MaryB and Sherry: Goodbye Lizzie. . . Hello Elizabeth

A WHI for the 55^th Anniversary Challenge

By Mary Branch and Sherry Dancy

Episode Tag for  Goodbye Lizzie

Word Count – 2,405

Lizzie fingered the medallion Mossy Crane had given her. Mossy. He was one of her ‘boys.’ But that life was behind her now. She’d decided to live on the right side of the law, and be ‘Mrs Elizabeth Cramer.’ No more Lizzie.

Could she be Elizabeth, the ‘lady’ Murdoch had introduced to his boys and Teresa? Smoothing the expensive red cloth of her skirt, how confident she felt wearing it. Everyone at Lancer called her Mrs. Cramer, or Elizabeth, so polite…

As soon as Murdoch drove her in the Lancer yard, they were met by Murdoch’s oldest, him with his back-East manners shining like a twenty-dollar gold piece. She’d been so sure of herself when Murdoch brought her to Lancer, and she first met Jelly and Scott. My, my, Murdoch’s Boston son, such a handsome boy, all that polish showed, and she had told him so. Scott had teased back, “I’m wonderful.” Only Lizzie didn’t doubt it for a minute.

No. Lizzie’s doubts, what she questioned was whether could she do it. Could she be Elizabeth? Before her boys showed up in town, she’d been as sure as the sun comes up that she could turn it all around, same as when she had planned all those take-downs. Not one time had Lizzie’s plans gone wrong. They’d all gotten a good stake too.

Now, her hopes had shattered, with Mossy lying in a bed wounded after the boys had forced their way into Lancer and then Jenny showed up. Her beautiful girl hated all of it. And that plan for becoming Elizabeth seemed like a far reach. But Lizzie wasn’t giving up.

The evening breeze billowed the shear, white curtains like a sail boat in Frisco Bay. Mossy stirred when the cooler air reached his face. She sponged him off some more. And when he settled, she pressed her fingers to her tired back and stepped over to the open window. Lord, all this beauty, the garden, the land, the gracious home, this lovely bedroom where she’d had them bring Mossy. It made the ugliness of her boys, her life, show even worse than it ever seemed before coming here. And she could only imagine what Jenny thought, how all this looked to her. She would hardly talk to her now. What started as a happy reunion had been smeared and muddied by her past.

As Johnny said, the past could nudge some. And it surely had. “I don’t nudge easy, never did.” It’s what she’d told him.

Johnny Madrid—the last person she’d thought to find introduced as Johnny Lancer. But she could see it in his eyes; he’d changed.

That little lecture, “He has to know, Lizzie.” Johnny was calling the shots. “Murdoch’s a decent man.” Like she didn’t know that, yeah, that boy had changed, so why couldn’t she? Johnny told her it wasn’t easy. But Murdoch said he believed in her “because of what Johnny taught me.”

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Scott had watched Elizabeth walk past with the broth she was taking up to Mossy. After exchanging a look with Murdoch, he stood and went into the kitchen.

There he found Jenny sitting at the table, staring into space. She glanced briefly at him as he came near. He took that as an opening. “Care for some coffee?”

She gave a slight shake of her head.

He poured himself some and sat down. Taking a sip, he looked at the porcelain cup and carefully set it on the saucer. “You know, I think these dishes are about the only thing that is similar to my life before I came to Lancer.”

That took her by surprise enough to get her attention. “What do you mean?”

“I didn’t grow up here. My mother died when I was born and I went to live with my grandparents in Boston.”

She cocked her head. “For how long?”

“For 24 years,” he took another sip. “And for the record, I’m 25 and a half.”

“You lived your whole life there?”

“Yes, on Beacon Hill. Well, except for the time I was at Harvard or in the Army.”

“Harvard!”

He knew she thought she had a kindred spirit. “That’s right.”

“Why ever did you come out here?”

He let go of the cup and folded his hands. Then he looked her in the eye. “Because my father asked me to.”

Jenny realized at last what he was trying to do. “Your father and my mother are very different. He is…honorable.”

Scott nodded. “Yes, he is. But I didn’t know that when I came. All I knew was that he was the man who never came to Boston to get me. Who had apparently chosen his life here over me.”

“Then why did you come?”

“Because I wanted answers.”

“Did you get them?”

Scott smiled. “Eventually. But while I was waiting for those answers, I got something a lot more important.”

“What?”

“A family.” He took her hands. “It wasn’t quick, and it wasn’t easy. And I still don’t have all those answers. But it is worth it.”

She took her hands back. “I’m not like you.”

Scott smiled again. “I wasn’t like me back then either. Part of me wanted to get right back on that stage and head east as fast as I could. But I gave myself a month. I decided to give this ranch, this family, this father one month. And at the end of that month, I gave myself another month. And before I knew it, I didn’t need any more months. I realized I didn’t need to go home…because I was already there.”

She didn’t answer, but Scott knew he had pushed her enough. It was up to her.

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Elizabeth stepped out of her room where Mossy was sleeping again. She breathed a sigh of relief, and closed the door quietly. She turned around and nearly jumped in fright to find Johnny standing behind her. “You scared the devil outta me, Johnny! When did you get back?”

Johnny cocked his head toward the stairway. “Just now. Murdoch filled us in.”

She forced a smile. “I bet he did.” She walked past him.

“Lizzie.”

Spinning back, the smile slipped. “It’s Elizabeth.”

Johnny pointed to the bedroom. “Don’t look like it. It don’t look much like walking away.”

She took an angry step towards him. “What am I supposed to do? Let him die?”

He looked at her face and all the emotions playing there. He sighed. “No, I guess not. But where’s the line? You better find it, because they’re gonna keep trying to nudge you over it.”

Her anger faded. “I guess you would know.”

“I’ve had to make some trades I wish I hadn’t had to. But this is my family. My real family. Yours is sitting downstairs wondering who the hell her mother is.”

“I’m doing the best I can,” she bit out.

Johnny put his hands on her arms. “I know you are, Elizabeth. And I’ll do whatever I can to help. But you gotta draw that line.”

She took a breath, and nodded. “I know.”

He gave her arms a little squeeze and let her go.

Before she went down the stairs, she turned partway back. “Thanks. Johnny Lancer.”

He smiled. “You’re welcome, Elizabeth Cramer.”

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Teresa listened to what was going on outside the front door. Murdoch had loaned a wagon to speed the young outlaws off of Lancer. But Evidently, Elizabeth had not informed him or Jenny that she intended for her and her daughter to accompany them as far as their house.

In tears, Jenny ran back in. Teresa followed and found her in the Great Room, sitting in front of Murdoch’s big desk.

“Can we talk?” she asked.

Jenny practically glared at her. “Are you going to tell me to give her another chance? To forgive her?”

Teresa sat down. “Do you know why I live on Lancer?”

Jenny blinked at the unexpected topic and shook her head.

“Because my mother left me here. My father was the foreman, and when I was a baby, she just up and left. After he died, Murdoch became my guardian.”

Jenny held onto her hostility like a security blanket. “Did she rob banks?”

“No. She was a showgirl in saloons. Still is as far as I know.” Teresa looked down at her hands. “She came to get me a little while back. I didn’t even know who she was. But she didn’t really want me, she just wanted to blackmail Murdoch. In the end, she chose her life instead of me…again.”

Jenny looked at her steadily. “If she came back, would you forgive her?”

Teresa took a deep breath. “If she left that life, and proved she was here to stay by, let’s say, fixing a house for us, I would.”

Jenny pointed out the window. “But mine didn’t. She rode away with them.”

“Didn’t you hear her? She said they were dropping her off at the house. They’re leaving and she’s staying.”

Jenny closed her eyes and wrung her hands. “I want to believe that. But how can I? She brought them in here. She might bring them there, too.”

Teresa took her hands and stilled them. “She’s trying, Jenny. At some point, you have to as well.” She smiled. “Besides, I was looking forward to having you as a neighbor.” She squeezed her hands. “And a friend.”

Jenny gave a feeble smile in return.

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Scott and Johnny entered the Great Room and found Murdoch at his desk.

“Where’s Jenny?” Scott asked him.

“Upstairs with Teresa. She’s still trying to decide whether to go to Elizabeth, or get on the stage.”

“The stage might be safer,” Johnny said.

Murdoch looked at him in surprise. “How can you say that?Elizabeth is trying…”

Johnny interrupted him. “Those boys of hers aren’t going to give up that easy. She bailed them out of trouble this time and they’re gonna keep coming back.”

“What do you propose we do about it?”

Scott crossed his arms. “Hang around her place for awhile. And if they come back, make sure they get the message they aren’t welcome anymore.”

Murdoch shook his head. “She’s not going to like us fighting her battles.”

“Then she can just not like it,” Johnny told him.

A throat clearing behind them, made all three Lancer men turn.

“Excuse me,” Jenny said. “Could someone give me a ride to Green River?”

The question could have meant the house or the stage, except for Teresa standing behind her, smiling.

Scott walked over to her. “I believe that can be arranged. How long are you staying?”

She raised her chin. “At least a month.”

He gave her a warm smile. “That sounds about right.”

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They saw the flames before they reached the turn-off to the house. Scott and Johnny raced towards it, while Murdoch slapped the buggy reins frantically.

When he pulled up, they had the “boys” rounded up at gunpoint.

“Where’s Elizabeth?” Murdoch shouted as he and Jenny both leapt to the ground.

Thede indicated the burning house. “She ran back in. Clayt went after her, but….”

Without waiting to hear the rest, Murdoch ran into the flames.

Johnny held his gun steady despite the fury in his voice. “After all she did for you, this is how you repay her?! This is how you show you care about her?”

“We’re s-sorry,” Mossy sputtered.

Johnny’s eyes grew cold. “You will be. If you ever come near this town again. You will be sorry. Very, very sorry.”

Thebe stared at him. “We was right. You’re Madrid, ain’t ya?”

Johnny didn’t even blink. “No. My name is Johnny Lancer. And I’m a friend of Elizabeth Cramer.”

After an approving glance at his brother, Scott cocked his rifle. “I believe you were told to leave this town. Now.”

“But Lizzie…”

Both gun and rifle raised a bit more pointedly.

“Alright, alright!” The three of them scurried to their horses, Julio helped Mossy to mount, and they took off.

Murdoch came out of the door with Elizabeth in his arms, just before a beam fell, blocking the way. He laid her gently on the ground and put his jacket under her head to pillow it.

“You always gotta come bustin’ in don’t ya,” she rasped.

“If only once,” he told her, “you would do something halfway.”

“No pleasure in halfway.” She managed a weak smile. “Call me ‘it’ again.”

He managed a weak smile of his own. “Elizabeth.”

“Nice.” She murmured. “That sounds nice.” Then she looked over his shoulder. “Is that..?”

Jenny kneeled down on her other side and took her hand. “I’m here, Mother.”

“Mother,” Elizabeth repeated. “That sounds even nicer.” Still holding Jenny’s hand, she closed her eyes.

The buggy came down the road at a pleasant clip.

“I don’t know why I let you talk me into this, Murdoch Lancer,” Elizabeth complained.

“You needed to get out of the house and get some fresh air,” Murdoch told her.

She looked at their surroundings. “Oh, no! Not this way. I can’t bear it. I don’t want to see my…” Her words cut off at the sight before her.

Murdoch pulled the buggy to a stop as she gazed in amazement. The Lancers and several townsfolk were busy rebuilding her house.

“Ain’t that the devil,” she murmured quietly.

Jenny got down from the back seat and took her hand. “Let me help you.”

Elizabeth scolded her. “I ain’t a frail stick!”

Jenny scolded right back. “You are still healing, and the doctor said to take it easy.”

“Ah, Jenny,” Murdoch said, “I probably should have warned you. She doesn’t always listen very well.”

Elizabeth laughed and, holding onto her daughter, walked slowly towards the house.

Scott, Johnny, and Teresa came over to Murdoch. As he watched the two women walk arm in arm, he said, “Well, she wanted a new life, now she has it.”

Johnny looked fondly up at his father. “You always said you believe in new beginnings.”

Murdoch put an arm around Johnny’s shoulders and his other around Scott’s. Scott pulled Teresa in closer as well. “That I do,” Murdoch told them all. “That I do.”

Behind them, on a distant hill, three former outlaws turned their horses away from the homestead and went their separate ways.

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End

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December, 2023

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