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chapter six, the kindness of strangers
MARY-BETH GASKILL FELT HER HEART plummeting with despair, knowing that her efforts to talk to Anna and ensure comfort were no good. As the hours swept by, Anna had barely spoken a word to the brunette lady, mostly keeping to herself as she continued sewing.
After all, she didn't come here to make friends.
Mary-Beth, however, felt very much the opposite. She wanted to get to know Anna. What she was like as a person. What her interests were. Her family background. But of course, all of this information would remain an ambiguity for the time being as silence continued to lapse between the pair of them. Miss Gaskill sighed internally. It wouldn't be long before she abandoned her chores and sought refuge in her books, hoping to lighten up her mood.
From the corner of her eye, Anna would watch as Mary-Beth went inside her tent and buried her head in the pages of a novel. Anna frowned. As much as Mary-Beth was a kind and thoughtful woman, she did not have time to prioritise her feelings. As of now, the Thornhill girl was working her hardest to make amends with Dutch's gang and ensure that there would be no conflict between them and her people for the unforeseeable future. She had her own gang to take care of, but most importantly, she had to protect Elijah.
So as the hours passed, Anna did not let a single thing distract her from her chores. Once she had finished sewing, she would chop wood for the campfire and then help the camp's chef, Mr Pearson, slice up the vegetables for tonight's stew. Anna was about to get started on the washing but would decide to take a brief rest and head on down to the lake.
Rolling up the sleeves on her shirt, she rinsed her arms in the water to rid the dirt and dried blood off her skin. She winced at the stinging sensation, teeth gritting harshly as she thought of Colm O'Driscoll.
Now don't get me wrong, Anna had, indeed, endured worse throughout her life. But that would never excuse what Colm had done to her. The way he had beaten her, starved her until she would reveal the whereabouts of her gang. Anna, however, being her most resilient herself, had not revealed a single thing during her time at Hanging Dog Ranch. And it was because of this that Colm would leave himself with no choice but to order his men to hurt her. So over the next couple of days she would receive countless strikes to the face, a few kicks in her abdomen and legs until she was dressed in ugly bruises and lacerations.
She shook the memory away, knowing that she could not afford to think about this right now when there was work to be done. As of now, she could only hope that her gang were okay. And that wherever Elijah was, he would do all he could in his power to bring his sister back home.
