<div class="floatleft">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/d/d4/Marguerite_Tuerny_09.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong>Marguerite Tuerny<br/><strong>Date:</strong>May 4, 1876<br/><strong>Time of Day:</strong>Evening<br/><strong>Location:</strong>Taking an evening stroll<br/><strong>Tagged:</strong>Nathan Hunter, Open<br/><hr/><strong>"Thank you again for a wonderful meal."</strong>She told her companion as they turned a corner to reveal the Golden Mare just down the street.  It had been a good evening, the food was good and the company excellent.  Even the news of Nathan's termination from his job as Senior Sheriff failed to put more than a momentary damper on her spirits.<br/><br/><strong>"When I spoke with the Judge this morning he indicated that I might be best served to represent myself in court, at least for the civil matters related to the mine."</strong>She told him, working up to a proposition she thought might give them both wins.<strong>"Are you still the prosecutor?  I don't imagine Bilton had the power to fire you from that?"</strong>Though of course Bilton was nothing.  The power behind him was Howard Findley.<br/><br/>Keeping her mine out of Findley's hands was proving to be a challenge, and she really hadn't even gotten into things yet.  Just… She had to be very careful about what she said and how she acted.  If the mine was at all productive, she'd have a fight on her hands proving it, and then keeping it.<br/><br/>But this wasn't the right occasion.<strong>"I'm glad we did this.  We'll have to do it again soon."</strong>She wasn't sure how things would go when they got to the Mare.  Would he ask to come up?  If so, how would he go about it?  She certainly wasn't going to deny he was a catch - smart, attractive, capable, and strong.  And under the gentlemanly manner, he was a dangerous man.  A man that had seen hardship and faced it head-on.  Faced it and kicked it in the teeth.  He was successful here, a man respected by most and feared by some.<br/><br/>She almost laughed at herself, so cold-bloodedly appraising his qualifications for... for what?  Despite her disdain for the callous matchmaking that went on between matrons back East in High Society, now that she had seen more of the world, she had to agree with so much of<em>Maman's</em>wisdom.  She had rebelled, thought all the usual things young girls thought about their parents.  It was so sad that she would never know them as adults - as people rather than icons.<br/><br/>But<em>Maman</em>was right, choosing the right man was a task best divided between the heart and the mind.  And, she had to admit, and the loins.  That was something her mother - she realized in hindsight - had hinted at in such discrete ways that young Rita had failed to realize.  Sex was impor...<br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUGH - "</strong></span><br/><br/>The scream was beyond anything she'd heard.  Worse even than those of the 'possessed' souls back in the Deseret Woman's Asylum - screams of women being cured by methods worse than any affliction.<br/><br/><strong>"What was that?"</strong>She asked foolishly.  It was obviously a scream, human, though now that she tried she couldn't tell whether it was a man or a woman.<strong>"I think it came from that way."</strong>She wasn't so foolish as to run headlong toward trouble.  Trouble had its way of finding one without help.  But Nathan was with her.  And the whole town had to hear.<strong>"We should see if they need help."</strong>She added bravely, if perhaps foolishly.<br/><br/>From the quality of the shriek, and the way it cut off so abruptly, she was sure that whoever made it was beyond mortal aid.  But there might be others.  Or… or something might be out there.  Something that could make a person scream like that.  She had enough trouble sleeping as it was, without adding some faceless unidentified fear to her reasons.  Better to face a known threat than cower in ignorance.<br/><br/><strong>"You have your gun, right?"</strong>She hardly had to check, the heavy pistol belt was nearly a part of the man.  She wasn't' sure he'd feel dressed without it.<strong>"Let's go."</strong>And, strangely, it was the pretty socialite that led to way, leaving the tough law dog to hasten step to follow.<br/>