Catherine the Great
By: The Scribe
The Concord rolled into town shortly after midday and for Mary, its arrival garnered mixed feelings. On some level, she looked forward to seeing Catherine because it had been almost ten years since they had last seen each other. On the other hand, Mary was reminded of all the reasons why Catherine's visit was going to be an ordeal. Overhead, the sun was shining on another glorious day. As Mary waited in front of the stage depot for the carriage to make its arrival, she supposed that at least the weather would give Catherine no reason to complain since everything else would.
Scanning the street as she lingered on the boardwalk for the stage's arrival, Mary caught a glimpse of Vin Tanner seated in front of the jailhouse and offered him a little smile. The shy tracker nodded in acknowledgment with a return smile and Mary was reminded of what pleasant company he could be once one got past the persona of the hardened bounty hunter and sharpshooter.
It was not easy to know Vin, she had come to learn since becoming his tutor. He was painfully shy for someone who could face off with Chris Larabee. Mary was not certain that anyone else in the seven could do that, not even Buck. Yet when he was in her company, he seemed nervous and uncertain of himself. He was, however, a fast learner and Mary wondered what he might have accomplished if he had been given the benefits of a proper education. There was a poet at the heart of him, a poet that was beaten down by life and years of hardship. Mary hoped that helping him to read and write would release that side of him.
Her gaze shifted from the handsome tracker when she saw the stagecoach rumbling up the main street of Four Corners. Her relaxed thoughts about Vin soon diminished at the sight of the Concord's appearance, and Mary braced herself to deal with her sister, whom she affectionately called, though never to her face, Catherine the Great.
The stage came to a halt, kicking up dust and gravel as the horses pulling it signaled their arrival with a decisive snort in tandem with the driver's call for them to stop when he pulled upon the reins. Mary tried to peer through the windows of the coach, to catch sight of Catherine as the stage coach driver disembarked the carriage and opened the door for his passengers to alight. Mary sucked in her breath with anticipation, wondering how it was that Catherine could erase the years of growth and experience and leave her a frightened young girl again, just by mere possibility of her presence.
Faces she did not recognize climbed out of the carriage, some assisted by the driver, some not. However, when a gloved hand accepted the man's hand and put an expensive boot on the running board, Mary knew that her moment of truth had arrived.
"Catherine!" Mary called out, catching her sister's attention the moment the woman stepped into the sunlight.
Catherine the Great or in her usual sobriquet, Catherine Harrington, wife of Boston banker, Wendell Harrington, was dressed tastefully as she emerged from the stagecoach, tastefully even though the dress on her back could have quite happily fed a family of five for a week. Her flaxen colored hair was worn under a hat while powerful green eyes fixed upon her sister with genuine pleasure. She was adorned in jewellery but as expected of Boston society, her wealth was an expression in understatement.
"Mary!" Catherine exclaimed happily as both sisters met in a warm hug and suddenly, the years apart did not seem so long. "How have you been?"
"I've been well and you look even better," Mary declared as she noted how kind the years had been to Catherine. Her sister looked very prosperous although Mary had expected her to be nothing else. Catherine was if anything, capable of landing on her feet no matter what the calamity to befall her.
"I look glamorous," Catherine replied flamboyantly, "but I'm older unfortunately."
"You look wonderful," Mary sighed and remembered that when she was a little girl, she would live in awe at her older sister. While she was no longer as overwhelmed by how Catherine always seemed to do everything better, in looks and in life, Mary could not help feeling a little tinge of longing considering what shambles her own existence was at the moment.
"And you look a true product of the frontier," Catherine retorted, her gaze shifting up and down Mary in quick evaluation. "I never thought you would last a year out in this wilderness but I must say, I'm impressed. You really have managed to survive in this place."
"It's my home, Cathy," Mary sighed, deciding to take the compliment in the spirit it was given even if it did somewhat slight the town which she had invested so much time and effort into progressing.
"I know it is," Catherine said gently, aware that her effort to sound supportive had come out wrong. Mary could be so sensitive about such things. "I mean to say that you are tougher than I gave you credit for. Heaven knows I would never have managed to endure this."
Mary could not argue with that. The notion of Catherine enduring the uncertain existence in the heart of the Territory, when she was a creature who thrived in opulent surroundings and the jockeying for position in elite circles, was rather laughable. Mary had never been able to endure it even when she still lived in Boston and thanked Stephen every day of their married life for saving her from that horrible fate by choosing her as his wife.
"Oh, you would have managed it just fine," Mary shrugged, not wishing to agree with her sister who was apparently trying to be nice.
"I doubt that," Catherine said dubiously.
"How was the trip?" Mary asked, propelling them past the awkward moment as she noted the luggage being removed from the top of the carriage. The other passengers on board were already retrieving their own bags and Mary supposed that it was probably a good idea if they did the same, though knowing Catherine, half the assemblage of luggage before them was probably hers.
"Well, the train trip was perfectly marvelous," Catherine remarked as they waited for one or two of the other passengers to collect their things. "The stage coach ride was rather bumpy but you do have some lovely country out here. I cannot believe how warm it is. Not at all like Boston."
"It does get very hot around here," Mary remarked as she swept her gaze across the dust blown town. Mary wondered whether Catherine knew that the differences between Boston and the Territory set them almost a world apart.
"Yes," Catherine agreed, though not with the same appreciation as she swept her gaze across Four Corners and its small town provinciality.
"Hey there, Miss Travis," Buck Wilmington announced himself, having decided to come investigate when he noticed Mary Travis from across the street in the presence of a most ravishing companion. It was with a great source of personal pride for Buck to ensure he knew every eligible female in town (even the not so eligible ones) especially if they were great beauties. When he had seen Mary and Catherine, he was compelled to come introduce himself, dragging JD and Ezra with him.
"Hello Buck," Mary stifled a smile wondering if Buck had some special sense that told him whenever a new woman had arrived in town. "Ezra, JD," she greeted in kind.
"And who might you be?" Buck asked closing in on Catherine oozing charm as he smiled at her.
"Catherine Harrington," Catherine answered with a bemused smile, extending a gloved hand towards the lawman who immediately took it and performed the continental greeting.
"Catherine's my sister," Mary explained. "She's visiting from Boston."
"Your sister?" Ezra Standish said with some measure of surprise as he gazed about the woman. It was hard to picture Mary having a sister that seemed to have stepped out of the society pages of a newspaper.
"Well, that don't surprise me none," Buck declared, his eyes still fixed on Catherine who was finding his attention very amusing if nothing else. "They're both very beautiful women."
Mary chuckled as she saw Ezra roll his eyes in resignation.
"Catherine," Mary turned to her sister, feeling the need to explain her relationship to these men. "This is Buck Wilmington, Ezra Standish and JD Dunne. They're the town's peacekeepers."
"Policemen?" Catherine's brow arched sharply, unable to imagine any of them in the role, especially the one with the fine taste in clothes.
"Nah, nothing like that, ma'am," JD spoke, understanding that she would make that comparison since he was from the east himself. "We're like deputies."
"How very 'Wyatt Earp'," Catherine remarked. "Well gentlemen, I look forward to seeing you around."
"We'll give you a hand with these bags, Mary," Buck offered, noting the luggage left behind now that the others passengers had gone on their way.
"We'd appreciate it," Mary replied, not about to refuse their help.
"So, Miss Harrington," Ezra turned to the lady as Buck and JD went to collect her bags. "How long are you intending to grace Four Corners with your presence?"
"I am not certain at this point," Catherine replied offering her answer not only to Ezra, but also to Mary. "At this time, I would say indefinitely."
"Does Wendell mind you coming so far out west?" Mary asked for the first time, remembering that Catherine's oh so proper husband would clearly have misgivings about his wife travelling so far from Boston, especially to such a dangerous place as the Territory.
"Of course not," Catherine answered breezily. "As long as I return before the social season starts, he is quite happy to let me do whatever I please with my time."
"I never thought he was that accommodating," Mary shrugged. What she had seen of her brother in law seemed to indicate that the man was rather priggish but then Catherine always did have the ability to twist him around her little finger.
Ezra said nothing as he observed the new arrival, sensing that there was more to her explanation than just that but he kept his opinions to himself. He was, however, rather intrigued by Mary's sibling because for once Ezra found that he had to agree with Buck, she was a great beauty. Even if she was hiding something from her sister.
Once the bags were collected, Mary led her sister and her unexpected entourage towards the office of the Clarion News. All the while, listening to Buck make his not so subtle attempts to charm the lady, despite the fact that she was clearly married. Mary could not deny that it was good to have Buck, JD and Ezra around as they made her way home. After almost a decade apart, Mary still had difficulty dealing with Catherine alone and she was not eager to endure the ordeal of having Catherine pick apart her life in a bid to force Mary to move back to Boston.
They were almost to the Clarion offices when suddenly, Mary caught sight of Chris stepping out of Gloria Potter's store. She cursed inwardly, having no desire to see him right now. She did not want to explain to Catherine what was between them, or rather, what was not.
It would have surprised Mary to learn that Chris had actually seen her first. He had been in the Potter store purchasing supplies for his shack and was on his way out when he saw the widow with Buck, Ezra and JD, accompanied by a female he did not recognize. It struck him almost immediately that they were family because, as Chris observed Mary's friend, he noted that the shape of the face was the same as was the color of her alabaster skin and white gold hair.
He wished he could have retreated into the store without being seen because he did not want another meeting with her on the street like the other day. However, that was not possible when he saw Mary's eyes catch sight of him and if she did, it was a sure bet that the others had as well. Facing Mary in front of his friends, in particular Buck, was not something he was going to enjoy but short of darting across the street like a frightened deer, he had little choice. Eventually, he came to the conclusion that he was Chris Larabee and he was not afraid of anything, not even Mary Travis. After all, it was clear that she had moved on with her life and why should he care if she had found solace in the arms of his best friend?
It was hard to convince himself of this when he cared a lot.
"Hey Chris!" Buck Wilmington called out in his ongoing crusade to bring Mary and Chris together.
Chris sucked in his breath, hiding all his conflicting emotions behind an impassive mask as he approached them outside the Potter store. He might as well get this ordeal over and done with, he thought silently to himself.
"Buck," he replied and nodded briefly at all those present, his eyes carefully avoiding Mary's, despite the greeting.
"We were just escorting Mary and her sister back to the Clarion," Ezra cut in impatiently, perfectly aware of what Buck was trying to do. The gambler was certain that if the big man did not get himself shot for his trouble, he would succeed in putting their leader in a fouler mood than he was already.
"Sister?" Chris turned his high powered gaze to Mary's lovely companion.
"This is my sister Catherine," Mary introduced them stiffly. "Cathy, this is Mr. Larabee, he's one of the town's lawmen."
"I wouldn't quite put it that way," Chris quickly interjected and noted the frown coming from Buck's direction at his aloof manner. However, the gunslinger ignored it even though both Ezra and JD appeared just as uncomfortable about this whole meeting as he.
"Yes, I am visiting from Boston. I thought I'd just come and see how my little sister is doing." Catherine smiled enchantingly, studying him very closely in light of the curious elements of Mary's reaction to seeing him, and in turn, to this intense gunslinger's own reluctance to meet sister' gaze.
"We told her Mary's doing fine and all," JD blurted out. "I mean what with being a newspaper editor, a mom, not to mention all that statehood stuff."
"Thank you, JD." Mary flashed him a little smile, never realizing the boy thought she was so accomplished but her gaze soon returned to Chris who seemed terribly uncomfortable about the whole encounter and appeared as if he wished nothing more than to be away from them.
"Yes, your men have been quite informative," Catherine commented. "I had no idea there was so much to do in a small town."
"It's a rough place," Chris remarked. "There's always something to do and some ways to get into trouble."
"Well, I'm glad that you and your friends are on the job protecting us," Catherine remarked deciding to test the waters a little because her instincts told her that there was something going on between her sister and this black garbed gunslinger. "I would hate to think of Mary all alone in this place when it is so dangerous."
"I am not alone," Mary quickly interjected. "Billy comes home when school's out and Orin visits all the time."
"That's not what I meant," Catherine said smoothly. "Stephen's been dead for some years now, I thought for certain that you would at least have a man in your life by now. I mean, it must be essential to live in a place like this."
Mary felt her jaw drop in embarrassment and her face became flushed with color. "Catherine, this is not the time to discuss my personal life."
"Or lack of one," Catherine turned to Chris who said nothing except stare at her with that piercing gaze, trying to dissect her and her intentions.
"Oh Catherine!" Mary exclaimed in disgust. "If you want to continue this conversation, fine! I'm going to the house to get your room ready. Gentlemen, if you could please escort my sister to my office, I would be grateful."
With that, Mary stormed away fuming. Ezra was rubbing the bridge of his nose, JD looked as if he wished he could be anywhere else and Buck was letting out a heavy sigh in defeat.
"I'll see you boys later, ma'am," Chris said vaguely before going about his way in the opposite direction.
Catherine stood in the aftermath of this maelstrom looking quite pleased with herself and what she had managed to uncover. Meeting their gazes after a moment, a slow smile crept across her face and she remarked coolly. "Now that was interesting."
"That's one way to put it," Buck said glumly in the aftermath of Catherine's words and its effect on both parties.
"So I gather that Mary has not been languishing in an emotional void since Stephen's passing?" Catherine turned her gaze upon him.
"They do like each other," Buck grumbled, irritated enough to make the disclosure.
"It is a long story," Ezra spoke up, not willing to say too much.
Unfortunately, Catherine had other ideas on the matter. "Well," she sighed looking in the direction that Mary had gone, "if I know my sister's ability to stay angry, I do believe I have the time."
Deciding it was probably best to let her sister calm down, Catherine took up Buck and JD's offer to deliver her luggage to Mary's while Ezra agreed to show her around town. There really was not really much to see and by the time she had reached the scenic vista of the granary, Ezra guessed that she had seen as much of Four Corners as she wanted to. She did not ask Ezra to tell her about the relationship between Mary and Chris, although the gambler sensed that the questions were coming.
Ezra found Catherine to be a world of difference from her sister. While Mary seemed to have a proud noble streak, Catherine, on the other hand, was not so idealistic. For one who lived at the very pinnacle of the social elite in Boston, Catherine had a surprising understanding of how the seamier side of life seemed to work. Despite himself, Ezra found himself warming greatly to the woman.
"So how long has Mary had this relationship with Mr Larabee?" Catherine asked once they had retired from sightseeing to enjoy a brief sojourn in the hotel restaurant.
"I am not at liberty to say," Ezra answered politely, not about to meddle in Chris Larabee's affairs. He had no monumental death wish to risk his life in such a venture.
"Mr Standish." Catherine sat up in her chair, her tone changing from that of the genteel society matron to that of a determined and fiercely protective sister, a role that Ezra did not quite expect her to pay. "Even since her husband died, my sister's letters home to us have been almost pedestrian. We know that she continues to remain here even though from all accounts this is a terribly dangerous place for her to be. She writes to us as if we are strangers and I cannot deny that we were never supportive of her marriage to Stephen but he was a good man and I know how it would have affected her to lose him. In the last few months her letters have been almost obligatory and any inquiries made about her personal life have been politely ignored. I came here to see if she is all right and I find that once again, her heart is being worn on her sleeve. Now I would rather spare Mary the indignity of asking her neighbors what is going between her and Mr. Larabee but if you do not tell me, I will do just that."
Ezra let out a deep sign realising that he had little choice in the matter and something in the way this woman was making the demand, made him think that telling her might not be a terrible thing. Besides, the romantic in him wanted to see things work out between Chris and Mary, though he would die first before he admitted that openly. After a momentary pause, Ezra began a narration of events leading up to the encounter on the street. He spoke long and earnestly, never offering his own opinion, just an unbiased view of what had taken place.
When he was done, there was a lengthy pause between the two of them and Ezra took the time study Catherine and wondered if her husband truly appreciated the Machavellian gleam in her eye. He hoped he was not making a big mistake by telling her everything but somehow his instincts told him that he had not.
"It is always the same with her." Catherine shook her head. "Ever since we were children."
"This situation is hardly Mary's fault," Ezra pointed out coming to Mary's defense. "If anything, its Mr Larabee's."
"Mr Larabee is a man," Catherine snorted. "They can't help the way they behave."
"I think I should be offended." Ezra gave her a look.
Catherine smiled radiantly at him. "You are a man but fortunately, you seem to have some sense about you, but I am speaking of the kind that Mr Larabee is and they are terribly predictable, so predictable I might add that Mary ought to know better by now."
Ezra was starting to get confused. "I do not follow you."
"You would think a woman who has been married and has produced a child would know how to handle a man by now, even one as ornery as Mr. Larabee," Catherine remarked as if this was information that everyone but Mary was privy too.
As Ezra listened, he was starting to feel somewhat in the dark himself. "Mr Larabee is one of those who strikes me as being truly content if he feels truly miserable. He will not allow himself to be happy if there is reason enough for him to maintain his brooding manner. I suppose there is a small grain of truth in his withdrawal from Mary being some need to protect her. But I am more inclined to believe that it is probably safer for him if he keep her at arms' length."
The observation was astute and, as far as Ezra was concerned, more or less akin to his own thoughts on the matter. He believed the same thing if Chris' behavior, since Vin had taken supper with Mary, was any indication regarding the extent of his feelings.
"He is having a little trouble in that arena," Ezra remarked sipping his coffee. "The possibility that Mary might be turning her affections towards Mr. Tanner has certainly soured his mood of late."
"Like I said," Catherine declared, "predictable. It's all well and good when he does not want her but the minute someone else pays attention, well then suddenly, he's like a dog staking claim on a bone."
"That's a frightfully appalling description." Ezra winced at the imagery of Mary being likened to a bone.
"It is true though," she pointed out. "However, I know my sister. She doesn't fall for anyone easily. Even as children, she could carry a torch for a boy until the cows came home and never say a word. She and Stephen were made for each other since they were so frightfully sentimental."
"And you're not?" Ezra turned an eye on her.
"Marriage is an institution," Catherine retorted haughtily. "I prefer it to be a financially rewarding one."
"I do love the way you think." Ezra found himself grinning.
For a brief instant, the two stared at each other and it was not lost upon Ezra that he liked this woman more than he should. A slight tinge of colour flooded her cheeks as their eyes held before Catherine broke away, forcing herself to return to the reality of the moment instead of the uncharted territory they had found themselves entering for a few seconds. Ezra dropped his gaze to the cup before him, wondering what he was possibly thinking, involving himself with a married woman who just happened to be Mary Travis' sister.
"This cannot go on," Catherine finally declared, propelling them past the moment. "I am going to have to do something."
"Do something?" Ezra stared at her with surprise. "Like what?"
"Fix this situation obviously." She stared at him as if he were a simpleton. "Honestly, Mr. Standish, I thought we had covered this already."
"We were merely discussing the situation, repairing it is another thing entirely," he returned smoothly.
"Come on, Ezra." She leaned forward, a perfectly devilish gleam in her eye. "Are you telling me you are afraid?"
"Of Chris, no. Of being shot, yes," the gambler quipped.
"I promise there will be no blood letting," she assured him. "I do need your help however. I do not know this town or all the players in this little drama, you, however, do."
"Why do I have a feeling I am going to regret this?" Ezra sighed as he felt himself being drawn involuntarily into the web she was starting to weave.
Catherine would only smile at him, "trust me."
