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Surely she could not feel such an affinity for the location if she were going to watch Thorn die there. |
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She had to stop the duel. |
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Where was Pierce? If he were here, in the past, why hadn't he joined her? Guided her? He wanted her, after all, to right his damned "grievous wrong." Why didn't he help? |
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Except . . . he had helped, some. He had written the dratted screenplay in the first place. |
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A name came to her then, one she had read in the script. Not that the story was necessarily accurate, but the man who'd called Thorn out for the duel had been named Billy. |
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Billy! She could ask that day if anyone knew of a Billy in Pittsburgh. |
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And if so, she might be able to save Thorn. |
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She took in her surroundings with new interesttinged with watchfulness, anticipation and fear for Thorn. There was river traffic around here; nothing like the motorized pleasure craft she'd seen in the Pittsburgh she'd left, but more canoes, bateaux and other man-powered boats. Thorn easily sleeked the pirogue among them, reaching the shore at a landing area at the opposite end of the Point from the small dock from which Mariah had left with the ruffianshad it been just a week earlier? |
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A substantial thump told Mariah that the canoe had reached the shore. "Come along." Thorn helped her from the boat, though she had to wade in her boots through shallow water. Once she was standing on the dry bank, Thorn easily lifted the canoe and dragged it farther along the sloping shore, where it rested among several other dugouts strewn about. |
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They were on the Monongahela side of the Point. Ahead was the small town of PittsburghPittsborough, as it was now pronouncedand Fort Pitt loomed to their right. Thorn did not spare a glance across the dry moat to the tall earthen barrier that hid the rest of the fort, but headed instead toward the enclave of small wooden buildings of the town. Mariah followed, scurrying to keep up with his long, swift strides along the well-worn dirt path from the shore. She nearly tripped once, and he stopped to take her elbow. |
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