Dancing with the Devil

Chapter Fourteen

 Chapter Fourteen 

"Ance, don't you dare shoot my mama!" Penelope exclaimed as she reached out her hand and swatted at his arm. 

Ance lowered the gun slowly as he swallowed hard and clutched Penelope tighter against him. The woman stepped a little closer. "Ansel? Please, give me my daughter." 

Recognition dawned in Ance's mind. He'd met this woman before... She had been at the hotel in Briggston. Ance remembered seeing her and he remembered thinking that the blond of her hair and the brown of her eyes were familiar..... She had looked like Penelope. 

"Ance, let me go. I told you my mama was looking for me!" Penelope struggled against him. 

Ance let her go and settled her on her feet but still couldn't seem to speak or move. Penelope's mother? She was here? She wanted Penelope? Why? The woman had sold her! She hadn't come when Ance had sent her word! Ance had given her a chance to come get the girl and the woman hadn't done so. 

Why now? Why here? Why now that Ance couldn't possibly see his life without this little girl in it was her mother coming to take her away?!

Penelope ran as quickly as her leg would allow to her mother and Ance watched as the woman dropped to her knees and gathered her daughter up into her arms. Tears were streaming down the woman's face as she sobbed and laughed all at the same time and squeezed Penelope with everything she had. An emotion as raw as that could not be faked. 

Ance felt his heart ripping apart in his chest. He'd been wrong. Barnaby had lied to him. Penelope had been right all along. Her mother loved her, her mother had been searching for her and now her mother was here....

Ance was no longer needed. 

***

Audrey could not believe that after all the searching, all the tears, all the nights of having nothing but hope to cling to, she was finally holding her daughter in her arms. 

"Mama, they said you didn't want me but I knew you did," Penelope promised as she squirmed in Audrey's tight hold. "I told Ance.. He sent you a letter but you didn't answer..." 

Audrey remembered the outlaw then. "We'll talk about everything, Penelope, I promise." Audrey kissed her daughter's freckled cheek and then  quickly swiped her hand across her own face and pushed herself to her feet. She kept one hand firmly on her Penelope's shoulder to keep the girl from disappearing once again. 

Audrey's eyes went to where the large, mysterious man had been moments before but the space was now empty. The band continued to play, those that had been aware of their short-lived stand-off had already seemed to lose interest and were back to their conversations and dances. 

"Where's Ance?" Penelope whispered as she glanced all around. 

"I don't know..." Audrey replied, searching just as intently as her daughter. 

"Ance?!" Penelope called out, sounding frantic. 

Audrey looked down at her and saw the tears shining in her brown eyes as she searched in every direction. "Ance, wouldn't leave me...." Penelope vowed, her lip trembling. 

Audrey felt jealousy tug at her heart but forced the emotion back. She wished her daughter could simply be happy to see her but she understood that Ance, as Penelope had referred to him, had been the person taking care of her for over a month. He had been a hero for Penelope and therefore the girl had grown attached. 

"I'm sure he didn't leave..." Audrey prayed he hadn't hurt her daughter that way. Penelope didn't deserve any more pain in her life. "I'm sure he was just wanting to give us some time alone," she offered.