"I know two of the young elites from the Canadian branch of the Bruce family," Richard said immediately. "Henry, if you are ever in Pittsburgh, you must do me the honor of visiting. I will host a grand ball in your honor."
"Of course," Henry replied sincerely. "We are comrades-in-arms, after all."
"You're right about that, Henry," Richard said, his spirits lifting.
"Henry," Madeline said, a look of lingering fear on her face, "we were so fortunate that you arrived when you did. It's a tragedy that our six guards, and the thirty-one from the McKinley family, had to be left behind in that savage land."
"The McKinleys provided your escort?" Henry asked, his tone sharpening.
"Yes," Richard replied. "Brendan McKinley even added eleven extra guards at the last minute. He was worried for our safety. As it turns out, his fears were justified."
Henry and Linda exchanged a look. He had already told her his suspicions about the true cause of her husband's death, worried that her ignorance might put her in danger. But he wouldn't discuss it in front of so many people. He changed the subject.
Meanwhile, at The Gallows, Carlos, Pizarro, and their men were growing frustrated. They had been waiting for half a day, and there was still no sign of anyone coming from the direction of Frisco. They had no choice but to make camp for the night.
"What do we do if he doesn't come tomorrow?" Carlos asked.
"We wait one more day," Pizarro replied. "If he still doesn't come, we send a man back to Denver to gather intelligence. We must be patient. Our family has waited for nearly two hundred years. The closer we get, the more patient we must be."
"I just hope we succeed," Carlos sighed. "The brothers we left behind in the Caribbean are having a hard time. If we get this gold, we can go back, expand the ranch, and let them finally come ashore."
"The life of a pirate in the Caribbean is a dead end," Carlos continued. "The navies are cracking down too hard. America is where the real opportunity is."
"You're right," Pizarro agreed. "Texas was founded by our people, by Hispanics. It belongs to us by right."
After dinner, the women began to clear the dishes. Henry and Richard walked aside to talk.
Henry was not a businessman. He preferred a direct approach.
"Richard," he said, "you were on your way to visit Mayor William in Frisco, on behalf of the McKinley family. Are you their business partner?"
"Brendan McKinley, the head of their Western branch, is the one who asked for my help," Richard replied. "We met at a ball and got along well. He's a major client of our Mellon Bank."
Henry smiled. "I imagine Brendan didn't tell you the full story. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been so surprised to see me."
Richard's eyes widened. "I don't understand. Why?"
"Linda's husband, Bryan—he was like a brother to me, and a mentor. Brendan and his cousin, Sean, murdered him. They hired over a hundred outlaws from the Doran and Douglas gangs to ambush us."
"The rest of the posse, twenty-four men, were all killed. I was the only survivor. I killed all the outlaws. Now do you understand where the ten-thousand-dollar bounty on my head came from?"
Richard was stunned into silence.
"So you see, Richard," Henry continued, his voice gentle but firm, "you are a lucky man. Do you know what else happened today, just before I set out? Sean's manor and the McKinley's private army of 458 men at the mine… they all went to meet Satan."
Richard stared at him, a dawning horror in his eyes. He was a man of business; he understood the art of the unspoken threat.
"I'm sure Brendan didn't mention any of that. So, yes. You are a very, very lucky man."
Richard now felt it too. He was incredibly lucky.
That bastard Brendan! That son of a bitch! He tried to get me killed! If he had known the full situation, he never would have agreed to act as an intermediary, at least not without extensive preparations. More likely, he would have stayed out of it altogether.
He felt like a blind man who had just been led to the edge of a battlefield. One wrong step, and he would have been the 459th victim.
"When I get back to Denver," Richard said, his voice firm, "I'm heading straight back to Pittsburgh. Perhaps we can travel together for part of the way."
Henry clapped him on the shoulder. "A wise choice, Richard. I'm sure we'll have other opportunities to work together in the future."
The two men chatted for a while longer, Henry asking about the political and economic situation in the East, Richard surprised to find that this frontier lawman had a keen understanding of the world. He attributed it to Henry's noble birth and fine education, a silent confirmation that they were, indeed, of the same class.
The women had finished their work and were now gathered around the bonfire. The two men joined them.
"We need to rest now," Henry announced. "At 5 AM, I'm going to scout the road ahead, through The Gallows. I want everyone, except for the children, to be awake and alert at that time."
"If I encounter any outlaws, I will deal with them before I return. It may take a few hours, just like today. Do not panic. Wait for my return. We will not move out until I am back."
The group nodded in agreement. They were all exhausted, physically and emotionally. A few minutes later, they retired to their tents for the night.