Kathleen Kent - The Outcasts

He had read Lucinda’s note, the one given to him in the Austin jail, only after crossing the Red River on his return trip to Oklahoma. In the failing light of dusk, he had stared at the letters trailing looped and elegant towards the edge of the paper, like birds rushing for flight, and his hand holding the note had dropped onto his lap. With a growing sense of wonder, he saw what had been hidden before in the face of his daughter: Lucinda’s alert, challenging gaze and Dr. Tom’s smile of genuine pleasure at a world revealing itself in all its startling complexities.

It was another seventy miles to Tishomingo, but he touched his heels to the bay’s ribs and let the horse run himself out. He made camp an hour after sunset south of Marietta to build a fire and slept on top of his blanket in the silky air.

He dreamed that night of an island densely covered with oak and elm, heavily shrouded with winter rains, and a mound of earth between the trees opening up, like a grave in rebellion, pushing the pale bodies of two seamen, long buried, to the surface. The rain stopped and scavengers appeared, beetle, fox, and coyote, to devour the men in unison in a peculiarly slow and stately manner. And in the fashion of dreams, he was not repelled by the sight, but rather awed by the bloodless, almost gentle feeding.

The bones of the once-buried were quickly scattered by wild boars that chased sunning copperheads from the cages of the bleaching ribs. Itinerant ospreys collected for their nests the remaining hair, still intact on the skulls, like lichen on sea boulders.

Left was only the inert detritus of the disappeared—the metal piece of a gun, a buckle, a button, a single gold coin—which in time also mingled with the earth, conjoined with it, related in all its finite parts. Kin.

My deepest gratitude to my agent, Julie Barer, for all her support, encouragement, and direction; she is in one person cheerleader, tutor, first reader, and friend. My abiding thanks to Reagan Arthur, my superlative editor, who, through her guidance, patience, and advocacy, has made me a better writer.

My heartfelt thanks also to the wonderful people at Hachette/Little, Brown: David Young, Michael Pietsch, Heather Fain, Sabrina Callahan, Nicole Dewey, Anna Balasi, Sarah Murphy, Miriam Parker, and Amanda Tobier.

They say third time’s the charm, so to Pamela Marshall and Tracy Roe, my copyeditors, I say, How lucky can one writer get!

The idea for this novel and its legends of pirates’ gold began with my brother’s recounting of the history of Middle Bayou (now Armand Bayou) in southeast Texas. My admiration and thanks go to Kevin (the Captain) Hickman for sharing his knowledge of the Civil War, its armaments and its warriors.

My love and gratitude go to the Cannon family, Danny, Beth, and Mattie, for their hospitality during the many hours in which they revealed so generously their extensive knowledge of horses and horsemanship.

To Tom Godwin, doctor, historian, and archaeologist, and his wife, Patsy, I send my deep appreciation for sharing their knowledge of the early settlers of Middle Bayou. And also to George Dearing, for retelling stories of Texas from an earlier, wilder time.

My research was enhanced immensely by the generous contributions of the following historians: Helen D. Mooty, director of the Galveston County Historical Museum; Don Harper, associated with the Galveston Railroad Museum; and Doug Wicklund, the “Gun Whisperer,” senior curator of the National Firearms Museum, expert on the elusive but legendary Whitworth rifle.

My enduring love and gratitude go as well to my sister, Kim Morrison, for her abundant inspiration and creativity, and to all my family and friends who encouraged and supported me during the writing of this third book. And finally to Jim: the adventure is just beginning.

The Heretic’s Daughter

The Traitor’s Wife (originally published as The Wolves of Andover )

Kathleen Kent is the author of The Heretic’s Daughter and The Traitor’s Wife. She lives in Dallas.

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In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Copyright © 2013 by Kathleen Kent

Cover design by Julianna Lee; art © David et Myrtille/Arcangel Images

Cover copyright © 2013 by Hachette Book Group

All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

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ISBN 978-0-316-20613-6