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in
pain. Jack looked up and walked over with more caution than Jeanne
would have thought and she continued moaning. Francine was still
running and Jeanne was sure she was panicked, but that was all
right. Jeanne felt she could do this alone and as Jack grew closer,
she moaned louder.
    He saw Jeanne and narrowed his eyes.
    He asked, "What are you doing here? Didn't
you learn your lessons?"
    "I'm hurt," said Jeanne. "Please, if you have
any mercy in your heart, help me!"
    "Oh, I'll help you, all right," said Jack and
he tossed aside the club and aimed his rifle at Jeanne. "I don't
need you for this money train to keep rolling. Only that little man
in there."
    "Blast," said Jeanne and she grabbed some mud
and flung it at Jack's eyes. He managed to swat some of it off his
face and while it succeeded in keeping the gun aimed somewhere
else, Jack was still coming and there was nothing Jeanne could do
but run.
    As she stood up, she was with a wave of
nausea and fell back down. Jack laughed and lowered his gun and
Jeanne couldn't take her eyes off of him. Was this her end? Was
this, perhaps, the way she would be reunited with her husband? Jack
pulled back the hammer but didn't get any further. Jeanne heard a
thunk and Jack fell to the ground, revealing Horace standing behind
him, holding a club and breathing heavily.
    He looked scared, but brightened when he saw
Jeanne.
    "Well, Miss Jeanne, it's good to see you,"
said Horace.
    "And you, Horace," said Jeanne. "It looks as
if your debt is repaid."
    He shrugged and lowered the club. "Are you
all right? Where's Francine?"
    "Over there somewhere," said Jeanne. "I think
I can see her over there, so she should be back along shortly. We
should find some rope or chains."
    "I know where we can find some," said Horace
darkly. Jeanne followed him into the cavern and he grabbed a pair
of keys off the wall and led her to a small cell at the back of the
cavern. There was a smashed door, but Horace still unlocked it.
There were two men inside, both obviously injured, one passed out.
When one of them saw Jeanne, he brightened up despite his pain.
Horace removed their restraints and ran off.
    He asked, "Jeanne Harrow?"
    "That I am," said Jeanne.
    "I'm Joseph Clauson," said the man. "It’s
nice to finally meet you."
    Jeanne studied him for a moment. It was a
very long moment, as she took in every facet of his face and body
and evaluated each one. She made a decision.
     
     
    Joseph was trying to keep calm and keep
positive, but his ankle was on fire. It may have been broken, but
was at the very least twisted. It wouldn't do to let Jeanne see him
scream and cry in pain, if only because this was the woman who he
was supposed to marry. She was looking at him deeply and he was
feeling very vulnerable and very uncomfortable. So while she
studied him, he studied her. She was covered in something dirty and
brown which could either be blood or dirt, and her features were on
the harsh side. She was still beautiful and obviously pregnant, all
things the telegraphs had exposed so long ago.
    "You'll do," she said. "Horace, please go
fetch your wife. I need to sit down. That was a lot of
excitement."
    Joseph was taken slightly aback. "What does
that mean?"
    "It means a man just tried to kill me twice
and I'm shaken and tired," she snapped.
    Joseph hoisted himself up on a rounded table
as Jeanne found a chair to sit on. "No, the first part. I'll
do?"
    "It means I'll honor our arrangement," said
Jeanne. "You're a handsome enough man and obviously one of some
means if a man was going through all this trouble to impersonate
you."
    "I think he was trying more to get your money
than mine," said Joseph and he sat on the table. "You came all the
way here to marry me. I want to be more than good enough. In fact,
what if I don't think you'll do?"
    Jeanne looked shocked, her eyes wide and
mouth gaping. She stammered, "Excuse me?'
    "I've just been put through one of the most
trying periods of my life because you were coming