Harriet Appleyard lives a quiet and privileged life. Desperate to escape her father, she seeks the help of an infamous gang of gunslinging outlaws. Newfound freedom raises new prospects for Hallie as well as hurdles. And how does one define morals...
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Summer, 1888
"Inhale. Hold it. And release."
The arrow traveled swiftly through the air, from bow to target. Monsieur Cousteau shot Hallie a disappointed glare. The summer breeze blew his black handlebar mustache in bizarre directions. Hallie had to bite her tongue to keep herself from laughing.
The two strolled to examine the target further. Hallie cringed when she realized she only had hit the outer circle of the target.
He adjusted his petite glasses and crossed his arms.
"What has gotten into you, mademoiselle Hallie?" He asked her in his thick French accent, not pronouncing the h in her name. To him, she was just 'Allie'.
Monsieur Cousteau had been teaching her archery for six years. The 13-year-old had impressed him time and time again, but today was the greatest of exceptions.
"I don't know. When I try to focus... Well, I just can't," her standards were high, and she hated when she didn't live up to them.
Pleased with her dissatisfaction, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Calmez-vous. You do not need to rush, young Hallie. You are already better than half the men my age." For the last few years, he had felt more like a dad to her than her father. His kindness always came as a surprise to her, and she never felt worthy of it.
Monsieur Cousteau decided it was enough of practice for one day and sat Hallie down in the backyard of her family's mansion. Her hands caressed the soft grass, picking up a single blade of grass and using her nails to break it into tiny pieces.
"Do you promise you'll never leave me, Cousteau?" Her dark, innocent eyes met the aged ones of Monsieur Cousteau.
He smiled, trying to conceal a laugh at her childishly naive proposal.
"I promise."
Little did she know that her father would fire Monsieur Cousteau the following month due to unprofessional behavior. Albert always thought kindness came in the company of ulterior motives, and therefore, it wasn't welcomed in the Appleyard family.
_____
1899
Around a fortnight had passed since Hallie arrived at her new home. She felt it in the way they looked at her that she was slowly getting accepted. Skeptical frowns had turned into greeting nods and lifted her spirits.
Arthur had taken her to practice her aiming in a desolate area a little outside camp. Hallie felt nervous in his presence, and he removed her attention from the lethal weapon in front of her. Her hands were shaky as he had explained the different parts of a gun. The first few shots were terribly off target, but after some intense training, she got the hang of it.
