//BEARING ARMS//RDR2//ARTHUR x READER

Chapter Thirty-Four

(Y/n) couldn't believe what was happening. Everything was moving so quickly. Her Aunt Eliza and the Hillington's were expecting a wedding in a couple of hours- and it wasn't with Arthur Morgan.

She walked outside the hotel at the park trail nearby. "What am I to do? I need to secure my independence from these people!" She said to herself. (Y/n) pulled out the ring Arthur had slipped in the journal. She placed it on her ring finger, making a smile creep upon her face briefly. She had to keep her spirits up somehow.

Then suddenly, a voice called out. "Is that- No, could it be?" A man who was staying at the hotel reached out and grabbed her hand, inspecting the ring.

"Unhand me, you creep!" Shouted (Y/n), yanking her hand from his grasp. "Have you no decency?" She squinted her eyes and looked at the man before her.

He straightened out his posture and cleared his throat, clearly caught off guard. "Oh, it's you! Miss Robinson, soon-to-be Mrs. Hillington, pleasure to meet you!" Awkwardly, he put on a smile and fixed his bowler hat.

"Yes, that's me. Uhh, have I seen you before?" She said. He looked familiar, though she's never spoken to him until this moment.

"Why, I'm Wilbert Hillington! Surely my brother has talked to you of me...he has mentioned me, hasn't he?" He scrunched his brows looking for a reassurance. Sadly, (Y/n)'s silence answered his question. "Oh! Why does my own family hate me? They carry me around with them, and for what?"

(Y/n) couldn't help but pity the man. He did look like Peter, a knock-off version, but similar. "I'm sorry, Wilbert. If it's any consolation, I'm not too fond of your brother myself."

He blinked several times. "What? But, everyone loves Peter!" Wilbert dropped his jaw, "You are a strange one! And tell me, where did you find that ring?"

She didn't know what to say. At this point, what mattered if she spoke of another man? Wilbert sure didn't seem like he'd tattle on her to his family. They appeared to be distant. "You see, it was a gift from-"

"A big fellow, brown hair and blue eyes? Mister Morgan, perhaps?" Said Wilbert. He sounded so sure of himself.

(Y/n) raised her brows. "How do you know him?"

"He helped me out one night. Mister Morgan saved me from a couple of street thugs and then escorted me to safety. He's a hero!" He laughed, remembering the night his life flashed before his eyes. "I rewarded him with that very ring."

She looked at the diamond and then to Wilbert. "He gave this to me last night. Arthur...asked for my hand."

Wilbert smiled, his eyes tender and kind. "Well, I'm glad he put the ring to good use."

(Y/n) turned away. "Yes, I suppose so. But what good is it at this point?" She couldn't help but remember how today was planned to go.

"Nonsense! They want a wedding and a wedding you shall have." He gleamed and looped his arm with (Y/n)'s. "I owe Mister Morgan with my life. I am here at your service, Miss Robinson."

"Thank you, Wilbert." (Y/n) could see the light at the end of the tunnel; it was close. She had to keep going, for herself and Arthur. "I appreciate your offer to help and so may I ask a favor of you?"

"Anything!" said Wilbert, stopping in his tracks. He instantly looked into her eyes, assuring he'd be of help in any way possible. "I'm sick of being a bystander. I renounce my family, tell what it is."

(Y/n) took a deep breath. "I need you to gather my papers. My inheritance papers, please. Without them, I'm left with nothing. My Aunt Eliza is corrupt and, as you have learned as well, the Hillington's are also unjust." She could see the slight apprehension in Wilbert's face. Although he decided to distance himself from his family, that didn't mean he wasn't intimidated by them. "If it makes a difference, once I have my papers, I will give you a handsome reward."