Chapter Twenty
Caught in the Act
Reggie went into the pantry and bundled up into Ivan's warmest clothes. He pulled on Ivan's winter boots and strapped his knife in place. He left out the back side of the cabin. The northwest wind had created long stretches of bare ground and strips of snow drifts eight inches high, making it unable to determine how much snow fell.
He walked along the cords of wood stacked on the south side of the cabin. He stepped through the snow to the corral fence line and followed it to the barn. His footsteps in the snow made a crunching sound as the bitter temperature made it hard to breathe.
When he reached the barn, he saw how agitated Jack was in his stall. His horse knew someone, or something was outside. The thought of wolves crossed his mind, knowing they would be hungry after the blizzard. He wished he would have grabbed a rifle.
The cattle huddled next to the barn for protection against the wind. He moved with caution to the outside barn door and unlatched the lock. Then Reggie heard their voices. He took out his pistol and cracked the door slightly to size up the rustlers. It was Jenkins and another one of Charlotte's escorts. Reggie couldn't remember his name, but he recognized him.
"Put your hands up," said Reggie as he shoved the door open, moving the snow wide enough for him to step out with his pistol drawn.
The men froze as they stood next to the cattle. Piper looked behind his shoulder, and Reggie looked over the cattle and saw two horses tied in the tree line.
"Don't even think about running. Now move."
"What are you going to do? You have one pistol and there are two of us," said Piper with arrogance.
Reggie pulled his knife and said, "I going to kill one of you, and then I will hunt down the other and cut him to ribbons. Who's first?"
"Don't shoot. I'll explain," said Jenkins.
The men raised their hands and crawled out of the cattle pen. Reggie held the weapons on the men and marched them into the barn. Reggie lit a hurricane lamp on the desk and turned up the wick.
He grabbed a rope and walked over to the two young men. He grabbed the mouthy one and shoved his face into the barn post of a horse stall. Then he threw him on the ground and tied his hands behind his back. Jenkins willingly put his hands behind his back. Reggie tied his hands and pushed him down on a stool, leaving Piper laying on the dirt floor.
"I want answers. Who hired you to rustle Ivan's cattle?"
Jenkins looked at Piper, who by now was sitting upright, and Piper shook his head. Reggie grabbed Jenkins by the throat and held him up against the post. He slammed the back of his head and said, "I said I want answers. Now do I have to beat it out of you, or are you going to talk?"
He tightened his choke hold and raised his fist.
"The senator hired us," blurted Jenkins.
"Why?"
"They paid us to steal Ivan's cattle."
"Where are the cattle? What did you do with them?"
Jenkins squirmed and coughed. Reggie set him on the ground and dropped his chokehold.
"The cattle are in Mr. Berman's back pasture. The senator was going to blackmail Berman with cattle rustling charges to get his land."
Reggie looked up in exasperation, knowing the cattle had been out in the elements for over a month with who knows what kind of protection or feed. Besides, they all could be dead after this blizzard.
"But the land deal fell through with the senator's bad check," Reggie thought out loud. "Why steal two more head of cattle tonight?"
"The senator wouldn't pay us our wages for this week. With Miss Randolph gone, we didn't have anyone to escort with the senator all sick and taken to his bed."
"How is that old son-of-bitch?"
"He is clear enough to tell Mr. Armstrong that our services were no longer needed. He fired us and told us to go back to Harrisburg if we wanted our wages, but we ain't got no money."
"What about Oscar? Does he know you are out here?"
"No, he has been too worried about Miss Randolph. How is she? Is she still alive?"
"Barely. Mr. Albright gave her an overdose of laudanum and left her in a root cellar. She is recovering, but no thanks to him."
"That's good to hear. I heard what you did to him. Is it true that you almost killed him with your bare hands?"
"I'm afraid it is. But why steal the cattle?"
"We lost all our money, drinking and gambling during the storm, so Piper decided to steal the cattle and sell them to get money to go back to Harrisburg."
With both of them tied up, Reggie worked on starting the stove. He threw pieces of kindling in to start the fire and then he paced, trying to decide what to do.
"What are you going to do to us?" asked Jenkins, as if he read Reggie's mind.
"I'm going to turn you over to Sheriff Davis for cattle rustling."
"No. Please. I'll show you where the cattle are."
Reggie's eyes opened at the suggestion. He grabbed another piece of rope from the hook and tied Piper's feet. Then he picked him up and threw him in the dung heap for the night. He threw a tarp over him and said, "Sleep tight."
Then he removed the stool from under Jenkins and tied his feet tight. He threw a horse blanket over him, leaving him by the fire. Reggie stirred the coals and added two more chunks of wood to the stove.
Then he walked out the back door of the barn to retrieve their horses. No need for the horses to suffer just because their riders are corrupt. He untied their reins and led them into the barn. After removing the saddles and securing their reins in the stable, he wiped them down, fed them some oats. Water would have to wait.
"I'll be back in the morning."
* * *
With that, Reggie walked to the cabin. Charlotte was asleep in the chair, and the candles were still burning. Reggie hung up his outerwear and added chunks of wood to the fire. Charlotte aroused from her slumber and sat up in the chair.
"Reggie, you are going to believe what I found in Martha's sewing basket."
She leaned over and pulled out one of the cloth-drawstring bags.
"It's gold, and there are ten more bags just like this one," said Charlotte as she showed him the small gold nuggets.
"Ivan mentioned gold in his last letter."
"What?"
Charlotte was dumbfounded that he had not mentioned that to her.
"I don't know any more than you do. I am thinking there has to be more information in his journal."
"Where is that?"
"I don't know. I haven't found it yet."
Charlotte shook her head in disbelief and wondered if that was the real reason her father was after Ivan's land.
"Everything all right with the animals?"
"I caught a couple of rustlers in the cattle pen."
"No. Who was it?"
"Jenkins and Piper."
"What? Why?"
Reggie told her the entire story, even about the condition of the senator.
"Maybe he really had a heart attack this time," said Charlotte, as her mind raced with conflicting emotions.
"Jenkins said he was clear enough to still be calling the shots. He also told me Oscar is worried sick about you."
"Oh, that dear man. He is devout in his loyalty to my mother and way over-protective of me."
"What do you know about Jenkins and Piper?"
"They're like my father's henchmen, always riding security and doing his bidding. Both were street urchins who became messenger boys and then groomsmen. Oscar took Jenkins under his wing and tried to straighten out the boy's behavior. Piper is just a thug and thief."
"I kind of got that impression as well."
"Where are they now?"
"Piper is tied up and sleeping in the dung heap with a tarp thrown over him, and Jenkins is tied next to the stove with a horse blanket thrown over him. They will not freeze to death, I hope."
"Oh Reggie, you are something else."
"What?"
"Such a scoundrel," said Charlotte as she giggled. "So now, what are your plans?"
"Do you think you are going to be able to travel tomorrow?"
"To Carlisle or your estate?"
"Both. I need to turn those two over to Sheriff Davis. Although Jenkins did offer to show me where they hid the cattle."
"I don't want to see my father. Can I stay here with Kaiser?"
"I could ride out early in the morning and turn over the prisoners to the Sheriff and then come back for you."
His mind raced with the options of riding to Carlisle on horseback or the buckboard. He may have to take out the sleigh from storage, especially if the roads haven't been traveled.
"Kaiser and I will be ready and waiting for you to return."
"Well then, you need to get your rest."
He swooped her into his arms and carried her to the enormous bed. He laid her down, covered her up, and kissed her on the forehead.
"Will you hold me until I go to sleep?"
"Let me close the house and check the doors. Then I will lie down and hold you in my arms," said Reggie.
He checked the doors and blew out the candles until one remained on the desk. He retrieved the ledger from his satchel and sat down at the desk. Reggie found a pen and ink along with a blank sheet of paper in the top drawer.
Reggie flipped the pages of the book and recorded the dates the cattle were stolen and how many. Then, he made a copy for himself. He put the copies and the ledger in his satchel, and he fastened the strap.
He carried the candle into the dressing area, and he stared at the commode. Reggie began searching the small wooden outhouse. He sat on the seat and searched the inside walls, hoping to find a brass button or a carved notch in the wood.
He stepped out and moved his hand along the back panel. He felt the brass button, and he heard a click. In the intricate woodwork of the side panel, the push of a button revealed a secret compartment. There lied the journal. On top of the journal, he found a leather drawstring bag. He grabbed the bag and pulled out the private journal. Inside the bag were larger gold nuggets. He felt in the compartment, and his hand felt several leather bags lining the bottom of the secret box. Reggie threw back his head and laughed.
"Oh Ivan, only you would have a golden throne."
He chuckled at the man's sense of humor. He tucked one bag of nuggets in his pocket, picked up the journal, and carried the candle to the desk. Reggie looked at Charlotte as she laid with her eyes closed and her head bandaged, and then he looked at Kaiser, who had turned his head to stare at him. It was late, and he decided the journal would have to wait.
He unlocked the door and carried Kaiser outside to relieve himself before going to bed. He set Kaiser down and watched the dog walk gingerly, putting some weight on his injured hind leg. Reggie locked the door, lifted Kaiser into bed, and he crawled in next to Charlotte. She felt his presence, and she turned to face him.
"Reggie, I don't want to leave you and go back to Harrisburg. I want to stay with you, whether that is at the Thanturnam Estate or here in this cabin. I want to spend every day of my life with you, living out whatever adventures may come."
"Are you proposing to me?"
"No, silly. That's your job. I'm just telling you how I feel. I have never been in love before, but if this is what it feels like, I never want to lose this feeling."
Reggie had restrained himself for two days and one night. He had been the utmost gentleman. But lying in bed with the moonlight streaming into the cabin and the most beautiful, amazing woman he had ever met was professing her love for him. He pulled Charlotte tight to his chest and kissed her with an outpouring of love and desire. He kissed her until she dropped her head back and smiled.
"You never have to attend another party unless you are on my arm. And I too want you by my side."
He kissed her again and then laid his head down on the pillow in exhaustion from the day's work.
With his eyes closed, Reggie said, "What color ring do you want?"
"That is for you to decide," said Charlotte as she closed her eyes and snuggled into his chest to get comfortable. "But for our wedding, I want a gold band unless you would rather 'live-in-sin'."
"Oh, tell me more about this 'living-in-sin' part," whispered Reggie in her ear.
Charlotte giggled and said, "My mother would never approve."
"Mine wouldn't either. Good night."
They both drifted off into deep slumber, knowing this would be the last night of being alone together.