A Pair of Black Eyes, Part Five

by J. Rosemary Moss

Genre: Fan-Fiction (Bonanza)
Rating: Mature Content

LINK TO PART ONE

~

Bess stared out the window of her bedroom. Night was closing in, bringing clouds with it. She almost hoped there'd be rain—it would suit her mood.

She closed her eyes, remembering Joe's face as he stood in the jail cell earlier that day. Where was that light hearted laughter that usually lurked in his eyes? It had disappeared, replaced with an icy fury that she would have never have credited him with.

How ironic! She had played her part perfectly and Joe had rewarded her with a proposal. But it wasn't the Little Joe she knew making that offer—it was a cold, frightening stranger.

Well, what did she expect? That he'd be happy that she forced him into marriage? Happy to acknowledge another man's child?

She sighed as she reached out to close her shutters, wondering if she'd be able to coax the laughing light back into his eyes.

~

Joe woke up feeling groggy and disjointed. He wondered briefly if the whole nightmare of Elizabeth's accusation had just been a dream. But a moment's thought convinced him otherwise.

He took his time about getting dressed. By the time he got downstairs, only Adam was at the table. Hoss was already up and gone, judging by the plate that had been picked clean.

"Did Hoss go to check out that fencing in the southeast pasture?" Joe inquired as he took a seat.

Adam shook his head. "No, he went to send a wire to Pa in Sacramento."

Joe felt his eyes fly to his brother's. "Damn it, Adam! Did you have to run to Pa?"

Adam raised his eyebrows at that and calmly set down his coffee cup. "Were you planning to get married before he returned?"

"I have to get married as soon as possible! Think of Elizabeth's condition!"

"It's too late to avoid a scandal," Adam reminded him, unperturbed by Joe’s shouting. "There's no reason not to wait for Pa to be present at the ceremony."

Joe tore his eyes away from Adam and gave the food on his plate a disgusted look. Even Hop Sing's best flapjacks didn't appeal to him now—not when he could feel himself blushing with anger and shame.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "Pa will never approve of this," he said at length. "I—I don't know how to tell him, Adam. If the deed is already done, it'll be a lot easier."

"Why do you think he won't approve?" Adam asked.

Joe shrugged. "He won't understand why I'm doing this—he won't approve of me marrying a woman just to punish her."

He was still staring down at his plate as he spoke, but he heard his older brother take a deep breath of his own.

"Joe," he said, "she'll be punished even if you don't marry her. She'll be bearing a child outside of wedlock. Isn't that enough?"

But Joe shook his head. "No. Adam, I don't want the child to suffer for something that's not its fault. And I don't want Bess to be ostracized either. I want to be the one to punish her—I don't want society to do it for me."

He risked glancing up at Adam as he finished. There was no judgment or condemnation in his brother's eyes—in fact, Adam was regarding him as if he had presented a puzzle that needed solving.

There was something comforting about that look—it meant that Adam didn't think he was the scum of the earth.

At length Adam sighed and folded his arms across his chest. "You're not planning on beating her, are you?"

Joe rolled his eyes. "Of course not. I might put her over my knee once she's out of the family way—but I wouldn't really hurt her."

"Would you really divorce her?" Adam persisted.

Joe considered that. "I don't know," he answered. "I know how cruel society is to divorced women, so I guess I won't. Unless she's unfaithful to me, that is. But I want to hold the threat of divorce over her."

"All right," Adam said, looking him over. "I suppose I can understand that. But listen Joe: if you can say all this to me, you can say it to Pa. If you're going to go through with this, he deserves to be here for the ceremony."

Joe sighed and slouched down in his chair. "Yeah, I know."

"Will you promise to wait until he gets back?" Adam asked.

Joe took his time about answering that. But it was pointless—there was only one answer.

"Yeah," he said at last. "I'll wait."

LINK TO PART SIX