The ruse

[Lovely]

June 27, Year 1


They'd known approximately when Kingswell was going to arrive and in the short time since Elizabeth had made Everitt aware, the two had started to plot out how to run him off. There were three people who were trusted to help them with the set up and the plan grew to be a bit more elaborate. The first was miss Amethyst Walcott a lifetime friend of Ev's, the second was Miss Deneuve, and the third was Ev's own brother and the preacher - Gulliver Carlisle.

The ruse included a few well placed and scandalous scenes in which it was made to appear that Elizabeth had been sharing the sheriff's bed. It was taken a step further with whispers provided by Ame and Tess about, torn bloomers and Elizabeth being seen in her corset and laces with Ev. Ame provided them a room in her boarding house and Tess allowed them to spend sometime visiting in her parlor so that a few others around town might witness and whisper about them. Of course it was just an act and Ev hadn't truly laid with the young school marm.

How Gully fit into things was a favor of his silence about what they planned and their claim to be married which had not happened yet. Everitt did have designs on the matter and Elizabeth but didn't want to damage his prize and wanted her to remain pure until she was truly ready for it to be otherwise.

Neither Elizabeth or Ev wanted her to be forced into marriage with Kingswell or taken away from Atasco Creek. They went through quite a bit of trouble to tarnish her reputation in the hopes that Kingswell would not want her and promptly leave town upon finding out she'd been claimed by someone else. The idea made Elizabeth go all pink while they discussed it and in theory it would work well, though friction was expected.

The friction that they got when Kingswell finally arrived was a little more than they had expected, Ev was much more calm about it than Elizabeth was. Of course Kingswell had threatened to whip her and he looked serious about it. The threat of going to hunt the derelict (Everitt) who had been frolicing with his fiancee didn't seem to upset Everitt. He laughed it off with a comment of.. "Let him, I have brothers."

"..brothers are good.." Elizabeth grabbed Everitt and ducked down. "We'll hide behind them... oh god.. he was serious about the whipping.. look at that thing!" She pointed at what Kingswell was carrying as he came back up the hall toward the room they were in.

Ev sneered "....go ahead and try.... didn't I mention.. brothers... all raised around the livery... tell me they don't know how to handle BOTH ends of a whip."

Grabs him and pulls him back down. "Will you stay put? I don't want him to hit you with a stray bullet!" Kingswell also had a gun on his belt.

"bullet? what's he shootin' for... talk some sense into him... ain't gonna change what's done... "

She gives Ev a look, "If you found the girl you were supposed to be marrying and taking back in some mans bed, deflowered and all... he's angry... look at him, not like pretty young girls are throwing themselves at him, begging him to take their virtue.. but he was gonna get one and now he's not... you go ask him nicely not to be upset... besides my father is very well off.. and he just lost alot of money and business dealings."

"Did I mention wanting things for all the wrong reasons? He doesn't deserve you..." grabs rifle and aims low from a notch in the board they hide behind... scoot back... recoil on this honey may knock us both back if I do this right."

[Lovely]

"but darling... in high society.. those are the only reasons." Scoots over like he says, though her hand remains at his waist for reassurance.

aims at the man's waist from the notch as best he can tell, unable to see down the barrell... pulls trigger and prays.

a loud cry and a string of curses that make Elizabeth's cheeks burn hotly is heard as the man falls to the dirt floor.

"Didn't kill him... hehe.. one more story for ya daddy... run on out back and keep running... I've gotta finish up in here, now...." stands and unloads the shells, planting two more and coming over the counter to the man, kicking his gun away.

"I am not leaving.. without you.. no way." Folds arms and looks at him.

The man groaned in pain and gasped, looking up at everitt as he approached and kicked the gun away. "You.. dirty bastard.. I'm going to.." He grimaced in pain.

Pulling the slide and latching it in place, dropping the shells into the chamber, he played the end of the barrell over the man, taunting him. "Bathed Tuesday and my parents were married... care for a three of a kind? You'll win a prize." He kicked the man in the side where he'd been shot and aimed for the man's nether regions. "Time's wastin'.. what's your answer?"

The man cursed up a blue streak, using phrases Liza had never heard and was quite surprised a man of his stature knew. The man glared up at Everitt, blanching at where the gun was pointed. "You and that wh*re are some pieces of work... I'm within my rights to whip her soundly everyday for the next year.. and you.. bedding a woman who was to be my wife.. and you act as though I have done something. Steal a man's woman.. was it you who done the first taking.. who stole what was mine?"

"Funny... should be me sayin' that to you... about my wife," shows him his hand with a band on it, pilfered from the plate at the church on Sunday, but the man wouldn't know that. It gleamed properly and he grinned. "And what's this 'rights to whip my missus' you're talking about, now?"

He rolled to his side, daggers shooting from his eyes. "Your.." he looked shocked and taken aback. "Your wife?" he shook his head. "Your wife." He said again, glaring from Everitt to Elizabeth. "You married him?" He spat at her. "You're going to be one sorry little girl, when I'm through with you. You'll be nothing... and when I tell your father what you've done... " He smirked, eyes glinting in menence. "Your monthly stipend.. just dried up... you just try living out here, with nothing. And I'll see you're turned away when you go crawling back..."

"She's got a fine life without pity money... take that back to her daddy. Only place she'll be crawlin' is under my blankets. Now go on.. git.. git yourself sewed up and sent home already."

[Lovely]

He rolled up on his knees, holding to his side, he sneered at them. "You'll be sorry too, boy." He used the beam to pull himself to his feet. Pushing his hat back on his head he tipped it towards Elizabeth. "You'll be sorry.. when you have no husband and no money.. and your family will be too ashamed to take you back." He chuckled. "Guess you'll be taking up in that wh*re house your fine man here, likes to visit." He grinned and moved towards the door. "I'll be sure to come calling on you while he's upstairs with the girls.. since I have business in town.. and won't be leaving right off." He staggered out and towards the doctor's office.

He looked over his shoulder at Elizabeth, apologetic that he'd gotten her in deeper than she'd probably wanted to play along. "Why would a man about town... a married man... dishonor his wife with the wiles of a hussy, sir, is beyond me... but seein' as that's all God's left you to, I might be able to put in a good word for you... "

The man paused and looked back. "It's not as if she was my only choice... plenty of woman who'd be honored to marry a man of my standing. I was just doing a favor to her father... since no one else respectable wanted to tangle with her." He turned away and headed on up the street.

Elizabeth waited a moment for him to be gone, then slowly came towards Everitt. "I'm sorry.. I got you into such a mess..."

He chuckled and turned to kiss her. "Shush on up, now... we're not done yet," he winked, flashing the band at her. "If he takes away your money, we've got to get it back, somehow, now don't we?" He pulled the ring off and put it in her hand. "Don't lose this or give it away... you're going to need someday... I hope."

She looked down at the band in her palm and then back to him. "I'm... much obliged.. for your help." Her fingers touched her lips softly, where he'd kissed her. "If he takes the money... I don't see as it will be easy to get it back.." Her fingers ran over her lips again. "Perhaps.. you should hold on to this... at least till he's out of town." She took his hand and slipped the ring on his finger.

He smiled. "I do," was whispered, only half-teasing as he kissed her, lingering and promising. He pulled back to look in her eyes, rubbing her cheek with his thumb. "I'll do what it takes to see you have the life you're deservin' of out here, miss Liza... that's a promise I'm keeping." He nodded and shuffled backwards quickly to follow the man to the doctor's, fidgeting with the ring on his hand.

She smiled back, the warmth that he recieved more and more of from her, shining up at him. She watched him as he backed away and blew him a kiss before turning to head out the back and to put on something more proper.