around here making threats and nor would your father. Have some class and respect for yourself and mind your own business."

The sound of boots on wood distracted them as Heloise came running down the porch. "Alifair, Taitiann says to come back inside before you get sick."

"So this is the white negro the town has been talking about." Andrew said turning to Heloise. The girl already looked frightened of him and took a step back. "I want to have a look at this for myself." He advanced on her and Heloise ran sending him charging after her only to be tripped by Jethro.

Andrew picked himself up off the ground and threw himself into Jethro who fell back into the horse. Using the animal as leverage he pushed Andrew back until they hit the fence. Having sustained most of the fall, Andrew had enough for one day and crawled back out of the pen. He checked his lip as he mounted his own horse and galloped off in the rain.

Jethro fell against the horse for support as he clutched his chest. Soon Taitiann arrived with Astrid and Heloise and Hannah. Taitiann wasted no time climbing into the pen. "Are you all right? Shall we tell the sheriff?"

Jethro slumped forward. "No..." He listed so far that Astrid had to grab hold of him before he fell over. "Take me home. Hurry."

Taitiann quickly took hold of the horse and led it back out the pen to be hooked to the surrey taking Astrid with her and leaving the younger sisters with Jethro.

"You'll be all right." Heloise assured him. "You have to be all right."

Once Taitiann had the horse ready she drove the surrey around for them to get in and as soon as they were all seated she sped the animal off into the light rain. Mud flew from the horse's hooves and slapped them in the face over the dashboard. She never broke her speed or lost control of the horse as they galloped though the muddy streets of Enid.

When they reached the St. Cloud residence a few servants were already outside, having seen the speeding surrey from the road. Taitiann pulled the animal to a stop as they reached the front door. Jethro climbed down and stumbled forward, nearly falling flat on his face. Seeing he was in trouble the servants rushed forward.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Jethro said as they reached him. As soon as the words had left his lips he fell down on his side onto the shoveled walkway. Two male servants help him up.

Taitiann hurried after them as they went inside. Suddenly the large house seemed over whelming as if it would swallow her up. She heard a disembodied voice telling someone to call for a doctor as Jethro was helped up stairs.

Heloise didn't stand around. She ran across the house, nearly slipping in the ballroom, until she found Selene hard at work in the parlor on Annie's Mount-Helens' dress. "Selene," She panted, winging her dress in her hands. "You had better come quickly. It's Young Mr. St. Cloud. He's taken ill."

Selene turned to stone where she stood before the wedding dress. "How bad is he?" she whispered.

"Very poorly." Heloise confessed then rushed to her sister and threw her arms around her. "I'm so sorry, Selene! It's my fault. There was a man and he tried to get to me then Young Mr. St. Cloud stopped him and...Oh it's all my fault. Me and my wretched skin!"

"No, Heloise." Selene said taking her by the hands. "Don't you ever blame yourself like that." She then gave way to tears and hugged her little sister close to her body.

When Miriam returned from town with Kitty and Natty St. Cloud the story was related again but by now the whole house had known and Jessop had saddled his horse to get even with Andrew. Natty paced back and forth in the kitchen worrying over her son until her husband finally convinced her to go lie down.

The Fairchild sisters sat alone in the west parlor avoiding contact with the rest of the house. Taitiann and Heloise comforted Selene as Miriam paced.

"Do we have to leave?" Hannah asked.

"Yes." Miriam said for the third time. "You have seen what our being here has caused this family. "Next they'll form a mob and there will be a lynching. We can't stay any longer."

"But where do we go?" Selene asked.

"We can go home," Alifair suggested.

"Mr. St. Cloud says it's not safe until wendigo is off the streets," Taitiann said. "There is no place."

"Well we can't stay here," Miriam said. "Young Mr. St. Cloud's heart is giving out on him. None of that would have happened had we not been here."

Selene shook her head. "People will say, the seven daughters of Fairchild bring a curse to every town they step into. It's not right, Miriam."

"I know," Miriam said softly. "But any more excitements for Mr. St. Cloud's son might kill him. No none of us wants that." She looked around at her sisters. It's better that we go...let this family live in peace.

/

When Jessop returned home his father confronted him in his rooms. "Was it necessary?"

"He nearly killed my cousin!" Jessop snapped. "I don't see a better reason."

"This isn't justice," Marion said looking at his son's bloody lip.

"Well justice has been miscarried enough these past years. He came to Ma's shop looking for trouble and I gave it to him." He pulled off his vest and shirt. Fresh blood decorated the back of his undershirt and he turned to look at it in the mirror catching his father staring. "Andrew struck me a few times with a pitchfork." He remarked casually.

"I'll send for the doctor." Marion sighed.

"He'll be busy with Andrew," Jessop said. "Trust me; he won't be making trouble for any of us again. I told him that what happens in this house is none of his business. It took a lot to get it through his head."

Marion nodded. "Well you can't leave those cuts unattended. I'll send one of the servants." He tried to leave the room before his son could object but Jessop stopped him.

"No, Father," he said. "I... don't want anyone to see me."

"You can't leave those wounds open like that."

"I'll do it myself if you'll bring me the supplies, sir"

Marion noted the panic in his son's eyes. "Jessop, what happened to the son you used to be?"

Jessop turned his back.  He looked at his father's face in the mirror. "That's all there is to it, Father."

Marion nodded. "Were you aware of your cousin's fondness of the second Fairchild sister? He's been mumbling her name in his sleep, his mother says."

"I could have guessed," Jessop said wishing his father away.

"Well after you get yourself cleaned up I want you to talk to him. I can't let another incident like this happen. Next they'll burn down the house or run us out of town and I can't do that to your mother."

"You want them to leave? But I'm closer now to solving the case."

"I want you to continue working the case but caution your cousin. As for the Addams, I'll try to smooth things over with them."

"All right," Jessop sighed. "I'll talk to him." He waited for his father to leave before examining the cuts on his back again. He'd been through worse.

/

"The Jabberwocky is nothing like we imagined," Selene said as she sat at Jethro's bedside.

"What does it look like?"

"It looks more like an insect than a dragon," Selene said, "and it has large teeth like a rabbit or a beaver."

Jethro laughed. "That sounds funny." He turned his head so that he faced the ceiling. "You know, I've been thinking about us...and I don't think—"

"Don't say it."

"I won't be able to take care of you, Selene," Jethro said. "A husband should be able to take care of his wife and play with his children—"

"I don't care." Selene said. "Can't you see that I love enough that none of that matters?" She took his hand and he looked at her, really looked at her. For the first time in forever his eyes focused on her perfectly and not beyond her or through her.

Jessop knocked on the open door as he entered. "That will do," he said to Selene who immediately got up and left the room. Once she had gone Jessop took her seat. "Are you feeling better?"

"I was," Jethro said.

"What did I do?" Jessop exclaimed. "I have you know I took a beating from Andrew in your behalf."

Jethro turned his body away. "I didn't ask you to play hero."

"Jethro," Jessop began slowly. "You probably already know what I'm going to tell you."

"That you think I'm a disgrace and you've convinced your father to make Selene and her sisters leave? And what do you think? You're their lawyer."

Jessop looked down. "Well...no. I don't think you're a disgrace. I don't know, Jethro. One side of me feels sorry for their misfortunes but the other part of me couldn't care less."

Jethro laid there in silence for while listening to his cousin's breathing. He drew the blankets up over his chest and sighed. "You have changed you know? You used to love people so much. You were fun before you decided to study law. Back when you used to sing in the choir."

"That's the past!" He got up from the seat and turned his back on his cousin.

"But it haunts you still," Jethro said. "Its tapped into you and drained you dry of all your love, all of the person you once were. And maybe it's not my place but I wish I knew you now like I did then."

Jessop closed his eyes. "Madge." He whispered the name then cleared his throat. "I wasted my heart on her. They say love is forever but it's not. She said she'd stand by me but she didn't. She repaid me by marrying my best friend."

"Madge?" Jethro frowned.

"We met just before Sedgwick and I went off to school. The three of us did everything together. Madge and I planned to be married one day. Soon Sedgwick and I passed the bar and at first everything was going so well. She was so beautiful. Sedgwick and I, we became arrogant. Here we were so young and already having more success than others who had been in the practice twice as long as we had.

"Then there came that night. A colored woman came to my door begging be for help. Her husband had been lynched and it was just her and her three children. She wanted justice and though I knew it would be a difficult case to form being the defendant was a white man my arrogance didn't let me turn her away. We took that case to court and before a corrupt judge and a hung jury we lost."

Jethro coughed. "But you said that you'd never had—"

"I lied!" Jessop yelled. "That case was so far swept under the rug no one would be the wiser. Sedgwick said I was a fool for taking it on anyways but he and Madge didn't treat me any different." He took a deep breath. "Then one evening I was returning from supper with Madge and her parents. It was a clear crisp night and I wanted to enjoy the walk. That's when he came."

"Who?"

"The defendant!" Jessop gasped. "Kincaid Keller." He suddenly felt unbearably hot. "He blindsided me, striking me over and over again. He beat me until I couldn't move. Just when I thought he would kill me he stopped. I laid there thinking he would leave then...he poured kerosene over me... then he lit a match. Part of me had already fled...the rest was paralyzed...

"Jessop—"

"Let me finish!" Jessop panted. "You asked so let me finish. After lighting the match he knelt over me and whispered those unforgettable words in my ear. When they asked who killed you, tell them it was Wendigo." He patted his side as though it were on fire. "I don't know how long I burned. Thanks to some fast acting residents I was saved. I spent three weeks in the hospital. Madge and Sedgwick stayed by my side. Madge and I were going to marry when I got out. That was the only thing that made what happen not seem so bad. That was until she found out how damaged I was. If she married me we could never be a family, she would never have children.

"I tried convincing her that we would be happy so long as we had each other. We could adopt children but none of that was good enough. She called of the engagement and the next thing I knew she had married Sedgwick. After I got over being angry with them some months after the wedding I paid a call to their house." He shook his head. "Seeing them happy together; Madge expecting. It destroyed me. I've never spoken to them again. I committed myself to my work and made a name for myself." He sucked up his tears and held up his head. "I've hidden behind this façade that I hate women so my father couldn't see his impotent son."

"I'm sorry," Jethro said. "Is that why you decided to take the Fairchild case, for recompense?" His cousin nodded and Jethro sighed. "Well, it won't help them or you to send them away would it? Jessop, listen to me." When his cousin stopped pacing Jethro said, "I have all the faith in the world in you. You can solve this case and when you have laid to rest the ghost of your past then you will go free."