The New Hand, Part Eighty-Three

by J. Rosemary Moss

Genre: Slash Fan-Fiction (Bonanza)
Rating: PG-13

LINK TO PART ONE

~

Ben spared a glance at the woman who was sitting pale and stiff at his side as he whipped up the horses and started the trip back to the Ponderosa. Josephine was still not at peace with her son’s late duel. She wasn't even close to being at peace with it, in fact. She was still fuming.

As far as Ben was concerned, the duel had raised David in his estimation. Not that Ben approved of dueling, but this was a special circumstance. Hastings had pushed the fight on David and, moreover, Hastings’ death might well have saved Abby from remaining under the legal power of a monster. The law didn’t prevent a man from beating his wife, after all. It only protected women from excessive cruelty—and it often did a poor job at that.

“Josephine,” Ben ventured, “I can understand your feelings about dueling. I remember how I felt when Adam fought a duel for some girl when he was a young man. But, under these circumstances, I don’t think David had much choice. And I think he did the right thing.”

“Don’t let’s talk about it,” Josephine said. “David and I will eventually be on speaking terms again—but I’ll never forgive him for risking his life in such a stupid manner. Never!”

Ben sighed. “He’s young and he’s in love and Abby was in grave danger from Hastings,” he pointed out. “Surely those facts excuse the duel?”

Josephine turned to him with a spark of fury in her eyes. “He’s not in love with Abby any more than I am! There was no call for this heroic melodrama.”

Ben slowed the horses down. “He’s not in love with Abby? Then why were they so determined to wed?”

To Ben’s astonishment, Josephine turned bright red. He had never seen her blush before.

“Oh, I’m talking out of turn,” she managed with an airy wave of her hand. “Don’t mind me. David loves Abby well enough—and she’ll give him a nice, stable Jewish home. I’m sure they’ll go on quite well together.”

Ben considered that. “Well, I suppose that’s reason enough to marry—providing David doesn’t fall head over heals in love with some other girl.”

Josephine shrugged. “I don’t think that’s likely. I’ll think he’ll be content with Abby. You really shouldn’t listen to me when I’m in such a state, Benjamin. I’m sure I don’t know the half of what I’m saying.”

Ben let the matter drop, but he continued to turn it over in his own mind. Would someone like David really be content with what sounded, essentially, like a marriage of convenience? Well, who was Ben to judge? He scarcely knew the lad.

But somehow Ben couldn’t shake the conviction that David would need more from a partner in life than mere friendship. And he couldn’t help but wonder if the reason he was content with Abby was because he had another great love—perhaps some gentile girl?—someplace else.

But that, Ben reminded himself firmly, was none of his business. He did his best to push the thought out of his mind and turn all his attention to Josephine.

LINK TO PART EIGHTY-FOUR