West

I rose quickly and went to the door. Dislike of my cousin was second only to fearing the sheriff knew something he shouldn't about me.

Worse, I had found one of the men Carter sought but didn't dare talk him long enough to find out what he was doing here.

"G'day, ma'am," the sheriff called after me.

I waved over my shoulder, anxious to be away. Nell waited outside the office. Snatching her arm, I tugged the woman with me back towards the carriage.

"Cousin," Philip called.

I rolled my eyes but turned.

"If he bothers you, you tell me. He has no right to be questioning a lady about her doings," Philip said firmly.

"You're absolutely right, cousin," I replied. "Thank you. I will let you know."

Philip appeared pleased by my admission. Quelling the urge to run, I smiled at him.

"If you'll excuse me, Philip, I am feeling unwell," I continued. "Nell will see me home."

"I will call on you tomorrow."

I turned away, all but dragging Nell towards the carriage.

"We need to go," I whispered.

"I told your father today was too soon for you to be out," Nell said, worry in her voice. "He said you loved to go to town and wanted you to buy something special for your return. I told him, she's not right yet, Mr. John, you can't -"

"I'm fine," I said, glancing back at my cousin. "I hate that man."

Nell followed my gaze. "You best keep that to yourself, Josie. He's powerful and wealthy. When your father is gone - God bless him - you will have to be careful of your cousin."

I guessed that a society that valued a man's opinion over a woman's was going to be difficult to navigate, if I wasn't out of there after John's death. I was going to ignore Philip as much as possible, and not pry into his mind again. Uncertain what to do about the sheriff, the only thing that came to mind was seeking guidance from Carter.

My attention was caught once more by the crowd at the edge of town. Every fiber in my body wanted me to run home before the sheriff tracked me down, and yet, I was drawn in the direction of the market.

"You're right, Nell," I said. "That man will never set foot in our house, once my father is gone."

"I reckon it'll take a shotgun to keep him out," Nell said.

"I think that can be arranged."

My nanny gave a rare smile.

"Before we leave, I'm going to see the savages," I said and started forward, determined to learn the location of where I had landed in case I needed to return to the spot.