Beatrice and the Beast, page 30
‘You’re being overly dramatic Charlie. I realise if he didn’t keep me safe, he probably wouldn’t get paid. But surely money isn’t as important to him as a great friendship.’
‘Compared to what you mean to him, money isn’t important at all. He wants to keep you safe because it would break his stupid heart if anything happened to you and that’s the truth whether you believe it or not.’
She regarded his face for a moment, puzzled by the way he doggedly pursued what was clearly, a deluded belief. Then decided against reminding him of his friend’s earlier, hostility toward her, even though of late, he appeared to have mellowed and showed more consideration. But that could mean he was simply being careful to deliver her undamaged, so to speak.
‘If you are so concerned to walk me to my door Charlie, we had better go now. I don’t want you to lose any more valuable drinking time. I declare, Mister Zelletta must be well on his way to complete intoxication by now.’
‘What about your wine?’
‘I don’t want any more and I must confess, I am quite tired now.’
THIRTY-FOUR
The next morning was spent administering to the horses and mules and making sure they were well rubbed down as well as checking them over for signs of damage, paying special attention to hoofs, fetlocks and pasterns. Then after making sure the tack was still serviceable, they rewarded the animals with oats they’d purchased from the livery man.
After that, they took lunch together in the same restaurant they’d eaten supper the previous evening and breakfast earlier.
In the afternoon, they replenished their depleted supplies from two different stores and planned to pick them up the next morning as soon as the stores opened. That way Frank and Beatrice could get an early start and cover quite a few miles before noon.
Having taken care of preparations for the journey and as it was too early for the evening meal, Charlie and Zelletta accompanied the young woman on a stroll around the town with both men guarding her as though she were so delicate, she might break, as they made sure nobody bumped into her on the busy street. With her petite size, she looked like a little girl as she walked, flanked by the two big men who both towered over her, Zelletta more so than Charlie. She wore the split skirt and jacket Zelletta had purchased for her in Wichita, as well as a white shirt and riding boots. She’d booked a hot bath at the hotel which would be ready by seven that evening. That would give her time to soak and change into a dress for dinner.
While the three of them strolled around the town, it was Charlie who conversed with Beatrice the most, pointing out things of interest and being concerned for her welfare by constantly asking if she needed to rest up a spell, which annoyed her a little, though she would never want to disappoint Charlie by showing it. She’d toughened up considerably since she’d left Wichita and was no longer the frightened little mouse who’d alighted from the train. Now the sound of gunfire didn’t have the same connotation for her as it had then, and she took it in her stride when a brawl in a saloon spilled onto the street ahead of them and the cussing and shouting that came from the brawlers, left her completely unconcerned.
After their stroll, they stopped at a small café for coffee and a slice of pumpkin pie then headed back to the hotel where they each planned to have a hot bath before dinner.
Beatrice had over an hour to spare before her bath would be ready, and Frank would be following Charlie who’d already gone up to the room where the bath tub was situated. So, she sat in the lobby with the big man, side by side on a couch in an uncomfortable silence. He still wore his hat and she was tempted to tell him how unnecessary it was as she already knew about his injury and was completely unconcerned about it. But that wasn’t completely true, she felt a strong empathy with him for what he’d endured as a young boy and the horror and grief he must have suffered when he found what had happened to his family. Besides, if she told him she knew all about his experience with those jayhawkers, Charlie would be in trouble and though she very much doubted there would be violence, there would likely be, a certain amount of tension between them and she didn’t want to be responsible for that.
Zelletta was going through a variety of mixed emotions as he sat close to the young woman. On the one hand, her nearness was the most wonderful experience imaginable and he never wanted it to end. But on the other, she was doing something to him that was totally alien and confusing beyond belief. He felt bewitched and it scared the hell out of him. He was losing control and that had never happened since he was a kid. Tomorrow, they would be alone together in the wilderness and he wasn’t sure he would be able to handle it. He knew he would have no problem controlling his actions because he respected women, especially this one. But how would he control his emotions? How would he cope with the pain of knowing every mile they travelled, brought them nearer their destination and the day they would part never to see her ever again?
Beatrice’s sweet voice broke into his reverie.
‘Mister Zelletta,’ she prompted. ‘I’m going to my room to get ready for my bath.’
‘I’ll escort you there,’ he said gruffly.
‘It’s only up the stairs. I’m sure I can make my way there without being molested.’
‘Maybe so, but I’ll feel better if I see you safely inside your room.’
‘I think you’re being overly protective Mister Zelletta. I still have to make my way from my room to the bathroom later. Are you going to escort me there as well?’
‘Yep and I’m gonna wait outside the bathroom ‘til you’re done.’
Her mouth dropped open in surprise.
‘That is totally unnecessary Mister Zelletta and highly irregular if you don’t mind me saying.’
‘I don’t mind you saying at all. But after what happened to you, or nearly happened, the last time I let you out of my sight, I’m gonna make sure nothing like it happens again. So, whether you like it or not, I’m gonna be squatting outside that door while you take your bath.’
She sighed deeply knowing there would be no point in trying to deviate him. She’d already experienced his brand of stubbornness and once his mind was made up there was no changing it. Strangely, she was secretly thrilled that he was so overly concerned for her safety, even though his main consideration, was the reward he would earn for her safe deliverance to her intended.
Zelletta bathed after Charlie had finished and presently, emerged wearing the new shirt and pants he’d purchased earlier, but still wore his battered old Stetson and boots. He took his old clothes to his room and soon settled down to wait outside the young woman’s room. When she finally emerged carrying her clean underwear and one of only two dresses, she possessed besides the riding clothes and deerskin dress Elina had given her, she could not help but feel utter delight to see him waiting like a sentinel, to keep her safe from all harm.
…
Later they took dinner together and because it would be the last time all three would be together, Charlie and Zelletta stayed with Beatrice and drank beer while she was treated to wine.
Zelletta had sat idling in the lobby before they went to dinner, while Charlie waited outside her room to escort her down the stairs and when the big man set eyes on her holding on to Charlie’s arm, his breath caught in his throat. He thought she would never be able to top how she’d looked in the Indian dress, but the vision that descended the stairs that evening, did so gloriously. She wore the same green dress she’d worn the previous evening which was tight on the bodice and full in the skirt. But instead of wearing her dark hair pinned up as she had before, she’d allowed it to hang loose so that the waist length, thick tresses, tumbled over her shoulders and down her back like a cloak. Her long hair was complimented by the green silk ribbon Charlie had gifted her earlier, which she’d threaded under her hair and tied off into a large bow atop her head.
He tried his best not to stare. But try as he might, he simply could not take his eyes off her. She had mesmerised him with her beauty, leaving him with a bitter sweet feeling in his heart. Forasmuch as the sweet adoration he felt for the young woman was delightful, it was decidedly, tinged with bitter disappointment that all too soon she would be gone and he would never see her again.
He swallowed hard as she approached him and, releasing Charlie’s arm, she came to stand before him and looked up to scrutinise his scarred face.
‘You’ve shaved Mister Zelletta and I must say, you look very handsome now that your beard has gone and your moustache has been trimmed.’
She was standing very close and needed to crane her neck to look up at him. He looked down into her pretty face as the faint aroma of her cologne intoxicated his senses. But was unable to properly respond to her compliment. Instead, he mumbled incoherently as he shuffled his feet in embarrassment.
‘Why Mister Zelletta,’ she said with a giggle. ‘I do believe I’ve embarrassed you.’
He scowled and reluctantly turned away.
‘Let’s eat,’ he growled as he strode toward the exit.
Charlie chuckled as he placed his hand on her elbow and guided her toward the door which Zelletta was holding open for them.
‘You have a very mischievous sense of humour,’ he whispered. ‘Poor Frank was tongue tied and I think you were purposely teasing him you wicked girl.’
She turned to look at him in mock horror.
‘Why Charlie. I do declare I don’t know what you can possibly mean.’
The evening passed quickly, too quickly for the three companions who were all well aware of the improbability, they would ever come together as a group again.
As far as Beatrice was concerned, it had been one of the most pleasant and memorable occasions she could remember as, after dinner, the three of them talked way into the night and while the men drank beer, she sipped wine.
Charlie had enthralled her with the tales of his past exploits as a lawman and bounty hunter, especially during his association with Frank Zelletta and their adventures together. She’d been horrified by his revelations about the atrocities some of the men they’d hunted, had performed. The sheltered life she’d led in Chicago, meant she never got to know the true nature of certain men and so, she found it hard to believe how cruel and heartless they could be against fellow human beings. But she was learning fast and was at last, beginning to understand what drove men like Zelletta and Charlie to do what they did and hunt down, often mercilessly, the kind of animals posing as humans, who committed such atrocities.
Even Zelletta joined in and inputted to Charlie’s stories, though often denying some of the more outrageous and obviously embellished of his tales. Then he surprised her by asking politely, what had driven her to leave the safety of the city and travel hundreds of miles to start a life that would be totally alien to the one she was used to. His interest thrilled her more than she was willing to admit. But more than that, it gave her a chance to explain the circumstances that led to her desperation to find a safe and comfortable haven where she would be in a similar environment to the one, she had grown up in. A chance to explain why she was willing to marry a man she did not love and who was old enough to be her grandfather, simply because he could provide that safe and comfortable haven. Neither man understood her reasoning but because of who she was and because they recognized how vulnerable a woman like her might be in such a tough and unforgiving land, were willing to afford her the benefit of the doubt. More so when they heard about how she’d been raised to enjoy a very privileged life in a big house in Chicago, only to lose both her parents in tragic circumstances, especially her father who had died in the fire that engulfed his factory.
Charlie and Zelletta sympathised with her plight after losing her wealth and home and finding herself destitute. But only because of how delicate and naïve she had been at the time. They recognized she thought she might not be as tough and resourceful as most western girls and, probably, most city girls. Otherwise, she would not now be trading herself in to an old man, for a chance to continue her privileged existence. If only she’d recognized how tough she really was, she would instead, be searching for a way out of the bad situation she had unfortunately, found herself in, by hard work and resourcefulness. The kind of resourcefulness they had both witnessed and become astounded by when she had doggedly matched them during their epic ride over terrain that would test the toughest of men, not to mention her horsemanship and prowess with a rifle.
…
All too soon, the evening came to an end and they retired to their rooms. Charlie promised to meet Zelletta and Beatrice the next morning for breakfast and help load the mules when they collected their supplies. In that way, they could say their goodbyes, knowing full well, in those hard times there was a good chance they would never see each other again.
Despite having drunk more wine than she would normally do, Beatrice found difficulty in sleeping. So many thoughts invaded her mind and try as she may, she was unable to blank them out. Uppermost as usual, was Frank Zelletta and his ordeal as a young boy. All the pain and suffering he’d endured whilst being tortured by those ruffians and then the anguish he must have felt when he discovered what they’d done to his parents and sister, made her distress at being left alone and penniless, pale into insignificance in comparison.
Had those ruffians passed by that day, then Mister Zelletta would very likely, be a farmer, still working his father’s farm, or he may have married one of their neighbour’s daughter and be working his own farm somewhere in Missouri. If that were the case, she would never had met him and someone else may have been escorting her to Jacob’s ranch.
The next morning, breakfast was a sombre affair with each of the three companions, for the most part, engrossed in their own thoughts. Charlie had already secured a job as deputy sheriff and after Frank and Beatrice had left, would be looking for some kind of permanent accommodation. At the age he was, he hoped to be able to settle down and after so many years wandering from state to state and town to town, hoped to become established here where he would be able to fashion for himself, a stable existence for a few years at least.
After breakfast, Charlie helped with the supplies and walked with them to the edge of town, where they stood facing each other in silence for many moments. Finally, Zelletta extended his hand toward his friend.
‘I’ll be back this way in a couple of weeks or so,’ he said. ‘So, don’t be thinking you’ve seen the last of me, you old galoot.’
‘Damn it,’ replied Charlie. ‘Here was me thinking I was finally gonna be rid of you.’
He shook Zelletta’s hand warmly, before pulling him into an embrace and fondly, slapping him on the back while Beatrice stood on one side and watched the exchange with tears in her eyes. After they separated, Charlie turned to Beatrice and held out his arms with his head cocked to one side enquiringly. She didn’t need prompting as she quickly, fell into his arms and wept on his shoulder.
‘I’ll miss you so much Charlie,’ she sobbed. ‘You have been such a good friend to me, almost like a replacement for my father. It is unlikely I will ever see you again, but if ever you’re in the vicinity of Jacob’s ranch, please drop by and say hello.’
He kissed the top of her head.
‘Well,’ he replied. ‘If ever I had a daughter, I would want her to be exactly like you. You’ve toughened up and showed ole Frank there you’ve got more grit than he gave you credit for. He reckoned you wouldn’t last long on the trail and would be begging him to take you back after a couple of days.’
Zelletta scowled but did not comment on his friend’s betrayal of a confidence, leaving Beatrice giggling softly.
‘Well,’ she said happily. ‘It would seem Mister Zelletta isn’t right all of the time.’
Zelletta looked at the ground and shuffled his feet uneasily.
‘We’d better get going,’ he growled. ‘I wanna get a few miles under my belt before sundown.’
Beatrice took one more lingering look at Charlie before wiping a tear from her eye and mounting her sorrel. Zelletta followed suit and without another word, urged the bay into a walk followed by the mule and rode away without a backward glance. Beatrice smiled sadly at Charlie before turning her horse and following the big man out of town.
THIRTY-FIVE
Most of the day was spent travelling in silence, mainly because Beatrice was deep in thought much of the time, and Zelletta simply wasn’t a man who found it easy to engage in polite conversation. He desperately wanted to talk to her, to watch her pretty face as she spoke and enjoy the way her big brown eyes widened whenever she was about to say something interesting and how each of her sentences ended with her lips forming a slight pout. However, despite him barely speaking, something she considered to be sullenness on his part, she was appreciative of his consideration for her needs and though she didn’t think every break from riding he instigated, was totally necessary, she nevertheless, welcomed each of the four stops they made, before just as the sun was going down, arriving at a wide creek that ran through a tree covered valley.
As had become normal practice as she became used to riding the trail, Beatrice helped with the chores, gathering kindling for the fire, filling the canteens and boiling water for coffee. Zelletta unsaddled the horses and unburdened the mule before allowing them to drink from the creek a little way downstream from where they camped. Then fed each animal a handful of oats and rubbed them down before allowing them to graze on the lush grass that abounded the area.
After they’d eaten, they each sat with their backs to a tree and sipped hot coffee. Zelletta removed the makings from his shirt pocket and rolled a cigarette which he lit with a burning twig from the fire. Beatrice watched him surreptitiously as he drew in smoke and exhaled it though pursed lips.
‘Mister Zelletta,’ she said. ‘I fail to understand what men and indeed, some women, find so enjoyable about breathing smoke into their lungs.’
