Against Her Will

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

Trevor was feeling more than a little confused as he sat in his office and stared down at his desk. Tanner was alive. How in the hell was Tanner alive?

Tanner had been gone for five years. Trevor had happily sent the man off to war with the hope that he wouldn't return and he had thought for sure that his hopes had become reality. He had gone so far as to have his brother declared dead and have the deed to the plantation put into his own name.

Now that Tanner was back and alive he could take the plantation away from Trevor if he chose to do so. Trevor's only hope was that Tanner would not want to. Trevor had always been good at controlling his brother and getting the man to do what he wanted and this would be no different.

It would be easier to let Tanner die--to finish him off himself--but Trevor knew he wouldn't do that. Not because he loved his brother too much to kill him but because the one person Trevor had loved in his life, their mother, would come back from the dead and be heartbroken. Trevor wouldn't go out of his way to save Tanner, he wouldn't get the man a doctor or care for him himself, but if somehow Temperance was able to nurse the man back to health then Trevor would simply use the powers of persuasion he'd been born with and convince his brother that he didn't want the plantation put back into his name.

It shouldn't be hard. Tanner had never wanted the job of running the plantation to begin with. Trevor smiled and tapped his fingers on the desk. He always loved a chance to prove himself.

***

Temperance would be lying if she said the warm bath didn't feel good to her tired body and she would be lying further if she acted as if the soft gingham dress she pulled on didn't feel good against her skin. She had nicer dresses made of silks and lace but they would not be practical for caring for a sick man or working in the kitchen.

When Temperance entered the kitchen to get Tanner a plate she was bombarded by questions from Wilma and Mary who were preparing Trevor's breakfast.

"Is Tanner awake?"

"Did the Master move you back into the house?"

"Is he going to help us all?"

Temperance held up her hands to stop the flow of questions and both women stomped their feet impatiently. "Speak, child!" Wilma scolded.

"Tanner was awake when I left the room, though I don't see how he can be any help to us all when he is lying half dead and unable to even lift his own head. And yes, the Master moved me back into the house and banned me from having any contact with any of the staff outside the home."

"Oh...." Mary's eyes were sad. "Everyone is going to miss you. You were bright spot for us all out there."

Temperance sighed. "I'll miss everyone as well but one day we will all leave from here. We will find a way to escape this place and we will not be dependant upon anyone else to do it..."

Footsteps silenced Temperance and she busied herself making a plate of biscuits, gravy, bacon and canned apples for Tanner.

One of Trevor's hired guns, Emerson, a man in his upper thirties with a scarred face and a mean disposition stepped into the kitchen. Mary and Wilma instantly became engrossed in their work and Emerson chuckled. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

"We're quite busy preparing breakfast," Temperance warned. "If you'll excuse us..."

"You are a mouthy one, aren't you?" Emerson clicked his tongue, "How would Trevor feel if I told him how you speak to me?"