“Theresa!” Charlotte cried, holding her cheek to stop the stinging.

  “How dare you!”

  “What are you going on about?”

  “How dare you!” she shouted again. “You promised me that you would never use that poison again and what do I find out?” Tess was pacing the floor, her curls bouncing around her delicate face. “That my mother… my own mother… is drinking that God-awful stuff around my children. I would rather live in that soot infested apartment than to be here, knowing that you are using laudanum again.”

  “Tess, listen to me. It isn’t what you think.”

  She stopped and looked at Charlotte. “How do you know what I think? When Will showed me that bottle, that he got from you, what am I supposed to think?”

  “It wasn’t mine. I swear.”

  “You’ve lied before, Momma.”

  “Theresa, stop it. Would you listen to me?”

  “I can’t right now. I’m so angry.” She threw her arms up in the air and headed back to the hallway. “I need to take care of my children. I don’t need a third child to have to worry about.”

  Charlotte heard Tess’s footsteps disappear into the other side of the house. Once they were silent, Charlotte put her hands on her face and cried.

  What was she going to do? She had promised Tess. She promised Oscar and Rosie. She promised Will. She even promised Milam. She felt like such a failure.

  Now she had lost all of them.

  The hole in her heart from losing Tess she knew would never be repaired. And those sweet babies. She wanted to be a part of their lives more than ever. But the sheer weight of possibly losing Will was more than she could bear.

  She knew what she needed to do. She needed to go and talk to Will. She would tell him how much she loved him and how she needed his help in all areas of her life. She couldn’t do it alone.

  That is, if he would still have her.

  She ran upstairs and snatched her jewelry box off the dresser. It sat right next to the cross that Will had carved for her with the bible verse he so eloquently quoted to her. She felt it was mocking her right now.

  Charlotte sat down at the vanity and opened the lid. As she was taking the items out of the box, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror.

  The imprint from Tess’s hand left a white mark on her red cheek. It still burned. Her eyes were all puffy and red blotches marked her face and neck. She had to say that none of the women in her family could cry prettily.

  Leaving her jewelry on the vanity she went and got a cool cloth. She didn’t want to be all mottled when she went to go see Will. She returned and wiped her face, letting the cool of the cloth sink into her cheek.

  In a few minutes she was less blotchy and at least felt she could put on a good appearance. Laying the cloth aside she finished removing the rest of her jewelry and the false floor underneath. The bottle was still there.

  Where else would it be?

  She needed to stop being self-indulgent and do what needed to be done. She slipped the bottle into the pocket of her skirt and put everything back in the box.

  She needed to go find Will.

  The sun was beginning to set when Charlotte finally headed to the undertaker’s office. It was dark and she couldn’t see anyone inside. Normally Will would have lit the oil lamp and she should be able to see the reflective glow from the main entrance.

  She pulled on the door and it was locked. It was never locked until after dark. She quickly ran around to the lean-to and pushed aside the wooden door so she could enter the animal area.

  She knocked on the door going to the back office. But she didn’t hear anything. Perhaps he was sleeping?

  Charlotte pushed open the door and went inside. The room was dark, but light came in from the front room. “Will?” Charlotte called hesitantly. She fumbled over to the work bench and found the match safe. Striking one on the counter she heard the hiss as the flame ignited into the air. She quickly lit the wick of the oil lamp and extinguished the match before replacing the globe.

  His rucksack was still near the cot he used as a bed. His woodworking tools were wrapped in the flannel sheet on the workbench. She continued to move the lamp around the room, looking at the items that reflected in the glow of the light. The light caught the reflection of a book on the table where she had sat just yesterday, when Will proposed to her.

  She could feel the tears building in her chest and took some deep breaths to calm herself. She walked to the chair, her legs were anchors that required effort to move each step. She sat down and put the lamp on the table next to the book.

  Leaning back, she closed her eyes. She could remember every feature of Will’s face. The wrinkles by his eyes. The grooves that appeared in his cheeks when he smiled or laughed. The tick at the side of his mouth when he was annoyed.

  He saved her. She was in such a deep dark hole and he pulled her out. He made her laugh. He held her when she cried. But most of all he loved her. No matter how angry or ugly she would get, Will was always the same patient man.

  She loved him with a burning passion that she hadn’t felt since she was 17 and saw Harris Daniels for the first time.

  She picked up the book and was surprised to see it was a journal written in Harris’s handwriting. She had never seen the book before. She flipped through it and realized they were letters to her and Tess. He wrote faithfully to each one of them on a daily basis.

  She held the book closer to the light. Words leapt off the page to her. Darling. Brave. Dearest. Courageous. Proud. Words that Harris was using to describe her! She held the book closer to her chest and sent a silent prayer up to God for allowing her to see those words.

  She closed the journal and decided to take it with her to read later. It was getting darker and she needed to find where Will might be. She carried the lantern back to the work bench and took out one of Will’s notepads to scribble a note on it.

  When she was done, she lowered the wick on the lantern and watched the flame die before heading out through the lean-to.

  She had just entered the street when she heard the thunder of people headed her way.

  “There she is!” they shouted.

  “She’s probably in cahoots with him!”

  “We don’t want that type of trouble in our town.”

  Charlotte thought she had felt fear in her life. She was fearful when she became a mother for the first time. She was fearful when she moved across country with her husband. She was fearful after Harris died. She was fearful when the earthquake hit. But she never experience the cold wave of fear that she was experiencing now.

  Seeing the men press down on her, she truly hadn’t known fear until now.

  They pushed towards her. She tried to run, but they soon crowded around her, blocking her path. “Let me through,” she demanded.

  She looked around the sea of faces surrounding her, hoping to see someone she knew. Someone who could help her. There wasn’t a familiar face among them. There were so many new people in town, she wasn’t surprised.

  They were yelling the most vile things, Charlotte felt sure her ears would fall off. She tried to push through again and she felt someone grab her shirtsleeve. The tearing of fabric silenced the crowd.

  Charlotte took one look at her torn blouse, lifted her mouth to the sky and screamed. She screamed with everything she had inside of her. When she thought she couldn’t take a breath, she screamed some more. It wasn’t a yell, this was a cry to the heavens at ear piercing levels.

  The crowd was starting to break up, many covering their ears. Suddenly Charlotte was enclosed in an embrace. She continued to scream, but this time she flailed against her attacker.

  “Charlotte,” the man said. “Calm down. I’ve got you. They are moving away.” Charlotte stopped screaming long enough to see that it was Dawson who broke through the crowd to save her.

  He was with that Brawny fellow. Brawny was brandishing a rifle at the crowd and yelling to them. “Get out of here,” he yelled, waving his rifle

  Charlotte thought she was going to faint. She swayed, but Dawson’s arms wouldn’t let her fall.

  “It is a good thing she has such a good set of lungs,” Brawny said, concern etched on his face.

  “Where’s Will?” Charlotte asked Dawson. She felt a dizziness come over her. Dawson looked at Brawny and she saw the one-eyed man nod.

  “They arrested Will for setting fire to the town.”

  “What?” She definitely felt faint. “I need to sit down.”

  Dawson lifted her up and carried her across the street to the clinic. Dr. Chelsea Tory and Lacey Lou were standing by the door to let them in. Once they were inside, she heard Brawny say, “Lock all the doors and let me know if anyone approaches.”

  She heard Chelsea say something to him, but it was muted as Dawson carried her into the first room and placed her on the exam table.

  “I’m not sick, I need to find Will.”

  Chelsea took Charlotte’s hand in her own. It was cool to the touch. “Charlotte, I just want to check you over. That crowd seemed pretty nasty and you have some scratches on your arm.” Charlotte nodded. Chelsea turned to Brawny and Dawson. “Out. Now. Shut the door behind you.”

  “Wait!” Charlotte exclaimed before they shut the door. “Dawson, I want… I mean I need you to go to the house and make sure that Tess and the babies are alright. I don’t want that crowd making their way to my home.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure they are safe.” Dawson closed the door and Charlotte was alone with Chelsea.

  “I think your lungs are fine, but I want to listen to them just to make sure.” Charlotte gave a nervous chuckle.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever made that much noise. I was so frightened.” Chelsea patted Charlotte’s hand before putting a disk attached to the end of a rubber hose against her chest. The end of the hose was attached to a metal tube that Chelsea held up to her ear.

  “You’re alright now, though. Your heart is still racing.”

  “I don’t feel very well.”

  “Chest pains?” Charlotte nodded and rubbed her breast bone. “Here, take one of these,” Chelsea offered, handing her a small white pill and a glass of water.

  “What is it?”

  “The scientific name is acetylsalicylic acid, but it is called Aspirin for short. It just came on the market last year. You should start feeling a bit calmer in a bit.”

  “Did you hear what Dawson said? He said they arrested Will.”

  “I know,” Chelsea said.

  “But that’s impossible. He rang the bell to warn everyone.”

  “But the town doesn’t see it that way. They know the town burned down and it was someone making narcotics for purchase.”

  “But Will never was at Chinatown.”

  “But he has a history of abuse. And so do you. You haven’t made any secret about it.” Charlotte glared at her. “I mean, you’ve been discrete the past few months, but people talk.”

  “As I know.”

  “Let’s give you a few minutes and then Brawny will escort you down to the Marshal’s office.” Charlotte nodded. When she didn’t say anything else, Chelsea continued. “Will had a bottle on him when the Marshal found him.”

  “Oh no.” It was her fault he was arrested.

  “He found the bottle in my desk drawer. But I don’t know how it got there. Look, I found this one on my kitchen counter between my flour jar and the bacon grease can.” She pulled the bottle out and gave it to Chelsea.

  Chelsea looked at the bottle. “Did you open this?” she asked.

  “Yes. I wasn’t sure what it was. I tasted a bit with my finger, and it was very bitter. It isn’t laudanum though.”

  Chelsea opened the bottle and wiped the opening with a clean cloth. She then poured a drop on her fingertip and touched it with the tip of her tongue.

  “It’s Opium.”

  Brawny escorted Charlotte to the Marshal’s office.

  “I’ll give you a few minutes to talk.”

  As soon as Charlotte saw Will through the bars, she burst into tears. “I am so sorry that this happened to you.”

  He reached through the bars and caressed her hair. “Shhhh. Don’t worry, honey. I’ll be fine. The judge will be by in a few days.”

  “Judge? They think you burned the town, Will! They attacked me while I was on my way home. Did you tell them that it wasn’t yours?”

  “I told him the truth. I am responsible for you. You are going to be my wife. Therefore, it is mine.”

  “But it wasn’t! Oh Will, you need to get out of here.”

  “I’ve sent word to Luther. I had some business I needed to speak to him about anyway.”

  “Marshal,” Charlotte turned to look at Alex. “Surely you know that he isn’t responsible for setting the town on fire?”

  Alex looked at her. “This is the safest place for him. Do you think that he would have gotten away so easily from the crowd of people?”

  “It wasn’t easy, Marshal. I thought I was going to die at the hands of those… those... madmen! Why aren’t you out there arresting all those people.”

  “Mrs. Daniels, you should be at home. Have Brawny take you there and be sure to lock your doors and windows.”

  “I want to stay here with Will.”

  Alex laughed. “I can’t do that, Mrs. Daniels. Brawny will walk you home and you can come back in the morning. Luther will be by shortly to talk to Will.”

  Brawny took Charlotte by the arm and started to lead her out of the jail. “Wait,” she cried and ran back to the cell. She reached for Will through the bars. He moved close enough for her to wrap her hands around his neck and pull him towards her.

  Will pressed his lips against hers and it was pure bliss. She never wanted it to end. She heard the Marshal cough in the background, so she reluctantly broke the kiss. She looked at Will square in the eye. “I love you,” she said and gave him a quick kiss before retreating from the room.

  Harris was right. She was brave and it was time to show Silverpines what she was made of.

  Chapter 10

  Brawny made sure Charlotte got inside the house and he waited while she locked the door. She didn’t want to be a prisoner in her own house, but here she was.

  Dawson had taken Tess and the children and went to Brawny and Chelsea’s house in the woods. He knew they would be safe there as Brawny was able to see from all angles if anyone was approaching the house.

  Charlotte felt relieved that they wouldn’t be at the house in case anything happened. Milam was in her room reading the bible when Charlotte knocked on the door.

  “Miss Charlotte,” Milam said laying her bible aside. “I’m so glad you are home.” She stood and wrapped her arms around Charlotte. Charlotte hesitated for a minute and then embraced Milam in a real hug. It was the first one Charlotte had ever given her.

  “Let’s go make you some tea,” Milam suggested.

  “That sounds absolutely delightful.”

  She followed Milam to the kitchen. The kettle was already hot, so Milam poured water into the pot and placed a dish towel over it to keep it warm.

  Charlotte sat at the small table. She wasn’t sure what to say. Milam started speaking, which saved her from having to come up with some witty conversation.

  “Mr. Dawson came by and he took the Missus and those lovely babies and went to stay with Doc Tory and that scary man of hers.”

  “I know.”

  Milam brought the pot to the table and set two cups down. “He also said that you thought I might be responsible for some laudanum you found in the house.”

  “It wasn’t laudanum. It was opium. It is so much stronger than laudanum.” Charlotte sighed. “I am so sorry that I thought it was you.”

  “No ma’am, I would never hurt you. You are my family. Now that Kitch is gone, you are all I have left.”

  Charlotte rubbed the other woman’s hand. “I know, Milam. I know.”

  “What are you going to do about the house?”

  “Well, I am definitely going to sell it. I just need to find the right buyer.”

  “How about that man with all those children? You know the one that works the store.” Milam took a sip of her tea.

  “You mean the Cutler’s?”

  “That’s them. They can’t live at the store anymore. And he needs a place for all those children.”

  “That is a splendid idea. If he buys the house I’ll have enough money to pay for the lawyer for Will.”

  “But what about the land you wanted with Tess? What about your tea shop?”

  “None of those things would mean a hill of beans unless I have Will by my side.”

  “You surely do love that man, don’t you?”

  “I do. Which is why I can’t let him take the fall for the opium. I just wish I knew how it came to be in the house.”

  “You know, Miss Charlotte. I found the door to your sitting room open the other day. I thought that was odd, because you normally keep that door shut.”

  “I never opened the door. Did you close it?”

  “Yes’um, I did.”

  “Did you happen to open the window in that room that day?”

  “Oh no. I wouldn’t do that on account of a breeze getting those babies sick. It wouldn’t do to have them get full of a cold at such an early age.”

  “Well, I don’t have any ideas how it got here. I just can’t think anymore tonight.” Charlotte took a sip of her tea. The warm brew always calmed her down. Suddenly her stomach rumbled. She hadn’t eaten all day.

  Milam laughed. “How’s about I fry up some salt bacon and a few eggs for supper?”

  “I’m actually quite hungry,” Charlotte agreed.

  Milam pulled down a large iron skilled from the wall and placed it on the stove. She then opened the wood box and placed a few sticks of wood inside from the box on the floor. “I think I’m hungry, too. You want toast?”

  “Yes, please.”

  Milam pulled down an enamel toaster and set it on top of one of the burners. She then got busy cutting the bacon from a slab that was in a muslin bag.