A swift horse galloped out from the dense forest, then quickly ran towards Valentine.
Arthur's heart couldn't stop racing; he couldn't tell if it was nervousness or a lingering hope, but in any case, after seeing Mary's letter, his emotions were stirred.
He had once thought he had completely let go of this woman.
But now, it was clear he hadn't.
Arthur galloped on his horse, barely wasting a moment.
Mary had been the thread through his young and naive love, and this so-called love had only ever manifested itself with Mary.
He had originally thought that he and Mary would have no further ties, but Dutch's words in the camp just now reignited a raging fire in his heart.
However, thinking of Mary Linton's husband, the fire in Arthur's heart was extinguished as if by water, leaving him feeling somewhat chilled to the bone.
"Giddy up!!!"
A swift horse ran towards a residence behind Valentine.
Looking at the two-story house in front of him, Arthur was uncharacteristically nervous, to the point where his hands were sweating.
Damn it, he had never been this nervous during a gunfight!
Clearly, our true man, Arthur, can be completely read by some people in certain aspects.
Like Dutch, and like... Mary.
In the original story, although Mary had a bit of a 'only comes when she needs something' vibe, whether he helped her or not, she would eventually go to Arthur's grave and weep.
She even wanted Arthur to leave with her during their second meeting.
From these two points, it's clear that Mary also had genuine feelings for Arthur.
At this moment, at the entrance of the two-story villa.
"Hmm!" Arthur paced around the entrance twice before making up his mind, then stepped forward and gently knocked on the door.
After knocking, Arthur felt even more uneasy; he took off his hat, held it in his hand, and paced around twice more, his visible nervousness making him seem at a loss. (In-game footage shows Arthur is truly nervous)
As footsteps sounded inside the room, the door quietly opened, and Arthur immediately peeked in.
He was met by a gun pointed at him.
"Who are you?"
"Oh, excuse me, I'm looking for Mrs. Linton." Arthur stepped back two paces, speaking nervously and awkwardly.
"One moment!"
The woman closed the door.
Less than a minute later, the door opened again.
This time, it was Mary Linton who came out.
"Hello, Arthur." Mary Linton opened the door, paused slightly upon seeing Arthur, then closed the door and stepped out.
"Mary!" Arthur clasped his hands together, raising them slightly in a somewhat reserved greeting.
He admitted he was nervous now, even sweating a little. (Slightly modified from original text)
"Um, you... where is he?" Arthur didn't know how to start, so he could only ask about Mary's husband.
"He died, a long time ago." Mary said these words with no emotional fluctuation.
"So, uh, you, you're a widow now? So... so you came to find me?"
Arthur's words were heartbreaking to hear, and his expression even more so.
At least Dutch and Hosea, who were hiding in the distance, felt a bit heartbroken.
"Arthur, oh, Arthur, poor Arthur, tormented by this woman to the point he doesn't dare speak."
Dutch hid behind the wall, mimicking Arthur's troubled expression, making a sad face.
"Enough, Dutch. If Arthur sees us peeking, he'll definitely get moody when he gets back, and it's even normal for him to hide and cry secretly. Let's not make the kid cry, you know, he's always liked to put on a strong front since he was little."
Hosea patted Dutch's shoulder, warning him.
"Oh, Hosea, you're not letting him off either." Dutch smiled and shook his head, but still turned and walked with Hosea towards the center of Valentine.
Their purpose for coming out today wasn't to peek at Arthur, but to look at the surrounding farms and purchase a large enough one to serve as their clothing production base.
"Oh, Dutch, can we, can we really buy a farm and settle down? Are you sure the Pinkerton Detective and federal police won't affect our lives anymore?"
Hosea followed Dutch towards the Valentine bank.
To acquire farms at a low price, the bank was an excellent place to go; it contained all the farms that had been repossessed due to debt.
For example, Mr. Downs' farm might be worth five hundred dollars, and John's Beecher's Hope was actually worth at most seven or eight hundred dollars, but he didn't have legal status, so the bank directly almost doubled its price.
And now the Van der Linde Gang also didn't have legal status, but this wasn't a problem. Dutch's idea was to find a channel, push the gang's women forward, and let them be the public face for buying farms and even opening clothing stores.
As for Dutch and the others, they only needed to protect their safety.
Hearing Hosea's worried words, Dutch shook his head, his expression unchanged.
"Hosea, this time we won't be on the front lines. Karen, Mary-Beth, and Jenny can take the lead in purchasing the farm and opening the clothing store. I remember Jenny has no criminal record and a legal identity; perhaps she can be very useful in this regard.
As for the Pinkerton Detective, they don't have jurisdiction here right now, so even if they find our tracks, it's useless. And the federal police, oh, Hosea, this security team for rich families won't attack us just because we're outlaws, unless we provoke some rich person."
Dutch's eyes flickered, showing no worry at all.
In the game, the Van der Linde Gang caused so much trouble in the early stages, and without jurisdiction, even if the Pinkerton Detective discovered their camp three times, they still had no method, only able to give a slight warning. And this time, they haven't caused any trouble at all, not even engaging in robbery up to now, so even if the Pinkerton comes looking, they'll still be helpless.
And in the later stages, forget the later stages, once Dutch's arms factory is up and running, he won't fear these violent organizations at all.